死亡之后 (Pt.1)
2008 was one of my toughest years as a pastor – in a space of 2 months, we lost 3 beautiful girls… Death was not part of God’s original plan for humanity. Death is the enemy. And death will one day be defeated. But as JD said last week as he finished off the “Smoke and Mirrors” series in Ecclesiastes, death is part of our reality, and we need to live in light of our mortality. So in next two weeks, we’re going to do a short series exploring what happens when we die.
作为一名牧师，2008 年对我来说尤为艰难 - 在 2 个月之内，教会会友们接连失去了三位漂亮的小 女孩…… 在上帝最初给人所作的计划中，并没有死亡。死亡是人的仇敌，且终有一日会被击败。在上周刚 刚结束的关于传道书的“烟雾镜花”讲道系列中，乔纳森 JD 牧师ᨀ到死亡的确是人们需要直面 的一大现实，我们也需要顺应这一生命的有限性来生活。 在接下来的两周里，我们将要透过一个短小的系列探索我们死亡之后将会发生的事。
The Q I want us to think about today is what happens when we die? What happens in the moments after we’re pronounced dead? Where do we go? May not want to think about that. Esp. if teenager, young adult, whole life ahead of you. But story about Amy Grace, and Natasha, and Hannah reminds us, none of us know for sure when we’ll die. So what happens when we die? There are multiple answers to that question in our world today:
我希望今天我们大家一起来思考以下这个问题，我们死后将会发生些什么事呢？当我们被宣布死 亡之后的瞬间会发生什么呢？我们会到哪里去呢？ 不要去想这些对吗。特别像我们中间这些十来岁的青少年，年轻人，风华正盛、未来可期。然而 艾米格蕾丝，娜塔莎和哈拿（三位小女孩）的故事ᨀ醒我们，我们每一个人都无法确知自己何时 大限将到。 那么究竟我们死后会发生什么呢？在我们今天的世界对此有以下几种回答：
Naturalism – there’s nothing after death (cf. Michael Cullen recently) …
Reincarnation – eastern religious idea that we come back as a different animal in cycles …
Universalism – there is some kind of afterlife, and (almost) everyone gets there in the end …
Purgatory – the Catholic idea that most “good” people go and work off some of their sin …
However, the Bible teaches something different to all of that:
自然主义 - 死后痕迹全无（参照迈克尔库伦 Michael Cullen 最近所言）……
灵魂转世说 - 东方宗教认为人死后会以另外一种动物形式投胎转世……
普世主义 - 死后仍以某种方式继续存在，几乎所有人最终都将这样继续存在……
炼狱说 - 天主教认为最良善的人会在那里暂受苦难，以便减轻罪的惩罚……
然而，圣经中对此的教导确与此上几种皆不相同：
What I want to do in this first message is unpack this key idea about what happens straight after death, and then next week we’ll unpack the long term, final destination of heaven. This big idea answers three key questions that many people have about death and the afterlife – what, where and who? The “what” question is answered in that middle line of the big idea – what is death? Death is simply a departure form this life. Look at these words from apostle Paul:
对基督徒而言
死亡仅仅是一次启程和再次出发
死去的人将要和耶稣一同进入天国里
在我这第一篇信息中，我将重点探讨死亡之后随即发生的事情，下一周我们再来看更长远的事， 永恒天国里的结局。 这里将要回答许多人关于死亡和死后生命的三大关键问题 - 什么？哪里？谁？ “什么”是回答“死亡是什么？”死亡仅仅是对今生的一个告别。请看使徒保罗所言：
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:20) Paul in prison in Rome, facing trial with the possibility of either freedom or death.
我殷切地期待和盼望，我不会感到任何羞愧，而是放胆无惧，不管是生是死，都要一如既往地使 基督在我身上得到尊崇，照常显大。 （腓立比书 1：20） 此时保罗正身处罗马的监狱中，等候审讯，这次审讯将决定他是恢复自由还是会被处死。
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. (Philippians 1:21-24)
Did you notice the wording in v.23?
因我活着就是基督，我死了就有益处。但我在肉身活着，若成就我工夫的果子，我就不知道该挑 选什么。我正在两难之间，情愿离世与基督同在，因为这是好得无比的。然而，我在肉身活着， 为你们更是要紧的。（腓立比书 1：21-24）
你们留意到 23 节的用词了吗？
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. (Philippians 1:21-24)
Paul introduces this idea of departure – that death means departing this life to be with Jesus. This is a rare word. Only used a few times in NT. Elsewhere, used of a soldier packing up their tent, or a ship weighing anchor ready to sail off to new places. Paul will use it again at the end of his life…
因我活着就是基督，我死了就有益处。但我在肉身活着，若成就我工夫的果子，我就不知道该挑 选什么。我正在两难之间，情愿离世与基督同在，因为这是好得无比的。然而，我在肉身活着， 为你们更是要紧的。 （腓立比书 1：21-24）
保罗引入了启程出发这个概念 - 死亡意味着告别此生，出发与主耶稣同在。 这是一个很少见的用词，在新约当中仅仅出现过几次。在另外几处，用来形容士兵打点行装出 发，或是船只扬帆起锚，准备向新的目标起航。 保罗在他生命即将走到尽头的时候再一次用到了这个词…
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-7)
This idea of death as departure reminds me of an ad that has been around for the last couple of years in NZ. It’s a life insurance ad from a company called “Partners Life” and shows a departure lounge …
我现在被浇奠，我离世的时候到了。那美好的仗我已经打过了，当跑的路我已经跑尽了，所信的 道我已经守住了。 （摩太后书 4：6-7）
这种将死亡视为启程出发的想法，让我想起了过去几年在新西兰出现的一则广告。这是一家名为 "生命伙伴 "的公司的人寿保险广告，显示了一个候机室。
The punchline of the ad is: Being dead is easier when you’ve got the right life cover.
I think they’ve nailed the biblical idea of what death is – it’s a departure. But it’s not a departure into a departure lounge where there’s endless waiting in a queue to find out where you’re heading next.
Instead, the Bible makes it very clear that death is a departure to somewhere special. That’s the 2nd part of this big idea – the “where?”
这则广告的点睛之语就是：假如你有不错的人寿保险，死亡也将更容易面对。
我想他们正正切中了圣经关于死亡的观点 - 死亡是一次启程。只是不是离开去往一个候车大厅， 在那里永无休止的排队等候，你等着要弄清楚下一站将要去向何方。
圣经非常清楚的说到，死亡是启程去往一个特别的地方。那么这个人生终极问题的第二问就来了 “去哪里？”
So what is death? It is “simply a departure” from this life. To where? “to be with Jesus in heaven.” Notice again what Paul said in Phil 1:
什么是死亡？ 死亡“仅仅是对今生的一次告别和再次出发” 去哪里？“去和主耶稣在天国同住”
So the biblical picture is that death is a departure from this life. But it’s not a departure lounge, sitting around wondering when someone will see you and where you might end up going afterwards. It’s not weighing up anchor and sailing out of the harbour without a clue of where you’re heading. Instead, biblically, death is departing to be with Jesus.
Phil 1:23 is actually very specific in the way the grammar works in the original language – “departing” and “being with Jesus” go together – you can’t have one without the other. To depart from this life means to instantly be with Jesus for a Christian.
Paul confirmed this in another letter he wrote a few years earlier, 2 Corinthians:
圣经中认为死亡是向此生的一次告别和再次出发。然而你并不是来到一个等候大厅，坐下来等待 遇见某某某，也不知道将要去向何方。也不是起锚出海，并不知道将驶向何处。
相反地，就圣经而言，死亡就是离世与主耶稣同在。实际上，腓立比书 1：23 在原文中的语法说 的非常明确具体 - “离世”和“与主耶稣同在”是同时的 - 你不会只经历其中之一，对于一个基 督徒来说，离开此生就意味着马上与主耶稣同在了。
保罗在若干年后所写的另一封书信《哥林多后书》中再一次确认了这一事实：
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)
Paul is describing being alive vs. dying – we’re either alive in this body, which means we’re not yet with Jesus in heaven. That means we are still living by faith. Or we depart this body when we die, and therefore are with the Lord. This is what theologians call the “intermediate state.”
所以，我们时常坦然无惧，并且晓得我们住在身内，便与主相离。因我们行事为人是凭着信心， 不是凭着眼见。我们坦然无惧，是更愿意离开身体与主同住。 （哥林多后书 5：6-8）
保罗这样述生与死两种状态 - 我们要么就是住在肉身之中，也就是还没有和主耶稣在天国里同 住，这时我们仍然要靠信心生活。要么我们就是离开这肉身，死了，并且和主耶稣同住。
神学家称之为“居间状态”。
When Jesus returns one day to establish His kingdom, that is when He will raise the bodies of the dead and transform them into new, incorruptible, imperishable bodies. But between our death, if we die before Jesus returns, and our resurrection, our bodies go into the ground or are cremated, but our souls go immediately to be with Jesus in heaven. That’s what Paul’s been talking about.
Now that’s not our final destiny. After the resurrection, in our new imperishable bodies, we will live in the “eternal state.” That’s what we’re going to look at next week in part of this short series.
So in the words of my friend Jeff Jones in the States, the intermediate state is “Heaven 1.0” where we go the moment we die, but then after the resurrection we will go to “Heaven 2.0” – the new heavens and the new earth – and that’s where we’ll live forever.
And while the intermediate state, Heaven 1.0 isn’t the final destination, it’s still a really good stopover – because that’s where Jesus is. And as far as Paul’s concerned, that makes it awesome. Look at his words
主耶稣有一天将要再来建立祂的国度，那时祂将使已死的圣徒身体复活，赐给他们不能朽坏，不 能衰残的崭新的身体。然而，若我们在基督再临之前死去，那么在我们死后，复活之前，我们的 身体将被埋入地下，或者被火化，然而我们的灵魂却会立即去往天国，和主耶稣在一起了。这就 是保罗刚刚所形容的。
这不是我们最终的归宿。在复活之后，在我们不能朽坏的身体内，我们将会“进入永恒状态”， 那是我们下一周将会讲到的另一部分内容。
我的一位美国朋友杰夫琼斯 Jeff Jones 在他的书中将这一时期称为“天国 1.0”，是我们死后马上 就会进入的居间状态。等我们身体复活以后，又将进入“天国 2.0” - 新天新地 - 我们在那里将会 永远活着。
即便“天国 1.0”的居间状态还不是我们最后的归宿，却不失为一个很好的中途小憩 - 因为主耶 稣就在那里呀。对保罗来说，光这一点就好的无比了。请看他的话。
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. (Philippians 1:21-24)
Don’t miss this: Paul is saying that if he had a choice, which he didn’t – but if he did, he would choose Heaven 1.0 with Jesus over this life in this fallen world of ‘hevel.’ He would take heaven every time.
Our problem is that most of us wouldn’t agree with him. If we were completely honest, most of us would choose this life – despite the sin and brokenness and pain and futility. We don’t completely understand heaven, and we’re not entirely sure we want to go.
Part of that is because we have the wrong idea about where we’re going – especially about the new heavens and the new earth. Hopefully we can sort some of that next week.
But it’s also because we’ve bought a lie going around in our world – it’s called YOLO.
因我活着就是基督，我死了就有益处。但我在肉身活着，若成就我工夫的果子，我就不知道该挑 选什么。我正在两难之间，情愿离世与基督同在，因为这是好得无比的。然而，我在肉身活着， 为你们更是要紧的。 （腓立比书 1：21-24）
不要误会：保罗在这儿是说如果他可以选择，尽管他不能选择，然而如果他能选择的话，他会选 择和主耶稣在一起的“天国 1.0”，而不是在这个堕落充满“叹息”的世界中苟存。无论给他选 择几次，他总会选择天国。
我们的问题就在于我们不会和保罗作同样的决定。如果我们足够诚实，我们中的绝大多数都会选 择今生 - 即使今生充满了罪恶、破碎、痛苦和虚空。我们不能完全了解天国的事，也不能像保罗 那样坚定确信我们渴想进入天国。
原因一部分是我们对于我们所要去往的地方抱有错误的认识 - 特别是新天新地的部分。盼望我们 下周能厘清其中的一些误解。
另一部分原因是我们听信了仇敌在我们身边布散的谎言 - 人生仅此一世
It means, “You only live once.” It’s the idea that this life is all there is, and we need to get stuck in and suck the marrow out f this life before we die. And while I’m all for enjoying life and sucking the marrow, YOLO is a lie. We DON’T only live once. This life is NOT all there is. And in fact, Paul says strongly that being with Jesus is better by far.
Christians in previous generations have understood this. But because life for us can be comfortable and enjoyable, despite the fallenness and “hevel’ of the world, we’re less likely to really believe that being Jesus in heaven is better.
But it is. Because we’ll be with Jesus. And that’s what we look forward to. Well-known 19th century evangelist D L Moody once commented when he was close to death.
YOLO（人生仅此一生）
这句话要表达的人生观是，人生仅此一世，我们得在死去以前奋力拼搏，活得精彩，尽享人生。 虽然我也赞成享受人生的精彩，“人生仅此一世”却是一个谎言。我们不是仅仅活这一生的。今 生也不是全部，正如保罗所渴望地那样“与主同在好得无比”。
以往世代的基督徒都深明此理。然而我们这个世代生活安逸舒适，令人享受，所以即使世上充满 堕落、虚空，我们越来越不相信与主耶稣在天国里是比今生更加美好的。
但这是千真万确的。因为我们终将和主同在，这也是我们所有人所翘首以待的。
So death is simply a departure from this life, to be with Jesus in heaven – heaven 1.0. That’s the what? and the where?
不久你就会在报纸上读到我已去世。不要相信，因为我将会比以往更真更确的活着。（D L 穆迪）
所以死亡仅仅是向着今生的一场离别，还要再次启程去天国与主耶稣同住 - 天国 1.0 回答完“是什么”，接下来就是“去哪里？”
The last question I want to consider is the “who?” Who is that true for? Because it’s not actually true for everyone, despite what many people believe.
The Bible is clear that the hope of heaven, of being with Jesus, is specifically for Christians – for people who have put their faith in Him. But that’s not how many people view it. There a large number of people in our country and around the world, who may not very religious, may not go to church regularly, who believe there might be some afterlife.
For example, it’s fascinating to see what cartoonists will draw when well-known kiwis pass away:
我最后一个解决的问题是“谁？”谁能去天堂？虽然很多人认为每个人都能去天堂，但事实却并 不如此。
圣经清楚ᨀ到对天国、对与主同在的盼望，是上帝特别赐给基督徒的 - 给那些信靠主耶稣基督的 人们。然而，在我们的国家，在世界上其他地方，还有许许多多的人，他们也许不那么敬虔，也 不会定期去教会，他们也相信死后还有某种生命存在。
Now I have no clue about the spiritual state about any of these sportsmen, and I’m not trying to make a comment about that. What I’m pointing out if the assumption – if there’s a heaven, they’ll be there. And that’s the assumption a whole bunch of people in NZ and around the world make. It’s been brilliantly explained and explored by pastor Andy Stanley in a wonderful little book, “How Good Is Good Enough?” This is how he describes this philosophy that many buy into:
我完全不了解这些运动员的属灵光景，也不打算对此作任何评判。我想要谈一谈这些漫画背后隐 含的假定 - 倘若天堂存在，他们将在那里。这也是新西兰大众和世界上许许多多的人所认定的。 安迪史丹利 Andy Stanley 牧师在他所著的一本名为“多好才算为足够好”的小册子中精彩地论述 9 探究了这一观点。他在书中述了大众广泛接受的哲学思想：
”Good people go to heaven. The logic flows something like this: There is a good God who lives in a good place reserved for good people. The criterion for making it to this good place is to be good. But how good is good enough?” (Andy Stanley)
Where’s the line? What’s the target? What exactly do you need to do? If you buy this philosophy, that good people go to heaven, Andy asks exactly the right question: how good is good enough?
And what if that basic assumption is wrong? How do you know good people even go heaven? Because actually, Jesus seemed to suggest that isn’t the case.
好人上天堂。逻辑过程有点像是这样子的: 在一个美好的地方住着一位良善的上帝，祂在这里也 为所有良善的人预备了地方。 而决定一个人是否能到达这里的标准就是他是否是一个好人。然而 多好才算是好呢？ （安迪史丹利）
分界线在哪里呢？目标是什么？你究竟需要做些什么？若你接受这一哲学，就是好人上天堂，安 迪问了一个关键问题：要多好才算足够好呢？
但如果这个基本假设本身是错误的呢？你怎么知道好人就一定上天堂？因为看起来耶稣实际上就 已经对此进行过否认。
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)
我告诉你们：你们的义若不胜于文士和法利赛人的义，断不能进天国。（马太福音 5:20）
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
See, Jesus sets the bar way higher than what we may think. Good people don’t go to heaven. Only perfect people get in. And none of us are perfect. Paul will write in Romans 3:
所以你们要完全，像你们的天父完全一样。 （马太福音 5:48）
看到了吗，主耶稣把这个“好”的标准拉得远比我们自己所想的要高的多得多的多。好人并不会 因此而进天堂。只有完全的人才能进入。而我们之中没有人是完全的。保罗在罗马书第三章中写 到：
There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God… there is no one who does good, not even one… For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:10-12, 23 10)
As Andy Stanley puts it: The reason good people don’t go to heaven is that there aren’t any good people. There are only sinners. Good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people go to heaven.
See, the good news of the Bible. Sinful people who don’t deserve to go to heaven can still get in, by choosing to acknowledge their sin and putting their faith in Jesus. That’s why Jesus came. That’s why Jesus died on the cross – to pay for the our sins and wickedness. And that’s why he rose again – to break the power of sin and death, and offer eternal life in heaven to every person who trusts in Him.
See, good people don’t go to heaven. Perfect people go – which is only Jesus – and forgiven people go.
So if you’re not perfect, you need to be forgiven… So that’s what happens when we die:
没有义人，连一个也没有; 没有明白的; 没有寻求神的… 没有行善的,连一个也没有… 世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀。 （罗马书 3:10-12, 23）
正如安迪史丹利所言: 人们不能进天堂是因为根本没有一个是好人 。 全世界都是罪人。 好人不能进入天国。 被饶恕被赦免的人才能进入天国
看哪，这就是圣经带来的福音。不配进入天国的罪人得以进入天国，是因他们承认自己的罪，信 靠主耶稣。这也是耶稣道成肉身的原因。正因为此，耶稣死在十字架上，要赎清我们所有的罪 债、恶毒。祂也为此从死里复活，破除死亡与罪恶的权势，为一切信从祂的人赋予天国那永远的 生命。
看哪，好人不能进天国。完全的人才能进，唯有耶稣，以及被宝血洗净赦免的人才能进天国。 如果你不完全，你需要被饶恕被赦免……
故此当我们死后所发生的将是：
So how should that impact our lives today? Let me suggest four ways that I think this hope should impact the way we are living today:
那么这将如何影响我们今天的生活呢？我想这一盼望将从以下四个方面我们今天生活的方式
1. We can face death with joy
For many, death is something to be feared. The book of Hebrews talks about people through the ages living with the fear of death. But Christians don’t need to. We can face death, knowing that it is simply a departure to be with Jesus. It doesn’t mean we go searching for, or hasten it. It doesn’t mean we may grieve relationships or lost opportunities. But we don’t need to be afraid of death.
If you’re a believe, death means seeing Jesus face to face. That’s joy!
1. 我们可以带着喜乐的心面对死亡
对许多人来说，死亡是很可怕的。希伯来书谈到历世历代以来活在对死亡的恐惧中的人们。然而 基督徒不需要如此。我们能够直面死亡，知道这不过是离开今生，去和主耶稣同住。这并不是说 我们要寻求死亡，或是加速奔向死亡。这不意味着我们即将要离开亲戚朋友而不伤心，也不意味 着我们不会惋惜即将失去的今生的机会。只是我们不必害怕死亡。
如果你是位基督徒， 死亡意味着得以与主耶稣面对面相见。这不是大喜乐吗？
1. We can face death with joy
2. We can grieve for others with hope
This hope of heaven doesn’t just impact how we face death personally, but it changes things when those we love face death, if they know and love Jesus. Paul wrote: “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
Don’t miss those words, “we do not grieve like those who have no hope.”
That doesn’t mean we do not grieve when we lose someone we love. Of course we do. We should grieve. Because death is an enemy, and death brings separation between us and that person who has passed away. It is right and proper and biblical to grieve and to lament. In the book of Acts, when the first martyr Stephen died, it says the men who buried him “mourned deeply for him.”
So we still grieve. But we grieve differently. Our grief is fundamentally different to those who don’t know Jesus. Because if the person we have lost trusted in Jesus, we haven’t actually lost them. We know exactly where they are. And we know that we’ll see them again. So we grieve, but we grieve with hope.
1. 我们可以带着喜乐的心面对死亡
2. 我们可以带着盼望哀恸他人的离世
对天国的盼望不仅影响我们如何单独地面对死亡，也影响我们如何面对所爱的人逝去，假若他们 认识耶稣，爱耶稣。保罗写道：论到睡了的人，我们不愿意弟兄们不知道，恐怕你们忧伤，像那些没有指望的人一样。 （帖撒罗尼加前书 4:13）
请不要忽略了这几个词“我们不像那些没有指望的人一样忧伤”
这并不是说我们当我们失去所爱的亲人不会忧伤，我们当然会。我们也理当忧伤。因为死亡是我 们的仇敌，死亡将我们和我们所爱的人分隔。为此悲痛哀伤正当、合宜而且符合圣经。在使徒行 传这卷书中写道，当第一位殉道徒司ᨀ反去世时，人们埋葬他，“为他捶胸大哭”。
所以我们仍会悲伤。但我们的悲伤方式不同。我们的悲伤与那些不认识耶稣的人有根本的不同。 因为如果我们失去的人相信耶稣，我们实际上并没有失去他们。我们清楚地知道他们在哪里。而 且我们知道我们会再次见到他们。所以我们悲伤，但我们带着盼望悲伤。
1. We can face death with joy
2. We can grieve for others with hope
3. We can live now with perspective
A few months ago, in our series on “He Said What?” about the hard saying of Jesus, I talked about an idea that American pastor Randy Alcorn has, of the dot and the line. We either live for the dot of this life, or the line that represents all of eternity.
What I’ve noticed is that people who have lost someone they deeply love, who is now with Jesus – they have an easier time living for the line. They’ve been reminded through their loss and their grief, that this life isn’t all there is. They’ve been reminded that YOLO is a lie.
So for example, those three families of those three beautiful girls we buried in 2008, those families had a much greater sense of the nearness of heaven, and our eternal destiny. And that changes how you live. It impacts your decisions, your thinking, your spending, your forgiving, your time-management. Because you’re living more and more for the line and not this dot.
1. 我们可以带着喜乐的心面对死亡
2. 我们可以带着盼望哀恸他人的离世
3. 我们如今可以用属天的眼光活着
数月以前，我们在“祂说了什么？”讲道系列中回顾了耶稣那些难懂的教训，我ᨀ到一名美国牧 师兰迪阿尔康 Randy Alcorn 的观点，关乎点与线的思想。我们要么为着今生这短暂的点而活，要 么活着像活在天国的永恒里。
我发现，曾经失去他们挚爱亲戚朋友的基督徒（而这些去世的亲朋也是基督徒），会因着这么大 的悲伤更加明白今生不是唯一的，“人生仅活一世”是一个谎言。
举个例子，我们在 2008 年埋葬了三个教会里的小女孩，她们所在的三个家庭对于天国和我们所 盼望的永生有比我们更加切身的了解。这会改变你生活的方式。它会影响你的决定，你的思想， 你如何花费资财，你的饶恕，你的时间管理。因为你越来越能够活在永恒的直线，而不是活在今 生短暂的一点。
1. We can face death with joy
2. We can grieve for others with hope
3. We can live now with perspective
4. We can share Christ with passion
If this is all true – and I totally believe that it is – this really is good news. And we need to be ready to share this whenever God opens the door. One of the most precious moments of my life …
1. 我们可以带着喜乐的心面对死亡
2. 我们可以带着盼望哀恸他人的离世
3. 我们如今可以用属天的眼光活着
4. 我们可以满有热情地与人分享耶稣基督
如果这一切都是真的 - 我完全相信确实如此 - 这就是福音好消息。而我们所要做的就是随时预备 好，以便何时上帝为我们敞开福音的门，我们就能立时与人分享这福音。这也是我生命中最可宝 贵的时光……
