“人也不得说：‘看哪，在这里！看哪，在那里！’因为神的国就在你们心里。” – 路 17:21
在接受洗礼后，耶稣便走遍各地传扬福音，祂说：“神的国临近了！它已经来到！人们就在你眼前进入神的国！”
耶稣也用行动去传扬福音。祂战胜魔鬼和赶出污鬼，衪医好患病的和使饥饿的饱足，祂触摸那些被认为是不可触摸的、和教导那些被认为是不可教导的，祂欢迎困倦的又赶走那自以为是的，祂饶恕罪人又挑战那自以为义的。这些都证明神的国已到来了。
耶稣差遣祂的先头部队 － 七十二个跟随祂的人，他们像耶稣那样医好病人，他们像耶稣那样赶出污鬼（路加福音 10:17）。这再一次显明神的国已临近了（参看路加福音 9:1-6）。不论人们接受或拒绝这个消息，这个消息是不会改变的：神的国已临近了!
耶稣说你不能指着神的国说：“在那里！”不是因为神的国是不能证明的，而是因为衪要我们去察觉在我们周围的神的国的征兆。
密歇根州的口号是：如果你想找一个怡人的半岛，你只需往周围看。我在想，有那些神的国的征兆正等待我们去找和去看呢。我在想，那些征兆会多靠近我们。
祷告
主耶稣啊，求你打开我们的眼睛去看见你的国，叫我们因你的国的模式与这个世界的模式有那么大的分别而感到惊讶。阿们。
路加福音 10:1, 8-12
1这事以后，主又设立七十个人，差遣他们两个两个地在他前面，往自己所要到的各城各地方去。
8“无论进哪一城，人若接待你们，给你们摆上什么，你们就吃什么。
9要医治那城里的病人，对他们说：‘神的国临近你们了。’
10无论进哪一城，人若不接待你们，你们就到街上去，
11说：‘就是你们城里的尘土粘在我们的脚上，我们也当着你们擦去。虽然如此，你们该知道神的国临近了。’
12我告诉你们：当审判的日子，所多玛所受的比那城还容易受呢！
When The Kingdom Is Near
“People [won’t] say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” – Luke 17:21
After his baptism, Jesus went around proclaiming the good news. He said, “The kingdom of God is near! It’s here! People are entering in front of your eyes!”
Jesus proclaimed the good news by his actions too. He faced down the devil and drove out demons. He healed the sick and fed the hungry. He touched the untouchable and taught the unteachable. He welcomed the weary and sent away the smug. He forgave the sinner and challenged the self-righteous. All of it was evidence that the kingdom of God had come.
When Jesus sent out an advance team of seventy-two followers, they healed the sick, like Jesus did. They even drove out demons, like Jesus did (Luke 10:17). Once again, it was evidence that the kingdom of God had come near (see Luke 9:1-6). Whether people accepted the news or rejected it, the news remained the same: The kingdom of God has come near!
Jesus said you can’t point to the kingdom of God and say, “There it is!” Not because there’s no evidence of the kingdom—but because he wanted us to be alert for signs of the kingdom all around us.
The Michigan state motto says this: If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you. I wonder what signs of the kingdom are waiting for us to look and to see. I wonder how close those signs are.
Prayer
Open our eyes, Lord Jesus, to see your kingdom. Surprise us by the wonder of its ways, so different from the ways of this world. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
