1. Hello listening friends.
亲爱的朋友，你好。
2. We are delighted that you have joined us again today.
很开心你再次收听我们的节目。
3. We are going to begin a journey of faith.
今天，我们将要开始一次信心之旅。
4. It is the journey of Abraham’s faith.
是亚伯拉罕的信心之旅。
5. If the life of Abraham teaches us anything it teaches us that intimacy with God takes time.
在亚伯拉罕的一生中，他如果有教我们什么事情的话，他就是让我们知道要我们要花时间和神建立亲密关系。
6. Yet if you are like me, you will dislike waiting for anything.
但是，如果你像我一样不喜欢等待。
7. We do our banking with machines.
我们喜欢在ATM提款机拿钱，不喜欢在银行排队。
8. We drive our cars everywhere
我们喜欢驾车四处去，不喜欢走路。
9. As if to say
但是，我们经常听到，
10. “Wherever this God of yours tells you to go.”
主领我何往必去。
11. And our unwillingness to wait extends even to our worship and prayer life.
但我们却不愿意在崇拜和祷告中等待。
12. We do not like it if the service takes more than one hour.
我们都不喜欢崇拜聚会超过一小时，
13. The same thing happens with our personal prayer time.
也不喜欢独自向神祷告太久。
14. We think if we spend 15 minutes reading the Bible and 5 minutes in prayer we have become modern day spiritual giants.
我们认为，如果肯花上15分钟读圣经，5分钟祈祷，就可以成为现代的属灵伟人了。
15. The life of Abraham teaches us that it took time for Abraham to build a right relationship with God.
亚伯拉罕的生平教导我们，要用时间与神建立正常的关系。
16. The story of Abraham’s relationship with God is told with such emphasis that no one can say, well, it’s just Abraham.
圣经以很长的篇幅记载亚伯拉罕的故事，以强调他与神的关系，可见那并不仅限于亚伯拉罕而已，是你和我也可以有的。
17. What does the Lord want us to learn from this story?
主期望我们从这个故事学些什么？
18. God has a deep longing to fellowship with everyone who he has called into his kingdom.
神深深渴望与被召进入祂国度的人，有密切的交往。
19. God does not call us into the kingdom to receive salvation-- and that’s the end of it.
神并非仅仅叫我们进入祂的国度接受救恩就算了，
20. God wants us to learn several things from his intimacy with Abraham.
神要我们从祂与亚伯拉罕的亲密关系中学习好几样功课。
21. First,
第一，
22. God would commune with the man or the woman who is totally available to him.
神跟全心愿意等候神的人沟通。
23. Second,
第二，
24. God would be the friend of any man or woman who longs to be with him.
神要和那些 渴望与神同在的人作朋友。
25. God is ready to speak with the one who longs to hear his voice.
神愿意对那些渴望听祂声音的人说话。
26. God wants to fellowship with the one who is not in a hurry to fellowship with him.
神希望与那些愿意花时间跟祂在一起的人来往。
27. God is happy to be identified as your friend... if you want to be identified as His friend.
如果你想成为神的朋友，神就乐意做你的朋友。
28. Let's turn to the Word of God and learn from the life of this man Abraham.
请翻开神的话语，让我们来看看亚伯拉罕这个人。
29. The book of Genesis chapter 11 verse 24 to chapter 12 verse 3.
创世记11章24节至12章第3节：
30. When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
拿鹤活到二十九岁，生了他拉。
31. And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
拿鹤生他拉之后，又活了一百一十九年，并且生儿养女。
32. After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
他拉活到七十岁，生了亚伯兰，拿鹤，哈兰。
33. This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.
他拉的后代，记在下面，他拉生亚伯兰、拿鹤、哈兰，哈兰生罗得。
34. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.
哈兰死在他的本地迦勒底的吾珥，在他父亲他拉之先。
35. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
亚伯兰、拿鹤各娶了妻。亚伯兰的妻子名叫撒莱，拿鹤的妻子名叫密迦，是哈兰的女儿，哈兰是密迦和亦迦的父亲。
36. Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.
撒莱不生育，没有孩子。
37. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
他拉带着他儿子亚伯兰，和他孙子哈兰的儿子罗得，并他儿妇亚伯兰的妻子撒莱，出了迦勒底的吾珥，要往迦南地去，他们走到哈兰就住在那里。
38. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.
他拉共活了二百零五岁，就死在哈兰。
39. The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
耶和华对亚伯兰说，你要离开本地、本族、父家，往我所要指示你的地去。
40. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
我必叫你成为大国，我必赐福给你，叫你的名为大，你也要叫别人得福。
41. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
(Gen 11:24-12:3 NIV)
为你祝福的，我必赐福与他，那咒诅你的，我必咒诅他，地上的万族都要因你得福。（创11:24-12:3）
42. The first thing you notice about Abraham was that he was an ordinary man.
首先你会留意到亚伯拉罕是个普通人。
43. He was rough... and a simple sheep herder.
他是个粗人，以牧羊为生。
44. He uttered no prophesies.
他没有说预言。
45. He never wrote a book.
他没有著作。
46. He never sang a song.
他从来没有唱过歌。
47. His credentials were not the least bit impressive.
他没有显赫的履历。
48. He never went to seminary and I am certain he never wore special clothes.
他从来没有读过神学院，而且我相信他从未穿过特别的礼服。
49. He was as far away from the being famous and important as you can get.
他远不及你想象中那么闻名和重要。
50. He never got invited to a king’s dinner.
他从来没有参加过国王的宴会。
51. He was never on anyone's VIP list.
也不在任何的名流绅士之列。
52. And he had never given an interview to any of the newspapers or television.
他从来没有接受过新闻报纸或电视台的访问。
53. But...
但是，
54. he was available for God's use and ready to obey.
他等候神的差遣，而且愿意服从神的吩咐。
55. He had one major problem!
不过，他面对一个大难题！
56. He was a pagan ... who worshiped idols.
他以前是个拜偶像的异教徒，
57. So it does take a while for Abram of Ur of Chaldeans to become Abraham God's friend.
因此，那个住在迦勒底吾珥的亚伯兰，需要经过一段日子才能成为神的朋友亚伯拉罕。
58. Abram's folks in the Ur of Chaldeans (near modern day Iraq) were called Habiri... from which came the word Hebrew ... and it means travelers.
亚伯兰的家族住在迦勒底的吾珥，也就是现今伊拉克附近，他们被称为“哈别利”，而“希伯来”这名称就是出自这个字，意思是“客旅”。
59. Some scholars believed they were called thus... because they were involved in renting donkeys and camels to travelers.
有些学者相信，这个称号的由来，是因为他们经营出租驴和骆驼给旅客的生意。
60. Abraham's father was Terah and Terah had three boys.
亚伯拉罕的父亲是他拉，而他拉有三个儿子。
61. Abram, Haran, and Nahor.
亚伯兰、哈兰和拿鹤。
62. As the boys grew up... Terah became very proud of His boys...
当孩子长大，他拉为他三个儿子感到骄傲。
63. and yet, tragedy struck Terah's heart.
但突然灾祸临头，打击他拉的心。
64. His son Haran died right in his arms.
他的儿子哈兰死在他的怀里。
65. No doubt Terah became possessive of his remaining two boys.
自然，他拉格外珍惜、看重留下的两个儿子。
66. It was not long before another tragedy was beginning to take place.
没多久，又发生了另一件不幸的事。
67. Abraham got religious and wanted to leave home.
就是亚伯拉罕因忠于信仰而要离开家。
68. I know verse 31 of Genesis 11 said that;... “Terah took Abraham his son into the Land of Canaan.”
虽然在创世记11章31节说：“他拉带着他儿子亚伯兰，要往迦南地去。”
69. This is in keeping with the hierarchical structure of the time.
这是按照当时的宗族制度来记载的。
70. But it was Abram whom God called to go to Canaan.
其实神是呼召亚伯兰到迦南去。
71. In Acts seven, 3 and 4 you see that God called Abraham to leave his family and go to Canaan ... but he stopped in Haran.
从使徒行传第七章第三、第四节的记载，你就知道神呼召亚伯拉罕是要离开本族去迦南，但他到了哈兰这个地方就停下来了。
72. Let us read it.
让我们看使徒行传第7章第3、第4节：
73. ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’
对他说：“你要离开本地和亲族，往我所要指示你的地方去。”
74. So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.
(Acts 7:3-4 NIV)
他就离开迦勒底人之地住在哈兰，他父亲死了以后，神使他从那里搬到你们现在所住之地。
75. Why did Abram stop in Haran?
亚伯兰为什么在哈兰停留下来？
76. Because his father Terah wanted to stop in Haran.
因为他的父亲他拉想留在哈兰。
77. You can imagine how it might have happened.
你可以想象一下当时的情形。
78. Abraham pops his head in the flap of the tent of Terah and he says, “Father ... God is calling me to leave home and go to Canaan.”
亚伯拉罕把头伸进他拉的帐棚里说：“父亲啊，神叫我离开家到迦南地去。”
79. At this point Terah gets upset.
这时，他拉很不高兴，
80. “WHAT!” he says. “You are leaving your poor old Father?”
他说：“什么！你要离开你可怜的老父亲？”
81. “You are deserting your father who has been good to you?”
“你要抛弃一向都爱护你的父亲？”
82. “Who is going to take care of me in my old age?”
“当我年纪老迈时，谁来照顾我？”
83. “I don't trust your brother Nahor.”
“我不信任你的兄弟拿鹤，
84. “He is frivolous and forgets things.”
他太轻浮又健忘，
85. “You are going nowhere!”
你不准离开。”
86. “You are not going anywhere without taking me with you.”
“如果你不带着我，就不要去任何地方。”
87. Now, parents I want to tell you something
现在，我想对为人父母的人说，
88. You have to let go of your children when they become adults.
当你的孩子长大成人后，就要让他们独立自主。
89. Your possessiveness of the life of your adult child is not healthy for them. . .it is not healthy for you.
你对已成年子女的占有欲，对你对他们都是不健康的。
90. The scripture is very clear
圣经说得很清楚，
91. that a man must leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the both become one.
人要离开父母，与妻子连合，二人成为一体。
92. Any parents who start manipulating their children and try to get them to do what they want them to do... are not acting Biblically.
如果父母要支配子女，非要他们按照父母的想法去做，那就不是遵行圣经真理了。
93. Why do you think God called his future friend Abraham to leave Ur of Chaldeans?
你想，神为什么叫祂未来的朋友离开迦勒底的吾珥？
94. One of the reasons is to get him away from idol worship ...
其中一个原因就是要他离开偶像的崇拜，
95. and away from his godless friends...
离开那些不敬虔的朋友，
96. the first thing He wants you to do... is to get away from the immorality of the past.
神要你做的第一件事，就是离开以往不道德的行为。
97. The addictions of the past,
过去那些使你上瘾 的嗜好，
98. The bad habits of the past,
过去的坏习惯，
99. The wrong crowd of the past.
过去那些狐朋狗党。
100. So the next day Abraham comes home from work ...
第二天当亚伯拉罕下班回家时，
101. and he finds his Father all packed up and ready to go.
他发现父亲已经收拾好东西，准备启程。
102. So they go on their way to Canaan.
于是，他们往迦南去。
103. And in our next broadcast,
在下次节目里，
104. we will see how sometimes we choose second best . . . when we settle for anything.
我们要看看当我们妥协于现况时，却是选择了次货。
105. Tune in next time, and we will see how Abraham wasted 6 years of his life because he got distracted from God’s best.
请你下次继续收听，我们要看亚伯拉罕从神给予最好的福份上分了心，而浪费了六年的光阴。
106. it is our hope that you tune in so you know what is God’s best for you.
希望你按时收听，你就知道神为你预备了什么上好的福份。
107. until then, I wish you God’s best.
愿神赐福给你，下次再会！
