As we say farewell to the year 2021 and welcome in 2022, I believe what we are most concerned about, is waiting to get a 3rd booster shot of vaccine, and in the near future, do we need to take at 4th, 5th or even 6th vaccine shot?  In fact, with this question, there are still a lot of unknowns. Maybe we might even have to live with this Coronavirus for a long time.

         I believe the Christian life has a lot of similarities with this virus. Like the Coronavirus, the wickedness in the world, has been a threat and danger to mankind, and has been affecting everyone in the world, but even longer.  Not until the medical specialists discovered a cure, if we wanted to keep the virus under control, and minimize the chances of infection, we had to bear a cost for that, and the cost can be heavy.  In the past two years, we had to bear the cost of a city-wide lockdown, a ban on travel, going out to have dim sum in restaurants, seeing friends, attending church in-person, cruise travel, and to keeping six feet social distance. In spite of these, the more effective way to fight against the disease, was to take the vaccination.  In the past, we thought that taking one dose of vaccine would be enough to get the desired effect, but as the virus has been gone through different mutations, we might need to take even a 2nd, 3rd or 4th booster shot, in order to control the virus effectively.    

          As a disciple of God, it is the same. We can never under estimate the impact of sin in our spiritual life.  Sin is more deadly than Coronavirus, its more likely to be unbeatable. Therefore, for every one of us as, a disciple of God, we have to bear a heavy cost, just the same as we are fighting against the Coronavirus. We have to obey and follow through the teachings of God’s Word strictly, just as we comply with the restrictions the government imposed during the pandemic. If we ignore and do not follow the restrictions thoroughly, the effectiveness of fighting against the disease will be undermined, and it will pose a danger to the community.  Right now, we still have many people who, in order to defend their human rights, are not willing to follow health restrictions, and not get vaccinated, that reduces the effectiveness of fighting against the disease and, as a result, does not reach its desirable effect. The spiritual life of a disciple should be constantly growing, so that we will have a strong ability to resist sin. The power of wickedness in the world has been growing stronger. The concept of emphasizing on his own right has been growing among all people. In order to fight for their freedom, people choose to gratify their desires, regardless of the safety and lives of others. As a disciple living in this world, we need to continuously take booster shots against sin.  If our spiritual life has not been strengthened, we are unable to resist against the mutation of sin, and we may even have brought the sin into our community.  However, as we take spiritual booster shots regularly, we will no longer be afraid of the continuous mutation of the sin.  Just as we take the advice from the provincial health authority, even though we have taken the vaccination, including the booster shots, we still have to follow the basic guidelines for personal hygiene, like washing our hands regularly, and wearing masks at all times. Therefore, today apart from fully abide in the Word of God, we should also have to do our daily devotions, read the Word of God daily, keep a regular prayer life, care about the needs of others, make good use of every opportunity to spread the Good News to others…these are all the important and fundamental factors to resist against sin, and the basic guidelines of being God’s disciple.

           在送別2021，迎接2022年的這段日子，相信大家最關注的，就是等待著接種第三劑疫苗加強針，與及在不久的將來，是否需要打第四針，甚至第五針，第六針...呢﹖其實，當中是有很多未知之素。甚至我們有可能長久要與這新冠病毒共存。

          在這一切的未知之素中，我便想到基督徒的生命也是十分相似的。世界上的一切罪惡，有如新冠病毒一樣，可以是一直圍繞著全世界的人類，為世人長久帶來威脅及危險的。在醫學專家還未找到方法去根治這個病毒之前，我們若要病毒受到控制，要減少受感染的機會，就必定要付上代價。這代價甚至可以是沉重的。在過去這兩年裡面，大家因為要抗疫，而付上了要封城，要停止外遊，要停止上茶樓，要停止與朋友相聚，要停止教會實體聚會，要停止遊輪旅遊，要與別人保持六呎距離...等等的代價。但更加有效的抗疫，卻是要接種疫苗。過去以為接種了一劑疫苗，便會有顯著的果效，但因為病毒的變種，需要接種第二，第三，第四...加強劑，才盼望可以有效地去控制疫情。

         作主門徒都是一樣，我們絕對不能輕看罪對我們屬靈生命的影響。罪比新冠病毒更加可怕，罪更是打不死的。所以，我們作主門徒的每一位，都要好像去對付新冠病毒一樣，是要付上沉重代價的。我們要遵守神話語的教導，就好像我們遵守政府在疫情中，發出的一切禁令一樣的嚴格，是要完全遵守的。若有疏忽或違反當中的一些禁令，就不能達到抗疫的功效，就會將危險帶到社群裡面。就如今天還有不少人因為要高舉自由人權，不守禁令，不接種疫苗，而令至抗疫達不到應有的果效。門徒屬靈生命要不斷成長，我們抵抗罪的能力才會越來越強。加上罪惡的勢力在現今世界不繼的變種增強，世人心中的自我觀念不斷增長，甚至為要爭取一己的自由，而不顧別人的生死，去放縱自己。門徒在現今的世界中，是需要不斷地接種對抗罪的加強針。屬靈生命一日不增強，我們不單止不能抗拒罪的變種病毒，甚至會將病毒帶會我們群體裡面。今天，讓我們不斷地接種屬靈的加強劑，就不用懼怕罪的病毒如何地變種。正如醫務衛生局所提醒的一樣，我們雖然接種了疫苗，甚至是加強劑，但我們仍然每日要遵守個人的衛生，勤洗手，帶上口罩等等的基本指引。所以，今天我們除了要嚴嚴遵行神話語的教導之外，我們每天靈修，讀神的話語，禱告的生活，關心別人的需要，把握機會傳福音等等，都是我們能抗罪的重要基本要素，也是作主門徒的基本指引。

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