---------------- Short Stories for Shepherding Materials English Version
【Hurry and Come down, for today I must stay in your house !】
Story shepherding material
Lesson 14 Repentance and Confession
Zaccheus was rich because he was a chief tax collector. He knew that the Lord Jesus would pass near his house. He wanted to see Jesus, so he climbed up to a tree to see Jesus. When Jesus arrived, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, Hurry and come down, for today I must stay in your house ." Zacchaeus hurried down and received the Lord Jesus with joy. Everyone was talking why the Lord Jesus would stay in a sinner's house!. Zacchaeus said to the Lord, "If I have offended anyone, I will pay him back four times." The Lord Jesus said, "Salvation has come to this house today. The Son of Man comes to seek and save the lost."
【The meaning of repentance 】
Repentance, the original text is a change of mind, producing regret, and have a turn in purpose. But it's not to improve or reform himself nor turning evil for good. Since the fall of man, man’s mind has turned against God, and toward many people or things other than God. No matter they're good or bad, their hearts and conducts turn against God. Therefore, people need to repent to return to God.
If we come to Him again and again, He will shine on you and bring you into the light to have an intimate fellowship filled with God's peace and joy in your hearts.
[Two aspects of confession]
1) Confessing our sins to "God" means to confess to God about what we turned against God. Whether we offend God or man, in God's eyes, they offend against God. Confession to God cannot be generalized, but must be confessed in detail. We cannot throw a big bag of sins to God and leave, but we must open it and take all of them out one by one by confessing all to God.
2) Confessing sins to "people"
The sins we committed are also offenses to others, and we should confess our sins to others. God cannot represents other to forgive us. We have to confess sins to the ones we offended.
【The result of repentance - forgiveness of sins】
When we repent and turn to the Lord , this is what the Lord Jesus said in the above story _ " Hurry and Come down (=hurry and turn to the Lord ), the Lord will make home in your heart today! ".
If a person does not repent and turn to God from his heart, he will not be able to receive God’s forgiveness of sins. A man must repent of his deeds against God in order to turn back to God, just as the prodigal son that when he returned home, he repented to his father and confesseed that he left his father.
【Gaining God's Life】
The purpose of the Lord’s gospel for people to gain forgiveness of sins is for them to gain God's life so their sins may be forgiven. Thus they can receive the Holy Spirit as a divine blessing
This Holy Spirit is God becoming the Spirit given to people when they repent so that they can enjoy the riches of the Triune God as their divine blessing, not only enjoying God in this age, but also in eternity enjoying God to the uttermost.
----------------牧養材料中文文字稿小故事牧養材料
快下來，今天我必須住在你家裡!
小故事牧養材料
第十四課 悔改和認罪
路加福音 19:5 耶穌到了那地方，往上一看，對他說，撒該，快下來，今天我必須住在你家裏。
某人名叫撒該因作稅吏長而富有，他知主耶穌會經過他家附近,他想要看看耶穌是誰，他就爬上桑樹來看耶穌。耶穌到了，往上一看，對他說"撒該，快下來，今天我必須住在你家裡"。撒該就急忙下來，歡歡喜喜的接待主耶穌。眾人都紛紛議論說主耶穌竟然進到罪人家裡去住宿。撒該對主說 "我若曾訛詐了誰，就還他四倍"。主耶穌說"今天救恩到了這家,人子來，是要尋找拯救失喪的人。"
【心思改變】
悔改，原文是心思改變，生出懊悔，轉移目標。但不是改過自新、棄惡向善。從人墮落以後，人的心思就背著神，向著神之外許多的人事物，不管是好、是壞，他們的心,行事為人總是背著神，所以人悔改時，需要先在心思裏有一個轉變，才使人的行事為人也隨著轉變。
若我們一再的到祂面前，祂就要照耀你，光照你。祂會帶你進到光中,使我們能夠在光中與神有親密的交通,並心感覺滿有神的平安和喜樂。
【認罪的兩方面】
一)向"神"認罪，就是到神面前承認我們一切背向神的,，不管在我們看是得罪神或人的錯誤，都是得罪神的。向神認罪，不可籠統,必須詳細認罪。不是向神丟一個大的罪的包袱就走了,乃是要把這大包袱打開,把裡面的東西一個一個的拿出來向神承認。
二)向"人"認罪
我們所犯的罪也都是得罪人的，也該向人認罪。但神不能代替我們所得罪的人赦免我們，所以我們還得向那人認錯。
【悔改的結果-得著赦罪】
當我們悔改轉向主認罪,這如同主耶穌在上面故事中所說的_"快下來(=快快心悔改來轉向主),主耶穌今天就要住(=安家)在你心中了"。
人若不悔改從心裏轉向神，也就不能得著神赦罪之恩。人必須悔改有關他離開神的行為,才能使心再轉回神,歸向神,就如同浪子回家時,他向父親悔改來承認他曾離開父親。
【得著神的⽣命】
主的福音叫人得著赦罪的目的，是要人得著神的生命，惟有先使自己的罪蒙神赦免，才能從神領受所賜的聖靈作神聖的福分
這聖靈是神成了靈，在人悔改的時候賜給他們,這使他們能享受三一神的豐富作他們神聖的福分,不只在今世享受神,在永世裏要享受神到極點。
