Reture to simplicity/返璞归真

In a beautifully decorated temple, flocks of people are passing by and shopping. Some are selling health remedy, happiness pills, some are selling fortune making and good relationship books and the money changers seated at their tables counting the money with a big smile. For that is what you would gain for believing in God.
Doesn’t this scene look familiar? This is a popular present day temple compare to the temple some 2000 years ago not much difference as described in John 2:13-16[The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves," Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!"] Maybe the only difference is that we make triples more money in our present day temple with an elaborated reduced and false gospel than two thousand years ago. When a bowl of clean soup is blended in some sugar or spice, it’s not the same taste at all, but some people like to drink sweet or spicy, so the vendor had to change the original taste to suit the customer need. This is a typical modern day business strategy which is penetrating into the Holy temple of God, but let’s see what the Lord Jesus’ strategy is: Mark6:8-12 [These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." They went out and preached that people should repent.] So the core message of Jesus'gospel is to repent, He did not promise of health or wealth for believing but definitely Cross!—Mark8:34[take up your cross and follow me],The Cross--"The subject is worthy of an angel's tongue; it needs Christ himself completely to expound it... Abide hard by the cross, and search the mystery of his wounds." says C.H Spurgeon. These approaches are totally not fit into the modern day people pleasing business strategy,not even modern day psychology,sociology and philosophy, and modern people like to hear nice words, as predicted in [2Timothy 4:3,4--For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables]. The great German theologian Martin Luther has also summarized these two types of gospel as Theology of the Cross(=faith is joining Christ in his suffering) against the theology of Glory(=faith is the means to obtain material or powerful success). A defining quote for Glory theology is “God helps those who help themselves, or if you do this for God, God will reward you”(self-centered); Cross theology is “take up your cross and follow me”(God centered)
Among all these prosperity gospel’s complexities, how much I adore the Lord’s simplicity, His simple yet loving provision for His servant John—[John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.(Matthew 3:4)] and for many others. And if a man wants to buy the Love of Christ for his wealth, he would be utterly contemned,even worse for those who sell it.[Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.(song of Solomon8:7)]
在一个修饰漂亮的圣殿中，一群群的人来回穿梭购物。有卖健康药物的，快乐药片的，还有些卖如何发财的书，如何建立人际关系的书；小贩坐在他们的桌上乐颠颠地数着大把的钞票。因为这就是人们认为相信上帝可以得到的。
这看起来是个很熟悉的场景，在两千多年前的圣殿中相似的一幕也在发生：约翰福音2：13-16【犹太人的逾越节近了，耶稣就上耶路撒冷去。看见殿里有卖牛羊鸽子的，并有兑换银钱的人，坐在那里。耶稣就拿绳子作成鞭子，把牛羊都赶出殿去。倒出兑换银钱之人的银钱，推翻他们的桌子。又对卖鸽子的说，把这些东西拿去。不要将我父的殿，当作买卖的地方。】
或许我们和他们唯一的差别是我们用这个骗人的福音赚了更多倍的钱。当一碗清汤加进了糖或辣椒，就不是原来的味道了，但是因为有的人爱喝甜或辣，商人就在里面添加了料。这就是现代社会典型的商业战略。这个商业模式已经渗透入了神的圣殿中。我们再看看耶稣的战略是如何：马可福音6：7-12【耶稣叫了十二个门徒来，差遣他们两个两个的出去。也赐给他们权柄，制伏污鬼。并且嘱咐他们，行路的时候，不要带食物和口袋，腰袋里也不要带钱，除了拐杖以外，什么都不要带。只要穿鞋。也不要穿两件挂子。又对他们说，你们无论到何处，进了人的家，就住在那里，直到离开那地方。何处的人，不接待你们，不听你们，你们离开那里的时候，就把脚上的尘土跺下去，对他们作见证。门徒就出去，传道叫人悔改。】所以福音的中心就是要悔改，因为人都是罪人。主没有保证我们信他会有健康或财富，但肯定会有的是十字架！【马可福音8：34于是叫众人和门徒来，对他们说，若有人要跟从我，就当舍己，背起他的十字架来跟从我。】这样的教训简直是和现在商业社会的讨人欢心的招术格格不入，但是现代人喜欢听好听的话，如同提摩太后书四章三、四节所写:【因为时候要到，人必厌烦纯正的道理。耳朵发痒，就随从自己的情欲，增添好些师傅。并且掩耳不听真道，偏向荒渺的言语。】德国的马丁路德曾总结出这两种神学观，一个是十字架神学（=信仰是与基督同负十字架）教义比如耶稣说：背起你的十字架来跟从我，而成功神学是（=信仰为获得物质财富和权力）教义比如：如果你做些什么事，神就会赏你什么好处。一个是以神为中心，一个是以人为中心。
在当今泛滥的成功神学的复杂中，主耶稣的简朴是多么动人，他为他的仆人所预备的尽管简朴平凡却充满了爱【这约翰身穿骆驼毛的衣服，腰束皮带，吃的是蝗虫野蜜。】如果一个人要用财宝换主的爱，那他就全然被藐视！因为【爱情众水不能息灭，大水也不能淹没。若有人拿家中所有的财宝要换爱情，就全被藐视。】【因为爱情如死之坚强。嫉恨如阴间之残忍。所发的电光，是火焰的电光，是耶和华的烈焰。（雅歌）】