Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NKJV) Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Do you know that God does not intend for any of us to face life’s challenges alone? He has placed us within the community of believers in a church to love and be loved. God has also placed the Holy Spirit in us, who is our Helper, Comforter and Counsellor. The Holy Spirit, who is love, will prompt us to do something for our friends, and we should yield to His prompting.
This passage of the Bible addresses loneliness, the challenges of facing life alone, and how to overcome it. It says, “But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.” Besides marriage, this also relates to friendship and religious communion. If the marriage is established on a covenant, the two who become one flesh will be strengthened and encouraged to stand in faith. In a covenant marriage, the time to stand with our spouse is when they face challenges. We will use all our available resources to ensure that they are lifted because that is what God does when we are in trouble. Therefore, nothing will break us if we see our marriage as a threefold cord, with the help of the community and God’s presence in our lives.
The time to truly lift each other up is when faith is required to overcome obstacles and life’s challenges, just as the four friends of the paralysed man in Luke 5:17-26 did. We must not isolate ourselves when we face an issue in life, but share it with our spouse so that we can join our faith to battle the situation. We must also be part of the Christian family so that we can be even stronger in the face of the storms in our lives. We are confident that God will see us through, and we will not be shaken or broken.
Living the lifestyle of faith can be very challenging when we are walking alone. Therefore, it is critical that we have a group of people to journey with us and spur us on when our faith is weak.
Reflection: When facing difficulties, do you usually isolate yourself or allow others to support you? Who can you encourage and lift up today through prayer, practical help, and faith in God?
Sermon Series: 2026 CG Campaign – Up! (Part 4)
更坚强地同行
传道书 4:9-12 “两个人总比一个人好，因为二人劳碌同得美好的果效。若是跌倒，这人可以扶起他的同伴；若是孤身跌倒，没有别人扶他起来，这人就有祸了。再者，二人同睡，就都暖和；一人独睡，怎能暖和呢？有人攻胜孤身一人，若有二人便能敌挡他；三股合成的绳子，不容易折断。”
你是否知道，神从未计划让我们独自面对人生中的挑战？祂将我们放在教会的信徒群体中，使我们能够彼此相爱，也被别人所爱。神也将圣灵放在我们里面，祂是我们的帮助者、安慰者和辅导者。圣灵本身就是爱，祂会感动我们为朋友做一些事情，而我们应当顺服祂的带领。
这段经文讲述了孤独、独自面对人生挑战的困难，以及如何胜过这些挑战。经文说：“若是孤身跌倒，没有别人扶他起来，这人就有祸了。”除了婚姻之外，这段经文也同样适用于友谊和属灵团契。
当婚姻建立在盟约之上时，二人成为一体，会彼此坚固、彼此鼓励，在信心中站立。在盟约婚姻里，当配偶面对困难时，正是我们站在对方身边的时候。我们会运用一切可用的资源，确保对方能够被扶起，因为这正是神在我们遭遇困难时所做的事。因此，当我们看见婚姻是一条有神同在、并有群体支持的“三股合成的绳子”时，就没有什么能够轻易将我们击垮。
真正彼此扶持的时候，是在需要信心去胜过困难和人生挑战的时候，就像路加福音 5:17-26 中瘫子的四个朋友一样。当我们在人生中遇到问题时，不应当选择孤立自己，而应该与配偶分享，让我们可以联合信心，一同面对并争战。我们也需要成为基督大家庭的一部分，使我们在生命的风暴中拥有更大的力量。我们相信神必定带领我们走过一切，我们不会被摇动，也不会被击垮。
当我们独自前行时，活出信心的生活可能会充满挑战。因此，我们必须拥有一群同行的人，在我们的信心软弱时激励我们、扶持我们，并鼓励我们继续前进。
默想：当你面对困难时，你通常会选择独自承受，还是允许别人支持和帮助你？今天，你可以通过祷告、实际行动上的帮助，以及对神的信心，去鼓励和扶持哪一位朋友呢？
讲章系列：天天向上! 细胞小组活动 2026 第四部分