於2015-08-05發佈

最棒的基督徒生命28

神衡量人心

在2014年暑假,我有一場與主的經歷,祂對我說我不再是僕人,乃是朋友。那就像是再次重生得救,從那時起我與主有著最美好的時光,但在某方面這比學習作僕人更難。即便如此,為著下一階段與主的關係,我學習成為門徒和僕人的每一件事都是必須的。

我花了45年才達到此境界,我相信可以不需要這麼長的時間,甚至只需要我所花的片段時間。我分享的大部分信息是為了讓您做得比我更好,或花比較少的時間。這是我身為新郎朋友的主要目的─幫助祂的新婦預備好。身為新郎的朋友,我的成功取決於我如何協助祂的子民成為他們蒙召的樣式。倘若您能因著我所分享的經歷前進的更快更遠,我便是神成功的朋友。

使徒保羅說他學到主的榮耀在他的軟弱上,因為主可以在我們的軟弱上彰顯祂的剛強。當我第一次讀到這段經文時便瞭解與深信不疑,但我卻花了很長的時間將此真正應用在我生命中。我並不是假裝自己在這方面完全,但我真的得著了。我的公義不是我的,我的智慧、剛強或充足都不是我的。

我從來不認為自己和使徒保羅在同一等級,除了一個領域我想可能有超過他─就是保羅提到自己是『罪人中的罪魁』。我想在這方面我可能讓保羅相形失色了。怎麼說呢?

首先,保羅所寫的是聖經正典,因此我們知道他的見證都是千真萬確的。在初代教會他有可能是罪人中的罪魁,這不單是逼迫教會而已。以我個人意見,那是因為他領受最大的啟示,他知道因著這些啟示他應該更像基督,更少(或許)忿怒、沒有耐心等。

我們按著外在來測量,但唯有神衡量人心。幾年前我曾有一個先知性經歷,我看見神的一個偉大僕人,他為主完成許多事。我又看見一個名叫安其洛的遊民,他走在街上,有一隻小貓擋住了路,他粗魯地用腳把貓推到一邊。於是主問我這兩個人哪一個最公義。當然,我以為是為主做大事的人,主卻說是安其洛。怎麼可能呢?

神讓我看見為祂做許多事的那人來自最棒的家庭與教養,擁有主很大的愛,卻只使用祂所被賜予的部分。安其洛一生受到難以想像的殘酷與艱辛,他只得著很小部分的愛,他用他僅有的愛只是將貓推到一邊而不是一腳踢開。我曾有過許多大有能力的啟示與經歷,但此經歷對我生命的影響遠勝過其他。

當我們評估他人或他們的行動時,這是一個重要考量,但若太過極端也可能會成為一種蒙蔽,關於這方面我們下週再談。

(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week28, 2015)



God Weighs the Heart- The Greatest Christian Life, Part 28
Week 28, 2015 
Rick Joyner
 In the summer of 2014, I had an experience with the Lord in which He said I was no longer a servant, but a friend. It was like being born again, again. I have had the most wonderful times with the Lord ever since, but in some ways this has been much harder for me than learning to be a servant. Even so, everything I learned being a disciple and a bondservant was necessary for this next level of relationship with the Lord.

It has taken me forty-five years to get to this point. I have no doubt it can be done in far less time, even a fraction of what it took me. Much of what I share in my messages is how you can do what I’ve done a lot better, or in much less time. That is one of my main purposes as a friend of the Bridegroom—to help His bride become ready. As a friend of the Bridegroom, my success is measured by how much I help His people become what they are called to be. If you are able to advance faster and further than me because of the experiences I share, then I am a successful friend of God.

The Apostle Paul wrote that he learned to glory in his weaknesses because in our weakness the Lord can show His strength. I understood and believed it when I first read it, but it took me a long time to actually apply it to my life. Not that I presume to be doing this perfectly, but I really get it now. I am not my righteousness, and I am not my wisdom, strength, or adequacy.

I could never presume to be in the same league with the Apostle Paul, except in one area, and in this I think I may be exceeding him—how Paul referred to himself as “the greatest of sinners.” I think I may have eclipsed Paul in this. How?

First, Paul was writing canon Scripture, so we know his witness was true. He may have been the greatest sinner in the early church, but it was not just because he persecuted the church. It is my opinion that it was because he had received the greatest revelations, and he knew that because of them he should have been more Christ-like and less prone to (maybe) anger, impatience, etc.

We measure by appearance, but God weighs the heart. In one prophetic experience I had many years ago, I saw a great man of God who was accomplishing many things for the Lord. I was then shown what appeared to be a homeless man named Angelo. He was walking down the street when a little kitten got in his way. He roughly thrust it aside with his foot. The Lord then asked me which of these two men did I think was the most righteous. Of course, I thought it was the one who was doing such great things for Him. The Lord then said it was Angelo. How could that be?

I was shown that the one who was doing so much for Him had the most wonderful family and upbringing, and had been entrusted with a large portion of the Lord’s love but was only using part of what he had been given. In contrast, Angelo had suffered unimaginable cruelty and hardship his whole life and only had a very small portion of love, but he used it all to just brush the kitten aside instead of kicking it. I have had a lot of powerful revelations and experiences, but this one may have impacted my life more than any other.

This is an important consideration as we appraise others and their actions, but it can also be a delusion if taken to an extreme, which we will address next week.