於2015-09-19發佈

主題:地獄之門,天堂之窗
日期:2015年8月31日
作者:Mike Jacobs

大多數的代禱者都熟悉馬太福音16:18的經文,這裏講到陰間的權柄不能勝過教會(注1)。然而你可知道,藉著自己的行動,基督徒可以將自己的生活就建立在那本應要勝過的地獄之門,並且這些門給了撒旦一個合法的入口?讓我在此舉一個例子。

多年前當我第一次去阿根廷的時候,一位新朋友請我為他成年的女兒和她們的丈夫禱告和祝福。當我正要為第二對夫婦禱告時,我很確定地聽到神的靈告訴我,我不被允許來祝福他們。

神立刻給我看到她丈夫的照片。他正站在一個穀倉的前面,雙臂交叉守護著它。然而,這穀倉後門是大敞開的,而他所有的牲畜都被偷走。於此同時,主對我說話,“你不能來祝福這對夫婦,因為他們不曾成為他們自己的忠心的管家。他們沒有什一奉獻,撒旦因此獲得從他們那兒偷竊的權利!“

盡量溫和以對,我與那對夫婦分享了主所顯示給我的。非常寂靜地沉默了一會兒,之後那年輕男子羞愧地低下了頭。“主所顯示給你的是真的。我們在奉獻上一直沒有忠心。你可能不知道這一點,但我是一個奶農,而人們一直在偷竊我們的牛和馬。“

這對夫妻已經在他們的生活中建立了地獄之門,這是掛在兩個撐樑上的,搶奪神(瑪3:8-9)(注2)以及倚靠錢財(可10:24)(注3)。令人驚訝的是今天許多基督徒都在不知不覺中將自己的生命建立在這個特別的門上。

雖然這對夫婦搶奪神是真的,然而他們問題的根源是圍繞在第二支撐樑上的 - 有一個世俗的心態是將信任或信心放在錢財上。就我自己的觀點而言,很不幸的是人們將馬可福音10:24裏“chrema”這個希臘詞翻譯成“錢財”。這個詞根據Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words,其真正的意思只是“一個人所使用或者所需要的”(注4)。它和“ploutos”這個詞是不同的,這個(ploutos)是希臘文中所指的財富,是與我們一般視之為巨大的財富和豐富更為相合(注5)。

我們從路加福音12:29-31這裏知道,要滿足我們吃什麼,喝什麼,或穿什麼的基本需求,這只是求神的國的副產品罷了(注6)。然而世俗的心態卻將滿足這些需求變成專注的焦點。要有“chrema”本身並沒有錯,那些你所用或所需的,但若你將信任或信心放在這些“錢財“上而不是神身上,你可能就正在建立地獄之門允許撒旦來搶奪你從國度而來的祝福。更糟的是,你甚至不需擁有財富然而你還是會去信靠牠們!

由於這對夫妻在小事情上不忠心(注7),神就不能來昌盛他們,儘管這是祂的願望。當他們看到自己的錯誤,並為了缺乏管家的管理能力來悔改,主就再賜給我要給他們的話。我所分享的是神是打算讓這個年輕人非常富有。不只是過舒適的生活,而是富有。此外,這一直是神對他的計劃,但撒旦藉著基於懼怕而扣除了原屬於神的,來奴役他而阻礙神的計劃。那一天,他們的懺悔和承諾來遵守將他們從奴役中釋放出來。不用說,我大大鬆了一口氣,主接著讓我禱告並祝福這對夫妻!

這並不是故事的結尾。一年後,我再次去到他們的國家,這對夫妻來找到我。他們說,“邁克,當你去年為我們禱告並說道我們將會致富,我們還以為你瘋了!我們國家的經濟是處在如此可怕的景況中。我們自己還欠下了兩萬美元的債務。我們的小奶廠也沒有擠奶設備。我們需要一台拖拉機。我們負擔不起種植植物以餵牛的種子,也無法僱傭工來幫工,而你在這裡,對我們發了巨大昌盛臨到的預言!

“好了,你不會相信在過去的一年中神為我們做了什麼 – 大多是在過去的幾個月內。我們兩萬塊錢的債務全部還清了。我們購買擠奶設備。我們有一個新的拖拉機。我們能夠買我們所需要用來種植的種子,也可以僱得起幫工了。

“不僅如此,我們的教會決定開始自己的奶廠以幫助窮人,每個教會裏的家庭都購買了奶牛。由於他們沒有任何人有製作乳製品的經驗,猜猜看他們要求誰去管理?是我們!現在我們正在兩家奶廠工作,並且教會的奶業在幫助窮人方面已經有了一個顯著的影響。“

所以這對夫妻學到了什麼?他們學會信靠神而不是自己的財富。更令人興奮的是,因為他們的順服摧毀了他們生命中的地獄之門,他們就開始親身體驗瑪拉基書3:10裏的應許 –神要敞開天上的窗戶傾福下來,甚至讓我們無處可容(注8)。

有時候,我們覺得生命中所正在經歷的屬靈爭戰是因著某個領域的不順服所產生的結果。什一奉獻僅僅是一個例子,任何我們不願意全然順服神的領域都是可以讓敵人造成混亂的潛在的脆弱點。

花一些時間來尋求神,請祂告訴你,是否你的生活中有讓敵人以任何方式進入的通道。對此加以悔改,關上這地獄之門,並打開你的心,領受從天上的窗戶傾倒下來的!

 

注1:太16:18我還告訴你,你是彼得,我要把我的教會建造在這磐石上;陰間的權柄(權柄:原文是門),不能勝過他。

注2:瑪3:8人豈可奪取 神之物呢?你們竟奪取我的供物。你們卻說:『我們在何事上奪取你的供物呢?』就是你們在當納的十分之一和當獻的供物上。
瑪3:9 因你們通國的人都奪取我的供物,咒詛就臨到你們身上。

注3:可10:24 門徒希奇他的話。耶穌又對他們說:「小子,倚靠錢財的人進 神的國是何等地難哪!

注4:chrēma,khray'-mahG5536,a thing that one uses or needs(一個人所用的或是所需要的)

注5:ploutos,ploo'-tosG4149, riches ,wealth (財產,財富)

注6:路 12:29 你們不要求吃甚麼,喝甚麼,也不要掛心;
路12:30 這都是外邦人所求的。你們必須用這些東西,你們的父是知道的。
路12:31 你們只要求他的國,這些東西就必加給你們了。

注7:路 16:10 人在最小的事上忠心,在大事上也忠心;在最小的事上不義,在大事上也不義。
路16:11 倘若你們在不義的錢財上不忠心,誰還把那真實的錢財託付你們呢?
路16:12 倘若你們在別人的東西上不忠心,誰還把你們自己的東西給你們呢?

注8:瑪 3:10 萬軍之耶和華說:你們要將當納的十分之一全然送入倉庫,使我家有糧,以此試試我,是否為你們敞開天上的窗戶,傾福與你們,甚至無處可容。

 
Gates of Hell, Windows of Heaven
August 31st, 2015
By Mike Jacobs
https://www.generals.org/articles/single/gates-of-hell-windows-of-heaven/

Most intercessors are familiar with the Matthew 16:18 passage, indicating that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. However, did you know that through their actions, Christians can establish in their lives the very gates of hell that they should be prevailing against, and these gates give Satan a legal entrance? Let me give an example.

On my first trip to Argentina many years ago, a new friend requested that I pray and pronounce a blessing on his grown daughters and their husbands. As I was about to pray for the second couple, I was sure I heard the Spirit of God tell me I was not permitted to pronounce a blessing on them.

God instantly showed me a picture of the husband. He was standing in front of a barn, guarding it with his arms crossed. However, the back door of the barn was wide open, and all of his livestock were being stolen. In the same instant, the Lord spoke to me, “You can’t pronounce a blessing on this couple because they haven’t been faithful in their stewardship. They’re not tithing, and Satan has a right to be stealing from them!”

As gently as possible, I shared with the couple what the Lord has shown me. It was really quiet for a few moments, and then the young man hung his head in shame. “What the Lord has shown you is true. We haven’t been faithful in our giving. You probably don’t know this, but I’m a dairy farmer and people have been stealing our cattle and horses.”

This couple had established a gate of hell in their lives, which was hung on two supporting beams—robbing God (Mal. 3:8,9) and trusting in riches (Matt. 10:24). It’s amazing how many Christians today have unknowingly established this particular gate in their lives.

Although it’s true that this couple was robbing God, the root of their problem revolved around the second supporting beam—having a worldly mentality that places trust or confidence in riches. In my view, it’s unfortunate that the Greek word chrema was translated “riches” in Matthew 10:24. The word really means simply “what one uses or needs,” according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words. This is opposed to ploutos, the Greek word for riches which is more in line with our visions of tremendous wealth and abundance.

We know from Luke 12:29-31 that fulfillment of the basic needs of what you eat, drink or wear is a by-product of seeking God’s kingdom, but a worldly mentality makes fulfilling these needs a focus. It’s not wrong to have the chrema—what you use or need, but if your trust or confidence is in these “riches” rather than in God, you may be establishing a gate of hell that will allow Satan to rob you from your kingdom blessing. What’s worse—you don’t even have to have riches to trust in them!

Since this couple had been unfaithful in the small things, God couldn’t prosper them with more, even though that was His desire. When they saw their error and repented for their lack of stewardship, the Lord gave me a further word for them. I shared that God was going to make this young man very wealthy. Not just comfortable, but wealthy. Further, this had always been God’s plan for him, but Satan thwarted God’s plan by enslaving him in a fear-based withholding of what rightfully belonged to God. That day, their repentance and commitment to obey freed them from that slavery. Needless to say, I was greatly relieved that the Lord then let me pray and pronounce a blessing over the couple!

That’s not the end of the story. A year later, I returned to their country, and the couple sought me out. They said, “Mike, when you prayed for us last year and said we would be wealthy, we thought you were crazy! The economy of our nation was in horrible shape. We personally were twenty thousand dollars in debt. We had no milking equipment for our small dairy. We needed a tractor. We couldn’t afford seed to plant feed for the cattle, nor hired help to work the fields, and here you were, speaking tremendous prosperity over us!

“Well, you wouldn’t believe what God has done for us during the last year—mostly within the last few months. We have totally paid off the twenty thousand dollars in debt. We purchased milking equipment. We have a new tractor. We were able to get the seed we needed for planting and can now afford hired help.

“Not only that, but our church decided to start their own dairy to help the poor, and each family in the church purchased a dairy cow. Since none of them have any dairy experience, guess who they asked to manage it? Us! Now we are working two dairies, and the church dairy is able to have a significant impact in helping the poor.”

So what had this couple learned? They learned to trust in God rather than in their riches. Even more exciting, since their obedience destroyed a gate of hell in their lives, they began to experience firsthand the promise of Malachi 3:10—that God wants to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that we don’t even have room enough to receive.

Sometimes the spiritual warfare we feel taking place in our lives is the result of an area of disobedience. Tithing is only one example, but any area where we are unwilling to fully submit to God is a potential point of vulnerability for the enemy to cause chaos.

Take some time to ask God to show you if have given the enemy access to your life in any way. Then repent, shut those gates of hell, and open your heart to receive from the windows of heaven!