最棒的基督徒生命 38
在不同中合一
地上有史以來最有影響力的人將出現在這世代末了，當中有許多人現在正活著，他們剛從他們的目的中甦醒過來。神讓我看見這些事情長達45年之久，這些人將震動列國，為主的第二次再來預備道路。這些正是以諾所預言的人，當中有些人有著非凡的深度與異象，還有一些人剛好相反，他們沒什麼教育和知識，但他們擁有極大的信心和勇氣。這些人有一個共同特色，就是他們非常與眾不同，他們在屬天領域比屬地領域更自在。
大小先知的區別不單是他們預言的長度，還有他們對歷史知識與當代事件的深度。許多人認為這些先知的知識廣度是神超自然賜予的，當然有一些人的確是如此，但可能不若許多人以為的多。行使在我們認為的『自然』方式，可能和從神來的超自然一樣多。我們在這些先知的生命中看見此。但以理算是其中一個最偉大的先知，他從研讀前輩的作品中領受許多啟示，例如耶利米。聖經說但以理和他的朋友極有智慧、知識並通曉一切，這都是他們先知性生命與異象的廣大平臺。
使徒保羅所擁有的知識就連非斯都大人都控告他，說他的學問太大反叫他癲狂了（參考使徒行傳26:24），而其他使徒似乎沒受太多教育。我們都有自己的那一份，我們的造物主喜愛多樣性，祂讓我們皆如此不同，祂也使每一片雪花獨一無二。當我們研讀歷史偉大人物時，我們應從中看見此重要特性─他們都如此不同。沒有人是複製品，我們也沒有被呼召成為一個複製品。
我們能完成我們目的之程度，絕大部分取決於我們成為自己的能力，或成為我們被呼召成為的樣式。我們沒有被呼召像別人一樣。我們從他人學習，從他們領受分賜，但倘若我們試圖像別人一樣，我們便無法成功。
在未來幾週，我將分享歷史上一些卓越基督徒的生命，從第一世紀到現在。從觀看這些如此不同之人我們所得著的其中一件事，便是完整圖畫，或至少得著更多的拼圖。正如哥林多前書13章告訴我們，我們所看見的有限，所知道的也有限。要擁有完整圖畫，我們必須將不同部分放在一起。我們從歷史來研讀這些人物，透過我們個人生命與時代得著更清楚的觀點。我們想要注視並觀看他們如何彼此互補─如何融合在一起。
這週我們從歷史與締造歷史之人所學到功課的最後一個評註，就是單得著任何人或任何事件的部分資訊，卻加以擴大、帶出結論是很嚴重的問題，往往帶來代價極高的迷惑。人很多樣性，相同的特性或事件在某人身上所帶來的顯著影響，可能在另一人身上得著完全不同的影響。我們可以從歷史學習許多，卻不要以為自己可以無限上綱。要從任何知識得著最大收穫，我們必須保持謙卑，那意味著保持受教，深知不管我們看見多少，我們所看見的仍然有限。
(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week38, 2015)
Unity in Diversity- The Greatest Christian Life, Part 38
Week 38, 2015
Rick Joyner
Some of the most high-impact people to ever walk the earth will be present at the end of this age. Many of these are alive now, and they are just waking up to their purpose. For forty-five years, I have been shown things about these who will shake the nations and prepare the way for the Lord’s second coming. These are the ones about whom Enoch prophesied. Some will be people of uncommon depth and vision. Others will be the opposite, having little education and depth of knowledge, but they will have great faith and courage. One characteristic they will all share is that they will be different. They will be more at home in the heavenly realm than in the earthly.
What separated the major prophets from the minor prophets was more than the length of their prophecies. It was their depth of knowledge of history and current events that set them apart. Many think that their great expanse of knowledge was given to them supernaturally. Some of it was of course, but probably not as much as many presume. Operating in what we think of as a “natural” way can be just as much from God as what we get supernaturally. We see this in the lives of the prophets themselves. Daniel, one of the greatest of all the prophets, received much from his study of the works of his predecessors, such as Jeremiah. It was said of Daniel and his friends that they had expansive wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in all matters. This was a great platform for their prophetic lives and vision.
The Apostle Paul was a man of such knowledge that Festus accused him of having been driven mad by his great learning (see Acts 26:24). It seems that the other apostles were not so educated. We all have our part, and we are all made different by a Creator who loves diversity so much that He makes every snowflake unique. This is an important characteristic that we should see as we study the great lives of history—they were all different. None of them were copies. We are not called to be a copy either.
The degree to which we are able to fulfill our purpose is largely dependent on our ability to be ourselves, or who we are created to be. We are not called to be like anyone else. We learn from others and receive an impartation from them, but we will not succeed if we are trying to be like others.
In future weeks, I will be sharing on a number of the extraordinary Christian lives in history, from the first century to the present. One of the things we gain from looking at those who were so different is the whole picture, or at least more of it. As we are told in I Corinthians 13, we see in part and know in part. To have the whole picture, we must put different parts together. We study these from history to get a clearer perspective on our own lives and times. We want to look and see how the differences complement each other—how they fit together.
One final note about the lessons we learn from history and those who made it—it is a serious and often costly delusion to take partial information about people or events and draw huge, sweeping conclusions from them. We can hear something about someone and think we “know someone just like them.” No we do not. People are diverse. The same characteristic or event that has a certain impact on one person can have a totally different impact on someone else. We can learn much from history as long as we do not presume to carry the lessons too far. To get the maximum benefit from any knowledge, we must stay humble. That means staying teachable, knowing that as much as we are seeing, we are still only seeing in part.
