尋求祂的面─啟示錄

在啟示錄一章16節，約翰描述主：

面貌如同烈日放光。

太陽能供給自然生命，使其存活。神的面貌也供給一切自然與屬靈生命，使其存活。正如使徒保羅對雅典的哲學家說：『我們生活、動作、存留，都在乎祂。』（參考使徒行傳17:28）

我們可以藉由兩種基本方式來認人─不是認臉就是認聲音。有多少人你可以藉由看他們的手來認出他們？除非某人的手部特徵很獨特，例如少一根手指頭。否則藉由這種方式，可能連最親近的人都無法認出來。然而，有多人因神的手（祂的賜予）而認得祂？在歷代志上十六章11節與詩篇一百零五篇4節吩咐我們『要尋求耶和華與祂的能力，時常尋求祂的面。』

主的手代表祂的能力與供應，這些都很好，也應當尋求，但我們最主要是被呼召來尋求祂的面 。倘若我們只透過祂的手來認識祂，我們便以為任何給予我們的手都是祂。我們必須尋求祂的面，祂的面貌如同烈日放光，因為所有的生命都源於祂的面。

我們要如何尋求祂的面呢？我們尋求認識祂與祂的道路，而不單是祂的作為。正如詩篇一百零三篇7節告訴我們：『祂使摩西知道祂的法則，叫以色列人曉得祂的作為。』能夠看見主的作為並記得固然美好且重要─以色列被吩咐每一年要向新的世代重新數算祂的作為。然而，看見祂的作為和看見祂之間是有所不同的。

摩西尋求神的面，甚至在他目睹神所做的一切偉大工作，他仍祈求認識主、看見祂的榮耀。摩西與神面對面說話，好像人與朋友說話一般（參考出埃及記33:11）。我認為這是何以在摩西裡面有如此強大的生命力，甚至活到一百二十歲他的眼睛都沒有昏花。摩西是如此多的與主同在，以致於他天然人的身體可能都不會死去─主必須讓他死去。從聖經中告訴我們祂的靈會『使我們必死的身體活過來』（參考羅馬書8:11）。我們在聖靈裡所花的時間會使我們越來越年輕，但認識祂的祝福遠大過身體的年輕。正如耶穌所說，認識神就是永生（參考約翰福音17:3）。

主就是道路、真理與生命，勝過救恩的公式，此道路是一個人。勝過正確瞭解教義，此真理是我們必須認識的一個人。我們絕不要只是知道祂就滿足─我們必須面對面的來認識祂，這是我們生命中最重要的目的。我們所有一切事物本質的品質與持久性，將取決於我們個人與主面對面的關係。

 (摘自喬納 word for the week,Week14, 2016)

 
Seeking His Face—The Book of Revelation
Week 14, 2016
Rick Joyner

         In Revelation 1:16, John describes the Lord: 

         “His face was like the sun shining in its strength.”

          The sun’s energy sustains natural life and makes it possible. The face of God also sustains all natural and spiritual life and makes it possible. As the Apostle Paul said to the philosophers of Athens, “In Him we live, and move and have our being” (see Acts 17:28 NKJV).

          We can recognize people in two basic ways—either by their face or by their voice. Unless someone has a unique factor about their hand, such as a finger missing, how many people could you recognize by just seeing their hand? We probably could not even recognize some of the closest people to us this way. Yet how many only know God because of His hand, what He gives to them? I Chronicles 16:11 and Psalm 105:4 commands us to “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.”

          The hand of the Lord represents His power and provision. These are wonderful and to be sought, but we are called to seek His face as the main thing. If we just know Him by His hand, then we will think that any hand that gives to us is Him. We must seek His face. It shines like the sun because all life emanates from it.

         How do we seek His face? We seek to know Him and His ways, not just His acts. As Psalm 103:7 tells us, “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.” It is wonderful to see the acts of the Lord and remembering them is important—Israel was commanded to recount His deeds to the emerging generation each year. However, there is a difference in seeing His acts and seeing Him.

         Moses sought the Lord’s face. Even with all the great works that he witnessed, he still asked to know the Lord and see His glory. Moses met with the Lord face to face as a man meets with his friend (see Exodus 33:11). I think this is why Moses had so much life in him. Even at one hundred and twenty years old his strength did not abate or his eyes dim. Moses had been with Him so much that he possibly could not have died of natural degeneration—the Lord had to put him to death. We are told that His Spirit will “quicken our mortal bodies” (see Romans 8:11). The time spent in the Spirit rejuvenates us, but the blessing of knowing Him is greater than physical rejuvenation. As Jesus said, eternal life is to know God (see John 17:3).

         The Lord is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. More than a formula for salvation, the Way is a Person. More than just understanding doctrine accurately, Truth is a Person we must know. If that Person is not our Life, then we do not really know the Way or the Truth. We must not be content to just know about Him—we must know Him face to face. This is the most important purpose in our life. The quality and enduring nature of everything else will be determined by our personal, face-to-face relationship with the Lord.