於2020-11-28發佈


下一步—美國遺產概要46  

我們若從基督教的角度來看人類歷史,它不單是一個旅程,更是一場壯麗的冒險。就像大部分的冒險一樣,過程充滿挫折、失敗,並且處處危險,沿途也充滿進展與勝利。因為故事的結局已經寫成,所以我們知道對於我們目前和迫近的難事,將會有最終榮耀的勝利。接著就是對過往的邪惡行為進行醫治,人類的未來會比我們所能想像的更加光明。

然而,在我們時候的黑暗隱約更大,我們的終極毀滅似乎很可能發生,這不就像每個冒險故事的劇情嗎?當毀滅似乎不可避免時,終極勝利卻臨近了。聖經幾乎記載著每個人類冒險故事,其指出此終極勝利已經寫在我們心中,因為那是真理,一位不會說謊之神的應許。

使徒保羅在腓立比書一章6節寫著:那在你們心裡動了善工的,必成全這工。神創造人類和全地的目的將會完成,神最大的應許就是祂要親自住在人的中間(啟示錄21:3)!然而,就像大部分冒險故事最後都會有最大的戰役,然後才是榮耀的結局。

重點是我們永遠不要失去信心,深信真理最終將戰勝每個謊言,光明將戰勝黑暗。許多人從起初就在打此「美好的仗」,他們可能時而失敗、跌倒,但他們也再次起來,繼續打仗。在這個季節我們也要尋求「孝敬/尊榮父母」(出埃及記20:12),我們這麼做是透過捍衛並保存關於他們的真理。我們尊榮文化遺產,是透過為其真理而戰,不容那些帶著邪惡意圖的人來扭曲或敗壞我們的遺產。

因為我們喜愛真理,我們也必須為保存我們先祖失敗與錯誤的事實而戰,這完全沒有不尊重他們的意思,或者認為我們比他們更好,而是帶著謙卑,想想自己的軟弱和失敗,深知我們若不向那些走在我們前頭的人學習,也會犯同樣的錯誤。

自從我們開始刊登這些美國遺產概要來紀念並尊榮我們的父母,以及我們所擁有的偉大遺產,「取消文化」(Cancel Culture)卻以空前的速度興起,不尊榮並且貶低我們的遺產。如果我們讓此發生,我們便是忽略身為基督徒為真理站立的最基本呼召。當邪惡戰勝之時,我們不能在一旁觀戰。神應許祂的恩寵會給那些為祂與祂的真理站立之人,而神的恩寵遠勝過人的認同。

正如俗話說:「邪惡致勝之道在於好人袖手旁觀」。潘霍華(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)是當時面對納粹邪惡最偉大的光,他曾說:「不說等同於說,不做等同於做」。在良善與邪惡的終極戰役,沒有中間立場,所以我們現在必須決心不再沉默,我們將做一些事。那麼,我們可以做什麼呢?

首先,我們必須下定決心,我們將倚靠對神的信心與對祂的真理將得勝的信心而活。為此緣故,我們不被恐懼控制,而是在主裡的信心。我們這麼做是藉著為真理站立,抵擋謊言和迷惑。信心是恐懼的相反,恐懼帶來膽怯。正如我們在啟示錄廿一章8節所看到的,膽怯的人是第一個被丟進火湖的,甚至在殺人的、行邪術的、拜偶像的和淫亂的之前。在基督教裡沒有膽怯的位子。

許多研讀末日聖經預言的人擔心「獸的印記」,惡者想要每個人都接受此印記,如果他們想要在主與祂國度降臨前、邪惡盛行的短暫時間能夠「買、賣或交易」。長久以來基督徒嘗試理解此印記臨到的形式,好讓他們明白,不去接受印記,但這樣做反而讓他們不得要領。真正的罪不是接受印記,而是拜獸,這印記不過是一個人拜獸的證據而已。

我們是如何拜獸的?我們順從獸。正如羅馬書六章16節告訴我們:「順從誰,就作誰的奴僕」。正如經上記著,凡是接受印記的人,會與獸一起被丟入火湖,然後主就來了。使我們遠離此印記不單是知道它會以什麼形式出現,而是靠勇氣度日,就是始終展現出對神的真實信仰─這種信仰是寧願對著今生死去,也不願意妥協我們對神的信靠,單單敬拜祂。

美國從建國直到如今的父老們,可能犯過許多錯誤,也有許多缺失,但就一個國家而言我們沒有缺少過的就是勇氣。是勇氣讓我們面對國家建立之初的各種差異,以及從那以後對國家繼續存在的每個威脅,而這正是我們現在所需要的。現在是我們的時候,勇氣是我們美國的遺產,我們將保存下去嗎?

然而,為真理站立需要勇氣─需要認識真理的分辨力。司布真曾說,為著每一個閱讀聖經的人,他可以找到十個願意為聖經而死的人!當我們朝著這些時候前進,我們必須謹記在心,耶穌和門徒說這些時候會有一個標誌─迷惑/欺騙(deception)。我們勇敢地為謊言和惡者的議程而死,對我們有什麼好處呢?

我們若喜愛真理,我們就必須擺脫浪費我們生命和時間的瑣碎追求和干擾,去尋找真理。認出真理的能力,來自於堅定委身尋求真理直到找到的結果,神應許我們若尋找就會尋見。因此,我們若受迷惑,那是我們沒有尋找真理的證據。

因此,對膽怯和被迷惑者的審判是公正的,我們的「下一步」是今日就下定決心:我們會帶著真理而活,我們會熱愛真理到尋求真理,絕不放棄直到找到。你們今日若聽到祂的話,就要定意回應,因為我們並不能保證明日會如何。

弟兄們,你們要謹慎,免得你們中間或有人存著不信的惡心,把永生神離棄了。
總要趁著還有今日,天天彼此相勸,免得你們中間有人被罪迷惑,心裡就剛硬了。
我們若將起初確實的信心堅持到底,就在基督裡有分了。
經上說:你們今日若聽祂的話,就不可硬著心,像惹祂發怒的日子一樣
 (希伯來書3:12-15 

~摘錄美國獨立宣言的第一個簽署人─約翰·漢考克John Hancock

抵制暴政成為基督徒與每個人的社會職責繼續堅定下去,並徹底感受到對神的倚靠,高尚地捍衛天上所賦予的權利,任何人都不應剝奪。 

~摘錄美國獨立宣言作者與第三任總統─湯馬斯·傑弗遜Thomas Jefferson)~

對暴政者的反叛是對上帝的順服。 

 (摘自喬納word for the week, Week 46, 2020)

 

The Next Step—Heritage Brief 46

 If we look at the history of mankind from the Christian perspective it is more than just a journey; it is a magnificent adventure. Like most adventures, there have been setbacks, failures, and dangers everywhere, along with advances and victories. Because the end of the story has already been written, we know that an ultimate, glorious victory to our present struggle is both certain and near. Then there will be healing for every evil deed done and mankind’s future is even brighter than we can imagine. 

         Yet, in our time the darkness looms ever greater and our ultimate doom seems probable. Isn’t that just like almost every adventure story ever written? When doom seems inevitable, the ultimate victory is near. That this script is in virtually every adventure story ever written indicates that this has been written in our hearts—because it is the truth, a promise from our God who cannot lie. 

         The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6, God, who began a good work in us will complete it. What He created mankind and the earth for will be accomplished. The greatest promise of all is that God Himself is coming to dwell on the earth among men! (see Revelation 21:3). However, like in most adventure stories, the biggest battle of all comes at the end, just before this glorious conclusion. 

         The point is that we must never lose our faith in the ultimate victory of the truth over every lie, of light over darkness. Many have fought in this “good fight” from the beginning. They may have stumbled at times, failed and fallen, but they also kept getting back up and fighting on. It is for this reason as well that we seek to obey the commandment to “honor your fathers and mothers” (see Exodus 20:12) by defending and preserving the truth about them. We honor our heritage by fighting for the truth about it, and not letting those with evil intent distort or corrupt it. 

         Because we love the truth, we must also fight to preserve the truth about failures and mistakes by our predecessors. This is not in any way to dishonor them, or to think we are better than them, but with humility, considering our own weaknesses and failures, knowing that we will continue to make the same mistakes as those who went before us if we do not learn from theirs. 

         Since we began publishing these Heritage Briefs to remember and honor our fathers and mothers, as well as the great heritage we have, the “Cancel Culture” has risen to an unprecedented level of dishonoring them and disparaging our heritage. If we let this happen, then we have neglected and failed at one of our most basic callings as Christians to stand for the truth. We cannot stand on the sidelines while evil prevails. God promises His favor to those who stand for Him and His truth, and the favor of God is worth far more than the approval of men. 

         As it has been said, “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.” As one of the greatest Christian lights to face the evils of the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, said, “To not speak is to speak. To do nothing is to do something.” There will be no neutrality in the ultimate battle between good and evil, so we must resolve now that we will not be silent, and we will do something. So, what can we do?

         First, we must resolve that we will live by faith in God and faith in His truth to prevail. For this reason, we will not be controlled by fear, but by faith in Him. We do this by standing for truth, and standing against lies and deception. Faith is the opposite of fear, and fear leads to cowardice. As we see in Revelation 21:8, the cowardly are the first to be thrown into the lake of fire, even before the murderers, sorcerers, idolaters, and the immoral. There is no place in Christianity for cowardice.

         A concern of many who study the biblical prophecies of the end of this age is about “the mark of the beast.” This is a mark that the evil one wants everyone to take if they are going to be able to “buy, sell, or trade” in the short time when evil is prevailing before The Lord and His kingdom come. For centuries Christians have tried to perceive the form in which this mark would come so that they would know not to take it, but by this they miss the point. The sin is not taking the mark, but worshipping the beast. The mark is just evidence that this is what one has done. 

         How do we worship the beast? We obey it. As we are told in Romans 6:16, we are slaves of the one we obey. As is written, those who take this mark are thrown into the lake of fire with the beast when The Lord comes. What will keep us from taking this mark is more than just knowing what form it will come in, but rather living by the courage that true faith in God will always be demonstrated by—the faith that would rather die to this life than compromise our trust in God alone by bowing to any other.

         Our American fathers and mothers, from the founders of our Republic to the present, may have made many mistakes and had plenty of flaws, but one thing as a nation we have not lacked is courage. It was courage to stand in the face of impossible odds that founded our country, and has since then stood up to every threat to our continued existence, and this will now be required of us. It is now our time. Courage is our American heritage. Will we preserve it?

         However, it takes more than courage to stand for truth—it takes the discernment to know the truth. Charles Spurgeon once said that he could find ten men who would die for The Bible for every one that would read it! As we proceed into these times, we must keep in mind what both Jesus and the apostles said would be a hallmark of these times—deception. What good will it do us to courageously die for the lie, for the agenda of the evil one? 

         If we love the truth, we must cast off the frivolous pursuits and distractions that waste of our life and time to seek the truth so as to find it. The ability to recognize the truth is the result of loving the truth with an unrelenting devotion to seek it until we have found it. God promised that if we seek it we will find it. Therefore, if we are deceived it is evidence that we did not care enough to seek it. 

         So, the judgment of the cowards and the deceived is just. “The next step” for us is to resolve today that we will live with courage, we will love the truth so as to seek it, and that we will not quit until we have found it. Today, if you have heard His voice, resolve that you will respond because tomorrow is not promised to any of us. 

         Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

         But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 

         For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, 

         while it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:12-15).

         Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual…Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us. ~ John Hancock

         Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. ~Thomas Jefferson