大使命12
門徒的生命並不屬於自己
使徒保羅警告有許多人會在末日受蒙蔽，因為他們只聽想要聽的，代表他們無法忍受聽見任何艱難或挑戰。倘若您在接下來幾週能承受得起每週一話，我們便知道您不屬於這類的人，因為我們將談到門訓最艱難的議題，例如主在路加福音十四章33節的陳述：
這樣，你們無論什麼人，若不撇下一切所有的，就不能作我的門徒。
這有沒有可能是實質上的意思？它的確是實質上的意思。這是否意味我們需要像少年官一樣變賣一切所有，並將錢捐給窮人來跟隨祂？未必如此。它確實表示當我們將生命獻給主，我們所擁有的每件事都變成祂的。我們是被重價買贖回來的，我們不再屬於自己，乃是單單屬於祂。
當我們成為主的門徒，我們從自我掌管的生命進到服在主的權柄下，我們所面對的不是一個人，而是宇宙的主宰。每一個人類問題都是人認為自己可以違背神，不需要倚靠祂來管理世界的結果。人類問題的答案在於回轉向祂，在凡事上尋求順服祂，到一個地步，我們所擁有的一切不再是我們的，而是祂的，我們不過是管家而已。無論祂要求我們撇下一切還是管理它，都取決於祂，這是我們得著終極自由的唯一方法。
此包括我們最珍貴的所有─我們的時間。我們不再為自己活，而是處處為祂而活。我們不是單去做自己想要做的事，而是在凡事上尋求祂的旨意。
當我們在僕人身份上成熟，我們會被授與更多自由和權柄。忠心的僕人將成為祂的朋友，祂會與他們分享每件事。忠心的朋友可以成為祂的兒女，祂會將一切賜給他們，包括超過地上君王所能經歷的自由和權柄。然而，這些都從基本的順服開始做起。
在某些方面，一個真門徒的生活是我們所能度過最艱困的生活，但也是最自由、最滿足與最令人興奮的生活。我們所能知道最大的自由就是成為基督的奴僕，雖然不容易，卻在今生各個層面都值得，並在永生擁有最大的益處。
但有誰真的這樣過活？真門徒就會這樣過，門徒雖然不多，但還是有一些。我們要進入的時候將顯明出真假門徒，那些只想要有『火險』（fire insurance）的人，以為只要相信祂就能逃離要來的忿怒，卻沒有真正照祂所說的來做，甚至不太在乎來尋求明白祂的旨意，根據聖經他們將有非常悲慘的結局。
冷漠是所有關係中最大的冒犯，主在啟示錄三章16節說，祂會從口裡吐出不冷不熱的人。主滿有恩典與慈愛，但祂清楚表明祂的耐心也有限度，不是將祂視為理所當然。呼叫主的名、奉祂的名被呼召與宣稱是祂的跟隨者這三件事，是最需要認真以對的事情。祂在馬太福音七章21-23節有對此的警告：
凡稱呼我主啊，主啊的人不能都進天國；惟獨遵行我天父旨意的人才能進去。
當那日必有許多人對我說：主啊，主啊，我們不是奉祢的名傳道，奉祢的名趕鬼，奉祢的名行許多異能嗎？
我就明明的告訴他們說：我從來不認識你們，你們這些作惡的人，離開我去吧！
在上述經文中我們看見，當那日必有『許多人』奉祂的名行了大事，卻無法進入天國！這些遭到拒絕不被主『認識』的人，與『知道』他們是誰這個字並不一樣。在這裡的『認識』指的是深層的親密關係，例如夫妻之間的關係。神造人就是為了這種關係，唯有與神擁有這種關係，我們才能實現真正成功的生活，無論我們所做的工作為何。
現在要與主擁有這樣的關係還不太晚，這是所有受造物中最大的機會，不要白白浪費了。
(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 12, 2013)
A Disciple's Life is Not His Own –
The Great Commission, Part 12
Week 12, 2013
Rick Joyner
The Apostle Paul warned that many would be deceived in the last days because they would only want to have their ears tickled, meaning they could not endure hearing anything difficult or challenging. If you make it through the next few weeks with the Word for the Week, we will know you are not in that category because we are addressing the most difficult issues about discipleship first, such as the Lord’s statement in Luke 14:33:
“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
Could this possibly be literal? It is literal. Does this mean that we must sell everything we have and give the money to the poor to follow Him as He required of the rich young ruler? Not necessarily. It does mean that everything we own becomes His when we give our lives to Him. We have been bought with a price, and we no longer belong to ourselves but to Him.
When we become a disciple of the Lord, we go from being in control of our own lives to coming under the Lord’s authority. We are not dealing with a man but the Lord of the universe. Every human problem is the result of man thinking he could disobey God and run the world without Him. The answer to every human problem is to return to Him and seek to obey Him in all things. This is to the point that everything we have is no longer ours but His, and we are just stewards of it. Whether He requires us to give it all away or manage it is up to Him, but this is the only way to our ultimate freedom.
This includes our most precious possession, our time. We no longer live for ourselves but for Him in every way. We do not just do what we want, but we seek His will in all things.
As we mature as servants, we are given more freedom and more authority. The faithful servants do become His friends that He shares everything with. The faithful friends can become His sons and daughters that He gives all things to, including freedom and authority beyond what any mere human king could ever experience. However, it begins with basic, profound obedience.
The life of a true disciple is the most difficult life we can live in some ways, but also the most liberating, fulfilling, and exciting. The greatest freedom we will ever know is being Christ’s slave. It is not easy, but it is worth it in every way in this life, and then we have the ultimate benefit of eternal life.
Who really lives this way though? True disciples do. There are not many disciples, but there are some. The times we are entering will reveal the true disciples from the pretenders. Those who just wanted “fire insurance,” thinking they just need to believe in Him enough to escape the wrath to come, but not really doing what He says, not even caring enough to seek to know what His will is, are going to have a very tragic end according to the Scriptures.
The greatest affront to any relationship is indifference. The Lord said in Revelation 3:16 that He will spew the lukewarm out of His mouth. God is gracious and longsuffering, but He makes it very clear that there is a limit to His patience, and He is not to be taken for granted. To call on the Lord and to be called by His name, claiming to be His follower, is a most serious matter. He warns about this in Matthew 7:21-23:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."
“Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
“And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"
Here we see that “many” will come to Him on that day having done extraordinary works in His name but will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven! That the Lord did not “know” these who will be rejected is not the same word that is used to know who they are. The word used for “know” here is a deep and intimate relationship such as a husband and wife. This is the kind of relationship that God created man for, and only by having this relationship with God will we ever achieve a truly successful life regardless of what other works we may do.
There is still time to have this relationship with Him. This is the greatest opportunity in all of creation. Do not waste it.
