大使命31

為真理站立

我們現在正要進入主的榮耀被彰顯出來的時候，同時終極邪惡也會被顯明出來。正如前幾週我所提到的，當我們開始禱告真理的靈，來顯明我們所需要知道在美國政府裡面所發生的事，我最大的驚訝是，竟然只有極少的基督徒關心被顯明在光中的事。然而，我不應對此感到驚訝或氣餒。

正如上週我們開始探討，那些在政府或政治圈的人常以人們可能會有的回應，或媒體將如何講述，或要如何得到神奇的百分之五十一的多數來權衡事情。那絕不是神國的思維，甚至不太瞭解主流文化轉變的來源。歷史上重大的引爆點很少來自多數，它們幾乎都來自非常小群的人。

一篇對於這些引爆點的研究顯示，帶來深度文化轉變的人數只需要總人口的百分之一平方根。這意味只要有一百人就可以為一百萬人帶來徹底的文化轉變。

耶穌所做的遠勝過於此，祂只用了12個人，對全世界帶來的改變超過任何征服者、哲學或宗教所帶來的改變。然而，今日很難找到在政府的民主形式下工作的人認為自己是在做對的事，多半是為了一些權宜之計或政治性正確。不管是耶穌或是祂的使徒，或任何真正跟隨主的人都不是以人們怎麼想為主要的出發點，而是以神怎麼想為出發點。正如保羅說：『若仍舊討人的喜歡，我就不是基督的僕人了』（參考加拉太書1:10）。

懼怕人會控制我們到一個程度，使我們失去服事基督的能力。這並非意味我們要完全漠視人或不在乎他們，但那大聲呼喊『和撒那』的一群人五天之後卻喊著『釘祂十字架』！百分之二的熱血人士往往控制著百分之九十八的冷漠或不冷不熱的人，這樣的例子一再重複發生，不論好壞。對結果有信心和對神有信心並不一樣，在這二件事上混淆常帶給我們傷害。倘若我們對神有信心，我們就會做對的事，不管結果如何。倘若我們為對的事站立，導致全世界抵擋我們，我們必須更在乎真理勝過世界。

在使徒對末日的警告中，不是擁有真理的人不被蒙蔽，而是那些『愛真理的人』（參考帖撒羅尼迦後書2:10），擁有真理與愛真理並不一樣，聖經告訴我們：『愛是永不止息』（參考哥林多前書13:8），也可以被翻成『愛是永不放棄』。只有那些在愛中的人絕不會放棄，我們是否有那麼愛真理？我們是否有那麼愛那位就是真理的主，就算全世界抵擋我們也在所不惜？就算是死亡，那死就死吧？祂配得我們如此的擺上。

 (摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 31, 2013)


Stand For Truth - The Great Commission, Part 31
Week 31, 2013 
Rick Joyner

We are now into the time when the glory of the Lord is being revealed. Ultimate evil is being revealed as well. As I already mentioned, when we started to pray for the Spirit of Truth to reveal things going on in the U.S. Government that we needed to know, my biggest surprise was how so few Christians even cared about what was being brought to the light. However, I should not have been surprised or discouraged by it.

As we began to discuss last week, those in government or politics are constantly weighing things by how people might respond, how the media will spin it, or how to win the magical 51% majority. That is certainly not a kingdom mentality. It is not even a good understanding of the source of major cultural change. The great tipping points in history have seldom come from the majority; they almost always come from a very few.

A study done on these tipping points revealed that the percentage of people required to bring profound cultural change is only the square root of 1% of the population. That means that one hundred people could bring radical cultural change to a million people.

Jesus did even better than that. He took just twelve people and changed the whole world far more than it has ever been changed by any conqueror, philosophy, or religion. However, today it is hard to find those in a democratic form of government who think in terms of doing the right thing, rather than what is expedient or politically correct. Neither Jesus, nor the apostles, nor any of His true followers are primarily motivated by what people think, but rather by what God thinks. As Paul wrote, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (see Galatians 1:10).

To the degree that the fear of man controls us, it will negate our ability to serve Christ. This does not mean that we totally disregard people or do not care for them, but the same crowd that cried “Hosanna!” just five days later shouted “Crucify Him!” Two percent of the people who are passionate will usually control the 98% who are indifferent or lukewarm. This has been proven true over and over for both good and evil.

Having faith for an outcome is not the same as having faith in God. These often get confused to our detriment. If we have faith in God, we will do what is right, regardless of the outcome. If standing for what is true causes the whole world to turn against us, we must care more for the truth than the world.

In apostolic warnings about the last days, it was not those who had truth who were kept from deception, but those who had “a love for the truth” (see II Thessalonians 2:10). Having truth may not be the same as loving it. We are told “love never fails” (see I Corinthians 13:8). That could have been translated “love never quits.” Only those who are in love will never quit. Do we love truth that much? Do we love the Truth Himself so much that if it means the whole world turns against us, if it means certain death, then so be it? He is worth that kind of devotion.