於2021-06-30發佈


通往勝利的道路8 

當我在教導耶穌說祂的門徒將成為什麼並做什麼時,我總是讓一些人意識到他們已經成為信徒多年,卻從未真正成為門徒。多年來我在基督身體的許多不同部分服事,我開始相信這可能適用於90%的信徒。如果這對您而言也是如此,好消息是永遠都不嫌晚,現在您就可以成為祂的門徒,這不僅會使您的生命豐盛,更是您活在地上最大探險的開始。

如果我們沒有活出應有的生命,儘管我們已經是基督徒好幾十年了,祂可以補償我們曾失去的時間。彼得說:親愛的弟兄啊,有一件事你們不可忘記,就是主看一日如千年,千年如一日」(彼得後書3:8)。這意味著祂可以一天做成我們認為需要一千年或五十年的事,在主裡重新開始照主呼召的與祂同行,永遠都不嫌晚。 

成為門徒將引領我們進到我們在這世上所能擁有的最棒生活,但這也是我們所能做最困難的事。這是最美好和充實的,卻不是給軟弱的人!地獄的所有會開始認出我們,企圖停止我們,但當我們在基督裡成熟,地獄的所有會開始逃離我們。我們可能並常常又開始軟弱愚昧,但我們若跟隨主,就不會停留在那方式。我們將需要超越我們本能的智慧和力量,但主會將這些白白賜予祂所呼召的人。 

基督真正門徒的一個特性,是他們每天起來會想著:「我今天需要向我的夫子學習,我必須向祂學習,好讓我變得更像祂,做祂曾做過的工。」這是那些跟隨萬王之王者的心性;祂會成為我們起初的愛,如果祂是我們首要的愛,祂也將是我們的首要奉獻。

現在我們將開始看聖經對主門徒的說法,先從第一個提到門徒的地方開始,在以賽亞書五十章4-5節:

主耶和華賜我受教者(門徒)的舌頭,使我知道怎樣用言語扶助疲乏的人。主每早晨提醒,提醒我的耳朵,使我能聽,像受教者(門徒)一樣。 

主耶和華開通我的耳朵;我並沒有違背,也沒有退後。 

一個門徒的首要擺上是像他們的老師,正如使徒行傳十章38節所說關於主的事: 

神怎樣以聖靈和能力膏拿撒勒人耶穌,這都是你們知道的。祂周流四方,行善事,醫好凡被魔鬼壓制的人,因為神與祂同在。 

倘若我們總是期待以行善來過每一天,用話語來扶持我們所遇到疲乏之人,看見有需要的人就幫助,釋放被壓制的人,我們的生活會何等不同?我們不會去工作時,只把事情做完就度過一天,我們總會尋找方式對人行善,看見他們得醫治、被釋放得自由。當我們去逛街時也會做同樣的事─不單只專注在我們需要的東西上,更是看看我們可以怎樣行善,給某人一句鼓勵的話,讓聖靈幫助者使用我們來幫助他人。行善必須是我們在每件事的主要焦點,就好像是是為著我們的教師耶穌。 

以賽亞也談到要以「受教者(門徒)的耳朵來聆聽」,聖經說耶穌只做父神向祂展示的事。在聖靈裡,看見包括聽見,而聽見包括看見。倘若我們的耳朵總是向主打開,祂會多常賜下可以醫治並釋放人自由的大能話語,就像祂所做的一樣?倘若我們沒有浪費許多時間一直心不在焉的空想,乃是致力於將所有心意奪回,使其都順服基督,聆聽祂的指示然後照著做,我們的生命會是何等豐富和大有能力?那即是一個門徒的基本委身。

(摘自喬納word for the week, Week 25, 2021)
 

The Path to Victory, Part 8

 When I have taught on what Jesus said His disciples would be and do, I always have those who realize they have been believers for many years, but have never truly been a disciple. Over the years of ministering in many different parts of the body of Christ, I have come to believe that this is true of perhaps 90% of believers. If this is true of you, the good news is that it is not too late and you can become His disciple now, not just enriching your life, but beginning the greatest adventure that can be lived on this earth.

        If we have not lived this life as we should have, even if we have been a Christian for many decades, He can make up the time that we’ve lost. Peter said “Do not let this one fact escape your notice, that with the Lord a thousand years is as a day, and a day is as a thousand years” (II Peter 3:8). This means He can do in a day what we might think would take a thousand years, or fifty. It is never too late in the Lord to begin again to walk with Him as He has called us to. 

         Being a disciple will lead us to the greatest life we could ever have in this world, but it is one of the most difficult things we can do. It is the most fulfilling and wonderful, but it is not for wimps! All of hell will start to recognize us and try to stop us, but as we mature in Christ all of hell will begin to flee from us. We can and often do begin weak and foolish, but we will not stay that way if we follow Him. We will need wisdom and strength that is beyond our natural ability, but He will freely give it to those He calls. 

         One characteristic of a true disciple of Christ is they will wake up every day thinking, “I’ve got to learn of my Master today. I must learn of Him so that I can become more like Him and do the works that He did.” This is the mentality of those who follow the King. He will be our first love, and if He is our first love, He will also be our first devotion. 

         Now we will begin to look at what Scripture says about His disciples, beginning with the first mention of a disciple in Isaiah 50:4-5:

         “The Lord God has given me the tongue of disciples that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple. 

         “The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not disobedient, nor did I turn back.” 

          A disciple’s primary devotion is to be like their Teacher, and as it says about Him in Acts 10:38:

         “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” 

         How would our life be different if we went about every day always looking to do good, having words to help sustain every weary one we meet, and seeing those in need helped and delivered of what is oppressing them? We wouldn’t just go to our job to get work done and get through the day. We would always be looking for ways to do good for others, seeing them healed and set free. We would do the same when we went shopping—not just focusing on what we need, but how we can do good, give a word of encouragement to someone, and let the Helper use us to help others. Doing good must be our main focus in everything just as it was for our Teacher. 

         Isaiah also talked about listening with “the ear of a disciple.” We are told that Jesus only did what He was shown to do by the Father. In the Spirit, seeing includes hearing and hearing includes seeing. If our ears are always open to the Lord, how often could He give powerful words that could heal and set people free like He did? How much richer and powerful would our life be if we did not waste so much time with vain imaginations from a constantly wandering mind, but were devoted to taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Him, listening to His instructions, and doing them? That is a basic devotion of a disciple.