Day 141
認識和相信
雷克-喬納 Rick Joyner
翻譯：Kate 2022.6.14
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處：國度禱告網

我有幸在整個基督的身體裡旅行，幾乎接觸了每一種主要的基督教教派或運動。目前，這些團體中有許多相互衝突，有些似乎總是陷入嚴重的妄想之中。然而，即使在目前的狀態下，我也驚歎於教會的輝煌。毫無疑問，她是地上最偉大的創造。即便如此，她真正的偉大仍有待於實現。還有什麼能比幫助她預備成為上帝深不可測的智慧的見證更美妙，或更榮幸的呢？

教會一開始是世界上最強大的宗教和社會能力，在它成為世界上最強大的政治能力的時刻，卻陷入了極端的精神貧困。糾正、改革和成熟現在已經持續了幾個世紀。教會總體上被證明是一個可以擴展的皮袋，可以接受越來越純的新酒。

當然，在教會達到預言中的成熟之前，還有很長的路要走，即沒有斑點和皺紋，以愛聞名，並穿上神的榮耀。那些沒有歷史觀的人可能很難看到朝向這一目標的巨大進展，但它確實正在進行。許多舊事物目前正在經歷更新，而且有偉大的新運動不斷地向普世教會注入新的生命。這當然是活著並在信心之家服事的美好時代。

從歷史的角度來看，也很明顯，主確實使用了祂的教會，即使是在她最糟糕的景況下，向每個時代說話。主從來沒有要求一個人在被使用之前必須是完美的，祂也從來沒有要求祂的教會在使用她之前必須是完美的。我們不是成為完全再來親近神或被祂使用，而是通過親近祂和被祂使用而完全。事實上，正如祂在五旬節對彼得所展示的那樣，祂似乎很樂意在一次重大失敗之後以一種偉大的方式使用我們。就像慈愛的父母對待孩子一樣，當我們跌倒時，祂總是迅速將我們扶起，並鼓勵我們繼續前進。

主在教導門徒禱告之前，就派他們去傳揚國度，醫治病人，趕鬼，這很能說明問題。我不是在暗示我們應該這樣，但我確實認為我們需要重新審視我們對基督徒成熟度的許多基本概念。許多聲稱對神和祂的道路有最深刻理解的人是最不被祂使用的。為什麼呢？

使徒保羅警告說，"知識是叫人自高自大"，而且似乎許多尋求更深知識的人落入驕傲，使他們失去了對主有用的資格。然而，在我們完全否定那些知識淵博的人之前，讓我們考慮一下，保羅本人是這種模式的一個例外。即使如此，他也必須在自然界中瞎眼，然後才能在聖靈中看到。

在馬太福音22:29，耶穌說：".....耶穌回答說：你們錯了；因為不明白聖經，也不曉得神的大能。"。這似乎仍然是事實。那些傾向於瞭解經文的人因為不瞭解能力而犯錯，而那些瞭解能力的人因為不瞭解經文而犯錯。我們將繼續陷入錯誤，直到我們對兩者都瞭解。

我曾經問過一家最成功的保險公司的負責人，保險代理人需要多少培訓才能銷售產品。當他回答說 "過度教育"是對代理人成功的最大威脅時，我很驚訝。他自己也不明白為什麼，但他們有非常可靠的資料表明，那些在開始之前就容易想知道太多事物的人不可避免地是最不成功的。他說，那些無法忍耐在教室裡坐很久的人總是最好的。他為他們有這麼好的產品而感慨，盼望產品能被人理解，但他說這只是一個事實，熱情賣出十個產品，知識只能賣出一個產品。

一個有趣的事實是，帶領他人歸主的信徒在他們自己重生後的頭兩年內會帶領90%以上的人信主。很少有基督徒在他們做了兩年以上的信徒後帶領別人歸主。反過來也應該是這樣。隨著我們在對主的道路的認識上的成熟和成長，隨著我們越來越多地在光明中行走，我們應該帶領越來越多的人走出黑暗。為什麼知識，甚至基督徒的成熟度，似乎有這種非常負面的影響？

第一個顯然是保羅所警告的，知識會導致驕傲。很少見到一個致力於更深層次知識的人不會相應地產生驕傲和妄想。也很少見到一個擁有偉大知識的人在他們的生活中也有這種知識的實質。這不應該是這樣的。

當我是一名飛行教官時，最困難和最危險的學生是那些對訓練手冊研究得很透徹的人，他們認為自己知道如何飛行。閱讀手冊和駕駛飛機是完全不同的事情。我寧願嘗試去教那些因為住在假日酒店而認為自己是個偉大的飛行員的人，也不願教那些過度追求知識而沒有經驗的人。

然而，耶和華在何西阿書4:6中哀歎道："我的民因無知識而滅亡。你棄掉知識，我也必棄掉你，使你不再給我作祭司。你既忘了你神的律法，我也必忘記你的兒女...."。正如我們所提到的，在人生道路的兩邊都有一條溝，似乎很少有人能在兩者之間的道路上停留。

我喜歡與那些熱愛知識、一直在尋求對主和祂的道路有更多瞭解的人相伴。我也喜歡與那些有信心的人為伴，他們像主一樣行走，醫治病人，趕鬼，將光照進黑暗中，使被捆綁的人獲得自由。這些人都應該在同一組，但目前他們很少在一起。如果我們要達到我們被呼召的目的，這種景況必須改變。我們必須學會將理解力的增長和信心的行走結合起來，這兩者都是做祂的工作所需要的。


Knowing and Believing
Rick Joyner

I have been privileged to travel widely throughout the body of Christ, and have been exposed to almost every kind of major Christian denomination or movement. Presently, many of these groups are in conflict with each other, and some always seem to drift into serious delusions. However, even in its present state I marvel at the brilliance of the church. She is, without question, the greatest creation on earth. Even so, her true greatness is yet to be realized. What could be more wonderful, or more of an honor, than helping to prepare her to be the witness of the unfathomable wisdom of God that she is called to be for all ages to come?

Having begun as the most powerful religious and social force the world has ever known, the church fell into extreme spiritual poverty during the time that it became the most powerful political force in the world. Correction, reform, and maturity have now continued for centuries. The church has proven overall to be a wineskin that can expand to receive increasingly pure new wine.

Certainly there is still a long way to go before the church attains her prophesied maturity of not having spot or wrinkle, to be known for her love, and to be clothed in the glory of God. Those without a historical perspective may have a hard time seeing much progress toward this end, but it is certainly being made. Much of the old is presently experiencing renewal, and there are great new movements constantly pouring new transfusions of life into the universal church. These are certainly wonderful times to be alive and to serve in the household of faith.

From the historical perspective it is also apparent that the Lord did use His church even in her worst condition to speak to every age. The Lord has never required one to be perfect before being used, and He has never required His church to be perfect before using her. We do not get perfected in order to get close to God, or to be used by Him, but we get perfected by getting close to Him and being used by Him. In fact, as He demonstrated with Peter on the Day of Pentecost, He seems to delight in using us in a great way right after a major failure. Like a loving parent with a child, He is always quick to pick us up when we fall, and encourage us to keep going.

It is quite revealing that the Lord sent out His disciples to preach the kingdom, heal the sick, and cast out devils before He even taught them to pray! I am not implying that it is supposed to be this way for us, but I do think that we need to re-examine many of our basic concepts of Christian maturity. Many of those who claim to have the deepest understanding of God and His ways are the least used by Him. Why?

The Apostle Paul warned that "knowledge puffs up," and it does seem that many who seek deeper knowledge fall to the pride that disqualifies them from being useful to the Master. However, before we completely write off those who are great with knowledge, let us consider that Paul himself was an exception to this pattern. Even so, he had to be struck blind in the natural before he could see in the Spirit.

In Matthew 22:29 Jesus said, "…Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God" (KJV). This seems to still be true. Those who tend to know the Scriptures err because they do not know the power, and those who know the power err because they do not know the Scriptures. We will continue to fall to error until we know both.

I once asked the head of one of the most successful insurance companies how much training his agents needed to sell their products. I was surprised when he answered that "over-education" was the greatest threat to an agent's success. He himself did not understand why, but they had very solid data indicating that those who were prone to want to know too much before they got started were inevitably the least successful. He said it was the ones you couldn't hold back to sit in a classroom for very long that were always the best. He lamented over the fact that they had such great products that they wanted them to be understood, but he said it was simply a fact that enthusiasm sells ten products for every one that is sold by knowledge.

It is an interesting fact that believers who lead others to the Lord will lead more than 90 percent of them to faith during the first two years after they themselves have been born again. Very few Christians lead others to the Lord after they have been believers for more than two years. The reverse should be true. As we mature and grow in the knowledge of the Lord's ways, and as we walk more and more in the light, we should lead more and more out of the darkness. Why does knowledge, or even Christian maturity, seem to have this very negative effect?

The first is obviously what Paul warned about, that knowledge can lead to pride. It is rare to meet someone who is devoted to deeper knowledge who is not correspondingly prideful and delusional. It is also rare to meet someone with has great knowledge who also has the substance of that knowledge in their life. This should not be.

When I was a flight instructor the most difficult and dangerous students were those who had studied the training manual so much that they thought they knew how to fly. Reading the manual and flying the airplane are quite different matters. I would rather try to teach someone who thought he or she was a great pilot because they stayed in a Holiday Inn Express, than those who were overly devoted to knowledge without experience.

Yet, it is also true that the Lord lamented in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest...." As we have mentioned, there is a ditch on either side of the path of life and few seem to be able to stay on the path that is between them.

I love the company of those who love knowledge and are always seeking more understanding of the Lord and His ways. I also love the company of those whose faith is effective and are walking as the Lord walked, healing the sick, casting out demons, and shining light into the darkness to set free those who are bound. These should all be in the same group but presently they rarely are. This must change if we are going to attain what we are called to. We must learn to combine growing in understanding and walking in faith, which are both required to do His work.