Day 68
神的朋友
雷克-喬納 Rick Joyner
翻譯：Kate
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處：國度禱告網

主耶和華若不將奧祕指示他的僕人─眾先知，就一無所行。（阿摩司書3:7）

這段經文令人驚訝。為什麼宇宙的創造者在沒有向先知們透露的情況下，要求自己不做任何事情呢？這方面的原因可以從祂創造人的目的中理解。祂創造人是為了交際。祂創造人是為了與祂同行和團契，並有能力理解和欣賞主和祂的目的。

先知是主繼續呼喚人回到這種關係的主要方式之一。因此，主宣稱祂將把祂的目的透露給先知們，由他們來傳達這些目的，使人能夠回到與造物主相交和欣賞的地方。

因此，我們應該明白，主透過預言所說的始終是重要的，但最重要的是，祂仍然在對我們說話。任何關係的品質都是由溝通的品質決定的。故此，主在《約翰福音》10:4中說："既放出自己的羊來，就在前頭走，羊也跟著他，因為認得他的聲音。" 我們跟隨祂，是在知道祂的聲音的程度上。

聖經中第一個發預言的人是以諾（見猶大14）。以諾是一個了不起的人，關於他的記載很少，只說他與神同行，主把他帶走，使他不至見死。以諾為亞當後的第七代，但由於亞當活了九百多年，所以在以諾的生命中，亞當仍然活著。以諾很可能與亞當談過，並被亞當在墮落前與主的關係所激動。以諾心中決定他要努力恢復這種關係，而他也確實做到了。

以諾與神的關係如此密切，以至於主直接帶走了他，這樣他就不必嘗到死亡的滋味，而死這是墮落的必然後果。由此推斷出，透過與神同行，以諾超越罪性，並逃離罪性的後果。他一定是透過看到耶穌和他的十字架所帶來的救贖而做到這一點的，因為除了透過十字架，人沒有其他方法可以戰勝死亡的力量。這事是怎麼發生的呢？

那些與神同行的人將預言，就像以諾那樣。正如啟示錄19:10所說："因為耶穌的見證就是預言的靈"。以諾要發預言，就必須有耶穌的見證。所有的先知都必須有耶穌的見證，這就是為什麼他們都預言了耶穌的到來。他們看到祂，並相信祂，就像我們回頭看十字架，透過十字架看到未來。

雖然以諾是第一個被成為先知的人，但聖經中第一個被稱為先知的人是亞伯拉罕，在創世記20:7。這也是聖經經文第一次提到祈禱。第一次提到禱告和先知並不是偶然的。禱告就是交流。與神溝通的發展，包括與祂的溝通和從祂那裡來的溝通，是所有真正的先知事工的基礎。

亞伯拉罕也是第一個被稱為 "神的朋友 "的人（見雅各書2:23）。這就是真正的預言事工的本質。主之所以說祂不會做任何事情，除非祂先向祂的僕人先知們透露，是因為先知們是祂的朋友，祂不想做任何事情而不與祂的朋友分享。這種團契是祂創造人的基本原因。這也就是使徒保羅說"你們都可以說預言"的原因。（見哥林多前書14:31）。因為有了十字架，帕子已經被撕開。我們現在都可以進入與祂最親密的關係。我們都可以與神同行，成為祂的朋友，以至於祂做任何事情都想與我們分享。這就是真正的先知事工的本質--與神單純的友誼。

DAY 68
Friends of God
Rick Joyner

Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).

This Scripture is amazing. Why would the Creator of the universe obligate Himself not to do anything without first revealing it to the prophets? The reason for this is understood in His purpose for creating man. He created man for fellowship. He created man to walk and talk with Him, and to have the ability to both understand and appreciate the Lord and His purposes.

The prophets have been one of the primary ways that the Lord has continued to call man back to this fellowship. Therefore, the Lord declares that He will disclose His purposes to the prophets, who are to convey them so that man can return to the place of fellowship and appreciation of his Maker.

For this reason we should understand that what the Lord is saying through prophecy is always important, but the most important thing of all is the fact that He is still speaking to us. The quality of any relationship is determined by the quality of the communication. For this reason the Lord said in John 10:4, "When he puts forth all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice." We will follow Him to the degree that we know His voice.

The first man who prophesied in Scripture was Enoch (see Jude 14). Enoch was a remarkable man whom very little is said about except that he walked with God, and the Lord took him so that he should not see death. Enoch was from the seventh generation after Adam, but since Adam lived over nine hundred years, Adam was still alive during Enoch's life. It is likely that Enoch talked with Adam and was stirred by the relationship that Adam had with the Lord before the Fall. Something in Enoch must have determined that he was going to try to recover that relationship, and he did.

Enoch became so close to God that the Lord just took him so he would not have to taste death, which was the sure consequence of the Fall. This infers that by walking with God, Enoch rose above the sin nature, and escaped the consequences of it. He must have done this by seeing the salvation through Jesus and His cross, because there is no other way for man to overcome the power of death except through the cross. How did this happen?

Those who walk with God will prophesy, just as Enoch did. As we are told in Revelation 19:10, "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." For Enoch to have prophesied he had to have the testimony of Jesus. All of the prophets had to have the testimony of Jesus, and that is why they all prophesied of His coming. They saw Him, and believed in Him, looking ahead to the cross just as we look back at it.

Though Enoch was the first man that is said to have prophesied, the first man called a prophet in Scripture is Abraham, in Genesis 20:7. This is also the very first verse in which prayer is mentioned in Scripture. It is no accident that the first mention of both prophet and prayer are together. Prayer is communication. The development of communication with God, both to Him and from Him, is the foundation upon which all true prophetic ministry is based.

Abraham was also the first to be called the "friend of God" (see James 2:23). This is the essence of true prophetic ministry. The reason why the Lord said that He would not do anything unless He first revealed it to His servants the prophets is because the prophets are His friends, and He does not want to do anything without sharing it with His friends. This fellowship is the essence of why He created man. This is why Paul the Apostle said: "you may all prophesy" (see I Corinthians 14:31). Because of the cross, the veil has been rent. We can now all enter into the most intimate fellowship with Him. We can all walk with God and be such friends of His that He does not want to do anything without sharing it with us. That is the essence of the true prophetic ministry—simple friendship with God.