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雷克-喬納
本週我們將繼續學習如何遵守《哥林多後書》13:5："你們總要自己省察有信心沒有，也要自己試驗......" 上週我們看到，我們可以透過我們所結的果子來評估我們在信心中的位置。正如主在約翰福音第15章中所說，如果我們住在祂裡面，我們就會結出果子。那麼，我們結的是什麼果子？
果樹並不強調它必須結多少果子。它自然而然地結出果實，只是因為它是樹。同樣，如果我們住在主裡面，就會結出果實。如果我們住在祂裡面，祂將透過我們做祂的工作。因此，我們的工作和重點應該是向祂學習，更親近祂，並看到祂在我們的生活中被放大。如果我們住在祂裡面，祂就會透過我們做祂的工作，結出果實。
耶穌說祂的軛是容易的，祂的擔子是輕的，如果我們接受祂的軛，我們就會發現我們的魂得到休息和滋潤。沒有人戴上軛是為了放鬆，而是為了工作。然而，如果一頭小牛和大牛同負一軛，誰來做這個工作？用這個比喻來說，沒有比主更大的 "牛"。因此，與祂同負一軛，就像得到了免費的旅程，可以看到祂非凡的工作。如果我們努力工作，日益疲憊，我們是在背自己的軛或別人的軛，而不是祂的軛。我們透過安住、休息、信靠祂，看著祂做祂的工作，會結出更多的果實。
耶穌今天仍然做著祂在地上行走時所做的一切，但祂是透過祂的身體做的。在主的智慧和知識以及祂的道路上成長將幫助我們成熟，讓祂透過我們做祂的工作將使我們更接近祂。看到祂做祂的工作是我們今生能經歷的最激動人心和美妙的事情之一。祂使用我們是我們能經歷的最有成就感和最令人興奮的事情之一，然而，如果沒有工作要做，祂就不會叫我們負起祂的軛。
話雖如此，主本身遠比祂最偉大的作品更有趣。詩篇103:7說，"他使摩西知道他的法則，叫以色列人曉得他的作為。"如果我們住在祂裡面，果實就會自然而然地出現，但果實不應該分散我們對尋求更好地認識祂的注意力。透過尋求更好地瞭解祂，我們就會住在祂裡面；然後就是果實。
我們住在祂裡面的一個主要方式是在祂的身體--教會中找到我們的位置。透過這種方式，我們在自己的恩賜和事奉中成長。基督的身體是地上最令人敬畏、最榮耀、最困難、最考驗的實體。成為它的一部分是我們能做的最有成就感但也是最具挑戰性的事情之一。但這正是我們在祂裡面成長的方式--既經歷祂的榮耀，又經歷祂的子民的困難。
以弗所書4:16告訴我們，"全身都靠他聯絡得合式，百節各按各職..." 關節不是一個部分，而是兩個部分結合的地方。我們光是參加崇拜是不夠的；我們必須與祂的子民結合。有一個地方，我們將適合並作為身體的一部分發揮作用，我們是為這個身體而生的。我們必須找到自己的位置，進入其中，在其中成長，並開始作為我們被呼召成為的身體的成員發揮作用。當我們這樣做時，整個身體就會成長。
約翰一書1:7說："我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中，就彼此相交......" 在祂裡面的相交是一種比我們今生所能經歷的任何其他相交更深更豐富的相交，甚至在我們的自然家庭中。真正的新約教會生活遠不止是參加崇拜。它是地上最偉大的社區和社會，在一起，我們可以參與地上最偉大的冒險。我們所能經歷的，沒有什麼比真正的團契更令人興奮。另一方面，很少有東西比基於宗教表現而不是基督在我們裡面並透過我們生活的假冒偽劣的教會生活更無聊。
我們被呼召去反映神的國度在未來時代的能力和榮耀中運作。這就是基督的身體在這個時代結束前將成為的樣子。這就是我們被呼召的目的，我們決不能滿足於此。
正如我們在早期教會教父的著作中所看到的，直到第四世紀，任何所謂的 "信徒"如果不相信今天的神蹟工作，或者相信上帝不再對祂的子民說預言，就不能被納入教會的團契。保羅在《提摩太後書》3:5中警告要躲開那些"有敬虔的外貌，卻背了敬虔的實意"的人。
否認基督透過祂的子民做祂的工作的能力就是否認基督，因為祂沒有改變。祂今天是同一個基督，祂一直都是。這不正是我們在《啟示錄》3:20中看到的，基督在敲祂自己教會的門，看是否有人 "聽祂的聲音"，向祂敞開。
Choices, Part 16
Rick Joyner
This week we will continue studying how to comply with II Corinthians 13:5: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith…” Last week we saw how we can evaluate where we are in the faith by the fruit we produce. As the Lord said in John 15, if we abide in Him, we will bear fruit. So, what fruit are we bearing?
A fruit tree does not stress about how much fruit it must bear. It naturally bears fruit simply by being what it is. Likewise, if we abide in the Lord we will bear fruit. If we abide in Him, He will do His works through us. So, our job and focus should be to learn from Him, get closer to Him, and see Him magnified in our lives. If we abide in Him, He will do His works and bear fruit through us.
Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light, and if we take His yoke, we will find rest and refreshment for our souls. No one puts on a yoke to relax but to work. However, if a little ox gets yoked to a big ox, who will do the work? Using this metaphor, there is no bigger “Ox” than the Lord. Therefore, to be yoked with Him is like getting a free ride to see His extraordinary works. If we are striving and growing weary, we are carrying our own yoke or someone else’s yoke, not His. We will bear far more fruit by abiding, resting, trusting in Him, and watching Him do His works.
Jesus still does everything today He did when He physically walked the earth, but He does it through His body. Growing in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord and His ways will help us mature and letting Him do His works through us will yoke us even closer to Him. To see Him do His works is one of the most exciting and wonderful things we can experience in this life. For Him to use us is one of the most fulfilling and exciting things we can experience, yet He would not have told us to take His yoke if there was not work to do.
That being said, the Lord Himself is far more interesting than even His greatest works. Psalm 103:7 says, “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.” If we abide in Him, the fruit will come naturally, but the fruit should never distract us from seeking to know Him better. By seeking to know Him better, we come to abide in Him; then comes the fruit.
One primary way we abide in Him is to find our place in His body, the church. By this we grow in our gifts and ministries. The body of Christ is the most awesome, glorious, difficult, and trying entity on earth. Being part of it is one of the most fulfilling yet one of the most challenging things we can do. But this is how we grow in Him—by experiencing both His glory and the difficulties of His people.
In Ephesians 4:16 we are told, “the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies …” A joint is not a part but where two parts come together. It’s not enough for us to attend services; we must be joined to His people. There is a place where we will fit and function as the part of the body for which we were made. We must find our place, get in it, grow in it, and begin to function as that member of the body we are called to be. As we do this, the whole body grows.
I John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship (koinonia) with one another ...” Koinonia in Him is a fellowship deeper and richer than any other we can experience in this life, even in our natural families. True New Testament church life is far more than attending services. It’s the greatest community and society on earth, and together, we can be engaged in the greatest adventure on earth. Nothing we can experience is more exciting than true koinonia. On the other hand, few things are more boring than the counterfeit church life based on religious performance rather than Christ living in and through us.
We have been called to reflect God’s kingdom functioning in the power and glory of the age to come. That is what the body of Christ will be before the end of this age. That is what we have been called to, and we must not settle for anything less.
As we see in the writings of the early church fathers, until the fourth century, any so-called “believer” who did not believe in the present-day working of miracles or believed that God no longer spoke prophetically to His people, could not be included in the fellowship of the church. Paul warned in II Timothy 3:5 (NKJV) about those “ having a form of godliness but denying its power” saying, “from such people turn away.”
To deny the power of Christ to do His works through His people is to deny Christ, because He has not changed. He is the same Christ today He has always been. Is this not what we see in Revelation 3:20, Christ knocking on the door of His own church to see if any would “hear His voice” and open to Him?