於2011-02-18發佈
上週我們提到無法用任何事物取代在基督裡的成熟與經歷,這週則會開始區分主對我們說話的一些方式。未來幾週我們會更深入瞭解這些方式,同時也需謹記在心:我們並不是在尋求瞭解一項科學,一個認識祂聲音的公式,而是在尋求一個與神的關係,我們是藉此來認識祂的聲音。正如先前所討論過的,基本上我們只有兩種方式來認識他人─透過他們的臉和他們的聲音。

屬靈的成熟來自與祂相處,藉由注視祂的榮耀而改變成為祂的樣式。凡是瞭解此並投入的人,可以比那些認識祂很久卻沒有追求這樣關係的人更快成熟。在我們與祂的關係裡,我們必須瞭解今日的主與起初的祂一樣,祂現在對祂百姓說話的方式與起初一樣。雖然新約先知和舊約先知的目的不盡相同,但恩賜和啟示臨到的方式卻一樣。

先知性啟示有著不同的層級,這些層級與啟示的重要性可能有關,也可能無關,卻與啟示臨到的清晰度有關,使我們知道對啟示的純度有多少把握。先知性啟示的最低層級是一個感動;高一點的層級始於異象、異夢、耳朵聽得見的聲音,像是天使的造訪,被帶到神的寶座前等,這些都是合乎聖經,今日仍在發生的經歷。

無論啟示的層級有多高,瞭解預言的一個基礎是在哥林多前書十三章9節,那裡說我們所知道的有限,先知所講的也有限,這代表沒有人擁有完全的圖畫或話語。所以倘若我們要擁有完整的圖畫或信息,我們需要謙卑與他人同工,聆聽別人,並將我們的部分拼湊在一起。上週在阿摩司書所提到的經文中,即是何以主說在祂做任何事之前,會先與祂的先知僕人分享─這裡的先知是複數,而不是單數。

這即是何以真正成熟的先知總是出現在團體中,與其他先知有肢體生活,時常分享與同工。『獨行俠』先知可能真的有恩賜,但當他們沒有留在一個穩定委身的肢體生活中,就偏離了真正先知性的純全與健全教義。因為神的恩賜和選召是沒有後悔的』(參考羅馬書1129),他們持續運作的先知性恩賜非常真實,使你感到很神奇,但你可能不會想將他們服事的果子撒在自己的事工中。 

新約先知單是與其他先知有肢體生活還不夠,他們還必須委身在以弗所書四章的五重職事關係中,他們必須擁有真實、活躍的教會生活。原因之一是因為先知的基本目的,正如以弗所書四章所看見的,是為要裝備聖徒、各盡其職,而不單是發預言而已。五重職事是聖徒的基本目的,它包括先知的職事,是為了成為基督肢體運作的一部份,正如我們在同一段經文中所看見的。

我珍惜並與世界許多先知性恩賜的人來往,我聆聽他們,有時會從他們那領受非常重要的話語,但倘若他們沒有堅固與活躍的教會生活,我不會讓他們服事我們的教會。西班牙文有一俗語說某件事就像『那狗已經咬了我』,我已被咬過太多次,這些人讓人們對他們的恩賜感到神奇,激動他們尋求先知性恩賜,這本是有益的。然而,當涉及到教會時,我並不嘗試讓人們在先知性恩賜與事奉裡成長,而是讓他們在基督裡成長,此包括讓那些有先知性呼召的人,不單是在他們的恩賜中成長,更是在基督裡成長。要全然完成先知性之目的,我們必須擁有基督肢體的異象,以及此肢體要如何長大成熟連結於祂,我們必須連結於肢體才能成為其中的一部份。

正如我們在啟示錄十九章19節所讀到的:因為預言中的靈意乃是為耶穌作見證。』因此,真正成熟的先知性事工總是為耶穌作見證,尋求協助祂的百姓長大成熟連結於祂,教會則是使其成就的媒介。我幾乎經歷過每一種形式的先知性啟示,我也有許多朋友有這樣的經歷,但我對恩賜或經歷感到神奇已是很久以前的事了。我已學會尋找果子,我所尋找的果子是那人的事工將人帶向主,而不是帶向自己,使主的特性與本質被呈現與分賜出來。 

為此緣故,當我們開始深入討論恩賜要如何運作,啟示會如何臨到時,我將持續複習基礎。每一個領域中最成功的人就是那些基礎做得最好的人,在事奉上也是如此。對我們而言最基礎的就是我們愛神超乎一切,並且愛祂的百姓。這即是何以在新約最大的先知性恩賜給了約翰,他的基本信息就是愛神與愛人。先知和其他人一樣需要在生命中有聖靈的果子,真正偉大的新約先知都致力於最偉大的新約信息─愛。他們會藉由與祂百姓真實、活躍的連結來展現此愛的信息。

(摘自 喬納 word for the week, Week 6, 2011)

Levels of Revelation
Week 6, 2011
   

Last week we addressed how there is no substitute for maturity and experience in Christ. This week we will begin to identify some of the ways that the Lord speaks to us. In the coming weeks, we will go deeper into understanding all of these, while keeping in mind that we are not seeking the understanding of a science, a formula for knowing His voice, but rather a relationship to God by which we come to know His voice. As discussed, there are basically only two ways that we know others—by their face and by their voice.

True spiritual maturity comes from being with Him and being changed into His image by the glory we behold. Those who understand this and are devoted to this can mature much faster than those who have known Him much longer but do not pursue this relationship. In our relationship to Him, we must understand that the Lord is the same today as He was in the beginning. He speaks to His people the same now as He did from the beginning. New Covenant prophets have a different purpose than their Old Covenant counterparts, but the gifts and revelation come in the same ways. 

There are levels of prophetic revelation. These may or may not relate to the importance of the revelation, but have to do with the clarity with which they come, and therefore how much confidence that we can have in their purity. The lowest level of prophetic revelation is an impression. The higher levels would begin with visions, dreams, hearing the audible voice of God, like angelic visitations, being caught up before the throne of God, and so forth, all of which are biblical and are still happening today. 

Regardless of how great or high level the revelation is, one basic to understanding prophecy is I Corinthians 13:9, which says we know in part and prophesy in part, meaning that no one has the entire picture or word. So if we are going to have the whole picture or message, we are going to need the humility to work with others, listen to others, and put our parts together. In the Scripture from Amos that we addressed last week, this is why the Lord said that He will not do anything without first sharing it with His servants the prophets—this is plural, not just a single prophet. 

This is why the true and maturing prophets are always found in groups, in fellowship with other prophets whom they are constantly sharing and working with. The “lone ranger” prophets may have real gifts, but I have not known any who did not drift from true prophetic integrity and sound doctrine when they did not stay in a strong committed fellowship with others. Because “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (see Romans 11:29), the prophetic gifts they continue to operate in can be very real and they can amaze you with them, but you probably do not want the fruit of their ministry sown into your work. 

Neither is it enough for a New Covenant prophet to just be in fellowship with other prophets; they must have a committed relationship to the whole team of equipping ministries listed in Ephesians 4, and they must have a real and vital local church life. One reason for this is because a basic purpose of the prophet as seen in Ephesians 4 is to help equip the saints for the ministry, not just to prophesy. It is the basic purpose of the saints, which includes the prophets, to be a functioning part of the body, which we see in this same text.

I appreciate and have a relationship with many prophetically-gifted people around the world. I listen to them, and at times have received very important words from them, but if they do not have a strong and vital local church life, I do not let them minister in our local church. There is a saying in Spanish that goes something like “that dog already bit me,” and I’ve been bitten by that one too many times. These can come and amaze people with their gifts, and get them stirred up about seeking the prophetic, which can be useful. However, in relation to the church, I’m not trying to get people to grow up into prophetic ministries and gifts, but rather to grow up into Christ. This includes having those with prophetic callings to grow in Christ, not just their gifts. To fully accomplish the purpose of the prophetic, we must have a vision for the body of Christ and how it is to grow up into Him, and we must be vitally connected to it to be a part of this. 

As we see in Revelation 19:10 “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Therefore, the true and maturing prophetic ministry is always testifying of Christ and seeking to help His people grow up into Him. The vehicle for accomplishing this is His church. I have experienced virtually every form of prophetic revelation and have many friends who have as well, but it has been a long time since I’ve been impressed by gifts or experiences. I’ve learned to look for fruit. The fruit that I’m looking for is that someone’s ministry turns people to the Lord, not to them, and that the character and nature of the Lord is demonstrated and imparted.

For this reason, as we begin to discuss in some detail how the gifts function and the revelations come, I will continue to remind about the fundamentals. The most successful people in every field are those who do the basics best, and this is no less true of ministry. The most basic of all for us is that we love God above all, and we love His people. This is why the greatest prophetic gifts in the New Testament were given to John, whose basic message was loving God and one another. There is nothing that exempts prophets from having the fruit of the Spirit in their lives just like everyone else, and the truly great New Testament prophets will be fundamentally devoted to the greatest message of the New Testament—love. They will demonstrate this by being vitally connected to His people in real, living relationships.