於2011-03-05發佈
舊約的許多先知常提到『主的默示/負擔』(the burden of the Lord);上週我們簡短提到當我們感到身體某處不對勁,其實是另一個人的問題時,先知性感動是如何藉此臨到我們。舉例來說,倘若我們正和一個人說話,我們的左膝蓋卻開始疼痛,可能是因為對方的左膝蓋有問題。聖靈這樣運作的原因是因為主感受到人的病痛,而祂與祂身體的成員分享。 

當然,得著這種在自然界超過我們能力所能瞭解的知識言語之目的,是要為人的病痛禱告,好讓對方可以被醫治。當有病痛的人聽到領受知識言語的人講出他的症狀,也有助於分賜得醫治所需要的信心。 

主也可以和那些祂要在先知預言方面使用的人分享祂的負擔,可能是很平常的事情,像是對有特別疾病的人有負擔,或是遭遇失業問題的人。對主的負擔正確回應的方式是先從代禱開始,祈求醫治、得勝或突破。有些人在得勝前就這麼做好幾年,甚至好幾十年,但當歷程如此艱辛、漫長,得勝往往意義顯著。有一些負擔可能時間並不長,只是給一個人的或一個突破,無論主決定要花很長還是很短的時間都取決於祂。 

重點是當我們感到從主來的負擔,是為了幫助我們感受祂心中的事,並將我們帶入與祂在那件事上的合一。所有的權柄都給了祂,而我們在萬事上的權柄仰賴我們與祂的合一。 

溫約翰曾告訴我在他第一次經歷為人禱告得醫治前,曾為上千個人可以得醫治禱告。他相信醫治是因為他相信神的話,他開始有負擔要看見醫治再次被釋放在基督肢體中,就像第一世紀一樣。然而,他需要很大的堅持來經歷第一個突破,這是因為神想在醫治上大大使用他,他不但被使用來醫治成千上萬的人,更擁有有史以來最偉大的事工之一,釋放了許多人進入真正的醫治事奉中。 

我所學到的一個基本原則,就是任何發生太快、太容易的事通常無足輕重。研讀聖經上一些顯著的服事,大部分人都必須為了呼召而經歷一段艱辛、長久的預備期。在那些走在極大呼召的人身上,你會看見一個共同要素,就是他們不輕言放棄。除了溫約翰,我不知道還有誰曾為一千人禱告能得醫治,而忍受了一千個失望卻不放棄。在歷史的同一時期,你可能無法找到像他一樣在基督肢體裡釋放如此多醫治的人。 

同樣地,歷史上的大復興總是被一個人或一群人點燃,他們對他們的國家、城市或教會有如此深的負擔,以致他們的心幾乎要破碎,驅使他們代禱直到突破發生。在教會古典文學中,您可能讀過許多關於『恆切禱告』與『長期奮戰』的書籍。幾乎在所有偉大事工中,都可以找到這種『負擔』。 
 
幾年前在一次度假中,我對政府所提議的健保法案之危險性有極大的負擔,我完全無法入睡,靈裡憂傷到一個地步,我必須寫特別專欄,心中才有平安,並能在度假中好好放鬆。當我一寫完寄出去後,感到很大的釋放,登出的第一天立即造成極大的迴響。許多人在他們的地區拿著此專欄文章開會,我甚至被指控提供那些會議的討論方針,而那些會議吸引大量市民的關切可能是從來沒有過的。 我不認為這單單是我的專欄所造成的迴響,至少沒有一些人所認為的那麼大,但就算它不過是一個火花,有時需要的只是點個火而已。 

儘管我在寫完專欄後比較放鬆,但此負擔所帶來的憂傷時而以許多方式臨到我。若此健保法案不廢除,我仍認為它對難以想像的悲劇與壓制打開大門,而我不會停止禱告或研究此法案。 

最近,我對剛寫完的一本書有著相同種類的負擔。我一直對寫這本書有負擔,而我知道這負擔來自主,有些讀過的人說這可能是我所寫過最重要的一本書。我現在還很難做那樣的評斷,但我確實知道自己很少感到如此要做某件事的負擔,還有完成後感到如此輕鬆的感覺。 

這不過是簡短談到主說話、引導祂百姓的一個方式,未來我們還會講到許多方式。這篇文章的目的,在於增加基督肢體擁有從主而來清楚指引的需要。

(摘自 喬納 word for the week, week 8, 2011)


The Prophetic Burden
Week 8, 2011

Many of the prophets in the Old Testament referred to “the burden of the Lord.” We briefly addressed last week how prophetic impressions can come to us when we feel something in our body that is actually wrong with another person. For example, if we’re talking to a person and our left knee starts hurting, it could be because the person we’re talking to has a problem with their left knee. A reason that the Holy Spirit moves this way is because the Lord feels the infirmities of people, and He shares this with those who are being used as members of His body. 

Of course, the purpose for getting such a word of knowledge, which is beyond our ability to know in the natural, is to pray for the person with the ailment so that they can be healed. When the person who has the ailment is told about it by the one receiving the word of knowledge, it can help impart the faith required for healing.

The Lord can also share His burden for other things with those He wants to use prophetically. This could be something general like having a burden for those suffering from a specific disease or who are dealing with a problem like unemployment. The proper response to this burden of the Lord is to start interceding for it, asking for healing, victories, or breakthroughs. Some have done this for years, even decades before getting the victory, but when it takes this long and is this hard, the victory is usually significant. Some burdens like this may last a very short time and are for just one person or breakthrough. Whether the Lord decides to take a long or short time is up to Him.

The point is that when we feel a burden from the Lord, it is to help us identify with what is on His heart and bring us into unity with Him about it. All authority has been given to Him, and our authority over anything is dependent in us coming into unity with Him. 

John Wimber once told me that he prayed for about a thousand people to be healed before he saw his first healing. He believed in healing because he believed the Word of God, and he felt a burden to see healing released again to the body of Christ like it was in the first century. However, it took great perseverance for him to experience his first breakthrough. That is because God wanted to use him in such a great way in healing, not only being used to heal thousands himself, but he had one of the greatest ministries ever in releasing others into authentic healing ministries. 

A basic principle I’ve learned is that anything which happens too fast or too easily is usually insignificant. Study the significant ministries in Scripture and most had to go through a hard and long preparation for their callings. One common factor you see with those who walk in great callings is that they do not give up. I don’t know of anyone else who prayed for a thousand people to be healed, enduring a thousand disappointments, but not giving up, except for John Wimber. You may also not find another person in history who released so much healing into the body of Christ in their time. 

Likewise, the great revivals in history were almost always ignited by a person or group who got such a burden for their nation, or city, or church, that their heart would nearly break, driving them to intercession until there was a breakthrough. In the classics, you read a lot about “persevering prayer,” and “contending” for long periods of time. This kind of “burden” is almost always found at the root of all great ministries.

When on vacation a couple of years ago, I got a burden concerning the dangers of the proposed healthcare legislation. I could not sleep at night and was so grieved in my spirit that I had to write a Special Bulletin about it before I could have peace and relax on my vacation. When I finished it and sent it off, I felt a huge relief, and the Bulletin immediately went viral with 4th generation copies being passed around in the first day. So many went to their town hall meetings with the Bulletin that I was accused of being the one giving the talking points for those meetings that were overflowing with citizens like possibly never before. I don’t think my Bulletin was the only thing contributing to this, and it may not have been nearly as big a part as some supposed, but even if it was just a spark, sometimes it’s all that is needed to start a fire. 

Even though I had some relief after finishing the Bulletin, in many ways this burden that borders on grief still comes over me at times. I still consider this healthcare legislation to be an open door to unimaginable tragedy and oppression if not overturned. I won’t quit praying about or studying this legislation. 

Recently, I have had this same kind of burden about a book I just finished. There was a burden on me for this book that I have learned is the burden of the Lord, and some who have read it have said it could be my most important book yet. It is hard for me to judge that, but I do know I have rarely felt such a burden to do something or such relief when it was finished. 

This is just a brief coverage of one way the Lord speaks to and leads His people, and we have a number yet to cover. The main purpose of this is the increasing need that the body of Christ has for clear guidance from the Lord.