於2011-11-26發佈

呼召悔改與代禱
我要繼續來談『以薩迦支派』恩膏的主題,在創世記四十九章15節說到以薩迦的下一件事,是當他看到一個安歇之地,何等令人嚮往,他卻選擇低肩背重,成為服苦的僕人。肩膀代表權柄(政權必擔在祂的肩頭上)。這是使用我們的權柄成為僕人的呼召,而不是使用權柄讓別人來服事我們,此意謂當我們可以選擇以比較輕鬆的方式,卻仍願意做別人不願做的艱辛部分。

許多很棒的牧師窮盡一生心力協助他人解決問題,他們是我們在偉大審判日會看見得獎賞的信心英雄。然而,這些偉大的靈魂已經越來越少了,事工通常被用來成為個人晉升的途徑,而不是來服事主與祂的百姓。

今日我們所需要的事工,不是受個人野心所驅使,而是我們對主的委身,透過服事祂的百姓來服事祂。為著要來的時候,在我們可以被託付『以薩迦支派』恩膏之前,我們必須恢復成為僕人的心態。

即便如此,我懷疑在此生我們是否會有完美的動機,所以我們若要等到完美才做事,我們可能永遠也無法做任何事。你不需要等到研讀完所有書籍才開始寫作,事實上我也沒有這樣做。當我還是相當稚嫩的基督徒,我便著手寫了第一本書:『生命樹與善惡知識樹」(橄欖出版),目前這本書仍是我們其中一本最暢銷的書,許多人認為這是我所寫過最好的一本書。

記得,在生命路徑兩旁各有一條壕溝;倘若我們要等到完美,我們永遠也無法做任何事。同樣地,倘若我們過早行動,就仍顯得膚淺與脆弱。我們奉主之名所做的任何事都配得最高的委身與最好的品質,但重要的是倘若這是主在此時要我們做的事,我們絕不要添加自己的意見,再附上主的名。

我們一直在使用我預言大地震與火山爆發將臨到西岸的例子,來討論我們要如何處理這類的啟示,以及要如何預期聽見之人的回應或詮釋。一些我認為在先知性預言方面相當成熟的人,反而試圖說服我關於西岸的預言是錯誤的,因為有許多人並不接受。這就是所謂的政治性正確中最可怕的蒙蔽形式;倘若我們是以人的拒絕多寡來決定是否出於神,那麼聖經中大多數預言都無法存在,因為拒絕的人幾乎都多過接受的人。我們應當對糾正保持敞開的態度,並聆聽反彈的聲音,但我們不該因為人的拒絕就認為我們領受錯誤,就算他們是成熟的基督徒和基督徒領袖。

我們可能也會有錯誤的期待,以為我們的話語應驗了就會受到信任與接納。可能有些人的確是這樣,但就連我們的主耶穌與祂正確無誤的預言,都無法讓許多人轉向祂。他們當時所做的是協助讓能聽見祂聲音的人預備好,使他們在耶路撒冷毀滅的事上可以逃過。

我在幾個月前分享這些預言時,我對這些話的信心還蠻高的,而且從那時起不斷增加。即便如此,正如我當時所分享的,我相信在這件事真正發生前,還有時間降低損失。要如何做呢?藉由悔改和代禱。我們有許多例子顯出主是何等恩慈忍耐,現在我對此事的禱告是求主給我們更多時間,好讓悔改與代禱興起以降低損失,更重要的是,讓許多人從毀滅的道路轉向生命的道路。

許多人說我所說的這些預言不足為信,但你想想看,就人們意見所關注的,我從一開始就處於劣勢的立場。我不認為主會考慮到我的名聲,我也不要名聲,說這些預言所能得到的個人好處,我現在還看不到。我只會看起來很糟,直到這些事情發生。倘若我所看到的異象確實發生,而且沒有減弱,實在難以想像。我個人毫無一點贏的感覺,順服是我在其中唯一可以得到的獎賞。

當我說我會輕易付上我的生命,甚至沒想到是否這樣做就可以讓此不發生,主知道我沒有說謊。就和每一個人一樣,我知道失去所愛之人的憂傷,但我在看見此異象中所經歷的與所代禱的,比我曾感受過的任何憂傷還大過好幾倍。憂傷是如此強烈,以致於當事情真正發生時,我不知道是否可以承受得住。我並不是隨便在分享這些話,因為我知道主在聽,但我認為我寧願在災難現場與失喪的人一起,也不要之後所背負的那種憂傷。

我分享此不單是要使你信服我的動機,但若有任何方式我可以叫醒他人看見事態的嚴重性,我都會嘗試。我不知道有誰在經歷我對這些迫近災難的悲傷後還可以活著;就算是有人在對你生氣,都遠遠無法與此負擔相比。我有過許多次先知性的負擔,但我不記得有哪一個像這次一樣沈重。

倘若我與其他人的預言,所帶來的悔改與代禱大大減弱這些事件,我仍會看起來很糟,因為好像我誇大了所看見的災難。我沒有期待自己從中能得著任何好處,直到審判那日,但我也不在意,為什麼呢?我曾在異象中看見審判日,也看見在審判座上的基督,我知道我可以相信祂的審判,我知道地上沒有任何事物可以與那些服事祂之人所等待的榮耀相比。人們在此生對我們的看法並不重要,現代歷史書如何講述我們也不重要,重要的是做好我們的工作,以及在神的歷史書,就是生命冊上對我們的記載。

 (摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 45, 2011)


The Judgments of God, Part 8
A Call to Repentance and Intercession
Week 45, 2011

 I want to continue on the theme of attaining the “sons of Issachar” anointing just a bit more. The next thing said about Issachar in Genesis 49:15 was that when he saw a resting place, and how desirable it was, he chose instead to bow his shoulder to bear burdens and become a slave. The shoulder speaks of authority (the government rests on His shoulders). This is a calling to use our authority to be slaves instead of using it to get other people to serve us. It means being willing to do the hard part that no one else is willing to do when we could choose to take the easier way. 

Many great pastors spend most of their lives and energy helping other people with their problems. These have to be some of the great heroes of the faith we will see justly rewarded on that great Judgment Day. However, these great souls are getting more and more rare as ministry is often used as a path to personal advancement rather than service to the Lord and His people. 

We are in need of ministries today that are not driven by personal ambition but out of devotion to the Lord and serving Him by serving His people. There must be a recovery of the mentality of being servants before we can be trusted with the “sons of Issachar” anointing needed for the times to come.

Even so, I question whether we will ever have perfect motives in this life, so if we wait to get perfect before doing anything, we would never do anything. You don’t have to wait until you’ve done the study that I have to start writing. I actually didn’t wait either. I wrote my first book, There Were Two Trees in the Garden, while I was a relatively new Christian, and it is still one of our bestsellers. Many still say they think it is the best book I’ve written. 

Remember, there is a ditch on either side of the path of life. If we wait for perfection, we’ll never do anything, and if we go prematurely, it will be shallow and weak. Anything we do in the name of the Lord deserves the highest devotion and the best quality, but the important thing is if it is true and is the Lord’s word for this time. The last thing we want to do is to convey our opinions and attach the Lord’s name to them.

 We are now using the prophecies that I gave about serious earthquakes and volcanic eruptions coming upon the U.S. West Coast to discuss how we should handle such revelations and how we can expect them to be taken or interpreted by those who hear them. I have had some who I thought were relatively mature in the prophetic actually try to convince me these words were wrong because so many people were not receiving them well. This is political correctness in a most terrible delusional form. If the rejection by men were a basis for determining whether something was from the Lord, then most of the biblical prophecies would not exist because they were almost all rejected by more than those who received them. We should always be open to correction and listen to the pushback, but it is a mistake to think we’ve missed something because people reject it, even strong Christians and Christian leaders. 

We may also have wrong expectations if we think that because our word comes true, we will be accepted and trusted. This may be the result with some, but even as we see with the Lord Jesus Himself and His accurate prophecies, this did not turn many people to Him. What they did do is help those who could hear His voice to be prepared, and in the case of the destruction of Jerusalem, be spared.

My confidence in these words about our West Coast was very high when I brought them out again a few months ago, and it has grown since then. Even so, as I shared then, I do believe that until they actually happen, there is time to reduce the loss from these pending disasters. How? With repentance and intercession. We have many examples of how merciful and patient the Lord is. Right now my main prayer is for more time so repentance and intercession might arise to reduce the losses, and even more important, turn many people from the way that leads to destruction to the path of life. 

A lot has been said about me to discredit these words, but if you think about it, I was put in a no win situation from the beginning as far as people’s opinions were concerned. I don’t think the Lord is all that concerned about my reputation, and I don’t want to be either. If there were any personal advantages I could have received out of giving these words, I fail to see them. I will look bad until these events take place. If what I saw does happen without any lessening, it will be too terrible to contemplate. For myself there is not a win in this, except for the reward we receive for being obedient. 

The Lord knows that I am not lying when I say I would easily give my own life without even thinking about it if it would keep what I was shown from happening. Like everyone, I’ve known grief at the loss of loved ones, but the grief I’ve experienced in seeing this and the intercession over it, has been the worst grief I have ever felt many times over. The grief at foreseeing these things is so intense I don’t know if I could bear it when it actually happens. I do not share these words casually because I know the Lord hears them, but I think I would much rather be at ground zero and go with those who are lost than have to bear that grief afterward. 

I’m not just sharing this to convince you of my motives, but if there is any way that I might wake up others to just how serious this is, I will try. I don’t know how you can live very long with the grief I’ve been feeling about these impending disasters. Just having people mad at me is petty compared to this burden. I have had prophetic burdens a number of times, but I do not remember anything close to this. 

If my words, and those of others, have the effect of causing the repentance and intercession that greatly lessens these events, I will still look bad because it will look like I overstated what I was shown. I have no expectations of any personal benefit coming from this until the Judgment Day, but I am more than okay with that. Why? I’ve seen the Judgment Day. I’ve seen the judgment seat of Christ. I know I can trust His judgments, and I know that nothing on earth could ever compare to the glory that awaits those who serve Him. The way people think about us in this life is not important. What is written about us in the present history books is not important. What is important is doing our job, and what is written about us in God’s history books, which are the Books of Life.