熱愛神的話
讓我們持續來探討多層次傳銷團體，是如何比現今的教會更善用天國原則。我知道有一些直銷團體是建造在貪婪與物質享受而非敬虔上，我並不否認此，若我們是基督徒，就算是為了工作，我也絕不容忍這樣的行為，但這並無法否定事實。我知道有些人用不對的靈禱告，利用禱告來訓誡或掌控他人，但這並不意味有些人沒有正確禱告，我們就應該停止禱告。
也有人指控這些直銷團體所做的都是在談論錢，我必須問：這和今日許多教會有什麼不同？假若這不是教會的光景，在許多情況下，他們早就對此提出抗議了，而不是反過來提倡實為貧窮的靈。記得，生命道路的兩旁各有一條壕溝，我們若對其中一邊過度反應，往往會掉入另一邊的壕溝裡。可悲的事實是，許多人正在屬靈的壕溝裡，卡在其中動彈不得，甚至不曉得自己卡住了。你可以擁有一部輸出300匹馬力的車，但車子若只是空轉，仍然無法前進。真的可以帶我們前進的引擎在哪裡？
再一次，我並不是要為多層次傳銷團體或攻擊教會道歉─我是非常委身在地方教會的人，而且向來如此。我只想讓教會瞭解到人們本應該在教會找到的元素，反而在外面的直銷或其他團體中找到。
教會應當成為終極社群，是一個外面無法取代的團契之所。教會將在這世代末了時成為這種樣式，而且改變可能會很快。然而，我們的團契不是環繞著某個商品或行銷計畫，而是圍繞著無限大的神─萬王之王。我們都有一個從神而來並與神同工的使命，這是人類所能擁有的最大使命─宣揚祂國度的到來，並為祂預備道路。
我們在聖經許多地方看到，先知性團隊和恩賜在這方面扮演著重要角色。我會繼續分享我們曾有過的一些經驗，因為裡面蘊藏著很大的教導，但我們必須先瞭解其中一個基本原則。我們會在聽到主聲音上受限，很大部分是因為我們缺乏對聖經的知識。倘若連道成肉身的耶穌受到魔鬼挑戰時，都以『經上記的話』來抵擋，我們豈不更需要聖經真理的堅固根基才能站立？
鮑布.瓊斯（Bob Jones）是我所認識最具先知性的人，他不僅擁有最棒的先知性恩賜，他的品格也很好。他曾犯錯，就像其他英雄一樣，包括聖經人物，但他總能從錯誤中成長，品格變得更穩健。鮑布可能也是我所認識最熱愛聖經話語的人，超過我所認識的一些傑出神學家與聖經教師。所有認識鮑布的人都會同意這樣的說法，他全然將所領受的先知性話語與聖經緊緊連結，他確實如此。
我們所認識的一位浸信會牧師開始經歷一些非凡的先知性啟示，有一次他在一個特會中領受一個令他困惑的字，但他決定順服，因此他不加思索地說：『主將踢敵人的屁股，並塗抹他們的名！』正如你所能想像的，會眾和你一樣震驚，鮑布卻不這麼認為。他對那位牧師說：『用聖經的經文來詮釋這句話。』那位牧師表示他不知道聖經是否有這樣的話，後來鮑布給了他一節經文：『祂就打退了祂的敵人，叫他們永蒙羞辱』（詩篇78:66）
的確，這個例子有點超過，但我與鮑布同工25年，似乎任何事他都可以想出一處經文，他將他的領受建立在神話語牢固的基礎上，他不會隨意使用領受，直到他在聖經中看到一樣的話。曾有天使帶給他神的信息，他會要求天使給予他一處經文以確認他們的信息，讓這些信息通過測試以確保無誤。
你可能聽過許多關於鮑布.瓊斯奇怪的傳言，我不知道有誰像鮑布一樣，所說的話常常被人扭曲、誤用、添加或改變，然後在網路上流傳。然而，我認為鮑布在建造先知性品格上所做的，遠超過我所認識的人。倘若你聽過他所預言的話，而不是別人告訴你的，他的準確度無人可及，對於明確事物的預言也是很少人可以達到的層次。
我們若愛耶穌，祂就是神的話（道），我們應該熱愛經上寫的話。祂的話基本上就是祂藉由人工作並與人同工的歷史書；今年我也會使用許多我們有幸認識並同工之先知性朋友的例子，來分享主是如何透過他們來說話，我認為這會幫助我們更清楚聽見主的聲音。
(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 16, 2012)
Devotion to the Word of God - The Path of Life, Part 9
Week 16, 2012
Rick Joyner
Continuing the theme of how some multilevel marketing groups are using principles of the kingdom more effectively than the church at this time, I do realize that some seem to be building on greed and material attainment more than godliness. I don’t deny this and would never condone it even for business if we are Christians, but this does not negate the truth. I know people who pray in the wrong spirit, using prayers to preach or manipulate others, but this does not mean that we should stop praying because some are not doing it right.
About the charge that all these multilevel groups do is talk about money, I must ask: How is that different from many churches today? If this is not the case with a church, more times than not, they have been reactionary to this and instead promote what is in fact a spirit of poverty. Remember, a ditch is on either side of the path of life, and if we react to one, we will usually fall into the ditch on the other side. It is also a sad fact that many who are in a spiritual ditch, stuck and going nowhere, often do not even realize they’re stuck. You can have a car putting out 300-horsepower, but if the car is just spinning its wheels, it’s still not going anywhere. Where is all of the energy we’re putting out really taking us?
Again, I’m not trying to be an apologist for multilevel groups or attack the church—I am a deeply committed local churchman and always have been. I am only trying to provoke the church to understand why people are finding in outside groups, multilevel and others, what they should be finding at church.
The church is supposed to be the ultimate society, a place of fellowship like no other. It will be this at the end of this age, and the change can come fast. However, our fellowship is not around a product or marketing plan but around something infinitely greater—the King of kings. We are all on a mission from God, and with God, and it is the greatest mission that was ever given to men—to proclaim the coming of His kingdom and to prepare the way for Him.
The prophetic ministry and gifts are a big part of this as we see in many Scriptures. I will continue to share some of the experiences that we’ve had because there is much teaching in them, but it is necessary that we understand one basic principle before we go further. To a large degree, we will be limited in our ability to hear prophetically from the Lord by our lack of knowledge in the Scriptures. If Jesus, who is the Word, when He was challenged by the devil, would counter this by “it is written,” how much more do we need a solid foundation of biblical truth to stand on?
One of the greatest prophetic people I’ve ever known is Bob Jones. He not only has one of the greatest prophetic gifts, but he is also great in character. He has made mistakes, like all of the other heroes including those in Scripture have, but he always grew through them and became even stronger in character. Bob is also probably more devoted to knowing the written Word better than anyone I’ve ever known, and I’ve known some of the great theologians and biblical teachers maybe of all time. I don’t know anyone who knows Bob that would not concur. He is fundamentally devoted to attaching every prophetic word he receives to Scripture, and he does.
Once a Baptist preacher we know started having remarkable prophetic revelation. One day he received a word for a certain conference that he did not understand, but he was determined to be obedient, so he blurted out, “The Lord is going to kick a_ _ and take names!” As you can imagine, the congregation was about as shocked as you may have been when you read this, but Bob wasn’t. He just said to the pastor, “Now give them a Scripture for it.” The pastor protested that he did not know of a Scripture for that word, so Bob gave him one—“and he smote his enemies in the hinder parts” (see Psalm 78:66 KJV).
Okay, that’s an extreme, but having worked with Bob for twenty-five years, it does seem that he can come up with a Scripture for anything. I think he can do this so well because of his devotion to the written Word, and for having his revelation so grounded in the Word that he won’t use a word until he can see it in the Scriptures. He’s had angels bring him messages, and he would ask the angel to give him a Scripture to confirm their message, putting them to the test to be sure they were true.
Now you may have heard many bizarre things that were attributed to Bob Jones. I don’t know of anyone who has had what they’ve said more often twisted, misquoted, added to, or changed, and then spread all over the Internet as Bob has. However, I think Bob has done more to raise the level of prophetic integrity than anyone else I’ve known. If you take what he has actually prophesied, and not what others say he prophesied, he has an unprecedented level of accuracy, prophesying specifics on a level few others have ever done.
If we love Jesus, who is the Word, we should have a love of the written Word. His Word is basically a history book of how He worked through and with people. For this year, I will also be using many examples of how the Lord spoke through the many prophetic people we have been privileged to know and work with. I think it will help all of us to hear Him better.
