大使命7

轉向神

正如我們上週所談到的，主沒有在一復活後立刻拿回地上的權柄，是為了尋找祂的新婦。首先的亞當之妻悖逆主並屈服魔鬼，但『末後的亞當』之妻將會抗拒魔鬼，以順服主來證明她的愛。她會不顧一切代價，抵擋全地甚至地獄的敵對，單單跟隨主。

自從耶穌復活後，整個時期被稱為『教會時期』或『新婦時期』。主一贖罪後就有合法權柄拿回地的管轄權，祂卻為了我們的緣故而不這樣做，好讓我們有機會成為神的兒女，與基督一同承受產業。

另一個祂尚未拿回權柄的原因─背叛神與其一切後果必須完全被彰顯出來。倘若耶穌在第一世紀就拿回祂的權柄，永遠都會有人質疑人是否能不靠神掌管這世界。在這世代末了，此疑問將不攻自破。所有的受造物都將清楚見證，人們以為可以不靠神管理世界是何等大的愚昧，悖逆神一定會將人引至最可怕的後果。在這世代末了，倘若神沒有介入，人為自己與全地所製造的麻煩將使一切完全滅亡。

人類問題的根源在於人們試圖不靠神來管理這世界，人類問題的解答在於轉向神。幾乎每個人的問題根源都在於試圖不靠神來行事，解答是轉向主。我說『幾乎』是因為有一些可能是我們要忍受的逼迫和其他考驗，並不是遠離神所帶來的結果，反而是順服神的結果。然而，這些是對聖徒的尊榮和榮耀，當我們不管後果定意順服時，在主面前將永蒙紀念。

跟隨基督所帶來的試煉是我們邁向成熟的最大機會與明證，我們才會有此殊榮。那即是何以在使徒受鞭打後，他們都歡喜快樂，那代表他們配得為主名遭受羞辱。

當我們為著信仰而遭受不公平的對待或逼迫，我們可能不會視其為大殊榮，那都是因為我們仍充滿太多地上的想法，太在乎別人怎麼看我們。當我們的注意力放在對的地方，單單順服神，在乎祂如何看我們，當我們受到逼迫時就會像使徒一樣歡喜快樂。在逼迫中的平安和喜樂是我們在基督裡成熟的基本證據，亦是真門徒的記號。

 (摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 7, 2013)



Turn Back To God - The Great Commission, Part 7
Week 7, 2013 
Rick Joyner 

As we covered last week, the main reason the Lord did not take His authority over the earth immediately after His resurrection was to seek a bride. The wife of the first Adam disobeyed the Lord and submitted to the devil, but the wife of “the last Adam” would resist the devil and prove her love for the Lord by her obedience. At all cost, against the opposition of the entire earth and even hell itself, she would follow the Lord.

This entire age since the resurrection of Jesus has been rightly called “the church age” or “the age of the bride.” The Lord had the legal authority to take His authority over the earth right after He had made atonement for it, but He did not for our sakes, so that we would have the opportunity to become sons and daughters of God, joint heirs with Christ.

There is another reason He has not taken His authority yet—rebellion against God and all of its consequences have to be fully revealed. If Jesus had taken His authority in the first century, there might forever be some who would question whether man could have ever been able to run this world without God. At the end of this age, that question will be forever settled. All of creation will have a clear witness that it is the ultimate folly to think that we can run this world without God, and that rebellion against Him will always lead to the most terrible consequences. At the end of this age, the troubles that man creates for himself and the entire earth will be at the point where all would be completely lost if God did not intervene.

The root cause of every human problem is man trying to run this world without God. The answer to every human problem is to turn back to God. The root cause of almost every personal problem is found in trying to do things without God. The answer to them is to turn to the Lord. I say “almost” because there are persecutions and other tests that we may endure that are not the result of our turning from God, but actually the result of our obedience to Him. Nevertheless, these are a glory and honor to the saints, and our resolve to be obedient regardless of the consequences will be forever remembered before the Lord.

Trials that are the result of following Christ are our greatest opportunities and are evidence that we have matured to the place where we are given this great honor. That is why after the apostles had been beaten they went out rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for the name of the Lord.

When we are persecuted or treated unfairly for our faith, we may not think of it as a great honor, but that is only if we are still too earthly-minded and too concerned about what people think of us. When our attention is where it should be, on obeying God and on what He thinks of us, then we too will rejoice as the apostles did when we are persecuted. Peace and even joy in our persecutions are the most basic evidences of maturity in Christ and the signs of a true disciple.