Manna issue 80 - No Substitute for Vigilance (I) 不可忘記警醒 (I)
How and what do we worship? 我們到底在拜什麼？用什麼方式來敬拜神呢？
Based on a sermon series by Aun-Quek Chin—Singapore
參照新加坡教會 陳恩國傳道的一系列講道內容
Priest or prophet, king or commoner—
regardless of station or position, all
men struggle with sin since time
began. While we are on this earth,
there is simply no immunity from the
lures of sin and we simply cannot
ignore it. We can only acknowledge
it, confront it, struggle with it, and
finally either yield to it or overcome
it. Yet more often than we should, we
find ourselves yielding to sin. In this
article, we will study one of the main
causes for sin in our lives: a lack of
vigilance in our faith.
祭司或先知，或者君王或平民 -
不論其身份或地位，自從有時間以來，人們都在罪中掙扎。
只要我們還在這世上，就是沒有辨法免除受到罪的引誘，因為就是無法忽略這些引誘。
我們只能認清他們，好好面對，和他們奮戰，
最後不是投降了，就是戰勝他們。
然而我們時常會發現，自已該不會那麼軟弱，應該不會就放棄，
到頭來，自已還是向罪投降了。
在本篇文中，為了這個我們生活中的罪，
我們會來研究看看這眾多主要問題的其中之一：在自已的信仰生活上，缺少警醒。
Today, elders, deacons, preachers,
and believers of the True Jesus Church
(TJC) must all battle complacency
in faith. Alas, as we have seen, one
too many formerly pious and fervent
servants of God have succumbed to
the lures of sin and in the process
wrecked their own faith and worse still,
the faith of others as well. Ironically,
many a time, it is the faithful churchgoing
group of Christians who are
most vulnerable to sinful temptations.
今日，真耶穌教會的長老，執事，傳道和信徒，
一定全都要在信仰上和自得意滿的情況爭鬥。
唉，就如我們所能看見的，
之前有許多非常虔誠和熱心神的工人，
已經屈服在罪的引誘之中，他們的信仰正逐沖在崩壞之中，
更糟的是，他們的情況還會影響到其他人的信仰。
而謹刺的是，很多時候，就是那些在信仰上常常會去教會聚會的基督徒，
卻是對罪的引誘，最沒有抵抗力。
Many pious Christians believe
themselves to be impervious to sin
and temptation by virtue of their
many years of service and ministry
in church. While regular service and
attendance in church does indeed
make one’s faith more formidable,
the sense of spiritual immunity it
unwittingly fosters has led many to let
their guard down and slacken as they
mature in their faith. The growing lack
of vigilance is, as we shall see, a grave
weakness that the devil exploits to
destroy God’s best workers.
許多虔誠的基督徒認為，自已不會受到罪和引誘的影響，
因為他們有許多年在教會的服事和聚會，有很高的德心，所以會沒事。
雖然有參加定期的教會聚會，確實會讓一個人的信心更加堅固，
但養成在屬靈上的免役力，卻在不知不覺之中，
讓許多人疏忽了警戒心，放鬆了下來，因為他們認為自已的信仰很成熟了。
警醒的心逐漸下降，然後我們就會看到，
魔鬼正在用這個重大的軟弱，來攻擊神最好的工人。
There are two consequences of this
weakness. Firstly, we reduce God’s
majesty by worshipping Him in our
own way. Secondly, we allow our
lusts and desires to displace God as
the object of our worship, ultimately
prostrating ourselves before artificial
idols—glory and money—while
mindlessly chanting the same old
“Lord, Lord.”
這種軟弱會發展出兩種結局。
第一，因為我們用自已的方式來拜神，導致了神的威嚴受到污損。
第二，我們用自已的情慾及野心來取代神，取代了我們應該敬拜的對象，
到最後，自已就俯伏在這些人造的偶像之前 - 就是榮耀和金錢，
而心思上卻一點也不注意到這件事，還是口中繼續唸著古老的咒語，自認在拜神，
呼叫著"主啊！主啊！"
In other words, a non-vigilant or
careless faith will lead us to distort
how and what we worship, all the
while we deceive ourselves as being
faithful Christians.
換句話說，一個不警醒，或是粗心的信仰態度，
就會讓我們變得扭曲，改變了自已如何崇拜的方式，及應該敬拜的對象，
就在同一時刻，我們就變得自欺，相信自已是有信心的基督徒。
THE WAY I WANT IT 我想要的方式
Firstly, a negligent faith in God deforms
our mode of service to God, causing
us to worship God in any way we wish
instead of the ways He has instructed
us. Christians often do this because
they believe they can get the best of
both worlds by accommodating their
desires with their worship of God.
Though by doing so, they invariably
prioritize the gratification of the flesh
above their adherence to God’s word.
首先，對神存著一種粗心大意的信仰態度，
會扭曲了人對神正確敬拜的方式，
會讓我們用自已希望的任何方式來敬拜祂，
而不是用祂指示我們敬拜祂的方式來拜祂。
很多基督徒常常會這麼作，因為他們自認可以在這兩邊的世界都得到最好的東西，
所以他們隨著自已的慾望，用自已的方式來拜神。
因為會這麼作，所以他們總會把先滿足肉體上的需求，
並且把肉體的重要性放在他們對堅守神話語的順序之先。
The episode in Exodus 32 involving
Aaron and the golden calf is a clear
example of how such a tragedy can
unfold. Aaron's introduction into the
biblical narrative sees him starting out
as a “minor character.” He was to be
merely the mouthpiece of Moses, after
Moses had told God that he is “slow
of speech and of tongue.” However,
God subsequently chose Aaron to
occupy the highly significant sacred
office as His very first High Priest.
As High Priest, Aaron was the most
eminent religious authority among
the Israelites, second only to Moses,
and the Bible even records of God
speaking to Aaron directly just as He
did with Moses. Thus it would seem
reasonable to suggest that Aaron
should have been intimately familiar
with God. Moreover, Aaron had also
witnessed firsthand the powers of God
in Egypt; he knew of God's strictness
regarding absolute faithfulness and
obedience to Him throughout their
journey in the wilderness. The chosen
people of God thus had good reason
to look up to Aaron as a role model.
出埃及記32章的故事，說到了亞倫和金牛犢的記載，
就是一個很明顯的例子，告訴我們這樣悲劇到底是怎麼發生的。
一開始聖經敘述開始介紹亞倫的時候，我們可以看見他不過是一個"小角色"。
在摩西向神說，我本是拙口笨舌的，他只不過是來幫摩西說話而已。
但是後來，神揀選了亞倫來承繼即重要又崇高的聖職，因為祂就是第一個唯一的大祭司。
身為大祭司，想當然爾的，亞倫就是以色列之中，最有權威的宗教領袖，
只比摩西低一階而已，聖經甚至記載了，神有直接向摩西說話，就如同祂向摩西直接說話一樣。
也因為這樣，自然而然地大家會認為，亞倫應該和神之間有很親密又熟悉的關係，這種想法看起來也很合理。
而且不只這樣，亞倫也是親自在埃及見証了神的大能；
在他們曠野的旅程中，他知道神很嚴格，對神要絕對的忠心和順服。
神的選民也有很合理的選擇，會敬仰亞倫把他當成典範來看。
So how was it that Aaron could
have led his people to commit such
grave sin as idolatry, one of the most
egregious and talked-about sins in
the Bible? Why did three thousand
men of Israel have to die at the hands
of their brothers on that fateful day
(v28)? One of the most fundamental
reasons is that Aaron and the Israelites
were not vigilant. While they waited
for Moses at the foot of Mount
Sinai, they allowed impatience and
uncertainty to cloud the clarity of their
faith—the same faith that trusted in
the strength of God’s hands to pull
the Red Sea apart. Consequently, they
took it upon themselves to worship
God in the manner they pleased.
那麼到底怎麼回事，亞倫會引導他的百姓，來犯下"拜偶像"這個大罪呢？
這是聖經之中一個最為惡名昭彰，為眾人不斷議論的大罪呢？
為什麼在那個災難性的一天，這三千個人以色列人一定要死在自已的弟兄手上呢？(出 32：28)
其中一個最重要的理由，就是亞倫和以色列百姓都失去了警醒。
當他們在西奈山下等候摩西的時候，因為失去了耐心，對未來的不確定性的那種恐懼，
這些問題讓他們信仰，神清楚的指示，受到了遮敝，
這時他們的信仰都是一樣相信，神手的大能把紅海分開的。
接著，他們自把自為，用自已喜歡的態度來敬拜神。
There are two reasons to explain
why believers would alter God’s direct
instructions regarding how we ought
to worship Him. The first reason
is most evident in the case of the
Israelites: we choose to worship God
in the ways that gratify our immediate
lusts and vices. In Exodus 32:6, Moses
records that the “people sat down to
eat and drink and rose up to play.”
Apostle Paul goes on to elaborate
that these Israelites were taking part
in idolatrous acts that incorporated
pagan elements into the Israelites’
once-sacred mode of worship (1 Cor
10:7). To the Israelites, the invention
of such a practice was ingenious: not
only could they fulfill their obligations
to God by supposedly worshipping
Him as the golden calf, they could
satiate their base instincts of sensuality
and revelry in the process.
有二個理由可以用來解釋，為什麼信徒會改變神直接清楚的指示，
擅自改變應該如何敬拜祂的方式呢？
第一個原因，在以色列人的故事中，最為最顯：
我們會選擇用可以立刻滿足自已慾望和惡習的方式，來敬拜神。
出埃及記32章6節，摩西這樣記錄著，
百姓就坐下吃喝，起來玩耍。
使徒保羅則繼續更詳細的分析，這些以色列人參與了拜偶像的行為，
他們把外邦偶像的一些元素，放入了從以前到現在都一直很神聖的以色列拜神的模式之中。(林前 10：7)
對以色列人而言，這種新敬拜方式的發明，真是非常有獨創性：
他們不只可以滿足神對他們要求的責任，藉著假想把神當成金牛犢來敬拜祂，
二來，他們也可進行滿足自已的基本需求，好淫蕩，愛宴樂。
While it may be difficult for us
to imagine incorporating religious
practices of other faiths into our
worship, the danger persists, perhaps
even more insidiously, in the form of
secularization today. For instance, the
types of music that we choose to praise
God with is one of the many areas of
our own worship that is susceptible to
distortion by secular influences. The
infiltration of such secular practices
into modern Christianity is often
gradual and done in the innocent
name of evangelism. For example,
many churches have justified the
inclusion of incredibly sensuous and
worldly activities in their worship by
claiming that this is the best way to
reach out to the world. Upon seeing
the thousands that flock to such
services, people are compelled to
agree. However, this is misguided and
as the true church of God, we should
not be concerned with marketing our
gospel or packaging it attractively
so as to garner mass appeal. The
fundamental spirit of our worship and
our service is our trust in the power
of the Holy Spirit, believing that it
is indeed only God who gives the
growth. In today’s highly progressive
socio-political age, the ability of
secular influences to contaminate the
purity and reverence of our worship
has never been greater. Hence, we
must remember to be vigilant in how
we choose to conduct our worship.
我們可能很難想像如何把其他宗教的活動融入信仰崇拜中，但仍就會有這種危險性存在，
而且甚至會以更狡詐，以讓我們難以察覺的方式，或是以目前世俗流行的方式置入我們的宗教之中。
例如，我們用來歌頌神的音樂類型，就是我們許多敬拜方式會受到影響的地方之一，這個地方就是容易會受到世俗影響轉而扭曲。
這種世俗作法改變的影響，滲透入現代的基督教之中，常常是漸進式的，並且常以無辜的傳福音之名為之。
例如，許多教會就融入了很多讓人難以置信在感觀及世俗活動到教會崇拜中，
並且認為這樣很合理，且宣稱這一切都是為了向外接觸世界的最好方式。
一看到有數以千計的基督徒，爭先用這種方式在聚會，很多人就被迫同意這種方式。
然而這是一種誤解，身為神的真教會，我們不應該去觀注有關如何行銷福音，
或是用美麗的外表來包裝福音的事工，以此來獲得更多人的觀注。
我們聚會和服事神的基本精神，就是我們要對聖靈的能力有信心，
相信只有神才能讓教會有所成長。
在今日高度進步的社會及政治時代，世俗影響沾污我們純潔和聚會莊重性的能力，比以前更加可怕。
因此我們一定要記得，時時警醒作好選擇自已如何拜神的方式。
The second reason we alter the
way we worship is to satisfy our own
preferences and for our convenience.
After we have believed in God for
some time, we might begin to indulge
ourselves in the mercies of God
and believe that God would accept
changes to the ways we worship,
changes that are made to suit our
lifestyles and tastes. The Israelites
certainly thought so when they chose
to build a golden idol, created with
their own jewelry and possessions,
thinking that this somehow endowed
them with authority over the true
God. God’s seeming aloofness,
Moses’s delay, uncertainty over the
future—these were inconveniences
faced by the Israelites at the foot of
Mount Sinai that prompted them to
take matters into their own hands.
我們改變聚會方式的第二個理由，就是要滿足自已的喜好，或是貪圖自已的方便。
在我們信主一些時間之後，可能自已會開始陷入過度依賴神的慈愛，
認為神一定會接受我們改變聚會的方，因為這些改變比較適合我們現在的生活模式及個人喜好。
當以色列人選擇造出金牛犢的時候，一定也是這樣想的，
用自已珍貴的金銀珠寶造出這座像，並且認為因為這樣，在某些方面，以們就比真神更加有能力。
神看起來就很威嚴冷寞，而且摩西在山上又遲遲不回來，
未來的一切看起來都很沒有保握 -
這些就是在西奈山下，那些以色列人所面臨到感覺很不方便的地方，
就驅使他們自已作主，用雙手來處理接下來一切的事。
If we consider this in today’s terms,
we can think of it as Sabbath services
clashing with our treasured, once-ina-
lifetime appointments. Or, perhaps
our preference for certain speakers
over others and how we choose to be
absent for sermons given by those we
dislike or find less interesting.
若我們用現今的情況來思考這件事，
情況就如同我們想到，安息日聚會，
會和自已很寶貴，一生只有一次的約會活動，剛好起了衝突。
或者，自已或許會偏愛某些人講道，不太愛聽到其他的人上台，
結果我們就選擇在這些我們不喜歡的講道人出席時，自已缺席，或是就變得對這個講道感到沒興趣。
Reading of how Saul’s premature
offering to God cost him a critical
war and his favor with God, we learn
that it is always God who makes the
call. And because we trust in Him to
do the best for us, we follow in faith.
We must put God’s instructions and
requirements above our own comforts
and preferences, for this is part of
what it means to take up one’s cross
and to trust and follow Christ.
讀到有關保羅他很早就如何在自已的喜好和神之間，作出選擇之時，
我們學到了，不論怎樣，神才是作決定的人。
因為我們相信祂會為我們作出最好的決定，就帶著信心順從。
我們一定要把神的指示和要求，擺在自已的舒適和喜好之先，
因為這只不過是，背起自已的十字架，相信並跟隨耶穌的一部份而已。
FALSE IDOLS 虛假的偶像
When our faith grows inattentive, not
only does the way we worship change
for the worse, the object of our
worship changes as well. Gradually,
false idols begin to displace God in
our hearts and minds.
當我們的信仰任其自已發展的時候，
不只我們崇拜神的方式，變得更加糟糕，而敬拜的對像也隨之改變。
漸漸地，在我們的內心和思想之中，虛假的偶像開始取代神的位置。
False Idols: Self-Glorification 虛假的偶像：自我崇拜
The world presents us with
innumerable idols to emulate and
worship. Some secular role models
are indeed worthy of emulation
and praise for their heroism or the
ingenuity of their contributions to
humanity. However, no one, no
matter how impressive, deserves to
be worshipped with the same amount
of dedication and fervor with which
we worship Jesus.
這個世界把很多偶像放在我們前面，要讓我們去模仿，並且加以跪拜。
一些世上的好模範，真的看起來很值得我們好好效法和稱讚，
因為他們有偉大的行為，或是在人類社會中，因為有很突出及創造性重大貢獻。
然而，沒有任何人，無論是多麼偉大的事情，
都不值得我們用同等的份量，像我們對敬拜的耶穌所存的敬虔和熱心，那樣的付出。
While the temptation to worship
others is great, especially when we
aspire to be in the positions of our
idols someday, greater still is the
temptation to seek for, and bask in,
the adulation others give us. It is hard
not to like being worshipped and
praised, but Paul, a man most worthy
of admiration by worldly standards,
shows us how we should act when
we are placed in such situations. As
recorded by Luke in Acts 14, Apostle
Paul, accompanied by his co-worker
Barnabas, had recently healed a borncripple
in Lystra. The miracle drove
the Lycaonians into a religious frenzy,
prompting loud cries of veneration
and declarations throughout the
city, such as, “The gods have come
down to us in the likeness of men!” A
priest of Zeus even brought sacrifices
to offer before Paul and Barnabas,
believing them to be both Hermes
and Zeus incarnate respectively.
雖然有很大的誘因讓我們去崇拜別人，
特別是我們很渴望，有一天能夠和自已的偶像有同等的位置時，
想追求的越大，所受到的引誘就越可怕，想追求那些別人對我們的奉承，並且會沉溺在其中。
被別人崇拜或稱讚，很難有人是不愛的，
但是保羅，依照世上的標準來看，他是一個最值得受到敬重的人，
卻明白告訴我們，當我們處在這種情況的時候，要如何應對。
使徒路加記載在使徒行傳14章，同為使徒的保羅，身邊同時有他的同工巴拿八，
最近已經治好了一個路司得城中，一出生就瘸腿的人。
這個神蹟讓整個路司得城中的人都變得信仰狂熱，
整個城裡大聲鼓動宣傳著，並且帶著極大的敬重他們，
並且說："有神藉著人形降臨在我們中間了。"
希臘主神宙斯的祭司甚至把祭品拿到保羅和巴拿八面前，
認為他們兩個人就是希臘神話的神祇，赫姆斯和宙斯，分別化身成人來到世間。
However, to everyone’s surprise, the
two miracle-workers of Christ did not
take this well. Tearing their clothes,
they ran into the crowds, trying to
shout over the din of misdirected
praise and worship:
然而，出乎眾人意料之外的是，這二位基督神蹟的工人，並沒有好好接受他們的敬拜。
他們立刻就撕裂自已身上的衣服，並且想跑入人群之中，
並且試著大聲喊叫，讓自已否認的聲音，可以蓋過那些對他們錯認的讚美和跪拜：
“We are also men with the same
nature as you, and preach to you
that you should turn from these
useless things to the living God…”
我們也是人，性情和你們一樣。我們傳福音給你們，是叫你們離棄這些虛妄，歸向那創造天、地、海、和其中萬物的永生神。
(徒 14：15)
Why did Paul and Barnabas reject
the Lycaonians’ praise and worship?
To any bystander, it would have been
well earned. However, Paul knew that
even at his best, he was only a vessel,
a messenger, a servant bearing good
news. Paul knew that his hands healed
no one unless they were holding on
to God at the same time; his tongue
spoke nothing, unless the words were
the Living Word; his feet could bring
him nowhere, unless the Holy Spirit
guided them. In essence, Paul knew
that all glory and all strength were
God’s, and God’s alone.
為什麼保羅和巴拿八要拒絕路司得城人的稱讚和跪拜呢？
對任何旁觀者而言，這真的是實至名歸啊！
然而保羅知道，即使自已有盡力，仍然不過是神的器皿而已，
是一個傳報福音訊息的跑腿，不過是一個身上帶有好消息(福音)的僕人而已。
What about receiving praise for
our secular achievements, those we
believe come from our effort and
smarts? What does Jesus have to say?
但若是因為自已世上的成就，自已付出的努力，自已的聰明，
因而受到稱讚，我們該以什麼態度來面對呢？
耶穌對這樣的情況，祂會怎麼說呢？
“I do not receive honor from men…
How can you believe, who receive
honor from one another, and do not
seek the honor that comes from the
only God?” (Jn 5: 41, 44)
41我不受從人來的榮耀。
44你們互相受榮耀，卻不求從獨一之神來的榮耀，怎能信我呢？
(約 5：41，44)
Very simply, we reject the honor
from men because we know that
reserved in Heaven is an even greater
honor given by God. Indeed, there
is nothing to stop us from becoming
gods on earth to our fellow mortals
but to do that is to forsake an even
greater seat of esteem—one next to
our Father, the Creator. Even while
we strive to lead exemplary lives to
show the world the powerful integrity
and character of a true Christian, we
should do so for the ultimate ends of
bringing glory to God, not ourselves.
其實很簡單的，我們要拒絕來自人的讚美，
因為自已知道，在天上甚至有神所賜更大的榮耀。
是的，沒有任何事可以阻止我們在人群同伴之中，在地上成為像神一般讓人崇拜的角色，
但若是這麼作了，我們就是放棄了自已一個受到更大尊崇的寶座，坐在我們的造物主天父右手邊的機會。
甚至我們努力過著模範生的生活，告訴世界，
身為一個真基督徒很純正，並且帶有自已的特色，
為了能夠達到最後的目標，歸榮耀給神，而不為了自誇，
我們就應該如此行。
False Idols: Money 虛假的偶像：金錢
Interestingly, this formidable competitor
against God for residence in our
hearts is inanimate. That one of our
greatest idols is not even a living being
is symptomatic of the age-old disease
of materialism: powerful enough to
reduce thinking, feeling, spiritual, and
faithful Christians to lifeless moneychasing
machines who willingly
sacrifice faith, family, and freedom
in Christ for something that can be
literally blown away by the wind. Just
as this idol—money—is dead, so are
its most ardent disciples.
有趣的是，與神一起爭奪我們內心控制權的強大對手，卻是沒有生命的東西。
那個我們最大的偶像，甚至不是一個有生活的活物，
而是從古至今人類的通病，因為貪愛物質而出現的一種病狀：
因為強大到會改變基督徒的思考，感覺，精神，虔誠的態度，
變成一部追逐金錢的機器，樂意犧牲自已在基督裡信仰，家庭和自由，
去換取就像字面上來說，會被風吹走的東西.
就如同這個偶像 - 金錢，是死物，
那他大部份熱心的門徒也會是相同的命運。
For Christians, becoming a disciple
of money is not an option. Jesus
clearly warns in Matthew 6:24:
而對基督徒而言，變成金錢的門徒，不可是你的選擇之一。
耶穌很明白的在馬太福音六章24節裡，警告我們：
“No one can serve two masters;
for either he will hate the one and
love the other, or else he will be
loyal to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and
mammon.”
24一個人不能事奉兩個主；不是惡這個，愛那個，就是重這個，輕那個。
你們不能又事奉神，又事奉瑪門（瑪門：財利的意思）。
(太 6：24)
This warning makes the choice
simple, yet exceedingly frustrating, for
the Christian. On a fundamental level,
we know how a life spent chasing after
a larger bank account is meaningless
and is at odds with the meaningful
life Christ has given us through His
death. Yet, by putting matters in such
an uncompromising binary, Jesus
prevents us from doing what we truly
want: to find a “compromise” to gain
the best of both worlds. We wish to
have both a meaningful spiritual life
filled with good deeds and ministry,
and yet also a life with more money
and luxuries. For Jesus to say that
such a situation is impossible is indeed
deeply distressing for many. When we
choose our gods or God, it was, and
still is, all or nothing. This is the same
dilemma the Israelites faced.
這個警告就讓我們很容易作抉擇，然而對基督徒而言，卻讓人感到很沮喪。
基本來說，我們都知道，用生命來追逐一組很長的銀行存款數字是沒有意義的
而且也和基督因著祂的死，所賜給我們，要過著有意義的生命，完全不相配。
雖然已經把事情講得那麼清楚，只有互斥的二選一，
耶穌就是在阻止我們來作我們真正想作的事，就是想辨法找出妥協之道，盡力在屬世及屬天之間，都得到最好的享受。
我們會希望，不但可以過著一個有存在意義的屬靈生活，生活上充滿了好行為，並且盡力作聖工，
但也同時希望，自已可以過有富裕的生活，有很多錢可以享受。
但耶穌已經說了，這種兩者並存的情況是不可能的，
而且事實上，這樣真的讓很多人感到很大的沮喪。
當我們在為自已挑選的很多神，或甚至只有一位神來膜拜的時候，
過去會這樣作，現在也是一樣，要嘛我全都要，要嘛，我就不選了。
而以色列人也是面臨到這樣的兩難。
Today, when we read of the many
follies and failures of the Israelites,
we might be inclined to think of them
as an extremely fickle, feckless, and
confused group of people, who were
constantly sabotaging their chances
of prosperity and bliss. While that
may be true, we should not think
ourselves as being any better. The
modern Christian faces perhaps
even more trials than they did, and
in the age we live in today, our idol
of materialism is an even greater
delusion. The economic system of
Western capitalism has brought
with it an accompanying culture of
materialism that has found its way
into Christianity, where it has subtly
displaced God as the object of worship
while retaining all the trappings of
Christianity like prayers and hymnsinging.
Thus, what we see in many
churches today are people using
“Lord, Lord” as a stand-in for their
true cry for money and prosperity. As
TJC believers, we should be vigilant
and examine whom we are truly
worshipping in our hearts.
今天，我們知道了很多關於以色列人的蠢事和失敗時，
可能會認為，他們只是常常三心二意，又軟弱又混亂的一群人，
自已一直阻礙自已得到祝福和財富的機會。
或許這是真的，但我們卻不該認為自已就會作的更好。
現代的基督徒或許比他們面臨更多的試探，
在我們今日居住的世代中，我們物質主義的偶像，甚至有更大的迷惑力。
西方經濟的資本主義，已經帶來了其相應的享受物質文化，
並且已經找到方式滲入基督教之中，他很精細地置換了神受人崇拜的位置，
取而代之的是，只保持基督徒教的外觀，例如改變了禱告和詩頌的內涵。
因此，我們在現今的許多教會中，可以看到人們一直說，"主啊！主啊！"，
作為一種他們內心真正渴求金錢，呼喊財富，說話開頭的代替詞句。
FINISH THE RACE 跑完比賽全程
The Christian journey is a marathon,
not a sprint. At certain points in our
lives, we experience short bursts
of spiritual energy, invigorated by
a sudden display of God’s grace
and mercy or by deeply spiritual
experiences such as visions. However,
these rarely sustain us for a prolonged
period of time. Sooner or later, we
settle back into our routine of an
unreflective pursuit of power, status,
and fortune. Therefore, vigilance is
key. Having a sober faith that is always
aware of God’s bigger picture and
that always remembers God’s word,
even in the most dire of situations,
is the only way we can finish this
marathon—where our enemies are
not just distance and fatigue, but
distractions and evil line the paths on
either side of us, calling out for us to
yield to the demands of our flesh.
基督徒的旅程是一場馬拉松，不是短跑衝刺。
在我們生活中的某些時候，有時突然之間，
因為受到神恩典和慈愛的展現，或是有深入的屬靈體驗，例如看見異象，
這時屬靈的能量就變得精力充沛，短暫時廳受到很大的鼓舞。
然而這一切，都很少能夠支撐我們走很長的路。
早晚，我們都會走回原來的老路，不會反省，一味追求權力，地位和財富。
所以，有一棵警醒的心是很重要的。
信仰上保持清醒，時時刻刻都認知到，有神的大計劃，大藍圖，
即使在最悲慘的景況之中，常常記住神的話，
這是我們可以完成這場馬拉松的唯一方法 -
其中，我們的敵人不只是路程遙遠，身心疲憊，
而且有各種引誘讓我們分心，惡者又在隔壁一路跟著我們，
一直呼喚著我們，來順從自已肉體的需要。
To summarize, to be vigilant is to
remember to be faithful to God alone
and to the clear ways He has told us
to worship Him. Just like the Israelites,
we, as the chosen TJC, are now at the
foot of Mount Sinai. Just like Moses,
Jesus is descending soon. Will we
survive the wait?
總而言之，要保持警醒，就要記住只對神忠心，
並且遵守著他清楚教導我們敬拜祂的方式。
就如同以色列人，
我們是蒙揀選的真耶穌教會，現成正站在西奈山下。
就如同摩西一樣，耶穌很快就會降臨。
我們可以作得到，一直忍耐等候到最後一刻嗎？
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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