Manna issue 69 - The Lord’s Parting Prayer for His Disciples—the True Church 主為了門徒的離別禱告 - 真教會
What Jesus expects of His church. 耶穌對祂教會有什麼期待
Vincent Yeung—Cambridge, United Kingdom
英國劍橋 Vincent 楊
“Churches are carrying too much
baggage of outdated ideas,” say the
critics. They believe that the church has
to change to survive. To this end, these
critics recommend that the modern
church be all-encompassing and accept
all views unconditionally, even if these
views contradict the basic tenets of
Christian beliefs. Although not new,
such comments came to the fore again
when the UK government proposed to
legalize gay marriages, and the Church
of England stated its opposition to
these plans.
有一些批評的人會說，"教會背負了許多過去觀念的包袱"。
他們認為教會要改變才能存續下去。
為了可以達成目標，這些批評者建議，
現代的教會要能包容一切，無條件的接受一切看法，
甚至這些看法與基督教信仰的基本原則有所矛盾。
雖然這一點也不新奇，當英國政府建議接受同志婚姻的時候，
這種說法又再次來到世上面前，而英國的教會開始反對這些計劃。
Besides societal issues, the True Jesus
Church (TJC) also has had to counter
attacks on its views on Christian
ecumenism. Fellow Christians have
long been critical of the TJC stance
that the gospel of salvation can only be
found in the true church. To them, TJC
should join the one big happy Christian
family and become more tolerant and
accepting of the teachings of other
denominations.
除了一些特別的問題之外，真耶穌教會 (TJC) 也一定要面對來自其他同是基督教團體觀念想法上的攻擊。
其他的基督教派早就對真耶穌教會的立場有所批評，
為何救贖的福音只能在這真教會裡面才能找到呢！
在他們看來，真耶穌教會應該加入這個基督教快樂的大家庭，
要變得更加包容，接受其他教會的教導。
These quick snapshots reflect
prevailing human expectations of the
church. But as Christians – followers of
Christ – that should be the least of our
concerns. The Greek word “ekklesia”
for “church” means “that which is called
out.” Just as God called the Israelites
out of many nations, Jesus has called
Christians to follow Him in His ministry.
Hence, our main consideration, in fact
the only consideration, should be what
Jesus’ expectations of His church are.
這些簡易快速的想法，反應了人類普遍對教會的期待。
但身為基督徒 - 基督的跟隨者 - 就不應該以人類自身的想法為主。
希臘文 “ekklesia”代表“church 教會”，意思是 " 被呼召出來的人"。
就如同神在眾國之中，把以色列人揀選出來，
耶穌在傳道的時候，揀選基督徒來跟隨祂。
因此，我們最主要考量的地方，事實上，也是唯一的考量就應該是，
到底耶穌對祂的教會有什麼期待。
Although the Lord Himself only
mentions the term “church” twice in
the Gospels (Mt 16:18, 18:17), in His
parting prayer during the last supper
(Jn 17:6–26), Jesus clearly spelled out
His expectations regarding the nature,
purpose, and characteristics of His
believers, which collectively constitute
the church.
雖然主自已只在福音書裡面，提過"教會"這個詞二次。(太 16：18，18：17)
在最後晚餐離別禱告的時候，(約 17：6-26)
耶穌清楚的說出了有關信徒所要具有的特質，揀選的目的，及他們的品德，
而大家在一起組成教會。
THE TRUE CHURCH IS OF GOD 真耶穌是屬神的
“I pray for them … for they are
Yours.” (Jn 17:9)
9我為他們祈求，不為世人祈求，卻為你所賜給我的人祈求，因他們本是你的。
(約 17：9)
The theme of belonging to God runs
throughout the entire prayer: “They
are Yours” (Jn 17:6,9), “all mine are
Yours” (Jn 17:10), “keep them in Your
name” (Jn 17:11,12), “keep them from
the evil one” (Jn 17:15). Believers who
constitute the church belong to God
for they have been purchased by the
blood of God. This is why the church is
called the church of God (Act 20:28).
屬於神的這個主題，貫穿整個禱告文："他們本是你的"，(約 17：9)
"10凡是我的，都是你的"，(約 17：10)
"12因你所賜給我的名保守了他們"，(約 17：11，)
"只求你保守他們脫離那惡者（或作：脫離罪惡）。"(約 17：15)
組成教會的信徒，是屬於神的，因為他們是用神的寶血買來的。
這就是為什麼教會被稱為是神的教會。(徒 20：28)
The believers do not belong to the
world (Jn 17:14) and they have been
kept from the evil one in Jesus’ name
(Jn 17:11,12,15). Only God’s power
enables the church to free herself from
the influence of this world and the
control of the evil one.
信徒不屬於世界，(約 17：14)
他們因為耶穌的名，被神保守遠離惡者的加害。(約 17：11，12，15)
只有神的能力才會讓教會脫離這個世界的影響，以及惡者的控制。
However, God is not an object on
which humans can lay claim at their
own whim and fancy. We may say that
God is mine and we are God’s children,
but it is God who ultimately decides
who belongs to Him. We did not
choose Jesus. Instead, He chose us (Jn
15:16). The fundamental relationship
between God and the believers is
built entirely on God’s calling and our
unconditional submission to God’s
word. Jesus said, “If you keep My
commandments, you will abide in My
love” (Jn 15:10, cf. 14:20). Keeping
the commandments is certainly not
a mere intellectual pursuit where the
word of God is painstakingly studied,
analyzed, theorized and rationalized.
While serious and dedicated study is
essential, just as critically, we need to
carry out these commandments.
然而，神並不是物體，可以讓人來寄託自已的奇怪念頭及幻想。
我們或許可以說，神是我的神，我們是神的兒女，
但只有神才是最後決定到底有誰會屬於祂。
並不是我們選擇了耶穌。而是祂揀選了我們。(約 15：16)
神與信徒最基本的關係就是完全建立在神的揀選，以及我們無條件順服神的話。
耶穌說：
"你們若遵守我的命令，就常在我的愛裡。"(約 15：10，參考 14：20)
謹守誡命一定不會是一種學術上的追求，
好像有讀書一樣，有人會費盡心力來學習神的話，
加以分析，發展它的理論，並且對它加以邏輯及條理化。
雖然說，認真努力專注的學習也是很基本的，
但是同等重要的是，我們要能夠實行這些神的誡命。
Moreover, the church is not a social
organization compelled to accept all
the diverse and divergent views of
modern society. Instead, the church
belongs to God and must therefore
practice God’s unchanging word. Any
view of society that conflicts with the
word of God must be robustly and
steadfastly rejected, no matter how
great the pressure we face from society
(Jn 15:18-19).
不僅如此，教會不是一個社會上的機構，
所以就要去接受所有不同或是歧異的現代社會想法。
相反的，教會屬於神，所以一定要實行神永不改變的話語。
任何社會上的想法，若是與神的話語互相衝突，就是一定要以堅定的態度來加以拒絕，
不論我們從社會上會面臨到多麼大的壓力。
THE TRUE CHURCH MUST HAVE THE TRUTH AND PRACTICE IT
真教會一定要有真理，並且遵照而行
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your
word is truth.” (Jn 17:17)
17求你用真理使他們成聖；你的道就是真理。
(約 17：17)
Man cannot discover God through
his own initiative or effort. We know
Him only because of His gracious
self-revelation. The adoption, the
covenant, and the giving of the Law
were completely God’s own initiative.
Similarly, God’s name could only be
revealed through His own volition.
Hence, when Moses asked for God’s
name, God told him to tell His people
that He was “I AM.” In the New
Testament, God revealed Himself
and His name through Jesus: “I have
manifested Your name” (Jn 17:6) and
“I have declared to them Your name”
(Jn 17:26).
人們不能因為自已的動機，或是自已的努力，就可以發現神的存在。
我們可以認識祂，只因為祂的恩典，自已先向我們顯明祂自已。
得到了神的接納，與神立了約，賜下了律法，都完全是神自已想要開始這麼作的。
同樣的情況，神的聖名可以顯明出來，只因為祂自已選擇想要把祂的名傳播出來。
因此，當摩西詢問神的大名時，神告訴祂去向祂的百姓說，
祂的名字是"自有永有"。
在新約的時候，神把自已表明出來，並且透過耶穌顯露祂的名：
6我已將你的名顯明與他們。(約 17：6)
26我已將你的名指示他們。(約 17：26)
Today, those who believe in God
have been given the word of
God (Jn 17:8,14). On their
parts, they have received,
believed (Jn 17:8), and
kept it (Jn 17:6). Such
commitment to God’s
word forms the basis
of our relationship
with Him. We
need to receive
wholeheartedly,
unconditionally,
and trustingly.
Accepting God’s word
entails keeping God’s
commandments—which
encompasses everything from
accepting the gospel of salvation to
practicing His word in our daily lives.
What we believe and practice must be
the complete word of God. The church
is not a cafeteria, a place where we can
pick and choose what we like; hearing
and applying what appeals to us and
blithely ignoring what we do not like.
The true church of the living God is
the foundation and pillar of the truth (1
Tim 3:15). A church can only be called
a true church when it encompasses and
embraces all the teachings in the Bible,
presents the gospel of salvation in its
fullness, and is able to bring people
completely before God.
今日，這些信神的人，已經被賞賜了神的話。(約 17：8，14)
在他們身上，他們已經得到了，並且相信神。(約 17：8)
並且好好保守著信仰。(約 17：6)
但這樣對神話語的承諾，形成了我們與祂之間關係的基礎。
我們要全心，毫無條件，全心信賴的領受。
接受神的話，包括了遵守神的誡命，
這包括了很多事情，從接受了救贖的福音，到每天可以的日常生活中實行祂的話語。
所以我們所相信及要實行的，應該是完完全全神的話語。
教會並不是一間吃到飽的餐廳，可以讓我們東挑西挑選我們自已喜歡的；
聽那些我們想聽的，接納我們有興趣的，
並且無憂無慮地過自已的生活，忽略那些我們不喜歡的事。
永生神的真教會，是真理的基礎和柱石。(提前 3：15)
一間教會要能夠被稱為是真教會的話，
要能夠包括及擁抱聖經裡面的所有教導，
要完完整整地把拯救的福音呈現出來，
也能夠把人完完全全的引到神的面前來。
As God is holy, the true church
must also be holy (Lev 11:44-45).
We are sanctified by practicing God’s
word, because His word is the truth
(Jn 17:17,19). Keeping His word will
also lead us away from the world
(Jn 17:16,14). As believers, we
should be acutely aware of Jesus’
uncompromising stance and the
importance of demarcating ourselves
from the influence of the world
(Jas 4:4).
而且神是聖潔的，真教會一定也要是聖潔的。(利 17：17，19)
我們因著實行神的話，而能夠被神潔淨成聖，因為祂的話語就是真理。(約 17：17，19)
遵守祂的話，也會讓我們遠離這個世界。(約 17：16，14)
身為信徒，我們應該要敏感地認知到耶穌不能妥協的立場，
並且了解到不能讓自已受到世上影響的重要性。(雅 4：4)
THE TRUE CHURCH MUST PREACH THE GOSPEL AND GLORIFY GOD
真教會一定要傳福音，並且榮耀神
“I also have sent them into the
world.” (Jn 17:18)
"我也照樣差他們到世上。"
(約 17：18)
“Separate from the world” does
not mean that the true church has
been called to self-satisfied isolation.
The church has been chosen for a
reason—to glorify God. Jesus said, “I
am glorified in them” (Jn 17:10). As a
"與世界有所分別"不是代表了，真教會被要求要到一個隔離之處，並且自我感覺良好。
教會被揀選是有原因的 - 為了榮耀神。
耶穌說，
"並且我因他們得了榮耀"。(約 17：10)
separate people, we are in the world,
but we are not influenced by the evil
one (Jn 17:14–15). So we do not live
as passive hermits but as messengers
sent into the world (Jn 17:18). We
live to glorify God just as Jesus did
by completing the work that God
entrusted to Him (Jn 17:4). Jesus has
given the church the word of God (Jn
17:8) that she may know God. In turn,
the church must spread the same word,
so that others can come to believe in
Jesus (Jn 17:20) and receive eternal life
through knowing God (Jn 17:3).
與人有所分別，就是雖然我們在世上，
但卻不要被那些邪惡的人所影響。(約 17：14-15)
所以我們不會像那些消極的隱士一樣，而是帶著福音的訊息派入世界。(約 17：18)
我們為了榮耀神而活，就如同耶穌所作所為一樣，
祂完成了神託付給祂的工作。(約 17：4)
耶穌已經交付神的話語給教會，(約 17：8)
所以教會可以真正認識神。
反過來說，教會要把神的說，原原本本的傳揚出去，
這樣別人才可以來信耶穌，(約 17：20)
經由認識神而得到永生。(約 17：3)
God has been glorified through Jesus
(Jn 17:4); Jesus is glorified because of
the task He accomplished on earth (Jn
17:5; cf. 13:31–32). In the same way,
the church has been given the glory
that Jesus had received (Jn 17:22).
Therefore, the church will and should
do greater work than Jesus did (Jn
14:12). Today, the church has truly
grown and spread to every corner in
this world, reaching out to different
nations, tongues, and races. The once
close-knit circle of the Lord Jesus has
now become spatially and culturally
diverse.
神已經因著耶穌得到了榮耀；(約 17：4)
耶穌得到了榮耀是因為祂完成了世上的工作。(約 17：5；參考 13：31-32)
同樣的情況，教會已經得到了耶穌所得的榮耀。(約 17：22)
所以，教會將會，也應該會比耶穌作出更大的工作。(約 14：12)
今日，教會已經真的長大了，並且發展到世上的各個角落，
觸及到不同的國家，說不同語言的人，和不同的種族。
曾經是主耶穌的緊密團體 如今已在空間及文化的分佈，已大大的不同於當時了。
THE TRUE CHURCH MUST BE UNITED
真耶會一定要團結一致
“That they may be one just as
We are one.” (Jn 17:22)
使他們合而為一，像我們合而為一。(約 17：22)
The multiplicity of
today’s environment far
exceeds the divisions
noted by Paul between
Greek, Jews, and
the barbarians, yet
the diversity in the
church should not
be a barrier for true
fellowship in Jesus. As
members of the true
church – the one body
of Christ – we should be
vigilant against consciously
or unconsciously dividing our
churches on the basis of location,
nationality, and ethnicity. The oneness
of God and Jesus is inextricably linked
to the expectation that the church be
one (Jn 17:11,21,22). A closer look
into the church in the apostolic time,
however, reveals that she was plagued
by divisions. The Epistles of Paul, Peter,
John and James clearly evinced that
conflicts in the church were inevitable,
ranging from high profile divisions in
Corinth to lower level discord between
individual workers in Philippi (Phil 4:2).
今日環境的多樣性，已經超過很多保羅當時所注意到的當時
希臘人，猶太人和蠻荒之人，各種不同的情況了，
然而這種多樣性卻不應該成為在耶穌裡面真正團契的障礙。
成為真教會的成員 - 同為基督的一個身體 -
我們應該時常很警醒到，那些有意識，或是無意之中，
因為地理位置，各國國籍，不同種族差異，因為這樣來分裂教會。
神與耶穌的合一性，也無法分開的連結到教會所帶有的要合一的期望。(約 17：11，21，22)
然而，若來深入看看使徒時代教會的情況，
就能看到，當時的教會而內部分裂所苦。
保羅，彼得，約翰和雅各的書信，都很清楚的指出，
教會裡面有一些衝突是無法避免的，
這種情況發生時，大到哥林多教會大範圍的信徒分門別類，
小到在腓利比時，個別工人之間的不和。(腓 4：2)
No wonder Jesus kept on reminding
us of the need for unity in His parting
prayer! We are easily influenced by
our personal prejudices, strong will,
jealousy, pride, and self-interest. These
drive huge wedges among brethren,
resulting in a lack of unity, which
stunts church growth and hinders her
from achieving perfection and from
fully glorifying God (Jn 17:23). The
world will not believe that a church in
disarray and riven by in-fighting is the
true church sent by God (Jn 17:21).
Without unity, the church is not able
to manifest God’s love (Jn 17:23).
And without God’s love amongst the
members, the church cannot spread
His love to the world (Jn 17:26). If the
truth is not complemented by love, it
is empty—like sound bites with little
substance.
難怪耶穌在祂離別的禱告中，一直繼續提醒我們，一定要團結一致！
我們很容易受到個人的因素所影響，
偏見，固執，忌妒，驕傲，以及自身的利益。
這些事在弟兄姐妹之間，引起了巨大的嫌隙，
造成大家沒有團結，妨礙了教會成長，阻礙她變得完美，可以完完全全來榮耀神。(約 17：23)
這個世界的人將不會相信，一間內部混亂，又不斷爭吵而分裂的教會，
是神派來的真教會。(約 17：21)
若沒有團結，教會就不能顯明神的愛。(約 17：23)
而信徒之間沒有神的愛在其中，教會就不能夠把祂的愛傳播給世上的其他人。(約 17：26)
若是真理沒有愛來輔助的話，就會變得很空洞 -
就如同是政治人物的口號，但卻沒有任何實質的內容。
FINAL WORDS 最後的話
Jesus’ parting prayer is our source of
consolation as well as a last reminder to
live up to God’s expectations. We were
born again through the washing of His
blood and of the Holy Spirit (Jn 3:5).
This fundamental relationship makes us
special because we are separated from
the world. However, this status comes
with obligations—we need to glorify
Him by following His commandments.
耶穌離別的禱告，就是我們得到安慰的來源，
同時也是耶穌最後的提醒，讓我們活出神對我們的期望。
我們經由祂寶血和聖靈的力量，重新洗淨，並且可以重生。(約 3：5)
有這基本與神的關係，才是讓我們變得這麼的特別，因為我們和世界是分開的。
然而，有這樣的身份，也有其相對的責任與義務 -
我們要遵守祂的誡命，來榮耀祂。
The church is the body of Christ
(Eph 1:22–23); there is only one Spirit,
one hope, one Lord, one faith, one
baptism and one God and Father of all
(Eph 4:3–6). The true church cannot
have diverse and opposing views on
her basic beliefs. Just as Christ can
only have one body, there can only be
one true church that is called by God,
sanctified by practicing His word that
He has given to her. As members of the
church, we do not belong to the world,
and therefore we need to glorify Him
through unity, loving one another and
preaching His word. Through this, the
world can see that God is in us, we are
of God, and that His love is perfected
in our unity.
教會是基督的身份；(弗 1：22-23)
只有一個聖靈，一個盼望，一個主，一種信仰，一次的洗禮，一位神，
及萬物的天父。(弗 4：3-6)
真教會不能有與其基本信條，不同而且反對的看法。
就如同基督只能有一個身體，所以只能有一個真教會，這個真教會是由所揀選的，
並且實行神所賜給教會的話語，得已成聖。
身為這間教會的信徒，我們並不屬於這個世界，
因此我們要經由團結，彼此相愛，傳揚祂的福音，來榮耀祂。
這麼作，世界就可以看見，神在我們中間，我們是屬於神，
而且在我們的聯合之中，讓祂的愛變得更加完美。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)