Manna issue 68 - Passing and Receiving the Baton of Faith 信仰棒子的傳承及領受
Walk with God, set the example,
work together.
與神同行，作好榜樣，一起作工。
Vuthy Nol-Mantia—Dallas, Texas, USA
美國德州達拉斯 Vuthy Nol-Mantia傳道
In a 4x400 meter relay, there are
usually four runners. By default, the
first runner is the second fastest, the
second and third runners the third
and fourth fastest respectively, and
the last runner is the fastest. He is
also called the anchor person.
在1600公尺(4x400)的接力賽中，通常有四位跑者。
原本的設定是，第一棒是第二快，第二和第三棒份別是第三和第四快，
而最後一棒才是最快的跑者。
他也被叫稱為是，主要決定勝負的運動員。
When I was in high school, I often
ran the 4x400 m relay. I didn’t really
like it because I was usually the
second or third runner who had to
receive and pass on the baton, which
meant more work. As such, I had to
study exactly how fast the first person
was running because he had to pass
the baton within a certain zone or
we would get disqualified. When I
saw the first person running toward
me, I would start running, without
worrying where the baton would
come from. However, with the baton
in hand, I had to think how to pass it
to the next person. For this reason, a
relay is quite a demanding race.
當我高中的時候，我常跑1600公司接力賽。
我並不是真的很愛這項活動，因為我常排在第二或第三棒，
要把棒子接下來，再傳出去，也就是說要作很多工作。
例如，我要了解到第一個跑者他跑多快，
因為他要在限定的區域之內交棒，不然的話，就會失去比賽資格。
當我看見第一棒衝向我的時候，我就會開始跑，不用擔心棒子會從那裡來。
然而當棒子拿到手的時候，我就要思考如何把棒子交給另一個人。
因為這樣的原因，接棒賽就是一種十分要求高的比賽。
Today, the church is running a
challenging spiritual relay to pass on
the baton of faith. But how can we
run this race successfully? How did
the people in the Bible pass their faith
to their descendants?
今日，教會正面在屬靈上交棒的挑戰，要把信仰的棒子交下去。
但是我們要怎麼作，才能成功的跑完這個比賽呢？
聖經裡面的人物，到底是怎麼作的，才把他們的信仰傳承給自已的後代呢？
Abraham successfully passed down
his faith to Isaac. Although the Bible
does not explicitly say how Abraham
instructed Isaac in the faith, we can
learn much from Abraham’s actions
and his relationship with God.
亞伯拉罕成功地把信仰交下去給以撒。
雖然聖經裡面，並沒有很清楚地說明，亞伯拉罕在信仰的事上，如何指教以撒，
但我們卻可以從亞伯拉罕的作為和他與神的關係中，學到許多的教訓。
BUILD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 與神建立好關係
“Now it came to pass after these
things that God tested Abraham,
and said to him, ‘Abraham!’
And he said, ‘Here I am.’” (Gen 22:1)
這些事以後，神要試驗亞伯拉罕，就呼叫他說：亞伯拉罕！他說：我在這裡。
(創 22：1)
God knew Abraham by name
because Abraham had a good
relationship with Him—Abraham
heared the voice of the LORD and
was called the friend of God (Isa
41:8; cf. Jas 2:23). Genesis 22 tells us
that Abraham quietly listened to God
when He spoke, responded to Him
and obeyed the LORD’s command.
神可以叫得出亞伯拉罕的名字，
是因為他和神有很好的關係 -
亞伯拉罕可以聽見神的呼聲，並且被稱為神的朋友。(賽 41：8，參考，雅 2：23)
創世記22章告訴我們，當神說話的時候，亞伯拉罕安安靜靜的在傾聽，
會回應神的要要，遵守主的命令。
What about us? Do we have a
good relationship with God? Do
we listen to God’s voice? Do we
respond to Him, practice and obey
His teachings?
但是我們會怎麼作呢？
我們與神的關係是不是很好呢？
我們有聽從神的呼聲嗎？
我們有回應神的要求，遵行祂的旨意，順從祂的教導嗎？
Abraham not only listened to God,
he also had an open ear for his son
Isaac. When Isaac addressed him,
“My father!” he answered him in the
same way he answered God (Gen
22:7, cf. Gen 22:1).
亞伯拉罕不只聽從神的聲音，他也張開耳朵傾聽自已兒子以撒的聲音。
當以撒告訴他，"父親哪！"
他用回答神的方式，來回答他。
(創 22：7，參考，創 22：1)
Sometimes the young and old in
church may not get along very well.
That is because we do not have a
good relationship with God and
often find ourselves weak in faith and
lacking in personal experiences with
Him.
有時候，教會裡面，年輕和年長的二代，或許不能好好相處。
這是因為我們和神並沒有良好的關係，
並且時常會發現自已在信仰上很軟弱，
缺乏與神個人的深刻體驗。
Whether young or old, we need
to cultivate ourselves to draw closer
to God. Once we have a good
relationship with God, we will also
have good relationships with one
another.
不論是老少，都要不斷造就自已，來親近神。
一旦我們和神有親密的關係之後，
我們和別人的關係也會改善很多。
SET THE EXAMPLE OF LOVE 立下愛的榜樣
“Take now your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love …”
(Gen 22:2)
2神說：你帶著你的兒子，就是你獨生的兒子，你所愛的以撒...
(創 22：2)
Just as Abraham loved his son Isaac, we too need to show love towards
our younger generation. Just as Isaac was precious to Abraham because he
was born of promise, our next generation should be precious to us because
they are the ones who will receive the baton of faith.
就如同亞伯拉罕愛他的兒子以撒一樣，
我們也要對自已年輕的下一代，施予慈愛。
也如同以撒是亞伯拉罕非常寶貝的兒子，
因為他是從應許而生，
我們也應該非常寶貝自已的下一代，
因為就是他們要來領受我們信仰的棒子。
Just as Abraham loved his son
Isaac, we too need to show love
towards our younger generation. Just
as Isaac was precious to Abraham
because he was born of promise, our
next generation should be precious
to us because they are the ones who
will receive the baton of faith. So, we
need to show our love and care for
them.
就如同亞伯拉罕愛他的兒子以撒一樣，
我們也要對自已年輕的下一代，施予慈愛。
也如同以撒是亞伯拉罕非常寶貝的兒子，
因為他是從應許而生，
我們也應該非常寶貝自已的下一代，
因為就是他們要來領受我們信仰的棒子。
Our youths need our love so that
they can grow in faith and glorify
God’s name. Some youths do not
receive love at home. Their hearts
are empty and they pursue after the
things of the world. If they come to
church and do not receive love either,
they will easily drift farther away
from God and may even become
lost. However, when we love and
care for them, they can personally
experience the love of Christ and be
strengthened in their faith.
年青人需要我們的愛，這樣他們才能在信仰上成長，榮耀神的名。
有一些年青人在家裡得不到愛的關懷。
內心變的空洞，變得只會追求世上的事。
若然他們來到了教會，依然是得不到愛的關懷，
他們很快就會隨流失去，或許最後會迷失了。
然而，當我們關懷照顧他們的時候，
他們自已就會感受到基督的愛，可以加強他們的信仰。
Sometimes we may find it difficult
to show love towards the younger
generation. Yet consider Abraham:
although he loved Isaac, he loved
God even more. With the love of
God in him, Abraham knew how to
love his son, for God Himself is love.
When we love God, we will know
how to love others because His love
will overflow to everyone around us.
Ever since I stepped into the True
Jesus Church, I have received much
love from brothers and sisters,
especially from the older brethren.
This love has touched me deeply
and sustained me whenever I felt
discouraged.
有時候我們會發現很難對年輕的一代，施予關懷。
然而若想想亞伯拉罕：雖然他很愛以撒，但更愛神。
因為有神的愛在他心中，亞伯拉罕知道如何關懷自已的兒子，因為神就是愛。
當我們愛神的時候，同時就會知道如何愛別人，因為祂的愛會充滿在我們四週的每個人心中。
自從我走進真耶穌教會以後，就已經從弟兄姐妹身上，領受了很多的愛，
特別是來自年長的弟兄姐妹所給的愛。
這種愛深深地感動著我，無論何時我感到灰心的時候，都會有這股愛支持著我。
When I was still a trainee preacher,
I spent some time at Pacifica church
in the United States. I often felt lonely
at that time because I was by myself
and there was nobody to talk to.
Members there generally live quite
far away from church, so seldom
would anyone stop by outside of
worship services. After service,
brethren usually leave early because
they have to drive far to get home.
當我還是一個傳道實習生的時候，
我在美國的太平洋教會，待了一些時間。
常常會覺得很孤單，因為只有自已在那裡，沒有人可以說話。
那裡的信徒通常住得離教會很遠，
所以除了教會聚會之外，很少人會經過，
弟兄姐妹時常很快就離開教會，因為他們要開很遠的車才能回到家。
But sometimes, after service, I
would find a bag of cookies in front
of my door. I knew that the brethren
had put it there. Although they did
not have much time to talk to me,
this seemingly small gesture showed
their love towards me.
但有時候，聚完會之後，會發現在一袋小點心在關前。
我知道這是弟兄姐妹放的。
雖然他們並沒有很多時間和我說話，
但這看起來很不起眼的動作，卻代表了他們對我的愛心。
When I served in Hawaii, there
was an elderly sister who knew that
I love fish head soup. When I visited
her, she cooked the biggest fish head
I have ever seen (bigger than my
head)—that’s how big her heart is!
當我在夏威夷駐牧的時候，
有一位年長的姐妹，她知道我很喜歡魚頭湯。
當我去訪問的時候，她煮了一個我從來沒見過的超大魚頭，(比我的頭還大)
這就是她內心愛有多大的代表。
SET THE EXAMPLE OF DILIGENT
SERVICE TO GOD
作好殷勤服事神的榜樣
So Abraham rose early in the
morning and saddled his donkey,
and took two of his young men with
him, and Isaac his son; and he split
the wood for the burnt offering,
and arose and went to the place of
which God had told him.
(Gen 22:3)
3亞伯拉罕清早起來，備上驢，帶著兩個僕人和他兒子以撒，
也劈好了燔祭的柴，就起身往神所指示他的地方去了。
(創 22：3)
Although Abraham loved Isaac, he
loved God even more. He arose early
to do the will of God and sacrifice
Isaac.
雖然亞伯拉罕愛以撒，他更愛神。
他清早起來，依造神的旨意而行，要將以撒獻給神。
Today, we too must be diligent in
serving God. We need to set a good
example because our actions speak
louder than a thousand words.
今日，我們也要殷勤的服事神。
要成為好榜樣，因為我們坐而言不如起而行。
While I was in theological training,
I attended a ministers’ workshop.
There was an elder who was in his
nineties, yet he would take notes
during every sermon, even when
theological students were speaking.
Moreover, he would kneel down
with us to pray for one hour every
morning, although his knees would
stiffen and we would have to help
him get up after the prayers.
當我還在接受神學訓練的時候，參加了傳道者靈修會。
會中有一位長者，已經90多歲了。
然而每一場的講道中，他都還在作筆記，即使講道的人還是神學生。
不只這樣，每天早上他會和我們一起跪下來禱告一小時，
雖然禱告之後，他的膝蓋會變僵硬，我們還要幫他扶起來。
Just like Abraham, we must be
diligent to do the will of God. In this
way, the younger generation will see
our diligence and follow our example.
就像亞伯拉罕一樣，我們一定要殷勒地依造神的旨意工作。
只有這樣，年輕的一代才會看到我們的努力，追隨我們的榜樣。
SET THE EXAMPLE OF FAITH 作信仰的好榜樣
And Abraham said to his young
men, “Stay here with the donkey;
the lad and I will go yonder and
worship, and we will come back to
you.”
(Gen 22:5)
5亞伯拉罕對他的僕人說：你們和驢在此等候，
我與童子往那裡去拜一拜，就回到你們這裡來。
(創 22：5)
After a three-day journey, during
which Abraham had time to think
things through, they finally arrived
at Mount Moriah. Abraham had
probably thought much about
God’s will and, by faith, had finally
concluded that God would be able
to raise Isaac from the dead (Heb
11:19).
經過了跑涉了30天之後，在行走期間，亞伯拉罕有時間能夠把整件事情好好想通透，
最後他們到達了摩利亞山。
亞伯拉罕很可能已經對神的旨意想了很多，
因為有信心，他最後這樣想，
19他以為神還能叫人從死裡復活；
(來 11：19)
So Abraham told his servants, “the
lad and I will go yonder to worship,
and we will come back to you,”
showing his great faith in God.
Today, as the older generation, we
need to have Abraham’s faith. How
else can we expect the younger ones
to have faith?
所以亞伯拉罕告訴僕人，
"我與童子往那去拜一拜，就回到你們這裡來"，
代表了他對神有很大的信心。
今日，身為年長的一代，我們也要有像亞伯拉罕的信心。
不然我們怎麼能夠期待年輕的一代，也會很有信心呢？
Once I went to Ghana with a
senior minister. During the first three
days after our arrival, we didn’t have
any water because the whole city’s
water supply had been cut off. In
the middle of the first night, a fire
suddenly broke out, and we could
not escape through the front door
because there was too much smoke.
The only way of escape was through
the window.
有一次我和一位年長的傳道到非州嘉納去。
我們到達之後的前面三天，我們沒有水喝，因為整個城市的水源被切斷了。
第一天晚上的半夜，突然發生了火災，我們沒有辨法從前門衝出去，
因為前面有很多濃煙。
唯一逃跑的路線就是窗戶而已。
We too must be diligent in
serving God. We need to set
a good example because our
actions speak louder than a
thousand words.
今日，我們也要殷勤的服事神。
要成為好榜樣，因為我們坐而言不如起而行。
However, instead of breaking the
window, the senior minister started to
disassemble it piece by piece, because
he did not want the brethren to incur
additional expenses. In the midst of
life-threatening circumstances, he
was still thinking of others!
然而，這位年長的傳道不但沒有打破窗戶，
他開始一塊一塊的拆解窗戶，因為不希望這位弟兄招致額外的損失。
正在生命存亡面臨威脅之際，他仍是為別人著想。
By God’s grace, the water in the
city was suddenly turned on for
about thirty minutes that night—
just enough time for our brethren
to extinguish the fire and to bring a
ladder, so that we could climb out of
the window. Through this incident, I
learned a great lesson of faith from
the older minister.
因著神的恩典，那天晚上，城裡的水源突然開放了大約三十分鐘 -
就剛好足夠這位弟兄來滅火，並且帶樓梯來，這樣我們才能從樓梯爬下去。
經過這個事件，我從這位年長的傳道人，學習到了信仰寶貴的一課。
Just like Abraham, we too need to
set an example of faith to show our
younger generation that the God we
worship is a true and living God.
就如亞伯拉罕一樣，我們也要為年輕的一代，
立下信仰上的好榜樣，讓他們知道，
我們敬拜的神是又真又活的神。
ABRAHAM AND ISAAC WALKED TOGETHER
亞伯拉罕和以撒一起同行
So Abraham took the wood of the
burnt offering and laid it on Isaac
his son; and he took the fire in his
hand, and a knife, and the two of
them went together.
But Isaac spoke to Abraham his
father and said, “My father!” And
he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then
he said, “Look, the fire and the
wood, but where is the lamb for
a burnt offering?” And Abraham
said, “My son, God will provide
for Himself the lamb for a burnt
offering.” So the two of them went
together.
(Gen 22:6-8)
6亞伯拉罕把燔祭的柴放在他兒子以撒身上，自己手裡拿著火與刀；於是二人同行。
7以撒對他父親亞伯拉罕說：父親哪！亞伯拉罕說：我兒，我在這裡。
以撒說：請看，火與柴都有了，但燔祭的羊羔在那裡呢？
8亞伯拉罕說：我兒，神必自己預備作燔祭的羊羔。於是二人同行。
(創 22：6-8)
Abraham not only passed down his
faith to Isaac, he also involved him in
his work for God. As Abraham and
Isaac went up the mountain, they
each carried some of the materials
and utensils. The Bible records that
they “went together.” In other
words, they worked together in
unity. So how did Abraham and Isaac
walk together?
亞伯拉罕不只把他的信仰傳給以撒，
他也帶著以撒一起參與神的工作。
當亞伯拉罕和以撒一起走到山上去的時候，
他們每個人都背著一些材料和器具。
聖經記載，他們是"一起去的"。
換句話說，他們同心合意一起工作。
那麼，亞伯拉罕和以撒是如何一起同行的呢？
Abraham Laid the Wood on Isaac
亞伯拉罕把柴放在以撒身上
Just as Abraham asked Isaac to
carry the wood, we should give the
younger generation a chance to serve
in church. Although Isaac did not
know exactly what was happening,
Abraham was able to involve him
in the work, which was to offer him
according to God’s command.
就如亞位拉罕要以撒背一些木柴，
我們應該給年輕的一代，在教會服事的機會。
雖然以撒並不完全清楚發生了什麼事，
亞伯拉罕還是仍夠帶著以撒一起作工，
也就是依造著神的命令，獻上以撒。
Today our youths may be
inexperienced, but we still have to
involve them in the holy work. We
should not be afraid to let the young
ones work with us; rather we should
train and guide them, as eventually
we will pass the baton on to them.
今日我們的青年或許沒有經驗，
然而我們仍要讓他們參與聖工。
我們不應該畏懼讓年青人來和我們一起工作；
反而我們應該要好好訓練他們，帶領他們，
因為到最後，我們都要交棒給他們的。
Abraham Carried the Fire and a Knife
亞伯拉罕拿著火和刀子
When Abraham went up to Mount
Moriah, he prepared everything that
he needed to sacrifice Isaac. Apart
from wood, he also brought fire and
a knife. Today, we too need to equip
ourselves with the spiritual fire and
knife. We need to be prayerful and
ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit.
We also need to sharpen our spiritual
eyesight through God’s word. Only
then can we fearlessly face the
challenge of passing on the baton.
當亞伯拉罕走上摩利亞山的時候，
他準備了一切事物要獻上以撒的。
除了木柴之外，他也帶了火和刀子。
今日，我們也要用屬靈的火和刀子，來裝備自已。
要常常禱告，求神用聖靈充滿我們。
我們也要用神的話，把自已屬靈的眼光磨利。
只有這樣，我們才能毫無畏懼地，去面對交棒所要面臨的挑戰。
Today our youths may be inexperienced,
but we still have to
involve them in the holy work.
We should not be afraid to let
the young ones work with us;
rather we should train and
guide them, as eventually we
will pass the baton on to them.
今日我們的青年或許沒有經驗，
然而我們仍要讓他們參與聖工。
我們不應該畏懼讓年青人來和我們一起工作；
反而我們應該要好好訓練他們，帶領他們，
因為到最後，我們都要交棒給他們的。
Isaac—Obedient, but Not Passive
以撒 - 順服，但並不消極
Isaac was quiet along the way to
Mount Moriah, yet he was not
inactive. He carried the wood that
his father gave to him and obediently
followed Abraham. Along the journey,
Isaac did not say anything other than
asking one question, “Where is the
lamb?” This shows his attentiveness.
When his father told him that God
would provide the lamb, Isaac simply
accepted the answer.
以撒一路跟著走到摩利亞山來，然而他並不是被動的。
他背著父親給他的木些，順服地跟從亞伯拉罕。
旅程一路走來，以撒並沒有說什麼話，
只問了一個問題，"獻祭的羊羔在那裡呢？"
這讓我們看見，他是有留意在準備的工作。
當他爸爸告訴他說，神會預備羊羔的時候，
以撒就單純地接受這個答案了。
Later, Isaac did not resist or try to
run away. Instead, he allowed his
father to bind him and place him on
the altar (Gen 22:9). Sometimes we
say too much, do very little, and are
not obedient enough to the older
generation. However, have we ever
considered that the older generation
has to give an account to God? Have
we considered that they must have
thought things through? For this
reason, we should be obedient to
them in the Lord (cf. Eph 6:1).
後來，以撒並沒有抵抗，或試著要逃跑。
反而是，他讓亞伯拉罕捆綁，把他放在祭壇上。(創 22：9)
有時候，若說太多話，卻作很少的事，
就不夠順服年長的一代。
然而，我們有沒有想過，年長的一代，要面對神，向神交報告呢？
我們有沒有想過，他們已經把事情從頭到尾想過一便了呢？
因為這個原因，我們要在主裡稅從他們的話。
我們要在主裡聽從父母的話。
(參考，弗 6：1)
Joshua too was obedient when
Moses sent him to fight against the
Amalekites. He went to fight without
bargaining with Moses because he
knew that Moses would be praying
for him. So just like Joshua and Isaac,
let us do our part.
當摩西派約書亞去攻擊亞瑪力人的時候，他也是很順服的。
他並沒有和摩西討價還價，直接就去爭戰了，
因為他知道，摩西會為他禱告。
就如約書亞和以撒一樣，讓我們盡力作好自已的本份。
Being the younger generation,
we are the “anchor” of this spiritual
relay as the end-time draws nearer.
This means that we need to do
greater things. We must prepare
ourselves: be humble, open-minded
and teachable. Let us equip ourselves
with the fire of the Holy Spirit and
the sword of God’s word, just as the
older generation has set the example
for us. Then we will finish the race of
faith, save more souls and pass the
baton of faith to our next generation.
隨著更加接近末世，身為年輕的一代，我們是這場屬靈接力賽的"最後一棒"。
這代表了，我們要作更大的事。
我要預備好自已：謙卑，有開放的態度，馴良受教。
讓我們用聖靈的火焰，神話語的寶劍，來好好裝備自已，
就如同老一輩也要為我們立下好榜樣。
這樣我們就能完成這場信仰的比賽，
拯救更多的靈魂，把信仰的棒子交到自已下一代的手上。
In the end-time, the church
must continue to be glorified. This
will only be possible if we continue
passing down the baton of faith and
the baton of God’s work. Therefore,
young and old alike must strive for
a better relationship with God and
work together in unity, walking side
by side to fulfill the will of God. Only
then will this mountain become the
highest mountain and this church the
most glorious church.
身處末世之中，我們一定要一直使教會得到榮耀。
要能夠作到這一點，我們就要繼續把信仰和聖工的棒子交接下去。
所以，不論青年或年長者，都要努力與神建立更好的關係，
同心合意一起作聖工，互相支持一起同行來完成神的旨意。
只有這樣作了，這麼山才會成為最高的山，
這間教會才會是最有榮耀的教會。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)