Manna issue 67 - Searching for God 尋找神
Finding the true church at last.
終於找到真教會
by Bart Morris
Searching for God. Now that’s an
interesting idea! To a committed Christian,
that’s a rather extraordinary statement.
All you need to do is kneel down (if you
are able) and start praying and HE is there
to listen to you. So to have to search for
Him seems to be unusual. But is it?
尋找神。
如今卻是一個有趣的想法！
對一個已經信主的基督而言，
這真的是一個特別的說法。
你只要跪下來(若你可以跪下來)，開始禱告，
祂在那裡，就垂聽你的禱告。
所以要去尋找祂，看起很特殊。
但這件事真的很特殊嗎？
TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN FOR SIXTY YEARS 60年的傳統基督教
I was born in 1925 in Sydney, the
capital of the State of New South Wales,
Australia. I am in my late eighties now.
Christened and raised up in a traditional
Christian denomination, I spent more
than sixty years going to church every
Sunday. I started singing in the choir at
nine years of age and did so for nearly
sixty years. When I was old enough, I
became active in church affairs; joined the
vestry (administrative board), ultimately
became a warden (senior position) and
even represented my church at regional
conferences (synod).
我於1925年在雪梨出生，是澳洲新南威爾斯州的首都。
現在我已經快九十歲了。
是在傳統的基督教派裡，成為基督徒，並且長大成人，
我花了幾乎60年，每個星期天去教會。
我九歲的時候，開始在詩班唱詩，
並且這麼一直作下來，幾乎快60年。
我們真的夠老的時候，我對教會的事務非常的活躍；
加入教區委員會(管理委員會)，
最後成為區長(資深的職位)，
甚至代表我的教會，參加地區的宗教會議。
I also learned to assist in the regular
Sunday services as a “server”, which
required me to do readings from the Bible,
assist in the dispensation of bread and
wine at communion and other activities
connected with the services. After that,
my participation in the church activities
was complete.
我也學會在定期的主日崇拜協助工作，成為一個"服事者"，
就因為這樣，我需要讀聖經，
在聖餐的時候，要協助分發主的餅和葡萄汁(或酒？未定)，
和其他有關聚會的活動。
經過這些工作之竹，
我對教會工作的參與就完全了。
However, never once was it suggested
to me that I should read the Bible and
study and think about what it said. In
fact when I once suggested that maybe
I should read the Bible from beginning
to end, I was actively discouraged from
doing so, “as it wasn’t really necessary
since I got all that was needed from the
usual Sunday readings.” These consisted
of short readings of ten to twenty verses
each Sunday. Virtually the same set of
verses was repeated each year, so my
biblical knowledge was very limited.
然而，我從來沒有想過，有必要去讀聖經，研經，並且好好思考上面所說的話。
事實上，當我有一次接受建議，或許應該要從頭到尾來讀聖經的時候，
因為這麼作了之後，卻反而大大的灰心，因為別人說，
"真的沒有必要這麼作，因為我會從平常的主日崇拜中，吸收到一切我所需要的東西"。
這些就包含了，每個星期天會短短讀10到20節。
幾乎每天都一直重覆同樣的一套經文，
所以就導致了我的聖經知識非常的有限。
SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS 尋找答案
However, one day in the 1990s, someone
quoted something from the Bible, which
prompted me to open my Bible and
check the quotation. I read on from
the quotation and what I read, started
me thinking and reading further on. I
cannot at this moment remember what
the quotation was, but whatever it was,
it had far-reaching consequences: the
verse prompted me to ask my then vicar
(clergyman) about its meaning. His reply
startled me. He told me to stop wasting
my time and his time with silly questions
and to just believe what I was told. Since
he hadn’t told me anything, his reply
annoyed me, so I decided to study the
Bible more in detail, and find out for
myself what it meant.
然而，1990年的有一天，
有一個人從聖經裡面引用了一些經文，
這促使我打開聖經，確認一下這被引用的經文。
我就開始讀這經文，當我開始讀之後，
就讓我開始思想，並且讀了更多。
在那個時候，我不能記住被引用的經文是什麼，
但無論那是什麼經文，它帶來了深遠的影響：
這個經文使我去問當時的教會牧師(神職人員)，有關其意思。
他的回答讓我啞口無言。
他告我不要用這愚蠢的問是，去浪費自已和他的時間，，
就要去相信別人告訴我的話就夠了。
因為他並沒有告訴我任何事情，
他的回答讓我很生氣，
所以我決定要更深入的考察聖經，
要自已找出來到底是什麼意思。
Being a researcher by nature and
training, I decided that the best way
to study the Bible was to start at the
beginning, and read through the entire
Bible, so that I could get each idea
in context and in correct relationship
with other parts of the Bible. I became
methodical in my reading. I divided the
number of pages by 365 and found that
if I read three pages each day, every day,
I would read the Bible from start to finish
by mid-December.
因為自已本來就是學者，也接受這樣的訓練，
我就決定，最好考察聖經的方式，就是從頭開始，
然後從頭到尾都讀過聖經，
這樣我就能夠把內容的每個想法都加以了解，
並且可以和聖經其他部份的上下文關係都弄清楚。
我就開始有系統的讀聖經，
我用365天來分配聖經的頁數，結果發現，
若我每天讀三頁，每天都讀經，
我就可以讀聖經從年頭開始，到12月中時可全部讀完。
The effect on me was startling, to
say the least. I discovered that the Bible
is not just a collection of unrelated
and disjointed quotations, but a
fount of great knowledge—a
history book of the world
and everything in it;
a book of morality
which contains
everything that we
need to live a better
and more moral
life; and finally and
most importantly,
a guide book that
could lead me to God.
退一步來說，讀經對我產生的效果是令人吃驚的，
我發現，聖經不會只是一連串不相關及散亂的經典語錄，
而是一座偉大知識的泉源 -
世界及其中萬事的歷史書；
一個道德指引書，包含了我們要活出更好，品性更端正生活所需要的一切；
最後且最重要的是，是一本引領我們到神前的指引書。
I must add here that
reading three pages a day
takes about fifteen minutes.
Since there are 1440 minutes in a
day, fifteen minutes is approximately one
percent of a day. I decided that if I could
not give God at least one percent of my
time, I must be a very busy person! I am
not that busy! I now find I am spending
much more than one percent of my time
reading God’s word!
我需要補充的是，一天讀三頁，只要花15分鐘。
因為一天有1440分鐘，15分鐘大約是一天1%的時間。
我決定，若我不能給神最少1%的時間，
我一定是一個非常忙碌的人！
但我卻沒有那麼忙！
現在我發現，自已花了比1%更多的時間在讀神的話。
All this led me to realize what my
problem was—I had been searching for
God without really knowing it.
這一切都讓我了解到，我的問題就是 -
我一直在尋求神，但卻沒有了解到這個問題。
In my sixty years of going to church on
Sundays, I never realized that I had fallen
in love with the rituals of the church. There
was no belief in God or Jesus Christ in the
ceremonies in which I was participating;
I had become a ceremonialist and not a
Christian—similar to most churchgoers
today. The ceremonies in most churches
today are or appear to be purely military
in origin and style. Minor clergy and other
participants in the ceremonies act more
like military guard of honor or escorts.
星期天到教會去了60年，我從未了解到，
我已經愛上了教會的儀試。
在我參與的任何典禮之中，並沒有任何相信神或相信耶穌基督的本質在其中；
我已經成為一個拘泥於儀式的人，而不是一個基督徒 -
和今日大部份去教會的人一樣。
今日大部份教會的典禮，就看起來有點帶有軍事化的本質和形式。
這典禮中一小部份的神職人員和其他的參與者，
表現出來的形式更有有點像儀隊和護衛。
Ceremonialists look at the pomp and
elaborate movements by the clergy and
those assisting them in church services
performed for the benefit of the viewers
(congregation). To an analytical mind,
the church ceremonies are very similar
to military parade ground movements,
where soldiers put on a performance for
a head of state and his public. Religion is
absent in these ceremonies.
拘泥於儀式的人會看重人潮的盛況及神職人員精心安排的活動，
而在教會中幫忙的人，是為了觀眾(會眾)的好處而執行活動。
對於一個善於分析的頭腦而言，
教會典禮就很像軍事遊行場地的活動，
而士兵為了州長和大眾執行這個表演。
宗教本身卻消失在這些典禮中。
By the time I had read through the Bible
the third time (the third year), I began to
seriously search for God. I tried a number
of churches and sects, and while they
supplied some answers to my questions,
they didn’t supply all the answers. So I
kept on searching for my answers.
大約在我已經讀了聖經三次(3年)時間的時候，
我開始認真的尋求神。
我試著尋找許多的教會和教派，
雖然他們可以提供我問題的一些答案，
但他們卻沒有提供全部的答案。
所以我繼續尋找我的答案。
ANSWERS FOUND 找到答案
Sometimes, God works in mysterious
ways. One day I was driving along a
street when I came to a traffic blockage;
I turned left into a side street, intending
to then by-pass the blockage by driving
down a parallel street and back onto the
original street at the next side street. As I
was waiting to turn right into the parallel
street I noticed a curved sign outside
a building on the corner, which read,
“TRUE JESUS CHURCH.”
有時候，神會用奇妙的方式動工。
有一天我獨自開車在一條街上，當我遇到塞車時；
我左轉進入小巷，想要藉由開車經由另一條平行的車道上，
繞過過塞車的地方，最後從下一個小巷再轉回來原來的道路上。
當我等著要右轉到平行的街道時，
我注意到在轉角上的一間建築物外面，有一片拱形的招牌。
上面寫著，"真耶穌教會"。
Now I hadn’t heard of this church
before so I pulled over and went to
look further at the sign. I then
noticed the smaller sign listing
the beliefs of this church.
This list interested me so
I decided to investigate
further.
當時以前，我從未聽過這間教會，
所以我停車進一步看看招牌。
然而我就注意小招牌上，條列著這間教會的信條。
這個名單讓我很感興趣，
所以我決定更深入研究一下。
The following
Saturday (one of
my questions),
I turned up and
started enquiring
about the beliefs of
this “new” church.
Sabbath keeping was
the particular item which
first attracted me, since
God included it as the forth
commandment after the first three
which require us to worship Him. It is
the first commandment, which instructs
us to actively do something. Eight of
the other commandments commence
with the words “You shall not” (cf. Ex
20:1-17). Also throughout the Bible we
are constantly and continually told to
“keep My Sabbaths.” So God obviously
considers it to be important.
下個星期六(我其中一個問題)，
我出現了，開始詢問有關這間"新"教會的信條問題。
遵守安息日是第一個吸引我的特別條文，
因為神列入這一條誡命，在前面三條之後作為第四條誡命，
也就是要我們來敬拜祂。
它是第一條誡命，指示我們主動來作一些事情。
其他八條誡命一開始的用字是"你不應該"。
(參考，出 20：1-17)
而且整個聖經來看，我們一直繼續被告知，要"遵守安息日"。
所以很明顯地，神認為這是很重要的。
I started with the simple questions first;
and they were answered. For example:
does the True Jesus Church observe
the Saturday Sabbath? Does the True
Jesus Church believe that the Bible is
the immutable word of God? Do they
believe in full immersion at baptism?
Every time the answer was “Yes.”
Then I tried the difficult questions, which
usually sent priests into hysterics,
e.g. Do you believe that God
created the universe in six
ordinary days? Do you
believe the description
of the second
coming of Jesus
Christ as depicted
in the Bible? Again,
back came not
only positive but
also sensible answers!
Hallelujah! I had found
what I was looking for.
首先，我以最簡單的問題開始；
然後這些問題都得到了答案。
例如，真耶穌教會是不是遵守星期六的安息日？
真耶穌教會是不是相信聖經是神不更變更的話語？
他們相信受洗是全身的浸禮嗎？
每一次當答案都是"是的"。
然後我就試著問困難的問題，
而這些問題通常會讓祭司們歇斯底里發作，
例如，你相信，神在六天之內創造了宇宙？
你相信，耶穌基督再臨的描述會像聖經裡面所描繪的那樣嗎？
再一次，這些回覆不只很正面，而且也是很合理的答案！
哈利路亞，我終於發現了我在尋找的東西。
I became a regular at
training lessons and soon was
participating in full services. As I continued
to study and learn the biblical truth and
attend services in the True Jesus Church, I
gradually felt increasingly convinced that
I had found what I had been searching
for and that I had to be baptized in this
church. Ultimately, I was blessed with
receiving baptism by full immersion as
well as the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!
我變成定期參加訓練課程，
不久之後就參加整個聚會。
隨著我持續學習，學會了聖經的真理，
並且在真耶穌教會參加聚會。
我漸漸地感到，更為深信，
我終於發現，我一直以來在尋找的東西，
而且我一定要在這間教會受洗。
到最後，我得到了祝福，
可以用全身入水的浸禮來受洗，並且得到了聖靈。
哈利路亞！
GOD’S WORD IS KEY 神的話是關鍵
Since then I have participated in as many
services as I can and have been blessed
with coming to know many brothers and
sisters who firmly believe in our Lord
Jesus Christ and His word.
自從那時候開始，我們儘量參加很多聚會，
並且後來可以認識許多弟兄姐妹，
他們也堅定的相信我們的主耶穌基督和祂的話語。
Studying God’s word has strengthened
my belief in the presence of God in my
life. I now constantly feel His presence,
and am frequently turning to Him for help
and advice. Whenever I struggle with a
problem, be it great or small, He is always
there at my side: His Spirit comforts and
reassures me.
學習神的話語，在我的生活中，
加強了我對神存在的信念。
現在我都一直感覺到祂的存在，
常常轉向祂祈求幫助和建議。
無論何時我有問題在掙扎的時候，
不論事情是大是小，祂總是在我身旁：
祂的聖靈安慰著我，再次給我保証。
In addition, I have been encouraged
to preach the gospel to other people
and bring them to church, which is very
different from my previous church, where
I was even made fun of when I tried to
bring new people.
此外，我一直有被鼓勵來向其他人傳福音，
把他們帶來教會，比起之前的教會，有很大的不同，
以前我所參加的教會，當我試著要帶新朋友來的時候，
甚至會取笑我。
I have also been encouraged by the
growth of the church, which has made
it necessary to purchase new premises at
Croydon South, a suburb of Melbourne,
the capital city of the State of Victoria,
Australia. These new premises allow us to
double our numbers who attend the
main services on Saturday, and
also provide more rooms for
separate classes that allow
our members, particularly
our youths, to be
trained in the word of
God.
我也因著教會的成長，而受到了鼓舞，
教會因著人數增長的需要，在墨爾本郊區的南克里登買了新的房地產。
是澳州維多利亞州的首都。
這些新的房產，可以容納我們二倍的人數，
可以讓人在安息日來參加主要的聚會，
也提供了更多的隔間，可以分別開班，
讓我們的信徒，特別是年青人，可以神的話話中受訓練。
Just like the
previous church
building, the new
building has no
distracting crosses,
statues, or other images. Its
simplicity reminds me of the
fact that finding God is not very
difficult as long as we truly believe in
and follow His word as given to us in the
Bible. Just get down on your knees and
pray, and you will find that He is there
with you.
就像之前的會堂建物一樣，新的會堂沒有令人分心的十字架裝飾，聖徒像，和其他的形象。
這新會堂的簡單之處，提醒了我一件事實，
要找到真神並不是很困難，只要我們真的相信，遵行祂在聖經裡面指示我們的話。
只要跪下來，禱告，你就會發現，神就在這裡和你同在。
May God bless each and every one
of you as you study His word, and pray
ceaselessly to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah, praise the Lord!
因著學習神的話語，願神祝福你們每一個人，
並且可以向我們的主耶穌基督不停的禱告。
哈利路亞，讚美主！
The curved sign outside the former church building in Melbourne.
墨爾本舊會堂外面的拱形招牌
pic
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7TjM_tljinNZFo1aHR0ZWVYcTg/view?usp=sharing
Sign with the basic beliefs in front of the old
church building in Melbourne
墨爾本舊會堂前面有印著十大信條的招牌
pic
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7TjM_tljinNaHRmMWFWU2ZuU0E/view?usp=sharing
Bro. Bart Morris after his baptism in 2005.
Bart Morris 弟兄2005年受洗後照像
pic
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7TjM_tljinNSkp0OHNwTF9fUXc/view?usp=sharing
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)