5. Manna issue 84 - Complete The Construction Of The True Church (Part 1) 完成真耶穌教會的建造
Aun Quek Chin—Singapore 新加坡 陳恩國傳道
TWO TYPES OF FOUNDATIONS 二種根基
Jesus once told a parable of a wise man and a foolish man,
each building his own house.
The wise man built his house with its foundation on the rock,
so even when the storms raged,
his house stood firm as a testament to his wisdom and the sturdiness of the rock.
The foolish man, on the other hand, built his house on the sand.
When the storms came, his house shook and collapsed, and great was its fall.
In His parable, Jesus used the metaphor of building a house
to illustrate the importance of a life built on His words and authority.
If we extend the metaphor to the building of God’s house
—the church—the principle remains the same.
We should emulate the wise man by building the church on the rock
that stands firm in the face of the wind and waves.
耶穌曾經說過一個比喻，智慧人和愚妄人，
各自建造自已的房子。
智慧人把自已房子的根基建在磐石上，
所以即使有風暴怒吼，
房子仍然非常穩固，見証了他自已的智慧，而且磐石也很堅固。
而愚忘人反而把房子建在沙土上。
當遇到大風暴的時候，他的房子就被動搖而崩塌，蒙受了很大的傷害。
在耶穌的比喻裡，祂用建造房子來比喻，
用來描寫一個人的生命，以神的話語和權柄為根基的重要性。
若我們把這個比喻，延伸到建造神的家 - 教會 -
仍然是適用同樣的原則。
我們應該要效法智慧人，把教會建在磐石上，
這樣教會面對大風大浪的時候，才會站立穩固。
Within this context, the parable focuses on how to build,
and the conditions under which we build up, the true church of God.
To embark on this task, we should first ask ourselves,
“Do we believe that the construction of the church can ever be completed, and the church be perfect?”
Inevitably, the church will face internal and external difficulties along the way,
and these will challenge our efforts in the construction of the church.
在這段比喻的內文中，這個比喻強調要怎麼去建造，
在我們建造神的真教會的時候，有那些重要的條件要打好根基。
要著手開始這件任務，就應一開始就問問自已，
"我們是否相信，教會的建造是可以被完成的？教會是會完美的？"
無可避免的，教會一路走來，都會遇到各種內部及外部的困難，
在我們建造教會的時候，這些困難都會讓我們的努力受到挑戰。
If we consider the progress of the current works undertaken by the church, we may feel discouraged.
Our evangelistic efforts seem to have plateaued,
and we face various challenges in pioneering areas.
On the pastoral front, although most members have not deviated from the truth,
they do not always enjoy attending services or listening to the word of God—
the very foundation upon which we are to be built.
若是我們想想，目前教會正在進行工作的進度，或許會覺得有些灰心。
我們努力傳福音，看起來好像趨於高峰，
而在開拓地區，我們面對各種的挑戰。
前線的牧養工作，雖然大部份的信徒沒有離開真道，
然而他們並不會總是喜愛參加聚會，聆聽神的話語-
而神的話語，正是我們信仰所建立的根基。
Despite all this, can we be like the wise man
and continue building God’s house on the rock?
Can we persist in upholding the principles with which He began?
雖然面對這種種的挑戰，
我們是否還能像智慧人一樣，
繼續把神的家建在磐石上？
我們是否可以堅持下去，
持守教會一開始的各種教義？
The storms will come and go,
but God’s church will remain standing amid the squalls.
Throughout the last one hundred years of our church history,
we have weathered many storms.
Yet we have seen the consistent guidance of God in His church.
Let us learn from three of our past storms.
風暴來來去去，
但神的教會在風暴中，會穩固堅立。
從過去我們教會歷史的最近的一百年來看，
我們已經承受了很多的風暴。
然而，我們還是看到了神對教會持續的帶領。
接著讓我們從下面三個過去的風暴中，學一些教訓。
THE FIRST STORM: STRUGGLE AMONG EARLY WORKERS 第一次的風暴：早期工人的掙扎
Among our early workers, a man named Barnabas Chang claimed he was the founder of the True Jesus Church.
He even established his own general assembly in Nanjing, China,
creating a division between the churches in northern and southern China.
This storm raged for seven years, from 1924 to 1931,
before the churches in China started to reconcile with one another.
我們的早期工人中，有個人叫張巴拿巴，
他自稱自已是真耶穌教會的創始人。
他甚至在中國南京建立自已的總會，
並且在中國北方和南方的教會之間，建立各個分會。
中國各教會開始相互和解之前，
這場風暴肆虐了七年，從1924年到1931年。
Let us not be surprised that the true church established by the Holy Spirit faced such a turbulent storm,
because even the apostolic church was not spared.
The apostle Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for showing partiality and dividing the church members.
The elder John likewise mentioned Diotrephes,
who loved to have preeminence among the members of the church (3 Jn 9).
我們不必太過警訝，由聖靈建立的真教會，
竟然會面對這種動盪的風暴，
因為就連使徒教會也無法避免這種事。
使徒保羅斥責哥林多教會，
教會有所偏心，會讓信徒分裂。
同樣地約約翰長老提到了丟特腓，
他在教會的信徒中，特愛出頭。
(約三 9)
Hence, we see that the early workers chosen by God could, and did,
fall because of pride.
Despite this, the church will not fall.
The construction of the true church will definitely continue until the work is completed.
因此，我們看見了，
即使是由神揀選的早期工人，
就這麼墮落了，因為他自已變得很驕傲。
雖然有這種情況，教會卻不會跌倒。
真教會的建造一定會一直持續下去，直到這項工作完成為止。
THE SECOND STORM: CONFUSION OVER THE TRUTH 第二次的風暴：混亂真理
The second storm the True Jesus Church went through was confusion over the truth.
False doctrines were brought into God’s church, causing turmoil among members.
Many false teachings have come and gone, but some have left lasting consequences.
第二場風暴，真耶穌教會經歷了會內真理的混亂。
假教義傳進了神的教會，造成信徒的混亂。
許多假的教義進來又出去，但是有些卻留下長久的後果。
One such false teaching propagated the idea of the devil’s self-existence.
It was first touched on in September 1950, when a church worker published an article in True Holiness
(a publication similar to Holy Spirit Monthly) expressing his view that the devil is self-existing.
He opined that although Satan is in opposition to God, his power is not equivalent to God’s.
Moreover, the church worker believed that even though Satan is self-existing,
he is not eternal and cannot live forever.
When the article was published, the church acted promptly
and took a strong stand against this view,
rejecting the teaching and highlighting its incongruence with biblical truth.
This prevented the spread and damage of this false teaching within the church.
其中一種假教訓，提倡魔鬼自已的概念。
1950年九月時，第一次有人去觸碰這個主題，
而直到有一位教會的工人在真聖潔刊物發表文章，
(像聖靈月刊的出版品)，表達他的看法，魔鬼是自存的。
他認為，雖然撒旦與神為敵，但他的能力比不過神的能力。
不僅如些，教會工人相信，雖然撒但是自存的，
他不是永存的，無法永遠活著。
當這篇文章發表之後，教會立刻行動，
採取強烈的立場反對這種說法，
拒絕這種教導，強調這是和聖經的真理是不一致的。
這就避免了，這個錯誤的教導，在教會裡面散佈及造成傷害。
However, this teaching was re-introduced into the church in 1999,
when a preacher, who has since been excommunicated,
insisted that the devil is self-existing and not a fallen angel,
and that the church had been wrong all this time.
Regrettably, at the second occurrence, the church did not make as strong a stand as in 1950,
but rather, out of openness and love, the church leaders permitted continued study into the matter.
As a result, this heretical teaching seeped out and festered for thirteen years,
to the detriment of the church and those who were deceived.
然而，這個教導在1999年的時候，再次在教會裡面被人提到，
有一個傳道人，自從那時他就被除名了，
他堅持，魔鬼是自存的，不是一位墮落的天使，
而且教會一直以來對這件事的看法都是錯的。
很可惜的是，這第次是第二次發生這種事，
教會並沒有像1950年的時候，採去強硬的立場，
反而出於開放和慈愛的心態，
教會領導者禁止繼續去研究這件事。
結果，這個異端的教導到處滲透，讓教會潰爛了13年，
使人受到欺騙，造成了教會和信徒的傷害。
The damage inflicted by the false teaching and its propagator is clearly evident to all now,
with ongoing strife between full-time workers and believers worldwide in the True Jesus Church.
Therefore, the church must stand firm and act quickly against false teachings that contradict the truth,
and be wary of any future reoccurrence of such teachings.
隨著真耶穌教會全職工人及全球信徒，持續的努力之下。
假教訓及其倡導者所造成的傷害，對現在每個人而言，都很明顯了。
所以，教會要站立穩固，快速行動來對抗那與真理互相矛盾的假教訓，
而且要很小心，以防未來再度有這樣的假教訓再度出現。
The storm of false doctrines will continue as we persevere in the construction of God’s true church.
When God leads His workers to build His church, the devil will also endeavor to hinder this work.
We should recognize that this battle does not belong to you and me;
it is a battle that the devil is waging against God.
He will attempt to obstruct the work of salvation.
This is a storm that we must face until the end.
當我們堅持要建造神的真教會，那假教義的風暴就會繼續發生。
當神帶領工人建立祂的教會時，魔鬼也會很努力要阻擋這件工作。
我們應該要有認知，這場戰役並不屬於你和我；
這是一場魔鬼發起對神抗爭的戰役。
他會企圖阻礙救贖的工作。
這種風暴是我們一直到未日之前都一定要面對的。
THE THIRD STORM: POLITICAL OPPOSITION 第三次的風暴：政治上的敵對
In 1917, the Holy Spirit worked through the early workers to establish His church,
starting in Beijing, followed by around 1,000 locations in China over a period of forty years.
However, after 1957, there was a major political shift in China,
leading to the socioeconomic chaos of the Cultural Revolution,
where religious movements were oppressed by the governing Communist party.
This pushed our church in China into a state of hibernation.
Members’ faith was shaken and some even felt that the True Jesus Church was a house built on sand.
1917年，聖靈透過早期工人來作工，建立了祂的教會，
一開始在北京，經過了50年的發展時期，就在中國大陸建立了大約了1000個聚會點。
然而1957年以後，中國政治上有重大的改變，
文化大革命導致了社會經濟上的大混亂，
而統治階層的共產黨，壓迫各種宗教活動。
這種情況，壓迫我們中國大陸的教會，進入冬眠的狀態。
信徒的信心都動搖了，
有些人甚至覺得，真耶穌教會是蓋在沙地上的房子。
Nevertheless, there remained others who firmly believed that
the church would rise above the storm.
Although the tempestuous gales blew so fiercely that
construction appeared to have ceased,
these faithful members held fast to their belief that God would surely guide them to complete the work.
Although oppressed, they secretly maintained contact with other members.
Those who were even braver continued to preach to their friends and relatives amid the political unrest.
然而，仍有一些人堅定的相信，教會不會受到這次風暴的影響。
雖然狂暴的大風猛列的吹襲著，教堂工作看起來是停下來了，
但這些有信心的弟兄姐妹，堅守著他們的信仰，
相信神一定會帶領他們完成這項工作。
雖然受到欺壓，弟兄姐妹偷偷維持著彼此的連繫。
在這政治動盪的情況之中，甚至仍有一些很勇敢的信徒，
繼續向他們的親朋好友傳福音。
It was not until the 1970s that the political situation in China improved.
As the country became more open and liberal,
the storm receded and the work of building the church resumed.
The political oppression has been damaging; yet, the Lord’s work has continued,
because the construction of the true church is God’s will.
No matter how boisterous the wave or how strong the gale,
the house built upon the Rock of Jesus Christ will stand firm.
直到1970年代，中國的政治情況才有點改善。
因為國家變得稍為自由開放，
政治風暴變弱了，教會建造的工作得以繼續。
政治壓迫一直都造成傷害；
然而神的工作持續著，
因為真教會的建立是神的旨意。
不論風浪多麼猛烈，風暴多麼強勁，
房子會建在耶穌基督的磐石上，站立穩固。
“UNLESS THE LORD BUILDS THE HOUSE”
"若不是耶和華建造房屋"
The true church has endured many stormy winds and waves,
but has remained firmly established.
The Book of Zechariah reminds us that God’s house persists not through our own might and wisdom:
真耶穌教會，經歷了許多狂風暴雨的風浪，
但是仍然穩固的堅立。
撒迦利亞書提醒我們，
神的家得以存留，並非在於我們的力量和智慧：
Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
“The hands of Zerubbabel
Have laid the foundation of this temple;
His hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know
That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.
For who has despised the day of small things?
For these seven rejoice to see
The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
They are the eyes of the LORD,
Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.” (Zech 4:8–10)
8耶和華的話又臨到我說：
9所羅巴伯的手立了這殿的根基，他的手也必完成這工，你就知道萬軍之耶和華差遣我到你們這裡來了。
10誰藐視這日的事為小呢？這七眼乃是耶和華的眼睛，遍察全地，見所羅巴伯手拿線鉈就歡喜。
(亞 4：8-10)
Although the hands of Zerubbabel had laid the foundation of the temple,
these hands faltered and ceased work when faced with opposition.
In time, God called on Zerubbabel to continue the construction of the temple,
reminding him that the work would not be completed through his might alone (Zech 4:6).
God’s hands strengthened him, reinvigorating his wavering arms to complete the building of the temple.
雖然借由所羅巴伯的手立了聖殿的根基，
然而當他們面對反對之時，這一雙雙工作的手卻發抖，停工工作。
正在這個時候，神呼召了所羅巴伯繼續聖殿的建造，
提醒他，這個工作不會只單靠他的能力就可以完成。(亞 4：6)
神的雙手加添他力量，使他猶豫不決的雙臂再次振作起來，
可以有力量去完成聖殿的建造。
From this,
we learn that the rebuilding of the temple is not the work of man,
but of God.
Today, when we build up the church,
we should not think of it as asking God to complete our work.
Rather,
it is the other way round—
we should ask God to help us work with Him to complete His work.
從這裡可以看到，
我們可以得知，聖殿的重建不是人手的工作，而是神的手。
今日，當我們在建立教會的時候，
我們不應該認為，只要求神來完成我們人手所該作的工作。
反而，這應該是相反的情況，
我們應該求神的幫助，可以讓我們和祂同工，去完成祂的工作。
These are two contrasting perspectives.
If we ask God to work with us to complete the work, and we succeed,
we may think God works to fulfill our ambitions and build His house according to our ideas.
If we fail, we will become dejected and complain that God has not worked with us.
這兩種情況是兩種相對的看法。
若我們求神和我們同工，去完成這件工作，
而我們成功完成了，或許會認為神同工來成就我們的抱負，
依我們的想法來建造祂的家。
若我們失敗了，會開始灰心，開始抱怨神沒有和我們同工。
Conversely, if we hold the view that we are the ones working with God to complete His work,
we will understand that the success we achieve is for the glory of God.
If we fail, God will guide others to finish the work.
Workers will come and go,
but God’s work to build His house will persist.
Man is weak and may fail,
but God is never weak and will never fail.
相反的是，若我們有自已去配合神工作的這種想法，
配合神去完成祂的工作，
就會很清楚，自已所獲得的成就，都是為了讓神得到榮耀。
而若是我們失敗了，神會帶領別人去完成這項工作。
作工的人會來來去去，但是神作工建造祂的家會一直持續下去。
人很軟弱，會跌倒，
但是神不會軟弱，永遠不會失敗。
THREE PROCLAMATIONS FROM GOD 神的三個宣告
God will help us to build up the true church because it is His work.
To encourage His workers with “good and comforting words” (Zech 1:13),
God sent His prophet Zechariah to make three proclamations.
神會幫我們建造真教會，因為這是祂自已的工作。
為了用"美善的安慰話"(亞 1：13)來鼓勵自已的工人，
神差派自已的先知撒迦利亞，留下了三大宣告。
First Proclamation: “I Am Zealous for Jerusalem”
第一個宣告："我為耶路撒冷，心裡極其火熱"
So the angel who spoke with me said to me,
“Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts:
“I am zealous for Jerusalem
And for Zion with great zeal.” ’ ” (Zech 1:14)
14與我說話的天使對我說：你要宣告說，萬軍之耶和華如此說：我為耶路撒冷為錫安，心裡極其火熱。
(亞 1：14)
We who are zealous in building the church of God should constantly reflect:
are we maintaining the same level of zeal in our service,
or have we, over time, become cold?
As we serve, we can become disheartened because of the many disagreeable incidents that come our way.
We may even ask: Do I need to be so zealous?
Why should I make such sacrifices?
What do I gain from them?
If we continue with this line of questioning,
we may become so discouraged that we no longer desire even to attend services,
let alone serve.
Our fervor wanes when we rely solely on our limited human zeal.
我們這些熱心要建造神教會的人，應該要持續反省：
在我們服事神的工作中，是否仍有相同程度的熱心。
或是一段時間之後，我們已經變冷淡了呢？
在我們服事神的時候，有許多人會反對，就有可能會變得灰心。
我們甚至會問：我有必要那麼熱心嗎？
我為什麼要作出那麼多的犧牲？
從這其中，我有得到什麼好處嗎？
若是我們順著這樣的思路下去，持續發出疑問，
我們或許會很灰心，甚至也不願意去參加聚會，更別說要去服事神了。
當我們只依賴自已有限人類的熱情，這股熱情是會消退的。
However, the Lord has proclaimed, “I am zealous for Jerusalem” (Zech 1:14).
God Himself is zealous to build His house and His zeal will never grow cold.
Why are we so anxious then?
Instead, we ought to reflect on our own attitude towards our labor for God’s house.
然而，主從經宣告，"我為耶路撒冷，心裡極其火熱。"(亞 1：14)
神本身是很熱心要建造自已的家，祂的熱心永遠不會變淡。
即然如此，那麼為什麼我們還會這麼憂慮呢？
相反的，我們應該要好好思考一下，自已對待神家工作，是什麼樣子的態度。
Second Proclamation: “I Am Returning to Jerusalem with Mercy”
第二個宣告："現今我回到耶路撒冷，仍施憐憫"。
Therefore thus says the LORD:
“I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy;
My house shall be built in it,” says the LORD of hosts,
“And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” (Zech 1:16)
16所以耶和華如此說：現今我回到耶路撒冷，仍施憐憫，
我的殿必重建在其中，準繩必拉在耶路撒冷之上。這是萬軍之耶和華說的。
(亞 1：16)
When God made this proclamation,
the work on the temple had ceased for sixteen years.
The faith of the post-exilic Jews was weak because,
for sixteen years, they could not see any action from God.
They probably thought:
We were so zealous in constructing the temple for You.
When we met with difficulties, we resolved the minor issues ourselves.
But now that we are experiencing major issues,
why do You not help us?
They doubted God and even murmured against Him.
當神作了這個宣告，
聖殿的工作已經停了16年了。
那些當時在被虜後期的猶太人的信心很軟弱，
因為在這16年間，他們看不到任何從神而來的作為。
他們或許會這樣想：
我們很熱心為你建造聖殿。
當我們遇到困難的時候，
我們自已處理了一些小問題。
但是現在我們面對了重大的困，為什麼你沒有幫助我們呢？
他們開始懷疑神，甚至會私底下說神的壞話。
So God proclaimed to them: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy.”
所以神向他們宣告："現今我回到耶路撒冷，仍施憐憫"。
At the right moment, God would return to Jerusalem.
This meant that He would restart His rebuilding work,
but it did not mean that He had left His people
during the period of His apparent silence.
We must understand that God has His time.
神在適當的時候，會回到耶穌撒冷。
這代表了，祂會重新開始祂建造的工作，
但這並不意謂著，神在祂看起來沉默的時期，拋棄了自已的子民。
我們要了解，神自有祂的時間。
Third Proclamation: “My Cities Shall Again Spread Out through Prosperity”
第三個宣告："我的城邑必再豐盛發達。"
“Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts:
“My cities shall again spread out through prosperity;
The LORD will again comfort Zion,
And will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ” (Zech 1:17)
17你要再宣告說，萬軍之耶和華如此說：我的城邑必再豐盛發達。耶和華必再安慰錫安，揀選耶路撒冷。
(亞 1：17)
The construction of the true church is the will of God.
God is zealous for His church;
He will return to Jerusalem with mercy and His house will surely prosper.
In our service today, it may seem like our efforts have yielded little progress.
However, let us remember, God has promised that as long as we are working for Him,
the work will flourish and the building of His house will be completed.
真教會的建立，是神的旨意。
神對自已的教會很熱心；
祂會回到耶路撒冷施憐憫，祂的城邑必然興盛。
在我們今日的服事中，或許看起來，我們的努力只有一點點的進展。
然而，讓我們記住，神曾經應許，只我們為祂工作，
這份工作自會興旺，建造神家的工作定會完成。
BUILDING THE ONE HOUSE AS ONE BODY 連結整個教會成為一體
The work of building God’s house on the rock is not one to be undertaken alone,
nor should it be implemented only by the ministers.
Rather, it is to be done by the whole congregation—
the body of Christ, His church.
Although Nehemiah had great fervor to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
he did not set about doing the work alone.
Instead, he mobilized the nation, the Jews who remained
or had returned to the holy city, to rebuild the walls.
Nehemiah told the people:
在磐石上建立神家的工作，不是自已一個人就能獨自承擔，
也不是應該只有聖職人員才要實行。
相反的，這個工作要由全體會眾-耶穌的身體，
一起來建造祂的教會。
雖然尼西米先知，有很大的熱心要重建耶路撒冷的城牆，
他沒有就自已來，開始這項工作。
反過來，他動員了整個國家的人，
那些仍留在原地的猶太人，或是那些回歸聖城的猶太人，
一起來重建城牆。
尼西米先知告訴百姓：
“You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste,
and its gates are burned with fire.
Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem,
that we may no longer be a reproach.”
And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me,
and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said,
“Let us rise up and build.”
Then they set their hands to this good work. (Neh 2:17–18)
17以後，我對他們說：我們所遭的難，耶路撒冷怎樣荒涼，城門被火焚燒，你們都看見了。
來罷，我們重建耶路撒冷的城牆，免得再受凌辱！
18我告訴他們我神施恩的手怎樣幫助我，並王對我所說的話。
他們就說：我們起來建造罷！於是他們奮勇做這善工。
(尼 2：17-18)
At that time, the walls of Jerusalem had burned down.
The people, fearing the storms of oppression,
did not have the courage to rebuild the city wall.
The Jews living among the ruins of Jerusalem felt that God did not protect them,
and that their enemies could destroy their efforts.
They feared their work would yield no tangible results,
like the house built on sand.
那個時候，耶路撒冷的城牆燒毀了。
那時的百姓，因為害怕會被逼迫的風暴掃到，
並沒有勇力重建城牆。
猶太人住在耶路撒冷的廢墟裡，
心裡覺得，神並沒有保護他們，
而且他們的敵人會摧毀他們的耗費精力建造的成果。
害怕他們的工作不會產生具體的成果，
就像房子蓋在沙土上。
Nevertheless, Nehemiah reminded the Jews of the indignation that they had suffered,
the humiliation of their beloved city,
and the desolation of their home.
But most importantly,
he pointed out the injustice of turning a blind eye to the current state of their temple and city.
Let the call of Nehemiah move us to reflect on ourselves:
Do we feel a sense of belonging in church, in this house we are building?
Is this house that is built on the rock our house?
然而，尼西米先知提醒猶太人，
過去遭受不公平待遇而承受的氣憤，
自已憐愛的這座聖城所受到的羞辱，
自已家中一片荒蕪。
而最重要的是，他指出，以前的不公不義，
讓他們變的盲目，導致了他們聖殿及城市變成現在這幅模樣。
讓我們隨著尼西米先知的呼籲而受到感動，好好反省自已的情況：
我們在教會裡，這我們自已建造的家中，有沒有歸屬感？
這座建在磐石上的房子，真是我們的家嗎？
We are a part of the body of Christ,
working together to build the one house on the rock.
As such, we must maintain our dignity.
The young David is a good example of this.
When he heard Goliath mocking Israel, David said,
“For who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam 17:26b).
David even made good his word by setting out to fight Goliath—
not because he was an impulsive young man or that he thought he was a good fighter,
but because he esteemed his dignity as one of God’s people.
David could not allow this uncircumcised Gentile to humiliate the people of God.
我們是基督身體的一部份，
一起來作工，把這唯一的房子建在磐石上。
因此，我們一定要維持自尊。
少年大衛，就是這種情況的好模樣。
當他聽到哥利亞在嘲笑以色列人，大衛說，
26這未受割禮的非利士人是誰呢？竟敢向永生神的軍隊罵陣麼？
(撒上 17：26b)
少年大衛甚至善用他的語言，說出要出發去攻打哥利亞-
並非他是一個血氣方剛的少年，或是他自認是好戰士，
而是因為他很珍惜自尊，是神百姓的一份子。
大衛不允許這個未受割禮的外邦人，來羞辱神的百姓。
Many a time, we think that the duty to defend the church
from attack lies in the hands of the ministers or the church board,
not the “common” believer.
But David, who was neither a soldier nor a king,
felt that sense of duty and acted accordingly.
He was described by God as a man after His own heart (1 Sam 13:14).
We, too, ought to remember that we are members, not guests,
of God’s household, and so must shoulder our responsibility.
很多時候，我們常常認為，保護教會免於被攻擊，
是教會長執或是職務會的責任，而不是"普通"信徒的事。
而大衛即不是士兵，也不是君王，
卻自覺有責任，並且因著有責任感而有了相應的行動。
神這樣描寫他，是一個合神心意的人。
(撒上 13：14)
我們也應該要記得，我們是神教會的信徒，不是來賓，
所以一定要肩負起自已的責任。
Finally, Nehemiah encouraged the people by telling them
how God had influenced the king to allow him to return
to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall.
Amazingly, the king not only granted Nehemiah his request,
but also contributed the materials needed for the reconstruction.
This Gentile king, who played no part in God’s house,
recognized that the Jews would labor for the living God.
He became a testimony to the Jews,
proving Nehemiah’s assertion that God was with them.
They were inspired to proclaim,
“Let us rise up and build.”
Even when they faced opposition,
Nehemiah re-affirmed the people’s commitment,
saying to their antagonists,
“The God of heaven Himself will prosper us;
therefore we His servants will arise and build,
but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem” (Neh 2:20).
Indeed, the Jews then worked until the wall was completely rebuilt.
These people are worthy of our emulation.
Though we may become disheartened in the face of challenges,
we must keep these words of encouragement in our heart.
Let us rise up and commit to doing this good work—
to continue building the house of God on the solid rock.
最後，尼西米先知鼓勵百姓，
告訴他們，神是如何影響君王的決定，
讓他可以回到耶路撒冷來重建城牆。
很奇妙的是，王不只應允尼西米先王的請求，
也貢獻了一些重建所需要的物資。
這個外邦的君王，在神的家中並沒有任何角色，
卻能認知到，猶太人是在為永生的活神在工作。
他向猶太人証明，尼西米先知的主張是真實的，神與他們同在。
他們受到感動就大聲宣告，
"讓我們站起來，來重建城牆吧"。
甚至他們遇到別人反對的時候，
尼西米再一次確認百姓的承諾，向他們的對手這樣說：
20我回答他們說：天上的神必使我們亨通。我們作他僕人的，
要起來建造；你們卻在耶路撒冷無分、無權、無紀念。
(尼 2：20)
是的，猶太人就真的一起工作，直到城牆完全重建好。
這群人，真是值的我們好好效法。
雖然他們面對挑戰的時候，或許會變得灰心，
我們一定要在自已的內心中，好好保守住那些鼓勵自已的話。
讓我們興起，下定決心完全這項善工 -
繼續把神的家建在磐石上。
To be continued. 待續
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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