7. Manna issue 85 - Revive the True Church (Part 2) 復興真教會 (第二部)
How to ensure that we are
part of the perfected church
on the last day.
如何確認，我們是末日完全教會的一份子
Adapted from sermons by Barnabas Chong—Singapore
節錄自新加坡 張巴拿八 傳道講章
Editor’s note:
In part 1 of this article series, we learned how, as the revived apostolic church,
the True Jesus Church should follow in the same spirit of faithfulness towards God’s word,
His Holy Spirit and our commission.
In this final instalment, the author shares three more areas in which we should emulate the early apostolic church,
as we strive towards perfection.
編者按：
本系列文章的第一篇，我們得知，
身為復興的使徒教會，真耶穌教會對於神的話，
應如何遵循這相同且又信實的靈，
祂聖靈及我們的使命。
本篇為最後的章節，
作者分享了，當我們努力朝向完美的方向前進的時候，
有三個我們應該要效法早期使徒教會的地方。
What does it mean to be God’s true church?
Certain things come to mind:
to have the truth that saves, the presence of the Holy Spirit,
and the commission to preach the true gospel.
While we may bear all these hallmarks, is it possible that after a century on earth,
the True Jesus Church today has retained the form but not the soul of God’s true church?
要成為神的真教會，到底是什麼意思？
讓我想到一些事情：
要有真理使人得救，有聖靈同在，
有使命要傳揚純正的福音。
雖然我們或許都承受了這些印記，
有沒有可能在地上一百年之後，
真耶穌教會今日只保住外表，但卻不具有神真教會的靈魂？
It is clear to many of us in the True Jesus Church that we belong to something special.
God’s guidance and concern for His church are evident in the way
we have pulled through decades of challenges to establish ourselves across the world.
Coupled with the biblical promise that God will preserve His true church,
the True Jesus Church seems secure.
Unfortunately, some have been lulled into believing that they need not serve God and His church,
for the True Jesus Church will always thrive regardless.
對我們許多在真耶穌教會裡的人而言，很清楚的是，我們是一很特殊的族群。
神對教會的帶領和關懷，
讓我們歷經幾十年來的挑戰，可以超越世界，且得以穩固。
伴隨著聖經裡面的應許，神會保守祂的真教會，
真耶穌教會看起來很安全。
可惜的是，有些人受到引誘，認為自已不用服事神和教會，
不過怎樣，真耶穌教會總會成長茁壯。
These individuals are not entirely wrong.
There was a time when Mordecai reminded Esther that even if she did not lend her help to God’s people,
“relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place….
Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
(Est 4:14).
We are all in Esther’s position today.
There is no question that the True Jesus Church will prosper.
What remains to be seen is whether we will be counted among those who helped her prosper.
This is a question only you can answer for yourself.
這些人並不是全錯。
以前末底改提醒以斯帖，即使她沒有出手來幫助神的百姓，
14猶大人必從別處得解脫，蒙拯救；
焉知你得了王后的位分不是為現今的機會嗎？」
(斯 4：14)
今日我們都身處於以斯帖的處境。
毫無疑問地，真耶穌教會必會興旺。
接著我們會看到的是，自已有沒有被列在那些幫助教會興旺的人之中。
這是一個只有自已對自已才能回答的問題。
If we are willing, then there is much work to be done.
What should we work on?
若我們甘心樂意，那就有很多工作可以開始動手參與。
我們要作什麼呢？
THE GOD-FEARING CHURCH 敬畏神的教會
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified.
And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. (Acts 9:31)
31那時，猶太加利利、撒瑪利亞各處的教會都得平安，被建立；凡事敬畏主，蒙聖靈的安慰，人數就增多了。
(徒 9：31)
At a wedding banquet I once attended, several True Jesus Church youths
went on stage to present some songs for the newlyweds.
Soon after, the wedding emcee said in his speech,
“We would like to thank the True Jesus Church youths for putting on a performance for us.”
我曾經參加過一場婚禮，有些真耶穌教會的青年，
上台對婚禮新人獻幾首詩。
不久之後，婚禮主持人開口，
"我們要表達對真耶穌教會青年的感謝，為我們準備了這個表演。"
An elderly sister sitting at a table with me and several deacons looked at us,
appalled, and asked incredulously, “Can we use the name of the True Jesus Church like this?”
After having reassured her that this was no severe misuse of the church’s name,
my fellow ministers and I marveled at this sister’s God-fearing faith.
So reverent was she that a passing remark most of us would have ignored
brought out in her a fierce protectiveness over the sanctity of God’s affairs.
This sister embodies one of the defining features of the apostolic church that we would do well to emulate:
a God-fearing faith.
一位年長的姐妹與我坐同一桌，幾個執事看向我，心驚膽顫，
遲疑的問到，"我們能這樣使用真耶穌教會的名嗎？"
我們再三向她保証之後，這並不是很嚴重的誤用教會之名，
對於這位姐妹敬畏神的信心，我們負責人同工都很驚奇。
她很敬虔的給出了隨口的評論，我們大部份的人會忽略，
在她身上引出了對於神的事務的神聖不可侵犯，有了強烈的保護感。
這位姐妹實現了使徒教會時，被強調的特色，是我們要好好的效法：
就是敬畏神的信心。
In the verse above, it is clear that “walking in the fear of the Lord” is one of the main reasons
why the church population “multiplied.”
Why is it so important to fear the Lord?
上面的經節提到，很清楚的是，"以敬畏神的心行事為人"，
就是幾個主原理由的其中之一，為何教會的信徒會大大的"增加"。
為何敬畏神是這麼重要呢？
Firstly, God wants us to fear Him because He wants us to truly love Him.
When we come to church to worship, or when we pray alone at home,
we intuitively adopt the mannerisms of reverence.
Outwardly, we are all pictures of piety—standing solemnly as we sing hymns
or nodding attentively as we listen to sermons—no one doubts our worship.
But all too often, our hearts are filled with impurities of all stripes:
greed, jealously, spite, anger…the list continues.
We cannot truly worship and love God, whether in public or in solitude,
if we do not first recognize the importance of being honest with Him.
Honesty means addressing any negative emotions and thoughts we might be harboring inside us,
asking God to pardon and give us the strength to overcome these evils
so that we may worship Him with greater sincerity.
The importance of this is clear in the well-known story of Ananias and Sapphira,
whom God punished for lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1–10).
When we deceive ourselves in this way, hoping to go through the motions of worship or do the minimum,
we doubt God’s ability to see through our facades;
we do not show adequate fear, or love, of the Lord.
首先，神要我們敬畏祂，因為祂要我們真心愛祂。
當我們來教會聚會的時候，或是獨自在家禱告的時候，
我們會下意識地，採取了敬畏的態度。
在外表的行為上，我們都表現一副很敬虔的樣子-
唱讚美詩的時候，很嚴肅的起立，聽講道的時候，專心聽講頻頻點頭稱是-
沒有人會質疑我們的崇拜聚會。
但是大部份的時候，我們內心充滿了各式各樣的不潔：
貪心，忌妒，惱恨，憤怒...這個清單可以一直增加下去。
若我們不能一開始就認清對神保持誠實的重要性，
不論是在公供場合，還是個人獨處的時候，
我們作不到真正地敬拜神，敬愛神。
誠實的意思是，說出那些我們隱藏在內心的負面感情和想法，
求神原諒，賜我們力量克服這些罪惡，
這樣才可以用更加真誠的態度來敬拜祂。
真心誠意敬拜神的重要性，最為人所知的故事，
就是亞拿尼亞和撒非喇夫婦的事件，表明的很清楚，
他們因為向聖靈說謊，而受神處罰(徒 5：1-10)。
當我們用這樣的方式欺騙自已，
希望借由崇拜的行為，或是最小限度的行為，
並沒有表現出對主合宜的敬畏，疼愛。
God wants us to fear Him, but not because He needs to be reminded of His power.
Instead, God wants us to be honest with Him because He wants to form loving relationships with His chosen people.
The meteoric success of the early church, as well as the tragedy of Ananias and Sapphira,
teaches us just how important it is to fear God, and to love Him in faith and truth.
神要我們敬畏祂，但卻不是因為，要祂自已因為自已很有權能，要自我提醒。
反而，神要我們真心誠意靠近祂，因為祂要的是，自已的選民會主動營造出這種親密關係：
早期教會曇花一現成功，同時也如亞拿尼亞和撒非喇的悲劇，
指教我們，敬畏神是有多重要，要在信仰和真理的事上愛祂。
A COURAGEOUS FAITH 勇敢保持信心
“[T]hey will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them;
they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk 16:18)
18手能拿蛇；若喝了甚麼毒物，也必不受害；手按病人，病人就必好了。
(可 16：18)
The faith of the early apostolic church was very special by today’s standards.
用今日的標準來看，早期使徒教會的信心是，很特別的。
The Acts of the Apostles records the fascinating story of Tabitha, a disciple of Jesus who had passed away.
Instead of immediately arranging her burial, the believers turned to the apostle Peter,
so that he might bring a dear friend back to life through God’s grace.
As expected, Peter came at their request and, after a prayer,
God raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36–42).
使徒行傳記載了，大比大奇妙的故事，祂是耶穌的門徒，但去逝了。
他們沒有馬上安排祂的葬禮，許多信徒就轉向尋求使徒彼得的幫助，
就因為了這樣，他們可以因著神的恩典，讓這位親愛的朋友復活。
就如大家所想的，彼得因著大家的請求而來，經過一段禱告的時間，
神從死裡復活了大比大(徒 9：36-42)。
We may read such biblical accounts of miracles and marvel at our forefathers’ faith and power.
Even as we encourage one another to emulate them, these encouragements remain in the realm of the hypothetical.
We never literally believe in, or promote, having the faith to perform miracles.
The story above is short and simple, but it says so much about what true faith is.
The God of Peter is the God of the True Jesus Church today;
the Holy Spirit is one and the same; our truth is one and the same.
What has changed between then and now is how courageous we are in our faith.
There is a difference between having a faith that is aware of miracles as a possibility,
and a faith that knows a miracle is but a sincere prayer away.
Our forebears in the early apostolic church knew that they needed only to ask,
and they would see God’s active presence in their lives.
我們讀到這種聖經神蹟奇事的記載，
或許是因為祖先信心和能力。
即使我們互相鼓勵來效法他們，
這些勸勉都還是在假設的前題上。
我從未實實在在地相信這件事，推擴神的奇蹟，
擁有這樣的信心，行出這樣的神蹟。
上面的故事簡短又單純，但是其中所蘊含很多讓人知道什麼才是真正的信心。
彼得的神，就是今日真耶穌教會的神；
聖靈是唯一且相同的；真理是唯一且相同的。
從那時到現在，已經有的改變，就是我們自已在信仰上，有多勇敢。
有信仰認為神蹟是一種發生的機率，
有信仰明白了神蹟不過是誠心禱告的結果，這二種信仰是有所不同的。
我們早期使徒教會的祖先都知道，他們只有祈求，
他們會看到生活中，有神活躍的同在。
Today, what holds us back from being a church filled with power is a lack of courage.
We fear the dreaded uncertainty of possible failure.
The embarrassment of a failed public healing is too overwhelming,
too ruinous for our credibility as Spirit-filled Christians.
So we comfort ourselves with the unspoken, underlying belief that
past miracles were exceptional cases involving exceptional men.
We tell ourselves that the ordinary believer has no ability and,
therefore, no obligation to have such a courageous, powerful faith.
今日，讓我們不能成為一間充滿能力教會的原因，是因為沒有勇氣。
我們害怕會有讓人擔心的不確定性，有可能會失敗。
因為害怕在大眾面前，用神蹟醫病失敗後會很難看，讓人難以承受，
會我們身為聖靈充滿的基督徒，失去了可信度。
所以，我們對這不宣傳，低調的信仰，有了自我安慰，
而過去發生的神蹟，都是特殊案例，只發生在某些特殊的人身上。
我們會告訴自已，普通信徒沒有特別的能力，
所以，也沒有必要去擁抱這種充滿勇氣及能力的信仰。
Another common obstruction to true faith is telling ourselves that we are in no position to force our will upon God.
Although this is true, it does not mean we cannot have hope in our faith.
It is not humility that prevents us from bringing our entreaties to our heavenly Father,
and expecting Him to act for us according to His will; rather, it is our lack of courage.
另一種常見的阻礙，不會有真信仰的原因，就是告訴自已，
不夠資格來強迫行使自已的意願在神身上。
雖然這種想法也是對的，但並不代表了，我們就不能在信仰上有盼望。
並不是因為謙虛，讓我們不能把祈求帶給天父，
期待祂能照祂的旨意來為我們工作；
反而是因為我們沒勇氣。
This is a larger problem than we might perceive it to be.
We live in an age of solutions.
Advances in medicine and technology have improved our lives immeasurably.
The role of prayer, and to some extent, of God, is reserved for those problems
whose solutions we cannot find in the pharmacy or the app store.
We may, for instance, pray for the general blessings of a safe and secure future.
We may even pray for healing when medicine does not work.
But most of us would likely depend more on the pill and the syrup than on a fifteen-minute prayer.
“God helps those who help themselves,” we say.
When we justify our lack of faith with seemingly innocent, even biblical, reasons,
we allow cowardice to creep into other parts of our Christian lives.
A faith unwilling to proclaim a beloved brother or sister healed
is also a faith afraid of proclaiming the gospel to the world.
Like the apostles and believers in the early church, we ought to develop a more courageous faith,
that by the grace of God, we may be proof of His kingdom on earth.
這是比我們所能認知，事實上是更加嚴重的問題。
我們生活在各種解決方案的年代。
醫療與科技的進步，以無法衡量的程度在改善我們的生活。
禱告的功用，某種程度上來說，神的功用，是專為解決某些問題，
而這些問題是我們在藥房裡，或是 APP 下載中心無法找到解決方式的時候，才來找神的。
例如，我們會祈求很平常的祝福，未來有平安保障。
當醫藥沒有功用的時候，我們甚至會求神來醫治。
但是我們大部份的人，可能更寧願去依賴藥丸和藥水，而不是停下來，花15分鐘來禱告。
我們會說："天助自助者"。
當我們用看起來很天真，甚至合乎聖經，邏輯的想法，來合理化自已沒有信心，
就是允許軟弱，慢慢爬進我們基督生活的某些部份。
沒有信心，不願來傳講愛主的弟兄姐妹得到醫治，
也是一種害怕向全世界傳福音，缺乏信心的情況。
就如同使徒或是早期教會的信徒，
我們應該培養自已更加有勇氣有信心，
因著神的恩典，我們才能成為地上神國的明證。
HEAVEN ON EARTH 在地如天
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. (Acts 2:44–45)
44信的人都在一處，凡物公用；
45並且賣了田產，家業，照各人所需用的分給各人。
(徒 2：44-45)
Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them,
and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet;
and they distributed to each as anyone had need. (Acts 4:34–35)
34內中也沒有一個缺乏的，因為人人將田產房屋都賣了，把所賣的價銀拿來，放在使徒腳前，
35照各人所需用的，分給各人。
(徒 4：34-35)
Of the three areas in need of revival, following the economic example of
the early apostolic church might appear to be the most drastic.
The truth is, this example of the early church is more necessary than we think.
It is difficult to imagine successfully convincing a twenty-first-century congregation
to sell all their possessions and to pool the proceeds for everyone to share.
I do not believe, however, that the early apostolic church was setting communitarianism
as an ideal model in the economic sense.
As difficult as forming such a self-sacrificial economic community may seem,
forming a self-sacrificial spiritual community is much harder, but also much more important.
在這三個需要復興的地方，
若是去效法早期使徒教會，處理經濟問題的典範，
看起來就是極端嚴格。
事實上，這個早期教會的榜樣，比我們所認為的更加有必要。
很難想像，可以成功說服一群21世紀的會眾，
出售自已所有的財產，集中起來分給大家一起分享。
然而，就處理經濟所得的方式而言，
我不認為，早期使徒教會是為了共同體主義，而留下這個理想的模式。
就如同，要形成這種自我犧牲經濟共同體的情況，會看起來很困難
若要形成屬靈自我犧牲的共同體，則是更加困難，但這卻是更加重要。
By selling all they had and sharing in the proceeds, the early Christians were not simply giving up money,
privacy or financial security and freedom.
They were giving up something much more significant: their old ways of living.
The early believer, having sold everything he had and offering it to God,
was offering himself to be part of a spiritual community with fellow followers of Jesus.
By relinquishing their possessions and their wealth,
they were renouncing what remained of their ties to the world;
though individually they had nothing left, together, as a church, they lacked nothing.
It is easy to see how the early apostolic church had established God’s kingdom on earth.
出售他們一切所有的，分享賣出的財利，
早期基督徒，並不是單純施捨金錢，私有財產，財務上的安全感及財務自由而已。
他們所放棄的，是一些更為重要的事物：他們舊有的生活方式。
早期信徒，出售他有的一切財產，獻給神，
就是為了獻上自已，可以成為同是耶穌跟隨者屬靈團體的一份子。
藉由放棄自已的財產和財富，
他們放棄了自已與這個世界連結；
雖然就個人而言，他們一無所有，大家在一起，成為合一的教會，就一無所缺。
我們很容易就能看出，早期使徒教會是如何，在地上建立神國。
Reviving this sacrificial spirit would demand the most from us.
Today, we are not asked to sell our possessions and share them with the people we call brothers and sisters.
Instead, we keep what we have earned and offer tithes to God,
retaining a comfortable measure of personal freedom and security.
What is worrying, however, is how these possessions have come to reflect an investment in,
and a bond to, the world outside the church, of which we are unwilling to let go.
Yet, when our eternal life could be lost, we ought to reassess our priorities.
As Jesus succinctly said: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt 6:24b).
要復興這種犧牲精神，會要我們自已付出很多。
今日，我們並沒有被要求，要變賣自已的財產，
與那些我們稱呼為，弟兄姐妹的人來一起分享。
相反的，我可以保留自已的所得，獻給神十分之一，
保有個人覺得有自由，又有安全感的份量。
然而，讓人憂慮的是，這些資產遷涉到反應出投資到那裡去，
而投資又連結到教會以外的世界，而世界又讓我們很難割捨。
但是，當我們有可能失去永生的時候，就應該好好再評估自已的優先順序選擇。
就如耶穌簡短的說到，"你們不能又事奉神，又事奉瑪門"。(太 6：24b)
The first step to coming together as a community, to establish a heaven on earth,
is to cultivate the habit of attending church services and being fully present during our worship.
I have fond memories of when I was a youth, spending time in fellowship with brothers and sisters
who have grown up with me and are still worshipping God by my side today.
Even outside of service times, we would gather in church to study the Bible and spend time together.
As we drew closer in fellowship with one another,
we relinquished our ties to the world and strengthened our bond with God.
Today, we do not need to be carefree youths, with spare time for impromptu Bible studies,
in order to embody the same spirit of wholehearted worship and self-sacrifice.
We need only put aside our worldly concerns to devote ourselves fully to each service we attend,
and sincerely care for the wellbeing—spiritual, emotional, physical, material or otherwise—of our brethren.
Then, we will truly be united as the body of Christ.
第一步驟是集中聚集，成為一個團契，建立一個地上的天國，
就是要培養習慣去聚會，聚會時間能夠全程參與。
我想起了年輕時的一些記憶，有很多時間與和我一起長大的弟兄姐妹一起團契，
今日，他們仍然在我旁邊一起事奉神。
即使是聚會以外的時間，我們會聚在教會一起讀經，很多時間聚在一起。
隨著我們在團契中，互相變得更親近，
因而放棄了與世界的連結，加添了我們與神連結的力量。
今時今日，我們不必刻意成為無憂無慮的年輕人，用空閒的時間隨時隨地讀經，
就可以實現有全心全意敬拜神，自我奉獻，當時同樣的精神。
我們只要拋棄自已世上的憂慮，全心全意投入自已每一次所參加的聚會，
真心誠意去關心我們弟兄姐妹的靈性，情緒，肉體，物質及其他類似方面的幸福。
CONCLUSION 結論
As a church, on the whole, there are many areas of service that can be improved.
What is paramount amid all this talk of growth and revival is an honest examination of our individual, personal faith.
By having a better understanding of where we stand before God, what we lack,
and what we have done to please him, we can better strengthen those who fight the same spiritual battles by our side.
Only then can we be more like the early church of old, and establish our heaven on earth.
作為神的教會，整體來檢視的話，會有許多事奉的地方可以改善。
在這整串討論成長及復興的文章裡，真正最重要的是，
能夠誠誠實實的檢視我們自已，個人的信仰狀態。
藉由弄清楚，自已在神的面前，我們是站在什麼樣子的位置，
我們有什麼缺失，我們做了什麼事讓神喜悅，
就能幫助那些在我們身邊的人，當他們也經歷同樣的靈戰之時，好好加添他們的力量。
只有這樣，我們才能與以前早期教會很相似，在地上建立天國。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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