0. Manna issue 98 - M98 Editorial: Launch Out into the Deep M98 編輯評論：出發進入深海
Marian Shek—Leicester, UK 英國萊斯特
And Jesus said to Simon,
"Do not be afraid.
From now on you will catch men."
So when they had brought their boats to land,
they forsook all and followed Him."
(Lk 5:10b–11)
10耶穌對西門說：
不要怕！從今以後，你要得人了。
11他們把兩隻船攏了岸，
就撇下所有的，跟從了耶穌。
(路 5：10b-11)
As followers of Christ,
we have been called to become fishers of men.
We are commissioned to preach the gospel of salvation to all nations
so that they, too, have the chance to enter the heavenly kingdom.
The Lord reassures us that we can do this work without fear
because He will be with us until the end
(Mt 28:19–20).
作為基督的跟隨者，
我們蒙召成為得人的漁夫。
我們受託傳揚得救的福音給萬國，
使他們也有機會進入天國。
主向我們保證，我們可以無畏的完成這項工作，
因為祂必與我們同在，直到世界末了。
(太 28：19-20)
And yet, evangelism feels like a daunting task.
The idea of venturing out to preach to strangers,
let alone bringing them to belief and baptism,
strikes a chord of trepidation in our hearts.
We worry that we are ineloquent, unknowledgeable, and spiritually weak.
We fear rejection, or worse, persecution for our beliefs.
We observe the inhospitable waters in which we fish,
and blame our unsophisticated tools and strategies.
然而，傳福音感覺就像是一項可怕的任務。
冒險向外面陌生人傳道的想法，
更遑論要帶領他們信主受洗，
觸動了我們內心的恐懼。
我們擔心自己口才不好，知識不足，靈性軟弱。
我們害怕拒絕，甚至更糟，會因信仰而遭迫害。
我們眼見自己所處的境況艱難，
便將失敗歸咎於自己不夠成熟的工具和策略。
However, before Jesus called Simon to be a fisher of men,
He demonstrated how simple this work can be through a miracle.
Even though Simon and his companions had been toiling all night without a catch,
Jesus instructed them:
"Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
When they obeyed Jesus' command,
they caught such a haul of fish that their net started to break
(Lk 5:4–6).
然而，耶穌呼召西門成為得人的漁夫之前，
祂透過一個神蹟展示這項工作可以多麼簡單。
儘管西門和他的同伴整夜一直勞動卻一無所獲，
耶穌對他們說：
“把船開到水深之處，下網打魚。"
當他們聽從了耶穌的吩咐，
就圈住許多魚，網險些裂開。
(路 5：4-6)
When we boldly do this work at the Lord's command,
trusting with a simple heart,
God Himself is the One who will bring souls into the net.
So if we are disappointed
that our catch does not seem proportional to the effort we put it,
we must shift our mindset back to the Lord.
The church must be united in following the Lord's instruction
and consistently pray for the door of the gospel to be opened
(Col 4:3).
When we return to these basic principles and faithfully do the work
—be it through posting flyers, speaking to friends and strangers,
or sharing on social media
—we will see God's hand.
Many of our brethren have noticed that when they make this shift,
not only do more truth-seekers come through the doors,
but some are miraculously guided to us
without seeing any of our evangelistic materials,
proving that the work is not accomplished through our own efforts.
當我們勇敢遵主的命令這樣作，
以單純的心信靠祂，
神本身就唯一是會將靈魂帶進網子的神。
所以，如果我們感到失望，
覺得自已的收穫似乎與自已付出的努力不成比例，我們必須改變自已心思重新轉向主。
教會必須合一，來遵行主的命令，
並持續禱告，求神打開福音之門，
（西 4:3）。
當我們回歸這些基本的原則，忠心做工，
—無論是張貼傳單、告訴朋友和陌生人，
還是在社群媒體分享，
—我們就會看見神的手。
我們許多弟兄姐妹已經注意到，當他們做出這樣的轉變時，
不只有更多的慕道者進到這扇門裡，
而且有些人甚至都沒有看過我們任何的福音資料，
就很奇妙的受到引導來到我們這裡，
證明聖工並非出於我們自身的努力來完成。
In this issue,
we will focus on the act of casting our nets upon an ever-changing seascape,
navigating the challenging, tumultuous waves of the world.
In Greater Works Than These He Will Do,
we are encouraged to launch out into uncharted depths,
breaking through barriers to preach to the farthest reaches.
Our Christian Living Columns also explore
how we can extend our reach beyond geographical boundaries and into people's lives
by preaching through social media.
在本期中，
我們將聚焦在瞬息萬變的海洋中撒網，
駕馭穿越挑戰，波濤洶湧的世界。
在這些祂必成就更大之事一文中，
我們受到鼓勵，勇闖未知的深海，
突破重重障礙去傳福音至極遠之地。
我們的基督徒生活專欄也將探討，
我們可如何透過社群媒體來傳福音，
延伸自已觸角去超越地域疆界之限，深入眾人的生活。
In I Know Not How the Seed Grows and Persistence and Patience in Preaching to Family,
we are reminded that we should not only cast our nets widely,
but we should plumb the depths
—it takes time, patience, and care
to fully explain the doctrines to a truth-seeker,
to show them God's love,
and bring them to accept the truth of salvation.
But when we do this with faith and perseverance,
God will cause the seed to grow in ways we cannot imagine.
在我不知道種子如何生長及堅持耐心傳福音給家人的文章中，
我們得到提醒，自已不只應該廣撒網，
更應該去深入探究。
—這需要時間，耐心和關懷，
才能充分解釋教義給慕道者，
向他們展現神的愛，
並引導他們接受救恩的真理。
但我們以信心和毅力去進行這事時，
神會以我們無法想像的方式使種子生長。
When we launch out into the deep,
following the Holy Spirit's guidance to cast the net where He instructs,
He will fill our net and the net will not be broken
(Jn 21:6).
當我們駛入深海，
跟隨聖靈的指引，到祂指示之地向下撒網，
祂必充滿我們的網子，而網必不破裂。
(約 21：6)
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)