林慈信牧師：覺醒之後--寫給我的學生

覺醒之後﹕寫給我的學生

AFTER YOUR AWAKENING, WHAT’S NEXT?

A NOTE TO MY STUDENTS

 

 

            你多年來服事主，努力在靈命上長進。在你事奉的旅程中，你開始修一些課程，聽一些神學講座。有人為你解釋什麼是教會正統的、合乎《聖經》的信仰（教義）；而教會如何在真理上偏離正道，特別是所謂「新福音派」的神學。你對所學的神學知識感到興奮。你開始醒覺了﹕教會必須站穩立場，並教導信徒們正統的，合乎《聖經》的教義。

            You have been busy serving the Lord, and growing in the Christian life.  At some point in your walk with God, you took a seminar or two about Christian theology.  Someone explained to you what is the orthodox faith, or theology (doctrines) of the church, and how the church – including the so-called evangelical church – has been going astray.  You feel excited about the knowledge you have learned.  You are awakened to the need for the church to take a stand, to teach her people orthodox Bible doctrine. 

 

            不過，你同時感受一種莫名的無助感。你不知道應該作什麼。在你的周圍，在你的城市，真理（教義）的教導是那麼的稀少！你可作什麼？在你的教會中，你若是唯一「醒覺」過來的信徒，唯有你認識到教會必須有《聖經》內容的教導﹕你可作什麼？你若是唯一站穩立場的信徒，你可作什麼？

            At the same time, you feel frustrated, you don’t know what to do.  What do you do when there is so little “doctrine” taught in your surroundings, in your city?  What do you do if you are the only person who is “awakened” to the need for Bible content in the teaching of the church?  What if you are the only person who is taking a stand? 

 

            你周圍的人，從平信徒到傳到人和神學院，都似乎朝著相反的方向走。他們所關注的，是「實際的事工」，「外展與傳福音」，他們的負擔，乃是「醫治」受傷的心靈，婚姻與家庭。隻有你想學習《聖經》和《聖經》所教導的教義！

            Everyone around you – from the layperson to the leader in the church and the theological schools – seems to be going in a different direction.  They are interested in “practical ministry,” “outreach and mission,” in “healing” broken hearts, marriages and relationships.  You are the only person who wants to study the Bible and the doctrines taught in the Bible! 

 

            或者你感到非常孤單﹕因為你的教會沒有牧師或傳道。沒有牧師者，你又怎能守住《聖經》的正統信仰呢？你怎樣可以經歷一個正常的教會生活？

            Or you feel very alone – there is no pastor in your church.  How can you hold on

to the historic, Biblical (orthodox) faith when there is no shepherd?  How can you have any normal church life? 

 

            你想放棄嗎？你想離開教會了，是嗎？甚至你想不再作基督徒，不再服事主耶穌了？

            Do you want to give up?   Do you want to leave the church?  Do you want to give up believing in Christ, and serving him?  Do you want to stop being a Christian? 

 

            千萬不要這樣作。親愛的弟兄姐妹，不要放棄。一定要繼續愛主耶穌，繼續事奉祂！你並不孤單（林前10﹕13）。不是唯有你在走這條路。馬丁路德，加爾穩，還有很多在他們以前的信徒，都曾被《聖經》真理喚醒。然後他們感受到上帝的呼召。他們找到一條路﹕他們開始採取行動，過犧牲服事的生活。

            Don’t do that!  My dear brother/sister, do not give up.  Do not stop loving Christ, serving Christ!   You are not alone (I Corinthians 10:13).  Others have gone down this road before.  Martin Luther, John Calvin – and many before them and after them – were awakened to the truth.  Then they sensed God’s calling – they found a path for action, for prayer, for sacrificial living. 

 

            讓我提供一些建議，你可以今天開始就採取行動﹕

            May I suggest a few things you can begin to do today:

 

            （一）要禱告，求主給你一顆愛教會的心。求上帝使你愛教會的心越發增加。你若不愛教會，怨恨她的軟弱，這樣對你，對你的靈命是完全沒有好處的。要從主耶穌自己學習﹕主愛教會（耶路撒冷）愛到一個地步，祂為她哭泣。主耶穌知道，什麼才是對耶路撒冷有益的事；可是，耶路撒冷瞎眼了。耶穌為她流淚﹕流淚是愛的最高表現之一。你愛主耶穌嗎？你必須同時愛教會。主耶穌愛祂的教會﹕地上有形的教會，就是充滿軟弱會友和領袖的教會。是的，就是你我所屬的教會，在此時此地地教會。主愛她。

1.      Pray that God will give you a heart to love the church.  Pray that he will

increase your love for the church.  You see, it does you NO GOOD, it will not help your spiritual life, if you resent the church.  Learn from Christ: our Lord Jesus loved the church (Jerusalem) so much, he wept for her.  Jesus knew what is good for Jerusalem; Jerusalem, however, was blind.  Jesus wept for her – weeping is one of the highest forms of loving.  Do you love the Lord?  You must love the church.  Jesus loves his church – the visible church, the church made up of weak members and leaders.  Yes, the church which you and I are members of, right here, in this place, at this time. 

 

（二）開始為自己的成熟籌劃一套學習計劃。讀一本真正紮實的書，例如﹕巴刻的《認識神》，或《磐石之上》。或者你可以報讀一科遙距神學課程，必須是教導《聖經》真理的課程。要作到這點，必須騰出時間作閱讀，寫作業。這樣才會有真正的收獲，真正的長進。你可能不能改變你的教會。可是你可以改變自己，使自己更加有效服事，更加能被主用，更加有裝備，能分享主的話語，不論祂將來帶領你到什麼地方。

2.      Begin a course of study for your own growth and maturity.  Read a solid book,

such as KNOWING GOD by J.I. Packer, or THE CHRISTIAN LIFE by Sinclair Ferguson (pan shi zhi shang).  Or you can consider enrolling in a distance-learning course in theology, theology that is based on the Bible. This will require you to CARVE OUT time – you must MAKE TIME in your busy schedule, in order to grow.  You may not be able to change your church, but you can change yourself, by becoming more effective, more usable to the Lord, more equipped to share God’s Word wherever he may lead you in the future. 

 

            （三）求上帝給你機會，用溫柔，謙卑的態度分享你所學到的。向一位，兩位信徒分享。請記得﹕務必溫柔，謙卑。不要在教堂的鐘樓頂上喊叫說﹕你們都錯了，唯有我對。找一兩位信徒，或一個小組。安靜的分享你正在學的是什麼。安安靜靜的去作。求神給你看到，什麼是適合的時候，什麼是適合的場合。不要快快趕著去作。我們不是遊擊隊，我們不是搞革命。我們是主的使者，燃點一支蠟燭。你不能一夜之間改變全教會，不論你的教會有牧師或沒有牧師。

3.      Pray that God will allow you to share what you have learned, in a gentle,

humble way, to one person, or two.  Remember – gently, humbly.  Do not shout from the top of your church building, that everyone is wrong, you are right.  Just find one person or two – or a small group – and quietly share what you have been learning.  Quietly – slowly.  Ask God to show you the right time, the right place.  Do not rush into this.  We are not guerillas who stage a revolution.  We are ambassadors who want to light a candle.   You cannot change the whole church overnight – whether your church has a pastor, or doesn’t have one. 

 

            （四）這些勸勉的話都說明一件事﹕你要擬定一些可行的目標。若沒有軍隊，沒有武器，就不要打仗。若資本不夠雄厚，就不要投資。若沒有人手，就不要開始一項事工。若自己沒有裝備好，就不要為主作計劃。可是，你可以為自己作一些可行的計劃﹕你打算在未來兩年，或三年，學到什麼？在未來的兩年，你可以與誰（一兩個人）分享你所學到的？現在就開始擬定一些可行的，可衡量的目標罷。

4.      The above points lead to this conclusion: Set realistic goals.  Don’t try to fight

battles for which you have no army or ammunition.  Don’t invest in business ventures for which you don’t have the capital.  Don’t start a program for which you don’t have staff.  Don’t attempt things for the Lord if you are not equipped yet.  However, you can set realistic goals for yourself – what can you learn in the next 2 years?  With whom can you work with, with whom can you share what you have learned, in the next 2 years?  Set workable, realistic, measurable goals. 

 

            （五）然後，你必須從新檢討你目前在作的一些工作。是否可以減輕自己的責任？有很多的事是非常有迫切感的，可是並不是重要的（對自己和教會的生機，並不是那麼重要的）。有一些事是非常重要的，對自己和教會的生機是必須的，可是這些事並不顯得有什麼迫切感（好像可有可無）。你要嘗試分辨這兩種的事。然後，刪除一些不重要的事（不論這些事看起來是多麼的迫切）。你要減輕自己的負荷。要走這條長遠的路（真理的路），不能有太重的，不必有的擔子。

5.      Then, re-evaluate everything you are doing.  Can you reduce your load of

responsibilities?  There are many things which are URGENT, but not VITAL (important).  Vital (important) things are often not urgent.  Try to see the difference, and drop some non-vital (but apparently urgent on the surface) things.  Lighten your load; you can’t carry too many bags for this journey for the truth. 

 

            （六）要找一些時間休息，享受上帝和祂所創造的世界。我認為不應該太緊張，在試圖改變教會的事上作到自己緊張而內心苦毒。不要走那條路！享受神，榮耀祂。

6.      Take time to rest, to relax, to enjoy God and his creation.  I don’t believe we

should be so rushed in our efforts to change the church, that we become tense, nervous – at the end of the day, bitter.  Don’t go down that road.  Enjoy God, and glorify him at the same time.

 

            你會和我辯論說﹕「可是你不了解我的情況！你不了解我的教會！」我的答復是﹕我不同意。請再讀林前10﹕13一兩次。我們再生命的旅程中，都會經歷到覺醒的時刻﹕覺醒到教會是不完全的。在你的人生中，現在可能就是那時刻，是你第一次經歷到這樣覺醒的時刻。沒有問題﹕這是上帝安排的時間。讓聖靈在你心中動工罷。

You say, “You don’t understand my situation!  You don’t understand my church!”    My answer is: I disagree (I Corinthians 10:13 again).  All of us are awakened at some point or another in our lives, that the church is imperfect.  You may be experiencing this awakening for the first time in your life.  That’s OK, that’s God’s timing.  Let God the Holy Spirit work in your life.

 

請不要忘記﹕我們所傳的福音，是恩典的福音。上帝對我們是非常非常仁慈的。祂的恩典臨到了你，你經歷到覺醒了。讓上帝在其他弟兄姐妹心中作工，好讓他們夜經歷到從上帝而來的覺醒﹕而不是被你我粗魯的喚醒。

Remember, the gospel is about grace – God is very, very kind and gracious to us. He is gracious to you, to give you an awakening.   Let God work in the lives of others, so that they can experience an awakening from God – not a rude awakening from you. 

 

當上帝喚醒一個人的時候，他會興奮，喜樂，願意服事主。可是當我們用人的血氣，粗魯的喚醒人的時候，我們會變的非常的緊張，甚至苦毒。你看得出兩者之間的分別嗎？

When God awakens, we are excited, we want to serve.  When human beings give us a rude awakening in the flesh, we become nervous, and bitter.  Can you see the difference between the two?   

 

你經歷到的覺醒，究竟是那一種？你願意你周圍的信徒，領袖們，經歷那種的覺醒？

Which awakening have you experienced?  Which awakening would you like to see in the lives of those around you? 

 

 

May 17, 2007

寫於馬來西亞吉隆坡Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia