💜《神的心意》20210728『傳道者的生活-The Missionary’s Life』— 慕安德烈

經文: 「我們向你們信主的人，是何等聖潔、公義、無可指摘，有你們作見證，也有上帝作見證。」— (聖經·帖撒羅尼迦前書 2章10節)

保羅不止一次向人見證他在大馬色得救的經歷，他說：「我們所誇的，是自己的良心，見證我們憑著上帝的聖潔和誠實，在世為人，不靠人的聰明，乃靠上帝的恩惠，向你們更是這樣。」(哥林多後書 一12)，耶穌教導門徒不只是用說教，更是以身作則、以祂的一生做榜樣。保羅也是一直過著為真理作見證的生活——宣揚耶穌能拯救罪人，藉著聖靈賜下屬天的新生命——只要信祂的人，就可得著這樣的生命。

「在W. M. C.報導」這本雜誌，曾有這樣的短文：「基督徒活在世上，就像天國的大使，無論傳道人或平信徒，他能活出多少耶穌基督的形象，就能帶出多少的影響力，讓人明白福音的內涵是什麼，而引人歸向耶穌基督。」

看看保羅過的生活，是何等聖潔公義又無可指摘；因此他也敢向信徒提出這樣的挑戰，過一個聖潔無可指摘的生活。「好使你們，當我們主耶穌同祂眾聖徒來的時候，在我們父上帝面前，心裡堅固，成為聖潔，無可責備。」(帖撒羅尼迦前書 三13)，之後又說：「願賜平安的上帝，親自使你們全然成聖，又願你們的靈、與魂、與身子，得蒙保守，在我主耶穌基督降臨的時候，完全無可指摘。」(帖撒羅尼迦前書 五23)，「那召你們的本是信實的，祂必成就這事。」(帖撒羅尼迦前書 五24)；另外，他也說：「你們在我身上所學習的、所領受的、所聽見的、所看見的，這些事你們都要去行。」(腓立比書 四9)，「並且我主的恩是格外豐盛，使我在基督耶穌裡有信心和愛心……在我這罪魁身上，顯明祂一切的忍耐，給後來信祂得永生的人作榜樣。」(提摩太前書 一14-16)。讓我們相信保羅所說的話：「現在活著的，不再是我，乃是基督在我裡面活著。」(加拉太書 二20)，他說的是一個實際的經驗，耶穌時時刻刻住在他心裡面，這是一個討天父喜悅的生活。保羅所信的基督，也是我所信的耶穌，他能過這樣一個屬靈的生活，我也能過！

—《 神 的 心 意 》
(每日靈修 7月28日)
作者：慕安德烈
編輯：榮華興

『 The Missionary’s Life 』

Scripture: “Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and righteously and unblameably we behaved ourselves toward you that believe.” — (1 Thessalonians 2:10)

Paul more than once appeals to what his converts had seen of his own life. So he says (2 Cor. i. 12): “Our glorying is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.” Christ had taught His disciples as much of His life as by His teaching. Paul had sought to be a living witness to the truth of all that he had preached about Christ—as able to save and to keep from sin, as renewing the whole nature by the power of His Holy Spirit, as Himself becoming the life of those who believe in Him.

In the W. M. C. Report (vol. v. p. 218) one finds this expression : “It has come to pass that our representatives on the field, just because they are what we have made them, have far too often hidden the Christ Whom they are giving their lives to reveal. It is only in proportion as the missionary can manifest the character of Christ in and through his own life that he can gain a hearing for the Gospel. Only as far as he can live Christ before their eyes can he help them to understand his message.”

See how Paul’s appeal to his life, as holy and righteous and unblameable, gave him courage to put a high standard before his converts. In the same Epistle he calls them to trust God, to establish their hearts unblameable in holiness before God (I Thess. iii. 13). And later in the Epistle (v. 23, 24) : “The God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, Who also will do it.” In Phil. iv. 9 he writes: “The things which ye both heard and saw in me, these things do, and the God of peace shall be with you.” And in I Tim. i. 14-16: “The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus, . . . for an ensample of them which should hereafter believe on Him unto eternal life.” Let us believe that when Paul said, “Christ liveth in me,” “I live no more,” he spoke of an actual, divine, unceasing, abiding of Christ in him, working in him from hour to hour all that was well-pleasing to the Father. And let us not rest until we can say, “The Christ of Paul is my Christ! His missionary enduement is mine too.”

— God’s Best Secrets by Andrew Murray
「 28 July 」