觉醒之后﹕写给我的学生

AFTER YOUR AWAKENING, WHAT’S NEXT?

A NOTE TO MY STUDENTS

林慈信

你多年来服事主，努力在灵命上长进。在你事奉的旅程中，你开始修一些课程，听一些神学讲座。有人为你解释什么是教会正统的、合乎《圣经》的信仰（教义）；而教会如何在真理上偏离正道，特别是所谓「新福音派」的神学。你对所学的神学知识感到兴奋。你开始醒觉了﹕教会必须站稳立场，并教导信徒们正统的，合乎《圣经》的教义。

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.

不过，你同时感受一种莫名的无助感。你不知道应该作什么。在你的周围，在你的城市，真理（教义）的教导是那么的稀少！你可作什么？在你的教会中，你若是唯一「醒觉」过来的信徒，唯有你认识到教会必须有《圣经》内容的教导﹕你可作什么？你若是唯一站稳立场的信徒，你可作什么？

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?

你周围的人，从平信徒到传到人和神学院，都似乎朝着相反的方向走。他们所关注的，是「实际的事工」，「外展与传福音」，他们的负担，乃是「医治」受伤的心灵，婚姻与家庭。只有你想学习《圣经》和《圣经》所教导的教义！

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!

或者你感到非常孤单﹕因为你的教会没有牧师或传道。没有牧师者，你又怎能守住《圣经》的正统信仰呢？你怎样可以经历一个正常的教会生活？

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?

你想放弃吗？你想离开教会了，是吗？甚至你想不再作基督徒，不再服事主耶稣了？

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?

千万不要这样作。亲爱的弟兄姐妹，不要放弃。一定要继续爱主耶稣，继续事奉祂！你并不孤单（林前10﹕13）。不是唯有你在走这条路。马丁路德，加尔文，还有很多在他们以前的信徒，都曾被《圣经》真理唤醒。然后他们感受到上帝的呼召。他们找到一条路﹕他们开始采取行动，过牺牲服事的生活。

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.

让我提供一些建议，你可以今天开始就采取行动﹕

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

（一）要祷告，求主给你一颗爱教会的心。求上帝使你爱教会的心越发增加。你若不爱教会，怨恨她的软弱，这样对你，对你的灵命是完全没有好处的。要从主耶稣自己学习﹕主爱教会（耶路撒冷）爱到一个地步，祂为她哭泣。主耶稣知道，什么才是对耶路撒冷有益的事；可是，耶路撒冷瞎眼了。耶稣为她流泪﹕流泪是爱的最高表现之一。你爱主耶稣吗？你必须同时爱教会。主耶稣爱祂的教会﹕地上有形的教会，就是充满软弱会友和领袖的教会。是的，就是你我所属的教会，在此时此地地教会。主爱她。

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）开始为自己的成熟筹划一套学习计划。读一本真正扎实的书，例如﹕巴刻的《认识神》，或《盘石之上》。或者你可以报读一科遥距神学课程，必须是教导《圣经》真理的课程。要作到这点，必须腾出时间作阅读，写作业。这样才会有真正的收获，真正的长进。你可能不能改变你的教会。可是你可以改变自己，使自己更加有效服事，更加能被主用，更加有装备，能分享主的话语，不论祂将来带领你到什么地方。

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）求上帝给你机会，用温柔，谦卑的态度分享你所学到的。向一位，两位信徒分享。请记得﹕务必温柔，谦卑。不要在教堂的钟楼顶上喊叫说﹕你们都错了，唯有我对。找一两位信徒，或一个小组。安静的分享你正在学的是什么。安安静静的去作。求神给你看到，什么是适合的时候，什么是适合的场合。不要快快赶着去作。我们不是游击队，我们不是搞革命。我们是主的使者，燃点一支蜡烛。你不能一夜之间改变全教会，不论你的教会有牧师或没有牧师。

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）这些劝勉的话都说明一件事﹕你要拟定一些可行的目标。若没有军队，没有武器，就不要打仗。若资本不够雄厚，就不要投资。若没有人手，就不要开始一项事工。若自己没有装备好，就不要为主作计划。可是，你可以为自己作一些可行的计划﹕你打算在未来两年，或三年，学到什么？在未来的两年，你可以与谁（一两个人）分享你所学到的？现在就开始拟定一些可行的，可衡量的目标罢。

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）然后，你必须从新检讨你目前在作的一些工作。是否可以减轻自己的责任？有很多的事是非常有迫切感的，可是并不是重要的（对自己和教会的生机，并不是那么重要的）。有一些事是非常重要的，对自己和教会的生机是必须的，可是这些事并不显得有什么迫切感（好像可有可无）。你要尝试分辨这两种的事。然后，删除一些不重要的事（不论这些事看起来是多么的迫切）。你要减轻自己的负荷。要走这条长远的路（真理的路），不能有太重的，不必有的担子。

5. Then, re-????uate 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）要找一些时间休息，享受上帝和祂所创造的世界。我认为不应该太紧张，在试图改变教会的事上作到自己紧张而内心苦毒。不要走那条路！享受神，荣耀祂。

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.

你会和我辩论说﹕「可是你不了解我的情况！你不了解我的教会！」我的答复是﹕我不同意。请再读林前10﹕13一两次。我们在生命的旅程中，都会经历到觉醒的时刻﹕觉醒到教会是不完全的。在你的人生中，现在可能就是那时刻，是你第一次经历到这样觉醒的时刻。没有问题﹕这是上帝安排的时间。让圣灵在你心中动工罢。

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.

请不要忘记﹕我们所传的福音，是恩典的福音。上帝对我们是非常非常仁慈的。祂的恩典临到了你，你经历到觉醒了。让上帝在其他弟兄姐妹心中作工，好让他们夜经历到从上帝而来的觉醒﹕而不是被你我粗鲁的唤醒。

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.

当上帝唤醒一个人的时候，他会兴奋，喜乐，愿意服事主。可是当我们用人的血气，粗鲁的唤醒人的时候，我们会变得非常紧张，甚至苦毒。你看得出两者之间的分别吗？

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?

你经历到的觉醒，究竟是那一种？你愿意你周围的信徒，领袖们，经历那种的觉醒？

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

May 17, 2007

写于马来西亚吉隆坡Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia