建造上帝的國Buildingthe Kingdom of God
[每日靈修] 9/16/2018,
駱鴻銘編譯
若我們意識到這個世界也有一個使命，就是要俘虜和同化教會時，我們為執行我們的任務隨時作好準備，就變得至關重要了。倘若教會成為世界的傳聲筒，世界的使命就達成了。
建造上帝之城是我們的任務。那是需要付出極大代價，也是非常危險的。那些努力建造上帝國度的人，必須防備那些明槍——但也許更加需要防範的是暗箭。
尼希米的工作挑起了一些異教徒的敵意。但真正的威脅是來自於上帝百姓的恐懼。像尼希米、保羅或耶穌自己這樣的領袖引發了敵人的敵對時，百姓很容易在他們承擔這些襲擊的後果時，背棄他們。請記住，正是那些害怕羅馬忿怒的人，才會對耶穌發怒。
然而，基督信仰的真正領袖卻愛信徒，也愛異教徒，並會冒著引發兩者敵意的風險，來建立上帝的國度。
活在神的面光中（在神面前禱告）：
你喜歡信徒，也喜歡非信徒嗎？你是否願意承擔引發兩者敵意的風險，來建立上帝的國度？
進一步研讀：
(Joh
17:14) 我已將你的道賜給他們。世界又恨他們；因為他們不屬世界，正如我不屬世界一樣。 我不求你叫他們離開世界，只求你保守他們脫離那惡者。他們不屬世界，正如我不屬世界一樣。
Building
the Kingdom of God
Our
readiness to perform our task becomes critical when we realize the world also
has a mission—to capture and assimilate the church. If the church becomes an
echo of the world, the mission of the world is accomplished.
It is
our task to build the city of God. It is supremely costly and extraordinarily
dangerous. He who will work to build the kingdom of God must be on guard
against arrows that are directed at his face—but perhaps even more on guard for
the arrows directed at his back.
Nehemiah’s
work provoked hostile reactions from some of the pagans. But the real threat
was grounded in the fears of God’s people. When a leader like Nehemiah, Paul,
or Jesus Himself provokes a hostile reaction from enemies, the people are prone
to turn on them as they bear the fallout from such attacks. Remember, it was
the people who feared the wrath of Rome who turned their wrath on Jesus.
True
leaders of the Christian faith, however, love believers and pagans alike and
risk the hostility of both to build the kingdom of God.
Coram
Deo
Do
you love believers and unbelievers alike? Are you willing to risk the hostility
of both to build God’s kingdom?
Passages
for Further Study
John
17:14–16