作者: Trevin Wax
譯者/校對者: Maria Marta/駱鴻銘
福音派基督徒喜歡美妙的故事。我們所關心的盡是「分享我們的見證」，「講我們的故事」和講述我們的「屬靈旅程」。
這種強調悔改歸主經歷的見證是福音派的優點之一。我們認為歸信不僅僅是同意基督教的教導，並遵守教會相關的禮儀和儀式而已，難怪分享我們的故事是福音派傳福音和佈道活動的主要內容。
但「分享我們的故事」的方法潛伏著不易察覺的危險。因為對歸信的故事和見證的強調，我們可能在無意間會讓人誤以為傳福音和分享個人經歷是同一回事。
我們把大使命中「去使萬民作我的門徒」解釋為「去講述你的故事」。然而，這兩者不是同一回事。
這是因為......
耶穌和大使命
我們大多數人思考「大使命」時，是從「去」字作為起點的。基督大使命的要點是，我們要進入到世界的每個角落，使萬民作祂的門徒，給他們施洗，並教導他們，對不對？
但是頒布大使命的場景，在馬太福音這個版本裡，不是從「去」字開始的。大使命本身是夾在耶穌基督的二段聲明之間：第一段是關於祂的權柄，第二段是關於祂同在的大能。
這二段聲明之間的思路是這樣的：
1. 天上地上一切權柄都賜給了耶穌。
2. 所以，你們要去使萬民作基督的門徒......
3. 耶穌應許常與祂的子民同在。
路加福音版本的大使命頒布場景以不同的方式傳達同樣的真理。因為路加把焦點放在「奉耶穌的名」傳揚福音上。
1. 摩西律法、先知書和詩篇都是指向耶穌，祂的死和復活應驗了舊約聖經的預言。
2. 見證人將傳悔改、赦罪的道。
3. 此信息要「奉耶穌的名」傳到萬邦。
對路加而言，耶穌的名是權柄的來源。此要素不是大使命頒布場景本身所強調的，而是在使徒行傳其余的敘述部分強調的，耶穌的名帶著權柄和能力的內容成為故事的主要重點。
真正的基督徒見證包括三要素
路加和馬太把基督論的真理融入了大使命頒布的場景中。那麽，使徒們如何在耶穌基督的權柄下見證這些真理呢？需要註意三個要素：
1. 福音的中心事件是他們宣講信息的核心。使徒行傳中的講道展示了使徒是如何憑藉著基督的生、死和復活的故事行走在他們的聽眾中間。
2. 他們是耶穌性情的見證人，體現在他們模仿耶穌事工的方式：耶穌行神跡後施憐憫給有需要的人。
3. 他們是個人悔改歸主之經歷的見證人。例如，使徒保羅在使徒行傳講述兩次歸正（conversion）的經歷（廿二6-21和廿六12-23）。
那麽現在呢？
這對我們今天意味著什麽呢？
1. 福音事件——基督的生、死和復活 ——必須是我們傳講福音的中心。
2. 我們也應該效法基督的榜樣，在言行舉止上見證基督。
3. 我們的歸正經歷應該證實我們所傳講的福音。
如果以上要點不能同步進行，就會阻礙我們有效地完成大使命。
例如：一些基督徒可能過分強調第二個方面（我們所做的），以致他們沒有用口來傳福音（基督已經作成的）。
又例如：一些基督徒太過著重第三個方面（我們的歸正經歷），以致他們沒有正確地傳講基督的生活和工作。
讓我們更詳細地查看第二個方面所帶來的危險。
基督在歷史上的工作與基督在你生命中的工作
在路加福音第二十四章、使徒行傳第一章，以及整個使徒行傳中，「見證人」一詞的含義，是指那些見證主的工作，對其他人談論主的工作的人。門徒們的見證是以基督的生活和工作為中心，主要集中在祂的死亡和復活上。
所以，我們要註意：在使徒行傳中，使徒們宣傳的重點不是門徒的歸正經驗，而是基督對使人歸正所作的必要工作。基於這個原因，我們應該確保我們對基督工作的見證主要集中在基督在歷史上所成就的事實，而不僅僅是基督改變我們生命所作的工作。
個人見證的地位
這就是說，個人歸信的見證是有一席之地的。畢竟，保羅訴諸自己的經歷來證實自己獨特的使徒呼召。撒瑪利亞婦人跑回鎮上，告訴別人她與耶穌的談話。天生瞎眼的男子被耶穌醫治後，回去告訴大家發生在自己身上的事情。
我不是說我們應該停止作個人見證！個人見證對傳福音是有果效的。
然而，我們需要努力確保這些見證能夠加強，支持清晰的福音信息，並且不被某種形式取代。耶穌為我所作的工作應該始終與耶穌在歷史上所成就的事實連接在一起。
個人見證占上風的後果是什麼
關註自己經歷（多過關註基督）的見證，無意中會淡化了歷史事件的重要性，而基督信仰是完全建立在這些歷史事件之上。
只傳講個人經歷的傳福音者，可能會驚訝地遇到其他在傳講個人經歷的伊斯蘭教徒、佛教教徒或者印度教教徒，他們的經歷也同樣真實。以個人經歷來傳福音的初衷，會因為撞上多元文化而觸礁，結果是傳福音失去其果效，因為這種傳福音的方式並沒有以福音的歷史事實作為根據。
個人經歷在見證基督工作中的作用應被視為福音大能的進一步證據。這不是見證福音本身，而是見證福音的大能大力。
綜上所述：傳揚福音如果把個人見證包括在內，就應該註意強調福音本身（基督的死和復活的信息），而不只是強調我們個人生命轉變的經歷。生命的改變是福音進一步的證明；只要基督在十字架上客觀的工作仍然是福音的焦點，個人在傳講福音時，仍然應該使用個人生命改變的見證。
THE
GREAT COMMISSION MEANS SHARING CHRIST’S STORY, NOT YOURS
By Trevin Wax
Evangelicals
love a good story. We’re all about “sharing our testimonies” and “telling our
stories” and recounting our “spiritual journey.”
This
emphasis on personal experience is one of evangelicalism’s strengths. We
understand conversion as more than mere assent to Christianity’s teaching and
more than mere observance of rites and rituals associated with the church. It’s
no wonder that sharing our stories is a main aspect of evangelical identity and
evangelistic activity.
But
there’s a subtle danger lurking here. Because of our emphasis on conversion
stories and testimonies, we can unintentionally make people think that
evangelism is the same thing as sharing your experience.
We
interpret The Great Commission’s “Go make disciples” as “Go tell your story.”
They are not the same thing.
Here’s
why…
Jesus
and the Great Commission
When
most of us think of the “Great Commission,” we start with the word “go.” The
gist of Christ’s command is that we are to go into all the world and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching, right?
But
Matthew’s version of the Commissioning scene doesn’t start with “go.” The
commission itself is sandwiched between two statements related to Jesus Christ:
the first concerns His authority, and the second concerns His empowering
presence.
The
flow of the passage goes like this:
All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus.
Therefore,
go and make disciples of all nations…
Jesus
promises to always be with His people.
Luke’s
commissioning scene gets at this same truth in a different way. For Luke, the
focus is on the gospel going out in Jesus’ name.
The
Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms point to Jesus, whose death and
resurrection fulfills Old Testament prophecy.
Witnesses
will proclaim a message of repentance and forgiveness of sins.
This
message is proclaimed “in Jesus’ name” to all nations.
For
Luke, the name of Jesus is the source of authority. In Acts, this element is
not emphasized in the commissioning scene itself, but in the rest of the
narrative, where the theme of Jesus’ name carrying power and authority becomes
a major point of the story.
3
Elements of Genuine Christian Witness
Both
Luke and Matthew infuse their commissioning scenes with christological truth.
So, how did the apostles, under the authority of Jesus, witness to the truth?
Notice three elements:
The
events at the heart of the gospel are at the heart of their proclamation. The
sermons in Acts reveal how the apostles walked their hearers through the story
of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
They
are witnesses to the character of Jesus in the way they pattern their ministry
after his miracles and show his compassion to those in need.
They
are witnesses to their own Christian experience. The Apostle Paul, for example,
recounts his conversion experience on two occasions in Acts (22:6‒21 and
26:12‒23).
What
About Now?
So
what does this mean for us today?
The
events of the gospel – Christ’s life, death, and resurrection – must be at the
heart of our proclamation.
What
we do should also witness to Christ as we follow His example.
Our
conversion experiences should back up our gospel proclamation.
If we
get these out of sync, we hinder our effectiveness in fulfilling the Great
Commission.
For
example, some Christians may focus so much on the second aspect (what we do)
that they fail to verbally proclaim the gospel (what Christ has done).
Another
example: some Christians focus so much on the third aspect (our conversion
experience) that they fail to properly proclaim Christ’s life and work.
Let’s
look at this second danger a little more closely.
Christ’s
Work in History vs. Christ’s Work in Your Life
The
meaning of the word “witnesses” in Luke 24 and Acts 1, as well as throughout
the narrative of Acts, refers to those who witnessed the work of the Lord and
spoke of it to others. The witness of the disciples was centered on Christ’s
life and work, most clearly seen in his death and resurrection.
So,
let’s take note: the focus of apostolic preaching in Acts is not on the
conversion experiences of the disciples, but on the work of Christ that makes
conversion necessary. For this reason, we should ensure that our testimony of
Christ’s work focuses primarily on what Christ did in history, not merely what
Christ has done in our life.
The
Place for Personal Testimony
That
said, there is a place for personal conversion testimonies. After all, Paul
appealed to his experience when testifying to his uniqueness as an apostle. The
Samaritan woman ran into town and told of her conversation with Jesus. The man
born blind, after being healed by Jesus, went and told everyone what had
happened to him.
Don’t
hear me saying that we should stop giving personal testimonies! They are
powerful.
We
should work, however, to make sure these testimonies undergird and support the
clear gospel message and don’t somehow replace it. What Jesus has done for me
should always be connected to what Jesus has done, period.
What
Happens When Personal Testimony Takes Over
Focusing
primarily on our own experiences with Christ can unintentionally downplay the
importance of the historic events upon which the Christian faith stands or
falls.
An
evangelist who speaks only of his personal experience with Jesus may be
surprised to encounter others who speak just as genuinely of their personal
experiences in Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism. The initial desire to speak of
what one has experienced personally may run into the rocks of multiculturalism,
leading to a neutered presentation of the gospel that loses its basis in
historical reality.
The
role of personal experience in testifying to the work of Christ should be seen
as a further evidence of the power of the gospel. It is not the gospel itself,
but it testifies to its power.
To
sum up: gospel presentations that include personal testimonies should take care
to emphasize the gospel itself (the news of Christ’s death and resurrection),
not merely our personal experiences of life transformation. A change of heart
is a further demonstration of the gospel and should be used in personal
evangelism, as long as the focus remains on Christ’s objective work on the
cross.
