從天上賜下的復興
光怎能沒有生命？
經文以賽亞書五十九9-21
9因此，公平離我們遠，公義追不上我們。我們指望光亮，卻是黑暗，指望光明，卻行幽暗。
10我們摸索牆壁，好像瞎子；我們摸索，如同無目之人。我們晌午絆腳，如在黃昏一樣；我們在肥壯人中，像死人一般。
11我們咆哮如熊，哀鳴如鴿；指望公平，卻是沒有；指望救恩，卻遠離我們。
12我們的過犯在你面前增多，罪惡作見證告我們；過犯與我們同在。至於我們的罪孽，我們都知道：
13就是悖逆、不認識耶和華，轉去不跟從我們的神，說欺壓和叛逆的話，心懷謊言，隨即說出。
14並且公平轉而退後，公義站在遠處；誠實在街上仆倒，正直也不得進入。
15誠實少見；離惡的人反成掠物。那時，耶和華看見沒有公平，甚不喜悅。
16他見無人拯救，無人代求，甚為詫異，就用自己的膀臂施行拯救，以公義扶持自己。
17他以公義為鎧甲（或譯：護心鏡），以拯救為頭盔，以報仇為衣服，以熱心為外袍。
18他必按人的行為施報，惱怒他的敵人，報復他的仇敵向眾海島施行報應。
19如此，人從日落之處必敬畏耶和華的名，從日出之地也必敬畏他的榮耀；因為仇敵好像急流的河水沖來，是耶和華之氣所驅逐的。
20必有一位救贖主來到錫安─雅各族中轉離過犯的人那裡。這是耶和華說的。
21耶和華說：至於我與他們所立的約乃是這樣：我加給你的靈，傳給你的話，必不離你的口，也不離你後裔與你後裔之後裔的口，從今直到永遠；這是耶和華說的。
信息分享
過去幾天的思考讓我們可以十分清楚的看見，復興不只是帶來無限的祝福，也會帶來真正的危機。不過儘管有危機，教會存活的關鍵是在乎聖靈在復興上適時的工作。
有些人認為教會不需要復興。多年前我在雜誌上讀到一篇文章說：「現在的基督教會比歷史上任何時期的都更強大。從數字上來看，今天的教會比過去任何時期的教會人數都要多；教會幾乎在世上每一個國家都很具代表性，倘若教會有注意到自己的力量和規模並善加利用的話，她其實可以主宰世界，令世人敬仰。」
這些話聽起來似乎很動聽，但事實如何呢？教會從數字來說可算是強大，並在世界各地都有其地位；不過，是從甚麼時候開始教會的力量是來自人數呢？教會的能力其實是源自聖靈，如果沒有聖靈與教會同在、賜下生命力和復興，那麼，教會雖然可能有很多的光，但只會有很少的生命，而就是這種有聖靈內住的生命，是教會最容易失去的。
一般來說，教會擅於保護自己的神學立場，但不擅於保存生命，正因如此，神總是在某些時期、某個年代，以憐憫的心腸介入，透過聖靈的復興來更新祂的百姓。每一個世紀的基督教會都需要那生命的重新注入，不過看來從沒有比現在的需要更加迫切。
「沒有生命的教會只是宗教會所」
進深研究
太二十三23-39；提後三5；賽二十九13
1. 耶穌怎麼樣對付法利賽主義？
2. 保羅怎麼樣形容它？
祈禱
天父，求您幫助我看到，無論您的教會擁有甚麼，假如沒有聖靈的生命它都只不過是宗教的會所。求您為我們注入生命，因我們不單要活著，而是要活得更有生命力。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
Heaven-Sent Revival
What good is light without life?
Bible reading: Isaiah 59:9-21
9 So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.
11 We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.
12 For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities:
13 rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
19 From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.[a]
20 "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the Lord.
21 "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the Lord. "My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever," says the Lord.
Message
From what we have been saying, it is quite clear that revival brings not only unlimited blessing but very real dangers. It is also clear that despite the dangers, the very survival of the Church depends on the timely and reviving work of the Holy Spirit.
There are some who think the Church does not need revival. A magazine article I read a few years ago said: "The Christian Church is stronger now than she has ever been throughout her entire history. Numerically, there are more people in the Church today than at any other period of her existence. She is well represented in almost every nation under the sun and if she would become aware of her strength and size and draw upon it she could dominate the world and have it sitting at her feet."
The words sound good but what are the facts? The Church may be numerically strong and well represented in different parts of the world but since when has her strength been in her numbers? The source of her strength and power is in the Holy Spirit. Without His presence in the Church, energising and reviving, there may be plenty of light, but little life. And it is life - the life of the Spirit - which the Church so easily loses.
Generally speaking, the Church has been good at protecting its theological position, but not so good at preserving life. That is why at certain times and in certain generations God mercifully breaks in upon His people to revive and refresh them by the Spirit. In every century the Christian Church has stood in need of a new invasion of that life. But perhaps never so much as now.
"Without life the Church is only a religious club"
Prayer
Father, help me see that no matter what else Your Church has, if it does not have life - the life of the Spirit - then it is nothing more than a religious dub. Breathe upon us for we want not only to be living - but lively. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Matthew 23:23-39
2 Timothy 3:5
Isaiah 29:13
1. How did Jesus deal with pharisaism?
2. How did Paul put it?
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