从天上赐下的复兴
无需灭火筒

经文
提摩太后书四9-18
9你要赶紧的到我这里来。
10因为底马贪爱现今的世界,就离弃我往帖撒罗尼迦去了,革勒士往加拉太去,提多往挞马太去,
11独有路加在我这里。你来的时候,要把马可带来,因为他在传道(或作:服事我)的事上于我有益处。
12我已经打发推基古往以弗所去。
13我在特罗亚留于加布的那件外衣,你来的时候可以带来,那些书也要带来,更要紧的是那些皮卷。
14铜匠亚力山大多多的害我;主必照他所行的报应他。
15你也要防备他,因为他极力敌挡了我们的话。
16我初次申诉,没有人前来帮助,竟都离弃我;但愿这罪不归与他们。
17惟有主站在我旁边,加给我力量,使福音被我尽都传明,叫外邦人都听见;我也从狮子口里被救出来。
18主必救我脱离诸般的凶恶,也必救我进他的天国。愿荣耀归给他,直到永永远远。阿们。
信息分享
这几天,我们在思想复兴能带给人狂热和愉快的感受;然而,基督徒会从复兴所经历到的狂热高峰滑下来并失去他们当初的爱和喜乐,这是一个不容置疑的事实。不过我们不能因此而对复兴作出否定。我们知道只要查阅一下新约圣经,就会发现圣灵在五旬节降下后,有些人似乎失去了原来的喜乐,但是没有人能否认一个事实,就是在他们中间的确涌流着一股奇妙的力量。
批评者也向我们指出,灵性复兴可以带来很大的属灵骄傲──特别是对年青人。在灵性复兴的历史中,有不少年青人在经历属灵巅峰后,被骄傲冲昏了头脑。威廉斯(William Williams)提到其中一位年青人的情况:「他是一个稚嫩的年青人,没有人愿意将羊群交托给他牧养,可是他却认为自己比那些肩负重任和压力的老牧者有更高涨的灵命,并因此显得沾沾自喜。」难道五旬节后的教会就没有这样的人吗?保罗曾对委派初信者在教会任职提出警告:「……恐怕他自高自大,就落在魔鬼所受的刑罚里」(提前三6)。这样的软弱是我们必须常常小心防范的。
复兴充满危机,对这一点我们不必争论,不过所有的危机都可以透过神在圣经中所列出的原则来应付。当一块煤炭从火堆中掉出来的时候,任何一个理性的人都不会立刻跑去把灭火筒找来,他们只会取出火钳,将煤炭放回火炉中。
「危机不会使复兴失去价值」
进深研究
林前四15-21;箴十一2,二十八25;罗十四17
1. 保罗如何形容神的国?
2. 他怎样形容自己?
祈祷
天父,求您帮助您的教会不要因为复兴会带来危机,而退缩不再祈求复兴的降临。求您让我们看到,只要我们亲近您,就能有足够的装备去应付任何发生的事情。感谢您,我亲爱的天父。阿们。
Heaven-Sent Revival
No need for a fire extinguisher

Bible reading:
2 Timothy 4:9-18
9 Do your best to come to me quickly,
10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.
12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.
15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.
16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.
17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Message
The fact that Christians can come down from the ecstatic heights experienced during times of great spiritual awakening and lose their first love and joy is not a valid argument against revival. As we have seen, we have only to examine the New Testament to find that following the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost there were some who seemed to lose their joy. Yet none can deny the reality and genuineness of the power that surged in their midst.
Critics also draw our attention to the fact that revival can induce great spiritual pride - especially in the young. Revival history contains many accounts of young men being carried away by pride after a high peak in their spiritual experience. William Williams says of one: "He was a raw youth whom no one would entrust to shepherd his sheep and is riding high in a boldness of spirit much superior to old ministers who have borne the burden and heat of the day." But then, were there not such people in the Church that emerged after the Day of Pentecost? In one place Paul warns against appointing a novice in the faith to office in the Church, "...lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil" (1 Tim. 3:6, NKJ). It is a failing that must be expected and guarded against.
Revival is full of dangers - let us not argue against that - but all the dangers can be handled through the principles set forth in the Word of God. When a coal falls out of the fire no reasonable person rushes for a fire extinguisher. They simply pick up the tongs and return the coal to the grate.
"The dangers do not invalidate revival"
Prayer
O Father, help us as Your Church not to draw back from praying for revival because of the obvious dangers that accompany it. Show us that when we keep close to You we are equipped to handle anything that comes. Thank You dear Father. Amen.
Further study
1 Corinthians 4:15-21
Proverbs 11:2; 28:25
Romans 14:17
1. How did Paul describe the kingdom of God?
2. How did he describe himself?
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