10月27日 宣教之方

所以你們要去，使萬民作我的門徒。（太二十八19）

耶穌基督不是說：“去拯救靈魂。”（靈魂的得救，是神超然的工作。）他乃是說：“去，使萬民作我的門徒。”除非你自己先作門徒，否則無法叫人作門徒。昔日門徒第一次奉差遣出去，因為汙鬼也服了他們，歡樂而回。耶穌就說：“不要因工作成功而歡欣；快樂最大的秘訣，是與我保持正確的關係。”宣教士最要緊的是對神的呼召效忠，知道他唯一的目標是使人作主的門徒。有時對靈魂的熱切，不是由神而來，而是出於想人家跟從自己的觀點。

宣教士的挑戰，並不是人難以得救；不是退後的人難以回轉；也不是人的冷漠、毫不動心；而是他與主耶穌基督的關係。“你們信我能作這事嗎？”我們的主不斷問這個問題，每遇一事，主都會這樣問。我們唯一的大挑戰是－－我認識我的復活主嗎？我認識他內居的靈的大能嗎？我是否因著對主耶穌話語的完全信靠，以致在神眼中成為智慧的，而在世界看來卻是愚拙？還是我拋棄了那超然的地位，也就是神對宣教士唯一的呼召－－對主耶穌基督無限的信賴？我若用其他任何方法，就脫離了主所定下的方法了，主說：“天上地下所有的權柄都賜給我了，所以你們要去……”

祈禱◆噢，主啊，吸引我靠近你；願我以你自己為榮，因為你將我這樣的一個罪人，變成你有用的僕人。

October 27 The Method Of Missions

“Go ye therefore, and teach (disciple) all nations.” Matthew 28:19

Jesus Christ did not say – Go and save souls (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but – “Go and teach,” i.e., disciple, “all nations,” and you cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself. When the disciples came back from their first mission they were filled with joy because the devils were subject to them, and Jesus said – Don't rejoice in successful service; the great secret of joy is that you are rightly related to Me. The great essential of the missionary is that he remains true to the call of God, and realizes that his one purpose is to disciple men and women to Jesus. There is a passion for souls that does not spring from God, but from the desire to make converts to our point of view.

The challenge to the missionary does not come on the line that people are difficult to get saved, that backsliders are difficult to reclaim, that there is a wadge of callous indifference; but along the line of his own personal relationship to Jesus Christ. “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” Our Lord puts that question steadily, it faces us in every individual case we meet. The one great challenge is – Do I know my Risen Lord? Do I know the power of His indwelling Spirit? Am I wise enough in God's sight, and foolish enough according to the world, to bank on what Jesus Christ has said, or am I abandoning the great supernatural position, which is the only call for a missionary, viz., boundless confidence in Christ Jesus? If I take up any other method I depart altogether from the methods laid down by Our Lord – “All power is given unto Me . . , therefore go ye.”