保存教會和睦之路

作者：盧國禮

增進教會的和睦合一，是一個基督徒必要學的畢生功課，而本人靠著聖靈的幫助來學的，就是要增進教會的和睦合一。

可怎辦呢？

Oswald Chambers 在他的書 "My Utmost For His Highest" (《竭誠為主》) 說："在屬靈的生命裏，要留心我們或會順著我們自然的關係之中。每個人都會有一些自然而然結成的關係，有些人我們喜歡，有些人我們不喜歡。但卻不可讓那些喜歡和不喜歡的情操，掌權管理我們基督徒的生命。如果我們　"行在光中"，正如　神就是光，神便賜給我們情操與我們起初並不喜歡的人交往"(Chambers)。

"喜歡和不喜歡是自然的性情，但是，我們尋求敬畏主 [神] 於我們的親族關係裏，慈憐、愛、謙遜、仁愛，都是神命令的超自然行為，用來處理不能和合之狀態"(David McCarland，每日靈糧，2004 年 12 月 30 日)。

某人想離開她的團契。"我厭煩那個怪人" 她粗魯地說，"當那人走近，我便感覺極之不高興。" 可能那人的舉止無意地，或故意地，使她感受不安。

保羅指示說："......律法是屬乎靈的，但是我們是屬乎肉體的。...... 所作的我們不明白。我們所願的，我們並不作；我們所恨惡的我們倒去作。"保羅繼續說，"...... 我們知道在我們裏頭，就是我們肉體中，沒有良善。...... "若我們去作所不願意作的，就不是我們作的，乃是住在我們裏頭的罪作的。"(參見羅馬書7：14-20，和合本﹐經筆者編寫)。我們不能遵守律法，因為我們帶著罪性，神的律法有所不能行。神在祂的慈憐裏，差遣自己的兒子 ( 耶穌基督 ) 成為罪身的形狀，作了贖罪祭，在肉體中定了罪案，使律法的義成就在我們身上。(羅馬書8：3-4，和合本)。

"體貼肉體的，就是死；體貼聖靈的乃是生命和平安"...... (羅馬書8：6，和合本) 。

只有那些人 (包括基督徒在內)，他們選擇遵循神的旨意，及願服從基督，共負一軛的，才可明白。只是當我們被改變，接觸到至尊者之靈，然後能樂於真正踏上此路，使身子、靈魂與情緒，全都順服於至尊者的靈(神)。

父啊！管教我們的靈魂，並讓我們聽從您的話語，並與您的聖靈工作有份。我們相信在您裏面，教會的和睦合一的目標是可達到的。阿們。

The Way to Preserve the Peace of the Church 
Written by Francis Loo

The life lesson a Christian must learn and I'm still learning it with the help of the Holy Spirit, is to promote the unity of the Church.

How?

Oswald Chambers reminds us in My Utmost For His Highest: "In the spiritual life, beware of walking according to natural affinity. Everyone has natural affinities, some people we like and others we do not like. We must never let those likes and dislikes rule in our Christian life. If we 'walk in the light', as God is in the light, God will give us communion with people for whom we have no natural affinity." (Chambers).

"It is natural to have likes and dislikes. But whom we seek to honour the Lord in our relationships, compassion, love, humility, and kindness are the God-ordered supernatural steps in dealing with incompatibility." (David McCasland, Daily Bread dated December 30, 2004).

Someone wants to quit the fellowship gathering. "I hate that guy." Bluntly she said, "I feel terribly uncomfortable when that person is around." Or, maybe that person's behaviour unintentionally or on purpose makes her feel uneasy.

Paul points out that ". . . the law is spiritual; but [we are] unspiritual. . . . [We] do not understand what [we] do. For what [we] want to do [we] do not do, but what [we] hate [we] do. Paul continues to say, [we] know that nothing good lives in [us], that is in [our] sinful nature. . . . Now if [we] do what [we] do not want to do, it is no longer [we] who do it, but it is sin living in [us] that does it (Romans 7: 14-20). (The adaptation is mine.) We cannot abide by the law because of our sinful nature. The law of God is as though powerless. God in his loving mercy has sent his own Son (Jesus Christ) in the likeness of a sinful man to be a sin offering, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us (Romans 8: 3-4). "The mind of sinful man is death, but mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. . . " (Romans 8: 6).

Only those (including Christians) who choose to be the will of God—and who subject the self to the yoke of Christ can understand and know His time origins. Only when we are transformed enough to be in touch with the highest mind can we engage in practice that we actually tread the path by which alone the body, mind, and emotions are brought into submission to the highest mind (GOD).

O Father! Discipline our soul and let us hear You behind the Words, and participate with You in the divine mind through us. We believe in You that unity of Church is attainable goal. Amen.