“那已经信的,多有人来承认诉说自己所行的事。平素行邪术的,也有许多人把书拿来,堆积在众人面前焚烧。” – 徒 19:18-19
丽莎是我认识的一个人,她有新纪元的背景,后来信了耶稣基督。在她刚开始跟随耶稣的时候,曾经试图将新纪元运动的许多理念与对基督的信仰混合在一起。但没有成功。她总是感到困惑,对跟随耶稣心存不解。直到摆脱了那些含混的理念后,她终于获得了自由。
耶稣早期的信徒知道,要完全降服于祂,就需要摆脱一切可能会分散圣灵在他们生命中动工的事物。在以弗所,刚刚归信的新门徒当众焚烧了他们所有的有关邪术的书卷。
在许多文化中,人们都试图将其他宗教观念和思想与对基督的信仰混合在一起,并且说:“真的,这有什么害处呢?”
人们也很容易把基督教信仰与迷信或星象占卜混为一谈。但如果我们也这样做,就没有完全信靠神和祂的灵来引导我们,带给我们整全的生命。
当我们把信仰当作混杂的事物来对待时,我们就淡化了福音塑造生命的能力。
祷告
亲爱的神啊,如果我们生活中有什么事物误导我们不来跟从你,求你帮助我们摆脱它。为耶稣的缘故,引导我们过真实、有意义的每一天。阿们。
使徒行传 19:18-20
18那已经信的,多有人来承认诉说自己所行的事。
19平素行邪术的,也有许多人把书拿来,堆积在众人面前焚烧。他们算计书价,便知道共合五万块钱。
20主的道大大兴旺,而且得胜,就是这样。
Faith Is Not A Mixed Bag
“Many of those who believed . . . openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.” – Acts 19:18-19
Lisa is a person I know who came to faith in Jesus Christ from a New Age background. In her early days of following Jesus, she tried to mix many layers of the New Age movement in with her faith. It didn’t work. She would constantly be confused and lacking in her understanding of following Jesus. She finally found freedom when she rid herself of those mixed-in practices.
Jesus’ early followers knew that in order to fully surrender to him, they would need to get rid of everything that could distract from the work of the Spirit in their lives. In Ephesus, new believers who had practiced sorcery and witchcraft burned all of their scrolls in front of everyone.
People in many cultures attempt to mix other religious ideas and thoughts with faith in Christ, saying, “Really, what harm is there in that?”
It can also be tempting to mix the Christian faith with superstition or reading a daily horoscope for guidance. But if we do that, we fail to realize that we are not fully trusting in God and his Spirit to guide us and to provide us full life.
When we approach faith as a mixed bag, we water down the power of the good news of life.
Prayer
Dear God, if anything in our lives misleads us from following you, help us to get rid of it. Guide us into real, full living each day, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳