300 中翻英(40) God makes us and you stand firm in Christ. 上 帝使我們和你們在基督裡站穩. 2/17/2023

300    中翻英(40)      God  makes us and you stand firm in Christ.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            上    帝使我們和你們在基督裡站穩.                                                                                                                                                                    2/17/2023

訪友們, 今天 --- 二月十七日的曠野筵席是極其豐盛,   與基督耶穌同在好得無比.

 「那使我們和你們穩定于基督里，并且膏了我們的乃是神。」（林后1:21另譯   新國際版）

父神親自把我們放在基督里，所以我們的命運是与基督連結在一起的。在中國偏僻鄉村布道，通常必須用一些最簡明的比喻。我記得有一次，我手中拿起一本書，再將一張紙放進書內。然后，我對听眾說：「請你們留心觀看，我手里所拿的這張紙，它有自己的特征，和那本書是有分別的，目前這張紙沒有什么用處，我就把它夾在這里，而今我要處置這本書，將它寄往上海去，我不必另外郵寄那張紙，因它早已被放在這本書的里面了。我現在要問你們，那張紙現今在哪里？這本書既已寄往上海，而那張紙是否可能仍留在這里呢？那張紙的前途和命運，是否与這本書有分別呢？不，絕對沒有！這本書在哪里，那張紙也必跟著在那里。如果我把這本書投到河里，那張紙也必一齊沉到河里去。如果我及時將這本書從水里取出來，那張紙也必同樣的從水里出來了。這本書有了什么經歷，那張紙也跟著有了同樣的經歷，因那張紙仍然存留在這本書的里面。」我們被放在基督里，也是這樣。基督如何的經歷，也成了我們如何的經歷。基督已被釘死在十字架上了，我還用得著求神將我釘死嗎？絕對不必！因我救主的命運，也就是我的命運（与祂一同复活，亦是如此）。

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, ..." (2 Corinthians 1:21 NIV)

God the Father Himself put us in Christ, therefore our spiritual life is with Christ together. In China , preaching gospel in remote villages often requires the simplest open metaphors. Once I remembered preaching in that condition, I used a book in my hand and put a piece of paper into that book. Then, I preached to the audience, "Please watch carefully, the paper which I had put into the book has its own characteristics, and it is different from that book. Now this paper is of no use, I will put it in that book which I want to send it to Shanghai. It is not necessary to send it separately, because the paper was being placed in the book. Now may I ask you, 'where is the paper now?'  Because the book has been sent to Shanghai, can it possible still be here? Is the future and destiny of that piece of paper different from this book? No, absolutely not!  The piece of paper is together with that book.  It will be with the book forever. If I throw the book into the river, the paper will also sink with the book into the river. If I take the book out of the water immediately, the paper will come out of the water with the book in the same time. What happen to the book, it did the same to the paper, because the paper remains with the book." We were in Christ just as the same. What Christ experienced becomes what we experience. Christ has been crucified on the cross, do I still need to ask God to crucify me now? Absolutely not! For I have the same destiny as my Savior has (and also the same as my resurrection with Him together.)