The Sign of A True Church真實教會的印記

THE SIGN OF A TRUE CHURCH

Scripture: "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another."—JOHN xiii. 35.

        We are taught in most of our creeds that the true Church is to be found where God's Word is rightly preached, and the holy sacraments dispensed, as instituted by Christ. Christ Him¬self took a much broader view. Not merely what the Church teaches through her ministers, was, to Him, the distinguishing mark of His followers, but a life lived in love to the brethren.

        It is most important that we should understand this. In God, love reaches its highest point, and is the culmination of His glory. In the man Christ Jesus on the cross love is at its highest. We owe everything to this love. Love is the power that moved Christ to die for us. In love, God highly exalted Him as Lord and Christ. Love is the power that broke our hearts, and love is the power that heals them. Love is the power through which Christ dwells in us, and works in us. Love can change my whole nature, and enable me to surrender all to God. It gives me strength to live a holy, joyous life, full of blessing to others. Every Christian should show forth, as in a mirror, the love of God.

        Alas, how seldom do Christians realize this! They seek, in the power of human love, to love Christ and the brethren. And then they fail. They are sure it is impossible to lead such a life, and they do not even greatly desire it, or pray for it. They do not understand that we may and can love, with God's own love, which is poured forth unto our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

        Oh, that this great truth might possess us: the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. If we fully believe that the Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, will maintain this heavenly love from hour to hour, we shall be able to understand the word of Christ: "All things are possible to him that believeth," and to love God and Christ with all our hearts; and, what is even harder, to love our brethren, and even our enemies, while love flows from us as a stream of living water, "through the Holy Spirit."

真實教會的印記

經文: 「你們若有彼此相愛的心，眾人因此就認出你們是我的門徒了。」（約翰福音十三：35）

在我們所受的教導裡，得到這樣一個信念，即一個好的教會，應是按著正義分解聖經、被聖靈充滿，有耶穌同在的教會。但耶穌持有更寬廣的看法，認為教會的本質，不只是傳道人所教導的以上那些概念，應該還包含對弟兄姐妹有愛心這個特質。

我們必須了解，愛是基督的精粹，也是上帝榮耀最高層次的表現，而耶穌被釘十字架，更是主愛淋漓盡致的具體行動。我們對上帝這樣大的愛，實在不知如何回報，因祂愛人類到一個地步，竟然願為人類而死。這樣昊天罔極的大愛不但高舉耶穌為人類的救主，更軟化破碎的人心，又重新醫治建造人心。同時，藉著這愛的力量，上帝能住在我們心中，作工在我們裡面，改變我們老我的生命，使之有上帝的生命，願降服在祂的旨意下，有力量過一個聖潔、喜樂的生活，成為別人的祝福。每一個基督徒都像一面鏡子，可以返照上帝榮美的形像。

多可惜啊！很多基督徒不明白這道理，他們試圖用人的愛來愛上帝、愛弟兄姐妹，結果發現力不從心而失敗得很慘。他們也知道不太可能過一個愛上帝愛人的生活，所以他們乾脆放棄為這件事禱告。他們不明白靠著上帝的愛，藉著聖靈的內住，他們可以做到愛上帝、愛弟兄。

喔！讓我們將這真理銘記在心：上帝的愛要藉著聖靈澆灌我們的心。若我們真心相信聖靈真住在我心，我們就能夠時刻保持屬天的愛在我們心中，也就會了解耶穌說的：在信的人凡事都能。並且願意盡心盡力地愛上帝，更進一步地還去愛弟兄姐妹，甚至仇敵也能去愛；因為上帝的愛要藉著聖靈澆灌我心，使我腹中湧出活水的泉源，不斷汨汨的流出，能愛周圍的人。