January 13
He…gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. — Ephesians 4:11–13
Scripture reading: Ephesians 4:7–5:1
A man traveled with me from Montreal to Vancouver and then on ship to New Zealand. He was a dealer of racehorses. It seemed he could not leave me. He was frivolous and talked about races, but he could not keep up his end of the conversation. I did not struggle to keep my end up because mine is a living power. No person who has Jesus as the inward power of his body needs to tremble when Satan comes around. All he has to do is to “stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD” (Exodus 14:13).
This man entered into a good deal of frivolity and talk of this world. Coming upon a certain island of the Fiji group, we all disembarked, and God gave me wonderful liberty in preaching. The man came back afterwards; he did not go to meet his racing and card-playing chums; instead, He came stealing back to the ship. With tears in his eyes, he said, “I am dying. I have been bitten by a snake.” His skin had turned to a dark green, and his leg was swollen. “Can you help me?” he asked.
If we only knew the power of God! If we are in a place of substance, of reality, of ideal purpose, it is not human; we are dealing with almightiness. I have a present God. I have a living faith, and the living faith is the Word. The Word is life, and the Lord is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Placing my hands upon the serpent bite, I said, “In the name of Jesus, come out!” He looked at me, and the tears came. The swelling went down before his eyes, and he was perfect in a moment.
Yes, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is what came into me when I believed. I was born of the incorruptible Word by the living virtue, life, and personality of God. I was instantly changed from nature to grace. I became a servant of God, and I became an enemy of unrighteousness.
The Holy Spirit wants us to clearly understand that we are a million times bigger than we know. Most Christians have no conception of what they are. Oh, that God would bring us into divine attractiveness by His almightiness so that all our bodies would wake up to resurrection force, to the divine, inward flow of eternal power coursing through our human frames.
God took you into His pavilion and began to clothe you and give you the gifts of the Spirit. He did this so that in that ministry, by the power of God, you would bring all the church into the perfect possession of the fullness of Christ. Oh, the wonder of it! Oh, the adaptability of His equipment!
I believe God wants something to be in you that could never be unless you cease to live for yourself. God wants you to live for Him, to live for others. But, oh, to have the touch of God! Beloved, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. The Holy Spirit did not come to speak of Himself, but He came to unveil Him who said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). The Holy Spirit came to thrill you with resurrection power, and He came so that you would be anointed with fresh oil that overflows in the splendor of His almightiness. Then right through you will come forth a river of divine anointing that will sustain you in the bitterest place. It will give life to the deadest formality and say to the weak, “Be strong,” and to them who have no might, “The Lord of Hosts is here to comfort you.” (See Isaiah 40:29; Zechariah 1:17.) Possibility is the greatest thing of your life.
Thought for today: God wants us to be like the rising of the sun, filled with the rays of heaven, all the time beaming forth the gladness of the Spirit of the Almighty.
信仰在工作中
1月13日
他…所赐的，有使徒的，有先知的，有传福音的，有牧师和教师的，为要成全圣徒，做好事工的工作…直到我们众人在真道上同归于一，认识神的儿子。——以弗所书 4:11–13
经文阅读：以弗所书 4:7–5:1
一个男人和我一起从蒙特利尔旅行到温哥华，然后乘船前往新西兰。他是一名赛马经销商。似乎他无法离开我。他轻浮，总是谈论赛马，但他无法维持对话的节奏。我并不费力去维持我的对话部分，因为我的力量是活生生的。任何一个拥有耶稣作为他体内力量的人，当撒旦出现时都不需要颤抖。他所要做的就是“站住，看耶和华的拯救”（出埃及记 14:13）。
这个人卷入了许多轻浮的行为和世俗的谈话。我们来到斐济群岛的某个岛屿时，大家都下船了，上帝赐给我在传道上的奇妙自由。那个人随后回来了；他没有去见他赛马和打牌的朋友们；相反，他偷偷地回到船上。眼中含着泪水，他说：“我快死了。我被蛇咬了。”他的皮肤已经变成深绿色，腿也肿了。“你能帮我吗？”他问道。
如果我们能知道神的能力！如果我们处在有实质、有现实、有理想目的的地方，那就不是人能做到的；我们正在处理全能。我有一个活生生的神。我有活的信心，而活的信心就是道。道就是生命，主是“昨天今天一直到永远都是一样的”（希伯来书 13:8）。当我把手放在蛇咬的地方时，我说：“奉耶稣的名，出来！”他看着我，眼泪流了下来。肿胀在他眼前消退，他瞬间就康复了。
是的，“信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据”（希伯来书 11:1）。当我相信时，信进入了我。我是藉着神永生的能力、生命和人格，由不朽的道所生。我瞬间从本性转变为恩典。我成为了神的仆人，也成为了不义的敌人。
圣灵希望我们清楚地明白，我们比自己所知道的要大一百万倍。大多数基督徒根本无法理解他们是什么。哦，但愿神借着祂的全能将我们带入神性的吸引力，使我们所有的身体都觉醒于复活的力量，觉醒于永恒力量的神圣内在流动，在我们的人类身体中奔流。
神把你带进祂的帐篷，开始给你穿上衣服，并赐给你圣灵的恩赐。祂这样做，是为了让你在那项事工中，通过神的能力，使整个教会都能完全拥有基督的丰盛。哦，多么奇妙啊！哦，祂装备的多么灵活啊！
我相信上帝希望在你里面孕育出某种东西，而这种东西只有在你停止为自己而活时才可能出现。上帝希望你为祂而活，为他人而活。但是，啊，能感受到上帝的触摸！亲爱的，圣灵是安慰者。圣灵来的目的不是为自己说话，而是为了显明那位曾说过“你们要背起我的轭，学习我的道，因为我心里柔和谦卑，你们的灵魂必得安息”（马太福音11:29）的人。圣灵降临是为了用复活的大能震撼你，也是为了让你被恩膏，用新油膏抹，溢出祂全能的荣耀。然后，通过你，将涌出一条神圣恩膏的河流，在最苦的境地里支撑你。它会使最死板的形式获得生命，对软弱的人说：“要刚强”，对无力的人说：“万军之耶和华在此安慰你。”（参以赛亚书40:29；撒迦利亚书1:17）可能性是你生命中最伟大的事情。
今日的思考：上帝希望我们像太阳升起一样，充满天国的光辉，时时刻刻散发全能者的灵的喜乐。
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