圣诞灵修：圣诞是践行使命的典范
“你怎样差我到世上，我也照样差他们到世上。”（约翰福音17:18）
圣诞是践行使命的典范。使命是圣诞的一面明镜。就像是对我，也是对你。
例如危险。
基督到自己的地方来，自己的人倒不接待他。你也可能会经历这些。
他们策划阴谋陷害耶稣。你也可能会经历这些。
他没有永久的家。你也可能会经历这些。
他们捏造伪造的事控告他。你也可能会经历这些。
他们鞭打和嘲笑他。你也可能会经历这些。
他在三年的服侍之后被钉死在十字架上。你也可能会经历这些。
但是，有一种危险比耶稣所胜过的一切危险都更危险。你也很可能面临这种危险。
16世纪中叶，传教士弗朗西斯·泽维尔（1506-1552）写信给马六甲神父佩雷斯（如今属于印度尼西亚的一部分），讲述了他访华布道期间所经历的危险。
他说，所有危险中之最就是失去对神的怜悯的信任和信心。不信任他，比神所有的敌人一起施加给我们任何肉体邪恶的压力，还要更可怕。若没有神的允许，魔鬼和他们的仆役丝毫不能阻挠我们。
传教士面临的最大危险不是死亡，而是不信任神的怜悯。如果避免了这种危险，那么所有其他的危险就都算不得危险。
神最终会使每把匕首都成为我们手中的一把权杖。正如J.W.亚历山大所说：“现在每一刻的劳苦，都会以百万年的荣耀来补偿。”
基督胜过了这种危险——不信神的危险。所以神高举了耶稣！就像他一样，你也同样可以被高举。
请记得圣诞是践行使命的典范。就像是对我，也是对你。这个任务意味着危险。
最大的危险就是不信神的怜悯。
屈服于这一点，就等于失去了一切。
征服这一点，永远没有什么能伤害到你。
“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18)
Christmas is a model for missions. Missions is a mirror of Christmas. As I, so you.
For example, danger. Christ came to his own and his own received him not. So you also. They plotted against him. So you. He had no permanent home. So you. They trumped up false charges against him. So you. They whipped and mocked him. So you. He died after three years of ministry. So you.
But there is a worse danger than any of these which Jesus escaped. So you!!
In the mid-16th century the missionary Francis Xavier (1506–1552), wrote to Father Perez of Malacca (today part of Indonesia) about the perils of his mission to China. He said,
The danger of all dangers would be to lose trust and confidence in the mercy of God. . . . To distrust him would be a far more terrible thing than any physical evil which all the enemies of God put together could inflict on us, for without God’s permission neither the devils nor their human ministers could hinder us in the slightest degree.
The greatest danger a missionary faces is not death but to distrust the mercy of God. If that danger is avoided, then all other dangers lose their sting.
In the end God makes every dagger a scepter in our hand. As J.W. Alexander says, “Each instant of present labor is to be graciously repaid with a million ages of glory.”
Christ escaped this danger — the danger of distrusting God. Therefore God has highly exalted him! As he, so you.
Remember this Advent that Christmas is a model for missions. As I, so you. And that mission means danger. And the greatest danger is distrusting God’s mercy. Succumb to this and all is lost. Conquer here and nothing can harm you for a million ages.
作者：约翰·派博 翻译：沈亦蓉 来源：DesiringGod.com
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