牧者心聲

在一次宗教對話的聚會中，我發現原來靈修不是基督信仰獨有。佛教的靈修要求靈修者有累世修行、功德和福報，才能順利投胎轉世為人，甚至修煉成佛。一些新世紀運動的靈修法叫做「寧修」，以瑜伽冥想、占卜、催眠、氣功等探索心靈治療，達至天人合一。這些靈修法是危險的，因為當中除了引入靈界力量，也讓人不斷強調依靠自己來修煉。如果生命中沒有一個至高真理的引導，人反而會在自我中迷失和失去安寧。

基督徒的靈修是一趟從自我到聆聽主聲的轉化之旅，那不是修煉，而是親、尋、辨——親近主、尋求主的旨意、辨別主的聲音。主耶穌把自己喻作好牧人（約十 1-6），祂說羊會聽、會認得牧人的聲音，並跟著他；羊不認得生人的聲音。聲音在這比喻中佔著重要的地位，因為羊的視力不好，不能靠自己辨別方向，若不全然倚靠牧人聲音的導航，小羊就不能找到草吃，須知道在巴勒斯坦乾旱的大地，要找到嫩草吃一點都不容易。詩篇二十三 2 中，是神「使」我安躺在青草地上，「領」我在可安歇的水邊，羊和牧人的角色不能逆轉，牧人的責任是呼喚、聚集、帶領，確保羊走在正確的方向中，得著溫飽、安全和豐盛的生命。羊的責任簡單得多，就是「聽」和「跟」。我們每天靈修，操練的就是聆聽和跟從主的聲音。但很多時候，牧人和羊的「呼喚 - 跟從」角色卻在不知不覺中逆轉了，我們（羊）走在前頭，呼喚主（大牧人）來跟從我們想要前往的方向。結果會是怎樣？不錯，是危險的，因為我們都如羊一樣，所知所看到的有限，若不跟著大牧人的聲音，很容易會落在各樣的缺乏、網羅和不安中，失去只有大牧人能供應給我們的安全感和方向感。

主耶穌說：凡有耳可聽的就應當聽！我們要聽從祂的話持續走在義路上（詩二十三 3 下）。我曾在電視上看到敘利亞的牧羊人帶領著 150 隻羊不偏不倚地走在麥田中的小路上，這畫面很令我感動！即使羊看不見那條路，但靠著聽和跟，竟然沒有一隻走出小路之外。我就想起印在一張書籤上的話：「我雖不知道我的路，但我知道引路的是誰。」主耶穌今天也帶領著北宣群羊走在義路上，祂也不願意有一隻羊走偏而失落。在 2026 年，讓我們的耳朵被主開通，專心操練聆聽主聲、順服地被招聚或出發、跟隨主走在義路上。

  At an interfaith dialogue meeting, I came to realize that devotion or spiritual practice is not unique to the Christian faith. In Buddhism, spiritual cultivation requires accumulated practice, merit, and blessing in order to be reincarnated as a human being, or even to become enlightened as a Buddha. Some New Age spiritual practices, known as “inner cultivation,” use yoga meditation, divination, hypnosis, and qigong to explore psychic healing and to achieve unity between heaven and humanity. These forms of spirituality are dangerous, because they not only draw upon spiritual forces but also continually emphasize relying on oneself for spiritual refinement. Without the guidance of an ultimate and absolute truth in life, a person may instead become lost within the self and lose inner peace.

  Christian spirituality is a transformative journey from self-centeredness to listening to the Lord’s voice. It is not self-cultivation, but intimacy, seeking, and discernment—drawing near to the Lord, seeking His will, and discerning His voice. The Lord Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:1–6). He says that the sheep listen to and recognize the shepherd’s voice, and they follow him; they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. In this metaphor, “voice” plays a crucial role, because sheep have poor eyesight and cannot rely on themselves to know the way. Without depending entirely on the shepherd’s voice to guide them, the sheep would not even be able to find grass to eat. We must remember that in the arid land of Palestine, finding tender grass is anything but easy. In Psalm 23:2, it is God who “makes” me lie down in green pastures and “leads” me beside quiet waters. The roles between shepherd and sheep cannot be reversed. The shepherd’s responsibility is to call, to gather, and to lead, ensuring that the sheep walk in the right direction and receive nourishment, safety, and abundant life. The responsibility of the sheep is much simpler: to listen and to follow. Our daily devotion is precisely the training of listening to and following the Lord’s voice. Yet so often, the roles of “calling and following” between shepherd and sheep are unknowingly reversed. We (the sheep) run ahead, calling on the Lord (the Great Shepherd) to follow where we want to go. What would the result be? As expected, it is dangerous. Like sheep, our knowledge and sight are limited. If we do not follow the voice of the Great Shepherd, we easily fall into all kinds of lack, snares, and unrest, losing the sense of security and direction that only the Great Shepherd can give.

  The Lord Jesus says: Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear! We must listen to His word and keep walking on the right paths (Psalm 23:3b). I once watched on television a Syrian shepherd leading a flock of 150 sheep, guiding them with precision along a narrow path through a wheat field. The scene deeply moved me! Though the sheep could not see the path, simply by listening and following, not a single one strayed off the path. It reminded me of a sentence printed on a bookmark: “Though I know not my path ahead, I know the One who leads the way.” Today, the Lord Jesus is also leading the flock of North Point Alliance Church along the right paths, and He does not wish for even one sheep to wander off and be lost. In 2026, may the Lord open our ears, that we may attentively practice listening to the Lord’s voice and obediently follow His gathering or His sending. May we follow the Lord and walk on the right paths.