二○二一年六月十九日／二十日
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屬靈氣質 靈活榜樣
滕近輝牧師
主耶穌教導門徒，一方面要馴良像鴿子，但另一方面也要靈巧像蛇。
馴良像鴿子：基督徒應該具有鴿子的樣式：溫柔、和平、單純、馴良。這恰是主耶穌的表現。
舊約也用鴿子來形容屬神的人：「你們安臥在羊圈的時候，好像鴿子的翅膀鍍白銀，翎毛鍍黃金一般。」（詩六十八 13）他們是傳「好信息」的婦女，他們是和平福音的使者。這是何等美麗的描繪！
如同鴿子的聖靈，在基督徒的生命結出「仁愛、喜樂、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信實、溫柔、節制」的果子。他們已經「除去一切的惡毒、詭詐，並假善、嫉妒，和一切毀謗的話」（彼前二 1）。這是真正重生者的形象。
靈巧像蛇：我們應當在甚麼事上靈巧如蛇呢？
1. 以智慧行善——行善需要智慧，不然善意可能產生惡果，即所謂做了「糊塗好人」。有一個基督徒到商店購物，店員一時不小心，多找了錢給他。他回家以後發現這事，就一片好心回到店中，把多找的錢當著老闆的面還給店員。結果店員被老闆解僱了。他的愛心反而害了人，乃因他缺少智慧與靈巧。
2. 以智慧傳福音（西一 28）——商人最善於利用靈巧的廣告或招徠術來推銷商品。但教會傳福音的方法卻常常缺少精心的設計。其實，誠實而有吸引力的設計是需要的。
3. 靈巧地運用組織方法推進聖工——初期耶路撒冷的教會，以屬靈的原則創立適當的行政組織，解決了發怨言的問題，充分發揮了執事與使徒之間的適當配搭，為聖靈的工作預備了渠道，令教會大大興旺（徒六 1-8）。
4. 靈巧地面對人生困境——當尼布甲尼撒王要但以理與其三友吃祭過偶像的食物時，他們運用了智慧逃過死關（但一 12-13）。
5. 保羅的榜樣——當保羅面對猶太人公會的審訊時，他一方面為主作見證，另一方面靈巧地引發觀眾之間的爭論。結果，他脫離了當時的困境（徒二十三 1-10）。
6. 主耶穌的榜樣——靈活的創意教導法。
（本文撮錄自滕近輝牧師的著作《偏差與平衡》之「馴良像鴿子與靈巧像蛇」，蒙宣道出版社允許轉載。）
Pastor's Sharing Godly Temperament and Spiritual Shrewdness
Rev Philip Teng
The Lord Jesus has taught His disciples that they need to be as shrewd as snakes and yet as innocent as doves.
Innocent as doves: Christians should have the traits of a dove: gentle, peaceful, pure and meek. This is what our Lord Jesus is like.
The Old Testament portrays the people of God as doves: "Even while you sleep among the sheep pens, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold" (Psalm 68:13). They are women who proclaim the good news. They are heralds of the gospel of peace.
Christians bear fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control out of the Spirit, which is like a dove. They have had their bad things removed: "all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind" (1 Peter 2:1). What emerges is the image of a truly reborn Christian.
Shrewd as snakes: When should we be shrewd as snakes?
1.Do good with shrewdness – It takes wisdom to do good. Otherwise, goodwill can lead to bad outcome and the people involved are good yet muddled. A Christian went shopping and the shop assistant gave him more change than he should by mistake. When he discovered this back home, he returned to the shop and gave the balance back to the shop assistant in front of his boss. In the end, the shop assistant was fired. The Christian's good intention was counter-productive as he lacked wisdom and shrewdness.
2. Preach the gospel with wisdom – The commercial sector is good at promoting their commodities with clever advertisements and sales techniques. On the other hand, the way the church spreads the gospel may not always be very well thought out. It is true that we need some strategies that are both honest and inviting.
3. Deploy organizational methods shrewdly to advance the ministry – The early church in Jerusalem applied spiritual principles to create an appropriate administrative body to resolve grievances. The move enabled the deacons and the apostles to complement each other to the fullest. A vessel for the work of the Holy Spirit was thus ready and the church thrived (Acts 6:1-8).
4. Tackle life's difficulties with shrewdness – When Daniel and his three friends resolved not to defile themselves with the food of King Nebuchadnezzar, they evaded death with wisdom (Daniel 1:12-13).
5. The example of Paul – At the trial before the Sanhedrin, Paul testified for the Lord and at the same time shrewdly stirred up a debate among the audience. Finally, he got out of his difficulty (Acts 23:1-10).
6. The Lord Jesus' example – The Lord's teaching is both flexible and creative.
Excerpt from "Shrewd as Snakes and Innocent as Doves" from Live a Balanced Life by Rev. Philip Teng
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