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基督徒在這個世界上要做「世上的鹽和世上的光」 ( 馬太福音5:13-14)。這句話象徵了基督徒要保存、要發揚光大上帝的美善,就如鹽有防腐與增味的作用一樣;基督徒也要像一座燈塔一樣吸引周遭的人。神的子民傳福音的方式沒有比行善、做好見證更來得有效的了( 參部落格:福音策略)。許多非信徒說他們不想成為基督徒,因為他們覺得基督徒和一般平民老百姓毫無二致。 他們指出福音派基督教領袖常曝露的醜聞。他們說,這些醜聞反映出的,其實不就是你們基督教口中傳講福音的虛偽縮影嗎?每當有人質疑這類的問題時,基督徒早就準備好他們的標準答案了。「 有人問你們心中盼望的緣由,就要常做準備,以溫柔、敬畏的心回答各人。」(彼得前書3:15)基督徒會回答:「你要專注在神身上,不要看人所做的,因為人皆有過。」 有的基督徒會告訴你:「你要了解,有些人自稱為基督徒,但是其實他們沒有真正重生得救。連我們基督徒有時候都分辨不出誰是狼誰是羊呢!」(馬太福音7:15;參部落格:披羊皮的狼) 這是最常見的託詞。這些藉口就像萬用 OK 蹦護創膠布一樣,看到什麼傷口都一併貼上去。這又好比一個五星級大酒店打的廣告:「保證您在此會享有最奢華高端的品質服務。」但是當客戶的期望沒有得到滿足時,酒店經理竟然說:「哦,請您千萬不要看我們的員工和設施,只要注意到我們的五顆星評級就行了。其實我們這裡很多都不是真的員工,而且許多的設施也不是我們的。」説得好像五星級應該供應的要求、質量、員工和設施與星級毫無關聯似的。
如果神真的有能力把一個人改造成一個新造的人,「舊事已過都變成新的了!」(哥林多後書5:17)這些新造的人,就應該驕傲地以五星級的新形象,呈現給世人看;要不然就謙恭虛己,承認基督徒其實跟其他的人沒有什麼差異。雖然他們的神可能是無所不能,但是他們只是微不足道的凡人。就算他們再努力嘗試,也不應該因為神跟他們同在,就自喻非凡。不知何故,基督徒認為只要他們已經承認自己是罪人了,他們就可以肆無忌憚,不用背上自傲自狂的罪名,登上了「新造的人之寶座」,被提到更高層的地位。 最諷刺的是,他們在自己的族群裡面也在分黑羊與白羊,這本身就是一個虛偽的動作 (參部落格:排外)
基督徒可能有時太忙於往外向世人做見證,卻忘了其實還有一個比這個世界更重要的地方要優先去觸及的,那就是自己的內心世界(參部落格:二元論)。
Testimony
Christians are called to be the "salt of the earth and the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-14). This phrase symbolizes that Christians are to preserve and magnify the goodness of God, just as salt serves to prevent decay and enhance flavor. Christians are also to be like a lighthouse, drawing those around them. There is no more effective way for God's people to spread the gospel than by doing good and being a good witness (please refer to my blog post: Evangelical Strategies). Many non-believers say they don't want to become Christians because they feel Christians are no different from the rest of the people. They point to scandals exposed by evangelical Christian leaders. They say that these scandals reflect nothing more than the hypocrisy of the gospel you preach. When someone questions such issues, Christians are already prepared with their standard answers, "But in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15) Christians may reply, "Focus on God, not on what people do, for all people have sinned." Some Christians may tell you, "You need to understand that some people claim to be Christians, but they are not truly born again. Sometimes even we Christians cannot distinguish between the wolves and the sheep!" (Matthew 7:15; Please refer to my blog post: Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing) These are the most common excuses. These excuses are like an all-purpose adhesive bandage, applied to any wound you see. It's like a five-star hotel advertisement saying, "We guarantee you the most luxurious, high-end quality service." But when customers' expectations are not met, the hotel manager says, "Oh, please don't pay attention to our employees and facilities, just notice our five-star rating. Actually, many of the employees here aren't really ours, and many of the facilities aren't ours either." It's as if the five-star rating should have nothing to do with the expectations, quality, staff, and facilities associated with the star rating.
If God truly has the ability to transform a person into a new creation, where "the old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17), these newly transformed individuals should proudly present themselves to the world with a five-star new image. Otherwise, they should humbly acknowledge that Christians are not fundamentally different from others. Even though their God may be all-powerful, they are still insignificant human beings. Even if they try hard to be Christ-like, they should not exalt themselves just because God is with them. Somehow, Christians believe that once they admit they are sinners, they can behave without restraint, without bearing the burden of arrogance and pride, and ascend to the "throne of the new creation," raising their status. Ironically, within their own community, they also divide between black sheep and white sheep, which is itself a hypocritical act (Please refer to my blog post: Exclusiveness).
Christians may sometimes be so busy testifying to the world that they forget that there is something even more important than this world that they need to address: their inner world (Please refer to my blog post: Dualism).
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