The Key to the Missionary’s Work (2)

He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world —1 John 2:2

The key to the missionary’s message is the propitiation of Christ Jesus— His sacrifice for us that completely satisfied the wrath of God. Look at any other aspect of Christ’s work, whether it is healing, saving, or sanctifying, and you will see that there is nothing limitless about those. But— “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”— that is limitless (John 1:29). The missionary’s message is the limitless importance of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins, and a missionary is someone who is immersed in the truth of that revelation.

The real key to the missionary’s message is the “remissionary” aspect of Christ’s life, not His kindness, His goodness, or even His revealing of the fatherhood of God to us. “. . . repentance and remission of sins should be preached . . . to all nations . . .” (Luke 24:47). The greatest message of limitless importance is that “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins . . . .” The missionary’s message is not nationalistic, favoring nations or individuals; it is “for the whole world.” When the Holy Spirit comes into me, He does not consider my partialities or preferences; He simply brings me into oneness with the Lord Jesus.

A missionary is someone who is bound by marriage to the stated mission and purpose of his Lord and Master. He is not to proclaim his own point of view, but is only to proclaim “the Lamb of God.” It is easier to belong to a faction that simply tells what Jesus Christ has done for me, and easier to become a devotee of divine healing, or of a special type of sanctification, or of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But Paul did not say, “Woe is me if I do not preach what Christ has done for me,” but, “. . . woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). And this is the gospel— “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

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宣教信息之鑰

祂為我們的罪作了挽回祭，不是單為我們的罪，也是為普天下人的罪。 （約翰一書2：2）

宣道信息的中心，就是耶穌基督作了挽回祭。試拿基督任何其他方面的工作看——醫治、拯救、成聖；這些都不是無限的。 「神的羔羊，除去世人罪孽的。（約翰福音1：29） 」才是無限的。宣道的信息就是耶穌基督為普天下人的罪作了挽回祭，宣道士也就是被這一個啟示充滿的。

宣道信心的中心，不是耶穌基督的仁慈和良善，也不是祂彰顯了父神；而是基督把我們從罪中釋放，那是最無限的重點，就是祂為我們的嘴作了挽回祭。宣道信息不是愛國主義，不是單為某國或某人，乃是為整個世界的。聖靈進到我裡面，並不投我的喜好，祂來是要帶我與主耶穌聯合。

宣道士是與他的主聯合，他傳揚的不是自己的觀點，而是神的羔羊。要歸屬於一個宣傳“主為我們作過什麼”的集團、要成為一個熱衷於神蹟治病或成聖或靈洗的份子較容易。可是，保羅並不是說：“我若不傳主為我所作的，我就有禍了。”他乃是說：「若不傳福音，我便有禍了。（哥林多前書9： 16） 」，「神的羔羊，除去世人罪孽的。（約翰福音1：29） 」這就是福音。