Judgment and the Love of God

The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God . . . —1 Peter 4:17

The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.

In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.

If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.

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在愛的淵中受審判

因為時候到了,審判要從神的家起首.(彼前四17)

作主的工人必須記住,救恩是從神來的,不是人自己可以得到;因此,這是一道測不透的深淵.救恩是神一個極高超偉大的意念,而不是一個經歷.經歷只不過是一道門,讓救恩進入我們的生命裡。千萬別傳揚經歷,乃要傳揚經歷背後神偉大的意念。我們傳道，並不是宣佈人怎樣可以得救，脫離地獄，變成有道德、聖潔的人；我們乃是傳達神的好消息。

在耶穌基督的教訓中，總夾著審判，這是神愛的表徵。若有人覺得接近神是件難事，我們不必表示同情，因為這不是神的錯。我們也不必設法解釋困難的緣故，只要把神真理講出來，聖靈就會指出毛病所在。傳道最大的考驗，就是要把各人帶進審判裡去。神的靈會個別對付每一個人。

耶穌若給我們一條命令，而不給我們力量去實行的話，他就是個說謊者。若我們讓自己的無力實行成為順服的攔阻，那就是在對神說，他有些事考慮不周詳。任何的自倚自恃，都必須被神粉碎。完全的軟弱與信賴，往往是聖靈彰顯他能力的時候。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，願你的賜福今天臨到我們，那麼多人正需要你。求你拯救的大能在我們當中運行，掌管和振奮我們。