3&4.…

Have you ever found the decision about what to do with your life a difficult one? Take a moment to reflect on how you ended up in your current role. How would you describe God’s hand in this? Write down the highlights and, if you can, share a key moment with the group.
你是否曾感到很难决定你的一生该干什么?花点时间来思考你是怎么走到今天的岗位的。你如何描述上帝在其中的作为?写下重点内容。如果可能,与小组分享其中的关键时刻。
Have you ever felt pressure to go into some form of full-time
church ministry?
你是否曾觉得很想以某种形式全职做教会事工?
反 思 祷 告 你知道你的呼召吗?
Open the session with a short time of prayer.
在简短的祷告后开始开始会议。
If ‘yes, is this having an effect on your commitment to your current role?
如果是,这是否会影响你全身心投入目前的岗位?

You may have found yourself wondering if the time you are spending at work could be better spent in a church ministry. You may even have felt guilty about your passion for your work and the limited time you seem to be able to give to the ‘work of the church’. You are not alone.
也许你已经发现自己在考虑把目前用在工作上的时间用在教会的事工上是否会更好。你甚至可能为自己对工作的热情以及能够用在“教会工作”上的时间有限而感到内疚。不是只有你一人有这样的感受.
There is a powerful moment in the early years of William Wilberforce, one of the great political reformers who is famous for his role in the abolition of the slave trade. He, like many believers, was deliberating over his calling and what path he should follow. He questioned whether his renewed awareness of God should lead him away from an emerging career in politics and into a church ministry. His great friend and soon-to-be Prime Minister, William Pitt, arranged for abolitionists to come to his home and encourage him to recognise that his calling, even his ministry, was in fact best achieved in and through a career in politics. The meeting is recorded in the film ‘Amazing Grace’ and closes with the powerful and life-changing remark; “We understand you are having problems choosing
Teaching 教 导
whether to do the work of God or the work of a political activist. We humbly suggest that you can do both.”
因在废除奴隶贩卖运动中所扮演的角色而闻名的伟大的政治改革家威廉·威尔伯福斯(William Wilberforce),年轻时曾有个对他一生影响重大的时刻。像许多信徒一样,他曾郑重思考自己的呼召以及他应该走的路。他问自己是否应该藉着他对上帝的重新认识离开他正在显现的政治生涯,转而进入教会事工。他的好朋友,即将成为总理的威廉·皮特(William Pitt)安排废奴主义者们到他家去鼓励他认清,实事上他的呼召甚至他的事工只有在他的政治生涯中并通过他的政治生涯才能取得最大的成就。这一会面记录在电影《奇异恩典》中,电影以有力而改变人生的评论结束:“我们知道你目前难于抉择是做上帝的工作还是做政治活动家的工作,我们诚恳地指出你两者可以同时做到。”
Do you believe that a career in politics was Wilberforce’s ministry?
你相信威尔伯福斯的政治生涯是他的事工吗?
BizMin believes that a career in business and a fruitful Christian ministry are not mutually exclusive. You can in fact do both! This course is designed to reveal how.
BizMin 认为经商生涯和富有成果的基督事工并非互相排斥。实事上,你可以两者兼顾!本课程旨在揭示如何做到这一点。
We believe:if it’s your business, it’s your ministry.
我们相信; 如果这是你的商业经营,那它就是你的事工。
Discussion 讨 论
Teaching 教 导
life-changing Wilberforce’s God-given passion for the abolition of the slave trade was best served through a dedicated career in politics. That was where his God-given role and responsibility lay. Some fifteen painful years later, his tireless campaign in the House of Commons resulted in the abolition of the slave trade
across the British Empire; possibly the greatest moment in one of the great ministries of the nineteenth century. If you are having similar problems choosing whether to do the work of God or the work of a business leader, we would also humbly suggest that you should do both. Great things may yet depend on it.
上帝赋予威尔伯福斯废除奴隶贩卖的热情在他全情投入的政治生涯中得到最好的实现。上帝给予他的岗位和责任正是在那里。大约经过痛苦的十五年之后,他在下议院不懈的努力最终使整个大英帝国废除了奴隶贩卖。这可能是十九世纪伟大事工之一的这个事工最光辉的时刻。如果你同样面临做上帝的工作还是做商业领袖工作这一选择难题,我们也同样诚恳地指出你应该两样都做。伟大的事情也许会因此展开。
Discussion 讨 论
Wilberforce found it hard to see how a career in politics could be the work of God. Do you struggle to see how a career in business can be the work of God?
威尔伯福斯难以明白政治生涯如何能成为上帝的工作。你是否也难以明白一个人的经商生涯如何能成为上帝的工作?
Teaching 讨 论
Throughout history people have struggled to see how work and ministry can combine. Even Jesus had to struggle against this prejudice. His peers could not see how someone from the marketplace could possibly be spiritual.
纵观历史,人们一直难以明白工作和事工如何能够结合,甚至耶稣也得和这种偏见做斗争,他同时代的人不明白一个职场人士怎么可能属灵。
When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his home town, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?Where then did this man get all these things?’ And they took offence at him.
耶稣说完了这些比喻,就离开那里,来到自己的家乡,在会堂里教训人,甚至他们都希奇说,这人从哪里有这等智慧,和异能呢?这不是木匠的儿子吗?……这人从哪里有这一切的事呢?他们就厌弃他。
Matthew马太福音13:53-57a
The Apostle Paul was famously a tentmaker and an apostle. He clearly moved quite seamlessly between work and witness. It would be interesting to know if the early church saw him more as a tentmaker who preached or a preacher who made tents. We are not sure that he would care much for the distinction. His work was fully integrated with his ministry and he was never ashamed of his work.
使徒保罗以织帐篷和做使徒而闻名,显然他把工作和见证耶稣完美衔接。有意思的是,不知道早期教会更多地将他看成个会讲道的织帐篷的人,还是个会织帐篷的传道人。我们不知道保罗是不是在意两者之间的区别。他的工作与他的事工完全融合在一起,他从未为自己的工作感到羞耻。
Do you think that Paul was working equally for the Lord in both activities?
你认为保罗在这两项活动中都同样在为主作工吗?
What Paul himself made clear is that we all have to work and, whatever you do, you should ‘work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters’ (Colossians 3:23).
保罗本人明确表示,我们每个人都必须工作,而且无论做什么,你都应“从心里做,像是给主做的,不是给人做的”(歌罗西书 3:23)。
Reflection 反 思
Would you consider yourself to be currently working ‘for the Lord’ or ‘for human masters’?
你认为自己目前在“为主做“还是在“为人做”?
Discussion 讨 论
Are you doing it with ‘all your heart’? If not, what is holding youback?
你是否完全是“从心里做”的?如果没有,什么使你不能那样做?
After the 1666 ‘Great Fire of London’, the world famous architect Christopher Wren was commissioned to rebuild St
Paul’s Cathedral. One day in 1671, Wren observed three bricklayers on a scaffold. He asked each of them “what are you doing?” The first bricklayer, the least productive of the three, replied “I am laying bricks.” The second bricklayer replied, “I am building a wall.” The third bricklayer, the most productive of the three, replied, “I am building a great cathedral for The Almighty.”
1666 年的“伦敦大火”之后,世界著名的建筑师克里斯托弗·雷恩(Christopher Wren)受委托重建圣保罗大教堂。
1671 年的一天,雷恩在脚手架上观察三个瓦工。他问他们每个人“你在做什么?”第一个瓦工,三个瓦工中效率最低的,回答说“我在铺砖”。第二个瓦工回答说“我在筑墙。” 第三位瓦工,三个瓦工中效率最高的,回答说:“我正在为全能者建
造一座大教堂。”
Teaching 教 导
Are you aware that your work is ‘for The Almighty’?
你是否认识到你的工作是为了全能者?
The third bricklayer had a greater awareness that he was working for the Lord. How might this awareness effect our
attitude to work?
第三位瓦工非常清楚地认识到他在为上帝工作。这种认识将怎样影响我们的工作态度?
Discussion 讨 论
铺砖 筑墙为全能者建造
Do you see a connection between how you have been created,as God’s handiwork, and your work?
你是否看到上帝亲手造你的方式和你的工作之间的联系?
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to dogood works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
我们原是祂的工作,在基督耶稣里造成的,为要叫我们行善,就是神所预备叫我们行的。
Ephesians以弗所书2:10
Works. 圣经清楚地表明我们被造都是为了行善。
上 帝预 备我们做善工 上帝完美的创造 上帝预备你你做善工
Do you see your current work as a ‘good work’?
你认为你当前的工作是“善工”吗?
Do you recognize that your work was prepared in advance for you to do?
你是否意识到你的工作是事先准备好让你做的?
Luke路加福音19:1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’
耶稣进了耶利哥,正经过的时候,有一个人名叫撒该,作税吏长,是个财主。他要看看耶稣是怎样的人;只因人多,他
的身量又矮,所以不得看见。就跑到前头,爬上桑树,要看耶稣,因为耶稣必从那里经过。耶稣到了那里,抬头一看,
对他说:“撒该,快下来!今天我必住在你家里。”他就急忙下来,欢欢喜喜的接待耶稣。众人看见,都私下议论说:
“祂竟到罪人家里去住宿。”撒该站着对主说:“主啊,我把所有的一半给穷人;我若讹诈了谁,就还他四倍。”耶稣
说:“今天救恩到了这家,因为他也是亚伯拉罕的子孙。人子来,为要寻找、拯救失丧的人。”
Discuss the difference in this passage between Jesus’ attitude to a man from the marketplace and that of ‘all the people’.
讨论这段经文中耶稣对这个职场男人的态度以及“众人”对他的态度之间的区别。
What was the impact of Jesus’ attitude on Zacchaeus and on his approach to his work?
耶稣的态度对撒该以及撒该对待工作的方式会有什么影响?
Discussion 讨 论
Jesus was comfortable being in the company of business people. Encountering Jesus transformed Zacchaeus’ attitude to the way he did business. He went from self-centred to servant, and miser to minister, overnight. Why do you think Jesus didn’t ask him to leave his work and ‘follow me as he had done with the twelve disciples?
耶稣愿意与商人在一起,遇见耶稣改变了撒该的经商态度,一夜之间,他从以自我为中心的人变为仆人,从守财奴变为传道人。你认为耶稣为什么没有像他对十二个门徒所做的那样,要求撒该离开他的工作而“跟随我”?
Do you think collecting taxes is a ‘good work’? Could this have been Zaccheus’ God-given calling; a work prepared in advance for him? It may help to consider what the consequences for society would be if taxes were not collected and by a Godfearing Christian.
你认为收税是一项“善工”吗?这有可能是上帝对撒该的呼召,一个上帝提前为他预备好的工作吗?思考下面的问题也许会有帮助,如果没人收税,或者不是由敬虔的基督徒来收取,这会给社会带来什么后果?
Teaching 教 导
Jesus had a broad view of what constitutes a ‘good work’. Here is a good example.
耶稣对什么是“善工”有广泛的看法。下面就是一个很好的例子。
Eric Liddell was one of Britain’s greatest sprinters and an unashamedly fearless man of God. He also knew well the
tension between wanting to be active in both a church ministry and the world of sport. He famously ran for Britain in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. It was not easy for everyone to accept that Eric’s ability to run was a gift from God, let alone his calling.

There is a wonderful line in the film made about his story called ‘Chariots of Fire’ that illustrates this. Eric is talking with his Christian sister. She is deeply concerned with his growing commitment to running and seeks to convince him to go into the mission field in China; a place to which he later went and died young.
埃里克·利德尔(Eric Liddell)是英国最优秀的短跑运动员之一,也是个坦然无惧的属神的人。他也很清楚地知道积极参
加教会事工并同时活跃在体育界两者之间的张力。他因为在1924 年巴黎奥运会上为英国那次赛跑而出名。并不是每个人都能接受埃里克的奔跑能力是上帝的恩赐,更不用说是上帝对他的呼召了。以他的故事为蓝本的电影《烈火战车》中一个精彩的情节表现了这一点,埃里克在与他是基督徒的妹妹交谈,他妹妹对他在跑步上不断增加的投入深感担忧,并试图说服他去中国传教,一个他后来去了并很年轻就死在那里的地方。
On one occasion they are walking on the hills above Edinburgh. Eric’s response to her pleas is delightful. He says to his sister; “Jenny, I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast,” and he pauses as if lost in the memories of those moments on the race track, ”and when I run, I feel His pleasure.” Eric had discovered that running was a gift and one, like all gifts, that revealed God’s call on his life. He knew that running was a ‘good work’ and felt God’s affirmation when he did it.
有一个场景是他们在爱丁堡的山上行走。埃里克对她恳求的反应非常有趣。他对他妹妹说;“珍妮,我相信上帝造我是有目的的,但祂也使我跑得快。”他停顿下来,好像迷失在跑道上那些瞬间的记忆中,“当我奔跑时,我感受到祂的喜悦。” 埃里克发现跑步是个恩赐,并且像所有的恩赐一样,揭示了上帝对他生命的呼召。他知道跑步是一项“善工”,并且当他做这善工时,他感受到上帝的肯定。
At the 1924 Olympics, Eric got into the squad and was to run in the 100m race. Much to Eric’s disappointment, the final of the 100m race was to be held on a Sunday. Eric was not willing to run on the Sabbath and was even prepared to resist the pleas from the Royal Family for him to run. Despite their attempts to persuade him otherwise he did not run and his stance on the Sabbath became a media sensation. His story and witness did not end there though. A place was found for him to run in the 400m final. It was a race that was to cement his witness in
history. Running, clutching the scripture ‘He that honours me,I will honor,’ which had been given to him by a fellow Christian competitor, he famously went on to win the gold medal in style.
在 1924 年奥运会上,埃里克被选中参加 100 米比赛。令埃里克失望的是,100 米决赛将在周日举行。埃里克不愿意在安息日跑步,他甚至准备抵制王室对他参加决赛的请求。尽管王室试图说服他,然而他还是没有参赛,他对安息日的立场引起了媒体的轰动。不过他的故事和见证并没有到此为止,400 米决赛给了他一个参赛的机会,而这场比赛巩固了他的历史见证。奔跑着,手持一位基督徒竞争对手给他的经文“尊重我的,我必重看他”,他最终广为人知地成功赢得了金牌。
His decision not to race on the Sabbath, in obedience to God, gained international exposure and was still being remembered when the Olympics were held in London in 2012 through a specially commissioned theatre production of the film ‘Chariots of Fire’. There was even an article in an Indian newspaper that same year, focused, not on his winning, but on his stance on the Sabbath. In that one stand for Christ, a stand facilitated by his God-given gift for running, Eric achieved lasting fruit for the Kingdom of God. Even athletics is a ‘good work’ if that is what you were created for!
他顺服神不在安息日参加比赛的决定让世界瞩目,并为人们所纪念,2012 年伦敦奥运会还特别委托制作了电影《烈火战车》的舞台剧。同年,印度一家报纸甚至还发表了一篇文章,文章的重点不是他的获胜,而是他对安息日的立场。在为着基督的立场上,这个有上帝赐予的擅长奔跑的恩赐为支持的立场上,埃里克为上帝的国度取得了持久的成果。如果你为此被造,那么即使是体育运动也是一项“善工”!
You are uniquely made as God’s handiwork for a specific purpose; this is your ‘good work’.
你是上帝为特定的目的亲手而造;这就是你的“善工”。
Are you clear on what you are called to? If you are a Christian, God has a purpose for your life, a ‘good work’ for your gifts, and ultimately, a contribution you are called to make towards achieving His purposes in our generation.
你清楚你的呼召在哪儿吗?如果你是基督徒,那么上帝对你的一生有个目的,并有个“善工”恩赐给你,最终,你被呼召为实现祂在我们这代人身上的目的做出贡献。
If you are a Christian and in business, especially a Christian who owns or leads a business, it follows that one of these three options is true for you:
如果你是一名从事商业活动的基督徒,尤其是拥有或领导一个企业的基督徒,那么以下三种选择之一对你来说会是真的:
A fruitful role in business is God’s calling on my life
经商颇有成果是上帝对我生命的呼召
I am called to be fruitful in something other than business
我被呼召在经商之外的事情上有成果
I am not called to be fruitful
我没有被呼召有成果

Which of these three statements best describes you?
这三个陈述中哪一个最符合你?
你被呼 召经商 吗?
Reflection 反 思
If you are a Christian, option C cannot be true.
如果你是基督徒,选项 C 不能为真。C

‘This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.’
“你们多结果子,我父就因此得荣耀,你们也就是我的门徒了。”
There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
功用也有分别,神却是一位,在众人里面运行一切的事。
John约翰福音15:8  1Corint 林 前12:6

If you are not sure whether A or B is true for you then here are four questions that may help.
如果你不能确定 A 或是 B 符合你,那么以下四个问题会有所帮助。
1. Are you gifted at business? Do ventures prosper when you’re involved?
你有经商的天赋吗?你参与其中的企业繁荣发展吗?
Genesis创世记39:3,5a
When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did the Lord
blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.
他主人见耶和华与他同在,又见耶和华使他手里所办的尽都顺利 ,耶和华就因约瑟的缘故赐福与那埃及人的家。
2. Does business excite you? Do you have a business idea and a passion to run a business?
经商会让你激动不已吗?你有经营理念和管理一个企业的热情吗?
Howard Thurman
霍华德瑟曼
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is
people who have come alive.
不要问世界需要什么。问什么使你活着,然后去做。因为世界需要的是活着的人。恩赐 热情
Reflection 反 思
3. Are you a generous and joyful giver?
你是一个慷慨和乐于给与的人吗?
R.G.LeTourneau
The question is not how much of my money I give to God, but rather how much of God’s money I keep for myself.
问题不是我把多少我的钱捐给了上帝,问题是我把多少上帝的钱留给了自己。
4. Do you have the essential ingredient for success; humility?
你是否具有成功的基本要素:谦卑?
RickWarren
华理克
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.
谦卑不是小看自己,而是少想自己。
Break into small groups of 3 or 4. Consider the categories below. Within your group, each share which category
you think you fall into.
分成 3 或 4 个小组,思考下面的分类。每人在组内分享你自己所属的类别。 慷慨 谦卑
Activity 活 动
You answered ‘yes’ You answered ‘yes’ to You answered ‘no’ to to all 4 questions question 1 and 2, but question 1 and/or 2 ‘no’ to question 3 and/or 4
你对所有四个问题 你对问题 1 和 2 回答了 你对问题 1 和/或 2都回答了“是” “是”,但对问题 3 都回答了“否”和/或 4 回答了“否”
As a group, take time to pray for the people in each category:
每小组花些时间为每个类别的人祷告:
Called & clear 清楚自己被呼召
Affirm and encourage those who are clear in their calling. Pray that they continue to press on to take hold of their calling.
肯定并鼓励那些清楚自己被呼召的人。祈祷他们继续努力抓住他们的呼召。
Called but challenged 被呼召但有挑战
For each person in this group, identify the particular area they find challenging (generosity or humility). They will
need both in order to make their business a fruitful
清楚自己被呼召 被呼召但有挑战 可能未被呼召经商
ministry. Support them in prayer, seeking God’s help in resolving issues.
对于这个类别的每个人,找出他们认为有挑战的具体因素(慷慨或谦卑)。他们需要两者兼具才能使自己的商业经
营成为富有成果的事工。用祷告支持他们,寻求神的帮助以解决问题。
Not called to business leadership 未被呼召做商业领袖
There may be people in your group who are not called to be in business. For some, this will not be an issue (e.g.
church leaders or anyone with a general interest in the course). For others, this may be an unexpected outcome.
Pray that they would receive the courage they will need to discover and pursue their true calling.
你的小组中可能有些人没有被呼召经商。对于一些人来说,这不会是个问题(例如教会领袖或只是对本课程感兴趣的
人)。而对其他一些人,这也许是个出乎意外的结论。祈祷他们得到所需的勇气去发现和追求自己真正的呼召。
Regardless of which category you fall into, you will need support going forward. Consider sharing your findings
with a spiritual friend. As you take up your calling, you are going to need their prayers and encouragement in
the adventure that lies ahead. We hope that you feel endorsed by both God and your church in your calling.
We hope that you feel called to business.
无论你属于哪个类别,你都需要支持来继续前进。可以考虑与属灵的朋友分享你的发现。当你接受你的呼召,踏
上你面前的冒险之旅时,你会需要他们的祷告和鼓励。
Teaching 教 导
我们希望你感受到你的呼召同时得到了上帝和你的教会的认可。我们希望你感受到你是被呼召去经商的。
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for
which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
这不是说我已经得着了,已经完全了;我乃是竭力追求,或者可以得着基督耶稣所要我得的。
Philippians腓立比书3:12
The Apostle Paul recognised that he had not yet arrived at his goal. We must, like him, proactively press on to
take hold of this calling if we are to make business a fruitful ministry.
使徒保罗意识到他尚未达到他的目标。如果我们要使经商成为一个富有成果的事工,我们必须像他一样竭力追求这
一呼召。
We hope you feel inspired to make your business your ministry. The rest of this course will help in that task. We
want you to be established and robust in your calling. It is time to press on and take hold of the good works that
God has prepared you for. Both the world of business and the Kingdom of God need people like you to take up
this calling into business.
我们希望你被激励把经商作为你的事工。本课程的其余部分将帮助你完成这一任务。我们希望你在你的呼召上被建
造并且强壮有力。现在是时候竭力追求上帝预备你要做的“善工”了。商业界和神的国度都需要像你这样的人来接
受这一呼召。
We hope you feel clear in your calling, ready to press on and take hold of your ministry. We hope that it is
a calling to do business as a ministry.
我们希望你清楚你的呼召,竭力追求你的事工。我们希望把经商做为事工是一个呼召。

Close the session with a short time of prayer. Ask God to affirm you in your calling and give you the courage to take
hold of that ‘for which Christ Jesus took hold of’ you.
简短的祷告后结束会议。祈求上帝确认对你的呼召并给你勇气去“得着基督耶稣所要你得的”

4.BizMin-Course

Open the session with a short time of prayer.
简短祷告后开始会议。
At the core of BizMin is the idea that business can be transformed into a Christian ministry. This session will explore
the nature of Christian ministry and how your business can systematically become a fruitful ministry. We believe that if it is your business, it is also your ministry.
BizMin 课程的核心思想是商业经营可以变成一个主内事工。 本课将探讨主内事工的性质,以及如何系统性地将你的商业经营转变成一个富有成果的事工。我们相信,如果这是你的商业经营,那么它就是你的事工。
Reflection 反 思
Imagine serving God faithfully every day, becoming a person who walks by faith, practicing what you preach and trusting God for your daily provision. You are confident in God’s calling, free from worry, and clear in purpose. You know you are engaged in a good work to which you have been called, and others support and endorse you in this. At the end of your days, when it is all done, you will look back with satisfaction and look forward with anticipation of treasure stored in heaven and the words “Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master’s happiness!” You will have lived a truly prosperous and satisfying life; one lived to the full. Wow, it sounds amazing! It sounds like what all Christians long for. It sounds like a life spent in fruitful ministry.
的定义
想象一下每天都忠诚地事奉上帝,成为一个靠信仰而行的人,怎么教导别人自己就怎么做,并相信上帝将供给你每日所需。你对上帝的呼召充满信心,没有忧虑,也目标清晰。你知道自己所做的正是上帝呼召你去做的善工,而其他人也对此表示支持和认可。在你生命的终点,一切行将结束之时,你将心满意足地回顾过去,并期待天上的财宝和“做得好,你这又良善又忠心的仆人!…进来享受你主人的快乐吧!”这句话。你会过真正兴旺和令人满意的生活,一个丰盛的人生。哇,这听起来真棒!正像所有基督徒都渴望的生活,就是在富有成果的事工中度过一生。
Does this describe your life?
这描述的是你的生活吗?
Always 总是 A
Sometimes 有时是
Maybe someday 可能将来某一天是 C
The Encyclopaedia of Christianity Online defines ministry as ‘carrying forth Christ’s mission in the world’ and states that this is ‘fundamentally the task of the church, the whole people of God, and is conferred on each Christian in baptism.’
基督教在线百科全书将事工定义为“在世上宣扬基督的使命”,并指出这“从根本上讲,是教会,所有上帝子民的整体,的任务,而这一任务被授予每位受洗的基督徒。”
Discuss whether you agree with this definition of ministry. Write your own definition.
讨论你是否同意这个关于事工的定义。写下你自己的定义。
Discussion 讨 论
Do you think business can become a Christian ministry?
你认为经商可以成为主内的事工吗?
The term that we translate as ‘ministry’ is from the Greek word ‘Diakonia, meaning, ‘to serve.’ Discuss how an attitude of service, rather than self-interest, might transform the prevailing culture of business.
我们翻译为“事工”的术语来自希腊语“diakoneo”,意思是“服务”。讨论以“服务”的心态,而非追求自身利益的心态会
如何改变盛行的商业文化。
1.What are the primary activities and purposes of a business?
商业经营的主要活动和目的是什么?
Activity 活动
Purpose 目的
2.Take a moment to consider some of the more fruitful church ministries that you are aware of. What are the primary activities and purposes of these traditional Christian ministries?
花点时间思考你所知道的一些有成效的教会事工。这些传统主内事工的主要活动和目的是什么?
Activity 活动
Purpose 目的
Discuss the similarities and differences, identifying potential areas of overlap and conflict, between the activities of a business and those of a church ministry.
讨论经商和教会事工之间的异同,识别两者潜在重叠和冲突的部分。
Consider how church and business have complementary roles and can work in partnership to achieve God’s purposes for the wellbeing of society.
思考教会和经商如何发挥互补作用,相互合作实现上帝为社会谋福利的旨意。
Discussion 讨 论
Consider how business might remove or reduce the demand for many church ministries, enabling the Church to focus its resources on its primary ministries of preaching the gospel and equipping the saints for works of service.
思考经商如何能省去或减少教会事工的许多需求,使教会能将其资源集中在传讲福音和训练圣徒服事的主要事工上。
We believe that church and business are two complementary elements in God’s plan for society.
我们认为教会和经商是上帝对社会的计划中两个互补的要素。
Consider what the passages below tell us about the relationship between business and ministry.
关于经商与事工之间关系,思考下面经文告诉我们什么。
Activity 活 动
Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters…to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own
business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
但我劝弟兄们要更加勉励。又要立志作安静人,办自己的事,亲手做工,正如我们从前所吩咐你们的,叫你们可以向外人行事端正,自己也就没有什么缺乏了。
1 Thess.帖前4:10b-12 , Colossians歌罗西书3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
无论做什么,都要从心里做,像是给主做的,不是给人做的,因你们知道从主那里必得着基业为赏赐;你们所事奉的乃是主基督。
A business can become a fruitful Christian ministry. The business could be an essential partner to the Church in
carrying forth Christ’s mission in the world.
经商可以成为一个富有成果的主内事工。商业经营可以是教会在世上宣扬基督使命的重要伙伴。
Business as a ministry is about the outworking of our faith and Business as a ministry is about the outworking of our faith and Christ’s mission in the context of our business. The Bible encourages God’s people to express the work of Christ in a balanced manner. Different streams and traditions within the Christian community can be prone to place the emphasis of this outworking quite differently. The diagram below illustrates the three broad areas of emphasis by which God’s people ‘carry forth Christ’s mission in the world’. These are Spirit, Word and Deeds.
营商事工就是在我们经营的过程中把我们的信仰和基督的使命传扬出去。圣经鼓励上帝的子民以均衡方式来表达基督的工作。基督徒群体内部不同流派和传统之间传扬基督信仰的侧重点可能很不同。下图说明了上帝子民“在世上传扬基督使命”的三个主要侧重点。它们是圣灵、圣经话语和行为。

行为, 圣灵, 事工, 神的话,
Throughout history Christians have struggled to maintain a well-balanced approach to all three, tending towards a spirituality that favors one or two, but rarely all three. Our goal is for your business to be a complete ministry. This requires actively balancing all three.
纵观历史,基督徒一直难于保持三者之间的均衡,往往倾向于偏重其中一或两个方面,很少三者并重。我们的目标是使你的商业经营成为一个完整的事工。这需要积极平衡全部三个方面。
The following pages contain stories of Kingdom Entrepreneurs who have demonstrated how each has been outworked in their business.
下面是一些国度企业家的故事,讲述了每个侧重点怎样在他们的商业经营中发挥作用。
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
身体没有灵魂是死的,信心没有行为也是死的。
James雅各书2:26
Teaching 教 导、行为
SIR TITUS SALT 泰特斯∙索特爵士 (1803-1876)

Titus Salt was more than a gifted businessman. What made him unique to many other industrialists of the Industrial Revolution was his compassion for his employees and the practical manner by which he demonstrated his faith. Moved by the squalid conditions, his workers were living in, he decided to do something about it. With over two hundred factory chimneys continually churning out black, sulfurous smoke, the northern England town of Bradford had gained a reputation for being the most polluted town in England. Salt was one of the few employers in the town who showed any concern for the problem. After much experimentation, he discovered a burner that produced very little pollution and in 1842 he arranged for these burners to be used in all his factories. When he realised other factory owners and the council were unwilling to take action over the pollution, he decided to move his operations out of Bradford.
泰特斯·索特(Titus Salt)不仅仅是个有天赋的商人。使他在工业革命时期众多的实业家中独树一帜的是他对员工的同情,以及他用实际行动展现他信仰的方式。有感于他的员工肮脏的生活环境,他决定为此做点事。随着 200 多个工厂烟囱不断发出黑色的含硫烟雾,英格兰北部城镇布拉德福德(Bradford)成为英格兰污染最严重的城镇。索特是镇上少数几个对这个问题表示担忧的雇主之一。经过大量的实验,他发现了一种产生污染极小的燃烧器,并于 1842 年将这些燃烧器用于所有他自己的工厂。当意识到其他工厂老板和议会不愿对污染采取行动时,他决定将他的工厂搬出布拉德福德。
Salt consolidated his factories into one large factory and called the new complex Saltaire. Built-in 1853, ‘Saltaire was so bold in its conception, so extensive in its design, so complete in its execution, that it placed the owner on a pinnacle of fame, without a rival’. Suffice to say, it was a special and well-respected new community. The factory complex was located on the banks of the River Aire and included a village for Salt’s employees. He not only pioneered cleaner production; he also provided his workers with good quality homes in a healthy environment.
索特将他的工厂合并为一个大工厂,并称新的综合性厂区为索尔泰尔(Saltaire)。建于 1853 年的索尔泰尔,“其构思如此大胆,设计如此深入,执行如此完善,以至于使它的拥有者名声大震,毫无对手”。不夸张地说,这是一个特别且非常受人尊敬的新社区。综合厂区位于艾尔(Aire)河沿岸,其中还包括一个供索特的员工居住的村落。他不仅开创了清洁生产的先河,还为他的员工在健康的环境中提供了优质的家。
His village included shops, a church, and schools for both adults and children. The community of Saltaire was seen as an example of a village ‘which embraced architectural comfort and at the same time moral order in a paternalistic community.’ Salt proved that it was possible to be highly successful in the textiles industry without exploiting his workers. He took practical steps which demonstrated that a successful business could care for its employees. His Christian compassion was demonstrated by his deeds.
他的村落有商店,教堂,和供成人和孩子们学习的学校。索尔泰尔社区被视为‘既拥有舒适的建筑,又拥有家长式社区之道德秩序’的村落典范。索特证明了在纺织行业,即取得高度成功同时又不剥削工人是可能的。他用实际行动证明成功的企业也可以关心照顾其员工。他的行为证明了他基督徒的同情心。
Salt was a generous man and a great philanthropist of the Victorian age. He helped his workers achieve unprecedented living standards for the time. He had a reputation for generously rewarding his employees and in 1857 he hired three trains to transport around 2,500 workers to the Exhibition of the Art Treasures of
the United Kingdom. When he died in 1876, although he had been an extremely rich man, his family was horrified that his fortune was gone. It has been estimated that during his life he had given away over £500,000 to good causes, a huge sum in the mid 19th century.
索特是一位慷慨的人,是维多利亚时代的伟大慈善家。他帮助他的员工达到了那个时代从未有过的生活水平。他享有慷慨奖励员工的声誉,1857 年,他租用了三列火车运送大约 2500 名工人参加英国艺术珍品展。当他于 1876 年去世时,尽管他曾是个非常富有的人,他的家人震惊地发现他的财富全没了。据估计,他一生中捐出了超过 500,000 英镑用于公益事业,这在 19 世纪中叶是一个巨大的数目。
Salt believed that by helping his employees to live healthier life he was doing God’s work. He was a devout Christian and his coat of arms read, ‘what not by the help of God?’ He was committed to applying his faith through practical action that showed God’s love and compassion holistically for those in his care.
索特认为,通过帮助他的员工过上更健康的生活,他正在做上帝的工。他是一位虔诚的基督徒,他的纹章上写着:“有什么不是由于上帝的帮助呢?”他致力于通过实际行动来实践自己的信仰,就是对他所照管的那些人全面地表达上帝的爱与怜悯。
Titus Salt showed his faith by his deeds.
泰特斯·索特用自己的行为表明了自己的信仰。
How did Salt’s approach to business demonstrate faith through deeds?
索特的经营方式是如何通过行为表明信仰的?
Is your approach to business revealing your faith through your
deeds?
你的经营方式是否通过你的行为表明了你的信仰?
Discussion 讨 论
Reflection 反 思
Teaching 教 导
神的话
1 Corinth.哥林多前1:23a
but we preach Christ crucified…
我们却是传钉十字架的基督
SIR JOHN LAING 约翰·莱因爵士(1879-1978)
John Laing was a successful construction entrepreneur, creating one of the largest construction companies in the UK. The Laing family belonged to a thriving Brethren church in Carlisle, where John Laing learned to rely heavily on the wisdom of the Bible. He was committed to his evangelical beliefs and sought to apply God’s Word to his business.
约翰·莱因(John Laing)是一位成功的建筑企业家,创建了英国最大的建筑公司之一。莱因家族属于卡莱尔(Carlisle)一个蓬勃发展的弟兄会教会,在那里约翰·莱因学会了全心依赖圣经的智慧。他投身于他的福音信仰,并努力将上帝的话
运用到他的商业经营中。
Laing became a Christian at the age of seven and was passionate about sharing the gospel. On one occasion, when he was waiting to receive an honor from the Queen, he asked the person standing next to him whether he was ready to be received in the court of heaven. He sought to never miss an opportunity to preach Christ, whatever the context.
莱因在七岁那年成为一名基督徒,并热衷于分享福音。有一次,当他在等待女王授予他一项荣誉时,他问站在他旁边的人是否准备好了被天堂接收。无论环境如何,他都力求从不错过传扬基督的机会。
Laing had high standards and could be tough on staff, but he was also generous and took a very personal interest in his employees. On one occasion he found a man looking tired on-site and asked what the matter was. The man told him he was having to do the housework and look after his children before starting work at 7am, because his wife was ill. Laing disappeared, only to return and give the man two weeks off with full pay. On getting home, the man discovered that Laing had been and checked out his story, leaving £5 on the kitchen table; a generous
gift at the time.
莱因有高的标准,对员工严格,但他也很慷慨,亲自关心他的员工。有一次,他在现场发现一个人看着很疲倦,便问他怎么回事。这人告诉他,他的妻子病了,所以他得在早上 7 点上班前做家务并照顾孩子。莱因离开了一会儿又回来,给了这人两周的全薪假。这人到家后才知道莱因到过他家查看情况,并在厨房的桌子上留下了5 英镑,这在当时是一份慷慨的礼物。
Laing was also a pioneer of professional cost estimating. In his day clients would often only discover that their budget was going to be exceeded as the project neared completion, with resulting losses and disputes. He revolutionized his industry by taking Jesus at His word. In Luke 14.28 Jesus says; “Suppose one of
you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” Laing made sure that his company did just that. This is a good example of how he explicitly applied the Word to his work. Today, the whole industry is doing this particular aspect of business God’s way!
莱因还是专业成本估算的先驱。在那个时代,客户通常只会在项目快完成时才发现他们的预算将被超出,从而造成损失和纠纷。他信靠耶稣用祂的话革命性地改变了他所在的行业。路加福音 14 章 28 节耶稣说:“你们哪一个要盖一座楼,不先坐下算计花费,能盖成不能呢?”莱因要他的公司设法这样做。这是一个很好的例子,说明他如何在工作中明确地运用神的话。如今,整个行业在这个方面都在按照上帝的方式做!
Laing’s commitment to God’s Word led him to begin practices like sick pay, pension schemes, and pay during poor weather lay-offs, long before these practices were required by law. Laing also used his business to quite literally build God’s Kingdom. On completing the building of Coventry Cathedral, he returned the profit to the church. He also built many churches at a cost price and when the company built houses, they would build extra houses for missionaries at the same time. As his business prospered, he also went on to become a significant funder of various Bible colleges and student outreach organizations. Whenever he called by, his question was the same; ‘How many students have become Christians thisweek?’
莱因对上帝话语的忠诚使他开始采取诸如病假工资,退休金计划,和恶劣天气下岗工资之类的做法,远远早于法律开始要求这么做。莱恩还用自己的企业来真正地建造上帝的国度。在完成考文垂大教堂的建造后,他将收益返还给教堂。他还以成本价建造了许多教堂。当他的公司建造房屋时,还同时为传教士建造额外的房屋。随着业务的蓬勃发展,他更进一步成为各种圣经学校和学生外展组织的重要资助者。每当他顺便拜访这些组织时,他的问题都是一样的:“这周有多少学生成为基督
徒?”
Laing sought to practice what he preached. He was a man committed to applying the Word of God and his evangelical fervor to and through his business activities and the other ministries it helped enable.
莱因努力践行他所传扬的。他是一个致力于将神的话和自己的福音热情贯彻到自己的商业活动以及其企业所资助的其他事工上的人。

How did God’s word influence Laing’s business practice?
神的话如何影响莱因的商业实践?

Reflection 思 考
Are you able to ‘practice what you preach’? Are you allowing
God’s word to influence the policies and practices of your
company?
你是否能够“践行你所传扬的”? 你是否让神的话来影响你公
司的政策和实践?
Discussion 讨 论
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s
power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
我说的话、讲的道,不是用智慧委婉的言语,乃是用圣灵和大能的明证,叫你们的信不在乎人的智慧,只在乎神的大能。
1 Corinth.哥林多前2:4-5
LOWELL ‘BUD’ PAXSON 洛威尔·巴德·帕克森(1935-2015)
Bud Paxson founded the Home Shopping Network in the US and later became an evangelical Christian who pioneered PAX TV, the largest family-friendly television network. This is his story. In 1986, four years after he founded the Home Shopping Network, it was experiencing meteoric growth. Paxson was traveling all over the
world and was away from home 260 days a year. His financial position exploded, but so too did his marriage. On Christmas Day 1986, Paxson’s wife broke the news that she was leaving him. He considered this the lowest point of his life. “I was absolutely and completely bankrupt. I was a millionaire, yet all of my success was worthless because I had lost my wife and wasn’t close to my kids” recalls Paxson. His Christmas gift to the family for 1986 had already been arranged; a trip to Las Vegas. His adult children urged him to go, despite the news from his wife, so
Paxson headed to Vegas. On New Year’s Eve, after all the festivities had ended, he remained unable to sleep. At 4am, he felt an urge to read the Bible, something he
Teaching 教 导
圣灵
hadn’t done since he was a child at Sunday school. Locating one in a drawer next to the bed, he read Romans 5:8; ‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ and gave his heart to Christ. It was the turning point in his life. Paxson had an insatiable appetite for learning the Bible and with the help of a local pastor, he began to truly understand how to live a life committed to Jesus Christ.
巴德·帕克森(Bud Paxson)在美国创建了家庭购物网,他后来成为一名福音派基督徒,是他率先开发了最大的适合家庭的 PAX TV 电视网。下面是他的故事。1986年,在帕克森创建家庭购物网四年后,它正经历着飞速的发展。帕克森在全世界旅行,一年内 260 天都不在家。他的经济状况爆炸性发展,但同时他的婚姻也破裂了。
1986 年圣诞节那天,帕克森的妻子发布消息说她要离开他。他认为这是他一生中的最低谷。“我绝对彻底地破产了。我曾经是百万富翁,但我所有的成功都一文不值,因为我失去了妻子,和孩子们也不亲近。”帕克森回忆说。他给家人 1986 年的圣诞节礼物已经安排好了:去拉斯维加斯旅行。尽管有他妻子已发布的消息,他已成年的子女还是劝他去,所以帕克森去了拉斯维加斯。除夕之夜,在所有庆祝活动结束后,他无法入睡。凌晨 4 点,他感到非常想读圣经,这是他从小时候主日学之后就从未做过的事情。他在床边的抽屉里找到一本圣经,读到了罗马书 5:8“惟有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死,神的爱就在此向我们显明了。”这是他一生的转折点。自此帕克森如饥似渴地学习圣经,在当地牧师的帮助下,他开始真正地明白了如何过一个委身耶稣基督的生活。
His business practices began to change too and the Home Shopping Network flourished. When he sold the company, his take was $118M. At this point, Paxson could have retired and/or given the money to charity. Instead, he used the money to buy local television stations at a time when many were selling. Although the plan to purchase these apparently failing television stations seemed illogical, the Lord had given Paxson peace about the plan. It paid off when, soon after, a Supreme Court decision imposed a ‘must-carry rule mandating that cable operators include all broadcast stations in a given market on their channel offerings. This greatly increased the value of the supposedly worthless stations he had just purchased. He then parlayed these acquisitions into the creation of the
television network PAX TV which he used to combat what he called ‘the moral manure’ found on television. He pledged that Pax (the Roman word for peace) would not air gratuitous sex, violence, or bad language. “I want it to be parables and storytelling, which is what Jesus did”.
他的经商方式也开始发生变化,而家庭购物网也蓬勃发展。后来他以 1.18 亿美元卖掉了公司。此时,帕克森本可以退休或将钱捐给慈善机构。但趁着当时许多无线电视台在出售,他用这笔钱购买了当地的无线电视台。尽管购买这些已然衰败的无线电视台似乎不合逻辑,但上帝给了帕克森执行这个计划的平安。不久之后,最高法院的裁决通过了一项“强制令”,要求新兴的有线电视运营商在其所提供的频道中必须包括给定市场中所有的无线电视台,帕克森的投资获得了回报。强制令大大增加了他刚刚买来的本该一文不值的无线电台的价值。之后,他成功地用这些收购来的电视台创建了 PAX TV 电视网,并以此来对抗电视上被他称为“道德大粪”的不良节目。他保证 Pax(罗马语的“和平”)不会播放无端的性行为,暴力或污秽语言。“我希望它用比喻和讲故事,正如耶稣所做的” 。
J. GUNNAR OLSON 詹纳·奥尔森
Gunnar Olson is a Swedish entrepreneur and founder of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce. He is the owner and Chairman of Alfapac, a high-tech plastic film manufacturing company. He often teaches about ‘a release under the Lordship of Christ and actively believes that a business, reconciled to Christ, has a place in the Kingdom of God, making the Kingdom manifest ‘through spirit, by faith.’
詹纳·奥尔森(Gunnar Olson)是个瑞典企业家,也是国际基督教商会的创始人。他是高科技塑料薄膜制造公司 Alfapac 的所有人和董事长。他经常教导“在基督王权下的释放”,并坚信一个与基督和好的生意在神国占有一席之地,可以“通过圣灵凭着信心”彰显神的国。
He tells of a wonderful example. His company was coming to the end of a significant production run and had produced several million pounds of silage bags that were ready for shipment. Just a few days before they were due to be shipped, the production manager came to Gunnar looking troubled. ‘I think we’ve come to the end of the road at Alfapac,’ he said. It turned out that all of the bags were faulty. The fault had not been identified during production and over one thousand pallets of stock, ready to be shipped, could not be used. The business was facing bankruptcy. This is how Gunnar responded; ‘I assembled the family and shared the news. Then we decided how we would deal with the problem in prayer. We would simply present the situation to the Lord and then listen to the Holy Spirit because we had given the company to Him. While they were praying a man rang and said, ”I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a word for you. You must speak to the invisible.” That word of encouragement was enough. Our faith was sealed.’ It is worth quoting what they did next in full, from his excellent book, Business Unlimited.
他讲述了一个很好的例子。他的公司即将完成一个重要的生产流程,已生产出几百万磅的青贮袋准备装运。就在即将装运的前几天,生产经理忧心忡忡地来见詹纳。他说:“我想 Alfapac 要完蛋了。”原来所有的青贮袋都有问题。这些问题在生产过程中未被及时发现,导致已经准备装运的上千货盘青贮袋都不能用。企业面临破产。詹纳是这样回应的:“我召集了家人,告诉他们这个消息。然后我们讨论如何用祷告来处理这个问题。我们决定只是将情况告诉主,然后听圣灵的带领,因为我们已经将公司交托给祂了。就在我们祷告的时候,一个人按门铃进来说:‘我不知道发生了什么,但我有话对你们说:你们必须对看不见的那位诉说。’有了这鼓励的话语就足够了,我们的信仰已被封印。”在这里完整引述詹纳优秀的著作《无限的商业》中讲述他们接下来所做的一切是值得的。
‘He had told me the bad news on Friday, and the first opportunity we had to visit the factory and see all the pallets were on Sunday evening. Driving out, we agreed that we would not allow even the tiniest piece of sealed plastic to remain after we had prayed. As we stood holding hands in the yard, I was glad I hadn’t seen all the pallets before. They were everywhere! To the natural eye, it was overwhelming. For a while, we stood and praised the Lord for his faithfulness and mercy. Then I yelled at the top of my voice, “Listen heaven and earth! Who is the Lord over Alfapac? His name is Jesus! In the name of Jesus, I commanded all those plastic molecules to come back into line!”
“他是在星期五告诉我这个坏消息的,直到周日晚上我们才有机会去工厂察看那些货盘。开车去的时候,我们决定祷告祈求神连最微小的不能用的密封的塑料都不允许留下。当我们站在院子里牵着手时,我庆幸以前没有看到过所有这些货盘。它们到处都是!从人眼看来,它们实在太多了。我们站着用了一些时间赞美主的信实和怜悯。然后我用尽全力大声喊到:‘ 天啊地啊,请听!谁是 Alfapac 的主?祂的名字是耶稣!我奉耶稣的名,命令所有这些塑料分子恢复原来的样子!’
Praying in tongues, we laid hands on each pallet and after three hours we had finished. We went home. The job was done. On Monday morning, my brother ordered the whole factory staff to open all the boxes and check their content. To the glory of God, no bag was sealed! What a mighty God we serve! This is the glory
element that becomes visible as we submit every aspect of our lives to Him. There is a joy which carries us through as we work with him, and He is excellent in everything He does. That is the difference between a secular business and one that is given over to the Lord. His glory and His life is manifest in the workplace.’
我们用方言祷告,按手在每个货盘上,三个小时后我们全部完成。我们回家了,大功告成。星期一早上,我兄弟命令全厂员工打开所有的包装盒检查。荣耀归于上帝,被密封而不能用的袋子一个也没有了!我们服事的上帝是多么伟大!当我们将生命的方方面面都交托给祂,我们就能看见祂的荣耀。当我们与祂同工,就有一种喜乐带我们前行,而祂所做的一切都那么完美。这就是世俗的生意与交托给主的生意之间的区别。祂的荣耀和祂的生命在职场被彰显。”
The examples of Paxson and Gunnar illustrate how it is possible to lead a modern business in both the peace and the power of the Holy Spirit.
帕克森和詹纳的故事说明了如何能在圣灵的平安与大能中领导一个现代企业。

How were their businesses led by the Spirit?
他们的企业是怎样被圣灵带领的?
Reflection 反 思
Do you prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to guide your business decisions? Do you act in the power of the Holy Spirit at work?
你以祷告祈求圣灵来带领你的商业决策吗?在工作中你以圣灵
的力量来行事吗

These business leaders made their business their ministry. We hope their testimony inspires you to do likewise.
这些商业领袖把他们的商业经营当成他们的事工。我们希望他
们的见证能激励你也这样做。
Discussion 讨 论
Reflection 反 思
Take a moment to reflect on your approach to business. Which area, if any, do you emphasize?
花点时间思考一下你的经营方式。你比较强调这三个方面的哪个方面?

What practical steps might you take to achieve a spiritual balance in your business? If time permits, consider the
significance of 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 and Ephesians 4:11-13.
你可以采取哪些实际的做法在你的商业经营中达到属灵的平衡?如果时间允许,思考哥林多前书 12:12-14 和以弗所书 4:11-13的意义。

We must strive to ensure that our businessis a complete ministry.
我们必须努力确保我们的商业经营是个完整的事工
圣灵、神的话 行为、事工
Close the session with a short time of prayer. Ask God to help you live out a complete ministry in and through your business.
短暂祷告后结束会议。祈求上帝帮助你通过你的商业经营活出一个完整的事工。

1&2.…

资本主义危机低收入 高收入穷人和中产阶层曾看到最大的收入增长但现在,最富裕的阶层看到最大的收入增长
What are your thoughts on Leonhard’s claim that it is the economy that is ‘broken’?
你对莱昂哈德经济“崩溃”的主张有何看法?

What in particular do you think is broken? Share an example from your sector.
你认为具体是什么崩溃了?分享一个你所在行业的例子。

In 2019, The Edelman Trust Barometer (a survey of over 33,000 people from 28 countries) indicated that only 20% of the interviewees felt that the current economic system was
working for them. 76% believed that business leaders should take the lead on change rather than waiting for governments to impose it.
2019 年,爱德曼信任晴雨表(一项对来自 28 个国家的 33,000多人的调查)表明,只有 20%的受访者认为当前的经济体系在为他们服务。76%的受访者认为商业领袖应带头进行变革,而
不是等待政府来推动。
Teaching 教 导
Discussion 讨 论

Do you believe the ‘economic system’ needs to change? If so, what do you believe needs to change?
你是否认为“经济体系”需要改变? 如果是,你认为需要改变什么?

 

Do you believe that the responsibility to ‘fix the economy lies with business leaders and owners?
你是否认为“修复”经济的责任在于商业领袖和企业主?

“商业领袖应带头进行变革”
Discussion 讨 论
Write seven words that you feel describe the prevailing culture of business today in the left-hand column below. Write down the opposite of these words in the right-hand column.
在下面左栏中写出你认为能描述当今盛行商业文化的七个单词。
在下面右栏中写下这些单词的反义词。
Business culture 商业文化 Opposite 对立面

Which column best reflects the character of God and His Kingdom? How godly is today’s business culture?
哪一栏最能反映上帝及其国度的品格?当今的商业文化有多敬虔?

Activity 活 动
The business has forgotten its true role as the creator of collective prosperity through just means. The prevailing culture of business needs to change.
商业已经忘记了其通过正义手段实现共同富裕的初创者之角色。流行的商业文化需要改变。
If there was a ‘great move of God’ in the workplace, how might this change the culture of the business?
如果在职场有“上帝伟大的行动”,它将如何改变商业文化?

葛培理
Abraham
Do you think all Christians in business are called to take a proactive role in this ‘great move of God’?
你是否认为所有经商的基督徒都被呼召在“上帝伟大的行动”中发挥积极主动的作用?

Do you think Christian entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders have a special role to play?
你是否认为基督徒企业家,企业主和领导者应扮演特殊的角色?

Which of the four options below best describes what the term ‘Christian company’ means to you?
以下四个选项中哪一个最能说明“基督徒企业”一词对你的意
义?
A Founded by a Christian 由基督徒创立
B Led by a Christian 由基督徒领导
C Christian ethos 基督教精神
D Christian workforce 基督徒职工
Can C be achieved without A or r B ?
Discussion 讨 论
Reflection 反 思
无需 A 或 B 能实现 C 吗?

These are some of the world’s leading companies. They cover all sectors of the economy. It may surprise you to know that all of these companies had Christian founders.
这些都是世界领先的公司。它们涵盖了经济的所有领域。你也许会感到惊讶,所有这些公司的创始人都是基督徒。
The way these Christian entrepreneurs did business changed the culture of the workplace. These godly entrepreneurs achieved a great deal of good in society. They created companies that have prospered their workers for over a century, transformed workers’ rights, built many loved communities, and championed an ethical and sustainable approach to business. Many also contributed much to the mission of the Church.

Long before it was commonplace for companies to have a corporate social responsibility department, they were doing ministry in and through the way they did business. Perhaps most significantly, these companies had a Christian witness that was both bold and bright.
这些基督徒企业家经商的方式改变了职场文化。这些敬虔的企业家为社会做了很大的贡献。一个多世纪以来他们创建的公司使他们的工人富裕,他们改变了工人的权利,建立了备受喜爱的社区,并倡导以道德和可持续的方式经商。许多人还为教会的使命做出了很大贡献。在公司普遍设立社会责任部门很早以前,他们就已经在通过他们的经商方式来开展事工。也许最重要的是这些公司大胆又闪亮的基督徒见证。
These Christian entrepreneurs did not stand on the sidelines and pass judgment. Instead, they rolled up their sleeves, set up companies, and got stuck into doing business God’s way. There is little doubt that the religious beliefs and business
Teaching 教 导
The creeds of these Christian entrepreneurs were aligned. Their founding values created cultures within their companies that lasted long after their founders stood down.

They were not perfect but there is no doubt that theirs is a powerful legacy and a model which should inspire our generation of Christian entrepreneurs. It is a heritage on which today’s saints can build.
这些基督徒企业家没有站在一边进行论断。相反地,他们卷起袖子,成立公司,坚持以上帝的方式经商。毫无疑问这些基督徒企业家的宗教信仰和商业信条是一致的。他们的基本价值观所建造的公司内部文化,在公司创始人离开后很久都还保持着。
他们并不是完人,但毫无疑问,他们的所作所为是强有力的遗产和典范,应当激发我们这一代基督徒企业家。当今的圣徒可
以在这一传承上继续建造。
Few, if any, of these companies are today led by Christians. Their Christian witness is sadly growing dim. We need a new generation of Christian entrepreneurs to pick up the baton and lead the culture of business again.
今天,这些公司中几乎没有由基督徒领导的了。他们的基督徒见证不幸地暗淡下来。我们需要新一代的基督徒企业家来捡起
指挥棒再次引领商业文化。
What is it about the way these Christian leaders and their companies contributed to the commonwealth that is different from the prevailing way in which business is being done today?
这些基督徒领袖和他们的企业为共同财富做出贡献的做法与今天盛行的经商方式有何不同?
Discussion 讨论

Below is a clip from an article in Christianity Today from 2005; just a few years prior to the credit crunch:
下面是 2005 年《今日基督教》上一篇文章的片段;就在信贷危机前几年:
‘The trials of high-profile Christian businessmen this year have sent a clear signal: Many believers have little idea how their faith relates to their work. After the July sentencing of World Com CEO Bernard Ebbers for his part in the largest corporate fraud case in American history, commentators had a field day.

They pointed to the disconnect between the professed faith of this ‘good Christian man’ and the way he led his management team in the paths of deception. The convictedEbbers and Kenneth Lay, the Enron executive, and the acquitted HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy are all known as active churchgoing believers.’
‘今年几个高级别基督徒商人的庭审发出了一个明确的信号:许多信徒完全不知道他们的信仰与其工作的关系。今年 7 月在WorldCom 首席执行官伯纳德·埃伯斯(Bernard Ebbers)因他在美国历史上最大的公司欺诈案中所扮演的角色被宣判之后,舆论界把火力对准了他。

他们指出,这个“好基督徒”自称的信仰与他领导管理团队走上欺骗道路的行为之间存在脱节。被判有罪的埃伯斯和安然高管肯尼思·莱(Kenneth Lay),以及被宣判无罪的 HealthSouth 首席执行官理查德·斯克鲁西(Richard Scrushy),都是已知的积极去教会的信徒。

It is commendable that these ‘good Christian men’ took on the responsibilities of leadership in a significant company. This is not an easy undertaking. It is disappointing that no one appears to have equipped them to prosper the Kingdom, and ultimately themselves, in and through their significant roles.
这些“好基督徒”在一家重要的公司承担了领导职责,这值得赞赏。这不是一项容易的工作。但令人失望的是,似乎没有人来装备他们去通过自己重要的职位使神的国度兴盛,最终也带来他们自己的成功。
In your experience, do Christians in business have a clear connection between their ‘professed faith’ and the way they do business?
根据你的经验,经商的基督徒在他们“自称的信仰”和他们的经商方式之间,是否有明确的联系?
.
Discussion 讨 论
What do you imagine would be the outcome if Christian business leaders successfully combined business practice with the Christian faith?
如果基督徒商业领袖成功地将商业实践与基督信仰相结合,你能想象的结果是什么?For them 对于他们.
For their company 对于他们的公司.
For the culture of business 对于商业文化
.
On a score of 1 to 5, how connected do you feel your business practice is to your faith?
在 1 到 5 分之间,你觉得你的商业实践与你的信仰之间的联系有多紧密?
Not at all Fully integrated

There is no guarantee, just because we are believers and happen to be leaders in the workplace, even successful ones, that we will automatically be effective in playing our part in a  great move of God.

Like any other area of Christian discipleship, believers in the workplace need to be equipped to do businessGod’s way.
仅仅因为我们是信徒又碰巧是职场的领导者,甚至是成功的领导者,并不能保证我们可以自动有效地在上帝伟大的行动中发挥自己的作用。就像任何其他领域的基督徒门徒训练一样,职场的信徒也需要被装备以上帝的方式经商。
Do you agree with this statement?
你是否同意这种说法?
.
Reflection 反 思
完全无关 完全结合
Discussion 讨 论

What is the primary influence on the way you currently do
business?
对你目前经商方式产生主要影响的是什么?
.
Do you regularly look to the wisdom of the Bible on business?
在经商中,你是否定期从圣经寻求智慧?
.
If we are to see a great move of God in the workplace, we need to look to God for His vision for the business.

Most of us have read a host of secular books on business but we would have little to say in answer to the questions ‘If Jesus was leading my company, what would Jesus do?’ and ‘What would Jesus not do?’
如果我们要在职场看到上帝的伟大行动,我们需要向上帝寻求

2.BizMin-Course

Genesis创世纪(39:20-23)

Would you agree that Joseph had a God-given gift for business administration that blossomed, whatever the context?
你是否同意,无论在什么情况下,约瑟都拥有上帝赐予的卓有成效的商业管理天赋?

.At this point, is there anything obviously spiritual about any of the activities that Joseph is undertaking?
此时,约瑟所从事的某些活动是否明显与上帝有关?

Reflection 反 思
Joseph was clearly gifted at business, whatever the circumstances. Everywhere he went, his God-given abilities bore fruit.

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness ness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warder.

So the warder put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warder paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care because the
Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
约瑟的主人把约瑟下在监里,就是王的囚犯被囚的地方。于是约瑟在那里坐监。但耶和华与约瑟同在,向他施恩,使他在司狱的眼前蒙恩。司狱就把监里所有的囚犯都交在约瑟手下。他们在那里所办的事都是经他的手。凡在约瑟手下的事、司狱一概不察、因为耶和华与约瑟同在;耶和华使他所作的尽都顺利。
The Lord was with Joseph. Whatever the context, his gift of business administration bore fruit.
耶和华与约瑟同在。无论在什么情形下,他的 商业管理天赋都取得了成果。无论在何种情形下,约瑟显然有经商的天赋。他所到之处,上帝赋予他的才能都取得了成果。
Do you know what your abilities are? List them here.
你知道你的才能是什么吗?把他们列在下面。
1 . Are your abilities bearing fruit in business?
你的才能在经商中有成果吗?. Do you recognize your abilities in business as God-given gifts?
你是否认识到你在商业中的才能是上帝的恩赐?. Can you recall when these gifts were given?
你能回忆起是什么时候你被赋予这些恩赐?.
During the early years in Egypt, Joseph was being prepared for the role that lay ahead. We have seen that long before his gift of interpreting dreams would begin its work, the gift of administration was blossoming, developing and being
refined. This was a gift that could not be repressed by circumstances. As long as there was opportunity, and people to
recognize his gift, it prospered. We too need to recognize that, whatever our circumstances, God’s gifts long to bear fruit in our lives. Whenever we see consistent fruitfulness, we can be sure that God is at work.

However, our gifts will never achieve a great work of God, bearing spiritual fruit, unless we complement our gifting with an equal measure of humility. If we are to be truly successful, we must learn to acknowledge God as the source of our gifts. Humbly relying on God is the essential ingredient of spiritual success. Joseph learned this the hard way. We will now see how.
在埃及的早期岁月里,上帝就一直在为将来的角色预备约瑟。我们已经看到,早在他解梦的天赋开始发挥作用之前,他的管理天赋就已经开花结果、发展并完善。这是一种无法被环境所抑制的天赋。只要有机会,只要有人意识到他的天赋,它就蓬勃发展。我们也要认识到,无论我们的环境如何,上帝的恩赐渴望在我们的生活中结出果实。每当我们看到持续的成效,我们就可以确信神正在做工。

然而,我们的恩赐永远不会成就神的伟大工作结出属灵的果子,除非我们以同样程度的谦卑来伴随我们的恩赐。如果我们想要真正的成功,我们必须学习承认上帝是我们天赋的来源。谦卑地倚靠上帝是属灵成功的基本要素。约瑟好不容易学到这个功课。现在我们来看如何做到这一
点。
Teaching 教 导
2.2 The essential ingredient for success
成 功 的 基 本 要 素
During his time in prison, Joseph’s more widely recognized giftemerged…the gift of interpreting dreams.
在他服刑期间,约瑟另一个大家更熟悉的天赋出现了……解梦的天赋。
Teaching 教 导
An essential attribute, if we are to see God working through us, is to genuinely desire to serve God and others with our gifts. On first impressions, it would seem that Joseph had this desire. He showed clear compassion towards his fellow prisoners and offered to interpret their dreams as an act of kindness. On this occasion, both the cupbearer and the baker
Genesis创世纪& 14
After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men- the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison- had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.

So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, ‘Why do you look so sad today?’ ‘We both had dreams,’ they answered, ‘but there is no one to interpret them.’

Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams…But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.’
他们有些日子在监里。被囚在监之埃及王的酒政和膳长二人同夜各做一梦,各梦都有讲解。到了早晨,约瑟进到他们那里,见他们有愁闷的样子。他便问法老的二臣,就是与他同囚在他主人府里的,说:“你们今日为什么面带愁容呢?”他们对他说:“我们各人做了一梦,没有人能解。”

约瑟说:“解梦不是出于神吗?请你们将梦告诉我。” ……但你得好处的时候,求你记念我,施恩于我,在法老面前提说我,救我出这监牢。
of the king of Egypt were troubled by dreams and desired an interpretation. We don’t know how, but Joseph clearly believed that he could interpret their dreams and offered to do so for both men. It must have felt like quite a risk. This suggests that Joseph already had a strong sense of confidence in his second
gifting.
如果我们要看到上帝通过我们做工,一个基本的品质就是真诚地渴望用我们的天赋来服侍神和他人。猛地一看,约瑟像是有这个愿望。他对狱友们表现出明显的同情,并好心地表示愿意为他们解梦。

那时,埃及王的酒政和膳长因梦愁烦,求梦的讲解。我们不知道他是怎么做到的,但是约瑟确信他能解梦,并表示可以为这两人解梦。这令人感觉太冒险了,它说明当时约瑟对自己的第二个天赋有着强大的信心。
Joseph began by acknowledging that only God can interpret dreams. The passage says; ‘Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.’‘ (Note the emphasis is on ‘me’).

There is a subtle but significant hint of arrogance in his statement which, as we will see, revealed that he was not yet fully reconciled to the principle that all good gifts come from God and it is God that should receive the glory for their use. It reveals that he was not yet fully submitted to God.
约瑟先是承认只有上帝才能解梦。经文写道:约瑟对他们说“解梦不是出于神吗? 告诉我你的梦。”(注意这里强调的是
‘我’)。在他的话里有一丝微妙但意味深长的傲慢,正像我们将会看到的,这表明他还没有完全顺应所有天赋都来自上帝,
由这些天赋所带来的荣耀应归给上帝的原则,也就是说他还没有完全顺服神。
Discussion 讨 论
Do you think these men might have thought it was Joseph rather than God who was able to interpret the dream?
你认为这些人会不会以为是约瑟而不是上帝能解梦呢? 
Once Joseph knew the dream’s interpretation, he sought to use it for his own benefit. Do you think this self-interest was a significant mistake?
当约瑟知道了梦的解释后,他就用它为自己谋利。你认为他为自己谋利是个重大错误吗? .

Teaching 教 导
In interpreting the cupbearer and bakers’ dreams, Joseph fails to draw a clear distinction between God and himself. This may sound harsh but, as we will see, two years later, this is a distinction he made very clear when he eventually stands before Pharaoh. It is an essential distinction.
在给酒政和膳长解梦时,约瑟没有明确区分上帝和他自己。这听起来可能很苛刻,但是,我们将会看到,两年后,当他最终站在法老面前时,他把上帝和自己做了很明确的区分。这样的区分是非常必要的。
Genesis创世纪(41:15-16)
Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’ ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh,‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’
法老对约瑟说:“我做了一梦,没有人能解。我听见人说,你听了梦就能解。”约瑟回答法老说:“这不在乎我,神必将平
安的话回答法老。”
When Pharaoh demands that Joseph interprets his dream, his reputation has preceded him and Pharaoh attributes the gift of interpreting dreams, not to God, but to Joseph.

This suggests that the cupbearer had missed God’s hand in Joseph’s gifting. However, Joseph’s response to Pharaoh is fundamentally different from two years earlier in the
dungeon. This time he does what every servant of God must do in each new relationship if it is to bear fruit for the
King dom of God, and the earlier the better.

He makes it clear that God is the one who interprets dreams and that he is merely His agent; ‘‘I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’’ Joseph recognizes God’s hand in his ability and makes it clear that his ability to interpret dreams is a gift of God.
法老要约瑟解梦时早知道他的名声,他没有把解梦的天赋归给上帝,而是归给了约瑟。这表明酒政没有认为约瑟的天赋
来自神。然而,约瑟对法老的回答与两年前在地牢里时的完全不同。这次他做了每个要为神国结出果实的神的仆人,在
每个新关系中必须做的事,而且这事越早做越好。他清楚地表明上帝才是解梦的那位,他只是上帝的代理人:“这不在
乎我,神必将平安的话回答法老。”约瑟认识到他的能力是借上帝之手,并清楚地表明他解梦的能力是上帝的恩赐。
This is one of those seminal moments in any believer’s life, particularly if we want our work to be our ministry. This is the moment we come out for God, acknowledging His power and, in humility, our dependency on Him. This is the moment God is fully let in and the moment our ministry truly begins. From this moment, the glory will go to God.
这是信徒一生中决定性的时刻之一,尤其是当我们希望把我们的工作当成我们的事工时。这是我们为神站出来的时刻,谦卑地承认他的大能和我们对祂的依赖。这是我们让神完全进到我们里面的时刻,也是我们的事工真正开始的时刻。从这一刻起,荣耀将归于上帝。
Discussion 讨 论
How had Joseph’s attitude to the source of his gift changed by the time he saw Pharaoh? What is the key distinction?
当约瑟见到法老时,他对自己天赋来源的态度有了什么改变?关键的区别是什么? 

1.Real humility leads a person to be curious about and concerned for others, not fixated on how others can lead to one’s own enrichment.
真正的谦卑使人对他人感到好奇和关心,而不是只关注他人如何使自己得利。
2. Humility is about true service, not self-congratulation.
谦卑是有关真正服务他人,而不是自我陶醉。
3.In admitting an error or acknowledging that one is wrong, the humble person not only apologizes but also changes course.
通过承认错误或承认自己不对,谦卑的人不只是道歉,而
且也着手改变。 4. Real humility builds up; false humility tears down.
真正的谦卑建造;虚伪的谦卑拆毁。
5. The more responsibility or power one has, the more humility one need.
一个人的责任或权力越大,就越需要谦卑。
Reflect on Joseph’s story up to this point. Do you think he had learned real humility?
约瑟的故事发展到这儿,你认为他学会了真正的谦卑吗? 
Why is it so essential for those who are gifted to have real humility?
为什么对那些有天赋的人来说,真正的谦卑如此重要?

Reflection 反 思
Joseph’s life seemed to go through a series of ups and downs. His early life was like a discipleship course; each time his gifts resulted in promotion, he received a lesson in humility.
However, regardless of his circumstances, his gifts bore fruit. They could not be held down. He learned to be both gifted and humble; the essential ingredients of success.
约瑟的一生似乎经历了一连串的起起落落。他早期的生活就像是门徒训练课程; 他的天赋为他带来的每一次提升,都给他上了谦卑的一课。然而,不管他的环境如何,他的天赋都结出果实,无法被压制。他学会了既有恩赐又谦卑这一成功的基本要素。
HUMILITY GATEWAY
Reflect on how the events of Joseph’s early life nurtured his gifts and shaped his character. How has God used the events of your life to nurture and shape you? Describe a little of your journey into business.
思考约瑟早年生活中发生的事是怎样培养他的天赋和塑造他的性格的。神是怎样用你生命中发生的事来培养和塑造你的? 描述一下你从商的经历.
Joseph’s God-given gifts could not be fully fruitful until, in complete humility, he gave all the glory to God. Then Joseph was not only released from prison but also into his ministry.
Having passed through the gateway of humility, it was all onwards and upwards with his life’s work. He was ready to
fulfill God’s purposes in his generation.
约瑟的“门徒训练课程”父亲的家 波提乏的家 监狱 法老的王宫谦卑之门神给约瑟的恩赐不能全然地结果子,直到他完全谦卑地把所有的荣耀归给神。之后约瑟不但被放出了监狱,而且开始了他的事工。通过了谦卑之门后,他一生的工作都是向前和向上的。他已准备好在他的世代成就神的目的。
Reflection 反 思
Are you humble with your God-given gifts?
拥有上帝赐予的天赋你仍谦卑吗? Are you able to publicly acknowledge God as the source of
your gifts?
你能公开承认上帝是你天赋的来源吗?
Never 从来没有 Always 一直是
Acknowledging God as the source of our gifts is essential if God is to be glorified through a significant leadership role.
如果要通过重要的领导角色来荣耀上帝,承认上帝是我们天赋的来源是至关重要的,
‘Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.’
“凡在人面前认我的,我在我天上的父面前也必认他;凡在人面前不认我的,我在我天上的父面前也必不认他。”
Matthew马太福音(10:32-33)
If we hope to succeed in business, we need to allow God to nurture humility within us. It is the essential
complement to our God-given gifts.
如果我们希望在商业上取得成功,我们就要让上帝在我们里面 孕育谦卑。它是上帝赐予我们的天赋之必要补充。
Discussion 讨 论
How might you take a practical step this week to acknowledge God before others?
这个星期你会如何采取实际行动在别人面前承认神呢? .
有天赋/准备好了/愿意被使用愿景
2.3 Achieving God’s purposes through business
通过商业实现神的目的 Prepared VISION
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean.

I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
法老对约瑟说,我梦见我站在河边,有七只母牛从河里上来,又肥壮又美好,在芦荻中吃草。随后又有七只母牛上来,又软弱又丑陋又干瘦。在埃及遍地,我从来没有见过这样丑陋的母牛。这又乾瘦又丑陋的母牛吃尽了那以先的七只肥母牛。可是,他们吃了以后,谁也看不出来是吃了什么。它们看起来和以前一样丑陋。然后我醒了。
‘In my dream I saw seven ears of corn, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other ears sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven good ears. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.’
我梦见一棵麦子长了七个穗子,又饱满,又佳美。随后又长了七个穗子,枯干细弱,被东风吹焦了。这细弱的穗子,吞了那七个好穗子。我将这事告诉了术士,他们却没有一个能给我讲解。
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of corn are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless ears of corn scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
约瑟对法老说,法老的梦乃是一个。神已将所要作的事显明给法老了。七只好母牛是七年,七个好穗子也是七年。这是同一个梦想。那随后上来的七只又乾瘦又丑陋的母牛是七年,那七个被东风吹焦的穗子也是七年,都是七个荒年。
Genesis创世纪(41:17-31)
‘It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are
coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the
a famine that follows it will be so severe.’
这就是我对法老所说,神已将所要作的事显明给法老了。埃及遍地要来七个大丰年,随后又要来七个荒年。这样,埃及地就全然忘记先前的丰收,全地必被饥荒所灭。因为后来的饥荒甚大,就不记念那地的丰裕了。

Teaching 教 导
Pharaoh’s dream was prophetic and revealed both a challenge and an opportunity. Joseph used his gift of interpretation and described what was about to happen. Together, Joseph and Pharaoh declared God’s word to their generation.
法老的梦是先知性的,同时带来了挑战和机会。约瑟用他解梦的天赋描述了将要发生的事情。约瑟和法老一起向他们的
世代宣告了神的话。
Joseph could have stopped after interpreting the dream, but then his other gift came into action. Joseph’s gift of business the administration could not be contained and he immediately Prepared
有天赋/准备好了/愿意被使用 计划
responded to the prophetic dream and set out a business plan that would leverage the situation and realise the opportunity.
约瑟本可以在解梦之后停下来,但他的另一个天赋却开始发挥作用。约瑟在商业管理方面的天赋无法被抑制,他立即对
这个先知性的梦做出反应,制定了一个商业计划,利用当时的情况抓住机会。
Pharaoh and his officials would have been full of fear at the prospect of approaching famine. Joseph’s response was clear and succinct. It was the plan of a God-gifted business person. It was God’s plan. It was also a business plan which would itself enable the fulfillment of the prophecy and God’s purposes.
法老和他的官员们一定对即将到来的饥荒充满了恐惧。约瑟的回答清楚而简洁。这是一个拥有上帝恩赐的商人的计划,这是上帝的计划。这个商业计划本身就是来实现预言和上帝的目的的。
Genesis创世纪(41:33-36)
‘And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.

They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon  Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.’
法老当拣选一个有聪明有智慧的人,派他治理埃及地。法老当这样行,又派官员管理这地,当七个丰年的时候,征收埃及地的五分之一,叫他们把将来丰年一切的粮食聚敛起来,积蓄五谷,收存在各城里做食物,归于法老的手下。所积蓄的粮食可以防备埃及地将来的七个荒年,免得这地被饥荒所灭。”
Activity 行 动
Joseph’s gifts were central, not only to the interpretation but also to the fulfillment of Pharaoh’s dream. Once appointed to deliver his plan, Joseph proactively set out to ensure the dream was fulfilled.

Genesis describes Joseph’s key action plan for fulfilling the dream. Look at the following scriptures and come up with relevant modern business terms that might describe what Joseph is doing.
约瑟的天赋是关键,不仅是对法老梦的解释,也是对法老梦想的实现。一旦被任命实施他的计划,约瑟就积极行动,确保梦想得到实现。创世纪讲述了约瑟实现梦想的主要行动计划。看看下面几段经文,想出能描述与约瑟所做之事相关的现代商业用语。
Prepared Genesis创世纪(41:48-49a)
Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city, he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea.
约瑟聚敛埃及地七个丰年一切的粮食,把粮食积存在各城里,各城周围田地的粮食都积存在本城里。约瑟积蓄五谷甚多,如同海边的沙…
Genesis创世纪(41:46b)
Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled
throughout Egypt
约瑟从法老面前出去,遍行埃及全地。有天赋/准备好了/愿意被使用 行动.
Genesis创世纪(41:56-57a)
When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph…
当时饥荒遍满天下,约瑟开了各处的仓,粜粮给埃及人。在埃及地饥荒甚大。各地的人都往埃及去,到约瑟那里籴粮瑟买粮.
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people.
那时治理埃及地的是约瑟,粜粮给那地众民的就是他。
Genesi创世纪
‘But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt – still in force today – that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh.
后来打粮食的时候,你们要把五分之一纳给法老,四分可以归你们做地里的种子,也做你们和你们家口孩童的食物。是约瑟为埃及地定下常例,直到今日,法老必得五分之一。
47:24,26a Joseph’s 5-point action plan 约瑟的5点行动计划 Fruit that will last Perpetuate a sustainable 5 SYSTEMS system God-inspired RESEARCH TO ENSURE A LEGACY Business plan God-given vision 2 PREPARATION
4 OVERSIGHT & GOVERNANCE 3 TRADE 1
持续性的成果保证传承的体系监督和管理 贸易准备调查研究来自上帝的愿景上帝赋予灵感的商业计划行动

Discussion 讨 论
By the end of his life, Joseph finally came to understand God’s purposes in all that had happened. What did Joseph believe was the primary purpose of his life’s work?
在他生命的最后,约瑟终于明白了上帝在这一切事情上的目的。约瑟认为他一生工作的主要目的是什么?

How did Joseph’s 5-point action plan combine to achieve the purposes of God in his generation?
约瑟的5点行动计划是如何结合起来实现神在他那个世代的目
的的? .
实现上帝的目的
2.4 Prepared
上 帝 的 目 的
Genesis创世纪50:19-20
有天赋/准备好了/愿意被使用愿景 计划
But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’
约瑟对他们说:不要害怕,我岂能代替神呢?从前你们的意思是要害我,但神的意思原是好的,要保全许多人的性命,成就今日的光景。
Which of Joseph’s spiritual gifts contributed most to achieving God’s purpose, and why?
约瑟的哪一项属灵恩赐对实现神的目的贡献最大,为什么?

Reflect on the relationship between Joseph’s practical actions and their spiritual outcomes. What does this suggest about the God-given role of business in society?
思考约瑟的实际行动与这些行动的属灵成果之间的关系。这
表明上帝赋予商业在社会中的角色是什么? 

Reflection 反 思
At the end of his life, Joseph was aware that he had achieved what God intended, and it was good… his work had saved many lives. In the prophetic, his father, Jacob, also foresaw that far greater fruit was to come through the line of Judah, whose life had been saved from the famine by Joseph’s actions.
在他生命的尽头,约瑟知道他完成了神的计划,而这计划是好的.他的工作拯救了许多人的性命。在约瑟父亲雅各的先知性预言中,他也预见更大的果子将由犹大的后裔而来,而犹大的性命是借着约瑟的行动从饥荒中拯救出来的。
The record below the purpose of your company.
在下面写下你的公司存在的目的。 1 2  3.
Are these God’s purposes for your company?
这些是上帝对你的公司的目的吗? 

Joseph only struggled to interpret his own childhood dreams. As a young man, his prophetic dreams led only to the arrogance that ironically led to the beginning of their fulfillment.

Things did not work out the way he or his brothers could ever have imagined when Joseph’s brothers jealously led them to sell Joseph as a slave. It was more than Joseph could ‘ask or imagine’. Are you able to rest,
Genesis创世纪49:10
‘The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.’
圭必不离犹大,杖必不离他两脚之间,直等这杖所属的人来到,万民都必归顺。
Matthew马太福音2:6
‘But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah…out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’
犹大地的伯利恒阿,将来有一位君王,要从你那里出来,牧养我民以色列。
secure in the knowledge that God can achieve more than you ask or imagine?
约瑟只是努力去解释他自己童年的梦。作为一个年轻人,他有预言性质的梦只导致了傲慢,说来好笑,这竟导致梦中预
言真正实现的开始。当约瑟兄弟们的嫉妒让他们把他卖为奴隶时,他们怎么也想象不到事情会这样发展。结果比约瑟能
“要求或想象”的更好。你能放松下来,因知道神能成就比你所要或所想的更好而安心吗? 

Teaching 教 导
At the heart of this story is a key moment. It is essential in every Christian’s life. Because Joseph gave the glory to God, acknowledging God as the source of his gifts, God is recognized by others as the source of his abilities and wisdom.
这个故事的核心是一个关键的时刻。这个时刻在每个基督徒的生活中都是必不可少的。因为约瑟将荣耀归给神,承认神
是他天赋的来源,别人才能认识到神是他能力和智慧的来源。

Genesis创世纪41:37-40
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’
法老和他一切臣仆都以这事为妙。法老对他们说,像这样的人,有神的灵在他里头,我们岂能找得着呢? 法老对约瑟说,神既将这事都指示你,可见没有人像你这样有聪明有智慧。你可以管理我的家。我的民也都听从你的话。只是在宝座上我比你大。
At the heart of this passage is one of the greatest compliments that a Christian can ever receive; ‘‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’’ Pharaoh recognized the inspiration behind Joseph’s interpretation and subsequent business plan. He saw that the hand of God was at work in Joseph.

This is so important. If the gifts and achievements of Christians in business are never recognized as the work of God’s spirit then there is little, if any, discernible difference between us and our non-Christian peers. As Christian entrepreneurs, we need to be known as those ‘in who is the Spirit of God.’ This is the essential hallmark of a Kingdom Entrepreneur.
这段经文的中心是一个基督徒所能得到的最大的赞美之一:“像这样的人,有神的灵在他里头,我们岂能找得着呢?”。法老认出约瑟解梦和随后的商业计划背后的力量。他看出神的手在约瑟身上做工。这非常重要。如果基督徒在商业上的天赋和成就从来没有被认为是神的灵的工作,那么我们和非基督徒同行之间就没有什么明显的区别了。作为基督徒企业家,我们需要被人知道是“有神的灵在里头的人”。这是一个国度企业家的基本特征。

Discussion 讨 论
Do you recognise that you are ‘one in whom is the Spirit of God’?
你是否认识到你是“有神的灵在里面”的人? 

Do other people?
其他的人也这样认为吗? 
Teaching 教 导
Joseph was spiritually gifted for business. Once he learned the essential ingredient of success and walked through the gateway of humility, his spiritual gifts were able to bear much fruit and achieve the real purpose for which they were intended; the saving of many lives.

Joseph can be considered a great Kingdom Entrepreneur. His career in business
demonstrates how God can build His Kingdom through gifted business leaders. For Joseph, business was a ministry.
约瑟有神的恩赐善于经商。一旦他明白成功的基本要素并走过谦卑之门,他的属灵恩赐就能结出许多果实,并成就神赐给他这些天赋的真正目的,即拯救许多人的性命。约瑟可以说是一个伟大的国度企业家。他的商业生涯显示了神如何通过有恩赐的商业领袖来建立祂的国度。对约瑟来说,经商就是事工。
At the end of his life, Joseph came to recognize that he has achieved God’s purposes through his God-given gifts. The same can be true for us.
在他生命的最后,约瑟认识到他已经通过上帝赐予的天赋实现了上帝的目的。我们也可以这样。
恩赐 目的谦卑之门
Prayer 祷 告
Close the session with a short time of prayer. Thank God foryour spiritual gifts and ask Him for the opportunity to humbly use them to pursue His purposes in this generation.
以简短的祷告来结束。为你的属灵恩赐感谢神,祈求神给你机会,谦卑地使用这些恩赐,来完成祂在这世代的计划

吗哪(170)神之…

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「所以耶和华对他说:“你既行了这事,不遵守我所吩咐你守的约和律例,我必将你的国夺回,赐给你的臣子。【王上11: 11

所罗门国位坚定之后,竟然是「与埃及王法老结亲」;而所罗门「造完了自己的宫和耶和华的殿,并耶路撒冷周围的城墙」,最后进驻的却是「法老的女儿」,仿佛这一切都是为「法老的女儿」预备的。将来这些外邦妃嫔必然会占据所罗门的心,她们所敬拜的别神必然会凌驾在一切之上。

「所罗门爱耶和华」这件美事上还有一个美中不足,因为他并没有意识到「还在邱坛献祭烧香」所潜伏的属灵危机。但神怜悯百姓,而是继续一面施恩、一面管教,让百姓在此后的四百年里饱尝「邱坛」这个破口所带来的恶果。当百姓被掳回归以后,他们才痛定思痛,完全断绝拜偶像的行为。

所罗门不就近在大卫城的帐幕和约柜那里献祭,偏偏要走三个小时路程,「上基遍去献祭」,是「因为在那里有极大的邱坛」,吸引他带领全以色列的「千夫长、百夫长、审判官、首领与族长」去举行大场面的献祭。作为「王二代」的所罗门喜欢大场面、大手笔,结果就使百姓「负重轭,做苦工」,最后导致了南北国的分裂。凡是喜欢搞大场面的敬拜、事奉的人,理由固然是为了荣耀神,实际上很难避免肉体的骄傲和虚荣。

神并不喜悦把神的会幕和偶像的邱坛掺杂在一起。今天,许多人也常常把圣经的真理和人的学问、道理、方法掺杂在一起,把讲台变成「邱坛上的会幕」。因此,我们应当谨记保罗所说的:「耶稣基督并祂钉十字架.我说的话、讲的道,不是用智慧委婉的言语,乃是用圣灵和大能的明证,叫你们的信不在乎人的智慧,只在乎神的大能」林前2: 2

大卫在神面前满了残缺,神「向他大施恩典,又为他存留大恩」,并不是因为他配得,而是因着神自己的恩典和计划。所罗门所说的话,表明他还没有认识到人的全然败坏,所以踌躇满志,觉得只要有事奉的能力,就可以为神的国度干一番大事业。但却缺少绝对顺服神的心,这就成了所罗门以后失败的网罗。由于所罗门没有效法大卫顺服神,最终也没能「长寿」,死时大约只有60岁。

所罗门不知道自己真正需要的是什么,神就照着他程度用恩典来带领他,让神的百姓用四百年的时间认识自己、也认识自己真正的需要。奉主耶稣基督的圣名祈求!阿们!

学习体会 : 神启示祂将赐给国度君王的是:「智慧和聪明的灵,谋略和能力的灵,知识和敬畏耶和华的灵」。蒙主恩典!阿们!

 

吗哪(169)因耶…

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「大卫安慰他的妻拔示巴,与她同寝。她就生了儿子,给他起名叫所罗门。耶和华也喜爱他,【撒下12: 24

拿单是被神使用的先知,他曾经谴责大卫与拔示巴行淫的罪,而是在关键时刻帮助拔示巴母子。因为他知道耶和华喜爱所罗门,所以以神的心为心,而不是以自己的经验和成见来论断人。

所罗门的王位并不是自己争取来的,面临危机,还要靠先知拿单和母亲拔示巴向大卫报告。因此,这是神赐给他的王位。

所罗门坐上了王位,圣殿的建造才能开始,才能带进神与人更荣耀的同在。大卫离世前能亲眼看见所罗门按着神的心意坐上王位,心里欢喜,「就在床上屈身下拜」,就像当年雅各「在床头上敬拜神」一样。

这是大卫一生灵里最明亮的时候,他不但顺利移交了王位,还设立了敬拜的制度,交代了建殿的一切事项,然后才安然向神交帐。

新王已经登基,亚多尼雅的宾客都怕受连累成为叛党,所以「就都惊惧,起来四散」。祭坛的四面都有角,误杀人的可抓住坛角求神庇护,以获得公平的审讯,所以亚多尼雅「去抓住祭坛的角」。

所罗门虽然年轻,但做事果断机敏。他答应只要亚多尼雅保持忠心,便会饶过他的性命;而亚多尼雅也承认所罗门的王权,这样所罗门就顺利登基了。

所罗门登基时大约二十岁左右,作王四十年。大卫立所罗门作王之后,制定了圣殿敬拜的规例,发表了建造圣殿的计划,最后给儿子所罗门留下遗命。

大卫勉励所罗门「你当刚强」,只有遵行神的话,才是蒙福的唯一道路。

所罗门没有大开杀戒,而是公义中存留了怜悯,允许亚比亚他回了老家。革除了亚比亚他祭司的职位,不但应验「耶和华在示罗论以利家所说的话」,也应验了神让非尼哈的后裔「永远当祭司职任」的应许。

所罗门没有处死亚比亚他,却处死了约押。因为约押因着个人的恩怨,故意谋杀了两个元帅 ,所以虽然「抓住祭坛的角」,也不得赦免。因为祭坛所提供的庇护,不适用于蓄意谋杀。

示每在便雅悯支派中很有势力,当年迎接大卫时「跟从示每的有一千便雅悯人」。所以所罗门把示每软禁在耶路撒冷,不允许示每渡过汲沦溪、回到便雅悯的家乡挑起事端。

所罗门杀死亚多尼雅、约押、示每,不是报私仇,而是除去拦阻神计划的因素。经过这一连串行动,「坚定了所罗门的国位」,成就了神的应许:「我必坚定他的国位,直到永远」。奉主耶稣基督的圣名祈求!阿们!

学习体会 : 所罗门虽然年轻,却有胆有识,快刀斩乱麻地除掉了威胁国度安定的因素,从此得享四十年太平。我们务必竭力进入那安息,免得有人学那不信从的样子跌倒了。蒙主恩典!阿们!

4.工作时陷入罪中

「因为神知道,你们吃的日子眼睛就明亮了,你们便如神能知道善恶。」【创3: 5

当工作变成劳苦,这并不是工作的来源。有些人以为工作的来源是咒诅,但亚当和夏娃早已在园子工作。工作本身并不是咒诅,但咒诅影响了工作。事实上,因为堕落的关系,工作变得更加重要,而不是更不重要,因为需要有更多的工作才能达到所需的结果。

神当初自由又喜悦地创造亚当和夏娃时所用的原料,现在却成了重担的来源。从尘土被造的亚当,现在需要劳力耕耘土地,直到他的身体在死时回归土地为止(创3:19)

我们每天都面对两种邪恶。第一是自然界的邪恶。地球某些不友善的环境,阻挠人活出神想要我们活出的生活。水灾、旱灾、地震、海啸、过热或过冷、疾病、有害动物等等,制造出伊甸园所没有的伤害。第二是道德的邪恶,也就是人们故意与神的旨意唱反调。当我们做出邪恶的行为,我们就糟蹋了被造界、远离神且糟蹋了我们与其他人的关系。

我们活在一个堕落、破碎的世界,因此不能期待可以过一个轻松的人生。我们被造是为了工作,但那天在伊甸园被破坏的东西,已经玷污我们今日的工作。当我们没有尊重神为我们设下的关系方面的限制,不管是个人、公司或社会方面的关系,同样也会造成这样的结果。

堕落制造出人与神之间、人与人之间、人与地球之间的嫌隙。彼此猜忌取代了信任与爱。伊甸园之后的世代,嫌隙引发了嫉妒、愤恨,甚至凶杀。今日在所有的工作场所,工作者之间都反映出那样的嫌隙,只是或多或少的问题。这使我们的工作更加劳累,却得到更少效益。

人类带着伤痕累累的关系和劳苦的工作出去,耕耘不给他们效力的土地,尝试餬口饭吃。尽管如此,神继续供给他们,甚至在他们还不懂得纺织的时候,为他们织了衣服。咒诅并没有摧毁他们生养的能力或阻止他们达到一定程度的繁荣。奉主耶稣基督的圣名祈求!阿们!

学习体会 : 每个人的工作都混合了创造与修理、鼓励与挫折、成功与失败、欢喜与悲伤。总体来说,比起在伊甸园,现在有两倍的工作要做。从神的计划来看,工作不但没有变得不重要,反而变得更加重要。蒙主恩典!阿们!

吗哪(167)「我…

耶利米书33:2-3 2 「成就的是耶和华,造作、为要建立的也是耶和华;耶和华是他的名。他如此说: 3 你求告我,我就应允你, 并将你所不知道、又大又难的事指示你。  - ppt download

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大卫年间有饥荒,一连三年,大卫就求问耶和华。耶和华说:『这饥荒是因扫罗和他流人血之家杀死基遍人。』【撒下21: 1】

神的国度「有饥荒」,一定是神的百姓犯了罪,但由于神一直以来都有丰富的供应,大卫也一直行在神的旨意中,所以他们都疏忽了。当他们发现饥荒越来越严重,这时大卫才苏醒过来,想起来「求问耶和华」。

神一直在那里等候人去求问,要施恩给他们,所以大卫一求问,神就立刻指出了原因:「这饥荒是因扫罗和他流人血之家杀死基遍人」。因此,大卫浪费了三年的时候,百姓也白白受了三年的苦。灵里不敏锐的人,也会浪费我们的一生,白白受苦。

这个管教的主要目的不是惩罚,而是要在大卫建国之初就洁净神的国度、除掉百姓的罪。无论是谁作王,得罪神、亏欠人的都是神的国度,受管教的也都是神的百姓。

扫罗杀死基遍人,还屠杀了祭司城挪伯,但神却只为「杀死基遍人」降下饥荒。为了迎合百姓。因此,全体百姓在这罪上都有分,都要接受饥荒的惩罚。

基遍人承受了生命和财产的损失,差点被灭族,但他们不需要金银的赔偿,也不追讨全体以色列人的罪,而是要求主犯扫罗的子孙七人「在耶和华面前」以命偿命,让神的公义得着满足。违约不但是亏欠人,更是得罪神。

百姓把一切事情都做对了、一切破口都堵住了,神才「垂听国民所求的」,结束了这次管教。因此,神照着祂的应许坚立大卫的国度,首先就要除去拦阻百姓与神交通的罪,祂才能长久地住在百姓中间。

神国度的坚立不是倚靠大卫或者几位属灵伟人,而是倚靠神自己。大卫在一个又一个的难处当中不断经历神、认识神;同样,我们在人生旷野中的经历,也能把「神」从一个遥不可及的抽象概念,变成「我所投靠」的「活神」。我们在旷野中的经历越多,对神的体会就越深,就越能看神是「当赞美的」,越有信心去「求告」祂。奉主耶稣基督的圣名祈求!阿们!

学习体会 : 让我们经历失败之后,也能像大卫一样被神挽回,重新恢复在神面前该有的光景。蒙主恩典!阿们!

 

7.从神接受了工作…

人类一切问题的根源之一| 自由微信| FreeWeChat

「他们说,来罢,我们要建造一座城,和一座塔,塔顶通天,为要传扬我们的名,免得我们分散在全地上。【创11: 4

虽然神打散人类看起来可能像是惩罚,但它事实上也是救赎的方法。从一开始,神的意思是要人分散在世界:“要生养众多,遍满地面”。在巴别塔倒塌、人们被分散后,神把人导回遍满地面的道路上,结果是各地发产出形形色色的民族和文化,直到今日。“如果没有神,也没有来生,这代表所有的行为都是被允许的。” 有时候神没有给我们想要的,是因为祂对我们的恩慈太坚强。

他们聚集在一处,不只是从地理来看,也从文化、语言和制度来看。他们同有野心要做一件事情,他们扼杀了神所赐给他们的各种恩赐、服务、活动和功能所带来的广度。

虽然神希望人们可以一同为了大众的利益同工,但是祂创造我们不是要我们用人口集中和堆积权力的方式达成。祂警告以色列人要避免把权力都集中在一位王身上。神已经为我们预备了一位有神身分的君王,我们的主基督。在祂底下,不能有过度集中的权力放在个人、机构或政府之上。

在这样的模式之下,基督教教育家跟权威式的教育家一样,尽量不鼓励思想上的自由,只不过他们的动机是要求道德的表现、仁慈及正统的教义。

在连基督徒都跟罪搏斗的世界,神眼中的良好治理似乎是分散人民、权力、权势和能力,而不是把这些都集中在一个人、机构、组织或运动上面。

神比起我们以为的更经常呼召我们要分散、指派、授权及训练别人,而不是全部都自己来?这样做会很麻烦、没有效率、难以测量、有风险、也引发焦虑,但这也许正是神呼召许多机构的基督徒负责人要做的事情。

人类的始祖选择违反了神的命令,对我们造成持久性的伤害,而人们直到今天或多或少依然选择不顺服。结果我们的工作变得生产力低迷、更加辛苦、更难满足我们,而我们的关系和工作进而萎缩,有时甚至成为有害。尽管如此,神依然呼召我们工作,赐给我们能力、供给我们所需。许多人有机会做良好、有创意、能满足人的工作,供给他们自己的需要,也对小区的发展做出贡献。

那些从神接受了工作为恩赐、按照祂的指示尽力完成工作的人,与挪亚一样,能在工作中找到祝福与效益。有些人像建造巴别塔的人那样,尝试按照自己的想法抓取权力与成功,结果他们只会经历暴力与挫折,如果他们的工作是去伤害别人的话,更是如此。奉主耶稣基督的圣名祈求!阿们!

学习体会 : 我们如同所有角色,都面临选择是要与神同工,或是与祂作对。我们知道,神最终会恢复祂造的生物原本工作的目的。蒙主恩典!阿们!

 

6. 人再次的堕落

勝過內心的巨人:驕傲雅4:6;彼前5:5. - ppt download

「骄傲在败坏以先;狂心在跌倒之前。」【箴16: 18

神用彩虹作为应许的记号。虽然地球再次经历翻天覆地的改变,然而神对工作的旨意始终如一。祂再次祝福和应许挪亚,他和他子孙“要生养众多,遍满了地”。祂确立祂的应许,人藉由工作可以得到温饱。现在转变为神与人和好的标志。”​

挪亚为了人类做出英勇之事后,挪亚喝醉了,他就在自己的帐棚中裸体昏睡。当挪亚醒来后,了解发生了事情,他的反应彻底摧毁家庭和睦。挪亚咒诅含的儿子迦南,宣告他的后代要服事其他两个儿子的后代。这咒诅挑起了挪亚家族之间长达数千年之久的敌对、战争和暴行。挪亚也许是第一个有名望之人,最后落得不光彩的结局,但他不会是最后一个。“名气愈大,摔得愈惨。”

挪亚是圣经中一个伟大的人物,我们不去论断挪亚,而是求神赐我们恩典。如果我们发现自己在追求成为伟大的人,我们最好先追求谦卑。成为伟大的人后,我们最好求神给我们恩典,逃脱挪亚的命运。如果我们跟挪亚一样跌倒了,我们要尽快认罪,请求我们周围的人阻止我们用自我辩解的回应,使情况恶化成灾难。

“列国表”中,雅弗的后代、接下来是含的后代,最后是闪的后代。在这些人当中,含的孙子宁录特别突出,对工作神学有其贡献。宁录在巴比伦打造了一个全然暴力的帝国。他是一个暴君、宁录的城市建造巴别塔。巴别是一个四围有墙的大型神庙,有一个用泥砖梯堆栈起来的塔,为的是要让塔顶通天,到诸神的领域。

用这座塔,人们可以上到诸神那里去,诸神也可以降到地上。虽然神并没有谴责人们想要到达天庭的渴望,但我们看到的是人自我膨胀的野心,以及日渐严重的骄傲之罪,是这些人开始建造这座雄伟之塔的动机:出名

他们怕分散在全地,没有带来的安全感。期望要盖的塔,对他们来说非常伟大,但神一边笑一边告诉我们,它小到神需要“降临,要看看世人所建造的城和塔”创11:5

巴别塔如同在他们之前的亚当、夏娃,他们想利用自己身为神形象之器皿所拥有的创造力,来行出违背神旨意的事情。他们计划做出跟神吩咐的文化使命相反的事情。他们不要遍满地面,而要把自己集中在一个地区。他们要立下自己的名望。

神见他们的狂妄和野心已经越线,所以说:“我们下去,在那里变乱他们的口音,使他们的言语彼此不通。”创11:7】.

接着:“耶和华使他们从那里分散在全地上,他们就停工不造那城了。因为耶和华在那里变乱天下人的言语,使众人分散在全地上,所以那城名叫巴别。”【创11:8-9

这些人原本都有一样的血缘,都是挪亚三个儿子的后代。然而,自从神毁了巴别塔之后,这三个儿子的后代就各自移居到中东的不同区域:从创世记的三份家谱,我们得知古代近东的城邦是如何划分的。奉主耶稣基督的圣名祈求!阿们!

学习体会 : “城市”的概念本身不是邪恶的,我们因着城市而产生的骄傲才是不讨神喜悦的。当我们执着于社会的成功和文化,而不是神,即我们意义和方向的根源,我们就犯罪了。蒙主恩典!阿们!

 

吗哪(168)神使…

吗哪– 第21 页– 圣经书院

音频 三分钟

「他从灰尘里举贫寒人,从粪堆中提拔穷乏人,【撒上2: 8

大卫数点百姓,希西家炫耀宝库,结果都跌得很惨。当事奉神的人开始沾沾自喜地数点成就、计算功劳的时候,往往也是跌倒的前奏。因此,「夸口的,当指着主夸口」,我们只有数算自己的软弱、数算神的恩典,才能单单归荣耀于神。

大卫数点百姓,既是人出于骄傲、偷窃神的荣耀,又是神要管教犯罪的百姓。因此,圣灵很快在大卫里面做工,让他认清自己「所行的甚是愚昧」,因此就心中自责,主动向神认罪。

从大卫起意数点百姓,到神派先知迦得来传话的时间,与从大卫和拔示巴行淫,到神派先知拿单来谴责他的时间差不多,都是十个月左右。但这次是大卫主动认罪以后,然后神才差遣先知迦得来宣告刑罚。

神让大卫选择的「三样灾」大卫是选择了第三样灾,也就是与百姓一同受罚。因为作王的大卫在「饥荒」中也能优先得着食物的供应,在「被追赶」中也会优先得着保护,惟独「瘟疫」能使王和百姓同样「落在耶和华的手里」。

这是一场非常大的瘟疫,不到一天,「民间死了七万人」,减少了5%的人口。

在大卫祷告之前,神已经怜悯百姓、「不降这灾了」。但大卫在祷告中不但再次认罪,更求神把刑罚加在自己身上,好让百姓能得着释放。大卫作为神的百姓「以色列的君」,知道自己的职责是服事神的百姓,所以他愿意为了百姓而牺牲自己。

神亲自指示大卫在摩利亚山筑坛献祭,表明祂在对付罪的同时,早已预备好了人与祂和好的方法。人没有办法靠着自己与神和好,也不可能倚靠自己的觉醒或爱心主动认罪悔改,而是神主动预备了恩典和救赎。这就是「耶和华以勒」:神为我们预备救恩、为我们预备新的生命,引导我们求祂「为我造清洁的心,使我里面重新有正直的灵」

大卫知道,神不在乎我们为祂做了什么,也不在乎我们向祂献了什么,而是在乎我们这个人。「白得之物」不必付出顺服的代价,祭物献上了,人的心还留着,所以在神的眼里毫无价值。

人还没有认罪悔改,神就主动「设立耶稣作挽回祭」。因此,不是百姓的认罪悔改停止了瘟疫,也不是信徒的认罪悔改换取了救恩,是神主动将「悔改的心和赦罪的恩赐给以色列人」,并且「也赐恩给外邦人,叫他们悔改得生命」。而人的回应应当是「燔祭和平安祭」,也就是「将身体献上,当作活祭」,并且在平安生命里彼此相交、又「与父并祂儿子耶稣基督相交」。

大卫是合神心意的人,但并不是一个不会犯罪的人。只要是亚当的后裔,无论怎样立志努力遵行神的旨意,都无法脱离肉体的软弱。但神却是一位化腐朽为神奇的神。

大卫之所以合神心意,并不是因为他的行为合神心意,而是因为他的一生显明了神拣选人、救赎人、挽回人、造就人的心意和工作法则,让每一个灵里看见的人都能敬畏神、顺服神、倚靠神,接受圣灵使我们的「心意更新而变化」。奉主耶稣基督的圣名祈求!阿们!

学习体会 : 「我曾耐性等候耶和华;祂垂听我的呼求。祂从祸坑里,从淤泥中,把我拉上来,使我的脚立在磐石上,使我脚步稳当。祂使我口唱新歌,就是赞美我们神的话。许多人必看见而惧怕,并要倚靠耶和华」【诗40: 1-3】蒙主恩典!阿们!

职场神学(恩典启蒙…

工作世界中的光和盐(太5:13-16)

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在登山宝训的八福之后,耶稣告诉祂的跟随者说,领受这些祝福的人是很重要的:

“你们是世上的盐。盐若失了味,怎能叫它再咸呢?以后无用,不过丢在外面,被人践踏了。你们是世上的光。城造在山上是不能隐藏的。人点灯,不放在斗底下,是放在灯台上,就照亮一家的人。你们的光也当这样照在人前,叫他们看见你们的好行为,便将荣耀归给你们在天上的父。”(太5:13-16)

如果你是耶稣的跟随者,活出了这八福,你就是很重要的。你扮演了一个重要的角色,因为你是这世上的盐。盐的功用是保存,而基督徒有助于保存文化中美好的部份。在古代的世界中,盐是非常贵重的:希腊人认为盐里面所包含的物质几近于神圣,而罗马人有时以盐当作薪资付给士兵。没有履行职务的士兵,被称为“配不上他领的盐”。你的责任是调味。从某种意义来说,你可以将上帝的价值观所具有的独特风味带入生活的各个方面。你可以使生活变得美味可口。

请注意,盐若要发挥效用,必须与它所要保存的肉品或鱼类接触。因此,我们若要发挥效用,就必须介入我们工作和生活的场所。这会构成某种张力,因为主流文化不见得喜欢我们。大多数的时候,依照八福的原则来生活,会使我们在工作上更加成功。但我们也需要做好准备,应对不如意的情况。如果在我们的工作中显出怜悯、使人和睦,或是为了公义而努力,却使我们的职位遭受威胁,我们该怎么办?从这个世界中撤离,绝对不是基督徒的答案。但是,住在这个世界中,真的是很困难,必须随时作好准备挑战其运作模式。在马太福音5:10-12中,耶稣指出了逼迫的真实性。但是,在我们与所处文化的接触中,我们必须保持我们的“盐份”——我们的独特性。我们被呼召要维持这种平衡。

“你们是世上的光。”基督徒的工作内容不只是要维持个人的圣洁,也要碰触到我们周遭每一个人的生命。在工作中,我们可以接触到许多不会在教会中遇见基督的人。也许,工作场所就是我们为基督作见证最有效的地方了。可是,当我们在工作的地方为基督作见证时,必须小心我们所使用的方式。老板付钱让我们工作,若我们利用工作时间来传福音,可能是一种不诚实的行为,好像在偷窃雇主。再者,若在工作的地方造成分裂,或是针对未信者制造一种怀有敌意的环境,也不是什么光荣的事。我们必须避免利用使人改变信仰而自我高抬的败坏行为。并且风险在于,这种做法可能让我们在工作中的失败羞辱基督的名,特别是如果我们看起来很热衷于传福音,却在实际的工作上质量不佳时更是如此。

既然有这么多的危险,我们要如何成为职场中的盐和光呢?耶稣说,我们的光不一定非得藉由话语的见证,也可藉由我们的行为——即我们的“善行”来见证。“你们的光也当这样照在人前,叫他们看见你们的好行为,便将荣耀归给你们在天上的父。”八福中已经提到了一些善行。在谦卑与对上帝的降服中,我们致力于正确的关系、怜悯的行动,为了和平而工作。当我们活出神的祝福时,我们就是工作场所、家庭和国家的盐和光。

什么是公义?(太5:17-48)

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在马太福音5:20里,耶稣说了一段令人震惊的话:“我告诉你们,你们的义若不胜于文士和法利赛人的义,断不能进天国。”在祂的时代里,一般人敬重那些看起来公义的宗教领袖,永远也无法想象自己能达到他们那样的敬虔。耶稣说,只有比文士和法利赛人更公义的人才能进入神的国,众人听见都震惊不已。那么,谁还能得救呢?问题在于,我们是用外表的敬虔来评估义,这是古往今来对这个词的通常理解。然而,在整本圣经中公义这个字(如同在上面的第四福中已经提到的一样),总是带有“正确关系”的含意——我们与上帝、与周围之人的关系。这也包括了工作场合的关系。

看了下面的例子,我们就会清楚明白这一点。马太福音5:21-26说,光是不杀人是不够的;我们必须小心避免怀怒,以免冒犯别人或破坏关系。我们可能会生气,但是正确处理愤怒的方式是试着解决冲突(太18:15-19),而不是以侮辱或毁谤的方式将该人推开。耶稣明确指出,你和兄弟姊妹之间的正确关系是非常重要的,所以应该先放下宗教仪式,解决了两人之间的问题再回来。

在工作场合中,怒气有可能被用来操纵人。或者,可能因为你感到不公平的待遇,愤怒就淹没了你。你应该去处理冲突:首先采取和解的行动,即使这会让你显得低声下气。公平基础上的冲突解决,,乃是新国度的法则。再说一次,使人和睦的人有福了。

财富与物质供应(太6)

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耶稣经常谈到财富。财富与物质的供应本身并不是工作,而经常是我们或他人工作的结果。经济学的中心原则在于,工作的目的是为了增加财富,因此这个主题与工作有关。以下是登山宝训中,耶稣对于财富和每日供应的教导。

“我们日用的饮食,今日赐给我们。”(太6:11)

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就在主祷文这句“为日用饮食”的祷词前面,我们读到:“愿你的国降临;愿你的旨意行在地上,如同行在天上”(太6:10) 。在上帝的国度里,领受我们日用的饮食虽是一件确定的事,但是在我们这个被罪污染的世界里,维持每日的供应却是问题重重。虽然上帝已经赐给我们人类所需要的一切事物,可以生产出足够喂饱地球上每一个人的食物,但我们尚未消灭饥饿。因此,耶稣对于财富或每日的供应所说的第一句话就是这个请求:“我们日用的饮食,今日赐给我们。”我们为了所需的饮食而转向上帝。

但是,请注意,这项祈求是复数形式:“我们日用的饮食,今日赐给我们。”我们不仅求自己的饮食,也为那些没有食物的人祷告。因为我们渴望与别人维持正确的关系,所以我们也考虑别人的饮食需要:我们与需要的人分享所有。如果每一个人、每个企业、机构,和政府,都依照上帝国度的旨意和原则来工作的话,没有人会捱饿。

积攒财宝在天上,而不是在地上(太6:19-34)

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我们不仅要为日常的物质供应祈求上帝,耶稣也警告我们,不可在地上储存物质的财富和其他的珍宝:

“不要为自己积攒财宝在地上;地上有虫子咬,能锈坏,也有贼挖窟窿来偷。只要积攒财宝在天上;天上没有虫子咬,不能锈坏,也没有贼挖窟窿来偷。因为你的财宝在哪里,你的心也在那里。”(太6:19-21)

“天上的财富”并不是上帝心中一个善良的幻想参照,或者类似的陈腔滥调。上帝的国度最终将统治全世界。“天上的财宝”是指将来上帝国度中有价值的事物,比如正义,每个人都有从事生产的机会,供应每个人的需求,以及尊重每个人的尊严。其言下之意是,如果我们将钱投资在改变世界的活动上,而不是投资在保护我们不断累积之盈余的证券上,会更好一些。

那么,若考虑一个退休投资组合,或为自己与他人考虑今世的物质需要,是一个错误吗?同样,答案即是“是的”,又是“不是”。回答“不”,是因为这段经文并非圣经中唯一谈论财富问题和供应那些依赖我们之人的经文。其他的经文段落劝我们要谨慎及深谋远虑,比如,“勤劳积蓄的,必见加增。”(箴13:11b),以及“善人给子孙遗留产业”(箴13:22 )。上帝引导约瑟提前为饥荒储存了七年的粮食(创41:25-36),而耶稣在才干的比喻中也赞同投资金钱(太25:14-30,这一点将在后面讨论)。根据来自圣经其余经文的亮光,马太福音6:19-34便不能成为一条全面的禁止令。

但这答案的肯定部分是一个警告,在第21节中优美地概括出来:“因为你的财宝在哪里,你的心也在那里。”我们可能会期望这句话以相反的方式来表述:“因为你的心在那里,你的财宝也在哪里”,但是,耶稣的话语另有深意。金钱改变人心,比人心决定如何处理金钱更甚。耶稣的重点并不是说“你倾向于将你的钱放在对你重要的事情上”,而是,“你所拥有的财产将改变你,使你更关心财产,胜于其他的事情。”请仔细选择你所拥有的事物,因为你将不可避免地开始珍视和保护它们,以防止别的东西带来的潜在损害。

我们可以称之为“财宝的原则”,意即,财宝会改变人。那些将最珍贵的财宝投资在今世之物的人,将会发现他们不再事奉神,而是事奉钱(太6:24)。这可能会导致焦虑,而焦虑来自货币的不确定性(太6:25-34)。我的钱会不会被通货膨胀所侵蚀?股市会不会崩盘?债券是否会违约?银行是否会倒闭?我是否可以确定我存的钱足以应付任何可能发生的事?

这种心态的解毒剂,是将投资放在满足人真正需要的事情上。一个提供干净的水或制作精良服装的公司,也可以算是在神国的投资,而追求因政治动机而发放的津贴、过热的住房市场、或稀缺原料的投资则未必如此。马太福音第六章的这段话不是投资组合的管理规则,但它确实地告诉我们,我们对上帝国度的方法和手段的注重,会影响到我们管理财富的方式。

那么,现在的问题是,你应当如何关注物质的需求和资源的积累呢?如果你为此而焦虑,绝非明智之为。如果你让这些事取代了你对上帝的信任,你就会愈来愈不忠心。如果你为这些东西付出过多的关注,你就会变得贪婪。如果你以牺牲其他人的代价获取这些东西,你就成为反对上帝国度的压迫者。

我们该如何分辨我们对财富的注意是否恰当?耶稣回答说:“你们要先求他的国和他的义,这些东西都要加给你们了。”(太6:33)。先做重要的事。尽管我们很容易会自欺欺人,但这个问题可以帮助我们,让仔细观察财宝把我们带到了何处。它可以揭示我们的内心。

“你们不要论断人,免得你们被论断。”(马太福音7:1-5)

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耶稣呼召我们认识自己,远离指摘或论断他人:

“你们不要论断人,免得你们被论断。因为你们怎样论断人,也必怎样被论断;你们用甚么量器量给人,也必用甚么量器量给你们。为甚么看见你弟兄眼中有刺,却不想自己眼中有梁木呢?你自己眼中有梁木,怎能对你弟兄说:‘容我去掉你眼中的刺’呢?你这假冒为善的人!先去掉自己眼中的梁木,然后才能看得清楚,去掉你弟兄眼中的刺。”(太7:1-5)

这段话似乎制造了工作场所中的一个问题。成功的工作往往取决于针对别人的性格和工作进行评估。老板必须评估自己的下属,也有某些组织采用反向评估。我们经常必须决定谁是值得信赖的,要选谁作为合作伙伴,该聘用谁,该加入哪个组织。但是第5节说到了假冒为善这个词,并训诫我们说:“先去掉自己眼中的梁木”,表明耶稣说的这话是反对虚假或不必要的判断,并不反对诚实的评估。问题在于,我们会不断地作出判断,却浑然不觉。我们在工作场所中针对别人所形成的印象,较多是出于我们偏颇的看法,而非事实。部分原因是,我们对别人的看法,常常是用来让我们自我感觉更好。还有部分原因是,当我们没有以仆人身份服侍别人时,想要为自己的行为辩解。还有部分原因是,我们缺乏时间或意愿来收集真实的信息,因为储存随机印象要简单很多。

要单单靠我们自己来克服这种虚假的论断主义,也许是不可能的。这就是为什么一致的、以事实为基础的评估系统在工作场所中极为关键。良好的绩效考核制度要求管理人员必须去收集真正的绩效证据··,并要与员工讨论不同的看法,识别共同的偏见。在个人层面上,在那些不存在上下级关系的人之间,我们也可以达到相同的公正性,只要当我们注意到自己开始判断他人时,问问自己:“我与此有何关系?”“有什么证据可以让我作出这个结论?这个判断对我有何好处?对方会如何回应?”也许,要除去我们自己眼中的梁木最可靠的方法,就是直接把我们的判断告诉那个人,请他们回应我们的看法。(见此文后面马太福音18:15-17,“解决冲突”一节。)

黄金定律(太7:12)

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“所以,无论何事,你们愿意人怎样待你们,你们也要怎样待人,因为这就是律法和先知的道理”(太7:12)。这句话将我们带回到真正的义,就是在工作中以及在其他地方修补并维持正确关系的义。如果在我们作出决定、采取行动之前只能问一个问题,最好的问题应当是:“这是我希望做在我身上的方式吗?”

主啊,求祢怜悯(太8-9)

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在第五到第七章里面,我们听到耶稣关于降临到地上的天国之教导。在第八至第九章当中,我们看到祂藉由同情和怜悯的行动,使这个国度实现。祂医治了一位被人排斥的痲疯病人(太8:1-4),祂同情一位罗马占领军的一位官员(太8:5-20),祂释放了一位笼罩在苦难风暴下的被鬼附者(太8:28-9:1)。在上述所有案例中,耶稣的怜悯使祂采取行动,恢复了上帝的创造。祂的追随者也可以用同样实际的方式来表达同情。

在耶稣表明这国度已经到来时,祂称那些跟随祂的人是“做工的人”(太9:37-38)。神让我们中有些人从事身体和情感方面的医治,类似于耶稣在这几章中所作的工作。其他人则被带领去做不同的职业,如提供食物、水、住房、交通、教育、健康照护、司法、安保,或建立良好的政府,类似于耶稣三十岁之前做木工的工作。即使耶稣花那么多的时间医治人,令人惊讶的是,大多数的人还是认为祂是一名传道者,而不是一名医生。还有一些人被带领去用艺术、企业家精神、设计、时尚、研发来表达自己的创意,因为我们是按照那位创造万有之神的形象被造的(创世记1)。这几章的重点在于,对于耶稣来说,祂所宣告的上帝的国度,在世俗与神圣上、灵性与身体间并无分隔。

劳力的人理当获得饱足(太10)

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在10章中,耶稣差派祂的门徒出去宣讲即将到来的国度,并藉由怜悯和同情,施行大能的神迹,彰显这个国度。祂指示他们不要预备自己的需用(太10:9-10),而要仰赖他人的慷慨。祂很明确地表示,福音不应是一件商品:“你们白白地得来,也要白白地舍去”(太10:8)。

这里对我们的教训是,赚钱以及为财务思考并不是坏事;事实上,上帝正是通过我们的劳动来供应我们,因为“工人得饮食是应当的”(太10:10)。然而,这项警告是防止我们让收入成为工作的焦点。作为这新国度之主底下的工人,我们的焦点应放在工作的价值上,而不是薪资上。耶稣在这里的指示,是为了将上帝放在我们心中的首位(参看雅各书4:13-16)。无论是谁在我们的薪水支票上签名,最终都是上帝同意支付了这一切。

我的轭是轻省的(太11:28-30)

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当我们浏览马太福音的时候,会看到反对耶稣的势力——反对祂的信息和行动的力量——在渐渐增加。这种力量在马太福音12:14达到高潮,宗教领袖们决定阻止祂,即使杀了祂也在所不惜。这预示了整个故事的走向,也设定了故事的结局:耶稣将在耶路撒冷被钉十字架。尽管耶稣知道将来之事,却仍然告诉祂的追随者:

“凡劳苦担重担的人可以到我这里来,我就使你们得安息。我心里柔和谦卑,你们当负我的轭,学我的样式;这样,你们心里就必得享安息。因为我的轭是容易的,我的担子是轻省的。”(太11:28-30)

如果我们在工作时与祂同轭,我们就会找到成就感,并经历到与上帝、与人的良好关系。[15] 当上帝在伊甸园将工作赐给亚当时,在上帝的权柄下,工作很容易,负担也轻。当人类夫妻背叛自己的创造者,工作就变成了艰难的苦役,必须对抗荆棘和蒺藜(创世记3)。耶稣邀请我们与祂同轭,祂应许说,我们的灵魂可以得安息。(欲了解更多关于与基督同轭工作,见www.theologyofwork.org:“哥林多后书与工作” 标题下的“哥林多后书6:14-18”小节。)

这一段落的应用,点击这里,见Country Supply Study Guide中的“随着成长改变战术”一文。

在安息日工作(太12:1-8)

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有计划地要求休息

更多阅读,请参考两位哈佛商学院教授在波斯顿咨询集团的最新研究。这项研究讨论休息和工作的节奏问题,可在这里访问。这项报告显示,那种认为每个人都必须随时在岗的假设已经被很多人挑战。现在,个人不仅可以休息,而且休息实际上让他们的工作更高效。(哈佛商业评论可能在网站上显示广告,或要求注册才能阅读这篇文章。)Mark Roberts在他关于领袖生命的灵修书籍”Won’t Keeping the Sabbath Make Me Less Productive?”中也讨论了这个话题。

耶稣和祂的反对者之间主要的冲突领域之一,就是守安息日。在这段话中,耶稣被宗教领袖批评,因为祂允许自己的追随者在安息日掐麦穗吃。法利赛人认为这是一项工作,在安息日是禁止的,但耶稣同时反驳了他们的诠释和动机。祂认为,采摘刚好足够食用的粮食来充饥,不算是不守安息日,因为大卫王和圣殿中的祭司也曾这样做,却没有引起上帝的斥责(太12:3-5)。再者,真正遵守摩西律法的动机应该是同情和怜悯(太12:6)。上帝喜爱怜悯(允许饥饿的人摘谷物吃),而非献祭(守安息日),弥迦书6:6-8已经揭示了这一点。每个星期一天的休息乃是上帝的应许,意思是我们不用为了维持生计而不停地工作。这不是为了审判人在安息日缓解饥饿或需要而制定的律法。

www.theologyofwork.org/cn网站上,马可福音与工作一文中,”马可福音1:21-45“以及 “马可福音2:23-3:6“两节,以及路加福音与工作一文中”路加福音6:1-113:10-17“一节,连同专文休息与工作(译者注:只有英文),会更深入地讨论犹太人的安息日与基督徒在周日崇拜上帝的关系,以及如何将犹太人安息日的律法应用在基督徒的生活中。

天国的比喻(太13)

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从13章开始,因为众人的反对,耶稣的教导风格产生了变化。祂不再明确地宣讲天国,而是开始用比喻说话。这些比喻对信徒有意义,但是不信者却无法理解。这些简短的故事大多数与工人有关:一个撒种者耕种一块土地(太13:3-9);一个女人使用酵母揉面包(太13:33);一个寻宝者(太13:44);一个珍珠商人(太13:45-46);一些渔民(太13:47-50);一位家主(太13:52)。在大多数的情况下,这些故事并不是在描绘这些工作。耶稣并没有告诉我们该如何正确地播种到田里、如何烤面包,或是如何投资商品。相反,耶稣利用这些物质对象和人的劳动,作为故事的元素,让我们能认识上帝的国度。我们的工作可以有意义,甚至可以表现永恒的事实。这就提醒了我们,我们和周围的世界都是从上帝的创造中衍生出来的,并且一直都是上帝国度的一部分。

纳税(太17:24-27,22:15-22)

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在耶稣的时代,犹太人必须同时向自己的圣殿和罗马异教徒政府缴税。马太记录了两个独立的事件,描绘了耶稣对缴税的观点。第一件事记录在马太福音17:24-27,收丁税的税吏问彼得,耶稣是否纳税。耶稣知道了这次的谈话,就问彼得:“西门,你的意思如何?世上的君王向谁征收关税、丁税?是向自己的儿子呢?是向外人呢?”彼得回答说:“是向外人。”耶稣回答:“既然如此,儿子就可以免税了。但恐怕触犯他们,你且往海边去钓鱼,把先钓上来的鱼拿起来,开了牠的口,必得一块钱,可以拿去给他们,作你我的税银。”

第二起事件与罗马的税收有关,记录在马太福音22:15-22里。法利赛人和希律党徒想要陷害耶稣,于是问他,“纳税给该撒,可以不可以?”耶稣知道他们心中的邪恶,尖利地反问他们说:“假冒为善的人哪,为甚么试探我?拿一个上税的钱给我看!”他们就拿一个银钱来给他。耶稣说:“这像和这号是谁的?”他们说:“是该撒的。”于是,耶稣这样结束了对话:“这样,该撒的物当归给该撒;上帝的物当归给上帝。”

我们真正的公民身份是在上帝的国度中,我们也为了上帝的计划而献上一切资源。但是我们也给这世上的权力所应得的。纳税是我们作为公民或居民,在任何文明社会中享受服务的基本义务之一。这些服务包括:紧急事件处理者的工作(警察、消防队员、医疗人员等),以及各地的社会网络,为要确保司法公正,或帮助穷人、老年人、和有需要的人等等。罗马帝国主要不是为了老百姓的利益服务,但即使如此,它也提供了道路、用水、治安,有时也救济穷人。对于政府应该提供的服务类型或程度,我们可能并不完全赞成,但是我们知道,为了提供人身保护,为了帮助那些无法帮助自己的人,税收是必不可少的。

尽管并不是所有的政府活动都在事奉上帝的旨意,耶稣却没有呼召我们公然藐视我们所居住国家的税收规定(罗13:1-10;帖前4:11-12)。实际上,耶稣教导说,不必将抵制纳税当作一个原则问题。如果可能的话,我们应该“总要尽力与众人和睦”(罗12:18;来12:14;参见彼前2:12),同时,像光照在黑暗里一样生活(太5:13-16;腓2:15)。若我们工作赚钱,却拒绝纳税,因此羞辱了上帝的国度,就既不能带来平安,也不令人喜爱。

这一点可以直接应用在工作上。除了缴税之外,工作场所应受到政府法律和机构的约束。一些国家政府的法律和做法有可能违反基督教的宗旨和道德,第一世纪的罗马帝国就是如此。政府或政府雇员有可能索贿,强制实施不道德的规章制度,使人民屈从于苦难和不公义,并使用税收行悖逆神旨意之事。但论到税收,耶稣并没有要求我们去抵制每一项这样的滥用。我们就像在敌方领土上的间谍或游击队。我们不应为了竭力攻打敌国的每一个据点而陷入困境。相反,我们必须采取战略行动,总是要问自己,如何才能最有效地在地上建立上帝的国度。当然,我们绝不能为了自己的利益参与到滥权败坏的行动中。(这个主题也在www.theologyofwork.org网站,“路加福音与工作”:“路加福音 19:1-10; 20:20-26”中讨论。)

新国度中的生活(马太福音 18-25)

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在马太福音第18章到第25章当中,耶稣给了我们在上帝国度中生活的具体情形。在许多的情况下,这些讨论都特别适用于工作。

冲突的解决(太18:15-35)

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所有的工作场所都会发生冲突。在这段经文中,耶稣示范了如何处理错待我们的人的模式。祂并没有说“报复!”或“反击!”相反,祂勾画出一个和解的过程,以寻求一对一的和解作为开始。温柔的福意味着你需要放下自我辩白,以便能以尊敬和真实的态度向伤害过你的人表达自己的看法,并开放地了解他们的观点(太18:15)。这并不意味着要让自己屈从于进一步的虐待,而是开放自己,知道自己的看法可能并非世上唯一的看法。但是,假如这样也不能解决冲突呢?退而求其次的第二步,是请一位认识你们两人的人和你一起去,再次与制造伤痛的人讨论这个问题。如果冲突仍无法解决,那么将此事报告领导者(马太福音18:16专门讨论教会里的冲突,因此需要报告教会),以得到公正的裁决。如果该裁决还是不能解决问题,就应当将不遵守裁决的冒犯者从社群中赶出去(太18:17)。

虽然耶稣讨论的是与“教会其他成员”(太18:15)之间的冲突,但祂的方法很了不起,乃是目前职场公认的最佳实践的先驱。即使在最好的工作场所中,也会出现冲突。当冲突出现时,唯一有效的解决办法就是冲突的双方直接交换意见,而不是向别人抱怨。不要在一群人面前谈论个人的冲突,而是要与对方私下解决。在这电子通讯的时代,耶稣的方法比以往任何时候都更加重要。现在只需在“抄送”栏填上一两个名字,或是单击“回复所有人”的按钮,便能使一个单纯的意见不合,变成整个办公室的结仇。即使这两个人私下用电子邮件交流,但是因为使用了电子邮件之类不具人性的媒介,误解的可能性将成倍增加。最好的办法就是以字面的意思来接受耶稣的忠告:“你就去,趁着只有他和你在一处的时候,指出他的错来”(太18:15)。

指出错误是一条双行道。我们也需要敞开自己,听取别人指出我们的错误。因此,聆听——在这三节经文中,耶稣三次提到聆听——是关键的因素。现代冲突解决的模式,甚至在双方保留不同的意见时,也提倡彼此倾听。通常,专注的倾听会得出一个双方都能接受的解决办法。如果还是没有成果,那么就邀请其他具有适当技能和权力的人介入一起讨论。

有钱的少年官(太19:16-30)

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关于金钱的问题,在前面马太福音第6章讨论过,如今在这个被耶稣吸引的富有年轻人的故事中再次出现。这位年轻人问耶稣:“我该做甚么善事才能得永生?”耶稣告诉他要遵守十诫,他回答说,他从年轻的时候就开始遵守十诫了。在马太的叙事中有一个独特的元素,这年轻人接着问耶稣说:“还缺少甚么呢?”这个问题显出他敏锐的洞察力。我们可能做到了每一件看来正确的事,但还是知道我们里面缺少一些东西。耶稣回答说:“可去变卖你所有的,分给穷人,就必有财宝在天上;你还要来跟从我”(太19:21)。

我们从四福音书知道,耶稣并没有叫所有的听众都放弃自己的财产。不是所有的人都像这个年轻人一样,因自己的财产而背负重担。耶稣激进地挑战此人,因为他强烈地依恋财富(太19:22)。上帝完全知道我们的心,也知道我们需要什么来事奉祂。

我们的财宝是我们的工作、我们的任务、我们的表现和技能,还是我们的退休基金吗?这些事物本身都是很好的(是上帝的礼物)。但它们都是次要的,首先要先求祂的国(太6:33),以及与上帝、与人的正确(义)的关系。我们要张开手掌来持有财富、把握工作,以免像这位富有的年轻人,最终伤心地转身离开上帝。(这个故事在www.theologyofwork.org网站上,“马可福音 10:17-31 ”和“ 路加福音 18:18-30 ”中有更深入的讨论。)

葡萄园中的工人(太 20:1-16)

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这个比喻只出现在马太福音中。一个葡萄园的主人在一天不同的时间内雇用短工。那些在早上六点钟就被雇用的人投入了一整天的工作。那些在下午五点钟才被雇用的人仅投入一个小时的工作。但主人支付他们每个人都是一天的工资(一钱银子)。而且他让每个人都知道,尽管他们工作的时数不同,但每个人的工资是一样的。毫不奇怪,那些先被雇用的人抱怨说,他们的工作时间较长,却没有比那些较晚开工的人挣更多的钱。家主回答其中的一人说,“朋友,我不亏负你,你与我讲定的不是一钱银子吗?……我的东西难道不可随我的意思用吗?因为我作好人,你就红了眼吗?’这样,那在后的,将要在前;在前的,将要在后了。”(太20:13,15-16)。

与撒种的比喻不同(太13:3-9、18-23),耶稣并没有给我们一个明确的解释。因此,学者们提出了许多解释。因为这个故事中的人物是劳动者和管理者,有的人就认为这故事与工作有关。若是如此,那么这个故事似乎是说:“不要和别人比较工资”,或是“如果在类似的职位中,别人多拿少做,不要感到不满”。对工人来说,也许这是不错的做法。如果你赚得了一份体面的工资,何必因为别人有更好的薪水而让自己痛苦呢?但是这种解释也可以被用来为不公平或虐待劳工的作法辩解。一些工人可能会因为种族、性别或移民身份歧视的原因,而领到较低的工资。耶稣真的是说,当与其他工人相比受到不公平对待时,我们应该知足吗?

此外,无论工人的工作量有多少,仍支付给人一样的薪资,这是一种有问题的商业行为。那样做岂不是给人强烈的诱因,使得所有的工人都会在隔天的下午五点钟才露面?还有,关于公开每个人的工资这件事呢?这样做确实能减少私议的范围。不过,强迫那些工作时间较长的人,看着那些工作仅一小时的人也拿相同的工资,这真的是一个好主意吗?这似乎是刻意策划,要导致劳资纠纷的做法。若按照字面来看这个比喻,对于没有绩效者也支付一样薪水,似乎不是企业成功的秘诀。难道耶稣真的是在提倡这种付工资的作法?

也许,这个比喻并不是真的在讨论工作问题。这比喻的上下文是耶稣针对“谁属于上帝的国度”,给出了一些令人吃惊的例子:例如,儿童(太19:14),他们在法律上甚至还不能为自己负责。祂很明确地表示,神的国不属于富人,或者说至少不会有很多富人进入其中(太19:23-26)。神的国乃是属于那些跟随祂的人,特别是那些因此而遭受损失的人。“有许多在前的,将要在后;在后的,将要在前。”(太19:30)。现在这个比喻之后,耶稣紧接着用了同样的话结尾:“那在后的,将要在前;在前的,将要在后了。”(太20:16)。这表明,这个故事是神国属于哪些人之讨论的延续。上帝的国并不是靠着我们的工作或行为进入的,而是因为上帝的慷慨。

当我们理解到这个比喻是关于上帝在天国中的慷慨之后,我们仍然会问,如何可以将其应用到工作上。如果你得到合理的薪酬,那么完全可以接受建议,以自己所得为满足。如果另一名工人得到意外的好处,为他高兴而不是抱怨,岂非更为优雅的表现吗?

Toro公司的公平工资

Ken Melrose描述了Toro公司里,公平工资的重要性:​1981年,我被任命为执行总裁时,Toro正在破产的边缘。我觉得神呼召我,要在仆人式领袖的原则上构建公司的文化。对我来说,那些记录在“职级和档案”中的员工,乃是组织真正的力量所在,乃是一件显然的事情。
我们小心地避免组织中的工资差异变得过大,引起众人的不满。我们特别注意期权所造成的那种“拥有和一无所有”的感受,也特别注意那些处于工资链底端的雇员。我们希望提倡的理念是,所有人都属于一个大的团队,每个人对公司的成功都极为重要。为了推动这种理念,我们象征性地给了每位员工一股Toro股份,然后创建了一个401K年金账户,每年用公司的股票奖励所有员工。尽管高管们比初级员工分得的股份多一些,但是事实上我们所有人都成了“业主”……​[16]

继续阅读,请点击这里。之后你可以回到本文。​ (译者注:只有英文)

但是,这个比喻还有更广泛的应用。这比喻中的主人支付了所有的工人足以养家的工资。[17]耶稣时代的社会状况是,因为他们无法支付缴纳罗马帝国的税款而背上债务,许多小农被迫离开他们的土地。这违背了上帝给以色列的命令——不能将土地从耕种它的人身边夺走(利25:8-13),但是当然罗马人并不关心这一点。因此,一大堆失业的男人每天早上聚在一处,希望当天能被雇用。他们是当时流离失所、失业或就业不足的工人。那些在下午五点钟还在等待的人,已经没有什么机会可以赚得足够的收入,来为他们的家庭购买一天所需的食物。然而,葡萄园的主人还支付了他们一天的工资。

如果葡萄园的主人代表上帝,这就是一个强有力的信息,表明在上帝的国度里,流离失所者和失业的工人都能找到工作,好让他们和那些倚靠他们的人的需求都得到满足。我们已经看到耶稣说:“工人得饮食是应当的。”(太10:10)。这并不一定意味着地上的雇主有责任满足员工的一切需要。地上的雇主不是上帝。反过来说,这个比喻对于每个正在努力寻找合适就业机会的人来说,都是一个充满盼望的信息。在上帝的国度里,我们全都能找到供应我们需要的工作。这个比喻对于那些有机会塑造今日社会之工作结构的人来说,是一个挑战。基督徒现在当如何行事,从这个层面推进上帝的国度呢?

仆人式领袖(太 20:20-28)

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尽管前述的比喻谈到上帝的恩典和慷慨,尽管耶稣的门徒听到耶稣两次说,“有许多在前的,将要在后;在后的,将要在前”,他们仍然错过了重点。雅各和约翰的母亲,要求耶稣赐给她两个儿子将来的国里最显赫的位置。这两个人当时都站在那里,于是耶稣转向他们,问道:“我将要喝的杯,你们能喝吗?”他们回答:“我们能。”其他的十位门徒听到这一点,就十分恼怒。耶稣藉这个机会,挑战了他们关于显要卓越的认知。

“耶稣叫了他们来,说:“你们知道外邦人有君王为主治理他们,有大臣操权管束他们。只是在你们中间,不可这样;你们中间谁愿为大,就必作你们的用人;谁愿为首,就必作你们的仆人。正如人子来,不是要受人的服事,乃是要服事人,并且要舍命,作多人的赎价。”(太20:25-28)

真正的领导力体现在服侍他人上。其形式,根据不同的工作场所和情况而异。这并不意味着身为总裁的人必须每个月轮流扫地或打扫厕所一次,也没有任何人可用帮助别人为借口,不去做好自己份内工作。它的意义在于,我们做一切工作的目的,都是要服务我们的客户、同事、股东和其他受我们工作影响的人。Max De Pree 长时间在Herman Miller公司担任总裁,他也是入选财富名人堂(Fortune Hall of Fame)的一员。他在《领导是一门艺术》(Leadership Is an Art)一书中写道:“一个领导者的首要责任是确定现实的状况。最后的责任是说谢谢。在这两者之间,领导者必须成为一个仆人和一名债务人。简而言之,这就是领导的艺术。”​[18]

仆人是知道自己灵性贫乏的人(太5:3),并且在上帝控制下行使权力(太5:5),以保持正确的人际关系。仆人领导者为人正直诚信(太5:8),会为自己的错误道歉(太5:4),在别人失败时显出怜恤(太5:7),尽可能使人和睦(太5:9),并在事奉上帝时忍受过分的批评(太5:10),保持正直(太5:8)。耶稣用自己的行为为我们设立了模范(太20:28)。我们要遵循祂的榜样,以证明自己是基督的跟随者。

两个儿子的比喻(太21:28-32)

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两个儿子的比喻(太21:28-32)讲的是两个兄弟的父亲要他们去葡萄园里工作。有一个告诉他的父亲说,他会去,但是他没这么做,另外一个告诉他的父亲,他不会去,但最终,他在葡萄的藤蔓中间工作了一整天。然后,耶稣问了这一个问题:“这两个儿子是哪一个遵行父命呢?”答案很明确:实际去工作的那个,虽然最初他拒绝这样做。这个比喻延续了马太福音前面的故事,讨论究竟谁才真正属于上帝的国度。耶稣告诉听众中的宗教领袖说:“税吏和娼妓倒比你们先进上帝的国”(太21:31)。[19]看起来最不敬虔的群众将在那些宗教领袖前面进入上帝的国度,因为他们最终遵行了上帝的旨意。

这个故事提醒了我们,在工作中,行动比言语更响亮。许多组织都有使命宣言,宣称他们的首要目标是服务客户,产品的质量,对人诚信,以员工为本等等。然而,许多这样的组织在服务、产品、诚信和员工关系方面的质量却很差。个人也一样,可能只是吹嘘自己的计划,却完全不去实现。掉入这个陷阱的组织和个人,可能都有着很好的意愿,一点没有意识到自己言不符实。工作场所既需要能够实现使命和目标的有效系统,也需要公正的监控系统,以提供不夸饰的反馈。

佃农的比喻(太21:33-41)

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这个比喻之后紧接着凶恶园户的比喻(太廿一33-41),场景是一个工作场所,即葡萄园。然而耶稣明确地指出,祂并不是在谈论葡萄园的经营,而是在谈论犹太宗教当局对祂的拒绝,并最终唆使人将他杀害(太21:45)。若要将这个比喻应用到今天的工作场所,关键是第43节:“上帝的国必从你们夺去,赐给那能结果子的百姓。”我们在工作中各有职责。如果我们拒绝负责,不顺服神,我们的工作方式就与上帝的国度相悖。在每一项工作中,我们最终的绩效考核都来自于上帝。

向上和向下服务(太24:45-51)

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这个比喻谈到一位总管一家事务的奴仆。他的责任包括在适当的时候给其他奴仆发放食物津贴。耶稣说:“主人来到,看见他这样行,那仆人就有福了。”(太24:46)。仆人将得到晋升,并被赋予更多的责任。另一方面,耶稣评论说:

“倘若那恶仆心里说:‘我的主人必来得迟’,就动手打他的同伴,又和酒醉的人一同吃喝。在想不到的日子,不知道的时辰,那仆人的主人要来,重重地处治他,定他和假冒为善的人同罪;在那里必要哀哭切齿了。”(太24:48-51)

在现代的职场环境中,这位奴隶就相当于一位经理,他需要对业主负责任,同时也要管理其他工人。只有当工人的需求得到了满足,业主的利益才能得到满足。经理需要向权柄在他之上与之下的双方负责。耶稣说,仆人式领导的职责,就是照顾在他之下的人的需要,也顾及在他之上的人。他不能虐待那些在他权柄之下的人,却借口是为了上司的利益。祂用戏剧性的方式描述了对只关心自己利益的工人所给予的重重惩罚(太24:48-51)。

才干的比喻(太25:14-30)

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耶稣关于工作最重要的比喻之一,是关于投资的比喻(太25:14-30)。一个有钱人分派他的仆人管理他的财富,很像今天的投资者在市场里所做的。他给了第一个仆人五千银子(这是一大笔钱)[20] 两千银子给第二个仆人,一千银子给第三个仆人。其中两个仆人藉由基金交易赚回了百分之百的收益,但是第三个仆人将银子藏在地底下,一无所获。财主返家后,奖励了两位赚钱的仆人,却严厉地惩罚了那个什么也没做的仆人。

这个比喻的意义远远超出了金融投资。上帝已经赐给了每个人各种各样的恩赐,祂希望我们运用这些恩赐来事奉祂。若仅仅将那些恩赐摆上壁橱架蒙尘,是不能被接受的。就像这三个仆人,我们拥有的恩赐各不相同。上帝希望从我们身上得到的报酬,与我们得到的恩赐相称。那个收到一千银子的仆人并不是因为没有赚到五千银子受责;他被谴责,是因为他没有用自己的恩赐做任何事情。我们从上帝那里收到的恩赐和礼物,包括技能、能力、家族关系、社会地位、教育、经验等等。这个比喻的重点是,我们必须要运用我们被赐予的一切,以完成上帝的旨意。发生在那个毫无产出的仆人身上的严重后果,远远超过平庸业绩所触发的结果,这是要告诉我们投资自己的生命,不要浪费。

然而,在此比喻中,用于投资的特殊才干(talent)就是金钱,在当今大约可值一百万美元。现代英语掩盖了这一事实,因为他连得(talent)这个词主要被用来指称技能或能力。但是,这个比喻与金钱有关。它指出,如果以敬虔的方式成就敬虔的目的,那么投资而不是囤积,就是一件敬虔的事情。最后,主人称赞这两个值得信赖的仆人,说:“好,你这又良善又忠心的仆人”(太25:23)。从这句话我们看到,主人关心的是结果(“好”)、方法(“良善”),和动机(“忠心”)。

对于职场更直接的应用,是将资本投入有风险的投资,以追求回报。有时候,基督徒或认为谈论投资增长、生产和回报,对上帝来说是不圣洁的。但是,这个比喻推翻了这种概念。为了上帝的国度,我们应该在工作中投资我们的技能和能力,也应投资我们可运用的财富和资源。这也包括生产所需的商品和服务。教导主日学的志愿者在履行这个比喻。那些开始一个新事业、提供就业机会给别人的企业家,发起艾滋病宣传运动的卫生服务管理人员,开发创新过程的机器操作员也是如此。

上帝并没有赋予人相同的或完全相等的恩赐。如果你尽所能地运用上帝赏赐给你的恩赐,你会听到祂说“干得好”。不仅恩赐如此,人也具有平等的价值。同时,在这个比喻的结尾处,有十万银子的人得到了第三个仆人身上拿走的银子。平等的价值并不一定意味着平等的报酬。有些职位需要更多的技能或能力,因此应该得到相应的报酬。那两个做得很好的仆人得到了不同金额的奖励。但是他们都获得了相同的赞词。这暗示说,若我们运用所得的一切才干,为了上帝的荣耀而尽力的时候,就跟上帝其他忠心的、值得信赖的仆人站在了同等的平台上。

一个非常相似的十锭银子的比喻,见www.theologyofwork.org网站“路加福音与工作”标题下的“路加福音 19:11-27”。

更多关于恩赐和呼召的讨论,见Calling and Vocation Overview一文。更多关于利用恩赐服侍社会的讨论,见 “有恩赐的社区(林前 12:1-14:40)

绵羊和山羊(太 25:31-46)

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耶稣在本节最后的教导中,检视了我们该如何对待那些有需要的人。在这段记载中,当耶稣带着祂的荣耀回来时,祂会坐在祂的宝座上,并且会将人分开来,“好像牧羊的分别绵羊山羊一般”(太25:32)。分隔的标准取决于我们如何对待有需要的人。耶稣对绵羊说:

“你们这蒙我父赐福的,可来承受那创世以来为你们所预备的国;因为我饿了,你们给我吃,渴了,你们给我喝;我作客旅,你们留我住;我赤身露体,你们给我穿;我病了,你们看顾我;我在监里,你们来看我”(太25:34-36)。

这些都是有需要的人,就是“绵羊”去事奉的人,因为耶稣说:“这些事你们既做在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上,就是做在我身上了。”(太25:40)。耶稣对山羊说:

“离开我!… …因为我饿了,你们不给我吃,渴了,你们不给我喝;我作客旅,你们不留我住;我赤身露体,你们不给我穿;我病了,我在监里,你们不来看顾我。’……这些事你们既不做在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上,就是不做在我身上了。”(太25:41-43,45)

不管是个人或团体,我们的呼召都是去帮助那些有需要的人。我们“的性命却在耶和华-你的上帝那里蒙保护,如包裹宝器一样”(撒上25:29),因此我们不能忽视人类的困境,例如遭受饥饿、干渴、赤身露体、无家可归、疾病,或监禁。我们为了满足自己的需求和那些依赖我们之人的需要而工作;但是我们也为了能帮助需要的人而工作(来13:1-3)。我们也许从未缺少过基本生活用品,但世上有人却极度贫乏。我们应当与其他人一道想法帮助他们。如果我们认真对待耶稣的话,也许会意识到,世上有更多的人依靠我们的慈善而活着。

耶稣并没有确切地说到,这些绵羊究竟如何事奉有需要的人。也许他们通过各种礼物和慈善工作来服侍。但是,也许有一些服侍是藉由种植、预备食物和饮水;帮助新同事加速完成工作;设计、制造,并销售服装等日常工作来完成的。所有合法的工作都是在服务需要其产品和服务的人,我们做工的同时,就是在事奉耶稣。

最后的晚餐(太26:17-30)

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当犹大(十二门徒之一)去找宗教领袖,提议要将祂交出来给圣殿士兵的时候,杀害耶稣的计谋更进了一步。当各种事件快速地朝向十字架的受难发展时,耶稣与祂的门徒分享了最后一餐。在餐桌上,耶稣选择了人造的物品——面包和酒——来代表祂自己和祂即将遭受的牺牲。祂拿起一片面包,说:“这是我的身体”(太26:26);然后祂拿起酒袋,说:“这是我的血”(太26:28)。上帝的儿子,不是任何人所造,甚至也不是天父所造。用尼西亚信经的话说,他是“被生的,但不是被造的。”然而祂选择像面包和葡萄酒这样常见的、有形体的、由人制作出来的东西,来说明祂的牺牲。正如艾伦.理查德森(Alan Richardson)所言:

“如果没有农民的辛劳和技能,没有面包师傅和运输工人的劳力,没有银行、办公室、商店和经销商——实际上,若没有了在矿山、船厂和钢铁厂里辛劳的工人——今天早晨这片面包就不会出现在祭坛上。事实上,整个世界人类的工作都参与制造了我们现在所献上这饼和酒……这就是通过脸上的汗水所得来的面包,与那无法用金钱购买的、无价的生命粮之间所存在的奇怪而牢不可破的联系 。[21]

整个社会都参与了。

我们不能假装知道为什么耶稣选择人类劳动的有形产品来代表祂自己,而不是用自然的物品、抽象的概念、或祂自己设计的形像。但事实如此,祂的确尊荣了这些来自工作的产品,用来代表自己无限的尊荣。当我们想到在祂复活时,祂也拥有身体时(太28:9,13),无法想象有人会说上帝的国度是一个属灵世界,与祂所创造的物质现实隔离。神创造了我们之后(创2:7;John 1),选择了经过我们手工所做的物品来代表自己。这是一件几乎超乎理解的恩典。

基督的死亡和复活(马太福音 27-28)

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马太比其他任何福音书的作者都更强调耶稣基督那惊天动地的死亡和复活所带出的涵意,并将我们带回到这天上地下国度的中心意象上。天空变黑、大地震动,以及死人的复活(太27:45-54),对犹太人来说都是明显的迹象,意思是现今的世代结束了,而来世已经开始。然而,生活和工作似乎还是继续着,一如往常;生意也照常进行着。各各他山丘上的十字架真的带来了什么改变?

马太福音的答案是一个响亮的“是”。耶稣被钉十字架,对于建立在人类力量与智慧的自负世界体系是一个致命的打击。祂的复活,标志着上帝确然地进入了世界。上帝国度的统治尚未遍及全地,但基督掌管所有跟随祂的人。

去使万民作门徒(太28:16-20)

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耶稣在地上的事工马上就要结束了。马太福音28:16-20讲述祂差派那些跟随祂的人:

“十一个门徒往加利利去,到了耶稣约定的山上。他们见了耶稣就拜他,然而还有人疑惑。耶稣进前来,对他们说:“天上地下所有的权柄都赐给我了。所以,你们要去,使万民作我的门徒,奉父、子、圣灵的名给他们施洗。凡我所吩咐你们的,都教训他们遵守,我就常与你们同在,直到世界的末了。”

这段话经常被人称为“大使命”,而基督徒的关注点往往在其传福音的含义上。但是大使命实际上是要“使人成为门徒”,而不仅仅是去“赢得改皈依者”。正如我们在这整篇文章中一直看到的,工作是成为门徒的一项基本要素。在基督主权的脉络下了解我们的工作,这也是完成大使命的一部分。

我们已经听到前进的命令。我们必须将这个好消息带给万民,为那些相信福音的人施洗,“凡我所吩咐你们的,都教训他们遵守”(太28:20)。当我们回顾马太福音全部二十八章的内容,我们看到许多的命令都与工作场所有关。这些教导都是给我们和以后的人的。

马太福音的结论

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上帝关心我们的工作,圣经中也有很多讨论。正如一开头所说,马太福音从很多方面谈到了工作的神学和实践:领导力和权柄、权力和影响力、商业实务、真理和欺骗、工人待遇、冲突解决、财富和生活必需品、职场人际关系、投资和储蓄,休息,以及在世俗工作时如何活在上帝的国度中。

基督徒通常假定我们的生活一定会被分裂成两个领域--世俗的与神圣的领域。我们的工作可能仅仅是谋生的方式,一种没有敬虔意义的世俗活动。上教堂和个人献身被认为是生活中唯一神圣的元素。若误读马太福音,就有可能支持这种分裂理论。地上的国度可以代表生活中的物质和世俗部分;而天国,则代表神圣和天上超凡的部分。但马太福音的正确解读是,每个国度都包含生活的一切方面。上帝的国度具有物质和属灵两个层面,而堕落的地上国度也是如此。基督徒的方式应该是将我们的整个生命,包括我们的工作生活,都用来事奉上帝的国度;甚至是现在,基督都已将上帝的国度带到地上了。

耶稣呼召祂的跟随者在堕落的世界中生活和工作的同时,坚守上帝的旨意、美德与法则。对于每位基督徒而言,神圣与世俗的层面无法分开:“一个人不能事奉两个主”(太6:24)。在这个由上帝创造和维持的宇宙中,没有任何“世俗”的空间可以不受祂的影响、祂的控制,或是能超越祂所宣告的主权的。

虽然黑暗的国度仍然存在,上帝的国度已经近了。这世上的人和系统往往无法反映出上帝的道。那些被基督呼召的人必须学会如何忠心地事奉上帝的国度,同时也要学习生存在各种反对上帝之道的、非常真实的权势当中。基督徒的世界观不是逃脱或漠视这个世界的世界观。基督徒应该超越所有的人,致力于在生活的每一个领域中创造出能反映上帝国度的架构--包括工作场所在内。我们要在工作场所中成为实践上帝国度的模范,特别是要将我们自己的权力和财富交给上帝,倚靠祂的力量和供应。这就是活出(不只是说出)主祷文这典型祷词的意思:“愿祢的国降临,愿祢的旨意行在地上,如同行在天上”。