双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：4月14日 平原异象

4月14日

平原异象

“主耶和华对这些骸骨如此说：『我必使气息进入你们里面，你们就要活了。”

以西结书37:5

尼哥底母在当时是最敬虔的人之一，但是基督还是跟他说，他必须要重生（约3:3）。这种生命的转变也正像以西结在平原上看到的异象，骸骨的比喻。这个比喻，描绘了以色列已经干枯、迷失，没有生命，只剩下枯死的骸骨。我们看到，今天的很多教会也是如此。看起来机构运行正常、信徒人数不断加增，但是缺乏生机。一些教会要么失去了起初的爱心，要么不冷不热，正在从基督的口中被吐出去（启2:4；3:15）。

然而令人振奋的是，先知以西结告诉以色列民，新生命还是有可能的。重生可以发生，教会可以从里面复兴。“气息啊，要从四方而来，吹在这些被杀的人身上，使他们活了。”（结37:9）虽然以西结是对以色列民发预言，他的比喻也同样适用于今天的教会。神不是仅仅在乎对外传福音，祂同样也在乎对内更新祂的教会。

一些基督徒认为，教会应该与时俱进，向社会学习，才能让世界更敬虔。可惜相反，历史已经不断证明，这些教会自己变得世俗化，失去属灵的能力、宣教的动力和净化的影响力。教会已经向世界妥协，并到了一个失去力量的历史关头。

基督呼召我们，把自己重新奉献于他、跟随他、在生命中效法他。约翰卫斯理写道：“凡使我对基督的爱冷淡的，都是属世界的。”

这才是我想要的生活方式！

今日祷告：

父啊，求祢使我们保持火热的心，赐给我们勇气为基督作见证。用祢的圣灵充满我们，差遣我们，使我们大有能力去宣讲祢的福音；奉耶稣的名，阿门。

April 14

THE VISION IN THE VALLEY

Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones:Behold,I will cause breath to enter into you,and ye shall live.Ezekiel 37:5

Nicodemus was one of the most religious men of his day,and yet Christ told him he must be born again(John 3:3).

This transformation is the theme of Ezekiel’s parable of the valley of dry bones.This parable pictures Israel as dried up and nearly lost,with no evidence of life.All that remain are the bones,dry and dead.This is true of hundreds of churches today.The organization is going smoothly,statistics are pouring out,but there is little life.Other churches have either lost their first love or are neither hot nor cold and are being spewed out of the mouth of Christ(Revelation 2:4;3:15-18).

The thrilling thing about Ezekiel’s story,however,is that new life is possible.The miracle of regeneration can occur;the church can be revived on the inside.“Breathe upon these slain,that they may live”(Ezekiel 37:9).Though Ezekiel was talking about Israel,his parable applies equally well to the church of Christ.God’s interest is not merely in reaching outsiders,important as they are;He is concerned equally with changing the insiders.

Some Christians talk of making the world godly by being like it;but on the contrary,history has consistently shown that the church ends in becoming worldly-it loses its spiritual power,its evangelizing spirit,and its purifying influence.The church has compromised with the world and come to terms with it to such a point that it has lost much of its power.

The call of Christ is for rededication to Him-a call to follow Him,to pattern our lives after His.As John Wesley so wisely wrote:“Anything that cools my love for Christ is of the world.”That’s the way I want to live!

Pray for the Day:

Father,keep our zeal strong.Give us boldness as a witness for Christ.Fill us with Your Holy Spirit,and send us forth in power to proclaim your Good News;in Jesus’Name,Amen.