五旬節聖潔會通訊 – 第四期

本期會訊的重點是「牧養」。主耶穌到世間來，作群羊的大牧人，指引人走上光明之路，給予聖道的餵養，一生豐盛。二千多年來，領受主耶穌救贖之恩，回應祂「使萬民作我的門徒」的召命，委身作群羊的牧者的人，都必然體會到「牧養」雖艱辛卻滿有喜樂的經驗。今年剛按立的三位牧者，張仲賢牧師，梁衍奇牧師、蘇于庭牧師，他們獨特的出身、背景、與神同行的經歷，都成為他們今後牧養群羊的寶貴資源，而他們懇切摯誠的分享，都是有血有肉的生命見證。

梁靄庭牧師藉著彼得前書，為我們闡述牧養的正反兩面，就是「照顧」和「轄制」；「照顧」的原意是同行與守望，但出於「轄制」，卻是要人按著自己的心意跟著自己行，而不是按著神的心意。前者是在基督裏的「同行」，後者卻是叫人「跟住我行」；
一線之差，雲泥之別。

本期會訊推出的時候正值聖誕節。從世俗的眼光來看，主耶穌在不適當的時候，不理想的地方和不顯赫的家庭出生，從一開始便是被其他人比了下去。主耶穌自己也承認自己一無所有：「狐狸有洞，天空的飛鳥有窩，人子卻沒有枕頭的地方。」(太八20)但祂有的卻是生命之道，是群羊的大牧人，惟有藉著祂才得著生命的平安。甄浩業牧師的分享，正要向我們指出，本來美好的團契生活也會因人際衝突而生問題，甚至被那惡者利用而彼此傷害。但我們只要守住自己的一顆心，恆切禱告，必然得著出人意外的平安，要迎向生命中的挑戰。這讓我想起伍牧師的話：「成長就是最佳的 醫治。」當我們生命在經歷中不斷堅固，不但能治癒過去的傷害，更成為迎向未來更大挑戰的能力。

願主的平安，常與你們同在﹗

The theme of this issue is “shepherding”. Jesus Christ came to the world to be the Great Shepherd, leading men onto the path of light and feeding them with the Word. In the little more than two thousand years that followed, all those who responded to Jesus Christ’s great commission of “making disciples of all the nations” and committed to shepherding His flock must have experienced that unique joy amid toughness and challenges. In November, Hong Kong Pentecostal Holiness Church ordained three ministers: Rev. Cheung Chung-yin, Rev. Leung Hin-kit and Rev. So Yue-ting. The trio came from different family backgrounds and each has his/her own story of walking with God, precious experiences that will help their ministry ahead. We are glad to have them sharing sincerely with us their life testimonies.

With reference to 1 Peter, Rev. Doris Leung elaborated the two sides of shepherd-leadership: “taking care” versus “dominating”. “Taking care” intends to keep company and watch over. “Dominating”, though, is making oneself the lord for the flock to obey and follow. The fine line between the two hinges on whether the focus is properly set on God. The full elaboration can be found in the column Bible in Hermeneutics.

This issue is published at a time around Christmas. From a secular perspective, Jesus Christ was born at an awkward time, in a far from ideal place and to a way too modest family. Right from the start, he had nothing to be proud of. Even Jesus himself admitted on his lack of possessions: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20) But what He has is the way to life. He is the Great Shepherd. Only through Jesus Christ would one find the true peace of life. In Message from Conference, Rev. Alan Yan pointed out how inter-personal conflicts would be utilized by the evil one to hurt the fellowship and faith community. It is so important to guard our hearts and to pray persistently with thanksgiving. Through this we would be granted the peace that transcends all understanding that enables us to face the challenges in life. This reminds me of what Rev. Donavan Ng said: “Spiritual growth is the best healing.” As we grow in faith and get strong through the challenges in life, our wounds from the past would not only heal but also empower us to face tougher conditions ahead.
May God’s peace be with you always!