一件糗事 Arrogance

過去的好幾個禮拜，總有些事情在忙着，故此，一不留意， 2016年的一月就已經過去了。雖然是有些忙，但在在都經歷着神的應許，身體蒙主保守。感謝主。

2/1(禮拜一)早上，有一對主內的夫婦來訪。我們分享了一些服侍上的經歷；彼此也分享自己的一些糗事。其中一件，惹來大家的哈哈大笑。

Esther :「范牧師牧會初期，我總是對他的講道有意見，要改他的講章.....」

客人：「現在還改嗎？」

Simon :「我後來就怎樣都不給她看我的講章....」。 這時候，大家都哈哈大笑。

Esther：「我對他說，每次聽你講道，我都很緊張.....，就覺得你拉三漏四的」(其實， 范牧師每篇講道、每句話都打下來，很認真；他講道的那個禮拜，我就不能煩他。)

Simon :「我也是，見到你坐在哪裏，皺着眉頭，我就好怕，可能又講錯了什麼，舌頭打結。」客人哈哈大笑，然後就會心微笑。

Esther :「有一個早上，我又想批評他的講道，突然心中響起羅馬書六章的經文，"因為知道我們的舊人和他同釘十字架，使罪身滅絕，叫我們不再作罪的奴僕"。 既然我的舊人已經和主耶穌基督同釘十字架，我是可以不再聽命於舊我的。批評丈夫就是我的舊人，是已經被釘死在十字架上，根本沒有任何權力去吩咐我。聖靈光照了我，我立刻說，批評，你已經被釘在十字架上了，我不會再聽你的話去批評我的丈夫。感謝主，舊我與主同釘十字架這個客觀的事實，從那天那時開始，就成了我主觀的經歷。」

Simon：「現在，我已經不怕她坐在底下聽道，每次見到她面露微笑地點頭，我會很開心，很受鼓舞，講得有信心。」

昨天再想起這件事的時候，聖靈有感動：「Simon是代表我講道，不是代表你。」一個新的更深的光照。

主，我太僭妄了， 求彌赦免。

范牧師每次主持婚禮的講道都極好
Simon's sermons for weddings always excellent

感謝神的光照，也謝謝范牧師多年來對我的容忍接納和照顧。

明天，2月4號是范牧師的生日，謹記此事，表達我對他整個人的欣賞，

祝

年年喜樂，

歲歲蒙福。

Have been busy during the past few weeks.  The first month of 2016 slipped away , yet the experiences of God's promises remained.  I am thankful for His special protection on me from the flu season.

2/1 (Monday) morning, a couple in Christ came to visit. We took the opportunity to share some ministry experiences including some of our own embarrassments. The following one caused laughings.

Esther: "During the first couple years of Simon's pastoral ministry, I was very critical toward his preaching , even tried to change his sermon ....."

Guest: "Still doing that?"

Simon: "No, I won't allow her to view my sermons .....", LAUGHING.

Esther: "I told Simon that I always so nervous listening to your sermons,..... you seemed dropped out some very important things" (in fact, Simon typed out each sentence of all his sermons. He took Sunday preaching very  seriously).

Simon: "Me too, seeing you sitting there with frowning, I became nervous whether I said something wrong......." LAUGHING again then casted a knowing smile.

Esther: "There was one morning, I was tempted to criticize his sermon, suddenly my heart popped up -"  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin—  Romans 6" .

I came to realized that the critic to Simon was the old self which already been crucified, deid, and being laid off, no longer I need to take orders from my old self. I immediately said, "criticism, you had been crucified, and I would not listen to you to criticize my husband. " Thank God,  That morning, the objective fact that my old self has been crucified, became my subjective experience. "

Simon: "Now, I'm not afraid to have her sit there, each time I see her smiling nod, I felt encouraged with confidence."

Yesterday I recall this experience, the Holy Spirit : "Simon is peraching for me, not for you." A new and deeper enlightenment.

Lord, I was too blasphemy, Forgive me.

Tomorrow, February 4 will be Simon's birthday, I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all these years' acceptance and grace towards my arrogance.

Wish you full of joy and blessings.