Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ基督肢体的团结与成熟
Author: Sister Tan Bei Fen
I had the privilege to participate in the recent 2023 ECF planning plenary sessions to plan for next year’s events. I reflected on the plenary sessions, our 2023 plans, and past sharing with friends during our cell prayer session. I was reminded that despite our best effort, there will still be some who will join or leave the church to find their “ideal” church or cell.
At some point, we may have imagined what an “ideal” church or cell would have looked like. We may even expect our church or cell to be like what we imagined. But the reality is that the church is made up of imperfect people coming from diverse backgrounds and are raised with different value systems and ideologies. When different values or ideas meet, views may clash, and conflicts may arise. The gap in expectations then influences their cell experience and how they behave in that setting.
Ephesians 4 reminds us that we should “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all”. Despite the differences between what we envisioned as an ideal church or cell to reality, we are built and united on the foundation of Christ and His love. Furthermore, it is exactly because of the different quirks and personalities in the body of Christ that contribute to the vibrancy of God’s kingdom!
Opinions raised by different people on church and cell improvements are valuable to build up the church because they provide varied perspectives. All these suggestions are well-intentioned to benefit the church. However, we also must take great care not to impose our notions of an ideal church or cell on others, which may be unintentional, and expect others to behave exactly how we think they should be. This may in turn cause hurt to the people in the church while frustrating us when things are not moving our way. Bear in mind that we are all striving to glorify and serve God. When we bring our weaknesses before God to reveal to us how we can work around them, we will be given the grace to truly accept and appreciate our differences as we work towards the common good - which is to edify the church!
文: 陈琲棻姐妹
翻译:王佩瑾师母
我有幸参与了在最近举行的全体会议，规划教会2023年的活动。我对全体会议，2023年的规划，及弟兄姐妹在小组祷告会里的分享进行了反思。我意识到尽管我们再努力，终究会有些人选择留下或者离开，到他们心目中的‘理想’教会或小组。
或许在某个时候，我们都会幻想所谓‘理想’的教会，或小组应该是怎样的。我们可能也会期待我们的教会或小组与想象中的一样。但是现实生活中，教会乃是由不完美的人们组成的。大家来自不同的背景、并拥有着不同的价值观及思想。当我们对事情拥有不同的想法或观点时，可能就会产生矛盾，甚至出现对立的状况。现实与期望之间的差距也影响了他们在小组里的体验及行为。
以弗所书4章提醒我们必须要“谦虚、温柔、忍耐，用爱心彼此宽容；以和睦联系，竭力持守圣灵所赐的合一。身体只有一个，圣灵只有一位，就像你们蒙召只是借着一个盼望。主只有一位，信仰只有一个，洗礼只有一种；神只有一位，就是万有的父。他超越万有，贯彻万有，并且在万有之中。”即便我们各自理想中的教会或小组都有些不一样，我们是在基督及祂爱的基础上团结为一体的。此外，耶稣基督的肢体也正是因为我们个性上的差异而显得更有活力！
大家对于促进教会及小组进步所提出的意见对于建设教会是宝贵的，因为他们对同一件事情提供了不同看法。这些意见都是善意，并为的是让教会受益。但是我们也必须非常小心，不要把自己所谓理想的教会或小组的概念强加在别人身上，或者是要求别人依照自己所想象的去生活。虽然那可能是无心的，但除了对教会成员造成伤害，也会让自己因为事情不如意而感到烦躁。切记，我们都在为服侍及荣耀上帝而努力。当我们把自己的缺点带到祂的面前，并祈求祂告诉我们如何处理时，祂将给予我们恩典，好让我们在为共同利益努力的同时，也能够真正接受及欣赏彼此的不同，以至于教会得到造就！