6月14日 寻求人的称赞
寻求人的称赞
我们最好不要去品尝那些戏台上的“圣徒”所免费兜售的恩赐与假冒的恩典，不要为他们喝彩，更不要在对他们的钦佩中沉醉忘形。
基督“不以称他们为弟兄为耻”（来2:11），即便他们是世上最贫穷、最卑微的圣徒；但祂却深恶痛绝，将自己的圣名挂在一个内心腐坏的假冒为善者身上。
在所有罪人中，假冒为善者在这个世界上造成的危害最大，因此在来世他也将遭受最严酷的刑罚。然而，宗教信仰却始终是假冒为善者最有效的诱饵；他们伪装成神的儿女，企图将他人网罗进自己的错谬与罪恶之中。以笏就是一个例子，为了叩开摩押王伊矶伦的大门，他找不到比宣称自己带来了神的信息更好的敲门砖了。这句话立刻引发了伊矶伦极大的期待与信任，使王欣然接纳了他。当二人独处时，王恭敬地站起来，以为能从这欺骗者口中听见神的话，结果他所得到的，却是残忍的死亡（参士3:14-30）。
我承认，假冒为善者的戏可能演得太逼真，以至于他偶尔也会意外地带来一些益处。他那光鲜亮丽的信仰宣告、属天的言辞，以及雄辩滔滔的讲道，可能真会给真诚寻求的人带来一定程度的实质安慰。就像舞台中央的演员用假眼泪激发观众的真感情一样，假冒为善者在扮演其宗教角色时，也可能暂时点燃信徒心中真实的恩典与敬虔。然而，这恰恰是基督徒可能陷入最严重危险的时刻，因为人很难轻易去怀疑一个曾在他属灵生命中提供过帮助的人。
对于迦南人西西拉来说，倘若他未曾享用雅亿的奶油和奶，也强如被那妇人表面上的好客所欺骗，最终被钉死在帐棚的地上（参士4章）。因此，我们最好不要去品尝那些戏台上的“圣徒”所免费兜售的恩赐与假冒的恩典，不要为他们喝彩，更不要在对他们的钦佩中沉醉忘形。有时候，与假冒为善者刻意保持一定的距离，才是避免我们的头脑被错谬之钉刺透的最安全之道。
麦琴（麦克谦）读经计划进度
家庭敬拜：申19章，诗106章，
个人灵修：赛46章，启16章
JUNE 14, SUNDAY
SEEKING WORLDLY ADMIRATION
It is to our advantage not to sample the free gifts and give-away graces of stageplay saints, applauding and drinking ourselves drunk with their admiration.
Christ is not “ashamed to call” the poorest saints “brethren,” but He despises to have His name seen upon a rotten-hearted hypocrite (Hebrews 2:11).
Of all sinners the hypocrite does the most harm in this world and therefore will have the most torment in the other world. And yet it is religion which has consistently proved to be the most effective bait of hypocrites, as they seek to snare others into their error and sin while posing as children of God. Ehud, for example, could not have chosen a better key to open the doors into King Eglon’s presence than to say he had brought a message from God. This caused such expectation and confidence that Eglon welcomed him. When the two were alone, the king rose to hear the Word of the Lord from the deceiver—but what he received instead was brutal death (Judges 3:14–30).
I confess the hypocrite may act his part so well that he may accidentally do some good. His glistening profession, heavenly speech, and eloquent preaching might bring to the sincere seeker a measure of real comfort. Like an actor at center stage who stirs up passion in the audience by counterfeit tears, the hypocrite, playing his religious role, may temporarily spark the believer’s true graces. But that is when the Christian may be in the most serious danger, for he will not readily suspect the person who once helped him spiritually.
It would have been far better had Sisera the Canaanite done without Jael’s butter and milk than to be nailed to the tent floor, having been fooled by that woman’s seeming hospitality. Thus it is to our advantage not to sample the free gifts and give-away graces of stageplay saints, applauding and drinking ourselves drunk with their admiration. Sometimes a calculated distance from the hypocrite is the safest way to avoid having our heads nailed by errors.