But God: A Personal Testimony – Part 1 (Chinese/English)

My Testimony – Keith Hobkirk
我的见证 – 基思·霍布科克

“But God”… a story of Amazing Grace
然而神”…… 一个奇异恩典的故事

Ephesians 2:1-10-And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

以弗所书第2章:1 -10 –“你们死在过犯罪恶之中，他叫你们活过来。那时，你们在其中行事为人，随从今世的风俗，顺服空中掌权者的首领，就是现今在悖逆之子心中运行的邪灵。我们从前也都在他们中间，放纵肉体的私欲，随着肉体和心中所喜好的去行，本为可怒之子，和别人一样。然而　神既有丰富的怜悯，因他爱我们的大爱，当我们死在过犯中的时候，便叫我们与基督一同活过来（你们得救是本乎恩）。他又叫我们与基督耶稣一同复活，一同坐在天上，要将他极丰富的恩典，就是他在基督耶稣里向我们所施的恩慈，显明给后来的世代看。你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，乃是　神所赐的；也不是出于行为，免得有人自夸。我们原是他的工作，在基督耶稣里造成的，为要叫我们行善，就是　神所预备叫我们行的。

I pray that my testimony touches your heart! My name is Keith, but everyone knows me as KK. The first thing to say is that I am just an ordinary person; I am not a pastor; I have no special gifts or abilities: I am what I am because God has showered His grace upon me.
祈求我的见证能触动你的心！我的名字是基思，但大家都叫我KK。首先要说的是，我只是一个普通人；我不是一位牧师；我没有特殊的恩赐或能力：我之所以成为现在的我，是因为神倾注了他的恩典在我身上。

Well, I had better start at the beginning. I was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, U.K., and then lived most of my life in Morecambe, a beautiful seaside town on the Lancashire coast. My childhood was difficult. My parents were great, but they were consumed with work and as I spent much time on my own, I gained a very rebellious and angry streak from an early age. I was a very troubled and restless child… I craved attention. My parents tried everything, I had serious issues relating to a childhood stammer, which led to bullying. I was in and out of speech therapy/relaxation classes.
嗯，我最好从头开始。我出生在英国约克郡的布拉德福德，然后大部分时间生活在兰开夏海岸的美丽海滨小镇莫卡姆。我的童年很艰难。我的父母很好，但他们忙于工作，我经常一个人待着，从小就养成了非常叛逆和愤怒的性格。我是一个非常困扰和不安的孩子……我渴望得到关注。我的父母尝试了一切，我有严重的童年口吃问题，导致遭受欺凌。我一直在接受言语治疗/放松课程。

(I was) Sent to Sunday school, I listened to the stories of Jesus and thought that they were just stories. My favourite hymn was “There was a Green Hill Far Away”. This hymn said that He died to save us all. “Great,” I thought, “Jesus died – I can live as I want.”
(我）被送去上主日学。我听过耶稣的故事，但觉得那只是故事。我最喜欢的圣诗是《远处有座青翠的小山》。这首圣诗说他为了拯救我们而死。我心想：“太好了，耶稣死了 – 我可以随心所欲地生活。”

I was in the church; I even did the collection for upstairs at the church. Sad to say, I was a Judas-not just from the church, but from my parents. By the age of 14, I was placed in the lowest class at school. I was a very nasty and angry person; a sinner who had all the appearance of a good person but was a devil on the inside-in all my churchgoing- I have never heard the true Gospel that Jesus saves personally.

我常去教堂；我甚至在教堂楼上收集了奉献。可悲的是，我像犹大一样——不仅背叛了教会，也背叛了我的父母。到了14岁，我被分在学校的最低班级；我是一个非常恶毒和愤怒的人；一个看起来很善良的人，但内心却像个魔鬼……在我所有的教会活动中，我从未听到过真正的福音，即耶稣亲自拯救罪人。

At school, I was known as trouble; teachers thought I had no hope, but my parents didn’t give up, they fought for me to be placed in a higher class. They finally got their wish, and I was placed in Class 4S, along with two very special people, both who are close friends today, David and Andrew, the person whom God used to bring me to faith.

在学校，我被认为是个麻烦制造者；老师们认为我没有希望，但我的父母没有放弃——他们为我争取进入更高的班级。他们最终如愿以偿，我被安排在4S班，与两个非常特别的人一起，他们至今仍是我的密友，大卫和安德鲁，他们是神用来带领我信仰的人。

As I said, I was trouble at school, if there was trouble in class, it usually revolved around me. Keith had said or done something to upset them. Well, I created havoc in class, tormenting virtually everyone: I was a mixture of Dennis the Menace and Homer Simpson, loveable and dumb but just a pain in the bum well, except for Andrew.

正如我所说，我在学校是个麻烦制造者：如果班上有麻烦，通常都是围绕着我；基思说了或做了什么让他们生气。嗯，我在班里制造了混乱，几乎折磨了每个人：我是丹尼斯·门纳斯（美国电影《小鬼当家》当中的主人公，以调皮捣蛋著称）和霍默·辛普森（美国动画片《辛普森家族》中的人物，以懒惰笨拙著称）的混合体，可爱但愚蠢，但只是个让人头痛的人：嗯……除了安德鲁。

Everything I tried to do to him, it didn’t upset him at all! What is it with this guy? Why is he so calm? OK, he’s a Christian; well, so am I! I go to church, so what’s the big deal? Also, we had R.E. (Religious Education) in our school, led by Mr. Curnow. I just sat in the back of the class and mocked him. He said at the end of the class, “Jesus loves you and is the Answer!” “What?” I thought, “Why doesn’t he tell it to us through all the class, if Jesus is so good?” Many years later I had the pleasure of meeting him and his wife, who was my French teacher; also, my history teacher, Mr. Waterhouse, who were all Believers, the ones I had mocked were Christians.

我尝试了一切办法，但对他毫无影响！这家伙怎么回事？为什么他这么冷静？好吧，他是个基督徒；那我也是！我去教堂，那又怎么了？此外，我们在学校有宗教教育课（R.E.），由卡诺先生主持。我就坐在教室后面，嘲笑他。他在课堂结束时说：“耶稣爱你，他就是答案！”我想：“什么？为什么他不在整堂课中告诉我们，如果耶稣是那么好的话？”多年后，我有幸遇见了他和他的妻子，她是我的法语老师；还有我的历史老师，沃特豪斯先生，他们都是信徒——那些我曾经嘲笑的人都是基督徒。

Andrew was getting under my skin; he invited me to these meetings, and on a Saturday night! “What, you go to these Bible meetings on a Saturday? You are a fanatic, man!” One day he invited me, and to be honest, just to stop him asking me, I said “OK, but look, I have to be home by 10, the football is on.”

安德鲁开始影响我了；他邀请我参加这些聚会，还是在周六晚上！“什么，你在周六去参加这些圣经聚会？你是个狂热者，伙计！”有一天他邀请我：说实话，只是为了不让他再问我，我说：“好吧，但是听着，我必须在晚上10点前回家，足球比赛要开始了。”

So, on Saturday, the 15th of February, I set out to Moorlands Gospel Hall in Lancaster. Meeting me at the bus station, we made our way to the meeting. It was different to everything I had ever been to. This was lively, hymns were sung truly and powerfully, people stood up and told how Jesus had changed their lives, and finally Victor Jack (an evangelist) stood up and preached. He said “If Jesus came tonight, where would you spend eternity? You are a guilty sinner, condemned by your sin; but Jesus has provided salvation through the Cross.”

For the first time I had heard the true Gospel. Victor said he was going into a side room, anyone who would like to talk with him, please do so. I remember closing my eyes- the curtain was raised- the light went on! I turned to Andrew, “I want to go into that room!”

I got there first, just before someone else, this was something I just had to do. Victor took me through “Journey into Life” (tract by Norman Warren). I said the prayer, and trusted Christ. My prayer was sincere. Something happened that night,something life changing! Thanks, Andrew and Victor!

所以，在2月15日的星期六，我前往兰卡斯特的Moorlands福音堂。安德鲁在车站见到我，我们一同前往聚会。这与我以往参加的所有聚会都不同：这里气氛活泼，唱诗班真诚而有力地唱着圣歌，人们站起来讲述耶稣如何改变了他们的生活，最后维克多·杰克（一个传教士）站起来讲道。他说：“如果耶稣今晚来了，你将在何处度过永恒？你是个有罪的罪人，被你的罪定罪；但耶稣通过十字架提供了拯救。”这是我第一次听到真正的福音。维克多说他要去一个小房间，任何想和他谈话的人，请去找他。我记得闭上了眼睛——窗帘拉开了；灯亮了！我转向安德鲁，“我想去那个房间！”我比其他人先到了那里；这是我必须做的事情。维克多给我讲解了“通向生命之旅”（诺曼·沃伦的福音小册子）。我做了祷告，信靠基督。我的祷告是真诚的。那天晚上发生了一些事情——一些改变生命的事情！感谢你，安德鲁和维克多！

I remember going home, I shouted out in glee, “I’ve become a Christian!” My parents weren’t impressed. “It will wear off,” they said.

My form teacher had said to Andrew, “Keith will never get saved.” Things did change. I went to church and got baptized, but still had many problems. But I knew something had happened. I had new affections and new interests. I loved reading the Bible and praying.

我记得回家时：我高兴地大喊：“我成了基督徒！”我的父母并不感到印象深刻。“这会过去的，”他们说。我的班主任曾对安德鲁说：“基思永远不会得救。”事情确实改变了。我去了教堂并受了洗，但仍然有许多问题……但我知道发生了些什么——我有了新的情感和新的兴趣；我喜欢阅读圣经和祈祷。

For the first 10 years of my Faith walk I went up and down, but I still made progress. But I was now to enter the “wilderness years”. For nearly 15 years from 1986-2001, I went off the rails completely. Not terrible sin, but just rebellion and disobedience. No prayer, no church, living in the world; yet through all that time God Who had saved me, held me.

在我信仰之路的头10年里，我经历了起起落落，但我仍在进步。但现在我要进入“旷野岁月”了。从1986年到2001年的将近15年时间里，我完全迷失了方向。并非可怕的罪恶，而是叛逆和不顺从：没有祷告，没有教堂，生活在世俗中；然而在那段时间里，拯救我的神始终扶持着我。

He was drawing me back to himself.

他一直在召唤我回到他面前。

During my wilderness years, I saw many things and met many people, I wish I hadn’t. My life was apart from God, I was out of work, depressed and very alone. During that time, I thought about suicide and was on anti-depressants, Ciprail 15mg. Eventually I was able to stop taking them, but it took time and prayer.

在我的旷野岁月里，我见过很多事情，遇到了很多人，但我希望我没有见到。我的生活与神无关，我失业了，沮丧而孤独。那段时间里，我想过自杀，并且一直服用抗抑郁药，15毫克的西普乐，最终我能够停药，但需要时间和祈祷。

I was and am a modern-day prodigal, one more thing I saw.

我是一个现代的浪子，我还见到了一件事。

On the 11th of May 1985, I sat in the stand at my hometown football ground (Bradford City), a fire broke out in the stand where I was sitting (right behind me). Five minutes earlier, something had stopped me going to the toilet at the back of the stand, it was God preventing me, if I had gone, then I would have been trapped by the fire, again it was the hand of God on my life.

1985年5月11日，我坐在我的家乡足球场（布拉德福德城）的看台上，看台上爆发了火灾（就在我后面）。五分钟前，有什么事情阻止了我去看台后面的洗手间，那是神阻止了我，如果我去了，我就会被火困住，这又是神在我生命中的作为。

I do not tell you these things to make you think, “look at Keith,” but to let you know that Christ is everything, He is faithful, despite me, despite my failings. He is and always will be, MY LORD, AND MY GOD!

我告诉你这些事情不是为了让你觉得基思很了不起，而是让你知道基督是一切，他是忠实的，尽管我，尽管我的失败。他是我永远的……我的主和我的神。