Winning God’s Favor Or Man’s? (Chinese/English)

Winning God’s Favor Or Man’s?

争取上帝的悦纳还是人的悦纳？

“Now am I trying to win the favour of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah)…Galatians 1:10.”

“我现在是要得人的心呢，还是要得上帝的心呢？我是求人悦纳吗？若我仍旧讨人悦纳，我就不是基督的仆人了。”——加拉太书1:10

The above verse presents an interesting question for all of us, especially those of us, in ministry. Who are we really seeking to please? It is God who we serve? So why are we constantly trying to please men? Someone once said, Man is looking for better methods.   God is looking for better men.

以上经文给我们所有人，尤其是在事奉中的我们，提出了一个有意思的问题。我们真正是在寻求取悦谁？我们是为上帝而事奉吗？那为什么我们还要不断地取悦人呢？有人曾经说过，人在寻求更好的方法，上帝在寻找更好的人。

What are you doing to please men?    Are you moving away from the tried and trusted ways of scripture?   Are we using the latest how to do church from the latest author, who take something of scripture, but adds their input to create a formula that works?  We have a how to plant churches manual and how to preach manual, in the book of Acts and yet, we want to formulate some new ideas to please men.   Why?

你现在正在做什么来取悦人？你是否远离了圣经经文中那些历经和可信赖的方式？我们是否在采用最新的“如何做教会”的方法，从最新的作者那里获取一些经文，然后加入他们的见解，以创造出奏效的公式？在使徒行传中，我们已经有了“如何栽培教会”的手册和“如何传道”的手册，为什么我们还要想出一些新的点子来取悦人呢？为什么？

We all seek revival in our churches, but we seek to put it in a way that is comfortable for men.   Revival comes when the conditions of true repentance and humility are met.   I hear of revival meetings here and there, but revival is a sovereign act of God not something that man can organize. If we as the church or as individuals even become popular with the world that is the sign that the church is heading in the wrong direction.

我们都在寻求教会复兴，但我们却试图以人们乐意接受的方式来实现。复兴只有在真正悔改和谦卑的条件下才会降临。我听说过到处都有复兴会，但复兴是上帝的主权行为，不是人可以组织的。如果我们作为教会或个人在世界上变得受欢迎，那就是教会朝着错误的方向前进的迹象。

 We as a church and individuals are not to strive for the popularity of men; we strive for the pleasure of God. If you or I are striving to win man’s approval, then as Paul says, we are not bond servants of Jesus.    We are nothing short of religious frauds. It is time to seek the pleasure of God and not the approval of man.

我们作为教会和个人不应该为了取悦人而奋斗；我们应该为了取悦上帝而奋斗。如果你我努力争取得到人的认可，那么就像保罗所说的，我们不是耶稣的仆人，我们简直就是宗教骗子。是时候寻求上帝的悦纳，而不是人的认可了。

God bless,

上帝保佑你，