复活节二

不使我所夸的落了空

——哥林多前书九章十五节

传福音的靠福音养生，这原是主的命定。但对哥林多教会，保罗却从未用过这传福音的权柄。保罗多次接受腓立比教会的馈赠；但对哥林多人他却一无所取，免得给那些怀有敌意之人留下毁谤的口实与话柄。

“我宁可死，也不叫人使我所夸的落了空。”这正是使徒保罗属灵的气节，也是一切神的儿女、神的工人应有的属灵气节。

中国教会的可夸之处，正在于她在神的事工上无丝毫有求于人的依赖。求主保守我们永不失去这一属灵气节，而能像保罗那样，“我宁可死，也不叫人使我所夸的落了空。”

Easter 2

1 Corinthians 9:15

That no one may deprive me

Of my ground for boasting

  Those who preach the gospel must depend on it for their livelihood. This was Lord’s original command. But Paul never made use of this right to support in dealing with the church in Corinth. He often accepted things from the church in philippi, but from the Corinthians he took nothing, so that those hostile to him would have no grounds for complaint.

  “For I would rather die, than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.” Such was the spiritual integrity of Paul. All God’s daughters and sons, all God’s workers, should have spiritual integrity like this.

  The Chinese church’s grounds for boasting are precisely that she asks nothing in return for doing God’s work, but says with Paul, “I would rather die, than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.”