【双语灵修】挑拨离间 Causing Dissension

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“那些离间你们…的人，….要留意躲避他们。” - 罗 16:17

两天前，我们探讨了作为基督徒，纷争会在我们中间造成的麻烦。保持这样的不合一是犯罪，而试图制造不合一则更为严重。

挑拨离间可能是我们在教会里看到的最卑劣的欺骗形式之一。它消灭了基督徒彼此相爱的一些美好的感动。当一个人或一个群体开始关注他人的缺陷时，这种情况就开始出现了。慢慢地，他们把这种关注当作与他们建立关系的核心和必需前提。毫无戒心的朋友会慢慢发现，他们与那些所谓有缺陷的人的关系已经被侵蚀了。这个过程继续发展下去，最终会摧毁教会。

保罗告诫我们要警惕那些引起纷争的人，不要去理会他们。乍听起来，这似乎是保罗在制造纷争，但如果一个人或一个群体试图破坏合一，对基督合一的服事就无法进展。事实上，我们经常发现，离间他人的人和我们一样，都很想建立关系。当他们明白与基督的身体建立关系意味着要与众人合一时，往往就会回心转意，我们便欣然欢迎他们归来。

祷告

耶稣，你赐下了使众人与你连结的关系。愿我们能活出这种与你的关系所带来的彼此的合一。阿们。

罗马书 16:17-20

17弟兄们，那些离间你们、叫你们跌倒，背乎所学之道的人，我劝你们要留意躲避他们。
18因为这样的人不服侍我们的主基督，只服侍自己的肚腹，用花言巧语诱惑那些老实人的心。
19你们的顺服已经传于众人，所以我为你们欢喜，但我愿意你们在善上聪明，在恶上愚拙。
20赐平安的神快要将撒旦践踏在你们脚下。愿我主耶稣基督的恩常和你们同在！

Causing Dissension

"Watch out for those who cause divisions. . . . Keep away from them." - Romans 16:17

A couple of days ago we looked at the trouble that discord can cause among us as Christians. It’s sinful to have that kind of disunity, and it’s even worse to try to create disunity.

Causing dissension may be one of the vilest forms of deception we see in the church. It preys on some of the best impulses Christians have toward loving one another. It happens when a person or a group starts focusing on the flaws of others. And slowly they make that focus a central and necessary part of being in a relationship with them. Unsuspecting friends will slowly find their relationships eroding with the people who are supposedly flawed. This process has ended up destroying congregations.

Paul tells us to be on guard against people who cause dissension, and to leave them alone. That might sound like Paul is building dissension, but unity in serving Christ cannot grow if a person or group is trying to destroy that unity. Actually we often find that people who sow dissension want relationships just as badly as the rest of us do. When they are shown that having a relationship with the body of Christ means being unified with others, dissenters will often come back around, and we can welcome them back gladly.

Prayer

Jesus, you offered relationships that would unite everyone with you. May we live that way also. Amen.