1. Hello, listening friends
亲爱的朋友，你好。

2. We are glad you tuned in.
很高兴你再次收听这个节目。

3. When we ended our last broadcast,
在上次节目的最后，

4. we promised that we would look at three things that God always does for His authentic witnesses.
我答应过你，我们这次要讲，神为祂忠心的见证人所要做三件事。

5. For those of you who have just joined us this time,
假如你是第一次收听这个节目，

6. we are studying Jonah, Chapter 3, verses 1 to 10.
我们正在学习约拿书3章1-10节。

7. What are these three things that God always does for His authentic witness?
那么，神要为祂忠心的见证人做哪些事呢？

8. One:
第一就是：

9. God always pursues His witness.
神对祂的见证人总是锲而不舍的。

10. Two:
第二：

11. God always empowers His witness.
神总是加力量给祂的见证人。

12. Three:
第三：

13. God always uses and blesses His faithful witness.
神总是使用，并赐福祂忠信的见证人。

14. What do I mean when I say, "God pursues His witness?"
我所说“神对祂的见证人总是锲而不舍的”是什么意思呢？

15. Look again at verses 1 and 2 of Chapter 3
请看3章1到2节。

16. "Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
“耶和华的话二次临到约拿，说：

17. 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.'"
“你起来，往尼尼微大城去，向其中的居民宣告我所吩咐你的话。”

18. Now, I want you to notice specially the words, the "second time.”
我想请你特别留心“第二次”这几个字。

19. Let me ask you this question:
我要问你一个问题：

20. Does God always pursue us and give us a second chance?
神是不是一直都跟在我们身边，要给我们第二次机会呢？

21. Absolutely.
的确如此。

22. That is the nature of God.
这是神的本性。

23. That is the character of God.
这是神的性格。

24. God called Abraham to leave his homeland of Ur and go to the Promised Land;
神呼召亚伯拉罕离开他的故乡吾珥，到应许之地去；

25. but Abraham went on a detour and got lost!
可是，亚伯拉罕却在中途迷失了！

26. He found a place that reminded him of home and there he stayed.
他走到中途，看见一个地方很像自己的老家，就准备在那里定居下来。

27. What does God do?
神又如何做的呢？

28. God calls him again.
神再次呼召他。

29. God called Moses to liberate his people.
神呼召摩西解救祂的子民脱离欺压。

30. Moses took things into his own hands and tried to do things in his own way and made a mess of things.
而摩西却自以为是地按照自己的方式来解决问题，结果把事情搞得一团糟。

31. What does God do?
神怎么做呢？

32. Forty years later, He called him again.
四十年之后，祂再次呼召摩西。

33. The Lord Jesus Christ called Peter to be a Disciple.
主耶稣基督呼召彼得，作祂的门徒。

34. Jesus warned Peter that he would deny Him three times.
耶稣警告彼得说，他将要三次不认主。

35. Peter said, “Never!”
彼得说：“这种事情决不会发生。”

36. What happened?
结果怎么样呢？

37. Peter denied Jesus three times, and made a mess of his life;
彼得三次不认主，让他几乎一蹶不振；

38. but, after the resurrection, the Lord Jesus called him yet again.
然而，当耶稣复活以后，再一次地呼召彼得。

39. That is our God.
这就是我们的神。

40. The Lord calls you and me again and again and again.
主一再地呼召你和我。

41. When we ignore His voice,
当我们对祂的呼召不理不睬的时候，

42. we suffer;
我们会受苦；

43. but we come back crying to Him in repentance.
但是，当我们悔改来到祂面前呼求祂的时候，

44. He not only forgives us, but He renews His call for us to be His witness yet again.
祂不但饶恕我们，而且借着再次的呼召，让我们重新成为祂的见证。

45. Every time we run away - either mentally, emotionally or physically -
每一次，当我们远离祂，不管是思想上、情感上还是肉体上──

46. after we repent,
当我们悔改以后，

47. God is teaching you and me that, through His forgiveness of our stubbornness,
神借着饶恕我们，让我们再一次明白祂的恩典，

48. we should understand that He is holding forgiveness for us.
我们的神总是乐意宽恕我们。

49. We should understand that He is holding forgiveness for others.
让我们明白，祂乐意赦免每一个罪人。

50. God holds out forgiveness for your neighbor,
神要把饶恕之恩赐给你的邻居，

51. and your co-worker,
你的同事，

52. and your client,
你的客户，

53. and your boss
你的上司，

54. and all of the people of the world.
以及世上每一个人。

55. Jonah’s own experience in and out of the belly of the great fish taught him something important about the forgiving nature of God.
约拿被大鱼吞下又吐出来的经历，使他明白，神是一位乐意饶恕的神。

56. Jonah’s own experience was a loud shout saying,
约拿的亲身经历就是最好的明证，

57. “Look at me!
“像我这样，

58. Forgiveness and restoration are possible with me,
竟然也能得到饶恕和提携，

59. even to those who stubbornly disobeyed and ran away.
虽然我曾经顽梗悖逆，从祂面前逃跑，

60. Forgiveness and restoration are possible with me,
我仍然获得神的宽恕和怜悯，

61. even to those who take things into their own hands.”
不管我曾经是多么的自以为是。”

62. God pursues His witnesses.
神对祂的见证人总是锲而不舍的。

63. Secondly,
第二，

64. God also empowers His witnesses.
神也会加力量给祂的见证人。

65. If you look at Jonah’s message in Chapter 3, verse 4,
假如你留意约拿书3章4节，

66. you will be amazed by its brevity.
你就会为信息的简短而感到惊奇。

67. Here is the message:
圣经记载说：

68. "On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: 'Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.'"
“约拿进城走了一日，宣告说：‘再等四十日，尼尼微必倾覆了！’”

69. It is very brief and to the point;
信息简短，直切入主题；

70. but what is the difference whether it is 40 days or 40 years?
40天和40年又能有什么分别呢？

71. Without Jesus Christ, a person will be going to Hell.
若没有耶稣基督的救赎，人迟早都要下地狱。

72. Some of you have been hearing the Gospel message for many years, but have not responded to it.
也许我们早就听过福音信息，但是，到如今都没什么感觉。

73. God is calling you again today.
今天，神再次呼唤你。

74. Will you respond to His message?
你愿意回应祂的呼召吗？

75. Brevity is the very point of the message of witnessing.
为主作见证的信息，就是这么简短明确的。

76. Many of us think that we need a 10-year course of apologetics before we can witness.
很多人认为：为主作见证前，需要在神学知识上有10年之久的装备训练。

77. Many of us think that we need to be eloquent and articulate to witness.
很多人认为，作见证，需要口齿伶俐，善于雄辩。

78. I’m not against any of these things;
我并不是反对这些；

79. but, to be a witness for Jesus Christ, all you need is an authentic, real, born-again experience.
但是，为主作见证，你只需要是一个真正重生得救的人。

80. All you need is to know that all of your sins, past, present and future, are forgiven.
你只要确知，你过去、现在以及将来所有的罪都已经被神赦免了。

81. How?
怎样被赦免呢？

82. Through the acceptance of Christ’s substitutionary death upon the cross for you.
借着相信基督在十字架为你而死的事实，

83. Simply put, our witness is this:
一句话，我们的见证就是：

84. “I was a sinner heading for Hell, but God changed my direction to Heaven.”
“我曾经是一个必死的人，但神拯救我出死入生。”

85. My listening friends, this is very important.
我亲爱的朋友，这一点非常重要。

86. When the emphasis is on the technique or eloquence,
如果我们看重技巧和口才，

87. when the emphasis is on formulas or programs,
如果我们看重方法和活动项目，

88. when a person is converted, then, it is these things that get the glory;
当有人悔改归向神，我们就会把功劳归在这些因素上；

89. but, if you stay on your knees and simply get up and give an account of the hope that is within you, God gets the glory.
但是，当我们借着祷告倚靠神，把内心的盼望述说出来时，就能够归荣耀给神。

90. When God equips His witnesses, God is all that he or she needs;
假如神要装备祂的见证人，这人只需要有神就够了；

91. and look at the results of Jonah’s simple proclamation of the message.
看看约拿简短的信息所带来的效果吧。

92. Verses 5 and 6 of Chapter 3.
第3章5到6节。

93. Let’s read them together.
我们一起来读。

94. Not only did people immediately respond,
尼尼微人不仅立刻作出了回应，

95. but even the pagan, notorious, wicked King humbled himself before the Lord.
甚至连那位恶名昭著，凶残的外邦国王也谦卑自己，伏俯在神面前。

96. Imagine this wicked, violent, unrighteous, atheist, proud and luxurious Ninevite.
想象一下，这些充满邪恶、强暴、毫无公义、眼中不怕神、生活糜烂的尼尼微人，

97. is now sitting in sackcloth and ashes before God.
竟然会披麻蒙灰坐在神面前悔改。

98. Archeologists tell us, in fact, that Ninevah was a huge city.
据考古学家说，尼尼微其实是一座很大的城市。

99. It was a powerful city.
它拥有很大的权势。

100. It was an enormously wealthy city.
它也极为富有。

101. It had walls that were 100 feet high.
它的城墙有100英尺那样高。

102. Those walls were so wide that 3 chariots could travel side by side on top of that wall;
宽厚的城墙甚至可以容纳三辆马车并排行驶；

103. so, we are not talking about some simple people here.
因此，我们在这里所谈到的这些人，可不是一般人物啊。

104. They were powerful people;
他们是些有权力的人；

105. but, when God equips and sends you, it doesn’t matter who you are witnessing to.
但是，当神装备你、差遣你的时候，无论你向谁作见证都没什么大不了的。

106. God not only pursues His witness,
神不仅对祂的见证人总是锲而不舍的，

107. God not only equips His witness,
神不但装备祂的见证人，

108. but God also uses and blesses His witness.
而且，神还要使用并赐福给祂的见证人。

109. God blesses faithful proclamation of His Word.
神赐福那些忠实为祂宣讲真道的人。

110. It may take time;
也许不会来得那么快；

111. but He always will.
但是，神一定会赐福。

112. Why?
为什么呢？

113. Because He promised to bless the labor of your hand and the fruit of your proclamation.
因为祂应许要赐福你手中的工作和你所结的果子。

114. For a revival to take place anywhere,
任何地方灵命的复兴，

115. for lives to be truly changed,
生命真实的改变，

116. true preaching of the Word of God must precede it.
必须先有神自己的真道。

117. When the Word of God is not preached, people become both nauseous and numb.
假如不宣讲神的真道，人们就会变得败坏邪恶、麻木不仁。

118. Why?
为什么呢？

119. Because half-truths are inoculating people against the urgency of the true Gospel message.
因为似是而非的道理，使人不再迫切渴求真实的福音。

120. No matter how simple the message is, as long as it is the truth, God will bless it.
不论信息多简短，只要是从神而来的真理，神就会赐福。

121. Look at the incredible blessings that came upon the Ninevites as a result of hearing the true Word of God.
看看这些尼尼微人，在听到真道后是多么的蒙福啊。

122. Do you remember the story in the last broadcast
你还记得在上次节目中我们所讲的故事吗？

123. about the machinist who repented when Christ came into his life and he took action.
是关于一个机械师悔改以后生命改变的故事。

124. He risked being fired.
他冒着被开除的风险。

125. He risked being mocked and jeered.
他不怕被别人讽刺、挖苦。

126. He risked everything;
他不顾这一切；

127. but faith that does not lead to turning away from specific sin is not the faith of Jesus Christ.
如果不敢面对自己的罪痛改前非，就不是从耶稣基督而来的信仰。

128. Finally, I want you to look at verse 8 of Chapter 3.
最后，请看3章8节，

129. and see what the Ninevite’s King said,
我们来看看尼尼微国王说了些什么，

130. "But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence."
他说：“人与牲畜都当披上麻布，人要切切求告神。各人回头离开所行的恶道，丢弃手中的强暴。

131. My listening friends, please listen very carefully as I conclude.
我亲爱的朋友，在结束的时候，请仔细听我讲。

132. If your sin is self-indulgence,
如果你犯了放纵的罪，

133. if your sin is pride,
如果你犯了骄傲的罪，

134. if your sin is disobeying God with your substance,
如果你在物质上违背了神的命令，

135. if your sin is selfishness,
如果你犯了自私的罪，

136. if your sin is lack of love for others,
如果你对别人缺乏爱心，

137. if your sin is materialism,
如果你只看重财富，

138. if your sin is laziness,
如果你懒惰不结果子，

139. if your sin is unforgiveness,
如果你犯了不肯饶恕人的罪，

140. if your sin is gossip,
如果你犯了说别人闲话的罪，

141. whatever it may be, give it up and repent of it,
无论你犯了什么罪，今天就弃绝这些罪过，并且悔改，

142. not in vague terms, but in practical terms;
不是含含糊糊地说说而已，而是实实在在地对付；

143. and, then, watch how God will use your witness.
之后你会发觉，神会如何重用你成为祂的见证。

144. Watch how God will bless you and bless those around you;
你会发现，神会大大赐福给你和你周围的一切；

145. and I pray that God will bless you,
我为你祷告，求神赐福给你，

146. and we leave you with the blessings of God.
愿神丰满的福分临到你。