living sacrifice

No one wants to make things like this happen in the house of God, and none of us fully understand the cause of this incident and how it happened.

After this incident, the atmosphere in the church also became very strange.

I think You Yan is at fault in this matter. She is a Christian, so logically speaking, she should take the initiative to forbear. Now that others have apologized, she should not refuse to compromise.Didn’t the Lord say, “If someone slaps you on the left cheek, stretch out the right cheek to him”?Of course, it doesn't mean that sisters should be bullied under such circumstances, but at least they should accept others' apologies.

I don’t know what happened to the new brother. I feel that his testimony should be true. I really didn’t understand when he started to feel the love of the Lord. What I don’t understand is that he He really doesn't have much of Christ in him, I guess it's because he was saved not long ago?

But I don't want to worry about these, I think this is a sudden accident, the matter is over, so don't mention it again.

I didn’t take this matter seriously, and when I got back, I continued to read the Bible, pray, and do what I should do.

I didn't expect that the drunken incident would have a great impact later on.

That night, while I was reading the scriptures at home, suddenly sister Zhao called me.

She asked me on the phone: "Lin Xiao, I think you are new here, and your judgment will be more objective for us. I want to ask you a question, please don't have any worries and answer me truthfully."

"Ok."

"What do you think of Qian Junru's preaching?"

I don't know why Sister Zhao suddenly called me to ask me this question, and her tone was very serious.I guess who is in conflict with whom again, because we are almost all sisters here, which is prone to various frictions.

I said honestly, "I was saved because of her preaching. I think it's okay."

Sister Zhao asked back: "Do you really think so? Isn't it to save me?"

"No, I really think so. What's the matter?"

"Some co-workers in the church think that she is not good at preaching, and there have been conflicts in the past two days."

"Ah? Why did it happen all of a sudden?"

"Actually, the matter was caused by the brother brought by Brother Sun last time."

The more I listened, the more confused I became. What did that brother have to do with whether Qian Junru's sermons were good or not?

Sister Zhao explained to me: "Didn't everyone get drunk and quarrel last week? After Qian Junru's husband came home, he asked Qian Junru not to stay in this church and told her to go to another place. I think Qian Junru's husband is someone close to her. He doesn't pay much attention to the church, but why does he ask Qian Junru to leave when something happens in the church? It shows that they usually talk about these things. This is what worries me the most. .”

"It's so complicated... Did Qian Junru say anything herself?"

"Hey, there were a few brothers and sisters who were at odds with her before. They opposed her preaching on the stage. I pushed her to the stage. But as soon as this incident happened, Qian Junru's husband called her Don't preach anymore. She doesn't want to go to the podium either, so I don't have a bottom line in my heart, so I want to hear your opinions."

I thought for a while and said: "I remember Qian Junru himself said that although there are many pastors preaching on the Internet, we should not compare the preaching of a celebrity with her preaching. I think this is right. .”

"Do you think so? Well, I'll discuss it with other people. Qian Junru is having trouble with us now. We can't find a suitable person to preach next week. If it really doesn't work, then I'll just I can go up by myself."

After the phone hung up, it became a worry on my mind, and of course it became part of my prayers.

One advantage of living here alone is that I can pray unscrupulously, because no one around me interferes with me at all. When I go home at night and lock the door, the whole venue is mine.

I prayed for Sister Zhao and for the church. I felt that Sister Zhao was really working hard, so I prayed to the Lord: "Lord, it is really hard for Sister Zhao to support the church by herself, but I can't do anything. I think I have to Only by studying hard can I have the opportunity to serve the Lord. May the Lord help her, I think she is really tired."

Sister Zhao must have worked hard for a long time, but Qian Junru still had a grudge in her heart, and she was unwilling to go to the podium.

So that weekend, Sister Zhao found someone else.

On the weekend, I saw Dong Yiyi bravely standing on the podium, holding a 5-page speech script tightly in her hand, on A4 paper, densely packed with words.

I really wanted to applaud Dong Yiyi bravely standing on the stage, but You Yan reminded me: "She is the channel of God, don't applaud her."

Well, I think You Yan really looks like an emotionless robot.

During the sermon, Dong Yiyi spoke very fluently. She barely read the notes from the beginning to the end, but when she talked about the corresponding part, she would bow her head and turn over the speech notes, explaining that she memorized those speech notes in her spare time.

She didn't get stuck in the whole process. Although it could be heard that the script itself was pieced together, wouldn't it be great to be able to memorize it?

I secretly admire her hard work in my heart.

After Dong Yiyi finished speaking, there were applause from below, so I saw that Qian Junru sitting in the corner had an even more unhappy face.

Dong Yiyi hurriedly stopped everyone: "Please don't applaud me, please dedicate this applause to the Lord."

Her statement like this, although others don't say it, don't they have a little more admiration for her in their hearts?

I'll tell you the truth, no comparison doesn't hurt.I worry that Qian Junru will never recover from this fall.

Qian Junru stopped preaching. I didn’t think it was a big deal. It’s best to be able to speak. It’s not a crime if you don’t speak, right?People always have an ebb and flow, don't they?

But it's strange that everyone suddenly doesn't want to talk to her anymore.

A big table, Qian Junru sat alone at the other end of the table, while everyone stood at the other end of the table, no one talked to her, and no one paid attention to her, she sat there like air.

I think she is very pitiful, but fortunately Sister Zhao has also noticed her situation.

I said to Sister Zhao, "Why is Qian Junru sitting there alone?"

Sister Zhao sighed: "I haven't figured out how to tell her. Everyone treats her like this, how can this work? But Dong Yiyi's sermon was really good today, and I'm really worried that Qian Junru will become more depressed because of this matter. Lin Xiao, how do you think it would be better to persuade Qian Junru?"

"I won't persuade people."

"You try it. You are new here, and your heart is relatively simple. If it were you, what would you say?"

"If I had to say it, I think I'd start at the judgment seat of Christ. You know we're all going to be judged at the end..."

Before I could finish my sentence, Sister Zhao immediately interrupted me and said, "This can't be done, it's too scary."

"Can't you? But I didn't want to say it too scary. What I mean is that I will go to the judgment seat anyway. I should suffer as much as possible and suffer as much as possible, so that the Lord will bless me."

"No, no, this is too powerful. I still have to figure it out myself."

Sister Zhao is leaving, but I don't buy it in my heart, because I really don't want to say anything too blaming, I think Qian Junru should look to the future, maybe she won't care about the immediate gains and losses anymore, But since Sister Zhao didn't accept it, then trust her judgment.

In our church, there are really not many people who understand the truth. Except for Sister Zhao who is busy in the middle, she is the backbone of the whole church. If we don't agree, we usually don't talk.

Mu Yun came once and then stopped coming. According to her, "I don't think your church understands. I'm going to run around and find a better church to pastor me."

I told Sister Zhao about this, and she said, "She will suffer a lot. After a person is saved, he should stay in the same church and not run around. Otherwise, he might eat something poisonous. Lin Xiao, you are right. You have been in our church from the very beginning, and your meetings are also very stable. Really, you should think about it carefully, because all members need to function in the body, and you too You should have your own service. Pray and see if the Lord is willing to allow you to lead the catechumens?"

I think Sister Zhao's persistence is really admirable to me.But I was really not moved to lead the group.I've rejected it many times, and I don't know how to do it again this time.I said to her, "Sister Zhao, I think at least let me read the Bible coherently."

Sister Zhao said: "Lin Xiao, you are thinking too complicatedly. Leading a Bible study is nothing more than reading other people's materials first, and then repeating their materials to everyone. This means that you have obtained it."

"But isn't this plagiarism?"

"We all come here like this. It's just a process of practice. When you gradually become able to preach in the future, you can throw away the crutches."

As an original author, I am very opposed to plagiarism in my bones.But when I couldn't write, I once "paid tribute" to the beginning of a very popular article. When others questioned me, I found reasons for myself, but when I wrote Chapter 2, I felt that this was not possible. No more references.I can understand the process of "practicing at the beginning" that Sister Zhao said, but I don't know if this is what God wants.

After thinking about it, I said, "However, I feel that my service is to write novels. I have always been under pressure to write novels, as if this is the task entrusted to me by the Lord. If I fail to complete this task, I will My life will be in vain, and I won’t be able to explain it when I go back.”

Sister Zhao shook her head: "Lin Xiao, it's good to write a novel. You can write it slowly when you have time. But you see, more and more people in the church need you. Like Jiang Zhixing's family of three, their The gatherings are still unstable, if you can rely on the Bible study group to help them, they will gradually stabilize, and there are people like Mu Yun, I believe there will be more in the future."

I am also hesitant when I see a need in the church.But I still shook my head: "I really can't, my eloquence is not good."

"You should exercise hard on the podium. Anyway, we have no outsiders here. Didn't you speak well when you testified to us last time? I see many people are crying."

I think it was God’s leading to testify.

Witnessing is popular in this church. I was moved that day and wanted to share with you a story that I have told so many times.

In fact, before that, I have told this story to many people countless times, but this time when I told it, the version was different.

I said, "When my friend and I hid in the pavilion to avoid the flood, I looked at the sky and prayed to the sky—"

Sister Zhao interrupted suddenly: "Can I ask? You didn't believe in God at that time, how did you pray?"

I can't remember the specific situation, but suddenly many emotions surged in my heart.

I don't cry a lot in church, unlike other people, especially when I'm in front of people, I restrain my emotions more.But that time, my tears flowed down uncontrollably.

You Yan handed me three sheets of paper, but after seeing that they were not enough, he handed me another one or two.

I wiped my tears and said: "Actually, when I told people this story before, I always said that I saw many black clouds in the sky receding quickly. But now that I think about it, there is actually a small white cloud with a very large He approached me at a fast speed and forced the black clouds away. At that time, I knew in my heart that when the white cloud reached the top of my head, the water would be small, and we could run over. Sure enough, when the white cloud reached the top of my head, the water was The speed visible to the naked eye slowed down, so I dragged my friend and ran over desperately..."

In the process of speaking, I felt that my memory was being continuously replenished, and I remembered many details that I hadn't remembered before.

I have never been so embarrassed in front of everyone, not only crying, but also snot and tears.I also saw some people crying with me, but most of them were full of surprise.

"Thank you, Lord." "Thank you, Lord." I felt so relieved and happy to hear everyone's tut-tuts.

This testimony was made under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and I am very clear that the testimony this time is different from any previous one.The Lord led me to see many details that I hadn't noticed at the time, and then I realized how gentle the Lord was to save me.

This is what Ms. Zhao said about "giving witness", but it is one thing to testify once, and it is another thing to lead a long-term Bible study. I may be inspired by the Holy Spirit that time, but it does not mean that Every week during the Bible study, the Holy Spirit would touch me.It's hard for me to maintain this state, it's simply out of my control.And without status, and I don’t have the proper theological equipment, what can I use to preach?

Sister Zhao doesn’t understand me at all, she doesn’t understand the pain of my poor eloquence, she doesn’t understand the pain of being unable to express many things I understand, and she doesn’t know how heavy my burden is on writing.

I sighed and didn't want to talk about it any more.Sister Zhao also ran to Qian Junru to chat with her.

When Qian Junru was sitting, I suddenly noticed that her entire face was black.

It’s not an exaggeration, I’ve never seen anyone’s face with that color, it’s as if there’s something like black gas floating on the face, I suddenly understood what Mu Yun said last week, “Qian Junru has black inside. thing" phrase.

Sister Zhao finished chatting with Qian Junru, but it seems that the situation has not improved because of this, and Qian Junru is still not very happy.

Sister Zhao looked at Qian Junru and sighed, and said: "Actually, many people think that Qian Junru should not preach on stage, but I think it is good for her to have a serving heart. I encourage her to preach. I am Shouldn't you encourage her so much?"

I had no idea what real preaching was then, because I had never heard it.But I understand the benefits of encouragement, so I encouraged Sister Zhao: "I don't think it's okay, you are also here to help her stand up."

"Yeah... It would be great if everyone thought like you." Sister Zhao smiled, and then said, "Do you still remember the people who came to our church last week?"

"I remember, I prayed for Mu Yun, asking God to bring her the person she needs, and this is the person God brought her. Why didn't he come this week?"

Sister Zhao thought about it carefully, and told me: "I've been thinking about this for a week. I don't know why the Lord brought that person to Mu Yun, but I think that person might not be God's shepherd."

Sister Zhao sent me a video and told me to fast forward and watch it now.

In the video, a person testifies. This person’s experience is a bit similar to that of the new brother who came last week. He is also a gangster himself. When he was very young, he was imprisoned for mobbing and murdering people. Later, someone wrote to him in prison.He didn't know the person who wrote him the letter. Until the 200th letter, a big brother he knew in the prison died suddenly. The sudden death of the big brother who had always been healthy touched him a lot.It was only after that letter that moved him that he confessed his sins and repented. After that, he served his sentence in prison for reform. After leaving prison, he studied theology, became a doctor of theology and served the church.

When Sister Zhao saw that I had finished reading, she asked me, "What do you think is the difference between this person and the one who came last week?"

"Is there a difference?"

After listening to my answer, Ms. Zhao was a little dumbfounded, and then she patiently said: "There is a difference. They all confessed their sins, repented and knew God, but last week, that brother was a bit of a ruffian. Look at this in the video." Man, he is also a prisoner, but now he is nothing like a prisoner, he is completely like a priest."

I looked at the people in the video and it does seem to be the case.

Sister Zhao said: "The Bible says that in the last days, there will be false prophets and false teachers, so we need to be extra vigilant. We should welcome lambs like you, including Mu Yun. But for a big man like him Sheep, we should be careful. The Bible says that wolves in sheep's clothing come among us, and they come to steal, kill, and destroy."

"But that person was brought by the Lord after I prayed for Mu Yun! Why did the Lord bring such a person here?"

Sister Zhao shook her head and said, "I don't know. But I also asked other people in our church, including those two unbelieving drinkers. Do you know why Qian Junru's husband suddenly objected to her staying in the church?" Is this church? I think it’s because her husband is in business, and those two unbelievers are also in business, so they are particularly sensitive to these dark things. You Yan, for example, her reaction is very Quick, your reaction is relatively slow. It shows that you are not sensitive to these things."

I nodded, I admit it, I am not familiar with the rules of this society.

Sister Zhao said, "Of course, I'm not saying you're not good. You're good. But last week, that brother, the things of the dark world he was carrying may have collided with the church. Disgusted. So I later rejected Big Brother Sun, and I told him to be careful when bringing these shepherds here, he may not have understood what I meant."

Can the dark forces still attack the church?Then I don't understand either.But Sister Zhao's words made me feel that she is very proficient in matters of the spirit world, and her judgment is very quick.

I felt like I was playing a game of deduction and detective. Under the guidance of Sister Zhao, I slowly traced the clues.

I thought so at the time, but is it really the case?