Wearing Our Courage 勇敢战胜

[Dexu Xia]

Wearing Our Courage

If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven. 2 Kings 1:10

Andrew lives in a country that’s closed to the gospel. When I asked how he keeps his faith a secret, he said he doesn’t. He wears a button that advertises his church, and whenever he’s arrested he tells the police that “they need Jesus too.” Andrew has courage because he knows who’s on his side.

Elijah refused to be intimidated, even when the king of Israel sent fifty soldiers to arrest him (2 Kings 1:9). The prophet knew God was with him, and he called down fire that consumed the platoon. The king sent more soldiers, and Elijah did it again (v. 12). The king sent more, but the third platoon had heard about the others. The captain begged Elijah to spare his soldiers’ lives. They were more afraid of him than he’d ever been of them, so the angel of the Lord told Elijah it was safe to go with them (vv. 13–15).

Jesus doesn’t want us to call down fire on our enemies. When the disciples asked if they could call down fire on a Samaritan village, Jesus rebuked them (Luke 9:51–55). We’re living in a different time. But Jesus does want us to have Elijah’s boldness—to be ready to tell everyone about the Savior who died for them. It may seem like one person taking on fifty, but it’s actually One on fifty. Jesus provides what we need to courageously love and reach out to others.

How does Jesus provide what you need to be courageous? What does God want you to know and do?

Holy Spirit, thank You for living in me. Fill me with courage as I tell others about Jesus.

勇敢战胜

我若是神人，愿火从天上降下来。—列王纪下1章10节

安德居住在一个禁止福音的国家。当我问他如何隐藏自己的信仰时，他说他从未隐藏，而且还经常戴着宣传自己教会的徽章。每当他被捕时，他都会告诉警察，他们也需要耶稣。安德有这样的勇气，是因为他知道上帝与他同在。

当以色列国王派遣一位五十夫长带着五十人，去逮捕先知以利亚时（列王纪下1章9节），以利亚也没有畏缩。他清楚知道上帝与他同在，于是他求上帝从天降火来消灭那些人。国王第二次派遣士兵，以利亚又求火烧灭他们（12节）。于是，国王又再派遣五十人。但这群人已听说前两批士兵的遭遇，带领他们的五十夫长便哀求以利亚，不要伤害士兵们的性命。即使以利亚会怕士兵，但这群士兵绝对更加惧怕以利亚，所以主的使者告诉以利亚，只管放心与他们同去见王（13-15节）。

耶稣并不希望我们祈求从天降火烧灭敌人。当门徒询问是否可以祷告，让大火临到撒马利亚村庄时，耶稣斥责他们（路加福音9章51-55节）。我们虽然生活在不同的时空，但耶稣确实希望我们能像以利亚一样满有勇气，准备向每个人讲述祂是那位为人受死的救主。这看起来好像是一人可以战胜五十人，但其实是耶稣战胜了。耶稣会供应我们所需的一切，使我们能勇敢地去爱、去关怀别人。

耶稣补足你哪方面的缺乏，好使你能满有勇气？
上帝让你明白哪些事，并要你采取什么行动呢？