Being Finishers in Christ 接续完成
Dexu Xia
You are a chosen people . . . that you may declare [his] praises. 1 Peter 2:9
Barbara passed away before she could finish a sweater she was knitting for her great-grandson, Ethan. The sweater was entrusted to the hands of another avid knitter to be completed thanks to an organization that connects volunteer crafters—“finishers”—with those whose loved ones have departed this life before finishing their projects. The “finishers” lovingly invest their time and skill to bring closure to a task that provides comfort to those who are grieving.
God appointed a “finisher” for Elijah’s work too. The prophet was lonely and discouraged at how the Israelites were rejecting God’s covenant and killing prophets. In response, God instructed Elijah to “anoint Elisha . . . to succeed [him] as prophet” (1 Kings 19:16). This ensured that the labor of proclaiming God’s truth would continue long past Elijah’s death.
To show Elisha that God had called him to succeed Elijah as God’s prophet, Elijah “threw his cloak around [Elisha]” (v. 19). Since a prophet’s cloak was used to indicate one’s authority as God’s chosen spokesman (see 2 Kings 2:8), this act made Elisha’s prophetic call clear.
As believers in Jesus, we’ve been called to share God’s love with others and “declare [his] praises” (1 Peter 2:9). Though the task may outlive us too, we can be assured that He’ll sustain the work and will continue to call other “finishers” to the sacred work of making Him known. By: Kirsten Holmberg
Who proclaimed God’s truth to you? How can you be part of making Him known to the world?
Father, please use me to accomplish Your work in the world.
惟有你们是被拣选的族类，⋯⋯要叫你们宣扬⋯⋯[祂]的美德。—彼得前书2章9节
蓓如为她的曾孙编织了一件毛衣，但还没织完就过世了。后来，这件毛衣被交给另一位热爱编织的人来完成，这要感谢一个组织帮忙联系编织志工──“完成者”，让他们协助完成那些离世的亲人尚未完工的工艺品。“完成者”以爱心投注他们的时间与技能，接续完成那些离世亲人留下的半成品，为那些哀伤的人带来安慰。
上帝也为先知以利亚指定一位“完成者”。那时，以色列人违背了与上帝所立的约，并杀害事奉上帝的众先知，使以利亚深感孤单与挫败。上帝便对他说：“膏⋯⋯以利沙作先知接续你”（列王纪上19章16节）。这确保了传讲上帝真理的工作，会在以利亚过世后仍长久地延续下去。
为了要让以利沙明白，上帝已选召他接续以利亚作上帝的先知，以利亚就“将自己的外衣搭在他身上”（19节）。由于先知的外袍代表蒙上帝拣选为代言人的权威（见列王纪下2章8节），所以此举清楚表明了以利沙已蒙召成为先知。
身为基督徒，我们的任务是要与人分享上帝的爱，并且宣扬上帝的美德（彼得前书2章9节）。或许我们在有生之年无法完成这项任务，但我们可以确信，上帝将持续这项事工，继续呼召其他“完成者”承担起向人宣扬上帝的神圣使命。作者： 洪可婷
谁曾向你宣讲上帝的真理？
你要如何参与向人宣扬福音的工作？
天父，请让我能接续去完成祢在这世上的工作。