1. Hello listening friends, we are delighted you joined us again.
亲爱的朋友，很高兴你能收听我们的节目。
2. We are continuing in our series of messages entitled, “How God Works”.
我们要继续我们的系列信息，叫作“上帝的方法”。
3. And I want to begin today by telling you a story.
我想先给大家讲个故事。
4. It happened one gloomy day in 1857.
故事发生在1857年的一个阴雨天。
5. There was a man in New York City by the name of Jeremiah Lanther.
在纽约，住着一个叫耶利米兰特的人。
6. He was looking at the newspaper as he was riding on the train to his office.
他搭乘火车去上班，在途中就看看报纸。
7. And he became distressed when he read about the depression that has gripped the nation.
当他读到席卷全国的经济萧条时，他的情绪也开始低落下来。
8. And this depression caused fear and panic among all people.
这萧条引起了所有人的恐慌。
9. Factories stopped production.
工厂停产，
10. Thousands of people were unemployed.
千千万万的人失业，
11. Now Lanther himself was not rich or famous.
而兰特自己既不出名，又不富有，
12. He was only a clerk.
他只是一个小职员。
13. However, he was a man who believed that little plus God equaled much.
但是他相信，人的有限，加上上帝，就能成就大事。
14. With unwavering faith, he sent out letters to all his business acquaintances.
凭着这坚定的信念，他向所有认识的朋友和同事发出一封信，
15. He told them that each day at noon a prayer meeting would be held in his office.
他告诉他们，在他的办公室，每天中午都会有一个祷告会，
16. Will they please come and join him.
邀请他们来参加。
17. With his optimistic faith, he arranged 20 chairs in a circle.
他很乐观地排好了 20张椅子，
18. But no one showed up.
但却没有一个人出现。
19. He found himself all alone with 19 empty chairs.
他发现只有自己，和 19张空空的椅子。
20. But there he knelt and cried to God.
然而他双膝跪下，开始向神呼求：
21. Lord, change me and change my country.
主啊！求你改变我和我的国家。
22. The second day he was encouraged.
第二天他倍受鼓舞，
23. A few of his friends came.
因为有几个朋友出现了。
24. Then it was long before all the 20 chairs were occupied.
很快，20张椅子都坐满了。
25. A short time later,
不久后，
26. A similar gathering started on Wall Street.
在华尔街上又开始了另一个同样的聚会，
27. Then another prayer meeting began on Williams Street.
然后在威廉姆街上也有了一个聚会，
28. And then a fourth meeting started on Broadway.
不久，第四个聚会点也出现在百老汇街上。
29. Like wildfire, the movement spread to all parts of the country.
如同燎原之火，这个运动很快就蔓延到全国各地，
30. Before long, a genuine Holy Spirit awakening spread throughout the land.
一场真正的圣灵大复兴，很快就传遍了那片土地。
31. Some historians, including secular historians have said.
一些历史学家，甚至是一些不信神的历史学家这样说：
32. That this movement of faith was an integral part of the economic recovery from depression of 1857.
这场信心的复兴运动，是1857年大萧条后，经济复苏的关键所在。
33. Well, we may not be facing a world-wide economic depression yet.
也许我们现在没有面临什么世界性的经济萧条，
34. But I want to tell you that there is a spiritual depression throughout the world.
但是我要告诉你，这个世界正经历一场属灵的大萧条。
35. The reason I told you this story.
我之所以要讲这个故事，
36. I don’t want a single person who listening to us tonight.
是因为我不想让任何一个今天收听节目的朋友误会，
37. Would say that he only speaking about Elijah, and Elijah’s days.
以为我只是在讲以利亚，和以利亚的那个时代。
38. I wanted you to know that God uses ordinary people.
我想告诉你的是，神使用普普通通的人。
39. That is Elijah may be a big prophet for us today.
也许以利亚对我们今天的人来说是个伟大的先知，
40. But in his day, he was nothing.
但在他的时代，他什么也不是。
41. I believe with all my heart, that one person who believes that little plus God equals much.
我深信，只要我们相信人的有限，加上神的全能，就能成就大事。
42. Will be able to make a difference.
这样的人一定能够有所作为。
43. This is the kind of faith that honors God.
这种信心是荣耀神的，
44. And this is the kind of faith that God honors.
也是神所尊重的。
45. It is this kind of faith that is willing to risk everything on the promises of God to which God responds.
有这样信心的人，会为了神的应许而不惜任何代价，神必要实现祂的应许。
46. It is the kind of faith that says,
有这种信心的人，他可以说：
47. I may be nothing, but with God I can do all things.
我也许很卑微，但有神同在，我凡事都能做。
48. It is this kind of faith that moves God into action.
因为这样的信心，神开始了祂的工作。
49. Elijah was such a man.
以利亚就是这样的一个人，
50. He had no big genealogy.
他没有显赫的家世，
51. No family tree.
没有什么家谱，
52. No one even knew where he came from.
甚至没人知道他从哪儿来。
53. Elijah was a man whose name means Jehovah is my God.
以利亚这个名字，意思是：“耶和华是我的神”。
54. One solitary man,
他孑然一身，
55. Who came and confronted Israel and Ahab the king.
单枪匹马地来面对以色列民和亚哈王，
56. And he faced them with their immorality and corruption.
为要指出他们的败坏和堕落。
57. One man,
就是这样一个人，
58. Elijah,
以利亚，
59. Who after experiencing a prophetic ministry of declaration to the king and his wife the queen.
在宣告了亚哈王和他妻子的命运之后，
60. And to all those who are in the palace.
在向整个王宫的人，完成自己先知的使命之后，
61. He heard God say,
就听到神说：
62. Go to Caris.
到基立溪去！
63. This phrase means:
这句话的意思是：
64. To be cut off and hidden for a while.
他要被隔离，隐藏一段时间。
65. This same Elijah was now confronted by a new crisis.
这次，以利亚面临着另一个新的危机。
66. If you have just tuned in to this program tonight,
如果你今天是第一次收听我们的节目，
67. We are studying the third message in the series entitled, “How God Works”.
我们正在进行“上帝的方法”系列信息的第三讲。
68. Elijah is only an object lesson.
以利亚只是一个示范，
69. We are seeing how God works in the life of a faithful servant.
我们要看看，神是怎样在一个忠心仆人的生命里动工的。
70. And I pray that each of you will take this as a word from the Lord to you and for you.
我盼望你能把这信息看作是神对你，也是神为你所说的。
71. Don’t say, I wish so and so could hear this message.
不要说，我真希望某某人能听到这个信息，
72. This message is for you.
这信息是为你预备的。
73. In I Kings 17:7,
在列王纪上 17：7，
74. Elijah is facing a new test.
以利亚面临另一个挑战。
75. Did you know that the way you handle a crises situation can either honor God or dishonor him?
你知道吗？你如何处理你所面对的危机，可以荣耀神，也可以羞辱神的名。
76. In verse 7,
在第 7节，
77. We are told that the brook Caris has dried up.
我们知道基立溪枯干了，
78. God is putting his man through back to back testing.
神把祂的仆人放入一个接一个的试炼中。
79. I Kings 17:9,
列王纪上 17：9，
80. God said to Elijah,
神对以利亚说：
81. Go at once to Zaraphath of Siden and stay there.
你起身往西顿的撒勒法去，住在那里，
82. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.
我已吩咐那里的一个寡妇供养你。
83. I wish that the word of God would have told us how Elijah reacted to this strange word from the Lord.
我真希望圣经能告诉我们，以利亚是怎样回应神的奇怪命令的，
84. We don’t know.
我们不知道。
85. However,
然而，
86. This is how most of us would have reacted.
我们大多数人会这样回应：
87. We would ask God, God, are you sure.
我们会问神，神啊，你确定吗？
88. Have I heard you correctly?
是不是我听错了？
89. We would begin to give God a geography lesson.
我们会给神上一堂地理课。
90. God!
神啊！
91. You know that Zaraphath is about 70 or 100 miles across the desert.
你知不知道撒勒法在沙漠的另一边，距离这里有70到100里路呢！
92. Zaraphath is the land of the Phoenicians.
撒勒法是非尼基人的土地；
93. Zaraphath is a smelly and polluted place because they were melting metals there.
撒勒法又脏又臭，因为那是一个炼铁的地方。
94. Zaraphath is where the worship of Baal is at its worst.
撒勒法是供奉巴力假神最严重的地方，
95. Why Zaraphath, Lord?
主啊，为什么要去撒勒法呢？
96. Why send me there?
为什么要我去？
97. God was not only preparing Elijah for the greatest moment of his life, but in the greatest moment in all of Biblical history.
神不仅仅是为以利亚预备将要面对的伟大时刻，祂也是在为圣经历史上最伟大的时刻作准备。
98. God was going to teach Elijah a very important lesson.
神要教导以利亚一个重要的功课，
99. And the lesson is this:
这个功课就是：
100. Little is much when God is in it.
当有神同在时，有限就能变为丰富。
101. It is something we need to learn in these last days.
这也是我们身处末世代的人，需要学习的功课。
102. Many of us are still living by sight and not by faith.
我们很多人还是靠眼睛看得见的来过日子，而不是凭信心活着。
103. God is going to teach Elijah that little plus God equal much too much.
神要让以利亚知道，人的有限，加上神的全能，就可以成就无穷的大事。
104. God doesn’t always ask you to go to places that seem rational to you.
神不是总让你去一些，你觉得应该去的地方，
105. He doesn’t always send you on what seems to be a logical trip.
也不会老是送你去那些看起来合情合理的地方。
106. Zaraphath was illogical and irrational for Elijah.
对以利亚来说，撒勒法是一个既不合情，又不合理的地方；
107. But Zaraphath was both logical and rational as far as God was concerned.
但撒勒法对神来说，是完全合情合理的。
108. Let us see how that worked.
让我们来看看是怎么回事：
109. First,
第一，
110. Elijah was on King Ahab’s most wanted list.
以利亚在亚哈王的通缉令之首。
111. If there were 12 on his list, Elijah would have been number 1.
如果有十二个人在黑名单上，以利亚一定名列榜首。
112. King Ahab was furious with Elijah because Elijah came and announced a drought and then he left.
亚哈王恼怒以利亚到了极点，因为他来宣告了一场旱灾就扬长而去。
113. Secondly,
第二，
114. Ahab men would have looked for Elijah in all the logical places.
亚哈王的手下，一定会按照逻辑推理的可能，来个地毯式搜索；
115. Ahab men would have looked for him in all the rational places.
亚哈王的手下，一定会把所有合情合理的地方，来个地毯式搜索。
116. Thirdly,
第三，
117. Zaraphath was a Phoenician city.
撒勒法是一个非尼基人的城市，
118. It was only 7 miles away from Siden where Jezebel’s father was king.
离耶洗别的父亲，西顿王统治的地方只有7里远。
119. I reverence God with all of my heart.
我满心敬畏神，
120. But this command to go to Zaraphath appeared to me as if God was playing a practical joke on Elijah.
但命令以利亚去撒勒法，在我看来，就像是神在和他开玩笑似的。
121. The man who was going to confront the prophets of Baal was sent to Jezebel’s hometown.
这个受命要去对付巴力先知的人，居然被送到了耶洗别的家乡。
122. God was sending him to the very heart and the very center of Baal worship.
神把他送到了供奉巴力之人的心脏地带。
123. Let me ask you this.
让我来问问你：
124. Have you ever found yourself in places in your life where it does not make sense at all?
在你的人生中，是否曾发现自己处在一个莫名其妙的环境里？
125. Have you ever sat down and said to yourself?
你是否停下来，自言自语地说：
126. God, I will go anywhere in life except that.
神啊，除了那里，任何地方我都愿意去。
127. Or,
又或者说：
128. God, I can put up with anything except this.
神啊，我能忍受任何事，就除了这一件。
129. Then you find yourself ending up in that place.
最后你发现，自己还是去了那个地方。
130. And Elijah ended up in Zaraphath.
以利亚最终还是到了撒勒法。
131. Not only does God sometimes take you to what seems to be irrational place and illogical trip.
有时候，神不仅仅要把你带到一个看起来没道理，又不合逻辑的地方；
132. But there is a second thing that I want you to notice here.
还有一件事我想要提醒你注意：
133. God often works on more than one front at the same time.
神常常在同一时间做好几件事。
134. Most of us are able to work on one or two or even three fronts at a given moment.
很多人可以在同一个时间里处理一件，两件，甚至三件事；
135. Some of us are brighter than others and have the capacity to do more than others.
有些人的确比别人能干些，就可以比别人处理更多的事。
136. But I personally cannot work on too many fronts at the same time.
但我不是个能一心二用的人，
137. Some of you may.
你们可能可以。
138. However,
然而，
139. God was working his purposes out on so many fronts at the same time, that Elijah couldn’t even fathom.
神在同一时间，按照祂的计划成就许多大事，而以利亚根本无法想象。
140. Let’s look at these fronts.
让我们来看看这几件事。
141. There was the obvious front of going from Caris to Zaraphath simply because the brook dried up.
从基立溪到撒勒法去，最明显的原因就是，溪水枯干了，
142. God wanted to save Elijah from starvation.
神要把以利亚从饥渴中解救出来。
143. But beyond the obvious.
但在这个显而易见的原因之外，
144. God was working in Elijah’s life in ways Elijah could have never expected.
神在以利亚生命中所做的，是以利亚想都没有想过的。
145. Let me give you some of these.
让我来告诉你神所做的工：
146. First of all,
第一，
147. God was showing Elijah that he had a larger purpose for the world than Elijah could ever imagine.
神让以利亚看见祂有一个更伟大的计划，是以利亚想象不到的。
148. He was showing him that he is the God of the universe.
神要让以利亚明白，神是宇宙的主宰。
149. When you stop being effective, God takes you and puts you on a shelf.
当你不能产生作用时，神就把你暂时放在一旁。
150. As if God was trying to say to Elijah the following:
神好像是在对以利亚说：
151. I have the whole world on my heart.
整个世界都在我的心上，
152. I love the whole world.
我爱全世界的人。
153. Did you ever think that this seeming illogical and irrational trip would serve as Jesus text for his first public sermon?
你有没有想过，这趟既不合情又不合理的旅程，居然也成为耶稣的第一次公开讲道的内容？
154. You can read it in Luke 4:24.
你读一读路加福音 4：24就知道了。
155. When Jesus began declaring his Messiahship,
但耶稣开始宣告祂弥赛亚的身份时，
156. The first sermon he preached was in his hometown of Nazareth.
祂讲的第一篇道，就是在祂的家乡拿撒勒宣讲的。
157. He went to the synagogue and opened the Scripture to Isaiah and started reading.
祂进入会堂，打开圣经到以赛亚书，开始宣读，
158. And then he said,
然后祂说：
159. Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
今天这经应验在你们耳中了。
160. The people understood what Jesus meant.
人们听懂了耶稣的意思，
161. I am the expected Messiah.
祂是在说：我就是你们所等待的弥赛亚。
162. They probably mumbled something like this.
他们可能会议论纷纷地说：
163. We’ve heard that before.
我们听过这类的话。
164. Then Jesus continues
于是耶稣继续说：
165. In verse 25 of Luke 4.
在路加福音 4：25，
166. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time.
我对你们说实话，当以利亚的时候，以色列中有许多寡妇，
167. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them.
以利亚并没有奉差往她们一个人那里去，
168. But to the widow in Zaraphath in the region of Sideon.
只奉差往西顿的撒勒法一个寡妇那里去。
169. Then he told them about how there were many lepers but God healed the Syrian general.
然后，耶稣又告诉他们，当时有许多麻疯病人，但神只医治了叙利亚的元帅乃缦。
170. You know how they reacted when they heard these words from Jesus mouth.
你知道他们听完耶稣的话之后有什么反应吗？
171. They picked up stones and they wanted to kill Jesus.
他们捡起石头想要打死耶稣。
172. Because they failed their narrow mindedness and self-sufficiency to realize that God loves the whole world.
因为他们狭隘、自满的脑子，容不下神爱世人这个事实。
173. God had a purpose for the whole world.
神对整个世界早有一个计划，
174. And so many of us are comfortable in our communities and think that God just loves us.
但我们往往安于自己所处的环境，就以为神只爱我们。
175. Do you believe He loves the whole world?
你相信神爱整个世界吗？
176. Then don’t ever forget that God is working his purposes out in more than one front.
那么，就不要忘记，神同时在许多方面进行着许多计划，
177. He is working in every corner of the world.
祂在世界的每一个角落作工。
178. Tune in next time and I will tell you the second front in which God works.
欢迎你下一次继续收听我们的节目，我会告诉你神做工的第二方面。
179. Until then, I wish you God’s richest blessing.
愿神大大赐福给你，再会！
