2024-12-15 Testimony of Better to Give than Receive 施比受更为有福的见证

Brother and Sisters peace be with you. I am Alan Jarvis from the afternoon service at OTBC Church in Christchurch. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to share God’s continuing work in my life through my experiences and struggles journeying with Him this year.

弟兄姐妹们，愿平安与你们同在。我是Alan Jarvis，来自基督城OTBC教会下午的聚会。感谢主让我有机会分享今年通过与祂同行的经历和挣扎中，神在我生命中的持续工作。

Throughout this year I am reminded of the words of Pastor Jane through the Holy Spirit, we are to daily deny ourselves, crucifying our old selves on the cross with Jesus so we can be renewed and become more like Christ and in all circumstances praise the Lord. It’s not at all easy as there is a big problem!!--The Self.

这一年里，我不断被牧师Jane通过圣灵的话语提醒：我们要每天否认自己，把我们的旧人与耶稣同钉在十字架上，才能得以更新，更像基督，并在任何环境中都要赞美主。这并不容易，因为有一个大问题——“自我”。

Knowing who I really am. This is not an easy journey to have your deep heart revealed, your true nature, one that is selfish, wants to exalt oneself and as a consequence, full of judgement, fear, worry, anxiety, pride and with pride comes shame, all because I want to be accepted and receive the benefits of this world.

认识真正的自己，这不是一条轻松的路。你的内心深处会被揭示出来，你的真实本性——那种自私、喜欢高举自己，并因此充满了论断、恐惧、担忧、焦虑、骄傲，而骄傲又带来羞耻——这一切都是因为我想被接纳，想得到这个世界的好处。

But praise the Lord, Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to help reveal the lies we believe in our deep hearts through our everyday lives and through the environment we encounter so we can know what Jesus’ truth is.

但感谢主，耶稣赐给我们圣灵，借着我们日常生活中的经历和所处的环境，揭示我们内心深处所相信的谎言，好让我们认识耶稣的真理。

In this year the Lord allowed my wife, Kayla and I to head to China, my first time and my first time to meet her family and visit the Home Church in Shenzhen, MOLC. And from this trip Jesus revealed, through three experiences “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

今年，主带领我的妻子Kayla和我前往中国。这是我第一次去中国，也是第一次见到她的家人，并探访深圳的家庭教会（MOLC爱的使团教会）。在这次旅程中，耶稣通过三个经历向我揭示了“施比受更为有福”的真意。

Having spent time in Shanghai and Suzhou, we ventured north to Beijing the Capital of China. Our first activity was to meet two English Class students and their families. They had invited us out for a meal on our arrival.

我们在上海和苏州停留后，前往中国的首都北京。第一件事是见两位英语班的学生及他们的家人，他们邀请我们共进晚餐。

Off we went to a very fancy restaurant where they had arranged a luxury private room and what I can only describe as a banquet, large feast, which is normally the Chinese way to treat guests as to show their hospitality.

于是，我们去了一个非常高档的餐厅，他们为我们安排了一个豪华的包间，并准备了一场我只能称之为“盛宴”的大餐。这是中国人待客表达热情好客的一种方式。

Having indulged in the flesh of receiving, the next morning I realised I had a bleeding nose, as from the photos wasn’t pretty and very messy. Kayla messaged Pastor Jane and the Holy Spirit gave her the following verses Acts 20:35b “….It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

享受完“接待”的肉体满足后，第二天早上我突然发现鼻子出血了。从照片上看，非常狼狈和混乱。Kayla联系了Jane牧师，圣灵通过她传来了使徒行传20:35的经文：“……施比受更为有福。”

      

So it was revealed that in my deep heart I am very selfish and love to receive rather than give. If I do give, it is only to people I choose and I like.

通过这个经历，我意识到我的内心深处非常自私，更喜欢接受而非给予。如果我给，那也是给那些我选择的、我喜欢的人。

But Jesus’ way is opposite, it is better to give than to receive and His way is to even give to our enemies. I knelt and prayed to repent for being selfish and acting according to the worldly view and start the journey to allow the Holy Spirit to renew me of this point.

但耶稣的方式完全相反：祂说施比受更为有福，甚至要施恩于我们的敌人。我跪下祷告，为我的自私和按照世界教导的行为认罪，并开始让圣灵在这方面更新我。

But Jesus had more revelations instore for me, praise the Lord.

但耶稣对我的启示还没有结束，感谢主。

To our surprise, Kayla’s Brother-in-law, arranged for us to have dinner with him, Peking Duck. Praise the Lord for allowing us this opportunity to meet and spend time with him, that we thought would not happen as later on, Kayla will explain the reason in her testimony.

让我感到惊喜的是，Kayla的姐夫竟然主动联系了我们，并安排与我们一起吃饭——北京烤鸭。感谢主，让我们有机会与他相处，这是我们之前认为不可能发生的事，Kayla会在她的见证里解释原因。

As is the Chinese custom to show hospitality and acceptance, he had bought a bottle of Vodka, 42% alcohol, to share with his new brother-in-law. He had been waiting for this for many months.

按照中国人的待客习俗，他特意为我这个新妹夫准备了一瓶42%的中国白酒，等待这一刻已经好几个月了。

As I was not praying earnestly and continuously, a thought popped into my head, that I should not reject him and so I warmly accepted his offer to share some Vodka.

由于我没有持续祷告，一个念头冒了出来：不要拒绝他。因此，我很热情地接受了他的提议，一起分享了这瓶白酒。

After arriving back to our hotel that night, having enjoyed our time and a fair amount of Vodka I went to bed and suddenly my stomach didn’t feel good at all. I then threw up for the next few hours.

那天晚上回到酒店后，虽然我们度过了愉快的时光，也喝了不少白酒，但我上床后突然觉得胃很不舒服，接着几个小时不停地呕吐。

So, Jesus revealed to me through this experience that in my deep heart I want to please my brother-in-law and many other people throughout my life as I seek to be accepted by others.

通过这个经历，耶稣向我揭示，我内心深处总是想取悦我的姐夫以及生命中许多人，因为我渴望被别人接纳。

But again, this is not Jesus’ way, he wants me to accept myself just as I am and as He first accepted me, loves me. He wants me to root my identity in Him upon His acceptance, mercy and love, not upon the acceptance and praise of others.

但这不是耶稣的方式。祂希望我接纳真实的自己，正如祂已经接纳并爱了我一样。祂希望我将自己的身份扎根于祂的接纳、怜悯和爱中，而不是建立在别人的接受和赞美之上。

Third and final revelation took place when we visited the Home Church in Shenzhen, MOLC.

第三个也是最后一个启示发生在我们拜访深圳家庭教会（MOLC）时。

By this stage of our journey in China we were very much excited and looking forward to seeing where God had started His ministry through Jane and meeting the home Church Brothers and Sisters we had worked with and heard so much about, along with seeing Pastor Fu again.

在中国旅程的这个阶段，我们充满了期待，渴望看到神通过Jane开始事工的地方，并见到那些我们合作过的、听闻了许多关于深圳家庭教会的弟兄姐妹，以及再次见到付传道。

What we experienced was even more than I had expected.

而我们所经历的一切，远远超出了我的预期。

After what Jesus had revealed to me through these early experiences, I experienced first-hand what it meant “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Couple of stories that touched my heart.

通过耶稣在这些早期经历中向我揭示的一切，我亲身体验到了“施比受更为有福”的真正含义。其中有几个故事深深触动了我的心。

I could not believe we were picked up in a flash BWM car from the airport, later I learned the story behind where this car came from, God’s provision to Sister Yang.

我简直不敢相信我们从机场被一辆豪华的宝马车接走，后来我了解到这辆车背后有一个见证——这是神赐予杨姐妹的恩典。

We spent time with Sister Yang, who like me, runs a business and employs many members of the Home Church, hearing her story and of God’s provision and faithfulness.

我们与杨姐妹共度了一段时光，她和我一样经营着一家公司，并雇用了许多家庭教会的成员。在与她交流中，我们听到了她的故事，以及神如何以祂的供应和信实一路带领她。

With Kayla’s help of translation, I understood that even though mistakes were made with the business through repentance and allowing God to lead and God has blessed and restored lives through this business. Praise the Lord for Sister Yang.

在Kayla帮我翻译后，我明白了，即使在经营生意的过程中犯过错误，但通过悔改并让神掌管，神依然赐下祝福，并通过这份事业修复了许多生命。为杨姐妹和神的恩典赞美主！

We all shared our experiences of God and the way the Brothers and Sisters did life together, just coming sharing, praying sharing food and then leaving, day after day. This is what we experienced our entire time, people just came and visited us, and we shared food and stories of God’s faithfulness and love.

我们彼此分享了对神的经历，以及弟兄姐妹们如何一起生活：每天来分享、祷告、一起用餐，然后离开。整个时间里，我们都经历了这样的生活方式——人们不断前来探望我们，我们一起分享食物，也分享关于神的信实和爱的故事。

We also met Jane’s Mum and Dad, who have experienced God’s transforming love and blessings through their daughter Pastor Jane and Grandma shared her stories of journey to faith till very late that day.

我们还见到了Jane牧师的父母，他们通过女儿Jane牧师的生命见证，经历了神改变人心的爱和祝福。那天直到很晚，外婆还在与我们分享她信主的旅程和见证。

And finally, I still remember the day we were leaving, a lot of the Brother and Sisters joined us to farewell us and Jane and Raymond’s Apartment and we This even though the prayers where in Mandarin, I was very much touched by Jesus love and had tears streaming down my face.

最后，我仍然清晰地记得我们离开的那一天，许多弟兄姐妹聚集在Jane和Raymond的公寓为我们送行。尽管祷告是用普通话进行的，但我深深地被耶稣的爱感动，泪水止不住地流下来。

Right from the moment we landed at Shenzhen airport greeted by Pastor Fu, Sister Guo and Brother Peter, until Pastor Fu, Sister Guo and her Husband took us to and farewelled us from Shenzhen airport a few days later,

从我们抵达深圳机场的那一刻起，付传道、郭姐妹和彼得弟兄便热情迎接我们；直到几天后，付传道、郭姐妹和她的丈夫送我们到机场告别。

I experienced Jesus love through our Shenzhen Home Church’s Brothers and Sisters obedience in willingly giving their time, food and hospitality to Kayla and I without any expectations of receiving anything in return from us.

在这段时间里，我深刻地感受到了耶稣的爱——深圳家庭教会的弟兄姐妹们出于顺服，毫无保留地将他们的时间、食物和热情款待献给Kayla和我，而没有任何期望从我们这里得到回报。

I learned their hearts longed for God’s spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms.

我明白了，他们的内心渴望的是神在天上属灵的祝福。

At the time I did not fully understand this until now, when I was writing this testimony and earlier in the week reading Ephesians 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ”.

当时我并没有完全理解这一点，直到现在，在写下这个见证时，以及本周早些时候读到以弗所书1:3时才真正明白：“愿颂赞归于我们主耶稣基督的父神！他在基督里曾赐给我们天上各样属灵的福气。”

Their motivation for warmly welcoming us and caring for us was not so they could be rewarded here on earth, but they looked forward to the spiritual blessings they will receive in heaven. 

他们热情接待我们、关心我们的动机，并不是为了在地上得到回报，而是盼望他们将在天上所要得到的属灵祝福。

As they would do the same regardless of whether it was Kayla and I, as not about the people they are welcoming but about following Jesus.

无论接待的是Kayla和我还是其他人，他们都会一样去做，因为这不是关于人，而是关于跟随耶稣。

Praise the Lord for showing us and encouraging us through our Brothers and Sisters in Shenzhen.

感谢主通过深圳的弟兄姐妹向我们展现并鼓励我们。