“你作你的部分、我会作我的部分”
“You Do Your Part; and I Will Do Mine”
准备讲章是牧师侍奉中最重要的一部分。上帝不仅呼召牧师去传讲信息，更呼召他去准备信息。牧师回应上帝的呼召不仅是站在讲台上宣讲上帝话语的那个时刻，也包括他整个准备信息的过程。我之前讲道不太写讲章，只是准备一份简单的大纲。在读西南浸会神学院（Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary）的博士班课程时，教授特别强调每个讲道人都应该准备详细的讲章，传道人不能照本宣科，但一定要把讲章写出来。按着教授的教导，我开始学习写讲章。起初写一页，然后是两页，后来就越写越多。有时要写4-5页。在准备诗篇68篇时，由于经文比较长，所以写了8页。在那天晚上睡觉时，我心里隐约有些不安，感觉准备的内容太多会不会给翻译的同工造成太大的压力。在2月2日清晨，主在我心里感动一句话： “你作你的部分，我会作我的部分” (You Do Your Part; and I Will Do Mine) 。主的意思是说，你尽上力量作你的部分，主会负责作主的部分。所以，不要担心，我们只要尽上本分作好我们能作的部分，将其它的部分交给主就好了。主应许我们说，主必作成他自己的工。
“由水变酒”是耶稣所行的头一件神迹（约2: 1-11）。神迹原文是神奇的标记或记号（miraculous sign），它标志着神的作为。既说是神迹就是因为只有神能行，人不能行也不能复制。神迹是为了证明主和他永恒的目标。由水变酒的神迹中有一个重要的步骤，就是要“把缸倒满水”。当婚宴上出现问题——酒用尽了时，耶稣的母亲马利亚将问题带到耶稣面前，告诉耶稣说：“他们没有酒了”。耶稣似乎并没有马上回应马利亚的诉求，而只是告诉她说：“我的时候还没有到”。接着，马利亚吩咐宴席上的服侍人员说：“他告诉你们作什么，你们就作什么。”主没有吩咐他们作他们不能作的事情，主只是吩咐他们说：“把缸倒满水”。按着犹太人洁净的礼仪，他们有六口石缸，每口可盛两三桶水。圣经中“六”是指人的数字。“两三桶水”大概是75-115升(公斤)。据此，六口石缸可以盛460-690升（公斤）水。听起来这个数量还是蛮大的。“倒满水”说明在作预备的工作时不能偷工减料，不能一瓶不响、半瓶晃荡，而是要踏踏实实地将自己能作的部分作到位。这些服侍人员非常顺服，他们没有任何质疑或抱怨。主怎么说他们就怎么作，他们原原本本地照着耶稣的话去作。“他们就倒满了，直到缸口”。
“你作你的部分，我会作我的部分”。主的意思是说，你负责把缸倒满水，我负责变化。由水变酒这部分的工作我们不能作，必须要让主来作。我们在往缸里倒水的过程中千万不要灰心。主要借着这个过程来造就磨练我们的属灵品格，包括耐心和信心等。如果我们暂时还没有看到变化，那说明我们的水还没倒够。当我们把缸倒满水，直到缸口时，神的时候就到了。那时，我们必然看到上帝的作为，我们必看到“瞎子的眼必睁开，笼子的耳必开通。瘸子必跳跃像鹿，哑巴的舌头必能歌唱，在旷野必有水发出，在沙漠必有河涌流”（赛35: 5-6），因为神要借着这一切彰显他的大能。
注意， “由水变酒”这个神迹中，耶稣没有大声喧哗，没有作什么重要的仪式，而是润物细无声地做成了上帝的工作。当六口石缸注满水之后，耶稣云淡风轻地又说： “现在可以舀出来，送给管宴席的。他们就送去了”（2: 8）。我们不知道水具体是在什么时候变成酒的，也许是缸倒满之后、也许是仆人正在往出舀时。这并不重要。重要的是，我们知道水的确变成了酒。我们知道这是主作成的事，而不是人作成的事。有时，我们作主的工作不需要大声喧哗，不需要太多人为的手段，而需要圣灵的工作。当人过分用自己的小聪明去计划或谋算时，往往会弄巧成拙、适得其反。很多时候，当人谦卑顺服，愿意遵行主的旨意，尽上人所能尽的本分时，圣灵便会悄无声息地作着变化的工作。
“你作你的部分，我会作我的部分”。自从今年教会开始晨祷会以来，我们正在更多地经历上帝变水为酒的神迹。在晨祷会上，之前从未做过分享的几位弟兄姐妹开始分享主的话语。有一位弟兄见证到，我们在这里为在他国内朋友的女儿祷告，他的朋友全家居然感受到了祷告的力量。有一位姐妹分享到自己曾经软弱自卑与父亲的关系不是那么好，觉得父亲偏心弟弟，然而就在她思想这件事时，主就感动她父亲的心主动联系她，和她道歉，使她心里得到释放，经历上帝所赐的医治和平安。另一位姐妹分享到主如何帮助她，在主里从心灵深处饶恕她之前多年对父亲的埋怨和苦毒。祈祷正在带给教会更多的祝福，使教会同工更加火热合一地服侍主，使许多老会友的心转回教会，使慕道友信靠耶稣，使每次崇拜时有更多人回应讲台信息从而接受耶稣基督作救主。我们在祈祷上尽本分，主在持续不断地作变水为酒的神迹。我们将一切荣耀归于主！
讲章犹如人生。有个神学生问一位老牧师： “要花多长时间写一篇讲章”？老牧师的回答是： “用一生写一篇讲章”。从某种意义上讲，我们每个人不同的服侍都是在写讲章。我们负责写、负责服侍，主负责变化、负责使用我们的服侍去改变和祝福更多人的生命。就像由水变酒的神迹一样，愿主赐福我们每个人的人生能从无味变得有滋有味，从软弱疲乏变得被圣灵充满，从干枯无力到大有能力。以基督之名祝福，阿门！
“You Do Your Part; and I Will Do Mine”
Preparing sermons is one of the most important parts in a pastor’s ministry. God not only calls pastors to deliver messages but also to prepare them. A pastor’s response to God’s call encompasses not only the moment of standing at the pulpit to proclaim God’s word but also the entire process of preparing the message. Previously, I did not focus much on sermon preparation; I only prepared a simple outline. While taking courses in the doctoral program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the professors emphasized the importance of preparing detailed sermons. Preachers cannot rely solely on extemporaneous speaking; they must write out their sermons. Following their guidance, I began to learn how to write sermons. Initially, it was just one page, then two, and eventually, more pages. Sometimes, I had to write 4-5 pages. When preparing Psalm 68, because the passage was long, I ended up writing 8 pages. That night, I felt a bit uneasy, wondering if the amount of preparation would put too much pressure on the translator who would help to translate the message into English for our English speakers during our worship. On the morning of February 2nd, the Lord impressed upon my heart a sentence: “You do your part, and I will do mine.” The Lord meant to say, do your best, and He will take care of the rest. So, let’s not worry; as long as we do our part to the best of our ability, we can leave the rest to the Lord. He promises that He will accomplish His own work.
“The Changing of Water into Wine” is the first miracle performed by Jesus (John 2:1-11). The term “miracle” in the original text refers to a miraculous sign or symbol, indicating the action of God. It signifies something extraordinary that only God can accomplish, beyond human capability or replication. Miracles serve to demonstrate the Lord and His eternal purposes. In the miracle of changing water into wine, an important step is to “fill the jars with water.” When a problem arises at the wedding feast—running out of wine—Jesus’ mother, Mary, brings the issue to Jesus, informing Him, “They have no more wine.” Jesus doesn’t immediately respond to Mary’s plea but simply tells her, “My hour has not yet come.” Then, Mary instructs the servants at the feast, saying, “Do whatever he tells you.” The Lord doesn’t command them to do something beyond their capacity; He instructs them to “fill the jars with water.” According to Jewish purification customs, there were six stone jars, each capable of holding two to three measures of water. In biblical terms, “six” symbolizes man who is imperfect and weak. Two to three measures of water” is roughly 75-115 liters. Therefore, the six stone jars could contain 460-690 liters of water. This quantity seems quite substantial. The command to “fill the jars with water” indicates that in preparing, one should not cut corners or do things halfway. Rather, it requires earnest effort to fulfill one’s part. These servants show remarkable obedience; they don’t question or complain. They simply do as the Lord instructs, filling the jars to the brim.
“You do your part, and I will do mine.” The Lord’s meaning is clear: you are responsible for filling the jars with water, and I am responsible for the transformation. The task of changing water into wine is something we cannot accomplish; it must be done by the Lord. During the process of pouring water into the jars, we must not lose heart. The Lord uses this process to build and refine our spiritual character, including qualities like patience and faith. If we haven’t seen the transformation yet, it means we haven’t poured enough water. When we fill the jars to the brim, God’s timing arrives. At that moment, we will surely witness the work of God. We will see “the eyes of the blind being opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will flow in the desert” (Isaiah 35:5-6), for God will display His power through all these things.
Please note that in the miracle of “Turning Water into Wine,” Jesus did not make a loud noise or perform any significant ceremony; instead, He quietly accomplished God’s work. After the six stone jars were filled with water, Jesus calmly said, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast” (John 2:8). We do not know exactly when the water turned into wine, perhaps it was after the jars were filled, or maybe while the servants were scooping it out. This is not important. What matters is that we know the water did indeed turn into wine. We know this was the work of the Lord, not of man. Sometimes, the work of the Lord does not require loud noise or elaborate means, but rather the work of the Holy Spirit. When people excessively rely on their own cleverness to plan or scheme, they often end up complicating matters or achieving the opposite of what they intended. Many times, when people humbly obey and are willing to do God’s will to the best of their abilities, the Holy Spirit quietly works to bring about change.
“You do your part and I will do mine.” Since our Chinese church started the morning prayer meeting at 5am this year of January 2, we are experiencing more of the miracle of God changing water into wine. At the morning prayer meeting, several brothers and sisters who had never shared before began to share the Lord’s word. A brother testified that when we prayed for the daughter of a friend in China, the friend’s family really felt the power of prayer. A sister shared that she was once weak and had low self-esteem, and her relationship with her father was not that good. She felt that his father was partial to his younger brother. However, when she was thinking about this matter, the Lord moved her father’s heart and took the initiative to contact her and apologize to her. She was very thankful for God’s healing and peace. Another sister shared how the Lord helped her to forgive from the depths of her heart for the years of resentment and bitterness she had felt toward her father. Prayer is bringing more blessings to the church, causing church co-workers to serve the Lord more passionately and unitedly, causing many old members to turn their hearts back to the church, making seekers trust in Jesus, and making more people respond to the pulpit every time of worship and accept Jesus Christ as Savior. As we perform our duty in prayer, the Lord will continue to perform miracles of changing water into wine. We give all glory to the Lord!
A sermon is like life itself. A seminary student once asked a senior pastor, “How long does it take to write a sermon?” The pastor’s answer was, “It takes a lifetime to write a sermon.” In a sense, each of us is writing a sermon through our different forms of service. We are responsible for the writing, for the serving, while the Lord is responsible for the transformation, for using our service to change and bless the lives of others. Just like the miracle of changing water into wine, may the Lord bless each of our lives, transforming them from bland to flavorful, from weakness to strength filled with the Holy Spirit, from dryness and powerlessness to great strength. In the name of Christ, Amen!”