Stand on the Word みことばに立つ

Charles Simeon knew the importance of The Word.
He firmly stood on the Word of God in his ministry for over fifty years.
He once said

"My endeavor is to bring out of Scripture out of what is there and not to trust in what I think might be there."

Some called Simeon Calvinist though his preaching was orthodox.
He had a conversation with John Wesley who was sometimes called Arminian...
somethigs like this

Simeon asked "Sir, do you feel yourself depraved creature, so depraved that you would never have thought of tuning to God if God had not first put it into your heart?"
"Yes, I do indeed." Wesley replied.
"And do you utterly despair of recommending yourself to God by anything you can do; and look for salvation solely through the blood and righteousness of Christ?"
"Yes, solely through Christ."
"But, sir, supposing you were first saved by Christ, are you not somehow or other to save yourself afterwords by your own works?"
"No, I must be saved by Christ from first to last."
"Allowing then that you were first turned by the grace of God, are you not in some way or other to keep yourself by your own power?"
"No."
"And is your hope in the grace and mercy of God to preserve you unto his heavenly kingdom?"
" Yes, I have no hope but in Him"
"Then we are cordially those things wherein we agree."

Regardless trash talk of some people, he strongly stood on the Word.

"Simply teaching the Word simply."

This is the legacy of Calvary Chapel that we are to pass on generation to generation.
As long as we stand on the Word of God, the movement will never stop.

So, why not we stick to the truth, orthodoxy and most importantly to the Word of God?


　チャールズ・シメオンはみことばに堅く立った教師だった。彼はその重要性を50年以上のミニストリーの中で常に守っていた。彼は常に聖書から教え、そこに自分があると思うものをはさむことはしなかった。彼は、神のみことばをのべ伝えることのみが人々の人生を、教会を変えることができると悟った。
　
　彼の人生、常にみことばを教え続けた人生を見るとカルバリーのレガシー「ただ素朴にみことばを教える」というフレーズが浮かんだ。このことは世代から世代へと受け継がれている。そして、私たちも受け継いでいくべきことである。
　最近エンジェルス・スタジアムで行われたハーベスト・クルセードのメッセンジャー、グレッグ・ローリーが言っていた「私でもなく、音楽でもなく、その他ものでもなく、福音の力が人々の人生を変える」と言っていたことを思い出した。
　だからこそ、神の言葉を学びたいし、そしてその力に信頼したいと思った。