His sheep know His Voice-个人见证一

下面记录的是是苍兰个人跟从主耶稣的起点. 转眼已经九年了. 一路走来,主恩满满.
回看来时路,却总是被那最初的爱感动.
在我刚开始寻求时,就蒙圣灵的保护,听到了主自己的声音,而跟主走上了这无悔的旅程.
虽有假牧人(Mormon Church, 摩门教) 呼召,他们的声音却是陌生的. 我选择逃离了他们. 因为,他承诺, 他的羊知道他的声音.

先贴英文, 以后会翻译成中文.

I came from China, from an atheist background. Two years after living in Canada, I got my first Bible from two missionaries of the Mormon Church. They gave me both Bible and the Book of Mormon. I started to read Bible, as I know it is an important book influenced Western society. Jesus and his teaching attracted me immediately. Sermon on the Mount especially touched me, as the values of Jesus are dramatically different from what I have been taught and believed since childhood. Reading the Gospels opened my eyes to see the darkness in my life and the beauty of Jesus.

However, I had a lot of questions while reading the Bible. I also had questions on the character of God, as I could not understand how a loving God would allow injustice and sufferings exist. The Mormon missionaries visited me every week. I asked them a lot questions, but the answers they gave to me were very superficial and could not satisfy me. I went to their church, but I could not understand their message.

I want to know more about the Bible and Jesus, so one Sunday morning, I went to Halifax Chinese Christian Church (HCCC). I found the teaching in HCCC was more understandable, as the pastor preached on Bible. So I went there the second time. I still remember sermon title was “Watch and Prayer”. Pastor preached on a couple of stories Jesus told his disciples on how to pray. I was deeply touched during this sermon. One of story the pastor preached was “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ” ( Matthew 7:8-10 ) I realized at that time, that I have a heavenly Father, who knows me and loves me, who listens to my prayer and gives me the best. Tears ran down from my face throughout the sermon, but deep in my heart, I experienced a sense of peace and joy surpasses understanding. It was spring. Through the white curtain of the window, I saw the green grass outside the church. And I knew something new, something different, something beautiful is growing in my heart. I called pastor the second day, and told him I want to be baptized. A week later, pastor visited me. He explained most of my questions regarding the Bible, and encouraged me to accept God’s words in faith, even though I may not totally understand some of them. I was baptized soon after.

It was only after the pastor’s visit, I knew the difference between the Mormon Church and real Christian Church. But Holy Spirit started to protect me at the very beginning. I was attracted by the Gospel immediately, but the Book of Mormon, the book I was told to read side by side with Bible, never attracted me, so I did not read it at all. The missionaries from Mormon Church visited me every week for more than 3 months. They brought me to their church and pushed me to be baptized. But somehow, deep in my heart, I had some doubt, and refused to be baptized in Mormon Church. But once I worshiped in a real Christ centered, Bible preaching church, Holy Spirit gave me such a sense of assurance, that even though I only visited this church the second time, and knew nobody in the church, I am certain I want to be baptized in HCCC.

Gospel of John is one of my favorite book, and my favorite verses are : “ The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” (John 10: 2-5) My shepherd, Jesus called me by my name, and I followed him, because I know His voice. I ran away from the stranger, the Mormon Church, because I don’t recognize their voice. I once was that lost sheep (Luke 15: 3-7), and my shepherd went all the way, even used the Mormon Church, to find me and brought me back to his sheep pen. For this very reason, I cherish His commandment “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John 10: 16)”

約 翰 福 音 10 
1 我 实 实 在 在 的 告 诉 你 们 ， 人 进 羊 圈 ， 不 从 门 进 去 ， 倒 从 别 处 爬 进 去 ， 那 人 就 是 贼 ， 就 是 强 盗 。  2 从 门 进 去 的 ， 才 是 羊 的 牧 人 。  3 看 门 的 就 给 他 开 门 ； 羊 也 听 他 的 声 音 。 他 按 着 名 叫 自 己 的 羊 ， 把 羊 领 出 来 。  4 既 放 出 自 己 的 羊 来 ， 就 在 前 头 走 ， 羊 也 跟 着 他 ， 因 为 认 得 他 的 声 音 。  5 羊 不 跟 着 生 人 ； 因 为 不 认 得 他 的 声 音 。 必 要 逃 跑 。

 7 所 以 ， 耶 稣 又 对 他 们 说 ： 我 实 实 在 在 的 告 诉 你 们 ， 我 就 是 羊 的 门 。  8 凡 在 我 以 先 来 的 都 是 贼 ， 是 强 盗 ； 羊 却 不 听 他 们 。  9 我 就 是 门 ； 凡 从 我 进 来 的 ， 必 然 得 救 ， 并 且 出 入 得 草 吃 。  10 盗 贼 来 ， 无 非 要 偷 窃 ， 杀 害 ， 毁 坏 ； 我 来 了 ， 是 要 叫 羊 （ 或 作 ： 人 ） 得 生 命 ， 并 且 得 的 更 丰 盛 。  11 我 是 好 牧 人 ；好 牧 人 为 羊 舍 命 。

14 我 是 好 牧 人 ； 我 认 识 我 的 羊 ， 我 的 羊 也 认 识 我 ，  15 正 如 父 认 识 我 ， 我 也 认 识 父 一 样 ； 并 且 我 为 羊 舍 命 。  16 我 另 外 有 羊 ， 不 是 这 圈 里 的 ； 我 必 须 领 他 们 来 ， 他 们 也 要 听 我 的 声 音 ， 并 且 要 合 成 一 群 ， 归 一 个 牧 人 了