| “extraordinary prayer” | “不同寻常的祷告” |
|---|---|
| To kindle every revival, the Holy Spirit initially uses what Jonathan Edwards called “extraordinary prayer” — united, persistent, and kingdom centered. Sometimes it begins with a single person or a small group of people praying for God’s glory in the community. What is important is not the number of people praying but the nature of the praying. C. John Miller makes a helpful and perceptive distinction between “maintenance” and “frontline” prayer meetings. Maintenance prayer meetings are short, mechanical, and focused on physical needs inside the church. In contrast, the three basic traits of frontline prayer are these: | 要点燃复兴的火焰，圣灵往往使用约拿单爱德华兹所说的“不同寻常的祷告”——同心合一的，坚持不懈的，以国度为中心的祷告。有时是从一个人或一个小组为神的荣耀在社区中彰显而祷告。重要的不是有多少人在祷告，而是祷告的性质。约翰米勒很有帮助地区分了“给养”和“前线”两种祷告会。给养祷告会比较短暂、工具性，关注教会里的物质需要。相反，前线祷告有三个基本特质： |
| 1. A request for grace to confess sins and to humble ourselves | 1. 祈求恩典认罪，谦卑自己。 |
| 2. A compassion and zeal for the flourishing of the church and the reaching of the lost | 2. 为教会的兴旺和失丧者得救大发激情和热心 |
| 3. A yearning to know God, to see his face, to glimpse his glory | 3. 热切想要认识神，想见祂的面，瞻仰祂的荣耀 |
| These distinctions are unavoidably powerful. If you pay attention at a prayer meeting, you can tell quite clearly whether these traits are present. In the biblical prayers for revival in Exodus 33; Nehemiah 1; and Acts 4, the three elements of frontline prayer are easy to see. Notice in Acts 4, for example, that after the disciples were threatened by the religious authorities, they asked not for protection for themselves and their families but only for boldness to keep preaching! | 这些区分当然是很有力的。如果你注意观察一个祷告会，就能清楚辨别有没有这些特质存在。在圣经中，比如出埃及记33章，尼希米记1章和使徒行传4章中的复兴祷告，这三个前线祷告要素就显而易见。例如，特别注意使徒行传4章，在门徒们被宗教领袖威胁后，他们祈求的不是自己和家人得保护，却只求放胆传讲福音！ |
Keller, Timothy. Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City (p. 73). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
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