There is a lot that we can learn about the Holy Spirit from body surfing and today we are very blessed to have one of the world’s greatest body surfers right here in our fellowship to tell us all about it: me:)
I’ve done quite a bit of body surfing in my time and I’d like to tell you all about it.
A1. Some rules before you body surf: ボディサーフィンをする前のルール
i. Don’t try it if you can’t swim. Because you’ll drown. 泳げないならしない。
ii. Prepare well. Learn how to swim, learn how to read the currents and rips because there are signs out there as to what the water is doing, have the right equipment (ie a ripping, taut torso) しっかり準備をする。
iii. Don’t go it alone. Always body surf with others, preferably near the lifesavers in case there is any trouble. 1人で行かない。
A2. How to ride the wave 波の乗り方
i. Wait for a wave. You can’t ride a wave if there is no wave. You can thrash about it the water and kick and swim all you like but if there is no wave you aren’t going anywhere.波が来るのを待つ。
ii. When a wave comes, then through a combination of strong swimming, good timing and knowledge of the wave and how it breaks etc, you will feel the wave lift you up and carry you along. This is exhilarating. Pretty much all you have to do at this point is just ride and enjoy the wave. This is very easy to do. 波に乗って楽しむ。
If you think you don’t have to do anything when the wave is coming and you just blob around in the water doing nothing, then all you will experience is the wave coming and then going past you and maybe all you will experience is seeing the feet of the people who have caught the wave.
iii. Something else that is very important at this crucial ‘catch on’ stage of riding the wave: don’t resist.抵抗しない。 If you start to feel the wave pick you up and you get scared because you feel the wave is bigger than you expected, or someone else suddenly says, ‘Hey, there’s a bigger wave over there!’ and you try to pull out at the last second, you will get what we technically call ‘dumped’. ‘Dumped’ involves being thrown to the seafloor in a violent manner while inhaling seawater and having sand and foam jetted into your eyes, all while spinning around and not knowing up from down. This is an unpleasant experience. The humbling is often compounded by the cries of ‘yee-hah’ from those who actually caught the wave.
A3. While riding or after riding the wave 波に乗っている時、波に乗った後
i. Tell as many people as possible about the experience. There is not a surfer in the world who is capable of keeping quiet about riding a great wave. 人に話す
ii. Be devoted to riding waves. Know that what you rode was not some freak wave, one-off experience that will never happen again. There are more waves and they are there for the riding and the enjoyment.専念する
iii. Eat an ice cream. Preferably vanilla. Always good after body surfing. アイスクリームを食べる。
Believe it or not, we find these same 9 principles for body surfing as we do regarding the coming and receiving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and with any other subsequent movement of the Holy Spirit. これらのボディサーフィンの9つの原則は、ペンテコステで聖霊が来られ、聖霊を受けるとき、それに続く聖霊の動きとともに見られます。
Some rules before the Spirit moves:
B1. To receive and move in the Spirit 聖霊を受け、聖霊のうちに動く
Acts 1:4,12,14-16 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about…Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city… They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David…
そして食事を共にしているとき、彼らにお命じになった、「エルサレムから離れないで、かねてわたしから聞いていた父の約束を待っているが よい。 …それから彼らは、オリブという山を下ってエルサレムに帰っ た。この山はエルサレムに近く、安息日に許されている距離のところに ある。…彼らはみな、婦人たち、特にイエスの母マリヤ、およびイエス の兄弟たちと共に、心を合わせて、ひたすら祈をしていた。 そのころ、百二十名ばかりの人々が、一団となって集まっていた が、ペテロはこれらの兄弟たちの中に立って言った、「兄弟たちよ、イエスを捕えた者たちの手びきになったユダについ ては、聖霊がダビデの口をとおして預言したその言葉は、成就しなけれ ばならなかった。
i. Don’t try it if you’re not a true disciple. Don’t try to fake it. These disciples were ‘in Christ’. So before you seek to move in the Spirit of Christ, make sure you are a disciple of Christ. This has been our theme this year. 真の弟子でなければしない。
ii. Prepare well.しっかり準備をする You don’t need a degree to move in the Spirit. Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle moves in the Spirit as much as any man I have ever seen or heard of, and he never went to seminary. But he has read thousands of books and spent countless hours training in the Lord. Learn to read the signs and know who the Holy Spirit is and what His movements looks like.
iii. Don’t go it alone.1人で行かない We were made for fellowship. We need each other. And the Spirit responds to communal belief, obedience and unity.
B2. How to ride the wave of the Holy Spirit. 聖霊の波の乗り方
Acts 2:1-4,14-24 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them…Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
五旬節の日がきて、みんなの者が一緒に集まっていると、 2 突然、激しい風が吹いてきたような音が天から起ってきて、一同がす わっていた家いっぱいに響きわたった。3 また、舌のようなものが、炎のように分れて現れ、ひとりびとりの上 にとどまった。 4 すると、一同は聖霊に満たされ、御霊が語らせるままに、いろいろの 他国の言葉で語り出した。 そこで、ペテロが十一人の者と共に立ちあがり、声をあげて人人に語り かけた。「ユダヤの人たち、ならびにエルサレムに住むすべてのかたが た、どうか、この事を知っていただきたい。わたしの言うことに耳を傾 けていただきたい。 15 今は朝の九時であるから、この人たちは、あなたがたが思っている ように、酒に酔っているのではない。16 そうではなく、これは預言者ヨエルが預言していたことに外ならな いのである。すなわち、 17 『神がこう仰せになる。終りの時には、/わたしの霊をすべての人 に注ごう。そして、あなたがたのむすこ娘は預言をし、/若者たちは幻 を見、/老人たちは夢を見るであろう。18 その時には、わたしの男女の僕たちにも/わたしの霊を注ごう。そ して彼らも預言をするであろう。 19 また、上では、天に奇跡を見せ、/下では、地にしるしを、/すな わち、血と火と立ちこめる煙とを、/見せるであろう。20 主の大いなる輝かしい日が来る前に、/日はやみに/月は血に変る であろう。 21 そのとき、主の名を呼び求める者は、/みな救われるであろう』。 22 イスラエルの人たちよ、今わたしの語ることを聞きなさい。あなた がたがよく知っているとおり、ナザレ人イエスは、神が彼をとおして、 あなたがたの中で行われた数々の力あるわざと奇跡としるしとにより、 神からつかわされた者であることを、あなたがたに示されたかたであっ た。23 このイエスが渡されたのは神の定めた計画と予知とによるのである が、あなたがたは彼を不法の人々の手で十字架につけて殺した。 24 神はこのイエスを死の苦しみから解き放って、よみがえらせたので ある。イエスが死に支配されているはずはなかったからである。
i. Wait. You can’t force the Spirit’s hand. You can go through the motions like the swimmer thrashing about in the water but if the Spirit is not moving, then you’re only going to get very tired. We can and should ask for God to pour out His Spirit and God will respond to our cries – so there is something to do on our part – but it will ultimately be God who makes things happen. 待つ
ii. When the Spirit comes, when He moves: ride and enjoy the wave. receive Him, welcome Him, encourage Him, enjoy Him. This is exhilerating. Joy unspeakable. Be utterly amazed. If you think you don’t have to do anything when the Spirit is coming and you just blob around in the fellowship doing nothing, then all you will experience is the Spirit coming and then going past you and maybe all you will experience is seeing other people moving in the Spirit. 波に乗って楽しむ。
Seek the movement and the gifts of the Spirit. Dream dreams, see visions, prophesy. Seek these things. Share them with others. Share your testimonies.
iii. Don’t resist or you’ll have an experience something like the poor body surfer who gets dumped and end up bitter and empty. 抵抗しない。
If you start to see the Spirit move and you get scared because you feel this movement is bigger than you expected, or someone else suddenly says, ‘Hey, there’s a bigger movement going on over there!’ and you try to pull out at the last second, you will get what we technically call ‘left behind’.
And don’t mock as some did on the day of Pentecost because they couldn’t understand. The Bible tells us to not quench the Holy Spirit, do not put out the Spirit’s fire (1 Thess 5:19) – it’s possible for us to do this!, and do not blaspheme the Holy Spirit by denying His works (Mark 3:29). Let the Spirit move in you. Let’s let the Spirit move in us as He pleases.
B3. While riding or after riding the Spirit 聖霊に乗っている時、聖霊に乗った後
Acts 2:37-43 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
人々はこれを聞いて、強く心を刺され、ペテロやほかの使徒たちに、 「兄弟たちよ、わたしたちは、どうしたらよいのでしょうか」と言っ た。38 すると、ペテロが答えた、「悔い改めなさい。そして、あなたがた ひとりびとりが罪のゆるしを得るために、イエス・キリストの名によっ て、バプテスマを受けなさい。そうすれば、あなたがたは聖霊の賜物を 受けるであろう。 39 この約束は、われらの主なる神の召しにあずかるすべての者、すな わちあなたがたと、あなたがたの子らと、遠くの者一同とに、与えられ ているものである」。40 ペテロは、ほかになお多くの言葉であかしをなし、人々に「この 曲った時代から救われよ」と言って勧めた。 41 そこで、彼の勧めの言葉を受けいれた者たちは、バプテスマを受け たが、その日、仲間に加わったものが三千人ほどあった。42 そして一同はひたすら、使徒たちの教を守り、信徒の交わりをな し、共にパンをさき、祈をしていた。 43 みんなの者におそれの念が生じ、多くの奇跡としるしとが、使徒た ちによって、次々に行われた。
i. Just as the surfer can’t stop talking about the amazing wave he rode, so should we not stop telling people about the amazing things that God has done (we do this in a gentler way than the surfer probably tells). Tell people what God has done.神がしてくださったことを人に話す Show people what God has done. And when they see that there is something different in us and that something amazing going on, then tell people what they need to do: repent. Don’t just bowl up to people and tell them they need to repent before they can see or understand anything. That’s just rude and annoying. But once people can see that something is going on, that God is present and working, then the way to respond to the movement of God’s Spirit is to repent.
Peter urges his listeners to “save yourselves from this corrupt generation”. Was there ever a truer word for our generation?! This is not about seeking or preaching experiences. As we move in the Spirit, the message that follows must be one of repentance and salvation.
ii. Be devoted.専念する The early Christians, Spirit-filled and on fire for God, didn’t just sit back and say, “Well that was pretty amazing” and let the moment roll by. They “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” This is the model for our church and the very vision that we hold for our church.
iii. Eat an ice cream.アイスクリームを食べる Preferably vanilla. Last week we talked about having curry and rice, instant ramen and so on downstairs after church. That’s all fine but I say, let there be ice cream! (This has no Holy Spirit applications at all but I’m betting if Jesus were here, he’d be with me on this one.)
For some time now and especially recently, there is a sense that the Holy Spirit is gearing up to do some mighty works in our midst, turn the trickle into a mighty flow, and bring a torrent of fresh blessings. かなり前から、特に最近、聖霊が私たちのうちで力強いわざをなさろう としているのを感じます。しずくを力強い流れに変え、新しい祝福の急 流をもたらしましょう。
Let’s pray in small groups, specifically asking for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on us, our families and our church that we might have the power to take the gospel into our community confirmed by signs and wonders. 小グループに分かれて祈りましょう。特に、聖霊が私たちに、私たちの 家族に、私たちの教会に注がれ、しるしと奇跡によって強められ、福音を私たちの周りにたずさえる力が持てるように祈りましょう。