——写给当下不愿熄灭信仰火种的弟兄姐妹

文 / HuSir

　　近来有许多弟兄姐妹内心感到不安，聚集在一起不再像以往那样自然顺畅，一些熟悉的、习惯性的方式也悄然改变，也有的肢体因为生计操劳、时间冲突不得不放弃“聚会”，或者因为和其他肢体无法彼此包容而离开教会独自灵修。然而，弟兄姐妹们想过没有，这恰恰是属灵人更深经历神的时刻。因为真正的“敬拜”，从来不受场所、形式或节奏的限制，而是在于我们是否愿意在当下、在心灵深处，持续与神相交。

　　这些问题，不是理论问题，而是正在逼近我们现实生活的挑战。在这种新形势下，我们必须重新审视：什么是“敬拜”？什么是“聚会”？我们如何在压力之下，保全信仰的种子？

一、“敬拜”的核心，不在场所，而在心灵与诚实

　　耶稣对撒玛利亚妇人说：

　　“时候将到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心灵和诚实拜他，因为父要这样的人拜他。”（约 4:23）

　　今天这句话比任何时代都更加贴切。主早已知道，将来会有这样的时候：我们无法在会堂、家庭、网络平台自由“聚会”。真正的“敬拜”不在于外在形式，而在于发自心灵的忠诚与敬畏。主耶稣希望的是你随时随地心怀悔改的心，时时刻刻让耶稣基督做你的主，从容不迫的面对来自社会的一切，自由追求美好的生活。

• 在地铁里闭上眼默祷的那一刻，是“敬拜”。
• 在厨房里默诵经文，是“敬拜”。
• 在公园里两三人低声查经，是“敬拜”。
• 在压力下依然选择饶恕、不说谎、不妥协，那也是“敬拜”。

　　“敬拜”不在于“像不像”，而在于“真不真”。
　　当“聚会”不再是形式，而是生命的交汇，当“敬拜”不再是唱歌讲道，而是日常生活的顺服，那时我们就真正进入了主所悦纳的“敬拜”。

二、对待权力：不要幻想感化，而要清醒守望

　　我们必须承认，当前管理人员对家庭教会的容忍度正在收紧。在这样的环境中，不要再抱有“对他们以真心，换来理解”的幻想。

　　他们不是朋友，是权力体系中的执行者。我们不是敌人，更不是他们能操控的对象。耶稣面对彼拉多，只说：“你说的是。”（太 27:11c）面对逼问，祂有时沉默，有时反问，有时只说一句足以让良心动摇的话。

　　有句话说得好：“感化他们是神的工作，我们要做的是保全信仰的种子。”这正是我们的使命所在。我们不主动对抗、不去挑衅、不做无谓的牺牲，但我们要保住种子、隐藏火种、守住信仰的脉络，直到能再公开开花结果的那一日。

三、在限制中寻找智慧：“聚会”可以更“流动”，信仰不必停止

　　在当下，“聚会”的形式应更加灵活、更具智慧。我们可以：

• 小组拆分、流动“聚会”：轮流在不同地点（公园、饭局、散步）进行简短分享；
• 一对一属灵同伴制：不再依赖“领袖”和听面对面的讲道，而是彼此喂养、互为肢体，有条件的话自己做“肢体圈”的讲道人；
• 线下线上的结合：用非敏感化表达进行属灵交流；
• 家庭祭坛恢复：父母就是祭司，孩子就是会众，一间房也是圣所。

　　这些做法的背后，是一个信念：主的教会不是组织，而是生命的连接；不是程序，而是信仰的交融。

四、灵性的根基：不靠外在环境，而靠内在真实的主

　　当“聚会”场所不再安全，当言语受到限制，我们才更明白：信仰是否真实，从来不在“我们能不能敬拜”，而在“我们是否还愿意敬拜”、是不是能在当下的环境中行出耶稣基督门徒的样式。属灵人深知，并非所有人都能理解我们的坚持。因此，在与外界接触时，我们不需要证明什么，也不必解释太多，而是守住内心的敬畏与清醒。

• 若我们只是因为“可以唱诗、听讲道”才觉得敬虔，那我们的信仰只是习惯；
• 若我们在被压制、被打压时仍不熄灭灵火，那才是“心灵和诚实”的“敬拜”。

　　“人要适应孤独”，你说得对。但基督徒的孤独不同——那是一种为主分别出来的孤独。是“被掰开”的面包，是“被撒下”的种子。孤独不是放弃，而是预备被神使用的过程。

五、我们是撒种的人，神是叫他生长的主

　　今天你在逼迫中仍选择“敬拜”，在困境中仍决定信靠，这一切不会徒然。也许你所撒的种子暂时看不到结果，但请记得：

　　“我们不是叫人悔改的那一位，我们只是播种的人。”
　　“唯有 神叫他生长。”（林前 3:6c）

　　所以我们不要急于“感化他们”，也不必用妥协换安全——该做的忠心去做，不该说的交给神。在这土地上，我们不知明天是否还会自由“敬拜”，但我们愿意今天就活出“敬拜”的真实。温柔待人，并不意味着毫无分辨；不对抗，也不代表认同。神的儿女懂得将心门向神敞开，将门槛向人保留——那是一种不轻信、不愤怒、不妥协的柔和，是面对权柄也能不失定向的坚定。

尾声：“敬拜”是火种，不是活动

　　属灵的操练常常发生在孤独中，而不是人群中。也许我们曾经享受过热闹的聚集，但如今，我们被带到更深的地方去认识自己与神。

　　今天，在这个混沌与压制的时代里，真正的“敬拜”者也在被筛选。
　　愿我们在动荡不明的日子里，安静“敬拜”，柔和坚定，用心灵和诚实，继续走在主的同在中。

How Should We “Gather” and “Worship” Today?

— Written for the brothers and sisters who refuse to let the flame of faith go out
By HuSir

Lately many brothers and sisters have felt unsettled in their hearts. Gathering together no longer feels as natural and smooth as it once did; some familiar, habitual patterns have quietly changed. Some have had to give up corporate “gatherings” because of work or family pressures, while others, unable to find mutual understanding with fellow believers, have left the church and now worship alone. But have we paused to consider that this very season may be the moment for deeper encounters with God? True “worship” is never confined by place, form, or schedule—it depends on whether we choose right now, in the depths of our spirit, to remain continually connected to Him.

These are not theoretical questions, but challenges fast approaching our daily reality. In this new situation we must re-examine: What is “worship”? What is “gathering”? How do we preserve the seed of faith under pressure?

I. The Essence of “Worship” Is Not Location but Spirit and Truth

Our Lord Jesus said to the Samaritan woman,

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
— John 4:23 (NKJV)

Today this word is more relevant than ever. Jesus knew there would come a time when we could no longer freely assemble in meeting halls, homes, or online platforms. True “worship” is not about outward form but about heartfelt loyalty and reverence. He longs for us to carry a repentant heart at every moment, to let Jesus Christ reign in us, to face every challenge calmly, and to pursue the good life in freedom.

• Closing your eyes and praying silently on the subway—that is “worship.”
• Reading Scripture quietly in the kitchen—that is “worship.”
• Studying the Word in low voices with two or three friends in a park—that is “worship.”
• Choosing forgiveness over resentment, honesty over compromise, even under pressure—that, too, is “worship.”

Worship is not about “how it looks” but “how real it is.” When “gathering” becomes life intersecting life, and “worship” becomes daily obedience rather than singing and preaching, we have truly entered the worship our Father desires.

II. Relating to Authority: Be Clear-Eyed, Not Naïvely Persuading

We must recognize that official tolerance toward house churches is tightening. In this environment, we must abandon any illusion that sincerity alone can win them over.

They are not our friends but functionaries within a system of power. We are not enemies, nor are we their puppets. When Jesus faced Pilate, He simply said, “You have said it.”

— Matthew 27:11 (NKJV)

Sometimes He was silent, sometimes He answered with a question, sometimes He spoke a word that pierced the conscience. “It is God’s work to soften hearts; our task is to guard the seed of faith.” We do not provoke, nor do we make needless sacrifices. Yet we must preserve the seed, hide the flame, and safeguard the lineage of faith until the day we can openly blossom again.

III. Finding Wisdom in Constraints: “Gathering” Can Be Fluid, Faith Cannot Cease

In our current circumstances, “gathering” must become more flexible and wise. We might:

• Divide into small, mobile gatherings—meeting briefly in different locations (parks, cafés, while walking);
• Pair up in spiritual companionship—no longer depending on formal leadership or in-person sermons, but mutually feeding one another, each taking turns to lead a small group;
• Blend offline and online—using discreet language for spiritual encouragement;
• Restore the home altar—parents as priests, children as congregation; a single room can become a sanctuary.

These methods rest on one conviction: the church is not an organization but a network of life; not a program but a communion of faith.

IV. The Foundation of the Spirit: Depend on the True Lord, Not Circumstances

When gathering places are unsafe and words are constrained, we realize true faith is not about “whether we can worship” but “whether we will worship”—whether we live out the life of a disciple in our present environment. The spiritually minded know few will understand their resolve. Therefore, when engaging with the outside world, we need not prove ourselves or over-explain. Instead, we guard the awe and clarity within our hearts.

• If our devotion depends merely on singing hymns and hearing sermons, our faith is a habit.
• If our flame persists under pressure, that is worship in spirit and truth.

“Man must learn to live with loneliness,” you rightly observe. But the loneliness of a Christian is different—it is a loneliness set apart for the Lord. Like bread broken and seed sown, this solitude is not abandonment but preparation to be used by God.

V. We Are Sowers; God Gives the Growth

Today, choosing worship amid persecution and trusting amid trials will never be in vain. Though the seed we sow may not yet bear fruit, remember:

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”
— 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NKJV)

Therefore, let us not rush to persuade, nor compromise for safety. Let us do our faithful work today, leaving tomorrow’s harvest in God’s hands. Though we may not know when we will worship freely again, we choose to live out true worship now. Gentleness toward people need not lack discernment; non-confrontation need not mean acquiescence. God’s children open their hearts to Him and keep a threshold for the world—an untrusting, unprovoked, uncompromising gentleness, a firmness unshaken by any authority other than Christ.

Epilogue: “Worship” Is a Spark, Not an Event

Spiritual discipline often occurs in solitude, not crowds. Perhaps we once enjoyed the bustle of large gatherings, but now we are brought deeper into knowing ourselves and the Lord. In this age of turbulence and suppression, worshippers are being sifted. May we, in uncertain times, worship quietly, with gentle resolve, walking ever in spirit and truth with our Lord.