寻找真道

在东帝汶（Timor-Leste）最大的宗教节日期间，全国各地都有种类繁多的活动，那天我要去看赛马。

去赛马场的途中会经过一间复临教会。当我路过那间教会时，忽然有一位个叫马里阿诺的查经员追了上来。

他问我：“您要是有时间的话，愿意和我一起查经吗？”

我参加过好几次复临教会的查经课，但我觉得和我自己教会的教导没什么不同，就没有接着学了。但是当这位查经员问我的时候，我内心就有了想更了解《圣经》的愿望。

我就回答说：“好的，我愿意。”

马里阿诺说：“你不需要来我家，等赛马结束后我们一起到你家里去就好。”

于是在赛马结束后，我们就一起到了我的家里开始查经。经过四个月的查经，我开始在查经员的陪同下参加星期六的复临教会的敬拜，但同时我也还继续参加着星期日的礼拜。我当时认为周六和周日的礼拜没有什么不同。

过了一段时间，复临教会来了一位布道家，我就开始跟他一起研读《圣经》的但以理书和启示录。我们读到了这段经文：“他必向至高者说夸大的话，必折磨至高者的圣民，必想改变节期和律法。”（但7:25）。

回到家里，我再次打开《圣经》读那段经文：“他必向至高者说夸大的话，必折磨至高者的圣民，必想改变节期和律法。”（但7:25）。

“原来我信了这么多年的道理是错的，”我自言自语道。

我把《圣经》放在一边就去睡觉了，可我怎么都睡不着。我一直在琢磨，复临教会是不是在骗我，想要用这段经文来说服我加入他们的教会。

我从床上爬起来，打开灯又读一遍那段经文：“他必向至高者说夸大的话，必折磨至高者的圣民，必想改变节期和律法。”读了很多次之后，我想通了。我开始相信我的教会真的改变了第七日安息日的律法。我后来才明白这是圣灵的感动。

我立刻决定，禁食祷告，向上帝祈求：“星期六和星期日哪一天才是真安息日？到底哪一间才是真教会呢？”

我禁食祷告了一个星期，忽然有一个声音对我说：“你要遵从《圣经》里的话。”

我就下定决心要跟随上帝和祂话中的旨意。

虽然我每个安息日都去教堂，但牧师从未邀请我受洗。通常，每次礼拜结束后，他都会和我一起吃饭讨论《圣经》。

有一个星期六，我在安息日学课讨论后问牧师：“请问教会什么时候会安排让新人受洗？”

牧师回答说：“只要对方已经准备好，我们随时可以安排浸礼。”

我立刻下了决心。

 “既然如此，那我想要接受洗礼，”我告诉牧师。

牧师当下给了我一个拥抱。周围的大人和小孩见到我们如此喜乐，也都过来跟我握手、拥抱。

他们说：“你终于被上帝呼召了！”听到这些话，我不禁掉下眼泪，因为我终于找到了上帝的真道！

来源：本文译自《圣工消息》（社会青年季刊）2022年第一季

Finding the True Way

Many events were staged around town to celebrate a big religious holiday in Timor-Leste, and I decided to go to the horse races.

To reach the horse-racing track, I had to walk past a Seventh-day Adventist church. As I passed, a Bible worker, Mariano, saw me and chased after me.

 “If you have time, would you like to study the Bible together?” he asked.

I had studied with Adventists in their homes a few times, but I had stopped meeting with them because they seemed to teach the same things as my own church. Still, when the Bible worker ran after me, I felt a deep desire to know more about the Bible.

 “I would like to study the Bible,” I said.

 “You don’t need to come to my house,” Mariano said. “I’ll go to your house. After the horse races end, we can go there.”

We went to my house right after the races and started studying the Bible. We studied together for four months, and I agreed to go to the Adventist church with the Bible worker every Sabbath. I still went to my church on Sundays. I didn’t see anything wrong with worshiping on Saturdays and Sundays.

After some time, an Adventist evangelist arrived, I studied Daniel and Revelation with him. In Dan. 7:25, we read, “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law” (NKJV).

At home, I opened my Bible and read the verse again and again. “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.”

I said to myself, “It turns out that what I have believed for years is not true.”

I closed my Bible and tried to sleep. I wondered whether the Adventists were trying to deceive me. Maybe they had intentionally showed me the verse to convince me to join their church.

Getting up, I turned on the light and read, “He shall speazk pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.” As I read, I felt impressed that my church had changed the time of the Sabbath and the law that declares the seventh day is the Sabbath. Later, I realized that the Holy Spirit was convicting my heart.

Immediately, I decided to fast, and I prayed, “Is Saturday or Sunday the true Sabbath? Is my church or the Adventist Church the true church?”

After fasting and praying for a week, a thought spoke to me, “You had better follow what is written in the Bible.”

I determined to follow God’s will as expressed in Scripture.

Although I attended church every Sabbath, the pastor never invited me to be baptized. After worship services, he and I usually ate together and discussed the Bible.

One Sabbath, between Sabbath School and church, I asked the pastor, “When will there be a baptism for the new people who want to be baptized?”

 “It depends on the person who wants to be baptized,” he said. “We can arrange a baptism for him or her whenever they are ready.”

At that moment I made up my mind.

 “If there is baptism, I want to be baptized,” I said.

Immediately, the pastor hugged me. Adults and children saw our joy and came over to shake my hand and embrace me.

 “You have been called by God,” they told me.

When I heard those words, I wept. I had found God’s true way.

Today, Mario is a Bible worker and has led many people to God’s true way through Bible studies and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Please find the original article at: https://am.adventistmission.org/mqa22q1-04