提斯利月在猶太曆是一個收割的月份，全球的葡萄都在這個時節被採擷、收割，並被壓榨成汁，成為下一季的新酒。通常，在這估量豐收成果的同時，也是興奮與期待交雜的時刻，然而，成功與否的關鍵，在於新酒最終製成的滋味如何。就在我們即將進入神新的七年循環的這個月份，神期待將新酒的美味充滿我們。特別在此時，我們需要以啟示性的眼光來明白並接受，當我們品嚐神的新酒時，我們能看見神那即將臨到我們，豐滿的恩惠與美善。

無疑地，全球性金融風暴選在此時發生並非巧合，仇敵的目的就是希望我們帶著酸、澀、苦的壞滋味進入新的時節，藉著將惡劣與失控的環境向我們展露那壞滋味。透過破壞這收割的季節，仇敵想要煽動我們，使我們開始緬懷著過去的美好時節(例如：「去年真是美好的一年呢」這類想法)，或是遙想著未來會怎麼樣的充滿盼望，而不讓我們專注在此刻，以致使我們忽略、錯失現在神所預定我們領受的豐盛。

然而，神已經賜下兩件禮物，幫助我們擺脫因著我們的遭遇而接受的壞滋味，好叫我們領受豐盛。首先，神賜下的贖罪日，好去除我們從過去或現今環境所得到的苦毒，以潔淨我們的「味覺」。如今正是神要去除我們心中殘留的任何酸、澀、苦的時候。我們常過分專注於強調饒恕的重要(饒恕的確能使我們去除情緒及靈裡的債)，卻忽略了贖罪。贖罪代表著「替代」，是將我們因著自己或他人而接收的創傷與罪，全數轉移到耶穌身上。而贖罪的力量不會全然被明白，直到耶穌真的處理並永遠地拿走那些創傷與罪。當祂拿走我們自己所犯的罪，及他人犯罪傷害我們(和神)的罪時，我們的靈被潔淨，以致不再有罪的污穢；我們的情緒被潔淨，以致創傷被醫治；我們的身體被潔淨，以致可以接受神的美善臨到、恢復我們的感官與肢體。

一旦神拿去我們口中那不好的滋味，祂便渴望以祂的新酒來替代。最近當我研讀關於葡萄酒製造過程的資料時，在葡萄的採集方式上，發現了過去所不知道的新資訊，雖然以前我就知道，葡萄是成串、而非個別的被採集，其中原因我也甚不明瞭，但這次我卻發現，其實葡萄酒大部分的美好滋味，是來自那成串葡萄的外皮，而非一顆顆葡萄的果肉使葡萄酒變得美味。

當我讀到這些資訊時，我感到聖靈告訴我幾件事；祂說我們必須讓神群聚我們。採集葡萄和採收水蜜桃是不同的，拿水蜜桃來說，果農們會逐一地檢查每顆水蜜桃，然後剪下那些好的(而壞的和有瑕疵的都會被留下)，並將好的水蜜桃按著大小和品質各分成堆；但對葡萄來說，一切的成敗都是由成串來定論的。過去我們專注於摘取果子，而非製酒，我們花許多的時間檢查自己和他人的果子，而非讓神招聚我們，使我們成群。【錫安連結】（Zion Connect）令我感覺如此清新，也正是因為我親眼看見神是一群一群的發展我們。

聖靈也啟示我關於與人隔絕的危險，與人隔絕是撒旦的計謀，無論藉由你的環境、過去和現在的創傷，或是個人表現和個性，撒旦的目的就是要你與他人隔絕。這對水蜜桃來說可能無所謂，但對最終將被製成酒的葡萄來說，卻是致命傷。在接下來的日子，我們必須容讓聖靈能夠照著祂的意思群聚我們，而不再以我們的表現如何來回應。如今不再是一個依照我們個人喜好去挑選的季節，而是呼求主，求祂連結我們，好讓祂新酒的美善可以全然降下的時候。

本文承蒙Glory of Zion International Ministries《錫安的榮耀國際事工》和作者惠允翻譯使用，特此致謝。中文版由和撒那／大衛會幕禱告中心翻譯，營利性印刷品及電子刊物，未經授權不得轉載；歡迎非營利性單位及電子刊物轉載，但請註明出處及鏈接（URL）。

 

《原文閱讀》

The month of Tishrei is a month for harvest. All around the world at this time grapes are being picked, gathered, and pressed for the next batch of new wine. Normally this is a time of excitement and anticipation as the quantity and quality of the harvest is assessed. The real success of the harvest is determined by the taste of the new wine. As we enter this new year in a new seven year cycle of years God has a taste of new wine He wants to fill our mouths with. Especially in this season we know prophetically when we taste His new wine it will cause us to see the fullness of His goodness.

It is no coincidence that the current world-wide financial crisis struck right as this time period began. It is clear that the enemy wanted us to enter the new season with a "bad taste" in our mouth from the circumstances unfolding around us and out of our control. By "spoiling" a time of harvest he seeks to provoke us to either reflect longingly on past harvests ("ahhh, that was a very good year!) or to look forward to future harvests in hopes of better things to come. Either way the current vintage is disregarded and sometimes rejected so that the blessing of this season's fruitfulness is missed.

God has provided two things to help rid ourselves of the "bad taste" of today's events and experience the goodness of this season's harvest. First He has given us the days of Awe and the Day of Atonement (I am writing this on Yom Kippur) as a way to cleanse our palate from the bitterness of past and current circumstances. This is a time for God to remove any and every "bad taste" that lingers in us. We often focus on the importance of forgiveness (the releasing of emotional or spiritual debt) while neglecting the power of atonement. Atonement is all about "removal." It begins with the transference of guilt and trauma caused by us and others onto Jesus. However the power of atonement is not fully realized until Jesus removes it and disposes of it forever. When He removes the taste of our guilt and the guilt of others against us (and Him) it cleanses us spiritually so no guilt remains; it cleanses us emotionally so we are healed of trauma; and it cleanses us physically so that we are able to experience His goodness in our senses and body.

Once God removes the "bad taste" He desires to replace it with the taste of His new. Recently I did some reading on how grapes are gathered for winemaking and discovered some things I did not know. Although I already knew that grapes are harvested in clusters (not as individual grapes) I did not know why. I found that when the clusters are pressed much of the taste of the wine comes not from the fruit of each grape but from the skins of the grapes in the clusters.

As soon as I read that the Spirit spoke several things. He said that we must let God cluster us. Gathering grapes is different than picking peaches. With peaches the picker looks at each individual peach, picks the good ones (leaving the badly bruised and flawed fruit) and then groups them according to size and quality. With grapes all that matters is the cluster. In past seasons we focused on picking fruit instead of making wine. We spent a lot of time examining our own fruit and the fruit of others instead of letting God cluster us. What makes Zion Connect so refreshing to me is that I see God developing it by clusters.

The Spirit also spoke to me the danger of isolation. Isolation is a strategy of Satan whereby he uses circumstances, trauma, personal preference, and individuality to isolate us. That may work for peaches but not for wine grapes. In the days ahead we must permit the Spirit to cluster us according to His purpose rather than our preferences. This is not a time for picking and choosing according to our tastes but a time to call on the Lord to connect us in ways that will bring forth the goodness of His new wine.

Allen Faubion