Testimony of Rupert Cass 加拿大 Rupert 弟兄的見證

在前半段的人生中，一路跌跌撞撞。17歲時被不知名的病毒感染，我因此變得很沮喪，染上抽菸吸毒的惡習，甚至因為販毒入獄。在出獄後的日子，更結識了一位女孩，而且很快就懷孕，在我下定決心懺悔成為一名基督徒時，女兒的母親卻離去了我。當我想到一個有聖靈的教會去，藉著新同事的帶領，我接觸了「真耶穌教會」，而神透過「真正的聖靈」向我顯明，這確實是真教會！……

 

哈利路亞，奉主耶穌聖名作見證：

在見證之前，我要先感謝神，讓我有這個機會來到台灣和各位弟兄姊妹分享我如何來到真耶穌教會的經過。

雖然在我還是襁褓的時候，我的母親就讓我在其他教會受洗，但是我們家從未參與教會活動。我個人的信仰歷程始於我10歲的時候，那時我的父母之間發生了一些衝突，朋友的母親藉此機會邀請我母親、妹妹和我到她所信仰的教會。

那間教會廣大地宣傳「接受神進入你的心，你就能得救」的道理，我記得我和妹妹參加他們的主日學時，主日學的老師告訴我們說：「你若跟著我這樣禱告，你就可以得永生，若你不跟我禱告，你就會進入永死的地獄……誰要跟著我禱告？」當然，我就跟著禱告，也深信我一定可以因此進入天國。

幾年之後，我們加入這間教會，他們堅持《聖經》中的洗禮一定是入水的洗禮，所以在我16歲的時候，我在洗禮缸裡又接受了一次洗禮，這是我第二次的洗禮。

信仰的考驗卻在我17歲時臨到，父親和我染上一種不尋常的病毒，這病毒的病狀是會造成低血糖以及太陽穴的感染。很不幸的，連醫生也無法了解我們的病因，而這病徵持續了很長的一段時間。父親因此失去了工作，也離開了母親，而我從一位優秀的學生變成連連被當的學生。

我因此變得很沮喪，甚至開始和教會的青年一起抽菸、吸毒，也停止了聚會，而我吸毒的習慣卻越來越糟糕，甚至後來因販毒而入獄將近四個月。出獄之後，我停止吸毒，然後開始和一位女孩約會，很快的，她就懷了我的孩子。我的信仰就如此地經歷了很長一段低潮期。

四年之後，我的主治醫師用了份量很重的藥消滅我體內的病毒。我終於恢復了健康，而我的成績也慢慢回到原來的水準，差不多就在那時候，有一位教會的年輕帶領者問我是否願意回到教會，當然我是願意的，因我為之前所做的事以及將神給我的豐富信仰棄之不顧而深深地感到愧疚。

因此有很長一段時間我一天數次向神懺悔，當然其中有一部分是為了我的女兒的命運感到懊悔，所以我決定盡我所能的改變我的生命，以取得神的喜悅。

我成為一位虔誠的基督徒，有時一天讀經五小時，做長時間安靜的禱告，傳福音，而且將我所有的賙濟窮人。而在那時候，我女兒的母親卻離我而去。

到我27歲時，神和我之間又發生了一個不尋常的意外。有一天母親邀請我參加一個山邊的基督教戶外佈道，當我到那裡時，那些人的禱告聲音讓我大感驚奇，那是一種奇怪的舌音，我從未見過也從未聽過，這情況讓我有一點恐懼。

長話短說，在聚會最後的時候，我在眾人以為我要認罪的情況下到前面禱告，但那位佈道家卻筆直的向在隊伍末端的我走來，並且將他的手放在我因病而膨脹的肚子上，所有的人就開始為我禱告。有一股神奇的力量臨到我身上，我被一種不可言喻的愛所充滿，就如同神親自顯現降臨在我身上一般。

在我一生當中，從未經歷過這樣的愛和喜樂，我沉醉在那樣的愛中，而這樣的感覺持續了三天，我過著在地如天的生活，喜樂之情像是從我心中爆開一樣，即便到了今天，我不曾再有這種與神之間奇異的經驗。一周之內，我的腹脹就消失了。

從那時起，我看了一個又一個奇蹟，個人亦親自經歷很多很特別的奇蹟。在我內心更深信神揀選了我，祂以一種奇特的方式與我的生命連結，而我也越加地虔誠了。

但這些奇蹟最後卻使我感到困惑了，也許是因為教會、同靈，以及我本身的經歷不夠或不成熟，這樣的奇蹟不再在我的生活和教會中出現。此時我也決定要找個安靜且未經歷「屬靈恩賜」的教會。

直到四年前我38歲的時候，有天我工作的公司雇用了女性職員，我覺得這兩位女生很奇怪，她們似乎是虔誠的基督徒，卻不願意參與我們辦公室每週讀經的活動。我又看到她們所屬教會的名稱是真耶穌教會，對我而言這個名字還真酷啊！

當時我正想我應該到一個有聖靈的教會去，我不能在神面前隱藏自己，也不能不為祂所用。我想真耶穌教會有聖靈，所以我應該要去真耶穌教會。我請新同事中的一位帶領我，並開始參與她們的教會聚會。

此後數週我都會到教會跪下來用我的「靈言」禱告，而他們用他們的「靈言版本」禱告。我心中很惋惜，他們不能用我這樣棒的禱告語言，他們的靈言只是持續一個聲音，但是為什麼他們稱自己是真教會呢？是不是有人矇騙了他們。

直到有一次特別聚會，我們有很多次的禱告，在一次三十分鐘的禱告之後，我的舌頭累了，嘴巴也酸了，而他們仍然邀請我到前面禱告。我心中不悅，不曉得該怎麼辦，雖然我不曉得基於什麼理由，但他們一直要我到前面去禱告。

我到前面禱告時，仍用我原來的舌音禱告，但因為我已經累了，於是我只做無聲的禱告，並在心中呼求「聖靈啊，請為我禱告」，當我一說完，一股電流穿過我的身體，然後我的舌頭就開始轉動，身體也開始振動，神的安慰臨到我，我同時感覺到無可言喻的喜樂和驚訝。

當神向我顯明的時候，我立即知道這是真教會，但這樣的認知對我而言是不合理的。

藉由我所領受的聖靈，我知道神已將我安置在祂的教會裡，即便我還有許多事情不明白，特別是為什麼他們叫真耶穌教會，也許神是將我放在這個教會以更正他們。

我強烈地相信，如同耶穌在《約翰福音》十七章中的禱告，所有的教派應該合而為一，我覺得我們教會將自己從眾教派中分別出來是錯的，所以我原本的目的是要說服教會，沒有任何一個教派的教義是比別的教派好的，我們應該要對別人的意見有較多的寬容以達到合而為一的目的。而最重要的事莫過於「相信基督耶穌」。

當然教會的弟兄姊妹都希望我再次受洗，為了讓他們內心平安，我願意再受洗；但是為了神，我想我不應該再受一次洗，因為我已經受洗兩次了。再次受洗不但與我的信仰違背，同時也與其他基督徒的信仰違背，更重要的是，這對神而言是錯的。

那一年暑假，張恩哲長老來加拿大訪問，我很高興他跟我有了一些辯論，因為我想要明白我在神面前是否可以接受再次的洗禮，也希望教會弟兄姊妹的心中能有平安。但在他的申論中，我感到神的愛是如此地強烈，以致於我幾乎認為他在跟我說英文，甚至其中一句話，我幾乎確信我是以英文了解的。

最後，我終於被他的一個論點所說服了，他說「如果為你施洗的人沒有聖靈，他如何有這個權柄為你施洗？」我完全認同張長老的這句話。神的教會是屬靈的教會，所以需要有聖靈的權柄。

第二天，我便同意接受洗禮，但老實說，我心裡仍有一些擔憂，我這樣做在神眼中是否是對的呢？因為我只是用《聖經》來做辯論，我在地上而神卻是在天上，或許神並不會真的很高興我再次受洗吧?!

為了給自己再一點時間思考，回家後我寄了一封電子郵件給我一位很親近的屬靈同伴，討論關於張長老所引《聖經》中得到聖靈的使徒便有赦罪的權柄一事。當我寄出這個郵件後，發現我不小心引錯了經節，但為時已晚。

我的心情沉重，我想我的朋友一定覺得，我已經迷失了，也或許我真的已經迷失了。但當我回頭看那個我所寄出去的經節時，我感到很震驚，因為我所引用的那個經節是：「你要受我所受的洗。」

在那個時刻，我覺得聖靈向我辯證，神已經自己證明了這個洗禮。三個月後，當我發現真教會是建立在聖靈直接向魏保羅發言，說「你們務必領受耶穌所受的洗」，而這正是神在我所發出的電子郵件中向我所說的話，這讓我感到無比地雀躍。

我立時了解到符合真理的洗禮、聖餐禮、和洗腳禮都必須是根據耶穌基督親自做的示範並交代門徒遵行的。透過《聖經》，我們可以知道使徒時代完全合一的教會，《約翰福音》十七章是經由遵從耶穌的榜樣而設立的。這就是《以弗所書》中所說的一主、一信、一洗的那一個洗，是所有信徒都認同的，也就是基督耶穌所祈求的完全合一。

藉由這樣震撼人心的啟示，我聯同愛明頓教會的弟兄姊妹立即寫了一封信給在愛明頓的其他四百間教會，解釋基督所祈求的「在主裡完全的合一」，只能、也只可能透過遵行耶穌親自示範的洗來完成。我很訝異於其他教會所做的回應，在回覆中他們表示了初步的認同，多數教會很興奮知道有一個方法能夠實現基督的祈求和神的意願。

現在在愛明頓市，我們仍繼續努力追求能讓所有的教會都聯合於耶穌基督親自做的榜樣中，而摒棄人所創的宗教，這樣所有的信徒才能如基督所祈求的，在主裡合而為一，也就是神所希望的，選民和祂的聯合。

因為我們也注意到加拿大的宗教氣氛較台灣開放，多數加拿大的教會不很在意他們的基本教義，他們認同教會的合一遠比教義來得重要。所以我們需要有耐心的繼續將真理以正向的方式傳達出去，也期望你們能為我們代禱！

至於我個人，我絕對相信，未來神將在西方教會中重用本會。我也深信，依著神的時間，我們的基本教義一定會將不分黑、白、黃各種族的真信徒帶到神的救贖中。而這也是為什麼我們的教會能有聖靈，這真理的靈為印，與我們同證神的真理。我們教會是由神所建立，為眾信徒重申救贖的真義，而這是我心所期盼的。

至於我的家人，母親有時會來教會，女兒則相信我們的教義，卻還沒有來教會，但我相信我們終會全家信主。

這就是小弟的見證，我很高興有這個機會與你們分享，身為你們的加拿大白人弟兄，感謝主讓我能蒙福找到真理，我很感謝大家帶給我們這個真福音，這是唯一合神旨意的福音。讓我們一起獻上我們的感謝，也祈求這個生命之河能繼續綿延下去，讓救贖的門大開。願一切榮耀歸於我們的主耶穌基督。

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以上為加拿大Rupert Cass弟兄於2008年8月12日，在真耶穌教會社會組神學訓練班分享的見證。

Hallelujah, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I testify.

But before I begin I would like to thank God for this opportunity to come here to Taiwan and to share with you Gods leading of how I am able to stand here today with you as a brother.

Although my mother had baptized me as a baby in the Catholic church, our family never went to church, and so my personal journey of faith really began when I was ten years old. My mother and father were having some marital difficulties and my friends mother used the opportunity to invite my mother and sister and I to church.

The church was strongly evangelical, and simply preached that you need to “accept Jesus into your heart,” in order to be saved. I can remember my sister and I in the Sunday School class, and the teacher saying, “if you say this prayer, you will go to heaven forever, and if you dont say this prayer you will go to hell forever,”…”who wants to say the prayer?” So we said the prayer, and that was it I thought, I was guaranteed to go to heaven because I said that prayer.

And a few years later after we joined a Baptist church, and of course the Baptist church insists the biblical baptism must be underwater, and so this time when I was sixteen years old, I was baptized in a baptismal tank. So this was actually my second baptism.

But the test of my faith came when I was about 17 years old, my father and I both became sick by an unusual virus. The symptoms of this virus are very low blood sugar and also a sinus infection. Unfortunately, the doctors did not understand the illness, and as a result both us remained ill for a long period.

My father lost his job and left my mother, and I started failing school even though I used to be a straight A student. I become depressed and actually starting smoking drugs with my church youth group, I soon stopped going to church, and my drug habits grew worse and worse, until soon I was dealing drugs and spent almost four months in jail.

After I got out from jail, I stopped taking drugs to alleviate my suffering, and I starting dating a girl who soon became pregnant. My faith had taken a very long fall.

However, after four years the doctors were able to give me sufficient medication to kill the virus. My health came back and my grades went back up, and about that time an youth leader asked if I wanted to start going back to church.

And so I did, and of course I was deeply sorry for the mess I had made of my life and for abandoning my faith in God. And so I would say sorry to God several times a day, for quite a long time. I think in part of course I was especially sorry for the fate of my daughter. And I was determined to do everything I could do change my life and make my life pleasing to God.

And I became a very devout Christian, reading my bible, sometimes five hours a day, praying for long periods in secret, evangelizing, and giving all I could to the poor. My daughters mother however, was no longer interested in me and went her own way.

But when I was about 27 years old, I had an unusual encounter with God. My mother invited me to a Christian campmeeting close to the mountains. And when I got there I was so surprised, all the people there were praying in some sort of strange tongues. I had never seen, or even heard of this before, and was actually a bit afraid.

To make a long story short, I ended up going to the front with some others thinking I would confess my sins. But the preacher right away came to me at the end of the line, and laid his hands on my stomach, which had become bloated out from my illness.

And then all of the people prayed for me, and all of a sudden this incredible power descended on me, and I was filled with this incredible love, it was like the very presence of God Himself descended on me. I have never in my life experience such love, and joy. I became intoxicated with this overwhelming love.

And this went on for three days, I was literally in heaven on earth, and joy just seemed to burst my heart apart. And still to this day I have never experienced anything even like this encounter with God. And within a week my stomach, which the preacher, laid his hands on, was completely healed.

So from that point onward I began to see miracle after miracle, and outstanding personal miracles became as common as birthday parties. And I began to get this deep and inner conviction that God in fact had chosen me, and was very interested to be involved in my life, and so my devotion became even stronger.

But eventually the experience of miracles became confusing for me, maybe because of the experience or immaturity of church members, including myself, and the miracles seemed to stop both in my own life and in the church I attended, and I decided to start attending a quieter church that did not experience spiritual gifts.

Until one day, about four years ago, when I was 38, two sisters from our church, got jobs at the office where I worked. I thought these girls were very strange, they seem to be very devout Christians, but why did they not want to come to our weekly office bible studies? And I saw the name of the church they belonged to “True Jesus Church.” Thats a pretty cool name I thought.

Then I started thinking to myself, I need to start going to a church that has the Holy Spirit. I cannot hide myself from God, and from His purposes. And I thought to myself, I think the True Jesus Church, whatever it is, has the Holy Spirit, I need to go there.

And so I asked one of the sisters to invite me, and started to go to TJC. And so week after week, we would kneel down and pray in tongues, I would pray in tongues in my “prayer language” and they would pray in their version of tongues.

And I thought to myself its too bad they cant pray in tongues as good as I can, they just keep making the same sound. And why do they keep calling themselves the “True Church,” have they deluded by someone?

Until one weekend we were having special services with lots of prayer. I got tired of praying in my prayer language, my mouth was getting sore after about half an hour. But they wanted me to keep on praying. I was getting exasperated. And so I didnt know what to do.

And they were beckoning me to come to the front with others but I did not understand why. And so I went to the front and continued to pray in prayer language but in my exhaustion I made to God one simple silent prayer, “Help me Holy Spirit.” No sooner than I finished saying it, a shock went through my body and the back of my tongue began to roll as fast as fan and my body began to vibrate.

And the comfort of God went through me. I was overjoyed and scared all at the same time. And in that moment by the presence of God I knew instantly, “I am in the True Church,” this makes no sense to me at all, but I know I am in the true church.

And so by the Spirit I received I knew that God had put me in this church, but I did not understand many things. Especially why they called it the “True Jesus Church.” And I began seeking very hard to understand, and actually I thought maybe God had me here to correct the church, ha ha. Because I of course strongly believed all Christians should be in unity even as Christ prayed in John 17.

And I thought that our church was very much in error in the way we separated ourselves from other believers. And so initially of course my goal was to convince the church that no ones doctrine is really any better, and that we should be more tolerant to other opinions for the sake of unity. And that really all that matters is that you “believe in Christ.”

But of course my brothers and sisters wanted me to rebaptize, and for the sake of their peace I wanted to, but of course for the sake of God I thought I could not, I cannot rebaptize, this is wrong. I had already been baptized twice. To be baptized again, would not only deny my faith but the faith of all other Christians, and this would be wrong before God.

And so in the summer when Elder Chang came to visit he began to challenge me, and I was so happy he was arguing with me, because I wanted to know if there was anyway before God, that God would allow me to rebaptize and give my brothers and sisters peace.

And the love of God was so strong in his arguments that I actually thought he was talking to me in English. So much so that at one time I was convinced that he even spoke to me a sentence alone which I understand in English.

And finally he said one thing that convinced me. “if the person that baptizes you does not have the Holy Spirit, what authority does he have to baptize.” And so I thought “Yes” hes right, Gods church is a spiritual church and has to be established in spiritual authority.”

And so the next day I agreed to baptize, but to be honest I was still somewhat afraid if I had really done the right thing in Gods eyes, because I was only using arguments from the bible, and I am only on earth, and God resides in heaven. And perhaps God Himself was not truly happy with my baptism.

And so to console myself, when I went home I sent an email to my closest spiritual friend defending my decision to baptize with the Elders argument, that the disciples received the authority to forgive sins when they received the Holy Spirit. But after sending the message I realized I accidently typed the wrong Bible verse. And it was to late to change my message.

And so my heart sank, I thought, my friend will now think I have really lost it, and maybe I really have lost it. But when I looked up the verse I really sent I got a shock, because the verse I had sent to him in my defense read “you will indeed be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.”

And in that I moment I felt the Holy Spirit was speaking to me that God had approved of my baptism. And I felt this incredible peace. A peace that grew into tremendous excitement three months later, when in fact that I found out that our church was established y the Holy Spirit speaking to Paul Wei “you must be baptized with the baptism of Jesus.” The same message God had spoken to me through my e-mail.

And then I understand the truth. The commandments of Christ: baptism, communion, and footwashing are all according to Christs example. Through the bible we can see the church of the apostles was established in “complete unity” (John 17) through following the example of Christ.

And this is the one baptism of Ephesians, the only baptism in which all believers can agree to unite, “one lord, one faith and one baptism” and come to the complete unity that our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for.

And so with this revelation and excitement, along with my brothers and sisters in Edmonton, I immediately sent a letter to all 400 churches in the City of Edmonton, to explain that the “complete unity” Jesus prayed for can only could only take place in the “one baptism” of Jesus own example.

And I was very surprised by the response, all the churches I sent the letter to, from those I talked to basically agreed at first their first read and, many were very excited that there truly is a way to fulfilling the will of God and the prayer of Jesus Christ.

And so in Edmonton now we are continuing our efforts to persuade all churches and be united by the example of Christ, and to put away the observance of religious days that have been created by men, so that all believers can truly come back to complete unity as Christ prayed, and so that all believers can truly come into the relationship that God wants with His people.

Because we also see the spiritual climate in Canada is perhaps much more open than in Taiwan. As most churches in Canada disregard the significance of their own doctrines, and hold the unity of churches as more significant than protecting their own doctrines.

So we simply need to continue our delivery of the truth in a patient and positive manner. And so this is something I hope you can pray for.

And on a personal level I most definitely believe God is going to use our church in a very significant way among western churches in the years to come. And I truly believe, the basis of our doctrine, must in Gods timing drive the way to unity for all true believers of Christ, both black, white and Chinese, all whom Christ has chosen for salvation.

And so this is why our church retains the testimony of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit which resides in our church to testify to the truth. That our church was established by God to reestablish the true doctrine of salvation for all believers, and this is something I am so excited about.

As for my own family, my mom is coming sometimes to the church and my daughter believes the doctrine of our church but still needs to come to church, but I have confidence my family members will eventually come.

So this is my testimony, I am excited to share with you, as one of your first “white Canadian” brothers, blessed by God to find the truth. And so I want to thank you for bringing us the true gospel. The only gospel that can fulfill our Lords desire, so let us give thanks to God, and pray that the river continues to flow, that we can be excited that the door of salvation is opening. May all glory be unto our Lord Jesus Christ.

Testimony provider: brother Rupert Cass

Date: 2008/8/12

Location: Taiwan GA, Taichong, Taiwan