晨興聖言-認識、經歷、並活包羅萬有的基督...(W4-4)
第四週■週四
晨興餧養
腓一21 ~ 23『因爲在我,活着就是基督,死了就有益處。但我在肉身活着,若使我的工作有果子,我就不知道該挑選甚麼。我正困迫於兩難之間,情願離世與基督同在…。』
25『我旣然這樣深信,就知道仍要留下,繼續與你們眾人同住,使你們得到信仰上的進步和喜樂。』
腓立比一章二十一節…開頭小小的『因爲』一辭很重要,指明以下所說的是前一節的解釋。基督所以能在保羅身體上顯大,乃是因爲保羅活基督。我們若要顯大基督,就必須活基督。雖然活基督這麼重要,並沒有太多基督徒充分注意這事。…在保羅帶鎖鍊的身體上,基督得着高舉、頌揚、讚美和珍賞,這都是因爲保羅活基督(腓立比書生命讀經,五八至五九頁)。
信息選讀
許多基督徒只關心工作,卻不在意基督。但是保羅能說『工作的果子』(腓一22)。保羅用『果子』指明他的工作實際上就是他的生活。當保羅寫信給腓立比人時,他正在監獄裏生活,並沒有作工。這指明他的生活就是他的工作。…這工作的果子就是基督活出來,得着顯大,並服事給別人。因此,保羅工作的果子就是基督傳輸到別人裏面。…腓立比一章二十二節工作的果子,就是保羅在獄中生活的結果。
保羅活的工作,乃是將基督服事給人,並把他所顯大的基督傳輸到別人裏面。就保羅而言,死了就有益處,但活着卻是要繼續作這種活的、結果子的工作。他很難在兩者之間作取捨。…如果你必須有所選擇,你會挑選甚麼?是身體的死所得的益處,還是活的工作所產生的果子?我一定選擇在肉身活着,好繼續作活的工作,就是顯大基督並把祂傳輸到別人裏面。
二十四節保羅接着說,『然而留在肉身,爲你們更是需要的。』『爲你們』意思是指爲召會。使徒的考慮不是自私的,乃是爲聖徒的緣故。他完全給主和召會所佔有。保羅知道眾召會需要更多基督的供應。爲他們的緣故,他仍願意留下,好把基督服事給他們。
不論保羅在監獄裏,或不在監獄裏,他總是聖徒們長進與喜樂的有力因素。因着他,眾召會能彀在生命裏有長進,也能彀滿了對基督的享受。今天我們也該這樣。各地召會的長老,都應該是聖徒生命長進以及享受基督的有力因素。但長老們能不能成爲長進與喜樂的因素,在於他們有沒有藉着活基督來顯大基督。如果長老們活基督,基督定規能在他們身上得着顯大,那麼長老們就會成爲聖徒生命長進並享受主的因素。
在二十五至二十六節裏,我們看見一個非常要緊的點,就是在身體生活裏,急切需要一些人盡功用作供應的管道。我們需要像保羅這樣的肢體。當這樣的肢體過去了,說真的,基督的傳輸就中斷了。但是,只要這些肢體與我們同住,傳輸就源源不絕,不至減弱,我們也能在他們身上在基督裏誇口。…我們或活或死,對召會應該是非常要緊的。但這全在於我們有否活基督、顯大基督、供應基督並從全人的深處把基督傳輸到聖徒裏面。如果我們這樣經歷並享受基督,我們或留下或到主那裏去與祂同在,對召會都關係重大(腓立比書生命讀經,六九至七二、七五頁)。
參讀:腓立比書生命讀經,第四十七篇。
WEEK 4 — DAY 4
Morning Nourishment
Phil. 1:21-23 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live in the flesh, if this to me is fruit for my work, then I do not know what I will choose. But I am constrained between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ…
25 And being confident of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of the faith.
The little word for at the beginning of Philippians 1:21 is important. It indicates that what is to follow is an explanation of the preceding verse. Christ could be magnified in Paul’s body because Paul lived Christ. In order to magnify Christ, we must live Him. Although the matter of living Christ is of such tremendous importance, not many Christians have paid adequate attention to it…In Paul’s chained body Christ was exalted, extolled, praised, and appreciated because Paul lived Christ. (Life-study of Philippians, pp. 50-51)
Today’s Reading
Many Christians care only for a work; they do not care for Christ. But Paul could speak of “fruit for my work” [Phil. 1:22]. Paul’s use of the word fruit indicates that his work was actually his living. When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he was living in prison; he was not working. This indicates that his living was his work…The fruit of this work was Christ lived out, magnified, and ministered to others. The fruit of Paul’s work was thus the transfusion of Christ into others. Therefore, the fruit of work in verse 22 is the issue, the result, of Paul’s living in prison.
Paul’s living work was to minister Christ to others and to transfuse the Christ he magnified into them. As far as Paul was concerned, to die was to gain, but to live was to carry on such a living and fruitful work. It was difficult for him to choose between the two…If you had to choose between the gain which comes from dying physically and the fruit which comes from a living work, what would be your choice? I would definitely prefer to live in the flesh in order to carry on the living work of magnifying Christ and transfusing Him into others.
In verse 24 Paul continues, “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” The words your sake mean for the sake of the church. The apostle’s consideration was not selfish but was for the sake of the saints. He was absolutely occupied by the Lord with the church. Paul realized that the churches needed more of the ministry of Christ. For their sake, he would remain in order to minister Christ to them.
Whether Paul was in prison or out of prison, he was a strong factor of the saints’ progress and joy. Because of him the churches could have the growth in life and could be filled with the enjoyment of Christ. This should also be true of us today. All the elders in the local churches should be factors of the saints’ growth in life and of their enjoyment of Christ. But whether or not the elders are such factors of progress and joy depends on whether or not they magnify Christ by living Him. If the elders live Christ, He will surely be magnified in them. Then the elders will become factors to enable the saints to grow in life and enjoy the Lord.
In verses 25 and 26 we see the very crucial point that in the Body life there is the urgent need of certain ones to function as channels of supply. We need members like Paul. When such members die, the transfusion of Christ is in a very real sense interrupted. But as long as such ones are with us, the transfusion continues unabated, and we can boast in them in Christ. It should matter to the church whether we live or die. But this depends on our living Christ, magnifying Christ, ministering Christ, and transfusing Christ from the depths of our being into that of the saints. If we experience Christ and enjoy Him in this way, it will make a difference to the church whether we remain or go to be with the Lord. (Life-study of Philippians, pp. 59-61, 63-64)
Further Reading: Life-study of Philippians, msg. 47
留言
張貼留言