晨興聖言-經歷、享受並彰顯基督(W24-2)
第二十四週.週二
晨興餧養
弗四11~12 『祂所賜的,有些是使徒,有些是申言者,有些是傳福音者,有些是牧人和教師,為要成全聖徒,目的是為著職事的工作,為著建造基督的身體。』
每一位聖徒,無論大小,都是給召會的恩賜。身體的每一個肢體都是給身體的恩賜。…我們絕不可自認為太微小,不能給身體作有益處的恩賜。基督教一人講眾人聽的實行,濫用了恩賜,殺死了聖徒的功用。在公會裏有些基督徒甚至不知道如何禱告,因為他們的功用被聖品階級的系統所扼殺了。…然而,按照聖經的啟示,所有的信徒都應當是基督身體活的、盡功用的肢體。(李常受文集一九八九年第四冊,三八四頁。)
信息選讀
基督藉著祂的降下與上升,將我們作成〔新約的祭司〕。祂是身體的頭,將我們當作恩賜賜給了身體。若有人問我們是不是恩賜,我們每一個人都應當宣告:『阿們!阿利路亞!我是恩賜!』
召會內在的建造,是憑著元首所賜的恩賜—使徒、申言者、傳福音者、牧人和教師—成全聖徒。(弗四11~12。)這些人是特別的恩賜,像保羅、彼得、路德馬丁、達祕等等。這些元首所賜的恩賜,在眾地方召會裏成全聖徒。(林前十二28,徒十三1。)當他們在聚會中成全人時,他們是在澆灌基督身體的肢體。(林前三6下。)
這些恩賜成全聖徒,目的是為著職事的工作,就是建造基督生機的身體。(弗四12。)這個成全應當一直繼續,直到基督所有的肢體都達到三件事:達到了信仰上並對神兒子之完全認識上的一;達到了長成的人;達到了基督豐滿之身材的度量。(13。)
以弗所四章啟示,元首基督建造召會,乃是憑著使聖徒成為恩賜,並憑著將這些恩賜賜給召會,好建造基督的身體。這給我們看見,元首不直接建造召會。不僅如此,得了恩賜的人,就是元首用來成全別人的人,也不直接的建造召會。他們成全聖徒,而聖徒作直接建造的工作。我們在主恢復中的,有許多人多年一直在澆灌、成全之下,已經能在我們所在的地方直接的建造召會。
在十四節,保羅表達他的願望,他盼望聖徒不再作小孩子,為波浪漂來漂去,並為一切教訓之風所搖蕩。我們如果還是小孩子,就不能負甚麼責任。我們只能成為別人的負擔。
我們不要作小孩子,我們必須是在愛裏持守著真實的人,得以在一切事上長到元首基督裏面。(15。)持守著真實,意思就是持守著真實的事物。按照整卷以弗所書,宇宙中真實的事物乃是元首基督,以及祂的身體—召會。我們必須在愛裏持守著這二者,使我們得以在一切事上長到元首基督裏。在一切事上長到基督裏就是建造。長大就是建造。
我們長到元首基督裏面,然後就有一些東西從元首基督流出來。『到…基督裏面』是為著我們的長大。『本於基督』是為著我們的功用,我們的用處。一面說,我們是長到基督裏面。另一面說,我們所作的都是本於祂這源頭,使我們盡功用,有用處。(李常受文集一九八九年第四冊,三八五至三八六、三八八至三九○頁。)
參讀:李常受文集一九八九年第四冊,生機建造的召會作基督的身體成為經過過程並分賜之三一神的生機體,第三章。
WEEK 24 — DAY 2
Morning Nourishment
Eph.
4:11-12 And He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and
some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the
perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the
building up of the Body of Christ.
Every
saint, great and small, is a gift to the church. Every member of the
Body is a gift to the Body…We should never consider ourselves as too
small to be a profitable gift to the Body. The practice of Christianity
with one man speaking and the others listening spoils the gifts and
kills the functions of the saints. Some Christians in the denominations
do not even know how to pray because their function has been annulled by
the clergy-laity system… According to the biblical revelation, however,
all the believers should be living, functioning members of the Body of
Christ. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic Building Up of the Church as
the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing
Triune God,” pp. 297-298)
Todays Reading
Christ
has made us [New Testament priests] by His descension and ascension.
He, as the Head of the Body, gave us as gifts to the Body. If someone
were to ask us if we are gifts, each of us should declare, “Amen!
Hallelujah! I’m a gift!”
The intrinsic building up of the church is by the Head-given gifts—the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers—perfecting the saints (Eph. 4:11-12). These are particular gifts such as Paul, Peter, Martin Luther, John Nelson Darby, and so forth. These Head-given gifts perfect the saints in the local churches (1 Cor. 12:28; Acts 13:1). When they are perfecting in the meetings, they are watering the members of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 3:6b).
The
perfecting of the saints by the gifts is unto the work of the ministry—
the building up of the organic Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). This
perfecting should go on and on until all the members of Christ arrive at
three things: at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of
the Son of God, at a fullgrown man, and at the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ (v. 13).
Ephesians
4 reveals that the Head, Christ, builds up the church by making the
saints gifts, and by giving these gifts to the church for the building
up of the Body of Christ. This shows that the Head does not build up the
church directly. Furthermore, the gifted persons, who are used by the
Head to perfect others, do not build up the church directly either. They
perfect the saints, and the saints do the direct building work. Many of
us in the Lord’s recovery who have been under the watering, the
perfecting, for a number of years have been enabled to build up the
church in our locality directly.
In
Ephesians 4:14 Paul expresses his desire that the saints would be no
longer little children tossed by waves and carried about by every wind
of teaching. If we remain as little children, we cannot bear any
responsibility. We can only burden others.
Rather
than being little children, we must be those holding to truth in love
to grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things (v. 15). Holding to
truth means holding to what is real. According to the entire book of
Ephesians, the real things in the universe are Christ as the Head and
the church as His Body. We have to hold to these two things in love so
that we may grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things. To grow up
into Christ in all things is to build up. The growing up is the building
up.
We
grow up into Christ, the Head, and then something issues out from
Christ, the Head. “Into Christ” is for our growth. “Out from Christ” is
for our function, our usefulness. On the one hand, we are growing up
into Christ. On the other hand, what we do is out from Him as the source
for our function, our usefulness. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic
Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of
the Processed and Dispensing Triune God,” pp. 298-301)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God,” ch. 3
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