晨興聖言-話語的職事...(W4-3)

第四週 • 週三

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晨興餧養

弗三1~2   因這緣故，我這為你們外邦人作基督耶穌囚犯的保羅，為你們祈求—諒必你們曾聽見那為着你們所賜給我，神恩典的管家職分。

 

我們不該以為，保羅這麼屬靈，必定與我們完全不同。甚至他也必須學習受主的限制。…他告訴羅馬的信徒，他想從羅馬經過，往西班牙去（羅十五24）。保羅從未去到西班牙，而是帶着鎖鍊到了羅馬。這鎖鏈就是主的度量、主的約束。…神是主宰一切的，任何發生在保羅身上的事，都在神的主宰之下。這意思是說，保羅所受的捆鎖和監禁，都是神主宰的約束。保羅願意服在神的度量之下。他不掙扎，也不反抗這約束。在這事上，他沒有踢犁棒（哥林多後書生命讀經，五三一頁）。

信息選讀

保羅基於神這度量的原則，告訴哥林多人說，他所作、所說的，都沒有過了自己的度量。他總是在他的度量之內行動、行事。…他不像熱中猶太教的人，他從未越過他的屬區。

在林後十章十三至十五節，保羅似乎是說，『哥林多人哪，因着傳猶太教的人來到你們那裏，哥林多召會受了很大的虧損。…他們一面傳基督，另一面又教導摩西的律法。所以他們造成了難處，破壞了召會生活。…所以你們必須知道，這些熱中猶太教的人根本不該去哥林多。神並沒有把哥林多這個城量給他們；哥林多不是他們的屬區。坦白說，哥林多是我的屬區，是神量給我的地界。』…這裏的話含示，保羅定罪這些熱中猶太教的人到哥林多去。因此保羅的意思是說，『我們沒有像熱中猶太教的人那樣過度伸展自己。在基督的福音上，我們是最先到你們這裏來的。這表示神已經把哥林多量給我們，我們是照着神的尺度來的。神把哥林多量給我們，而沒有量給熱中猶太教的人。事實上，神並沒有量給熱中猶太教者任何東西。』

使徒們總是照着神的尺度行動。…神若量給熱中猶太教的人某個屬區，使徒們就不會去那個屬區，否則他們就是過度伸展自己。這就是保羅在這裏所說的。…今天，許多傳道人和教師過度伸展自己，干擾別人的屬區。…在召會的事奉上，我們需要看見神只量給我們這麼多，我們不該過度伸展自己。我們必須知道自己的限度，自己的屬區，而不越過到別人的區域。像保羅一樣，我們該照着我們的尺度行動、行事；也就是說，只照着神量給我們的度量行動、行事。

保羅從他所領受馬其頓人的呼聲中，知道哥林多是在他的尺度和度量之下。我們從行傳十六章知道，保羅非常清楚神呼召他去歐洲。他是照着神的尺度，把基督的福音帶到亞該亞。馬其頓和亞該亞都在保羅的尺度之下。

在哥林多後書這一段話裏，保羅表白他使徒的權柄。這權柄與屬區有關。…他表白自己使徒的權柄時，並沒有越過他度量的界限來行事。他是一個完全在神約束下之人的好榜樣。

我鼓勵青年聖徒特別要研讀這一段話，從中學習如何在召會的事奉中行事，並如何在主的恢復裏行動。青年人，你們必須知道自己的尺度、界限。這意思是說，你們必須知道神所量給你們的度量有多少，範圍有多大。這樣的約束和限制，對於我們的肉體是非常實際的對付。我們天然的人喜歡無拘無束。…所以〔神〕給我們一些限制和約束，好叫我們留在祂所分給我們的度量之內（哥林多後書生命讀經，五三二至五三四頁）。

參讀：哥林多後書生命讀經，第五十一篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

Eph. 3:1-2 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you, the Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you.

We should not think that Paul was so spiritual that he was altogether different from us. Even he had to learn to take the Lord’s restriction…He told the believers at Rome that he expected to go to Spain by way of them (Rom. 15:24). Paul never went to Spain, and he arrived in Rome in bonds. Those bonds were the Lord’s measure, His limitation…God is sovereign, and whatever happened to Paul was under God’s sovereignty. This means that Paul’s bonds and imprisonment were God’s sovereign restriction. Paul was willing to be subject to God’s measuring. He neither transgressed this restriction nor rebelled against it. In this matter he did not kick against the goads. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 442-443)

Todays Reading

Paul told the Corinthians that whatever he did and spoke was not beyond his measure. Paul always acted and behaved within his measure…In contrast to the Judaizers, he never reached beyond his jurisdiction.

In 2 Corinthians 10:13-15 Paul seems to be saying, “Corinthians, as a church, you have suffered a great deal because of the coming of the Judaistic preachers…On the one hand, they preach Christ; on the other hand, they still teach the Mosaic law. Therefore, they cause trouble and damage the church life…You must realize that these Judaizers should never have come to Corinth. God did not measure the city of Corinth to them; Corinth is not in their jurisdiction. To be honest about it, Corinth is my jurisdiction, my territory.”…There is the implication here that Paul condemned the Judaizers for coming to Corinth. Thus, Paul seems to be saying, “We do not overreach ourselves, as the Judaizers do. We were the first to come to you with the gospel of Christ. That was a sign that Corinth had been measured to us. We came according to God’s ruling. God has apportioned Corinth to us, not to the Judaizers. Actually, God has not apportioned anything to the Judaizers.”

The apostles always moved according to God’s ruling…If God had apportioned a certain territory to the Judaizers, the apostles would not have gone to that territory, for in so doing, they would have overreached themselves. This is what Paul is saying here. Today many preachers and teachers overreach themselves and interfere with the jurisdiction of others. In the church service we need to realize that God has measured out only so much to us, and we should not extend ourselves beyond our measure. We need to know our limitation, our jurisdiction, and not go beyond it into
others’ territory. Like Paul, we should move and act according to our rule, that is, according to how much God has measured to us.

Paul knew from the Macedonian call he received that Corinth was under his rule, his measure. We know from Acts 16 that Paul became clear that God had called him to Europe. He came to Achaia with the gospel of Christ according to God’s ruling. Both Macedonia and Achaia were under Paul’s rule.

In this section of 2 Corinthians, Paul is vindicating his apostolic authority. This authority is related to jurisdiction…In his vindication of his apostolic authority, Paul conducted himself so as not to overstep the boundary of his measure. He is a good example of a person fully under God’s restriction.

I encourage the young people especially to study this portion of the Word and learn from it how to conduct themselves in the church service and how to move in the Lord’s recovery. Young people, you must know your rule, your limit. This means that you must know how much God has measured to you, how much He has apportioned to you. This restriction, this limitation, is a very practical dealing with our flesh. Our natural man wants to be without limitation…Therefore, [God] sets up boundaries and restrictions so that we may stay within the measure that He has apportioned to us. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 443-445)

Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 51