第六篇

基督的好執事

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詩歌：665

讀經：提前四6 ～ 8、15 ～ 16，結三1 ～ 4，林前一10，羅十五6，歌四11

【週一】

壹 提前四章六節說，『你將這些事題醒弟兄們，便是基督耶穌的好執事，在信仰的話，並你向來所緊緊跟隨善美教訓的話上，得了餧養』：

一 基督的好執事乃是以基督服事人，供應基督作人的救主、生命、生命的供應並一切正面事物的人。

二 我們若要供應基督給別人，我們自己必須先得餧養；基督的好執事不僅僅教導別人關於基督的事，乃是將基督供應到他們裏面作食物—太四4，耶十五16，結三1 ～ 4，約六57、63。

三 我們需要藉着職事得着主的餧養，並將這些滋養的事題醒聖徒們；我們需要將主從祂的話所給我們看見的豐富作爲食材陳明給聖徒們；讓我們自己先得餧養，然後將這滋養供應所有神的子民。

【週二】

四 我們需要將基督的豐富當作屬靈的食物供應人，使他們得着滋養並在生命裏長大；神的話被比作滋養人的奶和乾糧—來五12 ～ 14，林前二2，彼前二2：

1 信仰的話就是關乎神新約經綸之完全福音的話。

2 善美教訓的話，乃是那些包含並傳輸基督的豐富，以餧養、造就並加強祂信徒之甜美的話。

五 作爲基督一個身體的肢體，我們該渴望作基督的好執事，『同心合意』並『用同一的口』（羅十五6）『說一樣的話』（林前一10）：

1 『我們必須學習神當前啓示的高峯，並學習講說這些事。…我願意鼓勵大家，都接受這個高的託付：…帶着神今時代的異象出去，爲着神聖啓示的高峯，與神一同行動，以完成祂永遠的經綸』—三一神的啓示與行動，一一六頁。

2 由主今時代之職事所興起的聖徒，對這職事有一種口味，而這口味乃是主恢復裏控制的因素；那些由這職事所興起來的人，會拒絕與這職事不合的口味；這意思是，你若說與主恢復口味不合的事，你的講說會被拒絕，你也會受虧損—參詩三四8，彼前二3。

【週三】

貳 基督的好執事犧牲自己，並把自己擺在一邊，以保持真理的絕對；真理不能信託給一個跟隨感覺而行的人；人必須站在真理一邊反對自己：

一 個人的光景如何，與神的真理不發生一點的關係；我們個人怎樣，不能影響神的真理，因爲真理像不能移動的柱子—提前三15。

二 有些人錯的時候，就把真理拉低一點，對的時候就把真理拉高一點；這就好像他們是升降機，真理跟着他們升降；惟有對付自己的人，纔能維持真理。

三 假如我們能彀以真理爲獨一的標準，敢說我們錯了，新的光才會來；我們不委屈光，光就能彀把我們提高；能跟得上真理的人有福了。

四 一面來說，人若沒有經歷，就不能傳真理；但另一面說，人必須知道真理與他自己沒有關係；人若到一個地步，無法再抗拒神的話，他若不犧牲神的話，並且被這話定罪，他就能得到光；這是得啓示的祕訣。

叁 基督的好執事是神諸般恩典的好管家，講神的諭言，使神得榮耀，得彰顯（彼前四10 ～ 11， 弗一6）； 他不尋求自己的榮耀，以彰顯他自己（帖前二6，約五41、44），乃是不斷操練他的靈拒絕己，不是傳自己，乃是高舉基督爲主，並且看自己是服事信徒的奴僕（林後四5，利十四9 與註1，林前十31，賽四三7）。

【週四】

肆 基督的好執事供應生命，並且按生命樹的原則，而不按是非樹的原則服事聖徒（創二9，約十10 下，林前十五45 下，林後三6，

四10 ～ 12，約壹五12、16 上）；在他的職事裏，他照着保羅面對哥林多召會中之難處的榜樣，持守以下的原則和行事準則—『我們該專注於祂〔基督〕，不該專注於祂以外的任何人事物。我們該對準祂，以祂爲神所指定我們惟一的中心，使信徒中間一切的難處得以解決。』（林前一9 註3）

伍 基督的好執事幫助聖徒思念『同一件事』：在腓立比書中，『同一件事』是指對基督主觀的認識、經歷和享受；『同一件事』乃是追求基督以贏得祂，取得祂，並據有祂—一20 ～ 21，二2、5，三7 ～ 14，四13。

陸 基督的好執事如同雅歌四章十一節所描述之愛主的尋求者—『我新婦，你的嘴脣滴下新蜜；你的舌下有蜜有奶』—參出三8：

一 蜜是甘甜的，復興輭弱和衰頹的人（詩一一九103）；奶餧養未成熟的人（彼前二2）。

二 愛主的尋求者舌下有蜜的甘甜和滋養的奶，指明她裏面收藏了主的豐富作她屬靈的糧食；她裏面所蘊藏的是這樣的豐富，好像食物在舌下可以隨時分給需要的人—詩一一九11，西三16。

三 住在尋求者裏面的寶貝，就是主甘甜、滋養的話，並非在短時間內就可以產生的，乃是經過長時間的採集，經過裏面的活動，並且謹慎的收藏，纔有的；這是一個常在神面前受神經綸健康教訓之健康話語教導的人所獨有的—提前一10，六3。

【週五】

柒 申言者所得着的啓示，就是他們所得着的負擔；沒有負擔，就沒有話語的職事，沒有申言來建造召會—賽一1，二1，十三1，十五1，亞十二1，瑪一1，徒六4，林前十四4 下：

一 我們的負擔是要將神的啓示釋放給人，而神的啓示是藉着神所賜給我們啓示的話而釋放的—二11 ～ 16。

二 我們服事神的話語，不是去注意講話的題目，乃要注意有沒有神的說話；要有神的說話，服事話語的人必須有負擔—瑪二7，歌八13 ～14，弗五26 ～ 27。

三 那些盡話語職事的人，必須背負人在神面前的光景，感覺人的光景如何，曉得神要說甚麼話—出二八29 ～ 30。

四 在話語的職事上，最大的難處就是沒有從主領受的負擔；沒有負擔，無論作甚麼都是死的，都沒有果效；有負擔纔是活的，纔會朝氣蓬勃：

1 負擔是最叫我們受對付的；若有負擔，己會減少，並要受對付，因爲有些事我們的負擔不許可我們作，有些事我們得受對付，否則無法釋放負擔。

2 我們若因着責任事奉而不是帶着負擔事奉，這樣的事奉會叫我們失去主的同在—瑪三14，申四25。

3 甚麼時候我們的事奉變作盡責任，我們的事奉就已經墮落了。

【週六】

捌 我們要作基督的好執事，就必須渴望有以下生機的特點：

一 我們必須愛主到極點，好被祂充滿，而帶着復活的基督作權柄將祂湧流到人裏面—詩十八1，九一14，九七10，一一六1 ～ 2，一一九140，約二一15 ～ 17，林後五14 ～ 15，約壹四16、19，民十七1 ～ 10，太十九26。

二 我們需要藉着復興的生活並牧養的勞苦維持我們在基督裏的得勝—啓三18 ～ 22，何六1 ～ 3，羅六4，七6，彼前二25，五1 ～ 4。

三 我們需要天天、時時住在與主的交通裏—林前一9，林後十三14。

四 我們必須是禱告的人—西四2，創四26，哀三55 ～ 56，羅十12 ～ 13。

五 我們需要每日清早在主的話上享受主，使我們每天有新的起頭—詩一一九147 ～ 148。

六 我們必須憑着並照着我們那與神的靈調和的靈而行—加五16、25，羅八4、16，林前六17。

七 我們必須藉着耶穌基督之靈全備的供應而活基督，以顯大基督—腓一19。

八 我們需要建立無論得時不得時，天天對各種人講說基督的習慣—徒五42，八4，提後四2。

九 我們必須徹底對付罪—約壹一7、9，詩五一1 ～9、17。

十 我們必須裏面充滿素質的靈，外面充溢經綸的靈—徒十三52，弗五18，徒四31、8，十三9。

十一 我們必須累積對基督的經歷（腓三8 ～ 10、12 ～14），並對主的話有豐富的積存（西三16，詩一一九11、15，約八31，十五7，約壹二14）。

玖 每當我們供應神的話，主要的事是要操練我們的靈；基督的好執事建立一種操練靈以至於敬虔的習慣，好在日常生活中活基督—提前四6 ～ 8、15 ～ 16，提後一6 ～ 7，羅一9，七6，十二11，約四23 ～ 24：

一 我們得救的人有本錢過基督徒的生活和召會生活；這本錢乃是神所賜給我們的靈—提後一6 ～ 7，四22。

二 敬虔是彰顯神的生活，是爲着神聖經綸之神聖分賜的結果；這分賜是在於操練我們的靈，在日常生活中活基督，使神在召會生活中得着團體的顯出—提前一3 ～ 4，三15 ～ 16，四7 ～ 8，提後一6 ～ 7，詩歌三七一首第五節。

三 『操練』這辭含示勉強；我們基督徒若要剛強並在主裏長大，就必須勉強自己用我們的靈，直到我們建立起操練靈的堅強習慣—提前四7。

四 我們必須操練我們的靈，應用並享受整個可稱頌的神聖三一，在聖靈裏禱告，保守自己在神的愛中，等候我們主耶穌基督在祂得勝顯現之日的憐憫，使我們成爲永遠生命的總和，就是新耶路撒冷—猶19 ～ 21。

Message Six

A Good Minister of Christ

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Hymns: 922

Scripture Reading: 1 Tim. 4:6-8, 15-16; Ezek. 3:1-4; 1 Cor. 1:10; Rom. 15:6; S. S. 4:11

§ Day 1

I. First Timothy 4:6 says, "If you lay these things before the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, being nourished with the words of the faith and of the good teaching which you have closely followed":

A. A good minister of Christ is one who serves people with Christ, ministering Christ as Savior, life, life supply, and every positive thing to people.

B. If we would minister Christ to others, we ourselves must be nourished; a good minister of Christ does not merely teach others about Christ but ministers Christ into others as food—Matt. 4:4; Jer. 15:16; Ezek. 3:1-4;
John 6:57, 63.

C. We need to lay before the saints the things with which we have been nourished by the Lord through the ministry; we need to present the saints with the riches, the groceries, the Lord has shown us from the Word; let us first be nourished ourselves and then minister this nourishment to all
the people of God.

§ Day 2

D. We need to minister the riches of Christ as spiritual food to others that they may be nourished and grow in life; the word of God is likened to milk and solid food, which are for nourishment—Heb. 5:12-14; 1 Cor. 2:2; 1 Pet. 2:2:

1. The words of the faith are the words of the full gospel concerning Gods New Testament economy.

2. The words of the good teaching are the sweet words that contain and convey the riches of Christ to nourish, edify, and strengthen His believers.

E. As members of the one Body of Christ, we should aspire to be good ministers of Christ who "speak the same thing" (1 Cor. 1:10) "with one accord" and "with one mouth" (Rom. 15:6):

1. "We have to learn the high peaks of Gods present revelation and learn to speak these things...I would encourage all of us to pick up this high commission: to go out with...Gods up-to-date vision to move with God for His high peaks of the divine revelation that will consummate His eternal economy"—The Triune Gods Revelation and His Move, p. 98.

2. The saints who have been raised up by the Lords up-to-date ministry have a taste for this ministry, and this taste is the controlling factor in the Lords recovery; those who have been raised up by this ministry will reject a taste that is contrary to it; this means that if you speak something contrary to the taste of the Lords recovery, your speaking will be rejected, and you will suffer loss—cf. Psa. 34:8; 1 Pet. 2:3.

§ Day 3

II. A good minister of Christ sacrifices himself and puts himself aside in order to keep the absoluteness of the truth; the truth cannot be entrusted to a person who walks according to his feelings; a man must stand on the side of the truth to oppose himself:

A. The condition of an individual has nothing to do with Gods truth; what you are personally cannot affect what Gods truth is, because the truth is like an immovable pillar—1 Tim. 3:15.

B. Some people lower down the truth a little when they are wrong, and they lift up the truth a little when they are right; this means that they are like elevators, and the truth goes up and down with them; only those who have dealt with themselves are able to maintain the truth.

C. If we can take the truth as the unique standard, and we have the courage to admit that we are wrong, new light will come to us; if we do not sacrifice the light, the light will uplift us; blessed are those who can go along with the truth.

D. On the one hand, a man cannot preach the truth unless he has the experience; on the other hand, a person has to know that the truth has nothing to do with him; if a man is brought to a point that he can no longer withstand Gods word, if he does not sacrifice the word, and if he finds the word condemning him, he will receive the light; this is the secret to receiving revelation.

III. A good minister of Christ, as a good steward of the varied grace of God, speaks oracles of God for the glorification of God, the expression of God (1 Pet. 4:10-11; Eph. 1:6); he does not seek his own glory to express himself (1 Thes. 2:6; John 5:41, 44) but continually exercises his spirit to reject the self, not preaching himself but exalting Christ as Lord and considering himself as a slave to serve the believers (2 Cor. 4:5; Lev. 14:9 and footnote 1; 1 Cor. 10:31; Isa. 43:7).

§ Day 4

IV. A good minister of Christ ministers life and serves the saints according to the principle of the tree of life, not the principle of the tree of right and wrong (Gen. 2:9; John 10:10b; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:6; 4:10-12; 1 John 5:12, 16a); in his ministry he keeps the following principle and rule of conduct according to Pauls pattern in facing the problems in the church in Corinth— "We should concentrate on Him [Christ], not on any persons, things, or matters other than Him. We should focus on Him as our unique center appointed by God, that all the problems among the believers may be solved" (footnote 2 on 1 Cor. 1:9).

V. A good minister of Christ helps the saints to think the "one thing": the one thing in Philippians refers to the subjective knowledge, experience, and enjoyment of Christ; the one thing is the pursuing of Christ to gain Him, lay hold of Him, and possess Him—1:20-21; 2:2, 5; 3:7-14; 4:13.

VI. A good minister of Christ is like the Lords loving seekerdescribed in Song of Songs 4:11—"Your lips drip fresh honey, my bride; / Honey and milk are under your tongue"—cf. Exo. 3:8:

A. Honey is sweet, and it restores the weak and stricken ones (Psa. 119:103); milk feeds the immature ones (1 Pet. 2:2).

B. The sweetness of honey and the nourishing milk under the tongue of the Lords loving seeker indicate that she has stored up the riches of the Lord as her spiritual food; she has stored so many riches within her that food seems to be under her tongue, and she can dispense this food to the needy ones at any time—Psa. 119:11; Col. 3:16.

C. Her indwelling treasure of the Lords sweet and nourishing words is not produced overnight; it comes from a long period of gathering, inward activity, and careful storage; this is the unique possession of one who is taught by God with the healthy words of the healthy teaching of Gods economy—1 Tim. 1:10; 6:3.

§ Day 5

VII. The revelations that the prophets received were the burdens that they received; without burden, there is no ministry of the word, no prophesying, for the building up of the church—Isa. 1:1; 2:1; 13:1; 15:1; Zech. 12:1; Mal. 1:1; Acts 6:4; 1 Cor. 14:4b:

A. Our burden is to release Gods revelation to man, and Gods revelation is released through the words of revelation that God gives to us—2:11-16.

B. When we minister the word of God, our concern must be whether wehave Gods speaking, not the topic of our speaking; in order to have Gods speaking, the one who ministers the word must have a burden—Mal. 2:7; S. S. 8:13-14; Eph. 5:26-27.

C. Those who minister the word must bear peoples condition before God, sense their condition, and know what God wants to speak—Exo. 28:29-30.

D. The greatest problem in the ministry of the word is not having a burden from the Lord; without a burden, all our activity will be dead and ineffective; with a burden, we will be living and flourishing:

1. Having a burden deals with us the most; if there is a burden, the selfdecreases and is dealt with, because there are things that our burden will not allow us to do, and there are areas that will require our being dealt with before we can release our burden.

2. If we serve according to obligation instead of serving with a burden, such service will cause us to lose the Lords presence—Mal. 3:14; Deut. 4:25.

3. Whenever our service becomes a matter of fulfilling an obligation, our service has already degraded.

§ Day 6

VIII. In order to be a good minister of Christ, we must aspire to have the following organic characteristics:

A. We must love the Lord to the uttermost to be filled with Him and overflow Him into others with the resurrected Christ as our authority—Psa. 18:1; 91:14; 97:10; 116:1-2; 119:140; John 21:15-17; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; 1 John 4:16,19; Num. 17:1-10; Matt. 19:26.

B. We must maintain our victory in Christ by having a revived living and a labor in shepherding—Rev. 3:18-22; Hosea 6:1-3; Rom. 6:4; 7:6; 1 Pet. 2:25; 5:1-4.

C. We must abide in the fellowship with the Lord daily and hourly—1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 13:14.

D. We must be praying persons—Col. 4:2; Gen. 4:26; Lam. 3:55-56; Rom. 10:12-13.

E. We must enjoy the Lord in the Word early in the morning to have a new start of each day—Psa. 119:147-148.

F. We must walk by and according to our spirit, which is mingled with the divine Spirit—Gal. 5:16, 25; Rom. 8:4, 16; 1 Cor. 6:17.

G. We must live Christ for His magnification by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ—Phil. 1:19.

H. We must build up a habit of speaking Christ to all kinds of people daily in season and out of season—Acts 5:42; 8:4; 2 Tim. 4:2.

I. We must be ones who deal with our sins thoroughly—1 John 1:7, 9; Psa. 51:1-9, 17.

J. We must be filled with the essential Spirit inwardly and with the economical Spirit outwardly—Acts 13:52; Eph. 5:18; Acts 4:31, 8; 13:9.

K. We must accumulate the experiences of Christ (Phil. 3:8-10, 12-14) and keep a rich storage of the Lords word (Col. 3:16; Psa. 119:11, 15; John 8:31; 15:7; 1 John 2:14).

IX. Whenever we minister Gods word, the primary thing is for us to exercise our spirit; a good minister of Christ builds up a habit of exercising his spirit unto godliness to live Christ in his daily life—1 Tim. 4:6-8, 15-16; 2 Tim. 1:6-7; Rom. 1:9; 7:6; 12:11; John 4:23-24:

A. We saved ones have the capital to live the Christian life and the church life; this capital is our God-given spirit—2 Tim. 1:6-7; 4:22.

B. Godliness, a living that is the expression of God, is the issue of the divine dispensing for the divine economy, and this dispensing depends on the exercise of our spirit to live Christ in our daily life for the corporate manifestation of God in the church life—1 Tim. 1:3-4; 3:15-16; 4:7-8; 2 Tim. 1:6-7; Hymns, #493, stanza 5.

C. The word exercise implies forcing; if we Christians want to be strong and want to grow in the Lord, we must force ourselves to use our spirit until we build up a strong habit of exercising our spirit—1 Tim. 4:7.

D. We must exercise our spirit to employ and enjoy the entire blessed Trinity by praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, and awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ in the day of His victorious appearing so that we may become the totality of the eternal life, the New Jerusalem—Jude 19-21.