第九週■週四

w09d04-ch

晨興餧養

弗二19『這樣，你們不再是外人和寄居的，乃是聖徒同國之民，是神家裏的親人。』

   一22『將萬有服在祂的腳下，並使祂向着召會作萬有的頭；召會是祂的身體，是那在萬～ 23 有中充滿萬有者的豐滿。』

〔在提前三章十六節〕保羅也說『被天使看見』。天使曾看見基督的成爲肉體、爲人生活以及升天。（路二9 ～ 14，太四11，徒一10 ～ 11，啓五6，11 ～ 12。）

基督也『被傳於萬邦』。基督是神顯現於肉體，從五旬節開始就被人當作福音傳於萬邦，包括以色列國。（羅十六26，弗三8。）

不僅如此，基督『被信仰於世人中』。基督是神在肉體的具體化身，已經在世人中爲人所信仰，接受爲救主和生命。（徒十三48。）（提摩太前書生命讀經，七二頁。）

信息選讀

保羅以『被接去於榮耀裏』這話總結提前三章十六節。這是指基督升天進入榮耀。（可十六19，徒一9 ～ 11，二33，腓二9。）按着歷史事實的次序，基督的升天是在被傳於萬邦之前。然而，在這裏，升天列爲基督是神顯現於肉體的最後一項。這必是也指召會被接去於榮耀裏。因此，這含示不僅作頭的基督自己是神顯現於肉體，連作身體的召會也是神顯現於肉體。當召會按着提前頭二章的指導，受到妥善的照料，且照三章所啓示的，將長老的監督和執事的服事完全建立起來，那時召會就要顯出功用，成爲活神的家和家人，爲着神在地上的行動；並成爲支持真理的柱石，和托住真理的根基，有基督和祂身體的神聖實際，對世人作見證。這樣，召會就成爲基督是神顯現於肉體的延續。這就是敬虔的極大奧祕—基督從召會活出，成爲神在肉體的顯現！

雖然基督於行傳二章開始被傳揚之前，就被接去於榮耀裏，（徒一，）但保羅最後纔題這點，不但在被傳揚之後，甚至也在被信仰於世人中之後。這指明『被接去於榮耀裏』也許不但包括基督的升天，也包括召會的被提。頭—基督—在祂開始被傳揚之前就被接去；然而，身體—召會—在基督被傳揚且被信仰於世人中之後，纔會被接去。所以，提前三章十六節明確的指明，本節不僅指頭是神顯現於肉體，也指身體是這顯現的延續。這的確是合乎邏輯的，因爲人的頭怎能離開身體盡功用？頭—基督—已被接去於榮耀裏，身體—召會—也會被接去於榮耀裏。頭與身體都是敬虔的奧祕。這就是神顯現於肉體。（提摩太前書生命讀經，七二至七三頁。）

要召會是神顯現於肉體，就必須你我不憑自己活着，而憑神活着。我們若是憑神活着，以神作我們的生活、我們的人位，那麼當我們來在一起的時候，就是神顯現於肉體。

召會乃是一班蒙了救贖、得了重生的人，憑神而活着。神是他們的生命，是他們的性格，是他們的人格，是他們的人位，神就是他們的生活；當他們來在一起，眾天使就要說，『大哉！敬虔的奧祕！這是眾所公認的，就是：祂顯現於肉體。』這是召會。（李常受文集一九七七年第三册，二三三至二三五頁。）

參讀：李常受文集一九六三年第一册，二八六至二九八頁。

WEEK 9 — DAY 4

Morning Nourishment

Eph. 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

1:22-23 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

[In 1 Timothy 3:16] Paul also says “seen by angels.” Angels saw the incarnation, human living, and ascension of Christ (Luke 2:9-14; Matt. 4:11; Acts 1:10-11; Rev. 5:6, 11-12).

Christ was also preached among the nations. Christ as God’s manifestation in the flesh has been preached as the gospel among the nations, including the nation of Israel, from the day of Pentecost (Rom. 16:26; Eph. 3:8).

Furthermore, Christ has been “believed on in the world.” Christ as the embodiment of God in the flesh has been believed on, received as Savior and life, by people in the world (Acts 13:48). (Life-study of 1 Timothy, second edition, pp. 58-59)

Today’s Reading

Paul concludes 1 Timothy 3:16 with the phrase taken up in glory. This refers to Christ’s ascension into glory (Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9-11; 2:33; Phil. 2:9). According to the sequence of historical events, Christ’s ascension preceded His being preached among the nations. However, it is listed here as the last step in Christ’s being the manifestation of God in the flesh. This must indicate that the church too is taken up in glory. Hence, it implies that not only Christ Himself as the Head but also the church as the Body are the manifestation of God in the flesh. When a church is well taken care of according to the instructions given in the first two chapters of 1 Timothy, with the oversight of the episcopate and the service of the deacons fully established, as revealed in chapter 3, the church will function as the house and household of the living God for His move on the earth, and as the supporting pillar and holding base of the truth, bearing the divine reality of Christ and His Body as a testimony to the world. Then the church becomes the continuation of Christ as the manifestation of God in the flesh. This is the great mystery of godliness—Christ lived out of the church as the manifestation of God in the flesh!

Although Christ was taken up in glory (Acts 1) before the preaching of Him began in Acts 2, Paul mentions this last, not only after the preaching but even after being believed on in the world. This indicates that “taken up in glory” may include not only the ascension of Christ but also the rapture of the church. The Head, Christ, was taken up before the preaching of Him began; however, the Body, the church, will be taken up only after Christ has been preached and believed on in the world. Therefore, in 1 Timothy 3:16 there is a definite  indication that this verse refers not only to the Head as the manifestation of God in the flesh but also to the Body as the continuation of this manifestation. This is indeed logical, for how can a person’s head function in isolation from his body? The Head, Christ, has been taken up in glory, and the Body, the church, will also be taken up in glory. Both the Head and the Body are the mystery of godliness. This is the manifestation of God in the flesh. (Life-study of 1 Timothy, second edition, pp. 59-60)

In order for the church to be the manifestation of God in the flesh, we must live not by our self but by God. If we live by God and take God as our living and our person, then when we come together, it will be the manifestation of God in the flesh.

The church is a group of people who have been redeemed and regeneratedand who live by God. God is their life, their nature, their person, and their living; when they come together, all the angels will say, “Confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh.” This is the church. (CWWL, 1977, vol. 3, “The Subjective Truths in the Holy Scriptures,” pp. 180-181)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, pp. 227-234