第七週•週三

w07d03-ch

晨興餧養

弗一22 ～ 23『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，是那在萬有中充滿萬有者的豐滿。』

基督在祂的升天裏，得了榮耀尊貴爲冠冕，並且爲着神的行政登了寶座。這意思就是說，祂與神同登寶座，成爲宇宙中獨一的執政管理者。基督藉着祂的升天也就職爲主，要得着萬有，且就職爲基督，要完成神的使命。旣然這一切事都是客觀的，我們怎能證明基督的升天與我們有主觀的關係？證據是從升天的基督向着我們有一種傳輸這事實。…〔在以弗所一章二十二節，〕『向着召會』這辭指明從升天的基督向着召會，祂的身體，有一種的傳輸。神使基督向着召會作爲萬有的頭。這意思不是神將基督當作恩賜賜給召會，乃是神將一個恩賜—萬有的元首權柄，賜給基督。（路加福音生命讀經，七五八至七五九頁。）

信息選讀

神使基督所作的乃是向着召會，傳輸給召會。召會一同分享這事。這符合以弗所一章十九節的話：『祂的能力向着我們。』『向着我們』這辭是一把鑰匙，因爲這也指明一種傳輸。

人定罪基督，置祂於死。然而神來使祂復活，叫祂坐在諸天裏，將萬有服在祂腳下，並使祂作萬有的頭。

以弗所一章二十二節後半最好的繙譯是：『使祂向着召會作萬有的頭。』如果保羅寫以弗所一章的結論只說，神使基督作萬有的頭，基督的升天就與召會毫不相干。然而，保羅加上『向着召會』這重要的辭。…凡元首基督所達到、所得着的，都傳輸給召會—祂的身體。

召會應當不斷的接受這傳輸。電線裝設在建築物裏可能一勞永逸，但電的傳輸卻要一直不斷的進行。照樣，神使基督復活、叫祂坐在諸天裏，將萬有放在祂腳下，又賜給祂一大恩賜—使祂作萬有的頭。現今基督在祂升天裏的這一切所是，正傳輸到召會裏面。這就是升天的基督帶着祂升天的完滿意義，不斷的傳輸到召會裏面。

如果電從發電廠到建築物的傳輸有問題，這問題通常不在發電廠，而在建築物，就是接收的一方。照樣，屬天的發電廠絕不會有問題；然而，召會在接受神聖傳輸的事上時常有問題。我們經常有難處，阻撓神聖的電傳輸到我們裏面。今天這傳輸無法傳到許多基督徒身上。事實上，很少基督徒願意完全敞開，不斷的接受這傳輸。

藉着升天基督向着召會的神聖傳輸，人救主的升天就確定的與我們有關聯。我們在祂的升天裏聯於祂，這是不容置疑的。爲這緣故，二章六節告訴我們，我們在基督耶穌裏一同坐在諸天界裏。多年來我不懂六節的話，我們怎能坐在諸天裏。我發現電是絕佳的例證，幫助我們領會這事。在我們家裏運作的電也在發電廠裏。這意思是電在發電廠，同時也在我們家裏。照樣，藉着神聖的傳輸，我們就聯於諸天裏的基督。…這是奇妙的事實。在屬天發電廠裏的能力也在我們裏面。（路加福音生命讀經，七六○、七六三至七六五頁。）

參讀：路加福音生命讀經，第七十七至七十九篇。

WEEK 7 — DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

Eph. 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 His ascension Christ was crowned with glory and honor and enthroned for God’s administration. This means that He shares God’s throne to be the unique Administrator in the universe. Through His ascension Christ was also inaugurated to be the Lord to possess all and to be the Christ to carry out God’s commission. Since all these matters are objective, how can we prove that Christ’s ascension is related to us in a subjective way? Proof is in the fact that there is a transmission from the ascended Christ to us…[In Ephesians 1:22] the phrase to the church indicates a transmission from the ascended Christ to the church, His Body.

God gave Christ to be something to the church. It does not mean that God gave Christ to the church as a gift; it means that God gave Christ a gift—the headship over all things. (Life-study of Luke, second edition, pp. 645-646)

Today’s Reading

What God gave Christ to be is to the church; it is transmitted to the church. The  church shares it. This corresponds to the word His power toward us in Ephesians 1:19. The phrase toward us is a key, for it also indicates a transmission.

Man condemned Christ and sentenced Him to death. But God came in to raise Him up, to seat Him in the heavens, to subject all things under His feet, and to give Him to be the Head over all things.

The best translation of the second part of Ephesians 1:22 is: “gave Him to be Head over all things to the church.” If Paul had concluded Ephesians 1 by saying that God gave Christ to be Head over all things, Christ’s ascension would not have anything to do with the church. Paul, however, added the important phrase to the church…Whatever Christ, the Head, has attained and obtained is transmitted to the church, His Body.

The church should continually receive this transmission. Electricity may be installed in a building once for all, but the transmission of electricity takes place continually. Likewise, God raised up Christ, seated Him in the heavens, put everything under His feet, and gave Him the great gift of being the Head over all things. Now whatever Christ is in His ascension is being transmitted into the church. This is the continual transmission into the church of the ascended Christ with the full significance of His ascension.

If there is a problem with the transmission of electricity from the power plant into a building, the problem is usually not with the power plant. The problem is with the building, that is, with the receiver. In like manner, there is never a problem with the heavenly power plant; however, often with the church there is a problem concerning the receiving of the divine transmission. Often we may have problems that frustrate the transmission of the divine electricity into us. This transmission is not able to get through to many of today’s Christians. Actually, not many Christians are willing to be fully open to receive this transmission continually.

Through the divine transmission from the ascended Christ to the church, the Man-Savior’s ascension is definitely related to us. There can be no doubt that we are connected to Him in His ascension. For this reason Ephesians 2:6 tells us that we are seated together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. For years I could not understand how, in the words of Ephesians 2:6, we can be seated in the heavens. I have found electricity an excellent illustration in helping us to understand this. The electricity that operates in our homes is also in the power plant. This means that at the same time electricity is both in the power plant and in our homes. Likewise, through the divine transmission we are joined to Christ in the heavens. This is…a marvelous fact. The power that is in the heavenly power plant is also in us. (Life-study of Luke, second
edition, pp. 646, 649-650)

Further Reading: Life-study of Luke, msgs. 77-79