第五週•週一

w05d01-ch

晨興餧養

提後四 1『我在神並…基督耶穌面前，憑着祂的顯現和祂的國度，鄭重的囑咐你。』

7 ～ 8『那美好的仗我已經打過了，當跑的賽程我已經跑盡了，當守的信仰我已經守住了；從此以後，有公義的冠冕爲我存留，就是主，那公義的審判者，在那日要賞賜我的；不但賞賜我，也賞賜凡愛祂顯現的人。』

〔提後四章一節〕這話證明保羅的生活、工作是以主的顯現和祂的國度爲鼓勵、爲目標。主的顯現是爲着審判，要報應我們各人（太十六 27，啓二二12），主的國度是爲着祂與得勝者一同作王（二十 4、6）。使徒不僅自己以這二者爲鼓勵、爲目標，也憑這二者囑咐他所帶領的提摩太，要忠信盡他話語的職事（聖經恢復本，提後四 1 註 2）。

主的顯現，主的回來，乃是我們的警告、鼓勵和激勵。我們應當愛主的顯現，並以熱切的期待和喜樂盼望這事（提後四 8 註 5）。

信息選讀

在提後三章一節保羅說，末後的日子『必有艱難的時期來到』。艱難的時期，意思也是艱苦的時期，痛苦的時期，危險的時期。…在十二節保羅說，『凡立志在基督耶穌裏過敬虔生活的，也都要受逼迫。』對那追求公義、信、愛、和平，並清心呼求主的人，這時期的確會是艱難、痛苦、危險的。這裏保羅似乎說，『提摩太阿，我因着這事實得着鼓勵，就是神堅固的根基立住了，並且你能同別人追求公義、信、愛、和平，也清心呼求主。你們能一同站住，分賜對召會敗落的豫防劑。

有些人甚至可能被恢復，得以認識真理，並歸於神的旨意。雖然如此，我要你知道，要來的時期對你會非常艱難。這時期對凡清心呼求主，並立志在基督耶穌裏過敬虔生活的人，會是痛苦、危險的。』在二節保羅…說，『因爲那時人要成爲愛自己者、愛錢財者、自誇者、狂傲的、毀謗者、違背父母的、忘恩負義的、不聖的。』二至五節所陳明豫言的圖畫，不是描繪非基督徒社會邪惡的光景，乃是描繪二章二十節所說大戶人家，就是墮落之基督教敗壞的光景。三章五節『有敬虔的外形』，證實這一點。非基督徒連敬虔的外形都沒有。有這樣外形的人是稱爲基督徒的人。

保羅說到這些人的第一件事，乃是他們將是『愛自己者』。今天許多基督徒是愛自己者。不但放縱屬世娛樂的人是自私的，甚至上禮拜堂、上教堂的人也可能是自私的。

在三本提字書裏說到七類愛者：1. 愛自己者；2. 愛錢財者（提後三 2，提前六 10）；3. 愛宴樂者；4. 愛神者（提後三 4）；5. 愛良善者（多一 8）；6. 愛丈夫者和 7. 愛兒女者（二 4）。也有兩類不愛者：1. 不愛良善者和 2. 不愛神者（提後三 3 ～ 4）。人無論是那一類的愛者，他的全心，甚至全人，都是擺在所愛的上面，被其霸佔並得着。這是極爲緊要的！召會究竟會不會有得勝的榮耀日子，還是敗落的艱難日子，完全在於我們是那一類的愛者。歷史告訴我們，召會敗落的根源，乃是失去對主起初的愛（啓二 4）。我們要維持召會得勝的標準，就必須是愛神者，也是愛與神經綸有關的良善者（提摩太後書生命讀經，五一至五三頁）。

參讀：提摩太後書生命讀經，第五篇；在神聖三一裏並同神聖三一活着，第五章。

WEEK 5 — DAY 1

Morning Nourishment

2 Tim. I solemnly charge you before God and Christ 4:1 Jesus…and by His appearing and His kingdom.

      7-8 I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing.

This word [in 2 Timothy 4:1] proves that, in his life and work, Paul took the Lord’s appearing and His kingdom as the incentive and goal. The Lord’s appearing will be for judgment, to reward each one of us (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12), and His kingdom will be for His reigning with His overcomers (Rev. 20:4, 6). The apostle not only took these two matters as the incentive and goal for himself but also by these two matters charged Timothy, who was under his leading, to faithfully fulfill his ministry of the word. (2 Tim. 4:1, footnote 2)

The Lord’s appearing, His coming back, is a warning, an encouragement, and an incentive to us. We should love it and look forward to it with earnest expectation and joy. (2 Tim. 4:8, footnote 5)

Today’s Reading

In 2 Timothy 3:1 Paul says that in the last days “difficult times will come.” The Greek for difficult times also means “hard times, grievous times, perilous times.”…In verse 12 Paul says, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” For those who pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace and who call on the name of the Lord out of a pure heart, this time will indeed be difficult, grievous, perilous. Here Paul seems to be saying, “Timothy, I am encouraged by the fact that the firm foundation of God stands and that, with others, you can pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace and call on the Lord out of a pure heart. You can stand together and dispense the inoculation against the decline of the church.

Some may even be recovered to the full knowledge of the truth and to the will of God. Nevertheless, I want you to know that the time that is coming will be very difficult for you. This time will be grievous, perilous, for all those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart and who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus.”

In verse 2 Paul goes on to say, “For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” The prophetic picture presented in verses 2 through 5 portrays not the evil condition of the non-Christian society but the corrupted situation of the great house mentioned in 2:20, degraded Christianity. This is proved by the phrase having an outward form of godliness (3:5). Unbelievers do not have even the form of godliness. Those who have such a form are those who are called Christians.

The first thing Paul says about these men is that they will be “lovers of self.” Many Christians today are self-lovers. Not only those who indulge in worldly entertainments are selfish; even those who attend the chapels and cathedrals may be selfish.

In 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus seven kinds of lovers are mentioned: lovers of self, lovers of money (2 Tim. 3:2; 1 Tim. 6:10), lovers of pleasure, lovers of God (2 Tim. 3:4), lovers of good (Titus 1:8), lovers of husbands, and lovers of children (2:4). Also, two kinds of nonlovers are mentioned: nonlovers of good and nonlovers of God (2 Tim. 3:3-4). Whatever one loves, his whole heart, even his entire being, is set on and occupied and possessed by. This is crucial! Whether there would be a day of glory in the church’s victory or grievous days of the church’s decline depends altogether on what we set our heart upon, what it is we love. History tells us that the root of the church’s decline was the loss of her first love toward the Lord (Rev. 2:4). To maintain the victorious standard of the church, we must be lovers of God and lovers of the good that pertains to God’s economy. (Life-study of 2 Timothy, 2nd ed., pp. 41-42)

Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Timothy, msg. 5; CWWL, 1988, vol. 1, “Living in and with the Divine Trinity,” ch. 5