第八週   『盡你的職事』

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詩歌：658

讀經：徒一 17，25，提後四 5 末，提前一 12，林後四 1，弗四 11 ～ 12，西四 17

【週一】

壹 在主的眼中只有一個職事—林後四 1，弗四
12：

一 當彼得說到需要有人代替猶大時，他說，『他本來列在我們數中，並且在這職事上得了一分』—徒一 17：

1 使徒禱告求主指明所揀選的是那一個，『叫他得這職事與使徒職分的地位』—24 ～ 25 節。

2 『這職事』在十七節和二十五節題到，是指爲耶穌作見證的職事—8 節：

a 使徒雖有十二位，他們的職事卻是惟一的『這職事』，就是在基督身體原則中團體的職事。

b 所有的使徒都是執行同一的職事，就是爲成爲肉體、復活、升天的耶穌基督這萬有之主作惟一的見證。

二 保羅在林後四章一節說，『我們旣照所蒙的憐憫，受了這職事，就不喪膽』：

1 哥林多後書中的職事是所有新約執事團體的職事：

a 所有的執事，都各自有他們在這職事裏的一分。

b 在這團體的職事裏，保羅有他的一分，彼得有他的一分，提摩太也有他的一分—提後四 5 末。

c 我們把所有這些分加在一起，就是『這職事』，也就是新約的職事。

2 眾多的執事只有一個職事—新約的職事，爲要完成神新約的經綸。

3 使徒們一切的工作，都是要完成這惟一的職事，將基督供應人，以建造祂的身體。

【週三】

三 林後三章六節告訴我們，神『使我們彀資格作新約的執事』：

1 那靈，就是經過過程之三一神終極的表現，將神的生命，就是神自己，分賜到信徒和使徒裏面，使他們成爲新約的執事。

2 因此，他們的職事乃是憑着賜生命的靈，用那是生命的三一神構成的—林前十五 45 下。

四 『我感謝那加我能力的，我們的主基督耶穌，因祂以我爲忠信，派我盡職事』—提前一 12：

1 在這節裏保羅不是說，『祂派我盡我的職事。』

2 保羅乃是說，主派他盡那惟一、團體的新約職事。

3 我們都需要讚美主，因着祂的憐憫和恩典，祂派我們盡這建造基督身體的團體職事—弗四 12，16。

【週四】

貳 雖然前述的經節啓示新約中的職事是團體的，但另外一些經節指明職事也是個人的：

一 行傳二十章二十四節是指保羅個人的職事，因爲保羅說到他從主領受的職事；這節裏的職事是個人的職事：

1 保羅的職事就是他這個人；他已經與基督成爲一—弗三 17 上，林前六 17，林後三 8 ～ 9，四 1。

2 他所傳講的就是他所是的；他盡職將他的所是供應給人。

3 保羅與基督是一，並被基督構成；因此，他的職事乃是那構成到他所是裏之基督的職事。

二 行傳二十一章十九節明確是指保羅個人的職事，這節說，『保羅…將神藉着他的職事，在外邦人中所行的事，都一一述說出來。』

三 歌羅西四章十七節說，『務要留心你在主裏所領受的職事，好盡這職事；』亞基布有他的一分職事，同樣的原則，我們都有一分職事。

四 保羅在提後四章五節囑咐提摩太要盡他的職事：

1 提摩太盡他的職事，卽充盈他職事的完滿度量。

2 這職事指話語的職事，將基督一切的豐富（弗三8）供應給罪人和信徒，以建造基督的身體。（四11 ～ 12。）

3 要抵擋提後四章三至四節所豫言敗落的趨勢，這樣的職事是極其需要的。

【週五】

五 因着新約的職事乃是基督身體的事奉，而且因着身體有許多肢體，所以每一個肢體都有各自的職事—弗四 11 ～ 12：

1 按肢體來說，有許多的職事；然而按整個身體來說，只有一個職事—提前一 12。

2 我們個人的職事不該從團體的職事分開。

3 身體有一個團體的職事，而身體所有的肢體則有其個別的職事。

4 我們看過，身體上所有肢體的職事加起來就等於團體的職事—弗四 12。

六 應該從不同的角度說一樣的話—林前一 10：

1 需要有許多人被興起，從不同的角度來說同樣的事。

2 我們相信主會興起更多的人來盡這惟一的職事—林後四 1。

3 我們在這職事裏都有一分；這是一個職事，卻有不同的功能，不同的角度，以及不同的方面—弗四 11 ～ 12。

4 我們並不是跟隨一個人，也不是模倣任何人；然而，我們是供應同樣的東西。

【週六】

叁 『爲要成全聖徒，目的是爲着職事的工作，爲着建造基督的身體』—12 節：

一 使徒、申言者、傳福音者、以及牧人教師（11）是爲要成全聖徒，目的是爲着十二節所題到職事的工作。

二 十一節那許多有恩賜的人，只有一個職事，就是將基督供應人，以建造基督的身體；這是新約經綸中惟一的職事—林後四 1，提前一 12。

三 成全聖徒，目的是爲着職事的工作；而職事的工作，目的是爲着建造基督的身體—弗四 12，16。

四 『這是主的恢復，這是我們的託付，這是我們的負擔，也是我們的職事。我們能有分於這職事是何等的蒙福！』—李常受文集一九七八年第三册，真理信息，四四四頁。

【週二】

Week Eight

“Fully Accomplish Your Ministry”

Hymns: 914

Scripture Reading: Acts 1:17, 25; 2 Tim. 4:5d; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Cor. 4:1; Eph. 4:11-12; Col. 4:17

§ Day 1

I. In the eyes of the Lord there is just one ministry—2 Cor. 4:1; Eph. 4:12:

A. Speaking of the need of a replacement for Judas, Peter said that Judas “was numbered among us and was allotted his portion of this ministry”—Acts
1:17:

1. The apostles prayed for the Lord to show them clearly the one whom He had chosen “to take the place of this ministry and apostleship”—vv. 24-25.

2. As used in verses 17 and 25, the word ministry refers to the ministry that bears the testimony of Jesus—v. 8:

a. Though the apostles were twelve in number, their ministry was uniquely one—this ministry, a corporate ministry in the principle of the Body of Christ.

b. All the apostles carried out the same ministry to bear the unique testimony of the incarnated, resurrected, and ascended Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of all.

§ Day 2

B. In 2 Corinthians 4:1 Paul says, “Having this ministry as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart”:

1. The ministry in 2 Corinthians is the corporate ministry of the New Testament ministers:

a. All the ministers have their own portion of the ministry.

b. In this corporate ministry Paul had his portion, Peter had his portion, and Timothy had his portion—2 Tim. 4:5d.

c. When we add all the portions together, we have “this ministry,” which is the New Testament ministry.

2. The many ministers have one ministry—the ministry of the new covenant for the accomplishment of God’s New Testament economy.

3. All the apostles’ works are to carry out this unique ministry, the ministering of Christ to people for the building up of His Body.

§ Day 3

C. Second Corinthians 3:6 tells us that God has made us “sufficient as ministers of a new covenant”:

1. The Spirit, the ultimate expression of the processed Triune God, imparts the divine life, even God Himself, into the believers and the apostles, making them ministers of a new covenant.

2. Hence, their ministry is constituted with the Triune God of life by His life- giving Spirit—1 Cor. 15:45b.

D. “I give thanks to Him who empowers me, Christ Jesus our Lord, that He has counted me faithful, appointing me to the ministry”—1 Tim. 1:12:

1. In this verse Paul does not say, “He appointed me to my ministry.”

2. Paul says that the Lord appointed him to the one unique, corporate New Testament ministry.

3. We all should praise the Lord that by His mercy and grace He has appointed us to the corporate ministry that builds up the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:12, 16.

§ Day 4

II. Although the foregoing verses reveal that the ministry in the New Testament is corporate, certain other verses indicate that the ministry is also personal:

A. Acts 20:24 refers to Paul’s personal ministry because Paul speaks of the ministry which he had received from the Lord; the ministry in this verse is the personal ministry:

1. Paul’s ministry was his being; he and Christ had become one—Eph. 3:17a; 1 Cor. 6:17; 2 Cor. 3:8-9; 4:1.

2. What he preached was what he was; he ministered his very being to others.

3. Paul was one with Christ and had been constituted of Christ; thus, his ministry was a ministry of the Christ who had been constituted into his being.

B. Acts 21:19 definitely and clearly refers to Paul’s personal ministry: “He related one by one the things which God did among the Gentiles through his ministry.”

C. Colossians 4:17 says, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it”; Archippus had a ministry, and in the same principle, we all have a ministry.

D. In 2 Timothy 4:5 Paul charges Timothy to fully accomplish his ministry:

1. For Timothy to fully accomplish his ministry was for him to fill up the full measure of his ministry.

2. This ministry denotes the ministry of the word, which is to minister Christ in all His riches (Eph. 3:8) to both sinners and believers for the building up of the Body of Christ (4:11-12).

3. Such a ministry is desperately needed to counter the trend of decline, as prophesied in 2 Timothy 4:3 and 4.

§ Day 5

E. Because the New Testament ministry is the service of the Body of Christ and because the Body has many members, every member has his own ministry—Eph. 4:11-12:

1. According to the members, there are many ministries; however, according to the Body as a whole, there is just one ministry—1 Tim. 1:12.

2. Our personal ministry should not be separate from the corporate ministry.

3. The Body has a corporate ministry, and all the members of the Body have their individual ministries.

4. As we have seen, all the ministries of the members of the Body added together equal the corporate ministry—Eph. 4:12.

F. There should be the same speaking from different angles—1 Cor. 1:10:

1. There is a need for many to be raised up to speak the same thing from different angles.

2. We believe that the Lord will raise up many more to carry out the unique ministry—2 Cor. 4:1.

3. We all have a part in this ministry, which is the one ministry with different functions, different angles, and different aspects—Eph. 4:11-12.

4. We are not following a man or imitating anyone; however, we are ministering
the same thing.

§ Day 6

III. “For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ”—v. 12:

A. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers (v. 11) are for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry mentioned in verse 12.

B. The many gifted persons in verse 11 have only one ministry, that is, to minister Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ; this is the unique ministry in the New Testament economy—2 Cor. 4:1; 1 Tim. 1:12.

C. The perfecting of the saints is unto the work of the ministry, and the work of the ministry is unto the building up of the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:12, 16.

D. “This is the Lord’s recovery, this is our commission, this is our burden, and this is our ministry. How blessed we are to have a part in this ministry!”—The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1978,vol. 3, “Truth Messages,” p. 323.