第八週■週一

w08d01-ch

晨興餧養

徒一 17『他〔猶大〕本來列在我們數中，並且在這職事上得了一分。』

      25『叫他得這職事與使徒職分的地位。這一分猶大已經離棄，往自己的地方去了。』

在主的眼中，新約時代只有一個職事。…十二使徒全都在『這職事』〔徒一 17、25〕中，這指明新約只有一個獨一的職事。多年前，我沒有看見這個；但因着關於接受別人職事的爭辯，我就花時間來研讀有關這件事的純正話語。我的眼睛被開啓，看見十二位使徒全都在『這職事』裏。因此，當使徒們禱告能有人替換猶大的一分時，他們求主指明祂所揀選的人，『叫他得這職事』（25）（李常受文集一九七八年第三册，四三五頁）。

信息選讀

有人也許會辯說，『這職事』僅限於十二使徒。但以弗所四章十一至十二節說，『祂所賜的，有些是使徒，有些是申言者，有些是傳福音者，有些是牧人和教師，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。』十一節是包括從使徒時代直到主再來的整個時期。在神新約經綸裏有好些使徒、申言者、傳福音者、牧人和教師。…請注意十二節不是說『眾職事（ministries）的工作』，而是說『職事（ministry）的工作』。雖然有成千有恩賜的人，但他們全數是爲着一個職事的工作。

在新約時代裏，神獨一的心意就是要建造身體。神創造宇宙，造人，成功救贖，全都是爲此。爲着這一個目的，神有一個職事。在新約時代裏，神沒有兩種工作；祂只有一種工作和一個職事（李常受文集一九七八年第三册，四三五至四三六頁）。

新約惟一的職事包括眾使徒所有的工作（眾職事），而眾使徒乃是新約的眾執事。林後三章六節清楚的用『這些執事』這個複數辭，而八、九節則用單數的『職事』。然後，在四章一節保羅說，『因此，我們旣照所蒙的憐憫，受了這職事，就不喪膽。』這裏保羅用複數的代名詞『我們』。他不是說他（單數）受了這職事，乃是說我們（複數）受了這職事（單數）。這裏的我們不僅包括保羅，更包括所有的新約執事。這一切都指明，眾多新約的執事，只有一個新約的職事。

頭一批新約的執事是十二使徒。在行傳一章十七、二十五節彼得用『這職事』一辭。那職事是十二使徒的職事，他們是頭十二位新約的執事。職事是事奉、工作，而執事是事奉的人。事奉的人有許多。在十二使徒之後，有許多的執事，包括保羅、巴拿巴和許多其他的人，進入這職事。雖然執事有許多，但這許多執事只有一個職事。

我們將所有這些經文一起考慮，…就能看見一幅圖畫，向我們清楚顯示，新約的職事就是所有新約執事事奉、工作的總和。在這職事裏，提摩太有一部分，稱爲提摩太的職事。你也有一部分，稱爲『你的職事』，我也有一部分，稱爲『我的職事』。然而，這不是說，在新約裏有一個職事，然後在這一個職事以外，有許多其他的職事。新約的職事是獨一無二的，但有許多的執事有分於這一個職事（李常受文集一九九三年第一册，七至九頁）。

參讀：提摩太後書生命讀經，第六至七篇；哥林多後書生命讀經，第四十八篇。

WEEK 8 — DAY 1

Morning Nourishment

Acts 1:17 For he was numbered among us and was allotted his portion of this ministry.

         25 To take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.

In the eyes of the Lord there is just one ministry in the New Testament age… The twelve apostles were all in “this ministry” [Acts 1:17, 25]. This indicates that there is one unique ministry in the New Testament. Years ago, I did not see this. But because of the controversy regarding receiving the ministry of others, I have spent time to study the pure Word regarding this matter. My eyes have been opened to see that the twelve apostles were all in “this ministry.” Therefore, when the apostles prayed about a replacement for Judas, they asked the Lord to show them whom He had chosen to “take the place of this ministry” (v. 25). (CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “Truth Messages,” p. 317)

Todays Reading

Some may argue that “this ministry” is limited to the twelve apostles. But Ephesians 4:11 and 12 say, “He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.” Verse 11 is related to the whole period of time from the apostles until the Lord’s second coming. In God’s New Testament economy there are many apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers… Notice that verse 12 does not say “the work of the ministries” but “the work of the ministry.” Although there are thousands of gifted persons, all are for the work of the one ministry.

During the New Testament age God’s unique intention is to build up the Body. God created the universe, formed man, and accomplished redemption all for this. For this one purpose, God has one ministry. God does not have two operations in this New Testament age; He has one operation with one ministry. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “Truth Messages,” pp. 317-318)

The unique ministry of the New Testament comprises all the works (ministries) of all the apostles, the ministers of the new covenant. In 2 Corinthians 3 the plural ministers is used clearly in verse 6, and the singular ministry is used in verses 8 and 9. Then, in 4:1 Paul says, “Therefore having this ministry as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart.” Here Paul uses the plural pronoun we. He does not say that he (singular) had this ministry; rather, he says that we (plural) have this ministry (singular). We here includes not only Paul but all the New Testament ministers. All of this indicates that there is one new covenant ministry of many new covenant ministers.

The first of the new covenant ministers were the twelve apostles. In Acts 1:17 and 25 Peter used the term this ministry. That ministry was the ministry of the twelve apostles, who were the first twelve New Testament ministers. The ministry is the service, the work, and the ministers are the persons who serve. The persons who serve are many. After the twelve apostles, many ministers, including Paul, Barnabas, and many others, entered into the ministry. Although the ministers were many, all these many ministers had only one ministry.

When we consider all these verses together…, we can see a picture showing us clearly that the New Testament ministry is the service, the work, in totality of all the New Testament ministers. In this ministry Timothy had a part called Timothy’s ministry. You also have a part called “your ministry,” and I also have a part called “my ministry.” However, this does not mean that in the New Testament there is one ministry, and then in addition to this one ministry there are many other ministries. The ministry of the New Testament is uniquely one, but there are many ministers who have a part in this one ministry. (CWWL, 1993, vol. 1, “The Ministry of the New Testament and the Teaching and Fellowship of the Apostles,” pp. 5-7)

Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Timothy, msgs. 6-7; Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 48