第八週■週三

w08d03-ch

晨興餧養

林後三 6『祂使我們彀資格作新約的執事，這些執事不是屬於字句，乃是屬於靈，因爲那字句殺死人，那靈卻叫人活。』

提前一 12『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。』

新約經綸中的職事乃是一個團體的職事，其中包含成千有恩賜的人。…在林後四章一節保羅…不是說，『我受了這職事。』也不是說，『我們受了這些職事。』他乃是說，『我們…受了這職事。』保羅、他的同工以及其他的使徒，都受了這職事，就是新約中獨一的職事。

職事就是事奉；所有的執事都是執行這項事奉的人〔林後三 6〕。這許多執事沒有許多事奉，只有一項事奉，一個職事。…保羅在提前一章十二節…不是說，『祂派我盡我的職事』；他乃是說，主派他盡那獨一、團體的新約職事。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（李常受文集一九七八年第三册，四三六至四三七頁）。

信息選讀

職事指新約惟一的職事，爲着建造基督的身體這一個建造，而這職事是許許多多新約執事惟一的事奉。基督身體的每個肢體，都有這職事的一部分。雖然每個信徒都有職事的一部分，他們的部分卻不是分開的職事，而只是那一個職事的各部分。完成神的新約，只需要一個職事。若有一個以上的職事，就會產生難處（李常受文集一九九三年第一册，一○頁）。

〔在林後三章六節保羅題到〕的『字句』，…是指律法的成文條例。那靈卽活神的靈，使徒用這靈將基督供應到信徒裏面。使徒那爲着新約的職事，不是屬於死的字句，如摩西那爲着舊約的職事，乃是屬於賜人生命的活靈。

殺死人的字句，乃是律法的字句〔羅七 9 ～ 11〕，只向人要求，卻不能供應人生命（加三 21）。…那靈，就是經過過程…的三一神終極的表現，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（生命之約）的執事。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。

在信徒裏面作工的靈，乃是賜人生命之新約職事的靈。在生命裏有許多元素。那靈不僅變化我們，也構成新約的職事。因此，新約的職事與變化人的靈是一，這職事是變化人的職事。保羅的職事是由變化人的靈構成的。保羅盡職的時候，變化人的靈就在聖徒裏面作工。今天，若是人的說話是新約的職事，當我們聽他的時候，神聖的元素就憑着那靈分賜到我們這人裏面，那靈也就在我們裏面作工變化我們。這就是那靈作元素，叫人彀資格作新約執事的元素。

我們不該以爲只有使徒彀資格作新約的執事。我們都是服事的人，神已使我們有資格服事。神已叫我們彀資格作執事，這些執事不是屬於字句，乃是屬於靈。所以，凡我們所傳講或教導的，都該是由那靈構成的話（新約總論第四册，二一七至二一八頁）。

參讀：一個在靈裏之人的自傳，第一章；倪柝聲—今時代神聖啓示的先見，第二十二章。

WEEK 8 — DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

2 Cor. 3:6 Who has also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

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

The ministry in the New Testament economy is a corporate ministry, a ministry that includes thousands of gifted people…In 2 Corinthians 4:1 Paul… does not say, “I have this ministry” or “We have these ministries”; he says, “Having this ministry.” Paul, his co-workers, and the other apostles all had this ministry, the one ministry in the New Testament.

The ministry is the service; all the ministers are the serving ones carrying out this service [2 Cor. 3:6]. The many ministers do not have many services but one service, one ministry. In 1 Timothy 1:12…Paul does not say, “He appointed me to my ministry”; he says that the Lord appointed him to the one unique, corporate New Testament ministry. We all need to praise the Lord that by His mercy and grace He has appointed us to the corporate ministry that builds up the Body of Christ. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “Truth Messages,” p. 318)

Todays Reading

The ministry denotes the unique new covenant ministry for the building up of one building, the Body of Christ, and this ministry is the unique service of thousands of New Testament ministers. Every member of the Body of Christ has a part of this ministry. Although every believer has a part of the ministry, their parts are not separate ministries but are only parts of the one ministry. The carrying out of God’s new covenant requires only one ministry. If there is more than one ministry, trouble will result. (CWWL, 1993, vol. 1, “The Ministry of the New Testament and the Teaching and Fellowship of the Apostles,” p. 8)

By letter [in 2 Corinthians 3:6] Paul means the written code of the law. The Spirit is the Spirit of the living God, with whom the apostle ministers Christ into the believers. The apostolic ministry for the New Testament is not of dead letters like the Mosaic ministry for the Old Testament but of the living Spirit, who gives life.

The letter that kills is the letter of the law [Rom. 7:9-11], which only requires of man but is unable to supply man with life (Gal. 3:21)…The Spirit, who is the ultimate expression of the processed Triune God, imparts the divine life, even God Himself, into the apostles and all other believers, making them ministers of a new covenant, the covenant of life. Hence, their ministry is one constituted of the Triune God of life by His life-giving Spirit.

The Spirit who works in the believers is the Spirit of the new covenant ministry that gives life. Within life there are many elements. The Spirit not only transforms us but also constitutes the New Testament ministry. Hence, the New Testament ministry is one with the transforming Spirit, and this ministry is a transforming ministry. Paul’s ministry was constituted of and with the transforming Spirit. When Paul was ministering, the transforming Spirit was working in the saints. Today, when we listen to a person whose speaking is the New Testament ministry, the Spirit works in us to transform us as the divine element is being dispensed into our being by the Spirit. This is the Spirit as the element that makes us sufficient ministers of the new covenant.

We should not think that only the apostles are sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. We all are ministering ones, and God has made us competent to minister. God has made us competent ministers not of a covenant of letters but of a covenant of the Spirit. Therefore, whatever we preach or teach should be a word constituted of the Spirit. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 1037-1038)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1967, vol. 2, “An Autobiography of a Person in the Spirit,” ch. 1; Watchman Nee—a Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, ch. 22