第十二週■週六

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晨興餧養

徒二八30 ～ 31『保羅在自己所租的房子裏，住了足足兩年，歡迎一切前來見他的人，全然放膽宣揚神的國，並教導主耶穌基督的事，毫無阻礙。』

  十四22『堅固門徒的魂，勸勉他們恆守信仰，又說，我們進入神的國，必須經歷許多患難。』

神國的入門是重生，其發展是信徒在神聖生命裏的長大。神的國在今天是召會的生活，是忠信的信徒在其中生活的，（羅十四17，）並要發展爲要來的國度，作得勝聖徒在千年國裏所要承受的賞賜。（加五21，弗五5。）至終，神的國要完成於新耶路撒冷，作神永遠的國，並神永遠生命之永遠福分的永遠範圍，在新天新地裏給神所有的贖民享受，直到永遠。（使徒行傳生命讀經，三二頁。）

信息選讀

路加寫的…使徒行傳，開始於神的國，（一3，）也結束於神的國。〔二八31。〕

國度的宣揚是復活基督的繁殖， 這個事實由二十八章三十一節『教導主耶穌基督的事』這句話得着證明。這指明神的國和主耶穌基督的事是並行的。將基督的事教導人，就是開展神的國。所以，神的國實際上就是復活基督的繁殖。（使徒行傳生命讀經，七一四至七一五頁。）

〔使徒行傳〕沒有結束，乃是敞口待加的。這必是因爲聖靈藉着基督的信徒，傳揚基督，使基督得到繁殖、擴增並普及的工作，還沒有完畢，還需要很長一大段時間的繼續。這種使基督繁殖、擴增並普及的福音工作，乃是照着神新約的經綸，爲神產生許多的兒子，（羅八29，）作基督的肢體，構成基督的身體，（十二5，）以完成神永遠的計畫，成全祂永遠的旨意。這是使徒行傳以後，二十一卷書信，和一卷啓示錄，所接着詳盡啓示的。基督這樣的繁殖、擴增所產生的召會，乃是神在基督裏得彰顯並掌權的範圍，所以就成爲神的國。神的國乃是由神的生命，隨着基督的繁殖、擴增而生長出來並普及的。使徒行傳是基督的普及，也是神國的普及，因爲神的國乃是基督的擴大。使徒行傳內所廣傳的福音，是以基督爲福音，（五42，）是基督的福音，也是以神的國爲福音，（八12，）也是神國的福音。這福音的傳揚，一直繼續向前，直到全地都成了基督的國。（啓十一15。）

在四福音是神成爲肉體、經過人生、死而復活，完成了基督，就是三一神的化身。（西二9。）到使徒行傳是神這化身成爲賜生命的靈，（林前十五45，）將基督普及到信祂的人裏面，也就是將經過種種過程的三一神，作到祂所揀選、救贖、並變化的人裏面，使神藉着這些人所構成的召會得着彰顯，其終極結果乃是要來在永世裏的新耶路撒冷，作神完滿並永遠的彰顯。那也將是神永遠的國，作祂在永世裏，在祂的神聖生命中，掌權的範圍，直到永永遠遠。這該是今天一切福音傳揚的實際和目標。（聖經恢復本，徒二八31 註2。）

參讀：使徒行傳生命讀經，第五十五、六十九篇。

WEEK 12 — DAY 6

Morning Nourishment

Acts 28:30-31 …He remained two whole years in his own rented dwelling and welcomed all those who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, unhindered.

      14:22 Establishing the souls of the dsciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.

The entrance into the kingdom is regeneration, and…the development of the kingdom is the believers’ growth in the divine life. The kingdom of God is the church life today, in which the faithful believers live (Rom. 14:17), and it will develop into the coming kingdom as an inheritance reward (Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5) to the overcoming saints in the millennium. Eventually, it will consummate in the New Jerusalem as the eternal kingdom of God and the eternal realm of the eternal blessing of God’s eternal life for all of God’s redeemed to enjoy in the new heaven and new earth for eternity. (Life-study of Acts, 2nd ed., pp. 27-28)

Today’s Reading

Luke’s writing [of Acts] both begins (1:3) and ends [28:31] with the kingdom of God.

The fact that the proclaiming of the kingdom is the propagation of the resurrected Christ is proved by the words teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ in 28:31. This indicates that the kingdom of God goes together with the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. To teach people the things concerning Christ is to spread the kingdom of God. Therefore, the kingdom of God is actually the propagation of the resurrected Christ.

This book was not actually ended; rather, it was left open that more may be added. The reason for this must have been that the work of the Holy Spirit in preaching Christ for His propagation, multiplication, and spread through the believers of Christ was not yet completed and needed to be continued for a long period of time. Such an evangelistic work for Christ’s propagation, multiplication, and spread is according to God’s New Testament economy for the producing of many sons for God (Rom. 8:29) that they might be the members of Christ to constitute His Body (12:5) for the carrying out of God’s eternal plan and the fulfillment of His eternal will. This is revealed in detail in the twenty-one Epistles and the book of Revelation, which follow Acts. The church produced by Christ’s propagation and multiplication is the sphere in which God is expressed and in which He reigns in Christ; hence, the church becomes the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God, along with Christ’s propagation and multiplication, grows out of and spreads from God’s life. Acts is a record of the spreading of Christ; it is also a record of the kingdom of God, because the kingdom of God is the expansion of Christ. The gospel that is widely preached in this book is the very Christ as the gospel (5:42), the gospel
of Christ, and it is also the kingdom of God as the gospel (8:12), the gospel of the kingdom of God. The preaching of such a gospel will continue and advance until the whole earth becomes the kingdom of Christ (Rev. 11:15).

In the four Gospels God was incarnated, passed through human living, died, and resurrected, thus completing Christ, the embodiment of the Triune God (Col. 2:9). In Acts this embodiment of God, as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), spreads Christ into His believers, i.e., works the processed Triune God into His chosen, redeemed, and transformed people to make them the constituents of the church, through which God may be expressed. The ultimate issue of the church will be the New Jerusalem in eternity future as God’s full and eternal expression, which will also be God’s eternal kingdom as the sphere in which He reigns in His divine life in eternity forever and ever. This should be the reality and goal of all gospel preaching today. (Lifestudy of Acts, 2nd ed., pp. 605-606)

Further Reading: Life-study of Acts, msgs. 55, 69