第五週 • 週二

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晨興餧養

弗三2　    諒必你們曾聽見那為着你們所賜給我，神恩典的管家職分。

西一25　   我照神為你們所賜我的管家職分，作了召會的執事…。

神的分賜完全是祂經綸中的一件事：是在祂的經綸中，是在祂的計畫、打算、安排之下，把這個分賜實行出來。為着實行這個分賜，祂這位三一神就選召祂所喜歡的人，能用的人，安排他們作祂的分賜者，把祂的恩典豐厚的給他們；這班人裏頭因着神豐厚的恩典，就有神的大能在他們裏頭運作。這些使徒和申言者就照着神的運作來盡他們的職事。在這種情形之下，他們的職事就稱作管家的職事。他們是管家，因為他們要實行神的分賜（李常受文集一九九○年第三冊，六○九頁）。

信息選讀

『經綸』這辭在希臘文的意思是家庭律法，就是指着家庭行政說的。…神…安排一班又一班使徒和申言者來作祂這個家政的管家，來分配這大家庭裏的豐富，叫有分於這個家的每一分子，就是家人，個個都能分享這個大家庭家主的豐富，滿足家主的心意。

保羅實在是這樣一個管家，執行他的管家職分，把神豐富的恩典，就是基督那無限量的豐富分賜出去。所以保羅的管家職分就是神經綸的實行。經綸這辭在以弗所三章九節繙作經綸，但是在二節卻繙作管家職分。…神的家政，就是神在宇宙家族中的這一個行政，乃是要來分賜神在基督裏那無限量的豐富。保羅蒙了特別的恩典，受了特別的託付，也從神得到了特別的運作，就把基督追測不盡的豐富，傳給神所揀選的外邦人，這個就是他的管家職分。所以管家的職分就是神的經綸。…召會乃是建造在使徒和申言者的根基上，就是在他們所看見的啟示，所看見的異象上。如同主耶穌在馬太十六章所說的話一樣，主要把祂的召會建造在這磐石上〔18〕，這磐石還不重在這磐石的本身，乃是重在所看見的那個磐石的異象。彼得回答主說，『你是基督，是活神的兒子。』（16）…使徒們所看見的異象、啟示乃是召會被建造的基礎。在這個基礎上以基督各面的豐富，就是基督無限量的豐富來建造；基督那無限量的豐富，就是神無限量的恩典（李常受文集一九九○年第三冊，六○九至六一一頁）。

每一肢體都得了恩典〔參弗四7，羅十二6上〕。…所有的肢體都是神諸般恩典的管家〔彼前四10〕。…神的恩典不是只有一面，乃是有許多面。…新約給我們看見，用一杯涼水服事聖徒也是恩典的一面。…一位弟兄若因着某種情形非常受困擾，我去同他禱告，那又是恩典的另一方面。神的恩典是多方面的。我們可以用許多方式向聖徒說明這點。

所有聖徒作為基督身體的肢體，乃是神諸般恩典的管家。一面，我們是基督身體上的肢體；另一面，我們是神的管家。…管家總是供應人某些需要。所以我們必須幫助聖徒們看見，今天在召會生活中，每一位弟兄和姊妹，作為基督的肢體，都該是神所選定、任命、囑咐的管家，用祂恩典的某些方面來服事人，給人供應（李常受文集一九七九年第二冊，一一四至一一五頁）。

參讀：神的經綸與分賜，第七篇；哥林多前書生命讀經，第三十四篇；腓立比書生命讀經，第七篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 2

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Morning Nourishment

Eph. 3:2 If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you.

Col. 1:25 …I became a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you…

God’s dispensing is fully something that is in His economy, something in His plan, something in His purpose and arrangement. In order to carry out this dispensing and for the execution of this dispensing, the Triune God selected some with whom He was pleased and whom He could use and made them His dispensers, richly bestowing upon them His grace. Through God’s rich grace there was an operation of God’s power within these people. These apostles and prophets then fulfilled their ministry according to the operation of God. Under such circumstances the ministry of these ones is called the stewardship. They are the stewards because they are there to execute God’s dispensing. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “A Deeper Study of the Divine Dispensing,” p. 499)

Todays Reading

In Greek the word for economy (oikonomia) denotes a household law, a household administration…God has arranged to have many apostles and prophets to be stewards in His household management to manage the distribution of the riches of His great family so that all the members of His family, that is, those who have a part in this family, will be able to share in the riches of God’s great household and thus satisfy His desire.

The apostle Paul was indeed such a steward. He exercised his stewardship to dispense God’s rich grace, that is, the unsearchable riches of Christ, to others. Hence, Paul’s stewardship was the execution of God’s economy. In Ephesians 3:9 the word oikonomia is translated “economy,” whereas in 3:2 it is translated “stewardship.”…God’s economy, God’s universal household administration, is to distribute God’s unlimited riches in Christ. Paul says that he received a special commission, a special grace, and a special operation to transmit the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles chosen by God. This was his stewardship. Hence, the stewardship is God’s economy…The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. This means that it is built on the revelation and the vision that they saw. This is similar to what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:18. He would build His church upon “this rock.” That rock is not mainly the rock itself but the revelation concerning the rock. Peter told the Lord, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16)…The revelation and vision that the apostles saw is the foundation for the building up of the church. Upon this foundation are built all the riches of Christ. These are the unsearchable riches of Christ. The unsearchable riches of Christ are the unlimited grace of God. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “A Deeper Study of the Divine Dispensing,” p. 500)

Every member has been given grace [cf. Eph. 4:7; Rom. 12:6a]…All the members are stewards of the varied, or manifold, grace of God [1 Pet. 4:10]… God’s grace is not only of one aspect; it has manifold aspects…The New Testament shows us that to serve the saints with a cup of cold water is…an aspect of grace…If a brother is very bothered by a certain situation, and I go to pray with him, that is still another aspect of grace. God’s grace is manifold. We can illustrate this point to the saints in many ways.

All the saints as members of the Body of Christ are stewards of the manifold grace of God. On the one hand, we are members of the Body of Christ, and on the other hand, we are stewards of God…A steward is one who always supplies others with certain needs, so we have to help the saints realize that every brother and every sister today in the church life as a member of Christ should be a steward of God assigned by God, commissioned by God, charged by God, with some aspect of His grace to minister to others for their supply. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 2, “Basic Lessons on Service,” pp. 92-93)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Economy and Dispensing of God,” ch. 7; Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msg. 34; Life-study of Philippians, msg. 7