历代志、以斯拉记、尼希米记、以斯帖记结晶读经
第十篇 以斯拉记和尼希米记这两卷恢复的书中心并重要的点—主恢复中正确并适当的领导
The Central and Crucial Point of the Recovery Books of Ezra and Nehemiah— the Proper and Adequate Leadership in the Lord's Recovery
读经:尼八1~10,十三14、29~31,太二十25~28,二三8~13,来十三7
Scripture Reading: Neh. 8:1-10; 13:14, 29-31; Matt. 20:25-28; 23:8-13; Heb. 13:7
壹 在神永远的经纶中并在主的恢复里,领导是根据属灵的度量;领导不是职务性、永久性、组织性或阶级制度的—帖前一5,二1~14,五12~13,来十三7、17、24:
I. In God's eternal economy and in the Lord's recovery, leadership depends upon spiritual capacity; the leadership is not official, permanent, organizational, or hierarchical—1 Thes. 1:5; 2:1-14; 5:12-13; Heb. 13:7, 17, 24:
一 主对领导的观念与天然的观念相反;在神子民中间,实际上没有按天然意义的领导—太二十25~28,二三8~13:
A. The Lord's concept of leadership is the opposite of the natural concept; among God's people there is actually no leadership in the natural sense—Matt. 20:25-28; 23:8-13:
1 在神新约的经纶里,领导的意思是作奴仆服事;任何想要领头的人,必须愿意作奴仆—可十35~45。
1. In God's New Testament economy, leadership means slavery; anyone who would be a leader must be willing to be a slave—Mark 10:35-45.
2 领导是因着在生命上长大而成形的,并且是因需要而产生;若是没有需要,领导就不会显明出来—彼前五1~3。
2. A leadership is shaped by the growth in life and is an issue of the need; if there is no need, no leadership can be manifested—1 Pet. 5:1-3.
3 为了把关于领导的属人观念摆在一边,神命定祂子民中间的领导应当总是根据属灵的度量—徒十三2、9,十四12,加二11~14。
3. In order to set aside the human concept of leadership, God ordained that the leadership among His people should depend always upon spiritual capacity—Acts 13:2, 9; 14:12; Gal. 2:11-14.
4 主的恢复中没有组织的领导,也没有统一的组织;反之,有一位元首直接向众肢体施命令,并有一个生机体,就是基督的身体—弗一22~23。
4. There is no organized leadership in the Lord's recovery, and there is no unifying organization; instead, there is one Head who gives orders to all the members directly, and there is one organism, the Body—Eph. 1:22-23.
二 按照新约,使徒们的权柄是属灵的,也是在他们话语的职事里—徒二42,林后十三5~6,帖前二13:
B. According to the New Testament, the authority of the apostles is spiritual and is in their ministry of the word—Acts 2:42; 2 Cor. 13:5-6; 1 Thes. 2:13:
1 他们没有地位上的权柄去干涉召会的事务;只有他们所供应的话语有权柄—西四16,来十三7。
1. They have no authority in position to interfere with the church affairs; only the word ministered by them has authority—Col. 4:16; Heb. 13:7.
2 众召会跟随使徒们乃因使徒们有新约的教训—腓二12,徒二十17~36。
2. The churches follow the apostles because the apostles have the New Testament teaching—Phil. 2:12; Acts 20:17-36.
3 一个召会若走岔或被误导,使徒们就有义务和责任,照着那有权柄的神的话对付这个情形—26~27节,林后十6,提后一13,四2。
3. If a church goes astray or is misled, the apostles have the obligation and responsibility to deal with the situation according to God's word, which has authority—vv. 26-27; 2 Cor. 10:6; 2 Tim. 1:13; 4:2.
4 领导是在使徒的教训里产生、加强并受约束的—多一9。
4. The leadership is produced, strengthened, and restricted in the apostles' teaching—Titus 1:9.
三 在新约里,只有一个职事连同一个领导—徒一17、25,林后四1:
C. In the New Testament there is one ministry with one leadership—Acts 1:17, 25; 2 Cor. 4:1:
1 今天基督教是分裂的,因为有太多的领导;因为职事只有一个,所以不该有多于一个的领导。
1. Today's Christianity is divided because there are so many leaderships; because the ministry is one, there should not be more than one leadership.
2 只有一个领导,因为神、主和那灵都是一;一个领导是为着基督的身体保守那灵的一—弗四3~6。
2. There is one leadership since God, the Lord, and the Spirit are all one; the one leadership is for the keeping of the oneness of the Spirit for the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:3-6.
3 新约给我们看见,在职事里领头的人身上有神代表的权柄,这权柄乃是为着建造—林后十三10:
3. The New Testament shows us God's delegated authority in the leading ones in the ministry, an authority that is for building up—2 Cor. 13:10:
a 神代表的权柄是在领头人的教训上—林前四17下~21,七17下,十一2,十六1,帖后三6、9、12、14。
a. God's delegated authority was in the teaching of the leading ones—1 Cor. 4:17b-21; 7:17b; 11:2; 16:1; 2 Thes. 3:6, 9, 12, 14.
b 在各处各召会中教导同样的事,乃是保罗代表权柄的明证—林前四17下。
b. Teaching the same thing everywhere in every church was the demonstration of Paul's delegated authority—1 Cor. 4:17b.
四 在新约职事中的领导重在新约的教训,过于在新约职事中的领头人—徒二42,提后三10。
D. The leadership in the New Testament ministry is in the New Testament teaching more than in the leading ones of the New Testament ministry themselves—Acts 2:42; 2 Tim. 3:10.
贰 在新约职事中的领导,乃是神永远经纶控制之异象的领导,而不是控制之人的领导;使徒保罗宣告说,“我故此没有违背那从天上来的异象”—徒二六19:
II. The leadership in the New Testament ministry is the leadership of the controlling vision of God's eternal economy, not the leadership of a controlling person; the apostle Paul declared, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision"—Acts 26:19:
一 神永远的经纶是借着使徒揭示的,但因为信徒失去了对神的经纶正确的领会,就需要由主来恢复;神永远的经纶(希腊文,oikonomia,奥依克诺米亚)乃是神的家庭行政,要在基督里将祂自己分赐到祂所拣选并救赎的人里面,使祂得着一个家彰显祂自己,这家就是召会—基督的身体—弗三2、8~9,提前一3~4,三15,弗一10,二21~22,彼前四10。
A. God's eternal economy was unveiled through the apostles, but because the believers lost the proper understanding of it, there is the need for it to be recovered by the Lord; God's eternal economy (Gk. oikonomia) is His household administration to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people so that He may have a house to express Himself, which house is the church, the Body of Christ—Eph. 3:2, 8-9; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 3:15; Eph. 1:10; 2:21-22; 1 Pet. 4:10.
二 “恢复”意即在遭受破坏或失去了以后,再使事物复原或回到正常的情形;“恢复”的意思是照着神永远经纶内容之恢复的当前进展,按圣经里所启示神原初的心意和标准而得复原:
B. Recovery means the restoration or return to a normal condition after a damage or a loss has been incurred; recovery means to go back to God's original intention and standard as revealed in the Scriptures, which is according to the present advance of His recovery of the contents of God's eternal economy:
1 主的恢复是要恢复基督在祂成肉体、总括与加强时期里,作我们的中心、实际、生命和一切—西一17下、18下,诗八十1、15、17~19,约一14,林前十五45下,启二4~5、7、17,三7~8、12~13、17~22,四5,五6,约六57,十四21、23,二一15~17,参耶三二39。
1. The Lord's recovery is the recovery of Christ as our center, reality, life, and everything in His full ministry of incarnation, inclusion, and intensification—Col. 1:17b, 18b; Psa. 80:1, 15, 17-19; John 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rev. 2:4-5, 7, 17; 3:7-8, 12-13, 17-22; 4:5; 5:6; John 6:57; 14:21, 23; 21:15-17; cf. Jer. 32:39.
2 主的恢复是要恢复基督身体的一—约十七11、21~23,弗四3~4上,启一11。
2. The Lord's recovery is the recovery of the oneness of the Body of Christ—John 17:11, 21-23; Eph. 4:3-4a; Rev. 1:11.
3 主的恢复是要恢复基督身体众肢体的功用—弗四15~16,罗十五16,彼前二5、9,林前十四1、4下、12、26、31、39,耶三一33~34(见33注1)。
3. The Lord's recovery is the recovery of the function of all the members of the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:15-16; Rom. 15:16; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; 1 Cor. 14:1, 4b, 12, 26, 31, 39; Jer. 31:33-34 (see footnote 1 on v. 33).
三 这异象必须在我们里面日日得更新,成为支配我们一切生活、工作与活动的异象—约壹一7,彼前二9,赛二5,诗一一九105,三六8~9。
C. This vision must be renewed in us day by day to be the controlling vision of all our life, work, and activity—1 John 1:7; 1 Pet. 2:9; Isa. 2:5; Psa. 119:105; 36:8-9.
四 一个人离开主的恢复,这指明他从未看见主的恢复是什么;我们若没有看见主恢复的异象,我们实际上就不在主的恢复里—徒二六13~19,参创十三14~18。
D. For a person to leave the Lord's recovery means that he has never seen what the Lord's recovery is; if we have not seen a vision of the Lord's recovery, we actually are not in the Lord's recovery—Acts 26:13-19; cf. Gen. 13:14-18.
五 我们在主的恢复里,必须对神永远的经纶有清楚的异象,然后被这异象所管制、支配并指引;因为我们在这里乃是在主的恢复里实行神永远的经纶。
E. We in the Lord's recovery must have a clear vision of God's eternal economy and then be governed, controlled, and directed by this vision, for we are here to carry out God's eternal economy in His recovery.
六 在主恢复里的领导,乃是神所赐神永远经纶之异象的领导;这异象约束、支配并控制我们,使混乱与分裂得以避免—箴二九18上。
F. The leadership in the Lord's recovery is the leadership of the God-given vision of God's eternal economy that restricts us, directs us, and controls us so that confusion and division are avoided—Prov. 29:18a.
七 请读摘自“时代的异象”之补充。
G. Read the supplement from The Vision of the Age.
叁 以斯拉记和尼希米记这两卷恢复的书,其中心并重要的点乃是正确并适当地领导—尼八1~10:
III. The central and crucial point of the recovery books of Ezra and Nehemiah is the proper and adequate leadership—Neh. 8:1-10:
一 在主的恢复里,我们借着那些带进异象的人,而在一个职事里有一个控制之异象的领导—弗三3~5、9,西一24~29:
A. In the Lord's recovery we have the leadership of the one controlling vision in the one ministry through those who bring in the vision—Eph. 3:3-5, 9; Col. 1:24-29:
1 保罗说他和他的同工是“基督的执事,和神的奥秘的管家”(林前四1);他们是管家,将神的奥秘之属天异象分配给信徒;神的这些奥秘就是基督是神的奥秘,以及召会是基督的奥秘(西二2,弗三4,五32);这分配的事奉、管家的职分,就是使徒的职事(三2、8~9)。
1. Paul said that he and his co-workers were "servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1); they were stewards, dispensing the heavenly vision of the mysteries of God to the believers; these mysteries are Christ as the mystery of God and the church as the mystery of Christ (Col. 2:2; Eph. 3:4; 5:32); this dispensing service, the stewardship, is the ministry of the apostles (3:2, 8-9).
2 “在此所求于管家的,是要他显为忠信”(林前四2);我们需要像保罗一样,“蒙主怜悯成为忠信的”(七25下,提前一12),使我们能成为忠信的奴仆,习惯地将属灵的粮食分给神的家人,就是在召会中将神的话和基督当作生命的供应,供应信徒(太二四45~47);我们要领悟主的称许和赏赐,与我们工作的大小和分量无关,但与我们是否忠信地完全使用祂的恩赐有关,使我们成为在今世主的工作上忠信的人,好在来世有分于主的快乐(二五21~23,参启三8)。
2. "It is sought in stewards that one be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2); like Paul, we need to be "shown mercy by the Lord to be faithful" (7:25b; 1 Tim. 1:12) so that we may be faithful slaves, who habitually give the household of God spiritual food, ministering the word of God and Christ as the life supply to the believers in the church (Matt. 24:45-47); we want to be those who are faithful over the Lord's work in this age so that we may participate in the Lord's joy in the next age, with the realization that the Lord's appraisal and reward are not related to the size and quantity of our work but to our faithfulness in using His gift to the fullest extent (25:21-23; cf. Rev. 3:8).
二 唯有在尼希米和以斯拉这样忠信的人领导下,以色列才能重新构成为神的见证,神在地上的彰显,成为与外邦列国完全不同的子民;这预表神今天所要得着的召会该如何—尼十三14、29~31,提前三15。
B. Only under the leadership of faithful persons such as Nehemiah and Ezra could Israel be reconstituted to be the testimony of God, the expression of God on earth, a people absolutely different from the Gentile nations; this is a type of what God wants the church to be today—Neh. 13:14, 29-31; 1 Tim. 3:15.
三 尼希米知道,若没有以斯拉,他就无法将神的百姓重新构成:
C. Nehemiah knew that without Ezra he could not reconstitute the people of God:
1 在重新构成以色列国的事上,尼希米知道自己不认识神的话。
1. In reconstituting the nation, Nehemiah realized that he did not know God's Word.
2 以斯拉以认识神的话闻名,尼希米也愿意求助于以斯拉。
2. Ezra was renowned for his knowledge of the Word of God, and Nehemiah was willing to turn to him for help.
四 照着神圣的原则,身体的正确代表总是那些与别人配在一起的人—林前一1,出四14下~16:
D. According to the divine principle, the proper representation of the Body is always by those who are matched with others—1 Cor. 1:1; Exo. 4:14b-16:
1 单独是个人主义,但与别人一同被差遣出去,是照着身体的原则被差遣—路十1,徒十三1~3,罗十二5,帖前一1。
1. To be alone is to be individualistic, but to be sent forth with another is to be sent according to the principle of the Body—Luke 10:1; Acts 13:1-3; Rom. 12:5; 1 Thes. 1:1.
2 单独行动破坏身体的原则。
2. To act individualistically is to violate the principle of the Body.
3 在主的恢复中有一个急切的需要,就是要作建造身体的真实工作;然而这建造的工作只有靠配合在一起的同工才能完成—腓二19~22。
3. In the Lord's recovery there is an urgent need for the true work of building up the Body; however, this building work can be carried out only by co-workers who have been matched—Phil. 2:19-22.
五 “主给我看见,祂已经预备了许多弟兄,与我相调着同作奴仆事奉。我觉得这是主为祂的身体所作主宰的供备,也是现今为着完成祂职事的路”—李常受,一九九七年三月二十四日(李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册,“一封感激、交通的信”,六五七至六五八页)。
E. "The Lord has shown me that He has prepared many brothers who will serve as fellow slaves with me in a blended way. I feel that this is the Lord's sovereign provision for His Body, and the up-to-date way to fulfill His ministry"—Witness Lee, March 24, 1997 (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997, vol. 5, "A Letter of Fellowship with Thanks," p. 525).
摘自“时代的异象”之补充:
Supplement from The Vision of the Age:
紧紧跟随今时代的完整异象
CLOSELY FOLLOWING THE COMPLETED VISION OF THIS AGE
我们若要事奉神,就我们的异象必须是从创世记亚当的头一个异象,一路直到召会终极出现的新耶路撒冷,这才是完整的异象。这异象乃是直到今天,才向我们完全揭示出来。
In order for us to serve God today, our vision must extend all the way from the first vision of Adam in Genesis to the ultimate vision of the manifestation of the church, the New Jerusalem. This and this alone is the complete vision. It is not until today that this vision has been fully opened to us.
台北故宫博物院里有幅清明上河图,是一卷很长的图画,一点一点描绘中国文化中的生活;只看头不行,总得从头看到末了,对中国文化的生活,或者说“异象”,才得窥全豹。同样的,我们事奉神也有“清明上河图”,是从亚当在伊甸园里所看见的生命树开始,直到新耶路撒冷,其中也有生命树。新耶路撒冷乃是异象的末了一幕,之后就再没有什么可看的了。
In the National Palace Museum in Taipei, there is a painting on a long scroll called "The River Scene at Ching-Ming Festival." It describes in detail the culture, life, and way of the Chinese people at the time of the painting. It is not enough to see only the first few portions of that long scroll. One has to go all the way from one end to the other end before he can have a clear picture, or "vision," of the entire spectrum of life in China. In the same way we have our own painting, our "River Scene at Ching-Ming," in our service to God. It begins from Adam's vision of the tree of life in the garden of Eden and extends all the way to the New Jerusalem with the tree of life. The New Jerusalem is the last scene of the vision. After that there is nothing more to be seen.
……我们乃是在终极的一幕里,带着前面的各幕事奉神……
…We are serving God according to the last scene, which includes all the previous scenes…
我们既有今时代、终极的异象,就要紧紧跟随。我们绝不是跟随什么人,我们乃是跟随一个异象。如果说我们是跟从某某人,那就是大错;我们乃是跟从一个今时代的异象,也就是神终极完成的异象。
Since we have the up-to-date and ultimate vision, we should closely follow after it. We are absolutely not following a man; rather, we are following a vision. It is grossly wrong to say that we are following a certain person. We are following a vision that belongs to the present age. It is God's consummate vision.
主的恢复借着我们亲爱的倪柝声弟兄带进来后,他就因此成了众矢之的。一九三四年,他在杭州结婚,人就借机引起了一个厉害的风波;那使得他非常难过。有一天我去安慰他,对他说,“倪弟兄,你知道在你、我之间,没有一点人情。不是我们两个人有好感,所以你走这条路,我也走这条路;你讲这个道,我也讲这个道。我们南北隔很远;你是南方人,我是北方人。今天我们能走在一起,我不是跟随你这个人,乃是跟随你所带领的这条路。倪弟兄,我愿意告诉你,即使有一天你自己不走这条路了,我还是要走。”我这样说,是因为那次风波,影响到有的人不走这条路了。换句话说,有许多人是跟随人,所以因人而异。然而我告诉倪弟兄:“就是你不走这条路,我还要走这条路;我不会因你而走,也不会因你而不走。我看见这条路是主的路,这是个异象。”
The Lord's recovery was brought to us through our dear Brother Nee. Because of this he became a target of attack. In 1934 he was married in Hangchow. Some took this opportunity to stir up a storm. He became very sad, so one day I went to him to comfort him, saying, "Brother Nee, you know that between the two of us, there is no natural relationship. I do not take the way that you are taking or preach what you are preaching out of a natural friendship with you. The two of us are widely separated from each other. I am a northerner, and you are a southerner. Today I am taking the same pathway not because I am following you as a person. I am following the way that you are taking. Brother Nee, I would like you to know that even if one day you do not take this way, I will still take this way." I said this because the storm affected some, and they decided not to take this way anymore. In other words, many people were following a man. When the man seemed to have changed, they turned away. But I told Brother Nee, "Even if one day you do not take this way, I will still take this way. I am not taking this way because of you, and I will not leave this way because of you. I have seen that this is the Lord's way. I have seen the vision."
五十二年过去了,至今我一点也不懊悔。在这五十二年中,我看见故事一再重演,人来了又去了,一幕又一幕。从台湾岛上的工作开始至今,三十几年中有几次重大的事情发生,甚至我带得救、一手造就出来的弟兄,也离开了主的恢复。异象不变,但人会变,跟从人的也会变。所以我愿语重心长地劝勉诸位:我蒙主怜悯,今天能在这里,把这个异象带给你们;我乃是盼望你们跟随的,不是我这个人,而是我蒙主怜悯所给你们看见的这异象……
Fifty-two years have passed. Today I do not regret at all what I have done. During the past fifty-two years I have seen the same story repeat itself again and again. Some people came and left. One scene changed, and another scene came along. Since the beginning of our work in Taiwan, during the past three decades we have witnessed some major crises. Even brothers whom I led to salvation and who went through my own training have left the Lord's recovery. The vision has never changed, but the persons have indeed changed, and those who follow the vision also have changed. I would say a sober word to all of you from the bottom of my heart. By the Lord's mercy I can stand here today to bring you this vision. I hope that you are not following me as a person; I hope that by the Lord's mercy you are following the vision that I have shown you…
我只告诉你们一个事实,是主怜悯我,启示给我看见异象。所以我劝你们,不要跟随我,乃要跟随我蒙主怜悯,承继倪弟兄和历代主的仆人所留下,传承给你们看见的这个异象。这实在是从亚当头一幕的异象,直到新耶路撒冷末了一幕的异象(五一至五四页)。
I would like to relate to you one fact. It is the Lord's mercy that He has revealed to me the vision. I advise you not to follow me but to follow this vision, which Brother Nee and all the servants of the Lord throughout the ages have left to us and which I have handed to you. This is indeed the vision that extends from the first scene of Adam to the last scene of the New Jerusalem. (pp. 48-50)