於2013-06-25發佈

大使命24

神崇高的呼召 

這幾週我們討論到使徒保羅成為天國的門徒,他在腓立比書三章10-14節有對此極佳的解釋:

使我認識基督,曉得祂復活的大能,並且曉得和祂一同受苦,效法祂的死, 
或者我也得以從死裡復活。 
這不是說我已經得著了,已經完全了;我乃是竭力追求,或者可以得著基督耶穌所以得著我的(或作:所要我得的)。
弟兄們,我不是以為自己已經得著了;我只有一件事,就是忘記背後,努力面前的,
向著標竿直跑,要得神在基督耶穌裡從上面召我來得的獎賞。

保羅在寫此書信時已接近人生的盡頭,他卻仍不認為自己已經得著了。他是眾使徒中最偉大的一個,他也協助生出完全新型態的服事─使徒性宣教。他活出最敬虔與犧牲的生命,卻不覺得自己已經得著了!得著了什麼?

他並不是在談論得著救恩或永生,這些在他信靠耶穌十架成為他拯救的那天就有了。在這裡他寫到得以從死裡復活,亦可翻成『更美的復活』,對於那些為了神更崇高的呼召而不肯苟且得釋放的人,在希伯來書11章也使用相同的形容。保羅在最後一節經文說他想要得著的是『從上面來的呼召』(the high calling of God

不管我們喜歡與否,同意與否,每一個人在復活中是不一樣的,是有『更美的復活』,『更崇高的呼召』,在歷世歷代中曾有許多人看過並努力來得著。耶穌教導過此,而祂的門徒也教導過。在天上有不同的位置,例如我們會坐在哪裡。我們在啟示錄看到數不清的人站在寶座前,但得勝的是與祂同坐在寶座上。在聖經中隨處可見此在基督裡崇高呼召的啟示。

並非所有基督徒都領受此崇高的呼召,一些人只因為自己有榮幸看見就以為已經得著而有所偏離,還有一些人則因驕傲以為他們得著了而跌倒。人們在許多其他真理上也掉入那些相同的欺騙中,所以不能因為人們跌倒或曲解而否認清楚的聖經真理。然而,我們若正確看待真理,它不會使我們跌倒或因驕傲而趾高氣揚,而是會提升並賜給我們能力進入人類最崇高的目的─愛神和事奉祂,吸引別人來做同樣的事。保羅對此主題的論述,可能是防止我們掉入此真理極端中最好的一個。

倘若保羅在他生命盡頭都不認為他已經得著了,怎麼會有人認為他們在此生已經得著了呢?倘若我們不能展現出比使徒保羅更好的生命、更大的權柄與更多的果子(他的書信可能至今仍結出比地上所有事工總和還要多的果子),我們就是最愚昧無知的人,才會宣稱自己得著他沒得著的東西。

當我們開始看見此崇高的呼召,我們便瞭解何以保羅會如此看重,它是所有受造物最大的機會,就連天使都驚奇神為人類所成就的─我們竟可以成為神的兒女,成為祂家中的成員,與祂一起掌管其他受造物。

連在神國度中最低階的受造物都有永生,其美妙到超過我們所能領會。即便如此,我們現在正在決定我們在神國度的永恆位置。我們瞭解此呼召是很重要的,耶穌因那擺在祂面前的喜樂就忍受十字架。當我們看見獎賞,就能幫助我們放下各樣的重擔,奔那擺在我們前頭的路程。讓我們謹記在心:驕傲將奪去我們的獎賞。

(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 24, 2013)

 

The High Calling of God - The Great Commission, Part 24

Week 24, 2013

Rick Joyner

We have been discussing how the Apostle Paul became a disciple of the kingdom of heaven. He gave a remarkable explanation of this in Philippians 3:10-14:

that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote this Epistle near the end of his life, and yet he claimed that he did not think he had yet attained. He was one of the greatest of all apostles, and he helped give birth to a whole new type of ministry—the apostolic missionary. He lived one of the most devoted and sacrificial lives ever recorded, and yet he did not feel that he had yet attained! Attained what?

He was not talking about salvation or eternal life. He had those the day he trusted in the cross of Jesus for his redemption. What he wrote here about attaining to the resurrection could have been translated “a better resurrection,” the same term used in Hebrews 11 for those who rejected their deliverance for the higher purposes of God. Paul was talking about what he calls in this last verse “the high calling of God.”

Like it or not, agree with it or not, everyone will not be the same in the resurrection. There is a “better resurrection,” a “high calling,” which many have seen and run the race to attain throughout the ages. Jesus taught this, as did His apostles. There are different positions in heaven such as where we will sit in relation to Him. We see it in Revelation where the great multitude stand before the throne, but those who overcome sit with Him on His throne. This revelation of the high calling in Christ is sown throughout the Scriptures.

Not all Christians perceive this high calling, and some who do have gone awry thinking they had attained it just because they were privileged to see it. Others stumble because of the pride of presuming they had attained. People fall to those same delusions over many other truths too, so just because people fall or distort does not negate the clear biblical truth. However, if we handle the truth as we should, it will not cause us to stumble or be puffed up with pride but will elevate and empower us to the greatest purpose of mankind—to love God and serve Him, compelling others to do the same. Paul’s discourse on this subject may be one of the best ever to prevent us from going to extremes with this truth.

If the Apostle Paul did not consider that he had yet attained near the end of his life, how could anyone in this life consider that they had attained? If we cannot show a greater life, greater authority, and greater fruit than the Apostle Paul (whose letters are probably still bearing more fruit than all of the ministries on earth combined), we would be the most foolish of all to claim that we have attained something he did not claim.

When we begin to see this high calling, we understand why Paul would esteem it as highly as he did. It is the greatest opportunity in all of creation. Even the angels marvel at what has been made available to mankind—that we could become the very sons and daughters of God, members of His own household, ruling with Him over the rest of creation.

The lowest subject in the kingdom will have an eternal life that is so wonderful we cannot even comprehend it. Even so, we now determine our eternal positions in the kingdom. It is important that we understand this calling. Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him. When we see the prize, it helps us to lay aside every encumbrance to run the race set before us. Let us keep in mind that pride will rob us of our prize.