於2021-09-19發佈


跟隨萬王之王6 

我們可以對神的創造讚嘆不止,在眾多動植物物種中的多樣性,幾乎令人費解。儘管如此,仍有許多物種尚未發現,它們如何與地球和彼此相互作用,仍是持續探索並充滿驚奇的來源。我們現在知道行星、恆星和銀河系在數十億光年外與地球發生相互作用,這是開始地球食物鏈所必需的!

正如聖經所言,這些不過是屬靈領域的影子,屬靈領域比起自然領域更實體化,正如你比你的影子更實體化!如果創造物都如此遼闊,不斷充滿讚嘆和驚奇,造物主豈不更是如此?誰能與祂的偉大相比? 

正如大衛王在詩篇八篇的臆測,當他思想著天堂的浩大遼闊,為什麼祂竟然眷顧人?但祂不單是眷顧人,祂更賜給我們在祂所有創造中最特別的位子,為我們成為祂的兒女開路,這實在太神奇超越人類想像。據報導在拿破崙讀了約翰福音後,他說,不是耶穌是神的兒子,就是寫這本福音書的人是神的兒子。他說在他所認識的人當中,沒有人能編造出這樣的故事。只有神才能構想出如我們現在生活這般美好的計畫。

神的創造如此浩大,似乎神想要我們花上永恆的時間來探索,永遠不會對此驚奇感到厭倦。對於認識神豈不更是如此?我們從約翰福音一章,歌羅西書一章和其他經文得知,耶穌是創造主,萬有都是藉著祂造的,又是為祂所造。祂造了世界,來到世界,以人的樣式走在世上。雖然主知道人不會認出祂或喜歡祂,反而會逼迫祂,最後將祂處死,但祂還是這麼做了。祂來召聚那些接待祂的人,呼召他們,賜給他們能力成為祂家中的成員。

當我們開始領受神對我們的神奇計畫,藉著祂的靈使我們重生成為新造的人。這開始打開我們屬靈的眼睛來看見祂,因此我們可以領會祂和祂的計畫。這也使我們在主裡長大成熟,連於祂,變得像祂一樣。當我們在祂的本質上長大成熟,祂將使用我們來彰顯祂的權柄與能力。身為人類,沒有比凡事長進,連於元首基督」(以弗所書4:15更大的追求或成就了。 

我們的終極呼召是像基督,做祂曾做過的工,接下來的經文告訴我們如何實現此呼召:全身都靠祂聯絡得合式,百節各按各職,照著各體的功用彼此相助,便叫身體漸漸增長,在愛中建立自己」(以弗所書4:15)。 

我們都是基督身體的成員,我們一起長大成熟,在祂的裡面成為完全。由於需要整個身體才能完全彰顯祂,沒有人可以單獨實現他們的呼召而沒有其他肢體。那即是何以使徒保羅沒有寫他是有基督的心,而是我們是有基督的心了(哥林多前書2:16)。沒有任何一個人可以涵蓋我們造物主的心,我們需要帶著祂所賜予我們的部分連結在一起。

以弗所書四章16節告訴我們,主的身體是百節(joint)各按其職。關節不是一個部位,而是把兩個部位連結在一起之處。為此緣故,首要的委任是信徒們在神的身體上找到他們的位子,按著我們被賦予的恩賜和事工發揮功用。正如以弗所書這段經文所陳述的,需要「照著各體的功用彼此相助」,我們才得以照著我們被呼召的,一起長進,連於基督。

 (摘自喬納word for the week, Week 36, 2021)
 

Follow the King, Part 6

  We could marvel at the creation forever. Its diversity in the multitudes of species of plants and animals are nearly incomprehensible. Still, there are multitudes that yet remain undiscovered. How they all interact with the earth and each other is a source of continuous discovery and amazement. We now know the planets, stars, and galaxies have an interaction with the earth from billions of light years away that was necessary to begin the earth’s food chain! 

         As we are told in Scripture, all of this is but a “shadow” of the spiritual realm, which has much more substance compared to the physical realm, just as you have more substance than your shadow! If the creation is this expansive, filled with continuous marvels and wonders, how much more the Creator? Who can comprehend how great He is? 

         As King David surmised in Psalm 8, after considering the expanse of the heavens, why would He regard man? Yet He not only regards man, He has also given us the most special place in all His creation, making a way for us to become His own sons and daughters. This is far too remarkable for our human imagination. It was reported after Napoleon had read the Gospel of John, he said, either Jesus was the Son of God, or the one who wrote this gospel was. He said he knew men, and that no man could have made up a story like this. Only God could have conceived something as wonderful as the plan we are now living. 

         God’s creation is so expansive, it seems like God intended for us to take an eternity to discover it and never exhaust its wonders. How much more is this true for knowing God Himself? We know from John 1, Colossians 1, and other Scriptures, that Jesus is the Creator whom all this was made through and for. The One who made the world, came into the world, and walked upon the earth as a man. He did this, though He knew men would not recognize or like Him, but would, in fact, persecute Him and eventually execute Him. He came anyway to gather those who would receive Him, and to them He gave the call and the power to become members of His family.

         As we begin to perceive God’s marvelous plan for us, it results in us being born again into a new nature by His Spirit. This begins to open our spiritual eyes to see Him, so we can comprehend Him and His plan. This also enables us to grow up into Him, to abide in Him, and to become like Him. As we grow in His nature, He will use us to manifest His authority and power. There is no greater quest or accomplishment we could have as human beings than “to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

         Our ultimate calling is to be like Christ and to do the works that He did. We are told how to fulfill this in the next verse: “from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16).

         We are all members of the body of Christ, and together we mature and become complete in Him. Because it takes His whole body to fully manifest Him, no one can fulfill their calling without the rest of His body. That is why the Apostle Paul did not write that he had the mind of Christ, but that we have the mind of Christ (see I Corinthians 2:16). No one person can contain the mind of our Creator. It takes all of us coming together with that aspect of Him we have been given.

         We are told in Ephesians 4:16 that His body is built up by that which “every joint supplies.” A joint is not a part, but it is where two parts come together. For this reason, a primary mandate is for believers to find their place in His body, and to function there as we have been given gifts and ministries. As the text in Ephesians states, it takes the “proper working of each individual part” for us to grow up together into Him as we are called.