選擇 18
雷克-喬納
2022.9.20
當我們繼續學習如何遵行哥林多後書13:5："你們總要自己省察有信心沒有，也要自己試驗......"，以及我們如何住在主裡面，並作為祂身體的成員結出果子時，我們意識到，我們在祂身體裡找到自己的位置並開始發揮作用是多麼關鍵。
然而，在我們占主導地位的現代教會結構中，幾乎不可能與其他成員有超過表面的關係。在今天占主導地位的教會結構中，事工圍繞著一個人，即牧師，他只能夠裝備一小部分人進行事奉，如果有的話。因此，以弗所書第4章的教會生活模式，即聖徒被裝備 "做傳道的工作"，在現代教會模式中根本不可能。這顯然必須改變。
第一個改變應該是認識到，新約的事工是由五個不同的事工組成的團隊事工：使徒、先知、傳福音的、牧師和教師。所有的人都需要為各自的目的裝備神的子民，這樣整個身體就能提升到它被呼召的全部身量。沒有任何一項事工可以單獨完成這個任務。
但世界上有多少教會在他們的會眾中擁有所有這五項事工？也許沒有。這些事工中的一些可能是在會眾中進行，但大多數是在會眾之外進行工作，前往與他們有關係的其他各教會。使徒保羅寫到他如何栽種，亞波羅如何澆灌。在使徒行傳中，我們看到各教會接受了幾個使徒和其他裝備事工的服事。
要成為主所設計的基督的身體，我們必須像祂所看到的那樣看待這個身體。當主俯視一個城市或城鎮時，祂不是看到許多教會；祂看到一個由不同部分組成的教會。例如，在任何一個城市，可能有一個會眾是強烈的福音派，另一個會眾是牧養派，另一個會眾致力於教導聖言，還有一個會眾是更多的使徒或先知派。
由於這些教會之間很少有交流，傳福音的人將離開其他教會，加入更專注於傳福音的教會。那些被呼召從事其他事工的人將被吸引到強調其呼召的聚會中。基督徒可能會覺得和志同道合的人在一起更舒服，但這不會幫助基督的身體成為它被呼召的樣子。正如我們的身體是由許多成員組成，作為一個整體一起運作，主的身體也是如此。
如果我們把任何一個城市的教會看成是一個有許多成員的身體，那麼不同的聚會就會有不同的重點，所以每個聚會的成員都可以得到裝備和發揮。正如以色列由十二個支派組成，每個支派都有自己的領土、預言和命定，但卻作為一個國家發揮作用，基督的身體由不同的支派、屬靈領土和命定組成，但我們都是一個神聖的國家。
每個會眾都會保留自己的異象和目的--絕不應該為了成為整體的一部分而妥協--但我們確實需要瞭解每個部分是如何與其他部分配合和互補的。一旦基本的互換開始，人們將不再需要離開他們的聚會，去尋找適合他們呼召的聚會，因為每個聚會中的每個人都將被裝備到所有的事工中。
我們目前在基督的身體裡有許多分歧，這怎麼可能發生呢？永遠記住，在主那裡，沒有什麼是不可能的。我們現在進入的時代將迫使我們進行一些交流和團結，但最重要的是恢復真正的使徒式事工，這意味著真正走在這個事工的聖經地位中。
當一兩個使徒式的事工出現或進入一個城市，有了做這項工作的恩膏和能力，就會把整個教會拉到一起，促進必要的交流，按照以弗所書4章的模式建立起身體。
任何城市或城鎮都不可能讓所有的會眾都加入這個即將到來的新行動中。許多人是 "舊皮袋"，過於僵化和不靈活，無法進行必要的轉變。事實上，一個城市中很少有超過10%的基督徒和會眾能實現這一飛躍，但甚至更小的比例也能實現向新約教會生活的轉變，因為它是被設計的。
記住，在主的皮袋的比喻中，祂不希望舊皮袋丟失，所以我們不應該試圖強迫他們喝新酒。它們仍然可以在神的目的中佔有一席之地，其中的舊酒仍然是有價值的。然而，對於那些能夠實現這種轉變的人來說，教會生活即將發生徹底的改變。下周，我們將介紹我們現在可以為實現這一目標而採取的步驟。
Choices, Part 18
Rick Joyner
As we continue studying how to comply with II Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith,” and how we come to abide in the Lord and bear fruit as members of His body, we realize just how crucial it is that we find our place in His body and begin to function there.
Yet in our dominant modern church structure, it is nearly impossible to have more than a superficial relationship with other members. In today’s dominant church structure, the ministry revolves around one person, the pastor, who is capable of equipping only a small percentage of people for ministry, if any. Thus, the Ephesians 4 church life model where the saints are equipped “to do the work of the ministry,” is not even possible in the modern church model. This must obviously change.
The first change should be to recognize that New Testament ministry is team ministry composed of five different ministries: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. All are needed to equip God’s people for their individual purposes, so the whole body can rise to the full stature to which it is called. No one ministry can accomplish this alone.
But how many churches in the world have all five of these operating in their congregations? Perhaps none. Some of these ministries may be based in the congregation but most do work outside the congregation traveling to various other churches with whom they have relationships. The Apostle Paul wrote about how he had planted, and Apollos watered. In Acts we see the churches received ministry from several apostles and other equipping ministries.
To become the body of Christ the Lord designed, we must see the body as He sees it. When the Lord looks down on a city or town, He doesn’t see many churches; He sees one church made up of different parts. For example, in any given city, there may be a congregation that is strongly evangelistic, another that is pastoral, another that is devoted to teaching the Word, and still another that is more apostolic or prophetic.
Since there is rarely an interchange between these congregations, the people who are evangelistic will leave other congregations to join the one that is more devoted to evangelism. Those who are called to other ministries will be drawn to the congregations that emphasize their callings. Christians may feel more comfortable being with others who are likeminded, but this will not help the body of Christ become what it is called to be. As our bodies are composed of many members that function together as a whole, so is the Lord’s body.
If we saw the church, in any given city, as one body with many members, there would be an interchange between different congregations with different emphases, so each congregation’s members could be equipped and functioning. Just as Israel was composed of twelve tribes and each had their own territories, prophecies, and destinies yet functioned as one nation, the body of Christ is composed of different tribes, spiritual territories, and destinies, yet we are all one holy nation.
Each congregation will retain its own vision and purpose— which should never be compromised to become part of the whole—yet we do need to understand how each part fits and complements the others. Once the essential interchange begins, people will no longer need to leave their congregations to find ones that fit their callings, because everyone in each congregation will be equipped in all the ministries.
How can this possibly happen with the many divisions we currently have in the body of Christ? Always remember, with the Lord, nothing is impossible. The times we are now entering will force some interchange and unity, but most important will be the restoration of true apostolic ministry, which means truly walking in the biblical stature of this ministry.
When one or two apostolic ministries emerge or come into a city with the anointing and power to do this work, it will pull the whole church together and facilitate the necessary interchange for the building up of the body according to the Ephesians 4 model.
It is unlikely any city or town will have all the congregations join in this new move that is coming. Many are “old wineskins” that are too rigid and inflexible to make the necessary transformation. In fact, it will be rare for more than 10% of the Christians and congregations in a city to make this leap, but even a smaller percentage can make the transformation to New Testament church life as it was designed.
Remember, in the Lord’s parable of the wineskins, He did not want the old wineskins to be lost, so we should not try to force new wine in them. They can still have a part in God’s purpose, and the old wine in them is still valuable. Yet a radical change is coming to church life for those who can make this transformation. Next week, we will cover the steps we can now take toward this end.
