保罗的完成职事(五):作执事和见证人
徒二六16『你起来站着，我向你显现，正是要选定你作执事和见证人，将你所看见我的事，和我将要显现给你的事，见证出来。』 二二14『…我们祖宗的神豫先选定了你，叫你认识他的旨意，又得见那义者，且得听他口中所出的声音。』
保罗在他所经过一切的审讯中，不仅在施教或尽职，更不断在作见证。他在反对的犹太人和罗马兵丁的千夫长面前是见证，在犹太总督腓力斯和他的继任者非斯都面前也是见证。
如今在行传二十六章我们看见，保罗在亚基帕面前，再次是活的见证人。保罗不是对亚基帕传讲说，『亚基帕王阿，你必须知道我是基督的见证人。』保罗没有这样说，他乃是向亚基帕见证主遇见了他，并且选定他作执事和见证人。
在行传二十六章十六节里『你所看见我的事』，以及『我将要显现给你的事』，含『你在这些事中曾看见我』，并『我要在这些事中向你显现』的意思。
在这里保罗乃是说，主选定他作执事和见证人，为要将主已经启示保罗的事，和主将要启示他的事，见证出来。虽然保罗的意思是这样，但他不是这样来陈明这事。这一节乃是说，保罗在一些事中曾看见过主，主也要在一些事中向他显现。
十六节指明，保罗并非领受一些事的启示而没有看见基督；反之，他乃是在所领受的事中看见基督。换句话说，凡基督向保罗启示的事，莫不是以他自己作那些事的内容。这就是保罗要将他所看见主的事见证出来的原因。
在保罗所看见的一切异象中，他看见了基督。不仅如此，他也要将主所要显现给他的事，见证出来。这里主似乎对保罗说，『在你将要领受的一切异象和启示中，我都要向你显现。』这指明如果我们只看见异象和启示，而没有看见主，那我们所看见的就是虚空。
我们不赞成仅仅用神学的方式来研读圣经。这样研读圣经的人，可能学习了神学，但他们没有看见基督。研读圣经来学习神学，与研读圣经为要看见基督大不相同。
当保罗在往大马色去的路上，基督向他启示了一些事，而保罗在那些事中看见了基督。主指明他要向保罗启示更多的事，在那些事中，主自己也要向他显现。所以，保罗所看见的不仅是事情本身，更是基督在这一切事中向他显现了。
你在经历中可能宣称从主领受了亮光，或者看见了异象或启示。然而，你需要想想，基督有否在那亮光、异象或启示中向你显现。在你所认为的亮光、异象或启示中，你看见了基督么？
在我们从主领受的任何亮光中，我们都必须看见基督。凡我们所看见的，不论是光照、异象或启示，都必须有基督向我们显现。如果我们看见一个异象而没有看见基督，那异象就没有意义。
同样的，如果我们研读圣经，获得圣经知识而没有看见基督，那知识就是虚空的。我们都需要学习在所启示我们的事中看见基督。
在新约中头一次题到身体是在罗马十二章五节。按照十二章，我们必须为著基督奥秘的身体，献上我们肉身的身体。
当我们献上我们肉身的身体，并在心思里得更新的时候，我们就看见、分辨并验证，神的旨意乃是要为基督得著一个身体，作他的丰满和彰显。
参读：使徒行传生命读经，第二十七、六十八篇。
Acts 26:16 "But rise up and stand
on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a
minister and a witness both of the things in which you have seen Me and of the
things in which I will appear to you."
22:14 "...The God of our fathers
has previously appointed you to know His will and to see the righteous One and
to hear the voice from His mouth."
In all the trials through which he passed Paul was not merely teaching
or ministering; he was continually bearing a testimony. He was a testimony before
the opposing Jews and before the commander of the Roman soldiers. Paul was a
testimony before Felix, the governor of Judea, and before Festus,who succeeded
Felix as governor. Now in Acts 26 we see that Paul is once again a living
witness, this time before Agrippa. However, Paul did not preach to Agrippa
saying, "King Agrippa, you must know that I am a witness of Christ."
Instead of speaking this way, Paul testified to Agrippa that the Lord had met
him and appointed him a minister and a witness. (Life-study of Acts, p. 595)
Notice that [in Acts 26:16] the phrase "in which" is used
twice. Here Paul is saying that the Lord had appointed him a minister and a
witness of the things He revealed to Paul and of the things He would reveal to
him. Although this is Paul's meaning, this is not the way he presented the
matter. Rather, this verse speaks of the things in which Paul had seen the Lord
and of the things in which the Lord would yet appear to him.
Acts 26:16 indicates that Paul did not receive the revelation of things
without seeing Christ. Instead, he received the things in which he saw Christ.
In other words, Christ did not reveal things to Paul without Himself as the
content of those things. This is the reason that Paul would be a witness of the
things in which he had seen the Lord. In all the visions Paul saw he saw
Christ. Furthermore, he would be a witness of the things in which the Lord was
yet to appear to him. Here the Lord seemed to be saying to Paul, "In all
the visions and revelations you will receive, I shall appear to you." This
indicates that if we only see visions and revelations and do not see the Lord,
then what we see is vanity.
We do not agree with studying the Bible merely in a theological way.
Those who study the Bible in this way may learn theology, but they do not see
Christ. There is a great difference between studying the Bible to learn
theology and studying the Bible in order to see Christ.
As Paul was on the way to Damascus, Christ revealed certain things to
him, and in those things Paul saw Christ. The Lord indicated that He would
reveal more things to Paul, and in those things the Lord Himself would appear
to him. Therefore, what Paul saw was not merely the things themselves, but
Christ as the One appearing in all these things.
In your experience you may claim to receive light from the Lord or to
see a vision or revelation. However, you need to consider if Christ has
appeared to you in that light, vision, or revelation. In the supposed light,
vision, or revelation, have you seen Christ?
In any light we receive of the Lord we must see Christ. Christ must
appear to us in whatever we see in the way of enlightenment, vision, or
revelation. If we see a vision without seeing Christ, that vision means nothing.
Likewise, if we study the Bible and gain knowledge of the Scriptures without
seeing Christ, that knowledge is vanity. We all need to learn to see Christ in
the things that are revealed to us. (Life-study of Acts, pp. 595-597)
The first mentioning of the Body in the New Testament is in Romans 12:5.
According to Romans 12, we must present our physical bodies (v. 1) for the
mystical Body of Christ (v. 5). When we present our bodies and are renewed in
our mind, we see, discern, and prove by testing that the will of God is to obtain
a Body for Christ to be His fullness and expression (v. 2). (The Central Line
of the Divine Revelation, p. 268)
Further Reading: Life-study of Acts, msgs. 27, 68
- 未完待续
