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 | 生命的建造(二):神是建造的设计建设者 |
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生命的建造(二):神是建造的设计建设者
来十一10 说," 因为他等候那座有根基的城，其设计者并建筑者乃是神。"
你们来到他这为人所弃绝，却为神所拣选所宝贵的活石跟前，也就像活石，被建造
成为属灵的殿，成为圣别的祭司体系，借着耶稣基督献上神所悦纳的属灵祭物。
盼望主在这些年间，给我们这些一同事奉的人，有个很深的感觉，他需要一个厉害
的恢复，就是恢复『建造』。我们所作的工，不仅仅是为着造就一般圣徒，乃是为
要建造一个身体，建造一所属灵的房屋。…恩赐者乃是为着建造基督的身体.
在马太十六章十八节，主耶稣亲自说，『我要把我的教会建造…。』以弗所二章二
十二节题到，犹太人和外邦人『在他里面同被建造，成为神在灵里的居所』。彼前
二章五节也说，我们『也就像活石，被建造成为属灵的殿』。
保罗在林前三章指出，他是一个智慧的工头，立好了根基，我们各人要谨慎怎样在
上面建造。我们的建造该是金、银、宝石的建造。到了十四章，他更给我们看见，
不论我们切慕甚么属灵的恩赐，都不重在恩赐的问题，重在我们要切慕建造。
希伯来十一章说到，亚伯拉罕等候那座有根基的城，其设计者并建筑者乃是神。那
座有根基的城，就是将来的新耶路撒冷。新耶路撒冷是神的帐幕与人同在（启二一
3），换句话说，新耶路撒冷就是神的居所。
这并不是说神在这一个时代，有两种不同的建造，一种是在地上建造的教会，另一
种是在天上建造的圣城新耶路撒冷。并非神今天暂时住在教会里，等到新耶路撒冷
来临时，就废掉教会，再从教会搬到新耶路撒冷。
实际上，教会与新耶路撒冷二者是一个。神今天建造教会，就是建造新耶路撒冷，
这两者乃是一个工作的两面说法。今天的教会是神的殿，神的家，但将来在新耶路
撒冷里，我们看不见殿，因为殿已经扩大成为一座城。
所以，不是有一种建造殿的工作，还有另一种建造城的工作。将来的新耶路撒冷，
就是今天教会最终的形状，也就是殿扩大成为一座城。
神在这一个时代里，只作这一件建造的事。神在地上建造教会，结果是将教会建造
到天的境界；神在时间里建造教会，却是将教会建造到永远里。将来的新耶路撒冷
完全是属天的，满了属天的性质，和属天的味道。
神在这一个时代工作之中心的结果，最终的目的，就是要为他自己建造出一个居所。
在初期时，是一所房屋；在成熟时，是一座城，那座城就是神的帐幕与人同在，他
要与人同住。
在旧约里，神的帐幕就是神的殿；在新约里，教会一面是神的帐幕，一面又是神的
殿。到了新耶路撒冷，是神的帐幕在人间，在其中看不见殿，因为一切都已经完全
达到成熟，那座城是帐幕，也是一个扩大的殿。
保罗对於这个建造，有清楚的异象，他说，『我…好像一个智慧的工头，立好了根
基，有别人在上面建造，只是各人要谨慎怎样在上面建造。』（林前三10）我们建
造的方法，建造的材料，以及建造成甚么东西，都需要好好地研究。
拯救罪人、造就圣徒，乃是为着一个中心的目标，就是要建造神的房屋。如果我们
注意这个中心的工作，我们拯救罪人，传扬福音，就会更有果效；我们造就圣徒，
也不会是问题。( 参读：教会的治理与话语职事，第一篇)
English Version
Heb. 11:10 "For he eagerly waited for the city which has the foundations,
whose Architect and Builder is God."
1 Pet. 2:4-5 "Coming to Him, a living stone, rejected by men but with God
chosen and precious, you yourselves also, as living stones, are being built
up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
May the Lord grant those of us who serve together a deep feeling that He
needs a strong recovery,...a recovery of the building up....Our work is
not merely for the edification of the saints in general; rather, it is to
build up a Body, a spiritual house....The gifted ones are for the building
up of the Body of Christ [Eph. 4:11-12].
In Matthew 16:18 the Lord said, “I will build My church.” Ephesians 2:22
says that in Christ the Jews and Gentiles are “being built together into
a dwelling place of God in spirit.” First Peter 2:5 says that we, “as living
stones, are being built up as a spiritual house.” First Corinthians 3:10
says that Paul, as a wise master builder, laid a foundation and that we
should take heed how we build upon it. We should build with gold, silver,
and precious stones (v. 12). Chapter 14 emphasizes earnestly desiring spiritual
gifts for the sake of building up (vv. 1, 3-5, 12). This means that all the
gifts should be for the building up of the church. (The Administration of
the Church and the Ministry of the Word, p. 9)
Hebrews 11:10 says that Abraham “eagerly waited for the city which has the
foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God.” The city with the foundations
is the coming New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is the tabernacle of God
with men (Rev. 21:3). In other words, the New Jerusalem is God’s dwelling
place. This does not mean that God has two different buildings in this age.
He does not have the church on earth as one building and the holy city,
the New Jerusalem, in the heavens as another city. God is not temporarily
dwelling in the church today only to discard the church and move to the
New Jerusalem in the future. The church and the New Jerusalem are one.
When God builds up the church, He is building up the New Jerusalem. These
are two aspects of the same work. The church is the temple of God, the house
of God, but in the New Jerusalem we will not see a temple (v. 22), because
the temple will be enlarged into a city. The building of the temple is not
one work, and the building of the city, another work. The coming New Jerusalem
is the consummation of the church. The temple is enlarged to be a city.
In this age God’s only work is building....Although God is building up the
church on earth, this building is in the heavenly realm. Although God is
building up the church in time, this building is eternal. The New Jerusalem
is heavenly; it is full of the heavenly nature and the heavenly flavor.
The ultimate goal of God’s work in this age is the building of a dwelling
place for Himself. In its initial stage it is a house, and in its mature
stage it will be a city, which is the tabernacle of God with men. In the
Old Testament the tabernacle of God is the temple of God. In the New Testament
the church is the tabernacle of God and the temple of God. The New Jerusalem
will be the tabernacle of God with men. There will be no temple in the New
Jerusalem because everything will have reached maturity. The city is a tabernacle
as well as an enlarged temple.
Since Paul had a clear vision concerning the building, he said, “As a wise
master builder I have laid a foundation, and another builds upon it. But
let each man take heed how he builds upon it” (1 Cor. 3:10). We need to
be careful concerning the way we build, the materials we build with, and
the outcome of our building....Saving sinners and edifying the saints are
related to the central goal of building God’s house. If we pay attention
to this central work, our preaching the gospel to save sinners will be more
effective, and our edification of the saints will not cause problems. (The
Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word, pp. 9-11)
Further Reading: The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the
Word, ch. 1
- 未完待续
生命的建造(三): 圣经的启示
生命的建造(一): 五十条要点及经文
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