教会论与教会生活第四讲

第一章第四段 敬拜中的教会Living in Christ’s Church Session 4

《教会论与教会生活》第4讲

主讲:林慈信牧师_校对:刘加立&ZJY(CGY) _英文:John Kim_文字:傅昱川

第一章第四段,The Church in Worship

教会在敬拜的尾声

Heaven’s assembly is not composed of any who might choose on a given day to sing a few hymns in church. 天上的聚会不是随便几个人凑起来找一天,在教会里面唱几首诗歌罢了。There is a register of that assembly,天上的聚会是有一个名册的,of those who have the right to stand before God,就是那些有权站在上帝面前的名册,and to enter into the company of the saints and angels,也就是有资格来参与众圣者和天使的聚会的人的名册。When the disciples returned to Jesus after the mission on which He had sent them,当门徒们被耶稣差遣出去,又回到耶稣那里的时候,they were thrilled at the power over devils that had been theirs as they ministered in Christ’s name,因为他们奉主耶稣的名传道,他们就非常兴奋,他们所有的胜过邪灵的能力。But Jesus said (Luke 10:20), 但是耶稣却对他们这样的来说(路加福音10:20), in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. 耶稣是这样说的(路加福音10:20),然而不要因鬼服了你们就欢喜,要因你们的名记在天上欢喜。

第五段,The register of the assembly

聚会(或者会众)的名册

The register of the names of Israel in the book of Numbers,在民数记以色列人的名字的名册,may seem to be an encumbrance in the Bible,对我们读《圣经》的人感觉上好像是重担。Why does God inspired word seem to read like a telephone directory?为什么上帝所默示的话读起来好像电话本一样呢?The answer is the privilege of being named as a member of the Lord’s assembly. 答案就是,被提名被认为耶和华会众的会员的成员,是个莫大的特权。God had Moses record the register of the fighting men,上帝吩咐摩西记录那些打仗人的名字,the priests、祭祀的名字,and the families of Israel who were to inherit the land,所有在应许之地能承受地土的那些以色列一家一家的名字。In contrast we read in Deuteronomy,相对之下,在申命记(23:1-3)我们读到,God barred from the assembly of his people the Ammonites and the Moabites (Deut. 23:1-3 )上帝拦阻亚门人和摩押人,他们不能作为祂的子民的会众的成员(申Deut. 23:1-3)。That outward exclusion,这个外在的排除这些亚门人、摩押人呢symbolized God’s judgment,就象征着上帝的审判,against those who had been hostile to Israel in the desert.就是对那些曾经在旷野对以色列人存敌意的人,上帝对他们的审判。The register of the assembly of Israel,以色列的会众的名册,was kept on earth,是留在地上的。Moses speaks of another book, however,但是摩西提到另外的一本书(Ex. 32:32-33)就是出埃及记32:32-33节(经文略),the one that God keeps,上帝所保存的那本的册子,the heavenly register天上的册子。出埃及记32:32~33 倘或你肯赦免他们的罪……(摩西对上帝说,)不然,求你从你所写的册上涂抹我的名。耶和华对摩西说,谁得罪我,我就从我的册上涂抹谁的名。Paul says of believers that their names are written in the book of life (Phil. 4:3) 腓立比书4:3 保罗说信徒们的名字是写在生命册上的。In the new Testament church,在新约时期的教会the glowing prophecies of the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s assembly are fulfilled,在新约教会里,新约教会就实现了在旧约里的先知们的预言,预言到有一天外邦人要被包括在上帝的会众里面(Psalm87)诗篇87篇,predicts the day就预言有一天将要来到,When not only the Gentiles不但是外邦人,but enemy nations will be inscribed in the rolls of the citizens of Zion,而且是那些作以色列敌人的国家,他的名字都要刻在锡安居民的名册上的。诗篇87:耶和华所立的根基在圣山上,他爱锡安的门,胜于爱雅各一切的住处。上帝的城阿,有荣耀的事乃指着你说的。我要题起拉哈伯,和巴比伦人是在认识我之中的,看哪,非利士,和推罗,并古实人,个个生在那里。论到锡安必说,这一个那一个都生在其中。而且至高者必亲自坚立这城。当耶和华记录万民的时候,他要点出这一个生在那里。歌唱的、跳舞的都要说: “我的泉源都在你里面。”外邦人都在以色列的名册里面(诗篇87:)

Our assembling to praise God, then, is no casual affair,因此,我们来到赞美上帝的聚会的时候,不是一个轻率随便的一件事。Church attendance参加教会的聚会,gathering with the people of God to join with them in heaven’s worship is not optional,就是与上帝的子民一起聚集参与天上的敬拜,不是可以选择参加或者不参加的。We dare not regard it as a little boredom to be endured with good grace for the sake of the family or for one’s standing in the community. 我们岂敢当它是一个很乏味的一件小小的事情?我们要忍住、要表面很体面的忍住,因为家人的缘故或者因为我们在社区里面的地位的缘故,还是要忍住要去聚会。不是,岂敢哪?Rather反之,it is the heart of that for which we are saved, 我们被拯救就是为了这个,这个是核心的事情,for which God gave His Son,就是上帝赐祂儿子的原因的核心,For which Christ died.耶稣基督为什么要死?就是为了这个敬拜。

We are to see the gathering of the saints not in the whimsical fashion of Robert Burns,我们不可以按照这个世人Robert Burns这样子,很轻率地来看圣徒的聚集。When he addressed a poem to a louse on a lady’s church bonnet,他向一个女人的去做礼拜的帽子上面的一个跳蚤写了一首诗,不可以这样子来对待教会, but in the wondering joy of which C. S. Lewis speaks.我们要好像C. S. 路易斯这样子来以一种奇异、诧异的喜乐,来讲到教会的敬拜。He reminds us that, 路易斯提醒我们,if we could see one fellow worshiper as we shall one day see him in glory,我们只要看到一位与我们敬拜的弟兄姊妹,看到他将来在荣耀中的样子的话,we would be tempted to fall down to worship him as one of the holy ones in light,我们就会有这个试探来跪下来敬拜他,因为他是在光明中的圣者之一。当然不是敬拜他了,意思就是说,在天上的圣徒是那么的荣耀的,所以要去教会聚会!

At Sinai God came down,上帝降临在西奈山,to speak to the assembly of His people.来向祂的子民的会众来讲话,The author of Hebrews reminds us that,希伯来书的作者提醒我们,God still speaks to us in worship,上帝今天仍然在敬拜中向我们讲话,no longer on earth,不是在地上向我们讲话啦。But from heaven (Heb. 12:25),乃是从天上上帝向我们讲话。希伯来书12:25 你们总要谨慎,不可弃绝那向你们说话的。因为那些弃绝在地上警戒他们的,尚且不能逃罪,何况我们违背那从天上警戒我们的呢。The Lord who speaks from heaven,从天上向我们讲话的上主,is the Lord who spoke on earth. 就是曾经在地上讲话的主;The Lord who spoke in so many different ways to the fathers through the prophets,那一位多次向我们列祖晓瑜那位的上帝,透过先知们向我们晓瑜的上帝,has at last spoken through his son(Heb. 1:1,2)在最后的末日已经藉着祂儿子,向我们最后的晓瑜了。希伯来书1:1-2

神既在古时藉着众先知,多次多方的晓谕列祖,就在这末世,藉着他儿子晓谕我们(了)The words of Jesus have been communicated to us by those who heard Him,主耶稣的话由那些听过祂话的人,向我们传递了,当然这些人就是指使徒们。希伯来书2:3 我们若忽略这么大的救恩,怎能逃罪呢。这救恩起先主亲自讲的,后来是听见的人给我们证实了。神又按自己的旨意,用神迹奇事,和百般的异能,并圣灵的恩赐,同他们作见证。顺便一提希伯来书2:4就是告诉我们新约中的神迹奇事都是为使徒们作见证的,有它的目的的,奇迹不是这种show(作秀)。

This is the word that we dare not neglect.我们要谨慎不可忽略的,就是这个话。It is this word of the Lord,就是这个主的话语that is proclaimed to us in our gathering for worship.当我们聚集敬拜的时候,所宣讲给我们听到了就是这个主耶稣的话。By faith we enter heaven in our worship,我们藉着信心进入到天上。我们这个信心在敬拜的时候进入到天上,and stand before the Lord,站在上主的面前。But He also comes to us in our worship.但是在我敬拜的时候呢,上主也来临到我们中间。我们来到天上,祂来到我们中间。Jesus promised that (马太福音18:19)耶稣曾经应许过where two or three were gathered in his name, there he would be in the midst (Matt. 18:20),只要两三个人奉祂的名聚集,祂就与他们同在的(太18:20)。The church gathers before the Lord and around the Lord,教会在主的面前聚集,围绕着主聚集and He addresses his word to us.主向我们讲话。Jesus sings the Father’s praise,耶稣歌唱颂赞天父,in the midst of the congregation (Heb.2:12)是在会众的中间歌唱赞美天父亲。希伯来书2:12说,我要将我(的名传与我的弟兄,在会中我要颂杨你。All this is made actual by the presence of the Holy Spirit in whom Christ comes to us and we come to Him.都是因为圣灵的同在,耶稣基督是藉着圣灵来到我们中间,我们也是藉着圣灵来到耶稣面前的,就是因为圣灵的缘故,上面所讲的都是事实了。就是我们来到主的面前,主来到我们中间。The Spirit united us to the Father and the Son.圣灵使我们与圣父联合,也使我们与圣子耶稣基督联合的。

在约翰福音14:18 耶稣说:我不撇下你们为孤儿,我必到你们这里来。我必到你们这里来,我必到你们这里来(约翰14:18下),这经文就是在讲,耶稣说有一天藉着圣灵,耶稣要再来,不是讲将来的再来,就是现在圣灵把耶稣的同在带到我们的中间。The church is an assembly expressing the unity of the Spirit in the joy of worship.教会就是神的聚会,表达圣灵怎么使我们合而为一,在喜乐中敬拜。At Pentecost,在五旬节的时候the Holy Spirit descended upon the new assembly of the people of God.圣灵降临在上帝子民的新的聚会里。The New Testament church was formed as a holy spiritual assembly.上帝就呼召了、设立了新约的教会,是圣洁的、属圣灵的assembly,教会。

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Review Questions,温习的问题,四条:

第一条,1. What great assembly in the OT brought Israel into covenant with God?是哪一次在旧约里的聚会,使以色列人与上帝立约呢?Name another time in the history of Israel when there was an assembly to renew the covenant. 请指出另外一次在以色列的历史中怎么样的聚集更新约,就是再一次与上帝的立约。

第二条,2. Contrast the assembly at Sinai with the assembly to which we now come in worship (Heb. 12:18-29) 请对照一下,西奈山的敬拜和今天我们来到敬拜的聚会的,希伯来书12:18-29。

第三条,3. Who has the right to enter God’s assembly?谁有权进入到上帝的会众里呢?Is this written on record? 上帝有没有记录这种的特权是什么呢?

(第四条,)4. What is the first purpose of the church in assembling together? 教会在聚会的时候,首要的目的是什么?

Discussion Questions,讨论问题:

第一,How does our assembling together help us to grow in grace? 我们聚集在一起的时候,如何在恩典,就是在灵命中长进呢?希伯来书10:4-5;歌罗西书3:15-16;哥林多前书14:24-26。

No. 2, 第二条讨论的问题:What assembly of Christians defines what the church is? 基督徒的哪一种的聚会就为教会是什么下了定义呢?Is it the local assembly? 是不是地方上的聚会,the house church?比如家庭教会(哥林多前书16:19)、the city assembly? 某一个城市的会众吗(歌罗西书4:16;哥林多前书1:2),the church throughout the world? 普世的教会吗?(哥林多前书.12:28;提摩太前书3:15;以弗所书1:22),or the assembly in heaven? 还是说天上的聚会为教会做的定义,什么是教会呢?(希伯来书2:18-29)。

No. 3,第三条问题:the church as assembly meets to praise God and to build up each other. 教会身为会众,聚集起来是要赞美上帝,也是来彼此做造就的工作的。Is there a ministry to the world around us that assembling together fulfills? 那么敬拜聚会的时候,同时有没有实现一个向我们周围世人的实现一种事工呢?How do the Psalms show the significance of Zion’s praises for the nations? 诗篇如何指出锡安山的赞美,同时对万国万民是重要的呢?

No. 4,第四(条),If the church exists as an assembly,假如教会是身为一个聚集会众的目的而存在,what happens when the church is not assembled? 那教会没有聚集的时候,教会是什么样的呢?Has it gone out of existence? 是不是不聚集的时候,教会就不存在的呢?How does Hebrews 12 help in answering the question: where is church on Monday? 希伯来书12章给了我们答案,星期一教会在哪里呢?

最后第五条问题,No. 5,How may we increase our realization of the access to heaven that we have in a worship? 我们如何可以更深体会到,我们现在有权来到敬拜的时候来到天上呢?What scriptural passages help us in this? 有哪些经文帮助我们欣赏体会这件事呢?Think particularly about the book of Revelation. 特别想一想启示录的经文。

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