第一週 • 週六
晨興餧養
腓一19~21 因為我知道，這事藉着你們的祈求，和耶穌基督之靈全備的供應，終必叫我得救。這是照着我所專切期待並盼望的，就是沒有一事會叫我羞愧，只要凡事放膽，無論是生，是死，總叫基督在我身體上，現今也照常顯大，因為在我，活着就是基督，死了就有益處。
保羅在他書信裏所記載的教訓中，強調在靈裏生活行事。在整個航程中，並現今在米利大島上，保羅的確是在靈裏生活行事。…保羅的生活實際上就是賜生命之靈的彰顯。…他傳揚那成為肉體、釘十字架、復活、升天而成為賜生命之靈的基督；在米利大島上，他就是活這樣一位成為包羅萬有之靈的基督。保羅後來在腓立比一章二十、二十一節上半所寫的話指明了這一點。…保羅只關心活基督並顯大基督。在米利大島上，保羅活基督並顯大這位成為賜生命之靈的基督。我們讀路加對保羅生活的記載，就看見他所活的，乃是包羅萬有的靈，就是那成為肉體、釘死十架、復活、升天、被神高舉之基督的終極完成（使徒行傳生命讀經，七○八至七○九頁）。
信息選讀
在風暴的海上，主已經使保羅成為與他同船之人的主人，…也成為他們生命的保證人和安慰者（徒二七22、25）。…在他漫長、不幸且受監禁的航程中，主保守使徒在祂的超越裏，使他能活出一種生活，遠超憂慮的境域。這種生活是全然尊貴，有人性美德的最高標準，彰顯最高超的神聖屬性，與多年前主在地上所過的生活相似。這是耶穌在祂被神性所豐富的人性裏，再次活在地上！這是從前活在福音書裏那奇妙、超絕、奧祕的神人，藉着祂許多肢體中的一個，在使徒行傳裏繼續活着！這是成為肉體、釘死十架、復活、被神高舉之基督的活見證人！保羅在他的航程裏活基督，並顯大基督。
在二十八章十四節下半路加說，『這樣，我們來到了羅馬。』在十五、十六節他說，『那裏的弟兄們，一聽見我們的事，便來到亞比烏市和三館迎接我們，保羅見了他們，就感謝神，壯起膽來。當我們進了羅馬，保羅蒙准和一個看守他的兵丁另住一處。』
從羅馬來的弟兄們熱烈的歡迎，和在部丟利弟兄們愛心的關切（13~14），顯出早期召會和使徒之間美麗的身體生活。這是在撒但所蒙蔽、人所居住的地上，屬天國度生活的一部分。表面上，使徒是個在捆鎖中的囚犯，進入撒但所霸佔之帝國的黑暗首都；實際上，他是基督的大使，帶着基督的權柄（弗六20，太二八18~19），在地上神的國中，有分於祂召會之身體生活裏的另一部分。當他在撒但的帝國受到宗教的逼迫時，他在神的國中享受着召會生活。這對他是安慰，也是鼓勵。
保羅見了弟兄們，就感謝神，壯起膽來〔徒二八15〕。這指明使徒很有人性。他雖然得着主直接的鼓勵（二三11），在航程中一直非常勇敢（二七22~25、33~36），然而，他仍因弟兄們熱情的歡迎而壯膽。在保羅的航程中，基督帶着祂神聖的屬性，彰顯在保羅那拔高且帶着美德的人性裏。保羅在逆境中，一直是顯大基督（腓一20）（使徒行傳生命讀經，七○九至七一二頁）。
參讀：神聖的水流；關於主今日行動的交通，第三章。
WEEK 1 — DAY 6
Morning Nourishment
Phil. 1:19-21 For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
In his teaching as recorded in his Epistles, Paul emphasized the matter of walking in the Spirit. Throughout the voyage and now on the island of Malta, Paul certainly was walking in the Spirit…Paul’s living was actually the expression of the life-giving Spirit…He preached the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ as the lifegiving Spirit, and on the island of Malta he lived such a Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit. This is indicated by Paul’s word, written later, in Philippians 1:20 and 21a…Paul cared only to live Christ and to magnify Him. On the island of Malta Paul lived Christ and magnified Him as the life-giving Spirit. As we read Luke’s account of Paul’s living, we see that his living was the all-inclusive Spirit as the consummation of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and God-exalted Christ. (Life-study of Acts, p. 600)
Today’s Reading
On the sea in the storm, the Lord had made the apostle not only the owner of his fellow voyagers…but also their life-guarantor and comforter (Acts 27:22- 25)…All during the apostle’s long and unfortunate imprisonment-voyage, the Lord kept the apostle in His ascendancy and enabled him to live a life farbeyond the realm of anxiety. This life was fully dignified, with the higheststandard of human virtues expressing the most excellent divine attributes, a life that resembled the one that the Lord Himself had lived on the earth years before. This was Jesus living again on the earth in His divinely enriched humanity! This was the wonderful, excellent, and mysterious God-man, who lived in the Gospels, continuing to live in the Acts through one of His many members! This was a living witness of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and God-exalted Christ! Paul in his voyage lived and magnified Christ.
In [Acts 28:14b] Luke says, “Thus we came to Rome.” In verses 15 and 16 he continues, “From there the brothers, having heard about the things concerning us, came as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. And when we entered into Rome, Paul was permitted to remain by himself with the soldier who was guarding him.”
The warm welcome of the brothers from Rome and the loving care of those in Puteoli (vv. 13-14) show the beautiful Body life that existed in the early days among the churches and the apostles. This life was a part of the heavenly kingdom life on the Satan-darkened and man-inhabited earth. Apparently, the apostle, as a prisoner in bonds, had entered the region of the dark capital of the Satan-usurped empire. Actually, as the ambassador of Christ with His authority (Eph. 6:20; Matt. 28:18-19), he had come into another part of the participation in the Body life of Christ’s church in the kingdom of God on earth. While he was suffering the persecution of religion in the empire of Satan, he was enjoying the church life in the kingdom of God, which was a comfort and an encouragement to him.
When Paul saw the brothers, he thanked God and took courage [Acts 28:15]. This indicates that the apostle was quite human. Although he had been encouraged by the Lord directly (23:11) and was very courageous throughout his voyage (27:22-25, 33-36), he still took courage at the brothers’ warm welcome. It was in Paul’s uplifted humanity with its human virtues that Christ with His divine attributes was expressed during his voyage. He magnified Christ continuously in his adverse situation (Phil. 1:20).(Life-study of Acts, pp. 601-603)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, “The Divine Stream,” pp. 167-181; CWWL, 1985, vol. 3, “Elders’ Training, Book 5: Fellowship concerning the Lord’s Up-to-date Move,” ch. 3
