第一週・週六
晨興餧養
加六16 凡照這準則而行的，願平安憐憫臨到他們，就是臨到神的以色列。
帖前一1 保羅、西拉和提摩太，寫信給在父神和主耶穌基督裏，帖撒羅尼迦人的召會：願恩典與平安歸與你們。
保羅在加拉太六章十六節的末了說，『就是臨到神的以色列。』『就是』在原文不是用作連接詞，而是作為解釋，指明使徒認為在基督裏許多單個的信徒，在團體一面乃是神的以色列。神的以色列即真以色列人（羅九6下，二28～29，腓三3），包括在基督裏所有外邦和猶太的信徒，他們是亞伯拉罕的真子孫（加三7、29），是信仰之家的人（六10），也是新造的人，他們照『這準則』而行，彰顯神的形像，並施行神的權柄（加拉太書生命讀經，三三○頁）。
📖信息選讀
我們這些相信基督耶穌的人…有雙重的身分。一面，我們是神的兒子，神聖家庭的一員。另一面，我們是未來的君王，命定要作君王的人。君王職分與神的以色列有關。…要成為神合式的兒子，有那靈的果子，如加拉太五章二十二、二十三節所列舉的那些美德，就彀了。但我們要作君王—神的以色列，就需要另一種生活，一種特別的憑着靈而行。…這不僅僅是神聖家庭中兒子的生活，也是那要在神國裏作君王之人的生活。願我們的眼睛得開啟，看見我們是皇家的君王！
就一面說，即使許多以色列人悖逆且非常罪惡，以色列國還是神的以色列和神的見證。然而，真以色列，屬靈的以色列，乃是召會。但因為以色列國與召會都在低落的光景裏，主就需要恢復神的真以色列。為着這樣的恢復，我們需要兩種生活，兩種的行。在第一種行，我們會有愛、喜樂、和平、溫柔和恒忍這樣的美德，這都是那活在我們裏面之基督的彰顯。我們也需要第二種行，好叫我們成為神的以色列，背負神的君王職分，有祂的權柄代表祂，並執行祂的行政管理。…就屬靈一面說，我們是神的兒子，也是神的以色列。我們是神的兒子，需要有愛、喜樂、和平、信實、溫柔；我們是神的以色列，必須照神新約經綸的基本準則而行（加拉太書生命讀經，四六六至四六八頁）。
我們可以確定，帖前一章一節所說的神乃是三一神。我們如何知道？因為保羅首先題到父—三一神的第一者。…保羅說到父的這個事實，有力的指明他所想的是三一神。不僅如此，『主耶穌基督』這話也含示那靈。『父神』與『主耶穌基督』都含示那靈。因此，一章一節含示那靈，是不言而喻的。…這位三一神是經過過程的神。祂經過了成為肉體、人性生活、釘十字架和復活的過程。祂釘十字架成功了救贖，了結了舊造，毀壞了撒但和死亡。祂復活使新造有了新生的起頭。現今祂是賜生命的靈，就是三一神的終極完成。召會是在這樣一位三一神裏面。召會是在經過過程的三一神裏，就是在那帶着父和子成了賜生命之靈的一位裏。
我們若看見召會是在父神和主耶穌基督裏的這個異象，自然就會明白，我們不該固守某些觀念或作某些事，因為這些事是屬世的、凡俗的、不聖的、也不是分別歸神的。我們會明白，這類事物不是為着召會的，因為召會乃是在父神和主耶穌基督裏的（帖撒羅尼迦前書生命讀經，六八、七二、七九頁）。
參讀：帖撒羅尼迦前書生命讀經，第一、三至五、七、九至十一篇；加拉太書生命讀經，第三十、四十二至四十三篇。
WEEK 1 — DAY 6
Morning Nourishment
Gal. 6:16 And as many as walk by this rule, peace be upon them and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.
1 Thes. 1:1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
Paul concludes Galatians 6:16 with the words even upon the Israel of God. The Greek word rendered “even” (kai) here is not connective but explicative, indicating that the apostle considered the many individual believers in Christ collectively the Israel of God. The Israel of God is the real Israel (Rom. 9:6; 2:28-29; Phil. 3:3), including all the Gentile and Jewish believers in Christ, who are the true sons of Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 29), who are the household of the faith (6:10), and who are those in the new creation. They walk by “this rule,” express God’s image, and execute God’s authority. (Life-study of Galatians, p. 263)
Todays Reading
We who believe in Christ Jesus…have a dual status. On the one hand, we are sons of God, members of the divine family. On the other hand, we are kings-to-be, those destined to be kings. Kingship is related to the Israel of God…To be proper sons of God it is sufficient to have the fruit of the Spirit, such as those virtues listed in Galatians 5:22-23. But to be kings, the Israel of God, we need another kind of living, a particular kind of walk by the Spirit… This is the living not merely of sons in the divine family but of those who will be kings in God’s kingdom. May our eyes be opened to see that we are kings in the royal family!
In a sense, the nation of Israel is the Israel of God and a testimony of God, even though many Israelites are rebellious and very sinful. However, the real Israel, the spiritual Israel, is the church. But because both the nation of Israel and the church are in a low condition, there is the need for the Lord to recover the real Israel of God. For such a recovery we need two kinds of living, two kinds of walk. In the first walk we will have such virtues as love, joy, peace, meekness, and long-suffering, all of which are the expression of the Christ who lives in us. We also need the second kind of walk so that we may be the Israel of God bearing God’s kingship, representing Him with His authority, and executing His governmental administration. Spiritually speaking, we are both the sons of God and the Israel of God. As sons of God, we need to be loving, joyful, peaceful, faithful, and meek. As the Israel of God, we must walk according to the elementary rules of God’s New Testament economy. (Life-study of Galatians, pp. 375-376)
Be assured that the very God spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 is the Triune God. We know this by the fact that Paul first mentions the Father, the first of the Trinity…The very fact that Paul speaks of the Father is a strong indication that he is thinking of the Triune God. Moreover, the expression the Lord Jesus Christ implies the Spirit. The expressions God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ both imply the Spirit. Therefore, in 1:1 the Spirit is implied and understood. This Triune God is the processed God. He has passed through the process of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection. In crucifixion He accomplished redemption, the termination of the old creation, and the destruction of Satan and death. In resurrection He germinated the new creation. Now He is the life-giving Spirit as the ultimate consummation of the Triune God. The church is in such a Triune God. The church is in the processed Triune God, the One who has become the life-giving Spirit with the Father and the Son.
If we see the revelation that the church is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, we will spontaneously realize that we should not hold to certain concepts or do certain things, for they are worldly, profane, unholy, not separated unto God. We will realize that such things are not for the church in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, pp. 56, 59, 65-66)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, msgs. 1, 3—5, 7, 9—11; Life-study of Galatians, msgs. 30, 42—43
