QT 28/03/2025 Fri. Ephesians 4:7–16. Gifts for your Special Occasion: Use Them. 特殊场合的礼物： 使用它们。

QT 28/03/2025 Fri. Ephesians 4:7–16. Gifts for your Special Occasion: Use Them.
READ http://www.esvbible.org/eph4:7–16

In 1992, His Majesty Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei gave guests 350 gold-plated and 250 platinum souvenirs specially made to commemorate the silver jubilee of his accession to the throne. What would you give to celebrate a special occasion or a victory in a significant milestone of your lives? Jesus gave five types of people upon His victory!

Ephesians 4:8–10 [8] Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” [9] (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? [10] He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) (ESV)

Christ is the Victor, loaded with gifts. The prevailing custom was that a victor would at his victory parade divide up the spoils and give them to others as gifts as he triumphantly returns from a victorious battle. So did Christ, and that was why "he gave gifts to men" (4:8).

But surprisingly, in Christ's victory parade, he led a host of captives when he ascended on high. These were people He had saved, captured or redeemed, and now follows Him in the ascent. Isaiah 53:12 also referred to the coming Messiah as performing these acts:

Isaiah 53:12 [12] Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (ESV)

But these same captives were now given to the church AS GIFTS of persons (not merely equipment)—gifts more precious than gold or platinum from the Sultan:-

Ephesians 4:11–13 [11] And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (ESV, emphasis added)

REFLECTION: Do you cherish these gifts? Do you do your best to discover and develop these gifts in yourselves, your children, your fellow brothers and sisters in the church community that God had placed you in?

Responding to God's "victory gifts" has two dangers (1) recipients overestimate themselves and take credit for the results of exercising those gifts; or (2) those who discredit themselves for seemingly receiving less gifts than others and thus finding themselves of no use to the church.

APPLICATION: Try to think in this way: Whatever gifts or talents I have received is from Christ himself, are to be used as he required for the benefit of all. It is because the "measure" (or container or bucket) that Christ used to distribute His victory gifts were chosen by Him alone, recipients are to joyfully receive without complaining or comparing:-

Ephesians 4:7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (ESV)

QT 28/03/2025 星期五. 以弗所书4:7–16  特殊场合的礼物： 使用它们。
阅读 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=eph4%3A7-16&version=CNVS

1992 年，文莱苏丹哈桑纳尔-博尔基亚陛下为纪念登基银禧，向宾客赠送了 350 件镀金纪念品和 250 件白金纪念品。为了庆祝一个特殊的时刻或人生重要里程碑上的胜利，你会赠送什么礼物呢？耶稣在胜利时给了五种人！

以弗所书4：8-10 所以他说：“他升上高天的时候，掳了许多俘虏，把赏赐给了人。” 9（“他升上”这句话是什么意思呢？他不是也曾降到地上吗？ 10 那降下的，就是那升到诸天之上的，为了要使他充满万有。）

基督是满载礼物的胜利者。当时的风俗是，胜利者在打胜仗凯旋归来时，会在阅兵式上把战利品分好，作为礼物送给别人。基督也是如此，这就是为什么 “把赏赐给了人”（4:8）。

但令人惊讶的是，在基督的胜利游行中，祂带领着一大批俘虏升到高处。这些人是祂曾经拯救、俘虏或赎回的，现在跟随祂升天。以赛亚书53:12 也提到了即将到来的弥赛亚的这些行为：

以赛亚书 53:12 所以，我要使他与伟大的人同分，他必与强盛的均分掳物，因为他把自己的性命倾倒，以致于死。他被列在罪犯之中，却担当了多人的罪，又为罪犯代求。

但是，这些被掳的人现在被赐给教会，作为人的礼物（不仅仅是物品）--比苏丹赐给他们的黄金或白金更贵重的礼物：--

以弗所书 4：11-13  他所赐的，有作使徒的，有作先知的，有作传福音的，也有作牧养和教导的，12 为的是要装备圣徒，去承担圣工，建立基督的身体；
13 直到我们众人对　神的儿子都有一致的信仰和认识，可以长大成人，达到基督丰盛长成的身量；

反思：你珍惜这些恩赐吗？你是否尽你所能，在你自己、你的孩子、你在神所安排的教会团体中的弟兄姐妹身上发现及发挥这些恩赐？

回应神的 “得胜恩赐” 有两种危险：（1）接受者过高估计自己，并把行使这些恩赐的结果归功于自己；或者（2）那些似乎比别人得到的恩赐少的人给自己抹黑，并错误的评估自己对教会毫无用处。

应用：试着这样思考： 无论我得到什么恩赐或才干，都是基督亲自赐给我的，我要按照祂的要求来使用，以造福所有人。正是因为基督用来分配祂得胜恩赐的 “量器”（或容器或桶）是由祂独自选择的，所以接受者要喜乐地接受，而不要抱怨或比较：--

以弗所书 4:7 我们各人蒙恩，是照着基督量给我们的恩赐。