1) Q. I have never heard of the ministry of the age. What does this mean?
A. In every age the Lord has special things that He wants to accomplish. The particular recovery and work that He does in one age is the ministry of that age.
问:我从来没听说过时代的职事。这是什么意思?
答:主在每一个时代都有祂特别要作的事,那个恢复、那一个工作,就是那一时代的职事。
2) Q. Does the ministry of the age also have ministers of that age?
A. In every age there is the ministry of that age. These ministries of the ages are different from the local ministers. Luther was a minister of his age. Darby was also a minister of his age.
问:一个时代的职事也有那个时代的众执事吗?
答:在每一个时代里都有那时代的职事。这些时代的职事与地方性的执事不一样。路德乃是他那个时代的一个执事,达秘也是他那个时代的一个执事。
3) Q. When the Bible mentions ministry, does it refer to a person’s ministry?
A. The ministry spoken of in the Bible does not refer to a person, but to God’s building work. In God’s building ministry, there are those who take the lead in that ministry in every age.
问:圣经所说的职事是指一个人的职事吗?
答:圣经所说的职事,不是指着一个人,乃是指着神建造的工作;并且在神这建造的职事里,每一时代都有在那职事里带头的人。
4) Q. Are there examples of ministers in the Old Testament?
A. The Bible shows us very clearly that in Noah’s age there was only one ministry; yet many ministers were there together building the ark. Only Noah was the leader in the ministry of building the ark.
问:旧约中有众执事的示例吗?
答:圣经非常清楚的给我们看见,挪亚时代只有一个职事,却有许多执事一同建造方舟。惟独挪亚才是造方舟职事里带头的人。
5) Q. Does God give the ministry of the age to one person?
A. We have to see that in every age, God gives only one vision to man. Noah was one who walked with God and worked with God to build the ark to meet the need of that generation.
问:神是把时代的职事给了一个人吗?
答:我们必须看见,在每一个时代里,神只赐给人一个异象。挪亚就是一个与神同行的人,与神同工建造方舟,应付了那一时代的需要。
6) Q. If the ministry of the age with the vision of the age has been given to one person, do we follow him?
A. We are not following any person, but the one vison of this age. We are following the consummated vision inherited from the past and which is up to date with this age.
问:若是时代的职事和时代的异象已经给了某个人,我们要跟随他吗?
答:我们不是跟随任何人,乃是跟随一个今时代的异象。我们是跟随这个承继已往、够上时代并终极完成的异象。
7) Q. During Noah’s time, there had to be more than eight people who were serving God. What happened to them?
A. Whether or not others were serving God, one thing is certain: They were not part of those who built the ark. The work of building the ark was the ministry in that age.
问:在挪亚的时代中,事奉神的不止有八个人,其余的人怎么样呢?
答:无论其余的人是否事奉神,有一件事是确定的:他们无分于方舟的建造。建造方舟的工作是那个时代的职事。
8) Q. In the New Testament, what was the Lord’s ministry?
A. In Matthew 16:18, the Lord Jesus said, “On this rock I will build My church.” The Lord’s ministry was to build up the Body of Christ.
问:在新约,主耶稣的职事是什么?
答:在马太福音十六章十八节,主耶稣说,“我要把我的召会建造在这磐石上。”主的职事就是建造基督的身体。
9) Q. When will the Lord finish His building work?
A. The Lord has been building throughout the generations, and He will continue to build until His building work is fully completed, when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven.
问:主什么时候会完成祂建造的工作?
答:主历代以来一直在建造,并要持续建造直到祂建造的工作得以完全完成,就是新耶路撒冷从天而降的时候。
10) Q. As long as I am a Christian who wants to follow the ministry of the age, what should I do?
A. May the Lord open our eyes to see that as long as we are human beings, we should be Christians; as long as we are Christians, we should enter into the Lord’s ministry in this age.
问:如果我想成为一个跟随时代职事的基督徒,我该作什么?
答:愿主开我们的眼睛,看见只要我们还是人,我们就该作基督徒;只要我们是基督徒,就该进入主在今时代的职事。