晨興聖言-...主的恢復之中心負擔...(W4-3)

第四週■週三

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晨興餧養

林前一2『寫信給在哥林多神的召會,就是給在基督耶穌裏被聖別,蒙召的聖徒…。』

十二27『你們就是基督的身體,並且各自作肢體。』

弗一23『召會是祂的身體,是那在萬有中充滿萬有者的豐滿。』

神渴望將…一切神重生的兒女建造在一起,在基督裏成爲一。因此,這些親愛的人不該是單獨、分開、分散的,乃該在他們所在的地方上被聚集在一起,成爲眾地方召會。(啓一11。)

我們也許以爲,眾地方召會是神經綸的目標。然而,眾地方召會不是目標,乃是神達到祂經綸之目標所採取的手續。

相調的目的是要將我們眾人引進基督身體的實際。我寶貴眾地方召會,和你們一樣。但我寶貴眾地方召會,是因着一個目的:眾地方召會是將我帶進基督身體的手續。眾召會是身體,但眾召會也許沒有基督身體的實際。因此,我們需要在眾地方召會裏,使我們能被引進或帶進基督身體的實際。(李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第一册,一二八至一三○頁。)

信息選讀

主今日恢復中召會工作經常的手續包括四個步驟:生、養、教(成全)、建。生是使罪人得救並重生,成爲基督的肢體;(林前四15 下,太二八19;)養是餧養初信者,使他們在神聖的生命裏長大;(帖前二7,約二一15,17;)教是成全聖徒,使他們能成熟被建造。(太二八20 上,弗四12 ~16。)生、養、及成全的步驟,都是爲着另一更高的步驟,就是爲着在眾地方召會裏(啓一4 上,11)基督身體的建造。(弗四12 下,16。)然而,我們需要問自己:『這樣的建造在那裏?今天基督的身體在那裏?在眾多的地方召會裏,在眾地方召會中間,基督身體的實際在那裏?』

你可能爭辯說,召會就是基督的身體。不錯,召會是基督的身體;但要在基督身體的實際裏,就不只是建立地方召會,設立長老,並以某種方式實行召會生活而已。…卽使我們的福音傳得很好,但也許沒有多少基督身體的實際。

今天在眾召會中,我們可能有許多聖徒在『小學』,許多在『初中』,許多在『高中』,但是能教育人達到『碩士學位』的標準,甚至『博士學位』最高標準的『大學』在那裏?…我們不該那麼注意於僅僅建立召會,並安排許多外面的事。這些與基督身體的實際無關。

這不是說,我們該關閉眾地方召會的門,那會使情況更糟。這好像說,旣然我們不可能有大學,就讓我們忘掉高中、初中、小學罷。那會使我們成爲原始、落後的。…主恢復的最高峯,能真正、實際、真實完成神經綸的,不是叫神以有形的作法產生許多地方召會,乃是讓神產生生機的身體作祂的生機體。我們都有物質的身體,但事實上我們的身體不是我們這人的實際。我的身體是我,但不是我這人的實際。照樣,全球所建立的眾召會是有形的骨架,但在眾召會中間也許沒有基督身體的實際。我們若對自己誠實,就必須承認這是我們今天的光景。(李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第一册,一三七至一三九頁。)

參讀:關於相調的實行,第一至二、四至五章。

WEEK 4 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

1 Cor. 1:2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints…

     12:27 Now you are the Body of Christ, and members individually.

Eph. 1:22-23 …The church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

God desires to build all [the] regenerated children of God together as one in Christ. Thus, these dear ones should not be individual, separated, and scattered, but should be gathered together in their localities to be the local churches (Rev. 1:11).

We may think that the local churches are the goal of God’s economy. However, they are not the goal but the procedure God takes to reach the goal of His economy.

The purpose of the blending is to usher us all into the reality of the Body of Christ. I treasure the local churches, as you do. But I treasure the local churches because of a purpose. The local churches are the procedure to bring me into the Body of Christ. The churches are the Body, but the churches may not have the reality of the Body of Christ. Thus, we need to be in the local churches so that we can be ushered, or brought, into the reality of the Body of Christ. (CWWL, 1994- 1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” pp. 103-104)

Today's Reading

The regular procedures of the church work in the Lord’s recovery today consist of four steps: begetting, nourishing, teaching (perfecting), and building. Begetting is to have sinners saved and regenerated to become the members of Christ (1 Cor. 4:15b; Matt. 28:19); nourishing is to feed the new believers for their growth in the divine life (1 Thes. 2:7; John 21:15, 17); and  teaching is to perfect the saints that they may mature to be built (Matt. 28:20a; Eph. 4:12-16). The steps of begetting, nourishing, and perfecting are all for another higher step, that is, for the building up of the Body of Christ (vv. 12b, 16) in the local churches (Rev. 1:4a, 11). However, we need to ask ourselves, “Where is such a building? Where is the Body of Christ today? Within and among the many local churches, where is the reality of the Body of Christ?”

You may argue that the church is the Body of Christ. Yes, it is; but to be in the reality of the Body of Christ is not just a matter of setting up local churches with the establishing of elders and the practice of the church life ina particular way…Even though our preaching of the gospel may be very good, there may not be much reality of the Body of Christ.

In the churches today we may have many saints in “elementary school,” many in “junior high school,” and many in “high school,” but where is the “university” that can educate people up to the standard of a “master’s degree”…?…We should not pay so much attention to the mere establishing of the churches and the arranging of many outward things. These have nothing to do with the reality of the Body of Christ.

This does not mean that we should close the doors of all the local churches. That would make the situation worse. This would be like saying that, since there is no possibility for us to have universities, let us forget about high school, junior high, and elementary school. That would make us primitive and backward. The highest peak of the Lord’s recovery that can really, practically, and actually carry out God’s economy is for God to produce not many local churches in a physical way but an organic Body to be His organism. We all have a physical body, but our body actually is not the reality of our being. My body is me, but it is not the reality of my being. Likewise, the churches set up around the globe are a physical frame, but among the churches there may be no reality of the Body of Christ. If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that this is our situation today. (CWWL, 1994- 1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” pp. 111-112)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” chs. 1-2, 4-5

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