晨興聖言-話語的職事...(W4-2)

第四週 • 週二

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晨興餧養

林後十15~16   我們不憑別人的勞碌過度誇口，但盼望隨着你們信心的增長，照着我們的尺度，因着你們得以豐盛的擴大，將福音傳到你們以外的地方，並不是在別人的尺度之內，憑現成的事誇口。

主特別喜歡約束年輕人。如果年輕人無心事奉，主會挑旺他們事奉祂。但等他們被挑旺之後，祂…會限制他們。人天然的性情不喜歡這種限制。譬如，在睡覺和活動上，我們也許不喜歡受限制。我們在屬靈上沉睡時，神會來挑旺我們。但我們太活躍的時候，祂就約束我們。…一位年輕弟兄可能想在年輕人中間帶頭。如果他帶頭了，他可能又想在召會中作執事或長老。在這些事上，他可能巴望有快速的進展。但神的原則乃是先叫我們快起來，又使我們慢下去；先興起我們來，又使我們降下。當我們下沉時，祂來扶持我們。但當我們上得太高，祂就把我們拉回來。因此，神對付我們的作法就是上去下來，下來上去。我們若肯接受神這樣的上上下下，最終我們就能在祂的工作中有用處（哥林多後書生命讀經，五二九頁）。

信息選讀

許多年輕人受不了神的上上下下。幾番上上下下，他們就想逃了。他們的態度是：『如果神要我上，就讓我上到諸天之上，留在那裏直等主耶穌回來。如果神要我下，就把我留在底下。我不喜歡上上下下，下下上上。』

神不要我們一直在上，或一直在下。甚至在自然界，日夜的轉換也證實這事。不會永遠都是白晝或黑夜…。神創造我們，不會使我們的一日或一夜持續多年之久。這可能是照着我們的路，卻不是照着神的路。

神有許多方法把我們帶到低處。有些年輕人被他們的婚姻生活帶到低處。某位弟兄在婚前可能像飛鷹翱翔在空中。他很容易談到美妙而榮耀的召會生活。但是結婚沒有多久，召會生活就不再榮耀了。神用婚姻生活來使這位興奮的弟兄冷靜下來。有些弟兄婚後就這樣在低處沉寂了很長一段時間。但最終他會起來，只是不像從前那樣衝動了。這是長進的現象。

神有時會用一個長老把你帶到低處。你若遇見這情形，你該知道，把你打倒的是神，而不是長老。是神藉着長老這樣作。長老對你說的話可能是無心的，卻把你打倒了。神這樣對付我們，因為祂是度量的神，分給我們一定的度量。

我知道下沉是件嚴重的事。有些弟兄們下沉很久，似乎再也起不來了。但過了一段時間，他們又起來了。…這種上上下下似乎不是我們能控制、支配的。我們的確不能控制、支配。因此，我們都必須看見，是神在管治，祂乃是這樣把我們限制在我們的度量裏。

主的恢復在美國已經有相當的擴展，但是，這個擴展似乎有一個限度。然而，這意思不是說，主使這恢復的擴展永遠停頓下來。這裏的重點是說，照我們的觀念來看，主的恢復一旦開始擴展，就該毫無限制的擴展下去；但神的觀念不是這樣（哥林多後書生命讀經，五二九至五三一頁）。

參讀：實行召會生活的基本原則，第六章。

WEEK 4 — DAY 2

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Morning Nourishment

2 Cor. 10:15-16 We are not boasting beyond our measure in others labors, but have the hope, as your faith is increasing, to be magnified in you according to our rule unto abundance, so that we may announce the gospel unto those parts beyond you, not so that we may boast in another mans rule in things already prepared.

The Lord is especially interested in restricting the young people. If the young ones do not have a heart to serve the Lord, He will stir them up to serve Him. But once they have been stirred up, He will limit them. Human nature does not like this kind of limitation. For example, both in our sleeping and in our activity, we may not like limitations. When, spiritually speaking, we are asleep, God will stir us up. But when we become too active, He will restrict us…A young brother may want to be a leader among the young people. If he becomes a leader, he may then want to be a deacon or an elder in the church. In these matters he may expect to make swift progress. God’s way, however, is first to speed us up and then to slow us down, first to raise us up and then to lower us down. When we are down, He will lift us up. But when we get too far up, He will lower us down. Hence, God’s way of dealing with us is up and down, down and up. If we can take God’s ups and downs, we will eventually become useful in His work. (Lifestudy of 2 Corinthians, p. 441)

Todays Reading

Many young people cannot tolerate God’s ups and downs. After a few of these ups and downs, they want to quit. Their attitude may be, “If God wants me up, then let me go up to the heavens and stay there until the Lord Jesus comes back. But if God wants me down, let me stay down. But I don’t like going up and down, down and up.”

God does not want us to be always up or to be always down. Even in nature the alternating of day and night testifies of this. There is no such thing as an unending day or night…God did not create us so that we would have a day or night that would last for many years. This may be according to our way, but it is not according to God’s way.

God has many ways to bring us down. Some young people have been brought down by their married life. Before a particular brother was married, he may have been like an eagle soaring in the air. He could easily talk about the wonderful, glorious church life. But not long after his wedding, it seems that the church life is no longer glorious. God is using his marriage to calm down such an excited brother. In some cases, such a brother may stay down for a long period of time after his marriage. But eventually, he is up again, although not in the same excited way as before. This is a sign of improvement.

Sometimes God may use one of the elders to bring you down. If such a thing happens to you, you should realize that God is the One who is putting you down, not the elder. He does it by means of the elder. Without having any intention, that elder may speak a certain word to you, and that word lowers you down. God deals with us in this way because He is a God of measure, apportioning to us a certain measure.

I realize that it is a serious matter to be down. Some brothers may be down for such a long time that it seems they will never rise up again. But perhaps after another period of time, they will once again be up…It seems that this being up and down is beyond our control or management. Yes, we do not control this or manage it. Therefore, we all must realize that God is in control and that this is His way to keep us within our measure.

In this country the Lord’s recovery has spread to a certain degree. Yet it seems that there has been a limit to this spread. However, this does not mean that the Lord will permanently stop the spread of the recovery. The point here is that, in our concept, once the Lord’s recovery begins to spread, it should spread farther and farther without restriction. However, this is not God’s concept. (Life-study of2 Corinthians, pp. 441-442)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1963, vol. 3, “Basic Principles for the Practice of the Church Life,” ch. 6