晨興聖言-極其需要新的復興(W04-1)
第四週 • 週一
晨興餧養
約三3 耶穌回答說,我實實在在地告訴你,人若不重生,就不能見神的國。
5 …我實實在在的告訴你,人若不是從水和靈生的,就不能進神的國。
新約所傳揚的頭一項乃是國度。新約頭一個傳道人是施浸者約翰,他口中所出的頭一句話乃是:『你們要悔改,因為諸天的國已經臨近了。』(太三1~2)這不僅是犯罪、下地獄或者得着平安喜樂的事;這也不僅是悔改,好使我們得救的事。我們必須為着國度悔改。
悔改這辭的意思是改變你的心思,在你的想法上有改變。悔改的意思是,改變你的推理方式,改變你的觀念、想法、哲學甚至你的神學。我們都需要悔改。從你老舊的觀念悔改,從哲學和系統神學悔改;從老舊的聖經知識,從對聖經老舊的解釋、解說悔改。我們需要改變我們的觀點。
為甚麼我們必須為着國度悔改?因為不管我們堅持的觀念是甚麼,我們都不是為着國度的。你也許是為着教育或為着宗教;你也許是為着基督教,或為着所謂的召會;你也許是為着傳福音,或為着差會工廠;你也許是為着作善事;你也許熱心於屬靈的恩賜,或者尋求神的能力。…你必須悔改。你要悔改脫開你的所是,脫開你所在之處,脫開你所作的、所想的,脫開你一切的觀念。…我們都必須為着國度悔改。新約乃是為着國度。…如果你不在國度裏,如果你不是為國度而活,你就需要悔改(李常受文集一九七二年第二冊,六至七頁)。
信息選讀
讓我們思想約翰三章三節、五節。主耶穌是否說,『你若不是從水和靈生,就絕不能見天堂或進入天堂』?不!…〔從前〕人告訴我說,我若要上天堂,就需要另一個生命。我需要重生。…嚴格的說,重生不是為着上天堂;重生乃是為着使我們進國度。
如果我們要進某種國度,就需要某種生命。如果我們沒有動物的生命,我們就絕不能進入動物的國度。…照樣,我們若沒有神聖的生命,就是神的生命,我們就絕不能進神的國。如果我們要進神的國,就必須有神的生命。因此,重生是為使我們進入另一個國度,就是神的國裏。這比僅僅一個時代要真實多了;這是神的國,是我們藉着重生進入的。
我們也許說國度就是主耶穌,但這必須是那是靈的主耶穌,而不是在肉體裏的主耶穌。國度乃是那是靈的主耶穌。祂對法利賽人說,『我若靠着神的靈趕鬼,這就是神的國臨到你們了。』(太十二28)這節告訴我們,國度就是神的靈的實際。…主耶穌說,因為祂靠着神的靈趕鬼,這就指明神的國在那裏。國度乃是主耶穌屬靈的實化。當我們在屬靈上實化祂,我們就有國度。
神的靈乃是主耶穌的實際。那靈就是祂的人位,而祂的人位就是祂的實際。正如一個人的實際乃是他的人位,照樣主耶穌的實際就是祂的人位,而祂的人位就是那靈。祂有那靈在祂身上,那靈就是祂的人位。那靈這個人位就是主耶穌的實際。那時,祂的實際完全藉着趕鬼運用出來。因此,那就是神的國。現在我們能看見,國度不僅僅是一個時代或範圍,國度乃是主耶穌實際的實化(李常受文集一九七二年第二冊,一一至一二、一九至二○頁)。
參讀:國度,第一至三章。
WEEK 4 — DAY 1
Morning Nourishment
John 3:3 …Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
5 Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
The first item in the New Testament preaching was the kingdom. The first preacher in the New Testament was John the Baptist, and the first word out of his mouth was, “Repent, for the kingdom” (Matt. 3:1-2). It is not merely a matter of being sinful, of going to hell, or of having peace and joy. It is not merely a matter of repenting so that we may have salvation. We must repent for the kingdom.
The word repent means to change your mind, to have a change in your way of thinking. It means to change your way of reasoning, to change your concepts, ideas, philosophy, and even your theology. We all need to repent. Repent from your old concepts. Repent from philosophy and systematic theology. Repent from the old Bible knowledge, from the old expositions and interpretations of the Scriptures. We need to change our point of view.
Why must we repent for the kingdom? Because, regardless of the concepts we cling to, we are not for the kingdom. You may be for education or for religion. You may be for Christianity or for so-called churches. You may be for gospel preaching or for the mission field. You may be for doing good. You may be zealous for the spiritual gifts, or you may be seeking the power of God…You must repent. Repent from what you are. Repent from where you are. Repent from what you are doing and what you are thinking. Repent from all your concepts…We all must repent for the kingdom. The New Testament is for the kingdom…If you are not in the kingdom, if you are not living for the kingdom, you need to repent. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” p. 5)
Today’s Reading
Let us consider John 3:3 and 5. Did the Lord Jesus say, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see heaven or enter into heaven”? No!… I was told that if I wanted to go to heaven, I needed another life. I needed to be born again…Strictly speaking, regeneration is not for entering heaven; regeneration is for us to enter into the kingdom.
If we want to enter into a certain kind of kingdom, we need a certain kind of life. If we do not have the animal life, we can never enter the animal kingdom…Likewise, if we do not have the divine life, the life of God, we can never enter into the kingdom of God. If we are to enter into the kingdom of God, we must have the life of God. Therefore, regeneration is for us to enter into another kingdom, the kingdom of God. This is much more real than a mere dispensation. This is the kingdom of God, which we enter by being born again.
We may say that the kingdom is the Lord Jesus, but it must be the Lord Jesus as the Spirit, not in the flesh. The kingdom is the Lord Jesus as the Spirit. He said to the Pharisees, “If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt. 12:28). This verse tells us that the kingdom is simply the reality of the Spirit of God…The Lord Jesus said that because He cast out demons by the power of the Spirit of God, this indicated that the kingdom of God was there. The kingdom is the spiritual realization of the Lord Jesus. When we realize Him spiritually, we have the kingdom.
The Spirit of God is the reality of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit is His person, and His person is His reality. Just as the reality of a man is his person, so the reality of the Lord Jesus is His person, and His person is the Spirit. He had the Spirit with Him, and the Spirit was His person. This person, the Spirit, was the reality of the Lord Jesus. At that time, His reality was fully exercised by casting out demons. Thus, that was the kingdom of God. Now we can see that the kingdom is not merely a dispensation or sphere. The kingdom is the realization of the reality of the Lord Jesus. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” pp. 8-9, 15-16)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” chs. 1—3
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