晨興餧養
弗五25 ～ 27『作丈夫的，要愛你們的妻子，正如基督愛召會，爲召會捨了自己，好聖化召會，藉着話中之水的洗滌潔淨召會，祂好獻給自己，作榮耀的召會，沒有斑點、皺紋、或任何這類的病，好使她成爲聖別、沒有瑕疵。』
我信我們是活在主豫備祂新婦的日子裏。不僅如此，我十分確信我們目前正在這個豫備的過程中。…〔啓示錄十九章〕在主的恢復裏，在我們中間，正在應驗的過程中。
我們需要把啓示錄十九章和以弗所五章聯起來。沒有以弗所五章，新婦就無法豫備好，啓示錄十九章也無法應驗。主對我們說到規條、道理、舊人、斑點和皺紋，這是很有意義的。我們經歷基督那保養、顧惜、聖化、潔淨的豐富，好除去我們的老舊和缺陷，這是十分緊要的。當這類的病都除去時，我們就成爲聖別、榮耀、沒有瑕疵的召會。然後我們就成爲啓示錄十九章的新婦。新婦豫備好的時候，基督就要來作新郎。讚美主！我們正在成爲聖別、榮耀之基督新婦的過程中。我們何等讚美主，給我們看見新婦豫備好、迎接祂回來的路。基督要得着一個沒有規條、道理、舊人、以及斑點和皺紋的召會。這樣的召會乃是美麗的新婦，滿足祂心頭的願望。（以弗所書生命讀經，九六○至九六一頁。）
信息選讀
在以弗所五章，我們看到召會獻給基督。召會在獻上的時候乃是新婦，不是新人。作爲新人，召會需要功用。但是作爲新婦，召會需要美麗。四章的長大，是爲着新人的功用；五章的美麗，是爲着新婦的獻上。
斑點和皺紋不影響召會的功用，卻非常減損召會的美麗。男人所求於新婦的，首先不是能力，乃是美麗。召會作基督的新婦，也必須是美麗的。爲這緣故，保羅從四章新人的功用和日常生活，往前到五章新婦毫無斑點和皺紋的獻上。我們若在主裏長大，至終我們作基督身體肢體的功用就會顯出來。然而，我們也許正確的盡功用，並照着心思的靈有超越的日常生活，但是由於我們的斑點和皺紋，就使我們在主的眼中仍然不彀美麗。保羅從一章到四章說了許多關於召會的事後，就在五章往前說到召會作新婦。在這一章裏，他一點沒有題到召會的創造、召會的長大、或召會的日常生活等，而是說到召會的美麗。當基督把召會獻給自己時，召會不是強壯的男子，乃是美麗的新婦。基督是宇宙的男子。祂這位宇宙的男子，需要召會作祂的新婦，與祂匹配。召會要成爲基督的新婦，就必須是美麗的，除去了一切的斑點和皺紋。
我們必須從以弗所四章的功用往前到五章的美麗。…在婚配的時候，召會所需要的是美麗，不是力量。哦，召會藉着有分於基督、消化基督、並吸收基督而漸漸變爲美麗的！我們越這樣經歷內住的基督，祂就越要以祂自己的元素頂替我們的斑點和皺紋，並且祂的豐富同祂神聖的屬性，也越要成爲我們的美麗。這樣，我們就豫備好獻給基督，作祂心愛的新婦。（以弗所書生命讀經，九六一至九六二、九六五頁。）
參讀：以弗所書生命讀經，第九十五篇。
WEEK 6 — DAY 5
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.
I believe that we are living in a day in which the Lord is preparing His bride. Furthermore, I have the full assurance that we are presently undergoing this process of preparation…Revelation 19 is in the process of being fulfilled among us in the Lord’s recovery.
We need to connect Revelation 19 with Ephesians 5. Apart from Ephesians 5, there is no way for the bride to be prepared, and hence no way for Revelation 19 to be fulfilled. It is very significant that the Lord has spoken to us about ordinances, doctrines, the old man, and the spots and wrinkles. It is crucial that we experience the nourishing, cherishing, sanctifying, and purifying riches of Christ to remove our oldness and defects. When all such things have been removed, we will become a church that is holy, glorious, and without blemish. Then we will be the bride in Revelation 19. When the bride has been prepared, Christ will come as the Bridegroom. Praise the Lord that we are in the process of becoming a holy and glorious bride for Christ! How we praise the Lord for showing us the way to be prepared as the bride, made ready for His coming back! Christ will have a church without ordinances, doctrines, the old man, and the spots and wrinkles. Such a church will be the beautiful bride to satisfy the desire of His heart. (Life-study of Ephesians, second edition, pp. 775-776)
Today’s Reading
In Ephesians 5 we come to the presentation of the church to Christ. At the time of this presentation, the church will be the bride, not the new man. As the new man, the church needs the functions. But as the bride, the church needs beauty. The growth in chapter 4 is for the function of the new man, whereas the beauty in chapter 5 is for the presentation of the bride.
The spots and wrinkles do not affect the function of the church. However, they very much detract from the beauty of the church. What a man looks for in a bride is not first ability; it is beauty. The church as Christ’s bride must also be beautiful. For this reason Paul goes on from the function and daily living of the new man in chapter 4 to the presentation of the bride without spot or wrinkle in chapter 5. If we grow in the Lord, eventually our functions as members of the Body will come forth. However, we may function properly and have an excellent daily living according to the spirit of the mind but still not be beautiful in the eyes of the Lord because of our spots and wrinkles. After saying so much about the church in chapters 1 through 4, Paul goes on in chapter 5 to speak about the church as the bride. In this chapter he says nothing concerning the creation of the church, the growth of the church, or the daily living of the church. Instead, he speaks of the beauty of the church. When Christ presents the church to Himself, the church will not be a strong man; she will be a beautiful bride. Christ is the universal man. As this universal man, He needs the church to be His bride to match Him. In order to be the bide of Christ, the church must become beautiful and have all the spots and wrinkles removed.
We need to go on from the function in Ephesians 4 to the beauty in Ephesians 5…At the time of the wedding, what the church will need is beauty, not strength. Oh, the church is being beautified by partaking of Christ, by digesting Christ, and by assimilating Christ! The more we experience the indwelling Christ in this way, the more He will replace our spots and wrinkles with His element, and the more His riches with the divine attributes will become our beauty. Then we will be prepared to be presented to Christ as His lovely bride. (Life-study of Ephesians, second edition, pp. 776-777, 779)
Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 95
