第六週■週五

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晨興餧養

賽十三1『亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞所得關於巴比倫的默示〔直譯，負擔〕。』

亞十二1『耶和華論以色列之話語的默示〔直譯，負擔〕。…』

啓示、光照是第一。你總得從這裏起頭，…但是有了啓示、光照，還沒有話語的職事。你需要有更新的悟性，更新的心思，這樣，神一光照你，你就清楚內容。你絕不能將一個糢糊的啓示拿出來講給人聽。至少這一個啓示在你的思想裏是清楚的，你纔能說出去，…思想清楚了，還不一定能作話語的執事，因爲他還沒有話。人只能聽見話，人不能聽見思想。如果沒有話，你在講臺上講了半天，你那個意思還沒有出去。所以你在神面前總得有話。

甚麼叫作負擔？負擔是靈裏的光照，悟性定住光照的思想，並加上裏面的話。你那個負擔，最末了的一步，就是要把裏面的話釋放出去。這三者連在一起，合成爲申言者的負擔。負擔是光，加上思想，又加上裏面的話。我們的負擔，是要將神的啓示給人，而神的啓示是藉我們所得着啓示的話把它帶出去的。（倪柝聲文集第三輯第七册，二二七、二三○頁。）

信息選讀

在…話語的職事上，最大的難處就是沒有負擔，或者說不接受負擔，不注意負擔。長老們可能在那裏治理，卻是一個沒有負擔的治理；可能在講臺釋放話語，卻是個沒有負擔的話語。…這不是你道講得好不好的問題，也不是他們受不受感動的問題，更不在於你如何將信息講得有條有理，乃是在於眾人聽了之後，會產生甚麼樣的果效。如果他們是尚未得救的，你就該接受負擔，背負他們的靈魂，靠着主的恩典，在釋放話語時，將救恩種到他們裏面。你所接受的負擔，不是使眾人受感動，也不是把道講得好聽，乃是使這些人得救。他們若是已經得救卻不愛主，你就該接受一個負擔，使他們愛主。他們若是愛主卻不肯把自己交給主，不肯接受主的對付，你就當接受負擔，使他們願意將自己交給主，受主對付。這纔是一個有負擔的講臺。

我們服事神的話語，不是去注意講話的題目，乃要注意有沒有神的說話。要有神的說話，服事話語的人裏面必須有負擔。一篇有負擔的話，可能惹動人的反感，卻也可能在人裏面挑動人；然而，無論如何，眾人都不得不承認那是神的說話。

所以，我們的講臺不能太便當、太便宜，好像只要有一篇道就可以去講。一個盡話語職事的人，必須背負着人在神面前的光景。…他有一個責任，知道他要給這些人甚麼。這些人的光景如何，神要對這些人說甚麼話，統統是他需要接受的負擔。

沒有負擔，無論作甚麼都是死的，都沒有果效；有負擔纔是活的，纔會朝氣蓬勃。這個問題不在於方法，乃在乎『人』。…你若有負擔，你這個『自己』不可能加多，反而會減少，並要受對付；因爲有些事你的負擔不許可你作，有些事你得受對付，否則沒辦法釋放負擔。

現今在召會裏的情形，〔弟兄們的服事〕好像…在作大公司的雇員一樣。這是很危險的事；這會叫我們失去主的同在。…每一個事奉主的人，都該接受負擔，都該有負擔。（李常受文集一九五七年第二册，三○三至三○四、三○六、三一○至三一二頁。）

參讀：召會的治理與話語職事，第二篇；神話語的職事，第十二章。

WEEK 6 — DAY 5

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Morning Nourishment

Isa. 13:1 The burden concerning Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

Zech. 12:1 The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel...

Revelation and light come first. This is the starting point...Yet revelation and light
alone do not constitute the ministry of the word. One must be renewed in his mind
and understanding. When God shines again, he will then be clear about the content of the revelation. We cannot convey a hazy and foggy revelation. At a minimum the
revelation has to be clear in our mind before we can tell others about it...Yet even if
our mind is clear, we still may not be a minister of the word because we still do not
have the proper words. Others can only hear our words; they cannot hear our mind.
If we do not have the appropriate words, we may speak for hours on the platform
without conveying what we know. This is why we have to have words from God.

What then is a burden? First, a burden is the light we receive in the spirit, the thoughts that capture the light, and finally the inner words that supplement the light and thoughts. The last step of the burden is the release of the inner word. The combination of these three things makes up the burden of the prophets. Burden is light plus thoughts plus the inner words. Our burden is to release God’s revelation to man, and God’s revelation is released through the words of revelation that we have received. (CWWN, vol. 53, “The Ministry of God’s Word,” pp. 194-195, 197)

Today’s Reading

The greatest problem in...the ministry of the word is not having a burden or, we can say, not receiving a burden or not paying attention to a burden. It is possible for elders to administrate the church without a burden. Those who minister the word may also do so without a burden...It is not a matter of how well we speak, the logistics of our presentation, or whether the saints are touched; rather, it is a matter of what will be produced in the saints. If some are not yet saved, we should receive a burden to bear their souls by the Lord’s grace in order to sow the seed of salvation into them when we release the word. Our burden is salvation, not the release of a dynamic word. If they are saved but do not love the Lord, our burden should be for them to love the Lord. If they love the Lord but are not willing to give themselves to the Lord and receive His dealing, our burden should be for them to willingly give themselves to the Lord and be dealt with by Him. This is the ministry of the word with a burden.

When we minister the word of God, our concern should be whether we have God’s speaking, not the topic of our speaking. In order to have God’s speaking, the one who ministers the word must have a burden. People may have a negative reaction or be stirred up when they hear a message that is spoken with a burden, but they cannot deny that it is God’s speaking.

Therefore, speaking should not be easy or cheap. We cannot speak simply because we have prepared a message. One who ministers the word should bear people’s condition before God. He bears the responsibility of knowing their needs. He needs to sense their condition and know what God wants to speak.

Without a burden, all our activity will be dead and ineffective; with a burden, we will be living and flourishing. Such an outcome is not related to our method but to our person...If there is a burden, our self decreases and is dealt with. It will not increase, because there are things that our burden will not allow us to do, and there are areas that will require our being dealt with before we can release our burden.

It seems as if the brothers in the churches serve according to obligation asemployees in a company...Such service is dangerous and will cause us to lose the Lord’s presence...Everyone who serves the Lord must receive a burden and have a burden. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” pp. 233, 235, 238-239)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” ch. 2; CWWN, vol. 53, “The Ministry of God’s Word,” ch. 12