第七週■週三

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晨興餧養

帖前二1 ～ 3『弟兄們，你們自己原曉得，我們進到你們那裏，並不是徒然的。我們從前在腓立比受苦害，又被凌辱，就如你們所知道的，然而還是在我們的神裏面放膽，在極大的爭戰中，對你們講說了神的福音。我們的勸勉不是出於錯謬，不是出於污穢，也不是用詭詐。』

保羅…作了剛強的見證，說到他在帖撒羅尼迦人中間的生活。他題醒他們，使徒是如何來到他們那裏，以及使徒在他們中間的生活態度。保羅爲甚麼強調這事？他強調這事，是要給年幼的聖徒看見正當生活的榜樣。我盼望所有的長老和帶頭的，都從保羅這個實例看見，我們必須是眾聖徒的榜樣。在每一個地方召會裏，必須有一些榜樣、一些模型，讓別人效法。

給初信者和年幼信徒許多教導，不是照顧他們的正確之路；撫育他們的正確之路乃是給他們榜樣看。你給他們榜樣看，就是澆灌他們、供應他們、乳養他們、顧惜他們；這是撫育。你若覺得自己的經歷有些欠缺，你可以將聖經裏不同的人指給初信者看。譬如，舊約的以諾、挪亞、亞伯拉罕和大衞，新約的彼得、約翰、保羅和提摩太等人。我們可以這樣題出聖經人物的生活，來撫育年幼的信徒長大。（帖撒羅尼迦前書生命讀經，一二七至一二九頁。）

信息選讀

照顧孩子在於九分餧養和一分教導，這也應當是我們照顧召會裏初信者的作法。…餧養包括從聖經或召會歷史中題出榜樣。我們讀歷代聖徒的傳記，就餧養了自己，也經歷了撫育。這裏的重點是說，餧養人和撫育人最好的路，是給他們一個正確的榜樣。

保羅在帖撒羅尼迦前書不是傳講自己，而是以他自己活基督的生活來餧養他屬靈的兒女。這意思是說，保羅用他的生活方式來餧養他屬靈的兒女。這是他強調他進到帖撒羅尼迦人那裏、他的傳揚、他對待神話語的方式、以及他生活態度的原因。

使徒一再強調他們進到信徒那裏，（一5，9，〔二1，〕）這表明在使徒將福音注入初信者裏面時，使徒的行事爲人扮演了重要的角色。他們的行事爲人不僅是他們所說的，更是他們所是的。…使徒進到他們那裏，並不是徒然的。使徒是如何信主並跟從主的榜樣。因爲有許多人藉着使徒信了主耶穌，所以不到一個月就興起了一個召會。

使徒們傳福音的時候經歷了神。他們在爲福音的爭戰中享受神作他們的膽量。他們雖然受腓立比人的凌辱，然而還是放膽，這不是在他們自己裏面，而是在神裏面。苦難與逼迫不能打倒他們，因爲他們與三一神有生機的聯結。按照二章二節所說，他們在極大的爭戰中，講說神的福音。這指明他們一面傳福音一面爭戰，因爲逼迫還沒有過去。因此，他們一面爭戰，一面在神裏面放膽，對帖撒羅尼迦人講說福音。

在三節…錯謬是指目標，污穢是指動機，詭詐是指手段。這三者都是屬於且由於那狡猾、迷惑人的魔鬼。勸勉包括講說、傳揚、教導和懇求。…使徒並不貪婪，也沒有意思要從甚麼人得着好處。他們帶着福音來到帖撒羅尼迦人那裏，完全是誠實而忠信的。（帖撒羅尼迦前書生命讀經，一二九、一一三至一一五頁。）

參讀： 倪柝聲— 今時代神聖啓示的先見， 第十一章；倪柝聲恢復職事過程中信息記錄，第十、三十三篇。

WEEK 7 — DAY 3

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Morning Nourishment

1 Thes. 2:1-3 For you yourselves know, brothers, our entrance toward you, that it has not been in vain. But having suffered previously and having been outrageously treated, even as you know, in Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much struggle. For our exhortation is not out of deception nor out of uncleanness nor in guile.

Paul...gives a strong testimony of his living among the Thessalonians. He reminds them of the apostles’ coming and of their manner of life among them. Why did Paul emphasize this? He emphasized it because he was presenting a pattern of a proper living to the young saints. I hope that all the elders and leading ones will see from Paul’s example that we must be a pattern to the saints. In every local church there must be some patterns, some models, for others to follow.

To give the new believers and young ones a lot of teaching is not the proper way to take care of them. The proper way to foster them is to show them a pattern. By showing them a pattern, you water them, supply them, nourish them, and cherish them. This is fostering. If you find that your experience is somewhat lacking, point the new believers to different people in the Bible, for example, to ones such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and David in the Old Testament and Peter, John, Paul, and Timothy in the New Testament. We can present the lives of Bible characters in such a way as to foster the growth of the young ones. (Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, 2nd edition, pp. 107-108)

Today’s Reading

Caring for children is ninety percent a matter of feeding and ten percent a matter of teaching. This also should be our practice in caring for new believers in the church...Feeding involves the presenting of patterns either from the Bible or from church history. By reading the biographies of saints throughout the ages, we nourish ourselves and experience a kind of fostering. The point here is that the best way to feed others and foster them is to give them a proper pattern.

In the book of 1 Thessalonians Paul was not preaching himself. Rather, he was feeding his spiritual children with his own living of Christ. This means that Paul’s way of living was used to feed his spiritual children. This was the reason he emphasized his coming to the Thessalonians, his preaching, his way of handling the word of God, and his manner of living.

The apostle stresses repeatedly [the apostles’] entrance toward the believers (1:5, 9; [2:1]). This shows that their manner of life played a great role in infusing the gospel into the new converts. It was not only what the apostles said but also what they were...The apostles’ entrance was not in vain. They were a pattern of how to believe in the Lord and follow Him. Because many came to believe in the Lord Jesus through the apostles, a church was raised up in less than a month.

In the preaching of the gospel, the apostles experienced God. They enjoyed Him as their boldness in the struggle for the gospel. They were bold not in themselves but in God...Suffering and persecution could not defeat them, because they were in the organic union with the Triune God. According to verse 2, they spoke the gospel of God in much struggle. This indicates that while they were preaching, they were fighting, because persecution was still going on. Hence, they were struggling and speaking the gospel to the Thessalonians in the boldness of God.

In verse 3...deception refers to the goal, uncleanness to the motive, and guile to the means. All three are of and by the subtle and deceiving devil. The word exhortation includes speaking, preaching, teaching, instructing, and entreating...The apostles were not greedy, and they had no intention of making a gain of anyone. Their coming to the Thessalonians with the gospel was altogether honest and faithful. (Life-study of 1 Thessalonians, second edition, pp. 108, 95-96)

Further Reading: Watchman Nee—a Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, ch. 11; Messages Given during the Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry, 1st ed., vol. 1, chs. 10, 33