第八週■週六

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晨興餧養

多一1，3『照着神選民的信仰，與合乎敬虔之真理的知識，…作神的奴僕、並耶穌基督使徒的保羅。』

提前二4『祂願意萬人得救，並且完全認識真理。』

實際來自聖經的知識，加上屬天的光照和個人的經歷。…我們要看見實際，首先需要花時間在主的話上，得着滋養並熟悉聖經的道理。我們對道理的認識是蒙光照的基礎。然後我們需要每天都在基督裏行事爲人，仰望祂的光照。…我們一旦藉着主的光看見實際，這實際就會成爲我們的經歷。然後我們會得着生命和真理。

如果每一位弟兄姊妹都滿了生命和真理，召會就會剛強，成爲活神的家與真理的柱石和根基。這是主恢復今日所需要的。願主憐憫我們眾人，賜我們彀用的恩典，使我們有正確的實行，充滿生命和真理。（李常受文集一九七八年第三册，三九五頁。）

信息選讀

提前三章十五節說，召會是真理的柱石和根基。真理的柱石和根基就是整個召會，包括所有的聖徒，而不只是長老和領頭者。古時的建築是以柱石或圓柱撐起，每一根柱子都安在一個根基上。保羅引用這種建築的特徵，來描繪召會乃是擔負真理的柱石和根基。大多數聖徒可能沒有深深感覺到：他們有責任要擔負真理。

要明白甚麼叫作擔負真理，我們可以思考保羅在加拉太二章十一至十四節的榜樣。保羅看見彼得退去，隔離自己，不和外邦人一同喫飯，這違反了福音的真理。…和彼得相比，保羅是個年輕的使徒。然而，保羅看見彼得所作的違反真理。如果我們站在保羅的地位，可能不會斥責彼得。…然而，保羅卻寫說，『磯法來到安提阿的時候，因他有可定罪之處，我就當面抵擋他。』（11。）保羅斥責彼得，因爲彼得雖然比較年長、老練，但那時彼得沒有按照真理而行。因此，保羅是這樣擔負了真理；他是真理的柱石和根基。

聖經沒有說使徒是真理的柱石和根基。聖經反倒啓示，召會—包括每一個信徒在內—必須擔負真理。如果不是每個聖徒都擔負真理，召會就不會剛強，而只是一班不認識也不實行真理的人，將所有的責任留給長老。這是個可憐的召會。

當一位弟兄說話時，所有的聖徒都需要明辨：他是否照着真理說話。〔參林前十四29。〕如果他沒有按照真理說話，那麼每一位聖徒都該豫備好，站起來說話，以維護真理。…召會要剛強，每一位弟兄姊妹都必須認識真理。

保羅在提前三章十五節說到：『活神的召會，真理的柱石和根基。』…召會是真理的柱石和根基，這含示召會的每一個肢體都該認識真理。我們需要下決心學習真理。…召會要擴展出去，到新的地方，就需要有能彀擔負責任的領頭者。…我們若在日常的召會生活中學習真理並實行真理，每一個肢體就都能擔負一些責任。這樣，無論我們擴展到那裏，都不會有問題；每一個地方召會都會是剛強的。（李常受文集一九七八年第二册，八四五至八四六、八四八至八四九頁。）

參讀：基督徒生活與召會生活極重要的原則，第七至八章。

WEEK 8 — DAY 6

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Morning Nourishment

Titus 1:1 Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God’s chosen ones and the full knowledge of the truth, which is according to godliness.

1 Tim. 2:4 Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.

Reality comes from knowledge of the Bible plus heavenly enlightenment and personal experience...To see the reality, we first need to spend time in the Word to be nourished and to become familiar with the doctrines of the Bible. The basis for enlightening is our knowledge of the doctrines. Then we need to daily walk in Christ, looking to Him for enlightenment...Once we see the reality by the Lord’s light, the reality will become our experience. Then we will have life and truth.

When every brother and sister is full of life and truth, the church will be strong as the house of the living God and the pillar and base of the truth. This is what is needed in the Lord’s recovery today. May the Lord have mercy upon us all and grant us the sufficient grace to have the proper practice to be filled with life and truth. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “The Recovery of Christ as Everything in the Church,” pp. 287-288)

Today’s Reading

First Timothy 3:15 says that the church is the pillar and base of the truth. The pillar and base of the truth is the entire church, including all the saints, not only the elders and leading ones. In ancient times buildings were supported by pillars or columns, each of which rested on a base. Paul referred to this architectural feature to illustrate that the church is the pillar and base to bear the truth. Most of the saints probably do not have a deep sensation that they are responsible to bear the truth.

To understand what it means to bear the truth, we may consider the example of Paul in Galatians 2:11-14. Peter’s shrinking back from eating with the Gentiles was contrary to the truth of the gospel, and Paul saw this...Compared to Peter, Paul was a young apostle. However, Paul saw that Peter did something contrary to the truth. Perhaps if we had been in Paul’s place, we would not have rebuked Peter...Paul, however, wrote, “When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned” (v. 11). Paul rebuked Peter, for although Peter was older and more experienced, at that instant Peter was doing something that was not according to the truth. Paul was thus bearing the truth; he was a pillar and base of the truth.

The Bible does not say that the apostles are the pillar and base of the truth. Rather, [it] reveals that the church, which includes every believer, must bear the truth. If every saint does not bear the truth, the church will not be strong but will merely be a group of people who do not know and practice the truth but leave everything to the elders. This is a poor church.

While a brother is speaking, all the saints need to discern whether or not he is speaking according to the truth [cf. 1 Cor. 14:29]. If what he speaks is not according to the truth, every saint should be ready to stand up and say something to uphold the truth...In order for the church to be strong, every brother and sister must know the truth.

Paul refers to “the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth” [1 Tim. 3:15]...The church being the pillar and base of the truth implies that every member of the church should know the truth. We need to make a decision to learn the truth...For the sake of the spreading of the church to new localities, there is a need of leading ones, some who can bear responsibility...If we learn the truth and practice the truth in the daily church life, every member will be able to bear some responsibility. Then wherever we spread, there will be no problems; every local church will be strong. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 2, “Crucial Principles for the Christian Life and the Church Life,” pp. 618, 620)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1978, vol. 2, “Crucial Principles for the Christian Life and the Church Life,” chs. 7-8