第一週■週六

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晨興餧養

林前十三4『愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈；愛是不嫉妒；愛是不自誇，不張狂。』

提後一7『因爲神賜給我們的，不是膽怯的靈，乃是能力、愛、並清明自守的靈。』

林前十二章的末了啓示，愛是極超越的路。（31下。）一個人如何作長老？…一個人如何作同工？…我們如何牧養人？愛是極超越的路。…愛是我們申言並教導人極超越的路。爲着我們的所是和所作，愛乃是極超越的路。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，一七一至一七二頁。）

信息選讀

神賜給我們的靈，乃是我們那由聖靈重生並內住之人的靈。這靈乃是愛的靈，因此也是能力並清明自守的靈。（提後一7。）我們可能自以爲很有能力，也清明自守，但我們的靈卻不是愛的靈。我們與人談話的方式可能滿了能力，並且也清明自守，但是我們的談話卻使人受威嚇。

保羅說，我們必須使我們的恩賜如火挑旺起來。（6。）神所賜給我們主要的恩賜，乃是我們重生的靈，連同祂的靈、祂的生命和祂的性情。我們必須把這恩賜如火挑旺起來。這意思是說，我們必須激動我們的靈，使我們的靈火熱起來。羅馬十二章十一節說，我們應當靈裏火熱。…我們必須有一個火熱的愛的靈，而不是一個焚燒的權柄的靈，那會造成損害。

根據我…的觀察，大多數同工的靈都是『能力』的靈，而不是愛的靈。我們需要愛的靈，好征服今日召會的墮落。我們不該說甚麼或作甚麼去威嚇人；反之，我們說話或行事，都該一直憑着已經如火挑旺起來的愛的靈。這是主的恢復所需要的。

愛是有效能的。我們應當愛每一個人，甚至愛我們的仇敵。如果同工和長老不愛那些不好的人，最終長老和同工就會無事可作。我們必須藉着一無分別的愛惡人也愛好人而得以完全，像我們的父是完全的一樣。（太五48。）我們必須像我們的父一樣完全，因爲我們是祂的眾子，是祂的種類。這是非常重要的。我們如何作長老和同工？乃是在每一方面都憑着愛。我們必須愛任何一種人。主耶穌說，祂來是作醫生，不是爲着強健的人，乃是爲着有病的人。主說，『強健的人用不着醫生，有病的人纔用得着。』（九12。）

召會旣不是逮捕人的警察局，也不是審判人的法庭，乃是養育信徒的家。作父母的都知道，他們的孩子越壞，就越需要父母的養育。…召會是愛的家，爲着養育兒女。召會也是醫院，爲着醫治並恢復有病的人。最後，召會也是學校，爲着教導並造就尚未學習的人，就是那些沒有多少認識的人。召會旣是家、醫院和學校，同工和長老就應當與主是一，在愛裏養育、醫治、恢復並教導人。

然而，有些召會是逮捕罪人的警察局，也是審判這些人的法院。保羅的態度不是這樣。他說，『有誰輭弱，我不輭弱？』（林後十一29 上。）當經學家和法利賽人帶着一個行淫的婦人到主那裏時，祂對他們說，『你們中間誰是沒有罪的，誰就先拿石頭打她。』（約八7。）當眾人都離開後，主問那犯罪的婦人，說，『婦人，那些人在那裏？沒有人定你的罪麼？』她說，『主阿，沒有。』然後耶穌說，『我也不定你的罪。』（10 ～ 11。）誰是沒有罪的？誰是完全的？…我們不該以爲別人是輭弱的，我們不是輭弱的。這不是愛。愛遮蓋人並建造人，所以爲着建造基督的身體，在我們的所是和所作上，愛乃是極超越的路。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，一六九至一七○、一七二至一七三頁。）

參讀：活力排，第四、八篇；詩篇生命讀經，第十一至十二篇。

WEEK 1 — DAY 6

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Morning Nourishment

1 Cor. 13:4 Love suffers long. Love is kind; it is not jealous. Love does not brag and is not puffed up.

2 Tim. 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sobermindedness.

The end of 1 Corinthians 12 reveals that love is the most excellent way (v. 31b). How can one be an elder?…How can one be a co-worker?…How do we shepherd people? Love is the most excellent way. Love is the most excellent way for us to prophesy and to teach others. Love is the most excellent way for us to be anything or do anything. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” p. 126)

Today’s Reading

The spirit that God has given us is our human spirit regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This spirit is a spirit of love; hence, it is of power and of sobermindedness (2 Tim. 1:7). We may think that we are very powerful and sober, but our spirit is not of love. We talk to people in a way that is full of power and sobermindedness, but our talk threatens them.

Paul says that we need to fan our gift into flame (v. 6). The main gift that God has given us is our regenerated human spirit with His Spirit, His life, and His nature. We must fan this gift into flame. This means that we have to stir up our spirit so that our spirit will be burning. Romans 12:11 says that we should be burning in spirit…We must have a burning spirit of love, not a burning spirit of authority, which damages.

According to my observation…, most of the co-workers have a human spirit of “power” but not of love. We need a spirit of love to conquer the degradation of today’s church. We should not say or do anything to threaten people. Instead, we should always say and do things with a spirit of love, which has been fanned into flame. This is what the recovery needs.

Love prevails. We should love everybody, even our enemies. If the coworkers and elders do not love the bad ones, eventually, they will have nothing to do. We must be perfect as our Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48) by loving the evil ones and the good ones without any discrimination. We must be perfect as our Father because we are His sons, His species. This is most crucial. How can we be a co-worker and an elder? It is by love in every way. We must love any kind of person. The Lord Jesus said that He came to be a Physician, not for the healthy ones but for the sick ones. The Lord said, “Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are ill” (9:12).

The church is not a police station to arrest people or a law court to judge people but a home to raise up the believers. Parents know that the worse their children are, the more they need their raising up…The church is a loving home to raise up the children. The church is also a hospital to heal and to recover the sick ones. Finally, the church is a school to teach and edify the unlearned ones who do not have much understanding. Because the church is a home, a hospital, and a school, the co-workers and elders should be one with the Lord to raise up, to heal, to recover, and to teach others in love.

Some of the churches, however, are police stations to arrest the sinful ones and law courts to judge them. Paul’s attitude was different. He said, “Who is weak, and I am not weak?” (2 Cor. 11:29a). When the scribes and Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to the Lord, He said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). After all of them left, the Lord asked the sinful woman, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you” (vv. 10-11). Who is without sin? Who is perfect?…We should not consider that others are weak but we are not. That is not love. Love covers and builds up, so love is the most excellent way for us to be anything and to do anything for the building up of the Body of Christ. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 124-127)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” chs. 4, 8; Life-study of the Psalms, msgs. 11-12