第四週•週三

w04d03-ch

晨興餧養

林後四10 ～ 12『身體上常帶着耶穌的治死，使耶穌的生命也顯明在我們的身體上。因爲我們這活着的人，是常爲耶穌被交於死，使耶穌的生命，也在我們這必死的肉身上顯明出來。這樣，死是在我們身上發動，生命卻在你們身上發動。』

在我們的經歷中，〔有一種〕爲着耶穌、爲着基督的身體、並爲着新約的職事，所臨到我們的苦難、逼迫或對付。這不是指人類在舊造中所共受的苦難、難處，如疾病或災害；也不是指因着罪過、錯誤或未盡責任所受的處罰、改正或管教。耶穌的治死，毀壞我們天然的人、外面的人和肉體，使我們裏面的人有機會發展並更新。（林後四16。）（聖經恢復本，林後四10 註1。）

十字架的殺死，結果叫復活的生命顯明。這種日常的殺死，是要在復活裏釋放出神的生命。（林後四10 註2。）

在林後四章十至十一節，耶穌的名稱，含示使徒所過的生活，和主耶穌在地上所過的一樣。這是在十字架的殺死之下，使復活生命顯明的生活。這樣的生活，使主自己與祂的職事是一，祂的生活就是祂的職事。（約六14 ～ 15，十二13，19，23 ～24。）（林後四11 註1。）

當我們在主死的殺死之下，祂復活的生命就藉着我們分賜到別人裏面。分賜生命到別人裏面，總是我們接受十字架殺死的結果。（林後四12 註1。）

信息選讀

申命記說，這些水是從谷中，從山上流出來的。…如果全地是平原，就沒有水可流。…在林後六章八至十節，保羅題了許多對比的事，許多山和谷：『藉着榮耀和羞辱，藉着惡名和美名，證薦自己是神的執事；似乎是迷惑人的，卻是真誠的；似乎不爲人所知，卻是人所共知的；似乎在死，看哪，我們卻活着；似乎受管教，卻不被治死；似乎憂愁，卻常常喜樂；似乎貧窮，卻叫許多人富足；似乎一無所有，卻擁有萬有。』…『榮耀』是一座山，『羞辱』是一個谷。…『似乎貧窮』—另一個谷；『卻叫許多人富足』—不只是一座山，並且是一座高山。…在這幾節中，至少有九對，九個谷和九座山。這些都是讓水流出的地方。

你越受苦，你越有流出。你越處卑微，越被加惡名，你越流出水來。…所有的谷都是十字架的經歷，基督死的經歷，而所有的山都是主復活的經歷。…我們必須常有難處，常有谷；但也常在山上，常在復活的經歷裏。每一次有谷，必定有山。每一次你經歷十字架的死，你必定經歷復活。活水是從這一切經歷中流出來的。

『從谷中和山上流出水來。』〔申八7。〕它不說從山上和谷中流出水來，而說從谷中和山上流出水來。先是谷，後是山。…因爲你首先接觸水流的地方是在谷中，然後你若是追溯水流到達源頭，你就發現它是從山上湧流出來。水流是在谷中，水泉是在山上。你若是要從裏面流出甚麼來滋潤別人，你必須是在谷中。（李常受文集一九六一至一九六二年第四册，二九七至二九九頁。）

參讀：哥林多後書生命讀經，第十至十一篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

2 Cor. 4:10-12 Always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who are alive are always being delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death operates in us, but life in you.

In our experience [there] is a kind of suffering, persecution, or dealing that comes upon us for the sake of Jesus, for the sake of the Body of Christ, and for the sake of the new covenant ministry. This does not refer to sufferings and troubles that are common to all human beings in the old creation, such as illness or calamity, or to punishment, correction, or discipline suffered because of sins, mistakes, or failure to fulfill one’s responsibility. This putting to death of Jesus consumes our natural man, our outward man, our flesh, so that our inward man may have the opportunity to develop and be renewed (v. 16). (2 Cor. 4:10, footnote 1)

The killing of the cross results in the manifestation of the resurrection life. This daily killing is for the release of the divine life in resurrection. (2 Cor. 4:10, footnote 2)

The title Jesus in 2 Corinthians 4:10-11 implies that the apostles lived a life like the one the Lord Jesus lived on earth. The Lord’s life was a life under the killing of the cross for the manifestation of the resurrection life, a life lived in such a way that His person was one with His ministry and His life was His ministry (John 6:14-15; 12:13, 19, 23-24). (2 Cor. 4:11, footnote 1)

When we are under the killing of the Lord’s death, His resurrection life is imparted through us into others. The impartation of life into others is always the issue of our suffering the killing of the cross. (2 Cor. 4:12, footnote 1)

Today’s Reading
Deuteronomy says that these waters are flowing forth from the valleys and the mountains…If all the land is a plain, there will be no flow of water. In 2 Corinthians 6:8-10 Paul mentions many contrasting things, many mountains and valleys: “Through glory and dishonor, through evil report and good report; as deceivers and yet true; as unknown and yet well known; as dying and yet behold we live; as being disciplined and yet not being put to death; as made sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things.” “Glory” is a mountain; “dishonor” is a valley…”As poor” is another valley; “yet enriching many” is not only a mountain but a great mountain…In these verses there are at least nine
pairs, nine valleys and nine mountains. These are the places from which the water may flow.

The more you suffer, the more you will have flowing forth. The more you have been abased and the more evil reports are made about you, the more the water will flow. All the valleys are the experiences of the cross, the experiences of the death of Christ, and all the mountains are the experiences of the Lord’s resurrection…We must be one who always has some trouble, some valley, but also one who is always on the mountains, always in the experience of resurrection. Whenever there is a valley, there is a mountain. Whenever you experience the death of the cross, you will experience the resurrection. The living waters flow forth from all these experiences.

The water is “flowing forth in valleys and in mountains” [Deut. 8:7]. It does not say in the mountains and in the valleys but in the valleys and in the mountains. There are first the valleys and then the mountains…because the first place that you contact the flowing water is in the valleys. Then if you trace that stream up to its origin, you find that it springs from the mountains. The stream is in the valley, but the spring is in the mountains. If you would have something flowing out from within you to water others, you must be in the valleys. (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” pp. 227-228)

Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msgs. 10-11