第四週 · 週五

w04d05-ch

📖晨興餧養

可八35~36 『因為凡要救自己魂生命的，必喪失魂生命；凡為我和福音喪失自己魂生命的，必救了魂生命。人就是賺得全世界，賠上自己的魂生命，有甚麼益處？』

在馬太十六章十八節主耶穌說，『我還告訴你，你是彼得，我要把我的召會建造在這磐石上…。』召會如何能實際的被建造呢？在二十一至二十六節可以找到答案。…若不是基督已經釘十字架並復活，祂就不能建造召會。…二十一節說，『從那時候，耶穌才指示祂的門徒，祂必須往耶路撒冷去，受長老、祭司長和經學家許多的苦，並且被殺，第三日復活。』本節指出建造召會的路乃是藉着死和復活。…復活是一種變化形像。藉着死和復活，基督進入了變化形像的範圍。召會存在於這種變化形像的範圍內。召會不能存在於天然生命裏或屬肉體的人身上（李常受文集一九七八年第一冊，九五頁）。

📖信息選讀

喪失魂是我們被建造在一起的基本因素。這不僅僅是否認己或背負十字架，乃是喪失魂。為着主，為着召會，並為着所有聖徒的緣故，我們需要喪失我們現今所有魂的享受。你若樂意為着別人的緣故喪失你的魂，那些和你在一起的人就會蒙光照、得餧養並被充滿。這就是召會建造的路。如果所有的聖徒都願意喪失魂，在我們中間將有何等奇妙的光景，不僅沒有絆跌的事，甚至不需要饒恕了。我們若都如此，我們將有顯着的變化形像作為報償。然而，我們若不願意喪失我們的魂，就不能在這變化形像中有分。相反的，召會生活對我們將會是黑暗；並且當變化形像的時候，我們將得着受苦為報應，沒有喜樂，卻要在黑暗裏。

我們樂意為主的緣故喪失魂，就會使召會變化形像。換句話說，這將帶進復興。每一次真正的復興，都是基督的來臨，是基督帶着祂的獎賞現今的來臨（不是祂有形的再來）。祂要正面的獎賞忠信的人，並要負面的報應那些不忠信的人。在召會生活中，我曾看見這樣的事發生。當一次復興，也就是一次變化形像來到時，有些人享受，另有些人卻在黑暗中哀哭切齒。

丈夫和妻子彼此爭論，是因為他們發現其中有〔魂的〕享受。…但是假若一位弟兄，因着向他的妻子認輸而喪失他的魂，到了某個時候主將進到他裏面，拯救他的魂作為他的獎賞，那將是魂得着享受的時刻。…沒有喪失魂就不可能有正確的家庭生活。為着家庭的緣故，你需要喪失你的享受。然後，主耶穌將正面的賞賜你，使變化形像發生在你的家裏。

在召會生活中也是一樣。在召會生活中，我們都需要學習喪失我們的魂和魂的享受。藉着喪失我們的魂，就會帶來變化形像；然後在主的變化形像中，我們將正面的得着賞賜，並且主將拯救我們的魂（李常受文集一九七八年第一冊，一一六至一一九頁）。

我們喪失魂生命時，主在我們靈裏就有機會，從我們的靈擴展到我們魂的每一通道，使我們的魂得着變化（羅十二2，林後三18）。至終，我們全人要模成祂的形像（羅八29）。那時，我們要成熟，豫備好與祂一同作王，使我們在來世享受祂的君王職分並有分於祂的喜樂（太二五21，提後二12上，啟三21，二十4、6）（李常受文集一九七五至一九七六年第三冊，八八至八九頁）。

參讀：李常受文集一九七八年第一冊，國度的操練為着召會的建造，第三、五章。

WEEK 4 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

Mark 8:35-36 For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever will lose his soul-life for My sake and the gospel’s shall save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul-life?

In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus said, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church…” How can the church be built up in a practical way? The answer is found in verses 21 through 26… Unless Christ had been crucified and resurrected, He could not build up the church…Verse 21 says, “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.” This verse indicates that the way to build up the church is through death and
resurrection…Resurrection is a form of transfiguration. Through death and resurrection Christ has entered into a realm of transfiguration. The church exists in this realm of transfiguration. It cannot exist in the natural life or with fleshly people. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building of the Church,” p. 79)

Today’s Reading

The losing of the soul is the basic factor in our being built up together. It is not only a matter of denying the self or of bearing the cross but of losing the soul. We need to lose all our present soulish enjoyment for the Lord’s sake, for the sake of the church, and for the sake of all the saints. If you are willing to lose your soul for the sake of others, those with you will be enlightened, nourished, and filled. This is the way the church is built. If all the saints are willing to lose the soul, what a wonderful situation there will be among us. There will be no offenses and even no need for forgiveness. If we are like this, we shall be rewarded with a prevailing transfiguration. But if we are not willing to lose our soul, we shall not share in this transfiguration. On the contrary, for us the church life will be darkness, and, during the time of transfiguration, we shall be rewarded with suffering. Instead of being joyful, we shall be in darkness.

Our willingness to lose the soul for the Lord’s sake will cause the church to be transfigured. In other words, it will bring in a revival. Every genuine revival is a coming of Christ, a present coming of Christ with His reward (not His second coming in a physical way). He rewards the faithful ones positively and the unfaithful ones negatively. I have seen this happen in the church life. When a revival, a transfiguration, came, some were enjoying and others were gnashing their teeth in darkness.

Husbands and wives argue with each other because they find it enjoyable…But if a brother loses his soul by losing the case to his wife, the Lord will reward him by coming in at a certain point to save his soul. That will be the time for the soul to have its enjoyment…There cannot be a proper family life without the losing of the soul. For the sake of the family, you need to lose your enjoyment. Then the Lord Jesus will reward you in a positive way when He causes a transfiguration to take place in your family.

The same is true in the church life. In the church we all need to learn to lose our soul, to lose our soulish enjoyment. By losing our soul, a transfiguration will take place. Then in the Lord’s transfiguration we shall be rewarded positively, and the Lord will save our soul. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building of the Church,” pp. 94-96)

When we lose our soul-life, the Lord in our spirit will have the opportunity to spread from our spirit into every avenue of our soul so that our soul may be transformed (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). Eventually, our whole being will be conformed to His image (Rom. 8:29). At such a time we will be mature and ready to be co-kings with Him for our enjoyment of His kingship and participation in His joy in the coming age (Matt. 25:21; 2 Tim. 2:12a; Rev. 3:21; 20:4, 6). (CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 3, p. 87)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building of the Church,” chs. 3, 5