第二週．週六

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晨興餧養

林後十二３～４『並且我認得這樣一個人，（或在身內，或在身外，我都不曉得，只有神曉得，）他被提進樂園裏，聽見不能言傳的話語，是人不可說的。』

許多弟兄姊妹經不起神的顯現，經不起神的啟示，甚麼時候得著了一點，他們就要吹號了，一下子甚麼人都知道了。…保羅…是何等的深！我們若能把神的東西保守七年已經彀好了，但是保羅藏了十四年。［林後十二2。］十四年之久，神的召會不知道保羅這個經歷；十四年之久，使徒們不知道保羅這個經歷。保羅是一個有根的人！

根是主要的問題。要有保羅的工作，就得有保羅的根；要有保羅的生活，就得有保羅的生命；要有保羅外面的能力，就得有保羅裏面的經歷。今天的難處，就是在神的兒女中藏不了屬靈的東西，藏不了特別的經歷。只要有一點的經歷，就給許多人知道了。…這就是沒有根。我們要求神給我們看見保羅的經歷，帶領我們往深處去。（倪柝聲文集第二輯第十七冊，五四至五五頁。）

信息選讀

以賽亞三十九章說到巴比倫王聽見希西家病而痊愈，就送書信和禮物給他。希西家雖然蒙了神的恩典，卻經不起神的恩典。聖經記載說，『希西家喜歡見使者，就把他的寶庫，銀子、金子、香料、和貴重的膏油，以及他整個軍器庫，並他所珍藏的一切，都給他們看。』（賽三九2。）他經不起試探。

那麼，我們該不該作見證呢？見證是該作的，保羅也作見證，歷世歷代許多神的兒女都作見證。不過，作見證是一件事，喜歡顯露自己的經歷又是一件事。我們為著甚麼要作見證呢？是因為要人得著益處，不是因為自己喜歡講。

作見證說神在你身上作了何等大的事是可以的，但是拿來當作新聞告訴人，就是顯露自己，就叫作沒有根。沒有根，就是沒有暗中的寶貝，…沒有暗中的生命，…沒有暗中的經歷。有許多的經歷，我們要留起來；如果不留起來，我們就要失去所有的了。

我們所有在神面前隱祕的東西，不能都拿出來。…神在裏面動，我們纔能動。有的時候，神要你對弟兄說話，你可不要把它壓住了；你如果壓住了，你就違反了肢體的律。肢體有一個律就是交通；你一壓住，就不能流通。我們要積極，不能消極，我們要將生命給人。但是，一天到晚想自己，一天到晚說自己的事情，這一種的多話，這一種的顯露，是要叫自己受攻擊的。我們盼望一面知道甚麼是身體，知道身體上的流通，另一面我們在主的面前，有我們隱藏的部分，就是許多經歷是人所不知道的。所有的根，都是不能顯露的。

往深處去的，往下面扎根的，結局你就看見深淵與深淵響應。你裏面有深的，人的深處就要被摸著。你只要裏面動一動，人就得著幫助，人就要得著光，人就知道在那裏有一件東西是他所不知道的。…沒有深處，你只能用表面的工作得著人表面的感動。我們說了再說，只有深淵是與深淵響應的。（倪柝聲文集第二輯第十七冊，五五至六○頁。）

參讀：歌羅西書生命讀經，第四十四、五十一至五十三篇。

WEEK 2 — DAY 6

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Morning Nourishment

2 Cor. 12:3-4 And I know such a man (whether in the body or outside the body, I do not know; God knows), that he was caught away into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not allowed for a man to speak.

Many of us cannot stand the test of visions and revelations; as soon as we have a little experience, we blow the trumpet, and everyone knows about it …What depth there was in Paul! It would be a wonder if we could hide away something we received from God for seven years. But for fourteen years Paul never divulged his experience; for fourteen years God’s church knew nothing of it; for fourteen years not one of the apostles had heard of it. Paul’s roots were deep beneath the soil.

This matter of root is a matter of extreme importance. If you want to have Paul’s work, then you need to have Paul’s “root”; if you want to have Paul’s outward conduct, then you need to have Paul’s inner life; if you want to have Paul’s manifest power, then you need to have Paul’s secret experience. The trouble with Christians today is that they cannot keep any spiritual thing or any special experience undisclosed. As soon as they have a little experience, they have to tell it abroad…They do not have any root. May God show us Paul’s experience, and may He lead us into having depth! (CWWN, vol. 37, pp. 39-40)

Today’s Reading

In Isaiah 39 we are told that when the news of Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery reached the Babylonian court, messengers were dispatched with letters and a present for Hezekiah. Hezekiah had been a recipient of the grace of God, but he was unable to stand the test of grace. God’s Word says, “Hezekiah was glad for them and showed them his treasury, the silver and the gold, and the spices and the fine oil, and his whole armory and everything which was found among his treasures” (v. 2). Hezekiah could not overcome the temptation to display everything.

Then should we not bear testimony? Yes, we should. Paul did so, and multitudes of God’s children from generation to generation have done so too. But bearing testimony is one thing; delighting in exhibiting one’s experience is quite another. What is our object in testifying?

We may speak of the great things the Lord has done for us, but we must not publish these things abroad as items of news; this only exposes ourselves as being without any root. To be without root is to be without any treasure; it is to be without any hidden life or hidden experiences. It is essential that some of our experiences remain covered; to uncover everything is to lose everything.

Whatever secrets we have with the Lord must be preserved …Only if He moves within us to reveal something, dare we reveal it. If He wants us to share some experience with a brother, we dare not withhold it, for that would be violating a law of the members of the Body of Christ. One law of the members of the Body of Christ is fellowship. Once we suppress this law, the flow stops. We must be positive, not negative, and minister life to others. But if we are engrossed all day with ourselves and with our own things, this talkativeness and exposure opens us to assault from the enemy. I trust we will learn what the Body of Christ is and what the flow of life among the members is; but I trust we will also learn the need for safeguarding the hidden part we have before the Lord, the experiences that are not known to others. No root should be exposed.

As we extend ourselves deeper and take root downward, we will discover that “deep calls unto deep.” When we can bring forth riches from the depths of our inner life, we will find that other lives will be deeply affected. The minute our inner being is touched, others will receive help and be enlightened. They will know that there is something beyond their knowledge…If our life has no depth, our superficial work will only affect other lives superficially. We repeat yet again—only “deep calls unto deep.” (CWWN, vol. 37, pp. 40-44)

Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msgs. 44, 51—53