第八週．週六

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晨興餧養

太二八１９～２０『所以你們要去，使萬民作我的門徒，將他們浸入父、子、聖靈的名裏，凡我所吩咐你們的，無論是甚麼，都教訓他們遵守；看哪，我天天與你們同在，直到這世代的終結。』

使萬民作主的門徒，就是使外邦人成為國度的子民，好在這地上，就在今天，建立祂的國，就是召會。…我們受主差遣，不僅要帶人得救，也要使萬民作主的門徒。這是國度的事。

在馬太二十八章十九節，主說到將外邦人浸入父、子、聖靈的名裏。施浸乃是帶悔改的人脫離老舊的光景，進入新的境地；這是藉着了結他們老舊的生命，並以基督的新生命重生他們，使他們成為國度的子民。（馬太福音生命讀經，九一六頁。）

信息選讀

施浸者約翰引薦的職事，開始於初步的水浸。如今，屬天的王既已完成祂在地上的職事，經過死而復活的過程，並成了賜生命的靈，祂就吩咐門徒，將作祂門徒的人，浸入三一神裏面。…主憑這浸吩咐門徒以後不久，就將他們和全召會都浸在聖靈裏；（林前十二13；）猶太部分在五旬節那天，（徒一5，二4，）外邦部分在哥尼流家裏。（十一15∼17。）以後，基於這事實，門徒將新悔改的人（二38）不僅浸入水裏，也浸入基督的死、（羅六3∼4、）基督自己、（加三27、）三一神、（太二八19、）以及基督的身體裏。（林前十二13。）水，象徵基督的死和埋葬，可以看作了結受浸者老舊歷史的墳墓。因為基督的死包含在基督裏面，又因為基督是三一神的具體化身，（西二9，）並且三一神最終與基督的身體是一；所以將初信的人浸入基督的死、基督自己、三一神、並基督的身體裏，乃是作一件事：在消極方面，了結他們老舊的生命；在積極方面，為着基督的身體，用新生命，就是三一神永遠的生命重生他們。因此，這裏主所命定的浸，乃是為着諸天的國，把人從自己的生命浸出來，而浸入基督身體的生命裏。（馬太福音生命讀經，九一六至九一七頁。）

我們正在從一個天然的人被訓練成為一個神人，照着基督這第一個神人的模型，否認我們天然的生命，而活神聖的生命。（太二八19。）…當我在幫助［年輕人］受訓練時，我也天天在許多方面受訓練，否認我天然的生命，而活神聖的生命。我們應當照着基督這第一個神人的模型，過這樣的生活。當基督在地上時，祂否認祂天然的生命，就是祂自己。祂說，祂所說的，不是祂的話，乃是差祂來之父的話。（約十四24。）祂絕不從自己作甚麼。（五19，30。）祂作每一件事都是從差祂來的父，也是憑差祂來的父作的。祂不是差遣者，祂乃是受差遣者。祂不是活祂自己；祂乃是活差祂來的父。（六57上。）這就是第一個神人的模型。

我們的大牧人和保惠師這一切神聖奧祕的教訓，不僅是祂向我們的揭示和光照，也是祂給我們的滋養，使我們在祂神聖的生命裏得以長大成熟，好叫神永遠的經綸能藉着我們得以完成。…我們也需要把［這些］神聖的真理教導人。（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五冊，一二一至一二二、一四八頁。）

參讀：活力排，第二、四、六篇；以弗書生命讀經，第四十六至四十七篇；神人的生活，第十三篇。

WEEK 8 — DAY 6

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Morning Nourishment

Matt. 28:19-20 Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age.

To disciple the nations is to cause the heathen to become the kingdom people for the establishing of His kingdom, which is the church, even today on this earth. We have been sent by the Lord not only to bring people to salvation but also to disciple the nations. This is a matter of the kingdom.

In Matthew 28:19 the Lord spoke of baptizing the nations into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism brings the repentant people out of their old state into a new one by terminating their old life and germinating them with the new life of Christ, that they may become the kingdom people. (Life-study of Matthew, p. 787)

Today’s Reading

John the Baptist’s recommending ministry began with the preliminary baptism, a baptism by water only. Now, after the heavenly King accomplished His ministry on earth, had passed through the process of death and resurrection, and became the life-giving Spirit, He charged His disciples to baptize the discipled people into the Triune God…Not long after the Lord charged the disciples with this baptism, He baptized them and the entire church in the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), the Jewish part on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5; 2:4) and the Gentile part in the house of Cornelius (11:15-17). Then, based on this, the disciples baptized the new converts (2:38) not only into water but also into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), into Christ Himself (Gal. 3:27), into the Triune God (Matt. 28:19), and into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). The water, signifying the death of Christ with His burial, may be considered a tomb in which the baptized ones’ old history is ended. Since the death of Christ is included in Christ, and since Christ is the very embodiment of the Triune God (Col. 2:9) and the Triune God eventually is one with the Body of Christ, to baptize new believers into the death of Christ, into Christ Himself, into the Triune God, and into the Body of Christ is to do just one thing: on the negative side, to terminate their old life, and on the positive side, to germinate them with new life, the eternal life of the Triune God, for the Body of Christ. Hence, the baptism ordained by the Lord here baptizes people out of their life into the Body life for the kingdom of the heavens. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 787-788)

We are being discipled from being a natural man to being a God-man, living the divine life by denying our natural life according to the model of Christ as the first God-man (Matt. 28:19)…While I am helping [the young people] to be discipled, I am also being discipled day by day in many aspects to live the divine life by denying my natural life. We should live such a life according to the model of Christ as the first God-man. When Christ was on this earth, He denied His natural life, Himself. He said that whatever He spoke was not His word but the word of the Father who sent Him (John 14:24). He never did anything out of Himself (5:19, 30). He did everything out of and by the sending Father. He was not the Sender but the sent One. He did not live Himself; instead, He lived the Sender, the Father (6:57a). This is the model of the first God-man.

[The] divine and mystical teachings of our great Shepherd and Comforter are not only His unveiling and enlightening but also His nourishing to us for our growth and maturity in His divine life that the eternal economy of God may be consummated through us…We should teach [these] divine truths. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 88-89, 108-109)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” chs. 2, 4, 6; Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 46—47; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The Godman Living,” ch. 13