第五週■週四

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晨興餧養

詩四二7『你的瀑布發聲，深淵就與深淵響應；你的波浪洪濤，都漫過我身。』

賽三七31『猶大家所逃脫餘剩的，仍要往下扎根，向上結果。』

詩篇四十二篇七節說，深淵就與深淵響應；…意思就是：所有的深處，只能因着深處的呼喊纔能有響應。淺的東西，永遠摸不着深的；在外面的，也永遠摸不着裏面的。…不從深處出來的，就不能摸着深處。不從你的深處出來的，就不能摸着別人的深處；別人的深處只能與你的深處響應。…如果深處沒有東西出來，你得着的幫助就不過是浮淺的，不是裏面的。…凡不是從深處出來的，就永遠不能達到深處。你如果不從深處得着益處，得着幫助，你就不能從深處有東西出來。因此，我們如果要在屬靈的事上幫助人，就必須從深處有東西出來。你在神面前如果不往深處去，你就沒有法子得着別人。你的發表如果不是從深處出來的，儘管你能得着別人的情感，你能得着別人的理想，你能使人流淚，你能使人快樂，你能使人一時興奮，但是，你不能摸着人的深處。是深處纔能與深處響應，浮淺的發表永遠摸不着人的深處。（倪柝聲文集第二輯第十七册，五一至五二頁。）

信息選讀

傳道、聽道有一個原則，這原則就在主耶穌所說的那一個撒種的比喻裏面。撒種的時候，有落在路旁的，有落在土淺石頭地上的，有落在荊棘裏的，有落在好土裏的；這給我們看見，傳神話語的時候，人的接受，有四種不同的態度。主耶穌告訴我們，在這幾種不同的情形中，有一種叫作土淺石頭地，上面是土，下面是石頭。種子落在這一種的地上，長得頂快，但是，日頭出來一曬，因爲沒有根，就枯乾了。

甚麼是根呢？根是長在下面的。甚麼是葉子呢？葉子是長在上面的。換句話說，看不見的生命叫作根，看得見的生命叫作葉子。許多基督徒的難處就在這裏：看得見的生命雖然有，但是看不見的生命卻少得很。換句話說，人缺少隱藏在深處的生活。…你所有屬靈的經歷如果都是人所知道的，你就沒有根。…如果你所有的經歷都是顯露的，那你所有的都是往上長的，不是往下扎根的。這樣，你就是光有葉子沒有根的人，你就是土淺的人。

在屬靈的生命中，一面我們要看見甚麼叫作基督的身體，就是說，我們要有一個身體的生命；另一面我們也要看見，我個人從主得着來作肢體的那一分是頂個人的，那一點是我個人在神面前得着的，那一點是我在神面前應當守着的。如果不守着，我就失去我作肢體的特點，我在神的面前就沒有特別的用處。神所給你的那一個特點，一顯露，就要枯乾了。

基督徒有許多的美德，是應當隱藏，不應當顯露的。只有顯在人面前的，沒有隱藏在深處的，這樣的人，是沒有根的，是經不起試煉、經不起試探的。…求神作工在我們身上，使我們能往下扎根。

〔保羅〕把甚麼啓示都告訴人麼？不。他說，『我認得一個在基督裏的人，〔這一個人就是他自己，〕十四年前，這樣的一位被提，直到第三層天裏。』〔林後十二2。〕這個經歷，到十四年後纔說，…神的召會不知道保羅這個經歷；…使徒們不知道保羅這個經歷。保羅是一個有根的人！

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。（倪柝聲文集第二輯第 十七册，五二至五五頁。）

參讀：倪柝聲文集第二輯第十七册，第七篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

Psa. 42:7 Deep calls unto deep at the sound of Your water spouts; all Your waves and Your billows pass over me.

Isa. 37:31 And the remnant of those who have escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.

Psalm 42:7 says, “Deep calls unto deep.” Only a call from the depths can provoke a response from the depths. Nothing shallow can ever touch the depths, nor can anything superficial touch the inward parts…Anything that does not issue from the depths cannot touch the depths. Others can respond deep within to only what issues from deep within us…If nothing comes from the depths, the help we receive is just superficial …Anything that is not from the depths will never reach the depths of others. If we have never received help or benefit in our depths, we will never have anything issuing from our depths. If we want to render spiritual help to others, something must issue from our depths. If we do not dig deep, we can never gain others. Unless our utterance is from the depths, we will not touch the depths in others, even though we gain their emotions and thoughts and make them cry or be happy or excited for a while. Only deep calls unto deep. Superficial expressions will not touch the depths of others. (CWWN, vol. 37, p. 37)

Todays Reading

One principle in preaching and receiving the word is found in the Lord’s parable of the sower. While the sower sowed, some seeds fell beside the way, some on the rocky place, some into the thorns, and some into the good earth. This shows us four different ways for man to receive the word. The Lord Jesus tells us that among these different conditions, one is the rocky place. There is a little earth on the surface, but underneath there are rocks. When the seed falls into this kind of ground, it springs up quickly, but as soon as the sun comes out, it withers because of the lack of root.

What is a root? It is growth that occurs beneath the soil. What are the leaves? They are growth that occurs above the soil. In other words, roots are the hidden life, whereas leaves are the manifest life. The trouble with many Christians is that, while there is much apparent life, there is very little secret life. In other words, there is the lack of a hidden life…If all your spiritual life is exposed, you do not have any root…If all your experiences are manifested, then all your growth is upward; there is no downward growth. If this is the case, you are a person who has only leaves without root, and you are on shallow ground.

In our Christian life it is necessary that we learn the meaning of the Body of Christ; we must learn to have a life of the Body. On the other hand, we must learn that the life given to each member of His Body by the Lord is distinctly individual. The measure that has been given to you personally by Him needs to be guarded; otherwise, it will lose its specific character and will be of no particular use to God. If that which has been specially committed to you is exposed, it will wither.

The Christian who parades all his virtues before men and who does not have anything in the depth of his being has no root; he will not be able to stand in the day of trial and temptation …May God work in us so that we can take root downward.

Did Paul disclose all his revelations? Far from it. He wrote, “I know a man [who is himself] in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know; God knows) such a one was caught away to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2). He did not divulge this experience until fourteen years later…God’s church knew nothing of it;…not one of the apostles had heard of it. Paul’s roots were deep beneath the soil.

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. (CWWN, vol. 37, “Deep Calls unto Deep,” pp. 37-40) 

Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 37, pp. 37-44