第五週 • 週四

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晨興餧養

林前一1   憑神旨意，蒙召作基督耶穌使徒的保羅，和弟兄所提尼。

太五3　    靈裏貧窮的人有福了，因為諸天的國是他們的。

我們中間另一個難處，是一起配搭事奉的人，個個都能幹，靈裏卻沒有配搭的感覺；好像一件事沒有別人，自己也能完成。所以，我們中間少有受教的靈，少有需要幫助的靈。一個真實在靈裏配搭的人，會有很重的感覺，自己缺了別人不行，非得別人的幫助不可，非與別人配搭不可。我們現在的配搭，可以說是規矩上的配搭，大家照着規矩作，你作你的一分，我作我的一分；我不一定需要你，你也不一定需要我。彼此之間不吵也不鬧，但靈裏相互依賴的光景很少，這就是事奉的靈不對。

恐怕在青年工作，或兒童工作中的弟兄姊妹，就是這樣的光景，只有規矩上的配搭；個人作自己該作的事，輪到誰作誰就作。實在說，這個不叫配搭，這個最多只是合作。配搭乃是說，我沒有你不行，我感覺需要你，你也感覺需要我。不僅作青年工作的人需要這樣，在召會整體事奉上，都該如此。正常的光景應當是執事與長老彼此需要，聖徒們覺得沒有長老不行，沒有執事也不行（李常受文集一九五七年第二冊，三一四至三一五頁）。

信息選讀

我們缺少身體的交通，我們眾人來在一起時，很少能坐下來好好有交通。比方弟兄姊妹從外埠到臺北來，大家聚會時坐在一起，散會後各走各的，沒有多少的交通。我們初到臺灣來的頭六年，並不是這樣的光景；我們每到特會，大家來在一起，都有許多的交通。現在的光景是大家來在一起，你能我也能，你精明我也精明，你懂這個，我懂那個；…誰也不需要誰，所以都不需要交通。這是最厲害的驕傲，也是最得罪主、最得罪身體的事。

如果我們失去在身體裏配搭、互相為命的原則，那麼無論在治理或話語上，都不會強。那個原則一旦失去，祝福自然就沒有多少。我們現在的配搭成了機械性的，輪到誰該作事，誰就來作；彼此沒有一種感覺，覺得別人不作，我就沒有辦法，我實在需要別人。若是大家只是配在一起，拼湊在一起，分工合作，各作各的，這就不過像個社團，或是某大機構裏的分工。

甚麼叫作看見身體？看見身體最厲害的感覺乃是沒法單獨，並且迫切覺得需要身體，需要弟兄姊妹。我們現今的配搭，好比一套機關式、機械式的工作，像是機關辦公，又像是機械在推動，裏頭生命交通的味道非常缺。

因着我們缺少在靈裏互相為命，互相倚靠的配搭事奉，所以常有踩到別人腳跟的情形。…自己不作就算了，一作就推翻別人所作的。…好像一件事在別人手裏，你管不到；等到有一天，機會來了，輪到你作，你就完全照你的方法，把別人的方法推翻。…這…乃是愚昧人的作法。

我們若是接受破碎，生命有長進，學了美好的功課，在這些事上我們會蒙拯救。…在身體的配搭裏，個個都得盡功用，都得尊重別人所作的；不僅不踐踏別人的工作，反要把自己所作的，與別人所作的配起來，叫基督的身體得到供應，一點不損傷身體，並且使身體配搭的感覺越過越甜美，使身體的建造越過越結實（李常受文集一九五七年第二冊，三一六至三一八、三二四頁）。

參讀：召會的治理與話語職事，第二至三、五篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 4

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Morning Nourishment

1 Cor. 1:1 Paul, a called apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother.

Matt. 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.

Another problem among us is that although the serving ones are capable, they do not have a feeling for coordination in their spirit when they come together to serve. It seems as if everyone is able to serve without others. Consequently, few among us have the spirit of a learner and the spirit of needing help. Those who truly coordinate in spirit should have a strong feeling that they cannot do anything without the help and coordination of others. Our present coordination is one of formality. We do our part without needing anyone else. We may not argue, but there is not much interdependence in spirit. This shows that our spirit of service is improper.

This is the situation of those who work with the young people and the children. The coordination is formal; everyone does what he should do when it is his turn. This is cooperation, not coordination. Coordination means that we cannot do anything without one another. There is a sense that we need others and that others need us. Those who work with young people should be like this; all the service of the church should also be like this. It is normal when the deacons and elders mutually need one another, and the saints feel that they cannot do anything without the elders and deacons. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” p. 240)

Todays Reading

We lack the fellowship of the Body. When we come together, we seldom have thorough fellowship. For example, when saints from other cities visit,… we sit together for a meeting. After the meeting, however, we all go our separate ways without fellowshipping. This was not our situation during our first six years in Taiwan. In those years, whenever we had a conference, we came together and had much fellowship. Now we are all capable, brilliant, and knowledgeable. We do not need one another; we do not need to fellowship. This is the greatest form of pride. It is the most offensive thing to the Lord and to the Body…

If we lose the principle of coordination and dependence in the Body, we will not be strong in our administration of the church and ministry of the word. Once we lose this principle, we will not have much blessing. Our coordination should not become mechanical, and we should not work only when it is our turn. We should have the feeling that we cannot do anything without others, that we truly need one another. If we come together and assign work, with each doing only his own work, our situation is similar to the division of labor in a civic organization or a large institution.

What does it mean to see the Body? The greatest indication that we see the Body is that we cannot be independent. We feel that we need the Body, that we need the brothers and sisters. Presently, however, our coordination can be compared to work in an organization. It seems that we are moving like a machine and that we lack the sense of the fellowship of life.

Because we lack coordination in our service and do not rely and mutually depend on one another, we often step on others…We either do not work, or we do the job of others…When a certain matter is in others’ hands, we are not able to do anything, but when an opportunity comes to us, we do it according to our way and discard the help of others…This is a foolish way.

If we have grown in life, been broken, and learned some lessons, we will be saved in all these matters. In the coordination of the Body, everyone needs to function and respect what others do. We should not criticize others but should join their labor so that the Body of Christ can be supplied, not damaged. In this way the feeling of coordination in the Body will be sweet, and the building up of the Body will be strong. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” pp. 241-242, 246)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” chs. 2—3, 5