第七週 • 週四

晨興餧養

啟二二1~2 天使又指給我看在城內街道當中一道生命水的河，明亮如水晶，從神和羔羊的寶座流出來。在河這邊與那邊有生命樹，生產十二樣果子，每月都結出果子…。

    〔第一，召會若被建造，就有神的同在。〕第二，召會若被建造，裏面就有神的寶座，就有神的掌權。你看見在新耶路撒冷城裏面有神的寶座。這個寶座不光是神同在的問題，還是神掌權的問題。…因着神的寶座設立在這裏，神就能在這裏通行祂的權柄。…你若要知道一個召會是不是被建造的，你就要看在他們中間有沒有神的寶座，有沒有神的主權。

    有的時候，你到一個地方去，碰到一些弟兄姊妹，你會感覺在他們中間，沒有神的寶座，倒有人的寶座。你如果參加他們的事奉聚會，看他們每一個人說話的光景，那真是像坐在寶座上一樣。…這一個話還沒有說完，另一個就搶上來說了。…你在許多地方看不見…被建造的光景。反而你看見到處充滿了人的手法和組織。…若是你們也靠拉攏，也靠聯絡，你要知道，在你們中間已經沒有神的建造了。召會不能靠拉攏，也不能靠聯絡，召會乃是要在神裏頭同被建造。…所以要看一處召會有沒有被建造，不是看在他們中間有沒有聯絡和熱情，乃是看在他們中間有沒有神的同在，有沒有神的寶座（神的建造，一二一至一二四頁）。

信息選讀

    第三，召會被建造，就有生命的流通和供應。聖經給我們看見，從這個寶座流出來一道生命水的河，在河兩邊有生命樹，生產十二樣果子，每月都結出果子〔啟二二1~2〕。這就是說，在神的同在和掌權裏，有生命的流通。在這裏有生命的活水，能解決人的乾渴，使人得着滋潤。在這裏也有生命樹的果子，使饑餓的人得着飽足。凡到這裏來的人，都能得着他所需要的供應。

    一個真實被建造的召會，定規就有這一種光景。你在那裏定規碰見神生命的流通，碰見神生命的運行。無論甚麼樣的人，到了那裏都能得到供應。

    一個召會若是有建造，眾聖徒彼此之間有和諧，在那裏定規就有生命活水的流通，有生命糧食的供應。人到他們中間去，不一定聽見好的道，卻必定碰着活水，碰着糧食，感覺神的同在，感覺神的掌權。人在那裏就能得着滋潤、飽足和安息。

    召會被建造，還有第四種光景，就是有光。在新耶路撒冷城裏有光〔二一23〕。…這個光就是神自己。在這裏神是光，基督是燈。神在基督裏顯出祂的榮耀來，這個榮耀就是這城的光。在這一座城裏頭，不需要日月光照，意思就是說，在這一個建造裏面，不需要天然的光。他們中間的神在基督裏顯出來，就是光。或者說，他們在基督裏，讓神彰顯出來，就是光。所以你到他們中間去，你感覺在那裏是明亮的。

許多時候，你進到一個被建造的召會中，也會覺得那裏是明亮的，那裏有亮光。也許你私下有為難的事，雖然經過禱告、讀經，尋求神的意思，仍然不清楚。但是有一天，你進到他們的聚會中，你坐在他們中間，你就感覺裏面亮了。有的時候…就是那個聚會的空氣，就叫你裏面的感覺清楚了，明亮了。這就是因為在那裏有光，在那裏有神的榮耀顯出來。這一種光景就說出那是一個被建造過的召會（神的建造，一二四至一二七頁）。

參讀：神的建造，第七篇。

WEEK 7 — DAY 4

Morning Nourishment

Rev. 22:1-2 "And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street. And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month..."

[First], if the church is built up, [it will have God’s presence, and second], it will have the throne of God, the ruling of God. In the New Jerusalem there is the throne of God. This throne is not only a matter of God’s presence but also a matter of God’s ruling....Because the throne of God is established, God can exercise His authority. If we want to know whether a certain church is being built up, we need to see whether there is God’s throne and God’s dominion among them.

Sometimes when you go to a certain place...you can sense that among them there is not the throne of God but the throne of man. When you attend their service meeting, you notice they speak as if they are sitting on a throne....Before one finishes speaking, another one speaks over him....In many places you cannot see any building. On the contrary, everywhere you see human skills and organization....If we also depend on these ways of facilitating communication and winning people over, then the building of God no longer will be among us. The church cannot depend on these ways; the church has to be built up in God....To determine whether or not a church has been built up, we should not look at whether they have communication and warmth among them; instead, we should see whether or not they have God’s presence and God’s throne among them. (The Building Work of God, pp. 91-93)

Today's Reading

Third, a builded church has the flow and supply of life. The Scriptures show us that there is a river of water of life proceeding out of the throne, and on both sides of the river there is the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, and yielding its fruits each month (Rev. 22:1-2). This indicates that in God’s presence and God’s reigning there is the flow of life. Here there is the water of life which quenches people’s thirst and causes people to be watered. Here there are also the fruits of the tree of life which enable the hungry people to be satisfied. Everyone who comes here can obtain the supply he needs.

A church which has truly been built up surely has this kind of condition. In a built up church you will touch the flow as well as the moving of God’s life. Whoever goes there will receive the supply.

If a church has experienced the building and there is harmony among the saints, then surely that place will have the flow of the water of life as well as the supply of the food of life. When people go into the midst of these believers, they may not hear a good message, but surely they will touch the living water and food, and they will also sense God’s presence and God’s ruling. They will be watered, they will be satisfied, and they will have rest.

Fourth, a builded church has light. In the New Jerusalem there is light (Rev. 21:23)....This light is God Himself. God is the light while Christ is the lamp. God shines forth His glory in Christ, and this glory is the light of the city. That the city has no need of the sun or of the moon means that in this building there is no need of natural light. The God who is manifested in their midst in Christ is the light. Or we may say that God in Christ expressed through them is the light. Therefore, when you go into the midst of a group of people like this, you feel that it is bright there.

Very often when you are in the midst of a builded church, you also will sense that there is light and that it is bright there. You may have some private problems that you do not know how to deal with although you have prayed, read the Scriptures, and sought the will of God. But when you go to a meeting of a built up church and sit among them, you will feel enlightened. Sometimes just...by the atmosphere of their meeting, you become clear and enlightened. This is because there is light there, and the glory of God is expressed. This kind of situation tells us that that church has been built up. (The Building Work of God, pp. 93-95)

Further Reading: The Building Work of God, ch. 7