第三十七週．週三
晨興餧養
出二五３１，３６ 『你要用純金作一個燈臺。燈臺的座和榦，與杯、花萼、花苞，都要接連一塊錘出來。…花萼和枝子要與燈臺接連一塊，都是一塊純金錘出來的。』
我們即使有了金子，也被錘在一起，建造成為一個燈臺，我們還需要七燈，就是神的七靈，作為彰顯。我們若沒有神的七靈，就不能照耀彰顯神。我們不論老少，都需要每天被神七倍的靈充滿。甚麼時候我們充滿了神七倍的靈，我們就活了，並且發光。因著我們充滿了神的七靈，我們就不會死沉或黑暗。…沒有甚麼能壓制我們。因為我們滿了神的靈，所以我們越被壓抑，就彈得越高。
有時候帶頭的弟兄們盡力鼓勵聖徒們在禱告聚會中盡功用，但這些功用都不是真正的功用，乃是表演，因為聖徒並沒有充滿那靈，他們反而像洩了氣的輪胎。…但帶領的弟兄們可能還勉強這些洩氣的輪胎在禱告聚會中再跑幾圈。這種活動不是出自充滿在裏面並內住的氣，而是由於長老們的推動。一位弟兄或姊妹被迫盡功用以後，可能兩週不能禱告。…當輪胎洩了氣，最好不要勉強它多跑，因為越是多跑幾圈，壞得越厲害。然而，我們沒有一個人該作洩氣的輪胎。我們必須充滿了氣。我們在三層天上有『加油站』，可以時常加屬天之氣。當我們充滿了靈，就可以隨時盡功用。這樣的盡功用不是表演，乃是我們的生活。…當我們在建造的召會裏，被神七倍的靈充滿，神這七倍的靈就要成為神在基督裏的彰顯。（啟示錄生命讀經，四二九至四三一頁。）
信息選讀
就燈臺而言，金被錘打是要照耀神的光。這光就等於神的榮耀。…〔錘打〕表徵苦難。…當基督…在地上時，祂經歷了許多的苦難，許多的錘打。…這指明基督藉著受苦而彰顯神的榮耀。
我們若缺少苦難，我們的光就不會明亮的照耀。雖然我們不該追求受苦，但我們不該輕看苦難，因為苦難是有益的。如果我們從來沒有經歷甚麼難處，從來沒有經歷金子的錘打，我們就不能照耀。譬如，你的丈夫、妻子、兒女若總是善待你，這就會攔阻你的照耀。但你若面臨家庭生活中的難處，這些難處就會幫助你照耀。兒女好比小鎚子，錘打在父母裏面的金子，並幫助他們照耀。（出埃及記生命讀經，一二三八頁。）
在主一切對付的事上，我們要看見主的手，看見那乃是主的組織，和主的琢磨雕刻。聖靈的組織不是理想的，乃是在各種的環境中構成的。我們所在環境中一切的遭遇，就是聖靈組織的工作；聖靈的管治就是聖靈的組織。金燈臺乃是用純金錘打出來的，這個錘打就有印記出來，那就是聖靈管治的果效。一切環境的安排，都是要把純金錘出燈臺的工作。我們話語職事的路，不是恩賜的路，乃是神在我們裏面打出來的；我們裏面都清楚，今天的路乃是聖靈管治的路。有聖靈管治的工作，就有話語職事出來作新約執事。被神用的人，個個都是被神打出來的，被神所琢磨出來的人。如果僅僅是用恩賜、用道理、用真理、用教訓來講道，那不是我們的路。（倪柝聲文集第三輯第十二冊，一九三至一九四頁。）
參讀：啟示錄生命讀經，第六、三十一篇；倪柝聲文集第三輯第十二冊，第十九、二十二、二十四、二十八至二十九、四十篇。
WEEK 37 — DAY 3
Morning Nourishment
Exo. 25:31 And you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand with its base and its shaft shall be made of beaten work; its cups, its calyxes, and its blossom buds shall be of one piece with it. 36 Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it one beaten work of pure gold.
Even though we may have the gold and are beaten together and are built into one as a lampstand, we still need the seven lamps, the seven Spirits of God as the expression. If we do not have the seven Spirits of God, we will be unable to shine to express God. Whether we are young or old, we daily need to be filled with the sevenfold Spirit of God. Whenever we are filled with God’s sevenfold Spirit, we are living and shining. Because we are filled with the seven Spirits of God, we cannot be dead or dim…Nothing can suppress us. Because we are full of the Spirit of God, the more we are pressed down, the higher we bounce up.
Sometimes the leading brothers strongly encourage the saints to function in the prayer meetings. But all such functions are not genuine functions but performances, because the saints are not filled with the Spirit. Rather, they are deflated like flat tires…But the leading ones may still insist that these flat tires roll around a little in the prayer meeting. This kind of activity does not come from the infilling and indwelling pneuma but from the pushing of the elders. After a brother or sister has been forced to function, he may not pray for two weeks…When a tire becomes flat, it is better not to roll it around, for the more you roll it, the more damaged it will become. However, none of us should be a flat tire. Instead, we must be filled with pneuma. We have a “station” in the third heaven, and we can always be filled with the heavenly pneuma. When we are filled with the Spirit, we can function at any time. This function is not a performance—it is our living…When we all are filled with the sevenfold Spirit of God in the built-up church, this sevenfold Spirit of God will become the very expression of God in Christ. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 352-353)
Today’s Reading
Beaten work signifies sufferings…When Christ…was on earth, He experienced much suffering, much beating…With the lampstand the gold was beaten to shine forth the light of God. This light equals the glory of God…This indicates that through His sufferings Christ expresses God’s glory.
If we are short of sufferings, our light may not shine brightly. Although we should not seek to suffer, we should not despise sufferings, for they are useful. If we never experience any difficulties, any beating of the gold, we will not be able to shine. For example, if your husband or wife or your children are always good to you, this may hinder your shining. But if you face difficulties in your family life, these difficulties will help you to shine. (Lifestudy of Exodus, 2nd ed., p. 1031)
In all the dealings we face, we have to see the Lord’s hand. We have to see that the Lord is constituting, carving, and molding us. The constitution of the Holy Spirit is not just an idea; it is constituted through the experience of all the circumstances around us. All the experiences we have in our environment are the result of the Spirit’s constituting work. His discipline is actually His constitution. The golden lampstand is beaten out of pure gold. The beating produces the mark, which is the result of the discipline of the Spirit. Everything that goes on in our environment is for the producing of the beaten lampstand. The way of the ministry of the word is not the way of gift, but the way that is wrought through God’s beating. We are all clear within that the way today is the way of the Spirit’s discipline. Where there is the discipline of the Spirit, there is the ministry of the word through the New Testament ministers. Everyone who is used by God is beaten and molded by God. To speak only by gifts, doctrines, truths, and teachings is not our way. (CWWN, vol. 58, p. 195)
Further Reading: Life-study of Revelation, msgs. 6, 31; CWWN, vol. 58, chs. 19, 22, 24, 28—29, 40
