第一週 • 週五
晨興餧養
約十10~11 …我來了，是要叫羊〔人〕得生命，並且得的更豐盛。我是好牧人，好牧人為羊捨命。
神整個新約經綸的內容乃是基督作人子顧惜我們，並作神子餧養我們。
在四卷福音書中所描繪的耶穌，是非常顧惜人的。…眾人都需要祂來顧惜他們，使他們快樂、受安慰、得安息。…甚至罪大惡極的稅吏，也能像朋友一樣與祂同坐，與祂一同喫喝交談（路十五1，太九10）。
神差祂的兒子，在祂的人性裏為我們的罪作了平息的祭物（約壹四10）—顧惜。基督是人子，來作贖罪祭，平息罪人與神之間的情形。
神差祂的兒子到我們這裏來，使我們在祂的神性裏藉着祂得生並活着（9）—餧養。這可由約翰三章十六節得着證實：神將祂的獨生子賜給我們，使我們這些信入祂的，藉着祂在祂人性裏的救贖，不至滅亡（顧惜），反而在祂的神性裏得着永遠的生命（餧養）。神將祂的獨生子賜給我們，好在法理一面在祂的人性裏救贖我們，使我們在祂的神性裏得着永遠的生命，好讓祂在生機一面拯救我們（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五冊，一七七、一七九、一八六頁）。
信息選讀
我相信，沒有父神愛和赦免的心，沒有救主牧養和尋找的靈，乃是我們不結果子的原因。…主說，『樹總是憑果子認出來的』（太十二33），但我們卻是不結果子的樹。…一位良善溫和的牧師可能沒有特別的恩賜，如講道的恩賜；他可能只是探望人，並且當人來聚會時歡迎他們；但是照着統計數字，這樣的牧師一年也會得着百分之十的擴增。反觀我們，甚至還沒有百分之十的擴增。你能看見我們是何等的荒涼麼？你們有許多人是優秀的講員，認識較高的真理。…但因着我們缺少父那愛和赦免的心，以及子那牧養和尋找的靈，我們就沒有果子。我們定罪人、規範人，卻不牧養人、尋找人。我們缺少愛和牧養。〔愛和牧養〕是我們結果子，得着人的重要因素。…我們必須重新省察自己的行徑，如哈該所言（該一5）。我們的行徑是不正確的；有些地方出了問題（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五冊，四四至四五頁）。
基督這頭一位傳福音者，乃是藉着牧養盡祂的職事。祂到耶利哥只是為着要探訪一個人，就是稅吏長（路十九1~10）。祂不是去舉行一個有數千人的福音大會。祂的目的是要去傳福音得一個人，而祂的傳揚乃是一種牧養。
約翰四章說，當主在去加利利的路上，祂『必須經過撒瑪利亞』（4）。祂不走主要的道路，反而繞道至敘加，到雅各井旁，為要接觸一個犯罪的撒瑪利亞婦人，她先前有過五個丈夫。主豫先知道她會來到雅各井。雅各井乃是豫表基督，祂是泉源，直湧入永遠的生命（14下）。我們必須學習主的榜樣，特意繞道至敘加，以得着一個人。
我們在一個人身上花三年的工夫來得着他，這是值得的。你如果連續探訪一個人三年，你就能得着他。這樣過了十二年，你就有四個新人隨着你參加召會的聚會（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五冊，一五三頁）。
參讀：活力排，第七至十一章；約翰福音結晶讀經，第七、十三篇。
WEEK 1 — DAY 5
Morning Nourishment
John 10:10-11 …I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly. I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
The content of God’s entire New Testament economy is Christ as the Son of Man cherishing us and as the Son of God nourishing us.
The Jesus who is portrayed in the four Gospels is very cherishing…All people need Him to cherish them, to make them happy, comfort them, and give them rest…Even the most sinful tax collectors could sit with Him as friends, eating and talking with Him (Luke 15:1; Matt. 9:10).
God sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins in His humanity (1 John 4:10)—cherishing. As the Son of Man, Christ came to be the sin offering to appease the situation between the sinners and God.
God sent His Son to us that we may have life and live through Him in His divinity (v. 9)—nourishing. This is confirmed by John 3:16: God gave us His only begotten Son that we who believe into Him may not perish through His redemption in His humanity (cherishing) but may have eternal life in His divinity (nourishing). God gave His only begotten Son to redeem us in His humanity judicially so that we may have eternal life in His divinity for Him to save us organically. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 131- 132, 136)
Today’s Reading
I believe that not having the Father’s loving and forgiving heart and not having the Savior’s shepherding and seeking spirit is the reason for our barrenness…The Lord said, “By the fruit the tree is known” (Matt. 12:33), but we are a tree without any fruit…A good, gentle pastor may not have a particular gift, such as the gift of speaking; he may simply visit people and welcome them when they come to his meeting, but according to statistics, he will have a ten percent yearly increase. We…do not have even a ten percent increase. Can you see how barren we are? Many of you are good speakers, knowing the higher truths…However, we do not have fruit, because we are lacking in the Father’s loving and forgiving heart and the Son’s shepherding and seeking spirit. We condemn and regulate others rather than shepherding and seeking them. We are short of love and shepherding. These are the vital factors for us to bear fruit, that is, to gain people…We have to consider our ways, as Haggai said (Hag. 1:5). Our way is not right; something is wrong. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “A Word of Love to the Co-workers, Elders, Lovers, and Seekers of the Lord,” p. 31)
The first gospel preacher, Christ, carried out His ministry by shepherding. He went to Jericho just to visit one person, a chief tax collector (Luke 19:1- 10). He did not go there to hold a big gospel campaign with thousands of people. His desire was to preach the gospel to gain one person, and His preaching was a shepherding.
John 4 says that while the Lord was on His way to Galilee, “He had to pass through Samaria” (v. 4). He detoured from the main way to Sychar, near Jacob’s well, in order to contact a sinful Samaritan woman, who previously had five husbands. The Lord foreknew that she would come to the well of Jacob. The well of Jacob is a type of Christ, who is the fountain of water springing up into eternal life (v. 14b). We have to learn of the Lord’s pattern in purposely detouring to Sychar to gain only one person.
To spend three years to gain one person is worthwhile. If you spend three years to visit one person continually, you will gain him. After twelve years you will have four new ones following you to the church meetings. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 113-114)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” chs. 7—11; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” chs. 7, 13
