第五週 • 週三
晨興餧養
徒二十28 聖靈立你們作全羣的監督，你們就當為自己謹慎，也為全羣謹慎，牧養神的召會，就是祂用自己的血所買來的。
來十三20 但願平安的神，就是那憑永約之血，領羣羊的大牧人我們的主耶穌，從死人中上來的。
使徒保羅〔在行傳二十章二十八節〕的話，證實〔牧養是把使徒的職事與基督天上的職事合併，以照顧神的羊羣〕。
保羅雖然很緊急的要回耶路撒冷，但在他的行程中，他打發人叫以弗所的長老到他那裏去；然後向他們說了一篇很長的話，記在二十章。…羊羣就是召會〔參28~29〕（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第四冊，五七五頁）。
信息選讀
神使我們的主耶穌從死人中復活，叫祂成為大牧人，好照着神的永約，終極完成新耶路撒冷〔參來十三20〕。
為着神永遠經綸的主要目的和終極完成而牧養神的羣羊，這件事甚至在雅歌中也提到。在這卷書中，基督牧養那尋求祂並追求祂的人。…雅歌一章七節上半，尋求者說，『我心所愛的阿，求你告訴我，你在何處牧放羊羣〔為着滿足〕？晌午在何處使羊羣歇臥〔為着安息〕？』…牧人回答尋求者說，『只管出去跟隨羊羣的腳蹤，把你的山羊羔牧放在牧人帳棚的旁邊。』（8下）在主這牧長之下，有許多別的牧人。這許多牧人在他們帳棚旁邊，也就是在他們生活所在之處，牧放他們的年幼者。…主一直在牧放祂所有像百合花一樣的尋求者，照顧他們，餧養他們，並牧養他們，使他們長大〔參二16〕。
牧養是行得通的。我們不該想要作講道大漢，為自己立名。人可能受吸引來聽我們，但事後誰來照顧他們？佈道大會的路行不通，這已經在一些地方試過了。福音大會可能有許多人，最終卻沒有多少人加給召會。我們也不該用知名人士在我們聚會中作見證。這不會拯救人，把人加給召會。即使某人是總統，他在聚會中該和別人沒有甚麼不同。要有效地拯救人，路必須是藉着小的活力排；在其中每一個人都必須是牧人。這樣過了短時間，召會就會復興。沒有別的路比這牧養的路更有效能。
盼望我們都禱告說，『主，我要得着復興。從今天起，我要作一個牧人。我要去餧養人，牧養人，把人聚成一羣。』在約翰十章和二十一章，主用三個辭說到牧養的事：『餧養』、『牧養』、『成為一羣』。祂說，『餧養我的小羊』又說，『牧養我的羊』（二一15~16）。祂也說，『我另外有羊，不是屬於這圈的；我必須領他們來，他們也要聽我的聲音，並且要成為一羣，歸一個牧人了。』（十16）另外的羊就是外邦的信徒，他們要與猶太信徒聯結在一起，成為一羣。主用『羣』作為名詞，我也喜歡將這辭用作動詞（意指使羊成為一羣）。我們該學習餧養人，牧養人，並使人成為一羣。眾召會都必須學習如何使人成為一羣，好叫他們能調和在一起。在聚集成羣的氣氛中，人就被主征服、勸服，得着主的滋養和挑旺。所有鄰近的召會該成為一羣，使聖徒得着牧養，並被挑旺。長老和同工該帶頭實行這事（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第四冊，五七五至五七八、五八○至五八三頁）。
參讀：約翰的修補職事，第十三章。
WEEK 5 — DAY 3
Morning Nourishment
Acts 20:28 Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers to shepherd the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood.
Heb. 13:20 Now the God of peace, He who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, in the blood of an eternal covenant.
The…words of the apostle Paul [in Acts 20:28] confirm [that shepherding is the incorporation of the apostolic ministry with Christ’s heavenly ministry to take care of God’s flock].
Although Paul was on an urgent trip back to Jerusalem, while he was journeying, he sent word for the elders in Ephesus to come to him. Then he gave them a long word recorded in Acts 20…The flock is the church [cf. vv. 28-29]. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” p. 447)
Today’s Reading
God raised up our Lord from the dead to be the great Shepherd to consummate the New Jerusalem according to God’s eternal covenant [cf. Heb. 13:20] .
This matter of shepherding God’s flock for the main purpose and ultimate consummation of the eternal economy of God is referred to even in Song of Songs. In this book Christ shepherds His seeker and pursuer. In Song of Songs 1:7a the seeker says, “Tell me, you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock [for satisfaction]? / Where do you make it lie down at noon [for rest]?” The Shepherd responds to the seeker by saying, “Go forth on the footsteps of the flock, / And pasture your young goats / By the shepherds’ tents” (v. 8b). Under the Lord as the Chief Shepherd there are many other shepherds. The many shepherds pasture their young by their tents, that is, where they live. The Lord is pasturing all His seekers as lilies, taking care of them, feeding them, and shepherding them that they may grow [cf. 2:16].
Shepherding works. We should not desire to be giant speakers to make a name for ourselves. People may be attracted to come to listen to us, but who will take care of them afterward? The way of having large gospel campaigns does not work. In some places this has been tested out. We may have big gospel meetings with many people, but eventually not many of them are added to the church. Also, we should not use famous or well-known people to testify in our meetings. This will not save people to be added to the church. Even if someone is the president of the country, he should be in the meeting just as anyone else. The way that can save people effectively must be by small vital groups, and everyone in this small vital group must be a shepherd. After a short time the church will be revived. No other way is more prevailing than this shepherding way.
I hope that we would pray, “Lord, I want to be revived. From today I want to be a shepherd. I want to go to feed people, to shepherd people, and to flock people together.” In John 10 and 21 the Lord used three words concerning shepherding: feed, shepherd, and flock. He said, “Feed My lambs,” and, “Shepherd My sheep” (21:15-16). He also said, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must lead them also, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd” (10:16). The other sheep are the Gentile believers who would be joined together with the Jewish believers to be one flock. The Lord used the word flock here as a noun. I also like to use it as a verb. We should learn to feed, to shepherd, and to flock together. All the churches have to learn how to flock together so that they can be blent together. In the atmosphere of flocking, people are subdued, convinced, nourished, and stirred up by the Lord. All the nearby churches should be flocked together for the saints to be shepherded and stirred up. The elders and co-workers should take the lead to practice this. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” pp. 448-449, 451-452)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1980, vol. 2, “The Mending Ministry of John,” ch. 13
