第五週 • 週四
晨興餧養
啟一12~13 我轉過身來，要看是誰發聲與我說話；既轉過來，就看見七個金燈臺；燈臺中間，有一位好像人子，身穿長袍，直垂到腳，胸間束着金帶。
基督今天是在眾召會中間。祂一面是大祭司，在諸天之上為眾召會代求（來九24，七25~26，羅八34）；另一面又在眾召會中間行走，照顧眾召會。我們若要有分於祂的行動，並享受祂的照顧，就必須在眾召會中（啟示錄生命讀經，一一九頁）。
基督是人子，不光是為着完成救贖，也是為着召會生活，因為召會是由人組成的。祂升天後仍是人子，指明祂復活後，並沒有脫去祂的人性。…在祂的人性裏，祂為神作見證，完全得勝成功了。眾召會在人性裏也必能為神作得勝成功的見證（新約總論第十四冊，二七頁）。
信息選讀
我們在啟示錄一章看見，基督是顧惜和餧養最好的模型。在十二至十三節…我們看見，基督作為人子，身穿長袍，照顧燈檯。這長袍乃是祭司袍（出二八33~35），這給我們看見，基督是我們尊大的大祭司。
祂也胸間束着金帶。這帶子是一長片金子。…金帶是一片金子，成了束身的帶子。人子是在祂的人性裏，金帶表徵祂的神性。這金帶是在祂的胸間，而胸是愛的表號。
舊約的祭司在供職時，腰間束帶（出二八4）。在但以理十章五節，基督也是腰束精金帶。腰間束帶是為着作工得加力。基督已經完成產生眾召會的神聖工作。如今祂正在憑愛照顧祂所產生的眾召會。…今天基督是我們的大祭司，照顧祂勞苦建立的眾召會。但如今祂照顧眾召會，不是在腰間束帶，乃是在表徵愛的胸間束帶。
金帶是一個表號，表徵基督的神性成了祂的力量。…基督在祂神性裏的總和，成了一條帶子。金帶表徵基督的神性成了祂的力量，而胸表徵這金的力量是由祂的愛所運行、所推動。祂神聖的力量是由祂的愛所運行，也帶着祂的愛運行，好餧養祂的眾召會。
基督在人性裏作『人子』，照顧作為燈檯的眾召會，以顧惜眾召會（啟一13上）。基督作我們的大祭司，照顧祂所建立的眾召會，首先是在祂的人性裏，顧惜眾召會，使眾召會快樂、愉悅和舒適。
在舊約裏，大祭司每天早晨收拾燈臺的燈（出三十7）。收拾燈就是使燈的情形正確合宜。…基督藉着修剪燈臺的燈芯，來照顧燈臺，正如在舊約裏祭司照着豫表所作的一樣（出二五38）。燈芯燒過以後，就變焦發黑，所以祭司必須來把燈芯焦黑的部分剪掉。這就是修剪燈芯的意思，為要使燈照得更明。燈芯燒焦的部分，表徵那些不照着神定旨的東西，需要剪除；這些東西就如我們的肉體、天然的人、己和舊造。所有的燈臺都是生機的，是活的燈臺。因為每一個召會都是活的燈臺，所以每個召會都很有感覺。一個召會若有了燒焦的燈芯，必會覺得不舒適（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五冊，二○九至二一一頁）。
參讀：活力排，第十一章。
WEEK 5 — DAY 4
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 1:12-13 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle.
Christ today is in the midst of the churches. On the one hand, as the High Priest, He is interceding in the heavens for the churches (Heb. 9:24; 7:25-26; Rom. 8:34), and on the other hand, He is walking in the midst of the churches to care for them. If we would participate in His move and enjoy His care, we must be in the churches. (Life-study of Revelation, p. 95)
Christ as the Son of Man is not only for the accomplishing of redemption but also for the church life, because the church is composed of human beings. That the Lord is still the Son of Man after His ascension indicates that He has not put off His human nature after resurrection…In His humanity He was altogether victorious and successful in bearing the testimony of God. The churches also, being in humanity, surely can be victorious and successful in bearing the testimony of God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 4135)
Today’s Reading
Christ is the best model of cherishing and nourishing as seen in Revelation 1…[Verses 12 and 13 show] that Christ is taking care of the lampstands by being the Son of Man with a long garment. This garment is the priestly robe (Exo. 28:33-35), which shows that Christ is our great High Priest.
He is also girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle. This girdle is a long piece of gold…The golden girdle is one piece of gold to become a belt. The Son of Man is in His humanity, and the golden girdle signifies His divinity. This golden girdle is on His breasts, and the breasts are a sign of love.
The priests in the Old Testament were girded at the loins for their ministry (Exo. 28:4). In Daniel 10:5 Christ also was girded at His loins, with fine gold. To be girded at the loins is to be strengthened for the work. Christ has finished His divine work in producing the churches. Now by His love He is caring for the churches that He has produced…Today Christ is our High Priest taking care of His churches established by His labor. But now He takes care of the churches with the girdle not on His loins but on His breasts, signifying love.
The golden girdle is a sign, signifying Christ’s divinity becoming His energy…The totality of Christ in His divinity has become a girdle. The golden girdle signifies Christ’s divinity becoming His energy, and the breasts signify that this golden energy is exercised and motivated by His love. His divine energy is exercised by and with His love to nourish the churches.
Christ takes care of the churches as the lampstands in His humanity as the Son of Man to cherish them (Rev. 1:13a). Christ as our High Priest takes care of the churches that He has established first in His humanity to cherish the churches, to make the churches happy, pleasant, and comfortable.
The high priest in the Old Testament dressed the lamps of the lampstands every morning (Exo. 30:7). To dress the lamps is to make them proper. Christ cares for the lampstands by trimming the wicks of the lamps of the lampstand, just as the priest did according to the type in the Old Testament (Exo. 25:38). When the wick was burned out, it became charred and black, so the priest had to come to cut off the black part of the wick. This is what it means to snuff the wick so that the lamp may shine better. The charred part of the wick, the snuff, signifies things that are not according to God’s purpose which need to be cut off, such as our flesh, our natural man, our self, and our old creation. All the lampstands are organic. They are living lampstands. Since each church is a living lampstand, each church has much feeling. A church with charred wicks will not feel comfortable. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 154-156)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” ch. 11
