第五週 • 週五
晨興餧養
來四15~16 因我們並非有一位不能同情我們輭弱的大祭司，祂乃是在各方面受過試誘，與我們一樣，只是沒有罪。所以我們只管坦然無懼的來到施恩的寶座前，為要受憐憫，得恩典，作應時的幫助。
大約八年前，在安那翰的召會沒有快樂或愉悅的感覺。這乃是由於燈芯燒黑、燒焦了。但有一天，我們的大祭司基督藉着修剪燈芯，來收拾在安那翰的召會這個燈臺，把燒黑、燒焦的燈芯剪掉。這乃是顧惜，使在安那翰的召會快樂、愉悅和舒適。…有一天，主耶穌這位大祭司，在祂的人性裏來剪除一切消極的東西。這就使我們快樂、愉快並舒適。這是基督在祂的人性裏照顧召會，收拾召會的燈。
我感謝主，今天在祂的恢復裏，祂乃是在人性裏的大祭司。…我們的基督與我們是一樣的。祂在凡事上受過試誘，與我們一樣，所以祂很容易同情我們的輭弱〔來四15〕。這意思是說，祂在人性裏總是同情我們的輭弱。祂是在人性裏的大祭司，藉着一直顧惜我們，來照顧我們（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五冊，二一一頁）。
信息選讀
基督不僅是屬人的，也是神聖的。祂是人子帶着金帶，表徵祂的神性作祂的神聖力量。祂的神性作神聖的力量，多方餧養眾召會。
一面，祂修剪召會的燈芯，剪掉寫給七個召會的七封書信中所提的一切錯誤、短處、失敗和缺點。基督在人性裏作了最好的修剪工作，來顧惜眾召會。另一面，在這七封書信中，我們在每一封書信裏都看見基督的餧養（李常受文集一九九四至一九九七年第五冊，二一二頁）。
在舊約的帳幕裏有燈臺，每天早晨祭司要收拾這些燈，剪去燒焦的燈芯（出三十7）。此外，還要添上油（二七20）。…在啟示錄二、三章，我們的大祭司正在經理七個燈臺。祂剪去那些不必要且攔阻發光的東西，同時祂供應所需要的油，使燈臺明亮的點着。七個燈臺一直接受祂的修剪和注入。
在祂所剪去的東西當中，我最覺得驚訝的就是撒但的會堂（二9）。…主用這個說法來論到猶太教，指明在召會時代，猶太教已經成了屬撒但的。…你聽見猶太教成為屬撒但的，也許想要反駁。然而，這是我們天上大祭司的話。…我們從這裏可以學到甚麼呢？我們老舊的宗教觀念敵擋神的經綸，必須被剪去。這些觀念是黑的、燒焦的、黑暗的，是一些攔阻眾地方召會發光的事物。因此，需要我們的大祭司進來把它們剪去。
使燈芯燒焦的另一樣東西乃是世俗，這是我們天上的大祭司所無法容忍的。別迦摩說出召會與世界聯婚（12~17）。…主來到推雅推喇召會的時候，定罪他們容讓婦人耶洗別（20）。…凡她所代表的一切都必須剪去。…不冷不熱的光景，以及宗教、世俗、耶洗別的邪惡，都必須剪去。每天早晨祭司都作這種修剪的工作（李常受文集一九八○年第二冊，四八五至四八八頁）。
參讀：約翰的修補職事，第十四章。
WEEK 5 — DAY 5
Morning Nourishment
Heb. 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all respects like us, yet without sin. Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.
About eight years ago, there was no feeling of happiness or pleasantness with the church in Anaheim. This was because of the black, burned-out, charred wicks. But one day Christ as our High Priest came to dress the lamps of the lampstand, the church in Anaheim, by trimming the wicks to cut off all the black, charred wicks. This was a cherishing, to make the church in Anaheim happy, pleasant, and comfortable…One day the Lord Jesus as the High Priest in His humanity came to snuff all the negative things. Then we became happy, pleasant, and comfortable. This is Christ’s taking care of the
church in His humanity to dress the lamps of the church.
I thank the Lord that today in His recovery He is the High Priest in His humanity…Our Christ is the same as we are. He has been tempted in everything like us, so He can easily be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses [Heb. 4:15]. This means that He always sympathizes with our weaknesses in His humanity. He is the High Priest in His humanity taking care of us by cherishing us all the time. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” p. 156)
Today’s Reading
Christ is not only human but also divine. He is the Son of Man wearing a golden girdle, signifying His divinity as His divine energy. His divinity as the divine energy nourishes the churches in many ways.
On the one hand, He trims the wicks of the church lamps, cutting away all the wrongdoings, shortages, failures, and defects mentioned in the seven epistles to the seven churches. Christ does the best trimming work in His humanity to cherish the churches. On the other hand, in each of these seven epistles, we see Christ’s nourishing. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 156-157)
In the Old Testament there was the lampstand in the tabernacle. Every morning these lamps were trimmed by having their charred wicks snuffed (Exo. 30:7). In addition, they were kept supplied with oil (27:20)…In Revelation 2 and 3 our High Priest was trimming the seven lampstands. He was cutting away those things that were not needed and that frustrated the shining. At the same time He was supplying the oil that was needed and that would make the lampstands burn brightly. The seven lampstands were receiving His trimming and His infilling.
Of all the things He trimmed away, to me the most striking is the synagogue of Satan (2:9)…That the Lord speaks of Judaism in such a way indicates that by the time of the church age, Judaism had become satanic… When you hear that it has become satanic, you may want to protest. Nonetheless, this is the word of our heavenly High Priest. What can we learn from this? Our old religious concepts are against God’s economy and need to be trimmed away. These concepts are black, charred, and dark. They are one
of the things that hinder the shining of the local churches. Thus, we need our High Priest to step in and trim them away.
Another thing that chars the wick is worldliness. Our heavenly High Priest cannot tolerate this. Pergamos speaks of the marriage of the church with the world (Rev. 2:12-17). When the Lord comes to the church in Thyatira, He condemns them for tolerating the woman Jezebel (v. 20)…All that she represents must be trimmed away. Lukewarmness must be trimmed away, along with religion, worldliness, and the evils of Jezebel. Morning by morning the priests did this trimming work. (CWWL, 1980, vol. 2, “The Mending Ministry of John,” pp. 356-359)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1980, vol. 2, “The Mending Ministry of John,” ch. 14
