晨兴圣言-马太福音中所启示...(W6-2)

第六周 • 周二

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晨兴餧养

来十三17 你们要信从那些带领你们的，且要服从；因他们为你们的魂儆醒，好像要交账的人…。

彼前五5 照样，年幼的，要服从年长的；你们众人彼此相待，也都要以谦卑束腰，因为神敌挡狂傲的人，赐恩给谦卑的人。


你…需要接受别的肢体的功用。当我们服在看见的权柄底下，我们和元首即毫无间隔，因为供应即是权柄。谁有恩赐，谁就是那个职事；谁是职事，谁就是权柄。…神所派的职事，就是权柄，别人不该不接受他。人都愿意直接接受神的权柄，但神有更多的间接权柄（即代表权柄）要我们顺服，而得到属灵的供应（倪柝声文集第三辑第一册，一九三页）。

信息选读

除了神自己，连主耶稣在地上都得服权柄。我们该到处看到权柄。…有的人从来不认识谁是他的权柄，一个人都未顺服过。…你若知道该顺服的是谁，你就自然而然的知道在身体里该站的地位，会站住自己的地位。但今天许多基督徒连顺服的意念都还没有。…这是作工的人头一个要学习的，也是工作最大的部分。

要身体合一，第一要有元首的生命，第二要有元首的权柄。没有元首的生命，就没有身体；没有元首的权柄，也没有身体的合一。我们必须让元首的生命掌权，叫身体合一。神不只要我们顺服祂自己，也要我们顺服祂一切的代表权柄。

保罗…看见光，也看见权柄。他说，『主阿，我当作甚么？』（徒二二10）这是保罗将自己直接摆在主自己的权柄之下。但这时主却将保罗摆在祂设立的代表权柄之下，主说，『起来，进城去，你所当作的事，必有人告诉你。』（九6）保罗从此就认识权柄。…主头一次就把保罗摆在代表权柄之下。…我们信主至今，到底曾顺服多少代表的权柄？…从前我们没有光，今天该严重的看见神的代表权柄。…神注重的不是祂自己直接的权柄，乃是祂所设立间接的权柄。一切不顺服神间接权柄的人，都是不服神直接的权柄（倪柝声文集第三辑第一册，一三一至一三三、一八一至一八二页）。

在宇宙当中，只有神是人直接的权柄；除祂以外，一切的权柄都是代表的。父母作儿女的权柄，是代表神作权柄；丈夫作妻子的权柄，是代表神作权柄；政府的首长作百姓的权柄，是代表神作权柄；连学校里的师长，店铺里的经理，马路上的警察，都是我们的代表权柄。召会中的长老也是代表神作权柄。

今天人服神直接的权柄容易，服神所设立的代表权柄不容易，因为你看那些代表权柄不一定比你好，不一定比你强。…你到了一个地方召会中，可能那里的长老得救不如你早，属灵不如你高，教育程度不如你好，干才也不如你大；但是你到了那里，你就得服那个代表的权柄，接受那个代表的权柄（李常受文集一九六○年第二册，二○五至二○六页）。

参读：长老治会，第五至六篇。

WEEK 6 — DAY 2

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Morning Nourishment

Heb. 13:17 Obey the ones leading you and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who will render an account…

1 Pet. 5:5 In like manner, younger men, be subject to elders; and all of you gird yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

We need to receive the function of the other members. When we submit to the authority of the seeing function, we will have no barrier with the Head, because the supply is in the authority. Whoever has the gift has that ministry; and whoever has the ministry has the authority…God’s appointed ministry is His authority. No one should reject it…God wants us to submit to indirect authorities (i.e., deputy authorities) so that we may receive spiritual supply. (CWWN, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” p. 175)

Today’s Reading

Other than God Himself, everyone, including the Lord Jesus, has to submit to authority on earth. We should see authority everywhere…Some never realize who their authority is. They have never submitted to anyone…If you know who you have to submit to, you will spontaneously know what position you should occupy in the Body, and you will stand in your proper position. But there are many Christians today in whom there is not even a thought about submission…Submission is the first lesson for those who work. It is actually the major part of their work.

In order to have the oneness of the Body, there must first be the life of the Head and then the authority of the Head. Without the life of the Head, there is no Body. Likewise, without the authority of the Head, there is no oneness of the Body. We must allow the life of the Head to rule so that the Body can become one. God requires that we submit not only to Him, but also to all His deputy authorities.

When Paul saw the light, he saw authority as well. He said, “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10). This was Paul putting himself directly under the Lord’s own authority. But then the Lord placed Paul under His appointed deputy authority. The Lord said, “Rise up and enter into the city, and it will be told to you what you must do” (9:6). From that time on Paul knew authority…At that time, the Lord placed Paul under a deputy authority…From the time we have believed in the Lord until now, how many deputy authorities have we submitted to?…Prior to this, we did not have the light, but today we have to see in a serious way God’s deputy authority…What God looks at is not His own direct authority. He looks at His established, indirect authorities. All those who do not submit to God’s indirect authorities cannot submit to God’s direct authority. (CWWN, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” pp. 120-122,165)

In the universe, only God is the direct authority to man. Other than God, all authorities are delegated. The parents represent God as the children’s authority, and the husbands represent God as the wives’ authority. The civil officers represent God as the citizens’ authority, and even the teachers in the schools, the managers in the offices, and the policemen on the streets are all delegated authorities. The elders in the church also represent God as authority.

It is easy today for man to submit to God’s direct authority, but it is not easy to submit to the delegated authority God has appointed. The reason for this is that you may not consider the delegated authority better or stronger than you are… When you come to a local church, the elders there may not have been saved as long ago as you were. They may not be as spiritual as you are, may not have received as much education as you have received, and may not be as capable as you are. But when you are there, you have to accept that delegated authority and submit to it. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 2, “The Elders’ Management of the Church,” p. 141)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 2, “The Elders’ Management of the Church,” chs. 5—6