林前十二20 但如今肢体是多的，身体却是一个。

　　罗十二15 与喜乐的人要同乐，与哀哭的人要同哭。

　　1 Cor. 12:20 But now the members are many, but the body one.

　　Rom. 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

　　每一个基督徒都…不过是一个肢体，他如果没有别的肢体，就活不了。在身体里，每一个肢体乃是和别的肢体合起来，才成功为一个身体；在身体里的各个肢体乃是彼此相联，不能分割的。肢体与肢体之间，必须彼此供应，互相联络，才能生存。因此，一个基督徒若过着单独的生活，他迟早要软弱，迟早要枯干。…如果我们要跟随主往前，我们必须认识〔并应用〕祂在身体里所给我们的供应…。借着这样身体的肢体间彼此的倚靠，整个身体就得着建造。…罗马十二章三节说，“不要看自己过于所当看的。”不要高看自己，…凡高看自己，轻看别的肢体的，迟早要出事。因为每一个人都是基督身体上的肢体，也只是基督身体上的一个肢体。所以每一个肢体都不能缺少别的肢体，更不能轻看别的肢体（基督的奥秘，一九至二○页。）

　　Every Christian.... is only a member. If he does not have the other members, he will not survive. In the Body all the members must be joined together before they can become the Body. All the members in the Body are related to one another, and they cannot be separated from one another. Between the members there must be a mutual supply and a mutual relatedness. Only then can the members survive. If a Christian lives an independent life, sooner or later he will weaken and dry up…. In order to go on with the Lord, we must recognize His supply for us in the Body and avail ourselves of it…. The whole Body is built up through the interdependence among the members…. Romans 12:3 says, "Not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think." We should not think too highly of ourselves…. Those who think highly of themselves and despise other members will end up in trouble sooner or later. In the Body of Christ everyone is a member and nothing more than a member. Hence, no member can live without the other members, much less despise them. (The Mystery of Christ, pp 19-20)

　　Meeting is God's Ordination for the Believers

　　since the church is the assembly called out by God from the world, it should meet continually. Meetings enable God's called out congregation to be supplied, established, and perfected, that the goal of God's calling this assembly may be accomplished. [Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” Here the assembling of ourselves together refers to our Christian meetings. God has ordained the way in which every living thing in the universe should exist. God's ordination is the very law by which a particular species lives. If the living thing obeys that law, it will survive and be blessed. God is the same toward us who have believed in Christ. God's ordination for us,….is the meetings. As water is to the fish, and air to the birds, so are the meetings to the Christians…. The Christians must maintain their spiritual existence and living by the meetings.

　　召会既是神从世界所召来的会众，就应当常有聚会。聚会叫神这召来的会众得供应，得建立，得成全，以完成神呼召这会众的目的。〔希伯来十章二十五节〕所说“我们自己的聚集”，指我们基督徒的聚会。宇宙间任何一种生物生存的方式，都是神所命定的。神这命定就是那一种生物生活的定律。生物若是履行那定律，就能生存、蒙福。神对于我们信基督的人也是如此。神对我们的命定，…乃是聚会。聚会之于基督徒，犹如水之于鱼，空气之于鸟。…〔基督徒〕需要借着聚会，维持属灵的生存和生活。

　　Every kind of life has its own characteristic, and usually, many characteristics. The spiritual life we believers have received, being the life of God in us, also possesses many characteristics. For example, the hatred for sin and the separation from sin are characteristics of this life. The desire to draw near to God and the willingness to serve Him are also its characteristics. One of the many characteristics of our spiritual life is to flock together, to meet together. John 10:3 and 16 show us that since we are saved, we are the Lord's sheep. The characteristic of the sheep's life is to flock together and to dislike isolation from the other sheep. Hence, the Bible says that we are not only the Lord's sheep, but even more, His flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). In order to be a sheep which shares in the blessing of the flock, we must meet together with the flock. The characteristic of the spiritual “sheep life” within us requires this of us. (Life Lessons, Vol. 2, pp 90-91)

　　每一种生命都有它的特性，且常有多种特性。我们信徒所得的属灵生命，就是神在我们里面的生命，也有它多种的特性。比方恨恶罪、脱离罪，是我们这生命的一种特性；喜欢亲近神，乐意事奉神，也是我们这生命的一个特性。在我们属灵生命的许多特性中，有一个特性，就是合群、集会。约翰十章三节、十六节给我们看见，我们得救了，就是主的羊。羊生命的特性，就是合群，不喜欢离群独居。所以圣经说，我们不只是主的羊，更是祂的羊群（徒二十28，彼前五2）。我们要作一只分享羊群中福气的羊，就必须合群聚会。我们里面属灵羊生命的特性，要求我们如此行（生命课程卷二，九○至九一页）。

　　The way of meeting revealed in the Bible is to enliven us, to revive our spirit, and to inspire our organic function and to inspire our initial gift received from God. This initial gift is God's divine life, and this divine life will grow up as the life growing up in the infant. The more this life grows, the more function will be developed, enabling him to see, to hear, to speak, to work with hands and to walk with feet…. The saints grow by this way, and the growth of the saints is the building up of the church. (Messages Concerning Life and Practice, Vol. 2, pp77-78)