弗二21~22　在祂里面，全房联结一起，长成在主里的圣殿；你们也在祂里面同被建造，成为神在灵里的居所。

　　没有被建造成为属灵的殿，活石就一无用处。石头需要被建造成为殿，对神才有用处；而用处就是祭司的事奉，这殿就是祭司体系。我们需要有一个祭司体系，祭司团，好献上属灵的祭物。如果我们不被建造成这样的祭司团，我们就不够资格向神献上任何东西。因此，我们若没有被建造，就不够资格事奉。为着事奉，我们需要基督的身体（新约总论第十三册，二一○至二一一页）。

　　Eph. 2:21-22 In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.

　　Without being built up into a spiritual house, the living stones can do nothing and thus are useless. The stones need to be built up into a house that will be useful to God. This usefulness of the stones is the priestly service, and this house is the priesthood. There is the need of a priestly body, a priestly group, to offer spiritual sacrifices. If we are not built up as such a priestly body, we are not qualified to offer anything to God. Therefore, if we are not built up, we are not qualified to serve. For the service, we need the Body. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3871)

　　我们都必须领悟，我们不能单独凭自己事奉神，我们必须和别人一起配搭事奉。一块石头绝不可能成为殿：一块石头必须和其他的石头建造在一起，构成一个建筑。单个的基督徒不可能构成祭司体系。这意思是，严格地说，如果没有建造，就没有对神真实的事奉。唯有当我们建造在一起，对神才有正确的事奉。对神真实的事奉乃是建造的事。

　　事奉总是接在建造之后。若没有帐幕，就不可能有祭司事奉。我们基督徒虽是单独的个体，但我们不能作个人主义的基督徒。我们不能向别人独立而事奉主。每一位祭司都必须和所有其他的祭司配搭。企图在正确的召会生活之外，不与其他的人建造而事奉主，乃是可怕的事。我们必须建造在一起成为祭司体系，而在建造中，在召会里配搭事奉神。

　　彼前二章五节说，我们像活石，被建造成为属灵的殿。然而，我们都是泥土。我们如何能被建造？要被建造成为属灵的殿，我们需要成为石头。我们要成为活石，需要借着喝纯净的话奶，来到基督这活石跟前。

　　我们若切慕话奶，这奶就会像活水的流，在我们里面涌流。我们留在这流中，水流就会带走我们天然的本质，并以基督这属天、神圣的矿物质顶替。渐渐的，过了一段时间，我们就会被变化，也就是会成为宝石。我们若要被变化，就需要每天来到是奶的主跟前。

　　我们喝神话语中滋养的奶，从基督得喂养，不仅是为着生命长大，也是为着建造。长大是为着建造。虽然话奶是经由心思滋养魂的，最终却滋养我们的灵，使我们属灵而不属魂，适合被建造成为神属灵的殿。

　　我们这些身体上的肢体彼此倚靠，乃是来自变化的工作。我们变化成为基督的形像，完全彰显祂的时候，我们的个人主义自然会消失。唯有到了那时，我们才能在身体的配搭相联里。

　　我们被建造在其中的属灵的殿，乃是神的建造。至终，这建造要完成于新耶路撒冷。在新耶路撒冷里不会有泥土，因为所有的泥土都将变化成为宝石了。这就是说，新耶路撒冷是用宝石建造的。我们正渐渐成为要建造在新耶路撒冷里的宝石。我们天天，甚至时时，来到是奶的基督跟前，并且喝祂，建造的工作就进行。然后我们就会有水流，将我们从泥土变化成为为着神建造的石头（新约总论第十三册，二一一至二一三页）。

　　参读：新约总论，第三百八十三篇；彼得前书生命读经，第十八篇。

　　We all must realize that we cannot serve God by ourselves individually. We must serve in coordination with others. One stone can never be a house; it must be built up together with other stones to form a building. It is impossible for an individual Christian to constitute the priesthood. This means, strictly speaking, that if there is no building, there is no real service to God. It is only when we are built together that proper service can be rendered to God. Real service to God is a matter of the building.

　　Service always follows building. If there were no tabernacle, there could be no priests to serve. As Christians, we are individual persons, but we cannot be individualistic Christians. We cannot serve the Lord independent of others. Each individual priest must be coordinated with all the other priests. It is a dreadful thing to attempt to serve the Lord apart from the proper church life, apart from being built up with others. We must be built together as the priesthood to serve God in the building, the church, in a coordinated way.

　　First Peter 2:5 says that we, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house. However, if we all are clay, how can we be built up? In order to be built up as a spiritual house, we need to become stones, and in order to become living stones, we need to come to Christ as the living stone by drinking the guileless milk of the word.

　　If we long for the milk of the word, this milk will be like a current of living water flowing within us. As we stay in this flow, the current will carry away our natural substance and replace it with Christ as heavenly, divine minerals. Gradually, over a period of time, we will be transformed; that is, we will become precious stones. If we would be transformed, every day we need to come to the Lord as milk.

　　Feeding on Christ by taking in the nourishing milk in the word of God is not only for growing in life but also for building up. Growing is for building up. Although the nourishing milk of the word is for the soul through the mind, it eventually nourishes our spirit, making us not soulish but spiritual, suitable for being built up as a spiritual house of God.

　　Our mutual dependence on one another as the members of the Body comes through a transforming work. When we are transformed into the image of Christ and express Him fully, our individualism will disappear automatically. Only then will we be in the coordination and relatedness of the Body.

　　The spiritual house into which we are being built is God's building. Eventually, this building will consummate in the New Jerusalem. In the New Jerusalem there will not be any clay, for all the clay will have been transformed into precious stones. This means that the New Jerusalem is built with precious stones. We are becoming the precious stones that will be built up into the New Jerusalem. The building work is now going on as we daily, even hourly, come to Christ as milk and drink Him. Then we will have the flow, the current, that transforms us from clay into stone for God's building. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3871-3872)

　　Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 383; Life-study of 1 Peter, msg. 18