亚十二1　耶和华论以色列之话语的默示〔直译，负担〕。

　　玛二7　　祭司的嘴当谨守知识，人也当由他口中寻求训诲，因为他是万军之耶和华的使者。

　　没有负担，无论作什么都是死的，都没有果效；有负担才是活的，才会朝气蓬勃。这个问题不在于方法，乃在乎‘人’。

　　有时弟兄们的讲台，…不过是责任的讲台，只因为轮到他讲，他就来讲。要知道，讲台不是个责任的问题，…乃是个负担的问题；否则你讲了半年，听的人没有得着什么结果，你就不过是空讲罢了。如果你有负担，你在主面前立刻会看见，你的讲台有果效；你的讲台‘闹得’别人不平安，…在人里面搅动人起来爱主、服事主。如此，在过程中，你自己这个人就会有许多地方被神摸着。一个尽责任的讲台，自己不需要受对付；然而，一个有负担的讲台，自己就得受对付。（召会的治理与话语职事，二二至二三页。）

　　Zech. 12:1 The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel…

　　Mal. 2:7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of Jehovah of hosts.

　　Without a burden, all our activity will be dead and ineffective; with a burden, we will be living and flourishing. Such an outcome is not related to our method but to our person.

　　A brother may give a message merely out of obligation, because it is his turn to speak. However, giving messages is not a matter of obligation but of burden. We may speak for half a year, but those who listen might not receive anything, and our speaking will be in vain. If we have a burden, we will see that our messages are ineffective. Our messages should “trouble” people so that they have no peace, and they are stirred up to love and serve the Lord. In this situation, our being will be touched by God. There is no need for the self to be dealt with if we give messages that are out of obligation. However, in giving a message out of a burden, our self must be dealt with. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” p. 238)

　　好比你是个职员，早上九点上班，下午六点下班，那是责任问题，没有什么需要对付。然而，你自己负责作生意时，就不是这样，可能你必须更早起床上班；这样，你的贪睡就得受对付。你作伙计、店员，…你对待顾客的态度不必受多少对付。然而，你自己开店时，你对每一个客人都得态度谨慎，深怕得罪他们。…有些弟兄站讲台，不仅没有受对付，甚至难处可能比从前更多，因为只有责任，没有负担。你若有负担，你这个‘自己’不可能加多，反而会减少，并要受对付；因为有些事你的负担不许可你作，有些事你得受对付，否则没办法释放负担。所以，负担是最叫人受对付的。

　　每一个事奉主的人，都该接受负担，都该有负担。虽然姊妹们不摸治理的事，也不站讲台，但在原则上都一样。姊妹们的交通以及出去探望人，不能只是时间到了就去，这个叫作责任。你们应该寻求，那些交通、探望有什么果效？你们所关心的…姊妹们，她们的光景如何？你们不能…说，‘只要主在她们身上作就没有问题，但若是主没有动工，我们也没办法。’…我们必须接受一个真实的负担。

　　现在的难处是我们的事奉，渐渐朝向一种责任的趋势，而缺少负担。我们的祷告多是没有负担的祷告，所以祷告聚会差不多等于零。我们的传福音，若有人得救，感谢赞美主；若没有人得救，我们也能平安。我们的讲台…即使没有果效，我们也能照旧讲下去。治理召会的情形…没有果子也好像差不多，我们都能平安。探望弟兄姊妹的事，也是如此。因着我们是这样的情形，所以我们的祷告，是一种责任的祷告，没有负担。若是我们有负担，祷告聚会就会完全两样。有些弟兄姊妹在祷告中痛哭、忧伤…，觉得再这样下去不行；我们的福音不行，治理召会不行，聚会的光景也不行。这种祷告，才是出于负担的祷告。

　　真实的事奉不是责任的问题，乃是负担的问题；负担永远是超过责任的。（召会的治理与话语职事，二三至二六页。）

　　参读：召会的治理与话语职事，第五篇。

　　Working from nine to six as an employee is a matter of obligation and does not require any dealing. However, we would work differently if we had our own business. Our laziness would be dealt with because we would rise earlier to work. The attitude of a waiter or clerk toward customers might not need to be dealt with. However, a person who owns his shop will adjust himself in order not to offend his customers. Instead of being dealt with, some brothers seem to have more problems because they serve out of obligation, not burden. If there is a burden, our self decreases and is dealt with. It will not increase, because there are things that our burden will not allow us to do, and there are areas that will require our being dealt with before we can release our burden. Hence, having a burden deals with us the most.

　　Everyone who serves the Lord must receive a burden and have a burden. This also applies to the sisters even though they are not involved in the church administration or in giving messages. If the sisters fellowship together and visit people simply because it is time to do so, they are doing so out of obligation. The sisters should seek to know the result of their fellowship and visitation. They should know the condition of the sisters under their care. They should not say, “As long as the Lord works in them, they will be all right, but if the Lord does not work in them, there is nothing we can do.” We must receive a genuine burden.

　　The problem is that we are gradually leaning toward responsibility in our service; we lack a burden. Since our prayers are mostly without burden, our prayer meetings are ineffective. If someone is saved when we preach the gospel, we thank and praise the Lord. If no one is saved, we are at peace. When we give messages, we are at peace even if there is no effect. The same applies to the administration of the church and visiting the brothers and sisters; we are at peace even if there is no result. Since this is our condition, our prayer is a prayer of obligation, not a prayer with burden. If we pray with a burden, our prayer meeting will be different. Some brothers and sisters will weep bitterly and mourn in prayer, feeling that they cannot go on in the same way. They will feel that the gospel preaching, the administration of the church, and the condition of their meeting are unsatisfactory. This kind of prayer is out of a burden.

　　Genuine service is not a matter of obligation but a matter of burden; burden always goes beyond obligation. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” pp. 238-240)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” ch. 5