诗歌：英1269

读经：徒七2，来十一8~10，创十二1~3、7~8，十三3~4、18，十四1~24，加三6~7、14、16、29

Scripture Reading: Acts 7:2; Heb. 11:8-10; Gen. 12:1-3, 7-8; 13:3-4, 18; 14:1-24; Gal. 3:6-7, 14, 16, 29

　　加三7　　所以你们要知道，那以信为本的人，就是亚伯拉罕的子孙。

　　16　　应许原是向亚伯拉罕和他后裔说的。…‘和你那后裔，’指着一个人，就是基督。

　　29　　你们既属于基督，就是亚伯拉罕的后裔，是照着应许为后嗣了。

　　神的经纶与神的分赐也显示于亚伯拉罕后裔的应许里（创十七8，加三16，太一1~2上）。…当亚伯拉罕在拜偶像的时候，有一天，荣耀的神向他显现，并且呼召他（徒七2~3）。神从那称为示拿的地方，就是巴比伦所建基之地，召出亚伯拉罕，并带他进到迦南美地。亚伯拉罕一到了迦南地，神就向他显现，应许他关于后裔的事（创十二7）。

　　亚伯拉罕的后裔要成为地上万族的福（3）。…在创世记十七章七节，神告诉亚伯拉罕，祂要与亚伯拉罕并亚伯拉罕的后裔立约。这段有关后裔的话，保罗在加拉太三章十六节有清楚的解释。

　　神应许亚伯拉罕，就是神向亚伯拉罕传福音，而亚伯拉罕的福乃是那灵（8、14）。神没有应许亚伯拉罕一块地。亚伯拉罕所得的应许，乃是他要得着经过过程的三一神，作包罗万有、终极完成的那灵（李文集一九九一至一九九二年第一册，五一四至五一六页）。

　　Gal. 3:7 Know then that they who are of faith, these are sons of Abraham.

　　16 But to Abraham were the promises spoken and to his seed… “And to your seed,” who is Christ.

　　29 And if you are of Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.

　　The divine economy and the divine dispensing are… shown in the promise of the seed of Abraham (Gen. 17:8; Gal. 3:16; Matt. 1:1-2a)… One day while Abraham was worshipping idols, the God of glory appeared to him and called him (Acts 7:2-3). God called Abraham out of the place called Shinar, the base of Babylon, and brought him into the good land of Canaan. Once Abraham arrived in the land of Canaan, God appeared to him and made a promise to him concerning a seed (Gen. 12:7).

　　The seed of Abraham is for the blessing to all the families of the earth (v. 3)… In Genesis 17:7 God told Abraham that He would make a covenant with Abraham and with his seed. This word concerning the seed is explained clearly by Paul in Galatians 3:16.

　　God’s promise… was His preaching of the gospel to Abraham and… the blessing of Abraham was the Spirit (vv. 8,14). God did not promise Abraham a piece of land. The promise to Abraham was that he would receive the processed God as the all-inclusive consummated Spirit. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 1, “The Central Line of the Divine Revelation,” pp. 399-400)

　　亚伯拉罕的福是指所应许的那灵，就是基督的实际（加三14，约十四17~20）。亚伯拉罕的那一个后裔，成了赐生命的灵（林前十五45下）。…那灵就是三一神的终极完成，为要将祂自己分赐到基督的信徒里，这灵就是亚伯拉罕的后裔（45下，林后三17~18，罗八9）。林前十五章四十五节所提末后的亚当，就是亚伯拉罕的后裔。这后裔不仅成了我们的救赎主和拯救主，也成了赐生命的灵。…我们这些罪人所得最高的福，终极完成的福，乃是神自己作赐生命的灵。一面说，赐生命的灵是那改变形状之亚伯拉罕的后裔；另一面说，祂就是三一神。这赐生命的灵乃是终极完成的那灵，也就是经过过程之三一神的终极完成。这才是真正的福。

　　今天我们所需要的拯救主，乃是那能进到我们里面的一位。我们需要赐生命的灵住在我们里面，并与我们成为一灵（六17）。当我们落到〔困苦之〕“水”里的时候，祂与我们一同落水。…赞美主，在我们里面有那位能往上浮者。补充本诗歌二十七首第二节表达这样的思想：“在荣耀里有一人，祂的生命是为我。…祂是刚强、有力，且能往上浮！”基督在哪里往上浮？祂在我们的灵里往上浮。…因着这位往上浮者，我能夸口我一直蒙保守，没有落下去。赐生命的灵这亚伯拉罕的后裔和经过过程之三一神的终极完成，乃是最高的福。祂是这样的一位，就能在我们里面兼有神性与人性。这是多么奇妙！祂所是的集大成，乃称为那灵。赐给亚伯拉罕的美地，乃是这灵的预表。这灵乃是神应许亚伯拉罕的福。

　　亚伯拉罕的后裔，乃是要使在基督里的信徒，就是亚伯拉罕的后裔，承受所应许的那灵，就是经过过程之三一神的终极完成，作他们神圣的基业—他们属灵的福，直到永远（徒二六18，弗一14上，加三14）。基督是亚伯拉罕的后裔，所有信祂的人也是亚伯拉罕的后裔（29）。如今我们这些信徒不再只是美国人、中国人或日本人的后代。我们乃是亚伯拉罕的后裔。我们都是一家人，我们的姓都是亚伯拉罕，因为亚伯拉罕是我们的父（罗四12）（李文集一九九一至一九九二年第一册，五一六至五一八页）。

　　参读：真理课程一级卷一，第八课；神圣启示的中心路线，第八至九篇。

　　The blessing of Abraham refers to the promised Spirit, who is the reality of Christ (Gal. 3:14; John 14:17-20). The one seed of Abraham became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). The Spirit, as the consummation of the Triune God for the dispensing of Himself into the believers of Christ, is the seed of Abraham (v. 45b; 2 Cor. 3:17-18; Rom. 8:9). The last Adam [1 Cor. 15:45]… is the seed of Abraham. This seed became not only our Redeemer and Savior but also the life-giving Spirit… The top blessing, the consummate blessing, to us sinners is God Himself as the life-giving Spirit. On the one hand, the life-giving Spirit is a transfigured descendant of Abraham, and on the other hand, He is the very Triune God. This life-giving Spirit is the consummated Spirit who is the consummation of the processed Triune God. This is the real blessing.

　　The Savior we need today is the One who can enter into us. We need the life-giving Spirit who dwells in our spirit and who is one spirit with us (6:17). When we fall into the “water” [of our troubles], He falls in with us… Praise the Lord, we do have a buoyant One within us. The third stanza of Hymns, #505 expresses this thought: “There’s a Man in the glory / Whose Life is for me. /… He’s strong and in vigor, / How buoyant is He!” Where is Christ buoyant? He is buoyant in our spirit… Because of this buoyant One, I can boast that I have been kept from falling. The life-giving Spirit as the seed of Abraham and as the consummation of the processed Triune God is the top blessing. As such a One, He can be in us with both His divinity and His humanity. How wonderful this is! The totality of what He is, is called the Spirit. The good land given to Abraham was a type of this Spirit. The Spirit is the blessing God promised Abraham.

　　The seed of Abraham is for the believers in Christ, who are Abraham’s seed, to inherit the consummated Spirit, the consummation of the processed Triune God, as their divine inheritance—their spiritual blessing for eternity (Acts 26:18; Eph. 1:14a; Gal. 3:14). Christ is the seed of Abraham, and all His believers are also the seed of Abraham (v. 29). Now as believers, we are no longer merely descendants of Americans, Chinese, or Japanese. We are Abraham’s seed. We are all one family, and our surname is Abraham, because Abraham is our father (Rom. 4:12). (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 1, “The Central Line of the Divine Revelation,” pp. 400-401)

　　Further Reading: Truth Lessons—Level One, vol. 1, lsn. 8; CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 1, “The Central Line of the Divine Revelation,” chs. 8-9

　　徒七2　　司提反说，诸位，弟兄父老请听。当日我们的祖宗亚伯拉罕在米所波大米…的时候，荣耀的神向他显现。

　　约十四21　　…爱我的必蒙我父爱他，我也要爱他，并且要亲自向他显现。

　　神一再向亚伯拉罕显现。我们许多人对亚伯拉罕有错误的观念，认为他是信心大汉。…后来我看亚伯拉罕的历史，我领悟他不是信心大汉；唯一的信心大汉是神自己，神这信心大汉将祂自己传输到亚伯拉罕里面。亚伯拉罕花了时间在神面前，就不能不相信祂，因为他已得着神的传输。因此，亚伯拉罕受神吸引，并在信上对神有反应。他的反应就是他的信。…究竟是谁向亚伯拉罕显现？是荣耀的神。…亚伯拉罕的信不是来自他天然的能力，也不是起源于他自己。他相信神，乃是对属天镭射的反应，对神圣注入的回应。…真正的信就是神在我们里面的工作（罗马书生命读经，一○八至一○九页）。

　　Acts 7:2 And he said, Men, brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia…

　　John 14:21 … He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.

　　God appeared to Abraham again and again. Many of us have held the wrong concept about Abraham, the concept that he was a giant in faith… As I considered the history of Abraham, I realized that he was not the giant of faith. The only giant of faith is God Himself. God, as the giant of faith, transfused Himself into him. After Abraham had spent time in God’s presence, he could not help believing in Him, because he had been transfused with God. Thus, Abraham was attracted to God and reacted to Him in believing. His reaction was his believing… Who actually appeared to Abraham? The God of glory. Abraham’s faith did not come from his natural ability and it did not originate with himself. His believing in God was a reaction to the heavenly radium, a response to the divine infusion… Genuine faith is the working of God within us. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 93-94)

　　信不是我们天然的能力或美德；信是我们向神的反应，这是神将祂自己传输到我们里面，并将祂神圣的元素注入我们这人里面的结果。神的元素弥漫我们这人，我们就对祂有反应，这反应就是信。…我们一旦有了这样的信，就绝不会失去它。…我们也许试着不信，但绝不会成功。这是圣经所说相信神的意思。…信是我们借着神的传输、注入和浸透，所产生对神的反应。

　　神借着向亚伯拉罕显现而临到他。我们若研读创世记十一至二十四章，加上行传七章的记载，就会发觉神向亚伯拉罕显现好几次。…亚伯拉罕的确被荣耀之神的显现所吸引〔2〕。被吸引的意思是，神将祂自己传输到亚伯拉罕里面，而他并不知道，也不觉得。这与现代医学所实行的镭射疗法类似。病人被放在放射线之下，感觉不到那渗透他的光线。神是最强的镭射；我们若在祂之下坐一小时，祂就会传输到我们里面。这传输会引起注入、浸透和弥漫（罗马书生命读经，一○五至一○六页）。

　　当亚伯拉罕到了迦南地之后，创世记十二章七节说，“耶和华向亚伯兰显现，说，我要把这地赐给你的后裔。”这是神向亚伯拉罕第二次的显现，第三次的说话。

　　神呼召我们的异象，是很容易被我们失去的。即使你天天注意作基督徒，你还会把那个异象失去；即使你天天殷勤作工，你还会把那个异象失去。你不要以为作通常的事会把那个异象失去，要知道就是作属灵的事，也会把那个异象失去。我们若不是一直活在神的显现里，就很容易失去呼召的异象。召会所得的呼召，与亚伯拉罕所得的呼召是相同的，但是，难处就在许多人没有看见这个呼召有何等的盼望。所以保罗…祷告说，“…使你们知道祂的呼召有何等盼望。”（弗一18）“盼望”指明…神呼召我们的内容到底是什么。…我们是何等容易忘记神所要作的！我们往往事情多一点，工作多一点，那一个属灵的呼召就遗失了。我们需要多次来到神面前说，“求你继续向我显现，求你继续对我说话！”我们需要继续不断地看见，我们需要有一个永远的看见，看见神的那一个目的，看见神到底要作什么（倪柝声文集第二辑第十五册，三八至三九页）。

　　参读：加拉太书生命读经，第二十篇；罗马书生命读经，第七至八篇。

　　Faith is not our natural ability or virtue. Faith is our reaction toward God, which results from God’s transfusing Himself into us and infusing His divine elements into our being. When God’s elements permeate our being, we react to Him, and this reaction is faith… Once we have such a faith, we can never lose it… Although we may try not to believe, we can never succeed. This is what the Bible means by believing in God. Faith is our reaction to God produced by His transfusion, infusion, and saturation.

　　God came to Abraham by appearing to him. If we study Genesis 11 through 24, including the record in Acts 7, we find that God appeared to Abraham several times… It is sure that Abraham was attracted by the appearing of the God of glory (v. 2). To be attracted simply means that God transfused Himself into Abraham without his realizing it or being conscious of it. This is similar to the radium treatment practiced in modern medicine. The patient is placed under the X-ray, unconscious of the beams that are penetrating him. God is the strongest radium. If we sit under Him for an hour, He will transfuse Himself into us. This transfusion will cause infusion, saturation, and permeation. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 90-91)

　　After Abraham arrived in Canaan, Genesis 12:7 says, “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.” This is the second time God appeared to Abraham and the third time He spoke to him.

　　It is easy for us to lose the vision of God’s calling. Even if we are consciously trying to be a proper Christian, it is still possible for us to lose our vision. We can lose our vision even while we are working diligently day after day. Do not think that only mundane things can blur our vision; even spiritual things can blur our vision. If we do not live continuously in God’s appearing, it will be easy for us to lose the vision of our calling. The calling that the church has received is the same as the calling that Abraham received. But many people have not seen the hope of this calling. Therefore, Paul prayed, “That you may know what is the hope of His calling” (Eph. 1:18). “Hope” indicates the content of this calling, the things included in God’s calling… How easy it is for us to forget what God wants to do! Many times, when we have too much to do and the work becomes a little more hectic, we lose sight of our spiritual calling. We need to come again and again to the Lord and beseech Him: “Appear to me again and again, and speak to me again and again!” We need to have a continuous seeing, an eternal seeing; we need to see God’s goal and what God is doing. (CWWN, vol. 35, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” pp. 29-30)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Galatians, msg. 20; Life-study of Romans, msgs. 7-8

　　创十二7　　耶和华向亚伯兰显现，说，我要把这地赐给你的后裔。亚伯兰就在那里为向他显现的耶和华筑了一座坛。

　　伯四二5　　我从前风闻有你，现在亲眼看见你。

　　在创世记十二章七节…我们看见，祭坛是根据于神的显现。…谁也不能将他自己奉献给神，而他是没有遇见神的；谁也不能把一切都摆在祭坛上，而是没有神的显现的。奉献不是由于人的劝勉，不是由于人的催促，乃是由于神的显现。如果神没有向人显现，那就没有一个人是能自动把他所有的都摆在祭坛上的，没有一个人是能自动把自己奉献给神的。…如果有一天，我们遇见主，那一个遇见，就自然而然产生奉献（倪柝声文集第二辑第十七册，一一七页）。

　　Gen. 12:7-8 And Jehovah appeared to Abram and said, To your seed I will give this land. And there he built an altar to Jehovah who had appeared to him. And he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent…

　　Job 42:5 I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye has seen You.

　　In Genesis 12:7 we see that the altar is based on God’s appearance… No one can offer himself to God unless he has first met God. Unless God has appeared to a man, he cannot offer his all to God. Consecration is not the result of man’s exhortation or persuasion but of God’s revelation. No one can voluntarily offer up all he has on the altar if God has not first appeared to him… However, when man meets God, consecration takes place spontaneously in his life. (CWWN, vol. 37, “The Life of the Altar and the Tent,” p. 89)

　　遇见神的结局，就是叫你完全掉一个头，你不能再继续走你从前的路。神给我看见了祂自己，我就得着了能力，舍去我的自己；神给我看见了祂自己，我就没有办法，不得不弃绝自己。神的显现叫你活不了，神的显现叫你不能为自己活。神的显现里面有无穷无尽的能力，那一个显现把你一生的道路都改变了。基督徒为神活着的能力是在乎看见神！

　　祭坛的结局，是引到帐棚去。…从〔创世记十二章八节〕以后，亚伯拉罕是住在神的家—伯特利—里。…并不是他出来的时候没有帐棚，可是神不提起帐棚；等到他有了祭坛之后，神的话才给我们看见帐棚。…帐棚的意思是流动的，是不扎根的。神要借着祭坛来对付你自己，神要借着帐棚来对付属乎你的东西。亚伯拉罕有祭坛，他把他的一切都给了神，…亚伯拉罕还有牛，还有羊，还有许多东西。但是，亚伯拉罕是住在帐棚里的人。换句话说，祭坛所余剩的东西，只能保留在帐棚里。这是一个原则，就是你所有的东西都得放在祭坛上，但是还有余剩的东西，是留下给你用的，那一个东西并不是你所有的，乃是在帐棚里的。我们要记得，若没有经过祭坛，就连帐棚里都不能摆进去，但是经过祭坛的不一定都烧光。…许多东西一奉献给神，神就拿去，神就不留给你。但是有的东西摆在祭坛上，神还留给你用。这些从祭坛上留下给你的东西，你只能保守在帐棚里。

　　有人要问说，“如果我将我一切所有的都给神，是不是说我应当把所有的东西都卖掉？”…我们有两种生活，一种是在神面前的生活，一种是在世界里的生活。在神的面前，我们所有的，的确都在祭坛上；但是，在世界里活着，许多物质的东西还是需要的。我们活在这里，还得有衣、食、住。我们应该把所有的都奉献给神，完全为着神活着，但是，如果神说这一个可以留着的话，我们就留着。我们对于这些物质的东西，乃是用帐棚的原则来对付。这些东西是为了我们的需要而留下的；我们如果不需要它，就可以舍弃它。我们可以用这些东西，但不能被这些东西摸着。这些东西可以在我们手里，也可以不在我们手里；可以加添，也可以减少。这就是帐棚的生活。

　　所以我们要学习一件事：没有经过祭坛的东西，是我们所不能用的；放在祭坛上的东西，不是我们自己可以收回的；神在祭坛上所留下的东西，是要用帐棚的原则来守住的（倪柝声文集第二辑第十七册，一一八、一二○至一二三页）。

　　参读：倪柝声文集第二辑第十七册，第十六篇；亚伯拉罕以撒雅各的神，第一至三、五章。

　　When we meet God, a radical change takes place in our life. We can no longer do what we did in the past. When we meet God Himself, we have the power to deny ourselves. The matter of denying one’s self ceases to be optional when we have met God. His appearance makes a person unable to go on by himself; it forces him to not live by himself anymore. God’s appearance brings with it inexhaustible power. Such an appearance will alter the whole course of a person’s life. For a Christian, the power to live for God is based on his vision of God.

　　The altar has its issue in the tent… From [Genesis 12:8] on, Abraham lived in God’s house—Bethel… He lived in a tent before, but God did not mention it. Not until he had built the altar does the Word of God bring the tent into view. A tent is something movable; it does not take root anywhere. Through the altar God deals with us; through the tent God deals with our possessions. At the altar Abraham offered up his all to God… Abraham still possessed cattle and sheep and many other things, but he had become a tent dweller. What was not consumed on the altar could only be kept in the tent. Here we see a principle. Everything we have should be placed on the altar. But there is still something left. These are the things that are for our own use. However, they are not ours; they are to be left in the tent. We have to remember that anything that has not passed the altar cannot even be in the tent. But not everything that has passed the altar is consumed… When we consecrate many things to God, He takes them and nothing is left behind. But God leaves some of the things offered on the altar for our own use. The things that have passed through the altar and are for our use can only be kept in the tent.

　　Some people ask, “If I give my all to God, do I have to sell all my possessions and dispose of all my money?”… We have a life to live before God, and we also have a life to live in the world. In our life before God everything must truly be on the altar, but for our life in the world we still have need of many material things. While we are living in the world, we need clothing, food, and a dwelling place. We ought to consecrate our all to God and live for Him alone; but if He says we may retain a certain thing, then we may retain it. Nevertheless, we must apply the principle of the tent to all the physical things that He permits us to retain, because they have been given back to us to meet our need in the world. If we do not need them, we should dispose of them. We may use them, but we must not be touched by them. We can have them or let them go; they can be given, and they can be taken away. This is the life of the tent.

　　May we learn this lesson. We dare not use anything that has not been placed on the altar, we may not take anything back from the altar, and what God gives back must be kept according to the principle of the tent. (CWWN, vol. 37, “The Life of the Altar and the Tent,” pp. 90, 92-93)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 37, ch. 16, “The Life of the Altar and the Tent”; CWWN, vol. 35, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” chs. 1-3, 5

　　创十二8　　从那里他又迁到伯特利东边的山，支搭帐棚；…他在那里又为耶和华筑了一座坛，并且呼求耶和华的名。

　　来十一9~10　　他因着信，在应许之地作客，好像在异地，…因为他等候那座有根基的城，其设计者并建筑者乃是神。

　　亚伯拉罕有他的失败，他曾离开了祭坛，离开了帐棚，下到埃及去。可是，后来他恢复了。他是怎样恢复的？创世记十三章三至四节：“他从南地继续往前行，直到伯特利，到了伯特利和艾的中间，就是他起初支搭帐棚的地方，也是他先前筑坛的地方；他又在那里呼求耶和华的名。”回到祭坛和帐棚，这就叫作恢复。今天有没有谁是失败了？有没有谁是跌倒了？有没有谁是变节了？有没有谁已经下到埃及，有了自己的要求，有了自己的盼望，有了自己的羡慕，有了自己的追求？如果有谁要走恢复的路，就要回到祭坛和帐棚来。神的话给我们看见，亚伯拉罕的恢复，就是再回到帐棚的地位来，也就是再回到祭坛的地位来。恢复就是回到帐棚来，恢复就是回到祭坛来（倪柝声文集第二辑第十七册，一二四至一二五页）。

　　Gen. 12:8 And he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent…; and there he built an altar to Jehovah and called upon the name of Jehovah.

　　Heb. 11:9-10 By faith he dwelt as a foreigner in the land of promise…; for he eagerly waited for the city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God.

　　Abraham had his failures. In his history there was a forsaking of the altar and the tent; he went down to Egypt. But there was recovery. How did that recovery come about? Genesis 13:3-4 says, “He went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.” Recovery is a matter of returning to the altar and the tent. Have any of you failed? Have any of you slipped or betrayed your cause? Have any of you gone down into Egypt, so that now you have your own demands, your own hopes, your own interests, and your own aspirations? If you are seeking the way of recovery, you have to come back to the altar and the tent. (CWWN, vol. 37, “The Life of the Altar and the Tent,” p. 95)

　　不要忘记，亚伯拉罕的历史就是你的历史。你没有一个帐棚，在那里始终有主的同在么？世人没有这样的帐棚，他们只有大城。世人唯一能看见的，就是他们的大城。他们说，“看我的公司。看我的教育，我的成就。看我有多少的东西。”但我们能对世人说，“你有一切，但有一样你没有—神的同在。”…当我们有一个有神同在的帐棚，我们里面就深深觉得，在地上没有一样事物是持久的，每样事物都是短暂的。我们仰望永世。银行、公司、成就，都是短暂而无意义的。我们在地上没有长存的事物。我只喜欢有一个有神同在的帐棚。…我们可以对世人说，“某某博士，我没有你所有的那么多，但我有一样你没有—神的同在。…在我的帐棚里现在就有神的同在。我的环境就是帐棚，就是新耶路撒冷的小影。这在你眼中也许没有价值，但在神眼中却极其重要。”

　　无论何时我们答应神的呼召，而神再次向我们显现，我们也为神筑一座坛，告诉神我们所是和所有的一切都是为着祂，我们就会立刻支搭帐棚。…借着支搭帐棚，我们宣告我们属于另一个家乡。我们不属于这一个家乡，我们仰望更美的家乡。我们不喜欢这一个家乡，就是这地，这世界。我们指望进入另一个家乡。我们因着信，像在异地作客（来十一9）。

　　亚伯拉罕的帐棚是新耶路撒冷的小影，新耶路撒冷是神在宇宙中终极的帐幕（启二一2~3）。当亚伯拉罕住在那帐棚里，他是活在新耶路撒冷的小影中。当他在那里与神一同生活的时候，他是在等候一座至终要成为新耶路撒冷的城。新耶路撒冷，永远的帐幕，要顶替亚伯拉罕所住临时的帐棚。亚伯拉罕的帐棚是神永远居所的一粒种子。这粒种子生长于他的子孙在旷野所支搭的帐幕（出四十），其收成将是新耶路撒冷，就是神与人的帐幕。神在我们众人里面仍需要这样的种子。我们都必须是那些生活在帐棚里，并仰望更美家乡的人。在这更美的家乡有永远的帐幕，神与我们，我们与神，要在其中永远同住（创世记生命读经，六八一至六八三页）。

　　参读：创世记生命读经，第四十一至四十四篇；约翰福音结晶读经，第十三篇。

　　Do not forget that Abraham’s history is yours. Do you not have a tent where you always have the Lord’s presence? The worldly people do not have such a tent. They only have a great city… They say, “Look at my corporation. Look at my education, my attainment. Look at how many things I have.” But we can say to the worldly people, “You have everything, but there is one thing that you don’t have—God’s presence…” When we have a tent with God’s presence, we have the deep sensation within that nothing here on earth is lasting. Everything is temporary. We are looking to eternity. The banks, the corporations, the attainments—all are temporal and mean nothing. We have nothing constant on this earth. I just like to have a tent with God’s presence… We may say to the worldly people, “…I don’t have as much as you have, but I have the one thing that you don’t have—God’s presence… I have His presence right now in my tent. My surroundings are a tent, a miniature of the New Jerusalem. This may not be worthwhile in your eyes, but in God’s eyes it means a great deal.”

　　Whenever we answer God’s calling and God reappears to us and we build an altar for God, telling Him that everything we are and have is for Him, we shall immediately erect a tent… By pitching a tent we declare that we belong to another country. We do not belong to this country; we are looking for a better one. We do not like this country, this earth, this world. We expect to come into another country. We are sojourning by faith as in a strange country (Heb. 11:9).

　　Abraham’s tent was a miniature of the New Jerusalem, which will be the ultimate tabernacle of God in the universe (Rev. 21:2-3). As he lived in that tent, he was living in a shadow of the New Jerusalem. While he was living there with God, he was waiting for a city, a city that eventually will be the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem, the eternal tabernacle, will replace that temporary tent in which Abraham lived. Abraham’s tent was a seed of God’s eternal dwelling place. This seed grew in the tabernacle erected by his descendants in the wilderness (Exo. 40), and its harvest will be the New Jerusalem, the tabernacle of God with man. God still needs to have such a seed in all of us. We all need to be those who live in a tent and who look forward to a better country, a country in which there will be the eternal tabernacle where God and we, we and God, will live together for eternity. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 561-563)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 41-44; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “The Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” ch. 13

　　创十四14　　亚伯兰听见他侄儿被掳去，就率领他家里生养的精练壮丁三百一十八人…。

　　16　　将…他侄儿罗得…夺回来。

　　18　　又有…麦基洗德带着饼和酒出来迎接；他是至高神的祭司。

　　来七25　　…那借着祂来到神面前的人，祂都能拯救到底；因为祂是长远活着，为他们代求。

　　亚伯拉罕所带出来的侄儿罗得离开他以后，迁居到了所多玛。因着四王与五王的战争，罗得被掳了。亚伯拉罕知道以后，就率领家中的壮丁前去争战，杀败四王，夺回一切掳物。当他回来时，有撒冷王麦基洗德，带着饼和酒出来迎接他，为他祝福（创十四18）。麦基洗德是至高神的祭司，预表基督作神的大祭司（来七1~3、16~17）。基督今天是照着麦基洗德的等次作大祭司。祂是长远活着，为我们代求，并且以饼以酒供应我们作享受（真理课程一级卷一，一一二至一一三页）。

　　Gen. 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive, he led out his trained men…

　　16 And he… brought back Lot his brother…

　　18 And Melchizedek…brought out bread and wine. Now he was priest of God the Most High.

　　Heb. 7:25 …He is able to save to the uttermost those who come forward to God through Him, since He lives always to intercede for them.

　　Abraham’s nephew, Lot, had separated himself from Abraham and dwelt in Sodom. Because of the fighting between the four kings and the five kings, Lot was taken captive. When Abraham heard this, he led forth his trained men who were born in his house, and fought against the four kings; he smote them and brought back all the goods. After his return, Melchizedek, king of Salem, met him with bread and wine and blessed him (Gen. 14:18). Melchizedek as the priest of the Most High God is a type of Christ as God’s High Priest (Heb. 7:1-3, 16-17). Christ today is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He is always living to intercede for us and to nourish us with bread and wine. (Truth Lessons—Level One, vol. 1, p. 89)

　　有一个逃出来的人告诉亚伯拉罕，罗得被掳了。…他乃是神的主宰所保留的。…这必是因着背后的代求发生的。…亚伯拉罕…不计算弟兄的弱点，也不对罗得幸灾乐祸。…他得了这消息，就坚决定意要为罗得争战（创十四14）。…亚伯拉罕祷告了。在创世记十四章二十二节他告诉所多玛王，在他出去争战以前，他曾向神举手起誓。亚伯拉罕怎能祷告并作这样的决定？这必是由于背后有人为他代求。我信那代求者知道所进行的战争，和罗得的被掳。

　　就亚伯拉罕说，看见弟兄被掳对他乃是羞耻。今天在召会中也是这样。看见任何弟兄姊妹被掳，对我们乃是羞耻。…你不该容忍这事，你应当说，“我不能忍受这事，我必须起来作一些事！”这就是亚伯拉罕所作的。…亚伯拉罕也许说，“…我不能眼看我的弟兄被掳，这对我是羞耻。我必须把他救回来。我不管我的壮丁有多少，也不管诸王和他们的军队。我不管我所有的比他们的少。我的负担就是要把我的弟兄救回来。我若不这样作，对我就是羞耻。”

　　亚伯拉罕冒着生命的危险，为他的弟兄争战。为着拯救他被掳的弟兄而冒着生命的危险，这对他不是一件小事，但他这样作了。战争进行顺利，亚伯拉罕追赶敌人，从南方一路追到北方的但。他的得胜必是背后代求的结果。

　　难道你不信在麦基洗德来供应饼和酒之前，他这位神的祭司已经为罗得和亚伯拉罕代求过？…我相信亚伯拉罕简单而勇敢的决定，要为拯救罗得而战，是麦基洗德的代求所激起的。…麦基洗德是祭司，他必定一直在照顾神的子民。神答应他的代求，有一个人从所多玛逃出来向亚伯拉罕报信，亚伯拉罕就作了勇敢的决定，要为着拯救罗得而战。

　　当我们在地上生活行动时，会遭遇到许多事。表面看来，这些事就这么发生了；实际上，在背后一直有代求。我们的麦基洗德，我们的大祭司基督，仍然在天上为我们代求（来七25）。祂的代求荫庇我们，顾念我们（创世记生命读经，七○二至七○三、七○五、七○七页）。

　　参读：神在祂与人联结中的历史，第七章。

　　One person who escaped told Abraham that Lot had been captured… That person was preserved by God’s sovereignty… It must have happened because of the intercession behind the scene. Abraham did not count the weak point of his brother and did not take pleasure in Lot’s suffering and calamity… When he received this information, he made a strong decision to fight for Lot (Gen. 14:14)… Abraham prayed. In verse 22 he told the king of Sodom that before he went out to war he lifted up his hand to God. How could Abraham have prayed and made such a decision? It must have been due to the fact that someone behind the scene was interceding for him. I believe that the intercessor knew of the fighting that was going on and of the capture of Lot.

　　As far as Abraham was concerned, it was a shame for him to see that his brother had been captured. It is the same in the church today. It is a shame for us to see that any brother or sister has been captured… You should not tolerate it but should say, “I cannot bear with this. I must rise up and do something about it!” This is what Abraham did. Abraham could say, “… I cannot bear seeing that my brother has been captured. This is a shame to me. I must take him back. I don’t care for the number of soldiers and I don’t care for the kings and armies. I don’t care that I have less than they do. My burden is to get my brother back. If I don’t do this, it is a shame to me.”

　　In fighting for his brother, Abraham risked his life. It was not a small thing for him to risk his life in order to rescue his captured brother. But he did it. The fight went smoothly, and Abraham pursued the enemy from the south all the way to Dan in the north. His victory must have been the result of the intercession behind the scene.

　　Do you not believe that before Melchizedek came to minister bread and wine, as the priest of God he was interceding for Lot and Abraham?… I believe that Abraham’s brief and bold decision to fight for the rescue of Lot was stirred up by the intercession of Melchizedek… As a priest, Melchizedek must have been taking care of God’s people. In answer to his intercession, one escaped from Sodom, told Abraham the news, and Abraham made the bold decision to fight for the rescue of Lot.

　　While we walk on this earth, many things happen to us. Apparently, these things just happen. Actually, behind the earthly scene, an intercession is going on. Our Melchizedek, our High Priest Christ, is still interceding for us in heaven (Heb. 7:25). His intercession overshadows us and cares for us. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 579-580, 582-584)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 4, “The History of God in His Union with Man,” ch. 7

　　约二一15　　…你爱我…么？…主啊，是的，你知道我爱你。耶稣对他说，你喂养我的小羊。

　　16　　…你牧养我的羊。

　　17　　…你喂养我的羊。

　　彼前五2　　务要牧养你们中间神的群羊，按着神监督他们，不是出于勉强，乃是出于甘心；不是为着卑鄙的利益，乃是出于热切。

　　作长老的必须知道，他们在牧养时，必须遮盖别人的罪，不可计算别人的恶。爱是凡事包容，意即遮盖一切，不仅遮盖好事，也遮盖坏事。凡揭露召会中肢体的缺点、短处和罪恶的，就没有资格作长老（李文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，一六七至一六八页）。

　　John 21:15 …Do you love Me… ?… Yes, Lord, You know that I love You. He said to him, Feed My lambs.

　　16 … Shepherd My sheep.

　　17 … Feed My sheep.

　　1 Pet. 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion but willingly, according to God; not by seeking gain through base means but eagerly.

　　The elders need to realize that in their shepherding, they have to cover others’ sins, to not take account of others’ evils. Love covers all things, not only the good things but also the bad things. Whoever uncovers the defects, shortcomings, and sins of the members of the church is disqualified from the eldership. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” p. 124)

　　在彼得的头一封书信中，在二章二十五节他说到基督是我们魂的牧人和监督，而我们的魂乃是我们内里的所是，也就是我们的真人位。在五章一至二节他告诉长老们，务要按着神牧养神的群羊。按着神，意思就是我们必须活神；我们必须随时随处有神。我们在我们的悟性上、道理上与教训上有神，但我们在牧养人时可能没有活神。当我们与神是一，我们就成了神。在我们牧养别人时，我们就有神并且就是神。按着神牧养，意思就是按着神在祂属性里的所是牧养。神是爱、光、圣、义。按着神，至少是按着神的这四种属性。我们必须按着这四种属性牧养年幼的、软弱的和退后的。

　　除了牧养，我们没有路将生命供应给别人。…真正生命的供应乃是借着访问人、接触人而牧养人。…我们去探访人时，必须有主的同在。祂的同在是一个迷人的因素，而祂的同在乃是来自十字架加上复活。我们必须是一个在十字架上，也在复活里的人。

　　活力排里的人去接触人，首要的路乃是要顾惜人。因为我们凭天然的生命活着，所以我们的探访是没有果效的。…顾惜人就是使人快乐，安慰人，叫人觉得你令他们愉快，在每件事上并在每一方面都叫人容易接触你。我们接触人必须非常的真实。唯有借着十字架加上复活，才能产生真实。唯有被十字架除掉而复活的人，才在凡事上是真实的。

　　保罗在以弗所五章说到基督借着顾惜和喂养（保养）这两件事，来照料召会（29）。…顾惜人而没有喂养，那是徒然的。…母亲顾惜〔顽皮的〕孩子之后，就用食物喂养孩子。元首基督乃是这样照顾祂的身体，就是召会。祂在顾惜我们之后，就喂养我们。

　　顾惜人是使人快乐、愉快、舒适。我们接触人时，必须带着令人愉悦的面容。我们应当快乐、欢欣。我们接触任何人，不可面带愁容。…接着，我们就该喂养他们。…喂养人是以那在三个时期中尽其丰满职事之包罗万有的基督供应他们。…我们必须找出路来，把包罗万有的基督陈明给各人。…我们必须“烹饪”包罗万有的基督。…我在这个国家烹饪基督，已经三十三年多了，所释放的信息也约有三千篇。

　　要用基督喂养人，我们首先必须寻求基督，经历基督，赢得基督，享受基督，并有分于基督（李文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，一五四至一五五、一九七至一九八、二○五至二○六页）。

　　参读：活力排，第六至八、十至十一篇；在旧造里撒但的混乱以及为着新造的神圣经纶，第三至四篇。

　　In his first Epistle, Peter speaks of Christ being the Shepherd and Overseer of our soul, our inner being and real person (2:25). Then in 5:1-2 he tells the elders that their obligation is to shepherd God’s flock according to God. According to God means that we must live God. We must have God on hand. We have God in our understanding, in our theology, and in our teaching, but we may not live God when we are shepherding people. When we are one with God, we become God. Then we have God and are God in our shepherding of others. To shepherd according to God is to shepherd according to what God is in His attributes. God is love, light, holiness, and righteousness … We must shepherd the young ones, the weak ones, and the backsliding ones according to these four attributes.

　　Without shepherding, there is no way for us to minister life to others… The real ministering of life is shepherding by visiting and contacting people. When we visit people, we must have the Lord’s presence. His presence is the charming factor, and that presence comes from the cross plus resurrection. We must be a person on the cross and in resurrection.

　　The first way of the members of the vital group to contact people is by cherishing them. Because we live by our natural life, our visitation is fruitless. To cherish people is to make them happy, to comfort them, to make them feel that you are pleasant to them, easy to be contacted in everything and in every way. Our contact with people must be so genuine. Genuineness can be produced only by the cross plus resurrection. Only a crossed-out, resurrected person can be genuine in everything.

　　In Ephesians 5 Paul speaks about Christ’s care for the church by these two things: cherishing and nourishing (v. 29). Cherishing without nourishing is in vain… After cherishing [a naughty] child, the mother nourishes him with food. This is the way that Christ as the Head takes care of His Body, the church. He nourishes us after cherishing us.

　　To cherish people is to make them happy and to make them feel pleasant and comfortable. We must have a pleasant countenance when we contact people. We should be happy and rejoicing. We should not contact anyone with a cheerless countenance. Then we should go on to nourish them… To nourish people is to feed them with the all-inclusive Christ in His full ministry in three stages… We have to find a way to present the all-inclusive Christ to everyone… We have to “cook” the all-inclusive Christ… I have been cooking Christ in this country for over thirty-three years with about three thousand messages.

　　In order to nourish people with Christ, we first have to seek Christ, experience Christ, gain Christ, enjoy Christ, and participate in Christ. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 114-115, 145-146, 152-153)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” chs. 6-8, 10-11; CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation,” chs. 3-4