王上十八18 以利亚说，使以色列遭灾的不是我，乃是你……；因为你们离弃耶和华的诫命，去随从诸巴力。

　　腓三7~8　 ……从前我以为对我是赢得的，……我因基督都已经看作亏损。……我也将万事看作亏损，因我以认识我主基督耶稣为至宝；我因祂已经亏损万事，看作粪土，为要赢得基督。

　　主在每一个时代都有祂特别要作的事，祂有祂自己所要恢复、要作的工作；那个恢复、那一个工作，就是那一时代的职事。

　　一个人能看见、能遇见那时代的职事，乃是神的怜悯。但是一个人能否舍弃已往的职事，又是另外一件事。……人能不能把已往的职事摆在一边，乃是在乎神的怜悯（倪柝声文集第三辑第十一册，二九九至三○○页）。

　　1 Kings 18:18 ...He said, I have not troubled Israel, but you... have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah and have gone after the Baals.

　　Phil. 3:7-8 ...What things were gains to me,...I have counted as loss on account of Christ...I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord...and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ.

　　In every age the Lord has special things that He wants to accomplish. He has His own recoveries and His own works to do. The particular recovery and work that He does in one age is the ministry of that age.

　　It is God’s mercy that a person can see and come into contact with the ministry of that age. Yet it is altogether a different thing for a man to take up the courage to forsake the past ministry...Yet whether or not one can set aside his past ministry is entirely up to God’s mercy. (CWWN, vol. 57, “The Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry,” pp. 260-261)

　　以利亚的职事是作相反的见证。当以色列众人都敬拜偶像时，以利亚告诉他们，他们所敬拜的偶像都是假神，只有耶和华是真神（王上十八18、21、36，王下一16）。……所以，以利亚作相反的见证，告诉他们拜偶像乃是罪，是得罪神的（李文集一九五四年第四册，七三四页）。

　　以利亚……是被掳之前的申言者中最显著、最具代表的。他是得胜者，在众人都拜偶像时，他站住不拜，而作了相反的见证。当时以色列君王带着百姓，全都远离神，弃绝神，神就兴起以利

　　 亚；他站在君王和百姓跟前作相反的见证。那时众人都拜巴力，以利亚说不能拜巴力，要拜耶和华。大家都说平安无事时，他却告诉他们说，要有三年半不下雨（王上十七1）。他在王和百姓面前作活的见证，他的举动与众人相反。

　　在亚哈的时代有许多巴力的申言者，他们自称是神的申言者；那时虽隐藏着七千人没有拜巴力，但只有以利亚是显明的，是作相反见证的，是不怕死的。以利亚独自一人站在君王、众百姓和四百五十个巴力的申言者面前，毫无惧怕（十八17~40）。以利亚身上得胜者的原则是不顾性命以维持神的见证。以利亚站起来作见证时，全地上都是与他为敌的，但他一个人为神作见证，在这一点上，以利亚是特别的。历代以来，在神的子民中，也有人是这样的得胜者。

　　旧约所记这些事预表新约召会的事；当召会荒凉，大体的人弃绝神的见证时，神就兴起得胜者作相反的见证。直到今日，召会仍然需要这个得胜者的原则，就是不顾自己的性命。每一个作神见证人，作得胜者的，在他的感觉里都是只有他一人是站住的。……虽然神隐藏着七千人是不拜巴力的，但在以利亚的感觉里只有他一人站住（王上十九10）。……要作得胜者，就不能瞻前顾后，不能管别人的态度，只能专管神的旨意。以利亚不顾性命，站住作相反的见证，维持神的见证，告诉众人应该跟随耶和华，不应该跟随巴力。……他在这时期所代表得胜者的原则，乃是当人离弃神的见证时，就起来作相反的见证（李文集一九五四年第一册，五一五至五一六页）。

　　参读：时代的异象，第一至三篇；倪柝声文集第一辑第十一册，我们是什么；倪柝声文集第三辑第十一册，第二十五篇。

　　Elijah’s ministry was an anti-testimony. When all Israel was worshipping idols, Elijah told them that the idols they worshipped were false gods, and only Jehovah was the true God (1 Kings 18:18, 21, 36; 2 Kings 1:16)... Elijah, as an anti-testimony, told them that idolatry is a sin that offends God. (CWWL, 1954, vol. 4, p. 549)

　　Elijah...was the most prominent and the most representative of the prophets before the captivity, and he was an overcomer. When the people worshipped idols, he stood fast and did not worship them; thus, he was an anti-testimony. At that time, under the leading of the king of Israel, the people forsook God and went far away from Him; thus, God raised up Elijah to stand before the king and the people as an anti-testimony. At that time the people worshipped Baal, but Elijah told them to worship Jehovah instead. When the people said that all was peaceful and well, he told them that there would be no rain for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1). He was a living testimony before the king and the people, and his conduct was contrary to that of the people.

　　There were many prophets of Baal during the time of Ahab, and they called themselves prophets of God. Although there were seven thousand hidden ones who did not worship Baal at that time, only Elijah openly bore an anti-testimony and did not fear death. Elijah alone stood before the king, the people, and the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal without any fear (18:17-40). Elijah represents the principle of not caring for one’s own life in order to maintain God’s testimony. When Elijah stood up to testify, the whole earth was against him; he alone testified for God. In this matter Elijah was special. Throughout the ages, among God’s people, some have been this kind of overcomer.

　　These matters in the Old Testament typify matters of the church in the New Testament. When the church is desolate and the majority of the believers forsake God’s testimony, God raises up overcomers to be an anti-testimony. Today the church needs overcomers according to this principle, that is, ones who do not care for their own life. Every overcomer and witness for God has the feeling that he alone is standing... Although God had hidden seven thousand who did not worship Baal, Elijah’s feeling was that he alone was standing (19:10)...To be an overcomer, one cannot fear the consequences, hold on to the past, or care for the attitudes of others; he must care only for God’s will. Elijah did not care for his life but stood as an anti-testimony, maintained God’s testimony, and told the people that they should follow Jehovah instead of Baal ...The principle of the overcomers that he represented in this period is that of rising up to be an anti-testimony when God’s people forsake His testimony. (CWWL, 1954, vol. 1, pp. 429-430)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1986, vol. 2, “The Vision of the Age,” chs. 1-3; CWWN, vol. 11, “What Are We?” pp. 843-859; CWWN, vol. 57, ch. 25