启一13 灯台中间，有一位好像人子，身穿长袍，直垂到脚，胸间束着金带。

　　弗五29 从来没有人恨恶自己的身体，总是保养顾惜，正像基督待召会一样。

　　顾惜人就是使人觉得快乐、舒适；喂养人是供应人，给他们东西吃。……基督这位人子作大祭司，照顾作为灯台的众召会（启一12~13）。一面，祂在人性里顾惜众召会；另一面，祂在神性里喂养众召会。……当我们探访人，邀请他们到我们家，或在聚会前、后接触人的时候，我们必须与基督是一，来顾惜并喂养他们（李文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，二○五页）。

　　Rev. 1:13 And in the midst of the lampstands [I saw] One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle.

　　Eph. 5:29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ also the church.

　　To cherish people is to make them feel happy and comfortable. To nourish them is to feed them, to give them something to eat…As the Son of Man, Christ as the High Priest is taking care of all the churches as lampstands (Rev. 1:12-13). On the one hand, He is cherishing the churches in His humanity; on the other hand, He is nourishing the churches in His divinity…When we visit people, invite them to our home, or contact them before and after the meetings, we must be one with Christ to cherish and nourish them. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” p. 152)

　　基督是顾惜和喂养最好的模型。……基督作为人子，身穿长袍，照顾灯台。这长袍乃是祭司袍（出二八33~35），这给我们看见，基督是我们尊大的大祭司。

　　祂也胸间束着金带〔胸是爱的表号〕。……金带是一片金子，成了束身的带子。人子是在祂的人性里，金带表征祂的神性。

　　旧约的祭司在供职时，腰间束带（出二八4）。在但以理十章五节，基督也是腰束精金带。腰间束带是为着作工得加力。基督已经完成产生众召会的神圣工作。如今祂正在凭爱照顾祂所产生的众召会。……如今祂照顾众召会，不是在腰间束带，乃是在表征爱的胸间束带。我盼望大家都看见，这些日子，甚至在我们中间，基督乃是在胸间束着金带。基督在祂神性里的总和，成了一条带子。金带表征基督的神性成了祂的力量，而胸表征这金的力量是由祂的爱所运行、所推动。祂神圣的力量是由祂的爱并凭祂的爱来运用并推动的，好喂养祂的众召会。

　　基督作为“人子”，在祂的人性里照顾作为灯台的众召会，以顾惜众召会（启一13上）。基督作我们的大祭司，照顾祂所建立的众召会，首先是在祂的人性里，顾惜众召会，使众召会快乐、愉悦和舒适。

　　在旧约里，大祭司每天早晨收拾灯台的灯（出三十7）。收拾灯就是使灯的情形正确合宜。……基督借着修剪灯台的灯芯，来照顾灯台，正如在旧约里祭司照着预表所作的一样（出二五38）。灯芯烧过以后，就变焦发黑，所以祭司必须来把灯芯焦黑的部分剪掉。……灯芯烧焦的部分，表征那些不照着神定旨的东西，需要剪除；这些东西就如我们的肉体、天然的人、己和旧造。所有的灯台都是生机的，是活的灯台。因为每一个召会都是活的灯台，所以每个召会都很有感觉。一个召会若有了烧焦的灯芯，必会觉得不舒适。

　　我感谢主，今天在祂的恢复里，祂乃是在人性里的大祭司。……我们并非有一位不能同情我们软弱的大祭司，祂乃是在各方面受过试诱，与我们一样，只是没有罪（来四15）。我们的基督与我们是一样的。……祂在人性里总是同情我们的软弱。祂是在人性里的大祭司，借着一直顾惜我们，来照顾我们（李文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，二○九至二一一页）。

　　参读：倪柝声文集第一辑第十七册，主的服事。

　　Christ is the best model of cherishing and nourishing…Christ is taking care of the lampstands by being the Son of Man with a long garment. This garment is the priestly robe (Exo. 28:33-35), which shows that Christ is our great High Priest.

　　He is also girded about at the breasts [a sign of love] with a golden girdle… The golden girdle is one piece of gold to become a belt. The Son of Man is in His humanity, and the golden girdle signifies His divinity.

　　The priests in the Old Testament were girded at the loins for their ministry (Exo. 28:4). In Daniel 10:5 Christ also was girded at His loins, with fine gold. To be girded at the loins is to be strengthened for the work. Christ has finished His divine work in producing the churches. Now by His love He is caring for the churches that He has produced…Now He takes care of the churches with the girdle not on His loins but on His breasts, signifying love. I hope we all could realize that in these days even among us, Christ is wearing a golden girdle on His breasts.

　　The totality of Christ in His divinity has become a girdle. The golden girdle signifies Christ's divinity becoming His energy, and the breasts signify that this golden energy is exercised and motivated by His love. His divine energy is exercised by and with His love to nourish the churches.

　　Christ takes care of the churches as the lampstands in His humanity as the Son of Man to cherish them (Rev. 1:13a). Christ as our High Priest takes care of the churches that He has established first in His humanity to cherish the churches, to make the churches happy, pleasant, and comfortable.

　　The high priest in the Old Testament dressed the lamps of the lampstands every morning (Exo. 30:7). To dress the lamps is to make them proper. Christ cares for the lampstands by trimming the wicks of the lamps of the lampstand, just as the priest did according to the type in the Old Testament (Exo. 25:38). When the wick was burned out, it became charred and black, so the priest had to come to cut off the black part of the wick…The charred part of the wick, the snuff, signifies things that are not according to God's purpose which need to be cut off, such as our flesh, our natural man, our self, and our old creation. All the lampstands are organic. They are living lampstands. Since each church is a living lampstand, each church has much feeling. A church with charred wicks will not feel comfortable.

　　I thank the Lord that today in His recovery He is the High Priest in His humanity…We do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all respects like us, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). Our Christ is the same as we are…He always sympathizes with our weaknesses in His humanity. He is the High Priest in His humanity taking care of us by cherishing us all the time. (CWWL, 1994- 1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 154-156)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 17, “Scriptural Messages,” issue no. 22