约十10~11 ……我来了，是要叫羊〔人〕得生命，并且得的更丰盛。我是好牧人，好牧人为羊舍命。

　　神整个新约经纶的内容乃是基督作人子顾惜我们，并作神子喂养我们。

　　在四卷福音书中所描绘的耶稣，是非常顾惜人的。……众人都需要祂来顾惜他们，使他们快乐、受安慰、得安息。……甚至罪大恶极的税吏，也能像朋友一样与祂同坐，与祂一同吃喝交谈（路十五1，太九10）。

　　神差祂的儿子，在祂的人性里为我们的罪作了平息的祭物（约壹四10）—顾惜。基督是人子，来作赎罪祭，平息罪人与神之间的情形。

　　神差祂的儿子到我们这里来，使我们在祂的神性里借着祂得生并活着（9）—喂养。这可由约翰三章十六节得着证实：神将祂的独生子赐给我们，使我们这些信入祂的，借着祂在祂人性里的救赎，不至灭亡（顾惜），反而在祂的神性里得着永远的生命（喂养）。神将祂的独生子赐给我们，好在法理一面在祂的人性里救赎我们，使我们在祂的神性里得着永远的生命，好让祂在生机一面拯救我们（李文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，一七七、一七九、一八六页）。

　　John 10:10-11 …I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly. I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

　　The content of God’s entire New Testament economy is Christ as the Son of Man cherishing us and as the Son of God nourishing us.

　　The Jesus who is portrayed in the four Gospels is very cherishing…All people need Him to cherish them, to make them happy, comfort them, and give them rest…Even the most sinful tax collectors could sit with Him as friends, eating and talking with Him (Luke 15:1; Matt. 9:10).

　　God sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins in His humanity (1 John 4:10)—cherishing. As the Son of Man, Christ came to be the sin offering to appease the situation between the sinners and God.

　　God sent His Son to us that we may have life and live through Him in His divinity (v. 9)—nourishing. This is confirmed by John 3:16: God gave us His only begotten Son that we who believe into Him may not perish through His redemption in His humanity (cherishing) but may have eternal life in His divinity (nourishing). God gave His only begotten Son to redeem us in His humanity judicially so that we may have eternal life in His divinity for Him to save us organically. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 131-132, 136)

　　我相信，没有父神爱和赦免的心，没有救主牧养和寻找的灵，乃是我们不结果子的原因。……主说，“树总是凭果子认出来的”（太十二33），但我们却是不结果子的树。……一位良善温和的牧师可能没有特别的恩赐，如讲道的恩赐；他可能只是探望人，并且当人来聚会时欢迎他们；但是照着统计数字，这样的牧师一年也会得着百分之十的扩增。反观我们，甚至还没有百分之十的扩增。你能看见我们是何等的荒凉么？你们有许多人是优秀的讲员，认识较高的真理。……但因着我们缺少父那爱和赦免的心，以及子那牧养和寻找的灵，我们就没有果子。我们定罪人、规范人，却不牧养人、寻找人。我们缺少爱和牧养。〔爱和牧养〕是我们结果子，得着人的重要因素。……我们必须重新省察自己的行径，如哈该所言（该一5）。我们的行径是不正确的；有些地方出了问题（李文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，四四至四五页）。

　　基督这头一位传福音者，乃是借着牧养尽祂的职事。祂到耶利哥只是为着要探访一个人，就是税吏长（路十九1~10）。祂不是去举行一个有数千人的福音大会。祂的目的是要去传福音得一个人，而祂的传扬乃是一种牧养。

　　约翰四章说，当主在去加利利的路上，祂“必须经过撒玛利亚”（4）。祂不走主要的道路，反而绕道至叙加，到雅各井旁，为要接触一个犯罪的撒玛利亚妇人，她先前有过五个丈夫。主预先知道她会来到雅各井。雅各井乃是预表基督，祂是泉源，直涌入永远的生命（14下）。我们必须学习主的榜样，特意绕道至叙加，以得着一个人。

　　我们在一个人身上花三年的工夫来得着他，这是值得的。你如果连续探访一个人三年，你就能得着他。这样过了十二年，你就有四个新人随着你参加召会的聚会（李文集一九九四至一九九七年第五册，一五三页）。

　　参读：活力排，第七至十一章；约翰福音结晶读经，第七、十三篇。

　　I believe that not having the Father’s loving and forgiving heart and not having the Savior’s shepherding and seeking spirit is the reason for our barrenness…The Lord said, “By the fruit the tree is known” (Matt. 12:33), but we are a tree without any fruit…A good, gentle pastor may not have a particular gift, such as the gift of speaking; he may simply visit people and welcome them when they come to his meeting, but according to statistics, he will have a ten percent yearly increase. We…do not have even a ten percent increase. Can you see how barren we are? Many of you are good speakers, knowing the higher truths…However, we do not have fruit, because we are lacking in the Father’s loving and forgiving heart and the Son’s shepherding and seeking spirit. We condemn and regulate others rather than shepherding and seeking them. We are short of love and shepherding. These are the vital factors for us to bear fruit, that is, to gain people…We have to consider our ways, as Haggai said (Hag. 1:5). Our way is not right; something is wrong. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “A Word of Love to the Co-workers, Elders, Lovers, and Seekers of the Lord,” p. 31)

　　The first gospel preacher, Christ, carried out His ministry by shepherding. He went to Jericho just to visit one person, a chief tax collector (Luke 19:1-10). He did not go there to hold a big gospel campaign with thousands of people. His desire was to preach the gospel to gain one person, and His preaching was a shepherding.

　　John 4 says that while the Lord was on His way to Galilee, “He had to pass through Samaria” (v. 4). He detoured from the main way to Sychar, near Jacob’s well, in order to contact a sinful Samaritan woman, who previously had five husbands. The Lord foreknew that she would come to the well of Jacob. The well of Jacob is a type of Christ, who is the fountain of water springing up into eternal life (v. 14b). We have to learn of the Lord’s pattern in purposely detouring to Sychar to gain only one person.

　　To spend three years to gain one person is worthwhile. If you spend three years to visit one person continually, you will gain him. After twelve years you will have four new ones following you to the church meetings. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 113-114)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” chs. 7—11;

　　CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” chs. 7, 13