1997秋季长老
总题：主当前行动中极重要的因素
第六篇　长老的牧养（二）
Message Six The Elders' Shepherding (2)
捌　长老们应当彼此牧养，彼此相爱，作身体生活的榜样：
VIII.　The elders should shepherd one another and love one another to be a model of the Body life:
一　为使爱在召会中有效能，爱就必须在长老职任中在长老们中间有效能;爱遮盖人并建造人，所以为着建造基督的身体，在我们所是所作上，爱乃是极超越的路─林前十二31下。
A.　In order for love to prevail in the church, love must prevail among the elders in the eldership; love covers and builds up, so love is the most excellent way for us to be anything and to do anything for the building up of the Body of Christ—1 Cor. 12:31b.
二　在按照神经纶实行召会生活上，神已经命定长老是多数的，就是长老的体系，成为身体生活的榜样，有彼此互相的特征：
B.　In the practice of the church life according to God's economy, God has ordained that there be a plurality of elders, an eldership, to be a model of the Body life with the distinctive feature of mutuality:
二　注：“圣经里一个地方召会里的长老，或者监督，从来没有单数的，都是多数的。神无意叫一个信徒站在特别显著的地位，而其余的人被动的顺服他的意思。整个召会的治理如果只落在一人身上，就何等容易叫人自高自大，把自己看得很要紧，而欺压其他的弟兄（约叁）。神乃是命定几个长老一同有分于召会的工作，免得一个人照着自己的喜好处理事情，叫召会成为他的私有产业，而使召会无论在生活上和工作上，都带有他个人的色彩。把责任摆在几位弟兄手中，而不是摆在一个人手中，这使神有路可以保护召会不被一个刚强的人格所支配，使这样的恶事不至于发生。神要几个长老在召会中一同负责，使他们甚至在管理召会的事务上，也必须互相倚靠，彼此顺服。因此，他们从实验中发现，什么是背十字架的意义，而使基督身体的真理有机会实际的彰显出来。当他们彼此尊重，彼此信任，接受圣灵的带领，没有人作头，而是人人互为肢体时，彼此相互的成分，也就是召会的特征，就得蒙保守。（工作的再思，一一四页─照英文版重译。）
B.　NOTE: "In Scripture we see that there was always more than one elder…in a local church. It is not God's will that one believer should be singled out from all the others to occupy a place of special prominence, while the others passively submit to his will. If the management of the entire church rests upon one man, how easy it is for him to become self-conceited, esteeming himself above measure and suppressing the other brethren (3 John). God has ordained that several elders together share the work of the church, so that no one individual should be able to run things according to his own pleasure, treating the church as his own special property and leaving the impress of his personality upon all its life and work. To place the responsibility in the hands of several brethren, rather than in the hands of one individual, is God's way of safeguarding His church against the evils that result from the domination of a strong personality. God has purposed that several brothers should unitedly bear responsibility in the church, so that even in controlling its affairs they have to depend one upon the other and submit one to the other. Thus, in an experimental way, they will discover the meaning of bearing the cross, and they will have opportunity to give practical expression to the truth of the Body of Christ. As they honor one another and trust one another to the leading of the Spirit, none taking the place of the Head, but each regarding the others as fellow members, the element of mutuality, which is the distinctive feature of the church, will be preserved" (taken from The Normal Christian Church Life—The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Set Two, Volume 30, pp. 49-50).
三　在召会生活的配搭中，在主的工作中，我们都必须学习，若没有交通就不作任何事：
C.　In our coordination in the church life, in the Lord's work, we all have to learn not to do anything without fellowship:
1　我们与一起配搭的长老若没有交通，就不该作任何事。
1.　We should not do anything without fellowshipping with the other elders who are coordinating with us.
2　交通要求我们要作什么的时候先停下来。
2.　Fellowship requires us to stop when we are about to do something.
3　相调的意思就是，我们应当一直停下来与别人交通。
3.　Blending means that we should always stop to fellowship with others.
4　交通调和我们，也就是调节我们，调整我们，使我们和谐，把我们调在一起。
4.　Fellowship blends us, that is, it tempers us, adjusts us, harmonizes us, and mingles us.
5　相调要求我们被除去，要求我们凭着那灵分赐基督，并为祂身体的缘故作每件事─参代下一10。
5.　Blending requires us to be crossed out, to be by the Spirit to dispense Christ, and to do everything for the sake of the Body—cf. 2 Chron. 1:10.
6　一班长老也许常常在一起聚会而没有相调。相调的意思是，你该以相调的方式被别人摸着，也摸着别人。
6.　A group of elders may meet together often without being blended; to be blended means that you are touched by others and that you are touching others in a blending way.
7　这会使长老们成为活力排，作身体生活的榜样。
7.　This will make the eldership a vital group to be a model of the Body life.
玖　长老该在每一件事上并在每一方面照顾圣徒，好将基督分赐到他们里面：
IX.　The elders should take care of the saints in everything and in every way for the dispensing of Christ into them:
一　为要照着神顾到圣徒，长老就必须是有活力的人：
A.　In order to care for the saints according to God, the elders should be vital persons:
1　每一天我们都需要─次的更新，就是晨晨的复兴，而这种更新必须是天天新鲜的，好天天都有新鲜的变化─林后四16，利六12，林后三1。
1.　Every day we need a renewal, a morning-by-morning revival, and this renewal has to be refreshed day by day for a transformation that is fresh daily—2 Cor. 4:16; Lev. 6:12; 2 Cor. 3:18.
2　我们该天天过奉献的生活，在这样的生活中，我们与主有交通，与祂同行，住在祂里面，而与祂成为一灵，并活出祂来。这就是得胜的生活。
2.　We should live a life of consecration daily, in which we fellowship with the Lord, walk with Him, abide in Him, and thus become one spirit with Him and live Him out; this is an overcoming living.
二　长老该每天不断的照顾群羊，直到牧长显现的时候─彼前五4：
B.　The elders should care for the flock daily and unceasingly, until the Chief Shepherd is manifested—1 Pet. 5:4:
1　牧养是指顾到羊的一切需用。
1.　Shepherding refers to caring for all the needs of the sheep.
2　我们一听见有人生病了，或有人遭遇什么难处，一定要关心、代祷，并且去看望。
2.　As soon as we hear of anyone sick or of anyone encountering problems, we must be concerned for him, pray for him, and go to visit him.
3　我们接触各种年龄的圣徒，必须用“全般的纯洁”，意思就是说，我们接触他们的惟一动机，乃是将基督供应给他们，使他们能在主里长大─提前五1~2。
3.　Our contact with the saints of all ages must be "in all purity," which means that our only motive in contacting them is to minister Christ to them that they might grow in the Lord—1 Tim. 5:1-2.
4　我们若没有复兴的生活，也没有牧养上的劳苦，我们就不能长久得胜;我们将无法维持我们的得胜。
4.　If we do not have a revived living or a labor in shepherding, we will not be overcoming for long; there will be no way for us to maintain our victory.
拾　长老该接触并看望圣徒，并邀请他们到家中吃饭：
X.　The elders should contact and visit the saints and invite them to their home for meals:
一　长老该在牧养上劳苦，赎回每一点光阴，一个一个的接触圣徒：
A.　The elders should have a labor in shepherding, redeeming every bit of their time to contact the saints one by one:
1　我们必须跟随使徒保罗在行传二十章的榜样，在公众面前或挨家挨户的教导圣徒（20），并流泪劝戒他们（32）。─引用经文
1.　We need to follow the pattern of the apostle Paul in Acts 20, teaching the saints publicly and from house to house (v. 20) and admonishing each one of them with tears (v. 31).
2　长老该善于教导神永远经纶高峰的真理─提前三2下，五17下，一3~4，林前一10。
2.　The elders should be apt to teach the high peaks of the truth of God's eternal economy—1 Tim. 3:2b; 5:17b; 1:3-4; 1 Cor. 1:10.
3　长老与同工若爱圣徒像母亲爱自己的孩子一样，慈爱、乐意的服事、口对口的喂养他们，面对面的教导他们;这样，当圣徒被成全时，他们也会像同工与长老一样，每一个人都能作同工与长老所作的工─弗四11~12。
3.　If the elders and co-workers would love the saints like a mother who loves her child and would render a loving, willing service to them, feeding them mouth-to-mouth and teaching them face-to-face, then when the saints are perfected they will be just like the co-workers and elders; every one of them will be able to do the work that the co-workers and elders do—Eph. 4:11-12.
4　邀请圣徒到我们家来，比讲十篇信息更有效;关心能摸着人的感觉，远比信息能摸着得更深。
4.　To invite the saints into our home is more effective than ten messages; care can touch people's feeling in a far deeper way than messages can.
二　我们若有心为着主，从现在起就该天天有复兴，过得胜的生活，为主奉献一切，并且努力赎回每一点光阴去接触人。
B.　If we have a heart for the Lord, from now on, we should have a revival every day to live the overcoming life, to consecrate everything for the Lord, and to strive to redeem every bit of time to contact people.