2010秋季长老
总题：在生命中作正确的人，好在神的行政中照料召会
第二篇　在生命中产生长老，好生机的照料召会
Message Two The Producing of the Elders in Life to Care for the Church in an Organic Way
读经：徒十四23，二十28，多一5，约二一15~17，帖前二7，11
Scripture Reading: Acts 14:23; 20:28; Titus 1:5; John 21:15-17; 1 Thes. 2:7, 11
壹　长老的产生不是凭选立，乃是凭生命的长大─提前三1~7：
I.　The elders are produced not by appointment but by growth in life—1 Tim. 3:1-7:
一　以色列人有长老，但旧约没有告诉我们这些长老是如何选立的;同样的，在耶路撒冷的召会有长老，但他们何时、如何成为长老，却没有记载─出四29，徒八1，十五2，4，6。
A.　The children of Israel had elders, but the Old Testament does not tell us how these elders were appointed; likewise, there were elders in the church in Jerusalem, but there is no record of when or how they became elders—Exo. 4:29; Acts 8:1; 15:2, 4, 6.
二　新约给我们看见，长老在神行政中的重要─徒十一29~30，十五2，4，23，十六4，二十17，二一18：
B.　The New Testament shows us the importance of the elders in God's administration— Acts 11:29-30; 15:2, 4, 23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18:
1　长老是地方召会中的监督─二十28：
1.　The elders are overseers in the local church—20:28:
a　“长老”这称呼是指成熟的人，而“监督”这称呼是指长老的功用─十四23，二十28。
a.　The title elder denotes a person of maturity, whereas the title overseer denotes the function of an elder—14:23; 20:28.
b　监督是观察情况、光景和需要，目的是照顾召会同众圣徒─提前三1。
b.　To oversee is to observe the situation, condition, and need for the purpose of taking care of the church with all the saints—1 Tim. 3:1.
c　长老必须完全按着神的思想、感觉、意愿、和拣选来监督召会─彼前五2。
c.　The elders should oversee the church altogether according to God's thought, feeling, will, and choice—1 Pet. 5:2.
2　长老在地方召会里带领，走在群羊前面设立榜样─提前五17。
2.　The elders take the lead in the local church, going ahead of the flock to set an example—1 Tim. 5:17.
3　所有长老都该善于教导地方召会的信徒─三2：
3.　All the elders should be apt to teach the members of the local church—3:2:
a　长老是当地的牧人，作牧人就是作教师;教导乃是实际牧养圣徒的主要方式─徒二十28。
a.　The elders are the local shepherds, and to be a shepherd is to be a teacher; teaching is the main way to practically shepherd the saints— Acts 20:28.
b　长老应当忙于在基督徒日常生活和召会生活实际的事上教导圣徒。
b.　The elders should be occupied in teaching the saints concerning the practical matters of the daily Christian life and church life.
4　长老背负着牧养地方召会的担子;召会就像一群羊，长老乃是牧人，牧养这群羊，照管群羊的情形并应付需要─28节。
4.　The elders bear the burden of shepherding the local church; the church is like a flock, and the elders are the shepherds to shepherd this flock, taking care of the situation of the flock and meeting the needs—v. 28.
5　长老照管地方召会里的财务;长老在钱财的事上必须清洁，特别因为召会的款项是由长老管理─十一29~30，提前三3。
5.　The elders take care of the finances in a local church; an elder must be pure in money matters, especially since the church fund is under the elders' management—11:29-30; 1 Tim. 3:3.
三　长老的产生主要不在于使徒的选立;反之，长老的产生主要在于生命─徒十四23，多一5：
C.　The producing of the elders does not depend mainly on the appointment by the apostles; rather, the producing of the elders is mainly a matter of life—Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5:
1　长老的产生乃是凭他们在生命上的所是，根据生命的长大和成熟而定─提前三1~7。
1.　The elders are produced by what they are in life according to their growth and maturity in life—1 Tim. 3:1-7.
2　选立长老，只是要向圣徒指出或指明谁是长老，以避免混乱或纠纷;然而，我们需要清楚，长老的产生不是凭选立，乃是凭生命。
2.　To appoint elders is simply to point out or indicate to the saints who the elders are in order to avoid confusion or complication; nevertheless, we need to be clear that the elders are produced not by appointment but by life.
3　长老职分的力量在于生命和教导;倘若长老在生命和教导上都丰富，召会的光景就会美好。
3.　The strength of the eldership depends on life and teaching; if the elders are rich in life and in teaching, the situation in the churches will be wonderful.
四　长老是不可调动的─徒十四23，多一5：
D.　Elders are not transferable—Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5:
1　长老应该在地方上，从一处召会聚会的圣徒中间兴起;不该有长老的调动，因为这违反生命的原则─徒十四23，多一5。
1.　The elders should be raised up locally from among the saints meeting in a church, and there should be no transfer of elders, because this violates the principle of life—Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5.
2　调动长老非常危险，因为这会开门让阶级制度进来，并使众召会失去主的祝福─参罗十五29，弗一3。
2.　Transferring elders is dangerous because it opens the door to hierarchy and causes the churches to lose the Lord's blessing—cf. Rom. 15:29; Eph. 1:3.
3　调动使地方召会成为人工的组织，失去家的本质─加六10，弗二19，提前三15。
3.　Transfers cause a local church to become a man-made organization without the nature of a family—Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15.
4　调动长老完全违背圣经的原则，只有利于那些想要藉着操纵局面来建立自己王国的人，他们的目的是要控制某些地方召会。
4.　Transferring elders is absolutely against the biblical principle and is useful only for those who want to build up their own kingdom by manipulating the situation in order to gain control over certain local churches.
贰　召会是基督生机的身体，长老该生机的照料召会─约二一15~17，罗十二4~8，彼前五2：
II.　The church is the organic Body of Christ, and the elders should care for the church in an organic way—John 21:15-17; Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Pet. 5:2:
一　长老职分是生机的，长老照料召会应该完全是生机的，不是组织的─约二一15~17：
A.　The eldership is organic, and the elders' care for the church should be altogether organic, not organizational—John 21:15-17:
1　“长老”这辞指明生机的事，出于生命的事;长老是在生命里成熟的人─徒十四23，多一5。
1.　The term elder indicates something organic, something of life; an elder is a person who is mature in life—Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5.
2　长老应该与主耶稣是一，喂养、牧养、保养、并顾惜召会;这就是照料召会生机的路─约二一15~17，弗五29：
2.　The elders should be one with the Lord Jesus to feed, shepherd, nourish, and cherish the church; this is the organic way to care for the church— John 21:15-17; Eph. 5:29:
a　“牧养”一辞几乎等于“保养”和“顾惜”二辞─彼前五2，弗五29。
a.　The word shepherd nearly equals the words nourish and cherish—1 Pet. 5:2; Eph. 5:29.
b　所有的长老都该是乳养的母亲和教导的父亲─帖前二7，11。
b.　All the elders should be nourishing mothers and teaching fathers— 1 Thes. 2:7, 11.
c　我们众人都需要学习不控制圣徒，而是保养并顾惜他们。
c.　We all need to learn not to control the saints but to nourish and cherish them.
3　长老在召会中带领、治理、尽功用，乃是一种照着恩典所赐的恩赐;这指明长老的带领是生机的，是藉着生命而不是组织的─罗十二4~8。
3.　To take the lead, to administrate, to function as an elder in the church, is one of the gifts given according to grace; this indicates that the leading of the elders is organic and that it is by life and is not organizational—Rom. 12:4-8.
4　若是长老们以组织的方式带领，这指明召会已经堕落了;在组织的范围里，就是在堕落里。
4.　If the elders take the lead in an organizational way, this indicates that the church has degraded, for to be in the realm of organization is to be in degradation.
5　若是长老凭着生命活在灵里，保养、顾惜、并牧养召会，他们就是生机的;当一个召会是生机的，所有的服事者都会生机的服事─八4，加五16，25，弗五29。
5.　If the elders live in the spirit by life to nourish, cherish, and shepherd the church, they are organic; when a church is organic, all the serving ones serve organically—8:4; Gal. 5:16, 25; Eph. 5:29.
二　在众召会中间，不该有一种不合式的配搭，带进阶级组织和人的作头─启二6，15，西四15~16：
B.　Among the churches there should not be an improper coordination that brings in hierarchical organization and human headship—Rev. 2:6, 15; Col. 4:15-16:
1　配搭常含示组织和活动;召会有交通是正常的，但将邻近众召会组织起来而有配搭，就是不合式的举动─林后九13，帖前二14。
1.　Coordination often implies organization and activity; for the churches to have fellowship is normal, but to coordinate in the way of organizing nearby churches is an improper activity—2 Cor. 9:13; 1 Thes. 2:14.
2　召会间和圣徒间的交通是健康的生命之流，邻近众召会的长老们来在一起交通是正常的;然而，这些长老的配搭可能是个网罗，使召会陷入组织─约壹一7。
2.　Fellowship among the churches and the saints is the healthy flow of life, and it is normal for the elders in nearby churches to come together to fellowship; however, for the elders to coordinate may be a snare that causes the church to fall into organization—1 John 1:7.
3　我们可以来在一起交通，但我们必须避免阶级组织和人的作头，不仅众召会间如此，就是在各地方召会里也是如此─西二19，四15~16。
3.　We may come together for fellowship, but we must avoid hierarchical organization and human headship not only among the churches but also within each local church—Col. 2:19; 4:15-16.