得勝是一個恩賜，不是一個賞賜

聖經經節

林前十五56：死的毒刺就是罪，罪的權勢就是律法。57：感謝神，祂藉著我們的主耶穌基督，使我們得勝。

職事的話

一件事請你記得，得勝是一個恩賜，不是一個賞賜。甚麼是恩賜呢？恩賜是一個禮物，是人白白送給你的。你自己作工得來的是賞賜。你白白得來，一點沒有花力氣的是恩賜。我們的得勝，是白白得來的，不是自己用力賺來的。

你在那裡是想，我怎樣能勝過試探呢？你在那裡是想，我怎樣能勝過我的脾氣呢？你在那裡是想，我怎樣能勝過我的驕傲呢？你在那裡是想，我怎樣能勝過我的嫉妒呢？你不知要花多少力氣，也不知多少次都是失望。

今天，我有一個福音傳給你們！神把主耶穌的聖潔，主耶穌的忍耐，主耶穌的完全，主耶穌的仁愛，主耶穌的信實，白白送給你。要的人，神就白白送給他。像祂那一種和神親密的交通，像祂那一種聖潔的生活，像祂那一種完全的美麗，神送給你。叫基督一切的美德，成為我的美德。這是神所豫備的救恩！這是神願意白白賜給我們的！

(c) Living Stream Ministry。闡釋部份取自倪柝聲文集〝得勝的生命〞，第42~45頁。美國加州安那翰市，水流職事站出版。

若需要更多相關的出版資訊請連結至水流職事站中文網站查詢

Constitued by and with the Lord as the Life-giving and Transforming Spirit

2 Cor 3:16 But whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

2 Cor 3:17 And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2Cor 3:18 But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as the Lord Spirit.

What is the veril in v16? Actually our turned-away heart is the veil. To turn our heart to the Lord is to take away the veil. Lord, I turn my heart to You!

To behold the glory of the Lord is to see the Lord ourselves, and to reflect the glory of the Lord is to enable others to see Him through us. Our face should be fully unveiled that we may see well and reflect properly.

We are being transformed metabolically to have His life shape by His life power with His life essence; this is, we are being transfigured, mainly by the renewing of our mind into His image.

The new covenant ministers are the persons (1) whose hearts have turned to the Lord, (2) whose faces are unveiled, (3) who are enjoying the Lord as the Spirit, freeing them from the bondage of the law, and (4) who are being transformed into the image of the Lord by beholding and reflecting Him. Through such a process of transformation they are constituted ministers of Christ by the Spirit with the elements of Christ's person and work. Hence, their person is constituted of and with Christ, and their ministry is to minister Christ to others, infusing them with the all-inclusive Christ as the indwelling, life-giving Spirit. All believers should imitate such ministers to be the same kind of person and to accomplish the same kind of ministry.

(Taken from the New Testament Recovery Version)

需要經歷神完全的拯救

聖經經節

羅馬書六6：知道我們的舊人已經與祂同釘十字架，使罪的身體失效，叫我們不再作罪的奴僕。

職事的話

讓我們對主說，主阿，感謝讚美你！你在十字架上所成功的，不只救我脫離罪惡的刑罰，也救我脫離罪惡的權勢了。弟兄姊妹們，如果我們的經歷與聖經所說的生命不合，我們就需要得勝。我們要求主給我們光照，叫我們看見自己。我們不要欺騙自己說，犯罪是基督人免不了的。我想沒有一句話比這更傷主的心了！

弟兄姊妹們，你想到主的十字架到底成功了甚麼事？你想主到十字架叫你不過就是如此麼？你不要說謊。你不要說，我能壓住我自己，我能管住我自己。壓住、管住，並不是得勝；主的得勝，是罪完全被破壞了。阿利路亞！罪已經踏在主的腳下了！哦，凡未得著與神有不間斷交通的人，凡未得著勝過罪的能力的人，這個人就需要得勝。但願神施恩祝福我們！

(c) Living Stream Ministry。闡釋部份取自倪柝聲文集〝得勝的生命〞，第36頁。美國加州安那翰市，水流職事站出版。

若需要更多相關的出版資訊請連結至水流職事站中文網站查詢

Lord, grant me today's supply of grace

* Lord, grant me today's supply of grace;
May Your divine life grow apace;
Little by little, day by day, to grow
More and more, into You.

1 Day by day, bit by bit, life will grow as is fit,
Increasing gradually until,
However imperceptibly, Your life matures within me.

2 I would be desperately, constantly, patiently,
Drawing each breath of life from You, Lord;
Knowing that every day while I breathe,
Your life will permeate me.

3 Every day, may I rest, knowing that each bequest,
Matches my daily need exactly;
Jesus Christ intercedes for me, a member of His body.
Lord, grant me a heavenly, corporate view;
That all of my growth and prayers to You,
Little by little, day by day,
would cause building up into You.

4 We would be corporately, growing up steadily
Till we reach the stature of Your fullness;
Transforming and conforming us, Your
Manifested people.
(Chorus 1)
(Chorus 2)
Lord, grant me a heavenly, corporate view;
That all of my growth and prayers to You,
Little by little, day by day, would cause building up into
the New Jerusalem.

What kind of mind do I have?

Phil. 3:14 I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward.

Phil. 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as are full-grown, have this mind; and if in anything you are otherwise minded, this also God will reveal to you.

According to verse 15, "as many as are full grown" should have "this mind." Paul's word in verse 15 implies that if we do not have this mind, we may be childish. Not having this mind is a sign that we are not full grown. As we consider the situation among Christians today, we see a great deal of childishness. Not many believers have this mind, the mind to seek after the fullest enjoyment and gain of Christ. Imagine how marvelous the situation would be if all seeking Christians had a mind focused on pursuing Christ for the full enjoyment and gaining of Him. If the seeking Christians were like this, the situation on earth would be excellent and wonderful. However, the situation among Christians today is confused and complicated. This is due to the fact that seeking Christians do not have this mind. Instead of seeking God's unique goal, they pursue other goals. These different goals cause trouble. We should have one goal, and this goal should be to pursue Christ that we may have the fullest enjoyment of Him and may gain Him in full.

Lord, renew my mind to pursue Christ for the Body.

Transcending Everything through Praise

Isa 38:18-19 For Sheol cannot thank You, and Death cannot praise You; They that go down to the pit cannot hope in Your truth.
The living, the living, he will praise You, as I do today...

Your whole being may struggle, complain, and cry for justice. You may find it difficult to forgive or pardon others. It is hard for you to overcome your feeling. You are wronged, slandered, persecuted, and you cannot get over it. Prayer does not help much. You want to fight and struggle against it, but you cannot. The more you try to shake off this burden, the worse you become. You find it hard to overcome. Please remember that when you suffer great personal hardship and severe injustice, it is not the time for you to pray, but the time for you to praise. You should bow your head and say to the Lord, “I thank You. You are never wrong in what You do. I accept all these things from Your hands. I thank You . I praise You.” If you do this, all your problems will go away.

Victory has nothing to do with struggling with the flesh. It has nothing to do with trying to forgive others or striving to pardon others with one's own strength. Victory comes when one bows his head and praises the Lord: “I praise You for Your way. Your arrangement is always good. Whatever You do is right.” When you praise the Lord this way, your spirit will soar above your problems; it will soar above your inner wounds. Your spirit will transcend to the heights... The Christian life soars through praises. To praise is to transcend everything to touch the Lord. This was the pathway our Lord Jesus took when He was on earth.

Praise the Lord!

(from Watchman Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, pp. 255-256. )

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Hymn 645

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

Press On

This morning I read a message by a brother serving at BfA and enjoyed it very much. I was particularly touched by the following portion:

Nothing is permanent in the Lord’s move. We must always remain open to Him and to His leading. We should never hold on to anything regardless of how much we enjoy it or how effective it is.

O Lord, make me an open vessel fully for You!