第七週 • 週五
晨興餧養
啟二一12~13 有高大的牆；有十二個門，門上有十二位天使；門上又寫着以色列十二個支派的名字；東邊有三門，北邊有三門，南邊有三門，西邊有三門。
新耶路撒冷是有門的〔啟二一12~13〕。人要進入這一座城，有分於這一個神的建造，就必須經過門。…這一座城共有十二個門；…四方都有。這包含一個意思就是說，人要進到這座城裏是非常的方便，一點不覺得為難。…你要注意，在新耶路撒冷這裏，有很多的數字都是十二。並且這裏的十二，乃是東西南北的四方，和每一方的三個門，兩者相乘而得的。三這個數字，是指三而一的神，也是指在復活裏來作人生命的神。這三而一的神，來和人發生關係，而作人的生命，乃是藉着成為肉體，死而復活。…這三而一的神，是經過這三個步驟來作人的生命。三這個數字，就包括這麼多的意義。而四在聖經中乃是指着受造之物〔參四6〕。…所以三乘四的意思，就是神與人調和。神與人完全調和，就成為十二。十二乃是一個永遠完全的數目，也就是神建造完全的數目。凡經過神建造的東西，都應該是神與人調和過的；如果以數字來表徵，就是十二（神的建造，一三一至一三二頁）。
信息選讀
這一座城的門是珍珠，意思就是告訴我們，凡和這珍珠的性質不合的，都不能有分於這一座城，都不能進到這一座城裏面。凡能經過珍珠的門，而進到這一座城裏面的，都必須是三乘四的東西，都必須是人調在神裏頭的東西，都必須是在基督裏經過死而復活的新造。你不能把天然的東西，把沙土的東西，帶到這所建築的裏面來。每一粒沙土，都必須先進到蚌的傷處起過作用。每一個屬土的人，都必須在基督的十字架裏頭，經過死而復活。所有天然的人，所有天然的成分，都必須在十字架那裏受過對付，變作新造，變作珍珠，纔能入門。
天然的，人工的，技巧的，帶着人的手腕和辦法的，沒有經過十字架的，…凡這些沒有經過死的東西，都是沙土，都不是珍珠。這些永遠不能帶到神的建造裏面來。你若將這些帶來，你就破壞神的建造…。在召會這裏，在神的建造這裏，不能有沙，不能有土，只能有珍珠。那就是說，在召會的建造裏面，都該是經過十字架的，都該是在基督裏的，都該是神人調和的。…只有合於這門的性質的，纔能帶到神的這個建築裏面來。
新耶路撒冷城也有街道〔啟二一21下〕。…聖經說，城是純金的〔啟二一18〕，街道也是純金的〔21下〕（神的建造，一三四、一三八至一三九頁）。
金象徵神聖的性情。生命水的河在街道當中流着，表徵神聖的生命在神聖的性情裏湧流，作神贖民日常生活的惟一道路。…神聖的生命和作聖別道路之神聖的性情，總是同行的。所以神生命水的河，是順着神聖的道路便於應用的。我們是藉着行在這生命的道路中，享受這生命水的河（聖經恢復本，啟二二1註1）。
這一所建築就是這一條道路。你我所作的工就是這一條路，你我所建造的召會就是這一條路。我們甚麼時候能完全否認自己，活在神的性情中，我們的事奉就不但能叫召會得着建造，並且人到我們中間，也定規能碰着神的道路（神的建造，一四四頁）。
參讀：神的建造，第八篇。
WEEK 7 — DAY 5
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 21:12-13 "It had a great and high wall and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: on the east three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the west three gates."
The New Jerusalem has gates (Rev. 21:12-13), and anyone who wants to enter the city and participate in the building of God has to pass through these gates....This city has a total of twelve gates. There are gates on all four sides....This implies that it is very convenient for people to enter into the city; there is no difficulty at all....Notice that in the New Jerusalem the number twelve appears frequently....In this case the number twelve is derived from multiplying four (four sides—east, north, south, and west) by three (three gates on each side). The number three denotes the Triune God, the God who came in resurrection to be man’s life. The Triune God came to have a relationship with man and to be man’s life through incarnation, death, and resurrection....By passing through these three steps the Triune God came to be man’s life. All these things are implied in the number three. In the Scriptures the number four denotes the creatures [cf. 4:6]....Therefore, three times four implies the mingling of God with man. The complete mingling of God and man becomes twelve. Twelve is the number of eternal completion, the number of the completion of God’s building. Anything built up by God should be the issue of the mingling of God with man. The number that we use to signify this is twelve. (The Building Work of God, pp. 98-99)
Today's Reading
That the gates of the city are pearls indicates that whoever does not correspond with the nature of the pearl cannot enter into the city to participate in it. Anyone who enters into the city through the gate has to be the product of three times four—the issue of the mingling of God with man, and a new creation in Christ through death and resurrection. You cannot bring anything natural, anything of the earth, into this building. Every grain of sand must be changed by entering into the oyster’s wound. Every earthy person must pass through death and resurrection through the cross of Christ. All natural beings and all natural elements must become a new creation—pearl—through the dealing of the cross. Only then can they enter through the gates.
Something natural, something of human effort, something “ingenious,” something resulting from human schemes and methods, or something which has not passed through the cross,...[is] sand and not pearls since [it has] not passed through death. Hence, you should never bring [something natural] into the building of God. If you do, you will damage God’s building....In the church, in God’s building, there cannot be sand or dust; there can only be pearls. In the building up of the church everything must pass through the cross, must be in Christ, and must be the mingling of God and man....Only that which corresponds with the nature of this entrance can be brought into the building of God.
The New Jerusalem also has a street (Rev. 21:21b)....The Bible tells us that the city is pure gold (v. 18), and that the street is pure gold (v. 21b). (The Building Work of God, pp. 100, 103-104)
Gold symbolizes the divine nature. That the river of water of life proceeds “in the middle of its street” signifies that the divine life flows in the divine nature as the unique way for the daily life of God’s redeemed people....The divine life and the divine nature as the holy way always go together. Thus, God’s river of water of life is available along this divine way, and we enjoy the river by walking in this way of life. (Rev. 22:1, footnote 6)
The building is the street. The work you and I are doing is this street. The church you and I are building is this street. Whenever we completely deny ourselves and live in the nature of God, our service will not only issue in the building of the church but also lead people to the way of God when they come into our midst. (The Building Work of God, p. 108)
Further Reading: The Building Work of God, ch. 8
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