林前三 6『我栽種了，亞波羅澆灌了，惟有神叫他生長。』
9『因為我們是神的同工，你們是神的耕地，神的建築。』
聖經甚麼地方說到變化和生命長大是同一件事？林前三章說，『我栽種了，亞波羅澆灌了，惟有神叫他生長。…你們是神的耕地，神的建築。…然而，若有人用金、銀、寶石，木、草、禾秸，在這根基上建造，各人的工程必然顯露。』（6、9、12~13）
保羅說，我們是神的耕地，神的建築。我們在這裡乃是為着生長基督。保羅栽種了，亞波羅澆灌了，而神叫人生長。這些辭句都與生長的事有關。生長和變化如何是相同的事？這裡說到我們也是一座建築，由金、銀、寶石所建造。起初我們是生長在神耕地上的植物，但最後的結果卻成為金、銀、寶石。這豈不是變化麼？脆弱的植物竟然變化成這麼堅實的礦物！（保羅的完成職事，九四頁）
我們以三位弟兄為例：他們都很年輕，也許最近才進入教會生活。我們可以把他們看作植物，一位是小樹，另一位是灌木，第三位是柔嫩的小花。他們長在神的耕地上，就是長在教會裡。你們看他們多麼柔弱！受不了任何苦待和傷害。但是，他們雖然年輕，卻一直在長大。主盼望有一天，小樹會變成金子，灌木會變成銀子，小花會變成寶石。
這朵小花，這叢灌木，還有這棵小樹，今天看起來都很可愛。但假設三年以後，我們發現它們還是老樣子，沒有長大，也沒有變化；雖然看起來很可愛，卻不適合作建造的材料。一棟房子能用花來建造麼？一棵小樹能用來作門框麼？灌木能作牆壁麼？不可能有這樣的建築物！這些也不可能成為建造新耶路撒冷的材料。新耶路撒冷是由金子建造成的，有寶石牆和珍珠門。神的建築不是用易碎的小花、脆弱的灌木和柔嫩的小樹建造成的！
這三位弟兄都需要改變。他們需要一種生機的、新陳代謝的變化。三年之後，我們不盼望看見這位弟兄還是一朵小花，看來很可愛，卻對建造沒有用處。我們盼望他成為寶石，雖然美麗的花朵不再有了。我們盼望看見灌木也許變成珍珠，堅實而透亮。這棵小樹也需要變化，也許變成純淨如同玻璃的金子。
親愛的聖徒們，你們能滿意於一直作小樹、灌木和花朵麼，還是渴慕成為寶石？…我相信有各式各樣的東西在這〔耕地上〕生長。不但有植物，也有一些金、銀、寶石。
這塊耕地也是建築，說明了內住的靈如何從我們靈里擴展，滲透我們的魂，因而變化我們。
我們必須讓內住的靈擴展並浸透我們的魂。這樣，我們自自然然就是一了；我們能魂里聯結（腓二 2），天然的觀念會把地位讓給擴展的靈。這就是我們生命長大的路。因着生命長大，就產生一，我們便能與眾聖徒建造在一起（保羅的完成職事，九五至九七頁）。
在腓立比二章二節保羅…說到魂里聯結，這指明腓立比人中間的不合，是由於他們沒有在魂里聯結，沒有在他們的心思，就是他們魂的主要部分里，思念同一件事。他們的難處不在於他們的靈，乃在於他們的魂，特別在於他們的心思。他們借着重生，有基督在他們的靈里；但他們還未借着變化，有基督豐滿的在他們的魂里。惟有讓基督浸透並占有他們的全魂，他們才能在魂里成為一（腓立比書生命讀經，八九頁）。
參讀：哥林多前書生命讀經， 第二十二至二十三篇；腓立比書生命讀經，第九篇。
1 Cor. 3:6 "I planted, Apollos
watered, but God caused the growth."
9 "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's cultivated land,
God's building."
Where does the Scripture indicate that transformation and the growth in
life are one and the same? First Corinthians 3 says:"I planted, Apollos
watered, but God caused
the growth....You are
God's cultivated land
[farm], God's building....But if
anyone builds upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass,
stubble, the work of each will become manifest" (vv. 6, 9, 12-13).
Paul says that we are God's farm, God's building. We are here to grow
Christ. Paul planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the growth. These
terms all pertain
to the matter
of growth. How
is growth the
same as transformation? We are
also a building, with gold, silver, precious stones. We start out as plants
growing on God's farm, but the end result is gold, silver, and precious stones.
Is this not transformation? Frail plants are transformed into such solid
things! (The Completing Ministry of Paul, pp. 68-69)
Suppose we take three brothers. They are young, perhaps having only
recently come into the church life. We may consider them as plants. One is a
small tree, another is a shrub, and the third a tender flower. They are growing
on God's farm, the church. See how delicate they are! They cannot take any kind
of harsh treatment or damage. Yet, though they are young, theyare growing. The
Lord expects that one day this small tree will change into gold, this shrub
will become silver, and this flower will be a precious stone.
This flower, this
shrub, and this
small tree look
lovely to us
today. Suppose, however, that after three years we find them still the
same. They have not grown and been transformed. They may be lovely to look at,
but they are not suitable for building material. Can a house be built with
flowers? Can a little tree be used for a doorpost? Can a shrub be part of a
wall? There could not be such a building! Nor can these be the building
materials of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is built of gold with walls
of precious stone and gates of pearl. God's building is not with fragile
flowers, delicate shrubs, and tender saplings!
These three brothers all need to change. They need an organic, metabolic
transformation. After three years we do not want to find this brother still a
flower, lovely to look at but useless for building. We want him to be a
precious stone, even though the beautiful blossoms are gone. We want to see
this shrub changed into a pearl perhaps, solid and transparent. This tree also needs
to be transformed, perhaps into gold as pure as glass.
Dear saints, are you content to be trees, shrubs, and flowers? Or do you
long to be precious stones?...I believe [that on this"farm"] you have
a variety growing here. There are plants, but also some gold, silver, and
precious stones.
This farm that is also a building illustrates the way the indwelling
Spirit spreads from our spirit to permeate our soul and thus transforms us.
We must let the indwelling Spirit spread and saturate our soul. Then
spontaneously we shall be one. We shall be joined in soul (Phil. 2:2). The
natural concepts will give place to the spreading Spirit. This is the way we
grow in life. Out of this growth in life comes oneness. We can be built
together with all the saints. (The Completing Ministry of Paul, pp. 69-70)
In Philippians 2:2 Paul also speaks of being joined in soul. This
indicates that the dissension among the Philippians was due to their not being
joined in soul, not thinking the one thing in their mind, the leading part of
the soul. Their problem was not with their spirit, but with their soul,
especially with their mind. They had Christ in their spirit through
regeneration, but they did not have Christ fully in their soul through
transformation. Only by having Christ saturate and occupy their entire soul
could they be made one in soul. (Life-study of Philippians, p. 76)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msgs. 22-23; Life-study of
Philippians, msg. 9
