保羅的完成職事(29): 重生,魂變化,生命長大
讀經：林後三 16 ～ 18，羅十二 2，林前三 6、9、12 ～ 13，腓二 2，弗四 12 ～ 16
1 我們靈的重生是一剎那發生的，我們身體的得榮是眨眼之間發生的（林前十五 51 ～ 52），但我們魂（心思、情感和意志）的變化是漫長的過程，是我們必須經過的長『隧道』。
2 我們屬靈的生命是由重生開始的；當我們相信主耶穌，呼求他名的時候，他這賜生命的靈就進入我們靈里，並重生了我們的靈；從此以後，三一神便內住於我們的靈；於是，我們在靈里就與他是一─約三6，一 12 ～13，羅十 12 ～ 13。
3 現今他需要從我們的靈擴展到我們的魂里；他這賜生命的靈擴展到我們的魂里，並浸透我們的魂時，我們就被變化了─林後三16 ～ 18，羅十二 2：
4
變化就是我們的魂被三一神浸透。
5
重生是在我們靈里的出生，變化是在我們魂里的浸透。三 變化乃是一種新陳代謝的改變；變化不是外面的改變或更正，乃是神的生命在信徒裡面新陳代謝的作用，產生外面的顯出。
6 信徒若肯在神聖的生命里長大，這神聖生命的成分，就得以在他們裡面增多，而起了新陳代謝的改變，使他們裡面的性情變質，更使他們外面的形像變形，就是變得和主的形像相同─林後三18。
7 裡面新陳代謝而顯於外面的，才是真健康、真美麗─參出二八 2，羅十三14，12。
8 我們因觀看主而變成主的形像，不是我們自修的結果，乃是主靈，就是主基督在他復活的時候所變成賜生命之靈，在我們裡面的運行，借着神聖生命的成分，在我們裡面加多而有新陳代謝的改變。
9
耶穌基督之靈全備的供應從我們的靈擴展到我們的魂，就在我們裡面起新陳代謝的作用，結果就顯於 外面；人就要看見，從我們身上所顯出來的，不是我們自己，乃是基督─腓一 19 ～ 21 上。
10 我們必須享受耶穌基督之靈全備的供應，讓這靈在我們裡面作工，這就是變化；我們若是借着心轉向主，天天碰着主，讓主的成分進入我們裡面，自然就會有新陳代謝在我們裡面發生，使我們變化並彰顯主，從榮耀到榮耀─林後三 16 ～ 18。
11 我們要被變化，可以凡事和他談一談，商量一下─『應當一無掛慮，只要凡事借着禱告、祈求，帶着感謝，將你們所要的告訴神』─腓四 6。
12
我們有難處只要告訴主；他就在我們裡面，面對面與我們同在─參出三三 11。
13
掛慮一來了，我們就要說，『主阿，這掛慮是你的，不是我的；我交給你了，因為你替我掛慮』；這樣，我們就在裡面得着主的成分，我們裡面就會常常起新陳代謝的作用；這就是活基督。
14
不知道這秘訣（腓四
12、6）的人，以為活基督是很難的事；其實我們只要操練常與主說話，我們自然就會活基督。
15 真正生命的長大，就是魂的變化。
16 在十個童女的比喻里（太二五 1 ～ 13），主耶穌題到童女的燈和器皿；精明的和愚拙的，燈里都有油（8），但只有精明的豫備油在器皿里。
17
我們需要有兩分油：一分為着燈，另一分為着器皿。
18
凡是得救的人，都有油在燈里；也就是說，我們靈里都有了那靈（箴二十 27）；不過，我們的器皿（羅九 21、23），我們的魂里有沒有一分額外的油，卻是一個問題。
19
我們是愚拙的還是精明的童女，不在於我們的靈，而在於我們的魂；我們的靈已經蒙了重生，但我們的魂需要被那靈浸透；我們器皿里需要有額外的一分油。
20 這比喻給我們看見，我們?然蒙了重生，就需要變化，也就是需要生命長大；住在我們靈里的生命，需要擴展到我們的魂里，直到把魂浸透；神聖之靈的新成分進入我們的魂里，魂就起了生機的變化；這種變化就是生命長大。
21
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〔農場〕，神的建築。…然而，若有人用金、銀、寶石，木、草、禾拮，在這根基上建造，各人的工程必然顯露』─6、 9、12 ～ 13 節。
22 這些經文給我們看見，變化和生命的長大是相同的事─起初我們是生長在神耕地上的植物，但最後的結果卻變化成為金、銀、寶石。
23 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。
24 我們若讓我們靈里內住的靈擴展並浸透我們的魂，我們自自然然就是一了─我們能『魂里聯結』；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─腓二 2。
25 腓立比人借着重生，有基督在他們的靈里；但他們還沒有借着變化，有基督在他們的魂里；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。
26 我們肯讓內住的靈完全浸透我們的魂，而使其有生機的變化麼？我們肯讓那靈自由的滲透我們的靈，也滲透我們的魂麼？我們的魂被內住的靈浸透，我們便與新人成為一，被建造在身體裡。
27 以弗所四章十二至十六節告訴我們，基督身體的建造在於生命長大。
28 我們在一切事上長到他裡面，乃是借着我們的魂被那靈浸透；必須『身體漸漸長大』，主才能得着新人─二 15，四 23 ～ 24，西三 10 ～ 11。
29 當主的身體建造起來時，他便在地上得着一個新人來完成神永遠的定旨；這是主所要達到的目標。
30 讓我們為着這件事得以實現出來而禱告，並為此把自己獻給他：『主啊，求你從我的靈擴展到我的魂，浸透我的魂，使我產生新陳代謝的變化。我要有生機的改變。』
31 過了一段時間，我們就會生命長大而變化；然後，我們要建造到身體裡面，成為新人的肢體；新人的出現是主的目標；讓我們與他是一，追求借着魂的變化而在生命里長大，使基督的身體得以建造成為一個新人。
2013 Memorial Day Conference
THE COMPLETING MINISTRY OF PAUL
Message Six
Growth in Life through the
Transformation of Our Soul for the Building Up of the Body Scripture -
Reading: 2 Cor. 3:16-18; Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor.
3:6, 9, 12-13; Phil. 2:2; Eph. 4:12-16
I.
The regeneration of our spirit takes place in an instant, and the glorification
of our body takes place in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:51-52), but the
transformation of our soul (our mind,
emotion, and will) is a long process, a long “tunnel,” through which we must
pass:
A.
Our spiritual life began with regeneration; when we believed on the Lord
Jesus and called on His name, He as
the life-giving Spirit entered into our spirit and regenerated it; since
then, the Triune God has indwelt
our spirit, and in spirit we are one with Him─John 3:6;
1:12-13; Rom. 10:12-13.
B.
Now there is the need for Him to spread from our spirit into our soul;
when He as the
life-giving Spirit has spread into our soul and saturated it, we are
transformed─2
Cor. 3:16-18; Rom. 12:2:
1.
Transformation is the saturation of our soul by the Triune God.
2.
Regeneration is a
birth in our
spirit; transformation, a saturation in our soul.
C.
Transformation is a metabolic change; it is not an outward change or
correction but the metabolic function of
the life of God in the believers, issuing in an outward expression.
II. If
the believers are
willing to grow
in the divine
life, the element of the divine
life will increase in them and bring forth a metabolic change; thus, their
inward disposition will be
transformed, and their outward image will also be transformed to be the
same as the image of the Lord─2 Cor. 3:18:
A.
Only that which is expressed outwardly through the inward metabolism is
genuine health and real beauty─cf. Exo. 28:2; Rom. 13:14, 12.
B.
When we are transformed into the image of the Lord by beholding Him,
this is not the result of our
self-cultivation, but it is the Lord Spirit, the life-giving Spirit, who the
Lord Christ became in His resurrection,
who moves within us to bring forth a metabolic change through the increase of
the element of the divine life in us.
C.
When the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ spreads from our
spirit into our soul, it begins the inner process of metabolism and issues in
an outward manifestation; then people will
see that what is manifested through us is not ourselves but Christ─Phil. 1:19-21a.
D.
We must enjoy the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ and
allow Him to work in us; this is transformation; if we touch the Lord day by
day by turning our hearts to Him and allow His element to come into us,
metabolism will spontaneously transpire in us so that we may be transformed and express the Lord
from glory to glory─2 Cor. 3:16-18.
E.
In order to be transformed, we need to talk with Him and confer with Him
in everything─"in
nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God"─Phil. 4:6:
1.
If we have some problem, we just need to tell the Lord; He is right
within us, and He is with us face to
face─cf.
Exo. 33:11.
2.
When anxiety comes, we should say, “O Lord, this anxiety is Yours, not
mine; I give it to You because You bear it for me”; thus, we receive the Lord’s
element into us, and metabolism will work constantly in us; this is to live
Christ.
3.
Those who do not know this secret (Phil. 4:12, 6) consider that to live
Christ is a difficult thing; actually,
we just need to practice speaking with the Lord constantly; then
spontaneously, we will live Christ.
III.
The real growth in life is the transformation of the soul:
A.
In the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-13), the Lord Jesus spoke
of the virgins’ lampsand their vessels; both the prudent and the foolish had
oil in their lamps (v. 8), but only the prudent took oil in their vessels:
1.
Two portions of oil were needed, one for the lamp and the other for the
vessel.
2.
Those who are saved all have oil in the lamp; that is, we have the
Spirit in our spirit (Prov. 20:27);
whether we have an extra portion of oil in our vessel (Rom. 9:21, 23), our
soul, however, is another question.
3.
Whether we are foolish or prudent virgins depends not on our spirit but
on our soul; our spirit has been regenerated, but our soul needs to be
saturated with the Spirit; we need to have the extra portion of oil in our
vessel.
B.
This parable shows us that after we have been regenerated, we need to be
transformed; that is, we need to grow in life; the life abiding in our spirit
needs to spread into our soul until it issaturated; as the new elements of the
divine Spirit enter into our soul, it is organically transformed, and this
transformation is the growth in life.
IV.
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:
A.
These verses show that transformation and the growth in life are the
same─we
start out as plants growing on God’s
farm, but the end result is our being transformed into gold, silver,and
precious stones.
B.
This farm that
is also a
building illustrates the
way that the indwelling Spirit spreads from our spirit
to permeate our soul and thus to transform us.
V. If we let the indwelling Spirit in
our spirit spread into and saturate our soul, we shall
spontaneously be one─we shall be “joined in soul”; the natural
concepts will give place to thespreading Spirit; this is the way that we grow
in life, and out of this growth in life comes oneness─Phil. 2:2:
A.
The Philippians had Christ in their spirit through regeneration, but
they did not have Christ in their soul
through transformation; only by having Christ saturate and occupy their entire soul could they be made one in soul.
B.
Will we allow the indwelling Spirit to thoroughly saturate our soul so
that it is organically transformed? Will we give the Spirit the freedom to
permeate our soul as well as our spirit?
When our soul is saturated by the indwelling Spirit, we are one with the
new man and built up in the Body.
VI.
Ephesians 4:12-16 tells us that the building up of the Body of Christ
depends on the growth in life:
A.
Our growing up into Him in all things comes about through our soul being
saturated with the Spirit; there must be “the growth of the Body” for the Lord
to have the new man─2:15; 4:23-24; Col. 3:10-11.
B.
When His Body is built up, He will have the new man on earth to carry
out God’s eternal purpose; this is the goal that the Lord is pursuing.
C.
Let us pray for this to be realized and offer ourselves to Him for this:
“Lord, spread Yourself from my spirit into my soul. Saturate my soul. Transform
me metabolically. I want to be
organically changed.”par
D.
After some time we shall be transformed by the growth in life; then we
shall be built into the Body and be
members of the new man; the coming into being of the new man is the Lord's goal; let us be one with Him in pursuing the
growth in life through the transformation of the soul for the building up of
the Body as the one new man.
