林前三 6『我栽种了，亚波罗浇灌了，惟有神叫他生长。』
9『因为我们是神的同工，你们是神的耕地，神的建筑。』
圣经甚么地方说到变化和生命长大是同一件事？林前三章说，『我栽种了，亚波罗浇灌了，惟有神叫他生长。…你们是神的耕地，神的建筑。…然而，若有人用金、银、宝石，木、草、禾秸，在这根基上建造，各人的工程必然显露。』（6、9、12~13）
保罗说，我们是神的耕地，神的建筑。我们在这里乃是为着生长基督。保罗栽种了，亚波罗浇灌了，而神叫人生长。这些辞句都与生长的事有关。生长和变化如何是相同的事？这里说到我们也是一座建筑，由金、银、宝石所建造。起初我们是生长在神耕地上的植物，但最后的结果却成为金、银、宝石。这岂不是变化么？脆弱的植物竟然变化成这么坚实的矿物！（保罗的完成职事，九四页）
我们以三位弟兄为例：他们都很年轻，也许最近才进入教会生活。我们可以把他们看作植物，一位是小树，另一位是灌木，第三位是柔嫩的小花。他们长在神的耕地上，就是长在教会里。你们看他们多么柔弱！受不了任何苦待和伤害。但是，他们虽然年轻，却一直在长大。主盼望有一天，小树会变成金子，灌木会变成银子，小花会变成宝石。
这朵小花，这丛灌木，还有这棵小树，今天看起来都很可爱。但假设三年以后，我们发现它们还是老样子，没有长大，也没有变化；虽然看起来很可爱，却不适合作建造的材料。一栋房子能用花来建造么？一棵小树能用来作门框么？灌木能作墙壁么？不可能有这样的建筑物！这些也不可能成为建造新耶路撒冷的材料。新耶路撒冷是由金子建造成的，有宝石墙和珍珠门。神的建筑不是用易碎的小花、脆弱的灌木和柔嫩的小树建造成的！
这三位弟兄都需要改变。他们需要一种生机的、新陈代谢的变化。三年之后，我们不盼望看见这位弟兄还是一朵小花，看来很可爱，却对建造没有用处。我们盼望他成为宝石，虽然美丽的花朵不再有了。我们盼望看见灌木也许变成珍珠，坚实而透亮。这棵小树也需要变化，也许变成纯净如同玻璃的金子。
亲爱的圣徒们，你们能满意於一直作小树、灌木和花朵么，还是渴慕成为宝石？…我相信有各式各样的东西在这〔耕地上〕生长。不但有植物，也有一些金、银、宝石。
这块耕地也是建筑，说明了内住的灵如何从我们灵里扩展，渗透我们的魂，因而变化我们。
我们必须让内住的灵扩展并浸透我们的魂。这样，我们自自然然就是一了；我们能魂里联结（腓二 2），天然的观念会把地位让给扩展的灵。这就是我们生命长大的路。因着生命长大，就产生一，我们便能与众圣徒建造在一起（保罗的完成职事，九五至九七页）。
在腓立比二章二节保罗…说到魂里联结，这指明腓立比人中间的不合，是由於他们没有在魂里联结，没有在他们的心思，就是他们魂的主要部分里，思念同一件事。他们的难处不在於他们的灵，乃在於他们的魂，特别在於他们的心思。他们借着重生，有基督在他们的灵里；但他们还未借着变化，有基督丰满的在他们的魂里。惟有让基督浸透并占有他们的全魂，他们才能在魂里成为一（腓立比书生命读经，八九页）。
参读：哥林多前书生命读经， 第二十二至二十三篇；腓立比书生命读经，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
