生命的长大(六):怎样对付你的灵
圣经告诉我们,神除了造天, 造地,还造了我们人的灵.
下面四十四点是藉著对付灵而在生命里有所长大.
1 对付灵并不是对付灵的本身，是对付灵的经过─路九54~56，彼前三4。
2 重生的灵在我们这人的最深处，是纯洁无污的；但在灵的周边，是魂和体；这魂和体已经搀进了撒但邪恶的成分，变为污秽、败坏的。
3 所以当灵经过这魂和体，往外出来的时候，也就沾染了其中的污秽、败坏，因此显在外面的时候，就带著污秽、败坏、不纯、不正，以及各种不该有的光景。
4 灵的性质如何，就看它所附於之东西的性质是如何；我们是怎样的人，就使我们的灵生出怎样的性质来；当我们的灵出来，就代表我们这个人的味道、色彩；所以一个人的品质如何，他灵的品质也如何。
5 如果一个人魂里骄傲，他的灵出来也是骄傲的；一个人肉体里动了血气，他的灵出来也是带著血气。
6 我们常碰到急躁的灵、妒忌的灵、背叛的灵、粗野的灵、弯曲的灵、夸耀的灵、管辖的灵、傲慢的灵等等，这些都不是灵的本身有问题，乃是灵所经过的魂和体，其中那些不好的成分，染到灵上面来了；所染上的是甚么成分，出来的也就是甚么灵；所以甚么样的人，就有甚么样的灵。
7 我们的动机若不纯洁，灵出来也不会纯洁；我们的存心若不干净，灵出来也不会干净；有显扬的存心，出来的就是显扬、夸耀的灵；有比赛的动机，叫人碰著的也就是比赛、竞争的灵。
8 我们每有一个行动，或者要说一句话，不只要问对不对，好不好，还要追查里面的存心清洁么？动机单纯么？目的专为著神么？
9 我们必须查看，我们的行动背后有甚么自私的用意么？有我们自己的倾向么？这样的对付，就是对付灵。
10 因此，我们不只要把肉体、己和天然都破碎了，让灵能出来，还要进一步的，把一切不好的存心，不该有的用意，不单纯的倾向，不正当的意志，有搀杂的情感等等，也都对付干净，然后灵才不只能出来，并且出来了，还能是正直的、清洁的、纯净的。
11 对付灵具体的路，是定罪所有的搀杂，靠圣灵的能力除掉它们，以及主动的应用十字架来钉死我们的肉体、己、天然，以及存心、用意、目的、倾向、动机等等这些灵的经过─罗八13，加五24。
12 神安排我们周遭的一切环境、事情，为要对付、拆毁我们的己，叫我们灵的品质，藉著圣灵的管治，能彀美好、能彀纯净─太十29~31，罗八28~29。
13 如果每位弟兄姊妹灵的品质都是美好、纯正、清洁、有分量和高超的，那么每一个人就能彼此供应，教会就会丰富─参但五12，六3。
14 我们若要在基督身体的建造上有用，就需要有正确的灵。
15 在路加九章，雅各和约翰问主要不要他们吩咐火从天上降下来，烧灭那些撒玛利亚村庄里不接待主的人（54）；但主责备他们说，『你们的灵如何，你们并不知道。人子来不是要灭人的性命，乃是要救人的性命』（55~56）。
16 门徒的灵错了，因为他们的存心是恨；主的灵是要救人的性命，不是要灭人的性命。
17 倪柝声弟兄曾说，一个人不只应该作对的事，也应该用对的方法，在对的灵里，作对的事。
18 在基督身体的建造上，我们的行为若要有建设性、能造就人并有益处，我们必须在所作的事上是对的，在所用的方法上是对的，并且灵也必须是对的；每当我们要作任何事以前，该先问问自己有甚么样的灵。
19 寻求的圣徒应该灵里贫穷并清心─太五3、8，赛六六2。
20 灵里贫穷，意思就是我们是谦卑的，承认自己一无所有，一无所知，一无所能，一无所是；没有基督这赐生命的灵，我们就一无所是─参加六3。
21 灵里贫穷乃是在我们的灵里是倒空的，没有甚么豫先霸占我们全人的最深处；清心是关乎动机，是目的专一，只有一个目标，要完成神的旨意荣耀神─林前十31。
22 我们必须有正直的灵─诗五一10下。
23 正直的灵就是灵不摇动、不摇摆，恒常站住，如同稳固、牢靠之物─参林前十五58。
24 在大卫的悔改以及为著复兴的祷告里，他求主在他里面更新这样的灵。
25 我们需要正直的灵，总是稳固、坚定、不摇动，且不摇摆的，使我们绝不会受试探、受试诱或受误引。
26 悔改的信徒有乐意的灵─『求你使我复得你救恩之乐，赐我乐意的灵扶持我』─诗五一12：
27 作为信徒，我们对主的事和教会的事，应当常常有乐意的灵。
28 在关系到主权益的事上有乐意的灵，乃在於救恩之乐；我们有救恩之乐，自然而然会有乐意的灵随主往前；主所要的，主所愿的，主所要求於我们的，我们会有乐意的灵答应、顺从。
29 我们在神的灵里有喜乐，我们就会乐意作任何能讨主喜悦的事─罗十四17。
30 在诗篇五十一篇十七节上半大卫说，神所要的祭，就是忧伤的灵。
31 忧伤的灵就是悔改的灵，对於任何罪恶都觉得非常忧伤；换句话说，忧伤的灵乃是真正悔改的灵。
32 忧伤的灵，直译，破碎的灵，破碎的意思就是不完整；这就是说，你不认为自己是那样完全或完整的；你的灵在悔改时，就是破碎的、痛悔的、忧伤的。
33 我们需要有温柔安静的灵。
34 彼前三章四节说，我们心中隐藏的人是温柔安静的灵；加拉太六章一节说，我们需要用温柔的灵挽回堕落的弟兄；在林前四章二十一节保罗问哥林多人，他们是要他带著刑杖或在温柔的灵里，到他们那里去。
35 『温柔的人有福了，因为他们必承受地土』─太五5。
36 温柔的意思是不抵抗世人的反对，甘心忍受；世界的路是抗争、奋斗，并击败别人，以得著一些产业，一些基业。
37 无论情况如何，我们都该温柔，不与别人相争；温柔的意思是不为自己争。
38 神渴望与那有痛悔卑微之灵的人同住─赛五七15，六六2，参箴十六18~19。
39 我们若灵里痛悔卑微，我们就灵里忧伤，并且能享受神的同在；神就与我们同在，甚至与我们同住。
40 『因为那至高至上、住在永远、名为圣者的如此说，我必住在至高至圣的所在，也与灵里痛悔卑微的人同居，要使卑微之人的灵苏醒，也使痛悔之人的心苏醒』─赛五七15。
41 "耶和华如此说，天是我的座位，地是我的脚凳；你们要在哪里为我建造殿宇？哪里是我安息的地方？耶和华说，这一切都是我手所造的，所以就都有了；但我所看顾的，就是灵里贫穷痛悔、因我话战兢的人"─六六1~2。
42 神渴望得著的住处，乃是一班可以让他进入的人，就是一班有痛悔卑微之灵的人。
43 神要在宇宙中得著一个住处，是神与人的调和，在其中神被建造到人里面，人被建造到神里面，使神与人，人与神，能成为相互的住处（约十四2、20、23，十五4，约壹四13）；在新约里，这个住处，这个殿（家），是教会，就是神在信徒灵里的居所（弗二22）。
44 这个宇宙建造，这个宇宙的殿终极的显出，就是新耶路撒冷；在这城里，神在人里面，以人作他的居所；人也在神里面，以神作他的居所─启二一3、22。
-未完待续
(English Version)
Growing in Life by Dealing with the Spirit
Scripture Reading: Psa. 51:10b, 12, 17a; Prov. 16:18-19; Isa.
57:15;66:1-2; 1 Pet. 3:4; Gal. 6:1; 1 Cor. 4:21; Matt. 5:3; Luke
9:54-56
1. To deal with the spirit is not to deal with the spirit itself
but to deal with the passage of the spirit—Luke 9:54-56;1 Pet. 3:4:
2. The regenerated spirit, the innermost part of our being, is pure
and undefiled; however, surrounding the spirit are the soul and the body, both
of which have been mixed with the wicked elements of Satan
and are thus filthy and corrupt.
3. Therefore, when the spirit comes forth and passes through the
soul and body, it becomes contaminated by this filthiness and corruption;
hence, when being manifested, the spirit bears certain filthiness, corruption,
impurity, impropriety, and various other undesirable conditions.
4. We judge the characteristics of the spirit by the
characteristics of the things that are attached to it; the kind of person we
are produces the kind of characteristics our spirit carries; when our spirit is
released,it expresses the tastes and colors of our very person; thus, the
quality of a man determines the quality of his spirit.
5. If a person is proud in his soul, the spirit also manifests
itself in pride; if a person is angry in the flesh, his spirit also reveals the
anger.
6. We often encounter the spirit of anxiety, the spirit of
jealousy, a rebellious spirit, a coarse spirit, a crooked spirit, a boastful
spirit, a dominating spirit, or a rude spirit, all of which are not the
problems of
the spirit itself but the defiling influence of the undesirable elements of the
soul and body upon the spirit as it passes through them; we can tell the kind
of defilement from the kind of spirit, and the kind of
spirit reveals the kind of man.
7. If our motive is impure, the spirit is also impure when
released; if our intention is not clean, the spirit coming forth is also not
clean; with the purpose of heart for self-glory, the result is a showy and boastful
spirit; a competitive motive causes others to touch a competing and striving
spirit.
8. Whenever we are about to act or speak, not only do we need to
inquire whether what we are about to do is right or wrong, good or bad, but we
must also discern whether or not our inner intention is clean, our motive is
pure, and our aim is wholly for God.
9. We need to check if there is any selfish purpose behind our
action or any selfinclination; this kind of dealing is dealing with the spirit.
10. For this reason we need not only to have our flesh, self, and
natural constitution broken so that the spirit can come forth, but we must go
one step further and deal with all the negative purposes of the heart,
undesirable intentions, impure inclinations, improper will, and mixed emotion
to the end not only that the spirit can come forth but also that it may come
forth in an upright, clean, and pure manner.
11. The practical way to deal with the spirit is to condemn all the
mixtures, to remove them by the power of the Holy Spirit, and to take the
initiative to apply the cross and crucify the passages of the spirit,
including our flesh, our self, our natural constitution, our purpose of heart,
aim, intention, inclination, motive, etc.—Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:24.
12. God arranges all circumstances and things in our environment
for the purpose of dealing with the self and destroying it; in this way, by the
discipline of the Holy Spirit, the quality of our spirit is enhanced
and purified—Matt. 10:29-31; Rom. 8:28-29.
13. If all the brothers and sisters have an excellent, sterling,
pure, weighty, and noble spirit in its quality, they will mutually supply one
another, and the church will be rich—cf. Dan. 5:12; 6:3.
14. To be useful in building up the Body of Christ, we need to have
a proper spirit:
15. In Luke 9 James and John asked the Lord whether they should command fire to
come down from heaven and consume the village of the Samaritans who had
rejected Him (v. 54); but the Lord rebuked James and John, saying, “You do not
know of what kind of spirit you are. The Son of Man has not come to destroy
men’s lives but to save them” (vv. 55-56):
16. The disciples were wrong in their spirit because their motive
was one of hatred; the Lord’s spirit is a spirit of saving men’s lives, not
destroying them.
17. Brother Watchman Nee said that a person should not only do the
right thing but also do the right thing in the right way and in the right
spirit.
18. For our conduct to be constructive, edifying, and useful in
building up the Body of Christ, we must be right in the thing that we do, right
in our way, and right in our spirit; whenever we are about to do anything, we
should ask ourselves what kind of spirit we have.
19. A seeking saint should be poor in spirit and pure in heart—Matt.
5:3,8; Isa. 66:2:
20. To be poor in spirit means that we are humble, acknowledging
that we have nothing, know nothing, can do nothing, and are nothing; without
Christ as the life-giving Spirit, we are nothing—cf. Gal. 6:3.
21. To be poor in spirit is to be emptied in our spirit, having
nothing preoccupying us in the depth of our being; to be pure in heart is a
matter of motive; it is to be single in purpose, to have the single goal of
accomplishing God’s will for God’s glory—1 Cor. 10:31.
22. We must have a steadfast spirit—Psa. 51:10b:
23. A steadfast spirit is a spirit that is immovable, unshakable,
standing constantly as something firm and steady—cf. 1 Cor. 15:58.
24. In his repentance and prayer for restoration, David prayed that
the Lord would renew such a spirit within him.
25. We need a steadfast spirit, which is always firm,
constant,immovable, and unshakable, so that we can never be tempted, seduced,
or misled.
26. A repentant believer has a willing spirit—“Restore to me the
gladness of Your salvation, / And sustain me with a willing spirit”—Psa. 51:12:
27. As a believer, we should always have a willing spirit for the
things of the Lord and for the things of the church.
28. A willing spirit in the things of the Lord’s interest depends
upon the joy of salvation; when we have the joy of salvation, we spontaneously
will have a willing spirit to go along with the Lord; what the Lord wants, what
the Lord desires, what the Lord asks of us, we will have a willing spirit to
answer, to obey.
29. When we have joy in God’s Spirit, we will be happy to do
whatever can please the Lord—Rom. 14:17.
30. In Psalm 51:17a David said that the sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit:
31. A broken spirit is a spirit that repents, that feels very
sorrowful for any sinfulness; in other words, a broken spirit is a real
repenting spirit.
32. To be broken means not to be whole; it means that you do not
consider yourself as being whole, perfect, and complete; when your spirit is
repenting, your spirit is broken, contrite, and sorrowful.
33. We need to have a meek and quiet spirit:
34. First Peter 3:4 says that the hidden man of our heart is a meek
and quiet spirit; Galatians 6:1 says that we need to restore a fallen brother
in a spirit of meekness; in 1 Corinthians 4:21 Paul asked the Corinthians if
they wanted him to come to them with a rod or in a spirit of meekness.
35. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth”—Matt.5:5:
36. To be meek means not to resist the world’s opposition but to
suffer it willingly; the world’s way is to fight, to strive, and to
defeat others to gain some possession, some inheritance.
37. Regardless of the situation, we should be meek, not fighting against
others; meekness means not fighting for ourselves.
38. God desires to dwell with people who have a contrite and lowly
spirit—Isa. 57:15; 66:2; cf. Prov. 16:18-19:
39. If we are contrite and lowly in our spirit, we are broken in
our spirit, and we can enjoy God’s presence; God is then with us and even
dwells with us.
40. “Thus says the high and exalted One, / Who inhabits
eternity,whose name is Holy: / I will dwell in the high and holy place, /And
with the contrite and lowly of spirit, / To revive the spirit of the lowly /
And to revive the heart of the contrite”—Isa. 57:15.
41. “Thus says Jehovah, / Heaven is My throne, / And the earth the
footstool for My feet. / Where then is the house that you will build for Me, /
And where is the place of My rest? / For all these things My hand has made, /
And so all these things have come into being, declares Jehovah. / But to this
kind of man
will I look, to him who is poor / And of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at
My word”—66:1-2.
42. The dwelling place that God desires to have is a group of
people into whom He can enter, a group of people with a contrite and lowly
spirit:
43. God intends to have a dwelling place in the universe that is
the mingling of God and man, in which God is built into man and man is built
into God, so that God and man, man and God, can be a mutual abode to each other
(John 14:2, 20, 23; 15:4; 1 John 4:13); in the New Testament this dwelling
place, this house, is the church, which is God’s habitation in the believers’
spirit (Eph. 2:22).
44. The ultimate manifestation of this universal building, this
universal house, is the New Jerusalem; in this city God is in man, taking man
as His dwelling place, and man is in God, taking God as his habitation— Rev.
21:3, 22.
- To be continued
