马太福音生命读经 · 第51篇

国度里的关系（一）

Relationships In The Kingdom (1)

1十八、十九、二十章，是马太福音论到国度子民之间的关系很清楚的一段话。在前面的章节，我们已经看见王新颁布国度的宪法、王的职事、和国度奥秘的启示。我们也已经看见达到荣耀的路，以及在主变化形像之后实际的问题。现在我们必须看见国度子民之间的关系，就是在国度里彼此的关系如何。这是实际的问题。不像国度的宪法，仅仅是道理的；也不像国度的奥秘，是豫言的。十八章特别论到在诸天的国里应当怎样生活行动：变成像小孩子一样；（太十八2～4；）不绊跌人，也不立下绊跌人的事；（太十八5～9；）不轻看信主的一个小子；（太十八10～14；）听召会，不要被召会定罪；（太十八1，5～20；）无限度的赦免弟兄。（太十八21～35。）这一切指明，我们要进入诸天的国，必须谦卑、不轻看任何信徒，却要爱弟兄、赦免弟兄。

1Chapters eighteen, nineteen, and twenty are a distinct section of the Gospel of Matthew dealing with the relationships among the kingdom people. In previous chapters we have seen the King’s decree of the constitution of the kingdom, the King’s ministry, and the revelation of the mystery of the kingdom. We have also seen the pathway to glory and the practical matters that followed the Lord’s transfiguration. Now we must see the relationships among the kingdom people, that is, how to be related to one another in the kingdom. This is a practical matter. It is not merely doctrinal, as the constitution of the kingdom, or prophetic, as the mystery of the kingdom. In particular, chapter eighteen deals with how to be in the kingdom of the heavens: it is to become as little children (vv. 2-4); not to stumble others or to set up any stumbling block (vv. 5-9); not to despise even a little believer (vv. 10-14); to hear the church and not be condemned by it (vv. 15-20); and to forgive a brother to the uttermost (vv. 21-35). All this indicates that to enter into the kingdom of the heavens we must be humble and not despise any believer, but love our brother and forgive our brother

2在看十八章一至二十节之先，我们需要对论到五件事的这三章有全面的眼光。第一是骄傲。我们若要在国度里和人有正确的关系，我们的骄傲就需要被对付。我们需要谦卑。我们没有一个人是谦卑的。每个堕落的人都是骄傲的。已过某些弟兄姊妹曾告诉我，他们的妻子或丈夫是谦卑的。后来这些弟兄姊妹不得不承认，他们的妻子或丈夫不是那么谦卑。有些弟兄告诉我他们的妻子绝不会为难他们，后来却流著泪来告诉我他们和妻子所有的难处。谦卑的人就没有这样的事。

2Before we consider 18:1-20, we need to have an overall view of these three chapters, which cover five matters. The first is pride. If we would relate to others in a proper way in the kingdom, our pride needs to be dealt with. We need humility. Not one of us is a humble person. Every fallen person is proud. In the past certain brothers and sisters have told me that their wives or husbands were humble. Later these brothers and sisters had to admit that their wives or husbands were not that humble. Some brothers who had told me that their wives would never give them a problem later came to me in tears telling me of the trouble they were having with their wives. There is no such thing as a humble person

3在国度里是团体的事，不是个人的事。但每当我们一班人来在一起时，就会有难处。这就是某些青年人不愿结婚的原因。尽管这会引起难处，但青年人需要结婚。因著一班人在一起不容易，马太就在这几章里论到我们彼此的关系。我们在这件事上没有选择余地。我若有自己的选择，我就宁愿自己独处，用全部的时间专心祷告，独自等候国度来临。但我们已经被豫定要在一起了。然而，我们在一起，骄傲是第一个问题。、

3Being in the kingdom is a corporate matter, not an individual matter. However, whenever we come together as a company, there will be difficulties. This is the reason certain young people do not want to get married. Although it will cause them problems, the young people nevertheless need to get married. Because it is difficult to be together in company, Matthew includes these chapters covering our relationships with one another. We have no choice concerning this. If I had my choice, I would prefer to stay by myself, devote all my time to prayer, and wait alone for the kingdom to come. But we have been predestinated to be together. However, in our being together pride is the first problem.

4第二个问题是我们不能赦免人。赦免的事是十八章下半所论到的。我们都必须学习赦免人；我们没有人喜欢这么作。在我们内心深处，我们不愿赦免人。

4The second problem is our inability to forgive others. The matter of forgiveness is covered in the second half of chapter eighteen. We all must learn to forgive others, something that none of us enjoys doing. Deep within our heart, we do not want to forgive others

5根据圣经，赦免就是忘记。对我们而言，赦免人也许就是说，我们不在意某种冒犯，然而，我们还记得。要忘记人对我们的冒犯是何等的难！没有主的怜悯和恩典，我们甚至在永世里都会记得别人的冒犯。但神赦免时，就就忘记了。希伯来十章十七节说，『我绝不再记念他们的罪和不法。』完全赦免某件事，就是忘记这事。我们在天上的父看我们如同未曾犯过罪，因为祂已经赦免并忘记我们的罪。但我们赦免某种冒犯，却常常题醒人。例如，一位姊妹可能说，『长老待我非常不好，然而我已经赦免他们，但让我告诉你一点所发生的事。』真正的赦免是说，我们忘记人的冒犯。

5According to the Bible, to forgive is to forget. For us, to forgive a person may mean that we simply do not care about the particular offense. However, we still remember it. How difficult it is to forget an offense against us! Without the Lord’s mercy and grace, we would remember others’ offenses even in eternity. But when God forgives, He forgets. Hebrews 10:17 says, “And their sins and their lawlessnesses I will by no means remember any more.” To forgive something absolutely is to forget it. Our Father in heaven considers us as if we have never sinned, for He has forgiven and forgotten our sins. But when we forgive an offense, we often remind others of it. For example, a sister may say, “The elders treated me very poorly; however, I have forgiven them. But let me tell you a little about what happened.” Genuine forgiveness means that we forget the offense

6我们不愿赦免人的根源在于我们个性的怒气。不论你多好，你仍有个性的怒气。你被激怒的原因就是你有这样的脾气。我可以一再敲打椅子，椅子却不会被激怒，因为椅子没有个性。可是我若打你，你就会被激怒，因为个性的怒气隐藏在你里面。我们都受制于个性的怒气。有时我冒犯了弟兄，他说他不在意。事实上，我们被冒犯时都很在意。外面的反应和表情也许不同，但隐藏在我们个性里的怒气却是一样的。因著我们个性的怒气，我们很难赦免人。

6The root of our unwillingness to forgive others lies in our dispositional anger. No matter how nice you may be, you still have dispositional anger. The reason you are offended is that you have such a disposition. I may strike a chair again and again, but the chair will not be offended because it has no disposition. But if I strike you, you will be offended because of the dispositional anger hidden within you. We all are subject to dispositional anger. Sometimes when I have offended a brother, he has said that he does not care about the offense. Actually, we all care when we are offended. The outward reaction or appearance may be different, but the dispositional anger, the anger hidden in our disposition, is the same. Because of our dispositional anger, it is difficult to forgive others

7这个性的怒气表现在丈夫和妻子之间。我劝青年姊妹们绝不要冒犯自己的丈夫，不然她们的丈夫会很难忘记那件事。你的丈夫也许说他赦免了你，但他里面深处却不是这样。每个男人都有一种个性，使他很容易被激怒，特别是容易被妻子激怒。女人向自己的丈夫抱怨是很容易的。分居和离婚这么多，原因就是女人抱怨，而男人不容易赦免。姊妹们，要尽你所能不要向自己的丈夫抱怨。他若晚归，就忘了罢。不要把这事当作问题。弟兄们，我劝你们不要在意妻子的抱怨。我劝姊妹们不要抱怨，劝弟兄们不要被激怒。

7This dispositional anger shows up between husbands and wives. I advise the young sisters never to offend their husbands. If they do, it will be hard for their husbands to forget that offense. Although your husband may say that he has forgiven you, deep within he has not done so. Every man has a disposition that makes it easy for him to be offended, especially by his wife. Women find it easy to complain to their husbands. The reason there are so many separations and divorces is that the women complain and that the men find it difficult to forgive. Sisters, try your best not to complain to your husband. If he is late, forget about it. Do not make an issue of it. Brothers, I advise you to ignore the complaints of your wife. I advise the sisters not to complain and the brothers not to be offended.

8我们已经看见骄傲和不能赦免人的事，现在我们来到十九章所指明情欲的问题。在诸天之国的宪法里，彻底讲过情欲。在关于诸天之国奥秘的十三章，也题过情欲。情欲对国度子民是很大的问题。许多分居和离婚与情欲有关。因此，主耶稣在十九章题到情欲这件事。离了主的恩典，我们没有一个人能胜过情欲。

8We have seen the matters of pride and of our inability to forgive others. Now we come to the problem of lust, which is indicated in chapter nineteen. In the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens lust was thoroughly dealt with. It was also touched in chapter thirteen, the chapter concerning the mystery of the kingdom of the heavens. Lust is a great problem to the kingdom people. Many separations and divorces are related to lust. Therefore, in chapter nineteen the Lord Jesus touched this matter of lust. Apart from the Lord’s grace, none of us is able to overcome it

9第四个问题是财富的问题。财主很难进诸天的国，比骆驼穿过针的眼还难。财富对国度生活是很大的阻挠。这在诸天之国的宪法和十三章撒种者的比喻中也题过。

9The fourth problem is the problem of riches. It is very difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, even more difficult than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. The matter of riches is a great frustration to the kingdom life, and it is also dealt with in the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens and in the parable of the sower in chapter thirteen

10最后一个问题乃是二十章所说的野心。西庇太的妻子野心勃勃的要她两个儿子在国度里享受高位，就对主说，『请叫我这两个儿子在你国里，一个坐在你右边，一个坐在你左边。』（太二十21。）主告诉她说，她不知道所求的是甚么。马太记载西庇太的妻子为两个儿子祈求的故事，但约翰没有记载，因为约翰的福音书不是论到国度的福音书。马太记载这件事，因为国度里有为著地位的野心问题。

10The last problem is ambition, which is covered in chapter twenty. Zebedee’s wife, ambitious that her two sons would enjoy a high position in the kingdom, said to the Lord, “Say that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and one on Your left, in Your kingdom” (20:21). The Lord told her that she did not know what she was asking. Matthew records the story of Zebedee’s wife making requests for her sons, but John does not record it because his Gospel is not the Gospel dealing with the kingdom. Matthew records this incident because in the kingdom there is the problem of ambition for position

11无论在东方或西方，野心始终是个问题。许多时候召会中选立长老，弟兄们就被激怒了，因为选立了别人，没有选立他们。虽然一个召会至多需要三、四位长老，但自命为长老候选人的可能超过十五位。那些弟兄们有没有为他们被选立为长老祷告，我不知道。但我相当确定他们期望被选立。当他们知道他们没有被选立为长老时，他们就开始消极的说到召会；只因为他们没有得著他们渴想的地位。我们在人数超过两万的台北市召会中就曾遭遇这问题。每次开辟新的家聚会，就需要选立两三位领头的弟兄姊妹处理家聚会实际的事务。几乎每次领头人被选立，就有姊妹被激怒，因为不在被选立的人中间。她们因著被激怒，就有一段时间停止来聚会。这暴露出野心的问题。

11Ambition has been a problem both in the East and in the West. Many times when elders were appointed in the churches, brothers were offended because others were appointed instead of them. Although, at the most, a church needed three or four elders, the number of self - appointed candidates for eldership might have been more than fifteen. Whether or not those brothers prayed about being appointed elders, I do not know. But I am rather certain that they expected to be appointed. When they realized that they had not been appointed elders, they began to speak negatively about the church, simply because they did not receive the position they desired. We have encountered this problem in the church in Taipei, a church with more than twenty thousand members. Every time a new home meeting was opened, there was a need to appoint two or three leading brothers and leading sisters to manage the practical affairs of that home meeting. Nearly every time the leading ones were appointed, some sister was offended because she was not among those appointed. Because they were offended, they stopped coming to the meetings for a period of time. This exposes the problem of ambition.

12实际上这三章说到五件事，彻底的论到骄傲、个性的怒气、情欲、财富和野心。这些问题都在我们里面。我们若要进入这几章的深处，我们必定会被摸著。譬如，我们会看见我们是满了骄傲的人，并且有怒气隐藏在我们的个性里。不论我们多想要忍耐，或谦让宜人，怒气仍深深扎根在我们的个性里。这就使我们很难赦免人。不仅如此，我们也为情欲和财富所困扰，这两者都破坏国度的生活。最后有野心的问题。马太特意在他的福音书中说到这五个问题，表明我们要在国度里，就必须留意这些问题。骄傲、个性的怒气、情欲、财富和野心，都是『蝎子。』我们需要神圣的杀虫剂，杀死这些『蝎子。』在神的默示之下，马太选择了不同的事例，将牠们摆在一起，为要暴露这些事。现在我们需要一一的来看。

12These three chapters actually cover these five things. They deal thoroughly with pride, dispositional anger, lust, riches, and ambition. All these problems are within us. If we would get into the depths of these chapters, we would certainly be touched. For instance, we would see that we are people full of pride and that anger is hidden in our disposition. No matter how patient or forbearing we try to be, anger is still deeply rooted in our disposition. This is what makes it difficult for us to forgive others. Furthermore, we are troubled by lust and riches, both of which damage the kingdom life. Finally, there is the problem of ambition. Matthew purposely covers these five problems in his Gospel to show that we must take care of them in order to be in the kingdom. Pride, dispositional anger, lust, riches, and ambition are all “scorpions.” We need a divine pest control to kill these “scorpions.” Under God’sin spiration, Matthew selected various cases and put them together in order to expose these things. Now we need to consider them one by one

壹、需要谦卑

I. HUMILITY REQUIRED

13在国度的生活里需要谦卑。（太十八1～4。）原则上，所有的国度子民都必须是小孩子。谦卑就是像小孩子。我们若不谦卑，不是被人冒犯，就是冒犯人；也就是说，我们不是被人绊跌，就是绊跌人。所有绊跌的事都是因著骄傲发生的。我们若不骄傲，就不会被绊跌。我们会被绊跌，就证明我们是骄傲的。小孩若被激怒，几分钟之内就忘了。然而大人一旦被激怒，他们就因著骄傲被绊跌。不仅如此，我们使人绊跌也是由于我们的骄傲。

13In the kingdom life, humility is required (18:1-4). In principle, all the kingdom people must be little children. To be humble is to be like a little child. If we are not humble, we shall either be offended by others or we shall offend others, that is, we shall either be stumbled by others or stumble others. All stumbling takes place because of pride. If we were not proud, we would not be stumbled. The fact that we can be stumbled proves that we are proud. If a little child is offended, the offense will be forgotten in just a few minutes. But once adults are offended, they are stumbled because of their pride. Furthermore, the stumbling we cause to others also issues from our pride.

贰、除去绊跌的事

II. STUMBLING ABANDONED

146绊跌人是严重的事。六节说，『凡绊跌一个信入我的小子的，倒不如把大磨石挂在他的脖子上，沉没在深海里。』在这些经文里，主警告我们要对付这件事。若是手、脚或眼使我们绊跌，我们就必须认真的对付这些绊跌的原因。否则，我们就不会成为正确国度生活里的人。要在正确的国度生活里，我们需要谦卑。那么我们就不会被绊跌，或成为绊跌人的原因。所有绊跌的事都必须除去。

14It is a serious matter to stumble someone. Verse says, “And whoever stumbles one of these little ones who believe in Me, it is better for him that a great millstone be hanged around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.” In these verses the Lord warns us to deal with this matter. If the hand, the foot, or the eye causes us to stumble, we must deal with these causes of stumbling in a serious way. Otherwise, we shall not be one in the proper kingdom life. In order to be in the proper kingdom life, we need to be humble. Then we shall not be stumbled or be a cause of stumbling to others. All stumbling must be abandoned.

15参、天父顾念小子

15III. The Heavenly Father’s Care For The Little Ones

16不论我们多微小，我们在父眼中都是可爱的，并且祂顾念我们。祂不喜欢看见任何人被绊跌。我们容易冒犯父所顾念的小子，我们自己也是小子，容易被绊跌。我们若要避免被人绊跌，并绊跌人，我们就需要谦卑。谦卑会拯救我们。

16No matter how small we are, we are lovely in the eyes of the Father, and He cares for us. He does not like to see anyone stumbled. We so easily offend the little ones for whom the Father cares, and as little ones ourselves we are easily stumbled. If we would avoid being stumbled and stumbling others, we need to be humbled. Humility will rescue us

肆、对付得罪你的弟兄

IV. Dealing With An Offending Brother

一、藉著直接的责备

A. By Direct Rebuking

17十五节说，『再者，若是你的弟兄犯罪得罪你，你要去，只在你和他之间指出他的过错。他若听你，你就得著了你的弟兄。』在这一段，我们也看见如何对付得罪人的弟兄。若有弟兄犯罪或得罪我们，我们首先必须在爱里到他那里去，指出他的过犯。

17Verse 15 says, “Now if your brother sins, go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.” In this section we also see how to deal with an offending brother. If a brother sins or offends us, we must first go to him in love and point out his offense

二、藉著两三个人的见证

B. By the Testimony of Two or Three

18十六节说，『他若不听，你就另带一两个人同去，要凭两三个见证人的口，句句都可定准。』弟兄若不听你，你不该放弃。反之，你应当同一两个见证人到他那里去，盼望弟兄会听你们而得救。

18Verse 16 says, “But if he does not hear you, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” If the brother will not listen to you, you should not give up. Rather, you should go to him with one or two witnesses, hoping that the brother will listen to you and be rescued

三、藉著召会

C. By the Church

19十七节说，『他若不听他们，就告诉召会。』若是一个弟兄犯罪得罪我们，我们对付他，需要首先在爱里，（太十八15，）然后凭两三个见证人，(太十八16，）最后藉著召会使用权柄。（太十八17。）

19Verse 17 says, “But if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.” If a brother sins, we need firstly to deal with him by ourself in love (v. 15), then with two or three witnesses v. 16), and finally through the church with authority (v. 17

四、藉著断绝交通

D. By Cutting Off the Fellowship

20十七节下半说，『他若连召会也不听，就把他当作外邦人和税吏。』若有信徒不听召会，他就会失去召会的交通，像那些在召会交通之外的外邦人（异教徒）和税吏（罪人）一样。外邦人或税吏就是不在国度生活或召会生活交通里的人。把人当作外邦人或税吏，意思不是把他革除，乃是把他当作与召会交通断绝的人。林前五章题到革除的事。召会必须把行淫乱和拜偶像的人赶出去。但是犯罪的弟兄，不听两三个人，也不听召会，也许不需要革除。他的光景虽然不好，却和淫乱或拜偶像的一类不同。断绝他与召会的交通，好叫这失去的交通能激励他悔改，并恢复他与召会的交通。

20The last part of verse 17 says, “ And if he refuses to hear the church also, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector.” If any believer refuses to hear the church, he will lose the fellowship of the church like the Gentile, the heathen, and the tax collector, the sinners who are outside the fellowship of the church. A Gentile or tax collector is someone who does not have fellowship in the kingdom life or in the church life. To consider someone a Gentile or a tax collector does not mean to excommunicate him. It means that he is considered as one cut off from the fellowship of the church. Excommunication is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5. The church must excommunicate fornicators and idolaters. But the offending brother who will not listen to two or three or to the church may not necessarily require excommunication. Although the situation with him is unpleasant, it is not in the same category as fornication or idolatry. He is cut off from the fellowship of the church in order that this loss of fellowship may encourage him to repent and to recover his fellowship with the church

五、藉著运用国度的权柄

E. By Exercising the Kingdom Authority

21要对付这样一个犯罪的弟兄，我们必须运用国度的权柄。召会今天因著软弱，并不领悟她需要运用这权柄。这段话所题到的弟兄首先犯罪，然后背叛。首先他犯罪得罪某人。然后因著他不听他所得罪的人，不听两三个见证人，甚至不听召会，他就成了背叛的。因著他背叛召会，召会就必须运用她的权柄捆绑并释放。当他背叛时，就捆绑；当他悔改时，就释放。在十八节，捆绑的意思是定罪，释放的意思是赦免。因著这样一个背叛的弟兄不听召会，召会就必须运用国度的权柄捆绑他，直到他悔改。但他悔改时，召会就必须运用国度的权柄赦免他，并恢复他与召会的交通。

21In order to deal with such an offending brother, we must exercise the kingdom authority. Because the church today is weak, it does not realize its need to exercise this authority. The brother mentioned in this portion of the Word is first offending and then rebellious. First he offends someone. Then because he will not listen to the one he has offended, to two or three witnesses, or even to the church, he be comes rebellious. Because he rebels a gainst the church, the church must exercise its authority to bind and to loose. It binds when he is rebellious and looses when he repents. In verse 18 to bind means to condemn, and to loose means to forgive. Because such a rebellious brother will not listen to the church, the church must exercise the kingdom authority to bind him until he repents. But when he repents, the church must exercise the kingdom authority to forgive him and to restore him to the fellowship of the church.

六、藉著和谐一致的祷告

F. By Prayer in One Accord

22对付犯罪的弟兄必须藉著和谐一致的祷告来执行。十九节说，『我又实在告诉你们，你们中间若有两个人在地上，在他们所求的任何事上和谐一致，他们无论求甚么，都必从我在诸天之上的父，得著成全。』严格说来，十九节的求是指祷告，用以对付那不听召会的弟兄。我们若照著主的应许祷告，我们的祷告就要得著答应，犯罪的弟兄就会回转。

22The dealing with the offending brother must be carried out by prayer in one accord. Verse 19 says, “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask, it shall come to them from My Father Who is in the heavens.” Strictly speaking, in verse 19 “ask” refers to prayer which deals with the brother who refuses to hear the church. If we pray according to the Lord’s promise, our prayer will be answered, and the offending brother may be recovered

七、在主的同在中

G. In the Lord’s Presence

23这一切都该作在主的同在中。你若想要运用国度的权柄，却没有祂的同在，就没有果效。二十节指出需要主的同在：『因为无论在那里，有两三个人被聚集到我的名里，那里就有我在他们中间。』

23All this should be done in the Lord’s presence. If you attempt to exercise the kingdom authority without His presence, it will not work. Verse 20 points out the need for the Lord’s presence: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst

24伍、地方召会的揭示

24V. THE UNVEILING OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

一、在地方上的召会

A. The Church in Locality

25十七节说，『他若不听他们，就告诉召会。』十六章十八节所启示的召会是宇宙召会，乃是基督独一的身体；这里所启示的召会是地方召会，乃是基督独一的身体在某一地方的彰显。十六章论到召会宇宙的建造，十八章论到召会地方的实行。二者都指明召会代表诸天的国，有捆绑和释放的权柄。

25Verse 17 says, “But if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.” The church revealed in 16:18 is the universal church, which is the unique Body of Christ, whereas the church revealed here is the local church, the expression of the unique Body of Christ in a certain locality. Chapter sixteen relates to the universal building of the church, whereas chapter eighteen relates to the local practice of the church. Both indicate that the church represents the kingdom of the heavens, having authority to bind and to loose

26要实际的在诸天的国里，我们需要在地方召会里。照著十七节的上下文，国度的实际和实行都在地方召会里。在论到国度里之关系的一章，主最后说到召会。这证明今天国度的实行乃是在地方召会里。没有地方召会，就不可能有国度的生活的实行和实际。今天许多基督徒谈到国度的生活，但若没有实行的地方召会生活，这种谈话就是徒然的。

26In order to be in the kingdom of the heavens in a practical way, we need to be in a local church. According to the context of verse 17, both the reality and the practicality of the kingdom are in the local church. In a chapter dealing with relationships in the kingdom, the Lord speaks eventually of the church. This proves that the practicality of the kingdom today is in the local church. Without the local church, it is impossible to have the practicality and reality of the kingdom life. Many Christians today talk about the kingdom life, but without the practical local church life, this talk is in vain.

27在十六章，主启示出宇宙召会。但宇宙召会需要地方召会的实行。若没有地方召会，宇宙召会就不能实行，反而会成为虚悬在空中的东西。地方召会乃是国度和宇宙召会的实际。

27In chapter sixteen the Lord revealed the universal church. But the universal church requires the practicality of the local church. Without the local church, the universal church cannot be practiced; rather, it will be something suspended in the air. The local church is the reality both of the kingdom and of the universal church.

28二、与两三个人在主的名里聚集不同

28B. Other Than the Two or Three Meeting in the Lord’s Name

29许多基督徒以为只要两三个人在主的名里聚集，并且有祂的同在，他们就是召会，召会的实际就在那里。然而，你若仔细读这段话，就会看见二十节所题的两三个人不是召会。这两三个人乃是十六节的两三个人。他们可以被聚集到主的名里，但他们不是召会；因为若有某种问题，他们需要告诉召会。（太十八17。）倘若那两三个人是召会，他们就不需要把问题带到召会。他们需要『告诉召会，』这事实证明他们不是召会，乃是召会的一部分。他们属于召会，他们是召会的肢体，但他们不就是召会。

29Many Christians think that as long as two or three meet in the name of the Lord and have His presence, they are the church and the reality of the church is there. However, if you read this portion of the Word carefully, you will see that the two or three mentioned in verse 20 are not the church. These two or three are the two or three in verse 16. They may gather together in the Lord’s name, but they are not the church; for if there is some problem, they need to tell it to the church (v. 17). If those two or three were the church, there would be no need for them to take the problem to the church. The fact that they need to “tell it to the church” proves that they are not the church, but rather part of the church. They belong to the church and they are members of the church, but they are not the church

30不要以为两三个人在主的名里聚集，有主的同在，就是召会。我若相信这个，那么有三百人的召会就可能分裂为一百个召会，每两三个人的团体就以为那是召会。这会是多么混乱！两三个人可以在主的名里聚集，主也真在他们中间，但这不是说，他们就是召会。

30Do not think that two or three meeting in the name of the Lord with the Lord’s presence are the church. If we believe this, then it is possible for a church of three hundred members to be divided into one hundred churches, with every group of two or three thinking that it is a church. What a mess this would be! Two or three may meet in the name of the Lord and the Lord may truly be in their midst, but this does not mean that they are the church

31三、是带著属天权柄的国度

31C. Being the Kingdom with the Heavenly Authority

32召会有权柄，我们必须听召会，并且服从召会。我们若不服从召会，就与国度无关，因为国度的生活乃是服从召会的生活。

32The church has the authority, and we must listen to the church and submit to the church. If we do not submit to the church, we are through with the kingdom, for the kingdom life is a life of submission to the church

四、有主的同在作其实际

D. Having the Lord’s Presence as Its Reality

33马太十八章的上下文指明，召会的实际乃是主的同在。主的同在就是召会的权柄。召会必须确定她有主的同在作其实际；否则，她就没有真正的权柄。召会实际和实行的权柄乃是主的同在。若有人不听召会，就是背叛主的同在。召会有立场在主的同在里对任何背叛的事件运用权柄。

33The context of Matthew 18 indicates that the reality of the church is the Lord’s presence. The Lord’s presence is the authority of the church. The church must be certain that it has the presence of the Lord as its reality; otherwise, it has no genuine authority. The real and practical authority of the church is the Lord’s presence. If anyone does not listen to the church, he rebels against the Lord’s presence. The church has the ground to exercise authority in the presence of the Lord over any case of rebellion.

34在召会中引起麻烦的基本因素是骄傲。骄傲使一个弟兄触犯在爱里来找他的弟兄，使他不愿听两三个人，甚至不听召会，并且使他背叛召会。我们都必须杀死骄傲的『地鼠。』让我们降卑自己，总是听召会并且服从召会。愿主为这事怜悯我们。

34The basic factor that causes trouble in the church is pride. Pride is what causes a brother to offend the one who comes to him in love, it is what makes him unwilling to listen to two or three or even to the church, and it is what causes him to rebel against the church. We all must kill the “gopher” of pride. Let us humble ourselves and always listen to the church and submit to the church. May the Lord grant us mercy for this