The Church in Laodicea
读经∶启三14～22
壹 “老底嘉”原文意“平民（或平信徒）的意见、决断”——启三14：
I. In Greek Laodicea means "opinion, judgment, of the people" or "of the laymen"—Rev. 3:14:
一 非拉铁非一堕落，就成为老底嘉；给在非拉铁非的召会唯一的警告，是他们要持守他们所有的，免得有人夺去他们的冠冕：
A. Once Philadelphia fails, she becomes Laodicea; the only warning for the church in Philadelphia is for them to hold fast what they have that no one take their crown:
1 他们不要到一个时候，以为一样的事作惯了，就把它改一改；不要到一个时候，以为作了这么多年了，就把它换一换——要遵守主的话，不否认主的名——8、11节。
1. They should not be weary of doing the same things for a long time and should not ask for a change; they should not contemplate doing something new after all the years of doing the same things—keeping the Lord's word and not denying His name—vv. 8, 11.
2 他们所作的是对的，有主的祝福；因此，他们还要再作；他们要持守他们所有的，不要丢掉！
2. What they have done is right and is blessed by the Lord; therefore, they should continue in it; they have to hold fast what they have and not let it go!
二 老底嘉是走了样的非拉铁非；弟兄相爱失去的时候，多数人的意见就是通过的意见，多数人赞成就行了：
B. Laodicea is a distorted Philadelphia; when brotherly love is gone, the opinion of the majority is the accepted opinion; as long as the majority is in favor, it is all right:
1 什么时候弟兄相爱失去了，身体的关系和感觉就失去了。
1. When brotherly love is lost, the Body relationship and consciousness are lost.
2 生命的交通也失去，所剩下的就是人的意见。
2. The fellowship of life is cut off as well, leaving only the opinions of men.
贰 “我知道你的行为，你也不冷也不热；我巴不得你或冷或热。你既如温水，也不热也不冷，我就要从我口中把你吐出去。因为你说，我是富足，已经发了财，一样都不缺；却不知道你是那困苦、可怜、贫穷、瞎眼、赤身的”——15～17节：
II. "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spew you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am wealthy and have become rich and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked"—vv. 15-17:
一 在主眼中，老底嘉的特点是不冷不热和属灵的骄傲：
A. In the eyes of the Lord, the characteristics of Laodicea are lukewarmness and spiritual pride:
1 属灵的骄傲是从已往的历史来的；曾有一次他们是富足的，他们就以为今天仍然是富足的；已往的故事他们今天还记得，但是已往的生命失去了。
1. Spiritual pride comes from history; some were once rich, and they think that they are still rich; they still remember their history, but they have lost their former life.
2 曾有一次主怜悯他们，他们记得那个历史，而今天却失去了那个实际。
2. The Lord was once merciful to them, and they remember their history, but now they have lost that reality.
3 他们还记得他们是富足，发了财，一样都不缺，但现在他们是贫穷、瞎眼的。
3. They remember that they were once wealthy and had become rich and had need of nothing, but now they are poor and blind.
二 我们如果要继续在非拉铁非的路上并避免成为老底嘉，就得学习在神面前降卑自己——太五3，十九23～24，赛五七15:
B. If we want to continue in the way of Philadelphia and avoid becoming Laodicea, we have to remember to humble ourselves before God—Matt. 5:3; 19:23-24; Isa. 57:15:
1 “爱是不自夸，不张狂，……爱是永不败落”——林前十三4下、8上。
1. "Love does not brag and is not puffed up…Love never falls away"—1 Cor. 13:4b, 8a.
2 要记得，我们没有一样不是领受来的——四7，参二12，约三27，彼前四10。
2. We should bear in mind that we have nothing we have not received—4:7; cf. 2:12; John 3:27; 1 Pet. 4:10.
3 活在主面前的人，不觉得自己是富足的。
3. Those who live before the Lord will not be conscious of their own riches.
三 老底嘉就是说起来样样都知道，事实上没有一样是热切的；说起来，样样都有，但是没有一样是能够把命拚上的；记得已往时候的光荣，却忘记了今天在神面前的光景；已过是非拉铁非，但今天是老底嘉。
C. Laodicea means to know everything but, in reality, to be fervent about nothing; in name it has everything, but it cannot sacrifice its life for anything; it remembers its former glory but forgets its present condition before God; formerly, it was Philadelphia, but today it is Laodicea.
四 当人在神面前起首骄傲，离弃生命的路，不重实际，只记得已往的历史和自己的富足，唯一所剩下的就是大众的意见：
D. When a person becomes proud, forsakes the way of life, and neglects reality, while reminiscing on his history and his own riches, the only thing left will be the opinions of many:
1 只能大家商量事情，好像是民主，但是不能有身体的关系。
1. Among such ones there can only be discussion and consensus; it appears to be a democratic society but bears no resemblance to the Body relationship.
2 你如果不认识身体的捆绑、身体的权柄和身体的生命，就也不能认识弟兄相爱。
2. If you do not know the binding, authority, and life of the Body, you do not know brotherly love.
五 跟从主的人，没有骄傲；骄傲的人，就从主的口中被吐出去：
E. Those who follow the Lord have no pride; the Lord will spew the proud ones out of His mouth:
1 求主怜悯我们；这是对我们众人的警告；我们要不说骄傲的话。
1. May the Lord be merciful to us; this is a warning to all of us: we must not be proud in our speaking.
2 人要不说骄傲的话，只有一直活在主面前；只有一直活在神面前的，才不会看见自己是富足，才能不骄傲。
2. A person must live before the Lord continually before he can refrain from proud words; only those who live before God continually will not consider themselves rich; only they will not be proud.
六 为着主和召会火热，就是要沸腾；因着不冷不热而从主的口中被吐出去，乃是被主弃绝，不得再享受主对祂的召会所是之一切。
F. To be hot for the Lord and the church is to be boiling; to be spewed out of the Lord's mouth by being lukewarm is to be rejected by the Lord and to lose the enjoyment of all that the Lord is to the church.
七 在主眼中，恢复后又堕落的召会有以下五个特征：
G. In the eyes of the Lord the degraded recovered church has the following five characteristics:
1 她是困苦的，因为她夸口她在道理上虚空知识的丰富，而实际上她在对基督之丰富的经历上是极其贫穷的。
1. She is wretched because she is proud of being rich in the vain knowledge of doctrine, but in reality she is sorely poor in the experience of the riches of Christ.
2 她是可怜的，因为她是赤身、瞎眼、满了羞耻和黑暗。
2. She is miserable because she is naked, blind, and full of shame and darkness.
3 她是贫穷的，因为她在经历基督上并在神经纶的属灵实际上是贫穷的。
3. She is poor because she is poor in the experience of Christ and in the spiritual reality of God's economy.
4 她是瞎眼的，因为她在真实属灵的事上没有真实属灵的内在眼光。
4. She is blind because she lacks the true spiritual insight in the genuine spiritual things.
5 她是赤身的，因为她没有凭基督活着，也没有活出基督作她主观的义，作第二件衣服，遮盖她每天的生活行动——诗四五1～2、9、13～14，太二二11～12，腓三8～9，启十九8。
5. She is naked because she does not live by Christ or live Christ as her subjective righteousness, as the second garment in her daily walk—Psa. 45:1-2, 9, 13-14; Matt. 22:11-12; Phil. 3:8-9; Rev. 19:8.
叁 “我劝你向我买火炼的金子，叫你富足；又买白衣穿上，叫你赤身的羞耻不露出来；又买眼药擦你的眼睛，使你能看见。凡我所爱的，我就责备管教；所以你要发热心，也要悔改”——三18～19：
III. "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire that you may be rich, and white garments that you may be clothed and that the shame of your nakedness may not be manifested, and eyesalve to anoint your eyes that you may see. As many as I love I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore and repent"—3:18-19:
一 圣经把我们那运行作工的信（加五6）比喻为金子（彼前一7），并且神圣的性情，就是基督的神性，也是由金子表征的（出二五11）；我们乃是借信有分于神的性情（彼后一1、4～5）：——引用经文
A. In the Bible our operating, working faith (Gal. 5:6) is likened to gold (1 Pet. 1:7), and the divine nature of God, which is the divinity of Christ, is typified by gold (Exo. 25:11); by faith we partake of the divine nature of God (2 Pet. 1:1, 4-5):
1 恢复后又堕落的召会，对基督有道理的认识，但没有多少活的信，以有分于基督的神圣元素。
1. The degraded recovered church has the knowledge of the doctrines concerning Christ but not much living faith to partake of the divine element of Christ.
2 她需要付代价，经过火炼的试验，得着金的信，使她能有分于真金，就是基督自己，作祂身体生命的元素。
2. She needs to pay the price to gain the golden faith through the fiery trials that she may participate in the real gold, which is Christ Himself as the life element to His Body.
3 如此她才能成为纯金的灯台（启一20），好建造金的新耶路撒冷（二一18）。——引用经文
3. Thus, she can become a pure golden lampstand (Rev. 1:20) for the building of the golden New Jerusalem (21:18).
二 白衣指蒙主称许的行为，就是主自己从召会活出来，这是恢复后又堕落的召会所需要的，好遮盖她的赤身。
B. White garments signify conduct that can be approved by the Lord; such conduct is the Lord Himself lived out of the church, and it is required by the degraded recovered church for the covering of her nakedness.
三 那擦眼睛所需要的眼药，必是指膏抹的灵（约壹二27），也就是主自己这赐生命的灵（林前十五45下）；恢复后又堕落的召会需要这种眼药医治她的瞎眼（参伯四二5～6）：——引用经文
C. The eyesalve needed to anoint their eyes must be the anointing Spirit (1 John 2:27), who is the Lord Himself as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b); the degraded recovered church needs this kind of eyesalve for the healing of her blindness (cf. Job 42:5-6):
1 按新约的意义说，看见神等于得着神；得着神就是在神的元素、生命和性情上接受神，使我们被神构成——参太五8。
1. In the New Testament sense, seeing God equals gaining God; to gain God is to receive God in His element, in His life, and in His nature that we may be constituted with God—cf. Matt. 5:8.
2 看见神使我们变化（林后三16、18，参约壹三2），因为我们看见神时，就把祂的元素接受到我们里面，我们旧的元素也被排除了；这新陈代谢的过程就是变化（罗十二2）。——引用经文
2. Seeing God transforms us (2 Cor. 3:16, 18; cf. 1 John 3:2), because in seeing God we receive His element into us, and our old element is discharged; this metabolic process is transformation (Rom. 12:2).
3 看见神就是被变化成为神人基督荣耀的形像，使我们得以在神的生命里彰显神，并在祂的权柄里代表祂。
3. To see God is to be transformed into the glorious image of Christ, the God-man, that we may express God in His life and represent Him in His authority.
4 我们越看见神、认识神并爱神，就越厌恶自己，越否认自己——伯四二5～6，太十六24，路九23，十四26。
4. The more we see God, know God, and love God, the more we abhor ourselves and the more we deny ourselves—Job 42:5-6; Matt. 16:24; Luke 9:23; 14:26.
四 死的虚空知识和道理的仪式，使恢复后又堕落的召会不冷不热；她需要为她的不冷不热悔改而发热心、沸腾、火烧，借此重得享受基督的实际。
D. Dead, vain knowledge and doctrinal forms have made the degraded recovered church lukewarm; she needs to repent of her lukewarmness and be zealous, boiling, burning, that thereby she may regain the enjoyment of the reality of Christ.
肆 “看哪，我站在门外叩门；若有听见我声音就开门的，我要进到他那里，我与他，他与我要一同坐席”——启三20:
IV. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me"—Rev. 3:20:
一 这里的门不是个人的心门，乃是召会的门：
A. The door is not the door of the hearts of individuals but the door of the church:
1 主是召会的元首，祂站在堕落召会的门外叩门。
1. The Lord as the Head of the church is standing outside the degraded church, knocking at her door.
2 我们必须认识并抓牢这一个原则：神的同在乃是一切问题的准则；无论我们怎样作，都必须留意有没有神的同在——出三三11、14，林后二10，诗二七8，一〇五4。
2. We must realize and hold on to one principle: God's presence is the criterion for every matter; regardless of what we do, we must pay attention to whether or not we have God's presence—Exo. 33:11, 14; 2 Cor. 2:10; Psa. 27:8; 105:4.
二 这门是召会的门，但需要个别的信徒打开：
B. The door is the door of the church, but the door is opened by individual believers:
1 在老底嘉的召会有知识，却没有主的同在。
1. The church in Laodicea has knowledge but does not have the Lord's presence.
2 主是在对付整个召会，但接受主的对付好享受祂为筵席，必须是个人并主观的事。
2. The Lord is dealing with the whole church, but the acceptance of the Lord's dealing in order to feast on Him must be a personal and subjective matter.
伍 “得胜的，我要赐他在我宝座上与我同坐，就如我得了胜，在我父的宝座上与祂同坐一样。那灵向众召会所说的话，凡有耳的，就应当听”——启三21～22：
V. "He who overcomes, to him I will give to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches"—Rev. 3:21-22:
一 这里的得胜，是指胜过恢复后又堕落的召会中，不冷不热和骄傲的光景，并出代价买所需之物，且开门让主进来；基督这独一的得胜者包括了所有的得胜者。
A. Here to overcome is to overcome the lukewarmness and pride of the degraded recovered church, to pay the price to buy the needed items, and to open the door so that the Lord can come in; Christ as the unique Overcomer includes all the overcomers.
二 在主的宝座上与主同坐，乃是给得胜者的赏赐，使他在要来的千年国有分于主的权柄，与主同王，管理全地。
B. To sit with the Lord on His throne will be a prize to the overcomer, so that he may participate in the Lord's authority and be a co-king with Him in ruling over the whole earth in the coming millennial kingdom.
三 我们需要看见，在启示录二、三章的七封书信是写给七个召会的一卷书；这些书信是主分别写给七个特定的召会（二1、8、12、18，三1、7、14），但这七封书信寄出时，不是七卷书，乃是一卷书。——引用经文
C. We need to see that the seven epistles in Revelation 2 and 3 were written as one book to the seven churches; these epistles were addressed by the Lord to the seven particular churches separately (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14), but they were sent not as seven books but as one book.
四 虽然七封书信的内容有所不同，但在每一封书信的末了都有同样结束的话：“那灵向众召会所说的话，凡有耳的，就应当听”——二7、11、17、29，三6、13、22：
D. Although the contents of the seven epistles differ, at the end of each epistle there is the same closing word: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches"—2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22:
1 这就是说，每一封书信都是写给众召会的，这也指明众召会在一切主耶稣正面的事上应当是相同的；在主对七个召会所说的话中，正面的事是主所称赞、加强、鼓励并推崇，要召会在这些事上洋溢的。
1. This means that each epistle was written to all the churches, and it indicates that in all the positive things of the Lord Jesus, the churches should be the same; in the Lord's speaking to the seven churches, the positive things were commended, strengthened, encouraged, and exalted by the Lord for their abounding.
2 七个召会只有在反面的事上是反常不同的，这些事是主所责备、审判、定罪并改正，为要消除的。
2. The seven churches differed abnormally only in the negative things, which were rebuked, judged, condemned, and corrected by the Lord for elimination.
五 不冷不热的召会若忘记所有的死知识，听活的、焚烧的灵所说的话，就要从堕落的情形里被拯救出来。
E. If the lukewarm church forgets all her dead knowledge and listens to the speaking of the living and burning Spirit, she will be delivered from her degraded condition.