不要模仿这世代
罗马十二章二节说，“不要模仿这世代，反要藉着心思的更新而变化，叫你们验证何为神那美好、可喜悦、并纯全的旨意。”保罗告诉我们“不要模仿这世代”。我们不该被这世代模塑成形。这世代是甚么？世代是现今、实际的世界生活，是反对并代替教会生活的。整个世界是撒但的系统，就是被撒但构成的系统。世界，原文是cosmos，指组织，系统。撒但把每个人和属人生活的每一项都系统化了。这世界的系统由许多世代组成。正如宇宙教会由许多地方教会组成，照样，世界由许多世代组成。每个地方教会是宇宙教会的一部分，每个世代是世界的一部分。每个世代有其当时的时尚。英文的“摩登”“modern”，相当于希腊文的“世代”。“不要模仿这世代”，原文可译为“不要摩登”。因此，摩登的意思就是模仿现今的世代。既然世代是现今、实际的世界生活，是世界系统的一部分，你就无法在世界里而不在一个世代里。你无法接触世界，除非你接触一个世代。所以，你要弃绝世界，就必须弃绝世代。
世界系统之世代的改变，可由女子发型的改变来说明。六十年前，尤其在西方世界，一般女子将头发梳成高塔，越高越好。我很知道这事，因为西方女子购买的发网，是从我小时候所住的华北出口的。后来订单忽然开始指定小发网，我希奇改变的原因。后来，我知道世代改变了，摩登的样式转换了。每个世代都有其时髦和样式。六十年前，西方女子将头发梳成高塔；后来短发又普遍流行。近年来，年轻人采纳这世代所谓“嬉皮式”的发型；年轻男孩若把头发留长，就证明他很摩登。
世界反对教会，历世代反对众教会。我们若认真要有教会生活，就必须丢弃世代。既然现今的世代反对教会生活，我们就无法跟随世代，并照着这世代被模成，而仍能真正经历身体生活。被摩登世代占有的人也许参加主日聚会，但他无法实行教会生活。我们若要有身体生活，就是教会生活的实行，我们就不可跟随这世代，也不可模仿这世代。
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Pleasing God – By the Renewing of the Mind (1) — Rom. 12:2
Do Not Be Conform to This Age
Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, that you may prove by testing what the will of God is, that which is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” Paul tells us not to be “conformed to this age.” We should not be molded by this age. What is this age? The age is the present, practical world life, which is the opposition to and substitute of the church life. The entire world is a Satanic system, a system constituted by Satan. The Greek word for world, cosmos, denotes an organization, a system. Satan has systematized every person and every item of human life. This world system is composed of many ages. Just as the universal church is composed of many local churches, so the world is composed of many ages. Every local church is a part of the universal church, and every age is a part of the world. Each age has its modern fashion. The English word “modern” is an equivalent of the Greek word rendered “age.” The Greek words translated as “Do not be conformed to this age” may be translated as, “Do not be modernized.” Hence, to be modernized means to be fashioned, conformed according to the present age. Since an age, being the present, practical world life, is a part of the world system, you cannot be in the world without being in one of the ages. You cannot touch the world unless you touch one of the ages. Therefore, in order to forsake the world you must also forsake the age.
The changes in the age of the world system can be illustrated by the changes in ladies’ hairdos. Sixty years ago, especially in the Western world, it was common for women to arrange their hair into a high tower, the higher the better. I became familiar with this because the Western ladies purchased hairnets that were imported from North China where I lived as a boy. Suddenly the orders began to specify small hairnets. I wondered about the reason for the change. Eventually I learned that the age had changed and that the modern style had altered. Each age has its fashion and style. Sixty years ago the Western ladies fashioned their hair into a high tower. Later short hair became common, and the so-called “bobbed hair” became popular. In recent years the young people have adopted the so-called “hippie type” hairdo of this age. If a young man allows his hair to grow long, it proves that he has been modernized.
The world opposes the church, and the ages oppose the churches. If we mean business to have the church life, we must give up the age. Since the present age opposes the church life, we cannot follow the age and be fashioned according to it and still truly experience the Body life. A person who is possessed by the modern age may attend the Sunday meetings, but he cannot practically live out the church life. If we want the Body life, the practice of the church life, we must neither follow this age nor be conformed to it.