Message Three

The Holy Spirit in Acts—
the Essential Spirit of Resurrection Life
and the Economical Spirit of Ascension Power,
the Baptism in the Holy Spirit,
and the Inward and Outward Filling of the Spirit

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:49; John 20:22;
Acts 1:5, 8; 2:4, 33; 4:8; 6:3; 13:52; 1 Cor. 12:13

1. The Scriptures reveal that there are two aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit: the inward aspect for life—the essential Spirit—and the outward aspect for power and authority—the economical Spirit—John 14:17; 20:22; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 8:
   1. Essential refers to the existence, to the being, and to the life for existence; economical refers to work, function, and power.
   2. As a man, Christ Himself experienced these two aspects of the Holy Spirit:
      1. He was born of the Holy Spirit essentially for His being and living, and He was anointed with the Holy Spirit economically for His ministry and move—Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18, 20; 3:16; Luke 4:18.
      2. The essential Spirit was within Him, and the economical Spirit was upon Him—Matt. 1:18, 20; Luke 4:18.
   3. In principle, both aspects of the Spirit are the same with us as they were with the Lord Jesus; every believer in Christ should experience both aspects of the Spirit—24:49; John 14:17; 20:22:
      1. Inwardly we need to drink of the Holy Spirit for life, and outwardly we need to be clothed with the Holy Spirit for power and authority—1 Cor. 12:13; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 8.
      2. Inwardly we need the breath of the Holy Spirit breathed into us for life, and outwardly we need the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing upon us for power—John 20:22; Acts 2:2, 4:
         1. The inward aspect is the Holy Spirit as life within us—Rom. 8:2, 11.
         2. The outward aspect is the Holy Spirit as power upon us—Acts 1:8.
         3. As believers, we need the Spirit of life inwardly and the Spirit of power outwardly; we must be filled inwardly with the Spirit as life and clothed outwardly with the Holy Spirit as power—Eph. 5:18; Luke 24:49.
      3. To experience the Spirit as our life for our spiritual being and existence is essential; to experience the Spirit as power for our spiritual work and function is economical—Rom. 8:11; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 8:
         1. On the day of resurrection, the Lord breathed the Spirit of life into the disciples; this is essential—John 20:22.
         2. On the day of Pentecost, the Lord poured out the Spirit of power upon the disciples; this is economical—Acts 2:1-4.
      4. Regarding the Spirit of life, we need to breathe Him in as the breath; regarding the Spirit of power, we need to put Him on as the uniform, typified by the mantle of Elijah—John 20:22; Luke 24:49; 2 Kings 2:9, 13-15:
         1. The former, like the water of life, requires our drinking; the latter, like the water of baptism, requires our being immersed—John 7:37-39; Acts 1:5.
         2. The essential indwelling of the Spirit of life and the economical outpouring of the Spirit of power are the two aspects of the one Spirit for our experience—1 Cor. 12:13; Hymns, #278.
2. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the outpouring of the consummated Triune God as the all-inclusive compound Spirit by the Head upon His Body—Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 8; 2:1-4; 10:44-47; 11:15-17; 1 Cor. 12:13:
   1. Through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the believers were put together to form the Body of Christ, joined to Him as the Head—v. 13.
   2. The real meaning of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is that we are immersed in the Triune God and that we put on the Triune God as our uniform—Luke 24:49.
   3. The baptism in the Holy Spirit was accomplished in two sections:
      1. All the Jewish believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost—Acts 2:1-4.
      2. All the Gentile believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit in the house of Cornelius—10:44-47; 11:15-17.
      3. In these two sections all genuine believers in Christ were baptized in the Holy Spirit into the one Body of Christ once for all universally—1 Cor. 12:13.
   4. There are five historical cases of the outpouring of the Spirit recorded in Acts, only two of which are called the baptism in the Holy Spirit:
      1. In these two cases Christ as the Head baptized the Jewish and Gentile parts of His Body in the Holy Spirit once for all; by so doing, He fully accomplished the baptism in the Holy Spirit upon His Body—Acts 1:5; 11:15-17.
      2. In the other cases the baptism in the Holy Spirit that had already been accomplished upon the Body by the Head was transmitted to the new members of the Body through identification with the Body; these three cases were experiences of the one baptism in the Holy Spirit, which the Body of Christ had already received—8:15-17; 9:17; 19:1-7.
   5. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is uniquely one and has been accomplished upon the Body once for all; the experiences of the baptism in the Holy Spirit are numerous and may be shared continually by the members of the Body who have a proper understanding and realization—4:8; 13:9:
      1. We need to realize that the Lord has ascended and that He is the Lord and the Head over all things to the church—Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11; 2:33-34; Eph. 1:19-23.
      2. The baptism of the Body in the Holy Spirit is an accomplished fact and now exists upon the Body, ready for us to apply; this fact is a bequest given to us through the New Testament as a will—Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8, 13.
      3. We need to be right with the Body, stand in the Body, believe the will, and take the baptism in the Holy Spirit by faith—1 Cor. 12:13; Heb. 11:1, 6.
3. As believers in Christ, we should experience both the inward and the outward filling of the Spirit—Eph. 5:18; Acts 2:4; 4:8; 6:3; 13:9, 52:
   1. To be filled with the Spirit inwardly is to experience the essential Spirit as life—Eph. 5:18; Acts 6:3; 13:52.
   2. To be filled with the Spirit outwardly is to experience the baptism in the Spirit for power and authority—1:5, 8; 2:4; 4:8; 13:9.
   3. When we are filled with the Spirit both inwardly and outwardly, we are completely mingled with the Triune God, who fills us, occupies us, and covers us; inwardly and outwardly, everywhere and in everything, there is the Spirit as the consummation of the processed Triune God—1 Cor. 12:13.