The writing of living letters of Christ is a matter of both dispensing and constituting. With respect to the one doing the writing, it is a matter of dispensing. But with respect to the one being written upon, it is a matter of constituting, a constituting that takes place through the divine dispensing.
For example, suppose you speak to a fellow worker day by day concerning the Lord in an experiential way. As we have seen, this experiential preaching is your writing of Christ into that person with the Spirit as the ink. On your side, your testifying is a matter of dispensing. On the side of the other party, it is a matter of being constituted through this dispensing. After a period of time, a particular constitution will be built up in that person, and then he will be ready to be saved. This is the way to preach the gospel in the recovery.
We should dispense Christ into others. This dispensing will then become a constitution within them. Eventually, they will be able to say, “Praise the Lord, I’m saved!”
We need to preach the gospel in the way of writing Christ into others with the life-giving Spirit as the ink. This spiritual letter-writing involves the dispensing of the Divine Trinity. The more we dispense Christ into others in this way, the more they will be constituted of Him.
The speaking in the Lord’s ministry should always be a writing of Christ upon the saints. On the side of the one speaking, this writing is a dispensing. But on the side of those receiving the ministry, it is a matter of constituting.
I believe that those who have been constituted of Christ through the ministry cannot lose this constitution even if they leave the church life. Someone may leave the Lord’s recovery, but he will still retain what has been constituted into him. He may not want to take the way of the Lord’s recovery any longer, but he cannot deny the fact that, at least to some extent, he has been constituted of Christ.
If we minister to others according to what we have experienced of God, Christ, and salvation, our ministering to them will be the writing of Christ into them. This kind of writing is a dispensing. Eventually, this dispensing results in constituting. Those who are constituted of Christ in this way cannot be the same as they used to be, for something has been dispensed into them and has been constituted into their being. The result of this dispensing and constituting is that we become letters of Christ.