In the book of 1 Corinthians we also see that through the divine transmission, through the divine dispensing, we have the gifts with which to function. In order to function in the church, we need the gifts. But where do the gifts come from? We should not think that spiritual gifts will suddenly come upon us in a miraculous way. On the contrary, all spiritual gifts are transmitted into us from God as the source.
God is the source of the gifts, and the transmitting agent of the gifts is the Spirit of God. Through the Spirit, by the Spirit, and with the Spirit God is transmitting Himself into our being. This transmission will go on until it reaches the point where we have a particular gift. Then we shall be able to function with this gift.
In chapter twelve of 1 Corinthians Paul lists the functions that come out of certain gifts, such as the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. We have pointed out that prophecy is a matter of speaking for Christ and even of speaking forth Christ. All these gifts are the outcome of the divine transmission. May we all see that this transmission is equal to what we call the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity.
In order to function, we need the gifts that come from the divine dispensing. When I was a young Christian, I did not have much experience of the divine transmission and therefore I felt that I could not function. For example, on a certain occasion I was called upon to offer a prayer at the end of the so-called service. I was greatly surprised when I heard my name, and I did not know what to say. At that time, I was not clear that the living Christ was in me and that the Spirit of the living God was transmitting the riches of Christ into my being. I had neither the knowledge nor the experience of this. For this reason, I did not feel that I could offer a prayer, much less speak in a public meeting. But after many years and by the Lord’s mercy, we have learned that, according to the Bible, we may function by the gifts that come from the divine dispensing.
According to the New Testament, function depends on at least three basic matters: first, the fact that we have been regenerated; second, on Christ living in us; and third, on the anointing of the Spirit of God.
We are familiar with the fact that in the Bible anointing is related to oil. Therefore, to be anointed is to be “oiled.” We all have the “oiling” Spirit within us, anointing us day by day. What we need to do is stay firmly attached to Christ as the anointed One. In 2 Corinthians 1:21 Paul says, “But He who firmly attaches us with you unto Christ and has anointed us is God.” God has firmly attached us to Christ, and now we need to stay attached to Him. If we stay attached to Him in our experience, the anointing, the oiling, will never cease.
Allow me to testify of my experience of the anointing as I was preparing to give this message. When I was with the Lord concerning the message, I was anointed by Him. I experienced a rich “oiling” of the Spirit. Because of this anointing, I was eager to come to the meeting for the purpose of dispensing the Triune God. I wanted to spread this ointment to others.
Our daily righteousness, sanctification, redemption and also our practical function in the church meetings come from the divine transmission. Because we experience such an inner transmission taking place day by day, we are anointed by the Spirit, “oiled” by Him. Through this anointing we have the divine essence within us for our experience and enjoyment. This is clearly revealed in the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians.