Prayer: Lord, how we thank You for Your written Word. We thank You, Lord, that in these last days You have opened up Your Word to us. We thank You for Your cleansing blood and for Your anointing Spirit. Lord, we also thank You for the churches. We are so thankful that You speak out of the tent of meeting, and we believe that You will speak to us further. Lord, grant us a sober mind, a seeking spirit, and a receiving heart. Open up Your mind to us, show us Your economy, and bring us all into the reality of Your word to impress us with Yourself. We desire to get into You and enjoy You all day long. O Lord, gain the victory. Gain ground in all of us, and defeat Your enemy. Destroy the power of darkness, release Your riches, and release all of us. Unto You be glory in the church. Amen.
I hope we can clearly see the difference between the Spirit of life and the Spirit of power. The New Testament likens the Spirit of life to breath (John 20:22) and to drinking water (1 Cor. 12:13; John 7:38-39). The Spirit of power is likened to wind (Acts 2:2) and to clothing (Luke 24:49). As for the Spirit of life we need to breathe Him in as the breath and also to drink of Him as the living water; as for the Spirit of power, we need to put Him on as the uniform, typified by the mantle of Elijah (2 Kings 2:9, 13-15). The indwelling of the Spirit of life is essential for our life and living; the outpouring of the Spirit of power is economical for our ministry and work.
We breathe in breath for our life, but the mighty wind as power is for us to carry out our work. Drinking water is also for life, but clothing is for the outward appearance. Breathing and drinking are the most crucial things to our physical life, and it is exactly the same with our spiritual life. We need the spiritual breath and the spiritual drink that we may have life and live. The rushing wind and the clothing are for us to move, to act, to do something. We need the power and the outward appearance, the uniform.
On the day of resurrection the Spirit of life was breathed into the disciples. They received the breath and began to drink of the living water, but they still needed the power, the uniform. Fifty days later, on the day of Pentecost, they were clothed with power from on high. That power became their outward appearance, their outward uniform. The Head of the church baptized all His believers in one Spirit into one Body (1 Cor. 12:13).