Although the teaching of the anointing comes from the anointing; nevertheless, these two occupy different parts in our being. The anointing is in our spirit, whereas the teaching of the anointing is in our mind. Why is the anointing in our spirit? Because the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit; therefore, the anointing which emanates from the moving of the Holy Spirit is definitely in our spirit. When our spirit is motivated by the Holy Spirit, we become conscious of it. Such a consciousness is the feeling of the anointing. At this time, provided that our mind has been taught, we are able to interpret this feeling from our spirit. We can understand its meaning and thus obtain the teaching which emanates from the anointing. Therefore, the teaching of the anointing is in our mind and is entirely a matter of the comprehension of our mind.
The work of the Holy Spirit within us, whether it be enlightening, watering, revealing, or guiding, is all derived from His anointing within our spirit. Hence, the scope of the anointing is extremely large and includes almost all the work of the Holy Spirit within us. However, the teaching of the anointing includes only the portion which our mind is capable of understanding; thus, the scope is much narrower. Frequently, the anointing can fulfill its purpose without passing through our mind and understanding. For example, during our fellowship with the Lord we obtain the supply of life, and our spirit becomes watered, refreshed, brightened, and strengthened. Furthermore, when we touch the law of life, we can live and act according to God’s nature. These experiences are purely of the anointing, and have nothing to do with the teaching. However, there are also many times when the anointing must pass through our mind and be understood before it can manifest its function. For example, our spirit may be enlightened, have a revelation, know God’s truth, understand His will in our work and move, and receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit; however, if these items merely remain as the anointing or a consciousness in the spirit, we will not be able to understand the meaning. They need to pass through the interpretation of the mind and become the teaching of the anointing; then we can understand the meaning.
The teaching of the anointing is the interpretation and understanding of the mind with regard to the anointing in the spirit. Therefore, if we desire to follow the teaching of the anointing, we should have not only a keen feeling in our spirit, but also an experienced and spiritual mind. Such a mind includes the renewing of the mind, the exercising of our comprehension in spiritual matters, and the collecting of spiritual knowledge. These require that we love the Lord more, seek spiritual experiences, live in fellowship, study the Bible, read spiritual books, and listen to messages. Through these, our mind will receive spiritual unveiling and become enriched in knowledge; thus, it will be able to comprehend the meaning of the anointing in our spirit. Consequently, we will realize the teaching of the anointing.
The importance of our mind comprehending the feeling of the anointing can be illustrated by the case of one going to the movies. A newly saved person who is ignorant of what movies involve still feel inwardly pressed down, uncomfortable, and unnatural while watching a movie. He does not realize that the sanctifying Spirit within him is forbidding this, and that the anointing is teaching him not to go again. This is due to the fact that his mind and understanding have not been enlightened; hence, he does not understand the moving of the Holy Spirit regarding this matter. He has the anointing but not the teaching.
Later, his mind receives instruction about the movies, and he realizes that it is ungodly to watch movies. There are three reasons for this. First, the majority of movies are filthy, for they describe, represent, and advocate the evils of an adulterous generation. Everyone who frequently attends movies is constantly contaminated by their corruption. How can Christians partake of this? Secondly, some movies are not filthy and do afford a degree of knowledge, such as educational films, war films, and films of adventure; however, the environment of the theater is not a suitable place for the saint. Many of those who are in the theater are ungodly in their clothing, attitude, behavior, and conversation. If we attend a movie and come into contact with this kind of atmosphere, it hurts our spirit of godliness. Thirdly, quite often a film may not be filthy, and the environment may even be proper, but after you have watched the film, does it bring you closer to the Lord, or cause you to be further from the Lord? We firmly believe that a spiritual man like Paul, after watching good films once a week for two or three months, would become a loose Christian.
From the above three points we learn that regardless of whether a film is good or bad, the atmosphere and environment of a theater are not fitting to the taste of a Christian. When a brother has this knowledge, but again goes to a movie and experiences an anointing which causes him to feel unpleasant and uneasy, his mind immediately understands that this is the Holy Spirit forbidding him to see the movie. At this time, not only has his spirit experienced the anointing, but his mind has learned to understand the teaching of the anointing.
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