The life of God depends on the Holy Spirit, and it is through the Holy Spirit that this life enters and lives in us. Even though the fellowship of God’s life is derived from the life of God, it comes by means of the Holy Spirit. Hence, the Bible also calls this fellowship the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14). This shows clearly that the Holy Spirit causes us to experience the life of God. On one hand, the life of God enters into us through the Holy Spirit; on the other hand, the Holy Spirit causes us to experience the life of God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit causes us to have fellowship in the life of God. All our fellowship of life is in the Holy Spirit and by the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 2:1 says, “If there be...any fellowship of the Spirit” (KJV). This means that the Spirit of God moves, requires, and urges us within, causing us to have the fellowship which comes from the life of God. Therefore, if we desire to have the fellowship of life, we must not only have the life of God but also live in the Spirit. The life of God is the source of the fellowship of life, and the Spirit is the means of the fellowship of life. Although the life of God gives us the fellowship of life, it is the Spirit who causes us to practically enjoy this fellowship of life. Only when we are living and walking in the Spirit by setting our mind on the Spirit can we enjoy the fellowship of the life of God in a practical way.
Now we need to consider the function of the fellowship of life and the function of the sense of life. How are these two functions related to each other? The sense of life is the proof of whether we are living in God. The fellowship of life is a supply; that is, it inwardly supplies us with all the riches of God’s life. The fellowship of life supplies us with all that God is, but we know whether we are in this fellowship by the sense of life. Whenever we sense death or feel weak, depressed, empty, dark, and in pain, we should realize that we have been cut off from the fellowship of the life of God. However, when we sense life, that is, when we feel strong, lively, bright, comfortable, and satisfied, we should realize that we are living in the fellowship of the life of God.
How can we practice this fellowship of life? Since life is in the Spirit, we need to know how to touch the Spirit in order to practice the fellowship of life. If we do not know how to touch the Spirit, we will not be able to touch the fellowship of life that is in the Spirit. Therefore, in order to practice the fellowship of life, we should practice to touch the Spirit in us. Nevertheless, in order to touch the Spirit in us, we must first touch the inner sense of life.
Twenty years ago we spoke much concerning the Spirit. Many brothers and sisters among us had experiences of the Holy Spirit at that time, but we were not clear about how to touch the Spirit continually. We spoke about following the Holy Spirit, yet we could not see Him or grasp Him like a material object. So we began to pay attention to learning how to follow the Spirit in a detailed way. After many years of seeking and studying, we eventually realized that the most important manifestation of the Spirit in us is the inner sense. Hence, to follow the Spirit is to follow the inner sense; to touch the Spirit is to touch the inner sense. If we do not know how to touch the inner sense, we will not be able to know the Spirit.
For example, a bottle of refined salt and a bottle of refined sugar look exactly the same, and the contents even feel the same. Unless we taste and sense them, we will not know which one is sweet and which one is salty. Because sugar and salt are physical things, we can see them. However, the taste of salt and the taste of sugar are invisible to us; we can only discern them by exercising our sense of taste. Thus, sense is a very important matter. Not only is our spiritual sense important, but even our physical sense is important. If our physical sense is annulled, we will be finished. This is not a matter of seeing but of sensing. If we put a glass of warm water next to a glass of cold water, how can we tell which one is warm and which one is cold? If we drink the water, immediately we will sense whether the water in the glass is warm or cold. The temperature of the water cannot be discerned by sight but by sensation.
A person’s growth in life depends on how he deals with the inner sense. If a person’s living is a mess, it shows that he is a person who disregards the inner sense. The stronger a person’s life is, the more normal his living will be, because he cares about the inner sense. Others may speak casually and frivolously, but he is dignified and steady; others may dress sloppily, but he is neat and clean. The stronger a person’s life is, the more he will live according to the inner sense, and the more normal his living will be. Similarly, with a spiritual person, the stronger the divine life is within him, the keener his sense of life will be and the more normal his spiritual living will be, because he lives absolutely according to that sense.
Man’s physical body, which can be seen and touched, is the means of his physical life. However, spiritual life does not have any means or forms; it depends entirely upon an inner spiritual sense. Thus, the fellowship of life requires us to touch the Spirit, but in order to touch the Spirit, we must touch the inner sense. The inner sense of being strong, satisfied, lively, fitting, at ease, and comfortable are positive feelings. These feelings indicate that we have touched the Spirit. There are feelings, however, that indicate that we have not touched the Spirit. When we sense death, that is, when we sense negative feelings in us such as weakness, darkness, emptiness, depression, and pain, we should realize that we are not in the Spirit and not in the fellowship.
Fellowship is in life, and life is in the Spirit. For us to have the fellowship of life, we must touch the Spirit, and for us to touch the Spirit, we must touch the inner sense. Life is in the Spirit, and this Spirit is the Spirit of God, who is in our spirit. When we speak concerning touching the Spirit, the Spirit we are speaking of is the Spirit of God mingled with our spirit as one spirit. In other words, the Spirit of God is within our human spirit. The Spirit of God is mingled with our human spirit. In this mingled spirit, there is the life of God, and with this life there is fellowship.
Today the Spirit of God is in our spirit. These two spirits are mingled together to be one spirit, and they are inseparable. As long as we touch this mingled spirit, we will be able to touch all spiritual feelings. Originally, the Spirit of God was outside us; He was untouchable and hard to locate. Now, however, the Spirit of God has entered into our spirit, and we can definitely say that the Spirit is in our spirit. We do not need to go up to heaven or down to Hades to look for Him; we simply need to turn to the deepest part of our being, our spirit, and we will be able to touch Him.