Since life is God Himself, how can man touch and obtain life so that this life can come into him? One of the disciples made a very interesting request of the Lord Jesus, saying, “Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us” (John 14:8). This indicates that they knew of God the Father but had never seen or touched Him. Was He fat or thin? Was He tall or short? What exactly did He look like, and what was His content and disposition? The disciples had no clue and were puzzled. They had heard of the Father, but they had never seen Him. Thus, they asked the Lord to show them the Father, and they would be content.
The Lord answered, saying, “Have I been so long a time with you, and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how is it that you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?” (vv. 9-10). This means that the Lord is the Father, and the Father is the Lord. This can be compared to a person asking someone to show him what rice grains look like, even though he eats rice every day; this is very odd.
So where is God? God is in Christ. The Me in the Father is in Me is the Christ who is the incarnated Word. Where is Christ? In John 14 the Lord Jesus said that the Father is in Him, and then He said that He would leave the disciples in a little while. Although the Father is in Him, He did not want the disciples to treasure this and hold on to Him. The Lord told the disciples that they should not let their heart be troubled or be afraid, because He would leave them in a little while but would come again (vv. 18-19, 27-28). He came as the Spirit, “even the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him” (v. 17). This shows that God is in Christ, and Christ is the Spirit.
Where is the Spirit? The Spirit has a very special name; He is called the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2), which means that the Spirit gives life to people. John 6:63 says that the words that the Lord speaks are spirit and are life. The Spirit is life. Some of us may be confused and feel that I am speaking in circles. We started speaking concerning life, and now we are speaking about the Spirit; it seems that speaking of life, God, Christ, and the Spirit is just like going around in a circle. Actually, the Spirit is the Spirit of life. In other words, life is God, God is in Christ, Christ is the Spirit, and the Spirit is life.
Where is life? Life is in those who believe into Him. This is absolutely true, but how does life enter into man? We need to see that life is the light of man. Psalm 36:9 says, “For with You is the fountain of life; / In Your light we see light.” Please remember, life is in the light, and this life is the light of man. Wherever the light shines, life comes in. Wherever life comes, the Spirit is also there. Wherever the Spirit is, Christ is there. Wherever Christ is, God is there. Wherever God is, life is there. Life is in the light.
Where is the light? The light is in the word of God. The words that the Lord speaks to us are spirit and life (John 6:63). We minister God’s word because we hope that God’s word will enter into everyone. As soon as God’s word enters into man, it becomes light. As soon as we receive light inwardly, we have life. When light is received by man, it becomes life. Moreover, life is the Spirit, the Spirit is Christ, and Christ is God. This is not a theory but a spiritual reality. Everyone who has experienced this will bow in worship and say Amen.
Whenever we touch the Lord’s word, the word becomes light in us, and the word becomes life to satisfy our hunger. We feel that we are eating of the fatness and drinking of the river of His pleasures, and we are full of God’s presence, full of Christ’s supply, and filled with the Triune God inwardly. Therefore, when God’s word operates and starts to have an effect on us and if we willingly obey, we are immediately filled with light, life, the Spirit’s presence, Christ, and God. In this way, people sense God, Christ, the Spirit, life, light, and God’s word in us when they contact us. We should always remember that life is God, God is in Christ, Christ is the Spirit, the Spirit is life, life is light, and light comes from God’s word.
When we fellowship with the Lord in the morning, we may sometimes get a sense of receiving a word from God. Sometimes the word seems tangible, and it speaks clearly in us; sometimes the word seems more intangible, as if it is just a feeling. Regardless of its form, it is God’s word. As soon as we receive such a word inwardly, we immediately have light. This light is the moving of the Spirit, and it issues in the filling of life. In this way, we inwardly sense God, Christ, and the Spirit, and we are inwardly filled with life and light. When people contact us, they have the sense that they are touching God, Christ, the Spirit, life, and light. Therefore, whether or not we can touch, contact, and obtain life all depends on how we handle God’s word and how we contact God’s word.
Often there is a word of God in us; it is the speaking through the moving of the Spirit in us, and its purpose is for us to contact and touch life. But how do we handle this word? Many people listen to messages, but they do not touch God’s word. Many people read the Bible, but they do not hear God’s word. Some people read spiritual books, but they never touch the Lord. This is because they disobey, ignore, and even reason and argue with the Lord. This is the reason that their light is lost and the reason that life and Christ disappear.
This is true not only in our daily living; we frequently have this kind of experience in the bread-breaking meeting. If the Spirit in us gives us a word or a feeling to open our mouth and praise the Lord, we should receive this word and open our mouth to praise the Lord. Thus, we will have light within, and this light is life, the Spirit, Christ, and God. When we respond to this feeling and offer a prayer of praise to the Lord, we sense the satisfaction of life, the sweetness of Christ, the presence of God, and the moving of the Spirit. Even after we go home, we will still sense God’s sweet presence inwardly.
Regrettably, many people have a feeling, a word without form, but they are not willing to obey. Instead, they reason inwardly, thinking, “The Lord wants me to get up to praise and pray, but if my prayer is not good, I will lose face and become a laughingstock.” As they begin to reason, the light in them disappears, and life, Christ, and God also disappear. As a result, they inwardly feel empty and unsatisfied in the bread-breaking meeting. When they go home, they are still empty within and cannot touch God, and they go to sleep with this empty feeling. When they get up the next morning, they feel that God is far away from them. Their inward fellowship will not be restored until they confess before God: “O Lord, forgive me. On that day You gave me a word in the bread-breaking meeting, but I did not obey You.”
Thus, if we want to touch life, we need the word, the feeling given to us by the Spirit. Such a feeling is the living word of God. Although it is silent, it is indeed a living word. We should accept and obey it. If we do this, the word in us will become light. This light is life, Christ, God, and the Spirit. If we would all practice in this way, we could touch God every day. This is the way for us to touch God, and whoever touches God in this way is blessed. To be blessed is to have God’s life as a spiritual reality.