Third, John says that the Word is the Spirit. This is wonderful. John writes in his Gospel that the Lord Jesus Himself said that His words are spirit (John 6:63). We need to see the preciousness of these three matters in the Gospel of John. First, God is Spirit (4:24). Second, God is the Word (1:1). Third, the Word is the Spirit (6:63). I hope that every brother and sister will remember these three matters: God is the Spirit, God is the Word, and the Word is the Spirit.
It is difficult to explain the Word being the Spirit. Simply speaking, the Lord speaks the Word, and the Word enters into us as the Spirit. His words remaining outside of us are merely words, but when they enter into us they become spirit. Hence, when we preach the gospel, we speak words, but when the words of the gospel enter into man, they become the Spirit.
After saying that His words are spirit, the Lord said that His words are life. When the words of the Lord enter into man and become spirit, they are life. A person who is saved after hearing the gospel is a person who has heard and received the words of the gospel into him. When the words of the gospel enter a person, they become spirit and life, and the person is regenerated and saved. A person who is not saved when he hears the gospel is one who does not allow the words to enter into him. He may even be able to clearly recite everything that was spoken. Thus, these words are not life to him. This applies not only to the gospel but also to the messages spoken in the meetings. For some brothers and sisters God’s word is merely outside of them and has not entered into them. For other brothers and sisters God’s word enters into them and becomes spirit in them, resulting in life. This also applies to reading the Bible. If the words of the Bible remain outside of us, they will be merely words. Even if we exercise our mind to memorize them, the words will still be words. However, sometimes when we read a verse or section of the Bible, this verse or section enters into us and becomes spirit, and as a result, we touch life. I do not know how to convey this mystery. I cannot explain this spiritual reality, but I do know it. When the words of the Bible enter into me and become spirit in me, they enable me to touch life within. This is practical and sweet.
Therefore, when these three facts are combined, they are meaningful and sweet. God is Spirit, and He is also the Word. If He were merely the Spirit but not the Word, we would have no way to contact Him. He must be the Word so that we can contact Him. When He comes to us as the Word and enters into us, He is the Spirit. God is Spirit. When He comes forth as the Spirit, He is the Word. When the Word enters into us, He becomes Spirit once again. As a result, we can touch Him. The coming out of the Spirit is the Word; the entering into us of the Word is the Spirit. In this way we can touch Him. If He did not come to us in this way, we would not be able to touch Him. If He were merely the Spirit, we would not be able to touch Him, and if He were merely the Word, we would also be unable to contact Him. However, He is the Spirit, He is also the Word, and the Word becomes the Spirit. In this way, the Spirit becomes the Word, and the Word becomes the Spirit; this way enables us to touch Him and to contact Him. These three verses in John are the key to touching God. Even if we cannot fully apprehend this, we need to remember it. Gradually, our realization that God is the Spirit as well as the Word will increase, and we will experience the Word entering into us as the Spirit. Then we will know the way for man to touch and contact God. We will know this secret.
Now that we are clear concerning God, let us speak concerning ourselves. Since God is Spirit, we need to pray. From all that has been spoken in the training for the new believers, the messages given during regular meetings, and the publications, we should know that the emphasis in prayer is not on asking God for things but on contacting Him. God is the Spirit; hence, we need to contact Him through prayer. This is similar to contacting air by breathing, just as contacting water requires drinking, contacting food requires eating, and contacting clothes requires wearing them. In the same principle, contacting the Spirit requires prayer. God is Spirit, and contacting Him requires prayer. It is insufficient to merely meditate, and it is insufficient to merely study. Rather, we need to pray; we need to exercise our spirit to contact Him through prayer. We close our eyes when we pray to stop our entire outward being so that we can exercise our spirit to contact God who is Spirit. Only this is real prayer.
When people, believers and unbelievers, close their eyes, their outward man stops, and they can inwardly turn. When a believer turns, we immediately sense God. However, those who are proud are often unwilling to close their eyes, making it difficult for them to touch God. If we can lead a person to close his eyes when we preach the gospel to him, it will be easier for him to be saved. A willingness to close one’s eyes is an indication that he truly desires to seek God and pray to God. Once he closes his eyes, stops his outward being, and turns to his spirit, he can immediately touch God. Sometimes even if a person in an extremely worldly situation closes his eyes, stops his outward being, and turns to his spirit, he will also touch God. This is truly wonderful.
Recently I read about a special name of God from the book of Numbers. Moses twice called God “the God of the spirits of all flesh.” The first time is in 16:22 when the assembly of Israel rebelled against God, and God wanted to consume them. Moses immediately went to God and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, will one man sin and You be angry with the whole assembly?” The second time is in chapter 27. After Moses went up to the mountain of Abarim and saw the land that God had given to the children of Israel, he was told that he would be gathered to his people and would not be able to lead the children of Israel any longer (cf. vv. 12-13). Thus, he uttered a prayer before God, saying, “Let Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly” (v. 16). In these two prayers Moses addressed God as the God of the spirits of all flesh. These words indicate that everyone has a spirit. God is the God of the spirit of man. God’s relationship with man is altogether related to man’s spirit. As the God of human beings, He is the God of the human spirit. God is not the God of man’s mind; rather, He is the God of the spirit of man. He is the God of the spirits of all flesh. Therefore, there is no need to argue or reason with people concerning the existence of God. This only focuses people on gaining God through their mind, making God the God of man’s mind. But God is not the God of man’s mind; rather, He is the God of the spirits of all flesh. Hence, when we preach the gospel, the best way for our words to enter into man is to speak concerning sin, because this can touch man’s conscience, which is a part of man’s spirit.
Let me repeat: God is Spirit; hence, we need to pray to Him. We should always bear this word in mind. God being the Spirit requires us to pray, just as air requires our breathing and water requires our drinking. If we do not drink water, we have no way to contact and receive water; if we do not breathe, we have no way to receive air. Likewise, if we do not pray, we have no way to contact God who is Spirit. This is a universal law of God according to His creation and arrangement. We cannot understand and explain this law, just as we cannot understand and explain other universal laws. If we want to contact air in the universe, we must breathe, and if we want to contact food, we must eat. In the same principle, if we want to contact God who is Spirit, we must pray. Although we may not understand this, we have experienced it. If we turn to our spirit to come near to God and touch Him, disregarding our reasons, emotions, and outward environment, we will sense that God has touched us, because He is Spirit. We should not care whether we are happy, sad, rich, or poor, but we should simply stop our outward being. He requires us to exercise our spirit to pray to Him. Thus, the way to contact God is to pray. We need to pray so that we can contact and fellowship with Him. Thus, for us to fellowship with God, we must pray.