The relationship between God and man, as we have seen in the two previous messages, is a matter of life and of the spirit. Both life and the spirit are mysterious. Actually, according to the New Testament revelation, these two are one. In John 6:63 the Lord Jesus said that the words He spoke “are spirit and are life.” The spirit is life, and life is the spirit.
Our human life and our human spirit are closely related. When man was formed, God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Gen. 2:7). The word breath here is the same as the word for spirit. In both Hebrew and Greek, the word spirit may mean spirit, breath, or wind. In fact, in Ezekiel 37 the one Hebrew word is translated Spirit in verse 1 and wind and breath in verse 9. Spirit, breath, and wind refer to three aspects. When the wind is weakened, it is the breath, and then becomes the spirit. We do not enjoy the strong wind of a typhoon; we prefer the gentle breeze, which is the breath. It is our breath which keeps us alive; when our breathing stops, our life is over.
In Romans 8:2 the words spirit and life are brought together: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law of sin and of death.” Life and spirit are one. The term, Spirit of life, indicates that the Spirit is the source, while life is the current or flow that comes from the Spirit. Life is of the Spirit and issues from the Spirit. The Spirit is the substance and the source of life. When we refer to the electric current, we are talking about the electricity. It is electricity when it is constant; it is an electric current when it is moving. Similarly, when the Spirit is activated, it becomes life; without movement it is the Spirit. Apart from an electric current, there is no electricity. The movement of the electricity is the current; the current is the very electricity itself.
Apart from the Spirit, there is no other life. When did the Spirit become activated and come into you as life? It was when you confessed your sins, repented, and received the Lord Jesus. It was then that you were grafted to the Lord, and His Spirit flowed into you. Within you He should be flowing all the time, as life to you.
Electricity has been installed in this building, but if you do not turn on the switch, the function of the electricity will not be manifested. If you want the heat, or the air-conditioning, or the lights, you must activate the electricity by turning on the switch. Then it will be hot, or cold, or bright. With too many Christians today, the Spirit within is not activated.
Is the Spirit within you activated? It may be moving when you are in a meeting, but how about when you are at dinner with your family? How about when you are chatting with your friends? How about when you are criticizing your daughter-in-law or your mother-in-law? How about when you are gossiping? How about when you are exchanging words with your spouse?
How much of the day is the Spirit in you switched on? You may love the Lord and seek Him, you may pay a price to follow Him, and you may even serve Him full time. But the question still remains, How much of your time is the Spirit turned on? If we turn off the switch in the building, what is the use of talking about how dark it is in the room?
You have asked me to have meetings with you about how to govern the church or how to serve the Lord. Whenever I hear a question about “how to,” my head whirls! Why? If you do not turn on the switch, what is the sense of studying how to make the lights shine or how to cool the building? If you do not know how to touch the Spirit, it is a waste of time to talk about how to be an elder. The great problem throughout the whole world today is the energy source. If this problem is not solved, it is useless to work on problems in transportation or industry. Without sufficient energy, the other problems cannot be dealt with. As soon as you find the energy source, you will have light, heat, or air-conditioning.
When I heard that there was a young people’s meeting arranged for me to speak at, I told the brothers, “No, let old and young both come.” I have only one subject to talk about, whether to the young or the old: touch the Spirit! If you are an unbeliever, I tell you, once you touch the Spirit by repenting, confessing, and asking the Lord to save you, you are saved. If you have had fifty years of spiritual history, I tell you, touch the Spirit! If you are weary of turning on the switch and do not want to do it any more, you will be in darkness. Every day you must turn on the switch. If you stop, you are about to die.
Home | First | Prev | Next