This message begins with a continuation of the last two messages. We will continue to consider the matter of the exercise and use of our spirit.
Our spirit is the organ for us to contact God. For this reason we need to use our spirit to touch, worship, and enjoy God. Seemingly the spirit has nothing to do with our outward walk. But whether we are proper or not in our walk has much to do with our spirit. Even the Chinese Confucianists say that “the way of the Great Learning lies in the development of the bright virtue.” This bright virtue is part of the spirit. If a man is not strong in his spirit, it will be easy for him to be loose and unrestricted. But if his spirit is strong, the whole person will be restricted, and it will be easy for him to be strict. For example, when a person is angry, others would advise him to be more sensible and less emotional. The reason that there is the need for such advice is that the person is no longer restricted and has lost his sense. In Chinese, sensibleness is a term that is difficult to explain. It means both reasonableness as well as wisdom. Reason is of the mind, and wisdom is of the spirit. Hence, to be sensible has something to do with man’s mind as well as his spirit.
When we go out for the gospel spread and while we are talking or conversing with others, it will be very easy for us to get into trouble unless we are in the spirit. We easily lose our bearings and are either too much or not enough. But if we live in the spirit, we will be sober and weighty, and we will be proper in our speaking. Do not think that our ordinary walk in our daily life, seemingly being a matter totally unrelated to the worship of God, has nothing to do with the spirit. We have to know that the spirit is the central part of our whole being. If this central part is not functioning properly, the outward person will consequently be affected. Take for example the matter of eating. Both in the East as well as in the West, there are proper table manners to be observed. If we are persons living in the spirit, there will not be the need for outward restrictions. Spontaneously, we will act properly and politely. Although we may not be very expressive, we will nevertheless behave weightily.
We are not here for a mental education or a physical education. We are here for a spiritual education. This is absolutely a matter in the spirit. When we contact people and talk with them, there will be no way for us to touch others’ spirits unless we use our spirit. It is a very interesting phenomenon that when I come to you smiling, it spontaneously stirs up your smiling capacity; you will smile along with me. If I come to you crying, it will easily stir up your crying capacity, and you will feel sorrowful along with me. In the same way, only when we exercise our spirit will others’ spirits be quickened.
When we go out to preach the gospel by knocking on doors, there are two ways to preach with The Mystery of Human Life. The first is to speak from the spirit. Perhaps the first two sentences will not touch others’ spirits. But if you continue in the spirit, you will touch others’ spirits, and their spirits will be quickened. The other way is to speak from the mind. When you exercise the mind, others will exercise their minds also. In the end there will be a debate. Man has been exercising his mind long enough. What you have to do is to bring him out of his mind so that he will use his spirit and will fear God’s word. You should not try to subdue him by many arguments. This requires that you continue to practice speaking with the spirit so that others would feel that your speaking is not common in spite of your age. Your speaking will not be something out of your mind but will be something out of your depth. When you exercise your spirit this way, you will touch others’ spirits.
Recently I fellowshipped about four points in the messages concerning living and serving in the new way. The first is that we need a revival every morning to live an overcoming life every day. The second is to contact people and to have home meetings with them. The third is to have small group meetings. The fourth is to prophesy in the district meetings. Today you are being trained in these things. You have to be revived and ascended in your daily living. You have to contact people and meet with them in the homes. You have to have small group meetings in the spirit. You also have to prophesy in the church meetings.
Home | First | Prev | Next