In previous chapters we have said that a minister of the word needs four things. Two of these things, light and the inner words, are of God, while the other two, thoughts and memory, are of the minister himself. Before a minister of the word opens his mouth to speak, he needs to have two things available to him—his own thoughts and his memory. But this is not all. While he is speaking, he also needs two more things—proper feelings and a proper spirit.
In reading the Bible, we find one outstanding feature in all the writers of the books: Their feelings were never a hindrance to them in their ministry of the word. In their speaking, they expressed their feelings. We must realize that the release of our spirit often is affected by our feelings. If a man’s feelings cannot be expressed, his spirit cannot be freed. Whether or not a man’s spirit is released has very little to do with the will or the mind. It has much to do with the feelings. The spirit is mainly expressed through our feelings. When our feelings become a hindrance, the spirit is blocked. When our feelings are cold, the spirit becomes cold. When our feelings are dry, the spirit is dry. When our feelings are calm, the spirit is calm.
Why do God’s children so often confuse the spirit with feelings? God’s children can most readily discern the spirit from the will because there is a great difference between them. They can discern the spirit from the mind because this difference is also great. But it is not easy to discern the spirit from feelings. It is easy to confuse the two because the spirit does not flow independently; when it flows, it carries feelings with it. The spirit does not express itself through the mind or the will but through the feelings. This is the reason that many people find it difficult to differentiate between the spirit and the feelings. Although the two are totally different, the spirit being one thing and the feelings another, the spirit is nevertheless expressed through the feelings. The light bulb is the place where electricity is expressed. Although electricity and the bulb are two different things, the two cannot be separated. In the same way, the spirit and the feelings are two different things, yet the former is expressed through the latter. For this reason we cannot separate the spirit from the feelings. But this does not mean that the spirit is the feelings or that the feelings are the spirit. For those who have never learned the spiritual lessons, the spirit and the feelings are one and the same thing. This is like some people who consider that electricity is the same as the light bulb. In reality, electricity and light bulbs are two entirely different things. When a minister of the word speaks, his spirit has to be released. But the release of the spirit is related very much to his feelings. If his feelings are not proper, his spirit cannot be released. The electricity in the power company can be very strong, but without a light bulb no light will be seen. In the same way, no matter how wonderful our spirit is, the spirit is frustrated if our feelings are poor. The spirit is released through the feelings. In order for the spirit of the minister of the word to be free, it must have suitable feelings to express itself. If the feelings do not obey the spirit or follow its instructions, the spirit is blocked. For the purpose of releasing the spirit, a man must have proper feelings. Now let us consider the kind of feelings that are proper.
Man has a will, but the will is the coarsest part within him. Man also has a mind, which is more refined than the will, yet the mind is still coarse. Man also has feelings, which are the most delicate part in him. When a man makes a decision, he may do so in a definite way. Even though man is capable of thinking, his thoughts are not necessarily refined. But in man’s emotions and feelings, we can find a soft and tender spot. In the Old Testament, particularly in the Song of Songs, the finer parts of man are signified by scents. Scents can only be detected by the nose, and the sense of smell is a very delicate function. Smell represents the finer sentiments. The Bible uses the nose as a symbol of feelings. Although man’s feelings are delicate, not all feelings can be used.
A minister of the word has to use his feelings. Every time he speaks, he has to put his feelings into the words he is speaking. Without this, his words are dead. Before a minister of the word opens his mouth, he must have memory and thoughts. But after he opens his mouth, he first should have feelings. If his feelings cannot match his speaking, his speaking amounts to nothing.
The Lord Jesus once illustrated this point to His disciples, saying, “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like little children sitting in the market places, who call to the others and say, We have played the flute to you, and you did not dance; we have sung a dirge, and you did not mourn” (Matt. 11:16-17). If a man has feelings, he will dance when others play the flute and mourn when others sing a dirge. In other words, a minister of the word cannot speak one thing but feel just the opposite. This altogether disqualifies a person from speaking for the Lord. We cannot speak a word of grief without having any feeling of grief. If we do not have the feeling of grief, we cannot be a minister of such a word of grief. The feelings that we are speaking of are not a kind of performance. Any performed feeling is an imitation; it is like acting in a play. A minister of the word should not perform his speaking in an artificial way. When a minister of the word speaks, he should be full of feelings for the words he is speaking. Every word of his should be full of feeling. If the words are sorrowful, he should feel sorrowful. When the spirit is sad, the feelings should be sad as well. Some words are joyous, and he should feel joyful. When the spirit is joyful, he should have the feelings of joy.
We must remember that it is not enough to just release the word; the spirit must be released as well. However, when the spirit is released, it conveys our feelings also. Therefore, if our feelings are not up to the standard, our words will be short of the spirit. When our feelings are too rough, they are useless in the release of the words. The feelings are the most delicate part of man. If our feelings are rough and insensitive, we cannot use them, and our speaking will be without the spirit. Whatever words we are speaking, we must have the spirit to match the words. If the spirit is different from the words, the two become incompatible, and the words will suffer a loss. The result will be nothing but failure. When we release certain words, we have to convey a certain spirit. In other words, we need the proper spirit for the proper words. We cannot speak one kind of word while having another kind of spirit. No one can be a minister in this way. The kind of spirit we have must match the kind of word we speak. But when the spirit is released, it cannot express itself; it must be accompanied by feelings. If our feelings are unusable, or if they are heading in a different direction from that of our spirit, the spirit is unable to do anything. Hence, our spirit must match God’s word, and our feelings must also match God’s word.