In this message we will fellowship concerning the ministry of the new covenant. The ministry of the new covenant is the service of the new covenant. We may also say that it is the living of the new covenant. In the new covenant, this service, this ministry, is a living. We cannot separate the living from the service. If we separate these two matters, then our service becomes a performance or a show. An actor who is only twenty years old may play the part of an old man in a theater performance. Although he may act like an old man in the theater, he still lives the life of a twenty-year-old man in his actual living. His acting is merely a performance and has nothing to do with his real daily life. Another actor who is a man may even play the role of a woman. However, the two—the actor and the woman whom the actor is pretending to be—are not the same at all. Today we must not serve the Lord in the way of performing. The ministry of the new covenant is the living of the new covenant, and the living of the new covenant is the ministry of the new covenant. The living and the ministry must be one; they cannot be separate.
Why are we considering this matter of the ministry of the new covenant? We are considering this matter because of our background. The Bible is composed of the Old Testament and the New Testament. If we read the Bible carefully, we will see that in the Old Testament the emphasis is on laws and regulations. The totality of these laws and regulations is known as the letter because all of these laws and regulations were written down sentence by sentence and word by word (2 Cor. 3:6). The Pentateuch, which was written by Moses, talks about the way to keep the Sabbath, the way to offer sacrifices, and the way to slay an animal when offering it—how to cut the animal, how to skin it, how to drain and apply its blood, and how to burn it. These regulations were all written down sentence by sentence and word by word. They are the letter. The ministry or service of the old covenant was of the letter; thus, an Israelite who came to offer a sacrifice had to follow what Moses had written down. He could not say, “I have an idea. Today instead of offering a sacrifice, I will sing a song.” This would have been a terrible thing. To do this in the Old Testament times would have been to stray from the Scriptures and to disobey God’s word.
It is quite amazing, however, that the New Testament does not begin with the law of Moses but with the genealogy and origin of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a man, a descendant of David. He was born in a manger in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth. When He was thirty years old, He began His ministry, and the Spirit of God descended upon Him. After three and a half years He went to the cross to die, redeeming us from our sins. After He was buried, He resurrected and ascended. Then He descended as the Holy Spirit. In His resurrection, as the last Adam He became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b).
The Greek word that we translate spirit can also be translated breath. Breathing is the foremost need of our physical life. A person can live thirty to forty days without food or three to four days without water. However, if a person stops breathing for five minutes, he will die. Our greatest need is to receive air into us, to breathe.
I believe that we all have read the Gospel of John. What is the subject of this Gospel? The Gospel of John says that in the beginning was the Word and that the Word was God (1:1). It also tells us that this Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, full of grace and truth (v. 14). What is truth? Is truth the same thing as doctrine? It would be wrong to say that the Word was full of grace and doctrine, for truth is reality. The Gospel of John also reveals that the Word who was God and who became flesh is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (v. 29). John 19 further reveals that this One suffered death by crucifixion. While on the cross, blood and water flowed out from His pierced side (v. 34). Then John 20 tells us that He resurrected. Where did He go after He resurrected? We should not say that He went to heaven, because the Gospel of John does not say this. On the night of the Lord’s resurrection, the disciples were in fear of the Jews, so they went into a house, closed the doors, and shut themselves inside. They were feeling lost and bewildered. Then suddenly the Lord Jesus stood in their midst. While the disciples stood there, still having doubts, what did the Lord Jesus say to them? Did He tell them, “Moses gave you ten commandments, but I am going to double that number and give you twenty commandments. The first commandment is that you shall be zealous, the second commandment is that you shall love others as yourselves, and the third commandment is that you shall lose your life and suffer martyrdom for My sake”? Did the Lord Jesus say this? He did not. Then what did the Lord Jesus do while He was there in the midst of the disciples? He did not talk about doctrines; He simply breathed into the disciples. Can you believe that this is what the Lord Jesus did? He was the Son of God, the resurrected Christ, but He did not give them any regulations. Instead, He simply breathed into them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (v. 22). Do not forget that spirit can also be translated breath. Thus, it would be correct to translate the Greek phrase rendered Holy Spirit as Holy Breath. If we were to do this, John 20:20 would say, “Receive the Holy Breath.” Who is the Holy Breath? The Holy Breath is the Holy Spirit. And who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is our wonderful Lord! In the beginning He was the Word who was God. Then He became flesh, and eventually He became breath. This breath is the Spirit.
After breathing into them, the Lord Jesus did not say, “Peter and John, My time is up. I have to go. Good-bye.” He did not say this. The Gospel of John mentions His appearing to His disciples, but it does not mention His departing from them. Where was the Lord after He breathed into the disciples? He was in each and every one of them. Therefore, when the disciples came together to meet in the evening on the Lord’s Day, the Lord Jesus appeared to them again. Later some of the disciples went fishing. They fished the whole night but did not catch anything; their nets were empty. The fish did not come, but suddenly the Lord Jesus came. When the disciples first saw Him, they asked themselves, “Who is this?” Then after watching Him and listening to Him, they realized that He was the Lord. What was the purpose of these events? The purpose of these events was to show the disciples that after the Lord’s resurrection, He would be with them in their spirit and would never leave them again. This is also true today. Not only is the Lord with us when we are praying and reading the Bible, but even if we go back to the world to “fish,” the Lord will go with us.
The point of my fellowship is that in the New Testament there are no regulations or rules; there is only the living Lord Jesus. From beginning to end, the New Testament reveals the living Lord Jesus. If the Lord Jesus were a religious figure, then His religion would need doctrines. Without doctrines there can be no religion. This, however, is not the Lord’s way. Thus, the New Testament does not deal with doctrines. Every book of the Bible speaks about the Lord Jesus and tells us many things about Him. The Bible reveals that the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17). It also declares that the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). The Lord is the Spirit, not a doctrine. He is the Spirit, not the letter. Thus, today when we serve God in the new covenant, we should serve not according to doctrines but according to the living Spirit.