How can we be in the realm of the spirit? Suppose that there are four brothers who love the Lord very much and often have fellowship with Him. (Remember that the Lord whom they love is neither a doctrine nor a religion; He is the Spirit). Suppose that these four brothers come to a meeting with their Bibles under their arms, sit down one by one, and then remain sitting in their seats. If I saw this, I would ask them, “Why are you just sitting here?” They might answer, “We are sitting here quietly because it is not yet time for the meeting to begin.” Then I would ask, “Is the Lord, whom you serve, inside of you?” If they say yes, then I would say to them, “Then do you care about the time or about the Lord? If you care about the Lord, then you should not sit here idly. The time has not yet arrived, but you have arrived! Do not take care of the time. Take care of the Lord!”
We may say that we love and serve the living Lord and that we fellowship with Him, but in actuality we may be religious people. When we come to meet, we may not care whether the Lord is living or not. Rather, we may care for the time, we may wait for the responsible brothers to call the hymns, and we may want all the meetings to be carried out step by step in an organized way. This is to be religious.
How can we avoid being religious? Only when we are in the Spirit are we not in religion. I love my Lord, and my Lord is the living Spirit, so I have fellowship with Him from morning to evening. If I were a saint with a job, then after I get off from work in the afternoon and have dinner and a little rest, I would leave for the meeting at six-thirty. I would do this because the meeting starts at seven-thirty. While I am on my way, I would begin to sing, “Victory, victory, Hallelujah!” I would not sing the same hymn every day. In fact, I might not even sing a hymn that is in the hymnal. I would simply sing according to inspiration. While I am walking on the street, I would sing. Singing on the street is better than singing in a place of worship. If I choose to ride the bus, I would also sing and pray on the bus. I might pray, “O Lord! Bless all those who are taking this bus! Save all of them, including the bus driver!” Our service today is simply our living. Thus, when a sister goes shopping for groceries, she can shout, “Jesus is Lord! Hallelujah! Jesus is Lord!” as she is shopping. Someone may ask her if she is insane, but she can answer, “I am not insane; I am beside myself with Jesus!”
This is the way that we should come to the meetings. The meetings should start in our home. Then all the way to the meeting we should either be praising, singing, or praying. When we arrive at the meeting hall, we can begin to praise, even if we are the only one there. Dear brothers and sisters, we should not have regulations anymore. Throughout the generations God has been working against regulations. Today we are in the end times, and the Lord is coming soon. The Lord wants to do a swift work and to take a fast way. Thus, He can no longer tolerate our way, in which we maintain our regulations.
Today the service of the new covenant is not of the letter but of the spirit. Thus, we should not take any practice and make it into a habitual practice. We have to be new every day. We need to do away with the oldness of the letter and serve in newness of spirit. Our Lord is a living God and a living Spirit. Today He lives not only in heaven but also within us. We can have fellowship with Him and look to Him for the cleansing of His blood. Moreover, where the blood is applied, the ointment is applied, and where there is the precious blood, there is the Holy Spirit.
When we come to meet, we should not care for the letter or for regulations; we should care only for the living Spirit. Praising the Lord and calling on His name will draw out our spirit. As a result, we will be filled with the presence of the Lord inwardly. With the presence of the Lord, we will be enlightened and burning within. One who is filled with the Spirit of the Lord will be burning inwardly since the Lord is not only the watering Spirit but also the burning Spirit.
When we are burning, we are set free. The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. This freedom, which is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3:17, implies freedom from regulations and freedom from the letter of the law. The letter of the law veils us. When we are filled with the Spirit of the Lord inwardly, the veil is taken away, and we are set free. Then with an unveiled face we behold the Lord as a mirror. As a mirror we reflect the glory of the Lord and are transformed into the image of the Lord from glory to glory. How are we transformed? We are transformed not by doctrines but from the Lord Spirit. This is the ministry of the new covenant and the service of the new covenant. May the Lord have mercy on us to deliver us from all methods, creeds, regulations, and doctrines so that we will live in the Spirit under His precious blood.