The real function in the church is the release of the spirit. The functioning in the local church depends entirely upon the release of the spirit. “It is the Spirit that gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). This is another basic principle.
In our function, we must release the spirit. “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The letter means doctrines, forms, regulations, and even ways or methods. All these things are letters. Anything other than the Spirit is a kind of letter, and the letter kills.
Whatever we do in the church function must be something out of the Spirit. It must be a release of the spirit. If we pray in the meetings, we must do it with the release of the spirit. If we share a testimony, we must do it in the release of the spirit. It must not only be in the spirit, but with the release of the spirit. Even when we go to visit a person for fellowship, we must do it with the release of the spirit. There must be the release of the spirit, because it is the Spirit that gives life.
Anything other than the Spirit is a kind of letter. We should not say that because I prayed in a certain way last night, I must do it that way all the time. This is something of the letter. It might have been living last night, but it will be dead this time. Last night it was in the Spirit, but now it becomes a kind of letter because the spirit is not released-only the way is kept. Even keeping the old way is of the letter. The basic principle is that in all the function of the church, we need the release of the spirit.
You may ask whether you should pray loudly or silently, but I cannot say. If you can pray loudly with the release of the spirit, you must do it loudly. If you can release the spirit by praying silently, then do it. There is no regulation. Perhaps yesterday I had to pray loudly, but this morning I have to pray silently. The Spirit sometimes blows so strongly and sometimes so silently. We should not have any regulation according to a certain way. It all depends upon the release of the spirit.
Others may ask whether we should call for a hymn first or pray at the beginning of our meetings. But do not talk about first or second. If you put these things into regulations, they are immediately in letters. It all depends upon the release of the spirit. If you have the sense to pray at the beginning of the meeting, you must do it; then the release of the spirit will be so prevailing. There is no need for you to wait for a hymn to be called. If you think that you should not pray because a hymn has not yet been called, you will simply kill yourself and the others. The letter kills. This is why we are fighting against formal Christianity. The leaven of formal Christianity has even crept into the meetings of the local churches.
In some of the local churches, people are used to regulations. People come in and sit, waiting for the time to start. Then they wait for someone to call a hymn. Of course, these matters are not in writing, but they are written more deeply in their mind. If anyone behaves or functions in the meetings in a way which is not according to pattern, they say it is wrong. But this is of the letter. We must not only reject this, but fight against it. We must fight against formalities.
We praise the Lord that the church in Los Angeles is somewhat peculiar. But I believe that we are not yet peculiar enough. We need to be more peculiar. I expect some day to see the brothers and sisters singing hymns on the streets as they are coming to the meetings. They will start to sing hymns and call on the Lord while they are driving in the car on the way to the meetings. They will even march into the hall with a hymn. Everyone will be so happy, fervent in the spirit, and set on fire. There will be no regulations, no forms, yet no disorder. Everything will be in good order, but in the spirit, without any regulations.
Some say that the church in Los Angeles is “awful.” But it is still not “awful” enough! We need to be more “awful.” We want to frighten all of Christianity to such an extent that the whole universe will be shaken.
Look at the picture on the day of Pentecost. Within Judaism, something unusual occurred that day, which I am certain was not according to the regulations of the Temple. And I do believe that the Lord will do the same today. Praise the Lord! Today there is something new and different, something so peculiar and strange, happening to Christianity. Yet it is so spiritual, so living, and so full of life.
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