Before we consider the secret of experiencing Christ according to the book of Philippians, I would like to say a further word about the secret as seen in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:13 is a crucial verse: "In whom you also, hearing the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise." This verse speaks of hearing the word of truth, of believing in Christ, and of being sealed with the Holy Spirit. Hence, three things—the Word, faith, and the Spirit—are implied here. Without the Word, there can be no faith, no believing. Faith comes through the Word. If we did not have the Bible or the preaching of the gospel, it would not be possible to have faith. According to the Bible, Abraham is the father of those who believe. In Galatians 3:8 Paul says, "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham." Because God preached the gospel to him, Abraham could believe. However, had there been no speaking of God, Abraham could not have believed. Faith is the result of God's spoken word infused into those who hear the Word. From our experience we can testify that if we had not heard the gospel or read the Bible, we could not have faith.
During the early years of my ministry, I did a great deal of gospel preaching. Often after a meeting, people would come to me for help. Instead of explaining a lot to them, I preferred to have them read a verse, perhaps John 3:16. First I would read the verse aloud and then ask the others to read it one by one. At that time, I did not practice pray-reading, but I did know the effectiveness of repeating the Word of God. After having the seeking ones repeat a verse, I often asked them to insert their name at the appropriate places. For example, I would have them insert their name as we were reading John 3:16. Through reading the Word in such a way, many received faith and were saved.
Receiving faith through the Word is not a matter of psychology. On the contrary, this has much to do with the Spirit. Wherever the Word of God is preached, the Spirit of God is present. The Lord Jesus once said, "The words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life" (John 6:63). In the light of this verse, we believe that God's Word is Spirit. Believing this, we need to present the Word of God to others in a living way, encouraging them not simply to read it with the mind, but to take it in by an exercise of heart and spirit. Whenever the Word is taken in this way, spontaneously something rises up in a person which causes him to believe in God. This is faith.
When faith rises up, the Spirit is present also. We cannot separate faith from the Spirit. Actually, faith is a function of the Spirit. When we read the Word in a proper way and the Word is infused into us, it becomes the Spirit. Then the Spirit functions to produce faith. Faith, therefore, is the result of the function of the Spirit.
The Spirit enters into our being, especially into our spirit, through the Word. We may even say that the Spirit comes in as the Word. When we handle the Word of God rightly, the Word will enter into us and become the Spirit functioning in us to give us faith. Then in our experience we shall have the hearing of the Word, the believing in Christ, and the receiving of the Spirit.
Preachers of the gospel often use Ephesians 2:5 and 8 to tell people that we are saved by grace through faith. But many who use these verses in preaching the gospel may not realize that the faith through which we are saved comes from the Word with the Spirit. Saving faith is produced by the infusion of the living Word with the Spirit. This kind of faith is not a mere doctrinal faith; it is a living faith that comes from the Word with the Spirit.