On the negative side we are burned, but praise the Lord, on the positive side we are being watered. Something new, refreshing, strengthening, and enlightening waters us within. There are no human words which can explain what is within us. It is like rivers of living water, as John mentions in his Gospel.
If we really mean business with the Lord when we say, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah,” there will be something flowing within. Sometimes it is a river of comfort, sometimes it is a river of love, sometimes it is a river of humility, sometimes it is a river of patience, and sometimes it is a river of strength. Even when we are in a kind of darkness, if we will just say, “O Lord!” the light will shine. That is the river of light flowing. This is not teaching. Sometimes there is a river of rebuke within us when we say, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah.” Something within tells us that something is wrong. There is no need for someone to rebuke us outwardly; there is an inward rebuke. This is the flow of the seven Spirits of God.
The age has been changed. The Lord will never honor mere doctrines. The Lord has turned the age from the doctrines to the seven Spirits. What we need is not the doctrines but the burning and the watering of the sevenfold Spirit. Doctrines do not work so well. This is why there is no doctrine in the book of Revelation. Instead, there are the seven Spirits of God as the lamps of burning fire and the river of living water. When we say, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah,” we touch the throne, and something within burns and waters us.
Whenever I say, “O Lord Jesus,” I really enjoy the Lord. It is even better than reading a passage of the Bible. To say, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah” a few times is so refreshing. This is the watering of the seven Spirits of God.
We need to continually touch the throne. Do not think that the throne is so far away. In a sense it is in the heavens, but in another sense it is within us. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.” Where is the throne of grace? It is within our spirit. We must open our spirit and say, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!” Then we will be burned and watered. It is marvelous.
It is very interesting how the Lord gave us these four words: O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah. In one of the Lord’s Day morning meetings in January 1968, I told the brothers and sisters that they all had to function and say something in the meetings. Then I said that everyone could at least say four words. But I did not know what the four words were. I was surprised at what I had said and thought to myself, “What are the four words?” Then I said, “The four words are: number one O, number two Lord, number three Amen, and number four, Hallelujah!” These four words simply came in this way. Do not think that before I spoke I had some kind of consideration regarding these four words. No, I did not have these four words before I spoke that morning. But these four words spontaneously came out: O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!
We will never know how much these four words have helped the brothers and sisters, not only in the United States but also in the Far East. While we were visiting Taiwan, wherever we went, we mentioned these four words, and the enjoyment and power we had was much better than that of any kind of message.
Suppose that in the meetings of the local church we did not do anything but say, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah! O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah! O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!” If the Lord were to lead us to do this for two hours, I believe we would all be set on fire. Everyone would be burned. This is much, much better than any kind of prevailing message. Why is this? It is because when we say these four words, we are touching the seven Spirits of God which are before the throne. Try it and see if the seven Spirits will not burn you.
I want to say something about a brother who was caught by the Lord here. He is a young man from San Francisco. At the time the Lord caught him, he was a hippy and a boyfriend of a young sister in San Francisco. At the winter conference of 1968, this young sister came to Los Angeles, and this hippy boyfriend came also. But before he came, he made up his mind not to respond. Then in one of the meetings we all suddenly stood up and clapped our hands with singing. Before that time we had not clapped our hands, but in that meeting we all clapped our hands. He was standing in the meeting but said to himself that he would never clap his hands. After a short while, however, he started to clap his hands. He told us that once he clapped his hands, he was caught by the Lord. Immediately after he clapped his hands, he was caught by the seven Spirits of God. He was set on fire, and when he returned to San Francisco, there was a real transformation. He cut off his beard and his long hair. There was such a change within him that he influenced his parents. How was he caught by the Lord? It was not by preaching or teaching. It was just by touching the Spirit through calling on the Lord. This is really wonderful.
We have seen that to reach the unbelievers, no preaching is necessary. If we help them to say “O Lord” three times, they will be saved. If they open the window, the air will get in. All they have to do is to open their mouth and say, “O Lord, O Lord.” Even if they have no intention of believing, still they will be caught. Regardless of whether they have the intention or not, as long as they open the window, the air will get in. It is not a matter of teaching; it is a matter of touching the seven Spirits of God.
The book of Revelation also has no forms or regulations. Can you find any regulations or forms in this book? I cannot find any, but I can find, “Amen, Hallelujah!” “The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who sits upon the throne, saying, Amen, Hallelujah! And a voice came out from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all His slaves and those who fear Him, the small and the great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah!” (19:4-6).
You may say that this is something which takes place in the heavens. But we need it on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10). However, even this is not a regulation. Sometimes the seven Spirits will lead us to be silent, and at other times the seven Spirits will lead us to shout. We have no regulations.
In the last book of the Bible there are no doctrines, no forms, and no regulations for the local churches. Praise the Lord! There are only the seven Spirits of God. This is all we need. If we come to the throne of God and say, “O Lord, O Lord, O Lord,” the seven Spirits of God will burn and flow within us.
Today is the day of the seven Spirits. Do not talk anymore about doctrines or you will be killed. The letter kills. Knowledge kills. Doctrine kills. Teaching kills. All the written code kills. The word of the Bible must not be the letters but the Spirit. The Lord said, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). It must not be the knowledge, the doctrines, or the teachings. It must be the Spirit, and even more, the seven Spirits. Let us all open ourselves to the Spirit to be really burned and watered so that the Lord may have a free way among us in the local churches.