In this message we want to continue to see the functions of the Spirit in the Epistles of the New Testament.
The Spirit has the function of preaching in the gospel. When we preach the gospel, the Spirit preaches in our preaching (1 Thes. 1:5; 1 Pet. l:12b).
Another function of the Spirit is to give us joy in our affliction (1 Thes. 1:6b). When we are suffering, we enjoy the Spirit’s joy.
The Spirit has the function of inspiring for prophecies. First Thessalonians 5:19 and 20 say, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies.” The Spirit is quenched by us when we would not speak. We all have to admit that we quench the Spirit many times. In the meetings of the church, we may have the feeling that we should stand up to speak, but we do not speak. We have to be strong in making up our mind to speak.
We Christians have a very wonderful function. When we speak, the Spirit comes out. In 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Paul asked the saints to pray for him that the word of the Lord might run and be glorified. For the word of the Lord to run is for the word of the Lord to have free course (see 2 Thes. 3:1—KJV). The free course of the word is our speaking. If no one spoke the word of God, this would mean that God’s word was fully blockaded. If we are going to let the word of God run, we have to speak. We should not despise prophecies. That means we should not despise the speaking. The prophecies mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5 are those described in 1 Corinthians 14. Verse 19 of 1 Thessalonians 5 tells us not to quench the Spirit. Then verse 20 tells us not to despise prophecies. These two things go together. If we quench the Spirit, we surely despise prophecies.
First Thessalonians 5:19 and 20 imply the inspiring of the Spirit in speaking. We should speak whether we feel it is the right time or the wrong time to speak (2 Tim. 4:2). Actually, the time is always right for us to speak. The considerations in our mind that discourage us from speaking for the Lord are devilish. We need to reject such considerations. We may have a burden to speak and yet not know how to begin our speaking. I have learned not to consider what I would speak as an opening word. We just need to stand and speak. Quite often when I begin to speak, I am not very clear what I am going to speak. But the Lord is faithful to give me the living speaking by the Spirit. Of course, this does not mean that we should speak in a loose or nonsensical way. We need to look to the Lord as the Spirit, trusting Him to speak in our speaking. Still, as long as we speak, this is better than not speaking.
We should not be overly concerned about making mistakes when we speak. When we do things in a wrong way, we learn to do them in the right way. If a person wants to learn how to play the piano, he must practice and make mistakes to learn how to play correctly. His tutor will correct him. Our tutor in our speaking for the Lord is the Spirit. If we speak wrongly in a meeting, the Spirit within us will adjust us. For us to speak is to give the word of God a free course.
According to 1 Timothy 3:16, the Spirit functioned to vindicate Christ, who was manifested in the flesh. The incarnated Christ in His human living was not only vindicated as the Son of God by the Spirit (Matt. 3:16-17; Rom. 1:3-4), but also justified, proved, and approved as right and righteous by the Spirit (Matt. 3:15-16; 4:1). He was manifested in the flesh, but vindicated and justified in the Spirit. He was in the flesh manifesting God, and He lived in the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14; Matt. 12:28). This Spirit vindicated that He was God manifested in the flesh.