We have seen that in nature the Scripture, the holy Word, is God’s breath. The function of the Scripture is to unveil, to roll away the veil. Proper teaching is always a kind of unveiling. After the unveiling, we have reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness “that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17).
Let us now go on to consider further another important verse related to the nature of the Bible-John 6:63. Here the Lord Jesus says, “It is the Spirit who gives life...the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” This indicates that the Lord’s words are the embodiment of the Spirit of life. When we receive His words by exercising our spirit, we get the Spirit, who gives life.
When we read the Bible, we should receive life; and when we teach others concerning the Bible, they should receive life. If we do not receive life when we read the Bible, something is wrong. In our reading of the Bible, there may be no spirit; and in our teaching of the Bible to others, there also may be no spirit. For there to be no spirit means that there is no life. We may read a portion of the Bible, several verses or a few chapters, without receiving the life supply. The reason for this lack of supply is that in our reading of the Word there is no spirit. If we do not sense the Spirit as we are reading the Bible, we should realize that something is wrong, and then we should adjust ourselves.
In the same principle, as we are teaching the young people in the Summer School of Truth, we need to check whether there is any spirit in our teaching. If there is no spirit, we should change our way of teaching. Teaching a class in the Summer School of Truth should not be the same as teaching a class in a secular school. In a secular school there is no need of spirit, but in our summer school there is the need of much spirit.
From experience we know that in order for there to be much spirit in our reading and teaching of the Bible, we need much prayer. We must be a person of prayer. In other words, we must be a person who is continually breathing the Lord, a person who is always inhaling God. Our reading of the Bible should be a kind of inhaling, and our teaching of the Bible should be a kind of exhaling. As you are teaching a class in the Summer School of Truth, you should be exhaling God into your students.
The Bible is God’s breath; this breath is the Spirit; and the Spirit gives life. When you breathe the Spirit you receive not only unveiling, rebuking, correcting, and instructing-you receive life. Whenever you touch the Spirit as you are reading the Bible, you receive life. Likewise, as you are teaching in the Summer School of Truth, you need to touch the Spirit. You should have the sense that you are touching not only the Spirit but also the spirits of your students. You should have the sense that you are exhaling God and that they are inhaling God. This means that there is a communication between your exhaling and their inhaling. This indicates that your way of teaching is right, for you are exercising to minister life to the young people.
In teaching the Bible to others, you must be very strict with yourself, adjusting yourself again and again. During one class session you may need to adjust yourself a number of times. If you experience failure the first few times you teach, you should go back to the Lord with much prayer. Pray yourself into the Lord, breathing God into you. Then, having become a praying person, a person who inhales God, go back to your class and exhale what you have received of God.
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