The Spirit speaks not only to the churches but also with the churches. Revelation 22:17 says, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come!” In chapters two and three of Revelation it was the Spirit speaking to the churches; here, at the end of the book, it is the Spirit and the bride, the church, speaking together as one. This indicates that the church’s experience of the Spirit has improved to the extent that she has become one with the Spirit, who is the ultimate consummation of the Triune God.
Here, we have two consummations. One consummation is that the Triune God-the Father, the Son, and the Spirit- has gone through the processes of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to ultimately become the Spirit. The other consummation is that the tripartite man has gone through the processes of creation, redemption, regeneration, transformation, and glorification to be ultimately constituted into the church as the bride of the Triune God. Eventually, the Spirit and the bride will be joined in marriage in the universal wedding. In the eternity that is without end, by the divine, eternal, and surpassingly glorious life, they will live a life that is the mingling of God and man as one spirit, a life that is superexcellent and that overflows with blessings and joy.
In His work in us, on us, and for us the Spirit gives us direction. Whether in our living, in our actions, in our work, or in our preaching of the gospel, the Spirit always gives us definite directions. Sometimes the Spirit also serves as the means for us to predict something that we may be able to foretell future happenings. The Spirit also tells us the things to come, either by speaking to us directly or by speaking to us through the members indirectly. The Spirit also sends us out to preach the gospel to impart the riches of Christ to others. The Spirit also works together with the apostles and elders to resolve the problem of keeping the law and thus put a stop to the disturbance among the churches. By forbidding and not allowing, the Spirit guides us that we may spread God’s kingdom according to God’s will. The Spirit also establishes elders in the churches. Although the appointment of elders is carried out through the apostles, it is perfected in the church under the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the Spirit distributes gifts to the members of the Body of Christ so that every believer can do the spiritual things and manifest the spiritual function. The Spirit also manifests Himself in each one of the members of the Body of Christ through different gifts for the profit of the church, that is, for the growth in life of the members of the Body and for the building up of the Body. The Spirit also operates the gifts in each one of the members of the Body of Christ to cause them to have the manifestation of gifts and thus make them proper, functioning members in the Body. The Spirit also warns us not to repeat the history of the failure of Israel that we may not miss the rest that God has prepared for us. The Spirit also speaks to the churches. He speaks not only in the letters of the Bible but also in our spirit to have Christ wrought into us. Eventually, the Spirit and the bride, the church, speak together as one and are joined in marriage in the universal wedding to live a life that is the mingling of God and man as one spirit, a life that is superexcellent and that overflows with blessings and joy, in the eternity that is without end.