After training His disciples for forty days, the Lord ascended to the heavens. This was clearly seen and realized by the disciples (Acts 1:9). They returned to Jerusalem and prayed for ten days until the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:12-14). On the day of Pentecost the Spirit was poured out upon them (Acts 2:1-4, 33). This pouring out of the Spirit was different from what had taken place on the day of the Lord’s resurrection. On the day of resurrection the Spirit was breathed into the disciples, but on the day of Pentecost the Spirit was poured out upon them. Before the Lord Jesus ascended to the heavens, He told His disciples, “Behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you, stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). In speaking of the Spirit who was about to be poured out upon them, the Lord used the word clothed. This power from on high was the Spirit of God’s economy who was to be poured out upon the disciples. The pouring out of the Spirit was their being clothed with power from on high. This was not the Spirit of life within, but the Spirit of power without.
We have seen that the Spirit within is likened to breath (John 20:22). The Spirit of life is also likened to water for drinking. In John 7:37, Jesus said, “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink.” To drink is one thing, but to be clothed is another. We need to drink of Jesus, to have Jesus within us as the living water, and we also need to be clothed with the Spirit of power. We need the Spirit in both ways. We need the Spirit within as breath and as water for drinking, and we also need the Spirit without as our clothing.
With our physical life, both breathing and drinking are crucial. If we cannot breathe, in a few minutes we will die. Furthermore, our life also depends upon our drinking. If we do not drink, we cannot live properly. The Spirit of life within is for our life and living, and this Spirit is likened to breath and to water for drinking. However, if I am breathing well and drinking sufficiently, yet I am not wearing any clothing, it is not proper for me to visit anyone. In order to speak to anyone, I need air and water within, and I also need to wear the proper clothing.
We may illustrate this principle with the example of a policeman. A policeman may be a small man, but when he puts on his uniform and stands in the street, people pay attention to him. This man has the authority to stop all the cars. But if the same policeman stands in the street without his uniform, no one will obey him. When a policeman in uniform orders someone to pay a traffic ticket, it must be paid, for he is one who has authority, signified by his uniform.
When the Spirit of God’s economy, that is, the Spirit of power, was poured upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, they were all clothed with power from on high. Peter was a small fisherman, but when he stood up on that day, he spoke with authority. This was because on the day of Pentecost Peter was clothed with the heavenly uniform. By this we can see that in our experience the Spirit has two aspects, an inward aspect and an outward aspect. Inwardly He is the breath and the living water, and outwardly He is the power, the uniform. The Spirit of power was not for the disciples to live, but for them to work, to preach, to minister, and to carry out God’s economy.
This Spirit today is also called the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:9), the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2), the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6), the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7), the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9), and the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19). When the Bible speaks of the Spirit of God, this means that God’s essence, God’s element, is in the Spirit. But the title the Spirit of Jesus means that the essence of Jesus, His humanity in particular, is in the Spirit. Because Jesus was the name given to Him at His human birth, the term the Spirit of Jesus mainly denotes the Spirit of Jesus’ humanity. When the Bible speaks of the Spirit of Christ, this title implies that the element of Christ is in the Spirit. Christ is the One anointed by God, and He is the resurrected One. Therefore, in the Spirit of Christ there is the element of resurrection and there is the element of anointing. When the Bible uses the title the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this means that in this Spirit there is the humanity, human living, and crucifixion of Jesus, and the anointing, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.
Furthermore, the name Jesus means “Jehovah the Savior.” Hence, the Spirit of Jesus Christ also includes divinity. Now we can see the many elements in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The elements of His humanity, divinity, human living, anointing, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension are all in this one Spirit.
We may illustrate this by a cup of water to which many ingredients are added. It begins as plain water. But when tea is put into it, it becomes tea-water because the element of tea has been added to the water. Then when milk is put in, the element of milk is added to the water. When sugar and lemon are put into the water, the elements of sugar and lemon are added to the water. Now such a drink has the element of tea, the element of milk, the element of sugar, and the element of lemon. Because all these elements are in the water, it is now a drink composed of water, tea, sugar, milk, and lemon. Originally, it was merely a glass of plain water, but now the water contains tea, milk, sugar, and lemon.
This is an illustration of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God is like a glass of plain water. However, although the Spirit of Jesus Christ is still the Spirit of God, He now includes the elements of Jesus’ humanity, divinity, human living, anointing, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
With the Spirit of Jesus Christ there is the bountiful supply (Phil. 1:19). This is like the full supply of a drink which contains milk, tea, sugar, and lemon. This is the all-inclusive Spirit. Such a Spirit is also the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b), the processed Spirit, the very Spirit who has passed through a long process of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Therefore, today He is the processed, all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit. Hallelujah! This is the Spirit.