Date: November 18, 1935, eveningPlace: Chuenchow
In order to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we have to fulfill certain conditions. First, we must not have any known or unsettled sins in our heart. Second, we have to be hungry in our spirit (Isa. 44:3). Third, we have to pray earnestly (Acts 1:14; 2:4; 4:31; 8:14-17).
Those who have received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit have come into contact with the spiritual world. When a man who has never received the outpouring of the Spirit opens a door to the spiritual world, which had previously been unfamiliar to him, he will touch something beyond the physical realm. Some people have faith, but they are not willing to open their doors. When a man rejects and refuses to open his door, he will not receive anything from the spiritual world. The pursuit of the outpouring of the Spirit is like opening the doors and breaking down the walls. On the positive side, once the doors are open, there will be spiritual fellowship. On the negative side, there are dangers to opening to the spiritual world. This is like opening up a door to friends. On the one hand, a man's friends can come and go at will, but on the other hand, robbers can also come and go at will. We should not say that since the robbers can come and go, it would be better not to open the door at all. No, on the one hand, we have to open the door, but on the other hand, we have to be watchful all the time.
How can we be watchful and prevent the evil one from coming into us? First, after we receive the outpouring of the Spirit, we have to put the experience to a test. We cannot be careless in this matter. First Corinthians 12:3 and 1 John 4:3 tell us the way to apply the test. These verses are safeguards. We have to ask those who have received the outpouring of the "Spirit" whether Christ has come in the flesh. We can also ask them if Jesus is Lord. We should watch to see if the spirit that is upon them responds by retreating. If it retreats, it means that it is an evil spirit. But if the person can say, "Jesus is Lord," he has the Holy Spirit. We should not be satisfied with nine times out of ten. We have to apply this test every single time. My responsibility concerning this matter is finished. Now it is up to us to walk properly before the Lord.
The initial manifestation of the outpouring of the Spirit is often extraordinary. It will appear as if God is removing all restraints. He does this so that we can receive more from the Lord. The initial experience of outpouring is like passing through a gate. After we have passed the gate, we will have to calm down and live a normal life at home. There is no need to jump up and down or shout, and there is no need to seek for supernatural feelings or experience. From that point on, we do not need to apply the principle of Acts 2, but the principle of 1 Corinthians 14. The principle of 1 Corinthians 14 tells us that the outpouring of the Spirit in the meetings is for the edification of others instead of ourselves. This principle also tells us that the spirits of the prophets are subject to prophets (v. 32). We have to keep this principle. We have to learn to be in control of our spirit. First Corinthians 14 says that if there are tongues, only two or at most three should speak it, and they should take turns speaking it (v. 27). In Acts 2 all one hundred twenty people spoke because that was the first time the Spirit came down. Then the principle changed to that in 1 Corinthians 14.
The Spirit that is poured out upon us is not personified. For example, 1 Corinthians 12:13 mentions being baptized into one Spirit. This Spirit is compared to water and therefore is not personified. This Spirit is subject to us (1 Cor. 14:32). However, the Spirit that dwells within us is personified, and we have to come under His subjection. The Spirit that is upon us submits to us, and we can direct Him to stay or go away. We also determine whether we want much or a little of Him. However, the Spirit that dwells within us is personified, and we have to submit ourselves to Him. In the eyes of God, the Spirit that is upon us is like an element. If we are not careful, Satan can come in and counterfeit it. Pentecostal people err in that they are taken over by the spirit that is upon them. This is why there is confusion among them. We cannot follow their way. We have to obey the Spirit who is within us, but we have to take control of the Spirit that is upon us. Whether at home or in the meetings, we have to learn to take control of the Spirit that is upon us in seeking for the outpouring.
There are two things we should know about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. First, if we have never passed the gate of victory, such an outpouring will not be of much help in our daily life. If a man has received the outpouring of the Spirit but has never passed the gate of victory, his experience of the Spirit will diminish after a few days. He will be like a punctured bicycle tire, and he will not be able to go very far. He will have to seek for the Spirit once again. Whenever he becomes cold, he has to seek the outpouring once more. This is the initial condition of outpouring in a man who has never passed the gate of victory.
After one has received the outpouring of the Spirit, he should immediately apply the power that accompanies the outpouring to help other Christians or to preach the gospel. Prior to this, he might have been powerless to preach the gospel or to help other believers. But after he has received the outpouring, he should immediately apply this power to the preaching of the gospel and the edification of the believers. If he does not apply this power, he will, in essence, be burying his one talent in the ground. As soon as a person has received the power of the Spirit, he has to preach the gospel and be an overcomer in the gospel. The failure of some of the Pentecostal people lies in the fact that they have made the outpouring of the Spirit into a kind of entertainment. After some receive the outpouring, they speak in tongues or laugh ecstatically. However, they then go home and do not apply any of the power they have received. This is like a man with a healthy body doing nothing but playing ball for eight hours a day. Such a life is not normal. The outpouring of the Spirit is not for our entertainment, but for us to live and work for the Lord.
Moreover, as soon as one receives the outpouring of the Spirit, he should immediately pray for the gifts. Suppose a person has never had the experience of the outpouring of the Spirit. When it happens, he should immediately ask God for the gifts also. He should ask God for whatever grace he desires to have. After a man has received the outpouring, he can even be a little greedy in what he asks from the Lord. Of course, one cannot make the outpouring a matter of boast, and he should not brag to others about it. Rather, he should allow God's grace and power to be manifested through him and His glory to shine through him.
You should pay attention to a few things when testifying about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. First, if you have the experience of the outpouring and someone asks about it, you should not tell him the details of your experience. In testifying to others of your experience of the outpouring, you have to follow a few principles:
First, you should not discuss the details of your experience. In the New Testament, the book of Acts records many manifestations of the outpouring of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and being empowered for the gospel. But we are not told the details of these experiences. Those who received the outpouring only testified in a general way. They never said anything about the details. Pentecostals often go into great length about the details of their experience of the outpouring, and this often leads to confusion.
Second, you should not overemphasize the experiences. Many of those seeking for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are inquisitive. Someone else's experience of the outpouring will not help them at all. In telling others about your experience, it is easy for them to take your experience as the standard. In actuality, however, the manifestations of the outpouring are different in different people. This is why you must not overemphasize your own experiences.
There is another point worth noting: Pentecostal people receive the outpouring of the Spirit by "seeking," whereas we receive it by "believing." We believe that Jesus of Nazareth has been exalted by God to be both Lord and Christ. He has sat down on the throne, and He has poured out His Spirit. We believe and accept these facts. The outpouring of the Spirit is for the purpose of bearing witness to the exaltation of Jesus. It is not for the purpose of proving that God has heard our prayers or that He has accepted our plea. The outpouring of the Spirit is strictly linked to the exaltation of the Lord Jesus; it is not linked to our prayers or our good works. We have to uplift the Lord rather than ourselves. We have to give glory to Him rather than to ourselves. We have to boast in the Lord, rather than in ourselves.
