Date: November 19, 1935, 3 p.m.Place: Chuenchow
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament show us that there are only three works of the Holy Spirit: (1) imparting life to man, (2) becoming life within man, and (3) becoming power upon man. These three things include all the works of the Holy Spirit. The first work of the Holy Spirit is to give life. The second is to live in man to be life to him, and the third is to come upon man to empower him. These three aspects encompass all the works of the Holy Spirit as described in the Bible. The Old Testament only has the first and third aspects; it does not have the second aspect. In the Old Testament, we do not find the Holy Spirit dwelling within man. The difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament is the Holy Spirit dwelling within man. There were men in the Old Testament who touched life. For example, David touched life. In addition to the first aspect of the work of the Spirit, we also find the outpouring of the Spirit in the Old Testament. Of course, it was only experienced by a few people. For example, during the building of the tabernacle, the Spirit fell upon Aholiab and Bezaleel and gave them wisdom to devise cunning works and to build the tabernacle (Exo. 31:1-11). Moses also received the Spirit upon him, and he distributed the Spirit to seventy elders (Num. 11:17, 25). Many prophets also received the Spirit of God upon them. It was, however, uncommon for the Spirit of God to fall upon a prophet. Very few recognized prophets had an experience of the Spirit of God falling upon them. Many of the prophets also had disciples. Elisha had many disciples, but none of them received the Spirit upon them. Although the book of Judges speaks of people receiving the Spirit and doing extraordinary things, the number was small (Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25).
In the Old Testament only Judges 6:34 appears to indicate that the Spirit dwelt within man. This is an exception. According to the original text, however, this verse does not say that the Spirit dwelt within man. It only indicates that the Spirit of Jehovah was clothed with Gideon, as though Gideon was a garment and the Holy Spirit was within this garment. Other than this instance, there is no place in the Old Testament which indicates the Spirit dwelling within man.
In the New Testament, when the Lord Jesus was on earth, the Holy Spirit also came upon man. We see this in Mary, Zachariah, John the Baptist, and the Lord Himself. At that time the Spirit had not dwelt within man and was not yet life to man. It was not until John 14:16-17 that the Holy Spirit did this new work. Please note the words "shall be" in the last part of verse 17; it does not say "has been." This was a brand new thing. The Spirit would abide in man and be with man forever. Unlike the Old Testament, which had only the first and third aspects of the Spirit's work, the Holy Spirit began a new work in John 14. He was no longer just coming upon man or giving life to man, but He was dwelling within man.
Before the Lord's ascension He gave His disciples two great promises. The first was given before His death, and the second was given before His ascension. The first promise was that the Holy Spirit would abide in man (John 14:17), and the second promise was that the Holy Spirit would come upon man (Acts 1:8). Thus we have the three aspects of the work of the Spirit. If you are a Chinese reader, you may not know how precious this matter is. If you are a Jew, the biblical expression "abiding in you" will be a strange concept. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, and Jeremiah did not have the Holy Spirit abiding in them. The Old Testament only says that the Spirit of Jehovah was upon a person. Only Genesis 6:3 uses the expression "within man." [Translator's Note: This is according to the Chinese Union Version.] However, in the original language, this verse says, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." It does not say that the Holy Spirit was dwelling within those in Genesis 6:3. It merely says that the Spirit would no longer strive with man or grieve man. When the Old Testament speaks of the Spirit, it always uses the word upon, but the New Testament always uses the word in. This promise is too wonderful — the Holy Spirit would abide within man. The Word becoming flesh was a wonderful event that occurred in the Lord Himself, but the Spirit Himself living in the believers is an even more wonderful event.
When did the Spirit begin to abide in man? In John 14:17 the Lord said that the Spirit "shall be" in the disciples. This word was spoken prior to the Lord's crucifixion. In John 20:22, He breathed a holy breath into the disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." This happened after the Lord's resurrection. After His resurrection, the Holy Spirit came and the disciples received the Lord's breathing. The Holy Spirit was the Lord's breath of life. This is like God's breathing of the breath of life into the nostrils of Adam after he was created out of the dust of the earth. The result was that he became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). This is happening to us today. The Lord is breathing the Holy Spirit, the breath of life, into us. Without a breath from God, man is dead. Without a breath from the Lord to the church, the church is also dead. This is the second aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit. After we know the history of the work of the Spirit, we will understand our experience.
The promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the disciples was fulfilled on the day of the Lord's resurrection. Forty days after the Lord's resurrection, He promised the disciples again that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. This promise of the Lord was fulfilled at Pentecost. In comparison, which of these promises is better? In the Old Testament, the outpouring of the Spirit was the special privilege of a few, such as the priests, prophets, or judges. There might have been only one person in the whole nation of Israel who had this privilege. It might only have been the king or some special person who had this blessing. The rest had to listen to them. In the Old Testament history, we find this kind of man appearing only once every few decades or centuries. Such events were rare. But in the New Testament, everyone can and should have this experience. This promise is very unique; it is something that we can all receive. It is a special blessing from the Lord. What a joy that we can all have the Spirit upon us. Before His ascension, the Lord charged the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promise (Luke 24:49). By that time the disciples already had the indwelling life. They heard the Lord's word and were praying and waiting. Ten days later at Pentecost, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). Everyone who reads Acts 2 knows that this speaks of the Holy Spirit's outward work upon man. The Gospel of Luke also speaks of this outward aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit upon man. It does not refer to the inward working of the Spirit. From John, Luke, and Acts, we see that there are two lines to the work of the Holy Spirit. One line is within man, and the other is outside of man.
The Holy Spirit dwells within man to be his life, and He rests upon man to be his power. If we are not clear about the difference between these two aspects of His work, we do not know the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and that in the New Testament. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit was promised by Christ in the New Testament before His death. This aspect of the Spirit's work is related to the Lord's death, and it was fulfilled at the time of the Lord's resurrection. The Spirit's indwelling in man is for the purpose of becoming life to the believers and also for the purpose of producing the fruit of the Spirit in the believer's living, such as holiness, righteousness, endurance, and joy.
The outpouring of the Spirit upon man was promised by the Father in the Old Testament. This promise was confirmed by the Lord before His ascension. This aspect of the Spirit's work is related to the Lord's ascension, and it was fulfilled after the Lord ascended and was exalted. The Spirit's outpouring upon man is for the purpose of clothing the believers with the Lord's power for their testimony and also for the purpose of producing the gifts of the Spirit and empowering the believers to work for the Lord for the accomplishment of His will.
When we read the Old and the New Testaments, we must differentiate between the Spirit's work within man and His work outside of man. If we do this, we will find that there is no conflict in the Bible about the aspects of the work of the Spirit. If we do not do this, we will find many contradictions. For example, the Bible says that every regenerated person has the Holy Spirit abiding in him. It also says that believers may receive the outpouring of the Spirit. One indicates the fact of having, and the other indicates a possibility of having. Once a man believes in the Lord, the Holy Spirit will surely dwell within him. At the same time, he can also experience the outpouring of the Spirit. If we make a clear distinction between these matters, we will see wonderful things happen to us. Let me mention one example. One day the Samaritans believed in the Lord and were baptized. The Bible does not say that they received the indwelling as well as the outpouring of the Spirit. Instead Acts 8 records that although they were baptized, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit had not yet come upon any of them. If we do not understand the difference between the indwelling and the outpouring of the Spirit, we will find it hard to explain the fact that the Samaritans had believed and were baptized, but had not yet received the Holy Spirit. We will not know how to explain Romans 8, 1 John 4, and 1 Corinthians 6. All these passages speak of the Holy Spirit dwelling within man as soon as he believes. In actuality, the Samaritans were not lacking the indwelling Spirit. They were only lacking the Spirit outpoured upon man.
The inward work of the Holy Spirit within man is for life and living. It enables man to bear the fruit of the Spirit. The outward work of the Holy Spirit outside of man is for testimony and work. It brings man spiritual gifts. If a man is filled with the Spirit within and also has the Spirit upon him, he will be empowered for the Lord's work. If a man is not filled within, but only clothed without, he will not receive much benefit. In fact, it will damage him because he will become proud. If a man has not passed through the gate of victory, he may have the experience of the outpouring of the Spirit, but in a few months or a few years at most, others will see that he is short of something. We must experience both aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit in and upon us.
The Holy Spirit does not testify of Himself; He testifies of Christ (John 15:26). After a person sees the redemption of the cross, others may teach him to go on to pray for the Spirit and to believe. Speaking of the Spirit in this way is for the purpose of leading him to Christ. In speaking about the work of the Holy Spirit in man, we do not mention the Holy Spirit in an isolated way. Rather, we mention the Spirit in reference to how He testifies for Christ. During the past few days we have been speaking on the overcoming life. We did not mention the Holy Spirit. Rather, we mentioned how the Lord has resurrected and has become our life. The work of the Holy Spirit is directly related to Christ. When a man sees the work of Christ, he receives the work of the Spirit. When a man sees the death of Christ, he receives the regeneration of the Spirit. When a man sees the resurrection of Christ, he receives the Spirit as life. When a man sees the ascended Christ, the Lord who is sitting on the throne, he receives the outpouring of the Spirit.
The outpouring of the Spirit is for testifying Christ, and the indwelling of the Spirit is for testifying Christ as well. On the one hand, the Holy Spirit within enables us to overcome. On the other hand, this Spirit within testifies that the Lord is everything to us. When the Holy Spirit is in us, we bear the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), which fruit is just Christ Himself. God has not given us separate fruits of the Spirit with one called love, another called joy, and a third called endurance, etc. God has given us the complete Christ. The fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22 is singular in the original language; there is only one fruit. This is like a tangerine, which has nine sections, but the nine sections still make one fruit. If we have the fruit of the Spirit, we have everything. It is impossible for us to have love but not joy, or to have joy but not endurance. God is in the wholesale business; He is not in the retail business. He only gives us Christ. If we have love but do not have joy, it means that we have only our own fruit, not the fruit of the Spirit.
There are three chapters in the Bible that specifically speak of the Holy Spirit. They are 1 Corinthians 12 through 14. Chapters twelve and fourteen are on the outpouring of the Spirit; they are related to the outward aspects of the Spirit's work. Chapter thirteen is on love; it is related to the inward aspects of the Spirit's work. If we replace the phrase the fruit of the Spirit with the word love, we will see that 1 Corinthians 13 is actually speaking of the things of the Spirit. The first item of the fruit of the Spirit is love. Without love other items, such as joy, peace, and endurance, are nothing. Paul pursued love because once he had love, he had everything.
There is no comparison between the inward aspect of the Spirit and the outward aspect of the Spirit. Furthermore, neither the outpouring nor the indwelling are as important as the overcoming life. The outpouring of the Spirit is much inferior to the indwelling of the Spirit and the overcoming life. God has been gracious to make me a minister of the overcoming life and not a minister of the outpouring of the Spirit. Of course, I also speak about the outpouring. It is wonderful having the outpouring of the Spirit in addition to the indwelling Spirit. But it is terrible if we have the outpouring of the Spirit, but are lacking in the experience of the indwelling Spirit. The best thing is to have both the outward and inward aspects of the Spirit. If we have the inward aspect, we can pursue the outward work of the Spirit, but if we do not have the inward aspect, it is all right if we temporarily put aside the pursuit of the outward manifestation of the Spirit.
In the Old Testament, after the priests anointed blood on the right ear, right thumb, and right toe of the one coming for cleansing, they applied ointment to the same places (Lev. 14:14-17). First there is the blood, and then there is the ointment. This means that the cross must first work on our ears, hands, and feet before we can walk and work by the Holy Spirit. The cross removes the self, whereas the Spirit lives on our behalf. The application of the blood on the ears, hands, and feet signifies that the blood has annulled us and removed us. Then the Holy Spirit comes in to replace our ears, hands, and feet. First there is the overcoming life, and then there is the outpouring of the Spirit. Receiving the anointing of the Lord's blood signifies that we have died with the Lord. At the same time, His life brings us the anointing. Today we want to see the ointment upon our heads, but unless the blood has done its work first, the outpouring of the ointment will only make us proud.
The Corinthian believers had the outward manifestations of the Spirit, but they did not have the filling of the Spirit inwardly. They were fleshly believers. There are many people today who have received the outpouring of the Spirit, yet they are not filled with life within. There is no change in their lives. They live in a foolish way and are no different from men of the world. The outpouring is not related to the inward life. A man may be very gifted yet not have the overcoming life within. If a man is unholy in his life, no outward enduement of the Spirit will make him holy within. But if we have the proper life within and in addition have the outward enduement of the Spirit, we will be useful persons.
Of all the churches in the New Testament, none was worse than the church in Corinth. Yet Paul did not deny their experience of the outpouring of the Spirit just because they were inwardly and morally corrupt. Paul did not say that it was wrong to have the outpouring in the meetings. He only said that there was the need for order because outward gifts could cause confusion. Although they did not have good order, Paul did not say that they had evil spirits. He merely instructed them on how to set everything in order. We should adopt the same attitude. If any brother or sister acts abnormally, we should set things in order and test them. However, we should not consider it wrong just because it is abnormal. A man may walk into a room and find the furniture and garments in disorder. But he cannot say that the furniture is not furniture or that the garments are no longer garments. He can only say that the furniture and garments are in disorder. When things are in disorder, all that is needed is to make some arrangements. Paul only made some arrangements. He spoke of maintaining order in speaking in tongues, and he said that if there was no interpretation, one should not speak (1 Cor. 14:28). Those who prophesy should do so one by one. If too many prophesy, confusion comes in. Hence, he said that only two or three should prophesy. The same is true with speaking in tongues; only two or three should speak. If the number exceeds two or three, those who want to speak should not speak (v. 29). First Corinthians 14 is on order; it is on the outward arrangements that come after the experience of the outpouring of the Spirit. In the future we have to pay more attention to 1 Corinthians 14. All those who consider themselves to be the church in their locality should pay attention to the experience of the outpouring of the Spirit. We have to learn love on the one hand and pursue spiritual gifts on the other hand. If we do this, we will live a balanced life.
What are the benefits of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? If the inward aspect of the Spirit is more important than the outward aspect of the Spirit, why do we need the outpouring of the Spirit? Those who live a life of holiness and who know the Spirit as a person will have the strength to share this holiness with others once they receive the outpouring of the Spirit. Many people realize that they have many treasures hidden within, but they cannot open these treasures to others. Although others may admire or look up to them, they cannot get any help from them. They lack the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Let us now consider the practical benefits in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The first thing we obtain after we experience the outpouring is the power of fellowship. It enables us to convey the things in us to others. A man may have received something from God and may have accumulated something within yet not have the power to share it with others. Once they receive the outpouring of the Spirit, they will be able to share with others what is inside them. They will have the outward power to convey these inward things to others. Those who have the Spirit within are like a power plant. The plant may be full of light, but the whole city may be in darkness. There must be power lines to join the power plant to the city in order for the power to be conveyed to the whole city. If there is no power in the plant, nothing will happen. However, if there is power but no power lines, nothing will happen either. The power-conveying lines are a picture of the function of the outpouring. Many people have power lines, yet they have to light candles at night. They do not have anything inside them, yet they try to convey something to others. This will not work. We must have both the outward and the inward aspects of the Spirit. If we have passed the gate of victory, we will have something within us. Then we can proceed to seek the outpouring so that we can be empowered to share what we have with others.
Some have an excellent inward disposition, but they are very timid. They have to make up their mind a few times before they can stand up to speak or testify for the Lord. Some have believed in the Lord, but they are afraid of passing out gospel tracts to others. There are still some here today who have not yet received the outpouring of the Spirit. I will not ask if you want the outpouring, and I will not ask if you are afraid of the outpouring. I will only ask if you can be like those who have received the outpouring. You may have something real within, yet you are afraid to share it. Others may not have anything, but they are not afraid. What you lack is their boldness. I do not encourage those who have received the outpouring to act loosely, but those who have received the outpouring for the first time must be strong to testify because they have received the boldness. The brothers and sisters who have received the outpouring can be divided into two categories. The first are those who are still afraid and shy. The second are those who are not afraid and are bold. Before I received the outpouring of the Spirit, I would follow a gospel friend for a mile or two and still not muster enough boldness to open up my mouth to testify to him. I had the courage to read the Bible or pray in a train, but it would take some effort to pass out gospel tracts in the same train. After I received the outpouring of the Spirit, I was no longer afraid of anything. I was not even concerned with how I dressed. I became bold. I was not just "thick-skinned"; I "lost my skin" altogether.
Self-consciousness is the worst thing that a Christian can have. A self-conscious person pays attention to how well he dresses and how others respond to his words, etc. When he is invited to a meal, he cannot speak to others about the gospel in a released way. He cannot speak to a stranger without preparing himself carefully before he speaks. This is because he is always conscious of himself. He may be able to pray by himself in his room, but when he is in a public place, he cannot pray in the same way. In public he changes his tone, words, and expressions and becomes fearful of others' frowning. All of these reactions mean that there is too much self-consciousness. Such ones have a spirit, but their spirit is covered up by their soul, and they cannot be free. Once there was a meeting in a brother's living room. The Spirit came down, and everyone who was present was released. This kind of freedom is not licentiousness but a liberation in the spirit. Sometimes we are too restrained in the meetings. When there is too much restraint, no one will dare to speak. Mr. Evan Roberts saved many souls throughout his life. Many people have testified that he was the only one on earth that they met who did not have any self-consciousness. When he wanted to laugh he just laughed. When he wanted to look at someone, he just looked at him. Only those who are free from self-consciousness can work for God, and the only way we can be delivered from our self-consciousness is through the outpouring of the Spirit. Only those who have received the outpouring are free from self-consciousness.
A man who is filled with the Holy Spirit can change the atmosphere. When some people enter a room, they can turn a quiet room into a noisy one, a noisy room into a quiet one, or speechless ones into talkative ones. They are able to change the atmosphere wherever they go. Our failure lies in the fact that we cannot bring a spiritual atmosphere with us wherever we go. We follow what others do. We cannot influence them. Instead we are influenced by them. However, those who have received the outpouring of the Spirit can turn the atmosphere and make others turn with them. If every one of us has received the outpouring of the Spirit, we will all be able to change the atmosphere.
Those who have received the outpouring of the Spirit can pursue the spiritual gifts. We will not get into the subject of the spiritual gifts now, but we will mention something about the power for the work. Those who have not received the outpouring do not have any power for the work. Those who have received the outpouring are empowered to work for the Lord. The difference is great. In order to have the power for the work, we must have the outpouring of the Spirit.
Question: Can the indwelling Holy Spirit be manifested in the same way that He is manifested when He comes upon a person?
Answer: When you believe in the Lord, the Holy Spirit comes into you and lives in you. This fact can be known only by you; no one else knows this. The indwelling work of the Holy Spirit is accomplished by God alone. Man cannot see this work. But when the Spirit comes upon a person, everyone can see it.
Question: Does Acts 8 speak of the Holy Spirit dwelling within man?
Answer: No, it only speaks of the Spirit coming upon man.
Question: Acts 19 records twelve Ephesian believers being baptized into the baptism of John without having heard of the coming of the Holy Spirit. When Paul came to them, he asked if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed, and they answered that they had not. They also had not experienced the coming of the Spirit. Would these ones have perished if they remained in that state?
Answer: Seminary students may answer, "Yes, they would have perished because they had never heard of or received the Holy Spirit. They would have been lost." But I say that they were saved and would not have perished. You may ask, "How can those who have not received the Spirit be saved?" They had faith already. Paul only pointed out to them that their baptism was wrong. It was John's baptism of repentance. They should believe in the One who came after John — Jesus. This is why they had not yet received the Spirit. Paul did not mention the matter of faith to them. In other words, faith was not their problem. The Ephesian believers in Acts were lacking only in the outpouring. They did not lack the indwelling Spirit of Romans 8. Furthermore, Acts calls these twelve disciples. At that time, every believer was a disciple and every disciple was a believer, that is, a saved one. They lacked only the experience of the Spirit's coming upon them. They did not lack the experience of the Spirit's indwelling. Suppose some of us believed many years ago. The minute we believed we had the Spirit dwelling within us. After some time, we found out about such things as speaking in tongues, prophesying, and the outpouring of the Spirit. However, tongue speaking and prophecies are not necessary evidences of the indwelling of the Spirit. One cannot say that just because a man does not have these so-called evidences of the outpouring of the Spirit, he is void of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes into a person as soon as he believes and receives the Lord.
Question by brothers from Pin-Yang: Why is it so important to distinguish between the inward work and the outward work of the Holy Spirit?
Answer: It is hard for someone to identify those who have the inward Spirit but who do not have the outward Spirit. However, it is easy to identify those who have the outward Spirit but who do not have the inward Spirit. Suppose a brother shakes hands with me, and then asks me, "How many people have you saved? I have saved so many people in such-and-such places. I can save souls. You do not have to tell me anything." These words are self-boasting claims. They come from those who have only received the outpouring of the Spirit but who have little of the Spirit within. We have to pay more attention to the inner aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit than to the outward aspect of His work.
(1) Regeneration is related to salvation; filling is related to victory.
(2) Regeneration is a question of life; filling is a question of living.
(3) Justification comes with regeneration; sanctification comes with filling.
(4) Regeneration is the addition of a new life which is different from the old Adamic life; filling is the infilling of the Holy Spirit and the cultivation of the new life which man has already received.
(5) Regeneration is a work accomplished by the Holy Spirit through the Lord's substitutionary death on the cross; filling is the result of the Holy Spirit's saturating a person to the extent that the full significance of the cross is realized in him.
(6) Regeneration marks the beginning of life; filling marks the maturity of life.
