Date: August 21, 1948Place: Kuling
Question: What is the meaning of the terms "a word of wisdom" and "a word of knowledge" in 1 Corinthians 12:8?
Answer: First Corinthians 12:8 says, "For to one through the Spirit a word of wisdom is given, and to another a word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit." Words of knowledge are words given by the Holy Spirit to relate facts. Words of wisdom are words given by the Holy Spirit to explain the reasons. Words of knowledge involve "what," and words of wisdom involve "why."
Question: What is the defilement of flesh and the defilement of spirit in 2 Corinthians 7:1?
Answer: The defilement of flesh is a defilement that originates from the flesh. In this defilement the flesh takes an active role. Defilement of spirit is an outside defilement that invades the spirit. In this defilement the spirit takes a passive role; it is acted upon. Once the flesh is defiled, the spirit is contaminated, defiled, and cannot rise up.
Question: What is the proper way to exercise supernatural power?
Answer: If supernatural power matches the operation of our spirit within, this power can be of use to us, and it is reliable. If it does not match our spirit, we cannot use it.
Question: What is the difference between gift, ministry, and operation?
Answer: Gifts are what the Holy Spirit Himself imparts to man. They are not something that a man possesses in himself, and they are objective in nature. The Holy Spirit puts these gifts directly in man. When a man receives a gift, he is empowered to serve. Ministry is subjective. Every saved person has a ministry assigned by the Lord. Gifts are for the fulfillment of the ministry. We fulfill our ministry by the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. A gift is unrelated to the person receiving it; it is objective, having been placed directly in man by the Spirit. When a man serves the Lord according to this gift, he has a ministry. Here is a problem: Some people have gifts, but they do not necessarily use them in the way of a ministry. When a man's exercise of his gift is not under the Lord's authority, his gift is not being employed in the way of ministry because ministry always subjects itself to the Lord's authority. The Corinthians had gifts, but they did not have any ministry because they did not come under the Lord's authority. A man must first subject himself to the Lord's authority before he can exercise his gift to fulfill his ministry. Under the right conditions, a gift fulfills a ministry, and the ministry becomes part of God's work. This is what operation is; it is simply part of God's work.
Question: Can we rely on instant utterance?
Answer: If a man has learned his lessons before the Lord, his instant utterance will be a residual deposit of the light he receives from the Holy Spirit. Those who are trained by the Lord can turn the residual light they receive from the Holy Spirit into knowledge and make it a teaching. If a man has not learned his lessons from God, the instant words that he receives are probably products of his own mind. They are probably something from his brain or some arguments concerning the Scripture. Such words will not render others any supply or benefit.
Whether or not a church is strong depends on the ministry of the word. The whole burden rests on the ministers. If the ministers are poor and do not minister God's word, the church will be poor. In the church in Corinth we only find the gift of tongues. Therefore, there was only the ministry of tongues. Paul prophesied according to revelation. He had the word of prophecy. He also taught according to the knowledge derived from this revelation. This is what God wants to see in the church. The speaking in the church must at least be teachings based on knowledge, which is derived from revelation. A better kind of speaking is that which is based on the reminding of the Holy Spirit. This speaking will bring light to the church.
The ministry of the word that we are referring to here is absolutely subjective. We have to speak God's past words, and we have to speak God's present words. In delivering our words we have to be strong, and our utterance has to be rich. As we deliver the words sentence by sentence, we have to make them the outflow of life. The more we speak, the lighter our inward burden should become. The result should be a kind of unloading and relief. How God judges our ministry and whether or not it will touch others is something beyond our control; this is objective. The important thing for us to know is the kind of person we are and whether or not we have received a revelation. This is very subjective to us. We have to be inwardly clear concerning the way we take. We have to learn our lessons before God. We have to start with ourselves. If we accept the dealings and learn our lessons, these dealings and lessons will become part of our ministry. If, however, we have not learned anything ourselves, we only will have empty truths. Until we deal with this issue, we cannot face other problems.
Question: Can you say something about being closed?
Answer: There are two ways of being closed. The first is the closing of the heart. The second relates to God closing what He has given. Let us cover the second kind first, which involves God closing what He has given to man. When God chooses a man to be a minister, and his revelation reaches a certain height, he will become the ministry of the word in that age. If this person becomes proud and begins to interpret God's word by himself, God will seal him up, and he will not see any more light. In every age God chooses great vessels to meet His own need. These vessels have learned many lessons and have gone through many dealings. As a result they see what no one else in that generation has seen. In a certain age God may choose five brothers to see what others in the same age have not seen. They see a kind of extraordinary revelation. But it is possible that God will close some of them up after they have received this extraordinary revelation. A man who has received great revelation will not receive further revelation if he assumes lordship by himself, dictating and dissecting God's word at will. He may still speak and teach, but he will not receive new light. God will be closed to him. This is a most solemn thing.
Everyone who knows and fears God will not dare treat His word lightly. However, some do not fear and tremble at God's word; they make rash judgments about God's word, cutting it nonchalantly. God will close up such people. He is gracious, and He may not close up these ones immediately. Although some people are rebellious, God still grants them limited grace and small blessings. Yet in their ignorance, these ones become proud because of the little grace and blessing they have received. They are foolish. In the heat of man's rebellion, God may not remove all grace immediately. But when a man offends the Holy Spirit to a certain extent, He will seal off such a man. He will not be able to rise up again, and he will not receive any more revelation. We often offend God, but He deals with us slowly. He does not deal with us immediately according to our sin. The more God treats us this way, the more we have to be careful. Neither the presence of blessings nor the presence of grace and fruit guarantee that we are on the right track. We can never know when God will close us up. It may happen this time, or it may happen the next time. God is the One who closes up men as a result of their offenses. He does not specify how many times He will tolerate us; it may be three times or it may be five times. Sometimes God deals with us quickly. At other times He deals with us slowly. We have to be careful in dealing with God's word. We must not make any decision according to our own will. Many people are deceived by blessings before their eyes. They do not realize that such blessings are merely a sign of God's toleration. We have to know that God's toleration is not His permission nor is it His will.
We have to be in much fear and trembling because we do not know when God will seal up a man. Only a foolish man will say that it matters little whether he once rebelled or whether he is still rebelling. We must bear in mind that many have fallen by the wayside and are sealed up just because they treated God's word with contempt. If a man becomes very rebellious, God may even keep from him what He generally shows to His children in that generation. He will not see anything. He will be closed up. Such a one will not see any high revelation, and he will not see any ordinary revelation. When a man is ignorant of God and thinks that it is all right to rebel, he will become arrogant. This is a pity. Many people continually rebel. They do not know when God moves His hand and when the sealing comes. This is very risky. The greatest punishment that God can mete out to man is to allow him to remain in his errors. The highest punishment is being left by God in darkness.
If we are ministers of God, it means that we are trustees of God's light. We have to preserve the value of the light. We cannot allow it to be devalued. If we have fulfilled our ministry and others do not see anything, that is their loss. If they accept the light, they are not doing us a favor; they are doing themselves a favor. If others see light through our ministry, we should not rejoice over ourselves; we should rejoice for them. Whoever receives light receives blessing, and whoever rejects light incurs loss. If anyone receives light from us, we should not rejoice over ourselves; we should only rejoice for them. Whenever a minister of the word finds God sealing someone up, he should be in fear and trembling lest he himself be sealed up as well. Nothing is more pitiful than to be sealed up by God. The threat of sin can never match the threat of darkness. Some people simply cannot see anything. Their minds are simply warped. No matter how much we speak to them, they will not turn and they will not see. I am not afraid of sinners, but I am afraid of sinners who dwell in darkness. Once a man is sealed up, he will never see light again. This is what happens to some. They are closed up, and they never see, hear, or have any understanding in their heart again. We have to be in fear and trembling. We must fear God and maintain this fear within us.
All who walk in darkness think that they are in the light. This is a basic problem with them. If our condition is right, we will receive light continually. A man can strive about anything, but he can never strive about his ministry. Those who have the ministry need not worry about opposition. Where revelation is, there is God's chosen testimony. Others can say all they want, and they can oppose all they want. However, where revelation lies, light is found, and God's mark is present. Heaven will be open to us, and this will become our strength and the authority of our commission. Once we see revelation, we should be satisfied. It is the heavenly vision that sustains us. God's pleasure resides in the places that the doors of heaven have opened. Those who have the ministry may suffer hardship, but as long as they have light, they have authority.
The other kind of closing is related to the heart. In Matthew 13:15 the Lord said, "For the heart of this people has become fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and their eyes they have closed, lest they perceive with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and they turn around, and I will heal them." The Lord was speaking in parables in Matthew 13 because God cannot reveal Himself to the wise and intelligent. The wise and intelligent spoken of in Matthew 11:25 had their hearts sealed up by God; they could not expect to see any revelation from Him. God's revelation was closed to them because they were too proud. The more childlike a person is, the more willing he is to receive help from the Lord, and the more his spirit will be open to God. Such a person will receive much revelation. The more a person considers himself wise and intelligent, and the more arrogant and self-assured he is, the more God will close him up. God will give to him a slumbering heart. His eyes will not see, nor will his ears hear (Rom. 11:8). For God to give a man a slumbering heart means for Him to seal off his heart; he will no longer see any revelation. This is a serious matter. We have to ask the Lord to preserve our heart and spirit in meekness and humility. If we do this, we will continue to see light.
