
Scripture Reading: Psa. 84:6; Joel 2:23, 28-29; Rev. 1:5-6; 5:9-10; 1 Pet. 2:5
According to the Bible, the Spirit comes to man in two ways. On one hand, the Spirit enters into man to become a living spring within him; on the other hand, the Spirit comes as rain and is poured upon man outwardly. These two ways are spoken of in the New Testament. In the Old Testament God spoke of bestowing His grace on man according to these two ways. Psalm 84:6 says, “Passing through the valley of Baca, / They make it a spring; / Indeed the early rain covers it with blessings.” In this verse God promised those on the highway to Zion that even though they would pass through the valley of Baca, He would turn the dry land into a spring. God also promised the early rain. God’s full blessing is a flowing spring and also rain.
In the New Testament the Lord Jesus spoke of the Spirit entering into the believers. He spoke of the Spirit entering into the believers to become a fountain within them (John 4:14) and also of the Spirit flowing out of the believers to become rivers of living water (7:38). When the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter quoted the prophet Joel, who said that God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. This pouring out of the Spirit is likened to rain (Acts 2:16-18; 23, Joel 2:28-29). The Spirit comes to us in these two ways. Sometimes the Spirit is like a fountain within us flowing out to become rivers of living water, and sometimes the Spirit is poured out upon us as rain.
The outpouring of the Spirit upon the believers is seen in the Old Testament and also in the New Testament. However, the Spirit entering into the believers to become a fountain flowing out as rivers of living water is spoken of only prophetically in the Old Testament. The actual experience of the Spirit entering into the believers can be found only in the New Testament. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, says that in the New Jerusalem there will be a river of water of life flowing out from the throne of God (22:1), but there is no mention of rain. This shows that God enters into man in order to be a fountain and to flow out as rivers of living water. He descends upon man outwardly as rain for instantaneous watering, but this is not God’s normal relationship with man in the New Testament. God’s normal way is to enter into man in order to become a fountain flowing out as rivers of living water.
In Tsinan, China, there is a spring called Baotu Spring. Water gushes forth from this spring all year round. Hence, there is no shortage of water in Tsinan.
In the Old Testament the fountain in Jericho had bad water, but Elisha healed the water (2 Kings 2:19-22). Today the ancient city of Jericho is buried under the earth, but the fountain is still there, and the people who live nearby drink of its water. The water that flows from this fountain is stored in a cistern. Regardless of how many people draw water, the amount of water in the cistern is never reduced. This fountain also supplies drinking water to the people in the surrounding areas.
The plain of Jericho is approximately three hundred meters below sea level, and its climate is dry and hot. It is a barren land, but wherever the water from the fountain flows, there are palm trees, banana trees, and other fruit trees. These plants do not depend on the rain but on the water from the fountain. The supply from the fountain is more dependable than the supply from the rain.
God’s way of entering into man in order to be a regular supply is more important than His coming upon man outwardly as power. Since we have God in us as the living water of life, we do not have a great need for Him to come to us as rain. The fountain that is flowing within us is sufficient to meet our every need.
Thirty years ago the Pentecostal movement was prevailing in northern China. At that time I was still young. I attended their meetings and saw their situation. The work of the Holy Spirit was as strong as a thunderstorm. A thunderstorm can be violent with extreme force, but it may not provide us with drinking water. In contrast, when it rains lightly all day long, a large amount of water is absorbed into the soil. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we saw in the Pentecostal movement thirty years ago in northern China was like a thunderstorm. After a short period of time the rainwater dried up, and there was very little result.
We have learned lessons related to the Spirit, and we have studied what the Word of God says concerning the Spirit. The normal way that God comes to man is not as a thunderstorm. Rather, He enters into man in order to be a fountain of living water, and He flows out of man as rivers of living water. John 1 says that the Word was in the beginning, that the Word was God, and that the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (vv. 1, 14). Chapter 4 says that the Lord is living water and that whoever drinks of the water that He gives will not thirst forever, for this water will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life (vv. 10, 14). In chapter 7 the Lord said that rivers of living water will flow out of those who believe into Him (v. 38). In verse 39 John goes on to explain, “This He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive.” This means that the living water in chapter 4 is the Spirit in chapter 7.
There is a clear type of the living water in the Old Testament. When the children of Israel thirsted in the wilderness, God told Moses to strike the rock so that living water would flow out of the cleft rock to quench the thirst of the children of Israel (Exo. 17:6). The living water was not poured on them; rather, they drank the water and took it into them. First Corinthians 10:4 says, “The rock was Christ.” The water that flowed out of the rock typifies the Spirit.
In Revelation the water of life is spoken of at least three times. Verse 17 of chapter 7 says that the Lamb will shepherd and guide the believers to springs of waters of life, verse 6 of chapter 21 says that he who thirsts will be given to drink from the spring of the water of life freely, and verse 1 of chapter 22 says that a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The book of Revelation was written by John, and its concept and thought are a continuation of his Gospel. John’s Gospel says that in order to be man’s life, God was manifested not only as food for man to eat (6:35) but also as living water that flows into man to become a spring and flows out of man as rivers (4:14; 7:38). In Revelation John speaks of a river of water of life flowing out from God and of the tree of life growing on both sides of the river (22:1-2). The tree of life signifies the Lord Jesus as our bread of life, and the river of water of life signifies the Spirit flowing into us as the living water of life. According to this picture, the flowing of the Spirit brings Christ to us as bread, our life supply. This is Christ with the Spirit growing in us, and this is also the Spirit bringing Christ into us to be our life supply.
The entire Bible concludes with the holy city, New Jerusalem, with the river of water of life proceeding out of the throne and the tree of life growing on both sides of the river. The essence of the Bible is that there is a throne out of which flows the river of water of life with the tree of life growing along the river. This is God flowing out. The Spirit uses this picture in a symbolic way of writing in order to conclude the entire Bible. The Bible is concerned with God’s flowing out in order to enter into man in the way of life. He is man’s food, and He is living water for man to eat, drink, and enjoy so that man can be mingled with Him as one.
The Gospel of John says that the Word was in the beginning, and the Word was God (1:1). God who is the Word became flesh (v. 14) in order to be the bread of life to man (6:35) and to flow out of man as the living water of life, which signifies the Spirit (7:38-39). God came as the Son to be the bread of life and then as the Spirit to be the living water of life. This is the river of life and the tree of life in the New Jerusalem.
Whatever the Gospel of John says concerning the Lord Jesus — such as His being the light, the way, the reality, and the life — can all be seen in the New Jerusalem. In the New Jerusalem He is light, life, reality, and everything.
The Gospel of John also says that the Lord Jesus, the Word who became flesh, is the Lamb of God and the Bridegroom who will take the bride (1:29; 3:29). Revelation says that the New Jerusalem is the bride and that the Bridegroom is the Lamb, Christ (19:7; 21:2, 9). All the crucial items in the Gospel of John are also in the New Jerusalem.
If we consider the Gospel of John, we will see that not one item in it is excluded from the New Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (10:30). This means that He and the Father are inseparable. In the New Jerusalem God and the Lamb are also one and inseparable (Rev. 21:23; 22:1). The crucial points of the entire Bible, including the Gospel of John, are found in the New Jerusalem. The focus of the holy city, New Jerusalem, is the river of water of life proceeding out of the throne and the tree of life growing on both sides of the river (Rev. 22:1-2). This is a picture of God flowing out of the throne of grace in two steps: first, in the Son to be the bread of life to man and, second, in the Spirit to be the living water of life to man. The believers who allow God to flow through them will eventually become the building materials of gold, pearls, and precious stones and will be built up together to be the New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God mingled with man (21:18-21). Conversely, the people who would not allow God to enter into them will end up in the lake of fire and will perish forever (20:15).
We need a clear view of this picture. May the Lord open our eyes to see that God has flowed out as the Son and has flowed into us as the Spirit to become the spring of living water to us. If our condition is normal, we will not need the outpouring of the Spirit, because the spring in us is more vigorous than the spring in Tsinan or the spring in Jericho. As long as we let Him flow freely within us, He will flow out of us as rivers of water of life.
We are not against the outpouring of the Spirit. Many children of God need the outpouring. They have fallen into a particular situation that requires that they be delivered by God in an extraordinary way. However, the normal situation of a believer is to live in God and to have God as the spring of living water flowing out as rivers of living water. If this is our situation, we will not depend on the outpouring of the Spirit.
God is a fountain within us, but we have not dug deeply enough for the living water to spring forth. We have not been taught sufficiently to exercise our spirit. Just as our mind needs to be trained in order for us to function, our spirit also needs to be trained.
Although the immeasurable Spirit is in our spirit, we do not apply Him. We are saved, and our spirit has been enlivened, but we are not accustomed to exercising our spirit. We like to engage in physical and mental activities, but we do not enjoy exercising our spirit. We are like children who enjoy playing but do not like to study. Many saints do not like to exercise their spirit. They like to clean the meeting hall and even to attend conferences or Bible studies, but they do not like to be calm in order to touch, exercise, and release their spirit. Since we began fellowshipping concerning blending in spirit, some saints have stopped coming to the meetings. In the past they attended meetings in order to hear a message, but now those who come to the meetings must pray and blend in spirit. Hence, the saints who are not accustomed to exercising their spirit feel uncomfortable in the meetings.
The saints feel uncomfortable because they do not like to exercise their spirit. We like to do things and listen to messages, but we do not like to exercise our spirit. May the Lord be merciful to us and revolutionize our concept so that we would pay attention to blending in spirit by prayer. This kind of prayer is to dig the well. When we dig deeply enough, the Spirit as the living water will spontaneously flow out.
To blend in spirit is to exercise and release one’s spirit in prayer with others. Every believer has been enlivened in his spirit, and the Spirit of God dwells in his spirit. Hence, we need to exercise our spirit. We should not be persons who only like activities that involve our body and our soul. We should exercise our spirit in all that we do. Moreover, our spirit should blend with the spirit of the other saints in our activities and in prayer. Blending in spirit is not momentary or seasonal; it is continual.
While the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness, they came to a place called Beer, where there was no water for drinking. So they used the scepter and staffs to dig the well while they sang, “Spring up, O well!” (Num. 21:16-18). Our blending in spirit by praying is our digging the well so that our spirit can flow forth with living water. In order to build the church, our spirit must be living and strong. Whether or not the church can be built up depends on how much we are blended in spirit.
Although we received this light several years ago and saw the need for the spirit of the saints to be strong, we did not see its importance as clearly as we do today. In order for the church to be built, the church must be a priesthood. The priests are a group of people who burn the incense by praying in spirit. The focus of their function is not the bronze altar with the offerings but their entering into the Holy Place to light the lamps and to burn the incense at the incense altar. Lighting the lamps signifies reading the Word, and burning the incense signifies praying. Every time we fellowship with God, we need to light the lamps and burn the incense. In other words, we need to read the Word and pray.
When we pray, we let the Spirit pass through us. The Spirit cannot flow through a person who never prays. The Spirit can flow in us and out of us only through our prayer. It does not matter how many messages we have heard; if we do not turn the messages into prayer, they will not have any effect on us. The same applies to our reading the Bible. If we read the Bible without praying, the words in the Bible will merely be letters related to knowledge, which will remain in our mind and will not become the bread of life, the light of life, and the Spirit of life to be the supply in our spirit. Hence, in addition to listening to messages and reading the Bible, we must pray.
The desolation of the church is due to a lack of prayer. Before the children of Israel became desolate, the prophethood was not manifest. Moses was a prophet, but his primary function was to represent God as His deputy authority among the people of Israel. Aaron’s function was to serve as a priest to God. At the time of David and when Solomon built the temple, there were kings and priests ministering before God.
Later, the condition of the Israelites deteriorated to the point that, during the reign of King Ahab, there were idols in their midst. In 1 Kings 18 and 19 the kings were improper, and the priests were nowhere to be found. However, the prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha, were prominent. In degraded Christianity the believers are not exercising God’s authority as kings, nor are they ministering to God as priests. Instead, there are pastors giving sermons; in other words, only a few serve as prophets. Even our situation has degraded to the point of the churches depending on the ministers of the word. The meetings consist mainly of ones giving messages and of others listening to messages; very few saints pray as priests.
I am burdened that the Lord would balance us so that we would pay as much attention to prayer as we do to listening to messages. Otherwise, the messages that we hear will remain in our mind. We must see that God’s intention is for every believer to be a priest. The church has fallen to the extent that only a few minister as priests. We must recover the prayer of the priests so that the church can be built up.
The saints must pay attention to the service of the priests and rise up to minister to God. To minister in this way is to exercise our spirit to pray so that our spirit and the Spirit are mingled as one. Then God can flow through us and be transmitted through us to supply others. There has been a great deal of blending in spirit among the co-workers and the leading ones. I hope that this blending will be strengthened. It must not be seasonal. This requires us to exercise and practice daily. The more our spirit is exercised, the stronger, richer, and fresher it will be, and the more we will be able to enliven the saints.
I hope that the leading ones will endeavor to lead the group meetings to practice blending in spirit. Then the leading ones can stir up the rest of the saints to blend in spirit. If we exercise and practice according to what the Lord has shown us, the saints will be uplifted and living, the priesthood will be manifested among us, and we will be blended in spirit and built together to be the dwelling place of God in spirit. This is the miniature expression of the New Jerusalem on the earth today. May the Lord have mercy on us.