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Date: February 11, 1972
Scripture Reading: Phil. 1:19-21a; 4:23; 2 Tim. 1:7; Rom. 1:9; 12:11; 1 Cor. 2:4; 5:3-4; 16:18; 2 Cor. 12:18b; Rev. 1:10; 21:10; Eph. 2:22
Second Corinthians 3:17 says, “The Lord is the Spirit.” Our Lord is the God who created all things and who came in the flesh, passed through human living, died, and became the life-giving Spirit in resurrection. All His accomplishments are in this Spirit. In other words, as the all-inclusive Spirit, the Spirit includes God, God becoming flesh, human living, crucifixion, the effectiveness of crucifixion, as well as resurrection, ascension, and glorification. Every positive element is included in this all-inclusive Spirit. The Lord Jesus whom we believe in, follow, love, serve, and enjoy is the Spirit.
As water, He quenches our thirst. As ointment, He anoints His element and essence into us; as the seal, He seals us in His image to be like Him; and as the pledge, He is our enjoyment and the foretaste of our enjoyment of Him in the future. This is the Lord Jesus who lives in us today.
Philippians 1:19 speaks of “the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” In Greek the term bountiful supply implies an all-inclusive supply. Among the ancient Greeks, there were musical choruses in which a choragus, a leader or director, was responsible to provide for all the needs of the chorus, whether it was food, clothing, lodging, or transportation. He even supplied the musical instruments for their performances. If someone needed clothing, the choragus would supply him with clothing; if someone needed food, the choragus would supply him with food; if someone needed sleep, the choragus would supply him with a place to sleep. The choragus was responsible for supplying every need of the chorus. The term bountiful supply in Greek refers to the supply of a choragus. Paul used this term to refer to the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in us. Whatever we need, He supplies. If we have sin and need forgiveness, He supplies forgiveness. If we are weak and need power, He supplies power. If we are in darkness and need light, He supplies light. If we are foolish and need wisdom, He supplies wisdom. If we are afflicted and need comfort, He supplies comfort. Whatever we need, He supplies. The supply that He inwardly gives to us is bountiful, all-sufficient, and all-inclusive.
We can magnify Christ in our bodies because we have this supply. Since we have the bountiful supply of the Spirit in us, we can magnify Christ in our bodies in any situation, whether good or bad, life or death, joy or sorrow, rich or poor. If we want to cross over a “sea,” He is our “boat.” If we want to ascend to the heights, He is our “airplane.” We do not need to fear anything, because He is everything, and He supplies everything that we need so that we can magnify Him. Eventually, we will say, “To me, to live is Christ” (v. 21a). If we have not experienced this all-sufficient and all-inclusive Spirit, we will not be able to say, “To me, to live is Christ.” We must experience this all-sufficient Spirit and enjoy His bountiful supply. Then we will say, “As always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. For to me, to live is Christ” (vv. 20-21a).
The last verse of Philippians says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (4:23). The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in chapter 4 is equal to the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in chapter 1. Philippians begins by speaking of the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ and ends by speaking of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. This indicates that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The bountiful supply is the grace that has been freely given to us. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is His bountiful supply, is in our spirit; hence, Paul says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
As human beings, we are not simple. Even though we have a spirit, we also have a disagreeable and troublesome soul. This can be illustrated by the Chinese character for soul, which includes the radical for devil. The character is written as a combination of devil and say. Therefore, the character for soul implies the devil speaking, or the devil expressing opinions. Every time we express our opinions, our soul is active, and this activity is of the devil. Opinions come from the mind, and our mind is the most troublesome part of our soul. For example, if we are laboring with a brother and quarrel over a certain matter, our thoughts concerning him will be easily affected. For example, we may criticize his attitude, or we may think that he has been disrespectful toward someone. If these thoughts are not dealt with, there will be no way for us to coordinate.
Conflicts also inevitably arise when sisters take measure of their husbands according to their thoughts. Similarly, those who live in a brothers’ or sisters’ house must learn to continuously exercise their spirit, not their mind. Without such an exercise, they will measure one another according to their mind and be continuously displeased with one another. We all need to exercise to live in spirit. The grace of the Lord is not in our mind, not in our emotions, and not in our will. His grace is in our spirit. As long as we live in spirit, we can enjoy the Lord’s grace. This is a simple matter. For example, if a lamp in our home is connected to a power plug, we simply need to turn on the switch in order for light to shine. However, if we do not know about the switch, we may try to turn on the light by adjusting the light bulb on the ceiling. This would be useless and even foolish.
Today our Lord, as the all-sufficient Spirit, is the bountiful supply of grace in our spirit. The Philippians 4:23 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” We must always turn to our spirit. When we are weak and turn to our spirit, we become strong. When we are in darkness and turn to our spirit, we become bright. When we are in anguish and turn to our spirit, we are comforted. When we do not know which way to take and turn to our spirit, we become clear. In every situation we need to turn to our spirit. Even when a husband and wife are about to quarrel, they need to turn to their spirit, kneel down, and call upon the name of the Lord. They must turn to their spirit. Consider what would happen if the husband prayed, “Lord, I am about to argue with my wife. Give me the proper words to speak when I argue. Give me utterance when I release my temper.” If he were honest in this way and touched the grace in his spirit, I truly doubt that he would have any desire to argue with his wife, and instead of releasing his temper, he would release his spirit. We all need to turn to our spirit.
Although it is very easy for a wife to bother her husband, the husband must learn to turn to his spirit, not to his mind, when he is in a bothersome situation. If a husband turns to his mind, his mind will cause problems and arouse his emotions even to the point of anger. Thus, he must turn to his spirit and simply say, “O Lord.” The more he is bothered, the more he needs to call on the Lord. He should not turn to his mind, because this brings in emotions, including anger. A bothersome situation is the best indication of our need to turn to the spirit. It is like a red light warning us to stop and turn to our spirit. Second Timothy 1:7 says, “God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sobermindedness.” For power, we need to turn to our spirit. For love, we need to turn to our spirit. For sobermindedness, we need to turn to our spirit. In our spirit there is power, love, and sobermindedness. Of power refers to our will, of love refers to our emotion, and of sobermindedness refers to our mind. Our mind is clear and sober only when we turn to our spirit. Otherwise, our mind is muddled and cloudy. Furthermore, when we turn to our spirit, our emotions are adjusted, and we are able to receive others with a proper love. Furthermore, when we turn to our spirit, our will is steadfast, powerful, and exceedingly strong. In our spirit we have power, love, and sobermindedness.
The truth concerning our human spirit is very much neglected in Christianity. It is possible to hear numerous messages in Christianity concerning the Holy Spirit but not hear one message on the human spirit. Many have said to me, “Brother Lee, before you came to the United States, we did not know that man has a spirit.” In this Christian country most people do not know that they have a spirit even though the Bible speaks of both the Holy Spirit and the human spirit. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, there are many verses that speak of the human spirit. If we do not know our own spirit, we can never properly experience the Holy Spirit. In America Christianity emphasizes either doctrines or Pentecostal experiences associated with the Holy Spirit. However, neither of these enable us to properly experience the Spirit. Today our Lord is the life-giving Spirit dwelling in our spirit; therefore, we need to turn to the spirit. When we turn, we will have light, and our conscience will function to condemn or reprove us. When the light shines, we can be washed by the Lord’s precious blood. The more we apply His precious blood, the more our inner being will be bright, and the more we are cleansed by His blood, the more we will enjoy the Lord’s presence and riches in our spirit. This is the proper way.
We should not listen to nonsensical speaking related to tongues or foretelling. The greatest indication of the failure of the Pentecostal movement can be seen in the lack of any fulfillment of their “prophetic” utterances. In the Old Testament an unfulfilled prophecy was a serious matter. If an Israelite spoke a prophecy that was not fulfilled, he was to be counted as a false prophet and even put to death (Deut. 18:20-22). God condemned false prophets and even wanted such persons put to death so that others would not listen to their nonsense. When some Pentecostals in Taiwan prophesied that there would be a great revival in 1966, nothing happened because it was a false prophecy. Today in our studying and expounding of the Scriptures, we are very concerned about quoting things out of context. It is dangerous to emphasize even a single sentence in the Bible without considering the entire context. Knowing something in a superficial way is dangerous. Regrettably, many Pentecostals do not use the term tongues according to its biblical context. Instead, they care only for their interpretations, and they neglect everything else. This is utterly dangerous.
If we consider the whole Bible, we will see that the proper way to experience the Spirit is to know the Spirit in our spirit. Philippians 4:23 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” We need to turn to our spirit and not focus on our mind, emotion, or will. When we call upon His name, saying, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!” we will touch our spirit and not be in our mind, emotion, or will. We need to exercise our feet by walking, and we need to exercise our spirit by calling on the Lord. If we are being bothered by our spouse, we will surely fail if we do not call on the Lord, saying, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah.” We can overcome by calling, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!” Satan has no way when we turn to our spirit. The simplest way to turn to our spirit is by calling on the name of the Lord and by pray-reading His Word. When we call on the Lord and pray-read His Word, we are in spirit, and we are inwardly filled with Him.
This is the safest way to be filled with the Holy Spirit. There is no need for fasting, for abstaining from sleep, or for looking for something to fall from heaven. When we seek for experiences in this way, that is, waiting for something to fall from heaven, is it any wonder that some will eventually start speaking in tongues? The Pentecostal movement teaches others to seek such experiences, but eighty or ninety percent of the time, these experiences are not genuine. This kind of seeking even opens the door to demons. Cases of demon possession in the Pentecostal movement are undeniable. I have had experiences of casting out demons from some who were in the Pentecostal movement. In their passive waiting for the so-called filling of the Holy Spirit, they emptied themselves and opened themselves in a way that allowed evil spirits to come into them. This does not mean that there is no such thing as genuinely speaking in tongues, but most of the tongue-speaking today involves “self-manufactured” tongue-speaking and even some cases of demon possession. These are not proper experiences of the Holy Spirit.
The scriptural way is to experience the grace of the Lord in our spirit (Phil. 4:23). We need to learn to be burning in spirit (Rom. 12:11); that is, we need to learn to use our spirit, exercise our spirit, manifest our spirit, and act by our spirit. When we exercise our spirit, we will touch the Lord’s presence in our spirit. Then our spirit will be open to the Lord, and the Lord’s Spirit will permeate, saturate, and possess us until He gains us fully. Thus, we will be one with the Lord, even one spirit with the Lord. This is the proper way to experience the Spirit.
I hope we will not have a curiosity for spiritual experiences that lead us to fast, abstain from sleep, or wait for something to fall down from heaven. We need to learn to take the simple way revealed in the Scriptures. Paul says, “God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sobermindedness” (2 Tim. 1:7). He also says, “God...whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son” (Rom. 1:9). Paul’s service to God was in his spirit.
Furthermore, Paul also told the Corinthians, “My speech and my proclamation were not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor. 2:4). When Paul first arrived in Corinth, his speech and proclamation were not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit. The demonstration of the Spirit comes from our human spirit. Today the Spirit of God is joined to our spirit. When we exercise our spirit, the Spirit of God joins in. This is the manifestation of our spirit. Our emphasis is not on manifesting eloquence or wisdom but on our spirit, which is to manifest the Spirit of God in our spirit. This can be likened to a sister who is naturally graceful, who has been highly educated and is able to speak persuasive, tactful words and give refined testimonies. Although her words may be persuasive, this does not mean that there has been a demonstration of Spirit. In contrast, a sister who simply calls, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!” will actively manifest the Spirit.
John Sung’s preaching did not depend on eloquence but on the manifestation of the Spirit. He was from Putian, Fukien. The Mandarin spoken in this region is not very polished. There is even a saying that one does not need to fear heaven or hell but only a Putianese speaking Mandarin. John Sung’s sermons seemingly did not have much content. When he preached, he often wore a long gown and used small props. Once when he was speaking, he showed the people an opium pipe, a mah-jongg tile, and a small coffin. When he showed them the coffin, he cried, “Get a promotion! Make a fortune! Make a coffin!” That was his sermon. Another time he brought out a conductor’s baton and pointed to a young woman in the audience and addressed her as a concubine. Everyone was concerned that he had offended the woman, but his word was a manifestation of the Spirit that day because she was indeed a concubine. Nevertheless, the woman was very angry because she thought someone had told John Sung about her. Throughout the night, however, the Holy Spirit operated in her, saying, “Do you blame that preacher? Think about it: Are you not a concubine, a sinner?” Through this enlightenment, she repented. The next day she came to the meeting in tears. This shows that although John Sung had no eloquence, no persuasive words of wisdom, there was a manifestation of the Spirit in his speaking.
One time he was preaching about the woman with the flow of blood in the Gospel of Mark (5:21-43). He drew a heart on the blackboard and said, “Dr. John Sung came, and the church members became zealous, and they said, ‘The precious blood of Jesus has cleansed our hearts; it cleansed our hearts.’” Then he filled in the outline of the heart with white chalk and said, “Dr. Sung left, and after two months the heart of the church members grew cold. The precious blood leaked out. Hemorrhaging! Hemorrhaging!” What kind of doctrine is this? How can the precious blood be likened to blood that hemorrhages? He continued, saying, “More time went by, and Brother Wang Ming-tao came, and again the church members became zealous, saying, ‘The precious blood of Jesus has cleansed my heart.’ But in another three months, the precious blood leaked out again.” Then he erased the chalk on the board to reveal the black heart. His doctrine was not according to the truth, but no one could deny the manifestation of the Spirit in his speaking. In the end he said, “All those who want the precious blood to cleanse their heart come forward.” Crowds of people moved forward, many bursting into tears, kneeling down, and praying again and again, “The precious blood cleanses my heart!” and “May the Lord’s precious blood cleanse my heart!”
John Sung did not have persuasive words of wisdom, but he had the manifestation of the Spirit, the demonstration of the Holy Spirit. When he spoke, the Spirit went forth; when he spoke, he touched men’s spirit, and they felt the filthiness of their heart and their need for cleansing by the precious blood of Christ. If a person had been saved for many years without much growth, he would have been touched to return to the Lord for His cleansing. Although the doctrine in John Sung’s sermon was not accurate, his spirit was right. We are not promoting the use of wrong doctrines, but we need to manifest the Spirit in addition to just presenting right doctrines. Persuasive words of wisdom alone cannot touch the spirit of others. When words come from the Spirit and touch the spirit of others, there is a supply even if the words are not so fine.
Paul spoke to the Corinthians, saying, “I, on my part, though being absent in the body but present in the spirit, have already judged, as if being present, him who has thus done this” (1 Cor. 5:3). When the Corinthians met together, Paul’s spirit was with them in their gathering, even though he was not present with them in his body. This proves how much Paul lived in the spirit. Do we have such an experience, that is, of being in Kaohsiung but meeting in spirit in Taipei? At times, when I am in Los Angeles, it is as if I were meeting in Taipei in spirit. In 16:17-18 Paul mentioned the names of a few brothers who refreshed his and the Corinthians’ spirit. These brothers refreshed Paul’s spirit. The most precious thing in being a Christian is to have a refreshed spirit. Paul was a person who fully lived in the spirit. Second Corinthians 12:18 shows that Paul and Titus were “in the same spirit.” In Revelation 1:10 the apostle John said, “I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day and heard.” At the end of Revelation, John was carried away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and saw the New Jerusalem (21:10). Our hearing and our seeing are both matters that are in the spirit. We must live in spirit, and we must exercise our spirit.
Ephesians 2:22 says, “You also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.” The dwelling place of God is our spirit. When we live in spirit and exercise our spirit, we become one in spirit. This is the genuine building. Today genuine building is not in our mind, emotion, or will but in our spirit. When we turn to our spirit, there is coordination with one another. When we turn to our spirit, there is oneness with one another, and when we turn to our spirit, there is building with one another. The building of God’s dwelling place is in our spirit, and the dwelling of God is in our spirit.
Our Lord has accomplished everything. He is now the life-giving Spirit living in our spirit to be our bountiful supply, which is just grace for everything. We need to exercise our spirit to touch Him in order to live in and move by the spirit. When we are persons who live in the spirit, we will be coordinated in oneness, and we will be built together to be the dwelling place of God.
