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Week 2 — Day 1
Gen. 1:27 And God created man in His own image…
Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man…
The first crucial and striking point concerning God’s creation of man is that God created man in His image and according to His likeness (Gen. 1:26a).40 Who is God’s image? The Bible tells us that Christ is the image of God [2 Cor. 4:4b; Col. 1:15]41.…Romans 9:21 tells us that God created us and chose us that we might be vessels to contain Him. Hence, we were not only created according to the image of Christ, but we were also created as vessels instead of instruments.…God did not create us as instruments to work for Him; instead, He created us as vessels to contain Him.42
The second striking point in the creation of man is that God created man with a spirit.…Genesis 2:7 says that God formed man of the dust of the ground. No doubt this refers to man’s body as the framework of man’s being.…After God formed a body for man, God breathed the breath of life into man’s nostrils. Dust does not have any life, but the breath of God has life.…In Genesis 2:7 the word for breath in Hebrew is neshamah. It is used also in Proverbs 20:27, which says, “The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah.” This indicates that the very breath of life breathed into man’s body became man’s spirit. This is confirmed by Job 32:8, which says, “But there is a spirit in man, / And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.” In this verse a spirit in man and the breath of the Almighty are in apposition, indicating that the spirit of man and the breath of God are one. The spirit of man is the breath of God, and the breath of God is man’s spirit.43 [Furthermore], man’s body and man’s spirit came together to produce a living soul (Gen. 2:7).…A human being is a soul with two organs. The outward organ is the body; the inward organ is our spirit, which is the breath of life. Thus, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 we are told that a whole man is composed of spirit, soul, and body.44
The tripartite man was created with a spirit to be the receiver and container of the divine life (Gen. 2:7; Prov. 20:27).45 A radio has a receiver within it so that it can receive, contain, and express the radio waves from the air. The outward box of the radio is not good enough. It needs an inner recipient, an inner receiver. Within us there is also a receiver, and this receiver is our spirit.
Zechariah 12:1.…ranks the spirit of man with the heavens and the earth. It says that the Lord is the One who stretched forth the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him.…This shows that only these three things are important and vital in this universe. The heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man has a spirit for God. Here you have the purpose of the universe, the meaning of the universe. The heavens with all the stars and planets are for the earth. The earth is not for the heavens but for man. Without the earth, man could not exist. The earth is just right for us to live to fulfill our purpose. Man is not for education, for clothing, for food, for housing, or for entertainment. Man is good only for God. Man is a God-bottle, a vessel to contain God.
As God-bottles, we need a God-receiver. God is Spirit (John 4:24). Since God is Spirit, we need a spirit to receive Him. Only our spirit can receive the Spirit. Only our spirit can touch the Spirit. Only our spirit can contain the Spirit.46
If we did not have a spirit…we would become meaningless. Also, if there were no God in the universe, the whole universe would become empty.…Without God being the Spirit and without us having a spirit to contact God, [to contain God], to be one with God, the whole universe is empty and we are nothing. By this we can see the importance of our spirit.47
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 2 — Day 2
John 3:6 …That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.
When a sinner repents, confesses his sins, believes in the Lord Jesus, and calls on His name, at that very moment Christ as the life-giving Spirit enters into his spirit to enliven his dead spirit, that is, to regenerate him in his spirit. Immediately such a person becomes alive, happy, and joyful.…A great change has taken place in his life. This sinner has been saved. He has been regenerated, and he is now a Christian.48
In order for us to experience the Christian life, we surely need to know God, the Lord, Christ, as the Spirit. Also, we have to know that for us to enjoy this Spirit, we have a spirit within us. [Hence], the foundation of the Christian life is the Spirit with our spirit.49
In the New Testament…three verses that speak of both the human spirit and the divine Spirit [are: John 3:6; 4:24, and Romans 8:16]. John 3:6 says, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The first spirit in this verse is God’s Spirit, and the second is our spirit. This means that our spirit is born of God the Spirit.…The birth of the spirit in John 3:6 is not the first birth, the natural birth; it is the second birth, the spiritual birth. All the saved ones have been born twice.…The first birth, from our parents, is the birth in the flesh; the second birth, from God, is the birth in our spirit.…Hallelujah for the second birth! We are the second-birth people. Never forget the two spirits in John 3:6 — the human spirit and the divine Spirit.
Another precious verse about these two spirits is John 4:24. This verse says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.” Here again we see that God is a Spirit and that we have a spirit. If we would worship God, we must worship Him in our spirit. As human beings, we have many organs: eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, a mouth for speaking and eating, a nose for smelling and breathing, hands for working, and feet for walking. We also have our various inward organs, including a stomach for retaining and digesting food. In addition to all these organs, we have a spirit with which to worship God.
Man was made by God and for God. He was made to worship God, to contact God, to receive God, to retain God, and even to digest God. Your religious mentality may be offended at the thought of digesting God. Yes, we must digest God. The Lord Jesus said that He was the bread of life and that we must eat Him (John 6:35, 54-57). Jesus is edible! If we eat Him, we must also digest Him. The function of the organ of our spirit is to worship, contact, receive, retain, and digest God. We may call this organ our spiritual stomach.…This is the organ for digesting God. We need to receive God into this part of our being.
The third verse concerning the two spirits is Romans 8:16. This verse says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.” Here we see that the divine Spirit witnesses with our human spirit. Many times these two spirits talk to each other. Our spirit may say, “God is my Father,” and the divine Spirit will say, “Amen.” The divine Spirit may say, “You are a child of God,” and our spirit will say, “Hallelujah!”
We all need to become thoroughly familiar with these three verses on the two spirits. Remember, in John 3:6 our spirit is born of the Spirit; in John 4:24, our spirit worships the Spirit; and in Romans 8:16, the Spirit witnesses with our spirit. These three verses are virtually all-inclusive. In John 3:6 we are reborn, in John 4:24 we digest God and enjoy Him, and in Romans 8:16 we walk with God, live by God, and are one with God in our being. This is the Christian life, the Christian living.50
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 2 — Day 3
1 Cor. 15:45 …The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.
6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
We all need to see that our believing in Jesus and our being baptized into Him means that He comes into us and we are put into Him so that He and we become one. He is in us, and we are in Him. This is possible only because of the two spirits. He is the divine Spirit, and we have a human spirit. The divine Spirit is in our human spirit. Therefore, in our spirit we are one spirit with Him.51
First Corinthians 15:45b tells us that the last Adam, the Lord Jesus our Savior, became a life-giving Spirit. This Spirit has…come into our spirit. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 6:17 says that we have become one spirit with the Lord. Within us there truly is the fact that the two spirits are mingled as one spirit.…In 2 Timothy 4:22 Paul says, “The Lord be with your spirit.” This implies that the Lord is Spirit; otherwise, He could not be able to enter our spirit and be with our spirit. This again proves that the Lord Spirit has become one spirit with our spirit.
The highest Christian life is a life of the two spirits becoming one spirit. This surpasses ethics and morality. Today you and I do not merely have a conscience, the innate knowledge of good and the innate ability to do good,… nor do we only have a created spirit. Within our created spirit we also have the Spirit of God, who is our Redeemer and who became the life-giving Spirit. Today I want to help everyone to practice living by this mingled spirit, that is, to practice being one spirit with the Lord. Your being saved is not just a matter of your sins being forgiven, your being cleansed by the blood, or your being redeemed and regenerated. More than that, the Lord as the Spirit has entered your regenerated spirit and mingled with your regenerated spirit to become one spirit. This is the most precious point.52
Christ has become the life-giving Spirit as the life and life supply in our spirit. Therefore, we must live in our spirit to experience the salvation and the bountiful supply of the Spirit. Man has a three-layer constitution: the outermost layer is the body; within the body is the second layer, which is the soul; and within the soul is the third layer, which is the spirit. Today Christ is the Spirit, and within us we also have a spirit; therefore, we can experience Him. The two spirits — the Lord’s Spirit and our spirit — are mingled and have fellowship with one another. This may be compared to metal conducting electricity. If we sin, an insulation comes between us and the Lord and then the “electricity” cannot pass through. At such a time we need to open up to Him in our spirit to repent and confess our sins. In this way the barrier of sin is removed; immediately we can have fellowship with the Lord Spirit and once again experience His salvation within us. Then the Lord Jesus is no longer a doctrine to us but a reality. As the Spirit, He now indwells our spirit so that we can daily experience Him as our salvation.53
In order to contact God in spirit, sometimes we have to stop the activities of our body and our soul, and then we have to cry out to God and call on the Lord Jesus from our deepest part. If we do this, immediately there will be light within us. Whenever we stop the activities of our body and our soul, allow the Spirit to work in us, and call from our spirit, “O God! O Lord Jesus!” then, instead of being in our outward activities, we remain in our spirit, the innermost part of our being.54
Many times I have been asked how I, as an elderly man, could be so active and so energetic. My secret is that I am one spirit with the Lord. Today, many toys are made to operate by electricity. It is electricity which makes them so active. Because we are one spirit with Christ, we have the heavenly, divine electricity energizing us continually.55
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 2 — Day 4
Isa. 12:4 …Give thanks to Jehovah; call upon His name!
Rom. 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him.
After rising up in the morning, we should do everything by our spirit. We must begin our day by living and walking in our spirit. If we rise up in a loose way, we will spoil the whole day. The best thing to do after rising up is to call on the name of the Lord. When we call “O Lord Jesus,” we are in the spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). Calling in this way brings us back from everything to our spirit.56
What is the meaning of calling on the name of the Lord? Some Christians think that calling on the Lord is the same as praying to Him. Yes, calling is a kind of prayer, but it is not merely praying. The Hebrew word for call means to call out to, to cry unto, to cry out. The Greek word for call means to invoke a person, to call a person by name. In other words, it is to call a person by naming him audibly. Although prayer may be silent, calling must be audible.
Two Old Testament prophets help us to see what is meant by calling on the Lord. Jeremiah tells us that to call on the Lord means to cry to Him and to experience spiritual breathing. “I called upon Your name, O Jehovah, / From the lowest pit. / You have heard my voice; do not hide / Your ear at my breathing, at my cry” (Lam. 3:55-56). Isaiah also tells us that our calling on the Lord is our crying to Him. “God is now my salvation; / I will trust and not dread; / For Jah Jehovah is my strength and song, / And He has become my salvation. / Therefore you will draw water with rejoicing / From the springs of salvation, / And you will say in that day, / Give thanks to Jehovah; call upon His name!… / Sing…to Jehovah.… / Cry out and give a ringing shout, / O inhabitant of Zion, / For great in your midst is the / Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 12:2-6). How may God become our salvation, our strength, and our song? How can we draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation? The way is to call on His name, to praise the Lord, to sing a hymn, and to cry out and shout. All of these match the calling mentioned in verse 4!
Calling on the Lord began in the third generation of the human race with Enosh, the son of Seth (Gen. 4:26). The history of calling on the Lord’s name continued throughout the Bible with Abraham (Gen. 12:8), Isaac (Gen. 26:25), Moses (Deut. 4:7), Job (Job 12:4), Jabez (1 Chron. 4:10), Samson (Judg. 16:28), Samuel (1 Sam. 12:18), David (2 Sam. 22:4), Jonah (Jonah 1:6), Elijah (1 Kings 18:24), and Jeremiah (Lam. 3:55). Not only did the Old Testament saints call on the Lord; they even prophesied that others would call on His name (Joel 2:32; Zeph. 3:9; Zech. 13:9).
Calling on the name of the Lord was practiced by the New Testament believers [Acts 9:14; 22:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Tim. 2:22] beginning on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21). While Stephen was being stoned to death, he was calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 7:59).…Saul of Tarsus received authority from the chief priests to bind all that called on the name of the Lord (Acts 9:14). This indicates that all the early saints were Jesus-callers. Their calling on the name of the Lord was a sign, a mark, that they were Christians.
Paul the apostle stressed the matter of calling when he wrote the book of Romans. He said, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him; for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:12-13). Paul also spoke of calling on the Lord in 1 Corinthians when he wrote the words, “With all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours” (1 Cor. 1:2). Furthermore, in 2 Timothy he told Timothy to pursue spiritual things with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2:22).…Today the Lord wants to recover calling on His name and to have us practice it so that we may enjoy the riches of His life.57
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 2 — Day 5
Rom. 10:13 For “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Psa. 116:13 I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of Jehovah.
Why do we need to call on the name of the Lord? Men need to call on the name of the Lord in order to be saved (Rom. 10:13). The way of praying quietly does help people to be saved, but not so richly. The way of calling loudly helps people to be saved in a richer and more thorough way. Thus, we need to encourage people to open themselves and to call on the name of the Lord Jesus. Psalm 116 tells us that we may partake of the Lord’s salvation by calling on Him: “I will take up the cup of salvation / And call upon the name of Jehovah” (v. 13). In this one psalm, calling on the Lord is mentioned four times (vv. 2, 4, 13, 17). As we have seen earlier, the way to draw water from the springs of salvation is to call upon the name of the Lord (Isa. 12:2-4). Many Christians have never called upon the Lord. If you have never called, even shouted before the Lord, it is doubtful that you have enjoyed the Lord in a rich way. “Call upon His name!… / Cry out and give a ringing shout” (Isa. 12:4, 6). Try shouting before Him. If you have never shouted about what the Lord is to you, try it. The more you shout, “O Lord Jesus, You are so good to me!” the more you will be released from your self and filled with the Lord. Thousands of saints have been released and enriched through calling on the name of the Lord.
Another reason for calling on the Lord is to be rescued from distress (Psa. 18:6; 118:5), from trouble (50:15; 86:7; 81:7), and from sorrow and pain (116:3-4). People who have argued against calling on the Lord have found themselves calling on Him when they were subject to a certain trouble or illness. When our lives are free from trouble, we may argue against calling on the Lord. However, when trouble comes, no one will need to tell us to call on Him; we will call spontaneously. Also, the way for us to participate in the Lord’s plenteous mercy is to call upon Him.…(Psa. 86:5). Another reason for calling on the Lord is to receive the Spirit (Acts 2:17a, 21). The best and easiest way to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to call on the name of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit has already been poured out. We simply need to receive Him by calling on the Lord.
Isaiah 55:1 says, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, / And you who have no money; / Come, buy and eat; / Yes, come, buy wine and milk / Without money and without price.” What is the way to eat and drink the Lord? Isaiah gives us the way in verse 6 of the same chapter: “Seek Jehovah while He may be found; / Call upon Him while He is near.” Thus, the way to eat the spiritual food for our satisfaction is to seek the Lord and to call upon His name.
Romans 10:12 says that the Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him. The way to enjoy the riches of the Lord is to call upon Him. The Lord is not only rich, but also near and available, because He is the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). As the Spirit, He is omnipresent.…When we call on Him, He comes to us as the Spirit, and we enjoy His riches.
If I call a person’s name, and if he is real, living, and present, that person will come to me. The Lord Jesus is real, living, and present! He is always available. Whenever we call on Him, He comes. Do you want to enjoy the Lord’s presence with all His riches? The best way to experience His presence with all His riches is to call on His name. Call on Him while you are driving on the freeway or while you are at work. Anywhere and anytime you may call.
Also, by calling on the name of the Lord, we can stir ourselves up. Isaiah 64:7 says, “And there is no one who calls upon Your name, / Who stirs himself up to lay hold of You.” When we feel that we are down or low, we can lift and stir ourselves up by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus.58
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 2 — Day 6
1 Cor. 12:13 For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.
3 …And no one can say, Jesus is Lord! except in the Holy Spirit.
How should we call on the Lord? We must call on Him out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). Our heart, which is the source of our calling, must be pure, seeking nothing except the Lord Himself. Also, we must call with [purified lips] (Zeph. 3:9 [NASB]). We need to watch our speech, for nothing contaminates our lips more than loose talk. If our lips are impure due to loose talk, it will be difficult for us to call on the Lord.…Furthermore, we need to call on the Lord corporately. Second Timothy 2:22 says, “But flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” We need to come together for the purpose of calling on the name of the Lord. Psalm 88:9 says, “I have called out to You, O Jehovah, every day.” Hence, we should call daily upon His name. Furthermore, Psalm 116:2 says, “Therefore I will call upon Him all my days.” As long as we live, we should call on the name of the Lord.59
To call on the Lord is to enjoy the Lord, to breathe the Lord in. Calling is just breathing. Jeremiah was designated the “weeping prophet.” After the book of Jeremiah, he felt he was not finished, so he wrote Lamentations as a weeping book. In this weeping book there are two wonderful, joyful verses: “I called upon Your name, O Jehovah, / From the lowest pit. / You have heard my voice; do not hide / Your ear at my breathing, at my cry” (3:55-56). Our calling is our breathing.…Sometimes our dear husband or wife or our children put us into “the lowest pit.” Whenever you get into “the lowest pit,” do not murmur or complain. Simply call, “O Lord Jesus,” and you will be in the third heaven. To call on the Lord is just to breathe Him in. Verse 56 says, “Do not hide / Your ear at my breathing, at my cry.” The Lord turns His ear to our breathing. This spiritual breathing is our calling, “O Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus.”60
The secret to enjoying the Spirit is found in 1 Corinthians 12:13. We all must believe that we have experienced the first half of 1 Corinthians 12:13. In one Spirit, that is, in the Spirit, we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks. The Spirit and the Body are connected. We must believe that we believers of the Lord were in that one Spirit baptized into one Body.…Since you believe that you are in the Body, then you must also believe that you are in the Spirit.…We have all been baptized into the Spirit, and now we need to drink this Spirit.61
The way to drink is in verse 3 of the same chapter: “No one can say, Jesus is Lord! except in the Holy Spirit.” This is similar to saying, “No one can breathe except that the air gets into him.” Can we say that we are breathing, but the air never comes in? When we breathe, the air comes in.…If we say, “O Lord Jesus!” we are in the Spirit. This is drinking. The way we drink of the Spirit is by saying, “O Lord Jesus.”
Hymn #73 in Hymns was written by Miss M. E. Barber, an older sister who helped Brother Watchman Nee very much. Stanza 2 says, “Blessed Jesus! Mighty Savior! / In Thy Name is all I need; / Just to breathe the Name of Jesus, / Is to drink of Life indeed.”…To call on the name of the Lord is to breathe Him, and to breathe Him is to drink Him. The way to drink of the one Spirit is to call, “O Lord Jesus!”…If you are thirsty, call on the Lord. At any time or any place, even while we are driving, we may be thirsty. Then we may call on the Lord and receive the living water. Try it; it always works.…This is very simple, and this is our Christian life. Our Christian life must be a calling life.62
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 2 — Hymn
1. God’s glorious substance Spirit is,
His essence, holy and divine;
To contact God and Him enjoy,
His Spirit I must touch with mine.
2. The spirit is the innermost,
The part of man most deep and real;
If he would contact God in life,
’Tis with the spirit he must deal.
3. The worship which the Father seeks
Is in the spirit’s strength alone;
His Spirit into man’s would come,
That His and man’s may thus be one.
4. When Spirit unto spirit calls
The two commingle and are one;
Man’s spirit is the Spirit’s home,
The Spirit doth man’s life become.
5. Man’s spirit must God’s Spirit touch
If in God’s fulness he would live;
’Tis only with the spirit thus
That he to God may worship give.
6. In ministry and fellowship
Man to the spirit we must bring;
All ministry should turn to prayer,
Spirit to spirit answering.
7. In spirit we must pray and serve,
In spirit touch the life divine,
In spirit grow, in spirit build,
That Christ thru us may fully shine.
8. Lord, to the spirit I would turn
And learn to truly contact Thee;
Thy Spirit thus will flow with mine
And overflow eternally.
1. Glorious, mighty Name of Jesus,
Into Thy dear Name I flee;
“Set aloft,” I praise and worship,
For Thy Name is victory!
2. Blessed Jesus! Mighty Savior!
In Thy Name is all I need;
Just to breathe the Name of Jesus,
Is to drink of Life indeed.
3. Glorious, mighty Name of Jesus,
Heav’n and earth its pow’r proclaim;
But forgiven sinners only,
Know the balm of Jesus’ Name.
4. Jesus! Jesus! Name most precious,
Balm in pain or mighty sword;
In Thy Name, we live and conquer,
Blessed, glorious, coming Lord.
