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Scripture Reading: Eph. 5:18-19; 6:18
When the apostle Paul spoke of the Christian life in the book of Ephesians, he specifically mentioned singing hymns and praying (5:18-19; 6:18). Both of these matters are related to our spirit. In order to sing hymns of praise to God, we need to “be filled in spirit,” and when we pray, we need to pray “every time in spirit.” Paul’s writing was based on personal experience, and the book of Acts shows how the apostles lived. On one hand, they sang hymns of praise to God (2:47; 16:25), and on the other hand, they prayed (1:24; 6:4; 9:40; 10:9; 13:3; 14:23; 16:25). This is how they lived in ordinary circumstances and in difficult circumstances. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they sang hymns of praise to God; their singing resulted in a great earthquake that opened the prison doors (vv. 19-26). When they encountered problems, they cried out to the Lord. They sang hymns in spirit and prayed in spirit. As a result, their spirit was strengthened and released.
We should lead the saints to live a priestly life by praying and fellowshipping with the Lord in the Holy of Holies in a practical way. The Lord’s greatest need today is to gain brothers and sisters who will live a priestly life according to grace. We must come forward to the throne of grace to fellowship with God, and we must come forward with all the saints to serve Him as priests. This will cause God’s purpose to be accomplished among us. The leading in the church should be focused on this matter.
Concerning prayer, many saints have a great lack in the exercise of their spirit. In Christianity the situation is even more desolate. Even when hundreds or thousands of people gather together, very few pray in spirit. In Sunday worship services most people are listening, and although some are praying, very few are praying in spirit. We highly regard giving messages and listening to messages, but we pay little attention to praying and singing hymns in spirit; we are lacking in the exercise and release of the spirit.
Christians pay attention to outward matters, such as giving messages and listening to messages, and they focus on outward activities. However, they do not exercise their spirit when they pray, sing hymns, worship God, and fellowship with Him. As a consequence, their spirit is rather weak and not easily released. Their fellowship with others also rarely involves a mutual blending in spirit. The human body is a good example that illustrates our need to exercise. Every organ in our body has the human life and a specific function that requires exercise. Our feet have life and the function of walking, but it is difficult to walk without exercise. The need for exercise is even more important when we consider our spirit. Having been born in Adam, we are fallen, and our spirit was dead and without function. Before we were saved, we did not live according to our spirit, because our spirit was deadened. Even after being regenerated, it is not easy to exercise our spirit due to our old, habitual living and the influence of our environment. This is true even when we pray. We know that we should use our spirit to pray, just as we should use our feet to walk, our eyes to see, and our ears to hear; nevertheless, we often fail to exercise our spirit.
Often when we pray, we merely use our mind, or we are stirred up in our emotion, but we rarely pray according to the sense deep within our spirit. Our spirit is like a withering plant because we lack this kind of exercise, and it is not easy for our spirit to be released. Some saints can release their spirit as soon as they open their mouth, but other saints can pray for five or six minutes and still not touch their spirit. Furthermore, if they are fully occupied in their mind, their prayers will reflect only their emotions and thoughts. If we do not exercise our spirit, our spirit will be dormant, and it will be hard to release our spirit.
Our spirit is released through words, and words depend on clear thoughts for their expression. The spirit needs words, and words need clear thoughts. Praying more in our daily living increases our exercise and improves our utterances by training our thoughts. Although we pray with our spirit, we need the cooperation of our mind. If we meet with some English-speaking brothers and sisters, and our English is not very good, it will be difficult to release our spirit when we are inspired; even if we release our spirit, our utterance will be limited by language. We must practice to be focused in our thoughts in order to express the sense in our spirit; the more we practice, the more skillful we will become. Then we will be able to express the sense in our spirit with flowing thoughts and appropriate words.
As we advance in our experience of the Lord, the inspiration of the Spirit will become less of a factor when we pray. When we first began to pray, we often waited for the inspiration of the Spirit, but as we advance, we need to take the initiative to pray and not wait for the Spirit’s inspiration. The way of the Spirit is to join in after we begin to pray (Rom. 8:26); that is, when we pray, the Spirit moves in our spirit. If we take the initiative to pray, the Spirit will move. If we do not take the initiative, the Spirit will not move. The Spirit can be likened to the engine of a car. In order to drive a car, we need to start the engine by turning the key. The proper sequence for driving a car involves turning the key to start the engine. When we were saved, God’s care for us included His moving in us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. However, as we go deeper in the Lord, this kind of inspiration becomes less and less frequent because God desires that we take the initiative in prayer. We should not wait for the Holy Spirit to move before we pray; rather, we should take the initiative to pray, and the Holy Spirit will join in.
Taking the initiative requires regular exercise. Some saints are so exercised that as long as they take even a little initiative, the Spirit moves within them. It is as if the Spirit is under their control. This can be compared to turning on a faucet; as soon as a faucet is turned on, water will begin to flow out. However, no water will flow out if we are not willing to turn on the faucet. We need to learn to turn on the Spirit so that He can move within us.
Even though we may know spiritual teachings, we can be short in our spiritual exercise. Objectively speaking, the Holy of Holies is in the heavens, but in order to subjectively enter into the Holy of Holies, we need to exercise our spirit. The throne of grace is in our spirit (Heb. 4:16). In John 4:14 the Lord Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life,” and in 7:38 He said, “He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” The Lord desires to become a fountain in us so that rivers of living water will flow out from us. This can be seen in the New Jerusalem, which is a sign that relates more to our experience today than it does to prophecies of things in the future. Revelation 22:1 says, “He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street.” This verse speaks of the throne of God and of the Lamb. God is in His Son, the Lamb, and His Son dwells in us. Hence, the throne of God is also in us. This throne is related both to ruling and to giving grace because the flow from the throne is not a stream of fire for judgment (cf. Dan. 7:10) but a river of water for life. The stream of fire is for judging, whereas the river of water is for bestowing grace, moistening, and supplying. Furthermore, the tree of life that grows on this side and on that side of the river is also for supplying.
The reality of the New Jerusalem is realized in our spirit. God is present in both the New Jerusalem and our spirit. God is on the throne in both the New Jerusalem and our spirit. God as light with Christ as the lamp is shining in both the New Jerusalem and our spirit. Furthermore, the river of water of life is flowing continually in both the New Jerusalem and our spirit. Today the throne of grace is in our spirit because our spirit is the Holy of Holies.
God desires to flow out from our spirit as rivers of living water. In John 7:38 Jesus said, “He who believes into Me...out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” Then in verse 39 John explained the Lord’s words, saying, “This He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive.” These verses show that the Spirit is realized as rivers of living water flowing out of our innermost being. The river of water of life in Revelation 22:1 also refers to the Spirit, and the tree of life growing on either side refers to Christ. Hence, the Spirit proceeds out from the throne of God’s grace and authority, bringing Christ into all of God’s redeemed. This is a description of the reality in our spirit. Although there is a throne of God objectively in the Holy of Holies in heaven, God has also set up His throne of grace in our spirit as the Holy of Holies so that He may flow out from our inner being as rivers of living water.
Hebrews 10:19-20 says, “Having therefore, brothers, boldness for entering the Holy of Holies in the blood of Jesus, which entrance He initiated for us as a new and living way.” We should enter into the Holy of Holies with boldness through the Lord’s blood, because Christ has initiated a new and living way for us. If the Holy of Holies is only in heaven, it would not be possible for us to enter into the Holy of Holies. Therefore, the Holy of Holies spoken of in verse 19 must refer to our spirit. Furthermore, 4:16 also speaks of the throne of grace. If the throne of grace is only in heaven, it would not be possible for us to come forward to the throne of grace. Hebrews 10:19 and 4:16 both refer to our spirit.
If we compare Hebrews 4:16 with the pictures in Revelation 22 and John 7, we can see that grace and mercy flow out of the throne of God. Whenever we turn to our spirit, to the Holy of Holies, and touch the throne of grace, the Holy Spirit flows and waters. When the Holy Spirit flows, He brings mercy and grace as our timely supply. Thus, God in the Lamb flows into us through the Spirit to comfort, water, and supply us with mercy and grace for our timely help.
In the New Testament age our spirit is the Holy of Holies, and God has established His throne of grace in us. In the Son and through the Spirit He dwells in our spirit. Hence, we must turn to our spirit to touch the throne of grace so that He can flow into our spirit and out of our spirit. Thus, all the elements of His divine life will flow into us and out of us. For example, this flow will bring us into His light and cause us to see our filth, corruption, and shortage. Furthermore, we will be enlightened in regard to His plan, His work, His leading, and His will. If we do not allow God to flow in us, it will be difficult to know His leading and will. However, when we let God flow freely in us, we spontaneously touch His feeling and understand His leading. In this flow we receive His cleansing, His dealing, His purifying, and His enlightening. All our spiritual experiences depend upon the flow of the water of life.
Genesis 2 speaks of a river flowing out of the garden of Eden, and gold, bdellium (pearl), and precious stones (onyx) are associated with this flow (vv. 10-12). This shows that the flow brings in gold, pearl, and precious stones. Without a flowing river, there would not be any gold, pearl, or precious stones. If we desire to be filled with these elements, we must allow God’s life to flow in us continually through our fellowship with Him. As we fellowship with God by turning to our spirit to pray, by turning to the Holy of Holies to touch Him, there will be a flow in our spirit. All spiritual experiences take place in the fellowship and are perfected in the fellowship. Without such a fellowship, there will be no flow.
If a person hears the gospel but is not willing to pray, what he hears and what he feels will not become real to him, no matter how much he has been touched. This can be likened to wrapping a package with string but not tying a knot in the string. Without securing the string with a knot, the package will not be secure. A person who hears the gospel but never prays is like an unsecured package. As soon as he encounters some difficulty, all the content in his “package” will be lost. However, if he prays, “O Lord, I am a sinner,” his salvation will become firm and secure; he will have a feeling that he has tied a knot. Similarly, when we listen to a message, read the Bible, or read a spiritual book, we must tie a knot by praying about the things that have touched us. If we do not pray, we will be like an unsecured package.
Our spiritual experiences become solid and firm within us when we pray. Consider the experience of consecration. We did not have an experience of consecration merely because we thought about consecration, saying to ourselves, “I have been purchased by God, and I belong to the Lord. I should consecrate myself, and I will.” Instead, we prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord, You purchased me with Your blood, and now I belong to You. I consecrate myself to You.” With a few simple words we “tied the knot” in the matter of consecration. In the same way, we need to pray in order to deal with our sins. If we do not pray, we will not experience the matter of dealing with our sins. Whenever the Spirit touches us concerning any matter, we need to pray in order to gain the reality of this experience.
We hear messages, read spiritual books, and study the Bible, but we rarely pray. We have not tied many knots in our spirit; as a result, we have not been solidly constituted with spiritual experiences. Many of the messages that we hear reach our mind but do not enter into our spirit. Our problem is not that we need to listen to more messages but that we need to pray more. We have not received the content of the messages we have heard into our spirit because we have not tied the knot with prayer. Some saints have been listening to messages for many years, and even though they have a clear understanding of the truth, their spirit is weak. Their mind has been trained because they exercise their mind to understand, but their spirit is weak because they have not exercised their spirit through prayer. We urgently need to rise up to exercise our spirit by praying more. We must exercise our spirit until it becomes strong, living, and released. Then our spirit will be released when we go to a meeting or to visit the saints.
We have a practice of listening to messages in a meeting, but we do not have a practice of praying with our spirit. This is like participating in a soccer game but not using our feet to kick the ball. There is no benefit if we only look at the ball with our eyes. Similarly, when we come to a meeting, we must exercise our spirit. If our spirit is strong, we will not wait for the scheduled time to begin. As soon as we arrive, we will begin to pray, and those who arrive later will also pray. Moreover, we will not be rigid in the order of the meeting, such as singing first and then praying. We will function spontaneously, just like ball players on a soccer field. If our spirit is strong when we come together, we will enter the Holy of Holies, release our spirit, touch the throne of grace, and lift up our holy hands to pray (1 Tim. 2:8). When our spirit is exercised to this extent, we will enjoy the normal service of the priesthood.
When we come to a meeting today, however, our spirit is often dormant. When it is time for the meeting to begin, there are more empty seats in the front than in the back. This is not a normal situation. When we come to a meeting, we should be like ball players who are eager for an opportunity to play. Regrettably, our meetings are just the opposite. We have a habitual pattern, and it is not easy for us to change. Unless a person is leading us in the meeting, our spirit seemingly is on vacation. Many of us are only spectators, and it is as if we are watching a show in a theater. If this is our condition, those whom we bring to salvation will be just like us. Many Christians are in such a desolate condition that they cannot pray, and they are unwilling to pray. If this is our situation, how can God flow among us? How can God accomplish anything He desires among us? It is a basic principle in the New Testament that God only works by flowing through man and by working together with man.
Some people think that revival comes from heaven, but this is not accurate. Real revival begins when we touch our spirit. Revival begins within us. If we touch our spirit when we come to the meeting, there will be an excellent revival. Revival is not a matter of asking God to send down fire from heaven but a matter of whether we are willing to light the fire within us. If we ask the Lord to revive the church but do not exercise to release our spirit, how can God revive the church?
If God cannot flow in us, we will not have much shining or sense of the Spirit within, and consequently, we will not have much transformation. Some saints have listened to messages for many years, but their disposition has not changed in any respect. Without a flow in their spirit, they have little sense of God, and they often are confused about spiritual matters. Saints in this condition cannot help others to pray and fellowship with the Lord in a fresh and living way. If, however, the water of life is flowing freely in us, we will bear new fruit regularly.
I have a heavy burden related to letting God flow in us. Today many of God’s children are asking for His outpouring, but they are neglecting His flowing within them. The flowing out of God is His normal and eternal operation. Although the Bible speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it speaks even more of the Lord entering into us to become a fountain to flow out of us as rivers of living water (John 4:14; 7:37-39; Isa. 58:11). In Revelation 21 and 22 there is no mention of rain in the New Jerusalem, there is only a picture of living water that flows continuously. We need both the inner flowing and the outpouring of the Spirit, but the flowing of the inner spring is an eternal feature of the New Jerusalem. We are not opposed to the outpouring of the Spirit, but we do not promote the outpouring, based on negative situations in the past. The outpouring of the Spirit is like a rainstorm that comes upon us suddenly. Although there may be an abundance of rain, the land will eventually become dry again. The residual water from a rainstorm does not last very long.
In Shantung Province in China there is a spring of water that is renowned for its continuous flowing. Even during droughts there is no shortage of water. Within Christians there also is such a spring of water. If we truly realized this, we would not desire to seek the outpouring of the Spirit so much; instead, we would dig within our being until a spring begins to flow. Some saints need the outpouring of the Spirit, but if they have only this outpouring without digging to touch the spring of living water within them, the outpouring will not be sufficient because it will not last for a long time. God’s children need to know this secret.
Today God is in our spirit; He is the fountain of living water. He desires for us to contact Him regularly so that He may flow out of us. Hence, we need to open the way for God; we need to turn to our spirit, exercise our spirit, and allow our spirit to be released. Whether we are at home or in the office, we must exercise our spirit. We have listened to many messages, but now we need to be priests who come to the Holy of Holies to touch the throne of grace. We should not remain in our mind but turn to our spirit. We need to read the Bible, but we need to pray even more. We should exercise our spirit more by exercising our spirit to pray more. This is our greatest need today.
In our meetings we should lead the brothers and sisters to exercise their spirit more. The prayer meeting should involve less speaking of messages and more praying and singing. We are short of priests who burn incense and who sing; that is, we are short of praying and singing, which strengthens our spirit. Not exercising our spirit in the meeting is like trying to drive a car without turning the key. Every time we come to a meeting, we must first use our “key” to start the “engine.” Singing and praying will kindle our spirit. If our spirit is weak when we sing a hymn, we must sing until our spirit rises up. The most important matter in the prayer meeting is to open our spirit and exercise our spirit. As long as the saints learn to turn to the spirit and pray from the spirit, we do not need to restrict the topics for prayer. We also do not need to consider and compose our prayers or be influenced by our environment. We should pray only according to our spirit.
The saints who can sing should help other saints to learn to sing. If our singing is not focused, the spirit of the hymns will not come forth. We should spend much time to learn how to sing hymns so that we can sing at any time and in any place. Singing hymns will cause the brothers and sisters to rise up, and it is not necessary to sing every stanza. For example, we can sing stanza 1 of Hymns, #250 repeatedly: “Spring up, well, with water; / Dig Thou, Lord, completely; / Dig away all barriers / That Thy stream flow through me.” When a couple goes home after singing this stanza, they will be able to sing it together at home. Then the husband may ask his wife, “Are you springing up with water?” and the wife may ask her husband, “Are you digging within?” This kind of singing and speaking to one another will stir up and release their spirits.
The saints are active in their thoughts but not exercised in their spirit. We must increase our exercise of the spirit, digging a well in our being until the living water flows. There is a spring of living water in us. This spring is full of grace, mercy, peace, and power. Because it is easy for this spring to be plugged up, we need to continuously dig so that the Holy Spirit can flow out. As priests, our service is to dig a well to reach this spring of living water so that living water can flow out from the throne of grace. In this spring of living water there is life, light, mercy, and grace for our timely help; there is everything that we need.
We do not need to ask God to pour out the Holy Spirit upon us. Rather, we need to know the God who is indwelling us. All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in the Son bodily (Col. 2:9), and the Son is the life-giving Spirit dwelling in our spirit (1 Cor. 6:17; 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17; Rom. 8:16). All the riches of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are in our spirit; we only need to dig and let Him flow. In the meetings there is no need for a long message; rather, we should lead the saints to exercise their spirit by singing and praying. Furthermore, we should leave some time for the saints to pray at the end of the meeting so that they may realize the preciousness and the secret of prayer. We should pray in the meetings, and we should also pray at home and in other places. We must realize that we are New Testament priests. We should pray not only by ourselves but also corporately with other brothers and sisters.
