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In this chapter we will continue to fellowship concerning touching the Bible. We must understand that the Bible is the embodiment of the Spirit of God. Hence, when we open the Bible, we must maintain an attitude of contacting the Spirit. We must always use our spirit when we read the Bible. This is the positive aspect of touching the Bible.
Contacting the Spirit in the Bible with our spirit requires a substantial effort. This is not an easy matter for believers who are new to the Bible. Using our spirit to contact the Spirit through reading the Bible involves learning some necessary skills. When believers who are spiritually young begin to practice this, there are many encumbrances that must be overcome.
When the limiting factors are reduced, our ability to touch the Spirit is increased. These factors can be likened to heavy loads that press down on a person and hinder his ability to move forward. As the loads are taken away, his ability to move forward gradually increases. When all the loads have been completely removed, he will be able to move freely. This principle applies to using our spirit to contact the Spirit while reading the Bible. After the limiting factors have been removed, we will be able to reach a higher level when we read the Bible. However, it is not so easy to deal with these limiting factors.
We may read the Bible many times, but our spirit will not necessarily touch the Spirit because there are many limitations within us. In other words, there are many things that press down on us. Unless these limiting factors are removed, we will be unable to rise up. Every time a limitation is removed, we will rise up a little higher. When all the limitations are taken away, we will be fully released. When the apostle Paul read the Scriptures, he used his spirit to contact the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:6). There was nothing oppressing him, and he was free from every encumbrance. Having broken away from every earthly encumbrance, he was able to exercise his spirit.
A new believer is restricted by a number of things within him that have not been dealt with. Suppose a new believer is illiterate. He knows that God gave him the Bible and that God can be contacted in the Bible. However, he is unable to use his spirit to touch the Spirit in the Bible, because he is restricted by his inability to read. This brother would need to expend a substantial amount of effort in order to learn to read so that he can read and understand the words in the Bible. This is the way for him to remove this restriction. When he begins to read, he will be able to touch the Spirit with his spirit. The sense in our spirit must pass through the other parts of our being. If we do not understand the words we read, we will not be able to comprehend the sense in our spirit. This means that the sense in our spirit must pass through our mind. Hence, it is difficult for a person who is limited in his ability to read to understand God’s Word and to receive inspiration in his spirit; it is difficult for him to contact the Spirit.
Our inability to touch the Spirit when we read the Bible should help us realize that there are limitations within us. Now we will consider some limitations.
The first limitation we encounter is related to our heart. Our heart is rather complicated and has many problems. The first problem is a heart that veers toward something other than God. A person with such a heart will not receive inspiration. It is true that when we read the Bible, we must use our spirit to contact the Spirit. However, no matter how resolute we may be, as soon as our heart leans toward something other than God, we will not receive inspiration. Our heart must be adjusted; otherwise, there will be no enlightenment from the Spirit.
The second problem is having an indifferent heart. Although we may read the Bible, we may have an indifferent attitude toward God and His Word. When we are indifferent, our heart falls short in its pursuit of God’s Word. Even though our heart may not lean toward things other than God, we may have no heart for God, be indifferent toward Him, and not care for the meaning of the words we read. In this situation we will not be able to understand the Bible. This principle is not relative but absolute.
The third problem is a divided heart. This means that a believer wants God, yet he does not want Him. It seems as if he has no heart for God, but he still has a little heart for God. It seems as though he does not obey God, but he does obey. Such a believer has many considerations other than God and always considers the price he must pay. This situation is what the Bible calls “double-souled” (James 1:8; 4:8), that is, having two souls. God made man with one soul, consisting of the mind, emotion, and will. A double-souled person has a divided heart, a heart that is both for God and for the world. A person with a divided heart wants God and also other things. He wants to touch God’s Word, but at the same time he has no firm desire. Such a believer can be likened to a light switch with a loose connection. When the switch is pressed down firmly, the light turns on, but once you take your finger off the switch, the light turns off. Only when the connection is firmly secured, will the light stay on. When our heart is divided, there is constant turmoil in our spirit. Our experience confirms this fact.
The fourth problem is a heart that is not absolute. Our heart may be undivided, but it is not absolute; it is not steadfast or firm. This kind of heart tends to be light and idle. The depth of our contact with God depends on the absoluteness of our heart. Our spirit always follows our heart. When our heart is not absolute, our spirit has no way to go on. We must understand that as long as there is any reservation in our heart, our ability to contact God will be limited. Hence, we need to deal with our heart.
The fifth problem is an agitated heart, a heart that cannot be calm. We all have experienced this. When we are disturbed, when something has stirred up our heart or agitated us, our Bible reading is negatively affected. Whenever we are disturbed, it is difficult for us to touch God in the Bible. Our moods can be likened to ocean waves that are constantly billowing up and down. No matter how serious a matter is, we should exercise to stay calm and steady. No matter how much turmoil there is in our environment, we must learn to contact God in His Word and to keep our heart calm and undisturbed. Every Christian must learn this lesson. We receive more help when we contact God in the Bible.
The sixth problem is a heart with worries and cares. When we have a problem or when there is turmoil in our environment, our heart is in a state of flux. At this time we need words from the Bible to comfort us. We all have experienced this. Whenever we are worried about something, such as our family or our career, we can gain much benefit from reading the Bible. The words in the Bible comfort us and become our salvation. Whereas it is one thing to receive help and salvation from God, it is another thing to touch God in our spirit. Sometimes we receive help from the words we read, but we may not touch God with our spirit. Consequently, it is possible for some believers to receive comfort from the Bible when they are afflicted and worried; however, when the difficulty passes, not much of the element of God has been imparted into them. They might remember how God’s words comforted or helped them during their affliction, but they do not seem to gain the element of God. They were comforted by the Bible, but they did not touch the Spirit with their spirit.
Many famous sayings and proverbs in the world can also give comfort in times of affliction. We experienced this before we were saved. These sayings and proverbs, however, did not contain God. The way that some saints receive benefit from the Bible in times of difficulty is not any different from the help they could receive from worldly sayings and proverbs. They do not receive the element of God; instead, they receive some intellectual enlightenment or psychological fortification. They do not touch God.
The function of the Bible is to supply us with God. If we can learn to contact God’s words with our spirit, then no matter what our situation is, the element of God will be imparted into us. We will not only receive comfort from His words; when the difficult situation is over, the element of God will remain in us; we will be more intimately related to God and mingled with Him.
We must deal with these six problems of the heart. If we have even one of these conditions, our spirit will not be able to rise up to contact God. We must deal with the problems of our heart one by one. We must deal with a heart that leans toward things other than God, an indifferent heart, a divided heart, and a heart that is not absolute, not calm, and full of worries and cares. Then it will be easy for our spirit to contact the Spirit. There are still other situations that can limit us, but these six items cover most of the problems related to the heart.
Besides the problems related to our heart, we must also deal with the problems related to our mind. The first problem related to our mind is that we do not have adequate education. In a previous example we said that it is difficult for a believer who is illiterate to touch the Spirit in the Bible. One way for him to be delivered from illiteracy is to ask someone to read the Bible to him. However, this might not be the best way.
We must understand the meaning of the words used in the Bible. We should understand not only the Bible in Chinese but also numerous portions of the text in Hebrew and Greek. This understanding will help us to receive inspiration. The Chinese Union Version is a good translation, but in several places it needs to be improved because the meaning of the original text is not clear. It is difficult to translate the Bible. Even the books of poetry, such as the Psalms, are very difficult to translate. Hence, if we can understand the text in the original language, we will receive help. If we cannot understand what we read, we will not understand the sense in our spirit. The sense in our spirit passes through the understanding in our mind. If the sense cannot be interpreted in our mind, we cannot understand the sense.
In order to understand the Bible and touch the Spirit, we must spend time to study the words used in the Bible. I often use dictionaries and reference books. I have more than twenty reference books that I use to understand the meaning of a word. Although I do not know Greek well, I can consult reference books. One reference book focuses on how a particular word is used. Another book covers the common roots of a word and how it is derived. Still another reference book shows how a particular word was used in its historical setting or what its meaning was in a legal sense. Furthermore, a reference book may also say how many times a word is used in the New Testament and how it is translated in various places. Another reference book might speak of the spiritual meaning of a word in the Bible. We must spend an adequate amount of time to study these matters.
It is not possible for us to study every word used in the Bible in this way, but we must make an effort to study the crucial words so that we understand the deeper meaning and touch the Spirit. For example, the word expiation is used in the Old Testament (Exo. 29:33; 32:30; Lev. 1:4; 4:31; 5:16; 16:6). In the Chinese Union Version this word is translated as “atonement.” A believer who has not studied this word may think that since we committed sins and offended God, we need to pay a price to atone for our sins. However, if we study the word, we will discover that the root of this word in Hebrew means “to cover.” Hence, it is better to understand this word as “sin-covering.” The expiation, the covering of sins, accomplished through the sacrifices in the Old Testament points to the redemption accomplished by Christ in the New Testament.
The words created (Gen. 1:1; 2:4) and formed (v. 7) have different meanings. The words righteousness, love, and mercy also need to be studied in depth. If we understand the meaning of these words in the original text, the Bible will become a new book to us. The meaning of the Bible is conveyed in its words and depends on our understanding. If we do not understand a word, we cannot obtain a deeper meaning.
Here is another example. The New Testament uses at least three different words in Greek for the word life. One word, bios, refers to the physical life; the second word, psuche, refers to the soul-life; and the third word, zoe, refers to God’s eternal life. There is a great difference in the meaning of these three words. We must devote adequate time to study such matters. The purpose of studying is to train our mind. If our mind is not properly trained, we cannot receive proper inspiration. The education of our mind is related to studying the words in the Bible.
Another matter that requires understanding is allegories. In order to properly read the Bible, we must use our spirit to touch the Spirit, and we must study the allegories in the Bible. For example, the book of Numbers concerns the Israelites’ being formed into an army, while the book of Deuteronomy concerns their daily living. In addition to understanding the words and phrases in the Bible, we also need to understand the allegories. We may understand the word tithe but not understand its allegorical usage or know that there are three kinds of tithe (Num. 18:21; Deut. 12:5-7; 14:28-29). If we do not understand the allegories in the Bible, we will not have a deeper understanding, nor will we receive much inspiration concerning these matters. If we understand the allegories in the Bible, we will understand the sense in our spirit when we contact the Spirit of God.
In order to receive the full benefit from the Bible, we must study the allegories in the Bible and contact the Spirit. This can be likened to a feast. On the one hand, we must not only obtain produce but also cook it. On the other hand, we also need to eat. When we touch the Bible, we eat God’s words. If we are lazy and are not willing to rise early in the morning, that is, to purchase produce, we will have nothing to prepare, and our meal will consist of “crackers” and “water.” This shows that our problem is not a matter of eating but of preparing the food.
We must touch the Spirit with our spirit when we read the Bible. However, the question is whether we regularly study the Word. If we do not study, we will be confused when reading the genealogy in Matthew 1. We will not receive inspiration when we read verse 2. There is a pamphlet entitled The Gleanings from the Genealogy of Christ. If we are willing to spend half a day to study this pamphlet and to read verses 1 through 17, we will understand the genealogy. Then when we contact Matthew 1 with our spirit, we will receive inspiration. If we spend time to “cook” in this way, we will enjoy reading the Bible. The pamphlet The Gleanings from the Genealogy of Christ gives the spiritual significance of the genealogy of Christ.
When some saints read Leviticus or Deuteronomy, they might not have received inspiration from phrases such as the firstborn among animals...whether it is an ox or a sheep (Lev. 27:26), give a tenth (Deut. 14:22), or the place which Jehovah your God will choose...to put His name (12:5), because they were not educated concerning the allegories in the Bible. If they are willing to spend three to four months to study Leviticus according to this fellowship, they will be enlightened and nourished when they read it. If we are willing to study the Bible in this way, we will receive inspiration no matter what portion we read. This shows that we are educated not only concerning the meaning of words but also concerning the allegories.
Therefore, we must read the Bible and study the Bible; we need to be taught. If we do not understand the meaning of a chemical formula, we need to be taught in order to understand the many symbols and formulas. On the one hand, the Bible is simple, but on the other hand, it is a specialized book, which cannot be understood by a casual reader. We must be trained in the deeper meaning of the Bible. If we do not receive adequate education, we will not receive much inspiration when reading the Bible, and it will not be easy for our spirit to touch the Spirit.
In addition to being limited in our education, our mind is also improper. The majority of our problems are due to our fallen mind. Few people have a proper mind. Even psychologists say that most people have a slight mental problem. In spite of this, we need to use our mind. The Bible speaks of the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2). Our fallen mind is not proper; hence, it needs to be renewed. When some believers read the Bible, their mind travels everywhere without restraint. The kind of Bible that we have is determined by our person. This concerns the state of our mind. The kind of person we are determines the kind of mind we have, and the kind of mind we have determines the kind of Bible we read. If we desire to use our spirit and touch the Spirit in the Bible, we must look to the Lord for His mercy so that we would have a proper mind. Without a proper mind, we cannot receive proper inspiration; rather, we will receive strange inspiration.
Third, our mind needs to be focused, not scattered. A scattered and disturbed mind will prevent us from receiving inspiration. No one has a mind that is absolutely focused and undisturbed. However, our experience testifies that when we sit down to read the Bible, we have difficulty staying focused. That is the time when our mind travels from one place to another place. One minute it is set on one thing, and the next minute it is set on something else. Although our eyes are looking at the Bible, our mind is somewhere else and is not focused on the words that we are reading. How can we receive inspiration under such circumstances? And how can we touch the Spirit? We must learn to focus our mind and to control our thoughts.
Fourth, our mind should be clear. Some saints have a mind that is proper but not clear; their mind is often confused. Some saints begin to daydream the moment they open the Bible, whereas others do not know what they read. For example, a brother may read about the Ark, but when he is asked about the dimensions of the Ark, he will speak about the bronze altar. When he is asked about the bronze altar, his response is related to the incense altar. Not many people have a clear mind. Most believers do not know the difference between Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They think that these four books are more or less the same. This indicates that they do not have a clear mind.
In the New Testament Peter was often mentioned first among the apostles (Matt. 10:2; Mark 3:16; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). However, in Galatians James was mentioned first (2:9). If we read the Bible hastily without some consideration, we will miss this kind of detail. It is not so easy to find a believer who has a proper and clear mind. Some believers are very smart, but their mind is not proper. Some believers are well behaved, but their mind is dull, not clear. Some believers do not have a proper or sharp mind because it has been damaged; hence, their thoughts wander and are not focused. These situations are the result of Satan’s work.
The limitations related to our mind include not being educated, proper, focused, or clear. These problems hinder us from touching the Spirit when we read the Bible. In order to touch the Spirit, we must deal with these problems. We must learn the meaning of the words used in the Bible. We must set aside some time every day to contact God through reading the Bible, and we must spend sufficient time to study the Bible. We should not waste our time with idle talk, newspapers, or television. We must save our energy and our time in order to focus them on God and the Bible. We should spend three months to study Genesis and another three months to study Exodus. It would be good to study the first few books of the Bible in this way. Then we can spend time to study Joshua, the Kings, the Chronicles, and Psalms. This is not a waste of effort. To study the Bible thoroughly can be compared to purchasing produce and preparing meals. Then when we need to eat, the food we need will be prepared.
Some saints have not prepared anything, so when they come to the Bible, they have nothing to eat. When they come to Exodus 25 concerning the Ark, they do not understand it. They do not understand the meaning of acacia wood being overlaid with gold. This is indeed the case with some saints. As a result, they do not have much interest in reading the Bible. If we cannot understand the Bible, it is a loss to us.
We must spend time to study God’s Word book by book. I hope that this message will reach all the churches and that all the saints will rise up to read, study, and understand God’s Word. However, it is not enough to study the Bible; we must also eat every day. We must spend time to touch and contact God’s Word every day. Our heart and our mind must be exercised so that we may understand the words and the allegories. Then it will be easy for our spirit to touch the Spirit. The apostle Paul was such a person. He was educated, and his mind was focused, proper, and clear. Regardless of which book in the Old Testament he read, he was inspired, and his spirit touched the Spirit. Since his heart was dealt with and his mind was trained, it was easy for him to touch the Spirit in the Bible.
Now we come to the emotions. In addition to the limitations related to our heart and our mind, we also experience limitations related to our emotion. Our emotion is different from our mind. Emotion refers to what we usually regard as our mood. When we are not in a good mood, it is difficult to be inspired when we read the Bible. Hence, we must learn to control and adjust our emotion, our mood. It is not possible to list all the problems related to our emotion. We can only say in a simple way that we need to keep our mood in a stable condition. No matter what happens to us, whether it is something joyful or something sorrowful, whether it is of great benefit to us or of no benefit to us, we need to keep our emotions stable. Furthermore, we need to learn to always set our emotion on God. This means that we must love God. When we set our emotion on God, no matter what happens to us, our emotion will be fixed on God. In everything we must learn to be calm, always maintaining composure.
Finally, we must consider the problem of our will. We need to ask ourselves whether we are resolved, determined, to obey the Lord’s commands. We should not make resolutions according to the worldly understanding. The worldly way of making a resolution is useless. In relation to the will, we must be firm and determined in our desire to obey the Lord. We love God, and we obey Him, not because we have made up our mind to do so but because we are firm and determined in our will. Furthermore, we would not depend on ourselves. Depending on ourselves to make a resolution will cause us to fail and will be a distraction to us. Although we have a determined will, we should never depend on ourselves.
We must depend fully on the Lord. The consequence of depending on our resolution, our will, is failure. If a brother relies on his will, his determination, he will be distracted when he reads the Bible, because he will become proud. Hence, our determination, our will, must not come from ourselves. Instead of depending on ourselves, we must depend on God in our resolution to love and obey Him.
We can set our will to depend on the Lord because we know that when He commands us to do something, He will accomplish it by coming to us and doing it in us. He comes to us to fulfill what He wants us to do. For this reason we should not have any worries or fears. We have the faith to declare, “Since God commands, He will accomplish it for me.” Therefore, we must be resolute and determined in our will to stand with the Lord, just as Caleb and Joshua fully followed God (Num. 14:6-9, 24; Deut. 1:36; Josh. 14:14). Caleb fully followed God because he knew that God wanted the children of Israel to enter into the good land. He also knew that no matter how strong their enemies were, God would fight for them. Since God wanted them to enter the good land, He would accomplish everything for them. Caleb seemed to say, “If we know that we are weak, God knows that we are weak. If we know that the seven Canaanite tribes are strong, God also knows that they are strong. Since God knows these things, He would not ask us to enter the land of Canaan unless He intends to fight on our behalf and destroy our enemies.”
There are three things we must remember concerning having a resolute will: not depending on ourselves, depending only on God, and knowing that He will fulfill what He requires of us. His supply always meets His requirement. We must have this realization so that our resolution is of the spirit.
Another matter related to the resolution of our will is that we must say, “Lord, since You want me to do this and You have commanded me to do it, I am willing to obey You even if I must lose everything, including my life.” Our resolution must be so strong that we are willing to die in order to obey (Rev. 12:11). As long as we have received the Lord’s words, we must be willing to die in order to obey. In other words, no sacrifice is too great, nor is there a price that is too high. Such a resolution means that we do not depend on ourselves but on God. Furthermore, we know that whatever God has said, He will fulfill. We are willing to obey Him even if we must pay a great price, such as death. Such a resolution of the will is a spiritual resolution.
I hope that the serving saints will deal with their heart, their mind, their emotion, and their will. On the one hand, we should use these faculties. On the other hand, we must learn to not come to the Bible only with our mind. Instead, we should contact the Spirit with our spirit. This is the way for us to see the fruit of our learning. Initially, it may not be easy. We might feel like a clumsy child who is learning to ride a bicycle. However, after we practice a few times, we will realize that this is the most efficient way to read the Bible. We must pray earnestly and follow the spirit. If we do not learn to follow the spirit, we will not learn to read the Bible properly.
The saints who serve full time in the Lord’s work and the responsible brothers who take the lead in the churches should set aside a substantial amount of time every day in order to study the Bible. They must treat this matter seriously and be consistent. There have been times when a saint came to fellowship with me, but I told him that I did not have time because I was reading the Bible. I regard reading the Bible to be more important than anything else. In our daily living we should have a time to read the Bible. We should not consider reading the Bible as a pastime or think that other things are more important. Reading the Bible is indispensable and cannot be put aside. We must keep the time to read our Bible. There are letters that I have yet to reply to because I must spend time to read the Bible. I cannot put my Bible aside simply to reply to these letters. If our Bible reading is always being interrupted for various reasons, sooner or later we will discover that we have suffered a great loss. This is true especially for those who minister the word. If they do not spend an adequate amount of time to read the Bible, they should not expect their speaking to be rich and strong.
When we read Paul’s Epistles, we sense that he was well versed in the Old Testament; hence, he was able to quote it skillfully and with ease. This is not our condition; hence, our messages are poor. Sometimes we do not have anything to say because we do not have a thorough knowledge of the Bible. Sometimes we see situations in the church, but we do not have the words to meet the need; we are not able to cause the saints to be open and vital. If our Bible reading is thorough, we will not only be able to meet every need; we will also be able to bring vitality to the church life through the enlightenment and revelation that we receive from the Bible. This is the way to lead the churches forward. For example, we should be able to spend three months to speak concerning the worship of the church as portrayed in Deuteronomy. As a result of such speaking, the saints would be led to pursue this kind of worship.
We must always use our spirit to contact the Spirit. As we learn the meanings of words in the Bible and study the allegories, deal with our heart, our mind, and our emotion, and receive some training, we will touch the Lord whenever we read the Bible. When we read the Lord’s Word, using our spirit to contact the Spirit, we will be fed and satisfied; we will be inwardly watered and refreshed. Moreover, we will have the ability to experience this any time of the day.
When we use our spirit to contact the Spirit, we will gain a deeper understanding of the Bible. We will touch the desire of God’s heart and receive fresh revelations. Reading the Bible by studying it and using the Bible to touch the Spirit are interdependent and support each other. If we consistently practice to study the Bible and to touch the Spirit in the Bible, we will gain a substantial understanding of the Bible. We will discover that the sections we never understood will become clear to us. We will be skilled in reading the Bible, and our mind will be trained to understand the sense in our spirit. Thus, the Bible will be an open book to us.
Not only so, the Bible will be a living book. We are not superstitious, but we will be able to say that whenever we contact the Bible, we touch God. Furthermore, we will not touch God in a superficial way; we will touch the desire of God’s heart as well as His thoughts. He will open Himself to us through His words. This is the way to be persons who know the Bible and who receive the benefit of the Bible.
