Secondly, for the Holy Spirit to come upon us, He requires the active
outpouring of the Holy Spirit have these two characteristics: first, their minds are clear; second, their wills are not passive. They themselves are active, not allowing outside forces to work upon them. The Holy Spirit always requests a believer to actively exercise his will to cooperate with Him. How distinctly different is His working from that of the evil spirit who requires man's will to be passive. Thus can we judge whether it is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit or the outpouring of the evil spirit.
Conditions for Seeking the Spirit's Outpouring 1. Without hidden or undealt sins. For us to seek for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, there are certain conditions we must fulfill. First of all, we must not have any hidden or undealt sin before the Lord. If a person seeking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit has hidden sin in him, he is open to be deceived by evil spirits. This is because he gives ground in his heart to the evil spirit.
2. With an active will. Secondly, for the Holy Spirit to come upon us, He requires the active desire of our will. Only then will He come. Not so with the evil spirit, who does not need our active desire but will come when the will is passive. Some people may pray, "If this is the Holy Spirit, this I claim. If it is the evil spirit, this I reject." Such prayer is still not positive enough with regard to the Holy Spirit. Our cooperation with the Spirit is like this: When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, He will probably ask you with a still, small voice within you, how much you will allow Him to come. In the measure of your allowance will be the measure of His coming. The power of decision is with you. Whatever is contrary to this is being passive, and is therefore not the work of the Holy Spirit but the work of the evil spirit. For the Holy Spirit to come upon you, you yourself must express your desire, and so He comes. It is not the Holy Spirit working independently. It is you who works actively and the Spirit comes to help. The Holy Spirit makes me laugh because I have begun to laugh. He then gives me power to laugh. This is what I mean by cooperation. As you seek the outpouring of the Spirit, you need to ask the Lord to cover you with His precious blood. You do your part, and the Spirit will most definitely do His part.
There was a brother who held himself tightly. He prayed, "Holy Spirit, if You want to come, come." After having prayed for several hours, the Spirit
had not yet come upon him. Such prayer of his did not fulfill the working condition of the Holy Spirit; and thus, He did not come upon him. For the Spirit to work, He demands the cooperation of our will; otherwise, He will not work. This is like horse riding. The bridle of the horse is in the hand of the rider. When the bridle is loosened, the horse leaps forward. Nevertheless, the bridle is still in the rider's hand. This same principle works with respect to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, we must let loose and give liberty to Him; on the other hand, we still need to cooperate with our will, or else we will lose all control.
Why the Holy Spirit Is Poured Forth We also need to know why we must have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Peter, speaking to an assembly of Jews in Jerusalem, said, as recorded in Acts 2.33: "Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he [the risen and ascended Lord] hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear." And in verse 36 Peter continued by saying: "Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified." The "therefore" in verse 36 connects directly to verse 33 which tells of the exaltation of our Lord. Because of the Lord's exaltation the Holy Spirit was poured forth, just as what those Jews who listened to Peter both saw and heard on that Pentecost Day. In other words, the house of Israel ought to know that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the evidence of the exaltation and victory of Jesus the Nazarene. Had the Lord not been highly exalted, the Spirit would not possibly have been poured forth. Now that God has anointed Jesus of Nazareth and set Him as Lord and Christ, there is no possibility of not having the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We receive the Spirit's outpouring, not to prove our faith and victory, but to prove that Jesus is Lord and Christ.
Praise and thank the Lord! Since His exaltation is a fact, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is also a fact. Conversely, if the Lord has not been exalted, the Holy Spirit will not be able to be poured forth. Our Lord had been crucified and had shed His precious blood for the remission of sins. Therefore, all who believe in Him shall have their sins forgiven. By the same token, though, how can we say that He has been exalted to be Lord and Christ and yet we do not have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? This is impossible! So then, let us boldly assert that the Lord has been exalted to the throne, and therefore, let Him fill us. We need to draw near in fullness of faith, believing in the Lord
and what He has accomplished.
2 Conditions for the Spirit's Outpouring—and Important Matters to
Watch∗
∗ Notes of message given at Chuenchow, Fukien Province, again on 18 November 1935. Translator
As we have said before, in order to receive the 2outpouring of the Holy Spirit certain conditions must be fulfilled. First, there should be no conscious undealt sin in the heart; second, there must be hunger in the spirit: "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring" (Is.
44.3); and third, there needs to be fervent prayers: "These all with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer" (Acts 1.14a); "when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. . . . And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . ." (Acts 2.1,4); "they, when they heard it, lifted up their voice to God with one accord . . . And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . ." (Acts 4.24,31); "when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8.14-17).
Matters to Be Watched on Receiving the Outpouring In receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a person is brought into contact with things in the spiritual realm. Formerly things in the spiritual realm were rather vague and abstract to him. Now, though, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, one begins to be opened up to the spiritual realm, and hence he commences to contact things in that realm. Some may have faith, but they are unwilling to open the door. Their resistance keeps them from touching things in the spiritual realm. Seeking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is like opening the door along a wall. After such opening there will be constant contact with
things within the spiritual realm. This is viewing the matter from the good side. But viewing it from the bad side, there is also danger in being exposed to the spiritual realm. It can be likened to opening the door for friends to come in; but in the meanwhile, robbers may also slip in. Yet do not consider closing the door forever simply because robbers may get in. No, on the one hand, you must open the door; but on the other hand, you must be watchful.
Test the Spirits How do you watch and not allow the wicked ones who inhabit the spiritual realm to enter in? First of all, each time you experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit you must apply the test. You should not be negligent in this matter. In 1 Corinthians 12.3 and 1 John 4.3 the way of testing is mentioned. This is your security. You must challenge the person being poured upon by asking if Christ has come in the flesh. Or by asking him if Jesus is Lord. Watch to see if he withdraws. If so, it must be an evil spirit. If he can say that Jesus is Lord, then it is of the Holy Spirit. You should not test this out only nine out of ten times: you must test it out every time. On this matter, I think I have done my duty. Now you need to walk before God in this straight path.
According to the Principles of 1 Corinthians 14 The manifestation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is often exceptional on the first occasion. It seems as though God is being lenient with you so as to let you gain more. The first experience can be likened to passing through a gateway that leads to a house. After the gateway has been crossed, your life at home becomes quiet and tranquil. You have no need to leap or to be noisy, nor do you need to seek again for strange sensation and experience. Henceforth, you do not follow the principle in Acts 2; rather, you will follow the principles laid down in 1 Corinthians 14. We read there that in the assembly of the church the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is for building up others, not for self-building. Moreover, the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets (v.32). We need to learn to control our spirits. "If any man speaketh in a tongue, let it be by two, or at the most three, and that in turn" (v.27). We see from Acts 2 that the hundred and twenty speak simultaneously; for this was the first time. Henceforth, however, the principles set forth in 1 Corinthians 14 must be followed.
Control the Spirit
Whom you and I must obey is the indwelling Holy Spirit, for the indwelling Spirit is a Person; and since He has personality, we must yield ourselves to Him. But the spirit that is outpoured upon us is without personality and is therefore subject to us (see again 1 Cor. 14.32): we can allow it or not allow it to stay and we can also regulate its measure. Yet because the spirit that falls upon us is without personality, being instead a kind of manifestation, we must be careful to maintain control of the situation; for if we are not watchful, Satan may bring in a counterfeit. Indeed, because some believers have carelessly given the spirit that was upon them the control over them, confusing phenomena have resulted.
Let us be fully aware that though we obey the Spirit who dwells in us we ourselves govern the spirit that falls upon us. When we seek the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, whether that be at home or in the assembly, we must control that which is poured out upon us.
Exercise after Receiving the Outpouring As to the exercise a person should engage in after experiencing the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, there are two facets to consider.∗The first facet
to consider is that it is best for you to use this power immediately by helping Christians and sinners. Formerly, you had no power to preach the gospel or edify believers. Today, though, you must use this newly-received power to preach the gospel and edify the saints. If you do not use this power, you will be like the evil servant who buried his one talent in the ground. No, upon receiving this power of the Holy Spirit, go and preach the gospel, and be an overcomer of the gospel. The reason why believers suffer failure in this area is because some among them treat the experience of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as amusement. They seek the Spirit's outpouring merely to speak in tongues or to have a hearty laugh and then go home without applying the power possessed. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not for our amusement, but is an aid given to us to live and work for the Lord.
The other facet to consider is that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the best time for us to ask God for gifts. That is the time when we should ask God for the grace and gifts we need. Indeed, it is permissible for us to be more covetous in asking. Yet we must not boast about the experience we have had of
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We should not brag before men; instead, let the grace and power of God be manifested so that He may be glorified more.
∗ It needs to be noted that to those who have not experienced the victorious life, this outpouring of
the Holy Spirit will have little effect on their walk: it will fade away after but a few days. Such a situation can be likened to a tire that leaks air, soon making the bicycle immovable. Such is the condition of those without the experience of a victorious life but who receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the first time. And if such be your experience, you should ask the Spirit to be outpoured once more. Whenever you feel cold, you need to seek the outpouring again.—Author
Giving Testimony Once Receiving the Outpouring A few things must be noted about giving testimony to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. First of all, when someone asks you about your experience of the outpouring, you should not disclose the details of your experience. When you give testimony, you should relate your testimony according to the following rules:
(1) Do not share the details. The book of Acts records the stories of many who had received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There were varied manifestations, such as speaking in tongues, preaching the gospel with great power, etc. But nowhere does it tell us these experiences in detail. Apart from several descriptions of the external evidences of the Spirit's outpouring, there is no mentioning of the detailed contents. Confusion is caused by accompanying the stories of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with details.
(2) Do not overemphasize your experience. Those who long to know about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are often very curious. They will not be helped by listening to stories of the outpouring. On the other hand, if you tell your own experience, it is easy for you to make your own experience the standard. In fact, however, the manifestation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit varies from person to person. You must therefore not overstress your own experience.
(3) Another point to be made here is that in this matter of seeking for the Spirit's outpouring some groups of believers emphasize "ask" whereas we would emphasize "believe." We believe Jesus of Nazareth has been exalted on high and was made by God both Lord and Christ. He is already seated on the throne and has poured forth the Holy Spirit. We believe in this reality and accept it as fact. The Spirit's outpouring is therefore the evidence of Jesus'
exaltation; it is not the confirmation of our persistent prayer having been answered. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is expressly linked to the exaltation of the Lord Jesus and not to our prayer or good deeds. Consequently, we should lift up the Lord, not ourselves: give glory to the Lord, not to ourselves: boast in the Lord, and not in ourselves.
3 Symptoms and Evidence of Receiving the Spirit's Outpouring∗
∗Notes of message given at Chuenchow, Fukien Province, 19 November 1935.—Translator
Pentecost Does Not Literally Fulfill Joel's Prophecy The story of Pentecost as recorded in the New Testament book of Acts does not fulfill the prophecy in the Old Testament book of Joel (2.28ff.). However, in a completely literal sense it does bear some—but only some— similarity to Joel. Unlike what is in Joel the events which occurred on the day of Pentecost contained no prophecy, no dream, and no vision. At Pentecost, there came a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind and there were tongues that parted asunder like as in a fire (see Acts 2.1-3). Moreover, what was manifested in the disciples who were gathered at Pentecost was that they "began to speak with other tongues." But in the prophecy of Joel, there is no mentioning of such a sound nor of tongues. This is evidence that what happened on Pentecost is not a literal fulfillment of Joel's word, but is instead primarily that which runs along the same principle.
Some believers strongly affirm that to have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we must speak in tongues. But we know from the word of Peter that the experience of Pentecost is, as he said, that "this is that" which has been spoken through the prophet Joel (Acts 2.16). Peter said "this is that" and not "this fulfills that." These two expressions indicate mostly different principles. "Fulfill" conveys the idea of being literal; "is" conveys the idea of alikeness. Many consider this outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as being the fulfillment of Joel's word, yet Joel made no mention of speaking in tongues. Many try to learn the technique of speaking in tongues, they even try to dream with dreams. But this is not what Peter had in mind. What Peter meant to say here is that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which he witnessed is similar to that which Joel had prophesied. For this reason, we should not attempt to imitate the manifestation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred on the day of Pentecost.
Manifestations Vary The manifestations of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are variable. Some may laugh, some may cry, some may sense power, and some may feel something upon them. We need to understand that these are what Peter referred to as "this is that" and not "this fulfills that." Some may sense being electrified, while others feel enwrapped by something. Some may leap, while others sit. All kinds of sensations are being experienced at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They constitute no problem in Peter's analysis of "this is that." Some people may seek the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the result may be accompanied by tears and cries, but others may receive very different manifestations: for "this is that." Each has his own experience. We cannot say that because his experience is different from mine, therefore his is unreal. If a person receives a supernatural spirit and is able to say Jesus is Lord, then it is of God—irrespective of what its outward manifestation may be. Peter said "this is that," and so would we say "this is that." We must not imitate others, insisting upon our having the same manifestations.
Seek and Test In the time of seeking for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you must test the spirit that falls upon you to see if this is of God (see 1 John 4.1). You should co-operate with God, never letting your mind become blank. Do not imitate others. Do not let your will be passive. Do not exert too much control nor let loose of all control. This is because evil spirits may counterfeit the Holy Spirit and give supernatural sensation and experience. The believer must test what he receives whether it is of the Holy Spirit or of the evil spirit. In order to distinguish the work of the Holy Spirit from the work of the evil spirit, we must first of all know their working principles. The Holy Spirit wants men to co-operate actively with Him, but the evil spirit looks for the passivity of man so as to manipulate him.
Consequently, in the process of seeking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we cannot afford to let our mind be blank and our will be passive. Passivity greatly delights the evil spirit. Trying to imitate others' experience also gives opportunity to the evil spirit to work. It is imperative that we practice that which we mentioned before: that we be actively working together with the Holy Spirit; and that we be watchful lest we be deceived. For it is possible for everyone to be deceived.
4 The Work of the Holy Spirit and the Benefits of Having His
Outpouring∗
∗Notes of message given at Chuenchow, Fukien Province, again on 19 November 1935.—
Translator
The Work of the Holy Spirit The Old and New Testaments show us that the work 4of the Holy Spirit is threefold: first, He gives people life; second, He dwells in people as life; and third, He falls upon people as power. These three include all the aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit. In Old Testament times there were only the first and the third of these aspects, but not the second. For at that time the Holy Spirit did not dwell in men. The difference between the Old and New Testaments lies in this second aspect, that is, in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament period people might have received life; such as, for example, David, who had life. But there was also evidence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during that period, although it came upon only a chosen few such as the two artisans involved in the building of the tabernacle—Bezalel and Oholiab—who were "filled . . . with the Spirit of God, in wisdom," so as to be "skillful" in "all manner of workmanship" (Ex. 31.1-11). The Spirit of God was also upon Moses, and was evenly distributed upon the seventy elders (see Num. 11.16-25); the Spirit of God likewise fell upon the prophets, though many of the sons of the prophets—such as those of Elisha— did not have the Spirit falling upon them. There were altogether few in number who had the phenomenon with them. The book of the Judges, too, recorded some having the Spirit who were able to achieve things impossible to ordinary men. But like the prophets, the number was also quite small (see Judges 3.10, 6.34,11.29,13.25). During the opening period of the New Testament era, when the Lord was on earth, the Holy Spirit also fell upon certain people, such as Mary, Zacharias, John the Baptist, and the Lord himself. Nevertheless, at this time,
but apart from the Lord Jesus, in whom the Holy Spirit had taken up His abode (see John 1.32-33), the Holy Spirit had not yet begun to dwell in men to be their life. Not until the time of Jesus' utterances about the Holy Spirit, as recorded in John 14.16-17, did the Holy Spirit begin to have a new work. Please notice the words "shall be" in verse 17, not "has been." For this will be a totally new aspect of His work. He is to "abide with you, and shall be in you." Unlike in the Old Testament period wherein the Holy Spirit did only the first and the third mentioned aspects of His work, here He begins a new work. He not only falls upon men to give them power, He also dwells in them.
Before His ascension, the Lord gave His disciples two great promises. The first He promised before His death, and the second He promised before His ascension. The first promise is that the Holy Spirit shall abide in the disciples (John 14.17). The second promise is that the Holy Spirit will come upon them (Acts 1.8). Thus, the Holy Spirit completes His threefold work. Because we are Gentiles, we may not realize the preciousness of this event. If we are Jews, though, we would know that the words "abide within" are quite marvelous, beyond our comprehension. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Jeremiah, and so on—none of them had the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The Old Testament merely stated that the Spirit of the Lord was upon them (see, for example, the case of David, in 1 Samuel 16.13). Only the New Testament speaks of the Holy Spirit as indwelling man. This is too wonderful a promise! "The word became flesh" is marvelous in our Lord's life. Now, later on, in us believers, the Spirit became flesh. How amazing this is!
When did the Holy Spirit begin to dwell in men? In John 14.17 we are told that the Lord said that the Holy Spirit "shall be in you." This word was spoken before His crucifixion. Then in John 20.22 we find that the Lord breathed on the disciples and said to them, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." This happened after His resurrection. After the Lord was resurrected, the Holy Spirit came, and the disciples received the breathing of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the breath of life of the Lord. Just as God breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of Adam after He had fashioned his body with the dust of the earth so that man became a living soul (see Gen. 2.7), so today the Lord breathes into us the Holy Spirit of life. Without the breathing of God into man, man was dead. So also, without such breathing of the Lord into the Church, the latter is likewise dead. This is the second aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit. Once we become familiar with the history of His work, we can interpret our present experience.
The promise of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers has its fulfillment on the day of the resurrection of the Lord. Forty days after His resurrection He further promised the disciples concerning the power of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost this promise of the Lord had its fulfillment. Comparing the two, which is better? In the Old Testament period the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the special privilege of only some people—those such as the priests, prophets, judges, and so forth. Throughout the nation of Israel there might be only one person, either a king or some other special person, who possessed this blessing. The rest of the people had to go to him to hear his word. During Old Testament history such a person might appear but once in decades or in centuries. It was a very rare thing. But now in the New Testament time each and every one can have such an experience. This promise is so extraordinary that today all of us can possess it. This is indeed a special grace of the Lord. How joyful that we all may have the Holy Spirit coming upon us!
Before His ascension the Lord Jesus had commanded his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promised power from on high (see Luke 24.49). By that time the disciples had already received the in dwelling life. They listened to the Lord and waited in prayer. Ten days later the day of Pentecost arrived and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2.4). All who have read Acts 2 know that this speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit upon them. This is external. The Gospel according to Luke also speaks of the external work of the Holy Spirit upon men. It does not deal with His internal work. By comparing the Gospel according to John with the Gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts, we come to realize that the Holy Spirit works along two lines. One is that He works within men; the other is that He works on the outside of men.
Difference between Indwelling Spirit and Outpoured Spirit The Holy Spirit indwelling man is for life, whereas the Holy Spirit upon man is for power. Unless we can distinguish these two aspects of work, we will not be able to understand the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old and in the New Testaments. The promise in the New Testament of the indwelling Holy Spirit is made by Christ before His death. This promised aspect of the Spirit's work is related to the death of the Lord and is fulfilled at the time of His resurrection. This work of the Holy Spirit within man is for the believer's life, for his daily living that he may bear those fruits of the Spirit such as holiness, righteousness, patience, joy, and so forth.
The promise of the Holy Spirit coming upon man is made by the Father
in the Old Testament time and is reaffirmed by the Lord at His ascension. This aspect of the Holy Spirit is related to the ascension of the Lord and has its fulfillment at His ascension and exaltation. The Holy Spirit falls upon believers to clothe them with the Lord's power in being witnesses and in manifesting the gifts of the Spirit, thus having power to work for God and to accomplish His will.
As we read the Old and New Testaments we must distinguish clearly between the Holy Spirit's work within men and upon men. Then shall we see that there is no contradiction in the many references to the work of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, we will be puzzled by many seeming contradictions. According to God's word, each and every regenerated person must have the Holy Spirit indwelling him so that he also may receive the Spirit's outpouring. The one is "must"; the other is "may." Without any doubt, as soon as a person believes in the Lord, the Holy Spirit "must" dwell in him. On the other hand, he "may" also receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. By simply differentiating these two words you are able to see the wonder of it all.
Let me illustrate this. One day the Samaritans believed in the Lord and were baptized. The Bible does not say that they received both the indwelling and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Acts 8 records that these people had believed in the Lord and were baptized, but "as yet" the Holy Spirit "was fallen upon none of them" (v.16). So when the apostles in Jerusalem heard about it, they sent Peter and John to lay hands on the Samaritan believers so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Now if a person is ignorant of the distinction between the indwelling and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he will find it difficult to explain this incident of the Samaritans who had believed and were baptized and yet had not received the Holy Spirit. Moreover, he will not know how to interpret certain passages in Romans 8, 1 John 4 and 1 Corinthians 6 in relation to this event. For all these passages indicate that as soon as one believes in the Lord that person has the Holy Spirit indwelling him. The fact of the matter is that the Samaritans did not lack the indwelling Spirit, they only lacked the outpoured Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Works Within and Without The work of the Spirit within man is for life and living, enabling him to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Spirit upon men is for witness and service, causing us to manifest spiritual gifts. Were a person to be filled with the Holy Spirit inwardly and have the Holy Spirit fall upon him
outwardly, he would possess great power in serving the Lord. Yet if he is not filled within with the Holy Spirit and only receives outwardly the outpouring of the Spirit, he may be hurt instead of helped because he can easily become proud. For he who does not know the victorious life in his walk may receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but a few months or years later, his spiritual condition will be exposed to everybody. Hence, we must experience both aspects of the Spirit's work.
The Holy Spirit Bears Witness Concerning Christ The Holy Spirit does not bear witness to himself; He bears witness to Christ (see John 15.26). When a person sees the redemption of the cross he can be taught to ask the Holy Spirit to help him believe. This is to lead him to see Christ. As we talk about the work of the Holy Spirit in men, our attention is not on the Holy Spirit himself, because He bears witness concerning Christ. Even when we speak on the victorious life, we only mention how the Lord is resurrected to be our life; we do not focus on the Holy Spirit. For the latter's work is directly joined to Christ and His work. By seeing the work of Christ, people have the work of the Holy Spirit. By seeing the death of the Lord, they receive the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. By seeing the resurrection of the Lord, they have the Holy Spirit as their life. And when people see the ascended and enthroned Lord, they receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Not only the Spirit's outpouring witnesses to Christ, the Spirit's indwelling also testifies of Christ. On the one hand, the Holy Spirit in us gives us victory. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit in us testifies that Christ is our all. The Holy Spirit in us enables us to bear the fruit of the Spirit (see Gal. 5.22-23), and such fruit is Christ in His entirety. For God has not given us the fruit of the Spirit in piecemeal fashion, such as a little love, a little joy, or a little patience, and so on. He gives us the total Christ. The fruit spoken of in Galatians 5.22 is presented to us as but one fruit, for in the original, the Greek word for fruit is cast in the singular number: having therefore the one fruit of the Holy Spirit, we have all the ingredients. It is not love without joy, or joy void of patience, etc. etc. God gives in wholesale fashion, not in retail. He gives us Christ. If we have love but not joy, this proves that it is our fruit and not the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
There are three chapters in the Bible which deal particularly with the Holy Spirit. These are found in 1 Corinthians 12-14: with chapters 12 and 14 speaking of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit— the Spirit without—and chapter
13 speaking of love, which bespeaks the Spirit within. We use "love" here to represent the fruit of the Spirit discussed in Galatians 5. This refers to the indwelling Spirit. The first ingredient of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned there is love, for without it nothing else counts—neither joy, nor peace, nor patience and so forth. Paul exhorts believers to seek after love, because with love they shall have all the above-mentioned qualities.
The Spirit Within More Important Than the Spirit Without There is no comparison between the Spirit without and the Spirit within; that is to say, between the outpoured Holy Spirit and the indwelling Holy Spirit. For the outpouring of the Spirit cannot be deemed to be as essential as the indwelling Spirit. God had mercy on me in making me a minister, yet not for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit but for the victorious life; though in the ministry given me I also address the matter of the outpoured Spirit. The inward Spirit together with the outward Spirit is something tremendous. But to have the external outpouring minus the internal indwelling is dangerous. The best Christian walk is to have both the inward and the outward realities of the Spirit. Once having the inward ministry of the Spirit, one should seek the outward ministry of the Spirit. If there is not the inward Spirit, it is advisable to suspend temporarily the seeking of the outward Spirit.
In the Old Testament dispensation, after the priest had put the blood upon the tip of the right ear of him that was to be cleansed, upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, he followed by putting oil upon the same places (see Lev. 14.14-17). First he applied the blood, then he applied the oil. This means that the cross must first work upon your ear, hand and foot before the Holy Spirit can help you to walk and to work. The cross gets rid of your self, while the Holy Spirit comes to live for you. For the blood to be put on the ear, hand and foot means that the blood has blotted you out and thus removed you. But then the Holy Spirit comes to stand in as your ear, hand and foot. First, the victorious life, then the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Accepting the application of the blood denotes co-death with Christ. And the work of the oil is to release the life of the Lord. Today, we expect the oil to fall upon our heads, yet having the outpouring of the oil before the working of the blood will only make us proud.
The saints in Corinth had the outward Spirit but not His inward fillings. They were carnal believers. Many have received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but within they are not full of life. In such people their lives have not
changed. They live like the rest of the world. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them is not linked to their inward life. A person most gifted without may not have a victorious life within. If a man's life is unclean, the Spirit's outside working will not cleanse him inside. But if a person has the proper life within plus the outpouring of the Spirit without, he can be a most useful man.
In the entire records of the New Testament no local assembly seemed to have been worse than the church in Corinth. Nevertheless, Paul did not negate or at tempt to blot out their outpouring of the Holy Spirit because of their inward immorality. He did not say that it was not good for the meeting there to have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He merely stated that due to confusion caused by outward gifts there needed to be some order. Though they were quite disorderly, Paul did not declare their condition to be attributable to the evil spirit. He advised them to do "all things decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14.40). This, too, must be our attitude. If some brothers and sisters among us show abnormal attitudes or manifestations, they need to be tested or helped to be orderly. We cannot judge them as outrightly wrong due to their so-called abnormalities.
Let me illustrate this. If someone should come to my room and see clothes scattered around in disarray, he cannot for this reason conclude that my clothes chest is not a chest and my clothes are not clothes. He can only say that these clothes are not tidily put away. Chaos can be restored to order. So that Paul only attempted to help set the Corinthian chaos and confusion in order. For example, he set right the order of speaking in tongues. If there was no interpreter, those who spoke in tongues were to keep quiet (see 1 Cor.14.28). Let the prophets speak one by one, he advised, at most letting two or three speak; and if there were more, let them keep silent and discern (see v.29).
First Corinthians 14 is therefore a setting in order; that is, how things should be arranged after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit has become a fact. Henceforth, we of today need to pay more attention to 1 Corinthians 14. On the one hand, we must learn to live victoriously; yet on the other hand, we must also seek the gifts of the Spirit. And thus we will maintain a balanced life.
Benefits of the Spirit's Outpouring What benefits does the outpouring of the Holy Spirit bring to us? Since the Spirit's inward work is more essential, why do we need this outward work of outpouring? We ought to realize that if those who know the Person of the Holy Spirit indwelling within and who live a holy life were to receive the