Firstly,
we must become accustomed to the terminology which Brother Nee uses. He has
chosen to call man's spirit the inner man; he calls man's soul the outer man
and for the body he uses the term, the outermost man. In the diagram we have
pictured this. It will also help to realize that in designing man originally,
God intended for man's spirit to be His home or dwelling place. So the Holy
Spirit making a union with the human spirit was to govern the soul, and the
spirit and soul would use the body as the means of expression.
Secondly,
when Watchman Nee speaks of destroying the soul, it may seem he is using too
strong a word as though to imply annihilation. Actually the whole substance of
his message clearly points out that the soul, instead of functioning
independently, must become the organ or vessel for the spirit. So it is the
independent action of the soul that must be destroyed. T. A. Sparks has wisely
pointed out:
"We
must be careful that, in recognizing the fact that the soul has been seduced,
led captive, darkened and poisoned with a self-interest,
we do not regard it as something to be annihilated and destroyed in this life.
This would be asceticism, a form of Buddhism. The result of any such behavior
is usually only another form of soulishness in an
exaggerated degree; perhaps occultism. Our whole human nature is in our souls,
and if nature is suppressed in one direction she will take revenge in another.
This is just what is the trouble with a great many people
if only they knew it. There is a difference between a life of suppression and a
life of service. Submission, subjection and servanthood
in Christ's case, as to the Father, was not a life of
soul-destruction, but of rest and delight. Slavery in its bad sense is the lot
of those who live wholly in their own souls. We need to revise our ideas about
service, for it is becoming more and more common to think that service is
bondage and slavery; when really it is a Divine thing. Spirituality is not a
life of suppression. That is negative. Spirituality is positive; it is a new
and extra life, not the old one striving to get the mastery of itself."
Thirdly,
we must see how the soul has to be smitten a fatal blow by the death of Christ
as to its self-strength and government. As with Jacob's thigh, after God had
touched it he went to the end of his life with a limp. This would illustrate
clearly that forever there must be registered in the soul the fact that it
cannot and must not act out from itself as the source. Again T. A. Sparks
writes "As an instrument the soul has to be won, mastered and ruled in
relation to the higher and different ways of God. It is spoken of so frequently
in the Scriptures as being some thing over which we have to gain and exercise
authority. For instance:
'In your
patience ye shall win your souls.' Luke 21:19
'Ye have
purified your souls in your obedience to the truth.' I Pet. 1:22
'The end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.' I Pet. 1:9
Finally,
in these lessons we must see why Watchman Nee insists that the soul (outer man)
be broken, be mastered and be renewed for the spirit to use. T. A. Sparks has
said:
"Whether
we are able yet to accept it or not, the fact is that if we are going on with
God fully, all the soul's energies and abilities for knowing, understanding,
sensing and doing will come to an end, and we shall-on that side-stand
bewildered, dazed, numbed and impotent. Then, only a new, other, and Divine understanding, constraint, and energy will send us
forward or keep us going. At such times we shall have to say to our souls, 'My
soul, be thou silent unto God' (Ps. 62.5) ; and 'My
soul, come thou with me to follow the Lord.' But what joy and strength there is
when, the soul having been constrained to yield to the spirit, the higher
wisdom and glory is perceived in its vindication. Then it is that 'My soul doth
magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour"
(Luke 1:46). The spirit HATH, the soul DOTH-note the tenses.
So that
unto fullness of joy the soul is essential, and it MUST be brought through the
darkness and death of its own ability to learn the higher and deeper realities
for which the spirit is the first organ and faculty."
As we
approach the end of these lessons we shall have found the secret of fruitful
living unto HIM. Do not fall into the snare, as so many have, of trying to
suppress your soul or of despising it ; but be strong
in spirit, so that your soul may be won, saved and made to serve His fullest
joy. The Lord Jesus has planned that we should find rest unto our souls, and
this, He says, comes by way of His yoke-the symbol of union and service. We
shall then appreciate how the soul finds its greatest value in service, not in
ruling. True, until broken, the soul wants to be master. Through the Cross it
can become a very useful servant.
·
(Quotes
from: WHAT IS MAN by T. A. Sparks)
ANYONE who serves God will discover sooner or later that the great
hindrance to his work is not others but himself. He will discover that his
outward man and his inward man are not in harmony, for both are tending toward
opposite directions. He will also sense the inability of his outward man to
submit .to the spirit's control, thus rendering him incapable of obeying God's
highest commands. He will quickly detect that the greatest difficulty lies in
his outward man, for it hinders him from using his spirit.
Many of
God's servants are not able to do even the most elementary works. Ordinarily
they should be enabled by the exercise of their spirit to know God's Word, to
discern the spiritual condition of another, to send forth God's messages under
anointing and to receive God's revelations. Yet due to the distractions of the
outward man, their spirit does not seem to function properly. It is basically
because their outward man has never been dealt with. For this reason revival,
zeal, pleading and activity are but a waste of time. As we shall see, there is
just one basic dealing which can enable man to be useful before God : brokenness.
Notice how
the Bible divides man into two parts: "For I delight in the law of God
according to the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). Our inward man delights in the
Law of God. ". . . To be strengthened with power by his
Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16). And Paul also tells us,
"But if indeed our outward man is consumed, yet the inward is renewed day
by day" (2 Cor. 4:16).
When God
comes to indwell us, by His Spirit, Life and power, He comes into our spirit
which we are calling the inward man. Outside of this inward man is the soul
wherein functions our thoughts, emotions and will. The outermost man is our
physical body. Thus we will speak of the inward man as the spirit, the outer
man as the soul and the outermost man as the body. We must never forget that
our inward man is the human spirit where God dwells, where His Spirit mingles
with our spirit. Just as we are dressed in clothes, so our inward man
"wears" an outward man: the spirit "wears" the soul. And
similarly the spirit and soul "wear" the body. It is quite evident
that men are generally more conscious of the outer and outermost man, and they
hardly recognize or understand their spirit at all.
We must
know that he who can work for God is the one whose inward man can be released.
The basic difficulty of a servant of God lies in the failure of the inward man
to break through the outward man. Therefore we must recognize before God that
the first difficulty to our work is not in others but in ourselves. Our spirit
seems to be wrapped in a covering so that it cannot easily break forth. If we
have never learned how to release our inward man by breaking through the
outward man, we are not able to serve. Nothing can so hinder us as this outward
man. Whether our works are fruitful or not depends upon whether our outward man
has been broken by the Lord so that the inward man can pass through that
brokenness and come forth. This is the basic problem. The Lord wants to break
our outward man in order that the inward man may have a way out. When the
inward man is released, both unbelievers and Christians will be blessed.
The Lord
Jesus tells us in John 12, "Except the grain of wheat falling into the
ground die, it abides alone ; but if it die, it bears
much fruit." Life is in the grain of wheat, but there is a shell, a very
hard shell on the outside. As long as that shell is not split open, the wheat
cannot grow. "Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die . .
." What is this death? It is the cracking open of the shell through the
working together of temperature, humidity, etc., in the soil. Once the shell is
split open, the wheat begins to grow. So the question here is
not whether there is life within, but whether the outside shell is cracked open.
The
Scripture continues by saying, "He that loves his life shall lose it, and
he that hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal." The
Lord shows us here that the outer shell is our own life, (our soul life) while
the life within is the eternal life which He has given to us. To allow the
inner life to come forth, it is imperative that the outward life be lost.
Should the outward remain unbroken, the inward would never be able to come
forth.
It is
necessary (in this writing) that we direct ourselves to that group of people
who have the Lord's life. Among those who possess the life of the Lord can be
found two distinct conditions : one includes those in whom life is confined,
restricted, imprisoned and unable to come forth ; the other includes those in
whom the Lord has forged a way and life is thus released from them.
The
question thus is not how to obtain life, but rather how to allow this life to
come forth. When we say we need the Lord to break us, this is not merely a way
of speaking, nor is it only a doctrine. It is vital that we be broken by the
Lord. It is not that tee life of the Lord can- r not cover the earth, but
rather that His life is imprisoned by us. It is not that the Lord cannot bless
the Church, but that the Lord's life is so confined within us that there is no
flowing forth. If the outward man remains unbroken, we can never be a blessing
to His Church, and we cannot expect the Word to be blessed by God through us !
The Bible
tells of the pure spikenard. God purposely used this term "pure" in
His Word to show that it is truly spiritual. But if the alabaster box is not
broken, the pure spikenard will not flow forth. Strange to say, many are still
treasuring the alabaster box, thinking that its value exceeds that of the
ointment. Many think that their outward man is more precious than their inward
man. This becomes the problem in the Church. One will treasure his cleverness,
thinking he is quite important; another will treasure his own emotions,
esteeming himself as an important person ; others highly regard themselves,
feeling they are better than others, their eloquence surpasses that of others, their
quickness of action and exactness of judgment are superior, and so forth.
However, we are not antique collectors; we are not vase. admirers;
we are those who desire to smell only the fragrance of the ointment. Without
the breaking of the outward, the inward will not come forth. Thus individually
we have no flowing out, but even the Church does not have a living way. Why
then should we hold ourselves as so precious, if our outward contains instead
of releases the fragrance?
The Holy
Spirit has not ceased working. One event after another, one thing after
another, comes to us. Each disciplinary working of the Holy Spirit has but one purpose : to break our outward man so that our inward man
may come through. Yet here is our difficulty : we fret
over trifles, we murmur at small losses. The Lord is preparing a way to use us,
yet scarcely has His hand touched us when we feel unhappy, even to the extent
of quarreling with God and becoming negative in our attitude. Since being
saved, we have been touched many times in various ways by the Lord, all with
the purpose of breaking our outward man. Whether we are conscious of it or not,
the aim of the Lord is to destroy this outward man.
So the
Treasure is in the earthen vessel, but if the earthen vessel is not broken, who
can see the Treasure within? What is the final objective of the Lord's working
in our lives? It is to break this earthen vessel, to break our alabaster box,
to crack open our shell. The Lord longs to find a way to bless the world
through those who belong to Him. Brokenness is the way of blessing, the way of
fragrance, the way of fruitfulness, but it is also a path sprinkled with blood.
Yes, there is blood from many wounds. When we offer ourselves to the Lord to be
at His service, we cannot afford to be lenient, to spare ourselves. We must
allow the Lord utterly to crack our outward man, so that He may find a way for
His out working.
Each of us
must find out for himself what is the mind of the Lord in his
life. It is a most lamentable fact that many do not know what is the
mind or intention of the Lord for their lives. How much they need for the Lord
to open their eyes, to see that everything which comes into their lives can be
meaningful. The Lord has not wasted even one thing. To understand the Lord's purpose,
is to see very clearly that He is aiming at a single objective the destroying
or breaking of the outward man.
However,
too many, even before the Lord raises a hand, are already upset. Oh, we must
realize that all the experiences, troubles and trials which the Lord sends us
are for our highest good. We cannot expect the Lord to give better things, for
these are His best. Should one approach the Lord and pray, saying, "Oh,
Lord, please let me choose the best?" I believe the Lord would tell him,
"What I have given you is the best; your daily trials are for your
greatest profit." So the motive behind all the orderings of God is to
destroy our outward man. Once this occurs and the spirit can come forth, we
begin to be able to exercise our spirit.
The Lord
employs two different ways to destroy our outward man; one is gradual, the
other sudden. To some, the Lord gives a sudden destruction followed by a
gradual one. With others, the Lord arranges that they have constant, daily
trials, until one day He brings about large scale destruction. If it is not the
sudden first and then the gradual, then it is the gradual followed by the
sudden. It would seem the Lord usually spends several years upon us before He
can accomplish this work of destruction.
The timing
is in His hand. We cannot shorten the time, though we certainly can prolong it.
In some lives the Lord is able to accomplish this work after a few years of
dealing; in others it is evident that after ten or twenty years the work is still
unfinished. This is most serious! Nothing is more grievous
than wasting God's time. How often the Church is hindered !
We can preach by using our mind, we can stir others by using our emotions, yet
if we do not know how to use our spirit, the Spirit of God cannot touch people
through us. The loss is great, should we needlessly prolong the time.
Therefore,
if we have never before wholly and intelligently consecrated ourselves to the
Lord, let us do so now, saying : "Lord, for the future of the Church, for
the future of the gospel, for Thy way, and also for my own life, I offer myself
without condition, without reservation, into Thy hands. Lord, I delight to
offer myself unto Thee and am willing to let Thee have Thy full way through
me."
Often we
hear about the cross. Perhaps we are too familiar with the term. But what is
the cross after all? When we really understand the cross we shall see it means
the breaking of the outward man. The cross reduces the outward man to death ; it splits open the human shell. The cross must
destroy all. that belongs to our out- . ward man-our opinions, our ways, our cleverness, our
self-love, our all. The way is clear, in fact, crystal clear.
As soon as
our outward man is destroyed, our spirit can easily come forth. Consider a
brother as an example. All who know him acknowledge that he has a keen mind, a
forceful will, and deep emotions. But instead of being
impressed by these natural characteristics of his soul, they realize they have
met his spirit. Whenever people are fellowshipping with him, they encounter a
spirit, a clean spirit. Why? Because all that is of his soul
has been destroyed.
Take as
another example, a sister. Those who know her recognize that she is of a quick
disposition-quick in thought, quick of speech, quick to confess, quick in
writing letters, and quick to tear up what she has written. However, those who
meet her do not meet her quickness but rather her spirit. She is one who has
been utterly destroyed and has become transparent. This destruction of the
outward man is such a basic matter. We should not cling to our weak, soulish characteristics, still emitting the same flavor
even after five or ten years of the Lord's dealing with us. No, we must allow
the Lord to forge a way in our lives.
Why is it
that after many years of dealing some remain the same?
Some individuals have a forceful will; some have strong emotions, others have a
strong mind. Since the Lord is able to destroy these, why is it that after many
years some are still unchanged? We believe there are two main reasons.
First,
many who live in darkness, are not seeing the hand of
God. While God is working, while God is destroying, they do not recognize it as
being from Him. They are devoid of light, seeing only men opposing them. They
imagine their environment is just too difficult, that circumstances are to
blame. So they continue in darkness and despair.
May God
give us a revelation to see what is from Hit hand, that we may kneel down and
say to Him, "It is Thou ; since it is Thou, I
will accept." At least we muse recognize WHOSE hand it is that deals with
us. It is not a human hand, nor our family's, nor the
brothers' and sisters' in the Church, but God's. We need to learn how to kneel
down and kiss the hand, love the hand that deals with us, even as Madame Guyon did. We must have this light to see that whatever the
Lord has done, we accept and believe ; the Lord can do
no wrong.
Second,
another great hindrance to the work of destroying the outer man is self-love.
We must ask God to take away the heart of self-love. As He deals with us in
response to our prayer, we should worship and say, "Oh Lord, if this be
Thy hand, let me accept it from my heart." Let us remember that the one
reason for all misunderstanding, all fretfulness, all discontent, is that we
secretly love ourselves. Thus we plan a way whereby we can deliver ourselves.
Many times problems arise due to our seeking a way of escape-an escape from the
working of the cross.
He who has
ascended the cross and refuses to drink the vinegar mingled with gall is the
one who knows the Lord. Many go up to the cross rather reluctantly, still
thinking of drinking vinegar mingled with gall to alleviate their pains. All
who say, "The cup which the Father has given me,
shall I not drink it?" will not drink the cup of vinegar mingled with
gall. They can only drink of one cup, not two. Such as these are without any
self-love. Self-love is a basic difficulty. May the Lord speak to us today that
we may be able to pray : "0 my God, I have seen
that all things come from Thee. All my ways these five years, ten years, or
twenty years, are of Thee. Thou hast so worked to attain Thy purpose, which is
none other than that Thy life may be lived out through me. But I have been
foolish. I did not see. I did many things to deliver myself, thus delaying Thy
time. Today I see Thy hand. I am willing to offer myself to Thee. Once again I
place myself in Thy hands."
There is-
no one more beautiful than one who is broken! Stubbornness and self-love give
way to beauty in one who has been broken by God. We see Jacob in the Old
Testament, how even in his mother's womb he struggled with his brother. He was
subtle, tricky, deceitful. Yet his life was full of
sorrows and grief. When a youth, he fled from home. For twenty years he was
cheated by Laban. The wife of his heart's love,
Rachel, died prematurely. The son of his love, Joseph, was sold. Years later
Benjamin was detained in
Each one
of us has much of the same Jacob nature in us. Our only hope is that the Lord
may blaze a way out, destroying the outward man to such a degree that the
inward man may come out and be seen. This is precious, and this is the way of
those who serve the Lord. Only thus can we serve; only thus can we lead men to
the Lord. All else is limited in its value. Doctrine does not have much use,
nor does theology. What is the use of mere mental knowledge of the Bible if the
outward man remains unbroken? Only the person through whom God can come forth
is useful.
After our
outward man has been stricken, dealt with, and led through various trials, we
have wounds upon us, thus allowing the spirit to emerge. We are afraid to meet
some brothers and sisters whose whole being remains intact, never having been
dealt with and changed. May God have mercy upon us in showing us clearly this
way and in revealing to us that it is the only way.
May He also show us that herein is seen the purpose of all His dealings with us
in these few years, say ten or twenty. Thus, let no one despise the Lord's
dealings. May He truly reveal to us what is meant by the destroying of the
outward man. Should the outward man remain whole,
everything would be merely in our mind, utterly useless, Let us expect the Lord
to deal with us thoroughly.
The
breaking of the outward man is the basic experience of all who serve God. This
must be accomplished before He can use us in an effectual way.
When one
is working for God, two possibilities may arise. First, it is possible that
with the outward man unbroken, one's spirit may be inert and unable to
function. If he is a clever person, his mind governs his work
; if he is a compassionate person, the emotions control his actions. Such work. may appear successful
but cannot bring people to God. Second, his spirit may come forth clad in his
own thoughts or emotions. The result is mixed and impure. Such work will bring
men into mixed and impure experience. These two conditions weaken our service
to God.
If we
desire to work effectively, we must realize that basically "it is the
Spirit which quickens." Sooner or later -if not on the first day of our
salvation, then perhaps ten years after-we must recognize this fact. Many have
to be brought to their wits' end to see the emptiness of their labor before
they know how useless are their many thoughts, their varied emotions. No matter
how many people you can attract with your thoughts or emotions, the result
comes to nothing. Eventually we must confess :
"It is the Spirit which quickens." The Spirit alone makes people
live. Your best thought, your best emotion, cannot make people live. Man can be
brought into life only by the Spirit. Many serving the Lord
come to see this fact only after passing through much sorrow and many failures.
Finally the Lord's Word becomes meaningful to them :
THAT WHICH QUICKENS IS THE SPIRIT. To let the spirit be released means that
sinners may be born anew and saints may be established. When life is
communicated through the channel of the spirit, those who receive it are born
anew. When life is supplied through the, spirit to believers, it results in
their being established. Without the Spirit, there can be no new birth and no
establishment.
One rather
remarkable thing is that God does not mean to distinguish between His Spirit
and our spirit. There are many places in the Bible where it is impossible to
determine whether the word "spirit" indicates our human spirit or
God's Spirit. Bible translators, from Luther down to present day scholars, who
labored on the English versions, have been unable to decide if the word
"spirit," as used in many places in the New Testament, refers to the
human spirit or to the Spirit of God.
Of the
whole Bible, Romans eight may well be the chapter where the word
"spirit" is used most frequently. Who can discern how many times the
word "spirit" in this chapter, refers to the human spirit and how
many times to God's Spirit? In various English versions, the word "pneuma" (spirit) is sometimes written with a capital
letter; other times with a small letter. It is evident that these versions do
not agree, and no one person's opinion is final. It is simply impossible to
distinguish. When in regeneration we receive our new spirit, we receive God's
Spirit too. The moment our human spirit is raised from the state of death, we
receive the Holy Spirit. We often say that the Holy Spirit dwells in our
spirit, but we find it hard to discern which is the Holy
Spirit and which is our own spirit. The Holy Spirit and our spirit have
become so mingled; while each is distinctive, they are not easily
distinguished.
Thus, the
release of the spirit is the release of the human spirit as well as the release
of the Holy Spirit, Who is in the spirit of man. Since the Holy Spirit and our
spirit are joined into one, they can be distinguished only in name, not in
fact. And since the release of one means the release of both, others can touch
the Holy Spirit whenever they touch our spirit. Thank God that inasmuch as you
allow people to contact your spirit, you allow them to contact God. Your spirit
has brought the Holy Spirit to man.
When the
Holy Spirit is working, He needs to be carried by the human spirit. The
electricity in an electric bulb does not travel like lightning. It must be
conducted through electric wires. If you want to use electricity, you need an
electric wire to bring it to you. In like manner, the Spirit of God employs the
human spirit as His carrier, and through it He is brought to man.
Everyone
who has received grace has the Holy Spirit dwelling in his spirit. Whether he
can be used by the Lord depends not on his spirit but rather on his outward
man. The difficulty with many is that their outward man has not been broken.
There is not that blood-marked path, those wounds or scars. So God's Spirit is
imprisoned within man's spirit and is not able to break forth. Sometimes our
outward man is active, but the inward man remains inactive. The outward man has
gone forth, while the inward man lags behind.
Let us
review this through some practical problems Take preaching, for instance. How
often we can be earnestly preaching-a well-prepared, sound message-but inwardly
feel as cold as ice. We long to stir others, yet we ourselves are unmoved.
There is a lack of harmony between the outward and the inward man. The outward
man is dripping from the heat, but the inward man is shivering with the cold.
We can tell others how great the love of the Lord is, yet we are personally
untouched by it. We can tell others how tragic is the
suffering of the cross, yet upon returning to our room we can laugh.
What can we do about this? Our mind may labor, our emotions may be energized,
yet all the time one has the feeling that the inward
man is merely observing the proceedings. The outward and the inward man are not
one.
Consider
another situation. The inward man is devoured by zeal. He wants to shout, but
he does not find utterance. After speaking for a long time, he still seems to
be circling around. The more he is burdened within, the colder he becomes
without. He longs to speak, but he cannot express himself. When he meets a
sinner, his inward man feels like weeping, but he cannot shed a tear. There is
a sense of urgency within him, yet when he ascends the pulpit and tries to
shout, he finds himself lost in a maze of words. Such a situation is most
trying. The, root cause is the same : the outer shell
still clings to him. The outward does not obey the dictates of the inward : inwardly crying, but outwardly unmoved ; inwardly
suffering, but outwardly untouched ; full thoughts within, but without, the
mind a seeming blank. The spirit has yet to find a way to pierce the shell.
Thus the
breaking of the outward man is the first lesson for everyone who would learn to
serve God. He who is truly used by God is one whose outward thought and outward
emotion do not act independently. If we have not learned this lesson, we shall
find our effectiveness greatly impaired. May God bring us to the place where
the outward man is completely broken.
When such
a condition prevails, there will be an end to outward activity with inward inertness ; an end to inward crying with outward composure;
an end to an abundance of inner thoughts for which there is no utterance. You
will not be poor in thought. You need not use twenty sentences to express what
can be said in two. Your thoughts will assist instead of hinder your spirit.
Likewise,
our emotions are also a very hard shell. Many who desire to be happy cannot
express joy, or they may wish to weep yet cannot. If the Lord has stricken our
outward man either through the discipline or the enlightening of the Holy
Spirit, we are able to express joy or sorrow as we inwardly dictate.
The
release of the spirit makes it possible for us to abide increasingly in God. We
touch the spirit of revelation in the Bible. Without effort we can use our
spirit to receive divine revelation. When we are witnessing or preaching, we
send forth God's word through our spirit. Furthermore, we may most
spontaneously contact the spirit in others by our spirit. Whenever one speaks in
our presence, we can "size him up"-evaluate what kind of person he
is, what attitude he is taking, what sort of Christian he is, and what his need
is. Our spirit can touch his spirit. And what is wonderful, others easily
contact our spirit. With some, we only meet their thoughts, their emotions, or
their will. After conversing with them for hours, we still have not met the
real person, though we may both be Christians. The outer shell is too thick for
others to touch the inner man. With the breaking of the outward man, the spirit
begins to flow and is ever open to others.
Once the
outward man is broken, man's spirit very naturally abides in the presence of
God without ceasing. Two years after a certain brother trusted in the Lord, he
read "'The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence.
After reading it, he felt grieved at his failure to abide unceasingly in the
presence of God like Brother Lawrence. At that time he had hourly appointments
to pray with someone. Why? Well, the Bible says, "Pray unceasingly,"
so they changed it to "Pray every hour." Every time they heard the
clock strike the hour, they would pray. They exerted their utmost effort to
retreat into God because they felt they could not maintain themselves in the
continuous presence of God. It was as if they had slipped away while working
and thus needed to retreat quickly back to God. Or they had projected
themselves out while studying, and now they must withdraw swiftly to God.
Otherwise they would find themselves away the whole day. They prayed often,
spending whole days in prayer on the Lord's Day and half-days on Saturday. Thus
they continued for two or three years. Nevertheless, the trouble remained : in withdrawing they enjoyed God's presence, but
in going forth they lost it. Of course this is not their problem alone ; such is the experience of many Christians. It
indicates we are trying to maintain God's presence by our memory. The sense of
His presence fluctuates according to our memory. When we remember, there is the
consciousness of His presence ; otherwise, there is
none. This is sheer foolishness, for God's presence is in the spirit, not the
memory.
To solve
this problem, we must first settle the question of the breaking of the outward
man. Since neither our emotion nor our thought has the same nature as God, it
cannot be joined with Him. The Gospel of John, Chapter four, shows us the
nature of God. God is a Spirit. Our spirit alone is of the same nature as God;
therefore, it can be eternally united with Him. If we try to get the presence
of God by directing our thought, then when we are not concentrating, His
presence seems to be lost. Again, if we seek to use our emotion to summon the
presence of God, then as soon as our emotion relaxes, His presence seems to be
gone. Sometimes we are happy, and we take this as having the presence of God.
So when happiness ceases, the presence flees! Or we may assume that His
presence is with us while we mourn and weep. Alas, we cannot shed tears all our
life. Soon our tears will be dry, and then God's presence disappears. Both our
thoughts and our emotions are human energies. All activity must come to an end.
If we try to maintain God's presence with activity, then when the activity
ceases, His presence ends. Presence requires the sameness of nature. Only the
in ward man is of the same nature as God. Through it alone can His presence be manifested. When the outward man lives in activities, they
can disturb the inward man. Thus the outward man is not a helper but a disturber.
When the outward man is broken, the inward man enjoys peace before God.
Our spirit
is given to us by God to enable us to respond to Him. But the outward man is
ever responding to things without, thus depriving us of the presence of God. We
cannot destroy all the things without, but we can break down the outward man.
We cannot put a stop to all the things without; these millions and billions of
things in the world are utterly beyond our control. Whenever anything happens,
our outward man will respond ; thus we are not able to
enjoy God's presence in peace. We conclude, therefore, that experiencing the
presence of God is contingent upon the breaking of our outward man.
If,
through the mercy of God, our outward man has been broken, we may be thus characterized : Yesterday we were full of curiosity, but
today it is impossible to be curious. Formerly our emotions could be easily
aroused, either stirring our love, the most delicate emotion, or provoking our
temper, the crudest. But now no matter how many things crowd upon us, our
inward man remains unmoved, tie presence of God unchanged, and our inner peace
unruffled.
It becomes
evident that the breaking of the outward man is the basis for enjoying God's
presence. Brother Lawrence was engaged in kitchen work. People were clamoring
for things they wanted. Though there was the constant clatter of dishes and
utensils, his inward man was not disturbed. He could sense God's presence in
the hustle and bustle of a kitchen as much as in quiet prayer. Why? He was impervious
to external noises. He had learned to commune in his spirit and deny his soul.
Some feel
that to have God's presence, their environment must be
free of such distractions as the clatter of dishes. The farther away they are
from mankind, the better they will be able to sense the presence of God. What a
mistake! The trouble lies not in the dishes, nor in other people, but in
themselves. God is not going to deliver us from the dishes; He will deliver us
from our responses! No matter how noisy it is outside, the inside does not
respond. Since the Lord has broken our outward man, we simply react as if we
had not heard. Praise the Lord, we may possess very keen hearing, but due to
the work of grace in our lives, we are not at all influenced by the things pressing
on our outward man. We can be before God on such occasions as much as when
praying alone.
Once the
outward man is broken, one no longer needs to retreat Godward,
for he is always in the presence of God. Not so with one whose
outward man is still intact. After running an errand he needs to return, for he
assumes he has moved away from God. Even in doing the work of the Lord, he
slips away from the One he serves. So it seems the best thing for him is not to
make any move. Nevertheless, they that know God do not need to return, for they
have never been away. They enjoy the presence of God when they set aside a day
for prayer, and they enjoy the same presence in much the same degree, when they
are busily engaged in the menial tasks of life. Perhaps it is our common
experience that in drawing near to God, we sense His presence; while if we are
engaged in some activity, in spite of our vigilance, we feel that somehow we
have drifted away. Suppose, for example, we are preaching the gospel or trying
to edify people. After a while we feel like kneeling down to pray. But we have
a sense that we must first retreat into God. Somehow our conversation with
people has led us a little away from God, so in prayer we must first draw
closer to Him. We have lost God's presence, so now we must have it restored to
us. Or we may be occupied with some menial task such as scrubbing the floor.
Upon completing our fob, we decide to pray. Once again we feel we have taken a
long trip and must return. What is the answer? The breaking of the outward man
makes such returns unnecessary. We sense the presence of God in our
conversation as much as in kneeling in prayer. Performing our menial tasks does
not draw us away from God, hence we need not return.
Now let us
consider an extreme case to illustrate. Anger is the most violent of human
feelings. But the Bible does not forbid us to be angry, for some anger is not
related to sin. "Be angry but sin not," the Bible says. Nonetheless,
anger is so strong it borders on sin. We do not find, "Love but do not
sin, nor "Be meek but do not sin," in God's Word, because love and
meekness are far removed from sin. But anger is close to sin.
Perhaps a
certain brother has committed a serious fault. He needs to be severely
reprimanded. This is no easy matter. Rather would we exercise our feelings of
mercy than bring our feelings of anger into play, for the latter can fall into
something else with the least carelessness. Thus it is
not easy to be properly angry according to the will of God. However, one who knows
the breaking of the outward man can deal severely with another brother without
his own spirit being disturbed or God's presence interrupted. He abides in God
just as much in dealing with others as in prayer. Thus, after he has taken his
brother to task, he can pray without an endeavor to retreat to God. We
acknowledge that this is rather difficult, yet when the outward man is broken,
such can well be the case.
When the
outward man is broken, outside things will be kept outside, and the inward man
will live before God continuously. The trouble with many is that their outward
man and inward man are joined together, so what influences the outward
influences the inward. Through the merciful working of God the outward man and
inward man must be separated. Then what affects the outward will not be able to
reach the inward. Though the outward man may be engaged in conversation, yet
the inward man is fellowshipping with God. The outward may be burdened with
listening to the clatter of dishes, while the inward abides in God. One is able
to carry on. activities, to contact the world with the
outer man, yet the inner man remains unaffected, for he still lives before God.
Consider
an example or two. A certain brother is working on the road. If his outer and
inner man have been divided, the latter will not be
disturbed by outside things. He can labor in his outward man, while at the same
time he is inwardly worshipping God. Or consider a parent :
his outward man may be laughing and playing with his little child. Suddenly a
certain spiritual need arises. He can at once meet the situation with his
inward man, for he has never been absent from the presence of God. So it is
important for us to realize that the dividing of the outward and inward man has
a most decisive effect upon one's work and life. Only thus is one able to labor
without distraction.
We can
describe believers as either "single" or "dual" persons.
With some their inner and outer man are one ; with
others the two have been separated. As long as one is a "single"
person, he must summon his whole being into his work or into his prayer. In
working he leaves God behind. In praying later, he must turn away from his
work. Because his outward man has not been broken, he is forced to launch out
and retreat. The "dual" person, on the other hand, is able to work
with his outward man while his inward man remains constantly before God.
Whenever the need arises, his inward man can break forth and manifest itself before others. He enjoys the unbroken presence of
God. Let us ask ourselves,. Am I a "single"
or a "dual" person? Whether the outward man is divided from the
inward does make all the difference.
If through
the mercy of God you have experienced this dividing, then while you are
working, or outwardly active, you know there is a man in you who remains calm. Though the outward man is engaged in external
things, these .will not penetrate the inward man.
Here is
the wondrous secret! Knowing the presence of God is through the dividing of
these two. Brother Lawrence seemed to be busily occupied with kitchen work, yet
within there was another man standing before God and enjoying undisturbed
communion with Him. Such an inner division will keep our reactions free from
the contamination of flesh and blood.
In
conclusion, let us remember that the ability to use our spirit depends upon the
two fold work of God: the breaking of the outward man and the dividing of
spirit and soul, i.e., the separating of our inward man from the outward. Only
after God has carried out both of these processes in our lives are we able to
exercise our spirit. THE OUTWARD MAN IS BROKEN THROUGH THE DISCIPLINE OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT ; IT IS DIVIDED FROM THE INWARD MAN BY THE
REVELATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Heb. 4:12).
Let me
first explain our topic. Suppose a father asks his son to do a certain thing.
The son answers, "Right now I have something in my hand
; as soon as I finish it I will do what you order." "The thing
in hand" is the thing which the son is doing prior to his father's orders.
Immediately we recognize that we all have those "things in our hands"
which hinder us in our walk with God. It might be anything-a good, important or
seemingly necessary thing-which preoccupies us and diverts our attention. As
long as the outward man remains unbroken, we shall most likely find our hands
full of things. Our outward man has its own religious
interests, appetites, concerns and labors. So when the Spirit of God moves in
our spirit, our outward man cannot answer God's call. Thus it is the
"thing in hand" which blocks the way to spiritual usefulness.
Our human
strength is limited. If a brother can only carry fifty pounds, and you want him
to take an additional ten, he simply could not do it. He is a limited person,
unable to do unlimited work. The fifty pounds he is already carrying is
"the thing in hand." As the physical strength of our outermost man is
limited, so it is with the strength of our outward man.
Many, not
realizing this principle, carelessly spend the strength of their outward man.
If, for example, one lavished all his love upon his parents, he would have no
strength left for loving his brothers, not to mention others. In thus exhausting
his (soul) strength, there is nothing left to direct to others.
So it is
with our mental strength. If one's attention is focused on a certain matter,
and he exhausts all his time in thinking about it, he will have no strength to
think of other matters. In His Word, God has explained our problem
: "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free
from the law of sin and of death" (
We
realize, then, just as our physical strength is limited, so it is with the soul
strength of our outward man. As long as we have "things in hand" we
cannot do God's work. According to the number of things in
hand, strength for serving God decreases or increases. So the thing in
hand indeed becomes a hindrance, and no small one.
Again, one
may have many things in hand emotionally : such as
varied and conflicting likes or dislikes, inclinations or expectations. All
these pull with a magnetic attraction. With so many things in hand, when God
asks for his affection he cannot respond, for he has already used up all his
emotion. If he has exhausted a two-day supply of emotional resources, it will
be that long before he can adequately feel and speak again. Thus
when emotion is wasted on lesser things it cannot be used unrestrictedly for
God.
Then there
is someone manifesting an iron will, a strong
personality whose volitional powers seem unlimited. Yet in the things of God he
seems unable to make up his mind ; how often the
strongest will waver in his decisions before God. Why is this? Before we answer
let us consider another who is full of ideas. Though he never seems at a loss
in conceiving new schemes, when it comes to discerning the will of God in
spiritual things he is utterly void of light. Why is this so?
While the
outward man is so weighted down with the things in hand and is so exhausted,
there is little strength left for any spiritual exercise. It is needful, then,
to see the limited strength of the outer man. Even though it is broken there
must be a wisdom in using this strength. How
necessary, then, to have "empty hands" !
In His
dealing with man, God's Spirit never by passes man's spirit. Nor can our spirit
by pass the outer man. This is a most important principle to grasp. As the Holy
Spirit does not pass over man's spirit in His working in man, no more does our
spirit ignore the outward man and function directly. In order to touch other
lives, our spirit must pass through the outward man. Hence, when the latter's
strength is consumed by the many things in hand, God cannot do His work through
us. There is no outlet for the human spirit nor for
the Holy Spirit. The inward man cannot come forth because he is resisted and
blocked by the outward man. That is why we have repeatedly suggested that this
outward man must be broken.
The thing
in hand is there before God begins to work. It does not belong to God, nor does
it need God's order, power, or decision to be carried out. It is not something
under the hand of God but rather an independent action.
Before
your outward man is broken, you are occupied with your own things, you walk in
your own way, and you love your own people. If God wants to use your love in
loving the brethren, He must first break your outward man. This love of yours
is thereby enlarged. The inward man must love, but he has to love through the
outward man. If the outward man is occupied with the thing in hand, the inward
man is deprived of its proper channel for loving.
Again, when the inward man needs to. use his will, he finds it is acting
independently, already engaged by the thing in hand. To break our will, God
must strike us a heavy blow until we prostrate ourselves in the dust and say.
"Lord, I dare not think, I dare not ask, I dare not decide. on my own. In each and every thing I need Thee." In our
being stricken, we must learn that our will is not to act independently. Only
then is our will ready to be used 'by the inward man.
Without
the cooperation of the outward man, the inward man is most handicapped. Suppose
a brother is going to preach the Word. He has a burden in his spirit. However, if he fails to find ' corresponding thoughts, he cannot
release his burden and it will soon fade away. Even though the burden
may permeate his whole spirit, all is futile if his mind is unable to
communicate it.
We cannot
save souls merely with the burden in our spirit ; this
must be expressed through our mind. The burden within must be coordinated with
the mouth without. Without utterance it is impossible to make known to others
the Word of God. Man's words are not God's Word, but the latter must be
communicated by the former. When man has God's words, God can speak; when he
does not, God cannot speak. The trouble today is that our inward man is
available to God, able to receive God's burden, but our outward man is driven
by such multitudinous, confusing thoughts from morning till night that our
spirit can find no outlet. .
Thus it is
that God must crush our outward man. He breaks our will by taking away the
things in our will's "hand" so that it cannot act independently. Not
that we have no mind, but that we do not think after the flesh, according to
our wandering imaginations. Not that we are devoid of emotion, but that all our
emotions are under the control and restraint of the inward man. This gives the
inner man a will, a mind, and emotions that are usable. God wants our spirit to
use our outward man in loving, in thinking, and in deciding. While it is not
His thought to annihilate our outward man, we must receive this basic dealing of
being broken if we aspire to effectually serve God.
Until this
happens, the inward and the outward man are at odds with each other, each acting independently of the other. When we are broken,
the outward man is brought under the control of the inward, thus unifying our
personality so that the shattered outward man may be a channel for the inward
man.
Now it
must be recognized that a unified personality may often characterize an unsaved
person, but in this case the inward man is under the control of the outward
man. Though the human spirit exists, it is so beaten by the outward man that it
can at best only raise some conscientious protests. The inward man is utterly
dominated by the outward man.
However,
after one is saved, it is God's intention that he should experience a reversal
of this order. As much as his outward man controlled the inward before his
being saved, so now his inward man should hold absolute sway over his outward
man.
We can use
bicycling as an illustration. On flat ground, we pedal the bicycle and the
wheels roll along the road. But on a down slope, without pedaling, the wheels
just rotate and the road seems to urge us along. Similarly when our inward man
is strong and the outward man is broken, we "pedal" and the
"wheels" roll along the road. We can decide whether to continue or
stop and how fast to go. However, if our outward man is hard and unbroken, it
will be like coasting down an incline out of control. Should the Lord be
gracious to us and level the slope by breaking the outward man, so that he can
no longer give counsel and make decisions independently, we shall be as those
who are able to properly use their spirit.
No one is
equipped to work simply because he has learned some teachings. The basic question
is still: what kind of man is he? Can one whose inner workings are wrong, but
whose teaching is right, supply the need of the Church? The basic lesson we
must learn is to be transformed into a vessel fit for the Master's use. This
can only be done by the breaking of the outward man.
God is at
work in our lives unceasingly. Many years of sufferings, trials, hindrances -
this is the hand of God, daily seeking to carry on His work of breaking us.
Don't you see what God is doing in this endless round of difficulties? If not,
you should ask Him, "Oh God, open my eyes that I may see Thy hand."
How often the eyes of an ass are sharper than those of a self-styled prophet.
Though the
ass had already seen the Angel of the Lord, his master had not. The ass recognized
the forbidding hand of God, but the self-styled prophet did not. We should be
aware that brokenness is God's way in our lives. How sad that some still
imagine that if they could only absorb more teaching, accumulate more preaching
material, and assimilate more Bible exposition, they would be profitable to
God. This is absolutely wrong. God's hand is upon you to break you-not
according to your will, but His ; not according to
your thoughts, but His'; not according to your decision, but His. Our difficulty
is that as God withstands us,. we
blame others. We react like that prophet who, blind to God's hand, blamed the
ass for refusing to budge.
All that
comes to us is ordered by God. To a Christian, nothing is accidental. We should
ask God to open our eyes that we may see He is striking us in all things and in
all areas of our life. One day, when by the grace of God upon us we are able to
accept the ordering of God in our environment, our spirit is released and ready
to function.
There is
an immutable law of God's working in us: His specific purpose is breaking us
and, releasing our spirit for free exercise. We must understand that none of
our praying, pleading or promising will affect or change this purpose. It is
according to His law of accomplishing a brokenness and release in us ; all our praying will not alter this law. If you
deliberately thrust your hand into the fire, will prayer keep you free from
pain (barring a miracle) ? If you do not want to be
scorched, do not thrust your hand into the fire and think that prayer will save
you. God's dealing with us is according to His law. In order to come forth, the
inward man must pass through the outward man. Until our outward man is
shattered, our inward man simply cannot come forth. Do not disregard this law
and keep praying for blessings; such prayers are in vain. Praying can never
change God's law.
We must
settle this once and for all. The way of spiritual work lies in God's coming
out through us. This is the only way God has ordained. To one who is unbroken,
the gospel is blocked and cannot flow out through the life. Let us bow low
before God. To obey God's law is far better than saying many prayers. It is
much better to stop praying and confess : "God, I
prostrate myself before Thee." Yes, how often our prayer for blessings are
actually raising up barriers. We long for blessing, yet seem to find God's mercy. If only we would
seek for enlightenment, learn to submit ourselves to His hand, and obey His
law, we would find that the outcome is the very blessing we long for.
To know
man is vital to a worker. When someone comes to us, we must discern his
spiritual condition, his nature, and the extent of his spiritual progress. We
must determine whether he has said what is, really in his heart and how much he
has left unsaid. Further, we should perceive his characteristics-whether he is
hard or humble, whether his humility is true or false. Our effectiveness in
service is closely related to our discernment of man's spiritual condition. If
God's Spirit enables us through our spirit to know the condition of the person
before us, we can then impart the appropriate word.
In the
Gospels we find that whenever men came to our Lord, He always had the right word.
This is a marvelous thing. The Lord did not talk to the Samaritan woman about
new birth, nor did he tell Nicodemus of living water. The truth of the new
birth was for Nicodemus, while the truth of the living water was for the
Samaritan woman. How appropriate they were. Those who had not followed Him were
invited to come; but those who desired to follow Him were invited to bear the
cross. To one who volunteered, He spoke of counting the cost; while to one who
lingered, He said, "Let the dead bury their dead." Our Lord's words
were most appropriate, FOR HE KNEW ALL MEN. Our Lord knew whether they came as
earnest seekers or merely to spy on Him ; and what He
said to them was always right to the point. May God be merciful to us that we
also may learn of Him how to know man so that we may be effective in dealing
with people.
Without
such imparted knowledge, a brother can only handle souls by his own
understanding. If he has a special feeling on a certain day, he will speak to
everybody according to that feeling, no matter who it is that comes. If he has
a favorite subject, he speaks on it to all who come to him. How tan such work be effective? No physician can use the same prescription for
all his patients. Alas, some who serve God have only one prescription. Though
they cannot first diagnose people's sicknesses, they are trying to cure them.
In spite of their ignorance of man's complexities and their lack of insight
into man's spiritual condition, nonetheless they seem to be quite ready to
treat every ailment. How foolish to have only one spiritual prescription, yet
try to meet every kind of spiritual disease !
Have you
imagined that it is the dull who cannot discern, and only the clever who can? No, in this work the clever and the dull are
equally excluded. You cannot use your (independent) mind or feeling to discern
people. No matter how keen your mind, you cannot penetrate the depth of man and
reveal his condition.
After
meeting a soul, each worker must first discern what that individual's real need
is before God. Often you cannot depend. on what he
says. Though he may correctly insist that he has a "headache," this
may be only a symptom of a deeper condition whose roots are to be found
elsewhere. Just because he feels warm does not necessarily mean he has a
"high fever." He is likely to tell you many things which have no
bearing on his case. A "sick person" seldom understands his real
trouble; so he needs you to diagnose for him and offer they means of cure. You
may want him to tell you his need, but he is prone to be mistaken. Only a
trained diagnostician who is skilled in recognizing
spiritual ailments, can discern the "patient's" real need. In every
diagnosis you must have certainty. One who is merely subjective is sure to
afflict people with imaginative illnesses, stubbornly insisting that this or
that is what ails them.
Sometimes
we may discover that the particular trouble is beyond our ability to help. Do
not be so foolish as to assume you can cope with every
situation and help all. For those whom you can help, you should spend and be
spent. When you cannot be of help, you should tell the Lord, "This is
beyond my ability; I cannot discern this disease. I haven't learned this yet. 0
Lord, be merciful." We should never think we can handle all the spiritual
work or try to monopolize it. Here is our chance to see the supply of the
different members of the Body. If you feel a certain brother or sister can
handle the trouble, seek him out and say, "This is beyond my measure ; perhaps this is in your jurisdiction." In
this way of working together in the Body, we learn to act relatedly,
not independently.
We must
emphasize it again : every worker must learn before
the Lord how to KNOW man. How many lives are spoiled after passing through the
hands of eager brothers who have not learned, but vainly give subjective views
to meet objective needs! People should not be afflicted with ailments that we
imagine they have. Our responsibility is to- discern their true spiritual
condition. If we have not first been a partaker of spiritual understanding how
can we hope to help the rest of God's children?
In
diagnosing a case, a medical doctor has recourse to many medical instruments.
This is not so with us. We have no thermometer nor X-ray, nor any other such
device to help us discern man's spiritual condition. How, then, do we discern
whether a brother is spiritually ill or determine the nature of his trouble? It
is wonderful that God has designed us to be as "thermometers" for
measuring. By His working in our lives, He would equip us to discern what
"ails" a person. As the Lord's spiritual "doctors" we must
have a thorough inward preparation. We must be deeply conscious of the weight
of our responsibility.
Suppose
the thermometer had never been invented. The doctor would have to determine
whether his patient had a fever by the mere touch of his hand. His hand would
serve as the thermometer. How sensitive and accurate his hand would need to be!
In spiritual work, this is exactly the case.
We are the
thermometers, the instrumentalities. We must undergo thorough training and
strict discipline, for whatever is untouched in us will be left untouched in
others. Moreover we cannot help others to learn lessons which we have not
learned before God. The more thorough our training, the greater will be our
usefulness in God's work. Correspondingly, the more we spare ourselves-our
pride, our narrowness, our happiness-the less our usefulness. If we have
covered these things in ourselves, we cannot uncover them in others. A proud
person cannot deal with another who is proud, nor can one who is narrow help
another with the same condition ; a hypocrite cannot touch the hypocrisy in
another, nor can one who is loose in his life have a helpful effect on one who
suffers the same difficulty. How well we know, if such is still in our nature,
we do not condemn this particular sin; we can hardly recognize it in others. A
doctor may cure others without curing himself, but this can hardly be true in
the spiritual realm. The worker is himself first a patient; he must be healed
before he can heal others. What he has not seen he cannot show others. Where he
has not trodden he cannot lead others. What he has not learned he cannot teach
others.
We must
see that we are the instrumentalities prepared by God for knowing man. Hence we
must be dependable, qualified to give an accurate diagnosis. That my feelings
may be reliable, I need to pray, "0 Lord, do not let me go untouched,
unbroken and unprepared." I must allow God to work in me what I have never
dreamed of, so that I may become a prepared vessel whom He can use. A doctor
would not use a defective thermometer. How much more serious it is for us to
touch spiritual conditions than to touch physical illnesses while we still have
our own thoughts, our own emotions and opinions, our own ways. If we still want
to do this, and then suddenly want to do that, we are yet unstable. How can we
be used when we are so undependable? We must pass through God's dealings or our
efforts are vain. Then again, we must face this question.
Are we
really conscious of the greatness of our responsibility? God's Spirit does not
work directly in people; He does His work through man. People's needs are met
on the one hand by the discipline of the Holy Spirit in ordering their
environment, and on the other by the ministry of the Word. Without the supply
of the ministry of the Word, the spiritual problem of the saints cannot be
solved. What responsibility has fallen upon His workers! It is most serious.
Whether or not one is usable determines the supply of the Church.
Suppose it
is characteristic of a certain illness to reach a temperature of, say, 103°F.
But unless you know the exact temperature, your diagnosis cannot be certain.
You cannot determine by touching the patient with your hand that he has a fever
of about 103°. Even so in the spiritual, it would be too risky for us to try to
help others while our feelings and opinions are all wrong and our spiritual
understanding is inadequate. Only if we are accurate and trustworthy can the
Spirit of God be released through us.
The
starting point of a spiritual work is marked by many readjustments made before
God. A thermometer is made according to a definite standard and is carefully
examined to meet rigid specifications. If then, we are the thermometer, how
strict must be the discipline to bring us up to God's standard of accuracy! In
God's work we are "doctors" as well as "medical
instruments." How important it is that we pass His, test.
In knowing
a patient's condition, we should consider both the patient's side and our side.
If you want to know what ails a person, you need first to recognize his most
prominent feature. It will stand out so conspicuously that, try as he may, he
cannot hide it. A proud person will reveal pride. With a sad person, a note of
sadness pervades even his laughter. Invariably, the nature of the person will
cause a certain definite impression to be felt.
There are
many references in the Bible describing different types of spirit. Some people
are hasty of spirit; others are hardened in their spirit; still others have a
sorrowful spirit. We can say one has a haughty spirit,
another has a depressed spirit, and so forth. Whence come
these different conditions of the spirit? For instance, in a hard spirit, where
does the hardness come from? In a proud spirit, what is the source of the pride ? Or in a haughty spirit, whence comes the
haughtiness? Surely our human spirit in its normal state is not tinged with
anything. It is designed just to manifest the Spirit of God. How can it be,
then, that the spirit is spoken of as hard, or proud, or haughty, or
unforgiving, or jealous? The answer is this : the
outward and inward man are not divided, and thus the condition of the outward
man becomes that of the inward. The spirit is hard because it is clothed in the
hardness of the outward man, or proud because it is clothed with the pride of
the outward man, or jealous because of the jealously of the outward man.
Originally the spirit is colorless, but it can be tainted by the outward man if
the latter is not broken.
Our spirit
emanates from God. Thus originally it is pure, before it is affected by the
impure state of the outward man. But it becomes proud or hard wholly because of
the unbrokenness of the outward man. How the
condition of the outward man will taint the spirit so as to come forth with the
spirit! Thus to purify the spirit, one must deal not with the spirit, but with
the outward man. We must realize the trouble lies not with the spirit but with
the outward man. From the "color" of the spirit flowing forth we can
detect immediately wherein a man has not been broken. The particular condition
of the outward man stands revealed in the type of spirit you contact.
Once we
have learned to touch man's spirit, we know .exactly what is his need. This
secret of knowing man is by touching his spirit-in sensing what it is clothed
with. Let us repeat emphatically that this is the basic principle for knowing
another man: by sensing, by tasting or drinking of his spirit. As the spirit
flows forth it reveals the nature of the outward man, for our spirit takes its
color from the outward man as it flows forth.
When one
is strong in a particular point, it is like a thing which stands out before
you. Just to reach out is to touch it. If you feel, you will know what it is.
You will realize that thing is his unbroken outward man. If you can thus sense
his spirit, you will know his condition. You will know what is revealed by him.
or what he is trying to conceal. So we say again, if
you want to know man, you must know him according to his spirit.
Let us now
consider our part in knowing man. The disciplinary measures the Holy Spirit
takes with us are God-given lessons by which, in one thing after another, we
are broken. It takes many breakings in many areas of our lives for us to attain
to a place of usefulness. When we say we can touch another through the spirit,
it doesn't mean that we can similarly touch all individuals nor
that we can discern another's spiritual condition in totality. It is simply
that in the particular thing where we have been disciplined by the Holy Spirit
and broken by the Lord, we can touch another. If in a particular thing we have
not been broken by the Lord, we can in no wise supply that need to our brother.
At that very point our spirit is insensitive and impotent.
This is an
invariable spiritual fact! Our spirit is released according to the degree of
our brokenness. The one who has accepted the most discipline is the one who can
best serve. The more one is broken, the more sensitive he is. The more loss one
has suffered, the more he has to give. Wherever we desire to save ourselves, in
that very thing we become- spiritually useless. Whenever we preserve and excuse
ourselves, at that point we are deprived of spiritual sensitivity and supply.
Let no one imagine he can be effective and disregard this basic principle.
Only those
who have learned can serve. You may learn ten years' lessons in one year or
take twenty or thirty years to learn one year's lesson. Any delay in learnings means a delay in serving. If God has put a desire
in your heart to serve Him, you should understand what is involved. The way of
service lies in brokenness, in accepting the discipline of the Holy Spirit. The
measure of your service is determined by the degree of discipline and
brokenness. Be assured that human emotion or cleverness cannot help. How much
you really possess is based upon how much God has wrought in your life.
Therefore, the more you are dealt with, the keener is your perception of man.
The more you are disciplined by the Holy Spirit, the more readily your spirit
can touch another.
It is very
important to remember that while God's Spirit is given to the believer once for
all, our spirit must go on learning throughout life. Thus the more we learn,
the more we can discern. It is a source of grief to us that so many brothers
and sisters in the Lord do not know how to exercise spiritual discernment. Too
many fail to differentiate between what is of the Lord and what is of human
nature. Only as we have experienced the Lord's strict dealing with us in a
certain matter can we quickly detect even the initial sprouting in others. We
do not need to wait for its fruit. We can discern long before harvest time. So
our spiritual sensitivity is gradually gained through experiencing God's hand
upon us. For example, someone may mentally condemn pride, yes, even preach
against it, yet not sense the sinfulness of pride in his own spirit. Thus when
pride appears in his brother, his spirit is not distressed ;
it may even be sympathetic. Then the day comes when God's Spirit so works in
his life that he really sees what pride is. He is dealt with by God, and his
pride is consumed. Though his preaching against pride may sound the same as
before, yet now every time a spirit of pride appears in his brother, he senses
its ugliness and is distressed. What he has learned and seen from God enables
him to sense and to be distressed. ("Distress" most suitably
describes such an inward sensitivity.) Now that he recognizes this ailment, he
can serve his brother. Once he was attacked by the same affliction
; now he is cured. (This does not imply that he should claim complete
deliverance--simply that he knows some measure of cure.) This is how we come to
spiritual knowledge.
Spiritual
sensitivity comes about only through many dealings. Are we really profited if
we preserve ourselves? "For whosoever shall save his life shall lose
it." We must ask the Lord not to withdraw His hand from us. How tragic not
to recognize what the Lord is doing. We may even be unwittingly resisting His
hand. The absence of spiritual- understanding is due to the lack of spiritual
learning. Therefore, let us realize that the more we are dealt with, the more
we shall know men and things, and the more we can supply others' needs. There
is no other way to enlarge the sphere of service ; we
must broaden the scope of dealings.
Once these
basic lessons have been learned, we find our spirit is released and able to
pinpoint the real condition of others. How can we put this into practice?
To touch
man's spirit we must wait till he opens his mouth and talks. Few ever arrive at
the place where they can touch man's spirit without first hearing what he has
to say. The Word of God says : "For out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). Whatever his
real intention may be, his spirit is revealed by what his mouth speaks. If he
is haughty, a haughty spirit will manifest itself ; if
hypocritical, a hypocritical spirit will be evident; or if envious, a jealous
spirit. As you listen to him speak, you can touch his spirit. Do not merely pay
attention to what he says, but especially note his spirit's condition. We
really know man not by his words alone, but by his spirit.
On one
occasion when the Lord Jesus was traveling toward
There is
yet another point to bear in mind. When you are listening to a conversation, do
not allow the topic under discussion to distract you from the spirit. Suppose
two brothers are involved in a quarrel, each one blaming the other. If this
matter is brought to you, how are you to deal with it? Although you may have no
objective way of checking the facts if only the two are present, you do know
that, as soon as they open their mouths, their spirits are revealed. Among
Christians, right or wrong is judged not only by action but also by the spirit.
When a brother starts to talk, you may sense immediately that his spirit is wrong,
though you may lack factual information in the case. One brother may complain
that the other scolded him, but immediately you sense his spirit is not right!
The real issue is with the spirit.
Before
God, right or wrong is determined not so much by the deed as by the spirit. How
often in the Church a wrong deed is accompanied by a wrong spirit. But if
judgment is made solely according to the deed, we have dragged the Church into
another realm. We should be in the realm of the spirit, not in that of mere
outward action.
Once our
own spirit has been released, we can detect the condition of others' spirits.
If we contact a spirit which is closed, we have to exercise our spirit in
judging the issue and discerning the man. May we be able to say with Paul,
"We henceforth know no one according to flesh" (2 Cor.
5:16). We do not know man according to flesh, but according to spirit. Having
learned this, basic lesson, we provide a way for God to work out His purpose.
If we
really understand the nature of God's work, we shall readily admit that the
outward man is truly a formidable hindrance. It is true to say that God is much
restricted by man. The people of God should know the ultimate purpose of the
Church and also the inter-relationships of the Church, of God's power, and of
God's work.
There came a time when God committed Himself to human form-in the
person of Jesus of
In our day
God commits Himself to the Church. His power and His work are in the Church.
Just as in the Gospels we find all God's work given to the Son, so today God
has entrusted all His works to the Church and will not act apart from it. From
the Day of Pentecost up to the present, God's work has been carried out through
the Church. Think of the Church's tremendous responsibility. God's
committal to the Church is like His committal previously to one Man,
Christ-without reservation or restriction. Thus the Church may restrict
God's work or limit His manifestation.
Jesus of
The basic
teaching of the Gospels is the presence of God in one Man, while that of the
epistles is God in the Church. May our eyes be opened to the glorious fact : God formerly dwelt in the Man Jesus Christ, but now
God is only in the Church, not in any other organization.
When this
light dawns on us, we will spontaneously lift up our eyes to heaven saying,
"Oh, God ! How much we have hindered Thee!"
In Christ, the Almighty God was still almighty without suffering any
restriction or straitening. What God expects today is that this same power may
remain intact as He resides in the Church. He would be as free in manifesting
Himself in the Church as He was in Christ. Any restriction or disability in the
Church will invariably limit God. This is a most serious thing; we do not
mention it lightly. The hindrance in each of us constitutes a hindrance to God.
Why is the
discipline of the Holy Spirit so important? Why is the dividing of spirit and
soul so urgent? It is because God must have a way through us. Let no one think
that we are only interested in individual spiritual experience. Our concern is
God's way and His work. Is God free in our lives? Unless we are dealt with and
broken through discipline, we shall restrict God. Without the breaking of the
outward man, the Church cannot be a way for God.
Let us now
proceed to consider how the breaking of the outward man will affect our reading
of God's Word, our being ministers of the Word, and our preaching the gospel.
(1) Reading the Bible: It is beyond question that what we ARE determines what we get out of
the Bible. How often man in his conceit relies on his unrenewed
and confused mind to read the Bible. The fruit is nothing but his own thought. He does not touch the spirit of the Holy
Word. If we expect to meet the Lord in His Word. our thoughts must first be broken by God. We may think
highly of our cleverness, but to God it is a great obstacle. It can never lead
us into God's thought.
There are
at least two basic requirements for reading the Bible :
first, our thought must enter into the thought of the Bible; and second, our
spirit must enter into the spirit of the Bible. You must think as the
writer-whether Paul, Peter or John-when he is writing the Word. Your thought
must begin where his thought begins, and develop as his develops. You must be
able to reason as he reasons and to exhort as he exhorts. In other words, your
thought must be geared to his thought. This will allow the Spirit to give you
the precise meaning of the Word.
Think of a
person coming to the Bible with his mind already set. He reads the Bible to get
support for his preconceived doctrines. How tragic !
An, experienced person, after hearing such a one speak for five or ten minutes,
can discern whether the speaker is using the Bible for his own ends or if his
thought has entered into the thought of the Bible. There is a difference in
realm here. One may stand up and give a pleasing, seemingly scriptural message,
but actually his thought is contradictory to the thought of the Bible. Or we
may hear someone preach whose thought expresses the thought of the Bible and is
therefore harmonious and united with it. Though this condition should be the
norm, not all reach it. To unite our thought with the thought of the Bible, we
need to have the outward man broken. Do not think our Bible reading is poor
because of a lack of instruction. The defect is rather in us because our
thoughts have not been subdued by God. So to be broken is to cease from our own
activities and from our subjective thinking, and to gradually begin to touch
the mind of the Lord and follow the trend of thought of the Bible. Not until
the outward man is broken, can we enter into the thought of God's Word.
Now while
this is important, we have yet to mention the primary matter. The Bible is more
than words, ideas and thoughts. Thus the most outstanding feature of the Bible
is that God's Spirit is released through this Book. When a writer, whether
Peter, John, Matthew or Mark, is inspired by the Holy Spirit, his renewed mind
follows the inspired thought and his spirit is released with the Holy Spirit.
The world cannot understand that there is a spirit in God's Word, and that that
spirit can be released just as it is manifested in prophetic ministry. Today if
you are listening to a prophetic message, you will realize that there is a
mystic something other than word and thought present. This you can clearly
sense, and may well call it the spirit in God's Word.
There is
not only THOUGHT in the Bible; the SPIRIT ITSELF comes forth. Thus, it is only
when your spirit can come out and touch the spirit of the Bible that you can
understand what the Bible says. To illustrate, let's think of a naughty boy who
deliberately breaks a neighbor's window. The neighbor comes out and gives him
quite a tongue-lashing. When the boy's mother learns of the mischief, she also
rebukes him severely. But somehow there is a difference in spirit between the
two scoldings. The one is ill-tempered, given in an
angry spirit ; the other expresses love, hope, and
training. This is just a simple example. The Spirit who inspires the writing of
the Scriptures is the eternal Spirit, ever present in the Bible. If our outward
man has been broken, our spirit is released and can touch that Spirit who
inspires the Scriptures. Otherwise, the Bible will remain as a dead book in our
hands.
(2) Ministry of the Word: God desires that we understand His Word,
for this is the starting point of spiritual service. He is equally anxious to
put His Word as a burden in our spirit so that we may use it to minister to the
Church. In Acts 6:4 we read, "But we will give ourselves up to prayer and
the ministry of the word." "Ministry" means serving. So the
ministry of the word means serving people with the Word of God.
In
ministry what is our difficulty that we fail to release the word within us?
Often one may be heavily burdened with a word which he feels he must
communicate to the brethren. However, as he stands to speak sentence after
sentence, the inner burden remains as heavy as ever. Even after an hour has
passed, there is no sense of relief, and finally he must leave as heavily
burdened as when he came. Why? It is because his outward man has not been
broken. Instead of being a help, the soul faculties become an obstacle to the
inward man.
Yet once
the outward man is broken, utterance is no longer a problem. One can then think
of appropriate words to express his inner feeling. Through release, the inner
burden is lightened. This is the way to minister God's Word to the Church. So
we repeat: the outward man is the greatest hindrance to the ministry of the
Word.
Many have
the erroneous notion that clever people are best able to be used. How wrong ! No matter how clever you are, the outward man can
never substitute for the inward man. Only after the outward man is broken can
the inward find adequate thought and appropriate words. The shell of the
outward man must be smashed by God. The more it is shattered, the more the life
in the spirit is released. As long as this shell remains intact, the burden in
the spirit cannot be released, nor can God's life and power flow from you to
the Church. It is mostly through the ministry of the Word that God's life and
power are supplied. Unless your inward man is released, people can only hear
your voice; they cannot touch life. You may have a word to give, but others
fail to receive; you have no means of utterance.
The
difficulty is that the life within fails to flow out. There is a word within. you, but you cannot utter it. The work of God is going on
within, yet it cannot be manifested because of the obstacle without. God does
not have a free way in you.
(3) Preaching the Gospel: There is a common misconception that
people believe the gospel because they have been either mentally convinced of
the doctrinal correctness or emotionally stirred by its appeal. In actual fact,
those who respond to the gospel for either of these two reasons do not last
long. Intellect and emotion need to be reached, but these alone are
insufficient. Mind may reach mind and emotion may reach emotion, but salvation
probes much deeper. Spirit must touch spirit. Only when the spirit of the
preacher blossoms forth and shines do sinners fall down and capitulate to God.
This is the proper spirit necessary in preaching the gospel.
A miner
greatly used by God wrote a book called SEEN AND HEARD, in which he relates his
experiences in preaching the gospel. We were deeply touched in reading this
book. Though just an ordinary brother, neither highly educated nor especially
gifted, he offered himself wholly to the Lord and was mightily used by Him. One
thing characterized him: He was a broken man; his spirit was pure. While in a
meeting listening to a preacher, he was so burdened for souls that he asked the
preacher for permission to speak. He went to the pulpit, but no words came. His
inner man so burned with a passion for souls that his tears gushed forth in
torrents. In all, he managed to utter just a few incoherent sentences. Yet God's
Spirit filled that meeting place; people were convicted of their sins and their
lost estate. Here was a young man who was broken-had few words, but when his
spirit came forth people were mightily moved. In reading his autobiography, we
recognize that here was one whose spirit was wholly released. He was the
instrument for saving many in his lifetime.
This is
the way to preach the gospel. Whenever you see someone who is unsaved, you
sense you should give him the gospel. You must allow your spirit to be released.
To preach the gospel is purely a matter of having the outward -man broken so
that the inward man can flow forth and touch others. When your spirit touches
another's spirit, God's Spirit quickens that spirit which is in darkness so
that one may be wonderfully saved. However, if your spirit is bound by the
outward man, God has no outlet in you and the gospel is blocked. This is why we
focus so much attention on the dealing with the outward man. If we lack that
dealing, we are powerless to win souls, though we may have all the doctrines
memorized. Salvation comes when our spirit touches another's spirit. Then that
soul cannot but prostrate himself at God's feet. Oh Beloved, when our spirit is
truly released, souls will surely be saved.
Once
people are saved, God does not want them to wait before dealing with sins, to
wait more years before consecration, and to wait still longer before answering
the call to really follow the Lord. As soon as people believe, they should
immediately turn from their sins, wholly consecrate themselves to the Lord, and
break the power of mammon. Their story should be like those recorded in the
Gospels and in the Acts. To restore the gospel to its glory, the Lord must have
a way in the lives of the messengers of the gospel.
In these
years we have been *wholly convinced the Lord is working toward recovery. The
gospel of grace and the gospel of the kingdom must be joined together. In the
Gospels, these two are never separated. Only in later years does it seem that
those who have heard the gospel of grace know little or nothing of the gospel
of the kingdom. Thus the two have been separated. But the time is ripe for them
to be united, so that people are thoroughly saved, forsaking everything and
wholly consecrating themselves to the Lord.
Let us bow
our heads before the Lord and acknowledge that the gospel and the messengers of
the gospel must be recovered. For the gospel to enter into men we must allow
God to be manifested through us. As the effective preaching of the gospel
requires more power, so the messengers of the gospel must pay a higher price.
We must put everything on the altar. Let us pray thus :
"Lord, I put my all on the altar. Find a way through me that the Church
may also find in me a way. I would not be one who blocks Thee and blocks the
Church."
The Lord
Jesus never restricted God in any way. For nearly two thousand years, God has
been working in the Church towards the day when the Church will no longer
restrict Him. As Christ fully manifests God, so shall it be with the Church.
Step by step God is instructing and dealing with His children; again and again
we sense His hand upon us. So shall it be until that day when the Church is
indeed the full manifestation of God. Today let us turn to the Lord and confess : "Lord, we are ashamed. We have delayed Thy
work; we have hindered Thy life; we have blocked the spread of the gospel, and
we have limited Thy power." Individually in our hearts let us commit
ourselves to Him afresh, saying : "Lord, I put my
all on the altar, that Thou mayest get a way in
me." If we expect the gospel to be fully recovered, we must thoroughly
consecrate ourselves to God even like those in the early Church. For the gospel
to be recovered, consecration must be recovered. Both must be thorough. May God
have an outlet through us.
For the
outward man to be broken, a full consecration is imperative. Yet we must
understand that this crisis act alone will not solve our whole problem in
service. Consecration is merely an expression of our willingness to be in the
hands of God, and it can take place in just a few minutes. Do not think God can
FINISH His dealings with us in this short time. As we are willing to offer
ourselves completely to God, we are just starting on the spiritual road. It is
like entering the gate. After consecration, there must be the discipline of the
Holy Spirit-this is the pathway. It takes consecration plus the discipline of
the Holy Sprit to make us vessels fit for the Master's use. Without consecration,
the Holy Spirit encounters difficulty in disciplining us. Yet consecration
cannot serve as a substitute for His discipline.
Here then
is a vital distinction : our consecration can only be
according to the measure of our spiritual insight and understanding, but the
Holy Spirit disciplines according to His own light. We really do not know how
much our consecration involves. Our light is so limited that when it seems to
us to be at its greatest, in God's view it is like pitch blackness. God's
requirement so far exceeds what we can possibly consecrate-i.e.
in our limited light. The discipline of the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is
meted out to us according to our need as seen in God's own light. He knows our
special need, and so by His Spirit He orders our circumstances in such a way as
to bring about the breaking of the outward man. Notice how far the discipline
of the Holy Spirit transcends our consecration.
Since the
Holy Spirit works according to the light of God, His discipline is thorough and
complete. We often wonder at the things which befall us, yet if left to
ourselves we may be mistaken in our very best choice. The discipline He orders
transcends our understanding. How often we are caught unprepared and conclude
that surely such a drastic thing is not our need. Many times His discipline
descends upon us suddenly without our having prior notice! We may insist we are
living in "the light" but the Holy Spirit is dealing with us
according to God's light. From the time we received Him, He has been ordering
our circumstances for our profit according to His knowledge of us.
The
working of the Holy Spirit in our lives has its positive as well as its
negative side-i.e. both a constructive and a
destructive phase. After we are born again, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, but
our outward man so often deprives Him of His freedom. It is like trying to walk
in a pair of ill-fitting new shoes. Because our outward and inward man are at
variance with each other, God must employ whatever means He thinks effective in
breaking down any stronghold over which our inward man has no control.
It is not
by the supply of grace to the inward man that the Holy Spirit breaks the
outward. Of course, God wants the inward man to be strong, but His method is to
utilize external means to decrease our outward man. It would be well nigh
impossible for the inward man to accomplish this, since these two are so
different in nature that they can scarcely inflict any wound on each other.
Accordingly the nature of the outward man and that of external things are
similar; thus the former can be easily affected by the latter. External things
can strike the outward man most painfully. So it is that God uses external
things in dealing with our outward man.
You
remember the Bible says that two sparrows are sold for a farthing (Matt. 10:29)
and that five sparrows are sold for two farthings (Lk.
12-:6). This is certainly cheap, and the fifth sparrow is included free.
However, "one of them shall not fall to ground without your Father ; but of you even the hairs of the head are all
numbered" (Matt. 10:29, 30). Not only is every hair counted, but every
single one is also numbered. Hence we may be sure that all our circumstances
are ordered by God. Nothing is accidental.
God's
ordering is according to His knowledge of our needs, and with a view to the
shattering of our outward man. Knowing that a certain external thing will thus
affect us, He arranges for us to encounter it once, twice, and even more. Do
you not realize that all the events of your life for the past five or ten years
were ordered by God for your education? If you murmured and complained, you
grievously failed to recognize His hand. If you thought you were just
unfortunate, you were in ignorance of the discipline of the Holy Spirit.
Remember that whatever happens to us is measured by the hand of God for our
supreme good. Though probably it is not what we would choose, God knows what is
best for us. Where would we be today had God not so disciplined us through
ordering our circumstances? It is this very thing which keeps us pure and
walking in His pathway. How foolish are those who have murmurings in their
mouths and rebellion in their hearts at the very things the Holy Spirit has
measured to them for their good.
As soon as
we are saved, the Holy Spirit begins to deal out discipline; but He cannot act
freely until our consecration is complete. After one is saved but not yet
consecrated, and while he still loves himself much more than the Lord, the Holy
Spirit is nonetheless working to bring him under control and break down his
outward man that He may work unhinderedly.
Finally,
there comes a time when you realize that you cannot live BY yourself and FOR
yourself. In the dim light you have, you come to God and say: "I
consecrate myself to Thee. Come life or death, I have committed myself into Thy
hands." This will strengthen the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Herein lies thee importance of consecration : it
allows the Holy Spirit to work without restriction. So think it not strange
when many unexpected things befall you after your consecration.
You have
told the Lord : "Lord ! Do whatever Thou deemest best in my life." Now that you have thus put
yourself unconditionally in His hands, the Holy Spirit can freely work in you.
To wholeheartedly decide to follow <, the Lord, you must pay close attention
to the disciplinary work of the Holy Spirit.
God has
been bestowing His grace upon us from the day we were saved. The ways by which
we may receive grace from God are called the "means of grace." Prayer
and listening to a message are two examples, for through them we can draw near
to God and receive grace. This descriptive term, "the means of
grace," has been universally accepted by the Church down through the centuries.
We receive grace through meetings, through messages, through prayers, and so
forth. But surely the greatest means of grace which we cannot afford to neglect
is the discipline of the Holy Spirit. Nothing can be compared with this means
of grace-not prayer, Bible readings, meetings, messages, meditation, or praise.
Among all the God-given means of grace, it would seem this is the most
important.
Tracing
this means of grace can show us how far we have gone with the Lord. What we
experience daily, at home or school or factory or on the road, is ordered by the Holy Spirit for our highest benefit. If we
are not profited by this greatest means of grace, we suffer terrible loss. None
of the other means can replace it, precious though they all are. Messages feed
us, prayer restores us, God's Word refreshes us, and helping others releases
our spirit. But should our outward man remain strong, we give all who contact
us the impression of being mixed and impure. People will recognize our zeal but
also our mixed motives, our love toward the Lord but also our love for ourself. They feel we are a
precious brother, yet a difficult one, for our outward man has not been broken.
Let us not forget, though we are built up through messages, prayer, and the Bible ; the greatest means of edification is the discipline
of the Holy Spirit.
Henceforth
there must be on our part a complete consecration so that we submit to what the
Holy Spirit orders. Such submission brings blessing to us.-If, instead, we
quarrel with God and follow our own inclinations, we shall miss the way. Once
we realize that all of God's orderings are for our highest profit, even things
troublesome to us, and are willing toy accept these as disciplinary measures
from Him, we shall see how the Holy Spirit will make use of all things in
dealing with us.
Whatever
the things to which you are bound, God will deal with them one after another.
Not even such trivialities as clothing, eating or drinking can escape the
careful hand of the Holy Spirit. He will not neglect one area in your life. You
may even be ignorant of your affinity for a certain thing, but He knows and
will deal with it most thoroughly. Until the day comes when all these things
are destroyed, you do not know perfect liberty. In these dealings you can
finally recognize the thoroughness of the Holy Spirit. Things long forgotten
are brought to mind by the Lord. God's works are perfect,
and nothing less than perfection can satisfy Him. He cannot stop short.
Sometimes He will deal with you through others, arranging for you to be with
someone whom you are angry with, or whom you despise or are jealous of; or very
often it is with those you love. Before this you did not know how unclean and
mixed you were, but afterwards you realize how much "rubbish" there
is in you. You thought you were wholly for the Lord, but after receiving the
discipline of the Holy Spirit, you begin to see how far-reaching are the effects external things have upon you.
Then again
the hand of God may touch our thought life. We discover that our thoughts are
confused, independent, uncontrolled. We feign to be wiser than others. Then it
is that the Lord allows us to crash into a wall and hit the dust-all to show us
that we dare not use our thoughts inordinately. Once we have been enlightened
in this, we shall fear our own thoughts as fire. Just as a hand withdraws
immediately from a flame, so we shall instantly draw back when we encounter our
uncontrolled thoughts. We shall remind ourselves. "This is not what I
should think ; I am afraid to pursue my own
thoughts."
Further,
God will so arrange our circumstances as to deal with our emotions. Some people
are extremely emotional. When they are elated, they cannot contain themselves;
when they are depressed, they cannot be comforted. Their whole life revolves
around their emotions, with their elation resulting in dissipation and their
depression in inactivity. How does God rectify this? He places them in
situations where they dare not be too happy when elated, nor too sad when
depressed. They can only depend upon the grace of God and live by His mercy,
not by their fickle emotions.
Although
difficulties with thoughts and emotions are quite common, the greatest and most
prevalent difficulty is with the will. Our emotions run wild because our wills
have not been dealt with. The root is in our will. The same is true with our
thoughts. We may be able to mouth the word, "Not my will but Thine be done," but how often do we really allow the
Lord to take over when things happen? The less you know yourself, the more
easily you utter such words. The less you are enlightened, the easier
submission to God seems to be. lie who speaks cheaply
has proved he has never paid the price.
Only after
being dealt with by God do we really see how hard we are and how ready we are
to have our own opinion. God must deal with us to make our wills tender and
docile. Strong-willed people are convinced their feelings, ways and judgments
are always right. Consider how Paul received this grace recorded in
Philippians. "Do not trust in flesh" (3:3).
We must also be led by God to such a place that we dare not trust our own
judgment. God will allow us to make mistake after mistake until we realize that
this will be our pattern for the future too. We truly need the grace of the
Lord. Frequently the Lord permits us to reap serious consequences from our own
judgments.
Finally,
you will be so stricken by your failures that you will say: "I fear my own
judgment as I fear hell fire. Lord, I am prone to mistakes. Unless Thou art
merciful to me, unless Thou dost support me, unless Thou dost restrain me with
Thy hand, I will be wrong again." This is the beginning of the destruction
of the outward man when you dare no longer to trust yourself. Your opinions
usually come easily until you have been dealt with repeatedly by God and have
suffered many failures. Then you yield and say :
"God, I dare not think, I dare not decide." This is the discipline of
the Holy Spirit: when all kinds of things and all sorts of people are pressing
from all directions.
Do not
think there will be any slackening of this lesson! Very often the supply of the
Word may be lacking or another means of grace may be insufficient, yet this
special means of grace-the discipline of the Holy Spiritis
ever with us. You may say you have no opportunity to hear and be supplied by
the Word, yet this can never be true of the discipline of the Holy Spirit.
Daily He is arranging ample opportunities for you to learn.
Once you
yield yourself to God, this discipline will meet your need to a far greater
extent than that of the Word. It is not just for the learned, the clever, the gifted; no, it is the way for every child of God. The
supply of the Word, the grace of prayer, the fellowship of the believers -none
of these can substitute for the discipline of the Holy Spirit. This is because
you need not only to be built up; you need also to be destroyed, to be
delivered of all the many things in your life that cannot be brought over into
eternity.
The Cross
is more than a doctrine ; it must be put into
practice. Do not think that the way to humility is to be constantly reminding
ourselves not to be proud. We must be stricken again and again-even if it means
twenty times-until we are surrendered and proud no more. Let us never assume
this comes about merely by following the teaching of a certain brother. No, it
is because our pride has been broken through God's dealing.
Through
the operation of the Cross we shall learn to depend upon the grace of God, not
on our memory. Whether we remember or not, the fact remains, He is
accomplishing a work which is dependable and lasting. Formerly, the outward and
the inward man were not able to join hands; but now the outward man waits
meekly, in fear and trembling, before God.
Everyone of us is in
need of this discipline from the Lord. As we review our past history, we cannot
but see the hand of God in dealing with the independence, pride, and
selfishness of our outward man. We discover the meaning of the things that have
happened to us.
God
desires not only to break down the outward man, but also to divide it so that
it may no longer be entangled in the activities of the inward man. Or, we may
simply say, God wants to divide our spirit and soul.
How rare
it is these days to find a pure spirit. Usually whenever our spirit comes
forth, so does our soul ; they are mixed. So the first
requirement in God's work is a pure, not a powerful spirit. Those who neglect
this, though their work may be done in power, will find it destroyed due to the
lack of purity. Though they may truly possess the power of God, yet because
their spirit is mixed, they are destroying what they build. Let us see if we
can understand how this is.
Some may
think that as long as they receive power from God, all their natural abilities
will be owned of Him. Not so ! The more we know God,
the more we know and love a pure spirit-a purity which allows no mingling of
the outward with the inward. One whose outward man has not been dealt with
cannot expect the power that flows from within him to be pure. For spiritual
power to be mixed as it comes from oneself, even. if
the results seem good, constitutes a sin before God.
Many young
brothers, knowing well that the gospel is the power of God, still insinuate
their own cleverness, their jests, and their personal feelings into their
preaching of the gospel ; thus people touch them as well as God's power. Though
they themselves may not sense it, others who are pure in spirit will instantly
detect such impurities. How often our zeal in labor is mixed with natural
pleasure. We are doing the will of God because it happens to coincide with
ours. In standing firm for God we are merely expressing our strong personality.
Since our
greatest problem is this impurity, God must so work in our lives that our
outward man is broken and we are refined of our impurities. While God is
breaking our hard outer shell, He is also doing the work of refining. Thus we
see His twofold dealings with us: BREAKING DOWN THE OUTWARD MAN, and DIVIDING
IT FROM THE SPIRIT. The first is done through the discipline of the Holy
Spirit, while the latter is through the Spirit's revelation.
The
outward man needs to be broken for the spirit to be released. But when the
spirit comes forth, it must not be shadowed by the outward man. This problem
takes us further than the release of the spirit, for it touches upon the
spirit's cleanliness or purity.
If one is
not enlightened as to the nature of the outward man, and is thus not strictly
judged before God, his outward man will automatically come out together with
his spirit. While he is ministering before God, we can tell that he himself has
also come out. He may exhibit God, but he also exhibits his unjudged
self. Is it not strange that our most prominent part, our strongest point,
always touches others? Our unjudged outward man will
project his strongest point on others. This is beyond pretension. How can you
expect to become spiritual in the pulpit if you are not spiritual in your room?
Can you project yourself into spirituality? However hard you may try, you stand
revealed whenever you open your mouth.
If you
truly desire to be delivered, God must deal with your strong point in a basic
way, not just superficially. Only after He has broken you in this can your
spirit be released without impurities being inflicted
upon others.
Impurity
is the biggest problem in the lives of God's servants. Frequently we touch both
life and death in our brother. We find God but also self, a meek spirit but
also stubbornness, the Holy Spirit but also the flesh-all in the same person.
When he stands up to speak, he impresses others with a mixed spirit, a spirit
which is not clean. Thus, for God to use you as a minister of His Word, for you
to be God's mouthpiece, you must seek God's favor by praying
: "0 God, do a work in me, to break, to divide, my outward
man." Otherwise, the Lord's Name will suffer loss. You are giving to men that which is of yourself while ministering the Word. The
Lord's Name does not suffer because of your lack of life, but because of your
flow of impurities. The Church likewise suffers.
Now that
we have considered the discipline of the Holy Spirit, what about the revelation
of the Holy Spirit? The discipline of the Spirit may precede His revelation, or
may follow. There is no fixed order; with some He may begin with His
discipline, in others with His revelation. However, it is certain that the
discipline of the Holy Spirit exceeds His revelation. We are referring of
course to the experience of God's children, and not to doctrine. To most, it
will seem that discipline plays a much larger part than revelation.
"For
the word of God is living and operative, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow,
and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is not a
creature unapparent before Him; but all things are naked and laid bare to His
eyes, with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:12,13).
The first
thing to be noticed is that the Word of God is living. His Word is sure to be
living when we see it. For if we do not find it living; we simply have failed
to see the Word. We may have read over the words of the Bible, but if we do not
touch something living, we do not see God's Word.
John 3:16
says : "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believes on Him may not perish, but have life eternal."
Consider how one hears such a word; he kneels down and prays
: "Lord, I thank Thee and praise Thee, for Thou hast loved me and
saved me!" We immediately know this man has touched the Word of God, for
the Word has become living to him. Another man may sit by his side, listening
to the very same words but not actually hear the Word of God. There is no
living response from him. We can draw just one conclusion :
since God's Word is living, he who listens and does not live, has not heard the
Word of God.
Not only
is the Word of God living; it is also operative. "Living" points to
its nature, while "operative" applies to its ability to fulfill the
work on man. God's Word cannot return void ; it will
prevail and accomplish its purpose. It is not mere word, but word that will so
operate as to produce results.
What then
does God's Word do for us? It penetrates and divides. It is sharper than any
two-edged sword. Its sharpness is demonstrated in the "penetrating to the
division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow." Note the analogy here : the two-edged sword against joints and marrow, and
the Word of God against soul and spirit. Joints and marrow are embedded deeply
in the human body. To separate the joints is to cut across the bones; to divide
the marrow is to crack the bones. The two-edged sword is able to work thus in
our mystical body. Only two things are harder to be divided than the joints and
marrow ; the soul and spirit. No sword, however sharp,
can divide them. riven so we
are wholly unable to distinguish between what is soul and what is spirit. Yet
the Scripture tells us how the Living Word can do the job, for it is sharper
than any two-edged sword. God's Word is living, operative, and able to
penetrate and divide. It is the soul and spirit of man which are thus
penetrated and divided.
Perhaps
someone may raise this question : "It doesn't
seem that the Word of God has done anything special in me. I have often heard
God's words and even received revelation, but I do not know what penetrating
is, nor do I understand this dividing. As far as I can tell, I am a stranger to
both these processes."
How does
the Bible answer this question for us? It says "penetrating to the
division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow," but it also goes
on to say it is "a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart." "Thoughts" refers to what we deliberate in our heart and
"intents" to our motives. Thus the Word of God is able to discern
both what we think and what motivates the thinking.
Too often
we can easily identify what comes from the outward man. We quite glibly
confess, "This was soulish, for it came from
self." But we do not really "see" what the soul or self is. Then
one day God's mercy comes to us, His light shines upon us and His voice
announces to us with severity and solemnity: "What you frequently refer to
as your self IS your self.? You have talked lightly
and easily about the flesh. You must "see" how God hates this and
will not allow such to continue."
Before
this "seeing" we have been able to jokingly talk about the flesh ; but once we are stricken with light, we shall
confess: "Ah, this is it! This is what I have talked about." Thus we
have more than an ;intellectual dividing. It is the
Word of God that comes upon us to point out to us what we conceive and purpose
in our heart. We receive a two-fold enlightenment: how our thoughts originate
from the flesh, and how our intentions are entirely selfish.
To
illustrate this let us consider two unconverted persons. One is aware that he
is a 'sinner. He has been to many meetings and heard many messages on sin.
Clear preaching has brought him to acknowledge himself as a sinner. Yet when he
thus refers to himself, he can mention it laughingly, as if it does not really
matter. Another hears the same messages, and the light of God shines upon him.
The Spirit so convicts him that he prostrates himself on the ground and prays : "Oh, this is what I am-a sinner!" Not only
has he heard, by the Word of God, that he is a sinner, he has also
"seen" that this is his true condition. He condemns himself. He is
stricken to the ground. Thus enlightened, he can confess his sin and receive
the salvation of the Lord. He will' henceforth never speak lightly or jokingly
of the sin he has "seen." But the first one, who can jokingly
describe himself as a sinner, has not "seen" and hence is not saved.
How do you
react to this message today that your outward man seriously interferes with God
and must be broken by Him? If you can begin talking about it freely and easily,
it surely has not touched you. If, on the other hand.,
you are enlightened by it, you will say, "Oh Lord, today I begin to know
myself. Until now I have not recognized my outward man." And as the light
of God surrounds you, uncovering your outward man, you fall to the ground, no
longer able to stand. Instantly you "see" what you are.
Once you
said you loved the Lord, but under God's light, you find it is not so-you
really love yourself. This light really divides you and sets you apart. You are
inwardly separated, not by your mentality, nor by mere teaching, but by God's
light. Once you said you were zealous for the Lord, but now the light of God
shows you that your zeal was entirely stirred by your own flesh and blood. You
thought you loved sinners while preaching the gospel, but now the light has come,
and you discover that your preaching the gospel stems
mainly from your love of action, your delight in speaking, your natural
inclination. The deeper this divine light shines, the more the intent and
thought of your heart is revealed. Once you assumed that your thoughts and
intents were of the Lord, but in this piercing light you know they are entirely
of yourself. Such light brings you down before God.
Too often
what we supposed to be of the Lord proves to be of ourselves. Though we had
proclaimed that our messages were given by the Lord, now the light of heaven
compels us to confess that the Lord has not spoken to us, or, if He has, how
little He has said. How much of the Lord's work, so-called, turns out to be
carnal activities! This unveiling of the real nature of things enlightens us to
the true knowledge of what is OF ourselves and what is OF the Lord, how much is
FROM THE SOUL and how much is FROM THE SPIRIT. How wonderful if we can announce : His light has shone ; our spirit and soul are
divided, and the thoughts and intents of our heart are discerned.
You who
have experienced this know it is beyond mere teaching. All efforts to
distinguish what is of self and what is of the Lord, to separate what things
are from the outward man and what are of the inward man-even to the extent of
listing them item by item and then memorizing them-have proved to be so much
wasted effort. You continue to behave just as usual, for you cannot thus get
rid of your outward man. You may be able to condemn the flesh, you may be proud
that you can identify such and such as belonging to the flesh, but you still
are not delivered from it.
Deliverance
comes from the light of God. When that light shines, you
immediately. see how superficial and fleshly
has been your denial of the flesh, how natural has been your criticism of the
natural. But now the Lord has laid bare to your eyes the thoughts and intents
of your heart. You fall prostrate before Him and say :
"Oh, Lord ! Now I know these things are really from my outward man. Only this
light can really divide my outward from my inner."
So it is
that even our denial of the outward man, and our determination to reject it,
will not help. Yes, even the very confession of our sin is for naught, and our
tears of repentance need to be washed in the blood. How foolish to imagine that
we could expose our sin! Only in His Light shall we "see" and be
exposed. It must be His work by the Spirit, not our efforts of the soul-i.e. out of our own mind. This is God's only way.
This is
why God says, "My Word is living and effectual. My sword is the sharpest
of all. When my Word comes to man, it is able to divide the soul and spirit,
just as a two-edged sword can divide the joints and marrow."
How does
it divide? By revealing the thought and intent of our heart.
We do not know our own heart. Be- - loved, only those who are in the light know
their own heart. No one else does, not one ! Yet when
God's Word comes, we "see." We are exposed as self-centered, seeking
only gratification, glory, pre-eminence, and prestige for self. How blessed is
that light which causes us to fall down at His feet.
The
Scripture we have been considering continues thus :
"And there is not a creature unapparent before Him; but all things are
naked and laid bare to His eyes, with Whom we have to do." Here the Lord
gives us the standard or criterion for dividing. What constitutes a revelation
by the Holy Spirit? How much must we see before it is a revelation? Verse 13
can help us answer this. REVELATION ENABLES US TO SEE WHAT GOD SEES. All things
are naked and laid bare before Him. Any covering is
upon our own eyes, not God's. When God opens our eyes that we may know the
intent of our heart and the deepest thought within us in the measure that He
Himself knows us-this is revelation. As we are naked and laid bare before Him,
so are we before ourselves as we receive revelation. This is revelation
: to allow us to see what our Lord sees.
Should God
be merciful to us and grant us even a small measure of revelation, so that we
can see ourselves as we are seen by Him, we shall immediately be smitten to the
ground. We need not try to be humble. Those who live in the light cannot be
proud. It is only while dwelling in darkness that we can be proud. Outside of
God's light, men can be arrogant and haughty; but under the revelation of the
light, they can only prostrate themselves before Him.
As you
proceed it becomes 'more evident that it is extremely difficult to explain this
matter of dividing the natural from the spiritual, the outward from the inward.
Only as there is revelation, is the problem solved. Whenever you are enabled to
discern the thoughts and intents of your heart, you can be sure your soul and
spirit are being divided.
If you
desire to be used by God, sooner or later you will let the light shine upon
you. You will turn to Him and say : "Oh God, I am
absolutely unreliable. I do not know whom I am accusing, nor
what sin I am confessing. Only in Thy light am I able to know." Before you
receive enlightenment, you may say you are a sinner, but you lack a sinner's
contrition; you may think you hate yourself, but you have no real sense of
self-abhorrence ; you may say you deny yourself, but
the feeling of abnegation is missing. Once the light comes, the surface scab is
pulled away and the "real" or "original" is revealed. What
an unveiling to see I only love myself ; to see I am deceived, and cheating the
Lord ; to see I do not love Him. This light shows you what you are and what you
have been, doing. Henceforth you will have the inner knowledge of what belongs
to self. Without this judgment by the light, you cannot even imitate, but now
as the light of God judges, spirit and soul are divided: imitation is
impossible.
What the
Lord does is to pierce into our inner man with a penetrating light. It may
happen while we are listening to a message, or praying by ourselves, or
fellowshipping with others, or even walking alone. This incomparable light
shows us how much belongs to ourselves. It reveals to us that scarcely anything
that proceeds is from the Lord. In conversation, in activities, in works, in
zeal, in preaching, in helping others-in every field of life how all-pervading
is our self. Yet once our hidden self is, brought to light, our condemnation of
the outward man will be spontaneous. On subsequent occasions, whenever it
expresses itself, we will instantly regret it and judge it. It is only after
such enlightenment that we are able to divide the spirit and soul. We will
henceforth live before the Lord with our spirit released. It is pure now and
offers no difficulty to the Lord.
Thus the
dividing of spirit and soul depends upon enlightenment; that is, we are able to
see as God sees. Just what does God see? He sees what we do not see. We are
blind to what is of ourselves, thinking it is of God while actually it is not.
What we professed to be good, by that light we now condemn. What we considered
as right, we now reject. What passed for spiritual we now recognize as soulish.
And what we thought was of God, we now know to be of self. We confess : "Lord ! Now I come to know myself. I have
been blind for twenty or thirty years, and I did not realize it. I have not
seen as Thou hast seen."
Such a
seeing delivers you from the dead weight of self. Seeing is His dealing. The
Word of God is effective, for it enlightens you to the casting off of the
outward man. It is not that after you have heard the Word of God you gradually
change yourself, as if seeing is one; step and casting off another. No
enlightenment is casting off ; the two occur
simultaneously. As soon as the light strikes, the flesh is dead. No flesh can
live in that light. The moment one comes into the light, he prostrates himself.
The light has dried up his flesh, Beloved, this is effectiveness. Indeed the
Word of God is living and operative. God does not speak and then wait for you
to produce. His Word is effective in your life.
May the
Lord open our eyes to see the importance of the discipline of the Holy Spirit
and His revelation. These two join hands in dealing
effectively with our outward man. Let us look to God for His grace to enable us
to place ourselves under His light and to be so enlightened as to bow before
Him, acknowledging : "Lord, how foolish and blind I have been all these
years in mistaking what flows from me as coming from Thee. Lord, be merciful to
me!"
Whether we
can do the Lord's work depends not so much on OUR WORDS OR ACTIONS, but rather
on what COMES FORTH from us. We are not able to edify others if we say one thing
and emit from our lives another thing, if we act one way and live another way, What emanates from us is an important consideration.
We often
say that our impression of a certain person is good or bad. How do we receive
such an impression? It is not just from his words, nor even from his actions. A
mysterious something expresses itself while he is speaking or acting. It is
this which gives us the impression.
What
others sense in us is our most outstanding feature. If our mind has never been
dealt with and is undisciplined, naturally we shall use our mind to contact
people, and they will be struck by its forcefulness. Or if we possess an
inordinate affection, if we are overly warm or cold, others will take note of
this in their impression of us. Whatever our strongest characteristic is, it
invariably will stand out and impress others. We may be able to control our
speech or action, but we are unable to restrain that which expresses our
nature. What we are, we cannot but reveal.
II Kings 4
recounts how the Shunammite received Elisha.
"And it came to pass on a day that Elisha passed to Shunem,
where was a wealthy woman, and she constrained him to eat bread. And-so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to
eat bread. And she said to her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a
holy man of God,, who passes by us continually."
Note that Elisha preached no sermon, worked no miracle. He merely dropped in
and ate whenever he was passing that way. By the way he ate, the woman
recognized him as a holy man of God. This was the impression Elisha gave to
others.
We should
ask ourselves, what impression do I give to others? How often we have
emphasized the need for our outward man to be broken. If this brokenness is not
accomplished, others meet the impact of our outward man. Whenever we are in
their presence they are made uncomfortable. by our
self-love, or pride, or obstinacy, or cleverness, or eloquence. Perhaps the
impression we leave is a favorable one, but is God being satisfied? Will such
an impression meet the Church's need ? If God is not
satisfied, and the Church is not helped, any impression we leave is for naught.
Beloved,
God's full intention requires that our spirit bee released. It is imperative
for the growth of the Church. How urgent, then, that our outward man be broken ! Without this breaking our spirit cannot come forth,
and the impression we leave with others will not be a spiritual one.
Suppose a
brother is speaking on the Holy Spirit. Though his subject is the Holy Spirit,
his words, his attitudes, and his illustrations are full of himself. Perhaps
without knowing why, the audience inwardly suffers while listening to him. His
mouth is full of the Holy Spirit, yet the impression he leaves with his
listeners is of himself. What is the spiritual value
of such empty talk? None.
Rather
than stressing teaching, let us place more emphasis on what it is that comes
forth from us. God is not watching to see if our teaching becomes deeper; He
wants to lay hold of us as individuals. If our nature is not properly dealt
with, we may give forth so-called spiritual teaching, but there is no spiritual
impartation. How tragic when we merely impress the outward man yet do not
impart something of a life impression to the inward man !
Again and
again God arranges our circumstances to break us in our strong point. You may
be stricken once, twice, but still the third blow must come. God will not let
you go. He will not stay His hand until He has broken that prominent feature in
you.
What the
Holy Spirit accomplishes when we are being disciplined is totally different
from what happens when we are hearing a message. A message we hear may often
remain in our mind for several months, possibly even years, before its truth
will become operative in us. Thus the hearing often precedes the real entering
into life. However, through the disciplining of the Holy Spirit, we more
quickly see the truth and thus possess it. How strange that we grasp mere
knowledge through a message much faster than we learn reality through discipline ! Once we hear, we remember. But we may be
disciplined ten times and still wonder why. The day discipline accomplishes its
purpose is the day you really "see" the truth and enter into its
reality. So the work of the Holy Spirit is to break you down on the one hand
and to build you up on the other. Thus your heart will say :
"Thanks be unto the Lord. Now I know that His disciplining hand upon me
for these past five or ten years has been just to break this strong point in
me."
Having
considered the disciplinary working of the Holy Spirit, now let us see how He
employs another means to deal with our outward man. Besides discipline there
will be enlightenment. Sometimes these two are used simultaneously, sometimes
alternately. At times the discipline is shown in circumstances aimed at
leveling our outstanding feature : at other times God
graciously shines upon us to enlighten us. The flesh, as we know, lives$ hidden
in darkness. Many works of the flesh are allowed to exist because they axe not
recognized by us as such. Once His light reveals the flesh to us we tremble,
not daring to move.
We have
especially observed this at times when the Church is rich in the Word of God.
When the ministry of the Word is strong and there is no lack of prophetic
ministry, light breaks out clear and strong. In such light you come to realize
that even your condemnation of your pride is itself pride. In fact your very
talking against your pride is boastful. Thus as soon as you see pride in the
light, you are sure to say, "Alas! So this is pride-how abhorrent and
unclean it is!" Pride seen in the light of revelation differs completely
from the pride talked about so glibly. Enlightenment exposes the true
condition. Immediately it dawns upon you that you are ten thousand times worse
than any of your preconceived notions of yourself. Right then and there your
pride, your self, your flesh wither away and die with no hope of survival.
Whatever
is revealed "in the light" is slain by it. This is most marvellous. We are not first enlightened and then, with the
passage of time, gradually brought into death. Rather we fall down
instantaneously at the coming of light. As the Holy Spirit reveals, we are
dealt with. Revelation, then, includes both seeing and slaying. It is God's
unique way of dealing. Once the uncleanness is really exposed, it cannot
remain. Therefore light both reveals and slays.
This being
slain by the light is one of the most needful Christian experiences. Paul did
not rush to the roadside and kneel down when the light shone upon him. He fell
to the ground. Though naturally capable and self confident, he reacted to the
light by falling down somewhat perplexed, yet inwardly exposed. How effectual
was this light which struck him to the ground ! Let us
note that this happened all at once. We might assume that God first enlightens
our understanding and then leaves us to work it out. That is not God's way. God
always shows us how hateful and polluted we are, and our immediate response is : "Alas ! What a wretch I am-so unclean, so
despicable!" For God to reveal our true self, is
to fall down as dead. Once a proud person has been truly enlightened, he cannot
so much as make an attempt to be proud any more. The effect of that enlightenment
will have its mark upon him all his days.
On the
other hand, this time of enlightenment is also the time for believing-not for
asking, but for bowing low. God follows the same principle in saving us as He
does in working in us afterwards. When the radiancy
of the gospel shines upon us, we do not pray :
"Lord, I beseech Thee to be my Savior." To pray thus, even for days,
would bring no assurance of salvation. We simply say "Lord, I receive Thee
as my Savior." Instantly salvation happens! In like manner in God's
subsequent working, as soon as light comes upon us, we should immediately
prostrate ourselves under His light and tell the Lord
"Lord, I accept Thy sentence. I agree with Thy judgment." This will
prepare us for more light.
In that hour of unveiling even noble deeds, performed in His name and
in love to Him, will somehow lose their luster. In every highest purpose you will detect the meanest inclination. What
you considered as wholly for God now appears to be riddled with self. Alas! self seems to permeate every vestige of your being, robbing
God of glory.
To man it
has seemed there is no depth which he cannot plumb! Yet it takes God's
revelation to expose our real condition. God will not stop until He lays us
bare that we may see ourselves. At first He alone knows us, for we are always
bare and naked before Him. But once God has disclosed to us the thoughts and
intents of our heart, we are then laid bare before ourselves. How shall we ever
lift up our head again? Leniency with -ourselves becomes a thing of the past.
Though we used to think we were better than others, now we know what we really
are, and we are ashamed to show ourselves. We search in vain for a word
adequate to describe our uncleanness and despicableness. Our shame weighs upon
us, as though we bore the shame of the whole world. Like Job we fall before the
Lord and repent of ourselves : "I abhor myself
and repent in dust and ashes. Surely I am beyond healing."
Such
enlightenment, such self-abhorrence, such shame and humiliation, such repentance
delivers us from the bondage of long years. When the Lord enlightens, He
delivers. Enlightenment is deliverance, and seeing is freedom. Only thus does
our flesh cease to operate, and our outward shell is broken.
Let us
next compare the discipline and the revelation of the Holy Spirit. The
discipline of the Holy Spirit is usually a slower process, repeated time and
again perhaps for years before the point at issue is finally dealt with.
Furthermore this discipline of the Holy Spirit oftentimes exists without any
supply of ministry. Not so with the revelation of the Holy Spirit. This often
comes swiftly, within a few days or possibly a few minutes. Under the light of
God you will see in a very little time your true condition and how useless you
are. Then, too, revelation frequently comes through the supply of the Word.
That is why the revelation of the Holy Spirit multiplies when the Church is
strong and the ministry of the Word is rich.
However,
no one should imagine that in the absence of such rich ministry and flowing
revelation he is then free to live according to his outward man. It is
important to remember that the discipline of the Holy Spirit is still
operative. Though one may be deprived of contact with other believers for
years, the presence of the Holy Spirit with him is an assurance that he can
arrive at a good spiritual state as long as he is responsive to the Spirit's
discipline. While the. weakness of the Church may
result in some members lacking the supply of the Word, yet they have only
themselves to blame if they miss the value of the Spirit's discipline. Further,
their failure does not mean that the Holy Spirit has not or does not discipline
them. Rather, it means that the years of discipline have produced no effect.
Though the Lord has smitten once and again, yet they remained ignorant of its
meaning. Like a stubborn horse or mule void of understanding, they seem not to
fathom the Lord's mind-even after ten years of dealing. How pitiful are such ! We can only make this conclusion; discipline is
plentiful in many lives; but recognizing the hand of the Lord in that
discipline is rare indeed.
How often
when the Lord deals with us we see only the hand of man. This is entirely
wrong. Like the Psalmist our attitude should be, "I was dumb, I opened not
my mouth, for Thou hast done it" (Psalm 39:9). We must remember it is God
who is dealing with us, not our brother or sister or any other person.
Has the
Lord for years disciplined us, but instead of recognizing His hand, we blamed
it on other people or on fate? May we be reminded that EVERYTHING IS MEASURED
BY GOD FOR US. He has predetermined its time, its
boundary, and its force, in order to break our hard-todeal-with
outstanding feature. Oh, may we have the grace to recognize the meaning of His
hand in seeking to shatter this outward man. Until that
happens people will only meet that imperious self when they come in contact
with us. Until that breaking is effected, our
spirit cannot flow forth freely toward them.
Earnestly
we pray that the Church may know God as never before ;
that God's children may be increasingly fruitful unto Him. The Lord intends to
bring us into the place where-not only our gospel message and teaching ministry
are correct-but we as well are right. The issue is: can God be fully released
through our spirit?
When the
spirit is released, it supplies the needs of the world. No work is more
important or thorough than this, and nothing can take its place. The Lord is
not so much concerned with your teachings or sermons as He is with the
impression you give. What is it that comes from you that is the final yardstick. Do you impress people with yourself or with the
Lord? Do you let people touch your teaching or your Lord ?
This is really vital, for it determines the value of all your labor and work.
Beloved,
be assured the Lord pays far more attention to what comes out of your inner
life than what comes out of your mouth. Do not forget that in every contact you
make with another, something comes out of you. It is either yourself or God
flowing forth, either your outward man or the spirit. Finally, I would ask,
when you stand before. people, what is it that comes
forth? And lest we are too quick to give an answer, let us remember this basic
question can only be rightly answered "in His light."
God's
method in breaking our outward man varies according to the target. Let us
explain the target this way with some, it is their self-love
; with others, their pride. And there are those whose self-reliance and
cleverness need to be destroyed ; such will find
themselves in one predicament after another, defeated at every turn, until they
learn to say, "We live not in fleshly wisdom but in God's grace."
Those whose outstanding feature is subjectivity will find themselves in
circumstances peculiar to their need. Again there are those who are always
bubbling over with ideas and opinions. While the Bible affirms, "Is any
matter too wonderful for Jehovah?" some brothers maintain that nothing is
too hard for them! They boast they can do everything, yet strangely they fail
in every undertaking. Things that seemed so easy fall apart in their hands. In
perplexity they ask, "Why?" This is the way the Holy Spirit invades
them to reach the necessary target. Such illustrations show how the target of
the Spirit varies with the individual concerned.
There is
also a variation in the tempo of the Holy Spirit's dealings. At times the blows
may follow one upon another without respite ; or there
may be periods of lull. But all whom the Lord loves He scourges. Thus God's
children bear wounds inflicted by the Holy Spirit. While the affliction may
vary, the consequences are the same: the self within is wounded. So God touches
our self-love or pride or cleverness or subjectivity, whichever constitutes His
outward target. He intends by each blast at the target to further weaken us,
until the day comes when we are crushed and pliable in His hands. Whether the
dealing touches our affection or our thoughts, the final result is producing a
broken will. We are all naturally obstinate. This stubborn will is supported by
our thoughts, opinions, self-love, affection, or cleverness. This explains the
variations in the Holy Spirit's dealings with us. In the final analysis, God is
after our will, for it is that which represents our self.
Thus a
common feature marks those who have been enlightened and disciplined they
become meek. Meekness is the sign of brokenness. All who are broken by God are
characterized by meekness. Formerly we could afford to be obstinate because we
were like a house well supported by many pillars. As God removes the pillars
one after another, the house is bound to collapse. When the outside supports
are demolished, self cannot but fall.
But we
must learn to recognize true meekness. Do not be deceived into thinking that a
soft-spoken voice indicates a gentle will. Often an iron will lies hidden
behind the softest voice. Stubbornness is a matter of character, not of voice.
Some who appear to be more gentle than others are,
before God, just as obstinate and selfish. For such there can only be the
severity of His dealing until they dare not act presumptuously. God designs
that seemingly outward dealings touch us to the core ;
never shall we be able to raise our heads in these particular matters. It is
irrevocably settled that in these we cannot disobey the Lord
; we dare not insist upon our opinion. Fear of the hand of the Lord
restrains us. It is fear of God that makes us meek. The more we are broken through
God's dealings, the meeker we become. To see true meekness is to behold inner
brokenness.
Let us illustrate : after contacting a certain brother, you may
sense that he is truly gifted yet nonetheless find him to be unbroken. Many are
like that-gifted but unbroken. Their unbrokenness can
be easily detected. As soon as you meet them, you sense an undertone in them
you can feel their obstinacy. Not so with one who is broken ;
there is a Spirit-wrought meekness. In whatever point one has been chastened by
God, there he dare not boast. He has learned to fear God in this and is
transformed into meekness.
Please
notice how the Scripture uses different metaphors to describe the Holy Spirit.
He is like fire and like water. Fire speaks of His power, water of His cleansing.
But in reference to His character, He is said to be like a dove, meek and
gentle. The Spirit of God will incorporate His nature in us little by little
until we, too, are characterized by the dove. Meekness, born out of the fear of
God, is the Holy Spirit's sign for brokenness.
One broken
by the Spirit naturally possesses meekness. His contacts with people are no
longer marked by that obstinacy, hardness, and sharpness which are the
hallmarks of an unbroken man. He has been brought to the place where his
attitude is as meek as his voice is gentle. The fear of God in his heart
naturally finds expression in his words and manner.
There are
several qualities which characterize a person who is meek. He is
approachable-so easy to have contact with, to talk to, and to make inquiry of.
He confesses his sin readily and sheds tears freely. How difficult it is for
some to shed tears. It is not that there is any special value in tears, yet in
one whose thought, will, and emotion have been dealt
with by God tears often denote his readiness to see and acknowledge his fault.
He is easy to talk to, for his outward shell has been, broken. Open to the
opinions of others, he welcomes instructions and in this new position can be
edified in all things.
Again, one
who is meek is alert to his environment, since his spirit can easily come forth
and touch the spirits within his brethren. The slightest movement in another's
spirit does not go unnoticed by him. Almost immediately he can detect the true
significance in a situation-whether it is right or wrong. Whatever the
circumstance, his spirit readily responds. His actions are
thoughtful, nor will he inconsiderately hurt others' feelings.
Too often
we persist in doing things which in others' spirits have already been
condemned. Our outward man is not broken. Others. sense it, but we do not. Consider how this may occur in
prayer meetings, when the brothers and sisters may feel repugnance toward our
prayers. Yet still we drone on and on . Others'
spirits come forth and cry out, "Stop praying," but we remain
insensitive. There is no response to the feelings of others. Not so with one whose outward man has been broken. Because the Spirit has
wrought a deep sensitivity he naturally touches, and can be touched by others'
spirits. Such a one will not be dull to others' reactions.
Only these
broken ones know what the Body of Christ is. Without meekness they are hardly
ready for participating in corporate life. They begin to touch the spirit of
the Body, even the feelings of other members. If one lacks this Body-feeling,
he is like a false member of the body, like an artificial hand, which may move
with the body but has no feeling. The whole Body has sensed it, except him. Nor
can he meekly receive instruction or correction. But a broken one can touch the
conscience of the Church and know the Church's feeling, for his spirit is open
to the spirit of the Church to receive any communication therefrom.
How
precious is this sensitivity ! Whenever we do anything
wrong, immediately we sense it. Though we are not freed from wrong-doing, we
nevertheless possess a faculty which will quickly prick us. Brothers and
sisters know you are wrong, but even before they open their mouth you are
brought to your senses by mere contact with them. You have touched their
spirit, and this indicates to you whether they approve or disapprove. It
becomes evident that meekness, which is the fruit of brokenness, is a basic
requirement, and without it Body-life is impossible.
The Body
of Christ lives the same way as our physical body. It does not require the
calling of a general council in order to reach decisions. Nor is there need for
prolonged discussions ; all the members naturally
possess a common feeling and that feeling expresses the mind of the Body. And
what is more, it is also the expression of the mind of the Head. Thus the mind
of the Head is known through that of the Body. After our outward man is broken,
we begin to live in that corporate awareness as related members of His Body and
are easily corrected.
The
greatest advantage of brokenness, however, is not in having our wrong corrected
but rather in enabling us to receive the supply of all. Our spirit
is then released and open to get spiritual help, whatever the source.
One who is not broken can hardly be helped. Suppose, for example, a brother has
a keen but unbroken intellect. He may come to meetings, but he is untouched.
Unless he meets one whose mind is sharper than his, he will not be helped. He
will analyze the thoughts of the preacher and reject them as useless and
meaningless. Months and years may thus pass by without his being touched. He is
walled in by his mind and it would seem he can only be helped through it. In
this condition he cannot receive spiritual edification. However, should the
Lord come in and shatter this wall, showing him the futility of his own
thoughts, he will become attentive as a child to what others may say. He will
no longer despise people who seem to be below his capabilities or capacities.
In
listening to a message he will use his spirit to contact the spirit of the
preacher, rather than focusing upon the pronunciation of words or the
presentation of doctrine. When the spirit of the preacher is released with a
definite word from the Lord, his spirit is refreshed and edified. If one's
spirit is free and open, he receives help whenever his brother's spirit comes
forth. But remember, this is not the same as being helped doctrinally. The more
a man's spirit has been dealt with by God, the more thoroughly the outward man
is broken; accordingly the greater help he can receive. And it is further true
that whenever God's Spirit makes a move upon any brother, never again will he
judge others merely by doctrine, words, or eloquence. His attitude is entirely
changed. It is an invariable law; the measure of anyone being helped depends
upon the condition of his spirit.
Now we
must clearly understand what is meant by being edified? It cannot mean expanded
thoughts, nor improved understanding, nor greater
doctrinal accumulation. It simply means that my spirit has once more contacted
God's Spirit. It does not matter through whom the Spirit of God moves, whether
in the meeting or in individual fellowship, I am nourished and revived. My
spirit is much like a mirror, which is polished every time.
Suppose we
explain it like this : whatever proceeds from the
spirit brightens everything it touches. As individuals we are much like light
bulbs-different colored light bulbs. Yet the color does not interfere with the
passage of electricity through it.
As soon as
the electricity flows into it, it lights up. So is it in our spirit; when there
is the flowing of His Spirit we will forget the theology we have learned. All
we know is that the Spirit has come. Instead of mere knowledge we have an
"inner light." We are revived and nourished in His presence. Once our
intellectuality made us impossible, but now we can easily be helped. Now we
understand why it is hard for others to receive help. We understand that it
requires spending much time in prayer before we can touch them in spirit. There
is no other way to help an obstinate person. As we shall see in the next lesson
there is a way God has designed for true effectiveness.
We must
recognize two very different ways of help before us. First, "there is a
way that seemeth right" in which help is
received from the outside-through the mind-by doctrine and its exposition. Many
will even profess to have been greatly helped through this way. Yet it is a
"help" so very different from that help which God really intends.
Second, we
must see that God's way is the way of spirit touching spirit. Instead of having
our mentality developed or acquiring a storehouse of knowledge it is by this
contact that our spiritual life is built up. Let no one be deceived; until we
have found this way we have not found true Christianity. This alone is the way
of having our spirit edified or built up.
Let us
explain it like this: if you are accustomed to sermons, no doubt it would annoy
you to hear the same message from the same preacher twice. You feel sure it is
enough to hear that message once. This is because your conception of
Christianity is simply doctrine-the storing of correct knowledge in your mind.
Do you not realize that edification is not a question of doctrine, but of
spirit? If your brother speaks through the spirit, you will be washed and
cleansed each time his spirit comes out and touches you, no matter how familiar
the subject or how many times you have heard that particular theme. Any
teaching or doctrine which does not result in reviving the spirit can only be
considered as dead letter.
Again,
there is something quite remarkable about one who is broken. You are not only
able to give help, but in the giving you also are helped. You are asked a
question, and in answering it you are helped. You are praying with a sinner who
is seeking the Lord, and again you are inwardly strengthened. You may be led to
speak sternly with a brother who has slipped; not only is his spirit thereby
revived, but you too are inwardly built up. You are able to receive help from
every spiritual contact. You marvel that the whole Body is supplying you as a member.
Any member of the Body can supply your need, and you are helped. You become the
recipient of the supply of the whole Body. How rich it must be! You can truly rejoice : "The wealth of the Head is the Body's, and
the Body's is mine." How greatly this differs from the mere increase of
mental knowledge !
This
ability to receive help-allowing another's spirit to touch our spirit-is proof
that one is broken. Cleverness does not make it hard to be helped; rather, it
is evidence that the outer shell is harder than others. In the Lord's mercy, a
clever person must be drastically dealt with, broken many times and in many
ways until one day he is able to receive the supply of the whole Church. Let us
ask ourselves, "Are we able to receive this supply from others?" If
we cannot receive, it is likely that our hard shell hinders meeting the spirit
of our brother when it is released. But if we are broken, as soon as his spirit
moves, we are helped. The question then, is not, how powerful is the spirit,
but have the spirits touched each other? It is this touching of spirits which
revives and builds one up. What a necessity then for the outward man to be
destroyed. There can be no question but that this constitutes the basic
requirement for our being helped and for helping others.
While
there are many different kinds of fellowship, there is spiritual fellowship
which is much more than the exchange of ideas and opinions. It is the
interaction of spirits. This kind of fellowship is possible only after our
outward man is shattered, and our spirit is thus released to touch the spirit
of others. In this sharing of spirit we experience the fellowship of the saints
and understand what the Scriptures mean by "fellowship in the
spirit." It truly is a fellowship in the spirit, and not an interflow of
ideas. By this fellowship in the spirit we can pray with one accord. Because
many pray through their mind, independent of their spirit, it is hard for them
to find another with the same mind who can pray in accord with them.
Anyone who
is born anew and has the indwelling Holy Spirit can have fellowship with us.
'This is possible because our spirit is open for fellowship, ready to receive,
and be received by our brother's spirit. And thus we can touch the Body of Christ,
for we are the Body. Can we comprehend it when we say that our spirits are the
Body of Christ? Indeed, "deep calleth unto
deep" (Ps. 42:7). The depth of your being is calling for a touch of my
depth; and I am calling for a touch of the depth of the whole Church. Here is
the fellowship of the deeps, the calling and the answering of one another. This
is the one thing most necessary if we are to be useful before the Lord and
properly touch the spirit of the Church.
When we suggest
that we must be meek, we are not trying to persuade you to act meek. If you do,
you will soon find that even this man-made meekness needs to be destroyed. We
must learn once and for all that human striving to imitate meekness is futile.
All must be of the Holy Spirit, for He alone knows our need and will arrange
circumstances leading to the destroying of our outward man.
It is our
responsibility to ask God for light that we may recognize the mighty hand of
the Holy Spirit and willingly submit to it, acknowledging
that whatever He does is right. Let us not be horses and mules without
understanding. Rather, let us hand ourselves over to the Lord for Him to work
in us. As you give yourself to the Lord, you will discover that His work
actually began five or ten years before, though it seemingly has not produced
any fruit in you. Today a change has come. At last you can pray, "Lord, I
was blind, not knowing how Thou wert leading me. Now I see that Thou dost
desire to break me. For this I surrender myself to Thee." Then all that
was unfruitful for five or ten years begins to bear fruit. We find the Lord
skillfully moving in to destroy many things of whose existence we have not even
been aware. This-is His master work : to deprive us of
pride, self-love and self-exaltation, that our spirit may be liberated and
exercised unto usefulness.
Two
questions arise here for us to consider. The first is : Since the breaking of
the outward man is the work of the Holy Spirit defying man's imitation, should
we try to stop any fleshly action we recognize, or must we wait passively until
greater light comes from the Holy Spirit, the doer of the work ?
Surely it
is right and proper that we should put a stop to every fleshly activity, but we
must see how this is vastly different from imitating the Spirit's work. To
illustrate though I am proud, I must refuse all pride, yet I do not feign to be
humble. Or, I can lose my temper with people, yet I keep it under control ; this does not make me gentle. So long as the
negative is struggling for recognition, I should resist it without letup.
Nevertheless, I should not pretend to possess the positive. This is the
important distinction: pride is a negative thing, so I must deal with it;
humility is something positive; therefore, I cannot imitate it. Though I must
put a stop to all fleshly activities known to me, I do not need to imitate the
positive virtue. All I need to do is to commit myself to the Lord, saying : "Lord, there is no reason to exert my strength
to imitate. I am trusting Thee to do the work."
External
imitation is not of God ; it is of man. All who seek
the Lord must learn from within, not just, conform outwardly. We must allow God
to finish His work within us BEFORE we can expect the evidence of this to be
manifest without. Whatever is manufactured externally is unreal and doomed to
destruction. One who unwittingly possesses a counterfeit defrauds others as
well as himself. As counterfeit behavior multiplies, the person himself comes
to believe that such is his real self. Often it is hard to convince him of his unrealness, for he cannot distinguish the true from the
false. Therefore, we must not try to imitate outwardly. It is far better to be natural ; this opens the way for God to work in us. Let us
be simple and not imitate anything, in the confidence that the Lord Himself
will add His virtues to us.
The second
question is : Some are naturally endowed with such a
virtue as gentleness; is there a difference between natural gentleness and the
gentleness that comes through discipline?
There are
two points to be considered in answering this question. First, all that is
natural is independent of the spirit, while all that comes through the
discipline of the Holy Spirit is under the spirit's control, moving only as the
spirit moves. Natural gentleness can really become a hindrance to the spirit.
One who is habitually gentle is gentle in himself, not "in the Lord."
Suppose the Lord wants him to stand up and utter some strong words. His natural
gentleness will hinder him from following the Lord. He would say instead,
"Ah, this I cannot do. I have never in my life uttered such hard words.
Let someone else do it. I simply cannot." You see how his natural
gentleness is not under the spirit's control. Anything that is natural has its
own will and is independent of the spirit. However that gentleness which comes
through brokenness can be used by the spirit, for it does not resist nor offer
its own opinion.
Second, a
naturally gentle person is gentle only while you are going along with his will.
If you force him to do what he does not like, he will change his attitude. In
so called human virtues, the element of self-denial is lacking. It is obvious
that the purpose of all of them is to build up and establish our self-life.
Whenever that self is violated, the virtues all disappear. The virtues which
spring from discipline, on the other hand, are only possessed after our ugly
self-life has been destroyed. Where God is destroying your self, there true
virtue is seen. The more self is wounded, the brighter shines true gentleness.
Natural gentleness and spiritual fruit then are basically different.
Having
stressed the importance of the outward man being destroyed, let us be careful
lest we try to effect this artificially. We must
submit ourselves under the mighty hand of God, accepting all the necessary
dealings. As the outward man is destroyed, the inward is strengthened. A few
may find the inward man still feeble. Do not pray for strength to correct this,
for the Bible commands us, "Be strong." Proclaim that it is your goal
to be strong. The marvelous thing is that after your outward man is destroyed,
you can be strong whenever you want to. The problem of strength is solved with
the problem of the outward man. By desiring to be strong, you are strong. None
can block your way. The Lord says, "Be strong." In the Lord you also
say, "Be strong." And you find you are strong.
The inward
man is freed only after the outward man is destroyed. This is the basic road to
God's service.