The brothers who are speaking at this conference had a little concern before the conference began: perhaps the content of the sharing would already have been shared by the speakers who spoke before us. I truly felt the same concern.
But we thank the Lord that an elderly brother encouraged us. He said that God’s words are worth repeating. Even if there is some overlap, that is fine, because many times we do not fully receive something the first time we hear it.
Hopefully, this overlap will reinforce some of the words spoken earlier and make them more effective.
We all know that the theme of this conference is knowing the Holy Spirit. This topic is very important.
I feel that, as Christians, Ephesians 1 tells us that we need four fundamental understandings:
These four knowings are four great revelations from Scripture.
We know that the Holy Spirit is He who leads us into reality. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, God as our Father would not be real to us, and Christ Jesus as our Saviour would not be real to us.
Furthermore, if we do not know the Holy Spirit, we will not know God’s will. We will not be able to enter into the inheritance, nor will we be able to become God’s inheritance. Without the revelation of the Holy Spirit, we will not come to know that the church is the body of Christ.
Hence, the Holy Spirit is He who leads us into reality. We deeply sense the importance of knowing the Holy Spirit.
This afternoon, the burden given to me is to speak concerning the Holy Spirit and spiritual life.
As we begin, let us turn to the Scriptures.
Turn to the Gospel of John, chapter 14. We have read these words before, but let us read them again.
John 14:16-17:
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him;
but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.
John 14:20:
In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
John 16:13-14:
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;
for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;
and He will disclose to you what is to come.
He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you.
Turn to Romans 8:2:
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath set thee free from the law of sin and of death.
Here it says that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life.
Turn to 2 Corinthians 3:6:
Who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.
Here it says that the Spirit gives life. In the Chinese translation there is a slight difference, but the English translations show clearly that the Spirit—the Holy Spirit—gives life. The Holy Spirit is the Giver of life.
Lastly, let us turn to Ezekiel 37.
Ezekiel 37:1:
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.
Ezekiel 37:3:
And He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?
And I answered, O Lord God, Thou knowest.
Ezekiel 37:9-10:
Then He said unto me, Prophesy unto the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Ezekiel 37:13-14:
Then ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O My people.
And I will put My Spirit within you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then shall ye know that I, the Lord, have spoken and performed it, saith the Lord.
From these Scriptures, we can see that in God’s plan and in His work, the Holy Spirit is the One who actually brings life. Therefore, He is called the Spirit of life.
From God’s creation, we can see how the Holy Spirit gives life. In Genesis 1, we see that when the earth was formless and void—lifeless and filled with darkness—the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
That word hovering, in the original language, carries the meaning of a mother bird sitting over or brooding over her eggs.
When the earth was formless and void, God desired to begin remaking this world. First, the Spirit of God hovered over the earth. When the Holy Spirit brings life, God begins to speak.
When God spoke, the material world began to take shape. You see, God’s word has power. Hebrews tells us that all creation is made by the word of His power.
Thus, the Holy Spirit brings life, and God’s word brings order. The earth in which we live is filled with all kinds of life forms and beautiful things. The Holy Spirit is the Originator who brought life.
Many scientists are looking in outer space to see whether life exists outside this world. The first thing they look for is water.
But we know that without the Holy Spirit of God hovering, even if there is water, that does not mean anything. Only when the Holy Spirit has hovered and brought life out of it is there life.
The variety of life forms we see on earth is a result of the Holy Spirit.
In God’s creation, there is one thing more important than the others. In Genesis 2, God created man.
The Scripture says that God formed man out of the soil, and God breathed into his nostrils, and he became a living soul.
Again, we see how the Spirit brought life. From God’s creation of the world and of man, we can see a characteristic of the work of the Holy Spirit.
What is that characteristic? He can bring that which is of a lower order into that which is of a higher order. Things that are base can be made honourable, and He can bring meaning into things that are without value.
Originally, the dust of the earth was nothing. But because of the breath of the Holy Spirit, there is a man with honour.
From the very beginning of God’s work of creation, the work of the Holy Spirit has had much to do with life. We can say that the main work of the Holy Spirit is to bring life.
As we come to the salvation of the Lord, we find again that it is the Holy Spirit who imparts life.
In God’s original intention, God planned that man should receive life. Our Lord Jesus brought heavenly life into this world.
When the Word became flesh, not only did He bring life with Him, but with His earthly body He expressed what that heavenly life is like.
There are four Gospels speaking of the life of Christ. From these four Gospels, we see the surpassing beauty of the life of Christ: how abundant that life is, how it is filled with wisdom, and how it is full of power.
The Lord’s coming into this world expressed what that life is like and helps us know what kind of life we are receiving from Him.
Finally, when the Lord in His flesh went to the cross, that was a very important process.
When the Lord was crucified, the expression of that life came to its pinnacle. It came to the utmost when He went to the cross. The light that shone from Him was even greater.
When I was in school, we conducted an experiment looking at the characteristics of various metals. When we put a certain metal into a flame, it first melted. After a while, it became white hot, and suddenly that metal in the flame gave off tremendous light.
At first, you only have a black piece of metal. But when it goes through the fire and burns, it gives off light that is almost unbearable.
The Lord Jesus brought heavenly life with Him. When He was put on the cross, that divine life shone forth. Furthermore, that divine life was released.
From our Lord Jesus as an individual, that life was released. Bringing that life with Him, He went to Hades. Three days later, He came back from death, and that life became what we call resurrection life.
The Lord Jesus, in the days of His flesh, gave us an example of what that life is like. Then, with glory, He returned to heaven, and God the Father lifted Him up with His right hand.
Then He sent forth the Spirit of promise. The Holy Spirit brought that resurrected life back down into this world and imparted this life to everyone who puts his trust in Christ.
How does He bring this life into us? It is through the process of regeneration.
We know that regeneration is a matter of life. For a person truly to become a Christian, it is not merely by accepting certain Christian teachings. One must go through the process of regeneration. Then one can truly become a child of God.
Jesus said, “I came that they may have life.” How does He do that? He does so through the Holy Spirit.
When we put our trust in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit regenerates us so that we are born again. When we receive this new life, we become children of God.
Oh, how glorious and honourable this is! We are children of God. God is our Father. Brothers and sisters, how much glory there is in this!
The family of the president is called the first family. There is the first daughter, and so on. It is very honourable. Wherever they go, there may be Secret Service agents following them because they are important.
But brothers and sisters, today in this universe, God’s family is truly the first family. You and I are members of God’s family. How honourable!
You may ask, “How come I do not have bodyguards?” The word of the Lord says that there are ministering spirits helping us.
Our first birth may not have brought honour, but in our second birth we are given honour because we are called the children of God. Dear brothers and sisters, can anything compare with that?
We cannot exhibit false pride, but neither should we look down upon what we have received from God.
In God’s will, not only are we to receive this life; God truly wants this life to grow and mature.
The divine life we have received goes through a process of growth. For that to happen, there needs to be nurturing. How does God nurture His children?
We thank God that, because we are His children, we are given much honour. The angels are not worthy to lead us. Angels are not given humanity, and if we were placed under the hands of angels, perhaps we would be slain.
God also did not commit us into the hands of men. God committed us into the hands of the Holy Spirit, because only the Holy Spirit is fit to lead God’s children.
In order to help us grow in Christ, the Holy Spirit becomes the indwelling Spirit.
In the days of the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit helped certain people. He is called the Spirit of promise because God promised that He would one day give His Holy Spirit, but that promise had not yet been fully fulfilled.
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit helped people externally. When the Holy Spirit came upon David, he was full of power. When the Holy Spirit came upon Samson, he became a man of mighty strength.
The Holy Spirit could come upon a person, but He could not abide within him. But as we come to the days of the New Testament, we find that there is a difference in the nature of the Holy Spirit’s work.
Now He has not only come upon us; He indwells us.
Every time I think about how the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, my heart is filled with thanksgiving. Furthermore, John 14 says that He will abide with us forever.
When our Lord first came into this world, He was born in a manger. We are very touched because we know that this was the condescension of the Son of God.
But do you know that when the Holy Spirit comes to live in a heart, our condition may be worse than that manger? Yet the Holy Spirit comes in to live forever.
I often sense shame because God’s Spirit is in me, yet within me there is defilement, filth, and corruption that are not suitable for Him.
But in order to help us, the Holy Spirit willingly came into our hearts. Dear brothers and sisters, we need to thank God forever for this grace.
Everyone enlightened by God knows that we are so fallen. Yet the Spirit of holiness now abides in us. The Holy Spirit has also condescended Himself, and He abides with us all the days of our lives.
In John 14, the Lord speaks of the Holy Spirit abiding with us. There are three different aspects to this.
In the original language, three different words are used. The English translations are somewhat clearer on this.
The Lord said that He would be with us forever. This word carries the meaning that He is with us and beside us. It speaks of an outward presence.
Then, in John 14:17, it uses the word abide: “He abides with you.” Following that, it says, “He will be in you.”
Thus, the presence of the Holy Spirit is expressed in these three aspects: with, abiding, and in.
“With” means that He is present with us in our circumstances. “Abiding” means that He remains with us. “In” speaks of the innermost part of our being.
The Holy Spirit dwells in the innermost part of us. He is in control of our inner condition, and He is also sovereign over all our circumstances.
This word also carries the meaning that He hides Himself. Brother Andrew Murray tells us that the Holy Spirit abides in the deepest part of the conscious self.
This tells us another characteristic of the work of the Holy Spirit. Even though He is here to help us grow spiritually, He does not want us to pay much attention to Him.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ. His desire is that we set our eyes upon Christ. He willingly hides Himself and, in secret, helps us.
In the Old Testament, there is a great illustration. After Joshua led the people of Israel across the Jordan River, they came to the city of Jericho.
One day, outside the city of Jericho, Joshua came across a person with a drawn sword. He called Himself the Captain of the Lord’s host.
Joshua bowed before this Person. From that time onward, we do not see Him again. It is not that He was not there.
Many consider Him to be a symbol or type of the Holy Spirit, showing how the Holy Spirit willingly hides Himself.
In our own spiritual experience, we ought to give our full attention to the Lord Himself. Wonderfully, the more you pay attention to the Lord Jesus, the more joyfully and mightily the Holy Spirit comes to help us.
We thank God that in the days of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit has become the indwelling Spirit. Because of His indwelling, He brings with Him the presence of God the Father and God the Son.
This is the main reason for the joy of Christians. Not only do we know that the Holy Spirit assists us, and not only do we know that the Lord Jesus helps us, but God the Father is also in us. How blessed we are!
In order for the divine life that God has given us to grow, the Holy Spirit abides in us and helps bring this life to maturity.
Scripture also calls Him the Spirit who was sent. This means that He carries with Him a mission.
When God commits His children into the hands of the Holy Spirit, this is a great mission committed to Him. The Holy Spirit is responsible for carrying every child of God into the purpose of God.
The same Holy Spirit abides in thousands and millions upon millions of God’s children, helping each individual. It is such a great work, and it is also a great mystery.
The Holy Spirit takes control of our condition and arranges our environment. Our personalities are all different. Some of us are somewhat strange. But the Holy Spirit, in manifold ways, seeks to transform us.
Because of this, we have faith that all our circumstances are under the control and arrangement of the Holy Spirit.
Why do you have this person as your wife? It is under the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit. Why did you marry such a person as your husband? Again, it is the arrangement of the Holy Spirit.
Why do you encounter certain individuals? Why do you have such a boss? Why do you have such employees? The Holy Spirit helps us, and therefore He arranges everything that we encounter.
Doing this for one person is trouble enough. We have more than a thousand people here; can you imagine the amount of work? How many saints are there in this world?
Yet God, by His Spirit abiding in us, is sovereign over all our circumstances. How carefully He arranges these things!
The Holy Spirit takes this mission from God, and it is such a great mission. But the Holy Spirit is a mighty Spirit. He can take up all our troubles, and He is ever so patient, waiting for us to change.
When the Lord Jesus introduced this Helper, He said that He would come to teach us. He would be here to help us, and He would also help our memory.
The Lord said that the Holy Spirit would bring to our remembrance the words that He had spoken. Our memory is very troublesome at times. Many things that we should not remember, we remember as if they happened yesterday; and the things we ought to remember, we usually forget—especially God’s word.
We thank God that His Holy Spirit helps us remember His words.
The Holy Spirit is in us to testify of Christ, telling us, “This is from Christ; this is not.” He also convicts us when we sin, and He leads us.
When the Lord introduces this Comforter, He introduces to us all the work that this Helper would do.
The Lord knows that His mission is to bring us to spiritual maturity so that we may reach the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Only when we grow can we be conformed to the image of God’s Son. From the moment we are saved, the Holy Spirit begins to educate us.
When we are young, He is like a nanny. He protects this new life.
I remember when I first became a believer. I was in my teens. I was quite ignorant of spiritual things and was not familiar with the Scriptures, but the Holy Spirit was living in me.
In my daily living, He would move my heart. By moving my heart, He would lead me. There were several experiences that I cannot forget even to this day.
I would like to share a little with the younger brothers and sisters to help you understand.
The environment in which I grew up was somewhat chaotic. I was not a model teenager either.
I remember the words of Isaiah:
Woe is me! for I am undone;
because I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
That is, we were people of bad habits living among people of bad habits. It is very difficult for you to do good in that environment. Even when we received teaching, we could not practice those things.
I remember one night when I came to a road where the traffic light was red. At that time, nobody followed traffic laws. Nobody cared about the red light. Everyone just kept walking, and that was my habit as well.
But after I was saved, one night I arrived at that intersection. There were no cars, so I walked forward. Halfway across, there was a voice in my heart that said, “Did you see the red light?”
I said, “I saw it.”
Then the voice said, “If you saw it, why are you walking? Why do you not follow the rule and ordinance of the government?”
I realized that the Lord was speaking to me. The Holy Spirit had begun to discipline me.
I said, “Lord, I know I am wrong. I will not do it again.” But I kept on going.
By the time I crossed the road, something happened that I had never experienced in my life. My heart was filled with unspeakable sorrow. I lost all joy and peace.
I stood there and said, “Lord, forgive me. I know I am wrong. I will not do this again.”
The Lord said, “No.”
I said, “Then what am I going to do?”
The Lord said, “You need to do what is right.”
I knew that I needed to surrender to Him. So I turned around. When the light became green for me to walk, I crossed the street. Once I got to the other side, I turned around and waited for the light to change again so that I could walk across.
When I got to the other side, I had unspeakable joy. I was totally set free.
From that day onward—more than forty years ago—I have never dared to cross the street when the light is red.
Even when I have felt the urge to go, I have said, “No. If I cross that street, I will be in trouble. I will have to come back again.”
In my immaturity, the Lord began to teach me.
Later on, there was another incident. As I mentioned, the environment I was in was not very good. There was a prevalent habit of simply throwing garbage everywhere.
We would throw away garbage wherever we wanted, and the place where I lived was rather dirty. You could see garbage everywhere.
One time, I went by a certain place. It was my habit simply to throw something away.
But as soon as I did that, peace went away. The Holy Spirit kept saying, “You should not throw away garbage like that.”
I said, “But it is everywhere.”
The Holy Spirit said, “Even though it is everywhere, you should not do this. You are a Christian. You should not do this.”
I said, “Then what am I supposed to do?”
He said, “Go back and pick it up.”
When I went back, I could not find the thing I had thrown away. In the end, after searching around, I finally found it. I put it back into my pocket and waited until I came to a garbage can. Then I threw it away.
At first, I did not quite understand why the Holy Spirit taught me in this way. It seemed such a trivial thing.
Perhaps I thought that the Holy Spirit was trying to teach me to be a responsible citizen, because Christians should be responsible citizens. They should follow the rules.
But after many years, I began to understand God’s word. I began to understand why the Holy Spirit disciplined me in this way.
Do you know what we are supposed to do when we enter eternity? Many Christians probably do not know what they will do in eternity.
In Revelation, the last chapter of Revelation, we see that not only will we serve God as servants, but we are to reign with Christ forever.
Today we are children of God. In the future, we are to obtain royalty.
Suddenly, my eyes were opened. I understood that the education the Holy Spirit gave me was preparing me to be a king. Can a king throw away garbage just like that?
Then I began to understand. The Holy Spirit is working to incorporate into us the sovereignty and royalty of Christ, because the kingly life of Christ is in us.
The Holy Spirit works so that this life of Christ may grow in us.
Today, many Christians speak about divine healing. We have many illnesses. That is true. We do need healing.
But after being healed, if you are still as you were before, then something is lacking. The Holy Spirit is not merely here to heal. The Holy Spirit is here to increase the life of Christ.
God desires that the character and virtues of Christ become ours. This is a more important aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit.
You and I have received this incorruptible life. Peter says that it is like a seed planted within us.
The Holy Spirit carefully nurtures this seed so that it may grow, and so that all the virtues and all the fruit of the life of Christ may become ours.
This is the glorious will that God has for every one of us. The Holy Spirit is responsible to bring this to pass.
Dear brothers and sisters, we need to thank our God. What thoughts He has for us!
If you think of the seed of a tree, it embodies within it all that belongs to that tree. God the Father is looking forward to seeing this life grow in us.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit gives us certain lessons. The trivial things I have spoken about may be lessons that we have already learned.
But there may be lessons that some of us have faced for eight or ten years and still have not learned. The Holy Spirit may be grieved because He sees that we are not growing.
Perhaps we have not learned one lesson after ten years, but He truly has patience. If He cannot reach us one way, He will reach us another way.
Is that not true in our lives? No matter what, He is here to help us grow.
When we are young, because we do not understand the word, the Holy Spirit seeks to lead us mostly by touching our hearts.
But as we come to know more and more of God’s truth, the way the Holy Spirit leads becomes different.
We know that the Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of truth. By truth, He leads us to enter into reality.
When a Christian begins to grow, begins to mature, and abounds in God’s word, the Holy Spirit leads that person by the word of God. Then we are more certain of His leading.
When the word of God is applied in our lives, there is such a great turning point and such power.
The Holy Spirit becomes the Spirit of truth, leading us.
We know that Scripture was written by the Holy Spirit. But the greatest Interpreter of Scripture is the Holy Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit interpreting His word to us, there would be no way that we could have great expositors of Scripture. The reason they can expound God’s word is because they have surrendered themselves to the Holy Spirit.
They have allowed the Holy Spirit to give light. Therefore, God’s word becomes enlightened.
Perhaps you and I will not become great expositors, but that is all right, because the Holy Spirit is still in us. He is still able to open up God’s word to us.
We have all experienced times when God’s word is opened to us and we have such joy.
Many times my spirit has been filled with joy when some portion of God’s word has been opened to me. Sometimes I praise and thank the Lord out loud in my room by myself.
Not only does the Holy Spirit open God’s word to us, but He also leads us into reality.
In John 8, the Lord said that if we know the truth, the truth will make us free.
For life to grow, it needs a suitable environment. If you are bound in some way, you will not be able to grow.
One time in Texas, I saw trees with many leaves that did not belong to the trees themselves.
Some kind of ivy had grown upon those trees and eventually taken over. It killed the trees.
Sometimes the lusts of the flesh are like that. For spiritual life to grow, there needs to be an environment of freedom.
When we come to understand the truth, the truth sets us free. Hence, the Spirit of truth leads us into reality.
Let me give you an illustration. After we are saved, we know that the blood of Christ is very effective.
As Christians, we need to learn how to apply the blood of Christ. Why do we need to do that? Because sin hinders spiritual growth.
When the blood of Christ cleanses us, it removes the things that hinder our growth. Not only does it remove these hindrances, but it encourages growth.
We know that the experiences of the cross are also important. The cross is here to deal with the self-life.
Our self-life is a great hindrance to spiritual growth. The flesh is in conflict with the Holy Spirit. If the flesh wins, spiritual life becomes stagnant.
Therefore, the Holy Spirit, through the cross, puts to death the work of the flesh and removes that hindrance to spiritual growth.
Not only does He deal with our self-life, but He also deals with the world in us and the letter that kills. The Holy Spirit does all these things in order for the spiritual life in us to grow.
The Holy Spirit is also the anointing within us, teaching us how to abide in Christ.
We know that the best environment for spiritual growth is in Christ. The more we abide in Him, the faster we grow and the better we grow.
From Scripture, we can see that the Spirit of truth leads us into reality.
Let me clarify: I do not mean that, when we grow a little, the Holy Spirit no longer leads us by touching our hearts.
But the Holy Spirit delights more in leading us by His word, so that our experiences may have a foundation and greater power.
Not only does the Holy Spirit nurture us individually; consider Ezekiel 37. There we see a picture that gives hope.
This relates to the recovery of the church. The children of God, the people of Israel at that time, had become so dried up that they were like dry bones.
The entire valley was filled with bones. It was such a scene of barrenness and death.
Often, when we consider the condition of the church, many brothers and sisters sigh as they think of the condition of the local assembly.
But no matter what condition an assembly may be in, it may not be as bad as what we see in Ezekiel. Is there any assembly that is like dry bones? The scene we see here is entirely hopeless.
Interestingly, it was not Ezekiel asking the Lord; the Lord was asking Ezekiel.
When Ezekiel saw that scene, he was completely hopeless. Then the Lord asked him, “Can these bones live?”
The prophet was very wise. He said, “O Lord God, Thou knowest.” He was afraid to answer either way.
If the Lord asked you about your assembly, “Is there still hope?” perhaps you would be afraid to answer. You may say, “Lord, You know. You know better than I do.” That is the wisest reply.
God truly loves His people. Even though they were so dead that they had become only bones, God said to Ezekiel, “You need to prophesy.”
In revival, first we need God’s word. We need God’s word to be opened.
When Ezekiel prophesied, the Holy Spirit began to breathe upon them.
God’s people began to come out of the graves. They were no longer held hostage by death, and the Lord promised that they would enter the land again.
With those words, the bones began to come alive. The bones were attached once again, and there were tendons, sinews, and muscles.
Very soon, there was an army of the Lord. From this, we know that we have hope.
If today we have God’s word and the Holy Spirit breathes upon us the breath of life, we do not have to wait until tomorrow. We can be made alive and become the Lord’s army.
This is the hope that we have. Today’s church needs life. We need the Holy Spirit to bring life. We need the Holy Spirit to breathe the breath of life upon us.
Only when this breath of life comes upon us will we become a people who are alive and quickened, so that we may battle for the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, we can see that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life. Not only does He bring life to us individually; He is also able to bring life to an entire assembly.
All the work of the Holy Spirit has to do with life.
For this reason, the Bible teaches us that, as children of God, we must obey this indwelling Spirit. This is essential.
Many times, because of weakness, we long to receive spiritual gifts. That is a good longing.
I remember when I was about seventeen years old and revival was going on in my life. I had an earnest burden to share the gospel.
By nature, I am somewhat weak, and I am afraid to speak to strangers. Sometimes I was angry with myself.
Someone told me that when the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, he will be filled with power. I remembered Peter: when he was filled with and anointed by the Holy Spirit, he stood up and saw three thousand and five thousand people converted.
For a period of time, I sought after being filled with the Holy Spirit. In reality, I was not familiar with Scripture at all. I only knew the terminology; I did not understand the truth.
But my heart was pure. I prayed, “Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit.”
Indeed, one day the Holy Spirit came and filled me. I was so filled with joy. I said, “Now if I stand up, great things will happen. I will have great strength in witnessing for the Lord.”
I said, “Lord, I do not need three thousand people. Thirty people are good enough.”
Then I went to campus to speak to my classmates. Again, I was afraid. I was very disappointed.
I said, “How come it is not like in Acts?”
But after a while, I realized something.
It was true that I was a man of unclean lips, and unclean words came out of my mouth. But after that work of the Holy Spirit, I discovered that those unclean words were no longer there.
Again, I realized that the main thrust of the Holy Spirit’s work is to help us grow in the matter of life.
Of course, Paul tells us to pursue spiritual gifts. Indeed, spiritual gifts can help us work for the Lord.
But Scripture shows us that surrendering to the Holy Spirit is much more important. Charisma can help us work for the Lord, but surrendering to God can help us grow.
The apostle tells us that, as Christians, we need to mind the things of the Holy Spirit. We need to follow Him.
To this Holy Spirit who condescended Himself to abide in us, we need to give ultimate respect. We need to honour Him just as we honour our Lord and God our Father.
He accompanies us all the days of our lives. In every circumstance and environment, He protects and leads us.
If we obey Him, our spiritual growth will be more normal. I think that would truly satisfy the heart of our Lord.
Paul, in Galatians 6, has this to say.
Galatians 6:7-8:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.
Today, if we sow to the Spirit, we will reap life.
Imagine if every child of God did this in the local assembly. The church could not help but experience revival.
We see that the main work of the Holy Spirit on earth is to impart life to man and to help this life grow.
When the life of Christ reaches maturity, the glory of Christ will naturally be expressed and shine through us so that we may glorify God. That is how the Holy Spirit glorifies our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The Holy Spirit is here to conform us to the image of God’s Son. He does this through the growth and maturity of the divine life.
We need to thank our God. Not only does He bring salvation to us through His Son Jesus Christ; He also sends forth His Holy Spirit to live within us and to help us.
Let us mind the things that are on the heart of God, and let us pay attention to the leading and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
God our Father, we thank You with all our hearts. How much You love us!
From eternity, You have chosen us and brought to us the salvation of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Not only have You cleansed us, but through Your Holy Spirit You have regenerated us. You have deposited Your divine life, that precious life, in us so that we may truly become children of God.
Today, Your Holy Spirit abides in us, continually leading us and helping us to grow.
Heavenly Father, we pray that You will encourage us with these words so that we may honour more fully the leading of the Spirit in our lives. Help us to learn to obey Him.
May the full scope of the salvation of Christ be fulfilled in us, and may Your will be done.
Father, again we give You our praise and our thanksgiving. Hear our prayers.
In the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.