The Communion of the Holy Spirit (4 page)

There was a brother who held himself tightly. He prayed, “Holy Spirit, if You want to come, come.” After having prayed for several hours, the Spirit had not yet come upon him. Such prayer of his did not fulfill the working condition of the Holy Spirit; and thus, He did not come upon him. For the Spirit to work, He demands the cooperation of our will; otherwise, He will not work. This is like horse riding. The bridle of the horse is in the hand of the rider. When the bridle is loosened, the horse leaps forward. Nevertheless, the bridle is still in the rider’s hand. This same principle works with respect to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, we must let loose and give liberty to Him; on the other hand, we still need to cooperate with our will, or else we will lose all control.

We also need to know why we must have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Peter, speaking to an assembly of Jews in Jerusalem, said, as recorded in Acts 2.33: “Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he [the risen and ascended Lord] hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear.” And in verse 36 Peter continued by saying: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified.” The “therefore” in verse 36 connects directly to verse 33 which tells of the exaltation of our Lord. Because of the Lord’s exaltation the Holy Spirit was poured forth, just as what those Jews who listened to Peter both saw and heard on that Pentecost Day. In other words, the house of Israel ought to know that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the evidence of the exaltation and victory of Jesus the Nazarene. Had the Lord not been highly exalted, the Spirit would not possibly have been poured forth. Now that God has anointed Jesus of Nazareth and set Him as Lord and Christ, there is no possibility of
not
having the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We receive the Spirit’s outpouring, not to prove our faith and victory, but to prove that Jesus is Lord and Christ.

Praise and thank the Lord! Since His exaltation is a fact, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is also a fact. Conversely, if the Lord has not been exalted, the Holy Spirit will not be able to be poured forth. Our Lord had been crucified and had shed His precious blood for the remission of sins. Therefore, all who believe in Him shall have their sins forgiven. By the same token, though, how can we say that He has been exalted to be Lord and Christ and yet we do not

have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? This is impossible! So then, let us boldly assert that the Lord has been exalted to the throne, and therefore, let Him fill us. We need to draw near in fullness of faith, believing in the Lord and what He has accomplished.

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As we have said before, in order to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit certain conditions must be

fulfilled. First, there should be no conscious undealt sin in the heart; second, there must be hunger in the spirit: “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring” (Is. 44.3); and third, there needs to be fervent prayers: “These all with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer” (Acts 1.14a); “when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. .

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 2.1,4); “they, when they heard it, lifted up their voice to God with one accord . . . And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 4.24,31); “when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8.14-17).

In receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a person is brought into contact with things in the spiritual realm. Formerly things in the spiritual realm were rather vague and abstract to him. Now, though, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, one begins to be opened up to the spiritual realm, and hence he commences to contact things in that realm. Some may have faith, but they are unwilling to open the door. Their resistance keeps them from touching things in the spiritual realm. Seeking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is like opening the door along a wall. After such opening there will be constant contact with things within the spiritual realm. This is viewing the matter from the good side. But viewing it from the bad side, there is also danger in being exposed to the spiritual realm. It can be likened to opening the door for friends to come in; but in the meanwhile, robbers may also slip in. Yet do not consider closing the door forever simply because robbers may get in. No, on the one hand, you must open the door; but on the other hand, you must be watchful.

How do you watch and not allow the wicked ones who inhabit the spiritual realm to enter in? First of all, each time you experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit you must apply the test. You should not be negligent in this matter. In 1 Corinthians 12.3 and 1 John 4.3 the way of testing is mentioned. This is your security. You must challenge the person being poured upon by asking if Christ has come in the flesh. Or by asking him if Jesus is Lord. Watch to see if he withdraws. If so, it must be an evil spirit. If he can say that Jesus is Lord, then it is of the Holy Spirit. You should not test this out only
nine
out of ten times: you must test it out
every
time. On this matter, I think I have done my duty. Now you need to walk before God in this straight path.

The manifestation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is often exceptional on the first occasion. It seems as though God is being lenient with you so as to let you gain more. The first experience can be likened to passing through a gateway that leads to a house. After the gateway has been crossed, your life at home becomes quiet and tranquil. You have no need to leap or to be noisy, nor do you need to seek again for strange sensation and experience. Henceforth, you do not follow the principle in Acts 2; rather, you will follow the principles laid down in 1 Corinthians 14. We read there that in the assembly of the church the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is for building up others, not for self-building. Moreover, the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets (v.32). We need to learn to control our spirits. “If any man speaketh in a tongue, let it be by two, or at the most three, and that in turn” (v.27). We see from Acts 2 that the hundred and twenty speak simultaneously; for this was the first time. Henceforth, however, the principles set forth in 1 Corinthians 14 must be followed.

Whom you and I must obey is the indwelling Holy Spirit, for the indwelling Spirit is a Person; and since He has personality, we must yield ourselves to Him. But the spirit that is outpoured upon us is without personality and is therefore subject to us (see again 1 Cor. 14.32): we can allow it or not allow it to stay and we can also regulate its measure. Yet because the spirit that falls upon us
is
without personality, being instead a kind of manifestation, we must be careful to maintain control of the situation; for if we are not watchful, Satan may bring in a counterfeit. Indeed, because some believers have carelessly given the spirit that was upon them the control over them, confusing phenomena have resulted.

Let us be fully aware that though we obey the Spirit who dwells in us we ourselves govern the spirit that falls upon us. When we seek the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, whether that be at home or in the assembly, we must control that which is poured out upon us.

As to the exercise a person should engage in after experiencing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, there are two facets to consider.
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The first facet to consider is that it is best for you to use this power immediately by helping Christians and sinners. Formerly, you had no power to preach the gospel or edify believers. Today, though, you must use this newly-received power to preach the gospel and edify the saints. If you do not use this power, you will be like the evil servant who buried his one talent in the ground. No, upon receiving this power of the Holy Spirit, go and preach the gospel, and be an overcomer of the gospel. The reason why believers suffer failure in this area is because some among them treat the experience of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as amusement. They seek the Spirit’s outpouring merely to speak in tongues or to have a hearty laugh and then go home without applying the power possessed. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not for our amusement, but is an aid given to us to live and work for the Lord.

The other facet to consider is that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the best time for us to ask God for gifts. That is the time when we should ask God for the grace and gifts we need. Indeed, it is permissible for us to be more covetous in asking. Yet we must not boast about the experience we have had of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We should not brag before men; instead, let the grace and power of God be manifested so that He may be glorified more.

A few things must be noted about giving testimony to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. First of all, when someone asks you about your experience of the outpouring, you should not disclose the details of your experience. When you give testimony, you should relate your testimony according to the following rules:

(1) Do not share the details. The book of Acts records the stories of many who had received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There were varied manifestations, such as speaking in tongues, preaching the gospel with great power, etc. But nowhere does it tell us these experiences in detail. Apart from several descriptions of the external evidences of the Spirit’s outpouring, there is no mentioning of the detailed contents. Confusion is caused by accompanying the stories of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with details.

(2) Do not overemphasize your experience. Those who long to know about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are often very curious. They will not be helped by listening to stories of the outpouring. On the other hand, if you tell your own experience, it is easy for you to make your own experience the standard. In fact, however, the manifestation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit varies from person to person. You must therefore not overstress your own experience.

(3) Another point to be made here is that in this matter of seeking for the Spirit’s outpouring some groups of believers emphasize “ask” whereas we would emphasize “believe.” We believe Jesus of Nazareth has been exalted on high and was made by God both Lord and Christ. He is already seated on the throne and has poured forth the Holy Spirit. We believe in this reality and accept it as fact. The Spirit’s outpouring is therefore the evidence of Jesus’ exaltation; it is not the confirmation of our persistent prayer having been answered. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is expressly linked to the exaltation of the Lord Jesus and not to our prayer or good deeds. Consequently, we should lift up the Lord, not ourselves: give glory to the Lord, not to ourselves: boast in the Lord, and not in ourselves.

The story of Pentecost as recorded in the New Testament book of Acts does not fulfill the prophecy in the Old Testament book of Joel (2.28ff.). However, in a completely literal sense it does bear some-but only some-similarity to Joel. Unlike what is in Joel the events which occurred on the day of Pentecost contained no prophecy, no dream, and no vision. At Pentecost, there came a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind and there were tongues that parted asunder like as in a fire (see Acts 2.1-3). Moreover, what was manifested in the disciples who were gathered at Pentecost was that they “began to speak with other tongues.” But in the prophecy of Joel, there is no mentioning of such a sound nor of tongues. This is evidence that what happened on Pentecost is not a literal fulfillment of Joel’s word, but is instead primarily that which runs along the same principle.

Some believers strongly affirm that to have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we must speak in tongues. But we know from the word of Peter that the experience of Pentecost is, as he said, that “this is that” which has been spoken through the prophet Joel (Acts 2.16). Peter said “this is that” and not “this fulfills that.” These two expressions indicate mostly different principles. “Fulfill” conveys the idea of being literal; “is” conveys the idea of alikeness. Many consider this outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as being the fulfillment of Joel’s word, yet Joel made no mention of speaking in tongues. Many try to learn the technique of speaking in tongues, they even try to dream with dreams. But this is not what Peter had in mind. What Peter meant to say here is that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which he witnessed is similar to that which Joel had prophesied. For this reason, we should not attempt to imitate the manifestation of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred on the day of Pentecost.

The manifestations of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are variable. Some may laugh, some may cry, some may sense power, and some may feel something upon them. We need to understand that these are what Peter referred to as “this is that” and not “this fulfills that.” Some may sense being electrified, while others feel enwrapped by something. Some may leap, while others sit. All kinds of sensations are being experienced at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They constitute no problem in Peter’s analysis of “this is that.” Some people may seek the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the result may be accompanied by tears and cries, but others may receive very different manifestations: for “this is that.” Each has his own experience. We cannot say that because his experience is different from mine, therefore his is unreal. If a person receives a supernatural spirit and is able to say Jesus is Lord, then it is of God-irrespective of what its outward manifestation may be. Peter said “this is that,” and so would we say “this is that.” We must not imitate others, insisting upon our having the same manifestations.