We may not have that many spiritual experiences because we may not have gotten saved very long ago, but I believe that we all have some experiences. Whenever we walk according to the Spirit, there is light within. Whenever we do not live according to the Spirit, especially when we lose our temper and are altogether not in our spirit, we are confused and even become “muddle-headed.” For example, when a couple is quarreling, both the husband and the wife may become so furious that they begin to throw dishes and hit their children, creating chaos. At this point they really are muddle-headed and totally in darkness. However, whenever we are according to the Spirit, everything is clear to us. Let us use another example: during our service coordination two people may have an argument. They argue about who is right and who is wrong, and the more they reason, the more they justify themselves. Even after the argument they are still very angry, thinking that even if they are wrong, they should still be excused and forgiven. But when they calm down and turn to their spirit, each one of them will be clear that it is his own fault. This principle is the same concerning whether we should serve the Lord full time or have a regular job. The more we analyze, the more [419] confused we are. Once we are according to the Spirit, however, we are crystal clear within.
OUR SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES NEEDING TO BE
IN THE DISPENSING OF THE TRIUNE GOD
The life of Christ in us is altogether a story of the Spirit; it is not a matter of seeking to be perfect through ethical pursuits, and it has nothing to do with the personal cultivation of morality. Several days ago I hurt my back, so I have not been able to move around too much. One day I heard my wife singing a chorus: “Each blow I suffer / Is true gain to me” (Hymns, #626). I immediately remembered stanza 1 of that hymn, which says, “Olives that have known no pressure / No oil can bestow; / If the grapes escape the winepress, / Cheering wine can never flow.” Of course, she was not intentionally singing this to me, but I felt that this hymn is not bad—it is half right and half wrong. Do not think that as soon as you toss something into the winepress, oil and wine will come out. What comes out depends on what you toss in. If you throw stones, coal, or wood into the winepress, you will only get some powder; you will have no way to press out a drop of oil or wine. Hence, in order for oil to be pressed out, the thing that is being pressed must have oil within it. Whether or not each blow is a true gain depends on whether or not we have oil within us.
The disciples of Confucius and Mencius, the Confucianists, do not have oil within them, so no matter how much they are pressed, no oil will come out. But we thank and praise the Lord that we Christians are the fruit of the olive tree. Once we are pressed, a large amount of oil will come out. For the purpose of pressing out the oil, the Lord prepares marriage for us. In fact, marriage is a winepress, and to get married is to get into a winepress. This is not a joke. The difference is that when the unbelievers get into the winepress, nothing comes out except pieces of coal, wood, and stone. Christians, however, have oil in them, so when they are pressed, oil comes out.
It is very sad that in Christianity when people speak about bearing the cross and experiencing the cross, they mostly stress self-improvement and care only for moral cultivation. They forget the matter of the oil and do not care for the inner life. Please remember that all the experiences of our spiritual life must be in the dispensing of the Triune God. If we are not in the dispensing, we are just [420] wood, grass, and stubble. Regardless of how much we are pressed, there will not be any oil but only wood chips and grass clippings. We may be genuinely broken, but what matters is whether or not there is oil. For this reason we must contact the Triune God continuously and fellowship with Him moment by moment. Therefore, the New Testament tells us that we should pray unceasingly and give thanks in everything (1 Thes. 5:17-18). This means that we have to contact Him unceasingly. To contact the Triune God is to allow Him to add oil into us continually. In Matthew 25 there are ten virgins. The five prudent virgins have oil added into them all the time; that is, they maintain a constant flowing in of oil so that their vessels always have oil (v. 4). From this we see that we must learn to contact the Lord all the time and allow the Triune God to dispense Himself into us moment by moment.
Suppose that the electricity is suddenly interrupted. All the lights will go out, and all the electrical appliances will stop operating. The Spirit may be likened to electricity. When the Spirit stops flowing, all our spiritual functions come to a halt. Hence, do not pray by yourself and then try to do good by the determination of your own will. This is the way things are done, and must be done, in the realm of self-improvement in Confucianism, but this way is altogether useless in the realm of the spiritual experience of a Christian. The only effective way for us to take is to contact the “electrical source” and the “oil field,” so that we will be connected to the current and filled with oil continually. This is to continually contact the Lord so that the dispensing of the Triune God can be carried out in us unceasingly.
THE LEARNING AND EXERCISE NEEDED
BY THOSE WHO WORK FOR THE LORD
All those who have studied in school know that whether in high school, junior college, or a university, the education provided covers many subjects. Even if you specialize in a certain subject, the school will provide an education that covers multiple lines rather than just a single line. For example, if you major in a foreign language, you still have to study other subjects, such as history and Chinese literature. You will also need to receive training in other areas, such as physical education, ethics, and character. In the same way, while we are learning to work for the Lord and live for God, we must be [421] equipped in many ways. We must realize that just because we have “passed beyond all earthly bribe” (Hymns, #473, stanza 1), this does not mean that we can be full-timers who forget about everything and simply work for the Lord. Instead, we still must learn many things and be equipped in many ways. A person who desires to work for the Lord and live for God must learn many things and be exercised in many aspects.
The first thing you need is to grow in life. Life is a matter of primary importance. Without life, there is no way to live the Christian life, to work for the Lord, or to function in the church. The second thing you need is to be equipped with the truth. The third thing you need is to be built up in character. The fourth thing you need is to exercise to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The fifth thing is to exercise to fellowship with the Lord moment by moment. Due to their negligence in this matter, many have gotten themselves into trouble. The sixth thing is to walk according to the Spirit. The seventh thing is to consecrate yourselves to the Lord every day. You all need to learn these basic things. Finally, you need to be equipped with languages. In addition, there are two important things that you need to learn: to exercise faith and to exercise to learn to endure suffering.
THE EXERCISE OF FAITH
The exercise of faith is a very fundamental matter. We must see that today our living is entirely contrary to communism. Communism is materialistic, being concerned altogether with material things, whereas we are God-centered, being concerned altogether with spiritual things. To live a life that is altogether centered on God, we need faith, not sight (2 Cor. 5:7). With communism, everything is by sight; with us, everything is by faith. Hence, we must exercise faith.