From The Way for a Christian to Mature in Life, Chapter 12.
The Way for a Christian to Mature in Life
FROM HAVING THE LORD
TO HAVING THE LORD’S IMAGE
FIVE IMPORTANT MATTERS
Second Corinthians 3:17-18 says, “The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.” In these two verses there are five important matters. The first is the Lord, the second is the Spirit, the third is freedom, the fourth is glory, and the fifth is image….When we behold the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into His image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit….
THE HEART BEING THE GATEWAY
FOR THE SPIRIT TO ENTER INTO THE SOUL
Maturity in the Christian life is to go from having the Lord to having the Lord’s image. In other words, to go from having only the Lord to having the Lord’s image as well is the way for a Christian to mature in life. The Lord is the Spirit, and when we were saved, He entered into our spirit. Our spirit is the center of our being. Around this center are the different parts of our soul. Originally, we did not have the Spirit of the Lord, the Lord Himself, in our being—neither in our spirit nor in our soul. We also did not have the elements of the Lord. Therefore, we did not have the form of the Lord or the image of the Lord. When we got saved, God regenerated us, and the Spirit of the Lord entered into our spirit.
From then on, this Lord Spirit has been in our spirit and has been trying to spread from our spirit to our soul. In order for Him to do this, He has to pass through a gateway. This gateway is our heart. The heart is a gateway between our spirit and our soul, joining the spirit to the soul. If the heart does not open the gate and allow the spirit to be released, the Spirit has no way to get into the soul. Therefore, 2 Corinthians 3:16 speaks of the importance of the heart. It says, “Whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” The veil is taken away because the heart turns to the Lord. This means that in order for us to be face to face with the Lord, our heart must turn to the Lord.
Although we have been saved, instead of being toward the Lord, our heart is often toward many things other than the Lord. Because our heart turns away from the Lord, there is a veil between the Lord and us. We cannot see Him, and we are not able to fellowship with Him face to face. This is the situation until the day that our heart turns to Him, and the veil is taken away. Then we see Him and are face to face with Him. This shows that the heart is the key. The fact that the heart is between the spirit and the soul means that the heart is between man and the Lord. If a man’s heart is toward the Lord, he is face to face with the Lord, and he can fellowship with the Lord directly. However, if his heart is toward things other than the Lord and is turned away from the Lord, there will be a veil, a barrier, between the Lord and him. If a person closes his heart to the Lord, he locks the Lord in his spirit. If the heart is turned away from the Lord, the Lord is detained and held in the spirit.
THE REASON FOR IMMATURITY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE—
THE LORD HAVING NO GROUND
If someone were to ask us whether or not we are saved, surely we would say that we are. If someone were also to ask us whether or not the Lord is within us, we certainly would say that He is. However, if someone were to ask us whether or not the Lord has spread out from our spirit, we may not have anything to say. The reason is that our heart is often closed toward the Lord, and the Lord is detained in our spirit to the extent that He cannot come out. Although the Lord is within us, it is as if He is surrounded by signs that say, “Do not enter.” Thus, the Lord is not able to move within us even a little bit, and He does not have an opportunity to come out of us. We have the Lord in our spirit, but we do not have the Lord in the different parts of our soul; that is, we do not have the Lord in our mind, emotion, and will.
We have been saved, and the Lord is within us, but the Lord cannot come out of us. This does not mean that we do not acknowledge the Lord at all; it means that there is no ground for the Lord in our thoughts. We think about this and that, but we do not think about the Lord. There is also no ground for the Lord in our emotions. We love many things, but we do not love the Lord. Moreover, there is no ground for the Lord in our will—in our decisions and choices. Our self has all the ground. Although we have been saved and have the Lord in our spirit, the Lord cannot come out from our spirit to control our mind, emotion, and will. We believe in the Lord and have the Lord, but our mind, emotion, and will are independent of the Lord, and the Lord has no ground in these three parts of our soul. This is the reason why we are not mature in life.
TURNING THE HEART TO THE LORD BEING THE KEY TO GROWING IN LIFE
We are not able to mature in the Lord’s life because the Lord’s Spirit and life are not able to grow out from within our spirit. The reason for this is that our heart is often closed to the Lord. In order for us to grow in life, our heart must be open to the Lord, and our mind, emotion, and will must be opened to the Lord. Once these three parts are open, the Lord will be able to spread out from our spirit into our mind, emotion, and will to reach these different parts of our soul.
How do we open our heart to the Lord? Whenever we have to make a determination or decision, we should first say to the Lord, “O Lord, I love You. I am willing to please You.” This kind of prayer opens our will to the Lord, and once our will is opened, the Lord will enter into it. In addition, whenever we love or desire something, we should stop for a moment and say to the Lord, “O Lord, I love You. I want to please You.” This opens our emotion to the Lord. When we do this, the Lord will surely enter into our emotion. Similarly, whenever we begin to think about something, we should stop our thinking for a moment and say to the Lord, “O Lord, I love You. I want to please You.” This kind of statement opens our mind to the Lord, and through this opening, the Lord will be able to enter into our mind.
Whenever we open to the Lord in our mind, the Lord’s Spirit will gain the opportunity to enter into the different parts of our soul. Some saints say that it is not easy to touch the Spirit. This is true; it is not easy to touch the Spirit. Yet the Spirit is able to be sensed. In other words, the Spirit produces feelings within us. These feelings are a manifestation of the Spirit. We can liken this to electricity. We cannot touch electricity, but we can see light, which is a manifestation of electricity. Similarly, the Spirit is in us, and although we cannot touch the Spirit, we can sense Him. When we sit next to a fan, we can feel the result of the functioning of electricity. In like manner, we can feel the result of the functioning of the Spirit.
PAYING ATTENTION TO THE SENSE OF THE SPIRIT IN US
What is the sense of the Spirit in us? We can illustrate this with the following example. One day you may want to visit one of the saints, so you do so. However, in the deepest part of your being, there is a sense. This sense is entirely different from your own thinking. In your thinking you want to go visit this saint, but your sense within does not agree. This sense comes from the Spirit who is within you. Christians are very special because they have the Spirit of God abiding within them. Many times when we have a certain determination in our mind, emotion, and will, we simply have another feeling within us. This feeling is in our deepest part and comes from the function of our spirit. The Spirit of the Lord abides in our spirit and has been mingled with our spirit to become one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17).
Whenever our heart opens to the Lord, this Spirit spreads out from within us into our mind, emotion, and will. How do we know the Lord’s Spirit has spread into our mind, emotion, and will? There is one obvious proof. This proof is the freedom mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3:17—“The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Once you have the Spirit of the Lord in your mind, your mind will have freedom. Once you have the Spirit of the Lord in your emotion, your emotion will also have freedom. And once you have the Spirit of the Lord in your will, it will surely be freed.
What is it actually like to have freedom in one’s mind, emotion, and will? Suppose that a sister goes to buy some clothing, sees some fashionable and fancy clothes, and wants to buy them. However, at that very moment there is a feeling in her deepest part. She feels that it is unsuitable for someone who loves the Lord to wear fashionable and fancy clothing of this kind. This is the Lord’s feeling within her. The crucial question in this situation is, which direction is this sister’s heart facing? If her heart is toward the fancy clothes, it will spontaneously be closed to the Lord. If this is the case, the Lord’s Spirit will not be able to enter into her mind, emotion, and will, and she will not have any freedom within her. If, however, her heart is toward the Lord, she will forsake the clothing. Then the Lord’s Spirit will have the opportunity to enter into her mind, emotion, and will, and she will have freedom within her.
Many sisters have this kind of experience. If their hearts are toward the clothes and they buy them, they will be unable to pray for three days. Then since they are unable to pray for three days, they will become low. They will not be released and will not be able to stand. This is what it means to not have freedom. When people meet these sisters, they will think that there is something wrong with them. These sisters’ countenances will be miserable, and they will appear to be bound by something. Even in their speaking they will sound unnatural and restrained. In the meetings they will not be able to pray to the extent that they will not even be able to say Amen when others pray. This is because they are bound and do not have any freedom. We must remember that whenever the Lord’s Spirit is bound within us, we are surely restrained. Many Christians are not joyful because the Spirit within them is not joyful. When the Spirit within them is joyful, then they will be joyful.
If the sisters love the Lord, face the Lord, and say to Him, “O Lord, I love You. I want to please You. I do not want these clothes. I will not buy them,” then immediately they will be released and will have freedom within them. Then they will be able to pray, sing hymns, and say Hallelujah. In the meeting they certainly will be released. When people meet them, they will meet a spirit that is uplifted and soaring with joy. They will sense the taste of the Lord with them. If someone says that a meeting is boring, we must realize that it is he himself who is bored within. Because his spirit, his inner being, is bored, he feels that everything is boring. This is not only the case for spiritual things but also for ordinary things. When a man comes across something joyful, his heart will be filled with joy. Then when he meets people on the way, he will feel that they are lovely, and when he lifts up his head to see the clouds, he will find them pleasant. To the contrary, if he comes across something sad, he will be filled with sadness and sorrow. Then even if he meets the same people, the same earth, the same sky, and the same clouds, he will feel sad.
WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS, THERE BEING FREEDOM
Why is it that the same situation can lead to two kinds of feelings? It is because we can have two moods. We can feel bored or released in response to the same meeting. Thus, the self is present in both the feeling of boredom and that of release. If you are depressed inside, you will feel that the meeting is low. If you are released, you will feel that the meeting is released. Where is the source of this state of being released or depressed? It is within you, and it depends on whether or not the Spirit of the Lord is free or restrained. If you do not let the Spirit of the Lord spread out of you, you will be restrained and depressed. Once this bondage is within you, your mind, emotion, and will are not at ease. Your mind, emotion, and will are not released and thus have no joy. The Lord is the Spirit, and the Spirit Himself is freedom. Thus, if you do not let the Spirit pass through you, surely you will not have freedom.
We all know that wherever there is a wind, it is cool. The wind brings in coolness. If several of us are sitting in a house, and if all the windows and doors are shut and the fan is broken, it will be very stuffy. However, if we open the doors and windows and repair the fan, then there will be a wind, and we will feel cool while sitting in the house. Coolness comes from the wind, and wherever there is a wind, it is cool. Thus, we can say that the wind is the coolness. Similarly, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Spirit of the Lord is the freedom. Thus, if you do not let the Spirit of the Lord have the ground in your mind, emotion, and will, one thing is certain—your mind, emotion, and will shall all be depressed. Christians who love to go to the movies and to go dancing may feel very comfortable when they see a movie or when they go to a dance. But when they get home afterward, the boredom and depression within them will deepen. Sometimes this feeling of boredom and depression will last for a few days.
For every Christian who loves the world, the more they love the world, the more they are bored within. For those who live according to themselves, the more they live this way, the more they are depressed within. Spiritual things are very real, and no one can cheat. The Holy Spirit in us has His own law, and this law is very real. If we love the Lord more and allow the Lord to overcome more in us, we will be released, free, and clear inside. Although there may be persecution or difficult environments outwardly, our mind, emotion, and will certainly will be open and free. This is because the Spirit is within us, and wherever the Spirit is, there is freedom. The Lord as the Spirit is the freedom. The three—the Lord, the Spirit, and freedom—are actually one.
Recent Comments