Basic Word The Word and The Spirt Being the Transmission of Christ

THE WORD AND THE SPIRIT BEING THE TRANSMISSION OF CHRIST

Scripture Reading: Col. 1:12, 15a, 19; 2:9, 16-17; 3:4, 10-11; 1:27; John 6:63; 2 Tim. 3:16-17

THE BIBLE AND THE SPIRITTRANSMITTING CHRIST INTO OUR BEING

The Bible reveals that Christ is our life, but we need to consider what life is. Our words and actions prove that we have a physical life. We are living persons. The function of all the parts of our body shows that we have life. Nevertheless, life is abstract and difficult to define. The spiritual life, the divine, eternal life of God, is altogether mysterious, abstract, intangible, and invisible yet real and living. Life may be compared to electricity. Electricity is real and powerful, yet we cannot see it. Electricity is transmitted into buildings through wires. Without these wires, electricity could not be realized and applied. The current of electricity flows by the transmission of the wires. Spiritually, there are two “wires” that transmit Christ as the heavenly electricity to us. These wires are the Bible and the Spirit. In order to have electricity in a house, we must first install the wires, which make the electricity real and practical. In order for Christ to be transmitted into our being, we need the wires of the Word and the Spirit. The Word without and the Spirit within transmit Christ into us.

Regrettably, many Christians do not read the Bible for weeks or even months at a time. If we do not touch the Word and the Spirit, we cannot touch Christ, and we will be spiritually weak and poor. Christ is God’s rich provision. However, no matter how rich Christ is, if we do not “switch on” the heavenly transmission by touching the Word and the Spirit, we will remain apart from Christ. We need to worship God that He has made us the partakers of Christ as our rich portion and that He has given us two means of transmission to receive this rich portion.

Our Great Heritage Being the Bible and the Spirit

Our great heritage is the Bible without and the Spirit within. This inheritance is much more valuable than any material possession. We have the Word and the Spirit, and we need to use them every day.

Sensing God’s Presence When We Come to the Bible

Whenever we come to the Bible with a sincere heart and an open spirit, we immediately touch Christ as the Spirit. Often when we come to the Bible, we have a deep sense that we have entered into  the presence of God. When we read a few verses, we not only understand something outwardly, but we also touch something inwardly.

The Bible Being God’s Breath

We come into the presence of God when we come to the Bible, because the Bible is God’s breath. Second Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” The Bible is not only the word of God but also God’s breath and even God’s breathing. When we come to the Word of God, after only a few minutes we will be inwardly refreshed, comforted, nourished, watered, strengthened, and enlightened by the living God. I have often come to the Word with a heavy heart, but after reading a few verses, I am refreshed within. This happens because God’s breathing is in the Bible. Just as we can be refreshed physically by rising early and breathing deeply in the fresh morning air, so we can be refreshed spiritually by coming to the Word. As the life-giving Spirit, God always accompanies His word (John 6:63). Wherever His word goes, the life-giving Spirit goes. Countless sinners have been converted simply by reading the Bible, and countless Christians have been transformed by reading this living book. We are transformed not by teaching or admonishing but by reading the Bible to contact the breathing of the living God.

Some believers may think that they do not need to read the Bible, because afterward they do not remember what they have read. They may suppose that it is useless to continually read and forget. However, we do not remember all the air that we breathe in, yet we would never say that we do not need to breathe. Our purpose in coming to the Bible is not primarily to memorize but to be refreshed and enlivened by God’s breathing.

In order to be healthy spiritually, we need to come to the Bible every morning to enter into God’s breathing. This breathing clears us up inwardly and supplies us for the rest of the day. This practice influences our mental and physical health as well, for it takes away our unnecessary worries and anxieties and brings us joy. When we become joyful in the spirit through breathing in God’s word, we will be the most balanced people. If we have a healthy time early in the morning in the Word of God, all the negative things will be carried away, and Christ as the life-giving Spirit will be our joy.

The way for one’s abnormal condition to be healed is by contacting the living Lord through the Bible. If we spend time in the Word  every morning, we will become the most healthy and normal person. We will be sober in our thinking, balanced in our emotion, and proper in our will. Moreover, our heart will be pure, our conscience will be void of offense, and our spirit will be open. Our body will be healthy, and our mind will be clear.

We are blessed to have the Word without and the Spirit within. Because we have had these two “wires” installed, our only need is to keep them “switched on” to enjoy the heavenly transmission of the rich, all-inclusive Christ into our being. Eventually, this wonderful Christ will fully constitute us. Then, like the apostle Paul, we will be able to say, “Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. For to me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:20-21). This is the proper Christian life and the proper church life in the Lord’s recovery. The Lord today is not recovering doctrines, practices, or forms; He is recovering Christ as our life and our everything for the proper Christian life and church life