Do we hear His voice?

 'But we realize that even before we take any step—while we are still considering our way— our conscience together with our intuition will protest immediately and make us uneasy at any thought or inclination which is displeasing to the Holy Spirit.'   The Spiritual Man - Watchman Nee

Is this true for you?

Do you know the feeling of uneasiness when you are doing something you know is wrong? Does the voice of your conscience rise up to warn you?

Some people don't have this voice speaking to them because they don't have their spirit renewed by the new birth through Jesus Christ by the water and the Spirit. They don't know the Holy Spirit and don't care about knowing the Holy Spirit.  We might find it strange that others don't feel moved by blatant sin. We can read all about the horrors going on in our world and we ask ourselves why, how, because we just do NOT understand the things people are capable of. Then we do things, or think things ourselves and can't believe we ourselves do things so awful and displeasing to our Lord.

In this war we can be influenced by the spiritual evil surrounding us, so we quickly plead for forgiveness when we are convicted of our own awfulness.  Those who never feel the need for pleading for forgiveness, or know the voice of the Holy Spirit are not of God and we have to pray they come to know God. We have to pray that we ONLY following the true voice of the Holy Spirit and not any deceiving spirit.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Joh_10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 

Do we hear His voice?

We need to hear His voice.  We need to have our conscience influenced by the Holy Spirit all through the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior. We cannot produce the Holy Spirit in us, it is a gift, a gift we so desperately need.

Please, Lord and Savior, please live in us, let the Holy Spirit live in us guiding us in all ways! Please, by Your will, through Your grace!

Thank you!

Amen.

Warring Within

Not too long ago I brought up a situation I often find myself in- being 'told' right from wrong in various situations. For example- I pass a person I'm assuming is homeless and three 'instincts' war inside me- one is to help the person, two is to flee because they might be dangerous, three is just ignore them and go about my business as usual.  Immediately the 'help them' instinct rises up to the surface and it wars in me against the other two options. I start feeling guilty for not instantly helping them. I keep feeling guilty and sometimes I've had to turn around and do what I know the Lord would have me do. So why don't I do it instantly? Because I'm at war just as we all are at war, a very spiritual war.  What is this struggle within me? I believe the Holy Spirit is guiding me to do what Jesus would have me do- NOT - unfortunately that I always listen.  Right from wrong, our conscience is at play and by the grace of God we choose right over wrong. The above is just one example of many situations we can find ourselves in.  Daily we face a multitude of right or wrong choices - this is called LIFE. And as long as we live we will be in the war of choosing Christ over Satan.

Read what Watchman Nee has to say about this-

'Besides the functions of intuition and communion, our spirit performs still another important task—that of correcting and reprimanding so as to render us uneasy when we fall short of the glory of God. This ability we call conscience. As the holiness of God condemns evil and justifies good, so a believer’s conscience reproves sin and approves righteousness. Conscience is where God expresses His holiness. If we desire to follow the spirit (and since we never reach a stage of infallibility), we must heed what our inward monitor tells us regarding both inclination and overt action. For its works would be decidedly incomplete if it were only after we have committed error that conscience should rise up to reprove us. But we realize that even before we take any step—while we are still considering our way— our conscience together with our intuition will protest immediately and make us uneasy at any thought or inclination which is displeasing to the Holy Spirit. If we were more disposed today to mind the voice of conscience we would not be as defeated as we are.'

The Spiritual Man - Watchman Nee

 He says- 'We never reach a stage of infallibility' and this is TRUTH.  He goes on to say 'we must heed what our inward monitor tells us regarding both inclination and overt action.'  And this is also TRUTH.

Inclination and overt action- both of these are daily struggles.  Our inclination towards sinning, and our sinning. The Holy Spirit does speak to our speak regarding these, but do we listen?

Watchman Nee also says- 'If we were more disposed today to mind the voice of conscience we would not be as defeated as we are.'   Is this true for you? I sure know it is true for me.

By the grace of God we must do God's will, not ours. By the grace of God we must heed the Holy Spirit.

Please, Lord, help us to listen and obey!

Rom_6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Spirit to spirit.

Jesus said-

Joh_5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Of His own self He could do NOTHING. 

So why do we ever imagine of our own selves we can do anything?

And what I mean by this is- Jesus LIVED wholly by His Father's will in all He ever did. Not once did Jesus step outside of His Father's will and do His own will.

We however have consistently stepped outside of God's will and believe our own will is the most paramount thing in our lives. And, if our will happens to coincide with God's, yay! More often than not, our will isn't God's. We put our own spin on things. We hope that our will is good enough for God, that He'll understand our need to assert our own will.

Jesus could do nothing by Himself.

When He heard something He would judge what He heard and All His judgment was justified and true because never, not once did He judge of His own will, but the Father's will.

We truly need to do GOD'S will, not ours. We need to do what we do for God, not ourselves. What would He have us do? He will guide us, we must submit.

Mat_16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

When we deny ourselves- we take up a cross.

To be spiritual men and women we must let the Spirit live in us and live through us, through our regenerated spirit. All by the grace and mercy of our LORD.

Excerpt from 'The Spiritual Man' By Watchman Nee.

'If the initial knowing of God’s will is so difficult, who can wonder at the lack of further and more profound revelation? How then can we ever truly know in our spirit God’s plan for the end of this age, the reality of spiritual warfare, and the deeper truths of the Bible? For our worship merely corresponds to what we think is best or what we feel on the spur of the moment. And to commune with the Lord in our intuition naturally becomes an unheard of phenomenon.

A believer must recognize that the Holy Spirit alone comprehends the things of God—and that intuitively. He is the one Person Who can convey this knowledge to man. But for anyone to obtain such knowledge he must appropriate it through the proper means; namely, he must receive with his intuition what the Holy Spirit intuitively knows.

The conjunction of these two intuitions enables man to apprehend the mind of God. “And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit” (v.13).

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

How are we going to impart to others the things of God which we have discerned in our spirit’s intuition? Having come to know the realities of God, our responsibility now is to proclaim them.

The Apostle Paul declares he does not transmit them in terms taught by human wisdom. That wisdom belongs to a man’s mind and is the product of man’s brain. Paul categorically asserts that he does not employ the words which come from the mind to communicate what his spirit knows concerning the things of God. Paul in himself possesses great wisdom. He is perfectly able to formulate many new and wonderful phrases and to deliver his message eloquently with good organization and illustrative parables. He knows how to make his audience understand what he means to say. He nevertheless refuses to use the terminology taught by human wisdom.

This declaration and attitude of the Apostle Paul indicate that man’s mind is not only useless in knowing the things of God but is also secondary in imparting spiritual knowledge. The Apostle articulates God’s realities in phraseology taught by the Spirit. In his intuition he receives His instruction. Nothing in the life of a Christian is of any value save that which is in his spirit. Even in relating spiritual knowledge he needs to employ spiritual words. Intuition appropriates not only the thing which the Holy Spirit unfolds but also the words taught by the same Spirit, in order to explain to others what has been revealed.

How often a believer tries to impart to others what has been revealed so clearly to him by God; yet try as he may, he finds no words to convey the fundamental meaning of what has been disclosed. Why? Because he has not received words in his spirit.

At other times, as he waits before the Lord, the believer senses something rising in the center of his being—perhaps but a few words. With those few words, however, he is able to communicate adequately at a meeting what has been revealed to him. He comes to realize how God actually uses him to testify for the Lord. Such experiences attest the importance of the “utterance” given by the Holy Spirit. There are two kinds of utterance, the natural and the Spirit-given. The type of utterance recorded in Acts 2.4 is indispensable in spiritual service. However eloquent our natural utterance, it remains powerless to truly communicate the things of God. We may view ourselves as having spoken quite well; yet we have not succeeded in expressing the thought of the Spirit.

Spiritual words, that is, terminology received in the spirit, can alone articulate spiritual knowledge. If we are burdened with the message of the Lord in our spirit, as though a fire were burning within, and yet have not the means to discharge that burden, we should wait for the “utterance” to be given by the Spirit so that we may proclaim the message of our spirit and discharge that burden. Should we inadvertently employ language taught by human wisdom instead of waiting for the words bestowed intuitively by the Holy Spirit, we shall find our spiritual effectiveness comes to nought. Speech merely grounded in earthly wisdom can only move people to say that the theory advanced is indeed good.

Sometimes we enjoy many spiritual experiences, but we are at a loss how to articulate them until other believers unlock them with a word. This is because until the moment we heard others uttering our experience in simple terms, we still had not received in our spirit explicit words from the Lord. Spiritual truths must be explained with spiritual phrases. We must employ spiritual means to reach spiritual ends.

This is what the Lord especially wishes to teach us today. Spiritual goals need to be perfected through corresponding spiritual processes. The fleshly as fleshly will never become spiritual. If we hope to arrive at our spiritual objectives with our minds and emotions, we as it were are expecting sweet water to pour forth from fountains of bitter water. All matters pertaining to God—such as seeking His will, obeying His commandments, proclaiming His message—are effective only if they arise out of fellowship with God in the spirit. Whatever is performed through our thoughts, talents or methods is accounted by God as dead.'

Spirit Intuition

Excerpt- 'When the Holy Spirit discloses the matters pertaining to God He does so not to our mind nor to any other organ but to our spirit.

God knows this is the sole place in man which can apprehend man’s things as well as His things. The mind is not the place for knowing these things. While it is true that the mind can think and conceive many matters, it nonetheless cannot know them. From this we can appreciate how highly God esteems the regenerated spirit of man.

Before new birth man’s spirit was dead. God had no way of unfolding His mind to such a man. The cleverest brain fails to know the mind of God.

Both God’s fellowship with man and man’s worship of God are contingent upon the regenerated spirit of man.

Without this revitalized component God and man are hopelessly separated—neither can come or go to the other. The first step towards communion between God and man must be this quickening of man’s spirit.

Because man enjoys a free will he has authority to decide his own matters. That explains why he continues to encounter many temptations following new birth. Due to his foolishness or perhaps his prejudice he may not yield the rightful position to his spirit and its intuition. God accepts this spirit as the one place where He will commune with man and man with Him. But the believer still walks by his mind or emotion. How many times he completely ignores the voice of intuition. His principle of living is to adhere to what he himself considers reasonable, beautiful, delightful, or interesting. Even should he have a heart to do God’s will, he usually will take either his impulsive idea or his more logical thought as the mind of God, not realizing that what he ought to follow is the thought expressed by the Holy Spirit in his intuition. He sometimes may be willing to hear the voice of intuition, but failing to keep his feelings quiet he finds that voice blurred and confused.

Walking after the spirit consequently becomes an occasional affair instead of forming a daily continuous experience in the Christian’s life.'  The Spiritual Man - Watchman Nee

Do we believe in this- Spirit Intuition?

Act 2:36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 

Act 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 

1Pe 1:22  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 

1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 

1Pe 1:24  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 

1Pe 1:25  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 

Pricked in our hearts- don't we get pricked in our hearts when the Holy Spirit speaks to us?  What do we call this- the pricking of our hearts? It's not us speaking to ourselves or pricking our own hearts. The Holy Spirit speaks to us.

Through the Spirit we can be purified. Through the Spirit we can love with a pure heart.  When we are born again in Christ we are born of the Spirit all through the Word of God. The Spirit is alive in us.

2Th 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth

Through sanctification of the Spirit we live! The Spirit gives us the truth we are to believe, our eyes opened, our hearts opened to the truth found in God's word.

1Th_4:8  He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

We are given the Holy Spirit!, God's Holy Spirit, and logic tells us- if nothing else- that we would not be given the Holy Spirit if the Holy Spirit were to do nothing at all with us.

1Th_5:19  Quench not the Spirit.

We are not to quench the Spirit. 

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

We are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit has to live in us in a REAL way.

Remember-

“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4.24).

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

We MUST comprehend the Holy Spirit in us by the grace and mercy of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!

Spirit intuition, perhaps describing the Spirit in us - communing in us - as Spirit intuition is confusing, but it is a way to give a name to it and so we will continue to study and pray for guidance so we may know ONLY GOD'S TRUTH, and no others!

All in the name of our Savior- Jesus Christ our Lord!

Communing with God

Communing With God - (The Spiritual Man - Watchman Nee  Excerpt)

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 

 'The Heart of Man

The larger context of this one verse speaks of God and the things of God. What He has prepared can neither be seen or heard by man’s outward body nor conceived by his inward heart. The “heart of man” includes among other facets man’s understanding, mind and intellect. Man’s thought cannot envisage God’s work, for the latter transcends the former. It is therefore evident that he who desires to know and commune with God cannot depend solely upon his thought.'

We can't comprehend what God has prepared for us who love Him. We can't THINK into existence what is waiting for us. We can never see what is prepared for us, not now not all on our own. We can't hear from anyone what has been prepared, and we can't imagine in our deepest most profound thoughts what God has made ready for those who love Him.

As Watchman Nee is explaining, our thoughts are not paramount in our walk with Christ. We might find it hard to imagine otherwise because how else are we to…well…think, to comprehend, isn't it all in our thoughts? There is something more in us as human beings as we've already discussed at great length- there is spirit. There is a part of us that isn't explained by any part of us physically, or rationally in our soul-self. 

Remember yesterday- There is a new  birth we must experience and logically we must understand that if we were whole before new birth we would not need a new birth experience. We wouldn't need to be born of the water and Spirit, if our original birth was all that was necessary to our communing with God. We need this new birth- Jesus said so Himself-

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Again I ask, why would we need a new birth if we could simply use what we were given at our first birth to see the kingdom of God? The new birth gives new life to the spirit in us and makes it possible for us to comprehend things of the Spirit, things that are beyond true and full comprehension of those not born in the Spirit.

Continuing with the excerpts-

The Holy Spirit

“God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything; even the depths of God” (v.10). This verse sets forth the fact that the Holy Spirit searches everything and not that our mind conceives all. Only the Holy Spirit knows the depths of God. He knows what man does not know. By His intuition the Spirit searches everything. God is thus able to reveal through Him what our heart has never conceived. This “revealing” is not acquired after much thinking, for our heart cannot even conceive it. It is a revelation; it does not require the help of our thought. The next two verses tell us how God reveals Himself. '

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 

The Spirit ALONE can reveal the things of God to us! We can never of our own accord know the things of God. We can THINK we know them and mankind has made up a lot of nonsense about God thinking they know the things of God, but in truth we need the things of God to be REVEALED to us by the SPIRIT.

Excerpts continued--

'The Spirit of Man

“For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God” (vv.11 and 12). No one knows man’s thoughts except the spirit of man; likewise, no one knows the things of God but the Holy Spirit. Man’s spirit as well as God’s Spirit apprehend things directly, not by deducing or searching. They perceive through the faculty of intuition. Since the Holy Spirit alone knows the things of God, we must receive the Holy Spirit if we also would know those things. The spirit of the world is cut off from communication with God. It is a dead spirit: it cannot effect communion with Him. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, comprehends the things of God; therefore, by receiving in our intuition what the Holy Spirit knows, we too shall understand the realities of God. “We have received . . . the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.” How then do we know? Verse 11 tells us man knows by his spirit. The Holy Spirit unfolds to our spirit what He knows intuitively so that we too may know intuitively.'

1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

Man knows the things of man- the spirit of man knows the things of man- we know the things of ourselves. The things of God- the SPIRIT of God knows, not us, not our spirit.  Our spirit can RECEIVE the SPIRIT WHICH IS OF GOD. We already have the spirit of man in us that knows the things of ourselves, but we need to receive the Spirit of God, it must be given to us. All mankind has the spirit of mankind, the spirit of the world, but not all have the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God knows the things of God and will teach us the things of God, things that God freely gives to us.

More tomorrow on this, by the grace, and will of God!

All through Jesus Christ our LORD, our SAVIOR now and forever! Amen.

Willingly Submitted.

Excerpt -

'We Communicate with the material world through the body.'  True or false?  True.

'We communicate with the spiritual world through the spirit.'  True or false?  True.

'This communication with the spiritual is not carried on by means of the mind or emotion but through the spirit or its intuitive faculty.'  True or false? True.

'It is easy for us to understand the nature of the communion between God and man if we have seen the operation of our intuition.'  True or false? True.

'In order to worship and fellowship with God man must possess a nature similar to His.' True or False? True.

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. KJV

If communication with the spiritual world was through our own thoughts and emotions then the spiritual world would be subject to our projecting our own thoughts as spiritual thoughts. We would use our emotions to gauge our spiritual state and our emotions can be influenced in so many ways. Our spirit given to us we are created, just as Adam and Eve were given a spirit upon creation, is enlightened upon our new birth, our spiritual birth in Christ Jesus.

Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 

Joh 3:8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 

When we are born again - the SPIRIT, the Holy Spirit gives us a new life, a new spiritual life. And still, we cannot use our thoughts and emotions as a way of communicating with the spiritual. There is something more, something that truly didn't exist prior to being born again of the Spirit. The way of communication is opened in the new birth. The spirit's 'intuitive faculty' is our guide, our comforter.

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 

Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

Joh 15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 

Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment

God is Spirit.

We must WORSHIP God in spirit and truth.

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 

Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

Gal 5:26  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 

The fruit of a tree is what?  What good is a fruit tree that produces no fruit? Very little good. The fruit of a tree is its culmination, it is its goal, its purpose, and it is useful, it is productive. Anyone who has ever had a fruit tree (or any plant they want to produce food or flower from) understands how great it is when that plant they’ve tended actually produces the intended fruit. Those who have planted and not had the desired end goal, the fruit of their labor, can also attest to the disappointment that comes when there is no fruit. The result of having the SPIRIT will be love produced in us, it will be joy, peace and longsuffering. Along with those- the possession of the SPIRIT will give us gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.  If we do NOT possess any of these fruits it's a sure bet we either do not possess the SPIRIT (the Spirit is not living in us) or we are deeply immersed in a battle for our eternal lives and have yet to have the Spirit fully rule in us.

The Spirit in us- must rule our lives and we must let Him do so. When we worship our God in spirit and truth we are worshipping Him as the willingly submitted. We worship God in love, in peace, in longsuffering, in gentleness, in goodness, in faith, in meekness, in temperance.

Col 1:27  … Christ in you, the hope of glory

Excerpt-

'There can be no communication between different natures; hence both the unregenerate whose spirit obviously has not been quickened and the regenerate who does not use his spirit to worship are equally unqualified to have genuine fellowship with God. Lofty sentiments and noble feelings do not bring people into spiritual reality nor do they forge personal communion with God.'

Truth.

'Our fellowship with Him is experienced in the deepest place of our entire being, deeper than our thought, feeling and will, even in the intuition of our spirit. A close scrutiny of 1 Corinthians 2.9-3.2 can provide a very clear view of how man communes with God and how man knows the realities of God through the spirit’s intuition.'

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 

1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 

1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 

More tomorrow by the grace of God!

All through Jesus Christ our Lord, and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!

Amen!

Communion with the Spirit

Today we're going to read a long excerpt from 'The Spiritual Man' by Watchman Nee.  Afterwards or rather over the next few days or however long it takes, by the grace of God we will study it more indepth and apply all we learn to our true guide- the Bible, God's Holy Word. May the Holy Spirit help us, all through Jesus Christ our Lord.

*******

EXCERPT--

'Communion

 We Communicate with the material world through the body. We communicate with the spiritual world through the spirit. This communication with the spiritual is not carried on by means of the mind or emotion but through the spirit or its intuitive faculty. It is easy for us to understand the nature of the communion between God and man if we have seen the operation of our intuition. In order to worship and fellowship with God man must possess a nature similar to His. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4.24).

There can be no communication between different natures; hence both the unregenerate whose spirit obviously has not been quickened and the regenerate who does not use his spirit to worship are equally unqualified to have genuine fellowship with God.

Lofty sentiments and noble feelings do not bring people into spiritual reality nor do they forge personal communion with God.

Our fellowship with Him is experienced in the deepest place of our entire being, deeper than our thought, feeling and will, even in the intuition of our spirit. A close scrutiny of 1 Corinthians 2.9-3.2 can provide a very clear view of how man communes with God and how man knows the realities of God through the spirit’s intuition.

1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 

1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 

1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 

The Heart of Man

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (v.9). The larger context of this one verse speaks of God and the things of God. What He has prepared can neither be seen or heard by man’s outward body nor conceived by his inward heart. The “heart of man” includes among other facets man’s understanding, mind and intellect. Man’s thought cannot envisage God’s work, for the latter transcends the former. It is therefore evident that he who desires to know and commune with God cannot depend solely upon his thought.

The Holy Spirit

“God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything; even the depths of God” (v.10). This verse sets forth the fact that the Holy Spirit searches everything and not that our mind conceives all. Only the Holy Spirit knows the depths of God. He knows what man does not know. By His intuition the Spirit searches everything. God is thus able to reveal through Him what our heart has never conceived. This “revealing” is not acquired after much thinking, for our heart cannot even conceive it. It is a revelation; it does not require the help of our thought. The next two verses tell us how God reveals Himself.

The Spirit of Man

“For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God” (vv.11 and 12). No one knows man’s thoughts except the spirit of man; likewise, no one knows the things of God but the Holy Spirit. Man’s spirit as well as God’s Spirit apprehend things directly, not by deducing or searching. They perceive through the faculty of intuition. Since the Holy Spirit alone knows the things of God, we must receive the Holy Spirit if we also would know those things. The spirit of the world is cut off from communication with God. It is a dead spirit: it cannot effect communion with Him. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, comprehends the things of God; therefore, by receiving in our intuition what the Holy Spirit knows, we too shall understand the realities of God. “We have received . . . the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.” How then do we know? Verse 11 tells us man knows by his spirit. The Holy Spirit unfolds to our spirit what He knows intuitively so that we too may know intuitively.

When the Holy Spirit discloses the matters pertaining to God He does so not to our mind nor to any other organ but to our spirit.

God knows this is the sole place in man which can apprehend man’s things as well as His things. The mind is not the place for knowing these things. While it is true that the mind can think and conceive many matters, it nonetheless cannot know them. From this we can appreciate how highly God esteems the regenerated spirit of man.

Before new birth man’s spirit was dead. God had no way of unfolding His mind to such a man. The cleverest brain fails to know the mind of God.

Both God’s fellowship with man and man’s worship of God are contingent upon the regenerated spirit of man.

Without this revitalized component God and man are hopelessly separated—neither can come or go to the other. The first step towards communion between God and man must be this quickening of man’s spirit.

Because man enjoys a free will he has authority to decide his own matters. That explains why he continues to encounter many temptations following new birth. Due to his foolishness or perhaps his prejudice he may not yield the rightful position to his spirit and its intuition. God accepts this spirit as the one place where He will commune with man and man with Him. But the believer still walks by his mind or emotion. How many times he completely ignores the voice of intuition. His principle of living is to adhere to what he himself considers reasonable, beautiful, delightful, or interesting. Even should he have a heart to do God’s will, he usually will take either his impulsive idea or his more logical thought as the mind of God, not realizing that what he ought to follow is the thought expressed by the Holy Spirit in his intuition. He sometimes may be willing to hear the voice of intuition, but failing to keep his feelings quiet he finds that voice blurred and confused.

Walking after the spirit consequently becomes an occasional affair instead of forming a daily continuous experience in the Christian’s life.

If the initial knowing of God’s will is so difficult, who can wonder at the lack of further and more profound revelation? How then can we ever truly know in our spirit God’s plan for the end of this age, the reality of spiritual warfare, and the deeper truths of the Bible? For our worship merely corresponds to what we think is best or what we feel on the spur of the moment. And to commune with the Lord in our intuition naturally becomes an unheard of phenomenon.

A believer must recognize that the Holy Spirit alone comprehends the things of God—and that intuitively. He is the one Person Who can convey this knowledge to man. But for anyone to obtain such knowledge he must appropriate it through the proper means; namely, he must receive with his intuition what the Holy Spirit intuitively knows.

The conjunction of these two intuitions enables man to apprehend the mind of God. “And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit” (v.13).

How are we going to impart to others the things of God which we have discerned in our spirit’s intuition? Having come to know the realities of God, our responsibility now is to proclaim them. The Apostle Paul declares he does not transmit them in terms taught by human wisdom. That wisdom belongs to a man’s mind and is the product of man’s brain. Paul categorically asserts that he does not employ the words which come from the mind to communicate what his spirit knows concerning the things of God. Paul in himself possesses great wisdom. He is perfectly able to formulate many new and wonderful phrases and to deliver his message eloquently with good organization and illustrative parables. He knows how to make his audience understand what he means to say. He nevertheless refuses to use the terminology taught by human wisdom.

This declaration and attitude of the Apostle Paul indicate that man’s mind is not only useless in knowing the things of God but is also secondary in imparting spiritual knowledge. The Apostle articulates God’s realities in phraseology taught by the Spirit. In his intuition he receives His instruction. Nothing in the life of a Christian is of any value save that which is in his spirit. Even in relating spiritual knowledge he needs to employ spiritual words. Intuition appropriates not only the thing which the Holy Spirit unfolds but also the words taught by the same Spirit, in order to explain to others what has been revealed.

How often a believer tries to impart to others what has been revealed so clearly to him by God; yet try as he may, he finds no words to convey the fundamental meaning of what has been disclosed. Why? Because he has not received words in his spirit.

At other times, as he waits before the Lord, the believer senses something rising in the center of his being—perhaps but a few words. With those few words, however, he is able to communicate adequately at a meeting what has been revealed to him. He comes to realize how God actually uses him to testify for the Lord. Such experiences attest the importance of the “utterance” given by the Holy Spirit. There are two kinds of utterance, the natural and the Spirit-given. The type of utterance recorded in Acts 2.4 is indispensable in spiritual service. However eloquent our natural utterance, it remains powerless to truly communicate the things of God. We may view ourselves as having spoken quite well; yet we have not succeeded in expressing the thought of the Spirit.

Spiritual words, that is, terminology received in the spirit, can alone articulate spiritual knowledge. If we are burdened with the message of the Lord in our spirit, as though a fire were burning within, and yet have not the means to discharge that burden, we should wait for the “utterance” to be given by the Spirit so that we may proclaim the message of our spirit and discharge that burden. Should we inadvertently employ language taught by human wisdom instead of waiting for the words bestowed intuitively by the Holy Spirit, we shall find our spiritual effectiveness comes to nought. Speech merely grounded in earthly wisdom can only move people to say that the theory advanced is indeed good.

Sometimes we enjoy many spiritual experiences, but we are at a loss how to articulate them until other believers unlock them with a word. This is because until the moment we heard others uttering our experience in simple terms, we still had not received in our spirit explicit words from the Lord. Spiritual truths must be explained with spiritual phrases. We must employ spiritual means to reach spiritual ends.

This is what the Lord especially wishes to teach us today. Spiritual goals need to be perfected through corresponding spiritual processes. The fleshly as fleshly will never become spiritual. If we hope to arrive at our spiritual objectives with our minds and emotions, we as it were are expecting sweet water to pour forth from fountains of bitter water. All matters pertaining to God—such as seeking His will, obeying His commandments, proclaiming His message—are effective only if they arise out of fellowship with God in the spirit. Whatever is performed through our thoughts, talents or methods is accounted by God as dead.'