XIII. BEING THE REALITY OF CHRIST
The Spirit is the reality of Christ (John 15:26; 1 John 5:6). The Spirit is the reality of Christ’s death, the reality of Christ’s resurrection, and the reality of all the divine attributes of Christ. If you have the Spirit, you have Christ’s humility and Christ’s love. The reality of everything that Christ is, everything that Christ has, and even everything that Christ has accomplished is the Spirit.
XIV. COMFORTING THE CHURCHES
Acts 9:31 says that the church went on in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. The churches were not only comforted but also were in the comfort of the Spirit. The word comfort in the Bible implies satisfaction, rest, and enlightenment. If you are satisfied, your thirst is quenched and you have rest. Also, you are not in darkness. No one in darkness can be comforted. Darkness itself is a trouble. When light is here, we are comforted. When light is gone, we are troubled. The church needs the comfort of the Spirit, which includes satisfaction, rest, and enlightenment.
XV. BEING THE JOY IN THE BELIEVERS
FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The all-inclusive Spirit is the joy in the believers for the kingdom of God (Rom. 14:17; Acts 13:52). Romans 14:17 says that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:52 says that the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Thus, one of the functions of the Spirit is to make us joyful. He is our joy.
The above fifteen items should give us a view of the functions of the Spirit. They show us how the Spirit functions to apply to us what Christ is, what Christ has, what Christ has accomplished, and even what Christ will do. In other words, the functioning Spirit is making the Triune God in what He is, what He has, what He has accomplished, and what He will accomplish, one with us. Thus, the Christian life is a life by the all-inclusive Spirit.
(The Christian Life, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)
