RENEWED, FILLED,
AND WASHED
Being renewed in the spirit of our mind also has much to do with the Word. If the Word does not enter into our mind, there is no way for the Spirit to get into our mind. But when our mind is saturated by the Word, it will be full of the Spirit. In this way the Spirit becomes the renewing Spirit in our mind.
In 5:18 Paul charges us to "be filled in spirit," no doubt with the Spirit of God. But how can the Spirit of God get into our spirit? The answer is that the Spirit comes into our spirit through the Word. When our spirit is filled with the Word, the Word, having come into us, becomes the Spirit. This is proved by 5:26 which speaks of "the washing of the water in the word." If the Word did not get into us, how could it wash us inwardly? The washing in 5:26 is not an outward washing, but a washing from within, a washing that removes spots and wrinkles, thereby accomplishing a work of transformation. If the Word could not come into us, there would be no way for the water of the Word to wash us inwardly. The fact that we are washed by the water in the Word proves that it is possible for the Word to get into us.
TAKING THE WORD BY PRAYER
In 6:17 and 18 we see the way to take in the Word: receive the Word of God by means of all prayer and petition. When we receive the Word by prayer and petition, the Word gets into us and becomes the Spirit who fills our spirit and spreads into our mind, becoming the Spirit of the mind and renewing the mind. Furthermore, the Word washes us inwardly and, by spreading into the inward parts of our being, makes a home for Christ within us. Therefore, this matter of the Word is a line that goes from 1:13 to 6:17 and 18.
THE RESULT OF TAKING THE WORD
IN A PROPER WAY
If we read and pray-read the Bible in a proper way, even musing upon the Word, singing it, and dwelling in it, our inner being will be filled. We may say that we are filled with the Word, with the Spirit, or with faith. We may also say that we are filled with the anointing, with God, or with Christ. By this inward filling we have the power to defeat the darkness in the air. We also have the living water flowing within us to wash away the old elements, the wrinkles and the spots, and to renew us. When we are filled in this way, we sense that Christ is settling Himself in our being, making our inner chambers the rooms for His dwelling place. Also, when we enjoy such a filling, we love all believers, no matter what their nationality may be. Moreover, our inner eyes are enlightened, and our vision becomes clear.
Before we learned to take the Word in this way, we were blind, empty, weak, and full of oldness. We had no way to deal with the evil powers in the air. But now by taking the Word in the proper way, reading it, pray-reading it, and even singing and praising with it, we are filled inwardly and have the power to defeat Satan. Oh, there is nothing more refreshing and cleansing than to be inwardly washed by the water in the Word! When we are filled with the Word and washed by it, our entire being is renewed and transparent, and we have a foretaste of the New Jerusalem. At such a time we do not care for doctrine; we care only for Christ and His Body. Furthermore, the universal dimensions of Christ and His knowledge-surpassing love become our experience. We are saturated with Christ and one with Christ. As a result, we become Christ’s home, and we love all the saints in the church life, both the young and the old. If we all are filled inwardly by contacting the Word in a proper way, the young ones will love the older ones, and the older ones will love the young ones. When an older saint sees a teen-ager standing up to praise the Lord, his heart will leap for joy. In our experience we shall know that all ordinances have been abolished. From my experience I can testify that this truly is the secret of enjoying Christ and participating in the church life.
THE NEED TO PERSEVERE
We need more prayer and petition to receive the Word of God. According to 6:17 and 18, we need to pray at every time in spirit. When we pray, there is no need for us to compose our own prayers; we have the Bible as our prayer book. The best way to pray is to pray with the Word of God. As we pray the Word, we must exercise our spirit and thereby take the Word by means of prayer. Then we shall enjoy Christ and participate in the church life. We need to watch unto this prayer and persevere in it all day long. Although the powers of darkness may try to quench us and keep us from praying this way, we need to persevere and continue to pray with the Word by exercising our spirit. If we practice this, we shall enjoy the secret revealed in Ephesians. Then we shall have the proper experience of Christ and the church.
(The Secret of Experiencing Christ, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)
