I. THE ALL-INCLUSIVE SPIRIT BEING
THE AGGREGATE OF THE ALL-EMBRACING BLESSING
OF THE FULL GOSPEL OF GOD IN CHRIST,
FOR THE DIVINE DISPENSING
ACCORDING TO THE DIVINE ECONOMY
The all-inclusive Spirit, whom the all-inclusive Christ (as the threefold seed in humanity) has become, is the aggregate of the all-embracing blessing of the full gospel of God in Christ (Gal. 3:14), for the divine dispensing according to the divine economy. This all-inclusive Spirit comprises many items.
U. As the Spirit of Life, Filling Us Inwardly
with Himself as the Life-giving Spirit
As the Spirit of life, this Spirit fills us inwardly with Himself as the life-giving Spirit that we may be saturated and permeated with the unsearchable riches of Christ to be the fullness of Christ for His expression (Rom. 8:2; Acts 13:52; Eph. 3:8; 1:23). The words saturate and permeate are similar in meaning, but each bears a special denotation. To saturate means to fill to capacity, to soak thoroughly, and carries the thought of "in depth." To permeate means to spread or flow throughout, to pervade completely, and carries the thought of "in breadth." It would be more meaningful to say that a room is permeated, rather than saturated, with the smell of perfume. The Spirit of life fills us inwardly that we may be both saturated and permeated with the unsearchable riches of Christ. The unsearchable riches of Christ are always with the life-giving Spirit. Christ as the threefold seed in humanity is now the life-giving Spirit. The life-giving Spirit is the essential Spirit, who is the spiritual, divine, and heavenly essence of all the riches of Christ. When these riches fill us, we are saturated with Christ, and when He fills us further, we are permeated with Christ. Eventually, we are full of Christ both vertically and horizontally. Vertically, we are saturated with Christ, and horizontally we are permeated with Christ. This is the infilling of the Spirit of life (Acts 13:52).
V. As the Spirit of Power,
Filling Us Outwardly with Himself
as the Outpoured Spirit
The all-inclusive Spirit as the Spirit of power fills us outwardly with Himself as the outpoured Spirit that we may be clothed with the power from on high as our authority for us to be engaged in the Lord’s work according to God’s economy (Acts 1:8a; 2:4a, 17, 33; 4:4, 8, 30; Luke 24:49). The Greek word used in reference to the inward filling is pleroo, and the corresponding word used in reference to the outward filling is pletho. According to their usage in Acts, pleroo denotes the filling of a vessel within, as the wind filled the house inwardly in Acts 2:2, and pletho denotes the filling of persons outwardly, as the Spirit filled the disciples outwardly in Acts 2:4.
The Spirit of power is the economical Spirit for the carrying out of God’s economy. This aspect of the Spirit is different from the aspect of the Spirit as the Spirit of life, or the essential Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, what was poured out on the disciples was not the essential Spirit but the economical Spirit, not the Spirit of life but the Spirit of power (Acts 2:4), because on the day of Pentecost what was needed was not primarily life but power (1:8). The power that was poured out from on high was the economical Spirit to clothe the disciples as their authority. Today, when driving on the street, you may be fearful if you see a policeman in uniform. This is because his uniform is his authority. A large truck may be full of strength and power, but when the policeman in uniform signals for the driver in the truck to stop, the truck must stop. To drive a truck is a matter of power, but to stop the truck at the wave of a hand is a matter of authority. The power from on high is our authority. Everyone who truly speaks for the Lord has this authority. His speaking is the authority. The power from on high becomes the authority for us to be engaged in the Lord’s dispensing according to His economy.
(The Central Line of the Divine Revelation, Chapter 12, by Witness Lee)
