THE SPIRIT AS CLOTHING AND WIND
Besides John’s line, the line of the inward aspect of the Spirit, we have the line of Luke, the line of the outward aspect. We need to experience the life-giving Spirit both from within and from without. Like John, Luke also uses two symbols for the Spirit. Luke 24:49 says, "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be clothed with power from on high" (Gk.). In this verse Luke uses the symbol of clothing. The Lord says that the disciples should wait in Jerusalem until they are clothed, enveloped, with power from on high. This obviously indicates the outward experience of the Spirit. A drink is something inward, and clothing is something outward. But both are for living. Today we drink liquids and we put on clothing. Have you ever realized that this all-inclusive Spirit is both our drink inwardly and our clothing outwardly? We need Him as our drink within, and we need Him as our clothing without.
In Acts, Luke uses another symbol, the symbol of the mighty wind. Wind is similar to breath. It is mainly the wind that brings us fresh air to be our breath. Although the wind and the breath are similar, breath is for living and wind is for power. For the inward experience of the Spirit, we have the water to drink and the breath to breathe, and for the outward experience we have the clothing to put on and the mighty wind to blow upon us. The inward aspect is for life and for living, and the outward aspect is for power and function.
When you are alone in your room, you may drink all the water you want, but you do not need to be clothed in a particular way. However, when you appear before others, you must wear proper clothing. Authority comes with a proper uniform. Everyone respects a policeman. But no one respects a policeman who has no uniform. However, you automatically drive carefully whenever you see a policeman in uniform because of the authority represented by that uniform. The outward experience of the Spirit is our uniform. On the day of Pentecost Peter put on this uniform, and the whole universe was afraid of him. Hell, the demons, Satan, and all the rebellious ones were afraid of Peter because they saw that he was clothed with power from on high and that he possessed the highest authority.
BELIEVING AND CALLING
Everything has been accomplished for us, and we can have both the inward and outward experience of the Spirit. Do not worry; there is no need for you to do anything. Simply believe in the glad tidings. The highest gospel is that everything pertaining to the inward experience and the outward experience of the Spirit has been accomplished. Simply believe whatever the Bible says and call upon the name of the Lord.
(The Spirit and the Body, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)
