John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1 And as the day of Pentecost was being fulfilled... (2) And suddenly there was a sound out of heaven, as of a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, even as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth.
[Part 1 of 3] In the Lord's resurrection, the Spirit of resurrection life is likened to breath, breathed into the disciples (John 20:22) for their spiritual being and living essentially. In the Lord's ascension, the Spirit of ascension power, poured upon the disciples, is symbolized here by the wind for the disciples' ministry and move economically. The essential Spirit of resurrection life is for the believers to live Christ; the economical Spirit of ascension power is for them to carry out His commission. We need to see clearly the difference between the breathing in John 20 and the blowing in Acts 2. The breathing in John 20 is for the imparting of the life-giving Spirit into the disciples essentially for their spiritual being and for their spiritual living. But the blowing in Acts 2 is for the pouring out of the economical Spirit of power upon the believers, who have already received the essential Spirit into them. The pouring out of the Spirit of power is not for the believers' spiritual being or living; rather, the outpouring of the Spirit of power is for the believers' ministry and move. Therefore, the essential aspect of the Spirit is for living, and the economical aspect is for ministry. Breathing is for life, but blowing is for power. [continued tomorrow]
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Acts, pp. 51-52. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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