RECEIVING THE HELP

It seems as though the help that we have received in the past was fragmented. For example, we heard a message that focused on the ears, a message that focused on the nose, and a message that focused on the lips. We also heard a message that focused on the two hands. Such messages can give only fragmented help. However, once we receive the complete person, we will have the ears, the nose, the lips, and the hands. As long as we receive the Lord as our person, we have everything.

Even though the messages that we heard in the past seem to have been fragmented, our need today is to receive the Lord as our person. When the Lord comes in to be our person, the old man will have no place, and we will have everything. We should not be influenced by complicated and natural thoughts and concepts; neither should we be influenced by religious traditions. When we receive the Lord Jesus, not only do we receive His whole person, but we also receive Him once for all. Hence, immediately after we receive Him, [177] we can and we should consecrate ourselves to Him. There is no need to wait. However, since many of us did not have a proper consecration when we received the Lord, we need to make up for it today.

We need to have a proper understanding. Christ desires to make His home in our hearts (Eph. 3:17). He entered into us the day that we were saved, but He still has not made home in us. In the past we did not speak concerning Christ making His home in our heart, because we thought that people would not understand. Now we need to change our concept. Even when we preach the gospel, we must tell others that they are in a pitiful condition because Christ does not dwell in them and has not made His home in them.

We must also change the way that we give messages. We were unable to stir others up, and we also lost our vigor. We should no longer preach such a low gospel. When we preach the gospel, we can say, “Dear friend, you are a vessel created by God for Himself. Although you are lovely, you are empty. I know that you are empty because you do not have the Lord Jesus in you. The Lord Jesus is the real Lord, the real God. He desires to enter into you and dwell in you. You need the Lord Jesus. Please pray with us.”

BEING FILLED AND 
HAVING A THOROUGH CONSECRATION

We must look to the Lord in order to be filled by Him. Then we can go out and preach the gospel. When we are strengthened into the inner man, Christ will make His home in our hearts so that we may be filled unto all the fullness of God (vv. 16-19). Then we will be able to tell people that they need Jesus and that the Lord desires not only to be their Savior but also to enter into them and indwell them. It is glorious for people to hear this kind of gospel and be saved. We should also speak concerning consecration. Actually, to preach the gospel is to speak concerning consecration. Every person needs Jesus, and the Lord Jesus wants to dwell in every person. Therefore, they should yield their inner being to the Lord so that He can enter into them and be their person. We must not say that people cannot understand this. If we would only speak in this way, people would understand.

Do not say that consecration does not allow a believer to study abroad but requires him to serve full time, stand on the ground of the church, or preach the gospel. This is our concept. A brother said [178] that consecration helps believers to be spiritual, to overcome, and to be holy. He said that consecration is for us to be spiritual. Such a religious concept is harmful because it implies that they need to consecrate themselves so that they might be spiritual. It is rather simple for the unbelievers, who have never heard the things in Christianity, to comprehend the gospel and consecration. Hence, we can tell them, “You are empty inside; you need Jesus. He desires to enter into you and dwell in you. Open yourself, hand yourself over to Him, and let Him occupy you.” This is very simple, but this is consecration. Many saints have been saved for a long time but have not had such a proper and thorough consecration.

Ephesians 3:16-19 says, “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith,…that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.” When we are strengthened into the inner man, Christ will make His home in our hearts, and we will be filled unto all the fullness of God. Therefore, once Christ makes His home in our hearts, we will be filled. This is the genuine filling of the Holy Spirit. This is not a partial filling. When we let Christ make His home in our hearts, the result is that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit unto all the fullness of God.

Let me add a word of explanation. We must differentiate between man and person. I am a man, a human being, but within me there is a person. Our inner man refers to our regenerated spirit. The Lord Jesus is in our spirit, our inner man, to be our person. Our inner man is our regenerated spirit, and its person is the Lord Himself. The Lord is the person in our inner man. We need to know the difference between these two phrases: our regenerated spirit is our inner man and the Lord is the person in our inner man.

May we all consecrate ourselves absolutely to the Lord. I am saying this not only to the young saints. The older saints should also practice this. We need an absolute consecration. By the Lord’s mercy, we need a thorough salvation so that the Lord can enter into us, occupy us completely, and be our person. This is a very simple matter. We need such a genuine consecration. We should pray, “Lord, I will receive Your salvation. This salvation is Yourself. Come into me and be my person.” This is a simple prayer. The Lord is the Spirit, and He is God. When we take Him as our person, He will [179] occupy us and fill us. This is the way to be filled with the Holy Spirit. A genuine and thorough consecration is to receive Christ as our person, letting Him make home in us. As a result, we will be filled with Him unto all the fullness of God.