«　WEEK 3　DAY 5　»

　　Phil. 1:19-21 For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

　　In Philippians 1:19-21a we have salvation, the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the magnifying of Christ, and the living of Christ. In 2:12, 13a, and 16a we have the matters of working out our own salvation, of God operating in us, and of holding forth the word of life. In these two portions of Philippians we have two lines: the first line is salvation, the Spirit, and Christ; the second line is salvation, God, and the word.

　　The very God who operates in us is the supplying Spirit…. In 1:19 Paul says that his circumstances will turn out to his salvation through the bountiful supply of the Spirit. If God does not operate in us, it will not be possible for us to experience the supply from the Spirit. God operates in us in order to bring to us the bountiful supply of the Spirit. This is not mere doctrine; it is a fact of spiritual experience. (Life-study of Philippians, pp. 303, 306)

　　To shine as luminaries [Phil. 2:15] is to magnify Christ. This indicates that the salvation in chapter 2 equals the salvation in chapter 1. The operating God equals the Spirit with the bountiful supply, and shining as luminaries is equal to magnifying Christ.

　　According to 2:16, the way we shine as luminaries is to hold forth the word of life….To hold forth the word of life is to offer such a word to others, to present it to them, and even to apply it to them. This is to minister Christ to others, to offer Christ to them. What do you offer to your family, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, friends, or classmates?…You offer Christ to them, present Christ to them, and apply Christ to them in their situation. This is to hold forth the word of life. The word of life is actually the living expression of Christ. To shine as luminaries is to magnify Christ, and to hold forth the word of life is to live Christ.

　　In order to magnify Christ and to live Christ, we need the bountiful supply of the Spirit….This bountiful supply is stored in the Word. According to the Bible, the Spirit and the Word are one. In John 6:63 the Lord Jesus says, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” This indicates that the Word is the Spirit. Ephesians 6:17-18 indicates that the Spirit is the Word. Second Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is God-breathed. Every word of the Bible is the breath of God. We have pointed out that this breath is the pneuma, the Spirit….The Spirit is the breath of God, and the Word also is God's breath. Furthermore, God's breath is His pneuma, the Spirit. On the one hand, the Word of God is the Spirit; on the other hand, the Spirit of God is the Word.

　　In Ephesians 6:17 and 18 Paul tells us to receive the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, by means of all prayer and petition. Here Paul covers the aspects both of the Word and of the Spirit. Furthermore, he tells us to receive the Word of God by means of all prayer, praying at every time in spirit. We may receive the Word of God by means of all kinds of prayer: audible prayer and silent prayer, long prayer and short prayer, quick prayer and slow prayer, private prayer and public prayer.

　　To take the Word of God by means of prayer is to pray-read the Word. Whenever we come to the Word of God, we should not merely exercise our eyes to read or our mind to understand, but also exercise our spirit…. Our reading of the Bible should be mingled with prayer. This is pray-reading… When we pray-read the Word,…the Word becomes to us the living breath of God, the Spirit. As a result, we are watered, nourished, refreshed, and enlightened….The Bible becomes in our experience the nourishing Spirit. (Life-study of Philippians, pp. 350-351, 307, 309-310)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Philippians, msgs. 35, 39