«　WEEK 6　DAY 4　»

　　2 Cor. 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart; but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

　　12 So then death operates in us, but life in you.

　　In order for there to be a pure flow of the life of God, we must be broken… In Galatians 2:20…the statement I am crucified…and it is no longer I refers to the experience of being broken. Only those who are broken are crucified with Christ and can say, “It is no longer I.” The statement but it is Christ who lives in me refers to the flowing out of the divine life. Christ being expressed through us is life flowing out of us. (CWWL, 1954, vol. 3, “The Service for Building Up the House of God,” p. 95)

　　The operation of death within us, spoken of in 2 Corinthians 4:12, is the killing. The operation of death is our being broken. The more we are broken, the more the life of God will flow out of us.

　　A brother who is broken can supply life. We may understand this doctrinally, but we still need to put it into practice. The Spirit of life abides in our spirit. However, besides our human spirit, we also have a soul and a body. Our soul and body encase our spirit. Therefore, in order for life to be released from our spirit, our soul and body must be dealt with and broken. The body does not pose much of a problem, but our soul poses a great problem. The things of the soul, which is composed of our mind, emotion, and will, are difficult to deal with. The soul surrounds and encases the spirit. Hence, our soul must be dealt with and broken in order for our spirit to be released. Otherwise, there cannot be a pure flow of the divine life.

　　When we say that the soul needs to be dealt with and broken, we do not mean that a person no longer uses his mind, expresses his emotions, or exercises his will. Our mind, emotion, and will still function, but they have been dealt with, subdued, and made submissive to our spirit. In other words, they have been broken… A person who can release his spirit has subdued his mind, emotion, and will. The three parts of his soul are under the ruling of his spirit and let his spirit dominate.

　　When some brothers encounter something, their mind is the first to react, not their spirit. With some sisters their emotion is the first to react, not their spirit. With some saints their will is the first to react, not their spirit. The part that reacts first is the part that dominates our being. When we let our spirit respond first, the mind is subdued. When our mind responds first, our spirit is pushed back…When our spirit is released, our mind is dealt with, broken, and held under the ruling of our spirit. Then the divine life in our spirit can be released.

　　It is difficult to explain the way to release the spirit. When we only think of something, we are using our mind. When some sisters hear a sad matter, their emotions run wild like an unbridled horse. If they want life to flow out, they must suppress their wild emotions, and they must use their spirit to sense the situation. It is difficult for a brother with a strong will to change what he has decided. When such a brother expresses his strong will, he does not represent God. When we encounter situations with our spirit, life will flow out of us.

　　In order for the Lord’s life to be released from within us, we must learn to fellowship with the Lord, be subdued in our soul, and let our spirit dominate and rule over every matter. Whether we are elders or deacons or are involved in visitation or preaching the gospel, we must learn to use our spirit and to subdue our mind, emotion, and will so that we touch things with our spirit. Then the Lord’s life will be able to flow out. Our supplying others with life does not depend on our doing things properly but on our exercising our spirit. (CWWL, 1954, vol. 3, “The Service for Building Up the House of God,” pp. 95-97)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1969, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ as Life for the Building Up of the Church,” ch. 15; Life-study of Colossians, msgs. 44, 49-52