Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit

Today many who come to the meetings do not know how to light the lamps. They need to learn how to light the lamps in order to enlighten the meeting. When we were in Elden hall in the years from 1969 to 1971, the lamps were lighted long before the announced time for the beginning of the meeting. But in some of the meetings today the lamps are not lighted until well after the announced time of meeting. Moreover, during those years in Elden hall, the saints prepared to light the lamps while they were still at home or while they were on the way to the meeting. During those years, the saints wrote many living songs and hymns, such as "Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit," one that I especially like. This song brings in light. Many saints have been stirred in their spirit by singing it.

Christ is the life contained in Himself as the Word of God (John 1:4a; 11:25; 14:6; 10:10b) to be the base of a believer's life. Our regenerated life is based upon the very divine life in Christ as the Word. If we are going to enjoy Christ's life, we must come to the Word of Christ. We must pray His Word, say "Amen" to His Word, and sing "Hallelujah" to His Word.

We can be vitalized by singing the following song with an exercised spirit: "Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit./Now Christ is the Spirit today./Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit,/So turn to your spirit and say,/O Lord! Amen! O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!/O Lord! Amen! O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!" In one meeting in Elden Hall in 1965 I told the saints that we can all say four words. When I spoke this, I did not know what the four words were. Then I said that we can say, "O Lord! Amen! Hallelujah!" This is a simple way to touch the Lord by turning to our spirit. We have a spirit (1 Thes. 5:23), and the Lord is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17) who dwells in our spirit. Therefore, we should turn ourselves from our mind to our spirit, from our thinking to praising.

The problems in the church life cannot be solved by any human methods. Over fifty years ago I began to labor in the ministry and often the saints came to me with problems. Most of these problems were related to marriage. I thought that I could render the saints some way to solve their problems, but eventually found out that this did not work. By reading the holy Word, I realized that we cannot solve any problem. The only way to solve people's problems is to minister this enjoyable Christ. I began to tell people that they had to experience Christ and take Christ as their life and life supply.

Although I shared these things with the saints in the 1940s I had not seen the matter of calling on the Lord's name. In the years from 1966 to 1968 we began to practice pray-reading the Word and calling on the Lord's name in Elden Hall in Los Angeles. Elden Hall is a memorial of pray-reading and calling on the name of the Lord. In one evening meeting, the saints pray-read the entire book of Ephesians. That was marvelous. Our meetings were filled with calling, "O Lord Jesus! Amen."

One day in a meeting I stood up and told the saints that all of them could say something. When I said this to the saints, I myself did not know what to tell them to say. Then I said, "All of you can say four words." At that moment I did not know what four words I would tell the saints to say. Then I said, "All of you can say O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!" We practiced saying "O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah" for a period of time. I thought that I had made a mistake in the order of these words by telling the saints to say Amen before Hallelujah instead of saying Hallelujah, Amen. Then I checked with the New Testament. Actually, the biblical way is not "Hallelujah, Amen," but "Amen, Hallelujah" (Rev. 19:4). In those years we sang the following song again and again:

Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit;

Now Christ is the Spirit today.

Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit,

So turn to your spirit and say—

O Lord, Amen!

O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!

In those days, around 1969, we were "crazy" in the enjoyment of Christ. Every day the saints would be calling, "O Lord Jesus, Amen!" Before that time we seldom said "Amen." Now to say "Amen" has become a custom among us. Today whenever you meet a brother, you say, "Amen." This brother will respond by saying "Amen" to you. Our custom of saying "Amen" came from the song mentioned above. When we say, "O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah," we have to testify that we enjoy the Lord. No one can deny this.

According to [Exodus] 27:21, the priests were to set the lamps in order 'from evening until morning.' Nothing is said here about the day. During the Christian life, we are in the night, not in the day. Because we are in the night, we need the light to shine until the day dawns. By the light shining in the meetings during this age of night, we are enlightened to see more of Christ and to see more clearly the way into the Holy of Holies.

Today many who come to the meetings do not know how to light the lamps. They need to learn how to light the lamps in order to enlighten the meeting. When we were in Elden hall in the years from 1969 to 1971, the lamps were lighted long before the announced time for the beginning of the meeting. But in some of the meetings today the lamps are not lighted until well after the announced time of meeting. Moreover, during those years in Elden hall, the saints prepared to light the lamps while they were still at home or while they were on the way to the meeting. During those years, the saints wrote many living songs and hymns, such as 'Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit,' one that I especially like. This song brings in light. Many saints have been stirred in their spirit by singing it.