As vessels containing the Triune God, we need to be fully constituted of the Holy Spirit and of the Spirit of Jesus so that our work may be an expression of this Spirit and we may flow out the Spirit to others also. Amen!
The entire New Testament has a framework – the Divine Trinity; in particular, the structure of the book of Acts is the Divine Trinity. This is not just a doctrine or a spiritual principle; this is something we can experience today.
The early disciples in the book of Acts were persons who lived in the divine history in the human history by being mingled with the Triune God and doing all things one with God.
They worked, lived, prayed, and did many things not in themselves or by themselves but in oneness with the Triune God.
In their speaking, they mentioned both the Father, the Son and the Spirit, but these mentions were precise and accurate, emphasising different aspects of the Divine Trinity operating to save man and dispense God into man.
God is Triune for the purpose of dispensing Himself into man. In Himself, God is one, and He is the unique God.
However, in His economy, for the accomplishment of His purpose, God is Triune – He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, so that He can reach man, infuse man with Himself.
From the very beginning of the book of Acts we see that the Triune God was fully involved with the ascension of Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit.
Christ the Son was ascended, God the Father exalted Him to the highest point in the universe, and the Spirit was poured out. Here we see the three of the Divine Trinity working in oneness for the same goal: to dispense God into man.
The Lord Jesus told the disciples that He would go to the Father and He would send the Spirit of reality, who would guide them into all the reality of what He is.
Now through death and resurrection, He became a life-giving Spirit to breathe Himself into His disciples to regenerate them and make them children of God, and then He was raised to the heavens forty days after His resurrection.
Then, ten days after His ascension, as the disciples were praying in one accord, the Father sent the Spirit of the resurrected and ascended Christ upon the disciples as power to clothe them with His authority for their work. Hallelujah!
Furthermore, in Acts 16:6-7, we see that Paul was guided, directed, and constituted with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus for his ministry. This is very significant.
As a Vessel Containing the Triune God, Paul was Fully Constituted of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus
Not only was the Lord Jesus mingled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit to do the work of the Father, but also the apostles were mingled with the Spirit and were led by the Spirit to do the work of the Lord.
We see this in Acts 16:6-7, two wonderful yet very mysterious verses which show us a seemingly negative situation, yet with a very positive principle and outcome.
Paul and the apostles passed through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, yet the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
This shows that the apostles didn’t do a work based on their preference or according to a human schedule or organisation, but by the leading of the Spirit.
Even more intrinsically, this shows that Paul was a vessel containing the Triune God, and as such a one, he was fully constituted of the Holy Spirit and of the Spirit of Jesus. Amazing!
The apostles tried to go somewhere, but the Holy Spirit forbade them, and then they tried to go to another place, yet the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
It was not the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Jehovah who did not allow them, but the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit was involved with the Lord’s incarnation and birth (Luke 1:35), and the Spirit of jesus was involved with the Lord’s humanity, human living, all-inclusive death, life-imparting resurrection, and ascension (Acts 2:32-36; Phil. 1:19).
Such a Spirit in two aspects – the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus – constituted the apostles, led them, directed them, and guided them to do the work of the ministry for the Lord and in the Lord.
The apostles were vessels containing the Triune God and were fully one with the Lord to do the work of propagating the resurrected Christ in His ascension by the Spirit for the producing of the churches as the kingdom of God.
In their work, they were simply vessels, constantly seeking to be filled with the Spirit and allowing the Spirit who constituted them to lead them, direct them, and guide them.
The Spirit of Jesus is the Spirit of the One with humanity, who lived a human life on earth for thirty-three and a half years, who died an all-inclusive death on the cross, who resurrected from the dead to propagate the divine life by imparting it into all His believers, and who ascended to the heavens to be made Lord and Christ.
Such a Spirit constituted the apostles and led them in their ministry for the Lord and in the Lord.
This Spirit is the totality and realisation of the all-inclusive Jesus; the apostles moved and lived under the direction and guidance of such an all-inclusive Spirit.
It was not Peter and the elders in Jerusalem who dictated or directed the apostles; rather, Paul and the apostles with him were directed, governed, led, and even constituted with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus, and their work and living were in the spirit and according to the Spirit.
They allowed the Father to strengthen them through His Spirit into their inner man with power so that Christ may make His home in their heart, and they were one with God in their living, moving, and work (Eph. 3:14-17).
We need to exercise our spirit and our renewed mind to learn from their pattern in our Christian life and work for the Lord today.
Lord Jesus, thank You for making us vessels to contain the Triune God for His increase and spread in humanity today! Hallelujah, we are part of the propagation of the resurrected Christ in His ascension through the Spirit so that God may gain a kingdom on the earth, expressed in the local churches! Amen, Lord, we exercise our spirit today. We want to live in our spirit and do all things in spirit. May we enjoy and experience the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus today. Hallelujah, the Holy Spirit is with our spirit, causing God to be mingled with us and even to be incarnated in us! Amen, the Spirit of Jesus with a bountiful supply is in our mingled spirit, applying to us all that Christ is and has accomplished in His incarnation, human living, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension. We fully open to You, Lord, to be constituted with the Holy Spirit and with the Spirit of Jesus for our daily living and work for the Lord and in the Lord!
When we’re Constituted with the All-inclusive Spirit, our Work is the Expression of this Spirit
Today, many Christians do a work for the Lord; they do a work in the name of the Lord, for the Lord, and toward the Lord, having the assurance and confidence that they do a good thing for God.
We need to realise, however, that the kind of work we do for the Lord depends on the kind of Spirit by whom we are guided, directed, instructed, and constituted.
What kind of Spirit guides us? What kind of Spirit constitutes us? We may have the ability and means to do something for God, but what kind of Spirit constitutes us and directs us in our work for the Lord?
If we look at the pattern of the early disciples, it was the Holy Spirit who initiated the sending of the apostles to go for the work of the ministry, and the church cooperated to pray and send them.
Then, the apostles were guided, directed, and constituted with the all-inclusive Spirit – the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus – in their work, and their work was the work of the Spirit.
How about us today: what kind of work do we do for the Lord and in the Lord? What kind of Spirit guides, directs, instructs, and constitutes us?
We need to be fully constituted of the Holy Spirit, who was involved with the Lord’s incarnation and birth, and of the Spirit of Jesus, who was involved with the Lord’s humanity, human living, all-inclusive death, life-imparting resurrection, and ascension.
We need to be persons constituted with the all-inclusive Spirit. Then, when we go out, we can truly preach Christ, for the Spirit will flow through us and our work will be the work of the Spirit.
May we pray that the Father would strengthen us into our inner man through His Spirit so that Christ may make His home in our heart through faith (Eph. 3:14-17).
May we allow the Triune God to operate in us, make His home in us, and constitute us with the all-inclusive Spirit so that our work may be the expression of this Spirit (Acts 16:6-7; Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19).
In the Old Testament we see many who did great works for the Lord, one such one being Elijah. However, Elijah did not have the Spirit of Jesus or the Holy Spirit; he only had the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jehovah, who moved him and caused him to speak and do something for the Lord.
He had a powerful Spirit, but he was not constituted of the Spirit of Jesus. He could do a work outwardly for God, but he could never do the work of ministering Jesus to others as the all-inclusive One, nor could he convey Christ as such a One to others.
But today we are in the New Testament age, we have the Spirit with our spirit, and we need to allow the all-inclusive Spirit to direct us, guide us, instruct us, and constitute us.
The kind of work we do for the Lord depends on the kind of Spirit by whom we’re guided. It is not just “the Spirit” in a general way, but the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus in a particular and specific way.
May we not assume that we understand what it means to have the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus guide us, direct us, instruct us, and constitute us; rather, may we dig deeper into the word of God to find out what it means to have the all-inclusive Spirit constitute us.
We need to have the heavenly vision to see what is implied in these two divine titles so that we may appreciate, apprehend, understand, and experience the all-inclusive Spirit constituting us, directing us, and instructing us.
In studying the entire Bible to see what is the meaning and implication of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus, we realise that the Holy Spirit is involved with God’s New Testament economy, in particular with God becoming man and being mingled with man (Luke 1:35).
As for the Spirit of Jesus, this title refers to the Lord Jesus as the all-inclusive One who was a man, lived a human life in His humanity, went to the cross and died an all-inclusive death, was resurrected for the propagation of the divine life, and ascended into the heavens to be made Lord and Christ.
May we prayerfully consider the meaning and implications of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus leading and constituting us so that we may be constituted of the all-inclusive Spirit today.
There will be many situations when we will simply be channels for the Spirit to flow in us and through us to others.
Not just the Spirit in a general way, but the Holy Spirit for the mingling of God with man and the Spirit of Jesus with the bountiful supply for suffering for the Lord and carrying out our ministry.
Lord Jesus, may we see that the kind of work we do for the Lord depends on the kind of Spirit by whom we are guided, directed, instructed, and constituted. Amen, Lord, may we be constituted with the all-inclusive Spirit today so that our work would be the expression of this Spirit! Hallelujah, the all-inclusive Spirit is with our spirit today. Amen, Lord, thank You for being the Holy Spirit with our spirit to mingle God with man and bring God into man. Thank You for being the Spirit of Jesus with our spirit with all the elements of Christ’s incarnation, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension! What a bountiful supply we have in the all-inclusive Spirit with our spirit! Amen, Lord, we want to have the all-inclusive Spirit become our constitution so that our work for the Lord would be the expression of this Spirit! Flow in us. Constitute us. Direct us. Guide us. Be everything to us today. Keep us in our spirit, opening to You and allowing You to flow in us and constitute us!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers, and portions from, Life-study of Acts, msgs. 40, 44, 52 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, One Accord and Crucial Aspects of the Book of Acts (2025 April ITERO), week 8, The Divine Trinity and the Kingdom of God – day 3.
- Similar articles on this topic:
– What is the All-inclusive Spirit of Jesus Christ? More via, The Hearing of Faith.
– Crucial Points regarding the Lord’s Ascension, via, Living to Him.
– The reproduction of the God-man (1) – how the Lord becomes the life-giving Spirit, a portion from, Life-Study of Luke, Chapter 62.
– Being Overcomers with a Vision, Not Idealists with a Dream, via, Shepherding Words.
– The Spirit in the formation, constitution, and building up of the Body of Christ, article by David Yoon in, Affirmation and Critique.
– Acts (Program #44) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (10), via, Bible study radio.
– Enjoying the inclusiveness and unlimitedness of Christ by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, a portion from, The All-Inclusiveness and Unlimitedness of Christ, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee.
– How Knowing My Human Spirit Affected My Christian Life, via, Bibles for America blog.
– The ministers of the new covenant, a portion from, Life-Study of 2 Corinthians, Chapter 13.
– Two Spirits Needed for New Jerusalem, via, New Jerusalem blog.
– Quotes on, The Spirit, via, All-Inclusive Christ website.
– The Spirit of Jesus, via, Conversant Faith. - Hymns on this topic:
– All to Jesus I surrender, / Make me, Savior, wholly Thine; / Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit, / Truly know that Thou art mine. / All to Jesus I surrender, / Lord, I give myself to Thee; / Fill me with Thy love and power, / Let Thy blessing fall on me. (Hymns #441 stanzas 3-4)
– Jesus Christ the Lord is living now in us / As the wonderful Spirit within. / He has been transfigured, we enjoy Him thus, / As the life-giving Spirit within. / Now the Spirit of reality is here / As the wonderful Spirit within. / Now the things of Christ are all so real and clear / By the life-giving Spirit within. (Hymns #1113 stanzas 3-4)
– Baptized in the Holy Spirit, / In the Spirit we’re immersed; / All the church is born of Spirit, / All religion is dispersed. / In the Spirit, in the Spirit— / Brothers, this is all we need. / Now the church must be in Spirit, / Not in teaching, form, or creed. (Hymns #1123 stanza 2)
About aGodMan
Life-study of Acts, pp. 374-375, by Witness Lee
Acts 16:7 footnote 1 on, Spirit of Jesus, RcV Bible
Dear brother, the kind of work we do for the Lord depends on the kind of Spirit by whom we are guided, directed, instructed, and constituted.
We need to exercise our spirit and be filled with the Spirit and constituted with the all-inclusive Spirit in our daily living so that our work would be the expression of this Spirit.
May we pray-read the Word of God and dig in God’s word to be filled with the Holy Spirit (related to Christ’s incarnation and God mingled with man) and the Spirit of Jesus (related to Christ’s human living, death, resurrection, and ascension with a bountiful supply) so that we may flow out this Spirit in our living and work.
Amen. Lord fill us with the Spirit. We need to be led by and constituted with the all inclusive Spirit, In this way can we truly minister Jesus to other.
We need to have a heavenly vision in order to to see what is implied by the Holy Spirt and the Spirit of Jesus, which we can understand more by digging into the depths of the Bible concerning the Spirit.
Dear brother, For our participation in the carrying out of God’s New Testament economy, we need to be constituted, led, directed, and instructed like Paul and the apostles by the all-inclusive Spirit.
This Spirit contains both the Holy Spirit – God mingling Himself with man to be one with man, and the Spirit of Jesus – including the Lord’s humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension to be made Lord & Christ.
Such an all-inclusive Spirit will enable us to do the work of ministering to convey Jesus as the all-inclusive, life-imparting One to others.
May our work be the expression of this Spirit!
We need the insight to see the significance of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus.
The kind of work we do for the Lord depends upon the kind of Spirit by whom we are guided.
We need to be fully constituted of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of incarnation & birth, and of the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of the Lord’s humanity, human living, death, resurrection & ascension.
When we are thoroughly saturated with these two aspects of God’s Spirit, we are truly equipped to do a work for the Lord.
We need the heavenly vision and need to study the Spirit and dig into the depths of the Bible concerning the Spirit to see what is implied by the two divine titles: the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus.
This Spirit should become our constitution, then our work will become the expression of this Spirit.