The Spirit of Jesus is clearly portrayed in the first two chapters of Philippians; here we see that for us to preach the gospel, have fellowship unto the gospel, and take Christ as our pattern, we need to experience the Spirit of Jesus.
We may have never considered the matter of the Spirit of Jesus as being something crucial for our Christian life and work, but in Acts 16:6-7 and in Paul’s experience, the Spirit of Jesus has a prominent position.
The move of the apostle Paul and his co-workers for the spreading of the gospel in different countries and cities was not according to their feeling, decision, preference, or opinions but by the Spirit of Jesus.
As seen in the book of Acts, the spreading of the gospel to certain parts of the earth was not by a council coming together and deciding things, neither was it according to any schedule but by the Spirit of Jesus.
Our work of spreading the gospel today should not be initiated by man or scheduled by some sort of organisation; it should be by the Holy Spirit – which is involved with the Lord’s incarnation and birth – and by the Spirit of Jesus – who was involved with the Lord’s humanity, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
The kind of work that we do for the Lord depends not on our ability, zeal, or capacity; it depend son the kind of Spirit by whom we are guided, directed, instructed, or constituted.
What is it that constitutes us? What directs us, guides us, and instructs us? Some believers are guided by a Spirit of power, and they preach the gospel in a powerful way with the power of God.
We do not deny or put down such a gospel preaching, but in the light of what we see in Acts, Paul preached the gospel by the Spirit of Jesus.
Actually, the spreading of Christ on earth depends on our being, our constitution; what constitutes us is what will flow out from within us.
We need to be fully constituted with the Holy Spirit and with the Spirit of Jesus; then, we will be able to truly preach Christ and minister Jesus to others for the increase of Christ.
If the Spirit of Jesus becomes our constitution, then our work will be the expression of this Spirit, and our work will be for Jesus as the incarnated One with humanity, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension.
If we in the church life are constituted with the Spirit of Jesus, we will do the work of ministering Jesus as the all-inclusive One, and we will convey Jesus as such a One to others.
Today we want to see more concerning the Spirit of Jesus as portrayed in the first two chapters of Philippians.
Having Fellowship unto the Gospel without Envy or Strife by the Spirit of Jesus
The Spirit of Jesus is clearly seen in portrait in the first two chapters of Philippians; in the first chapter we have the preaching of the gospel – for us to preach the gospel, we need the Spirit of Jesus (Phil. 1:12-18).
The first chapter of Philippians is concerned with the fellowship unto the gospel without envy, rivalry, or strife (Phil. 1:5, 15, 17). To preach the gospel, we need the Spirit of Jesus; only in the Spirit of Jesus and by the Spirit of Jesus will we not strive, have rivalry, or be at enmity.
When Jesus was on earth, on one hand He was despised as being a Nazarene, and on the other, He didn’t have any envy, strife, or rivalry, the three negative things mentioned in Phil. 1.
In this chapter we see many positive things such as fellowship unto the gospel and being in one spirit with one soul, but we also see some negative things.
How can we have one spirit and one soul? How can we have no strife, envy, or rivalry? It is only by the Spirit of Jesus.
Sometimes we may have a spirit of envy; when we see others being appreciated or taking the lead, we may be envious, and then we may strive in the spirit of rivalry. Oh Lord Jesus!
We cannot get rid of the spirit of envy, and we become envious or have strife even without wanting it or thinking about it…these things are in us, and when the opportunity arises, they come out.
But praise the Lord, the Spirit of Jesus is not like this; if we consider the life of Jesus in the Gospels, He lived a life without envy, strife, or rivalry.
When we experience and enjoy the Spirit of Jesus, we will have fellowship unto the gospel without envy or strife; we will preach the gospel in the Spirit of Jesus, but without any envy, strife, or rivalry.
There’s so much gospel preaching today, but there are so many who are in rivalry, competition, and in strife, desiring to get a bigger following, a bigger church, etc.
But we should preach the gospel in the Spirit of Jesus, without envy, strife, or rivalry. We are part of the one new man, part of the reproduction, increase, and enlargement of the first God-man, and in Him there’s no envy or strife.
Jesus Christ is the Head, we are the Body, and we all do the same one work; there’s no envy, strife, or rivalry here – there’s only one work that Jesus is doing all over the earth. The world will see this happening – one stream, one flow, with no envy or strife or rivalry.
Lord Jesus, we open to enjoy the Spirit of Jesus in our fellowship unto the gospel so that we may preach the gospel without any envy, strife, or rivalry. We want to preach the gospel in the Spirit of Jesus. Deliver us, Lord, from any spirit of rivalry, strife, or competition. May our work be in the one stream, the one flow, the one work that Jesus does on earth today. Amen, Lord Jesus, make us one spirit with You in our preaching the gospel so that we may do all things by the Spirit of Jesus!
Fellowship unto the Gospel Requires that we be in One Spirit with One Soul by the Spirit of Jesus
For us to have fellowship unto the gospel requires that we be in one spirit with one soul (Phil. 1:27).
If we are not in the Spirit of Jesus, we are not in the fellowship unto the gospel, for only in the Spirit of Jesus is it possible for us to be in one spirit and with one soul.
Whenever we are not in the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of this One who has a proper uplifted humanity, the One who is willing to pass through all the sufferings, we don’t want to be one with anyone.
When we don’t exercise our spirit to be in one spirit with one soul, we want to be independent, for ourselves, and build up our own empire.
Paul wrote to the Philippians that they would be brought into and come into the fellowship unto the gospel, striving and standing together in one spirit with one soul.
Whether we are European, Africans, Chinese, Americans, or Asians, we all fellowship together, we all are in one spirit with one soul, and we all are doing one work. Hallelujah, we are all in the one stream, and we all fellowship unto the gospel.
Our gospel is not a “European gospel” or an “American gospel” or an “Asian gospel” but the gospel of the Firstborn Son of God for His reproduction on the earth.
For us to experience Christ we need to be in the fellowship unto the gospel by the Spirit of Jesus without envy, strife, or rivalry; this means that we need to be in one spirit with one soul by the Spirit of Jesus.
To be with one soul mainly means that we have one mind, that is, we have the same mind.
The reason Christians can’t be one soul is because each desires to be first, and no one is willing to be last; furthermore, they want to be independent and do their own work as they see it before the Lord, and they don’t coordinate with others.
But when we exercise our spirit and tell the Lord, Lord, I want to be in the Spirit of Jesus! we immediately have the experience of Christ and are one spirit and one soul with others.
Then we will strive together for the gospel, participating in the fellowship unto the gospel in one spirit with one soul by the Spirit of Jesus. Together; we will strive together – corporately, not just as individuals but as a corporate Body, one with the Lord and also one with the saints.
Lord Jesus, we want to be in the Spirit of Jesus so that we may have fellowship unto the gospel in one spirit with one soul! Amen, Lord Jesus, keep us in our mingled spirit, drinking from the Spirit of Jesus with His humanity, so that we may no longer be individualistic but corporate, together with the saints. Keep us in the mingled spirit, Lord, enjoying and experiencing the Spirit of Jesus for the fellowship unto the gospel in one spirit and with one soul by the Spirit of Jesus!
Only by the Spirit of Jesus can we Take Christ as our Pattern to be Like Him
In Phil. 2:1-9 we see that Christ is our pattern, and many Christian teachers have encouraged others to imitate the pattern of Christ as seen in these verses.
But it is impossible for us to imitate Christ, because what He did and the way He lived is impossible to be achieved by our human efforts.
We can never be like a lamb, humbling ourselves and taking up our cross; rather, we are like lions, fighting for our rights, and rejecting any limitation that others or the environment would put upon us.
It is only by the Spirit of Jesus that we can take Christ as our pattern and imitate Him not merely outwardly by trying to live by Him but inwardly by learning to live Christ. It is by the Spirit of Jesus that we can be as humble as Jesus was (Phil. 2:5-7).
It is by the Spirit of Jesus that we can fulfil the request of the apostle Paul and care for other saints. It is by the Spirit of Jesus that we can think the one thing and have the same love for one another (vv. 1-2).
The Lord’s standard of humility is too high for us, but when enjoy and experience the Spirit of Jesus, we can be as humble as He was.
The world has yet to see the kind of life that Jesus lived when He was on earth. His humility, His compassion, His love, His patience, His forbearance…people like us, with different backgrounds and cultures, we can think the same thing and have the same love only by the Spirit of Jesus.
The apostle Paul was such a one who was filled and constituted with the Spirit of Jesus, so that even when he came to Corinth he told them that he came to them in the sincerity of Jesus and with the truthfulness of Christ; this is Jesus in His uplifted humanity.
The whole world needs this; what the world needs is not the kind of superficial and misleading gospel preached today but the proper gospel according to what is revealed in Acts for the propagation of the resurrected, ascended, and all-inclusive Christ as the development of the kingdom of God. This is what God is after.
May we all enjoy and experience much more the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of this glorified man, so that in all the churches we may have fellowship unto the gospel by the Spirit of Jesus.
May we not be distracted by all the miraculous things, power, might, or position in the church; may we all just be one by the Spirit of Jesus, and live Christ for His expression and propagation on earth, so that all the earth would be filled with the kingdom of God, consummating in the New Jerusalem.
Lord Jesus, we admit that it is impossible to imitate Your pattern and live the same kind of life as You did. Oh Lord, we exercise our spirit to drink the Spirit of Jesus and be constituted with the humanity of Jesus. Lord, it is only by the Spirit of Jesus that we can be as humble as the Lord was, care for the saints according to the Lord, and drop all our opinions to be one in spirit and in soul. Amen, Lord, it is only by the Spirit of Jesus that we can all think the one thing and have the same love. We want to take You as our pattern, Lord, by the Spirit of Jesus, so that we may live a life that is the duplication of Jesus on earth.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by James Lee for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” chs. 2, 4, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Propagating the Resurrected, Ascended, and All-inclusive Christ as the Development of the Kingdom of God (2018 fall ITERO), week 7, The Spirit of Jesus.
- Hymns on this topic:
# The Spirit of God today / The Spirit of Jesus is, / The God-man who died and rose, / Ascending to glory His. / ’Tis from such a Jesus came / The Spirit of Jesus to us, / To make His reality / Experience unto us. (Hymns #242)
# Ours is a fellowship in the gospel / Since we received the Lord; / We’re for the furtherance of the gospel, / Spreading to all His Word. (Hymns #1295)
# Lord, be my pattern, humble and lowly; / Save me from self and pride and vainglory. / Preserve and keep me, for Your economy, / Live in me, possess me wholly. (Song on, Lord, I do thank You for another day)
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