The Release of the Spirit - Ch. 2 "Before and After Brokenness"

"It is the Spirit who gives life..." (John 6:63)
Nee begins this chapter by underscoring the truth that life comes to others only by the life of the the Spirit united with the human spirit. Because this is true, the spirit of the believer must be released through his outer man, the soul. The problem is not with the spirit; the problem is with the soul which, when unbroken, blocks the flow of the life of Jesus in the human spirit.

When the soul of the believer is unbroken, he operates either solely by his natural gifts and personality or he operates with a mixture of spirit and soul. For example, an intellectually clever person is governed by his mind, while a compassionate person is governed by his emotions, and the strong-willed person is governed by his strong desires. Without the breaking work of the Spirit, we try to do God's work through strong intellectual arguments or through strong emotions or through asserting our strong will. People may be persuaded but it won't be fruit that is real and enduring. This is because "it is the spirit that gives life" - nothing else!!

In the unbroken servant there is no harmony between the outward (soul) and the inward (spirit) man. A preacher or teacher can present a well-prepared message and have a cold heart in spite of the wonderful things he or she may be presenting. Or it's possible to have a burning fire in your spirit related to God but the outer man hinders you from being able to find expression for that fire. "The outward does not obey the dictates of the inward: inwardly crying, but outwardly unmoved; inwardly suffering, but outwardly untouched; full of thoughts within, but without, the mind a seeming blank. The spirit has yet to find a way to pierce the shell."

With the breaking of the shell (outer man), one's intellect and emotions and desires will assist the spirit rather than hinder the spirit.

Nee goes on to say, "The release of the spirit makes it possible for us to abide increasingly in God. We touch the spirit of revelation in the Bible. Without effort our spirit can receive divine revelation...Furthermore, we may most spontaneously contact the spirit in others by our spirit...Our spirit can touch his spirit...With the breaking of the outward man, the spirit begins to flow and is ever open to others."

The human spirit is of the same nature as God; consequently, the more the outward man is broken, the more easily a person continues in the uninterrupted presence of God no matter what his circumstances are. We make the mistake of believing that we are experiencing His presence only when our emotions are stirred or if we are consciously thinking about Him, but then when the emotions are not stirred or the mind is busy with other activities, we feel He is gone. In the breaking of the soul, the believer lives and abides in His presence in all circumstances because he is living by his spirit indwelt by God's Spirit, and that never changes.

Nee finishes the chapter by teaching that not only is the breaking of the outward man necessary, but the dividing of the soul and spirit is necessary as well: "Through the merciful working of God, the outward and the inward man must be separated. Then what affects the outward will not be able to reach the inward. Though the outward man may be engaged in conversation, the inward man is fellowshipping with God...One is able to carry on activities, to contact the world with the outer man, while the inner man remains unaffected because he still lives before God."

..."In conclusion, let us remember that the ability to use our spirit depends upon the two-fold work of God: the breaking of the outward man and the dividing of spirit and soul...Only after God has carried out both of these processes in our lives are we able to exercise our spirit. The outward man is broken through the discipline of the Holy Spirit; it is divided from the inward man by revelation of the Holy Spirit (Heb. 4:12)."

(When speaking of the "discipline of the Holy Spirit", Nee is referring primarily to His use of pain and difficult circumstances in our lives to break us; the "revelation of the Holy Spirit" refers primarily to the opening of the spiritual eyes through the Scriptures to separate between soul and spirit. So we need both affliction and the Spirit's quickening of the Word in order to mature.)

Grace to you this week in the Lord Jesus!