Release of the Spirit - Ch. 4 "How to Know Man"

In chapter four, Watchman Nee teaches about the need to be able to discern the condition of a person's spirit in order to minister effectively. Before going into his teaching on this, I want to make an observation about this as it relates to one of the gifts of the Spirit (the word of knowledge) that the Apostle Paul teaches on in I Corinthians 12. A "word of knowledge" can be given to the believer in a particular moment by the Spirit, enabling him to know something that he doesn't have information about and that would help him minister the grace of God to a person. I believe that what Watchman Nee is speaking about in this chapter is different from that and that the "knowing" or discerning of a person's spirit that he refers to is something we grow into as we submit to the breaking work of the Spirit in our lives. Both ways of knowing are of the Lord and both are intended for the purpose of loving and serving others in the Lord.

Nee starts the chapter saying, "Our effectiveness in service is closely related to our discernment of man's spiritual condition. If God's Spirit enables us through our spirit to know the condition of the person before us, we can then impart the appropriate word. In the Gospels we find that whenever men came to our Lord, He always had a right word...The Lord did not talk to the Samaritan woman about new birth, nor did He tell Nicodemus of living water. The truth of the new birth was for Nicodemus, while the truth of the living water was for the Samaritan woman...Our Lord's words were most appropriate for He knew all men."

We are His Instrumentality
Because it is through His servants that the Lord works, we must go through the discipline of the Spirit. "We must undergo thorough training and strict discipline, for whatever is untouched in us will be left untouched in others...A proud person cannot deal with another with the same condition...The worker is himself first a patient."

Our Own Preparation for Knowing Man
Nee goes on to say that it takes many breakings in many areas of our life for God to be able to use us fully to bless others with His life. "The more one is broken, the more sensitive he is. The more loss one has suffered, the more he has to give...The measure of your service is determined by the degree of discipline and brokenness. Be assured that human emotion or cleverness cannot help."

God's Spirit is given to all believers; however, it's very important that the believer continue to learn from Him throughout life. The more we learn, the more we can discern. (This is not referring to mere mental knowledge but to that knowledge and understanding that comes through obedience and submission to His hand in my life.) Many followers of Jesus are unable to discern the difference between what is of the Lord in a person and what is of human nature.

And so God will touch many different areas of our life so that we can understand and touch the spirit of another person and relate accordingly.

The chapter ends with Nee's giving a primary way by which we discern the real condition of another person and that is through hearing how he talks. "To touch man's spirit we must wait till he opens his mouth and talks. Few ever arrive at the place where they can touch man's spirit without first hearing what he has to say...Matthew 12:34." So no matter what his words are, the spirit behind his words can be discerned by hearing him. "Do not merely pay attention to what he says but especially note his spirit's condition...When you are listening to a conversation, do not allow the topic under discussion to distract you from the spirit."

An example of this from my own life is when I was in conversation with a gentleman who used correct religious language as he talked about God and even about Jesus, but somehow I discerned that there was something amiss. Eventually it came into the open that he was into the new age movement; but I also sensed that he had gotten into that because he was very hungry for the living God and was able to minister into that reality of his life. (When discerning something amiss, it helps to be praying in the Spirit and asking Him for the word that is appropriate for the person.)

Blessings on your week and grace to you as you walk with the Spirit through the various experiences that come by His hand. He is for us!