258 The Spiritual Man
heaviness, creating a difficult and unbearable situation. The one who
leads should not carry his burden to the meeting and expect the
congregation to set him free. Anyone who relies on the response of
the congregation to relieve him of his burden is doomed to failure.
When he enters the meeting place the leader’s spirit must be light
and unbound. Many who attend are teeming with burdens. Hence the
leader first must release them through prayer, hymn, or truth before
he can deliver God’s message. He cannot expect to unshackle others
while he is himself bound with unbroken fetters.
It should be clearly borne in mind that a spiritual gathering is the
communion of spirit with spirit. The messenger delivers his message
out of his spirit, and the hearer receives God’s Word with his. Were
the spirit of the messenger or the hearer to be weighed down and
under bondage, it would be powerless to open to God and respond to
His Word. Accordingly, the leader’s spirit should be free in order
that initially he may unloose the spirit of the congregation and then
may deliver God’s message to them.
We must have the Heavenly Power to achieve powerful work; but
we must keep our spirit constantly open to let that Power freely flow
from our spirit. The manifestation of power varies in its measure.
The experience a Christian has of Calvary measures that of
Pentecost. If man’s spirit is unbound, God’s Spirit can work.
Occasionally in working one may experience his inner man being
shut in, especially in performing personal work. This may be due to
the condition of the other party. The latter may not have an open
spirit or mind to receive the truth, or he may harbor improper
thoughts which block the spirit’s outflow. Such a state will hem in
the spirit of the worker. We know quite often whether we are able to
perform any spiritual service by merely observing the attitude of the
other party. If we find our inner being is closed in by him, we are not
able to deliver the truth to that one.