ASKING FOR A SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION
In order to participate in the living Body of Christ, our prayers should match the apostle Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1. This does not mean that we should recite his prayer in a rote manner; rather, we need to touch our spirit and pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him (v. 17). Most people think that a spirit of wisdom and revelation refers to the Spirit of the Lord. However, the verse says, “May give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation.” This spirit does not refer to the Spirit of the Lord but to the human spirit, our regenerated spirit indwelt by God’s Spirit.
Every human being has a human spirit in addition to a physical body and a soul (1 Thes. 5:23). The human spirit is the deepest part of man and enables him to contact God. Our mouth is an organ for speaking and eating. Our eyes are organs for seeing, and our ears are organs for hearing. In order to eat, we cannot use our ears or eyes; we must use our mouth. In order to see, we must use our eyes, not our ears. Our ears are for hearing, not for seeing. In order to hear sounds, we need to use our ears. If we do not use our ears, we may hear nothing, even when someone is talking loudly. We cannot substantiate sound if we do not use the proper organ. Similarly, many people say that God does not exist, because they are not using their spirit to substantiate God. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit (John 4:24). Just as we need to use our eyes to see and our ears to hear, we need to use our spirit to touch and contact God.
In Ephesians 1:17 Paul prays that the saints would be given a spirit of wisdom and revelation because this was the need of the saints in Ephesus. When saints have a love feast full of many rich dishes of food, we need an appetite to receive the food. If we have an upset stomach, we will have no desire to eat. In order to eat, our stomach needs to have an appetite to eat. The riches in the church are like a lavish feast, but we must have an appetite for these riches, which comes out of a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
I have a limited understanding of big machines and even small devices like a camera. Someone can tell me how to put film in a camera, but I quickly forget. A brother who owns a large factory recently showed me the machines in his factory, but it was like he was playing music to a cow. His “music” was very impressive, but my appreciation was limited. As he explained the function of the machines, I became more and more confused. The things of the church can be compared to “music,” whereas we are like “cows.” If Paul could speak to us concerning the church, we would probably not understand very much. For example, God desires to have an inheritance in us (v. 18), yet the thoughts of many, related to this inheritance, are focused on “going to heaven” to obtain an inheritance. Such a thought is meaningless, but it is prevalent because many believers do not use the proper organ—the regenerated human spirit—to touch the reality of God’s inheritance. The church is vastly more mysterious than machinery in a factory; therefore, Paul prayed earnestly that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Wisdom is for us to know, and revelation is for us to see We need a spirit of wisdom and revelation in order to know the church thoroughly and to see the church clearly. We need to pray that the Father would give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Knowing the church is not a matter of exercising our mind. The more we use our mind to study the church, the more we will be confused. Knowing the church does not depend upon our mind but upon our spirit. When we turn to our spirit, we will be clear concerning the church. In today’s Christianity there are many denominations, and all of them claim to be legitimate representatives of the church. Presbyterians say that the Presbyterian denomination is right, Baptists say that the Baptist denomination is right, and Roman Catholics say that Catholicism is right. If we try to determine which one to follow by using only our mind, we will be caught in a maze. The more we study, the more confused we will become. Rather than studying with our mind, we should exercise our spirit, calling, “O Lord Jesus!” When we call, we will turn from our mind to our spirit, and when we are in spirit, we will be clear concerning the way of the church and the practical expression of the church.
When we turn from our mind to our spirit, we should pray, “O Lord, make my spirit strong, make my spirit fresh, make my spirit living, and make my spirit open to You. I want to receive wisdom and revelation in my spirit to see the mystery of the church and to understand this mystery.” We all need a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Even though we may know that we have a spirit, we need to ask ourselves whether or not our spirit is healthy. Some of us may have a healthy spirit, but many do not. Paul realized that the problems of the believers were not related to outward things, such as jobs, finances, and family relationships, but rather to the inward matter of their spirit. This is the reason he prayed that the Father of glory would give to us a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
The church is not a matter of doctrine or knowledge in our mind; the church is a mystery in the realm of the Spirit, and this mystery can be seen and understood only in our human spirit. The ability to understand the church is in our spirit. Our spirit needs to be strong and full of wisdom and revelation so that we may see the mystery of the church. We need to pray that the Father would make our spirit strong, living, and fresh, and we must also ask Him to remove any darkness and veils in our spirit so that we may receive wisdom and revelation.
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