Earlier text: The Holy Spirit is a Mystery:If you will sincerely humble your hearts before Him, empty your souls of self-esteem, and put away the natural defects of your character, and overcome your love of supremacy, and come to God as little children, He will bestow on you His Holy Spirit.
T. M. 323 When one begins to get lifted up in his own eyes, and thinks he can do something, the Spirit of God is withdrawn, and he goes on in his own strength until he13 is overthrown. I saw that one saint, if he were right, could move the arm of God; but a multitude together, if they were wrong, would be weak, and could effect nothing.
E. W. 120 We are to come in touch with God, then we shall be imbued with His Holy Spirit, that enables us to come in touch with our fellow-men. D. A. 493 When we bring our hearts into unity with Christ, and our lives into harmony with His work, the Spirit that fell on the disciples on the Day of Pentecost will fall on us.
Vol. 8:246 THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
For the daily baptism of the Spirit, every worker should offer his petition to God. Companies of Christian workers should gather to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely.
A. A. 50 Impress upon all the necessity of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The sanctification of the members of the church, so that they will be living, growing, fruit-bearing trees of the Lord’s planting.
Vol. 6: 86 I entreat the church members in every city that they lay hold upon the Lord with determined effort for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. C. H. 548 God’s faithful messengers are to seek to carry forward the Lord’s work in His appointed way. They are to place themselves in close connection with the Great Teacher, that they may be daily taught of God. They are to wrestle with God in earnest prayer for a baptism of the Holy Spirit, that they may meet the needs of a world perishing in sin.
T. M. 458 No outward forms can make us clean; no ordinance, administered by the saintliest of men, can take the place of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God must do its work upon the heart. All who have not experienced its regenerating power are chaff among the wheat. Our Lord has his fan in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor. In the coming day, He will discern “between him that serveth God, and him that serveth Him not.
Vol. 5:227 God desires to refresh His people by the gift of the Holy Spirit, baptizing them anew in His love. There is no need for a dearth of the Spirit in the church. After Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the waiting, praying, believing disciples with a fulness and power that reached every heart. In the future, the earth is to be lightened with the Glory of God. A Holy influence is to go forth to the world from those who are sanctified through the truth. The earth is to be encircled with an atmosphere of grace. The Holy Spirit is to work on human hearts, taking the things of God and showing them to men.
Vol. 9: 40 The time is here for all the people to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost ... abandon the spirit of bitterness, malice, and evil speaking, and the Holy Spirit will gladly take possession. The Holy Spirit is God’s seal of His own righteousness, upon him who receives it. But God will never put His seal upon sin for righteousness. And no person need ever ask him to do so. Yet for any person to ask for the baptism, or the gift, of the Holy Ghost, while he has not the righteousness of God, this is in itself, though ignorantly and unintentionally, asking for God to put His seal upon sin for righteousness. Therefore, every one who would have the gift of the Holy Spirit must have Therefore, every one who would have the gift of the Holy Spirit must have such righteousness as that Spirit may approve as righteousness indeed. And the righteousness of God is the only righteousness known in the universe which the Spirit of God will approve. Then let every soul seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, as the divinely appointed preparation for receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
R & H October 12, 1897 RESULTS OF RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Rom. 8:14; 2 Cor. 3:18 None are so vile, none have fallen so low, as to be beyond the working of this power. In all who will submit themselves to the Holy Spirit a new principle of life is to be implanted; the lost image of God is to be restored in humanity.
C. O. L. 94 Never will the human heart know happiness until it is submitted to be molded by the Spirit of God. The Spirit conforms the renewed soul to the model, Jesus Christ. Through its influence, enmity against God is changed into faith and love, pride into humility. The soul perceives the beauty of truth, and Christ is honored in excellence and perfection of character. As these changes are effected, angels break out in rapturous song and God and Christ rejoice over souls fashioned after the divine similitude.
R & H August 25, 1896 When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love and humility and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven. No one sees the hand that lifts the burden, or beholds the light descend from the courts above. The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to God. Then that power which no human eye can see, creates a new being in the image of God.
D. A. 172, 173 When the Holy Spirit cooperates with the powers of the human mind, high, holy impulses are the sure result.
Vol. 8: 65 In all who submit to His power, the Spirit of God will consume sin. He came to destroy the works of the devil, and he has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant soul, to keep him from sinning.
DA 107, 311 He who is endowed with the Holy Spirit has great capacities of heart and intellect, with strength of will and purpose that is unconquerable.
T. M. 176 It is the atmosphere of grace which surrounds the soul of the believer, the Holy Spirit working upon mind and heart, that makes him a savor of life unto life, and enables God to bless his work.
C. O. L. 302 Under the training of Christ, the disciples had been led to feel their need of the Spirit. Under the Spirit’s teaching, they received the final qualification, and went forth to their life work. No longer were they ignorant and uncultured.15 No longer were they a collection of independent units or discordant, conflicting elements. No longer were their hopes set on worldly greatness. They were of ‘one accord’, ‘of one heart and of one soul.’ Christ filled their thoughts; the advancement of His kingdom was their aim. In mind and character they had become like their Master, and men ‘took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus’. A. A. 45 It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal.
D. A. 388 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed with the devil. Acts 10:38 If we have His Spirit, we shall realize the worth of souls, and work for their salvation.
R & H, January 31, 1893 No sooner does one come to Christ, than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious Friend he has found in Jesus; the saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart. If we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and are filled with the joy of his indwelling Spirit, we shall not be able to hold our peace. If we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, we shall have something to tell. Like Philip when he found the Saviour, we shall invite others into His presence. We shall seek to present to them the attractions of Christ, and the unseen realities of the world to come. S.C. 78, 79 It is the privilege of every soul to be a living channel through which God can communicate to the world the treasures of His grace, the unsearchable riches of Christ. There is nothing that Christ desires so much as agents who will represent to the world His Spirit and character. There is nothing that the world needs so much as the manifestation through humanity of the Saviour’s love. All heaven is waiting for channels through which can be poured the Holy oil to be a joy and blessing to human hearts.
C. O. L. 428 Through the Holy Spirit, God’s word is a light as it becomes a transforming power in the life of the receiver. By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops in men the attributes of God. The light of His glory—His character—is to shine forth in His followers. Id. 423 Abundant provision is in readiness to spiritual power, and to set the grace of Christ flowing through channels that are cleansed, and ready to receive the heavenly gift.
R & H, March 22, 1898 In accepting Christ the individual members of the church take the responsibility of doing the work He has appointed them. If they refuse to practice self-denial and fail to place themselves in the channel where the Lord, by His Spirit, can work through them, they are not registered as Christians in the books of heaven. The more deeply the church feels the need of multiplying channels, the more thoroughly will the riches of the grace of Christ adorn the doctrines of the gospel of salvation.
Id. March 22, 1898 When the soul is renovated through the truth and brought into harmony with God, the Lord will accept us as workers together with himself, for the salvation of others. Jesus will be our theme; His love burning upon the altar of our hearts, will reach the hearts of the people. The truth will be presented, not as a cold,16 lifeless theory, but as a living force to change the life. But the power is of God through His Holy Spirit, which works effectually on hearts and minds.
R & H, Aug. 25, 1896 As God works in the heart, and man surrenders his will to God, and cooperates with God, he works out in the life what God works in by the Holy Spirit, and there is harmony between the purpose of the heart and the practice of the life.
H. L. 303 The more studiously the intellect is cultivated, the more effectively it can be used in the service of God, if it is placed under the control of His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is His representative, and it works to effect transformations so wonderful that angels look upon them with astonishment and joy.
Id. 306,303 Our only security against falling into sin is to keep ourselves continually under the molding influence of the Holy Spirit, at the same time engaging actively in the cause of truth and holiness, discharging every God-given duty, but taking no burden which God has not laid upon us. C. H. 594 The grace of God takes men as they are, and works as an educator, using every principle on which an all-sided education depends. The steady influence of the grace of God trains the soul after Christ’s methods, and every fierce passion, every defective trait of character, is worked upon by the molding influence of the Spirit of Christ, until the man has a new motive power, and becomes filled with the Holy Spirit of God, after the likeness of the divine similitude. H. L. 300, 301 The choicest productions of art can produce no beauty that can compare with the beauty of character which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s working in the soul. Vol. 7:143 As you receive the Spirit of Christ—the spirit of unselfish love and labor for others—you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble and lovely. “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” This fruit can never perish, but will produce after its kind a harvest unto eternal life. “When the fruit is put forth, immediately He putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then he will come to claim them as His own. COL 67 While the work of the Spirit is silent and imperceptible, its effects are manifest. If the heart has been renewed by the Spirit of God, the life will bear witness to the fact - - - a change will be seen in the character, the habits, the pursuits. The contrast will be clear and decided between what they have been and what they are. The character is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts. S. C. 57, 58 The juices of the vine, ascending from the root, are diffused to the branches, sustaining growth and producing blossom and fruit. So the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from Christ, and imparted to every disciple, pervades the soul, renews the motives and affections and even the most secret thoughts, and brings forth the precious fruit of holy deeds. H. L. 300, also A. A. 284 Those who become new creatures in Christ Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, ‘love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.’ They will no longer fashion themselves according to the former lusts, but by the faith of the Son of God, they will follow in His steps, reflect His character, and purify themselves even as He is pure. The things they once hated, they now love; and the things they once loved, they hate. The proud and self-assertive become meek and lowly in heart. The vain and supercilious become serious and unobtrusive. The drunken become sober, and the profligate pure. The vain customs and fashions of the world are laid aside. Christians will seek not the ‘outward adorning’ but ‘the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.’ S. C. 58, 59 Meekness in the school of Christ is one of the marked fruits of the Spirit. It is a grace wrought by the Holy Spirit as a sanctifier, and enables the possessor at all times to control a rash and impetuous temper. Sanctified Life - 13 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. 2 Cor. 3:3 The same law that was engraved upon the tables of stone, is written by the Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to establish our own righteousness, we accept the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring forth ‘the fruits of the Spirit’. Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked. C. H. 561 The Holy Spirit seeks to abide in each soul. If it is welcomed as an honored guest, those who receive it will be made complete in Christ. The good work begun will be finished; the holy thoughts, heavenly affections and Christlike actions will take the place of impure thought, perverse sentiments and rebellious acts.
C. H. 561 THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
And when He is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. John 16: 8, 13 Christ is our Advocate, pleading in our behalf. The Spirit pleads within us.
H. L. 300 Another way in which God's voice is heard, is through the appeals of His Holy Spirit, making impressions upon the heart, which will be wrought out in the character. M. Y. P. 156 How does Christ subdue His chosen people to himself? It is by the power of His Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit, through the Scriptures, speaks to the mind, and impresses truth upon the hearts of men. R & H, Jan. 30, 1894 He gives the Holy Spirit to help in every strait, to strengthen our hope and assurance, to illuminate our minds and purify our hearts. He means that sufficient facilities shall be provided for the working out of His plans. G. W. 66 The Holy Spirit furnishes the pure motive, the living, active principle, that sustains striving, wrestling, believing souls in every emergency and under every temptation. The Holy Spirit sustains the believer amid the world's hatred, amid18 the unfriendliness of relatives, amid disappointment, amid the realization of imperfections, and amid the mistakes of life. R & H, Nov. 30, 1897 The Spirit of God, revealed to him as moving and directing these wheels, brought harmony out of confusion; so the whole world was under his control. Myriads of glorified beings were ready at his word to overrule the power and policy of evil men, and bring good to his faithful ones. Vol. 5: 752 (See also under caption, “What is the Holy Spirit?”) It is the Spirit that causes to shine into darkened minds the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness; that makes men’s hearts burn within them with an awakened realization of the truths of eternity; that presents before the mind the great standard of righteousness, and convinces of sin; that inspires faith in Him who alone can save from sin; that works to transform character by withdrawing the affections of men from those things which are temporal and perishable, and fixing them upon the eternal inheritance. The Spirit recreates, refines and sanctifies human beings, fitting them to become members of the royal family, children of the Heavenly King. G. W. 287 As the works of God are studied, the Holy Spirit flashes conviction into the mind. It is not the conviction which logical reasoning produces; but unless the mind has become too dark to know God, the eye too dim to see Him, the ear too dull to hear His voice, a deeper meaning is grasped, and the sublime, spiritual truths of the written word are impressed on the heart. H. L. 304, C. O. L. 24 The Christian’s life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. M. Y. P. 157 The wind is heard among the branches of the trees, rustling the leaves and flowers; yet it is invisible, and no man knows whence it comes, or whither it goes. So with the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. It can no more be explained than can the movements of the wind. A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place, or to trace all of the circumstances in the process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted. By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon the heart. Little by little, perhaps unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made that tend to draw the soul to Christ. These may be received through meditating upon Him, through reading the Scriptures, or through hearing the word from the living preacher. Suddenly, as the Spirit comes with more direct appeal, the soul gladly surrenders itself to Jesus. By many this is called sudden conversion; but it is the result of long wooing by the Spirit of God, — a patient, protracted process. D. A. 172 The Spirit of God is manifested in different ways upon different men. One under the movings of the Spirit will tremble before the word of God. His convictions will be so deep that hurricane and tumult of feeling seem to rage in his heart, and his whole being is prostrate under the convicting power of the truth and the life-giving Spirit which he has received cannot be repressed. Others are brought to Christ in a more gentle way. R & H, May 5, 1896 Those who prayerfully study the Bible go from each search wiser than they were19 before. Some of their difficulties have been solved; for the Holy Spirit has done the work spoken of in the fourteenth chapter of John: “The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
M. Y. P. 259 God can teach you more in one moment by His Holy Spirit than you could learn from the great men of the earth. . . . We may have a feast of good things every day; for God can open the whole treasure of heaven to us. T. M. 119 The preaching of the Word will be of no avail without the continual presence and aid of the Holy Spirit. This is the only effectual teacher of Divine Truth. Only when the truth is accompanied to the heart by the Spirit, will it quicken the conscience or transform the life. One might be able to present the letter of the word of God, he might be familiar with all its commands and promises; but unless the Holy Spirit sets home the truth, no souls will fall on the Rock and be broken.
P. P. 671, 72 To those who truly love God the Holy Spirit will reveal truths that have faded from the mind, and will also reveal truths that are entirely new.
H. L. 302 We must be aided by the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit, which will attract the mind upward, and habituate it to dwell on pure and holy things.
M. Y. P. 286 The Bible should never be studied without prayer. The Holy Spirit alone can cause us to feel the importance of those things easy to be understood, or prevent us from wresting truths difficult of comprehension. P. P. 599, 600 Never should the Bible be studied without prayer. Before opening its pages we should ask for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and it will be given.
S. C. 91 God’s Holy, educating Spirit is in His word. A light, a new and precious light, shines forth from every page. Truth is there revealed, and words and sentences are made bright and appropriate for the occasions, as the voice of God speaking to the soul. The Holy Spirit loves to address the youth, and to discover to them the treasures and beauties of God’s Word. The promises spoken by the Great Teacher will captivate the senses and animate the soul with a spiritual power that is divine. There will grow in the fruitful mind a familiarity with divine things that will be as a barricade against temptation. M. Y. P. 246 As soon as the seeker for truth opens the Bible to read the utterances of God with reverence, possessing an earnest desire to know “what saith the Lord”, light and grace will be given him, and he will see wondrous things out of God’s law. . . Great truths which have been neglected and unappreciated for ages, will be revealed by the Spirit of God, and new meaning will flash out of familiar texts. Every page will be illuminated by the Spirit of Truth. The Bible is not sealed, but unsealed. The most precious truths are revealed; and the living oracles are heard by wondering ears, and the consciences of men are aroused into action.
T. S. S. W. 30 The servants of Christ are to prepare no set speech to present when brought into trial for their faith. Their preparation is to be made day by day, in treasuring up in their hearts the precious truths of God’s word, in feeding upon the teaching of Christ, and through prayer strengthening their faith; then, when brought into trial, the Holy Spirit will bring to their remembrance the very truths that20 will reach the hearts of those who shall come to hear. God will flash the knowledge obtained by diligent searching of the Scriptures into their memory at the very time when it is needed. But if they neglect to fill their minds with the gems of truth, if they do not acquaint themselves with the words of Christ, if they have never tasted the power of His grace in trial, then they can not expect that the Holy Spirit will bring His words to their remembrance. They are to serve God daily with their undivided affections, and then trust Him.
P. P. 106,107 Many who are seeking efficiency for the exalted work of God by perfecting their education in the schools of men, will find that they have failed of learning the more important lessons. By neglecting to submit themselves to the impressions of the Holy Spirit, by not living in obedience to all God’s requirements, their spiritual efficiency has become weakened; they have lost what ability they had to do successful work for the Lord. Absenting themselves from the school of Christ, they have forgotten the sound of the Teacher’s voice, and He cannot direct their course. . . . From the first opening of a book, the student should recognize God as the one who imparts true wisdom. He should seek divine counsel at every step. . . The student should not allow himself to be bound down to any particular course of study involving long periods of time, but should be guided in such matters by the Spirit of God. . . All the advantages you may have cannot be a blessing to you, neither can the highest education qualify you to become a channel of light, unless you have the cooperation of the Divine Spirit. It is as impossible for us to receive qualifications from men, without the divine enlightenment, as it was for the gods of Egypt to deliver those who trusted in them. C. T. 410, 411 But how little has been said of being endowed by the Holy Spirit, and yet it is through the agency of the Holy Spirit men are to be drawn to Christ and through its power alone can the soul be made pure. R & H, March 29, 1892 To be sanctified is to become a partaker of the divine nature, catching the Spirit and mind of Jesus, ever learning in the school of Christ. . . It is impossible for any of us by our own power or our own efforts to work this change in ourselves. It is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, which Jesus said He would send into the world, that changes our character into the image of Christ; and when this is accomplished, we reflect, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord. R & H, 12/5/12 It is essential to live by every word of God, else our old nature will constantly reassert itself. It is the Holy Spirit, the redeeming grace of truth in the soul, that makes the followers of Christ one with one another, and one with God. He alone can expel enmity, envy and unbelief. He sanctifies the entire affections. He restores the willing, desirous soul from the power of Satan unto God. This is the power of grace. It is a divine power. Under its influence there is a change from the old habits, customs, and practices, which, when cherished, separate the soul from God; and the work of sanctification goes on in the soul, constantly progressing and enlarging. R & H, October 12, 1897 The sanctification of the soul by the working of the Holy Spirit is the implanting of Christ’s nature in humanity. C. O. L. 384 In order to be purified and to remain pure, Seventh-day Adventists must have the Holy Spirit in their hearts and in their homes. The Lord has given me light that when the Israel of today humble themselves before him, and cleanse the soul temple from all defilement, he will hear their prayers in behalf of the sick, and will bless in the use of his remedies for disease. C. H. 138 The Spirit of God should have perfect control of us, influencing us in all our actions. If we have a right hold on heaven, a right hold of the power that is from above, we shall feel the sanctifying influence of the Spirit of God upon our hearts.
C. H. 45 True sanctification is a Bible Doctrine....The Bible clearly teaches what sanctification is, and how it is to be attained. The Saviour prayed for his disciples, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” And Paul teaches that believers are to be “sanctified by the Holy Ghost.” What is the work of the Holy Spirit? Jesus told his disciples, “when he, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.” And the Psalmist says, “Thy Law is the Truth.” By the word and the Spirit of God are opened to men the great principles of righteousness embodied in his law. And since the law of God is “holy, and just, and good,” a transcript of the divine perfection, it follows that a character formed by obedience to that law will be holy. Christ is a perfect example of such a character. He says, “I have kept my Father’s commandments”. “I do always those things that please him.” The followers of Christ are to become like Him,- by the grace of God to form characters in harmony with the principles of his holy law. This is Bible sanctification. This work can be accomplished only through faith in Christ, by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God.
G. C. 469 No truth is more clearly taught in the Bible than that God by His Holy Spirit especially directs his servants on earth in the great movements for the carrying forward of the work of salvation. Men are instruments in the hand of God, employed by him to accomplish his purposes of grace and mercy. Each has his part to act: to each is granted a measure of light, adapted to the necessities of his time, and sufficient to enable him to perform the work which God has given him to do.
G. C. 343 Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, you may win souls from error to truth, and in so doing your own soul will be filled with love of God. Unaccustomed paths will open before you in your work of ministry. You will often have to step out of the beaten track, and, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, do special work for God; but if you make him your dependence, He will give you wisdom and strength according to your need. The reason why so many have so superficial an experience is that they do so much for themselves and so little for Jesus. Intercourse with those who are in need of help, with the purpose of saving their souls, will lead us to pray for wisdom, and look to Jesus as our helper. By unselfish labor for others we shall establish ourselves in the faith far more firmly than by listening to many sermons. The Holy Spirit will be our helper, giving us arguments with which to meet opposition, and in all our work giving us steadfast faith and unshaken confidence. There we shall gain an experience of more value than gold, silver, or precious stones.
R & H, January 12, 1897 Those who would be successful in winning souls to Christ, must carry with them the divine influence of the Holy Spirit. But how little has been said of being endowed by the Holy Spirit, and yet it is through the agency of the Holy Spirit men are to be drawn to Christ and through its power alone can souls be made pure.
R. & H., March 29, 1892 Just as long as men and women will be led and guided by the Holy Spirit for magnifying of God’s law and advancement of the kingdom of grace, the work will go forward. Just so surely as they give evidence of the fruits of the Spirit in the heart and life and character, souls will be reached and saved. R & H, 3/11/09 As the human agent submits his will to the will of God, the Holy Spirit will make the impression upon the hearts of those to whom he ministers. C. H. 437 Remember that He was often in prayer, and His life was constantly sustained by fresh inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Vol. 5:161 Before the disciples could fulfil their official duties in connection with the church, Christ breathed His Spirit upon them. He was committing to them a most sacred trust, and he desired to impress them with the fact that without the Holy Spirit this work could not be accomplished. D. A. 805 The Christian must build all the foundation if he would build a strong, symmetrical character, if he would be well balanced in his religious experience. It is in this way that the man will be prepared to meet the demands of truth and righteousness, as they are represented in the Bible: for he will be sustained and energized by the Holy Spirit of God. T. M. 176 If the workers will turn their attention to that which is true and living and real: if they will pray for, believe for, and trust in the Holy Spirit, his power will be poured upon them in strong, heavenly currents, and right and lasting impressions will be made upon the human heart. Then pray and work, and work and pray, and the Lord will work with you. Vol. 6:319 The Lord will have a well-trained army, ready to be called into action at a word. These will be well-disciplined men and women and youth, who will have placed themselves under educating influences that have made them vessels unto honor. The Holy Spirit is the molding power. Without me, said Christ, “ye can do nothing,” but let the Holy Spirit take hold of heart and character, and all who will heed its voice will be lights in the world. The words, the spirit, the attitude, determine the scale of usefulness. Let not the work be cheapened by those who show that they do not appreciate the elevating character of the work. . . . Under the molding, educating influence of the greatest teacher the world has ever known, capabilities and powers will be brought into the church. These are not to be hidden, but are to be used in lines outside the church to augment the power and efficiency of the church. . . Provision is made by God himself for every soul that turns to the Lord to receive his immediate cooperation. The Holy Spirit becomes his efficiency. . . The work of every true Christian is to set forth Christ and him crucified. . . What constitutes God’s people lights in the world? Abiding in Christ. Doing this they can cooperate with Him in the grand work of winning souls from darkness to light.
R & H, March 22, 1898 At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold and cheer. D. A. 669, 670 The Saviour was pointing forward to the time when the Holy Spirit should come to do a mighty work as his representative. The evil that had been accumulating for centuries was to be resisted by the divine power of the Holy Spirit. A. A. 47, 48 The unaided human will has no real power to resist and overcome evil. The defences of the soul are broken down. Man has no barrier against sin. When once the restraints of God’s word and His Spirit are rejected, we know not to what depths one may sink.
Vol. 8:292 Terrible have been the results of rejecting the authority of heaven. But a23 scene yet darker is presented in the revelations of the future. The records of the past,- the long procession of tumults, conflicts, and revolutions, the “Battle of the Warrior, with confused noise and garments rolled in blood”,- what are these in contrast with the terrors of that day when the restraining Spirit of God shall be wholly withdrawn from the wicked, no longer to hold in check the outburst of human passion and satanic wrath! The world will then behold, as never before, the results of Satan’s rule.
G. C. 36, 37 It is through the mighty agency of the Holy Spirit that the government of Satan is to be subdued and rejected. It is the Holy Spirit that convinces of sin, and expels it from the soul by the consent of the human agent. The mind is then brought under a new law, and that law is the royal law of liberty. Jesus came to break the shackles of sin-slavery from the soul: for sin can triumph only when the liberty of the soul is extinguished. . . Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, He lifts the mind up from its degradation, and fastens it upon the eternal reality. Through the merits of Christ man may be able to exercise the noblest powers of his being, and expel sin from his soul.
R & H, April 25, 1893