To Be Read in all the Churches in the United States
December 15-22, 1906
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
A. G. DANIELLS
(Reading for Sabbath, December 15)
“God so loved the world, that he gave only his begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
It was this wonderful love for suffering, sorrowing sinners that brought the Son of God to this world. The life of Christ on earth was the greatest event among men since the creation of the world. He was Emmanuel—“God with us.” Here, in personal contact with men, he sympathized with the sorrowing, ministered to the needy, forgave the penitent, and died for all.
Having fulfilled his mission on earth, Christ returned to heaven, to make actual in us by his ministry what he had made possible for us by his death. But before leaving, he said: “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth.” Later, when he was about to depart, he said: “Behold, I send the promise of my Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”
These statements show very clearly that the Holy Spirit was to take Christ’s place in the church here on earth. This divine Spirit was to be the Saviour’s successor and representative in the world, to do for men what Christ would have done had he remained here. This wonderful and gracious provision for the church is beautifully presented by the spirit of prophecy, in these words:—
“Before offering himself as the sacrificial victim, Christ sought for the most essential and complete gift to bestow upon his followers, a gift that would bring within their reach the boundless resources of grace. ‘I will pray the Father,’ he said, ‘and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth.’ . . .”
“The Holy Spirit is Christ’s representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that he should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be his successor on earth.”
“The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that he could solicit from his Father for the exaltation of his people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. . . .”
“Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the third person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fulness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer.”
“This promised blessing, claimed by faith, brings all other blessings in its train.”—Desire of Ages, Trade Edition, pages 799, 802, 803, 804.
A GATHERING OF BELIEVERS IN OUR MEETING ROOM IN BUCHAREST, CAPITAL OF RUMANIA
These statements reveal to us the exalted position the Holy Spirit holds in heaven, and the glorious work committed to him in behalf of the church. He is “the third person of the Godhead.” He is Christ’s representative on earth, and the presiding officer in the church.
As Christ’s representative among men, the Holy Spirit is to do all that can be done by divine power to lead sinners to accept the salvation provided by the death of Christ.
The one thing which the church needs more than all else is a baptism of the Holy Spirit. We have the truth, the very message of heaven for these last days. But to have the theory alone, is not enough. We must have the vitalizing power of the Spirit of God, to give life. This heavenly, divine agent which brings all other blessings in his train, is our greatest need to-day.
When once the channel is opened, and the life-giving current of the Holy Spirit flows into the soul, under its ministrations we shall witness marvelous changes in churches and conferences. A new order of things will set in, a wonderful transformation will take place everywhere. No church should allow this week of prayer to close until individually that change is experienced which the bestowal of the Holy Spirit alone can give. Enter into the closet, and upon your knees make a new covenant with God. Continue to draw near to him by confession and putting away of sin, and do not give up the struggle until the promised blessing comes.
The ministration of the Holy Spirit in the life of the individual is a most blessed experience. Its first work is to convict us of sin. “When he is come, he will reprove [“convince,” margin] . . . of sin.” John 16:8. The hard heart is quickened; the dead conscience is revived, and becomes tender, and it more readily discerns right from wrong. We at once become more careful in regard to the proper observance of the Sabbath, paying of tithes, etc. This unseen, though potent power, leads to a complete repentance of all known sin,7works the death of self, and converts the heart through and through.
In the terrible struggle with the evil passions of the heart, which none but ourselves and God can ever know, the Holy Spirit does not leave us to fight alone. He comes with heavenly power to our rescue. “They [Christians] are to contend with supernatural forces, but they are assured of supernatural help. All the intelligences of heaven are in this army. And more than angels are in the ranks. The Holy Spirit, the representative of the Captain of the Lord’s host, comes down to direct the battle.”—Desire of Ages, page 411.
The Conditions
Like all other proffered blessings of the gospel, there are conditions to be complied with, in order to receive and retain the Holy Spirit in all its fulness. These conditions are clearly expressed in the Scriptures. Note the following:—
OBEDIENCE.— In his defense before the Jewish council, the apostle Peter said: “We are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” Acts 5:32, American Standard Revision. Obedience is, therefore, a condition upon which the Holy Spirit is given. This is the first, the most comprehensive, and all-inclusive condition. Taken in its fullest and broadest sense, it might be said to be the only one, though the emphasis given to some of the varied phases of obedience seems to place them before us as separate and specific requisites. There can be no baptism of the Holy Spirit when obedience to known duty is refused.
RIGHTEOUSNESS.— That Spirit, which is holy, must have a holy dwelling-place. He can not, and will not, abide in a sin-polluted heart. “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God?” “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.” 1 Cor. 6:19; 3:17. In order to be filled with the Spirit, the heart must be emptied of sin. It is the glory of the religion of Christ that it provides complete and continued victory over sin. The believer in Jesus must know that each day he is washed from his sins. One sin cherished will hinder the Holy Spirit in his operations, and ultimately exclude him from the heart. Because Christ loved righteousness and hated iniquity as no one else did, he was anointed with the Holy Spirit above all his fellows. Heb. 1:9. To him the Spirit was given without measure.
THE DENIAL AND CRUCIFIXION OF SELF.— Perhaps the most searching and testing of all the requisites to a Spirit-filled church is the denial and crucifixion of self. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Matt. 16:24. “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Gal. 5:24.
Self and the flesh are the same thing. As another has pointed out, the “flesh” is “self” spelled backward, with the letter “h” added. Self must be denied, the flesh must be crucified, “that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin” (Rom. 6:6, R. V.); and this “because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Rom. 8:7. The fact that self, the flesh, the carnal mind, is at enmity with God, and can not be brought into subjection to his law, is the reason why it must be surrendered, denied, crucified. The “old man” must die.
GRIEVE HIM NOT.— The Holy Spirit does not come as a sovereign, but in the humble form of a helper, to teach, guide, remind, prompt, and assist. The Spirit does not take his rightful place by force, but by hearty, cheerful invitation. If the Spirit is to be retained as a constant, abiding helper, the blessed presence of that Spirit must be recognized and cherished constantly. Every day we must ask anew his presence in our hearts. His divine teaching must be received, his safe guidance followed, his most tender promptings obeyed, and his proffered help made use of by earnest co-operation.
Unless this is done, to what purpose is his presence? Of what service can he be? Why should he remain? This is a vital consideration. It is just here that many professed Christians grieve the Holy Spirit, and lose his abiding presence. When the Spirit’s kindly, gentle help in the way of teaching, guiding, prompting, and serving is either not appreciated or is positively disregarded, he quietly departs. Then come blindness, confusion, a seared conscience, and bondage to sin.
CONSECRATION TO SERVICE.— One of the highest and most important purposes of the church of Christ is service. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” “I will bless thee, . . . and thou shalt be a blessing.” Gen. 12:2. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10. Saved to serve is the divine arrangement. It is thus that the church is “the light of the world” “the salt of the earth.”
It is the Holy Spirit that enables Christ’s followers to render effectual service. He first gives them victory over their sins. He then uses them as witnesses for Christ to those who have not experienced what they have. No other phase of the Spirit’s ministry in the church is made so prominent in the Word as this. In his parting instruction to the church, Jesus said: “Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses.” Luke 24:47-49; Acts 1:8, R. V.
Nothing could be plainer than that a most essential requisite to a Spirit-filled church is the consecration by the church of its time, talents, and means to the service of God for the redemption of a lost world. It is idle for the church to pray to be filled with the Spirit if she declines, or even neglects, to make this consecration. The Spirit is Christ’s invisible ambassador to this world to finish his work. The church is the Spirit’s visible medium through which he is to bear witness for Christ to all men to win them to him.
The Spirit of Prophecy
By George A. Irwin
G. A. IRWIN
(Reading for Sunday, December 16)
THE gift of prophecy is the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, in that it shows us “things to come.” It is the gift that caused holy men of God to speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, whose sayings became the sure word of prophecy, which is as a “light that shineth in a dark place.” It is “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass;” which he sends and signifies by his angel (Gabriel) unto his chosen messengers, who, in turn, make it known to the church. In short, it is God the Father communicating his infallible word and will through fallible human beings of his own choosing.
Its Object
In the thirty-third chapter of the book of Job, beginning with the fourteenth verse, we read these words: “For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, that he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.” Our purposes are not always in harmony with the mind of God. The wise man has said, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Prov. 14:12. Pride is at the bottom of many of our purposes, and this same pride beclouds the mind so that we are incapable of reasoning from cause to effect; hence, God, in love8for our souls, speaks to us to withdraw us from our purpose and smother our pride, which would otherwise prove our ruin.
A noteworthy instance of the application of this principle is found in Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the tree, an account of which is found in the fourth chapter of Daniel. God wanted to save the king from the result of carrying out the purpose that pride had put into his mind; hence the dream and the interpretation. After giving the interpretation, Daniel exhorts the king to “break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.” Dan. 4:27. Had the king heeded this counsel, he would have been saved the humiliation that brought him to a level with the brute creation until he could humbly acknowledge that “the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,” and that “he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?”
From Neh. 9:29 we see that another object of the spirit of prophecy is to bring men back to obedience to the law. The law of God is the foundation of his throne, a transcript of his character, the transgression of which, either in the letter or in the spirit, is sin. Even while professing to keep God’s law, we may fail in discerning its far-reaching nature, and fall far short in the application of its principles in our intercourse with our brethren and others with whom we come in contact. The law, which is “holy, just, and good,” can not witness to our righteousness while we are transgressing its principles; so the spirit of prophecy steps in with its testimony to bring us “back to the law,” that our righteousness may be witnessed by both the law and the prophets. Rom. 3:21. “The testimonies of the Spirit of God are given to direct men to his Word, which has been neglected. Now, if their messages are not heeded, the Holy Spirit is shut away from the soul. What further means has God in reserve to reach the erring ones, and show them their true condition?”
The prophecies of Ezekiel and Jeremiah were especially directed against the idolatry of their time. For years Jeremiah pleaded with King Jehoiakim to turn from his evil ways, and come back to obedience to the law. By a wrong interpretation of God’s continued prosperity, even after repeated warnings, the king became so defiant that when the last appeal came, telling what would come to pass if he did not repent, as fast as it was read, he cut out the leaves from the prophetic roll (or testimony) with his penknife, and cast them into the fire, until all the roll was burned. Jer. 36:22, 23. One more roll was sent (Jer. 36:28); but it contained also the judgments that were determined against him because of his persistent rejection of the testimonies, and his defiance of the Author in his act of burning the former roll.
AT THE KARMATAR (INDIA) ORPHANAGE, SCHOOL, AND PRINTING-OFFICE
In the judgment pronounced against him, he was told that the king of Babylon should come and destroy the land, and he should be killed, and his dead body “cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.” Jer. 36:30.
After reading this incident, we ought to be prepared more fully to appreciate the statement found in “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. V, page 676, that “the plain, straight testimony must live in the church, or the curse of God will rest upon his people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins.” This statement is in perfect accord with Hosea 12:13: “And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.” Had it not been for Moses, Israel would have gone straight back to Egypt after the apostasy at Sinai; and on numerous other occasions they were kept from utter ruin by the same instrumentality. There is but one way marked out in God’s Word for men to become established and prosper, and that is, “believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” 2 Chron. 20:20.
Its Importance
Just as surely as individuals, and as God’s people collectively and in an organized capacity, have been preserved by obedience to the voice of the prophets in the past, just so surely have we as individuals, and as a people in an organized capacity, been preserved in this generation.
In Prov. 29:18 the statement is made that “where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” The marginal reading for “perish” is “made naked.” The Jewish translation reads, “become unruly.” The Revised Version reads, “cast off restraint.” And another translation reads, “become reinless.” Each of these renderings is forceful, and gives an added thought, so that by taking them together, we have quite a clear conception of the results that follow where there is no direct revelation from the Lord.
For a period of three hundred and ninety-six years prior to the birth of Christ, there was no prophetic vision. While the forms of worship were kept up, the law of God had been made void by human tradition. Every principle of the decalogue was violated by those high in authority in the church, under the cloak of religion. At the end of this time “truth looked down from heaven upon the children of men, but found no reflection of itself, for darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people. Men could see no way out but for the Lord to again destroy the earth by a flood, angels could see no other way out, and the devil himself feared it.”
A vivid pen-picture of the wickedness of this time, given by divine inspiration, can be found in the last fourteen verses of the first chapter of Romans. The final culmination of what men will do when they decide to follow their own “purpose,”—“cast off restraint” by rejecting God’s message, given through his own chosen messenger,—can be seen in the merciless persecution and final crucifixion of Christ.
In the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul calls special attention to spiritual gifts in the church, using the human body, with its different members, and the relation that they sustain to one another, to illustrate the relation the different gifts sustain to one another in the church, which is the body of Christ. He says, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” The similitude used is so perfect that there is no need of our being ignorant, for we carry around with us wherever we go the figure used in the illustration, and are perfectly familiar with the workings and relative9importance of each of its members. The eye is a very important part of the human body. When it is put out, the body is compelled to grope its way in darkness. No other member can supply its place. In ancient times prophets were called “seers.” 1 Sam. 9:9. And the business of the seer was to see. Read Isa. 30:8-10. Then, following the logic of the writer in the figure used, the church, which is the body of Christ, that is without a “seer,” or a divinely appointed messenger, is blind. And that church will inevitably be deceived, and deflected from its course and mission. The history of the church in its apostasies, both before and after Christ’s time, furnishes proof of this statement.
This subject was regarded of so much importance by the apostle that he does not dismiss it with the one lesson, but in his second letter to the Corinthians he takes it up again, in the following language: “It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I can not tell; or whether out of the body, I can not tell: God knoweth); such an one caught up to the third heaven. . . . How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful [“possible,” the margin] for a man to utter.” 2 Cor. 12:1-4.
One more statement from the same writer is worthy of special note. It reads as follows: “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 1:4-8.
This scripture especially applies to a people who are waiting for the coming of Christ, and who are to come behind in no gift, thus clearly indicating that the gift of the spirit of prophecy would be among them. But the writer’s language has a deeper significance than this. The gift of prophecy will not only be in the church, but the church’s reception of the other gifts will turn upon its reception of this gift. “Even as the spirit of prophecy is confirmed among you.” The people that reject the spirit of prophecy—the greatest gift of the Spirit—will never receive the other gifts; for “it is hardly possible for men to offer a greater insult to God than to despise and reject the instrumentalities that he has appointed to lead them.”
Success in our publishing houses, sanitariums, and schools is just as contingent upon following the instruction God gives relative to the principles and spirit that should actuate those in charge, as in following the light given for our guidance as individuals. To ignore light and instruction in either case, is an insult to God, because by so doing we place human judgment and foresight above the divine.
The only light that can illuminate the darkness of this world is the sure word of prophecy, for it is “a light that shineth in a dark place.” In this age is focusing all the light which God has given in this way from Enoch’s day until the present time. But when men despise and reject the very means which God has appointed to give light and to lead them, then there is nothing left for them to do but to go on in darkness until they stumble into perdition.
The following paragraphs taken from chapter sixty-four of “The Desire of Ages,” so fittingly and forcibly sum up the importance of the spirit of prophecy in the church, and the consequences that will follow as a result of its rejection, that I insert them here, as an appropriate—
Conclusion
“In every age there is given to men their day of light and privilege, a probationary time in which they may become reconciled to God. But there is a limit to this grace. Mercy may plead for years and be slighted and rejected; but there comes a time when mercy makes her last plea. The heart becomes so hardened that it ceases to respond to the Spirit of God. Then the sweet, winning voice entreats the sinner no longer, and reproofs and warnings cease. . . .
“In this generation there are many who are treading on the same ground as were the unbelieving Jews. They have witnessed the manifestation of the power of God; the Holy Spirit has spoken to their hearts; but they cling to their unbelief and resistance. God sends them warnings and reproof, but they are not willing to confess their errors, and they reject his message and his messenger. The very means he uses for their recovery becomes to them a stone of stumbling.
“The prophets of God were hated by apostate Israel because through them their hidden sins were brought to light. Ahab regarded Elijah as his enemy because the prophet was faithful to rebuke the king’s secret iniquities. So to-day the servant of Christ, the reprover of sin, meets with scorn and rebuffs. Bible truth, the religion of Christ, struggles against a strong current of moral impurity. Prejudice is even stronger in the hearts of men now than in Christ’s day. Christ did not fulfil men’s expectations; his life was a rebuke to their sins, and they rejected him. So now the truth of God’s Word does not harmonize with men’s practises and their natural inclination, and thousands reject its light. Men, prompted by Satan, cast doubt upon God’s Word, and choose to exercise their independent judgment. They choose darkness rather than light, but they do it at the peril of their own souls. Those who caviled at the words of Christ, found ever-increased cause for cavil, until they turned from the Truth and the Life. So it is now. God does not propose to remove every objection which the carnal heart may bring against his truth. To those who refuse the precious rays of light which would illuminate the darkness, the mysteries of God’s Word remain such forever. From them the truth is hidden. They walk blindly, and know not the ruin before them.”
1. Talk briefly about the memory verse, exalting the greatness of the love revealed.
2. Jesus died for us—
(a) Not because we were good. Rom. 5:8.
(b) Not because we were his friends. Rom. 5:10.
(c) Not because we were strong. Rom. 5:6.
(d) Not because we were so many. Deut. 7:7.
3. He died for us because he loved us. 1 John 4:10.
4. His love illustrated by parental love and tenderness. Ps. 103:13; Isa. 66:13.
5. Jesus came to seek and to save. Luke 19:10. (Illustrate seeking by some story in real life or by the parable of the lost sheep. Matt. 18:12–14.)
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit for Service
By Eugene W. Farnsworth
E. W. FARNSWORTH
(Reading for Monday, December 17)
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”—Matthew. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”—Mark. In order to accomplish this great work, the followers of Christ must receive the necessary qualification. They were not permitted to go in their own name or strength. Unaided in power, and unqualified in wisdom, they would never be able to accomplish the task. But Jesus promised, saying, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
To encourage his workers, Christ assures them, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” As all power is given to him, and he is given to them, and is with them alway, they are assured of all the help needed. This power comes through the Holy Spirit. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” He was to be with them always, through his representative, the Holy Spirit. And through this agency, the power was to be given to them.
“Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were to receive a marvelous power. Their testimony was to be confirmed by signs and wonders. Miracles would be wrought, not only by the apostles, but by those who received their message. Jesus said, ‘In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’ . . . The disciples were to have the same10power which Jesus had to heal ‘all manner of sickness and all manner of disease’ among the people. By healing in his name the diseases of the body, they would testify to his power for the healing of the soul. And a new endowment was now promised. The disciples were to preach among other nations, and they would receive power to speak other tongues. . . .
“Thus Christ gave his disciples their commission. He made full provision for the prosecution of the work, and took upon himself the responsibility for its success. So long as they obeyed his word, and worked in connection with him, they could not fail.”—Desire of Ages, Trade Edition, pages 983, 984.
This working of the Lord with his servants is referred to in many Scriptures. “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” Mark 16: 20. Of the labors of Christ, and also of those who followed him, we read: “God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will.” Heb. 2: 4.
What a wonderful combination! The laborer goes forth and preaches the gospel. The Holy Spirit accompanies the word, and visible signs are wrought to confirm what is said.
Paul, in describing his own experience in proclaiming the gospel, said: “For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” Rom. 15: 18, 19.
Turn to the map in your Bible that shows the provinces and countries where this labor was done, and see what a large extent of territory it covers. Notice what large and numerous cities and towns were scattered all over it. All that remained of the Grecian empire and eastern Rome was included in Paul’s field of labor.
He tells of his own experience in one place. He came to Ephesus, a city filled with superstition, idolatry, witchcraft, and the deceptions of devils generally. The narrative shows that Paul preached, and persuaded, he taught and disputed daily, for the space of two years. “So that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.” Acts 19: 10-12. This work continued, till, the narrative says, “fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men, and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver,” or ten thousand dollars. And the record very significantly closes by adding: “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.” Acts 19: 17-20.
GROUP OF WORKERS AT THE BRITISH UNION CAMP-MEETING, LONDON
We presume that all will concur that the foregoing presents a fair illustration of gospel preaching of early time. Of course not all these features were seen in every place. But some of them seemed to be manifest everywhere. Notice that when the apostle was too busy or weary to visit all the families, or to answer all the calls, he sent his handkerchief or some small garment, and great works were wrought in that way. This was the way God confirmed the word.
But not in this way only did the Spirit manifest his power. In Luke 4: 32 we read: “They were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.” When the word spoken was pregnant with the Spirit there was a convicting power that went with it that astonished them all. “The people were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matt. 7: 28, 29. “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4: 33. And they were not “able to gainsay nor resist.” Luke 21: 15. What a wonderful provision there is in the Holy Spirit! What a fulness, both in word and in wisdom, is promised, and a power of conviction that none can resist!
This endowment of power and wisdom came through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The promise of John was: “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” Matt. 3: 11. The same promise is recorded in the corresponding scriptures in Mark and Luke. The Lord said, “Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Acts 1: 5. This was to qualify them in wisdom, and knowledge, and power, and in all things necessary for the successful preaching of the gospel.
To be baptized with the Holy Ghost is to be filled with the Holy Ghost. When this experience came, the record testifies, “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2: 4. Thus we see the baptism fills men with the Spirit. The record which follows makes this clear: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them” (Acts 4: 8); “and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” Verse 31.
In selecting the seven deacons, the qualifications required were not only that they should be honest men, but that they should be “full of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 6: 3, 5. It is said of Stephen: “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven.” Acts 7: 55. And the Lord sent Ananias unto Paul, that he might receive his sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Acts 9: 17. It is said of Barnabas that “he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost.”
And so the history of those times abounds with allusions to such experiences among those who proclaimed the gospel.
So important was this that the Saviour forbade the disciples’ going out to preach till they had received this gift. And when meeting with strange believers, one of the first salutations was, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” Acts 19: 2. It seemed to be expected as a matter of course that when a person believed and was baptized, he would also receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit; and if he had not this experience, there was something wrong. Would my brethren and sisters to-day be in any way embarrassed if the question were put to them as bluntly as of old—“Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”11
We can not close this reading better than by a quotation from a Special Testimony, entitled, “The Power of the Holy Spirit Awaits Our Demand and Reception:”–
“Just prior to his leaving his disciples for the heavenly courts, Jesus encouraged them with the promise of the Holy Spirit. This promise belongs as much to us as it did to them, and yet how rarely it is presented before the people, and its reception spoken of in the church. In consequence of this silence upon this important theme, what promise do we know less about, by its practical fulfilment, than this rich promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, whereby efficiency is to be given to all our spiritual labor? . . . This subject has been set aside, as if some time in the future would be given to its consideration. Other blessings and privileges have been presented before the people, until a desire has been awakened in the church for the attainment of the blessing promised of God; but the impression concerning the Holy Spirit has been that this gift is not now for the church, but that at some time in the future it would be necessary for the church to receive it. This promised blessing, if claimed by faith, would bring all other blessings in its train, and it is to be given liberally to all the people of God.”
[Let an earnest season of prayer follow the reading, in which all may take part, claiming this promised blessing, which will bring all other blessings in its train, and which awaits our demand and reception.]
