The lapse of time has wrought no change in Christ's parting promise to send the Holy Spirit as His representative. It is not because of any restriction on the part of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If the fulfillment of the promise is not seen as it might be, it is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be. If all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit. Wherever the need of the Holy Spirit is a matter little thought of, there is seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Whenever minor matters occupy the attention, the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in infinite plenitude.
"Since this is the means by which we are to receive power, why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit? Why do we not talk of it, pray for it, and preach concerning it? The Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who serve Him than parents are to give good gifts to their children. 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."— The Acts of the Apostles, p. 50.
For thirty years and more these words have haunted and challenged me. No doubt thousands of Adventist ministers have been driven to their knees in humiliation as they have contemplated this revelation of what God could do for and with us and how little we let Him do. The accuracy of the diagnosis given in these paragraphs cannot be doubted, nor can we do otherwise than hang our heads in shame as we admit our own responsibility for the impotence and failure of the church in the face of the world's unprecedented spiritual need.
Do we really want the Holy Spirit in the church? The assurance is given that "if all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit." The fact that we are not can lead to only one conclusion in the light of the above statement. And if we are unwilling, why should we be? Are we afraid of the consequences of Holy Spirit control? Are we apprehensive lest we should be led or driven to excesses such as accompany the spirit possession of some sects? Should we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, would we be treading the dangerous path of fanaticism with "manifestations" of strange tongues and uncontrolled ecstasy, such as accompany the similar experience among other groups?
These are pertinent questions, and are factors in our reluctance to open the door to the coming of the Holy Spirit in power. We do not wish to see our church invaded by fanaticism. We believe God's worship should be holy, dignified, and inspiring. But this should not force us to the other extreme where our churches are so cold that one could almost skate down the center aisle. Nor should we be afraid to pray for the Holy Spirit in case our prayers should be answered and the Spirit should work with us in a way we do not expect.
Caution is necessary. Just as the evil one has successfully counterfeited the Christ and led multitudes to worship a false christ, so he also counterfeits the work of the Holy Spirit. Multitudes who rejoice in what they suppose to be the baptism of the Holy Spirit, are actually under the control of the great deceiver masquerading as the Spirit of God. Gifts of tongues, supposed healings, and a pretended holiness delude many, and the spirit of disobedience takes possession of unwary souls who think they are led of God.
Against this danger we have been warned. "Many make great pretensions to holiness, and boast of the wonders they perform in healing the sick, when they do not regard this great standard of righteousness [God's holy law]. . . . If those through whom cures are performed, are disposed, on account of these manifestations, to excuse their neglect of the law of God, and continue in disobedience, though they have power to any and every extent, it does not follow that they have the great power of God. On the contrary, it is the miracle-working power of the great deceiver. . . . We must beware of the pretended holiness that permits transgression of the law of God."—The Faith I Live By, p. 314. (Italics supplied.)
The defense against fanaticism and the false holy spirit is not to be found in refusing to accept the true Spirit of God. Without Him in control the way would be open for us to succumb to the overmastering delusion that is to try the church and the world. Nature abhors a vacuum, and when the Holy Spirit is excluded, the spirit of darkness will find his way in. It is "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved," that "God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thess. 2:10, 11). Indeed, the only way by which we can be sure to resist the blandishments of the evil one when he transforms himself into an angel of light and "if it were possible, . . . shall deceive the very elect" is to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
Without the Spirit the church is weak and powerless, and susceptible to every wind of doctrine on the one hand, or resistant to every new impulse on the other. But with the fullness of the Spirit, the church can triumph over delusion and go on to glorious victories of faith. Then "why do we not talk of it, pray for it, and preach concerning it"?
The difference that the presence of the Holy Spirit makes in the life of the individual Christian and of the church is graphically presented by the apostle Paul in the contrast of Romans 7 and 8. For the difference between the experience of the Christian in those two chapters is this: in Romans 7 there is no Holy Spirit; in Romans 8 He is everywhere. In the seventh chapter the Christian seeks to live a good and righteous life, his mind is under conviction, he acknowledges the claims of God upon him. But the downward drag of heredity (the law of sin in our members) is too strong, and so he does the things he hates and fails to do the things he would.
There is but one end to such a life of struggle and defeat—bitter despair—and that is how the chapter ends. Verse 24 contains the death cry of the discouraged and defeated Christian. "0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" And even though a gleam of hope comes to him through the gospel, and he thanks "God through Jesus Christ our Lord," the verse and the chapter end on a note of defeat: "So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin" (verse 25).
But as we enter the eighth chapter there is a complete change of tone and atmosphere. The transition from defeat to victory, from despair to hope, from darkness to light, is startling. Here there is no more condemnation, no defeat, no hopelessness. Joy, assurance, and power are evident, rising in a crescendo from the "no condemnation" of verse 1, to the paean of praise for no separation in verses 35-39. And what produces the change? The Holy Spirit! He is found in the first verse and right through the chapter. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is mentioned directly by name no less than fourteen times in the first sixteen verses of this chapter.
In Paul's day, as verily as in ours, "spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death" were the consequences of neglect of the Holy Spirit. And in our day, as verily as in Paul's "This is the means by which we are to receive power"—"the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train." And if it is lacking, it is not because of any restriction on God's part, for He is more willing to impart His Spirit than parents are to give good gifts to their children. "It is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be" that "the fulfillment . . . is not seen as it might be." Our duty is clear. We need to think more about the place and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the church. We need to "talk of it, pray for it, and preach concerning it."
Daily every worker for God should offer his petition for the baptism of the Spirit. And not only in private devotions should this be done, but companies of Christian workers should gather to ask for this precious gift. But before we do this we need to understand more regarding the place of the Holy Spirit in the plan of God. We need to know more about Him and what His coming will mean. For His coming will bring a change that may be revolutionary into our lives and the life of the church. And there is no turning back once we have invited the Holy Spirit to take full control. We shall, therefore, seek to know who the Spirit is, what He is, and what His coming will mean. Then, intelligently, sincerely, and with full surrender we can pray for His coming to take control of the church and of us its ministers.
