"Have Ye Received the Holy Spirit?"

If Jesus, our sinless Lord, did not enter upon His ministry until after the anoint­ment by the Holy Ghost, how dare we poor sinful creatures attempt to win souls with­out the unction from above?

Paul Qualified

Paul began his career as a foreign mis­sionary after his baptism by the Holy Ghost.

And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 9:17).

This was the time of Paul's anointment, which qualified him to preach, and people were "amazed" at his preaching (verse 21). People will be amazed today at our preach­ing when the Holy Spirit takes possession.

Disciples Waited for Qualification

The disciples were urged to wait for prep­aration (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4, 8, The Amplified Bible). They did not launch their worldwide evangelistic cru­sade until after Pentecost, the time of their anointing. How hard it is to wait on God. The words, "Tarry ye," are just as im­portant as the words, "Go ye." Jesus was talking to the leaders, preachers, teachers, pastors, and evangelists whom He had called and commissioned to go into all the world.

The disciples went to the upper room and an old-fashioned revival took place. There was deep heart searching, fervent, agonizing prayers, tears, confession of sins. Peter had some confessions to make, and so had John and James and Andrew. El­len G. White refers to one of the early General Conference sessions when the brethren had an all-night prayer meeting. Brother went to brother, asking for forgive­ness. She said it was like Pentecost.

In the upper room the disciples were be­ing emptied and a vacuum was to be filled. The sons of thunder were emptied of their thunder and their desire for supremacy, and filled with love. Thomas was emptied of his doubt and filled with faith; Peter of his lying, his profanity, and cowardice, to be filled with truth and boldness.

Before one book of the New Testament was writ­ten, before one gospel sermon had been preached after Christ's ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the praying apostles. Then the testimony of their enemies was, "Ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine" (Acts 5:28).—The Desire of Ages, p. 672.

Those words were literally true, and not only of Jerusalem, but the surrounding cities and towns felt the impact. The testi­mony of their enemies was, "These that have turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). Oh, would to God we had the power to turn this old world with all of its hate, its crime and violence, its wars, its suffer­ing, right side up.

Holy Spirit at Prayer Meeting

Peter had a story to tell of the power of the Holy Ghost. What a marvelous trans­formation had taken place in his life. Be­fore Pentecost preaching — unfit and unequipped; after the upper-room experi­ence—preaching with the equipment of the Holy Ghost.

Peter could tell people to repent for he had himself repented of lying and profan­ity. Pentecost teaches us that it is not a change of men that is needed but changed men—the same preachers with a new power that will finish the world task.

The Holy Ghost came during a prayer meeting. Little prayer, little power. No prayer, no power. Much prayer, much power. Every recorded instance of recep­tion of the Holy Spirit is preceded by ear­nest prayer. Could it be we are failing right here? This could be our most costly blunder!

Pentecostal Results to Be Duplicated

All that the apostles did, every church member today is to do."—Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 33. What an amazing statement. With­out college or seminary training, without the use of television and radio facilities, without the use of our Go Tell, Bible in the Hand and It Is Written programs, et cetera, within thirty years after the cross the whole known world had been influ­enced by a little band of power-filled men.

They cast out devils, healed the sick, raised the dead. What was the secret of their success? They had experienced Pen­tecost. We are told that "thousands were converted in a day."—Ibid., vol. 8, p. 21. (Italics supplied.) Pentecostal results will be repeated when the loud cry sounds forth and "there will be as many converted in a day as there were at Pentecost."—Evangel­ism, p. 692. Not may be, but will be. That is positive language, brethren. Why cannot this be the day? Is not this the day of His promised power? "All that the apostles did, every church member today is to do." For more than 120 years we have been waiting to see the fulfillment of this promise. "What we need is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Without this, we are no more fitted to go forth to the world than were the disciples after the crucifixion of their Lord. Jesus knew their destitution, and told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they should be endowed with power from on high."—ELLEN G. WHITE, Review and Herald,  Feb. 18, 1890, p. 98.

Holy Ghost Promised Us

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17).

The promise is that God's Spirit is to be poured out in these last days. Not like drops of rain, but poured out. Before Ellen G. I'Vhite died she said, "It is the time of the latter rain." This statement was made nearly fifty years ago. If that was the time, then in 1966 it must be high time for us to awaken and receive it.

It is ours to receive, brethren. Jesus said: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18). What was this power given to Him for? It was given to Him for us. He desires us to realize that the measureless power given Him has been placed at our disposal. If the power is prom­ised, why are we so weak, so powerless?

Have we received the power? I ask the question as did Paul, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost?" If not, why not? Are we, my brethren, attempting to live out this mes­sage in our human strength? Are we preach­ing this message in human strength?

I have discovered that there is much in the work of preaching that has a tendency to operate against personal spiritual growth. Familiarity with sacred truths often destroys for us their charm of fresh­ness. A professional handling of God's Word interferes with its personal applica­tion. The opinions of audiences, favorable or otherwise, exert an influence unfavora­ble to spiritual discipline.

In connection with all this, Satan is es­pecially active in opposing the growth of spiritual piety in the preacher's life, so that there is a terrible danger that while the preacher is cultivating the vineyards of oth­ers he is neglecting his own. From many a preacher's lips this confession has come, "He made me the keeper of the vineyard, but my own vineyard I have not kept."

I am told that a magnifying glass held in a certain position by the hand of a child may convey sufficient fire through it from the sun to wrap the neighborhood in flames. Albeit the glass through which the fire has passed remains unheated and cold as flint. So a man may convey to others the rays of the Sun of Righteousness and yet his own heart will remain cold as ice. Either we have received the Holy Ghost, or we are desirous of receiving it. All of the reproof from God is sent to enable us to receive this much-needed power.

The Assurance That the Holy Spirit Is Ours

The promise of the Holy Spirit is ful­filled upon condition. "Christ has prom­ised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His church, and the promise belongs to us as much as to the first disciples. But like every other promise, it is given on conditions." —The Desire of Ages, p. 672.

Dare I show just a few, a very few, "can­did camera" shots that show us ourselves as God sees us?

I saw that none could share the "refreshing" un­less they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world.—Early Writings, p. 71.

I call upon every minister to seek the Lord, to put away pride, . . . strife after supremacy, and humble the heart before God.—Review and Her­ald, July 26, 1892, p. 466.

The reason why our preachers accomplish so lit­tle is that they do not walk with God. He is a day's journey from most of them.—Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 434.

Meditation and prayer are neglected for bustle and show. ... There is need of fasting, humiliation, and prayer over our decaying zeal and languishing spirituality.—Ibid., vol. 4, pp. 535, 536.

Appearance and machinery have been exalted as of power, while the virtue of true goodness, noble piety, and heart-holiness have been made a second­ary consideration.—Review and Herald, Feb. 27, 1894, p. 130.

It is the absence of the Spirit that makes the gos­pel ministry so powerless.—Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 21.

If in our confrontation with the godless we are underpowered, our efforts will be feeble and fruitless.

The Main Condition

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.—Ibid., p. 246.

In the same paragraph we are told that "wonderful revivals will follow. Sinners will be converted, and many souls will be added to the church." (Italics supplied.) Brethren, I long to see this, don't you?

O fellow workers, what are we waiting for? If we confess our sins and forsake them and ask for the latter rain, God will not fail in His promise. Have you received the Holy Ghost since you first believed? It is not talk­ing about it but entering into the experi­ence that is necessary. The only thing stand­ing in the way of the reception is sin. The first work of the Holy Spirit is to convict of sin. May it convict us here today. We can receive it at this meeting if we are ready to test God's Word. It is not a matter of pleading with God to give. He pleads with us to receive it. He is more willing to give than we are to give gifts to our own children. All we need to do is to confess our sins and believe the promise, and God will supply the fact.

The disciples had to spend ten days in the upper room to remove the barriers of sin. We need not take that long. We can re­move the barriers now. Reception depends on us. If we put away jealousy, faultfinding, backbiting, gossiping, judging, unkindness, meanness, rudeness, worldliness, prejudice, and our secret sins, we can claim it now. My brethren, I want to claim it now, don't you? Some pastor, some administrator, some worker, is going to lead the way to Pentecost by the way of the cross and the upper room. I would like to be that worker, so help me God.

Many of you who have vacationed at Yosemite Park may remember the thrilling spectacle that occurs at the close of the nightly program. From out of the darkness a voice sounds out, "Let the fire fall!" And then from Glacier Point, one mile above, where a watcher waits, comes the answer echoing across the night, "The fire falls!"

Up above, the Holy Watcher is waiting for the signal of your heart and mine. He is watching to see Christlikeness in Christians. He has the shower of cleansing for our lives of impurity, the mantle of grace for all our unrighteousness. He has the strength made perfect in weakness to make us all that we ought to be. He has the fire of Pen­tecost to baptize us with His Spirit.

Just now in the silence of the awareness of His presence, just now will you join me in sending up the cry, "Let thy fire fall on me!"