Last August, a young man at the British Columbia camp meeting, where I was preaching, gave me a book. I had never seen the book before, nor had I heard of the author—but the man told me there were more than 600,000 copies of the book circulating the world in 29 languages. Little did I know this short book would end up dramatically changing my life—the way I pray, the way I preach, the way I relate to others—it has changed my ministry. In all my years of schooling, of preaching and teaching, nobody ever told me or taught me that the Bible and Ellen White teach us to daily petition God for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit. How could I have gone this far through pastoring and preaching and have never learned so compelling a truth?
But that is what Helmut Haubeil’s book Steps to Personal Revival—Being Filled With the Holy Spirit has taught me.By the time I returned home from that camp meeting, I had read the book—in fact I have now read it four times. My life is changed—you can ask my wife and the people I pastor.
For years I have preached on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit—a series of sermons on this vital theme. But now I have discovered a way to meet with Jesus every morning and do just as He did every morning with the Father—ask for a fresh baptism of His Spirit.
Humbly I testify that God has raised the bar on my prayer life. I used to spend much time in the Word and a compara-tively short time in actual prayer. Now my practice is reversed—I spend much time on my knees in my early morning prayer closet in communion with God and then turn to His Word for His com-munication with me.
My preaching is experiencing a new freedom and intensity. My leader-ship with my team and people has been raised to another level. Suddenly coincidences (what one writer calls synchronicity) are multiplying—it is as if someone is orchestrating my days and nights, my “chance” meetings, emails, and conversations. It is as if the Holy Spirit is personally directing my waking hours (and even my sleeping ones). In fact, I have come to know Him as a very personal and truly dear Friend.
Why am I telling you this? I have nothing to gain from this testimony— but I am deeply convicted that you do. Jesus is coming soon. We still have a world, an entire generation, to reach with the everlasting gospel. We simply cannot accomplish that mission on our own. Our only hope is to learn what Jesus knew, to practice what Paul and the first disciples lived. We must have the daily baptism of the Holy Spirit upon our lives and ministries. The only way we will have it is if we humbly, daily, ask for it.
I do not know who you are, but I am praying for you as I write this. The promised gift is yours and mine for the asking. After all, did Jesus not promise us: “ ‘If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who [Greek—daily, continually] ask Him!’ ” (Luke 11:13, NIV)?
Won’t you join me in that daily asking? You may download a free PDF of this book right now at the Steps to Personal Revival website, www.steps-to-personal-revival.info.
—Dwight Nelson, DMin, serves as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States
