Doctrine of Holy Spirit His Person and Work

8/14/2019 Doctrine of Holy Spirit His Person and Work

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The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

Part 1

1. As the church has faced temptations in the past so it faces great temptations today. One of the

greatest of temptations is to believe that a church can be established and prosper spiritually

that is not born of the Holy Spirit.

This belief has given way to a conviction that man can rise above temptation by getting betterand better so there is no need for the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The unspoken belief

is that there is no need for the Spirit in bringing a church into existence; there is no need for

the presence of the Holy Spirit in maintaining the ministry; there is no need for the Holy in

the daily life of a believer.

The truth of the matter is this. Christian, never think for a minute that there will be a timewhen you will not be tempted. He is tempted the most effectively who thinks that he isnt

tempted at all.

2. Temptation comes to remind the church that Christians must fight for what it has. Our littlefield of Gods planting must have the necessary weapons and plenty of watchmen out there

to drive off the crows and all sorts of creatures, to say nothing of the little insects that destroy

the crops. We must keep after them. We must keep our field healthy, and there is only one

way to do that, and that is to keep true to the Word of God.

3. We must earnestly, sacrificially and prayerfully, strive to be empowered with that same

power that came upon the church at the Day of Pentecost.

4. There are some characteristics of a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led congregation.

First, a congregation Spirit filled and Spirit led will be a joyful people.

Second, a congregation Spirit filled and Spirit led will be a useful people to the race of men.

Third, a congregation Spirit filled and Spirit led will be influential among the churches. Paul

told some of his people Ye are ensamples to all that believe, and in every place your

faith to Godward is spread abroad.

Fourth, a congregation Spirit filled and Spirit led will live well and the people will die well.

They will die well because they have picked up the cross Jesus said His followers must bear.

The cross of Jesus Christ always changes mens attitude and actions. The cross of Christ isrevolutionary, and if we are not ready to let it be revolutionary in us nor let it cost us

anything or control us in any way, we are not going to like a church that takes the things of

God seriously.

5. There are some who will not be happy in a Spirit led and Spirit filled church.


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Those who seek entertainment will not be happy in a Spirit led and Spirit filled church. A. W.

Tozer said, When I sing Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound I am worshipping God

Almighty. If you want to call entertainment that which they do before the throne, when

they cry day and night without ceasing, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, then I am anentertainer. If it isnt entertainment and it isnt then I am a worshipper.

Those who embrace a church for its cultural values will not be happy in a Spirit led and Spiritfilled congregation. Did you ever meet people like this? They want book reviews and lectures

on flower arrangements, and child-rearing and all sorts of things but it is a foregone

conclusion that they are not going to be at home among Gods dear regenerated people who

are intent upon Spirit advancement.

6. Who are the people who will be happy and contented and fulfilled in a Spirit filled

congregation?

They are those who have a leading ambition to be rid of their sins. I believe we ought to wantto be rid of our sins. If I had a cancer growing on my neck I would want to be rid of it the

sooner the better.

The people who want to know God and to walk with God will be happy in a Spirit filled

congregation. Their ambition is to walk with God and to follow the Lamb whithersoever Hegoeth.

Those who have learned to recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd will be at home in a

Spirit filled church.

Those who are sensitive to the Invisible Presence will be at home in a Spirit led and Spirit

filled congregation. There are those who have tasted of the good Word of God and felt the

mysterious power of the world to come.

Thank God for those in the churches who would rather hear the voice of Jesus than to hear

the voice of the greatest preacher or the best singer in the world. Thank God for those who

would rather be conscious of the Divine Presence than to be in the presence of the greatest

man in the world. Thank God for those who are sick of their own sin and long to be holy Ipray that such numbers may increase (A. W. Tozer)

7. How does a congregation get a Spirit filled Spirit led church? The answer is fourfold.

God must be brought back by prayer. Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee,and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

God must be brought back by gospel obedience. Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his

way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he willhave mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.


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God must be brought back by confession of sinuntil the Spirit takes over in the midst

of the people. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God must be brought back by waiting humbly and quietly before Him. We must wait for

God to come back but we can wait with hope that He will return if we are broken, sincere

sorry for sin. Ps 145:15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat indue season.

8. What are the tragic results when a congregation is not Spirit filled and Spirit led?

The fellowship of the church degenerates into a social fellowship with a mild religiousflavor. This must not be allowed to stand. The church must have God. I want God Himself

or else I will go out and be something other than a Christian. I think the Lord had

something like that in mind when He said, I would thou were cold or hotbecause thou artlukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth (Rev. 3:16).

When the Spirit is not honored the congregation allows many unspiritual, non-spiritualand anti spiritual teachers to be brought into the church. One such teaching is that

courage, energy, good qualities personified or enthusiasm is the Spirit and that is not true.

Some who can get all worked up over a song imagine that this is the Spirit but that is notnecessarily so for they go and live just like the sinful world. The Holy Spirit is a Person and

when the Spirit comes to a human person He changes that individual for the Holy Spirit

permeates the human spirit and transforms it. The Holy Spirit will not be just another

addition. The Holy Spirit will be Lord or He will not come at all.

9. How do we know the Holy Spirit is a person and not merely courage, energy, good qualities

personified or enthusiasm?

Well, the historic Christian church said that the Holy Spirit is God.

The Nicene Creed concludes, And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life

who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is

worshipped and glorified

The Athanasian Creed says, For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son,and another of the Holy Spirit. But the godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy

Spirit, is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, theSon uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father incomprehensible, the Son

incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.

The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not three

eternals, but one Eternal. As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor threeuncreated, but one Uncreated, and one Incomprehensible.


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So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Spirit Almighty. And yet

they are not three almighties, but one Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet they are not three

gods, but one God.

So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord. And yet not three

lords, but one Lord.

For as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge each Person by Himself to

be both God and Lord, so we are also forbidden by the catholic religion to say that there are

three gods or three lords.

The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten.

The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten.

The Holy Spirit is of the Father, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three

holy spirits.

And in the Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another, butall three Persons are co-eternal together and co-equal.

So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be

worshipped.

He therefore that will be saved is must think thus of the Trinity.

More importantly the Scriptures teach the Holy Spirit is a person.

The Spirit is God for only God can claim omnipresence. Psalms 139:7 Whither shall I go

from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

The Spirit has power to create. Only God can create . Job 26:13 By his spirit he hath

garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

The Spirit is called the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the

Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Equality of the Spirit as God is found in the baptismal formula. Matthew 28:18-19 AndJesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of

the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:


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There is the benediction in 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and

the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

10. With the fact established the Holy Spirit is a person and not just any person but God Himself

the next fact to be established is that He is united with the ministry of the New Testament

church in a profound way. The story is told in Acts 2.

On the Day of Pentecost the Spirit came accompanied by external signs.

The Spirit came when the church was gathered in one place. Such a gathering was unique

soon the 120 became over 3,000 and then over 8,000 and then such a number that no man

could count those who had been given to the Son.

The Spirit came with cloven tongues of fire, something that has not been repeated in theannuals of Church history.

The Spirit came with the sound of the rushing of a mighty wind, something that has not beenrepeated in the annuals of Church history.

The Spirit came and gave the ability to speak in languages not previously known, and that

has never been repeated in the annuals of Church history.

As interesting as these eternal manifestations of the coming of the Spirit were they are not

necessary to the Christian church or necessary to its perpetuation or the Church would have

ceased to exist on the day it was born.

Undue attention must not be given to the externals but to the internal events that took placethat day as prophecy was being fulfilled.

According to John 14:16, Jesus said, I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another

Comforter. In John 16:14, Jesus said, He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto

you. This was the promise: Someone was coming who would have the authority and theability and the capacity to make Jesus Christ real to those who believed.

Filled with the Spirit it was Peter who leaped to his feet to defend the phenomena and todeclare that .God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and

Christ. In John 15, Jesus had also said, .I tell you the truthI will send him untoyouand when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin.

What greater sin was there than the murder of the Son of God. It was with boldness that Peter

declared this and that too was according to promise. Jesus had said, Tarry ye in the city of

Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.


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Peter obeyed the Lord. He tarried in Jerusalem and when the Spirit came He gave Peter the

ability the dynamic power to do what can never be done in the flesh and that is to effectively

set Christ before a hostile world.

The soul winner has power to win souls to Christ. The preacher has power to make the

Scriptures plain. When the Spirit comes He gives the ability to do. He gives the ability to be

victorious, to live right, to behold Jesus and to live with heaven in view.

The most important truth about the Day of Pentecost is that the Comforter has come. Deity isin our midst. God has given Himself to us. Deity has been poured out. He hath shed forth

this which you now see and hear.

And now the church must see that spiritual truth, must want Him the Spirit of all spiritual

truth for with Him we cannot be like Christ and without Christ we can do nothing.

In other to write sonnets like Shakespeare we must have the spirit of Shakespeare. If we want

to compose music like Johann Sebastian Bach we would have to have the spirit of Bach. If

we wanted to be a statesman like Ronald Reagan we would have to possess the spirit of

Reagan. And if we are going to reproduce Christ on earth we must be Christ like and showforth Christ then we must have the spirit of Christ!

If we are going to be the children of God, we must have the Spirit of the Father to breathe in

our hearts and breathe through us. That is why we must have the Spirit of God. That is why

the church must have the Spirit of Christ.

11. If Christians become convinced of the need to have the filling of the Holy Spirit an importanttruth emerges. No one was ever filled with the Holy Ghost who did not know he had so been

filled. Furthermore the filling of the Spirit is not something that happens gradually but all at

once. In the Scriptures there is never a gradual filling of the Spirit. He came upon individualsall at once.

12. But there are pre-requisites for being filled with the Spirit.

In order to be filled with the Spirit there must be a simple faith that the filling of theSpirit is an experience that is designed to be the normal Christian life but it is not

sought because of a belief it is not needed. The filling of the Spirit is not needed because ofa doctrinal teaching that at the moment of salvation the Christian receives everything God

has for the soul. There is nothing to move on to seek. Of course every now and then someonecomes and says, Well God did it. The Spirit came. And from that moment the Christian life

is transformed.

In order to be filled with the Spirit there must be a sincere willingness to be possessedby the Spirit. There are two kinds of spirit possessions. There is the possession by evil

spirits, where a human personality can be completely submerged making it filthy or dumb or

evil. Jesus cast out such spirits as these.


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In contrast and radically different is the good and kind Holy Spirit who wants to fill us and

possess us if we are Christians. This Spirit is like Jesus for He is the Spirit of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is pure. He is wise for He is the Spirit of wisdom. He is true for He is theSpirit of truth. He is like the Father for He is the Spirit of the Father.

He wants to be the Lord of your life and He wants to possess you so completely that you are

no longer in command of the little vessel in which you sail.

You are no longer in charge. Those who are born of Adam do not like the idea of

surrendering sovereignty of their lives. So the prerequisite stands.

The heart must be ready and willing for the personality to be taken over by Someone who is

like Christ. He will expect obedience to the Written Word of God, not in some things but in

all things. The truth of the matter is that most people just do not want to be filled badlyenough to be filled.

In order to be filled with the Spirit there must be a willingness to die to self. Self-sinsinclude the love of self. The Holy Spirit will never allow a show off. He brings humility to

the heart. There is also the sin of self-confidence. And there is the sin of self-righteousness.

We say we are bad but we do not really believe it.

In order to be filled with the Spirit there must be a willingness to stand against the easyand dishonest ways of the world and live the hard life of a Christian. God reserves the

right to test the heart in this area. There is no place for boasting. There is no place for

dishonesty. There is no place for sharp deals.

In order to be filled with the Spirit we must be willing to lose things. The believers in the

Scriptures usually had God and not much else.

In order to be filled with the Spirit there must be an acute understanding that such aneed exists. It is possible to receive Jesus, be converted, read the Bible, take a course on the

New Testament and have a simple and wonderful time going to heaven. The filling of the

Spirit is for those who cannot get along without it. The heart of some has come to a

realization that the Scriptures cannot be obeyed or understood and no spiritual fruit can be

borne except by having a greater measure of the Holy Spirit than is now known.

In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit the desire must be all-absorbing . There must be

a longing after God as the hart pants after the water brook.

The heart must be on the verge of despair having gone through disturbance, anxiety,

disappointment and emptiness. God does not come rushing into a human heart unless He

knows that he is the answer and fulfillment to the greatest, most overpowering desire of that

life. God wants to get us to a place where He knows we would be happy with only Him.


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Oh, Cross that lifest up my head,

I dare not ask to fly from Thee,

I lay in dust, lifes glory dead,

And from the ground there blossoms redLife that shall endless be.

14. If there is a single reason why more people are not filled with the Holy Ghost besides not

really wanting to be it is because many have been taught that the filling of the Holy Spirit

happens at the moment of salvation and that is all there is. But the heart knows different. Theheart knows how barren the Christian life is. There is little joy, happiness or blessing. Why?

Because there is no anointing with the Holy Ghost. In the early church the disciples were like

thoroughbreds. Something from God had come to them and they blazed with light and power

and life. Most of us are sickly ponies by comparison. What is wrong? We need the anointing

of the Holy Ghost. We need to tarry in Jerusalem until we are endued with power from on

high according to promise. The promise made to the early disciples is as much a promise foryou and me today if we believe. Listen again to what Jesus said the Spirit would do when

He came.

When the Holy Spirit comes He will abide with the believer as one person abides withanother in a state of fellowship, communion and comfort. John 14:16 And I will pray the

Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither

knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

When the Holy Spirit comes He cleanses the heart of sin. John 16:8 And when he is come,

he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

When the Holy Spirit comes He guides into all truth. John 14:26 But 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. John

16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for heshall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will

shew you things to come.

When the Holy Spirit comes He glories Christ. John 15:26 But when the Comforter is

come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedethfrom the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have

been with me from the beginning. John 16: 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of

mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Now the question comes to the modern Christian. Do we enjoy an abiding conscious

fellowship of the Holy Ghost? Do we live a life sensitive to sin so that we forsake it? Do we

understand spiritual matters? Do our lives glorify Christ? If not what are we to do? The

answer is this. We are to wait expectantly for the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Luke 24:49

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem,until ye be endued with power from on high. The disciples tarried and they were filled.


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15. One of the great practical value of a congregation being Spirit filled and Spirit led is that the

various gifts of the Holy Spirit are made manifest in the body life of the congregation. Some

of the spiritual gifts the Spirit gives may be listed.

There is the gift of an apostle.

There is the gift of an ambassador or messenger.

There is the gift that makes a prophet.

There is the gift that makes a teacher.

There is the gift that makes an exhorter.

There is the gift that makes the ruler.

There is the gift of wisdom.

There is the gift of knowledge.

There is the gift of faith. There is the gift of healing.

There is the gift of tongues.

There is the gift of interpretation.

There is the gift of discernment.

There is the gift of helps.

There is the gift of mercy showing.

There is the gift of government.

There is the gift of giving liberally.

There is the gift of the evangelist.

16. Where these gifts are not present, or not recognized or denied the Church is thrown back

upon other ways of getting a work done.

We are thrown back for example upon talentjust talent.

We are thrown back upon psychology.

We are thrown back upon business techniques.

We are thrown back upon political techniques such as democracy.

We are thrown back upon sales methods.

17. Of course those who are in the flesh cannot please God. All of the human elements we

become dependent on ultimately and utterly fail. We must have the Holy Spirit as did thefollowing men and women of faith.

Augustine the Bishop of Hippo who walked with God and write a great confession of

faith.

Bernard of Cluny was a saint and he wrote Jerusalem, the Golden. Jerusalem, thegolden, with milk and honey blest. This man walked with God. He had a twin, Bernard

of Clairvaux who wrote, Jesus, the very thought of Thee, with sweetness fills my

breast.


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Richard Rolle lived in the fourteenth century as a monk. But he was so blessed he could

not stay in the monastery. With a guitar in his hands he went all over England preaching

the gospel he called Heart, fragrance and song.

Brother Lawrence was the man who practiced the presence of God. When he was dying,

they said, What are you doing, Brother Lawrence? He replied, I am doing what I plan

to do through all eternityworshipping God. When I die I wont change my occupation. Ihave just been worshipping God for forty years on earth, and when I get to heaven Ill

just keep right on ding what I am doing.

Thomas a Kempis wrote The Imitation of Chris, a devotional book that is still read today.

Martin Luther the good doctor took a hammer nailed a document to the church door set

the world on fire without losing a divine sense of humor. Im going to get married to

tease the pope and to make the devil mad he said. And, when life grew serious Dr.Luther was the man who stood and said, If every tile on the housetop was a devil, here Istand. I can do nothing else, so help me God! He gave the Word of God back to the

people and withstood a corrupt papacy.

Zinzendorf was that rich, German nobleman who saw a painting of Christ crucified onthe cross. He wept and said, If He died for me, I must give myself to Him! Out of his

devotion and vision came the emphasis on which all the modern missionary movements

of the present day are based.

Tersteegen was a silk weaver in Germany who had such an experience with God hesigned a covenant with God in his own blood. His humble cottage became a center of

spiritual power.

John Newton wrote How Sweet the Name of Jesus Stands having been converted from theslave trading business.

William Booth started the great Salvation Army.

Jonathan Edwards was used of God to bring forth the Great Awakening whereby many

souls were swept into the kingdom.

Charles Finney was the lawyer who was converted and filled with the Holy Ghost, so thathe said, The Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me,

body and soul. I could feel the impression like a wave of electricity going through and

through me. Indeed, it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love.like the very

breathe of Godit seemed to fan me lime immense wings.

David Livingston open Africa to the gospel. So much did the African love him when he

died they kept his heart and buried it on the Dark Continent and shipped his body back to

England.


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Charles Spurgeon was filled with the Holy Ghost and preached to over 5,000 people each

Sunday during his public ministry.

George Muller prayed down millions of dollars to feed the orphans entrusted to his care.God never denied him anything. He had the ear of heaven.

Frances Havergal was such a Spirit filled woman when she came into a room there was aconsciousness of two people coming into the roomFrances Havergal and the Holy

Ghost.

Evan Roberts was the man who prayed, Bend me, oh God, bend me! and God bent himand gave Wales a religious renewal.

Dr. Seng, the Chinese Christian was beaten and sewed in a sack and then kicked about.

He survived to preach the gospel in China to the glory of God.

Dr. A. B. Simpson started out with eight people who prayed for missions. God heard the

prayers of His children and a great missionary society was established.

Billy Nicholson was the evangelist who went to Ireland at a time of political unrest and

moral decadence. Many were converted under his ministry and many more lives were

spared a premature death.

Holy Ann was the Iris Canadian woman who talked so intimately about her heavenly

Father some people thought God had no other children but her.

Sammy Morris was the Kru boy from Africa who came to the United States to asksomeone to tell him about the Holy Spirit. His body is buried in Fort Wayne, Indiana. All

he wanted was a glimpse of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Frederick Faber wrote, Oh Jesus, Jesus, Dearest Lord, forgive me if I say, for very love,Thy precious Name a thousand times a day.

Charles Wesley made the world to sing with his Jesus, Lover of my Soul, Love

Divine, All Love Excelling and his And Can it be that I should Gain an Interest in my

Saviors Blood? His brother John John Wesley was an egg catcher for they threw eggson him when he preached. And yet together these brothers saved England from a

revolution that devoured French nation.

The point of mentioning these men and women is to remind ourselves that the gifts of the

Holy Ghost have not been withdrawn or these individuals could never have accomplishedwhat they did. Apart from the Holy Spirit we are left to believe that these individuals

advanced the kingdom of God by fleshly means and that position is unacceptable.


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Care must be taken not to think these individuals were extraordinary in and of themselves.

No, they were simply vessels in the hands of the Sovereign who consciously wanted to be

used of God and filled with His Spirit. They were no different than you or me other than in

this single matter.

18. Realistically not everyone will be used of God, not everyone will be filled with the Spirit for

not everyone wants this anointing of the Holy Ghost. This does not mean they are not

interested. It just means that a lot of people want the world and Christ. In the words of John

Bunyan they are like Mr. Facing Both-ways. Who are these people who face both ways?

Those who are interested in the church for its insurance value will not be anointed

with the Holy Ghost. There are individuals who are willing to give up certain pleasures

of sin for the guarantee they can go to heaven when they die. They will support thechurch and missions in order not to be sent to hell. They want a fire insurance policy. But

that is all they want.

The Holy Ghost will not anoint those who have a social concept of religion and not aspiritual one. There are some whose lives are more influenced by Hollywood than by

Jerusalem. They enjoy helping others for it eases their conscience and allows them to live

and let live. But to die to self, to avoid evil, to walk the narrow way is not what they want

at all. The person who is satisfied with life has no spiritual journey to make or land to

conquer. They are at ease in Zion and do not want to be disturbed by God talk and thenecessity of being filled with the Spirit. Those who will be filled are those who have a

sympathetic reception of the Word of God and not just an intellectual one.

19. For those whose hearts are hungry, for those who want intimacy with God and not merely an

insurance policy or social engagement there are three points to observe.

The Holy Spirit is a living Person. This simple fact must be engaged if there is to be

personal intimacy with the Holy Ghost. Jesus said in John 7:38-39 He that believeth

on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(Butthis spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy

Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) Since the Holy Spirit

is a personality He can never be fully known in a single encounter. The fellowship of the

Spirit can be an abiding experience that deepens and matures as the years go by. But the

world, the flesh and the devil will have to be dismissed and denies. The time given tofleshly lusts and activity that borders on the demonic must be redeemed.

When the Holy Spirit is honored Christ is honored and communion with the Holy

Ghost is enhanced. As we honor Christ, the Spirit of God becomes glad within us. Heceases to hold back. He communes with us and imparts Himself, and the sun comes up

and heaven comes near as Jesus Christ becomes our All in all.

We must walk in righteousness if we are to know the Holy Spirit in increasing

intimacy. The gospel of grace is not a license to sin. We do have now, as Jude predicted,ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only


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Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. That is wrong. It is more than wrong it damnable.

The Sermon on the Mount, the Lords Prayer, the Pastoral Epistles all teaches that Jesus

expects His people to be clean and pure and right. The grace of God that bringeth

salvation teaches the heart that we should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and livesoberly and righteously and godly in this present world.

The thoughts must be clean if there is to be close intimacy with the Holy Ghost. A

person with malicious and evil thoughts cannot be living closely with the Holy Spirit.Such a one cannot be a companion of the loving Holy Spirit. A person with lust,

deception, or anger, a person bloated with egotism and vindictiveness cannot hold

communion with the Holy Ghost. It is impossible. Keep your mind pure. Clean out the

sanctuary the way Hezekiah did. Then the blessed God can come and be worshipped

again. We need thoughts of peace, thoughts of charity, thoughts of God and the Son ofGod for these are pure things, good things and high things.

The Bible must be studied if there is to be close intimacy with the Holy Spirit. There

is no substitute for knowledge of the Scriptures. They are to be read, studied, memorizedand mediated upon. The Scriptures must be hidden in the heart. The Holy Spirit wrote the

Word and so we must make much of it. The Bible is a living Book. It is still vital and

effective and alive.

Recognize the Spirit of the Lord is everywhere if a desire for intimacy is to beenjoyed. The Holy Spirit is so pervasive that David found it impossible to move out of

His presence. Psalm 139 tells us he realized he could not get away from God. If I ascend

up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If Idwell

in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me.

If there is to be intimacy with the Holy Spirit then we need to repent, remember and

rejoice in the One who brought us into the family of God by the new birth.

20. With the intimacy of the Holy Spirit comes spiritual power. This spiritual power does notinclude the working of miracles per se for the disciples had that prior to Pentecost. The

power the Holy Spirit brings is the ability to change lives, to do things.

21. Those filled with the Holy Spirit can do something because something has been done to

them. Consider what the Holy Spirit did for the disciples at Pentecost.

When the anointing of the Holy Ghost came the disciples knew the sudden, brilliant

consciousness of the actual presence of the Living God. It is possible to learn many

facts about the Lord. But when the Spirit comes He makes God precious to the heart. Job42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.


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When the anointing of the Holy Spirit came on the disciples they received the joy of

the Holy Ghost. The joy of the disciples was not a joy worked up by music and drama

and artificial excitement. Such joy may attract a crowd but it will not keep it. Such joy

vanishes like the morning midst and leaves the soul more depressed than ever until thenext event. The joy of the Lord is a joy in the Lord and that can only be a gift of God as

the heart is occupied with Him. It is the joy of His presence and Person that delighted the

hearts of the disciples.

When the anointing of the Holy Ghost came the disciples received power topenetrate and arrest the hearts of others through the power of words. The same

words spoken by one person will put you under conviction. The same words spoken by

another will leave you cold. What is the difference? The anointing of the Holy Ghost isthe answer. When the Spirit comes He penetrates into the soul of a person so they are

pricked. Acts 2:37-44 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and

said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus

Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For thepromise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the

Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying,

Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his

word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand

souls. 42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and inbreaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders

and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all

things common;

When the anointing of the Holy Spirit came the disciples had a clear sense of reality.All of their questions in the gospels were now answered and they had answers for others

who were concerned about spiritual matters. God never sends a preacher to ask questions.

He sends them to declare with authority and in His name His message.

When the anointing of the Holy Spirit came the disciples experienced a sharpseparation from the world. We are bringing the world in head over heels into the church

unregenerated, uncleansed, unshriven, unbaptized, unsanctified. We are bringing the

world into the church. Gods people are praying people. Before Pentecost the only one

who stayed awake in prayer was Christ. After Pentecost the people prayed with groaningswhich cannot be uttered. The difference was the Spirit.

When the anointing of the Holy Spirit came the disciples loved the Scriptures of

God. The Bible becomes precious to those who are Spirit filled. The Bible was nevermeant to be read with the spirit of Adam but with the Spirit of God.

The conclusion of the matter is that we need the Holy Ghost. We need His Person. We

need His presence. We need His gifts. We need the anointing. May the perpetuation of

Pentecost be our experience? May the Holy Ghost come down? Only God knows. But letus tarry to find out. Amen.


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But there were two humble Free Methodist women who used to come over to his meetings in

the Y.M.C.A. One was "Auntie Cook" and the other, Mrs. Snow. (I think her name was not

Snow at that time.) These two women would come to Mr. Moody at the close of his meetings

and say: "We are praying for you." Finally, Mr. Moody became somewhat nettled and said tothem one night: "Why are you praying for me? Why don't you pray for the unsaved?" They

replied: "We are praying that you may get the power." Mr. Moody did not know what that

meant, but he got to thinking about it, and then went to these women and said: "I wish you

would tell me what you mean"; and they told him about the definite baptism with the Holy

Ghost. Then he asked that he might pray with them and not they merely pray for him.

Auntie Cook once told me of the intense fervor with which Mr. Moody prayed on that

occasion. She told me in words that I scarcely dare repeat, though I have never forgotten

them. And he not only prayed with them, but he also prayed alone.

Not long after, one day on his way to England, he was walking up Wall Street in New York;(Mr. Moody very seldom told this and I almost hesitate to tell it) and in the midst of the bustle

and hurry of that city his prayer was answered; the power of God fell upon him as he walked

up the street and he had to hurry off to the house of a friend and ask that he might have a

room by himself, and in that room he stayed alone for hours; and the Holy Ghost came uponhim, filling his soul with such joy that at last he had to ask God to withhold His hand, lest he

die on the spot from very joy. He went out from that place with the power of the Holy Ghost

upon him, and when he got to London (partly through the prayers of a bedridden saint in Mr.

Lessey's church), the power of God wrought through him mightily in North London, and

hundreds were added to the churches; and that was what led to his being invited over to thewonderful campaign that followed in later years.

If there is such a thing as an anointment from on high then I want that, and so do you.

5. A third reason for not wanting to direct Christians to pray, empty themselves, cleanse

themselves and die to self in order to be filled with the Holy Ghost is a commitment to atheology point of view. The problem with theology is that sometimes it comes into direct

conflict with the simplicity of the Scriptures and the experience of the heart.

Those who believe that all Christians should speak in tongues in order to be Spirit filled haveno biblical basis for that belief. Those who embrace infant baptism cannot point to a plain

teaching in the Bible in support of that position.

In like manner those who believe in the rapture cannot find any clear and simple verse to

appeal to. In like manner the theology that teaches all Christians are filled with the Spirit atthe moment of salvation and there is nothing more to long for or seek after do so because of a

theological bias while ignoring such passages as Luke 24:49 and Acts 1: 5.

Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of

Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.


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Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not

many days hence.

6. Some specific dispensational teachings about the Person and work of the Holy Spirit are tooextremes to be ignored lest believers be discouraged from seeking to be filled with a special

anointing.

Teaching. The Old Testament saint had no way revealed of how to receive the HolySpirit. The teaching is that the Holy Spirit did not indwell the Old Testament believers

but merely came upon some for special reasons.

Response. Preliminary propositions.

Proposition one. Since the Fall of mankind, human beings have been saved by grace

through faith, upon the basis of the shed blood of Christ.

Proposition two. The benefits of Christ's redemption can be applied before that

redemption is accomplished.

Proposition three. Just because something is not clearly revealed does not mean it is non-

existent.

Proposition four. The Holy Spirit is that Person of the Trinity who implements thepurposes of God in every age.

With these propositions in mind the following arguments are set forth.

First, the New Testament states that the unregenerate man perceives the things of God asfoolishness and does not receive them (1 Cor 2:14a); whereas the Old Testament believer is

said

to delight in the Law of the Lord (Ps 1:2) and to meditate in it day and night,

to hide God's Word in his heart (Ps 119:11),

to love God's Law (Ps 119:97),

to take God's testimonies as an heritage forever (Ps 119:111),

to rejoice in God's Word (Ps 119:162),

and to eat God's words (Jer 15:16).


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Second, the New Testamentstates that the unregenerate man's understanding is darkened and

characterized by ignorance, and that he cannot know the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor

2:14b); whereas the Old Testamentbeliever is said

to have light and understanding through the entrance of God's words (Ps 119:130),

to be enlightened and made wise by the testimony of the Lord (Ps 19:7-8),

and to understand all things (Prov 28:5).

Third, the New Testament states that the unregenerate man is an enemy of God (Rom 5:10)

and at enmity with God (Rom 8:7a); whereas the Old Testamentbeliever is spoken of as

loving the Lord (Ps 116:1),

blessing the Lord and praising Him (Ps 34:1),

magnifying and exalting the Lord (Ps 34:3).

And Abraham is called the friend of God (Isa 41:8; Jas 2:23).

Fourth, theNew Testamentstates that the unregenerate man is not subject to the Law of God,

and is not able to be (Rom 8:7); whereas the Old Testament believer is spoken of as

keeping God's Law, seeking His precepts, inclining his heart to perform God's statutes (Ps119:44-45),

loving God's commandments above gold,

and esteeming His precepts to be right (Ps 119:112-13).

Fifth, the New Testament states that the unregnerate man cannot please God (Rom 8:8);

whereas the Old Testament believer is spoken of as

pleasing the Lord (Prov 16:7).

and though faith pleasing God (Heb 11:5-8,20-23,31-33).

Note. There are at least seven Old Testament references that could be cited as support for OldTestamentindwelling, they are not conclusive.

Genesis 41:38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man

in whom the Spirit of God is?

Numbers 27:18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in

whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;


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Isaiah 63:11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is

he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he that put his

holy Spirit within him?

Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I

will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

Ezekiel 36:26-27 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and

I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 AndI will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my

judgments, and do them.

Haggai 2:5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so

my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.

If the Old Testament believers were regenerated and if they lived the ethics of righteous they

could not have been born again or ethical apart from the indwelling ministry of the Holy

Spirit.

Teaching. Even a sincere believer had no assurance that the Spirit might not forsake him.

Psalm 51:1 is often quoted as proof.

Psalms 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Response. Any professing believer acting in such a horrific manner as David did should look

to the root of righteousness and be concerned whether or not they have been born again. A

spiritual fear does not mean that the fear would be realized but it is right to fear God.Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but

rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

7. The filling of the Holy Spirit is a distinct command in Ephesians 5:18.

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.

8. The process of being filled with the Holy Spirit is not to grieve Him.

Ephesians 4:30-31 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the dayof redemption.

The Holy Spirit is grieved through bitterness, wrath, anger, clamoring and evil speaking.

Therefore the believer must Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,

along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgivingeach other, just as in Christ God forgave you (NIV Eph. 4:31-32).

9. Other sins that grieve the work of the Holy Spirit are listed in Galatians.


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Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,

fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,

emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they

which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

10. In addition to not grieving the Spirit the Christian is to take care not to quench the Holy

Spirit. The Spirit comes to the heart with fiery energy but it is possible to drown out thiswork of grace by resisting His activity in the soul. When we oppose His will, when we refuse

to be useful in His service, when there is no liberty for the ministry of the various spiritual

gifts we quench Him.

11. In a positive manner three conditions must be met to be filled with the Spirit provide the

Spirit is not grieved, quenched, lied to or blasphemed.

First, there must be a yielded body.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your

bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And

be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye

may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Second, there must be faith that the risen and glorified Christ is able and willing tobestow the fullness of the Spirit so that believers may drink fully and freely of Him.

John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If anyman thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath

said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit,

which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because

that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Acts 1: 8 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 Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto

the uttermost part of the earth.

Third, there must be prayer. Father, I do believe thou hast received of the Father thepromise of the Holy Ghost and thou has said, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and

drink; and so I long to drink. Thank you for giving me permission to drink. I am so thirst.

Hover oer me, Holy Spirit,Bathe my trembling heart and brow;

Fill me with Thy hallowed presence,

Come, O come and fill me now.

Refrain


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Fill me now, fill me now,

Jesus, come and fill me now;

Fill me with Thy hallowed presence,

Come, O come, and fill me now.

Thou canst fill me, gracious Spirit,

Though I cannot tell Thee how;

But I need Thee, greatly need Thee,

Come, O come and fill me now.

Refrain

I am weakness, full of weakness,

At Thy sacred feet I bow;

Blest, divine, eternal Spirit,Fill with power and fill me now.

Refrain

Cleanse and comfort, bless and save me,

Bathe, O bathe my heart and brow;

Thou art comforting and saving,

Thou at sweetly filling now.

Refrain

~*~

Elwood H. Stokes


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The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

Part 3

1. It is taught by some that the saints of this dispensation, from Pentecost to the present hour

should not be exhorted to seek the indwelling of the Spirit, or the baptism of the Spirit, again

and again for both the indwelling and the baptism are the present possession of all who,

through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, are regenerate.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews

or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Acts 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since [lit. when] ye believed?And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

2. Any exhortation to holiness of life is based upon the already existing fact of such possession.

The believer is exhorted to be filled with the Spirit in order to secure the fullness of blessing,victory, and power.

3. It is a great transforming thought that the body has become the temple of the Holy Spirit in

which He dwells.

1 Cor 6:19-20 What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in

you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price:

therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

4. While it is true that both the indwelling of the Spirit and the baptism into the body of Christ

remain a once and for all experience at the moment of salvation there are many fillings or

anointing and in that sense it is not wrong to seek to be baptized or immersed with the Spirit

which is another way of saying to be anointed with power from on high.

Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the

city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost

not many days hence.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day

of redemption.

5. The Bible never speaks of the wrath of the Spirit but He can be vexed or grieved.

Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled, and vexed [grieved] his Holy Spirit: therefore he was

turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.


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6. That which grieves the Holy Spirit are unholy thoughts and actions that are allowed in life.

Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity

and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfishambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn

you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God

(NIV).

While it is not wrong to be tempted in these areas, when the will assents to them the Holy

Spirit is grieved.

7. It would be nice not to be tempted but temptation or testing will come for the purpose of

approval. And the goodness is that many tests will come so there will be many opportunitiesto reverse ones lifestyle and choose time and time again to walk with God.

When I was in school I came to value the fact that my final grade was not determined by just

one or two tests. The more opportunity there was to gather points the better. In like manner,

the opportunity to be fundamentally and forever different comes many times to the will. Thewatching God waits to see if there is a heart for Him For the eyes of the LORD run to and

fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is

perfect toward him (2 Chron 16:9).

8. When the renewed will is exercised in a direction towards God then self dies, the strength ofsin grows less and the fruit of the Spirit is allowed to grow.

9. It is possible to become angry at this divine arrangement and long for no testing to take place.

But since that is not going to happen then an adjustment must be made in the mentality of the

mind to choose God and life eternal. Not life eternal as a quality of time but life eternal as arelationship with the living God.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus

Christ, whom thou hast sent.

10. Sometimes it does not seem that the Christian is capable of ceasing from repetitive sins. It

seems that the strength of the Evil One is complete and Satan has taken the soul captive at his

will.

11. However it is possible for a person to recover from this spiritual bondage.

2 Tim 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are

taken captive by him at his will.

12. Spiritual recovery comes in the following manner.


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Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let

him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will

abundantly pardon.

Fifth, the heart must be guarded through prayer and watchfulness.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God,which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Sixth, a plan of action must be set in place before the hour of temptation comes.

Standards must be established.

Documents

Doctrine of Holy Spirit His Person and Work