In Rev. xiv. 5, "Without fault before the throne of God."
In Jude 24, "Before the presence of His glory without blemish."
In Eph. v. 27, "That it should be holy and without blemish," when in the sweet by-and-by He will "present the Church to Himself."
In Eph. i. 4, "Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love;" chosen in the past eternity that we should be "holy and without blemish" in the coming eternity, not here, but there; not now, but then; for the word translated "before" is the same Greek word (katenopion), translated in Jude 24 "before the presence of."
In Col. i. 22, "To present you holy and without blemish, and unreprovable before Him." Here he is speaking again of our future standing, for the word translated "before" is the same as in Eph. i. 4.
"Without blemish" then is sinlessness, having no sin. "And if we say (here on earth) we have no sin (are sinless—blemishless—faultless—flawless), we deceive ourselves (but no one else!), and the truth is not in us" (1 John i. 8). He that has the truth in him knows only too well that he has sin in him, though "cleansed from all sin" by the blood, and though "cleansed from all unrighteousness" by the might of the uttermost Saviour. It is most instructive and humbling to notice how the Spirit of truth has placed that "If we say we have (present tense) no sin, we deceive ourselves," in between His two statements about the "cleansing from all sin" and the "cleansing from all unrighteousness."
But though we will never be able on earth to say with the truth in us that "we have no sin,"—that we are without blemish, yet the whole Bible teaches us that we may, in this life, be saved "from our sins." (Note the difference between "sin" and "sins.") We may be saved from sinning. "These things write we unto you, that ye sin not" (1 John ii. 1); and this is the condition described as "blameless," "unreprovable," "without reproach."
See 1 Cor. i. 8; 1 Tim. iii. 10; Tit. i. 6, 7; where the Greek wordanegkletos(unreprovable) is used.
Also 1 Tim. iii. 2; 1 Tim. v. 7; where the Greek word isanepileptos(without reproach).
Also Matt. xii. 5, whereanaitios(guiltless) is used.
Also 2 Pet. iii. 14, whereamometos(blameless) is employed.
Also Luke i. 6; Phil. ii. 15, and iii. 6; 1 Thess. ii. 10, iii. 13; and v. 23, whereamemptos(without blame) is the word used.
These words describe a state or condition of heart and life which is not only attainable here, but imperative; and the passages we have just been reading prove that ithasbeen attained. This is what is meant by a clean heart, to be "blameless," not "faultless."
"I was sitting alone in the twilight,With spirit troubled and vexed,With thoughts that were morbid and gloomy,And faith that was sadly perplexed.
"Some homely work I was doingFor the child of my love and care;Some stitches half wearily settingIn the endless need of repair.
"But my thoughts were about the building,The work some day to be tried,And that only the gold and the silver,And the precious stones should abide.
"And remembering my own poor efforts,The wretched work I had done,And even when trying most truly,The meager success I had won:
"'It is nothing but wood, hay and stubble,'I said; 'it will all be burned;This useless fruit of the talentsOne day to be returned;
"'And I havesolonged to serve Him,And sometimes I know I have tried;But I'm sure when He sees such building,He will never let it abide.'
"Just then as I turned the garment,That no rent should be left behind,Mine eye caught an odd little bungleOf mending and patchwork combined.
"My heart grew suddenly tender,And something blinded mine eyesWith one of those sweet inspirations,That sometimes make us so wise.
"Dear child! she wanted to help me,I knew 'twas the best she could do;But oh! what a botch she had made of it,The gray mismatching the blue!
"And yet, can you understand it?With a tender smile and a tear,And a half compassionate yearning,I feel her grow more dear.
"Then a sweet voice broke the silence,And the dear Lord said to me,'Art thou tenderer for thy little childThan I am tender for thee?'
"Then straightway I knew His meaning,So full of compassion and love;And my faith came back to its refuge,Like the glad returning dove.
"So, I thought, when the Master BuilderComes down this temple to view,To see what rents must be mended,And what must be builded anew;
"Perhaps as He looks o'er the buildingHe will bring my work to the light;And seeing the marring and bungling,And how far it is all from right;
"He will feel as I felt for my darling,And will say as I said for her,'Dear child! she wanted to help me,And love for Me was the spur;
"'And for the great love that is in itThe work shall seem perfect as Mine;'And, because it was willing service,Will crown it with plaudit Divine.
"And there, in the deepening twilight,I seemed to be clasping a Hand,And to feel a great love constraining,Far stronger than any command.
"Then I knew by the thrill of sweetness,'Twas the Hand of the Blessed OneWhich should tenderly guide and hold me,Till all the labor is done.
"So my thoughts are never more gloomy,My faith is no longer dim,But my heart is strong and restful,And mine eyes are unto Him."
A clean heart then does not mean sinlessness, the eradication of sin, that sin is taken out of us; for though sin is taken out of theheartthat is cleansed—for a clean heart must be clean!—yet "the flesh," the self-life, remains in theman, "latent if not patent," ready to manifest itself should the counteracting power of the indwelling Christ the Saviour even for a moment be withdrawn. This "flesh" is evil (Rom. vii. 18) and, therefore, while "the flesh" is in us "sin" is in us, and hence our constant need of the cleansing Blood. As we trust for continuous cleansing we get it. "The Blood …cleanseth"—resent progressive tense—goes on cleansing, therefore guilt is never allowed to gather, for as sin appears the Blood cleanses it away and so keeps us clean. Blessed present tense! Thus it is possible for usalwaysto walk in the Light.
Then as Christ exercises His counteracting power over "the flesh" we are being "cleansed from all unrighteousness," delivered from doing the "not right," and, by continuous trust in our omnipotent Saviour, we may know continuous deliverance, continuous victory over sin; we need never know defeat. A Christian mother had just kissed good-night to her little daughter, and was busy in the dining-room arranging the table for dinner, when she heard little feet on the stair. Wondering what was the matter, she slipped into the window recess and hid herself behind the curtains, and waited. Presently the little one came into the room, and going straight up to some peaches that were on the table, she took one of them away with her! Oh, the agony in that mother heart! She did not speak to her child, but standing where she was, she spoke to God her Father, and askedHimso fervently to speak to her child. God heard that cry, and in a little while the sound of the pattering feet was heard on the stair again. The child came into the room, not knowing her mother was there, and going on tip-toe over to the table she put the peach in the place from which she had taken it. As she turned away with a radiant face, rubbing her hands with delight, her mother heard her say, "Sold again, Satan! Sold again, Satan!" That's victory! Yes, the cleansing means that and more than that. "We aremore thanconquerors," for when Jesus cleanses the heart, He cleanses the springs of action and being, so that our very desires are purified; the desire to sin, the "want to," is taken clean away. This is coming off "more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Rom. viii. 37). Glory to His name! The man now "wants to" do the will of God. He "likes" what God likes. "I thought you could do what you liked," was the taunt hurled by a young man at a friend of his who enjoyed full salvation on his refusing to go to the theater. "I thought you told me you could do what you liked?" "So I can." "Why, then, won't you come with me as I asked you?" "Because I don't like," was the rejoinder. The only men on earth who enjoy perfect freedom are the men who have clean hearts, for they not only know that theyoughtto do the will of God, but theywantto do it and theyliketo do it and moreover they have a power thatenablesthem to do it. On the other hand, in our jails and hospitals you will find people who thought that they could do as they liked, but they have discovered that they were mistaken.
Cleansing: a Crisis
But how am I to get this clean heart? Peter answers, "Cleansing their heartsby faith" (Acts xv. 9). Cleansing is God's work, and the condition on which God will do His work is "faith" on our part. There is only one way of getting anything from God, and that is by faith. One obtained forgiveness and the new birth by faith, and one obtains cleansing of the heart by faith too. You may, you will, get "cleansing" the moment you definitelytrustChrist for it. "We aye get what we gang in for" was one of Duncan Mathieson's favorite expressions; and along the line of God's revealed will how true it is! If you will only venturenowon Christ for "cleansing from all unrighteousness," He will do it for younow. "Wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?" (Jer. xiii. 27.) Why notnow? for "cleansing" is acrisisand not aprocess; but, as Principal Moule, of Cambridge, has very tersely put it, "Cleansing is a crisis with a view to a process." It is just here that multitudes of God's people miss the track. "Sanctification is theworkof God's free grace."[1] Of course it is; it is a "growth," a gradual process; but "cleansing" is not "sanctification." The latter, in the sense in which it is being used here, is a theological term embracing all the Spirit's work in the believer between the cross and the crown; but "cleansing" is anact. While sanctification is a "growth," "cleansing" is one of the conditions of growth, and the very reason why some who hold most tenaciously by the gradual theory of sanctification are "growing in grace" so very slowly, is that they have not attended to one of the most essential conditions of growth, viz., this "cleansing." "But," some one objects, "this is not in the Standards of our Church?" That may be; but it is in the Bible. To quote the words of the saintly Dr. Andrew Bonar in another connection, "I believe all that is in our Standards, for I find all that is in our Standards in the Bible; but I believemorethan is in our Standards, for I find some things in my Bible that are not in the Standards;" for the simple and very obvious reason that you cannot get a quart into a pint measure. While every honest Churchman believes that all that is in the Standards of the Church to which he belongs is in the Bible, no one in his sane senses believes thateverythingin the Bible is to be found in the Standards. The doctrine of a "clean heart" is one of these things.
[1: Shorter Catechism, No. 35.]
In support of the statement that "cleansing" is a crisis, an act, something done in a moment, just as conversion is, and not a "process" drawn out indefinitely before one can reach a state of "cleansing," let us ponder well David's prayer, in Psalm li. 10, "Create in (margin, for) me a clean heart." Iscreationan "act" or a "work"? Is it a "crisis" or a "process"? All the Creator had to do was to speak the word and David's prayer was granted; he then could turn his prayer into thanksgiving; "I thank Thee for having created in me a clean heart;" but he could not thank God for what he had not received. Giving thanks for the clean heart would prove that it was in his possession. Note also that heart "cleansing" is God's work alone. We are exhorted to "cleanseourselvesfrom all filthiness of the flesh and spirit" (2 Cor. vii. 1), which simply means "separation" from all the palpable, manifest evils Paul had just been enumerating, such as "yoking with unbelievers," "unrighteousness," "darkness," "Belial," "infidel," "idols," "unclean things" (vide2 Cor. vi. 14-17). In reference to all such things God says "cleanse yourselves." The aorist tense is used in the original, denoting a definite, decisive act; "separate from these things at once and be done with them." And where are we to get the enabling power? In effect, God says, "Draw a check on ME; draw on My resources for all you need," for all God's commandings are God's enablings. But when it comes to be a question of cleansing the "heart," the inner being, the springs of action, that part of the man where the affections and the will are seated, God undertakes that Himself; He says, "Bring that to Me." If this work were left to us it would indeed be a "process" slow and tedious, and progress might be made, as it so often is, alas! backward. But now the question is,—not what can the believer do by his efforts to overcome indwelling sin, but what can the Almighty God do? It is not a question of our power, but of His.
"'Twas most impossible of all,That here sin's reign in me should cease;Yet shall it be! I know it shall:Jesus, look to Thy faithfulness:If nothing is too hard for Thee,All things are possible to me."
He is able and willing to "cleanse." Are we willing to be cleansed?
Another mistake to be carefully guarded against is this, making "cleansing" to be anendinstead of ameansto an end. "Cleansing" is not the blessing that we are seeking; it is only a means. The end is the "Filling of the Holy Ghost." "Cleansing" is a negative blessing, the separating from sin; but we can only be satisfied with a positive blessing. When the housewife cleans the house, does she then go out and live in the yard? Not so. She cleans the house that it may be the more fit for her to inhabit. God cleanses, "empties, sweeps, and garnishes" (Matt. xii. 44), that He may come in to dwell; and if He, the Holy One, does come in and take up His abode, He willkeepHis dwelling place "clean." This "cleansing" of which we have been speaking is one of the steps into the Blessed Life; but there is not much likelihood of any one living the Life unless they first take the necessary steps into the Life. It is a Life of Purity, and it is lived, as it is entered upon, by faith in the Son of God; hence the name by which the Spirit-filled Life is sometimes called—the Life of Faith.
The second step that must needs be taken by those of us who have been living without the Fullness, before it can be obtained, is Consecration, a word that is very common and popular; much more common and popular, it is feared, than the thing itself. In order to be filled with the Holy Ghost one must first be "cleansed," and then one must be "consecrated". Consecration follows cleansing, and notvice versa. Intelligent apprehension of what consecration is, and of what it involves, is necessary to an intelligent consecration of oneself.
1. Sanctification.
Consecration is another word for sanctification. Many people have a confused idea as to what sanctification really is. It must be borne in mind that we are not considering the theological term sanctification, but the use of the New Testament word "sanctify," "sanctification." No one would confound "consecration" with "cleansing," and yet many confound "sanctification" with "cleansing." To "sanctify" is to purify, to cleanse, to make holy, they tell us. But the idea of purification, of cleansing, of separating from sin, is not in the N. T. word "sanctify" at all. "The very God of peacesanctifyyou wholly" (I Thess. v. 23). That does not mean "purify" you, separate you from sin, as a glance at two other passages, in which the same word occurs, will show. "For their sakes IsanctifyMyself" (John xvii. 19). "Sanctifyin your hearts Christ as Lord" (I Pet. iii. 15, R. V.), where it cannot mean purify, separate from sin. In these passages its true meaning is very apparent—to "set apart for a holy use," to "separate to God," to "consecrate." To "cleanse" is to separatefromsin, but to "sanctify" is to separate to God, to set apart for God that which has already been separatedfromsin. We cannot set apart to a holy use (consecrate) that which is not cleansed. Hence we see why it is that "cleansing" must precede sanctification or consecration, "that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it" (Eph. v. 26, R. V.). "Sanctification" is not identical with "cleansing," but it is its complement. "We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. x. 10). "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered without the gate" (Heb. xiii. 12). From these passages we gather that it is by the Blood of Jesus we are sanctified, set apart to God. This is another function of the precious Blood, in addition to the one we have already been considering, viz., cleansing from the guilt of sin.
2. Surrender.
"In conversion," says Dr. Chalmers, "God gives to me, but in consecration I give to God." Every one knows that conversion should have experimental acquaintance with consecration.
"In full and glad surrender,I give myself to thee."
Consecration, then, involves surrender—total, absolute, unconditional, irreversible. This is Paul's teaching in Romans: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye presentyour bodiesa living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. xii. 1). These people had already given their souls to God, and now the apostle insists on their giving their "bodies" too. "Yield (R. V., Present) yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead" (Rom. vi. 13). Life first, then sacrifice. Have we life in Christ? Then it is imperative that we "yield," "present" ourselves unto God. It is not a matter of individual choice or taste or convenience; but every one that has been quickened from the death in trespasses and sins is commanded,yes, commanded, to "present himself to God." Haveyouobeyed this command? If not, why not? God excuses no one. Had it not better be attended to now? Yes, before you read another line!
It follows as a corollary that if we yield ourselves, we yield everything else to God; nothing is withheld. What loss we suffer because we will hold back some little thing! A little child was one day playing with a very valuable vase, when he put his hand into it and could not withdraw it. His father, too, tried his best to get it out, but all in vain. They were talking of breaking the vase, when the father said, "Now, my son, make one more try; open your hand and hold your fingers out straight, as you see me doing, and then pull." To their astonishment the little fellow said, "Oh no, pa; I couldn't put out my fingers like that, for if I did, I would drop my penny." He had been holding on to a penny all the time! No wonder he could not withdraw his hand. How many of us are like him! Drop the copper, surrender, let go, and God will give you gold.
Now let us note that the verb translated "yield" (Rom. vi. 13) and "present" (Rom. xii. I) is not in the present tense in the original, as if Paul said "be yielding," "keep presenting," but it is in the aorist tense, the general force of which is a definite act, something done and finished with. So that when the command, "Present yourself to God," is complied with as far as one's light goes, the person is entitled to regard the transaction as a completed act, and to say, "Yes, I have presented myself to God." Then Faith presses on the heels of that statement and says, "God has accepted what I have thuspresented." It is absolutely necessary that Faith be in lively exercise on this point, for what will be the practical outcome of all my presenting if I do not believe that God takes what I give? "Him that cometh unto Me I will in nowise cast out" is just as appropriate to the saint seeking full salvation as to the sinner seeking pardon. It is failure here, failure to apprehend by faith the fact that God receives what I present, that has blocked progress for so many of God's people who are truly desirous of living consecrated lives. From this it will be seen that consecration is a crisis in the life of the believer, just as cleansing is, and not a process; but it, too, "is a crisis in order to a process."
3. Transference of Ownership.
Consecration implies and involves transference of ownership. Many a Christian is living to-day as if he were his own; but the consecrated heart endorses the statement of the Divine Word: "Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20). The consecrated man looks upon himself as the absolute property of the Lord who bought him, and his whole life is lived in the light of this fact.
4. Enthroning Christ.
Consecration involves the "glorifying" of Christ, the "enthroning" Him, the crowning of Jesus "Lord of all" in our own heart and life. "Crown Him, crown Him, Lord of all;" "and," says Dr. Hudson Taylor, "if you do not crown Him Lordof all, you do not crown Him Lordat all." This view of consecration, with its accompanying results, is beautifully illustrated for us in John vii. 38, 39, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified." The flowing forth of the rivers—just the outflow, the overflow of the infilling Spirit—was dependent on Jesus being "glorified." Jesus had not yet reached the throne, and so the Spirit had not yet been given. The reason why they had not come to Pentecost was that as yet there was no Ascension. Ascension preceded Pentecost. Let us learn it by root of heart, that every Pentecost since the first has, in like manner, been preceded by an Ascension. Do we know Pentecost experimentally for ourselves? If not the reason is close at hand. Jesus has not been "glorified" by us, not enthroned inourhearts. He may be in the heart, He may even be in the throne room, but He has not been placed upon the throne! There has never been a coronation day in our lives, when "in full and glad surrender" we placed the crown on the many-crowned Head, crying, "Crown Him, crown Him, Lord of all!" "And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God andof the Lamb" (Rev. xxii. 1). When Christ reached the throne at the Father's right hand, from underneath His throne the river began to flow, the Holy Ghost was given, His Church received her Pentecost. "Being by the right hand of God exalted … he hath poured forth this" (Acts ii. 33). So when Christ is "exalted," "enthroned," "glorified" in the believer's heart, from underneath His throne will the rivers begin to flow according to promise; but, no Ascension, no Pentecost; and let us remember, as has been already stated, that though life begins at the Cross, service does not begin till Pentecost. No Pentecost, no service worthy of the name!
We need not be concerned as to how the rivers are flowing from us, or troubled as to what channels they are flowing in. They flowed from Peter in one way, and from Paul in quite another, and from Barnabas in yet another; there are infinite "diversities" of ways. We need not trouble at all about the rivers, and the direction of their flow; our concern is to "glorify Jesus," to see that He is on the throne; and it becomesHisbusiness then to see that the rivers are flowing; and there is not the slightest danger that the blessed business with which He charges Himself will be neglected!
There are other aspects of consecration in the Divine Word which have not been touched upon, but enough has been said for our purpose to show what it is, and what its blessed results will be. Our life and service will be enriched beyond telling by enthroning Christ. This, of course, involves the breaking of all our idols, for He will not share His throne with any. When Mahmoud, the conqueror of India, had taken the city of Gujarat he proceeded, as was his custom, to destroy the idols. There was one, fifteen feet high, which its priests and devotees begged him to spare. He was deaf to their entreaties, and seizing a hammer he struck it one blow when, to his amazement, from the shattered image there rained down at his feet a shower of gems, pearls and diamonds—treasure of fabulous value, which had been hidden within it! Had he spared the idol he would have lost all this wealth. Let us not spareouridols. It is to our interest to demolish them. If we shatter them there will rain about our hearts the very treasures of Heaven, the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit; but if we spare our idol we will miss riches unsearchable.
The consecrated life is a Christ-centered life, the only truly-centered life; every other life is eccentric: yet how often do we hear worldly people or worldly-minded Christians (what a contradiction in terms!) criticising some devoted Spirit-filled man or woman as "so eccentric," simply because of their loyalty to Christ their King! when all the while it is the critics that are "eccentric,"—off the true center. Indeed, so eccentric did the first Spirit-filled band appear, that "others mocking said, they are filled with new wine;"so they were"full of new wine," the "new wine" of the kingdom. And in God's sight these drunken, eccentric men were the only truly-centered spiritually-adjusted men in the throng.
Having considered the two conditions necessary to being filled with the Spirit, viz., the cleansing of the heart, and the consecration of the cleansed heart to God, we come now to the very practical question—How is this Fullness to be obtained by the cleansed and consecrated believer? Before proceeding to consider the answer, "Claim it," let us notice what the Divine Word has to say about (1) prayer and (2) laying on of hands in connection with the obtaining.
1. Prayer.
"How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" (Luke xi. 13.) This promise is given to God's children. It is the dearest wish of the great Father-heart of God that His children should be filled with His Spirit. Who has a fathoming line long enough to sound the depths of that "how much more"? You "ask;" Father "gives." What is the next step? Why, of course, you "receive!" else all Father's "giving" will be of no avail.
"When they had prayed … they were all filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts iv. 31).
"Prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost" (Acts viii. 15).
"Tarry" (Luke xxiv. 49). "Wait" (Acts i. 4)—not idling, but praying, pleading the promise. "These all with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer" (Acts i. 14).
"They were all with one accord in one place, and suddenly" the answer came! (Acts ii. 1.) So in obtaining the blessing of the Fullness, prayer has its place.
2. Laying on of hands.
"Then laid they their hands on them and they (Samaritan converts) received the Holy Ghost" (Acts viii. 17).
"Then when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away" (Acts xiii. 3). Barnabas and Saul were men who were already full of the Holy Ghost, but by the laying on of hands (it is probable that hands had been laid on these men before this) they received a fresh anointing of the Holy Ghost, a fresh equipment for special service, and thus they were set apart for the work to which the Holy Ghost was calling them.
"And when Paul had laid his hands upon them (the men of Ephesus), the HolyGhost came on them" (Acts xix. 6).
"They laid their hands on them" (the deacons) (Acts vi. 6).
"Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery" (1 Tim. iv. 14).
"Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands" (2 Tim. i. 6). It is quite evident that laying on of hands was no meaningless ceremonial in the primitive Church. Is there any reason why it should ever be an empty, barren form in our own day?
We come now to examine the answer given to the question—How is the Fullness of the Spirit to be obtained?—viz., "Claim it." It must be borne clearly in mind that we are dealing now with a cleansed and consecrated soul. If you are not "cleansed," attend first to the cleansing. If you are not consecrated, attend at once to the consecrating, and then (but not till then) will you be able to profit by what will be said about the claiming of the blessing. Do we appreciate the immense difference between "claiming" and "asking"? I "claim" that which is mine own; I "ask" for a favor. For instance, if a man has a credit balance of $250 in his current banking account, and draws a check for $50, he does not require to go to the manager and "ask" for $50; he presents his check and "claims" it, for it is his own. But supposing that same man is in need of an advance of $500; he goes into the manager's room, and "asks" for the favor of a loan. No "claiming" now! So it is often with the Christian and his God. When God gives him a definite promise for some definite blessing, it is the Christian's privilege to "claim," to "receive" by faith the thing promised. If God tells him a certain blessing is his by virtue of his sonship, it is his to "claim," to "receive" what through grace has been made his own. There is no "asking" needed here, that is "asking" in the sense of saying—"Lord,ifit be Thine holy will, give me this." Where is the room for an "if"? Has not God told him itisHis will?—has He not promised it?—has He not given it to him? Why, then, should he mock his Lord by saying, "If it be Thy will"? But supposing, on the other hand, that that man wants something which God has not expressly promised to give, something in reference to which He hasnotrevealed His will; all the Christian can do in this case is to "ask"; he cannot "claim;" and Godmaygive him what he asks, or He may see that it will be for the best to refuse His child's request. A Christian may want $250, and may "ask" his Father to send it to him, and God may give or withhold. But if a Christian man wants to be filled with the Holy Ghost, he need be in no doubt as to the issue here, he may "claim" the Fullness, for has not God promised it? Is not this blessing his very own? His birthright by virtue of his new birth? Let us learn then clearly to distinguish between "claiming" as an act of faith based on an express promise in the Word, and "asking" as a request in prayer. That the Fullness of the Holy Ghost is one of the blessings which it is our privilege to "claim," to "receive" by a simple act of faith, is abundantly clear from the Book of God. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the spiritthrough faith" (Gal. iii. 13, 14). The double purpose of Christ's redeeming work, of His being made a curse for us, is here plainly stated. He was "cursed" that we might be blessed with a double blessing—(1) with "the blessing of Abraham," that is, righteousness, justification; and (2) with "the promise of the Spirit." How many of God's children forget the second blessing!—they think that if they are saved from wrath and justified, that that is all!—but that is only half salvation; full salvation consists in receiving the promise of the Spirit inadditionto being justified. Haveweoverlooked this fact? Have we been stopping short at half salvation? Those who are not living the "Spirit-filled life" are making void to a most alarming extent, as far as they are concerned, the work Christ accomplished on the tree. Christ died that we might be made the righteousness of God,andthat we might be filled with God. As God holds the sinner guilty who neglects so great salvation, and rejects the offered righteousness, so He holds the justified believer guilty who neglects the second blessing which Christ purchased with His Blood, viz., the offered "promise of the Spirit."
But note well how Paul tells us this latter blessing is to be made ours; it becomes ours "by faith." No one doubts how we receive the blessing of Abraham (righteousness, justification); all are agreed that it is "by faith." "Being justified by faith" (Rom. v. 1). But how blind we are to see, how slow to take it in, in spite of the plain declarations of Scripture, that "the promise of the Spirit" is in like manner received "by faith!" The Holy Ghost is the "gift" of the Father, and of the Son (Luke xi. 13). This "gift" is received "by faith." There is the whole matter in a nutshell. Of all the sublime things in God's sublime Book there is surely not a sublimer than this, that a cleansed and consecrated believer may by simple faithhereandnowclaim and receive the Fullness of the Spirit—the greatest gift that even the exalted Christ has in His power to bestow upon His people. "Be filled with the Spirit," saith the Holy Ghost. Note that the command is in the passive voice, "Be filled," that is, "Let yourself be filled." The Fullness is pressing in upon you, only let it in! Receive it, and it is yours!Have you got it?If not, deal with the Lord about it at once, somewhat after this manner, "Lord Jesus, Thou dost command me to be filled with the Spirit. I take Thy command and make it my prayer, 'Lord, fill me with Thy Spirit.' Thou hast told me that 'all things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them' (Mark xi. 24). It is Thy desire to fill me; it is my desire to be filled. I have made, 'Lord, fill me,' the prayer of my heart. I claim the Fullness. I believe for it. I receive it now by faith. Ihavereceived it. I have it. It is mine. Lord, I thank Thee for filling me, even me, with Thine Holy Spirit." And the blessed business is done! It is yours to believe, to receive. It isHisto fill. Go on your way now, reckoning that you are filled, and God will make the reckoning good. It isyourstokeep believing. It is God's tokeep you filled. Stagger not at the promise of God through unbelief, but be made strong in faith, giving glory to God. Some object to this quick, almost instantaneous, and easy way of receiving this greatest of the New Testament blessings. But every objection urged against receiving the Fullness of the Spirit in this way, applies with equal, if not greater force to a sinner receiving the pardon of his sins when he comes to God at the first. It is always in grace that God deals with the sinner, and justifies him the instant he believes in Jesus. It is always in grace that God deals with the justified one, and fills him with the Holy Ghost the moment he receives the Fullness by faith. Eternal life is the gift of God, and all the sinner has to do is to take it. The Holy Ghost is a gift, and all God's child has to do is to take it. But some will still object, and say that it is necessary to spend some time "waiting" on God for the Fullness before we can get it. A night of prayer, or a half night at least, a more or less protracted season must thus be spent before we can hope to receive the blessing we desire. Of course not one word can be uttered against spending seasons of prayer by day or by night in waiting upon God. We have the example of the Man of Prayer Himself before us in this. But this much must be said, that many a one has spent whole days and nights and weeks in earnest crying to God for the infilling of the Holy Ghost, and all in vain. All in vain? Why? How?Because of unbelief.If you want to fill a corked bottle with water, and take it to a running tap, but neglect to remove the cork, how long will you have to wait holding it under the tap before it is filled? Remove the cork, and the bottle is running over in a few seconds! Many a one has cried and waited, and waited and cried for the Fullness of the Spirit, but the stopper of unbelief has been in their empty hearts, and so no wonder that they did not get what they wanted! Of what avail will all God's "giving" be if a man does not "receive"? God cannotgiveandreceivetoo! But some one may still object, and, in proof of his contention that we must "wait" for the filling of the Holy Ghost, point to the case of the disciples, who continued in prayer for ten days, waiting for the promise of the Father. Quite true that they "waited;" but it must be remembered that that prayer meeting was ante-pentecostal;welive in post-pentecostal days;theywere waiting for the Spirit to come from Heaven. "The Spirit was not yet given." We have not so to wait. Hehascome, Hehasbeen given, and all we have to do is to receive Him. We have read of Christ's coming into the world and of His leaving it. We have read of the Spirit's descent, but we donotread ofHisascension. A Christian man came to me once and said—expecting a word of encouragement and approval—"I have been seeking that blessing for over thirty years." "Brother, it's nearly time you got it then!" was the swift rejoinder. For all these years during which the man was crying, "Give, give, give!" God was saying, "Take, take, take! Receive, receive! for Idogive!" If I heard my little girl of three years old crying piteously for a piece of bread, knowing that she must be very hungry, and having the bread by me would I tell her to cry on for another hour and that then I might attend to her wants? "How much more," oh! "How much morewill your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" But what if, in spite of her crying and of my offering, she would not take the bread I offered, but still went on with her crying, "Father! oh, father! do give me a piece of bread, I am so hungry!" You silly child! Oh, how many silly children has the Father in His family, crying year in and year out, "Give, give!" and Father all the while yearning over them and saying, "Take, take, My child!" Let some of us give over crying and set to work "receiving." Take and thank! Receive and thank! "That we might receive the promise of the Spiritthrough faith."
How does the Filling of the Spirit come? "Does it come once for all? or is italwayscoming, as it were?" was a question addressed to me once by a young candidate for the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. There are many asking the same question. We have considered how the Fullness is obtained, but now we proceed to consider, How does the Fullness come? In speaking of the blessing of being filled with the Spirit, the New Testament writers use three tenses in the Greek—the Aorist, the Imperfect, and the Present. Each of these tenses has a different shade of meaning. The inspiring Spirit has employed these different tenses for a purpose, and it will be to our profit to try and get at that purpose, to note the differences, and to learn His meaning.
(1) The Aorist tense—a tense to which the English language is a stranger—denotes generally "a sudden, definite act of the past," "something done and finished with"—"They were filled"—as in Acts ii. 4.
(2) The Imperfect tense, denoting, as in English, just what its nameimplies—"They were being filled" (literally)—as in Acts xiii. 52.
(3) The Present tense, also denoting, as in English, just what its nameimplies—"Full," the normal condition—as in Acts xi. 24.
The following are the passages in the Acts in which the various tenses are found:—
(1)Aorist:—
Acts ii. 2, "It filled all the house."
Acts ii. 4, "They were all filled."
Acts iv. 8, "Peter filled with the Holy Ghost." Peter was already "filled," in ch. ii. 4.
Acts iv. 31, "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." Peter was again amongst them. Peter received an "Aorist" filling in ch. ii. 4, again in ch. iv. 8, and yet again in ch. iv. 31. So that an "Aorist" filling may be repeated and repeated again and yet again. On both occasions—ch. iv. 8 and ch. iv. 31—there was special need, and to meet this special need, Peter received a fresh and special and definite "filling" of the Holy Ghost. From this we learn that to equip us for every new important or difficult service to which we may be called, the Lord Jesus is prepared to grant us a fresh Infilling, a "refilling" of the Holy Ghost; and that these "refillings" may be, and ought to be, repeated just as often as the need arises. We see it reported twice in one chapter that Peter was "refilled." It will be noted that for the reasons already mentioned,[2] the expression "a fresh Infilling of the Holy Ghost," or "refilling," is used instead of "received a fresh Baptism of the Holy Ghost."
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Acts ix. 17 (Saul), "And be filled with the Holy Ghost." Saul was not to begin his life work until "baptized"—"filled with the Holy Ghost." He must receive the very same blessing and equipment as the other apostles received at Pentecost. This was Saul's Pentecost, and for him, as for others, service began at Pentecost.
Acts xiii. 9, "Paul filled with the Holy Ghost." The man who was filled in ch. ix. is "filled" anew in this passage, the "Aorist" blessing is repeated, fitting him for the special work on hand, viz., administering that scathing rebuke to Elymas the Sorcerer. In all these passages the blessing is spoken of as a crisis, not as a process.
(2)Imperfect:—
Acts xiii. 52, "And the disciples (lit.)were being filledwith joy and with the Holy Ghost." This is the only passage in the Acts where the Imperfect tense is used. It is not the Aorist "were filled," but the Imperfect "were being filled," implying the inflow, not only to make up for, but to sustain, the outflow. The same idea of the "Imperfect" is seen in Eph. v. 18, "Be filled with the Spirit," where Principal Moule points out that the Greek verb rendered "be filled," may with equal correctness be rendered "Be yefillingwith the Holy Ghost." The preceptive verb "is in the Present or continuing tense; it enjoins a course, a habit," so that in this sense "the Fullness" isalwayscoming, it is spoken of as a process, not as a crisis.
(3)Present:—
Acts vi. 3, "Look ye out therefore, brethren, from among you seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business," men whose normal condition was "full" of the Holy Ghost. It is well worth noticing the business for which these "deacons" were wanted; they were to look after temporal affairs, to feed a few decent old Greek widows; and yet even for this business the men must be "full of the Holy Ghost!" None other need apply. How far has the Church of to-day strayed from apostolic practice! When an election of office-bearers is taking place nowadays, of men, say, to manage the temporal affairs of Christ's Church, who ever thinks of looking out for "men full of the Holy Ghost"? Many a man is elected to office in the Church of the Living God who "has not the Spirit of Christ" at all—who is therefore not a child of God, much less "full of the Holy Ghost." "He is a man of social position, a man of means; if he is not full of the Holy Ghost, he is at least full of this world's goods, and you know he will be a pillar in our Church." Yes, as some one has well remarked, he will be acater-pillar! The Church of the New Testament does not need pillars of that kind. The Church of Jesus Christ and His apostles does not require to be propped up by children of the devil. What right have we to ask an "alien," a man who is "without Christ," "having no hope and without God in the world," to assist in managing and controlling Father's House? Such was not apostolic practice. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. vi. 14). What an amount of unequal yoking there is in many of our Churches, although the Church's Lord expressly forbids it! "Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together" (Deut. xxii. 10).
Who is responsible for this unequal yoking? Is it not the Church members that elect these men and put them into office in the Church of God? Church members, beware! next time offices are to be filled in your Church, whether they have to do with the temporal affairs or with the spiritual, remember apostolic advice, "Look ye out from among you men full of the Spirit." When we get back in this matter to apostolic practice, we may hope to get back apostolic blessing, but not till then.
Acts vi. 5, "Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit." In those brave days of old it was a case of demand and supply. Wanted—seven men full of the Holy Ghost; and immediately they were forthcoming! Is the trouble nowadays in the demand or in the supply? In both. The demand for Spirit-filled men is very slack; but even if the demand revived to-morrow, how lamentably few in our Churches could be found bearing the trade mark as "up to sample!" Still there are not wanting signs of revival in both demand and supply. Let us remember that Stephen's companions were men full of the Holy Ghost, although Stephen is the only one of whom it is expressly stated. He was the most remarkable man of the seven, a man in whom the graces of the Spirit shone with conspicuous brightness. So mighty was his faith that special mention must needs be made of it. It is not sufficient to describe him as a man full of the Holy Ghost, but it must be stated that he was "a man full of faithandof the Holy Ghost." Faith was his outstanding grace.
Acts vii. 55, "He being full of the Holy Ghost." This was Stephen's normal condition right up to the very end of his life; it was true of him when we get our first glimpse of him, true also as he passes within the vail into the unspeakable glory.
Acts xi. 24, Barnabas "was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost." A good man indeed, and so full of the Spirit of God that there was no room for self; for we read that he came into the midst of a great revival, in the bringing about of which he had no hand, and instead of being filled with envy at the divinely-chosen instruments, instead of picking holes in the work and depreciating the whole movement, he was filled with gladness; we read that he "was glad" (ver. 23). It goes without saying thatthatman was "full of the Holy Ghost." How many there are nowadays who are not like Barnabas!
Having now considered the passages in which the various tenses are used, we are able to answer the question—How does the blessing come? Does it come once for all, or is it always coming? There are sudden definite "fillings," repeated with more or less frequency; times when the believer is conscious of being "filled," when he can say, "I was filled." Between this experience—"filled" (which is an "Aorist" blessing)—and that which should be the normal experience of every Christian, viz., "full" (which is a "Present" blessing), it is evident that there is a great gap; but God has graciously bridged the gap for us; the connecting link between the "Aorist"were filled, and the "Present"full, is the "Imperfect" "were being filled," so that the blessing is always coming. Does it come once for all? A thousand times No!—if by that is meant that we are reservoirs into which the Fullness is poured, so that once we are filled, we are independent of fresh supplies from the Lord Jesus. That surely were a curse instead of a blessing! What reservoir is there that does not need replenishing? Some Christians say that at times after some piece of service has been finished, they feel as if they were empty, as if their souls had been quite drained, and now they are dry and thirsty. It need not be so. It is not so with the Spirit-filled worker whose faith is in lively exercise, for he is "being filled" all the time.
In driving between Melbourne and my home I often stop at a wayside trough to give the horse a drink. I notice that the trough is quite full of water and that there is a box in one end of it. As the horse drinks the water is lowering, and presently I hear a sound as of a running tap. Yes, the sound is coming from the box. That box is covering a piece of mechanism that needs explaining. Within it there is a tap connected by pipes with the Yan Yean Reservoir up in the Plenty Ranges. Attached by a lever to the tap is a metal ball, which rests on the surface of the water. As the horse drinks, the water on which the ball is floating is lowered, and thus the ball is lowered; the lowering of the ball opens the tap and the Yan Yean begins to pour in; so that, although the water is being withdrawn by the thirsty animal, a fresh supply is being poured in, the trough is "being filled," so that it is always "full." Thus may it be with the soul of the believer. No matter what the outflow into the surrounding emptiness may be, or the withdrawals by thirsty, needy souls, there is the continual inflow, so that there may be the constant "Fullness." Indeed the outflow depends directly on the inflow; one can only give as he gets. It is ours to see to the connection between us and the infinite Reservoir away up among the hills of God being kept open, to see that the tap is kept in proper working order by faith and prayer and meditation, and then, one might almost say, automatically, the heart will be kept full, "filled with all the Fullness of God," no matter what the spiritual drain upon us may be; for now it is not a question of our capacity to contain, but a question of God's infinite supply for all our needs. This too is the explanation of the "overflow," the flowing "Rivers" of John vii. 38. It is the overflow, and only the overflow, that blesses. There is not a drop for thirsty souls till some one overflows. It is the overflow in the Sabbath School class, and in the pulpit, and, for that matter, in every other sphere of Christian service, that brings blessing; and this overflow is in direct proportion to the inflow. "Rivers" cannot flow out unless "Rivers" first flow in.
An ordinary service pipe in our domestic water supply may serve to illustrate some of the points we have been considering. We take a bucket to the tap for water, and lo! there is none. Something is wrong. Either the authorities have cut off our supply because of some infraction of the law on our part, or there is an obstruction in our service pipe, or the pressure is insufficient to give us even a drop, or the supply is so deficient that it has been shut off for a time from us that it may be sent in another direction. Sometimes, alas! the "flowing" of the "living waters" from the soul of the believer ceases; but the ordinary round of duty, either in the district visiting, or in the Sabbath School class, or in the pulpit, has not ceased; a ceaseless stream oftalkmay still be flowing on, but there is no "living water" in it all. Why? It is not that the pressure aback of us, the pressure in the infinite Reservoir away up among the hills of God, is insufficient, or that the supply is deficient, unable to meet our needs because it is supplying needy ones elsewhere. God's water supply never breaks down as we often find our city supply failing. If the "flowing" has ceased, it is from one of two reasons: either God has, in mercy and in judgment, cut off the supply, or there is an obstruction in us, andsinis at the bottom of both reasons. "Search me, O God … and see if there be any way of wickedness in me" (Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24). "Confession, cleansing" is the divinely-appointed method for putting right what has gone wrong.
Sometimes on going to the tap we find that there is water, but such a miserable dribble! either from insufficient pressure or some partial obstruction in the pipe, or perhaps it is because we have not opened the tap fully. What a wretched parody of the flowing "Rivers" of John vii. 38 are the life and service of many of the Christians of to day! Some of the "living water" is doubtless coming from them, but it is only percolating through, dribbling, trickling out of them. Why? Certainly not, as has been already remarked, from insufficient pressure; the fault, the failure is not on God's side, but there is some local obstruction—amounting in many a case to almost entire obstruction,—some little idol or other in our heart, if not a "sin," yet certainly a "weight" (Heb. xii. 1), and this hinders the outflow. Confession and cleansing are still God's remedy. Or the hindrance may be our unbelief, "limiting the Holy One of Israel;" opening the tap but a little instead of opening it full; expecting little when we were divinely authorized to expect much; refusing to obey the command, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Ps. lxxxi. 10). "Rivers" cannot flow through a heart full of unbelief.
Sometimes, again, on going to the tap we get a little water and a great deal of air. What a noise! Now air is a very good thing in its own place, but that is not in a water pipe; that is meant to convey water and nothing else, and for the water pipe to do its work, it is necessary that it be emptied and cleansed of everything else, even of air. Scripture hath said that some things "puff up," and there is a good deal of "puff" in some hearts through which the living water is supposed to be flowing. God be merciful unto us! Such hearts, like our water pipe, need emptying and cleansing.
Yet once more, on going to the tap, we find a splendid supply; the pipe is clean, the pressure is good. Now before we open the tap the pipe is full of water; when the tap is opened and the bucket filling, the pipe is still full, for although the water is pouring out at the tap, it is pouring in at the reservoir, so that the pipe iskept full, even though the tap is open and the water streaming from it. When the tap is shut, you cannot say any more about the pipe now than that it is still full of water. Even so may it be with the believer who is spiritually adjusted. When resting at his Master's feet he is full; when actively engaged in service he is still full; his normal condition is, "full of the Holy Ghost," because he has learnt how to obey the command, "Be ye filling with the Spirit."
Among the effects and benefits which in this life accompany and flow from being filled with the Holy Ghost, may be mentioned the following:—
1. Courage.
"Oh, I could not do so and so—I have not the courage," is a reply frequently made by Christian people when asked to undertake some piece of service or other for the Master. The first point to be settled is, "Is that the Master's will for me?" If so, lack of courage is a confession to the lack of the "Fullness of the Holy Ghost." The Spirit-filled man knows the fear of God and knows no other fear.
Acts ii. 14, "Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spake forth." No fear of servant maids now! Butcanthis be the man who quailed before the look of the waiting-maid who charged him with being "with the Nazarene"? Can this be the man that "began to curse and to swear, I know not this man of whom ye speak"? The very same, and yet not the same; for the Baptism of the Holy Ghost has changed Peter the craven-hearted into Peter the lion-hearted, so that he can stand before that surging multitude, their hands dyed crimson in his Master's blood, and without a tremor charge home upon them the awful crime, "Him ye did crucify and slay."
Ch. iv. 13: "They beheld theboldnessof Peter and John."
Ch. iv. 31: "They spake the word of God withboldness."
Ch. v. 20: "Go ye and stand and speak in the temple." Taken out of prison, and ordered to go and do again the very thing for which they had been imprisoned! Buttheywere Spirit-filled men, and so we read in the next verse, "they entered into the temple."
Ch. v. 29: "We must obey God rather than men."
Ch. v. 40-42: "Beaten … departed rejoicing … ceased not to teach."
Ch. xxi. 13: "I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die atJerusalem, for the name of the Lord Jesus." Courage-filled becauseSpirit-filled!
2. The fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit will be manifest in the life: Love, Joy, Peace, etc. (Gal. v. 22, 23). How can one's life be filled with the fruit of the Spirit, unless one's heart is first filled with the Spirit Himself? In the primitive Church the men and women were filled with the Holy Ghost; that was the rule; now, alas! it has come to be the exception—and as a consequence we see how their lives were enriched by the fruit of the Spirit.
Love: Acts iv. 32, "Were of one heart and soul … had all things common." This may be poor political economy, but it is good spiritual economy, a simple Bible illustration of the Bible precept, "Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven" (Matt. vi. 20). If brotherly love were abroad to-day, how soon the present distress would disappear! As the best available commentary on this heavenly word "Love," study on your knees the whole of 1 Cor. xiii.
Joy: Acts ii. 46, "They did take their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God." Every meal was a sacrament. The same cause would produce the same result to-day.
Ch. v. 41: "Rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name," when some of us would have been bemoaning ourselves and complaining of the hardness of our lot!
Ch. xiii. 50-52: "Stirred up a persecution … and the disciples were (being) filled with joy."
Ch. xvi. 25: "Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God." The heavier the tribulation the more their joy seemed to "overflow" (2 Cor. vii. 4), and of course the heavier the tribulation the more joy they needed to sustain them. "For the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. viii. 10).
Peace: Acts vi. 15, "Saw his (Stephen's) face as it had been the face of an angel."
Ch. vii. 59, 60: "They stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying,Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit, and he kneeled down, and … fell asleep."
2 Cor, iv. 8, 9: "Troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed."
Thus we might go through the heavenly list—long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance—and see how richly in Bible times the fruit flourished in the lives of those who were Spirit-filled. Before passing on let us notice where it is that Joy grows. It grows between Love and Peace. It is, as some one has well called it, a sheltered fruit. If Love withers, Joy is exposed on that side, and it too will fade. If Peace is interfered with, even though Love is vigorous, Joy is exposed on that side now, and it will fade away and die. The only way to preserve Joy in vigorous growth is to see that its sheltering fruits, Love and Peace, are kept free from blight, and vigorous too.
In his letter to the Ephesian Church, to whom he addressed the command, "Be filled with the Spirit," Paul points out very clearly what the results of the Fullness will be.
(1) A singing heart (Eph. v. 19). This is what would bring us and our lives up to concert pitch. We would no more go "flat." This would drive away the leaden dullness.
(2) A thankful heart (ver. 20). Such a heart would not be finding fault with Christ's government; will "find none occasion of stumbling in" Jesus (Matt. xi. 6); will not be offended at Him, no matter how He may test and try it. "Blessed is he" that has such a heart in his bosom!
(3) A submissive heart (Eph. v. 21), "in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself" (Phil. ii. 3). "The thing (once) impossible shall be."
(4) Spirit-filled wives will be in subjection to their own husbands (Eph. v. 22).
(5) Spirit-filled husbands will love their wivesasChrist loved the Church (ver. 25).
(6) Spirit-filled children will obey their parents (Eph. vi. 1).
(7) Spirit-filled fathers will not provoke their children to wrath (ver. 4).
(8) Spirit-filled servants (bond-slaves) will be obedient to their masters (ver. 5).
(9) Spirit-filled masters will treat their servants as they (the masters) would wish to be treated bytheirMaster (ver. 9).
Would not results (8) and (9) be the best possible solution of the constantly recurring Labor and Capital difficulty, and render a labor war impossible, because unnecessary?
(10) Spirit-filled men will be strong in the Lord, spiritual giants, not sickly, hunchbacked dwarfs (ver. 10).
(11) Spirit-filled men will be warriors, clad in the whole armor of God; if not Spirit-filled they could not carry it (ver. 11).
(12) Spirit-filled soldiers will not be warring against flesh and blood; internal foes having all been subdued, the civil war has ceased; their enemies are now external, and they are free to concentrate all their attention and God-inspired energies on them. Their enemies are (1) in the world—principalities and world-rulers, and (2) in the heavenlies—powers and spiritual hosts of wickedness (ver. 12).
(13) Spirit-filled men will be praying always in the Spirit (ver. 18). In order to this vigilance is necessary "watching thereunto."
Such are some of the results, on the positive side, of being filled with the Spirit. The effects on the negative side are manifest in Gal. v. 16, 17, "Walk in (by) the Spirit, andye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other: that ye (walking by the Spirit) may not do the things that ye would" (if ye were walking by the flesh). (See Gal. v. 19-21.)
3. Reaching the masses.
Another effect of a Spirit-baptized Church would be that themasses would be reached. See how the early Church—which was a Spirit-baptized Church, and persistently kept that truth in the foreground—reached the masses, and with what blessed results! They were not amused or entertained, but they were converted, saved, turned to the Lord.
"There were added unto them in that day aboutthree thousandsouls."Acts ii. 41.
"The number of the men came to be aboutfive thousand." Acts iv. 4.
"Added to the Lordmultitudesboth of men and women." Acts v. 14.
"The number of the disciplesmultipliedin Jerusalem exceedingly, and agreat companyof the priests were obedient to the faith." Acts vi. 7.
"Themultitudes(in Samaria) gave heed with one accord unto the thingsthat were spoken." Acts viii. 6.
"Andallthat dwelt at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turnedto the Lord." Acts ix. 35.
"It became known throughout all Joppa; and many believed on the Lord."Acts ix. 42.
"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell onallthemwhich heard the word." Acts x. 44.
"And the hand of the Lord was with them: and agreat numberthatbelieved, turned unto the Lord." Acts xi. 21.
"And the next Sabbath almost thewhole citywas gathered together tohear the word of God." Acts xiii. 44.
"And so spake that agreat multitudeboth of Jews and of Greeksbelieved." Acts xiv. 1.
"And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had mademanydisciples." Acts xiv. 21.
"The churches …increasedin number daily." Acts xvi. 5.
"These that have turnedthe worldupside down are come hither also."Acts xvii. 6.
"Crispus … believed … andmanyof the Corinthians hearingbelieved." Acts xviii. 8.
"Somightilygrew the word of the Lord and prevailed." Acts xix. 18-20.
We often hear of discussions on the "lapsed masses." "Why have the masses of the people lapsed from the Churches?" Perhaps the more correct way of putting it would be, Why have the Churches lapsed from the masses? The answer is not far to seek—because they have lost the driving power which alone could keep them abreast of the masses, even the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. The conditions were just as unfavorable in the first century as in the nineteenth, and yet we read, "So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed." It is positively painful to see the substitutes that are being tried to-day for the power of the Holy Ghost. Miserable substitutes are they all! One Church is trying this plan, another that, and not one of them has found a new plan that is a permanent success. They are floundering, and some of them are foundering, and no wonder. It will be no loss to the kingdom of God if Churches which ignore the Holy Ghost should founder. Let us get back to Pentecostal methods. The trouble is that the Churches have lost their way to that "upper room." Let a Church only find her way back there and obtain her Pentecost; let pulpit and pew be baptized with the Holy Ghostand with fire, and the people will come running in to see the burning. That Church will not need to cater for amusements as a bait to catch the masses, but the people will come crowding into her pews, climbing into them as Zacchæus climbed into the branches of that sycamore tree when he wanted to see the Lord; for the people still want "to see Jesus," and they have heard that He is "to pass that way." We cannot improve on Pentecost's methods for reaching the masses.
4. Persecution.
Yet another effect of the Fullness of the Spirit must be mentioned, viz.,Persecution.
"Othersmockingsaid, They are filled with new wine." Acts ii. 13.
"They laid hands on them and put them in ward." Acts iv. 3.
"Let us threaten them." Acts iv. 17.
"They laid hands on the apostles and put them in public ward." Acts v. 18.
"And were minded to slay them." Acts v. 33.
"They beat them and charged them not to speak." Acts v. 40.
"And seized him and brought him into the council." Acts vi. 12.
"And they stoned Stephen." Acts vii. 59.
"And there arose on that day a great persecution." Acts viii. 1.
"Haling men and women committed them to prison." Acts viii. 3.
"Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord." Acts ix. 1.
"Took counsel together to kill him." Acts ix. 23.
"They went about to kill him." Acts ix. 29.
"Killed James the brother of John with the sword." Acts xii. 2.
"He put him (Peter) in prison." Acts xii. 4.
"Stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas." Acts xiii. 50.
"Made them evil affected against the brethren." Acts xiv. 2.
"To treat them shamefully and to stone them." Acts xiv. 5.
"They stoned Paul." Acts xiv. 19.
"Commanded to beat them (Paul and Silas) with rods." Acts xvi. 22.
"Cast them into prison, … and made their feet fast in the stocks."Acts xvi. 23, 24.
"Set the city on an uproar." Acts xvii. 5.
"Stirring up and troubling the multitudes." Acts xvii. 13.