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BY
E. G. WHITE
An
urgent gift for us
Day after
day is passing into eternity, bringing us nearer to the close of probation.
Now we must pray as never before for the Holy Spirit to be more abundantly
bestowed upon us, and we must look for its sanctifying influence to
come upon the workers, that the people for whom they labor may know
that they have been with Jesus and learned of Him. We need spiritual
eyesight now as never before, that we may see afar off, and that we
may discern the snares and designs of the enemy, and as faithful watchmen
proclaim the danger. We need spiritual power that we may take in,
as far as the human mind can, the great subjects of Christianity,
and how far-reaching are its principles.1
"When
He, the Spirit of truth, is come," said Jesus, "He will guide you
into all truth" (John 16:13).
The Comforter
is called "the Spirit of truth." His work is to define and maintain
the truth. He first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and
thus He becomes the Comforter. There is comfort and peace in the truth,
but no real peace or comfort can be found in falsehood. . . .
The Holy
Spirit was the highest of all gifts that [Jesus] could solicit from
His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be
given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ
would have been of no avail. The power of evil had been strengthening
for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity
was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty
agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no
modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit
that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world's Redeemer.
It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit
the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given
His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated
tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.
Of the
Spirit Jesus said, "He shall glorify Me" (John 16:14). The Saviour
came to glorify the Father by the demonstration of His love; so the
Spirit was to glorify Christ by revealing His grace to the world.
The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor of
God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character
of His people.
The
purpose of the Holy Spirit
"When
He [the Spirit of truth] is come, He will reprove the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). The preaching
of the word will be of no avail without the continual presence and
aid of the Holy Spirit. This is the only effectual teacher of divine
truth. Only when the truth is accompanied to the heart by the Spirit
will it quicken the conscience or transform the life. One might be
able to present the letter of the word of God, he might be familiar
with all its commands and promises; but unless the Holy Spirit sets
home the truth, no souls will fall on the Rock and be broken. No amount
of education, no advantages, however great, can make one a channel
of light without the cooperation of the Spirit of God. The sowing
of the gospel seed will not be a success unless the seed is quickened
into life by the dew of heaven. Before one book of the New Testament
was written, before one gospel sermon had been preached after Christ's
ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the praying apostles. Then the
testimony of their enemies was, 'Ye have filled Jerusalem with your
doctrine' (Acts 5:28).
Christ
has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His church, and the promise
belongs to us as much as to the first disciples. But like every other
promise, it is given on conditions. There are many who believe and
profess to claim the Lord's promise; they talk about Christ and about
the Holy Spirit, yet receive no benefit. They do not surrender the
soul to be guided and controlled by the divine agencies. We cannot
use the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is to use us. Through the Spirit God
works in His people 'to will and to do of His good pleasure' (Philippians
2:13). But many will not submit to this. They want to manage themselves.
This is why they do not receive the heavenly gift. Only to those who
wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the
Spirit given. The power of God awaits their demand and reception.
This promised blessing, claimed by faith, brings all other blessings
in its train. It is given according to the riches of the grace of
Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul according to the capacity
to receive."2
The
results of receiving God's Spirit
When God's
people humble the soul before Him, individually seeking His Holy Spirit
with all the heart, there will be heard from human lips such a testimony
as is represented in this scripture: "After these things I saw another
angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was
lightened with his glory" (Revelation 18:1). There will be faces aglow
with the love of God, there will be lips touched with holy fire, saying,
"The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John
1:7).
Those
who are under the influence of the Spirit of God will not be fanatical,
but calm, steadfast, free from extravagance. But let all who have
had the light of truth shining clear and distinct upon their pathway,
be careful how they cry peace and safety. Be careful what influence
you exert at this time.
When the
Holy Spirit was poured out upon the early church, "the multitude of
them that believed were of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4:32).
The Spirit of Christ made them one. This is the fruit of abiding in
Christ.
Jesus
longs to bestow the heavenly endowment in large measure upon His people.
Prayers are ascending to God daily for the fulfillment of the promise;
and not one of the prayers put up in faith is lost. Christ ascended
on high, leading captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. When,
after Christ's ascension, the Spirit came down as promised, like a
rushing, mighty wind, filling the whole place where the disciples
were assembled, what was the effect?—Thousands were converted
in a day. We have taught, we have expected that an angel is to come
down from heaven, that the earth will be lightened with his glory,
when we shall behold an ingathering of souls similar to that witnessed
on the day of Pentecost.
Amid the
confusion of delusive doctrines, the Spirit of God will be a guide
and a shield to those who have not resisted the evidences of truth.
He silences every other voice than that which comes from Him who is
the truth and the life. God gives to every soul opportunity to hear
the voice of the True Shepherd, to receive the knowledge of God and
our Saviour. When the heart receives this truth as a precious treasure,
Christ is formed within, the hope of glory, while the whole heavenly
universe exclaims, Amen and amen! We have absolute need of the regenerating
power of the Holy Spirit. We have no time to confer with flesh and
blood.
We have
need of divine illumination. Every individual is striving to become
a center of influence; and until God works for His people, they will
not see that subordination to God is the only safety for any soul.
His transforming grace upon human hearts will lead to unity that has
not yet been realized; for all who are assimilated to Christ will
be in harmony with one another. The Holy Spirit will create unity.
"He shall
glorify me." "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 16:14;
17:3). The Holy Spirit glorifies God by so revealing His character
to His people that He becomes the object of their supreme affections,
and by making manifest His character in them.
They see
clearly that there never was any righteousness in the world but His,
no excellence in the world but that derived from Him. When the Spirit
was poured out from on high, the church was flooded with light, but
Christ was the source of that light; His name was on every tongue,
His love filled every heart. So it will be when the angel that comes
down from heaven having great power shall lighten the whole earth
with his glory.
The church
of Christ, enfeebled and defective as it may be, is the only object
on earth on which He bestows His supreme regard. While He extends
to all the world His invitation to come to Him and be saved, He commissions
His angels to render divine help to every soul that cometh to Him
in repentance and contrition, and He comes personally by his Holy
Spirit into the midst of His church.
The gift
of His Holy Spirit, rich, full, and abundant, is to His church as
an encompassing wall of fire, and the powers of hell shall not prevail
against it. In their untainted purity and spotless perfection Christ
looks upon His people as the reward of all His suffering, His humiliation,
and His love, and the supplement of His glory—Christ the great
center from which radiates all glory.
How can
we stand in the day of test if we do not understand the words of Christ?
He said: "These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with
you. 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 14:25,
26). It is the Holy Spirit that is to bring to our remembrance the
words of Christ. The theme Christ chose to dwell upon in His last
discourse to His disciples was that of the office of the Holy Spirit.
He opened before them a wide tract of truth. They were to receive
His words by faith, and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, was to bring
all things to their remembrance. The consolation given by Christ in
this promise was found in the fact that the divine influence was to
be with His followers to the end. But this promise is not accepted
and believed by the people today, and therefore is not cherished by
them, nor is its fulfillment seen in the experience of the church.
The promise of the gift of the Spirit of God is left as a matter to
be little considered by the church. It is not impressed upon the people,
and the result is only that which might be expected—spiritual
drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Minor
matters occupy the mind and soul, but divine power which is necessary
for the growth and prosperity of the church, which would if possessed,
bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, although it is
offered to us in infinite plenitude. Just as long as the church is
satisfied with small things, it is disqualified to receive the great
things of God.
But why
do we not hunger and thirst after the gift of the Holy Spirit, since
it is the means whereby the heart may be kept pure? The Lord designs
that divine power shall cooperate with human effort. It is all-essential
for the Christian to understand the meaning of the promise of the
Holy Spirit just prior to the coming of our Lord Jesus the second
time. Talk of it, pray for it, preach concerning it; for the Lord
is more willing to give the Holy Spirit than parents are to give good
gifts to their children. "For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
We are
living in the last days, when error of a most deceptive character
is accepted and believed, while truth is discarded. The Lord will
hold both ministers and people responsible for the light which shines
in our day. God calls upon all who claim to believe present truth
to work diligently in gathering up the precious jewels of truth, and
placing them in their position in the framework of the gospel. Let
them shine in all their divine beauty and loveliness, that the light
may flash forth amid the moral darkness. This cannot be accomplished
without the aid of the Holy Spirit, but with the aid of the Spirit
we can do all things. When we are endowed with the Holy Spirit, we
by faith take hold of infinite power. There is nothing to be lost
of that which comes from God. The Saviour of the world sends His divine
messenger to the soul, that men may dig for the truth, that by its
revelation they may dispel the multitude of errors. This is the Christian's
work.
The work
of the Holy Spirit is immeasurably great. It is from this source that
power and efficiency come to the worker for God; and the Holy Spirit
is the Comforter, as the personal presence of Christ to the soul.
He who looks to Christ in simple, childlike faith, is made a partaker
of the divine nature through the agency of the Holy Spirit. When led
by the Spirit of God, the Christian may know that he is made complete
in Him who is the head of all things. As Christ was glorified on the
day of Pentecost, so will He again be glorified in the closing work
of the gospel, when He shall prepare a people to stand the final test,
in the closing conflict of the great controversy.
When the
earth is lightened with the glory of God, we shall see a work similar
to that which was wrought when the disciples, filled with the Holy
Spirit, proclaimed the power of a risen Saviour. The light of heaven
penetrated the darkened minds of those who had been deceived by the
enemies of Christ, and the false representation of Him was rejected;
for through the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, they now saw Him exalted
to be a Prince and Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel, and remission
of sins. Christ was glorified through the power of the Holy Spirit
resting upon men.
The revelation
of Christ by the Holy Spirit brought to them a realizing sense of
His power and majesty, and they stretched forth their hands unto Him
by faith, saying, "I believe." Thus it was in the time of the early
rain; but the latter rain will be more abundant. The Saviour of men
will be glorified, and the earth will be lightened with the bright
shining of the beams of His righteousness. He is the fountain of light,
and light from the gates ajar has been shining upon the people of
God, that they may lift Him up in His glorious character before those
who sit in darkness.
It is
Christ in His fullness as a sin-pardoning Saviour, that the sinner
must see; for the unparalleled love of Christ, through the agency
of the Holy Spirit, will bring conviction and conversion to the hardened
heart.
Oh that
we as a people might humble our hearts before God, and plead with
Him for the endowment of the Holy Spirit!3
What
the Holy Spirit actually does—how He works
Whom Christ
pardons He first makes penitent, and it is the office work of the
Holy Spirit to convince of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
The sinner acknowledges the perfection of God, the righteousness of
Christ, and thus glorifies God. By beholding this perfection the sinner
sees his sins, and repents, and believes in the atonement of Jesus
Christ, "whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith
in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Romans 3:25).4
Let there
be a work of reformation and repentance. Let all seek for the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit. As with the disciples after the ascension of Christ,
it may require several days of earnestly seeking God and putting away
of sin.
When God's
people are worked by the Holy Spirit, they will manifest a zeal that
is according to knowledge. When they are guided by the Spirit, they
will no longer lead others in false paths. They will reflect the light
that God has been giving for years. The spirit of criticism will be
put away. Filled with the spirit of humility, they will be of one
mind, united with one another and with Christ.5
Your energy
and efficiency in the upbuilding of My kingdom, Jesus says, depend
upon your receiving of My Spirit. You must be partakers of My grace,
in order to be a savor of life unto life. Then there will be no rivalry,
no self-seeking, no desire for the highest place. You will have that
love which seeks not her own, but another's wealth.6
After
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, thousands were converted. Angels
of God that excel in strength, clothed with the brightness of heaven,
came to the help of the church, and swept back the forces of Satan.
The work of the Holy Spirit was not limited to apostolic days; it
is not confined to any church, large or small: the field of His ministration
is the world. "He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
and of judgment" (John 16:8). But the instrumentalities through which
the Holy Spirit works are the members of Christ's body, those who
believe in His name. It is through these light bearers that the gospel
is to be carried to all the nations of the earth.7
Christ
declared that the Holy Spirit should not speak of Himself, but that
"he shall testify of me" (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit was to glorify
the Redeemer of the world, who came to demonstrate the love of the
Father by a life of suffering and humiliation, and by a death of shame.
The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ by manifesting in the members of
the church the self- denial, the self-sacrifice, the devotion of those
who truly follow the great Exemplar. They shed a heavenly influence,
and reveal in their characters the loveliness of Christ, working in
harmony with the Holy Spirit. They can be silent concerning their
own finite selves, but can extol the greatness of Christ, wakening
an interest in others by the revealing of His marvelous love. They
are able to show forth the praises of Him who hath called them out
of darkness into His marvelous light.
Oh, let
the tongue be silent concerning the pictures of self! let there be
shame that the money expended in this way has not gone into the treasury
to reproduce the likeness of Christ, to set forth His matchless charms.
Jesus alone should engage the attention. Those who have attracted
attention to self should change this course of action, and turn the
minds of men to Him who is deserving of the whole heart's love. They
should see the sinfulness of aiding the enemy of God and man by placing
objects before the mind to divert the attention from Christ and heaven.
This work
of selfishness grieves the Holy Spirit of God. Did not Christ have
travail of soul that the redemption of a lost world might be made
sure? Then shall not the followers of Christ, those whom He has left
as His representatives, be moved with soul anguish, and travail in
spirit that souls may be brought to Christ? "We are labourers together
with God" (1 Corinthians 3:9). Christ worked unceasingly for the souls
of men, and why are the members of the church standing all the day
idle? Go, work in the Master's vineyard. Repent with tears and humiliation
that you have wasted so much time upon unimportant matters when souls
were perishing.
As stewards
of God's grace, have you not a personal interest in the work of saving
your fellowmen? Shall Christ have died in vain for them because He
does not have the cooperation of His professed followers? God requires
that you shall be filled with the Holy Spirit. The work of Christ
is sacred, and the command is, "Be ye clean, that bear the vessels
of the Lord" (Isaiah 52:11). He requires perfection of character in
His agents. The influence of His church must all tend toward the building
up of His cause in the earth.
Each member
must cooperate with the Holy Spirit in His office work. Let no one
feel that he must engage in a warfare at his own charges. To neglect
a single means which God has provided is to exclude the rays of light
that should shine forth to the world and to rob the souls for whom
Christ died of the light of life. Human effort must be combined with
divine power.
Stumbling
blocks are placed before those who are looking for light, because
the professed followers of Christ are devoid of the power of the Holy
Spirit.
The professed
people of God do not study the life of Christ as they should. Satan
has filled their minds with interest in things of minor importance,
and the eternal realities are set aside. It is this that makes so
great a dearth of laborers; this is why the sowers and reapers are
so few. . . .
Let us
work in the Spirit of Christ for our fellowmen. In great cities and
smaller cities, in highways and byways, let us go forth to hold up
Jesus as the one able to cleanse from sin. Every member of the church
may be a working member, if he can do no more than say, "Come." For
the word declares, "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him
that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).8
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1 The
Home Missionary, November 1, 1893.
2 The Desire of Ages, pp. 671, 672 (italics in the original).
3 The Home Missionary, November 1, 1893.
4 The Signs of the Times, August 1, 1895.
5 Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, p. 23.
6 The Desire of Ages, p. 439.
7 The Review and Herald, January 20, 1891.
8 Ibid., January 27, 1891.
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