As Paul writes his final instructions to the saints at Thessalonica, he included a very short but very strong admonition; “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The word “quench” simply means “to extinguish a fire”. God had done a special work in and through the Thessalonians and Paul was in a way reminding them that it was the Spirit who had done that work (see 1:6).
We are like them and need to be reminded that God’s initial work in us was the fire of the Holy Spirit (see Luke 3:16). The tendency is to forget the importance of His work in us. Fleshly desires, self-centeredness, worldliness, and distractions of a hundred million types subtly work in us and before we are aware, the fire of the Spirit is quenched and we do not even realize we have silenced His voice. It is time we WAKE UP AND REKINDLE HIS GIFT IN US! I believe this same concern was behind Paul’s words to Timothy; “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,” (2 Timothy 1:6). God wants to accelerate His work in these days and He can only do that if we are willing to let the fire of His Spirit remove hindrances and enlighten our hearts with the truth and principles of God’s Word! Will you be His instrument to accomplish His purposes?
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In Ephesians 4:17-32, Paul is helping the church distinguish between the “walk of the Gentiles” and believers who have “learned Christ – assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus” (4:21). He proceeds to list those things that we must “put off, your old self…that is corrupt” (4:22) and “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (4:24). The list of things to put off is extensive! Read verses 29, 31.
Then in verse 30, Paul says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” It is evident that the Holy Spirit longs to fill us so that God can accomplish His purposes in us for all eternity. Anything that hinders the Spirit’s desires for us is a grief to Him. Let this sink in!! If we understood this in a fuller way, we would be quick to “put off” attitudes and habits that have far too long cause the Holy Spirit to be grieved. Let us “put off” and be filled with HIM instead! I borrow one more time from A. W. Tozer; “We have as much of God as we actually want. One great hindrance to the Spirit-filled life is theology of complacency so widely accepted among gospel Christians today. According to this view acute desire is an evidence of unbelief and proof of lack of knowledge of the Scriptures.” He then adds in the next paragraph, “I doubt whether anyone ever received that divine abundance (filled with the Spirit), who did not first experience a period of deep anxiety and inward agitation. Religious contentment is the enemy of the spiritual life always” (The Pursuit of Man, page 133).
Are you willing to wrestle with God, as Jacob did, to receive this blessing which only God can give? It will require removing “self” off the throne on your heart and give that place to Him who is Lord of ALL. Then He will unleash His power in and through you to accomplish HIS WORK. How should we look at this amazing gift and outpouring of God’s Spirit? Is it only given to a select few? Is it only for the ‘inner circle’ of leaders in the church? Let’s see what Scripture teaches us.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). God’s plan is that all the body of Christ be filled with the Spirit and equipped “for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12), not just a few. What a powerful expansion of the gospel would take place in our day like it did in Acts if we believed and taught this truth! There would be an automatic change of focus from internal self-centeredness to an outward looking church that thinks about the nations (ethnos, people groups) who have never heard the gospel. The unbeliever who comes into the church would fall on his face and “declare that God is really among you” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). Obedience to the Word of God would be compelled by the power of His Spirit, not demanded by leaders. It is pointless for me to list all the changes that would take place. But allow me to add one more which we see in the reference above in Acts 4:31. In the face of opposition and persecution, they “continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” The day we live in requires this kind of Spirit given boldness that flows from the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word in us. God wants us to experience this filling, not just read and talk about it. It only requires a serious desire and yielded heart and mind on our part. The first preaching by the ‘newly born’ church in Jerusalem was done through the ‘new’ Peter who was filled with the Spirit. This was a powerful preaching! How do we know that? At the end of his short sermon, something happened that rarely happens in our churches today. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”” (Acts 2:37).
What God is looking for today is preachers who want nothing less than being filled with His Spirit. When we are, we will see God also bring deep conviction “to the heart” and there will be a commensurate desire for change – “what shall we do?” When the Holy Spirit is at work, we cannot remain the same. His work is regenerating and renewing (Titus 3:5). His work transforms us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Brethren, if God is not working in us through the filling of His Spirit, there will be little or no fruit in our ministry and our efforts will be spent in vain. There is too much at stake for us to be Okay with a powerless ministry. Fulfilling God’s command to make disciples is at stake! Preparing Christ’s Bride for His return is at stake! The glory of God is at stake! Will you cry out with me today for a fresh filling of God’s Spirit in us so we can see that the church, “His Bride has made herself ready”? Then we will really “rejoice and exult, and give Him the glory” (Revelation 19:7). Jesus made a very important statement to His disciples after the resurrection and before His ascension. “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22). Jesus’ ministry began with this divine act; “the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove” (Luke 3:22).
Any ministry that is going to be effective and fruitful must begin as Jesus’ ministry began. He was preparing the disciples with this important reminder that they were sent out to do God’s work in the same way Jesus was sent out by the Father. They were not filled with the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost, but their hearts needed preparation for this to take place. In a sense, Jesus breathing on them was that regenerational life that only Jesus could impart, making them a suitable temple for the Holy Spirit. The rapid expansion of the church that we see in Acts required willing vessels to receive and be filled with the Spirit sent from the Father. A. W. Tozer puts the challenge to us in this way; “Before a man can be filled with the Spirit, he must be sure he wants to be. Let this be taken seriously. Many Christians want to be filled, but their desire is a vague romantic kind of thing hardly worthy to be called desire. They have almost no knowledge of what it will cost them to realize it.” The Pursuit of Man, page 131. I long that everyone reading this blog (and every member of Christ’s body) will become very serious about preparing their heart and life for God’s filling. Our day requires men and women who are filled with the Spirit so that the message of the gospel and truth are proclaimed powerfully in life first, then in word and deed. Based on the blog yesterday, I want to continue pointing to the fullness of this marvelous gift – the Holy Spirit. Some today doubt what God can do, saying that no one can be filled with the Spirit in our day. This gift was given to certain individuals before Christ ascended to heaven. The angel told Zechariah that his son John (the Baptist) would be filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:12-15). When Elizabeth met Mary, she was filled with the Holy Spirit and uttered a blessing on Mary because she was pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41-42). Zechariah was filled with the Spirit after their son (John) was brought the eighth day to be circumcised (Luke 1:67).
Tomorrow we will look at Pentecost and what happened after the Holy Spirit came. Let me leave with a question: why did Jesus breathe on His disciples and say, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22)? “I want here boldly to assert that it is my happy belief that every Christian can have a copious (abundant) outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a measure far beyond that received at conversion, and I might also say, far beyond that enjoyed by the rank and file of orthodox believers today.” Tozer, A. W., The Pursuit of Man, Christian Publication, 1950, page 130.
“For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34). |
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