- Overcomer Literature Trust
- Swindon
- Wiltshire
THE LEADING OF THE SPIRIT.
By Andrew Murray.
“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit, that we are God’s children”
(Rom 8 v14&16).
It is the same Spirit that leads us as children who also assures us that we are God’s children. Without His leading there can be no assurance of our adoption. Full assurance of faith is enjoyed by those who surrender themselves entirely to the leading of the Spirit.
What does this leading mean? Our whole inner life is to be guided by Him to what He wills. Our growth and increase, our development and progress is not our work but His, and we are to trust Him for this. As a tree grows and becomes large by the life which God has given to it, so also does the Christian by the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. We have to cherish the joyful assurance that the Spirit, whom the Father gives to us, does with divine wisdom and power guide our inner life, and bring it where God wills. (see Hos. 14 v 6&7, Matt. 6 v28, Mark 4 v26&28, Luke 2 v40, Rom. 8 v2).
There are directions for this leading, “He will lead you into all the truth”. When we read the word of God, we are to wait upon Him to make us experience the truth, the essential power of what God says. He makes the word living and powerful. He leads us into a life corresponding to the word. (see John 6 v63, 14 v26, 16 v13, 1 Cor. 2 v10&14, 1 Thess. 2 v13).
When you pray, you can reckon on His leading, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness”. He leads us to what we must desire. He leads us into the way in which we are to pray, trust Him fully. (see Zech. 12 v10, Rom. 8 v26-27, Jude v12&20).
In sanctification it is He who will lead, He leads us in the path of righteousness, He leads us into all the will of God. (see 1 Cor 6 v19-20, 1 Peter 1 v2&15).
In our speaking and working for the Lord, He will lead. Every child has the Spirit, every child has need of Him to know and to do the work of the Father. Without Him no child can please or serve the Father. The leading of the Spirit is the blessed privilege and sure token, and the only power of a child of God. (see Matt 10 v20, Acts 1 v8, Rom. 8 v9, Gal. 4 v6, Eph. 1 v13).
How can we fully enjoy this leading? The first thing that is necessary is faith. You must take time to have your heart filled with the deep and living consciousness that the Spirit is in you. Read all the glorious declarations of your Father in His word, that the Spirit is in you and for you, until the conviction fills you that you really are a temple of the Spirit. Ignorance or unbelief on this point makes it impossible for the Spirit to speak in you and to lead you. Cherish the assurance that the Spirit of God dwells in you. (see Acts 19 v2, Rom. 5 v5, 1 Cor. 3 v16, 2 Cor. 5 v5, Gal. 3 v5&14).
Be still to attend to the voice of the Spirit. As the Lord Jesus acts, so does the Spirit, “He shall not cry nor lift up His voice”. He whispers gently and quietly and only the soul that sets itself very silently towards God can perceive His voice and guidance. When we become engrossed with the world, with its business, its cares, its enjoyments and its politics, the Spirit cannot lead us. When our service to God is in our own wisdom and strength, the Spirit cannot be heard. It is the weak and simple, who are willing to have themselves taught in humility, that receive the leading of the Spirit. Sit down every morning, sit down often in the day, to say, ‘Lord Jesus, I know nothing, I will be silent, let the Spirit lead me’ (see 1 Chro. 11 v12, Ps. 62 v2&6,131 v2, Isa. 42 v2, Hab. 2 v20, Zech. 4 v6, Acts 1 v4).
And then be obedient. Listen to the inner voice and do what He says. Fill your heart every day with the word and when the Spirit puts you in mind of what the word says, do it. You then become able to receive further teaching, it is to the obedient that the full blessing of the Spirit is promised. (see John 14 v15&16, Acts 5 v32).
From: ‘The New Life’.
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THE EDITOR’S LETTER.
My Dear Friends,
Jesus’ promise of the coming of the Comforter is so special, but this Comforter, this Counsellor, is much more than an encourager, He is the Third Person of the Trinity, the one who gives us power. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 1, verse 19, he prays that the believers would “know”, experience, the “incomparably great power” of God, that power which God exerted when He raised Jesus from death. It is this empowering, which the Spirit gives, which is the topic of this edition of the magazine.
May all God’s people experience the reality of the risen Lord in their lives by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Michael Metcalfe.
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THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT.
By J.C.Metcalfe.
“Our spiritual strength will be in proportion to the absence of self-dependence and self-confidence. When we are weak in ourselves we shall not fail if we apply to the right source for help, to be found strong in the Lord. “ Thomas Upham.
The Greek word ‘dunamis’ is used in close connection with the work of the Holy Spirit of God in and through His people, and means the natural capability, the inherent power and the ability to perform anything. It is not merely power capable of action, but power in action.
The word is used on a number of occasions in 1 Corinthian, and the power is attributed to “the message of the Cross” (1 v18). Christ is spoken of as “the power of God” (1 v24) and later we are told that “the Kingdom of God is not a matter talk but of power” (4 v20). The phrase, “the power of our Lord Jesus Christ” is used in the next chapter (5 v4) and power is later ascribed to God (6 v14). Finally we read of power in connection with the resurrection of the dead (15 v43, see also Phil. 3 v10). Here is power in action, inherent in God and seen in all the workings of His Kingdom. He is the Almighty, and absolute power is one of His attributes.
In 2 Corinthians Paul says of the Christian life, “For God, Who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (4 v6-7). All power is inherent in God, and it is when He is enshrined in the human heart that enablement is given to live as a Christian to His glory. Later, speaking of the Christian worker, the Apostle mentions as part of his equipment, “in truthful speech and in the power of God, with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left” (6 v7). The placing of power between truth and righteousness is surely significant, these three cannot be separated. Next Paul gives us a glimpse into his own experience, and after telling us of the thorn in his flesh and his earnest intercession for its removal, writes, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness’. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest upon me” (12 v9). The practical lesson which must always be learnt about power is that “Power belongs to God” (Ps. 62 v11) and can only be exercised through us when we know as a reality something of our weakness. Lastly we are given a glimpse of this principle in operation by the way in which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself deliberately laid aside His own power as God and trusted only in the might of the Father, “For to be sure, He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power”.
In other places power is associated directly with the Holy Spirit. Luke’s Gospel contains one or two interesting passages. In Luke 1 v15 Zachariah is told that John “will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from birth”, and when we read further we are shown the particular way in which this filling is to mould his path, “He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of righteousness - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (v 17). The terms of John’s commission are clear and he is to be equipped with power for this work. This power is only to be found in the presence of the Holy Spirit, whose purpose is to lay hold of his life so that the will of God may be done. Outside the scope of God’s will there could be no question of power.
Then there is a lovely verse in this same chapter when Gabriel tells Mary that she is to be the mother of the Redeemer. Mary asks in wonderment, “How will this be . . . since I am a virgin?” upon which she receives the assurance, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (v 34-35). God Himself stooped to work in a human frame the mighty miracle of the Incarnation. Humble readiness for His will was Mary’s part, the power was God’s. This is always so in all His dealings with us.
In Luke 4 v14 we read that when the Lord Jesus had faced and conquered the Tempter in the wilderness, He “returned in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through the whole countryside”. The Spirit of God, who had come upon Him at His baptism, enabled Him in His hour of bitter conflict, and then brought Him back in great triumph among the people, so that their dire need might be met by His power. In verse 36 we find this commentary, “All the people were amazed and said to each other, ‘What is this teaching? With authority and power He gives orders to evil spirits, and they come out”. Again this was power seen in action, and people recognizing its reality marvelled.
Another reference to look at is Luke 24 v49. The Lord Jesus Christ has explicitly defined their commission to His disciples. They are to be witnesses to His death and resurrection, and to proclaim in His Name the offer of forgiveness to the repentant. Then He says, “I am going to send you what my Father promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high”. Power and authority are interwoven. The authority of our witness is vouched for by the empowering Spirit. We have no right whatever to attempt to bear our witness without this empowering. The work of God can only be done by the power of His Spirit and we need to deal very closely with Him to ensure that we are linked to this Person, the Source of all effective working, and are not just beating the air. We must never forget that He who is the power of God will only empower us for that task which God has planned for us.
This brings us naturally to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 1 v8 reiterates the promise, and implies the command of Luke 24 v49, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. The purpose of the power brought by the indwelling Spirit was to enable them to witness. The darkness of the human heart can only be penetrated and enlightened by the Spirit’s power. Evidence, argument, persuasion and even preaching are of no avail without it. The Christian’s witness is not only to be faithful but also fruitful and this is guaranteed by a personally sought, and reckoned upon, enabling of the Holy Spirit.
In the early verses of Acts 3 a notable miracle has occurred, and in verse 12 we read that when Peter saw that the people ran together he said, “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” In our day there is in some circles much talk of healing and miraculous powers, but there is also much dismal failure. Sensationalism is always dangerous and the so-called miracle which needs human advertisement to bring it to peoples’ notice is usually counterfeit. Peter was concerned that the people should not misunderstand what had happened, and anxious to see that all honour was rendered to Jesus, who alone works great marvels. No one in their senses would deny that God can and does work miracles in our day, but where the miraculous takes the centre of the stage, we have only an exhibition of self, which will not only prove abortive but positively dangerous.
Power is also used in close connection with the Holy Spirit of God to describe the effectiveness of the apostles’ witness, even when opposed and persecuted (4 v29-30). Power is given as one of those qualifications which made Stephen fit for his office as a deacon (6 v8). The Lord Jesus Christ is spoken of during His earthly ministry as being full of divine power (10 v38).
Romans 15 v13 gives as one of the evidences of the power of the Holy Spirit operating in the life, “so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. This certainly is a miracle of grace when we can see beyond the material, which hedges us in on every side, and can be buoyant with hope in the darkest most unpromising situations. Then in verse 19 Paul speaks of “the power of signs and miracles through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ”. The display of power is here again seen to direct all thoughts into one channel, the glory of Christ, and the proclamation of His saving grace.
In 1 Corinthians 2 v1-5 Paul assesses his own preaching as being not “with eloquence or superior wisdom . . . but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power”, surely the only worthy objective for preaching.
The Epistles to the Thessalonians provide us with a contrast. Paul writes, “our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction”. We have this picture of a group of emancipated men and women planted in a Roman Colony whose new-found faith was obvious to those amongst whom they lived, and if hated by some was respected by all (1 Thess. 1 v5). In the second letter we find the direct warning against one who will come “in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing” (2 v9-10).
One more reference would seem to be relevant, and to bring real joy and assurance to every Christian heart, “For God did not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1 v7). How descriptive of the might, and yet the loving, gracious orderliness of the Holy Spirit. This is the power which we need to know in all its fulness, so that we too may be powerful in witness and see, in any realm in which it is His pleasure to work, miracles that shall redound to His glory, and His alone through all eternity.
From “The Bible and the Spirit-filled Life”.
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THROUGH THE OUTPOURED SPIRIT.
By A.W.Tozer.
Any observer of the Scriptures would surely see that God desires to advance His work by frequent outpourings of the Spirit upon His people as they need them and are prepared to receive them.
We make this statement with the full knowledge that it will be challenged by some. ’It is not scriptural’, they say, ‘to expect an outpouring of the Spirit today. The Spirit was poured out once for all at Pentecost and has not left the Church since that time. To pray for the Holy Spirit now is to ignore the historical fact of Pentecost’. This argument has discouraged expectation, has dampened down the fervour of many a congregation and silenced their prayers. But this is contrary to the Word of God and out of harmony with the operations of God in Church history. The Bible does not sponsor the doctrine of once-for-all blessing. Rather, it encourages us to expect showers of blessing upon the dry ground. It was impossible for the outpouring which came at Pentecost to affect persons who were not present or congregations not yet in existence. It is obvious that the spiritual benefits of Pentecost must be prolonged beyond the lifetimes of those who were the first to receive them. The Spirit must fill not only that first company of about a hundred and twenty, but others as well, or the blessings of that experience would cease with the death of the last member of the original band.
All this seems reasonable, but we have a more sure word of Scripture. Some time after Pentecost a company of believers met to pray for strength and power to meet the emergency then facing them and to enlist the help of God on their behalf. “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4 v31). Some of these were of the original number filled at Pentecost. Still other outpourings are recorded in Acts 8, 10 and 19. All these occurred some time after the original act.
The teaching of the New Testament is that the outpouring at Pentecost was the historic beginning of an era which was to be characterized by a continuous outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Through the prophet Joel, God had promised that He would, during the last days, pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. The phrase “the last days” applies to a period beginning with the first advent of Christ and continuing through to the second (see Joel 2 and Acts 2).
God's promise of poured-out power is meant for the Church for the whole time of her earthly warfare and is confirmed to us by the recorded experiences of 1900 years. While Christendom as a whole has been content with creed and form, there has always been a smaller group within the larger body which has proved the promises and enjoyed the fruits of Pentecost. Reformations, great missionary activity, sudden revivals of communities and nations have been the sign of the going forth of God the Spirit in power. In fairly recent times these spiritual visitations have given us the Moravians, the Methodists, the Salvation Army, and a galaxy of mighty preachers and missionaries whose names are in the Book of Life, and in these very days there is evidence that God is still pouring out His Spirit.
Now, if God wills to pour out His Spirit upon us, why do not more Christians and more churches receive an experience of power like that of the early Church? Some have so received, but why is the number so few? When the provision is so broad and the promise so sure, what hinders us?
One obstacle to the reception of God’s power is the fear of emotionalism. Some Bible teachers declaim against feelings. Feeling and faith are opposed to each other some teach, and the listener is given to understand that any exhibition of emotion should be avoided at any cost.
This anti-emotionalism, though sponsored by some good people, is not scriptural. Where in the Bible are feelings and faith said to be at odds? The fact is that faith engenders feelings as certainly as life engenders motion. We can have feeling without faith but we can never have faith without feeling. Faith as a cold unemotional light is wholly unknown in the Scriptures. The faith of those Bible heroes listed in the Book of Hebrews invariably aroused emotion and led to positive action in the direction of their faith. A statement, a promise, a warning, always produced a corresponding feeling in the heart of the believer. Noah was “moved with fear”. Abraham “rejoiced” and “obeyed”. The Book of Acts is almost hilarious with joy. Perhaps the best summary of the whole thing is made by Paul when writing to the Romans, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14 v17), and Peter says, “you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1Peter 1 v8).
Another hindrance is the fear of fanaticism. The excesses of some who profess lofty spiritual attainments has closed the door to a life of power for many of God's children. They have made the mistake of putting all teaching concerning the Holy Spirit into the same category and consequently will have nothing to do with it. This is to be regretted. They must be taught that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus and is as gracious and beautiful as the Saviour Himself. Paul’s words should be kept in mind, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline”. The Holy Spirit is the cure for fanaticism, not the cause of it.
Hearing those without the Spirit constantly preaching about the Spirit causes hardness of heart and greatly hinders God’s people. There is no doctrine so chilling as the doctrine of the Spirit when held in cold passivity and personal unbelief. The hearers will turn away in apathy from an exhortation to be filled with the Spirit unless the Spirit Himself is giving the exhortation through the speaker. It is possible to learn this truth and preach it faithfully and still be totally devoid of power. The hearers sense the lack and go away with numbed hearts. Theirs is not opposition to the truth but a reaction to unreality. Yet scarcely one of the hearers can tell another what the trouble is. It is as if they had been hearing an echo and not a voice, or seeing a reflection and not the light itself.
Another thing which hinders believers from enjoying the power of the Holy Spirit is the habit of instructing seekers to “take it by faith” when they become aware of their need for the fulness of the Holy Spirit. The benefits of atonement are to be received by faith. This is basic in redemptive theology, and any departure from it is fatal to true Christian experience. Paul teaches emphatically that the Spirit is received through faith and rebukes anyone who would teach otherwise. So it would seem to be sound to instruct a seeker to “take it by faith”, but there is something wrong. One is forced to wonder whether the words “by faith” mean the same thing when used by modern teachers as they did when used by Paul. A sharp contrast is observable between Spirit-filled Christians of Paul's time and many who claim to be filled with the Spirit today. Paul's converts received the spirit by faith to be sure, but they actually received Him. Thousands now go through the motion of taking Him by faith, and believe they do so take Him, but show by their continued feebleness that they do not know Him in real power.
The trouble seems to be with our understanding of faith. Faith, as Paul saw it, was a living thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commands of Christ. Faith in our day often means no more than a meek assent to a doctrine. Many persons, convinced of their need of power, but unwilling to go through the painful struggle of death to the old life, turn with relief to this “take it by faith” doctrine as a way out of their difficulty. But it is they who constitute the “mixed multitude” which slows down the progress of the Church and causes most of the trouble when things get tight. And unless they see it differently later and decide to go through the hard way, they are fated to spend the rest of their lives in secret disappointment. ,
Let it be remembered that no one ever received the Holy Spirit’s power without knowing it. He always announces Himself to the inner consciousness. God will pour out His Spirit upon us in answer to simple faith, but real faith will be accompanied by deep poverty of spirit and mighty heart yearnings, and will express itself in strong crying and tears.
From: “Paths to Power”.
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THE CALLING AND SENDING OF THE SPIRIT.
By Arthur Pierson.
In Matthew 9 v37-38 Jesus said, “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field”, and in the beginning of Acts 13 we read of the early church doing just that, and the bringing to birth of mission to the Gentile world. Here in Acts we have a praying church, and the divine calling and sending out of the workers. When the church offered believing prayers “the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’ ”. How could the personality and activity of the Holy Spirit in the affairs of the church be more plainly taught! Only a person speaks, calls by name and sends. The Spirit names the very men He has chosen, and sends them forth.
Here is a new exhibition of the Spirit’s authority, “The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went . . .” The Holy Spirit has his apostles, for the word apostle or missionary, means one who is sent. Till now the term apostle had meant those chosen by Christ personally or in Christ’s name, but in the next chapter, referring to Barnabas and Saul, we read, “The people in the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles” (Acts 14 v4). The Spirit of God gives authority and sends whom He will as apostles. The important thought is that these men, whom He had chosen, were sent. The church at Antioch prayed, but the Holy Spirit commissioned and sent. Those who were called by the Spirit and sent forth by Him would be accompanied by signs of His presence and power. Saul no sooner begins his new ministry at Paphos than he is given proof of being filled with the Spirit as he calls judgement on Elymas the sorcerer (Acts 13 v9). As this chapter closes we are told that “the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” and the divine Person is kept before us, and fullness of joy is seen to be one of the acts of the Holy Spirit.
In chapter fourteen, verse three we have another example of the Spirit's working, the Lord “confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders”. Christ had promised that as the disciples bore witness to Him they would find Another bearing witness with them and to them, a greater testimony confirming and sealing their own (John 14 and 15). And all through these Acts of the Holy Spirit we may trace this double witness going forward, where there was in fact a threefold witness, to them, with them and through them. Here His testimony is referred to in relation to its confirmation of them and their work. While they witnessed to the risen Christ, the Spirit also gave His testimony to them and to their word, by signs and wonders wrought in the power of the Spirit, and by working that greatest of all miracles, a regenerate heart. The Holy Spirit’s joint testimony with that of disciples referred to in this verse can be compared with such verses as, “the Spirit of truth . . . will testify about Me. And you also must testify” (John 15 v26-27). “Then the disciples went out preaching, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it” (Mark 16 v20). “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will” (Heb. 2 v4).
Acts 14 v26 reads, “From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed”. This is like Acts 15 v40 where a similar phrase may be another indirect reference to Holy Spirit’s guidance, and shows that the Holy Spirit had specially set apart these two for mission work. The commitment, presence, guidance and power of the Holy Spirit is linked with the submission of all true co-workers. Endorsement on the one hand and commitment on the other are the secrets of power in service. The Holy Spirit can administer only so far as we commit ourselves to His blessed rule and control, and all those who are committed by the church and entrust themselves to His divine guidance and governance will have, like Paul and Barnabas, much to tell to the church of what God has done with them. God the Holy Spirit acts through human instruments and can do great things, both in opening doors of faith to unbelievers, and in confirming the work of faith in believers, if He finds instruments who are wholly committed to His keeping.
This entrusting and committing of ourselves to the Spirit corresponds to that aspect of saving faith which is properly called trust. It has been said, “Faith is receiving, trust is committing”. The one gets, the other gives. One takes the gift of eternal life from God on the basis of His Word, and then gives back that life to be kept and used by Him. This is expressed by the word yield or offer, “offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life” (Rom. 6 v13). Paul writes to Timothy, “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him”. Here are the four degrees of faith, knowledge, belief, conviction and commitment.
So in our relationship to the Holy Spirit there is a double aspect. First we receive him as Christ’s ascension gift, then we commit ourselves to His indwelling, working in us and then outworking to others. The former act is the opening of the heart and whole being to His blessed incoming, the latter is the giving up to His possession and power, service and control, of the whole being so that He may find every member of the body, every faculty of the mind, every affection of the heart, obedient to His behests and ready to do His bidding.
The supreme lesson to be learned by all disciples is this cheerful, grateful and whole-hearted self-yielding to the Spirit. All His power is at the disposal of every believer who is first at His disposal. “The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went . . .”, that is, being sent they went at once, implicitly surrendering themselves to His guidance. A supernatural gospel is meant to accomplish supernatural results, and needs a supernatural power behind it and its messengers. We who are the heralds of Christ need to feel that we are not only dealing with divine things but with a divine Person, and that only as we obey Him and submit to His control and guidance can we have power. There can be talk of consecration, mere human resolve, which has no experience of the Spirit taking possession, changing the whole life and shedding abroad the love of God. It is possible to have labour, but all in human endeavour and not of the Spirit. How wonderful when one is sent forth by the Spirit, going at His bidding, and can say with Micah, “I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord” (Micah 3 v8).
When Barnabas and Paul had completed this first missionary journey they returned to Antioch, and “on arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14 v27). Then, on their way to Jerusalem, “as they travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad” (Acts 15 v3). In the same way, at Jerusalem, “they reported everything God had done through them” and “telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles” (Acts 15 v4&12).
Those sent by the Holy Spirit and going forth at His bidding will always have much to tell, but not about themselves. We receive eternal life as a gift from God, and when we receive the Holy Spirit, He gives, or rather becomes power in us, but this power will cease to be ours the moment we become self-reliant or self-confident. The only hope of the believer or of the church for power in praying or preaching, living for God or labouring with God, is found in the perpetual in-dwelling and in-working of the Spirit. If He is loved, worshiped and adored as God, if His presence and control are recognized and cherished, if all is done under His authority and for the glory of Jesus, He will continue to make the Church the true body of Christ.
From: ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit’.
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