The holy spirit - Chambers, Oswald
It is not what we feel, or what we know, but ever what we receive from god and a fool can receive a gift. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13). It is so simple that everyone who is not simple misses it.
Beware of telling people they must be worthy to receive the holy spirit; you cant be worthy, you must know you are unworthy, then you will ask for the gift if ye then, being evil.
. . . The biggest blessing in your life was when you came to the end of trying to be a christian, the end of reliance on natural devotion, and were willing to come as a pauper and receive the holy spirit. The humilia- tion is that we have to be quite sure we need him, so many of us are quite sure we don’t need him.
It is extraordinary how things fall off from a man like autumn leaves once he comes to the place where there is no rule but that of the personal domination of the holy spirit.
We continually want to substitute our trans- actions with god for the great mystic powerful work of the holy spirit. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but know- est not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the spirit ( john 3:8 RV)
By regeneration we are put into right relation- ship with god, then we have the same human nature, working on the same lines, but with a different driving power expressing itself, so that the members which were used for the wrong are now used for the good (see Romans 6:1721). The strenuous effort of the saint is not to produce holiness, but to express in actual circumstances the disposition of the son of god which is imparted to him by the holy ghost. Beware of seeking power rather than the personal relationship to Jesus Christ which is the grand avenue through which the holy spirit comes in his working power. But ye shall receive power, when the holy ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses (acts 1:8 RV ). The message of pentecost is an emphasis, not on the holy ghost, but on the risen and ascended Christ (see john 16:1315). The holy spirit takes care that we fix our attention on Jesus Christ; then he will look after the presentation given of our lord through us. Devotion to Jesus is the expression of the holy spirits work in me. The holy spirit is concerned only with glorifying Jesus, not with glorifying our human generosities. The deep and engrossing need of those of us who name the name of Christ is reliance on the holy spirit. Jesus Christ reinstates us to the position lost through sin (see Romans 5:12); we come at this knowl- edge experimentally, but it is never our understanding of salvation that leads to salvation. Salvation is experienced first, then to understand it needs the work of the holy spirit, which is surprising and incalculable. We become partakers of the divine nature by receiving the holy ghost who sheds abroad the love of god in our hearts (Romans 5:5), and the oneness is manifested in a life of abandon and obedience both unconscious. If you are being checked by the holy spirit over a wrong thing you are allowing in yourself, beware of only captiously seeing the limitations in other people; you will diverge further away from god if you don t recognise that it is the still small voice of god to you. There is nothing so still and gentle as the checks of the holy spirit if they are yielded to, emancipation is the result; but let them be trifled with, and there will come a hardening of the life away from god. Dont quench the spirit.
There is no room for harsh judgement on the part of a child of god. Harsh judgement is based, not on the sternness of the holy ghost, but on my refusal to bear someone elses burden. Beware of everything in which you have to justify yourself to yourself because the underlying fact is that you have cajoled yourself into taking a decision born of temperamental convictions instead of in entire reliance on the holy spirit. The inspiration of the holy spirit is not an impulse to make me act but to enable me to interpret gods meaning; if i do act on the impulse of the inspi- ration, it is a mere physical reaction in myself. Impulse is gods knock at my door that he might come in, not for me to open the door and go out. The salvation of Jesus Christ makes a mans personality intense; very few of us are real until the holy spirit gets hold of us. The holy spirit does not obliterate a mans per- sonality; he lifts it to its highest use, viz. , for the portrayal of the mind of god. Beware of the show businessi want to be baptised with the holy ghost so that i may do wonderful works. God never allows anyone to do wonderful works: he does them, and the baptism of the holy ghost prevents my seeing them in order to glory in them. When he ascended on high . . . He gave gifts unto men (Ephesians 4:8 RV ; cf. Acts 2:33).
The only sign that a particular gift is from the ascended Christ is that it edifies the church. Much of our christian work to-day is built on what the apostle pleads it should not be built on, viz. , the excellencies of the natural virtues. Be careful to notice the difference between an offended personal prejudice which makes you feel ruffled and huffy, and the intuitive sense of bondage produced by the holy spirit when you are listening to something that is not gods truth.
We must distinguish between the bewilderment arising from conviction of sin and the bewilderment arising from confusion in thinking; the latter is the inevitable result in a traditionally christian mind on first receiving the holy spirit; but a curious thing to note is that a heathen mind experiences no such bewilderment on receiving the holy spirit because there are no preconceived notions to be got rid of. The mind that is not produced by obedience to the holy spirit in the final issue hates god.
If you are in danger of building on the natural virtues, which are a remnant of the former creation, the holy spirit will throw a searchlight and show you things that cause you to shudder. He will reveal a vin- dictiveness, a maliciousness, you never knew before.
Let god bring you through some midnight, when the holy spirit reminds you of what you once were, of your religious hypocrisies the things the devil whispers you should forget; let god bring you to the dust before him. This experience will always come in the path of those god is going to take up into his purposes. The baptism of the holy ghost means the extinc- tion of life-fires that are not of god, and everything becomes instinct with the life of god. The holy spirit is the one who regenerates us into the family to which Jesus Christ belongs, until by the eternal efficacy of the cross we are made par- takers of the divine nature. The holy spirit is not a substitute for Jesus. The holy spirit is all that jesus was, made real in personal experience now. There is one thing we cannot imitate: we cannot imitate being full of the holy ghost. The mark of the holy spirit in a mans life is that he has gone to his own funeral and the thought of himself never enters.
The sign that the holy spirit is being obeyed by me is that i am not dominated by my sensualities. And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof (gala- tians 5:24 RV ). Sensualities are not gross only, they can be very refined. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy ghost which is in you . . . ? (1 corinthians 6:19). The indwelling of the holy spirit is the climax of redemption. The great impelling power of the holy spirit is seen in its most fundamental working whenever an issue of will is pushed. It is pleasanter to listen to poetical discourses, more agreeable to have your affinities appealed to, but it is not good enough, it leaves you exactly as you were. The gospel appeal comes with a stinging grip will you? Or, wont you? I will accept, or, ill put it off both are decisions, remember.
We have to distinguish between acquiring and receiving. We acquire habits of prayer and bible reading and we receive our salvation, we receive the holy spirit, we receive the grace of god. We give more attention to the things we acquire; all god pays attention to is what we receive. Those things we receive can never be taken from us because god holds those who receive his gifts. The fruit of pseudo-evangelism is different from the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:2223). Guard as your greatest gift the anointing of the holy spirit, viz. , the right of access to god for your- self. And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you (1 john 2:27 RV ).
It is the fine art of the holy spirit to be