The Promise of the Spirit
By G. B. Thompson
The Promise of the Spirit
The work of the Spirit of God is not confined wholly to any one age or dispensation. Conversion, or the new birth, is the work of the Holy Spirit. So long as hearts have been changed, the Spirit has been at work. The Old Testament contains many references to the manifestation of the Spirit of God during the time when types and shadows were pointing the people forward to the promised Messiah. At creation “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Gen. 1: 2. Speaking to Noah concerning the flood, which was to destroy man and beast from the earth, the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” Gen. 6: 3. When the sanctuary was to be built according to a divine pattern, as a dwelling-place for the Most High God, we read of Bezalel, who was among those chosen to build the sanctuary, that God “filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.” Ex. 31: 3. There were others also who were “filled with the spirit of wisdom.” Ex. 28: 3. We read that the “Spirit of the Lord came upon” Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, and many others, enabling them to do great things for God. During the weary wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness, their murmurings and rebellion “vexed his Holy Spirit.”149 It remains, however, for all the fulness and glorious work of the Holy Spirit in the church to be set forth in the New Testament, where, as the successor and representative of our blessed Lord, the Spirit is seen directing the officers of the church, choosing missionaries, and turning thousands from darkness to light. A prophet of God some eight centuries before the first advent of Christ foretold the special work of the Spirit, not only at Pentecost, but in the closing work of the gospel as well. “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.” Joel 2: 23, 28, 29. It was not, however, till near the close of his earthly ministry that our Lord began to especially emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit. In the “upper room” he had made known to his disciples that he was soon to leave them and return to his Father. John 13: 33, 36. This was a sad hour to them. To comfort their sorrowing hearts, Jesus announced to them the advent of “another Comforter,” or Advocate, who would come and abide with them till the end of the church’s pilgrimage. The special instruction of Jesus at that memorable farewell meeting with his beloved disciples is given in John, chapters 14-16. The sublime prayer with which the solemn gathering was concluded is recorded in the seventeenth chapter. That we may have before us what Jesus said concerning the coming of the Comforter, we shall quote the scriptures containing this instruction:— “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world can not receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” “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: 16, 17, 25, 26. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” John 15: 26. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can not bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” John 16: 7-15. The Holy Spirit is here spoken of for the first time under the name of paraclete, the word from which comforter is translated. The significance and beauty of this we shall notice at another time. Let us notice some of the precious things the Saviour here says of this promised Paraclete:—- He is a comforter, or advocate.
- He is the Spirit of truth.
- He will dwell with us.
- He will be a teacher of righteousness.
- He will help us remember the Word.
- He will testify, not of himself, but of Christ.
- He will convince of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
- He will guide us into the truth.
- He will reveal things to come.
- He will glorify Christ.
- He will reveal to us the things of God.
Nor is this all the instruction the Saviour gave to his disciples in reference to the coming of the Comforter, or Paraclete. After his resurrection he said to them: “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” John 20: 21, 22. “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.” Acts 1: 4. The fulfilment of this mysterious and wonderful promise of the Father and his Son was seen at Pentecost. Here the disciples, one hundred twenty in number, were “with one accord in one place.” Not one was absent. Heart beat with heart, and prayer mingled with prayer. It was then that the Comforter came in fulfilment of the promise. Suddenly a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind filled the house, “and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2: 4. When the Spirit manifested himself to Ezekiel, it was with “a voice of a great rushing.” Eze. 3: 12. What the Spirit was to the church in apostolic days, it may and will be to the church in the closing days of the world’s history. This promise of the Spirit was not for that time alone; it belongs to us as well. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2: 38, 39. “To us to-day, as verily as to the first disciples, the promise of the Spirit belongs. God will to-day endow men and women with power from above, as he endowed those who on the day of Pentecost heard the word of salvation. At this very hour his Spirit and his grace are for all who need them and will take him at his word.” “Christ declared that the divine influence of the Spirit was to be with his followers unto the end. But the promise is not appreciated as it should be; and therefore its fulfilment is not seen as it might be. The promise of the Spirit is a matter little thought of; and the result is only what might be expected,—spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Minor matters occupy the attention, and the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in its infinite plenitude.” “Why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit, since this is the means by which we are to receive power? Why do we not talk of it, pray for it, preach concerning it? The Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to us than parents are to give good gifts to their children. For the baptism of the Spirit every worker should be pleading with God. Companies should be gathered together to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely. Especially should men pray that God will baptize his missionaries with the Holy Spirit.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VIII, pages 20, 21, 22. The remnant church is almost through the wilderness of sin, and is soon to enter the heavenly Canaan. But dangers threaten her on every side, none perhaps more than that of ease and lukewarmness. She needs at this time the promised power and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Surely we should not fail to lay hold of that which will “bring all other blessings in its train.” Without the Spirit there is no life, for “the body without the spirit is dead.” But clothed with the power of the Spirit, she “cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved,” and goes forth “fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.” The result of a vital connection between the eternal Spirit and the machinery of the church, has been graphically stated in the following language:— “Suppose we saw an army sitting down before a granite fort, and they told us that they intended to batter it down, we might ask them, ‘How?’ They point to a cannon-ball. Well, but there is no150power in that; it is heavy, but not more than half a hundredweight, or perhaps a hundredweight. If all the men in the army hurled it against the fort, they would make no impression. They say, ‘No, but look at the cannon.’ Well, there is no power in that. A child may ride upon it, a bird may perch in its mouth: it is a machine, and nothing more. ‘But look at the powder.’ Well, there is no power in that; a child may spill it, a sparrow may peck it, yet this powerless powder and powerless ball are put into the powerless cannon. One spark of life enters it, and then in the twinkling of an eye that powder is a flash of lightning, and that ball a thunderbolt which smites as if it had been sent from heaven. So it is with our church-machinery at this day. We have all the instruments necessary for pulling down strongholds; and, O, for the baptism of fire!”—Quoted in “The Mission of the Spirit,” page 151.