“RECEIVE YE THE HOLY SPIRIT.”
God grants forgiveness that He may cleanse us from our sins and bestow upon us His righteousness. That cleanses from all the black past, and places us in the living present clean before Him. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death.” Rom. 8:1, 2. The slave of sin is a free man. The child of disobedience is a child of God. The blind sees. The deaf ears are unstopped. The tongue of the dumb sings. But God gives His Spirit for service; and it will never be received—it can never be received—in its fulness till the whole man is given to the service of God. God will not serve with your sins. Jesus Christ is not a minister of sin. Gal. 2:17. His glory He will not give to another. The church of Christ can have God's power for service when she will in her members yield herself to serve God,—to do as He wills, as He chooses, as He directs. This does not mean following one's own way and calling it God's way; it means giving up one's own way absolutely, and choosing God's way at the cost of all things worldly, earthly, carnal, selfish. His Spirit waits to enter, waits to clothe with power; waits to fertilize and fructify and bring forth Pentecostal fruit. O church of Christ, give up all else and “receive ye the Holy Spirit.”