FIRST A HOLY CHURCH THEN THE HOLY GHOST.
By Albion F. Ballenger
The Church and the Spirit—An Organized Church—What Church?
THE Holy Spirit in his office of witness as manifested on the day of Pentecost belongs to, and is only given to, the church. As lungs to breathing, so is the church to the Holy Ghost. It is true that it is the globule, or lung cell, which receives the air, but God "fitly joined together and compacted" these individual cells into lungs before He breathed into them the breath of life, and these cells perform a function thus fitly joined together which they could not perform separated. It is also true that the Holy Ghost is given to "each one" as on the day of Pentecost, but each one must be of "one accord," or "fitly joined together in one body," as was the church then, with all the Achans and Judases cleansed out, before they can manifest the fulness of the witnessing power which God has given to the church. The church is the "habitation of God through the Spirit," or, in other words, God inhabits the church by means of His representative, the Holy Spirit. The individual members are all "fitly framed together" "into an holy temple," "for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Eph. 2:21, 22. And the gifts of the Spirit, which are the demonstrations of the power of the Holy Spirit for service, for witnessing, are given to the church. "God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." All these are gifts of the Spirit, and God hath set them in the church. 1 Cor. 12:28. Some one will admit all this but say that it is the invisible church, or body of Christ, to whom the fulness of the Holy Spirit is given; that, therefore, a visible or organized church is not necessary. But this is a mistake. It is a visible, organized church which received the power from on high on the day of Pentecost. It was a church which Christ had organized, but it was nevertheless organized and visible. Christ said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against" "My church;" and He shows the church to be a visible, responsible body, which can hear of the trespassing of obstinate members and speak authoritatively to such members. Matt. 18:15-18. From this we must deduct the solemn truth that we can not have apostolic power in the church until we have a church of apostolic purity. A church must be found or framed out of which all the Achans and Ananiases have been cleansed. If one Achan drove the power of God from "the church in the wilderness," the many Achans can but keep the "power from on high" away from the church of to-day. What, then, shall be done? Shall we cease to seek God for the baptism of His Spirit because His fulness can not be realized until the church is cleansed?—God forbid. First Seek the Lord for His Spirit to Cleanse You, and then to use you to witness against the uncleanness of the church. By this means you will either cleanse the church or hear a call from the Spirit, saying, "Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." The writer is positive that he is able to point out the church whom God will use to manifest forth the fulness of His power. Reader, are you anxious to find that church? Here is a description of it. "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Rev. 3:14-17. Reader, can you find the church described by this scripture? Do you know of a church that has a form of godliness without the power? Do you know of a church that is proud and worldly while claiming to be the true church of God? Is this church your church? Do you reply that you don't know of a church that is not in that condition? It isn't enough to be able to find such a church—that is, easy. But can you find a church in that condition that will confess that they are in that condition—not a church that has a few members in it "who sigh and cry for the abominations that be done in the midst thereof," but a whole church that will acknowledge that they are in that condition, or can be led to acknowledge that they are in that condition. Until such a church is found or formed it will be impossible for God to manifest forth to the world the fulness of the power from on high. When a church can be found that will acknowledge that they are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, and will heed the exhortation that follows, then we shall have found the church through whom God will manifest all the power of the Holy Ghost. "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." Rev. 3:18-20. The church that will accept of this fearful rebuke, repent, and open the door to Jesus Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit, will have all its denominational pride cleansed away. And it is this pride which, as much as any other sin, is keeping the Holy Ghost from the church.