The Outpouring of the Spirit.
THERE are many Christian souls who are looking longingly for the outpouring of the Spirit of God. Many of them will fail to recognize it when it comes, because they ignore the conditions laid down in the Scriptures. Great danger lies here. The Spirit of God will be poured out in abundant measure in the last days. In what way or ways will this outpouring be manifest? This must not be decided by human consciousness or witness. There are many of the past centuries, from "Simon the sorcerer," who was called "the great power of God" (Acts 8), to present-day fanatics, who have believed they were Spirit-baptized and Spirit-filled; who have cried as did deceived ones in Luther's day, "The Spirit, the Spirit," but who have utterly ignored God's written word. Having no rule, no standard, save their own selfish hearts, such ones are bound to be deceived by that false spirit whose legions fill the world with evil. The prophet presents this test, not only for his own time, but for all ages: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20. Jesus says of a class who profess to be His servants, and who will prophesy and work miracles in His name, yet who ignore His word: "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. . . . Then will I profess unto them [the miracle-workers], I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." Matt. 7:21-23. The doing of God's will is loyalty to God; the working of iniquity is the opposite. Again Jesus declares, in speaking of Himself, the true Shepherd of God's sheep: "The sheep hear His voice. . . . The sheep follow Him; for they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, . . . for they know not the voice of strangers." "I am the Good Shepherd; and I know Mine own, and Mine own know Me, even as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father." John 10:3, 4, 14, 15. There is no guesswork in regard to this knowing. He who is truly of the flock of God Jehovah has given himself to God. He has renounced his sins, laid them all on the altar of God. He has accepted the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ for all the past of his life, and has chosen as the dominating motive power of conduct the life of the Spirit of God instead of the life of the flesh. That Spirit of life writes in the heart of the child of the flock the law of God (Heb. 8:10; Jer. 31:33); and the erstwhile sinner is in harmony with the law of God. He experiences the truth: "I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep Mine ordinances, and do them." Eze. 36:27. The law which the Spirit of God writes in the heart is the law which was spoken by the same "Voice" from heaven in the Ten Words of the Decalogue, the epitome of God's eternal code of moral conduct. Ex. 20:1-17; Deut. 5:22. Knowing that Voice, having its utterance written in the heart, having the life thus attuned to the utterance of the divine, we shall know all other voices in harmony with that voice of God. We shall ignore the discords of all voices out of tune with the divine harmony of its statutes. We shall know that the eternal Spirit which wrote the law on the tables of our heart will not speak contrary to the eternal God who spoke the law from Sinai's burning summit. If such could be the case, then God is divided against Himself, and His government and His plan of salvation are failures. God's law and God's Spirit are in harmony. God's Spirit is in harmony with the God-breathed, Spirit-inspired Scriptures. Any spirit speaking otherwise is not of God whatever its claims or manifestations may be. He who knows this truth will know from that word, and what he may see in harmony with the word, that God is now pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh to convict, convince of sin and righteousness, and judgment. Therefore there are "multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision." Joel 3:14. Men may reject that Spirit, as many are doing and will do, but they have heard its pleadings to turn from the slavery of sin to the free service of Christ. As never before with the onsweep and outsweep of His widely scattered word, and thru that word and by His messengers, God is pleading with men, all men, as long as they will hear. The rejection will be of men, not of God. Not till the soul finally says, "I will not have this Man to reign over me," will the Spirit depart. But that Spirit is coming into the hearts and lives of those who yield to the voice of God. It comes in to work one of the mightiest miracles ever wrought, change the hard heart of a sinner to the obedient heart of a child of God. Not by outward show and pomp does the Spirit come. Not by an announcement of great miracles wrought or to be wrought, but to witness for Christ thru a regenerated life does the Spirit dwell with men. "If ye love Me, keep My commandments. 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." John 14:15-17. And the "Spirit of truth" will witness with "the law of truth."