THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT is a subject which is preached far too little in the world today. Possibly it is because so few, comparatively, have the Baptism or know very much about it. Is is a subject upon which a great many are confused and think when one is converted that they receive the Baptism simultaneously. Others think someone is converted they are conditionally ready for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit or are continually receiving the Holy Spirit, but that the word Baptism means an overwhelming measure; for there was no certainty concerning this so great, so important, so necessary and so vital a theme. Therefore would we specially be desirous that every member, every student, be very clear upon God's Word.
If there is one thing above another the clergy and the laity need today, it is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. There is one message from the Word that the Lord blesses and honors frequently that when anyone makes mention of the Holy Spirit, the message concerning the Holy Spirit. I have observed very a little ripple runs over the audience, a minister may be praying and the people bowing their heads in formal, silent worship; but the moment that minister says, "O Lord, send the Holy Spirit!" even over the oldest, driest congregation, something like a wave of glory rolls, and someone says, "Amen! Hallelujah! That's what we need!" And praise the Lord, the Spirit answers every time we recognize Him!
Why is this subject important? First, because this is the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. There have been three Dispensations—that of The Father, The Son, and now the Dispensation of The Holy Spirit.
Why is this subject so neglected?
Because it is the day of the rejection of the Holy Spirit. When the Father was here, 'twas the Father who was rejected. We said, "I have brought up a backsliding people out of Egypt," and from Genesis to Malachi we read of the rejection by the people of His loving ministration.
During the dispensation of the Son, told in the New Testament from Matthew to John and the first chapter of Acts, it was the Son who was rejected and despised.
Now we are in the Dispensation of the Holy Spirit, and, therefore, we may expect a certain amount of reproach concerning the Baptism, because this is the third and last call to the marriage supper of the Lamb—the third dealing of God with His people. We need Him, an enduement of power and equipment for service to send us forth to preach the Gospel, to strengthen us for the day when the powers of darkness shall encamp round about us: to prepare us for the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We need Him because the Holy Spirit is the rain which shall bring the harvest to fruition. The former rain was sent moderately during the time of the seed sowing. Now the time of Harvest is at hand, and the latter rain is coming down and ripening the harvest fields of life that they may be garnered in before the Saviour shall appear in the clouds of glory.
We need the Baptism, that when our Saviour comes, the same Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies and sweep us up into the clouds of glory to meet the Coming King.
It is an important subject because the world needs a revival today, and because the secret of revival is letting the Holy Spirit have right-of-way.
Some time ago I read of a small pleasure craft cruising upon the Niagara River just above the falls. Aboard the little steam-ship were many sight-seers, viewing the Falls.
Some way, the ship went too close to the rapids. All possible steam ahead was ordered, but, instead of gaining, the brave little craft was slowly but steadily losing ground. The Captain's face was white and set. The firemen were working feverishly but still the force of the water was too great. They were slipping back—back like so many of our churches seem to be going today—losing the Amen corner and the Hallelujah Chorus—losing the all-night prayer meetings, the zeal to see souls coming into the Kingdom—back toward the rapids of moving pictures in the church, the fire in the kitchen stove instead of in the pulpit and pew; the card parties in the church or parish house—drifting toward the rapids of worldliness and losing the old-time faith in God!
Someone remembered that in the hold of the vessel there was a barrel of oil, which had been stored there for emergencies. "Let will bring us through!"
They brought out the barrel of oil, and poured the oil on the flames. What a great combustion and flames shot up and leaped out of the smokestack. The little ship shook herself and trembled from stem to stern. Full speed ahead was ordered, the engineer opened the throttle wide and the little ship pulled herself up from the rapids and went back to the shore easily.
It was a white and trembling company of people that disembarked; but they were happy. The oil had saved the day.
What we need as a church today is the Oil of Baptism poured on the dying flames! The church is drifting into modernism, higher criticism, and doubting God's Word. We are drifting—drifting toward the rapids—drifting into coldness—drifting into slackness and formality. We have lost our first love. The need of the church today is the outpouring of the Power of the Holy Spirit to quicken into newness of life—to quicken the engine and the whole vessel, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
"You shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you."
Why do we not hear about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Why is the subject considered obsolete, and when it is preached upon at all, why is it mentioned rather apologetically?
The Devil is fighting this truth with might and main, because he knows if the church of Jesus Christ tarries on her knees and returns to Pentecost, Pentecost will return to the Church. He remembers, does that old rascal, what happened on the Day of Pentecost—how a man named Peter, who had been a coward and had run from a little girl—a man who failed in the two great twin peaks of a Christian experience, that of prayer and testimony—when he tarried and received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, that a marvelous, supernatural, miraculous change took place in Peter. Instead of saying, "No, I am not one of them," or instead of sleeping when he should have been praying, that man became a whirlwind. He became a glory to the Lord and a terror to the Devil. When the people came together saying, "What meaneth this?" he leaped to his feet and his voice with authority over the heads of the assembled multitude.
"These are not drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
"But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel:
"'And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God,' (Peter was living in the first of the last days. We are living in the last of the last days.) 'I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.'
In other words Peter said, "In the last days your sons and your daughters shall preach." For Paul gives us the definition of prophesying in the fourteenth chapter of First Corinthians: "He that prophesieth speaketh unto man to edification, and exhortation, and comfort;" which is a perfect definition of preaching.
Someone may say, "I do not like to hear a woman preach the Gospel."
I always asks them what they come for then; but I don't blame them. I don't like to hear a woman preach either. I don't like to hear a man preach any better. I would rather hear the Holy Gospel speak, than anyone in all the world!
We need to lift our eyes above the servant and the maid and become an empty channel where the Holy Spirit can have right-of-way.
As Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, the power of God fell upon the people, and they began to cry: "What shall we do?"
Peter answered, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
"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."
If the Lord has called you, the promise of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in all its glory and fiery fullness, with its Christ exaltation and the glorification of the Blood of the slain lamb of Calvary, with all its enduement, with all its quickening power, is for you—even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
He remembers, does Satan, that when these men, who prior to Pentecost, received the Holy Ghost, they received utterance. Instead of being stammering, illiterate fishermen, giving their message in clumsy, halting fashion, they suddenly straightened up and threw back their shoulders, their faces shone as though an electric light had been switched on inside, and they preached the Gospel—not as the Scribes and Pharisees, but as men having authority.
Someone asked, "Are these not ignorant fishermen? How is it we hear them speak this certainty—with this flow of golden oratory?" Anyone who knew the fishermen, knew it was not the fishermen speaking.
When the Holy Spirit comes in He can take even a fisherman, or a rancher's daughter from a milk pail on a farm, or a man from a coal mine, empty them of self, and "out of their innermost beings shall flow rivers of living water."
The Devil knows the power of the Holy Spirit preaching is going to shake the people, is going to bring about altar calls that whole families shall be converted, converts baptized in water, the hungry filled with the Holy Spirit, hundreds trained to go forth and preach the Gospel, and that missionaries shall sail the seven seas.
We may preach very wonderful sermons without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; we may write our notes and practice the sermon, afraid to get away from the pulpit a few feet for fear we will lose our place, and the Devil does not mind so much because he knows the man on the front seat will have a nice nap, the man in the middle will plan out the building of a steam engine, while someone else will be wondering if dinner will be ready when he reaches home or thinking of the coming dance. Once I was scheduled to preach in a minister's church on Sunday afternoon. Having traveled for some hours, and being a bit weary, I did not speak in the morning, but listened to the sermon.
After the service the minister asked,"
"Sister, what are you speaking on this afternoon?"
"I am not sure," I replied. "I am going to pray about it.,"
"My dear Sister! You should know now and have your notes all written!"
"I never speak from notes," I replied. "I put down a little heading or an illustration or possibly an anecdote or two, but I never write out my sermons at all."
"Oh," he replied, "you have not been long in the work."
"No, only about five years."
"Someone should have explained that to you. You never went to a theological seminary, did you?"
"No," I replied, "but I have been to school with the Holy Spirit in Trinity College. I love that college with The Father, Son and Holy Spirit as faculty."
"That is good, Sister; but let me give you some help."
He took down a big book.
"Here is a good book on sermon construction. Here is the sermon in this column. Here is your Scripture reading. Now in this column is the sermon all worked out. Over here are all the various motions you should use. Raise your hand here—so. Now stamp your foot just here. Laugh when you say this and—over here you should shed a tear (if you can), and let your voice be a bit softer here. "
"I will study it, Brother," I said.
Taking it to my room, I read it. It was all I could do to keep from laughing. It seemed so strange to get up a sermon that way. I remembered having passed the door of his study that morning and seeing him in front of the mirror with a book in his hand. He was preaching away with one hand up in the air. He was fixing the hand so carefully so that it would be in just the correct position. Not wishing to look a second time, I passed on by, but realized that the poor soul had been practicing his sermon.
If you had to preach seven hundred and forty-eight sermons a year at least, and if you had to sit up nights worrying over how you would lift your hand here, how broadly you should smile there, what you should say there, and writing out your sermon so you would not forget, your hair would be white ere one year had passed. What we need is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to give us utterance to go preach the Gospel!
Why is this subject not more preached upon?
Because the Devil fights it.
What are his methods of warfare? First, the enemy may come along and say: "There is no Baptism of the Holy Spirit. That was an outpouring on the day of Pentecost. Now the Holy Spirit is here and there is nothing more to be had. You have it all when you are converted."
He puts some people aside like that. To others he will say: "Well, you received the Holy Spirit, but did not know it."
If you can get the Holy Spirit and never know it, you can lose Him and never miss Him! If you have received this experience, you will know it and the world will ring with the glory of His incoming.
The Devil may try to point out somebody who has professed to have the Spirit and has become an extremist. Of course you will always find a counterfeit, but you may depend upon it, the Devil never counterfeits anything that is not worth while. You never see anyone counterfeiting a penny; but you see a great many counterfeit ten dollar bills.
"There is someone who claims to have the Holy Spirit," the Devil may say, "They are perfectly ridiculous. You wouldn't want to act like that. That is all there is to it—just a bit of emotionalism."
Praise God! When the Lord gives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, He hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of love and power and of a sound mind! It is practical. It is the adminstrative plumbline by which our lives may be squared up and through the middle of it all runs the line of passionate love of souls that shall bring men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Another way the Devil fights this great teaching is by saying that if we receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, it should be in a modern twentieth century way. He will tell you that the Lord no longer baptized people as He baptized on the Day of Pentecost, where they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with another language. He will try to make the mention of speaking in tongues a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even as the cross was a stone of stumbling to the people in the teaching of the Holy Spirit today, because this is the Dispensation of the Holy Spirit, as that was the Dispensation of the Son; and a stigma must be attached to it in some way.
If forced to admit it, the Devil will say:
"Yes, there is a Baptism, but it is not to be received as in the Bible. If you ever hear of anyone who received the Holy Spirit according to Acts 2:4, be careful of him. He is 'One of them'."
Glory to God! It is wonderful to be "One of them" who received according to Acts 2:4.
By the Blood of Jesus Christ then that we are fit receptacles for the Holy Ghost to come into. The Holy Spirit will not enter the sinful heart. We must first be cleansed, emptied, consecrated and purified. It is only then that we are fit receptacles for the Holy Ghost to come into. The Holy Spirit, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost come upon the glowing, consecrated heart and fills it to overflowing.
I wonder how many of us the Saviour could come to this morning and with His dear, loving, searching eyes, look down into our hearts, and say, "Now are ye clean."
O God that you could say it to everyone of us—"Through the Word that I have spoken unto you, ye are clean."
The Lord did not say, "When the Holy Spirit shall come on the day of Pentecost He shall sanctify you." He said, "Now are ye clean; but when the Spirit shall come, you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire, not many days hence."
"Well, I do not believe we need to receive it the Bible way," says someone. You are alright only you are off when you come to the preaching of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit."
"Why? What is wrong with the way I preach it?"
"Well, you believe they receive just as in the Bible days."
"I certainly do! My Bible says, 'See that you make all things according to the pattern as shown in the mount.' Praise God! I want to be filled like that."
"Well, that is not right. Those mighty manifestations of the incoming and the mighty power from on High, were merely for the Apostolic Day."
Oh, Preacher-man! Will you show me where the scripture says that?
"Yes, here it is. The Scripture reads, 'Whether there be tongues, they shall cease—'"
"That is true; but the last part of the verse is, 'Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away—' So until the manifestations of the Spirit is likely to continue. Could you bring a stronger argument than that? Show me one please, in the Bible that gives you authority to say that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was to be given in the twentieth century in a different manner than in the first century. The Lord filled them on the Day of Pentecost, and filled them all the way through the New Testament in the very same way.
"Well, sister, I do not agree with you there. Why do you not give up the Bible way and take the new way?"
I am willing, if you can show me the church or the evangelist or missionary or preacher or congregation who are getting more souls and have a larger revival or that the Devil is fighting any harder and the Lord is blessing any more freely than here. If you show me anyone with a twentieth century brand of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit who has more power, I will change to the new kind.
When we see moving pictures advertised for Sunday night and a big supper on Wednesday night to get the folks to prayer meeting; and see the preacher out attending all the clubs and lodges and being a "Hail Fellow, Well Met," and out with the boys, mingling with the things of the world, then coming back into to preach a sermon; we do not see the altar calls. We do not see the sick healed in answer to prayer, and we do not see the young people being called to preach the Gospel.
Brother, do you want us to change what I have for that? I do not believe you do. I know I have something better. Praise God! It is the Bible experience and it rings true and gets results. Hallelujah!
Oh, how we need the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the old-fashioned way.
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost."
Jesus Christ is reiterating that blessed command this morning. "If you love me, keep my commandments."
"I will pray the Father and He will send you another Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth. When He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and judgement. He will show you things to come. He will take the things of mine and reveal them unto you. He shall glorify me. He will not speak of Himself. He will speak of me. You shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses of me in Jerusalem; and out of your innermost beings shall flow rivers of living water. (This spake He of the Spirit whom He would send.) The Spirit will help your infirmities. He will pray for you with groanings that cannot be uttered. It shall be a fire to the creature; but tarry first in the city of Jerusalem until you have been endued with power from on high, and He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit."
With these and many other promises and commands, the Saviour urged this great and mighty experience into our hearts.
If your mother were dying, you would remember her last words. If she said to you: "Come here darling," and if she took her Bible and placed it in your trembling hands and said, "Take it. Keep it. Hold it fast. You will need it through the coming days;" how you would cherish her last words!
But remember, the last words of Jesus Christ as recorded in all of the Gospels are concerning the vital urging, pulsing necessity of the church of Jesus Christ receiving the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead, Who should be sent to fill us with power.
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost."
"These signs shall follow them that believe. In my name they shall cast out demons. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."
It was to be a powerful church.
"So they went forth, preaching the Word everywhere, the Lord working with them confirming the words with signs following."
"But, Sister," someone may say, "take that Scripture you just quoted for instance. I knew a man who said that meant you should pick up serpents, and he did it and I think he was bitten."
That is not the meaning of that verse at all. I have heard masters use that as a weapon against the teaching of the Lord Jesus and then turn right around to Master He promised that there should be no cancer or paralysis or goiter or epilepsy. These things are rheumatism or paralysis or goiter or epilepsy. These things are the meaning of it. It does not mean we will go around hunting for vipers to pick up: There was Paul on the Isle of Malta. I have stood upon what they tell me is the very spot where he kindled a fire, and you shall be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, and in all the earth to anything, if it was the right kind of a fire, but the old serpent hopped up somewhere and tried to fasten itself upon the hand that was building the fire!
Paul saw the serpent fasten upon his hand, and shook it off into the fire. That is a very good place for him, and is where the Devil will end at last anyway.
Everyone looked to see Paul swell up and die; but he went on declaring the Word of the Lord, and the whole island was converted through that incident.
However, Paul did not go about hunting a serpent. When actually bitten, the Lord delivered him from it. Many missionaries today can testify that the Lord is the very same today.
The Scripture does not say that you should take poison; but if they drink any deadly thing—drinking from the malarial swamps of Africa or living under unsanitary conditions in India, it shall not hurt you.
When the Devil said to Jesus, "Cast thee up," the Lord answered,
"Thou shalt not tempt the Lord Thy God."
This is no fanatical Gospel. This is a sane, practical, clean, wholesome, joyous Gospel with the power of Jesus Christ back of it, and the salvation of souls as its foremost objective.
"You shall receive power" —And this is just what we need today.
Some time ago a young man who was rather a half-witted fellow, had an old horse. The poor animal was so old that though he had been given every care, one day it just fell dead beside the road. The poor half-wit had never seen anything die before. He was trying to raise the horse up and get it on its feet. He would get its head up, then it would fall down again.
Finally, the people gathered round and asked what he was trying to do.
"Well, that old horse needs something inside of him. I can't get him to stand up or walk. He needs something inside of him."
That is the way with us. We have laid down in the traces. We are dead—good for nothing. What we need is something inside of us. We need the spark of life, and we need the mighty Baptism of the Holy Spirit! Hallelujah!
You may have His best. For those who will not have His best, God has a second best.
A little boy was out on the banks of the river making a clay man, and he was doing pretty well. He had one leg on the other down to his knee. He noticed the back was crooked, but he intended to straighten it.
"Willie," called his mother, "come to dinner."
"Willie," came the imperative call. "Come to dinner this minute!"
"I'se commin' mamma," he replied, and went in, thinking he would complete the work afterward.
When he came out again he saw a dear little old hunch shouldered man going by, who had one leg and the other cut off at the knee and just walking on a wooden stump. The little lad ran after him wildly crying,
"Come back! Come back and wait till I get you finished! You are only half done!:
That is the way with some of us. If we would only wait until God is through with us—take time to pray and to wait upon God for His fullness! How many say to me:
"Sister, I have not time to wait for the Baptism!"
As well might a man say, "I am leaving for San Francisco in my automobile! But I have not time to stop in the gas station to fill my tank with the necessary fuel. I am leaving for Sacramento, and my crankcase is practically empty, but I have not time to stop to get it filled. You foolish man! You will make better time if you wait! You are to have them inflated." You would say to such a one, "You foolish man! You will make better time if you tarry until your tank is full of gas and the crankcase full of oil and your tires of air! Then you shall go and run like the lightnings and nothing shall hinder."
The church is like a great automobile. It may have a beautiful satin finish to the body. It may have wonderful machinery and its cylinders and pistons may be perfect. It may have all the organization it needs—may have all the equipment it needs; but the thing the church of Jesus Christ needs today is gas in the tank and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost in the pulpit and in the pews.
Someone has said, "Fire in the pulpit and the steam in the pews." What we need is less fire in the cook stove and more fire in the pulpit—less pie and more piety.
How many I know who are trying to work up a revival! Brother, you can't work it up. You must pray it down. If you want a revival, tarry until the Spirit has come and then all you have to do is put your foot on the starter, move your spark a little and the engine starts off purring as prettily as can be and away you go down the road.
Praise God! The church can go as fast as her wheels can take her. There is no speed limit to what we may do for Jesus and there are not motorcycle officers on the road to stop us!