Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-05-03


thing to receive the Holy Ghost"
This brings up the whole question as
to the relation of the Holy Spirit to
the disciple, or the believer in
Christ.
1. The personality of the Holy
Spirit We should keep in mind that
the Holy Spirit is a divine person.
Personality consists in self-conscious-
ness and free will, and that the Holy
Spirit possesses personality in this
sense is evident from three things:
(a) He has the attributes of person
ality; OBJ He does the works of a per-
Sonality; (c) He has the names of
personality. Speaking of his at
tributes, there is one which, more
than any other, helps to a realization
of his personality. His attribute of
love, which is referred to only in
Romans 1880. Do you know that the
Holy Spirit loves you, as a believer in
Christ, with a love in some sense dis
tinct from that either of the Father
or the Son? How marvelously near
that brings him to our heartsI The
Fathers love manifested itself in the
giving of his Son; the Sons love in
the offering of himself upon the cross,
and the Holy Spirits love in taking up
MS ABODE IN us.
2. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit
This brings us to the second thought,
viz, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
That indwelling was promised in John
14:16-17. He had dwelt with the dis
ciples therefore, but he was to dwell
in them" by and by. He had been
as a power acting on them from with
out, but thereafter he WAS to infiu-
ence them from within. The prom
Use was renewed again in Acts
1:4-5, where the indwelling was
spoken CO as the baptism of the
Holy Spirit. The realization came on
the day of Pentecost, when the dis
ciples were indwelt, baptized and in
filled with the Holy Spirit at one and
the same time.
This transaction, however, as far
as the first two terms are concern
ed, was not limited to the church as
sembled on that day, but applies to
the whole church since. lSuch would
seem to be suggested by l. Corin-
thians. 12:12-14, where 20 years after
Pentecost we are taught that as be-
levers I'VE were all baptized by one
Spirit into one body What body"
is means if not the body of Christ, the
church? And what baptism If not
that ..one baptism" on the day of Pen
tecost?
3. The filing of the Holy Spirit
But while the first two terms of that
transaction on the day of Pentecost,
the indweliing and the baptism (Which
are one) were for the whole church
potentially, and for all time, yet the
same does not apply to the third. the
filling of the Holy Spirit There is
but one indwelling, but man. filings
We gather this from Acts 5:31, where
the same persons who were filled
on the day of Pentecost were re
filled on a subsequent occasion. And
Again, in Acts 6, when men are to
be chosen to the office of deacon it
must be by those who are full of
the Holy Spirit as If some were thus
spiritually equipped while others were
not 1t is something corresponding
to this, therefore, which Paul has in
mind in our text. when he said: Have
We received the Holy Ghost since We
belieyed?" The reception of the Holy
Ghost on their part resulted in an en-
duement of power, but in other places
of the Acts. notably the fourth chap
ter. it is seen to have resulted not
only. in the spirit of power, but of
unity and love. 1t is this that we min
listers, evangelists and Christian work
ers need and that the whole church
needs in order to accomplish her mis-
sion for Jesus Christ on earth
How may the filings of the Holy
Spirit be received by the believer ON
the Lord Jesus Christ? Prayer, obe-
dience and faith seem to be the only
conditions. if they may be called con-
ditions- Speaking of faith, there is a
sense In which the gift of the Holy
Spirit. l. e.. the filling of the Holy
Spirit. should be received by as def
mite an act on our part as that
by which we laid hold of salvation
through Jesus Christ; but this faith
is not likely to be experienced where
obedience is not present God giyeth
the Holy Ghost to them that obey
hirc." Pier says (Acts W, and this
agrees perfectly with the teaching OF
the Old Testament in Proverbs L.:
Turn We at my reproof, behold. will
pour out my spirit unto you" Nor is
this obedience merely occasional with
some great thing. but it is to he usual
and common in the little thines