GLOSARIO DE TERMICOS

On one occasion, Charles Spurgeon, the leading British preacher of the nineteenth century, preached a dismally poor sermon. He stammered and floun- dered all the way through it. That evening, he pled with God to send the Holy Spirit to help it reach hearts and bring conversions. He continued praying that prayer throughout the week. On the

next weekend, he once again delivered a powerful sermon, but he did not afterward pray that the Holy Spirit would use it to convict souls. “I’ll watch the results of those two sermons,” he said. Spurgeon was later able to trace forty-one conversions from the first one, and none from the second. He was convinced anew of the power of the Holy Spirit to use us to the degree that we let Him.

How thankful we can be for the Holy Spirit! Shortly before His crucifixion, Christ promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide His followeres as they studied the Scriptures, tried to minister to the needs of others, and shared the truths of how to become followers of Jesus.

“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 cannot 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.

THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

How kind it is of Jesus who, when He was about to go back to heaven,—left the Holy Spirit to help us! “If I depart,” Christ said, “I will send

Him unto you” (John 16:7). This divine “Comforter” would bring encouragement to the faithful.

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”—John

14:26-27.

Also called “the Spirit of truth” (John 15:26),

the Holy Spirit also convicts sinners that they are doing wrong. He moves on their hearts to want

to live a better life, and warns men of the coming Judgment.

“And when He is come, He will reprove the world

of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”—

John 16:8.

The Holy Spirit speaks (1 Timothy 4:1); teaches (1 Corinthians 2:3-4); bears witness (Romans 8:16); makes intercession (Romans 8:26); distributes gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11); and invites the sinner to return to God (Revelation 22:17).

It was the Holy Spirit who moved on the prophets to give their messages.

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”—2 Peter 1:21.

By helping us better understand the Word of God and how to live better lives, the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ.

“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”—1

Corinthians 2:9-10.

The Holy Spirit will strengthen those who cry to God for help in winning souls. Oh, that this may be your experience and mine!

Back in the old days, there were trolley cars on the streets of many of our cities. They were powered by electricity generated from the pow- erhouse, which was sent through overhead lines.

The trolley car moved forward when the conduc- tor raised the diagonal connector up to touch the overhead wire, called the trolley. Years ago, L.G. Broughton wrote this:

“When we would come to a cross street, I no- ticed that by a touch of the handle the car would almost stop, and yet would not quite stop, but just go creeping along like a snail. Then all at once the motorman would touch the handle again, the car would go very fast. Unable to understand how, if he touched the overhead wire at all, he did not get full power, I asked him.

“ ‘Why,’ he said, ‘when I squeeze this handle I open the mouth that grips the trolley. When I want to go slow, I open the mouth that contacts the trolley so it just touches it. We call this “skinning the wire.” But when I touch it solidly,—I get all the power in the powerhouse.’

There are thousands of Christians who are just “skinning the wire.” They only want just enough help from God to get through the day. Yet there are those who plead earnestly for the Holy Spirit to use them to help others, that souls may be saved—and they receive power from the power- house. Christ said, “All power is given unto Me in

heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). We can have so much more help from the Holy Spirit if we will really

dedicate our lives to God’s service.

“He [the Holy Spirit] shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you.”—John 16:14-15.

We dare not be like many in the world who live in such a way that the Holy Spirit cannot effectively reach their hearts.

“The Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”—John 14:17.

THE SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT

Did you ever try out a new alarm clock which,

on the first morning startled you out of bed? But if you should turn it off and go back to sleep, and repeat the process day after day, you would soon sleep through its warning. The bell does not ring any less loudly. It is your relationship to the bell that has changed. So it is when we continually ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

We have been given warning not to grieve the Holy Spirit, who pleads with us to come to Christ

and obey His Written Word. We are told, “Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). “There is a sin unto death” (1 John 5:16). We are told:

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”—Ephe-

sians 4:30.

Alexander MacLaren describes the process by which the conscience becomes seared and hardened in words which one cannot forget:

“An old historian says about the Roman armies that marched through a country, burning and de- stroying every living thing: ‘They make it a solitude,

and they call it peace.’

“And so do men with their consciences. They stifle them, sear them, forcibly silence them, somehow or other; and then, when there is a dread stillness in their hearts, broken by no voice of either approba- tion or blame, but doleful, like the unnatural quiet of a deserted city,—then they say it is peace!”

It is urgent, each day, that we wholeheartedly determine that we shall serve God fully. If we do

not, unconsciously we will keep sliding back and erelong Satan will have us in his clutches again.

When we learn important new Bible truths, which are plainly presented,—we must obey them. Let our prayer be that of David:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.”—Psalm 51:10-11.

We are told, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man” (Genesis 6:3). We do not want to do

“despite unto the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29).

Our probation in this world is short. None of us can know when we might die. Today, while it is today, we must make decisions that will help us press ever upward, ever close to God in Christ.

“Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear His voice, Harden not your hearts.”—He-

brews 3:7-8.

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the liv- ing God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; while it is said, today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”—Hebrews 3:12-15.

“There is a time, we know not when, A place we know not where, That marks the destiny of men, To glory or despair.

“There is a line by us unseen, That crosses every path; The hidden boundary between, God’s patience and His wrath.

“How far may we go on in sin? How long will God forbear? Where does hope end, and where do the confines of despair begin?

“An answer from the skies is sent; ‘Ye that from God depart, While it is called today, repent, And harden not your heart.’ ”—J. Addison Alexander.

A continual refusal to submit to the prompt- ings of the Holy Spirit to repent—leads to the sin against the Holy Spirit. Here is a powerful

description of the priceless treasure in Christ which we can have—and also lose:

“When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new power takes possession of the new heart. A change is wrought which man can never accomplish for himself. It is a supernatural work, bringing a supernatural element into human nature. The soul that is yielded to Christ becomes His own fortress, which He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that no authority shall be known in it but His own. A soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the as- saults of Satan.

“But unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come un- der its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place.

Christ in the heart through faith in His righteous- ness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self- love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connec- tion with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.

“ ‘The last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so,’ said Jesus, ‘shall it be also unto this wicked generation.’ There are none so hardened as those who have slighted the invitation of mercy, and done despite to the Spirit of grace. The most common manifestation of the sin against the Holy Spirit is in persistently slighting Heaven’s invitation to repent. Every step in the rejection of Christ is a step toward the rejection of salvation, and toward the sin against the Holy Spirit.”—Desire

of Ages, 324.

MY COMMITMENT

Kind Father, I thank Thee for Thy long patience with me. I thank Thee for not giving up on me! Please save me from myself, my weak, unChristlike self! Fill me with Thy Holy Spirit—to the degree that, day by day, I will earnestly plead with Thee for help in living a godly life and helping those around me to know Thee better.

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COMING NEXT—The people of God need special guidance as they near the close of time.

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