It is true that spiritualism is now changing its form and, veiling some of its more objectionable features, is assuming a Christian guise. But its utterances from the platform and the press have been before the public for many years, and in these its real character stands revealed.
These teachings cannot be denied or hidden. Even in its present form, so far from being more worthy of toleration than formerly, it is really a more dangerous, because a more subtle, deception. While it formerly denounced Christ and the Bible, it now professes to accept both. But the Bible is interpreted in a manner that is pleasing to the unrenewed heart, while its solemn and vital truths are made of no effect. Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of God, but it is degraded to a weak sentimentalism, making little distinction between good and evil. God’s justice, His denunciations of sin, the requirements of His holy law, are all kept out of sight.
The people are taught to regard the Decalogue as a dead letter. Pleasing, bewitching fables captivate the senses and lead men to reject the Bible as the foundation of their faith. Christ is as verily denied as before; but Satan has so blinded the eyes of the people that the deception is not discerned.
There are few who have any just conception of the deceptive power of spiritualism and the danger of coming under its influence. Many tamper with it merely to gratify their curiosity. They have no real faith in it and would be filled with horror at the thought of yielding themselves to the spirits’ control.
But they venture upon the forbidden ground, and the mighty destroyer exercises his power upon them against their will.
Let them once be induced to submit their minds to his direction, and he holds them captive. It is impossible, in their own strength, to break away from the bewitching, alluring spell. Nothing but the power of God, granted in answer to the earnest prayer of faith, can deliver these ensnared souls.
Why was it that I was suddenly and intensively occupied with the matter of “Life in the Holy Spirit“?
On August 14, 2011, when I was in Kandergrund in the Bernese Highlands in Switzerland an important connection became very clear to me. I recognized a spiritual cause for why we are losing part of our youth which shocked me greatly. I thought of my children and grandchildren. Since then I have been intensively occupied with this subject.
Now I believe that the same spiritual cause is behind many of our problems; specifically, personal problems, problems in marriages and families, in local churches and the world-wide church. It is the lack of the Holy Spirit.
If this is the cause, then we should urgently address this issue. If the cause can be eliminated or considerably reduced, then many problems will become superfluous or will be resolved.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS DEFICIENCY:
*Emil Brunner : Evangelical reformed theologian, wrote that the Holy Spirit “has always more or less been the stepchild of theology.” *D. Martin Lloyd -J ones : “If I may give my honest opinion, then there is no topic on biblical belief that has been so neglected in the past or present as the topic of the Holy Spirit…. I am sure that this is the cause for the weakness of the evangelical faith.” *Le Roy E. Froom : “I am convinced that the lack of the Holy Spirit is our worst problem.” *Dwight Nelson : “Our church has to the point of exhaustion developed admirable forms, plans and programs, but if we don’t finally admit to our spiritual bankruptcy [lack of the Holy Spirit], which has overtaken many of us ministers and leaders, then we will never be able to get out of our Pro-Forma-Christianity.”
First, we want to look at the fruits that have grown where this deficiency has been eradicated. Then we want to look at some advice that our Lord Jesus gave about the Holy Spirit.
MY WISH
I wish each person that is already living in the Holy Spirit to attain the fullness of the Spirit. For those who haven’t lived with the Holy Spirit or have only had an insufficient life with the Holy Spirit, I hope that this is the beginning of a new fulfilled and victorious life.
Nothing is more important than love. After all, the two great commandments are all about loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbor as ourselves (1 John 4:8).
But as Benjamin Franklin said, “Time is the stuff of which life is made.” Love depends on time. Whether that means a date with your significant other, a road trip with the family, or gathering with a church community each week to worship God, all love relationships are nurtured and flourish in the context of quality time.
And to be sure, quality time is not what happens in a typical family on a weekday morning, when everybody is gulping down food, primping hair, and ransacking closets for elusive clothing as they get ready to rush off to work, school, and appointments.
No—quality time means we take a deep breath, pause, rest, and listen to the ones we love. We mesh together and absorb one another into our lives. Our love relationships do not grow racing by one another, or even racing side by side, but in resting together. They also flourish best when we have a healthy love relationship with God. And that love is exactly why the subject of this magazine is so important in this hyper-accelerated age.
In the pages that follow, we’ll explore the history, mystery, and relevance of a day of rest that the Bible calls the Sabbath, “a bridge that connects heaven and earth, God and people.”
It’s an extraordinary gift that so many have forgotten, but as you’ll see clearly, the main reason God wants us to “remember the Sabbath” has everything to do with love.
Where do evil and suffering come from? Is God responsible? If not, why doesn’t He at least stop it? Will it ever come to an end? What has God done to solve the problem, and what does that say about His character?
The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all created beings depended upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness. God desires from all His creatures the service of love—homage that springs from an intelligent appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced allegiance, and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service.
But there was one that chose to pervert this freedom. Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and who stood highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Before his fall, Lucifer was first of the covering cherubs holy and undefiled. “Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering…. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:12-15.
“I USED TO MOCK GOD,” said Mark. But that all changed when his airplane ran into a night time snowstorm and there was not enough fuel to reach the Alaskan Arctic airstrip. His plane had been running on empty for 30 minutes when the engine started misfiring. As he prepared to crash into the Bering Sea, Mark grasped his last option. He had never prayed before, but in desperation, he lifted up a silent prayer. “If there is a God, I need your help now!”
Immediately, the plane popped out of the snowstorm. But Mark now faced the problem that he had another 20 miles to fly with an empty fuel tank! When he landed, there was no earthly reason his plane should have traveled that distance with no fuel. Mark believes God added an hour of fuel to his tank. “When I landed, I was a different man. I was not a Christian, but I was a believer in God.” Mark thought about his grandmother, the Christian in the family. “So Grandma was right; there is Someone out there.”
Like Mark, many people struggle with the thought that maybe God exists. Often, it takes being confronted with a life-or-death experience to bring a person to a decision. For some it begins with the birth of a child. As they look at the miniature-but-perfect little human being in the crib who developed in nine months, it seems this little one could not just have happened! As they watch their child flex his or her fingers and toes and see the smile and excitement when their child recognizes them, it causes many to wonder—Is there a God? A Creator?
If we do not have the personal assurance of salvation in Jesus, it is not possible to share it with someone else. We cannot share what we do not have ourselves. There are conscientious Christians who live in a state of perpetual uncertainty, wondering whether they will ever be good enough to be saved.
As a wise, old preacher once said, “When I look at myself, I see no possibility of being saved. When I look at Jesus, I see no possibility of being lost”. The Lord’s words ring with certainty down through the ages, “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22).
Our Lord wants each one of us to rejoice in the salvation that He so freely offers. He longs for us to experience what it means to be justified by His grace and be free from the condemnation that the guilt of sin brings. As Paul says in Romans 5, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, NKJV). He adds that we can have the assurance that “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, NKJV). The apostle John confirms that “he who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12, NKJV).
If by faith we have accepted Jesus, and He lives in our hearts through His Holy Spirit, the gift of eternal life is ours today. This is not to say that, once we have experienced the grace of God and salvation in Christ, we can never lose it (2 Peter 2:18-22, Hebrews 3:6, Revelation 3:5). We always have the free choice to walk away from Him, but once we have experienced His love and understood the depths of His sacrifice, we should never choose to walk away from One who loves us so much. Day by day we will look for opportunities to share with others the grace given us in Jesus.
Do you have assurance of salvation in Jesus? If so, on what do you base it? Why do you have that assurance? Where is it found? On the other hand, if you are not sure, why are you not sure? How can you find that assurance?
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.
He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,
they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
In ages past, God has revealed through the prophets, His plans, and warnings of coming destruction, for He is “not willing that any should perish.” 2 Peter 3:9.
Just so, God has given to us in these last days, a great message of warning concerning what is coming on the world. In these prophecies, He has revealed certain truths He wants you to know and to understand. These are revealed in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, HE IS COMING with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
The keynote of the book of Revelation is the Second Coming of Christ. This theme runs through all the book as a golden thread. Because of this dominant theme it has often been called, “The Book of the Advent”, or the Second Coming of Christ.
Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “SURELY I AM COMING QUICKLY.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The very last promise of the book of Revelation concerns the coming of Christ; in fact, almost every prophecy in Revelation has for its climax, the Second Coming of the Saviour.
How can we demonstrate Christ’s love during this crisis so we can have a lasting impact on someone else’s eternity?
It’s may be understandable if family relationships are under a lot of strain while everyone is stuck at home together during the coronavirus lockdown.
And some parents are engaging in new activities with their kids. Just over a quarter of families (28%) have picked up family gardening. Not only is it a great bonding activity and an excellent way to brighten up your backyard, but another recent study found that growing a garden is linked to a better body image.
Not only have family bonds grown stronger, but community bonds have gotten stronger as well.
Imagine your favorite town or city without any potholes, traffic, pollution, or crime of any kind! Impossible? The Bible tells of a city with streets paved with gold! And within its tall walls made of pure jasper, there won’t be even one person coughing, sneezing, or coming down with a cold. Everyone will be in perfect health and will enjoy each other’s company. Would you like to visit this city? Well, not only can you visit, you can live there!
The greatest need of the church today is for a genuine spiritual revival and reformation. This is what true Christians have been praying for through the years – in the family circle, alone in the closet, and with the church body on Sabbath. There is a deep sense of inadequacy when we sit in a home giving a Bible study or stand before an audience where hundreds need to make a decision for Christ. We know that there is no human way to win a soul or convict of Truth. Only the Holy Spirit can really soften hearts for acceptance and stir the soul with conviction. So we pray as we reach out with weak faltering words that the power of God will break forth in that moment of sharing.
Sometimes, of course, we see the answer to those prayers. People are converted, the sick are raised up, and decisions are made for baptism. But why don’t we see it more often? Is this on-again, off-again witness of the Holy Spirit everything we can expect from God? Why doesn’t it happen every time we pray and claim the promises?
There are special seasons when our hearts burn within us, and we leave a prayer meeting rejoicing over the refreshing ministry of the Spirit. But how did God feel about that meeting? Was He able to accomplish His perfect will in that service? When the fullness of God’s power is revealed no one will go out to talk about it in tame, lifeless tones. Like a fire from heaven the Spirit will flash and illuminate from heart to heart until the earth itself will be lighted with the glory of it.
But why are we still waiting for the fulfillment of the promised Spirit in all its Pentecostal power? Probably not one knowledgeable Christian will contend that the fullness of that promise has been realized today. This is not to say that there have not been exciting glimpses and momentary revelations of that blessing which will bring all other blessing in its train. But hungry, longing Christians everywhere concede that we have only scratched the surface of God’s promises.
In fact, there is a general consensus that the church is standing on the threshold of its most unique, predestined mission. The “latter rain” of the Spirit is to provide an explosive entry into the final harvesting phase of the everlasting gospel. And if the exact time of that visitation is not known, there are scores of texts depicting the spiritual consequences of such a breakthrough. Many believe that the “times of refreshing” have arrived already and that our own lack of faith and preparation has held back the baptism of the Holy Spirit in its final manifestation. When we read the scriptural promises of God’s willingness to work through His committed people there seems to be no doubt that the fault lies with us and not with Him.
The inspired description of our assigned role under the Holy Spirit leaves us almost breathless. Words and phrases are used which seem utterly fanatical and super-exaggerated. Our minds are boggled by the incredible scope of the promises which apply to the people of God right now. We blink our eyes and think there must be a mistake, or else there has to be some secret meaning or hidden reservation in the words. Again and again the Bible uses superlative expressions in defining the victorious experience of believers. God does not say that we can be conquerors; He says we can be “more than conquerors.” He doesn’t merely say we can be saved, but rather “saved to the uttermost.” He will not just cause us to triumph, but “always to triumph.” Do those words truly mean what they say?
I submit to you that God does not multiply euphonic phrases in order to make an impression. There is built-in, self-fulfilling power in every single promise of the Bible. No matter how extreme the text may sound to our ears, whatever is promised shall be precisely fulfilled as soon as we believe. No matter how impossible it may seem to be, we can believe because God says it.
Consider the extravagant nature of the promise in 2 Peter 1:3, 4. “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” Please notice, first of all, that “divine power” is referring to the Holy Spirit. He has already been sent to continue the work Jesus did while here on the earth. The text does not say that the power “will give,” but “hath given” already. We do not need to look for some possible future supply of power. It is ours now for the asking and claiming. We simply need to possess our possessions!
But what has that divine power of the Holy Spirit already made available to us? The text says, “All things that pertain unto life and godliness.” Doesn’t that stagger your mind? It is like a blank check on the bank of heaven, isn’t it? It is not for material things like houses, cars, and lands, but it absolutely includes anything and everything you might need to live a godly life.
Have you longed for victory over sin, for sanctification, holiness, Christ likeness, purity, and perfection of character? It is included in the “all things” of this verse. And don’t try to reason away the words and make them say something besides what they say.
