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THE KING ’S BUSINESS
Spirit in his life and in so far impedes the progress o f the church. Therefore into the mirror o f this very obvious truth let each o f us earnestly and prayerfully look, and ask God for grace to put out o f our lives everything that is alien to His holy will. The second condition of power is the completely surrendered life. _ Surrender is the best and biggest word in our spiritual vocabulary, the all-inclusive word, and deserves our most earnest and prayerful consideration. It is the pivot on which the entire mechanism o f the spir itual life swings and turns. God can make no effective use o f any life that is not wholly surrendered unto Him. The person who follows his own will is never a person o f spiritual power, however effective and useful he may appear to be in the' esteem o f the world. There is a great difference between power and influence. The latter is o f men, the former is o f God, and God will bestow His power only on him who is surrendered to His will. This is scriptural, this is scientific, this is common sense. The artist can use his brush, the sculptor his chisel, the carpenter his hammer, and use them effectively, only when the brush and chisel and hammer are fully surrendered to the men who use them. I f another hand is on these tools, even partially, the work of these men will be seriously interfered with. Similarly, God cannot use the Christian, and use him effectively, as long as he is not fully surrendered unto Him. God wants to use the brush, and the chisel, and the hammer, and to use them unhindered, and then He will paint a picture that will be a masterpiece, carve a statue that will cause, the people to marvel, and strike blows that will be heard around the world. The sur rendered life is the price o f power, and may God grant us the grace to pay the price that we may receive the power. The third, and last condition of power, is the claiming of it by means of a simple faith. The Holy Spirit is here, for this is the dispensation o f the Holy Spirit, and we do
ment is not a sinful thing. In order to pos sess power, we must pay the price o f power; that is, meet the conditions o f power. The mechanism must meet the conditions o f . electricity if it would have the power o f electricity; and the Christian must meet the conditions o f God if he would have the power o f God. This law is inexorable, and must be obeyed, and for the sake o f clearness and definiteness, I will say that the conditions o f this power are three. The first condition is the putting out of the life Of every conscious sin. The sin must go out before the power can come in. This is scriptural, this is scien tific, this is common sense. God will not bestow the power upon him who is out of harmony with Himself. I f I had any power to bestow I would not bestow it upon him who was against me, but upon him who was for m e; and God will do the same thing. Hence if the Christian would have power he must put out o f his life every thing that displeases Him who alone is able to bestow power upon him, for a holy God will not bestow the Holy Spirit upon an unholy person. The milkman, who has any sense o f the fitness o f things, will not pour his pure white milk into a vessel that is unclean; and God will not pour His power into the vessel o f an unclean heart. The sin must go out before the power can come in. As soon as a vacuum is created by the expulsion'of sin the Holy Spirit will enter in with power. I know what people think and say about teaching like this, and how impractical it is, and all that. But what I am saying is scriptural, and scientific, and Common sense. It is something that never fails to work, and God will certainly clothe with power every Christian who comes to His terms. And Christians must come to God’s terms, if the church would have power and fulfill her mission, and prove a real dynamic amid the many oppositions o f the age. And this puts a tremendous responsibility upon the individual Christian. For in so far as he yields himself to wilful sin he hinders the presence o f the' Holy
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