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T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
can have the baptism of the Holy Spirit unless he speaks with tongues. 2. Seeking a spectacular display of the Holy Spirit’s work is not of God, for, as we have seen, His mission is to reveal Christ and not Himself. Are we commanded anywhere in the Scriptures to seek the Spirit? Jesus said, “ Tarry ye at Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49); but in that word “ Tarry” (sit down) there is nothing of strenuousness but rather of quiet wait ing. Paul asked, not “ Did ye seek the Holy Spirit when ye believed?” but “ Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye be lieved?” (Acts 19:2.) Jesus said to His disciples, “ Receive ye the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22.) We may have the Holy Spirit in power for the ask ing. (Luke 11:13.) The Spirit’s mission is to lead us in our search for Christ and truth, but is He not grieved when we begin to seek Him? He is our Paraclete, the One always at our side, grieved or pleased with our walk, and willing any moment to help us. Spending days and nights in fasting and prayer, seeking the Holy Spirit, is certainly not needed when the Holy Spirit is with us all the time, ready to use us just as we yield ourselves to Him. And it is a sad fact that some good people, when they begin to “ seek their Pentecost” by such strenuous means, frequently withdraw their fel lowship from other Christians who are willing to trust the Spirit without spec tacular manifestations; and they also cease active work in soul winning, while they become critical and censorious to ward their former associates in Chris tian work. Disorderly Confusion not of God. 3. Disorderly confusion in the as sembly is not of God, because the Word says, “ Let all things be done decently and in order.” (I Cor. 14:40.) “ God is net the author of confusion, but of peace, as in alt churches of the saints.” '
(I Cor. 1‘4:33.). The prostration of women on the floor or the leaping of women into tne air is not a decent, orderly proceeding and cannot, accord ing to this Scripture, be of the Holy- Spirit. Nervous spasms and muscular contortions, crowing like roosters, hiss ing like serpents, skrieking like mad men, barking like dogs, and talking baby talk in church, all of which have taken place on this continent, are not of the Spirit, according to these Scrip tures. We are sometimes in danger of esti mating the power of the Spirit by the amount of noise and confusion, but such is not God’s method. In report ing a certain meeting a brother gave as an evidence of the baptism of the Spirit that twenty or thirty people were praying aloud at once. Paul plainly tells us that such confusion is not pleas ing to God. There may be many tears, great excitement, earnest testimony, forceful speaking, even happy ejacula tions and ecstatic expressions, but there must be no confusion and indecent dis order. When these exist, the Holy Spirit is not the author. The Conclusion, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. The Holy Spirit came in power on the day of Pentecost and He came to stay. He abides with us all the time and is ready to work in us and through us, if we will yield our selves completely to Him. His mission is to reveal Cnrist and not Himself, to take the things of Christ, not of Him self, and show them unto us. To re quire a “ sign” of His presence and will ingness to bless us is to call in ques tion the truthfulness of Christ’s prom ise. There is an experience of ecsVitic, rhapsodical joy which is in expressible in connected language and may be expra'-'sed only in ejaculations, shouts and i-<.;ehter; and ye: it is an experience wvon can explained, for every one w.-.o nas it knows toA rea-
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