The Holy Spirit

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

December 8, 2011

**


 *“THE HOLY SPIRIT” **(From “Disciples Indeed”)**  – Oswald Chambers** -
2011.10.21*

*(From "The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers -* Discovery House
Publishers, Grand Rapids, 2000)


 These 21 lectures were given to students in the sermon class at the Bible
Training College, in London, between 1911 and 1915.


 Oswald Chambers’ sermon class at the Bible Training College was a
combination of lecture and practical experience. Since each student had to
prepare and present a sermon before the other members of the class, no
visitors were permitted. Oswald wanted everyone to be on an equal footing,
as well as being sympathetic listeners, knowing their turn to speak was
coming.


 Because of the give and take nature of the class, Oswald’s lectures were
short and practical. Rather than giving a detailed process to follow in
sermon preparation, he sought to motivate students to think, study, and
prepare. He often stressed that the behavior and words of the person who
preaches are inseparable.


 From the “BTC Journal” articles, Mrs. Chambers selected thoughts on
twenty-one topics and published them as “Disciples Indeed”. There is a
surprising amount of material that appears here and nowhere else in the
books by Oswald Chambers. (Some 50 books)


*THE HOLY SPIRIT*

It is not what we feel, or what we know, but ever what we RECEIVE from God
– and a fool can receive a gift. “If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give
the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11:13). It is so simple that
everyone who is not simple misses it.

Beware of telling people they must be worthy to receive the Holy Spirit;
you can’t be worthy, you must know you are unworthy; then you will ask for
the gift – “If you then, BEING EVIL….”

The biggest blessing in your life was when you came to the end of trying to
be a Christian, the end of reliance on natural devotion, and were willing
to come as a pauper and receive the Holy Spirit. The humiliation is that we
have to be quite sure we need him; so many of us are quite sure we don’t
need Him.

It is extraordinary how things fall off from a man like autumn leaves once
he comes to the place where there is no rule but that of the personal
domination of the Holy Spirit.

We continually want to substitute our transactions with God for the great
mystic powerful work of the Holy Spirit. “The wind blows where it desires,
and you hear its sound, but do not know from where it comes, nor where it
goes: SO IS EVERY ONE THAT IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT” (John 3:8).

By regeneration we are put into right relationship with God; then we have
the same human nature, working on the same lines, but with a different
driving power expressing itself, so that the “members” which were used for
the wrong are now used for the good (see Romans 6:17-21).

The strenuous effort of the saint is not to produce holiness, but to
express in actual circumstances the disposition of the Son of God which is
imparted to him by the Holy Spirit.

Beware of seeking power rather than the personal relationship to Jesus
Christ which is the grand avenue through which the Holy Spirit comes in His
working power. “But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come
upon you: ‘and you shall be my witnesses’”. (Acts 1:8).

The message of Pentecost is an emphasis, not on the Holy Spirit, but on the
Risen and Ascended Christ (see John 16:13-15).

The Holy Spirit takes care that we fix our attention on Jesus Christ; then
He will look after the presentation given of our Lord through us.

*DEVOTION TO JESUS IS THE EXPRESSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S WORK IN ME*

The Holy Spirit is concerned only with glorifying Jesus; not with
glorifying our human generosities.

The deep and engrossing need of those of us who name the Name of Christ is
reliance on the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ reinstates us to the position lost through sin (see Romans
5:12a); we came at this knowledge experimentally, but it is never our
understanding of salvation that leads to salvation. Salvation is
EXPERIENCED first; then to understand it needs the work of the Holy Spirit,
which is surprising and incalculable.

We “become partakers of the divine nature” by receiving the Holy Spirit,
who sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts (Romans 5:5), and the
oneness is manifested in a life of abandon and obedience – both unconscious.

If you are being checked by the Holy Spirit over a wrong thing you are
allowing in yourself, beware of only captiously seeing the limitations in
other people; you will diverge further away from God if you don’t recognize
that it is the still small voice of God to you.

There is nothing so still and gentle as the checks of the Holy Spirit if
they are yielded to: emancipation is the result; but let them be trifled
with, and there will come a hardening of the life away from God. Don’t
quench the Spirit.

There is no room for harsh judgment on the part of a child of God. Harsh
judgment is based, not on the sternness of the Holy Spirit, but on my
refusal to bear someone else’s burden.

Beware of everything in which you have to justify yourself, because the
underlying fact is that you have cajoled yourself into taking a decision
born of temperamental convictions, instead of in entire reliance on the
Holy Spirit.

The inspiration of the Holy Spirit is not an impulse to make me act, but to
enable me to interpret God’s meaning; if I do act on the impulse of the
inspiration, it is a mere physical reaction in myself. Impulse is God’s
knock at my door that He might come in, not for me to open the door and go
out.

The salvation of Jesus Christ makes a man’s personality intense; very few
of us are real until the Holy Spirit gets hold of us.

The Holy Spirit does not obliterate a man’s personality; He lifts it to its
highest use, viz., for the portrayal of the Mind of God.

Beware of the “show business” – “I want to be baptized with the Holy Spirit
so that I may do wonderful works.” God never allows anyone to do wonderful
works: HE does them, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit prevents my seeing
them in order to glory in them.

“When He ascended on high … He gave gifts unto men” (Ephesians 4:8; cf.
Acts 2:33). The only sign that a particular gift is from the Ascended
Christ is that it edifies the Church. Much of our Christian work today is
built on what the Apostle pleads it should not be built on, viz., the
excellencies of the natural virtues.

Be careful to notice the difference between an offended personal prejudice
which makes you feel ruffled and huffy, and the intuitive sense of bondage
produced by the Holy Spirit when you are listening to something that is not
God’s truth.

We must distinguish between the bewilderment arising from conviction of sin
and the bewilderment arising from confusion in thinking; the latter is the
inevitable result in a traditionally Christian mind on first receiving the
Holy Spirit; but a curious thing to note is that a heathen mind experiences
no such bewilderment on receiving the Holy Spirit, because there are no
preconceived notions to be got rid of.

The mind that is not produced by obedience to the Holy Spirit in the final
issue hates God.

If you are in danger of building on the natural virtues, which are a
remnant of the former creation, the Holy Spirit will throw a searchlight
and show you things that cause you to shudder. He will reveal a
vindictiveness, a maliciousness, you never knew before.

Let God bring you through some midnight, when the Holy Spirit reminds you
of what you once were, of your religious hypocrisies – the things the devil
whispers you should forget; let God bring you to the dust before Him. This
experience will always come in the path of those God is going to take up
into His purposes.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit means the extinction of life-fires that are
not of God, and everything becomes instinct with the life of God.

The Holy Spirit is the One who regenerates us into the Family to which
Jesus Christ belongs; until by the eternal efficacy of the Cross we are
made partakers of the Divine nature.

The Holy Spirit is not a substitute for Jesus. The Holy Spirit is all that
Jesus was, made real in personal experience NOW.

There is one thing we cannot imitate: we cannot imitate being full of the
Holy Spirit.

The mark of the Holy Spirit in a man’s life is that he has gone to his own
funeral, and the thought of himself never enters.

The sign that the Holy Spirit is being obeyed by me is that I am not
dominated by my sensualities. “And they that are of Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof” (Galatians
5:24). Sensualities are not gross only; they can be very refined.

“What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
which is in you….?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit
is the climax of Redemption.

The great impelling power of the Holy Spirit is seen in its most
fundamental working whenever an issue of will is pushed. It is pleasanter
to listen to poetical discourses, more agreeable to have your affinities
appealed to, but it is not good enough; it leaves you exactly as you were.
The Gospel appeal comes with a stinging grip – “Will you?” or, “Won’t you?”
“I will accept,” or, “I’ll put it off” – both are decisions, remember.

We have to distinguish between acquiring and receiving. We ACQUIRE habits
of prayer and Bible reading and we RECEIVE our salvation, we RECEIVE the
Holy Spirit, we RECEIVE the grace of God. We give more attention to the
things we acquire; all God pays attention to is what we receive. Those
things we receive can never be taken from us because God holds those who
receive His gifts.

The fruit of pseudo-evangelism is different from “the fruit of the Spirit”
(Galatians 5:22-23).

Guard as your greatest gift the anointing of the Holy Spirit, viz., the
right of access to God for yourself. “And as for you, the anointing which
you received from Him abides in you” (1 John 2:27).

*IT IS THE FINE ART OF THE HOLY SPIRIT*

*TO BE ALONE WITH GOD*


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