THE FULL BLESSING - HOW LITTLE IT IS ENJOYED Part 3
The wisdom of the fathers
THE FULL BLESSING - HOW LITTLE IT IS ENJOYED Part 3
There are so many who for a time are full of zeal and then fall away. We see, not only among the young or in times of awakening, but even among many that have for years maintained a good confession, that whenever they enter into another circle of influence, and are put to the proof by prosperity or any special form of temptation, they forthwith cease to persevere.
Where does this unhappy result arise? From nothing but the fact that the preaching is more with the wisdom of persuasive words than in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Hence their faith also stands in the wisdom and work of man rather than in the power of God. So long as such people have the benefit of earnest and instructive preaching, they continue to stand; whenever they lose it, they begin to backslide.
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It is because the current preaching is so little in the demonstration of the Spirit that souls are brought so little into contact with the living God. For the same reason, far too much of the current faith is not in the power of God. Even the Word of God which ought always only to be a guide pointing towards God Himself becomes all too frequently a veil with the study of which the soul becomes occupied, and is thus kept back from meeting with God.
The Word, and preaching, and means of grace become a hindrance in place of a help if they are not in demonstration of the Spirit. All external means of grace are
things that inevitably change and fade. It is the Spirit alone that works a faith which stands in the power of God, and so remains strong and unwavering.
...Let every sad discovery of congregations, or of smaller circles,
or of individuals that do not remain steadfast, or that do not grow in grace, serve as a summons to us to acknowledge that the full blessing of Pentecost is lost. This is what we long for and must have from God. Let all that is within us begin to thirst and cry out: "Come from the four winds, thou Spirit of God, and breathe upon these dead souls, that they may live."
(from "The Full Blessing of Pentecost" by Andrew Murray)