Active, Operating, Influential Principles of the Life! (and others)

Active, Operating, Influential Principles of the Life! (and others)

It is the work of the blessed Holy Spirit to take of the things of Christ, and to show them to the soul; to reveal to us the precious benefits of redemption, and the riches of Divine grace - and to present them to us in such a transforming, and convincing, and penetrating form, as that they shall not only become sources of abiding comfort to the heart - but active, operating, influential principles of the life!

It is the work of the blessed Spirit to be the Comforter of the children of God. Yes...

wherever a believer is afflicted;
wherever he sheds a sorrowful tear;
wherever he is pained by some heart-rending grief;
wherever he is bowed beneath some oppressive burden -
there is the Comforter to cheer, to solace, to sustain; 
pointing him...
from the wound to its balm,
from the grief to its ultimate cure,
from present suffering to eternal rest at God's right hand!

The Holy Spirit is not a traveler to sojourn for a season,
but He is a Friend to abide and dwell with you -
a Spiritual Mentor to be always near...
to guide you - in all seasons of perplexity,
to strengthen you - in all times of weakness,
when you are discouraged - to uphold you,
when you are wandering - to lead you back,
when you are nearly overcome in your spiritual conflict -
to bring you more of His divine strength and grace.

~John McDuff~
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What Does Our Church Need?

"Our gospel came to you not simply with words - but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction" (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

"We have," said one pastor, "the gospel regularly preached, the prayer meetings are continued, the church is in peace - but very few souls are converted to God! What Does Our Church Need?

It needs the presence and power of the Holy Spirit!! For unless the Holy Spirit works - your minister may preach, your church may meet - but no real good will be done! God's work is carried on, not by might nor by power - but by the Spirit of the Lord Almighty. It is the Spirit who must...

open the heart,
quicken the soul, and
sanctify the person!

And if the Spirit works - then the feeblest ministry is efficient, and the smallest church prospers!

All the success that followed the preaching of Peter, and the labors of Paul - was from the Holy Spirit. Therefore Paul says, "God gave the increase." Then the church felt her need of the Spirit; she realized her dependence on that divine Agent; she prayed with faith, fervor, and importunity for the blessing; and God answered her prayers, and filled His servants with the Holy Spirit and with power!

But today, we merely talk of the Spirit - rather than feel our need! We boast of our instruments - rather than realize our dependence on the Almighty Spirit!

~James Smith~
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Spiritual Conviction

Spiritual conviction reaches to all sins; to sins of heart - as well as sins of life; to the sin of our nature - as well as the sins of practice; to the sin which is born in us - as well as the sin which is done by us. Where the Spirit of the Lord comes to work effectually in any soul - He holds the looking glass of the Word before the sinner's eyes, and then opens his eyes to look into the looking glass, to see all that deformity and filthiness which is in his heart and nature!

How blind was Paul to his sinfulness - until the Spirit of the Lord revealed it to him. The Spirit alone, can make the sinner see all the deformity and filthiness which is within. It is He alone, who pulls off all the sinner's rags, and makes him see his naked and wretched condition. It is He alone, who shows us:

the blindness of the mind,
the stubbornness of the will,
the disorderedness of the affection,
the seardness of the conscience,
the sin of our natures,
the desperateness of our state!

Natural conviction carries the soul out to look more on the evil which comes as a result of sin - than on the evil which is in sin. The soul which is under natural conviction, is more troubled at the dread of hell, and wrath,and damnation - than at the vileness and heinous nature of sin!

But spiritual convictions work the soul into a greater sensibleness of the evil which is in sin - than of the evil which comes as a result of sin. The dishonor done to God by walking contrary to His will; the wounds which are made in the heart of Christ; the grief which the Holy Spirit is put to - this wounds the soul more than a thousand hells!

Natural convictions are not durable, they quickly die out. They are like a slight cut in the skin, which bleeds a little, a is sore for the moment - but is soon healed again, and in a few days not so much as a scar is seen.

But spiritual convictions are durable, they cannot be worn out, they abide in the soul until they have reached their end - which is the change of the sinner.

The convictions of the Spirit are like a deep wound which goes to the vital organs, and seems to endanger the life of the patient, and is only healed by the great skill of the heavenly Physician. And when it is healed, there are the tokens of it remaining in the soul, which can never be worn out!

Spiritual conviction is an essential part of sound conversion. True conversion begins in convictions - and true convictions end in conversion. Until the sinner is convinced of sin - he can never be converted from sin. Christ's coming was as a Saviour to die for sinners. The Spirit's coming is to convince us of sin - that we may close with Christ as our Saviour. So long as sin is unseen - Christ will be unsought. "Those who are whole need not the physician - but those who are sick."

Slight convictions, when they are but skin-deep,are the cause of much hypocrisy. Slight convictions have filled the church with hypocrites! Nay, this is not only the spring of hypocrisy - but it is also the spring of apostasy! What was the cause that the seed was said to wither away? It was because it had no depth of soil. Just so, where convictions of sin are slight- there the seed of the Word withers for lack of depth! But where there is thorough conviction, there is a depth of soil in the heart - and there the seed of the Word grows!

~Matthew Mead~
(from the "Almost Christian")