The church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:1, 2), when it first began, really labored for the Lord. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, and thousands were being converted to the truth. But the devil entered that church and started meddling with things, and slowly their focus began to shift. At first they were zealous for advocating the truth; they hated false doctrine, but a change took place in this church. Jesus said they had lost their first love. (Verse 4.) He told them, If you do not repent, I am going to uproot your candlestick, and it is going to go out in darkness. (Verse 5.) They lost their love for one another, and they lost their burden for souls.
Focus Lost
Have we lost our burden for souls? When our eyes are not fixed upon those outside of the fold, our focus shifts. We start turning on one another, and we begin bickering and fighting among ourselves. We have lost our focus, our goal; we have lost our aim; and we become a self-centered people. We become more zealous as selfishness arises in our hearts. We become more zealous for the truth every single day, but the Jews were very zealous for their truth, too. (See John 8.) They could explain the truth inside and out, but Jesus really did not care about their theology. Jesus wanted to know one thing only, and that was, Do you love Me? He said, If you had loved the Father, you would love Me too, because I proceeded from the Father, but you are seeking to kill Me. (Verses 42, 40.) Jesus was saying, Yes, you are very zealous for your work; you encompass land and sea to make one convert (See Matthew 23:15), but do you love Me? Do you love Me enough to accept what I say?
What made the church of Ephesus so successful at the first? What made Jesus’ witness so successful? The Bible says, “The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus. Did He go about saying, I will just be an example; that is how I will do My witnessing? No! When the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, He did not just sit and let people go by Him who were perishing in darkness—He did something about it. He witnessed to them; He preached to them; He healed the brokenhearted; He released those who were in bondage to sin.
Bottled Up Truth
What are we doing? We have a lot of truth bottled up in our minds; truth that, if shared, will save lives. But it will not do any good if it is just bottled up in our minds. We might be zealous about getting some truth out and sharing it with others within our own church; we want to make sure that they know exactly what we know; but what about the people who are perishing in darkness?
Jesus did not witness through His own power but through the power of the Holy Spirit. He utilized no other power than we may possess. Jesus wants to give us the Holy Spirit; He wants to fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit, but our focus must be right.
In John 4, the story is given about Jesus as He sat beside Jacob’s well, waiting for someone to give Him a cup of cool water. There He met a woman, and after dialoging with her, she came to realize that this was not just an ordinary person with whom she was talking—it was the Messiah. Because the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus, it had an influence upon her. It brought conviction upon her mind; there was power in what Jesus was saying. As a result, she went back into the city and brought the whole city out to see the Messiah. “She proved herself a more effective missionary than His own disciples.” The Ministry of Healing, 102. Did she have any training? No, but she yielded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and she became a powerful medium to bring souls to Christ.
“The disciples saw nothing in Samaria to indicate that it was an encouraging field. Their thoughts were fixed upon a great work to be done in the future.” Ibid. Is that what we are doing? Are we waiting on some big work to be done sometime in the future when the latter rain is poured out?—Oh, we are going to become soul winners then! Let us not make the mistake that the disciples made, because they did not see that right around them was a harvest to be gathered. That same thing is happening all around us right now. There are many people to be won to Christ, but what are we doing about it? “Through the woman whom they despised a whole cityful were brought to hear Jesus. She carried the light at once to her countrymen.” Ibid.
Can We Be Filled?
Can we have this experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit? Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. (See Luke 4:1.) We have examples of others, such as Stephen, who were also filled with the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 7:55.) The Bible says, “A great number [in Antioch] believed, and turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.” Acts 11:21–24. Each one of us can be filled with the Holy Spirit, but we will not be filled with the Holy Spirit, if our focus is wrong.
What will the Holy Spirit do for our witnessing? “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. The believers assembled in Jerusalem needed the Holy Spirit to help them witness. They needed the Holy Spirit, because they were to take the gospel to the entire world. This group of people who received the early rain power went out and started churches. That church became full of the Holy Spirit, and like fire, it went around the world. Every single person heard the gospel in his lifetime. There are five billion more people on this planet now than there was then. Do you think it is important that we receive the Holy Spirit?
We are not going to go to heaven unless we receive the Holy Spirit. Here is our greatest need! Why have we not received the Holy Spirit? The Bible tells us, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].” John 14:12–14.
Jesus said that if we believe on Him and His works, we will do them also. What were the works of Jesus? He was preaching to the poor in heart; He was delivering those who were captive in sin. The same works that He did, we will do also, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Prophecy comments on this promise: “Christ did not mean that the disciples would make more exalted exertions than He had made, but that their work would have greater magnitude. He did not refer merely to miracle working, but to all that would take place under the agency of the Holy Spirit. . . .
“Wonderfully were these words fulfilled. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were so filled with love for Him and for those for whom He died, that hearts were melted by the words they spoke and the prayers they offered. They spoke in the power of the Spirit; and under the influence of that power, thousands were converted.” The Acts of the Apostles, 22.
How important it is that we receive heaven’s greatest gift for us! When the early church was filled with the Holy Spirit, they were filled with love for Him and for those for whom He died. We may think we love the Lord, but that love is only superficial, if we do not have a love for those who are perishing in darkness. The same works that Jesus did, we can do also, with the power of the Holy Spirit.
A Willing Giver
How willing is God to give us the Holy Spirit? “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:13. If He is so willing to give, why have we not received this gift? Ellen White tells us, “The lapse of time has wrought no change in Christ’s parting promise to send the Holy Spirit as His representative. It is not because of any restriction on the part of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If the fulfillment of the promise is not seen as it might be, it is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be. If all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit. Wherever the need of the Holy Spirit is a matter little thought of, there is seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Whenever minor matters occupy the attention, the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in infinite plenitude.” The Acts of the Apostles, 50.
Friends, we are talking about life and death issues here. We are talking about either going to heaven or hell—one way or the other. We have to get serious about eternal life and about what God wants to give us. He is willing, but we are not ready to receive it.
Be Willing
Christ’s favorite theme was the gift of the Holy Spirit. “Christ, the Great Teacher, had an infinite variety of subjects from which to choose, but the one upon which He dwelt most largely was the endowment of the Holy Spirit.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 156. What is our focus? Upon what are we dwelling? Do we have one favorite subject on which we just keep hammering? If Christ is our example, we can receive the Holy Spirit, and we can finish the work that God has given us to do. Christ’s favorite theme was the endowment of the Holy Spirit, and that is where our focus should be, so we can receive the Holy Spirit. We are not going to heaven without it.
We must be willing to be led by the Spirit. Mark 1:12 says that the Holy Spirit came upon Christ and drove Him into the wilderness. He was out there with the beasts of the field in a wilderness area. How desirable would that be? But that was where the Spirit led Him, and that is where He was going to remain until He was told otherwise. Jesus could have died out there in the wilderness, on His fast. Do you realize that? He was right where the Holy Spirit led Him, and He would have stayed right there until the Holy Spirit led Him some where else. Are we willing to be led by the Spirit of God in any place, in any direction? “If all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit.” Are we willing to be led by the Spirit of God? When we pray for the Holy Spirit, we better expect that things are going to happen in our lives. We better be ready to be convicted of sin; we better be ready to be led wherever the Holy Spirit leads us and to do what He impresses us through His Word to do.
Occupied with Minors
So what is the problem? The heart is not completely surrendered; the will has not been merged in God’s will; therefore, we are not filled. “Wherever the need of the Holy Spirit is a matter little thought of, there is seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Whenever minor matters occupy the attention, the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in infinite plentitude.”
Are we in spiritual drought, darkness, declension and death? Do minor matters occupy our minds, or do we have the eternal reality of what is ahead of us? If minor matters are occupying our minds, the Holy Spirit cannot enter.
Persistently Pray
We must be praying. Ellen White wrote, “Why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit?” The Acts of the Apostles, 50. “For the baptism of the Spirit every worker should be pleading with God. Companies should be gathered together to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 22. Is not the Spirit of God to come today in answer to earnest, persevering prayer and fill men with power for service? Why then is the church so weak? Because we are not asking, pleading, persevering for the Holy Spirit. If we want to be led by the Spirit, we must persistently ask. (See Luke 11:1–13.) We have to stay upon our knees until we receive the promised blessing. We are not going to receive the Holy Spirit if we are spending two minutes on our knees then getting up and going about our duties. We have to spend quality time with the Lord.
“By your fervent prayers of faith you can move the arm that moves the world.” The Adventist Home, 264. That is a wonderful promise. “We should pray as earnestly for the descent of the Holy Spirit as the disciples prayed on the day of Pentecost. If they needed it at that time, we need it more today.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 158. We must be persistent in our asking.
We Must Gain Victory
Self must be laid aside. In Steps to Christ, 43, we are told that the fight against self will be our greatest battle, but it must be overcome. “There is no limit to the usefulness of one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart and lives a life wholly consecrated to God.” The Ministry of Healing, 159. Have we set self aside? Self must be dead.
“I am crucified with Christ.” Galatians 2:20. We must be crucified, cleansed from sin and selfishness. “I saw that none could share the ‘refreshing’ unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action. We should, therefore, be drawing nearer and nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Let all remember that God is holy and that none but holy beings can ever dwell in His presence.” Early Writings, 71. Are we gaining the victory over self, over our besetting sins? We will never know that we have a besetting sin if we do not take time to examine ourselves.
We do not really know ourselves, and the Bible says that we need to examine ourselves (11 Corinthians 5), and if we do not find anything, then we are to go to the Lord, like David said in Psalm 139:23, 24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” We need to ask the Lord to show us the defects in our characters to which we may be blind. We have to gain the victory over every besetment of sin through God’s grace and power.
Is our pride dead? We fight with our pride all of the time. We get offended; we do not like what someone says to us; they look a little odd at us—and our pride wells up. When pride gets control of our lives, there can only be strife, dissension, and every evil work. We need to start claiming the promise that says, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165. Our pride and selfishness, our love of the world must be dead.
David prayed, Lord, guard the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3.) We must ask the Lord to guard the door of our lips and give us pure motives. When evil-speaking happens, it occurs in the mind first, and we have to ask the Lord to help us with that.
If money-making is our main goal in this life, if the things of this world are eclipsing our view of Christ, we better come back to the cross, pick it up, and deny ourselves and follow Him. (See Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23.) If we are not spending time in prayer and Bible study and self-examination, if we are getting up in the morning and all we have on our minds is what the day holds as far as worldly attainments for us, we have lost our focus. We better ask the Lord to help us get our focus on His Word every morning, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then everything else will be added unto us. (See Matthew 6:33.) That is the promise. We must take the time; we must have victory over every wrong word, motive, and action.
Active Witnesses
We must be active witnesses if we are going to receive the Holy Spirit. Do not think that when the latter rain power comes that you will then automatically know how to win souls for Christ. That will not happen, because you have already proved yourself unfaithful and have not qualified yourself for the duty that God has given.
When we have an entire, whole-hearted consecration for the service of Christ, God will recognize the fact by an out-pouring of His Spirit without measure. But this will not occur while the largest portion of the church are not laborers together with God. (See Review and Herald, July 21, 1896.) Yes, we can hold our banner high, stating that we are the commandment-keeping people of God. We can go to church every single Sabbath and think that we are in harmony with God, but nothing will ever happen. We will die within the church.
Qualify for Service
We must qualify ourselves. “How few have qualified themselves in the science of saving souls! How few understand the work that should be done in building up the church, in communicating light to those who sit in darkness.” Review and Herald, February 14, 1893.
How do we qualify ourselves? We get trained, and then we use the training we have learned. If we are not using it, it is slowly dying. All vain thoughts must be put away. In 11 Corinthians 10:5, 6, we are told, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” “The soul of the prophet [John the Baptist], emptied of self, was filled with the light of the divine. . . . Christ could say, ‘I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.’ John 5:30. To Him it is declared, ‘Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.’ Hebrews 1:9. The Father ‘giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him.’ [John 3:34.] So with the followers of Christ. We can receive of heaven’s light only as we are willing to be emptied of self. We cannot discern the character of God, or accept Christ by faith, unless we consent to the bringing into captivity of every thought to the obedience of Christ. To all who do this the Holy Spirit is given without measure.” The Desire of Ages, 180. We may have all of our theology right, but unless we consent to be under the direction of the Holy Spirit and bring every thought into captivity to Him, we cannot even discern the character of God.
“The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church is looked forward to as in the future; but it is the privilege of the church to have it now. Seek for it, pray for it, believe for it. We must have it, and Heaven is waiting to bestow it.” Review and Herald, March 19, 1895.
Mike Bauler pastors the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mbauler@molalla.net.