THE HOLY SPIRIT CHRIST’S REPRESENTATIVE AND VOICE; OUR COMFORTER, TEACHER, AND EFFICIENCY
“EACH one must fight his own battle against self. Heed the teachings of the Holy Spirit. If this is done, they will be repeated again and again until the impressions are as it were ‘laid in the rock forever….'”-CH 561:2.
The Holy Spirit-Christ’s Representative
“‘The Holy Spirit, Christ’s representative on earth, is set forth and exalted as the heavenly teacher and guide sent to this world by our Lord at His ascension, to make real in the hearts and lives of men all that He had made possible by His death on the cross. The gifts of this divine Spirit, as enumerated in the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament, are acknowledged, prayed for, and received as fully as the Spirit sees fit to impart them.'”-LS 472:3.
“Christ is represented by the Holy Spirit; and when this Spirit is appreciated, when those controlled by the Spirit communicate to others the energy with which they are imbued, an invisible cord is touched which electrifies the whole. Would that we could all understand how boundless are the divine resources…”-7-A BC 277, col. 1:1.
“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 plentitude.
“Since this is the means by which we are to receive power, why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit? Why do we not talk of it, pray for it, and preach concerning it? The Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who serve Him than parents are to give good gifts to their children. For the daily baptism of the Spirit every worker should offer his petition to God. Companies of Christian workers should gather to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely. Especially should they pray that God will baptize His chosen ambassadors in mission fields with a rich measure of His Spirit. The presence of the Spirit with God’s workers will give the proclamation of truth a power that not all the honor or glory of the world could give.”-AA 50, 51.
“The Lord Jesus acts through the Holy Spirit; for it is His representative. Through it He infuses spiritual life into the soul, quickening its energies for good, cleansing it from moral defilement, and giving it a fitness for His Kingdom. Jesus has large blessings to bestow, rich gifts to distribute among men. He is the wonderful Counselor, infinite in wisdom and strength; and if we will acknowledge the power of His Spirit, and submit to be molded by it, we shall stand complete in Him. What a thought is this!…”-SD 282:1.
The Holy Spirit-Christ’s Voice “Beware of procrastination. Do not put off the work of forsaking your sins and seeking purity of heart through Jesus. Here is where thousands upon thousands have erred to their eternal loss. I will not here dwell upon the shortness and uncertainty of life; but there is a terrible danger-a danger not sufficiently understood-in delaying to yield to the pleading voice of God’s Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for such this delay really is. Sin, however small it may be esteemed, can be indulged in only at the peril of infinite loss. What we do not overcome, will overcome us and work out our destruction.”–SC 32, 33.
“…Those who learn to love amusement for its own sake open the door to a flood of temptations….
“…The power of discernment, which ought ever to be kept keen and sensitive to distinguish between right and wrong, is in a great measure destroyed. They are not quick to recognize the guiding voice of the Holy Spirit, or to discern the devices of Satan. Too often in time of danger they fall under temptation, and are led away from God. The end of their pleasure- loving life is ruined for this world and for the world to come.”-COL 54, 55.
“Let none deceive themselves with the belief that they can become holy while willfully violating one of God’s requirements. The commission of a known sin silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit and separates the soul from God…?”-GC 472:3.
“Sanctification is a daily work. Let none deceive themselves with the belief that God will pardon and bless them while they are trampling upon one of His requirements. The willful commission of a known sin silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit, and separates the soul from God. Whatever may be the ecstasies of religious feeling, Jesus cannot abide in the heart that disregards the divine law. God will honor those only who honor Him.
“‘To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey.’ If we indulge anger, lust, covetousness, hatred, selfishness, or any other sin, we become servants of sin. ‘No man can serve two masters.’ If we serve sin, we cannot serve Christ. The Christian will feel the promptings of sin, for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit; but the Spirit striveth against the flesh, keeping up a constant warfare. Here is where Christ’s help is needed. Human weakness becomes united to divine strength, and faith exclaims, ‘Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!'”-MYP 114:2, 3.
“If men would only give up their spirit of resistance to the Holy Spirit-the spirit which has long been leavening the religious experience-God’s Spirit would address itself to their hearts. It would convince of sin. What a work! But the Holy Spirit has been insulted, and light has been rejected. Is it possible for those who for years have been so blinded, to see? Is it possible that in this late stage of their resistance their eyes will be anointed? Will the voice of the Spirit of God be distinguished from the deceiving voice of the enemy?”-TM 393:1.
“…Faith rests upon evidence, not demonstration. The Lord requires us to obey the voice of duty, when there are other voices all around us urging us to pursue an opposite course. It requires earnest attention from us to distinguish the voice which speaks for God. We must resist and conquer inclination, and obey the voice of conscience without parleying or compromise, lest its promptings cease, and will and impulse control. The word of the Lord comes to us all who have not resisted His Spirit by determining not to hear and obey. This voice is heard in warning, in counsels, in reproof. It is the Lord’s message of light to His people. If we wait for louder calls or better opportunities, the light may be withdrawn, and we left in darkness.” -5T 69:0.
“…Customs, practices, and fashions which lead the soul away from God have been for years gaining ground in defiance of the warnings and entreaties of the Holy Spirit, until at last their ways have become right in their own eyes, and the Spirit’s voice is scarcely heard. No man can tell how far he may go in sin when once he yields himself to the power of the great deceiver. Satan entered into Judas lscariot and induced him to betray. his Lord. Satan led Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Ghost. Those who are not wholly consecrated to God may be led to do the work of Satan, while yet they flatter themselves that they are in the service of Christ.”–Id. 103:3.
“…Not by eloquence or logic are men’s hearts reached, but by the ·sweet influence of the Holy Spirit, which operates quietly yet surely in transforming and developing character. It is the still small voice of the Spirit of God that has power to change the heart.”-PK 169:1.
The Holy Spirit-Our Comforter
“…It is the specified work of the Comforter to transform us…”-7-A BC 132, col. 2:0.
“…The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude…” DA 391:1.
“…Mightily can God work when men give themselves up to the control of His Spirit.
”The promise of the Holy Spirit is not limited to any age or to any race. Christ declared that the divine influence of His Spirit was to be with His followers unto the end. From the Day of Pentecost to the present time, the Comforter has been sent to all who have yielded themselves fully to the Lord and to His service. To all who have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit has come as a counselor, sanctifier, guide, and witness. The more closely believers have walked with God, the more clearly and powerfully have they testified of their Redeemer’s love and of His saving grace. The men and women who through the long centuries of persecution and trial enjoyed a large measure of the presence of the Spirit in their lives, have stood as signs and wonders in the world. Before angels and men they have revealed the transforming power of redeeming love.”-AA 49:1, 2.
“….If you are looking to Jesus, and drawing from Him knowledge and strength and grace, you can impart His consolation to others, because the Comforter is with you.” -CH 502:0.
“…We need never feel that we are alone …. The Comforter that Christ promised to send in His name abides with us…?”-MH 249:1.
“With the consecrated worker for God, in whatever place he may be, the Holy Spirit abides. The words spoken to the disciples are spoken also to us. The Comforter is ours as well as theirs. The Spirit furnishes the strength that sustains striving, wrestling souls in every emergency, amidst the hatred of the world, and the realization of their own failures and mistakes. In sorrow and affliction, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone-these are the times when, in the answer to the prayer of faith, the Holy Spirit brings comfort to the heart.” -AA 51:1.
‘”At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.”-DA 669, 670.
“…The Holy Spirit with us as a comforter, a guide in our perplexities, to soothe our sorrows, and shield us in temptation. ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!’
“…He knows the thoughts that are framed by the mind and endorsed by the soul. He hears every word that falls from the lips of human beings. He is walking and working in the midst of all our transactions in life. He knows every plan, and He measures every method.” -ML 290:2, 6.
The Holy Spirit-Our Teacher
“…The greatest Teacher is represented in the midst of us by the Holy Spirit….”-CT 418:0.
“It is the Spirit itself that teaches and enlightens. The most powerful preaching of the Word, the reading of the Scriptures, will not be able to transform the character and save souls unless the Spirit works with and through the human agents. The planning and devising must not be of a character to draw attention to self….” -SD 30:2.
“…The Holy Spirit teaches the student of the Scriptures to judge all things by the standard of righteousness and truth and justice…”-CT 484:3.
“…The sweet influence of His Holy Spirit is teaching and guiding our thoughts, leading us to speak words that will cheer and brighten the pathway of others….”-6T 115:4.
“…The Holy Spirit will teach us how to appropriate every blessing that will be an antidote to grief. For every bitter draft that is placed to our lips, we shall find a branch of healing.”-MH 248:1.
“…God can teach you more in one moment by His Holy Spirit than you could learn from the great men of the earth….”-TM 119:1.
“The Holy Spirit is a divine teacher. If we heed its lessons, we shall become wise unto salvation. But we need to guard well our hearts; for too often we forget the heavenly instruction we have received, and seek to act out the natural inclinations of our unconsecrated minds. Each one must fight his own battle against self. Heed the teachings of the Holy Spirit. If this is done, they will be repeated again and again until the impressions are as it were ‘laid in the rock forever … .’ “-CH 561:2.
The Holy Spirit-Our Efficiency
“The Holy Spirit is an effective helper in restoring the image of God in the human soul, but its efficiency and power have not been appreciated…”-CT 67:3.
“…He will give the inspiration of His Holy Spirit to all those who are of a contrite spirit.
“Let there be more dependence upon the efficiency of the Holy Spirit, and far less upon human agencies … .”-TM 215:0, 1.
“…Trusting in the efficiency of the Holy Spirit, we are to testify of the mercy, goodness, and love of a crucified and risen Saviour, and thus be agents through whom the darkness will be dispelled from many minds, and cause thanksgiving and praise to ascend from many hearts to God. There is a great work to be done by every son and daughter of God.” -SD 280:2.
“It is the efficiency of the Holy Spirit that makes the ministry of the word effective. When Christ speaks through the minister, the Holy Spirit prepares the hearts of the listeners to receive the word. The Holy Spirit is not a servant, but a controlling power. He causes the truth to shine into minds, and speaks through every discourse where the minister surrenders himself to the divine working. It is the Spirit that surrounds the soul with a holy atmosphere, and speaks to the impenitent through words of warning, pointing them to Him who takes away the sin of the world.” -GW 155:2.
“One man should not try to do this [temperance] work alone. Let several unite in such an effort. Let them come to the front with a message from heaven, imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit. Let them draw with all their strength, with words made eloquent by the Spirit’s efficiency
….” Ev. 531:1. (Brackets belong to quotation.)
“…The Word is a power, a sword, in the hands of the human agent, but the Holy Spirit in its vital power is the efficiency to impress the mind. ‘They shall be all taught of God.’ It is God that causes the light to shine into
hearts…. The reason why God can do so little for us is that we forget that living virtue in the Holy Spirit is to combine with the human agent.”-SD 30:2.
“Christ says, ‘Without Me ye can do nothing,’ and He has provided the Holy Spirit as a present help in every time of need. But many have a feeble religious experience because, instead of seeking the Lord for the efficiency of the Holy Spirit, they make flesh their arm. Let the people of God be educated to turn to God when in trouble, and gain strength from the promises that are yea and amen to every trusting soul.” -TM 381:1.
Bashan Communicator Vol. 8, No. 1, January-May, 1990 pages 3-9.