1370. 1. How May the Saint Quench the Spirit?

1. How May the Saint Quench the Spirit?

(1) The Believer quenches the Spirit of God when he refuses to obey the order of the spirit. When the Holy Ghost spoke to Philip he arose immediately and went. The result was the conversion of the eunuch.

When the Holy Ghost spoke to Peter, immediately he went, nothing doubting, and Cornelius and his household were saved.

When the Holy Ghost spoke to Paul, immediately he set out for Macedonia; the result was that the Gospel was finally carried to Rome, and all of Europe received the way of life.

If the Holy Ghost tells us to go out into the streets and the lanes of the city, we must go.

If the Holy Ghost tells us to go out into the byways and the hedges of the country we must go.

If the Holy Ghost tells us to go to the uttermost parts of the earth, we must go.

We must not shift our responsibility; we must not say, "Send so and so;" we must not plead inability–we must go.

(2) The believer quenches the Spirit of God, when he seeks to serve in his own strength. We must go, but we must not go alone.

We must serve, but we must serve as one panoplied of God, strengthened according to His might.

We must preach, but we must preach along the lines that He sanctions.

If the believer seeks to serve God under human methods and with a human message, he thus quenches the Spirit.

"If a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully" (2Ti_2:5).

We may seek to serve the Lord, but like Simon Magus, we may serve Him for honor, for self, for filthy lucre. If we do, we surely will quench the Spirit.

2. How may the church quench the Spirit? God hath chosen to make Himself known through His Church. Salvation Armies, and Y. M. C. A.'s and all other humanly-conceived organizations may be used of God, but God, according to His own Word says: "Unto Him be glory in the Church" (Eph_3:21).

The church is solemnly commissioned to preach the Gospel to the uttermost part of the earth.

The Spirit of God desires to enable the church to do this. How, then, may the church quench the Spirit?

(1) The church may quench the Spirit by adopting unscriptural methods to raise money for the support of the work. "How shall they preach, except they be sent" (Rom_10:15), is a passage of Scripture which carries with it more than the mere setting aside of missionaries, and sending them forth to distant lands.

It includes also the providing of the means, for these missionaries to go.

The church in her methods of raising money to equip her missionaries, and to send them forth, has often quenched the Spirit.

There is only one Scriptural way and that is through the free-will offerings and the tithes of His people.

(2) The church may quench the Spirit by sending forth men who are untrue to the testimony which the Spirit gives. It is useless for us to pray God to bless the message of pastor or missionary unless that message parallels the doctrine which the Holy Spirit has committed to the saints.

To-day missionaries abroad, and preachers at home, often deny the great vitals of redemption.

This is doing no less than throwing water upon the fire, which the Holy Ghost seeks to kindle.

(3) The church may quench the Spirit by substituting the purposes, the plan and pro-grams of men, for those of the Spirit of God. The pilot of the ship will not suffer another to displace him at the wheel, yet, men are demanding that the Holy Ghost step aside, while a new pilot who knows nothing of the course, takes charge of the wheel.

The church of God needs to get back to the New Testament mission, and the New Testament method of preaching the Gospel, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR