The Jack Hyles Home Page - Meet the Holy Spirit

MEET THE HOLY SPIRIT

by Dr. Jack Hyles

Originally published in 1982 by Hyles-Anderson Publishers
First Electronic Printing, April, 1997 by FFEP

Meet the Holy Spirit

CONTENTS

Forward

Introduction

1. The Holy Spirit and the Bible

2. The Holy Spirit and Regeneration

3. The Reception of the Holy Spirit

4. The Holy Spirit and Christlikeness

5. The Fullness of the Holy Spirit

6. The Holy Spirit - Our Prayer Partner

7. The Anointing of The Holy Spirit

8. The Holy Spirit and Complete Sanctification

9. The Spirit-Controlled, Mind-Controlled Body

10. The Spirit and Growth in Grace

11. The Gifts of the Spirit

12. The Quiet Work of the Holy Spirit

13. The Holy Spirit and Divine Appointments

14. Pleading for the Power of the Holy Spirit

15. The Mind of the Spirit

16. The Liberty of the Spirit

17. The Holy Spirit, Our Comforter

18. Spirit-Filled Listening

19. The Sensitivity of the Holy

20. The Holy Spirit and the Opposite Sex

21. The Spirit and Music

22. The Holy Spirit and Oneness

23. The Holy Spirit and Fellowship Between Christians Who are Apart

24. The Transfer of the Holy Spirit

25. What Happened at Pentecost?

26. The Throne of the Holy Spirit

27. The Holy Spirit, the Ultimate in Conviction

28. The Body of the Holy Spirit

29. The Holy Spirit, Our Seal

30. The Holy Spirit and Fire

31. Woman, the Holy Spirit of the Family

32. The Holy Spirit and Your Schedule

33. This Kind

34. The Holy Spirit and the End Time

35. The Holy Spirit In Heaven

Foreword

One of the most grievous things that one can endure is to be ignored. How grieved then, must the Holy Spirit be, for to be ignored has been His lot for these many centuries! He, Who is the Indweller of the believer, the Anointer of the anointed, the Power of the pulpit and the Fullness of power for the believer, continues to go about His work with little or no acknowledgment or attention. Few sermons are preached about Him, fewer books are written of Him; yet He quietly continues to offer us leadership, comfort, wisdom, strength, teaching and power.

He must be a wonderful Person to go about His work among us with little or no recognition. Each of us enjoys introducing to our friends someone whom we have met and whose presence has enriched our lives. Years ago I met the Holy Spirit. How rich has been my life since that day! I want you to know Him too. May I introduce the Holy Spirit to you.

Introduction

I have been preaching for over 37 years. For almost a quarter of a century, I have pastored the same church. For these many years Wednesday night has been given to verse-by-verse Bible study. None of these studies has been more enriching to the saints than the study of the Holy Spirit. For 16 months we talked of Him, taught of Him, loved Him, spoke to Him and investigated Him.

Requests began to come that I bring some of these studies at the nationwide Pastors' School where thousands convene each year at the First Baptist Church in Hammond for a week of study and practical help concerning God's work.

So in Pastors' School of 1980 and again in 1981 I taught a series of lessons on the Holy Spirit taken from the lessons taught at the First Baptist Church on Wednesday evenings. Soon preachers and laymen began requesting that these lessons be in print. In answer to these petitions, I open my heart to you on the following pages and share with you the truths I have shared with thousands.

1. The Holy Spirit and the Bible

Everything that God has ever done and everything that God will ever do, He has done and will do by His Word. He created the universe by His Word. Again and again in the book of Genesis we find the words, "and God said." Genesis 1:14, "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years." Genesis 1:20, "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the he open firmament of heaven." Genesis 1:24, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so." Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Genesis 1:29, "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." You will note that all God did in creation He did by His Word.

When Jesus comes again, He will put down the Antichrist by His Word. II Thessalonians 2:8, "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with THE SPIRIT OF HIS MOUTH, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." Then in Revelation 19:13 we find that His name is called "The Word of God" when He comes again. "And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God."

Now the Word of God was authored by the Spirit of God. To know the Word properly, one must know the Holy Spirit personally.

1. The Word of God is eternal. Psalm 119:89, "For ever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven." It, along with the Godhead, is eternal. It is eternal in Heaven, which means that the entire Word of God was in Heaven before the world was ever created. The last verse in Revelation was I heaven before the first verse in Genesis was ever given to man. This forever settles the truth of verbal inspiration. Pseudo-scholars have sat behind desks and stood before chalkboards in our colleges and seminaries and advanced the heresy that God gave the thoughts of His Word to man and that man put them down in his own words. These pseudo-scholars remind us that Paul had his style of writing, Peter had his style of writing, John had his style of writing, etc. They would lead us to believe that each man took the truth and gave to us in his own styles and manner of writing. Let these deceivers be reminded that God did not make His Word to fit a man; God mad a man to fit His Word. The Word of God is eternal in the heavens. God made a man like Paul to fit the portion of his Word that he wanted Paul to pen. Hence, God did not make His Word to suit the personality of a man or a human vocabulary, but God made a personality and a man with a certain type vocabulary in order to reveal to us the eternal Word of God that was in Heaven completed before its first word came to earth.

2. God gave His Word to man. II Peter 1:20, 21, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The word "moved" here implies breathing. God breathed His Word to man. The term "Hold Spirit" could easily be translated "Holy Breath." thus, His Holy Spirit, a holy Breath, moved upon man and God breathed His book into man. God spoke to Moses and told him to write. He spoke, "In the beginning." Moses wrote, "In the beginning." God spoke, "God created the heaven and the earth." Some man-made scholars shout, "But that's mechanical dictation.' No, that's verbal inspiration! The eternal Word of God was given word by holy men of old as the Holy Spirit breathed the Word of God into them and upon them. The term "mechanical dictation" is a term invented by the liberals and Bible doubters to cast reflection upon verbal inspiration. It is a term of satire in their attempt to make those who believe in verbal inspiration look scholarly. This is their attempt to cast a stigma upon the fundamentalist. This is their effort to prove that those who believe in verbal inspiration are shallow.

The fact remains that the Word of God is eternal and forever settled in Heaven and that God gave this Word to man as He breathed on him, and man wrote it word for word as God gave it!

3. The Holy Spirit accompanies the Word of God. I Peter 1:12, "Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are not reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." The Bible alone is not the answer. Teaching and preaching the Bible in the power of the Holy Spirit is the answer. There is nothing more wonderful than to preach the Book that the Holy Spirit gave to us and while we preach it have Him speak to the hearts of those who hear it. The Holy Spirit speaks from the outside through His Word and then He speaks from the inside as He confirms His preached Word to the hearer. It is also a wonderful thing to read His Word as the Holy Spirit accompanies it.

One day I was riding on an airplane. I was amazed as I looked across the aisle and saw a passenger reading my book, BLUE DENIM AND LACE. I looked across the aisle and introduced myself whereupon the reader was so pleased to meet the author of the book and asked me if I would shed light upon its truth. Because I wrote the book, my explanation of the book would give added meaning to the words.

Not only did the Holy Spirit write the Book and not only did He breathe it to holy men of old as they were moved by Him to give it to us, but He is available to teach it to us if we will read it. It is not a math book to be studied analytically, but it is a love story, written from God to man, and confirmed to us by the Holy Spirit by the Holy Spirit as we read it, as we teach it and as we preach it.

4. The Holy Spirit quickens the Word of God. John 6:63, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life." He makes it alive to us. Most of the cults are started by people who read the Bible but do not study it in the presence of the Author. Thank God, the Author is available to teach it to us and to make it live as we learn it, teach it and preach it.

5. The Holy Spirit teaches the deeper truths of the Word of God. I Corinthians 2:9,10, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." He not only teaches us what He said in the Book, but He teaches us what He meant when He said it. There are so many handfuls of purpose that God has for us as we glean in the Word of God, but this must be done under the leadership and tutorship of the Holy Spirit. There are truths in the Word of God that the eye cannot see and that the ear cannot hear, but He Who breathed the Book to us through holy men of old can sit beside us as we study it, and He will teach us things not on the surface.

Every step that the Christian takes should be a step in obedience to the Holy Spirit. How does the Spirit lead us? First, He gives us a Book of instructions. He never goes contrary to His Book, and we need not seek his will concerning something that is written in the book. A young lady says, "I'm going to pray and ask the Holy Spirit if I should marry that unsaved man." There is no need to pray. The Holy Spirit has already told you not to marry an unsaved man. It's in the Book! A man says, "I'm going to pray and ask the Holy Spirit whether or not I should tithe." There is no need to pray that prayer. The Holy Spirit has already answered it. It's in the Book! The Bible is basically then a set of instructions given to us by our Guide. To be sure, there are circumstances that are not specifically covered by the Word of God. The Word of God may tell us that we are to spread the Gospel, but it does not tell us in what country or city that we are supposed to live and headquarter as we spread the Gospel. Therefore, we read the Bible to find the leadership of the Holy Spirit and then we seek Him to lead us in every detail that is not specifically laid down in the Word of God.

For guard duty in the Army we had what we called the "general orders." These general orders were exactly that- several things that we were supposed to do while on guard duty. The last of these was to call the Corporal of the guard in any case not covered by instructions. This meant that there were some circumstances not covered by the general orders. In such a case we were to call the Corporal of the guard. In the Bible we find our general orders as breathed to us through holy men of old by the Holy Spirit. We are to call upon Him personally in any case not covered by instructions; that is, by the general orders; that is, by the Word of God.

When I was a little boy my mother used to call me to her knee every night. She would hold the Bible up and say, "Son, this is the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God." Then I had to repeat it three times. She would then tell me that the Bible was about Jesus and that Jesus was the Son of God. Then she would make me repeat that three times. Then she would exhort me always to believe the Bible, and she warned me against those professors, teachers and preachers who would shake my faith in the Word of God.

When I was a poor teenager, she continued this ritual. In fact, every night until I went into the Army in World War II, I was required to say three times that the Bible is the Word of God and that Jesus is the Son of God and I was warned against those who would shake my faith in its truths. I was exhorted always to believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God.

When I was in the paratroopers in World War II the Bible was my constant companion. Now over a third of a century I have preached its truths. It is the first book I pick up in the morning and the last book I lay down at night. It is God's eternal Word, forever settled in the heavens, brought to me by the Holy Spirit, taught to me by the Holy Spirit. What a book! What a Savior! What a teacher!

2. The Holy Spirit and Regeneration

John 3:1-7, "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto Him, Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto the, Ye must be born again."

Perhaps no term has been used more carelessly and lightly in our generation that the term, "born again." Politicians and statesmen claim to have been born again. They drink alcoholic beverages, participate in sensuous dancing, are interviewed by pornographic magazines and deny the Scripture concerning the woman's place in society. Athletes speak of being born again and in the next breath grant an interview with a pornographic magazine. Entertainers talk about being born again, but with their talents they lure customers into nightclubs where they can drink and live lives that are profane and godless! Singers talk about being born again and then participate in a rock concert which not only defiles God but betrays decency. It is time for the believer to take a sane and Scriptural look at the new birth and the relationship that the Holy Spirit has with being born again!

1. Being born again means being born anew. John 3:7. The word "again" in this verse comes from a Greek word which means, "from the first," or "from the beginning." Actually it means, "the beginning born in you." Revelation 22:13 tells us Who the Beginning is: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Jesus is the beginning! When a person is born again, the "Beginning" is born in him!

2. The new birth is not a change of nature. It is not the old nature changing into a new nature.

3. The new birth is not the beginning of a new nature. It is the One Who is the Beginning entering a person. This is why Paul could say, "Christ in me, the hope of glory." Being born again is not a new nature being begun; it is the nature of Christ Himself entering into us as we are "born from the Beginning" or "have the Beginning born in us."

4. Being born again is the coming of a divine nature. Somebody says, "I am a new man." This does not do an injustice to the Scripture, but it is not exactly accurate. Our actions, to be sure, are different, but what has happened is that the very nature of Christ has entered into us. We have been born from the first!

5. This means eternity is born in the new convert. The Bible speaks of eternal life. John 3:15, "That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." The Bible also speaks of everlasting life in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This eternal life is actually the Eternal One, Who was without beginning and ending, coming into our lives. Eternal means, "without beginning or ending." the "I Am" has joined the "I become"; the Eternal has joined the temporal. This is not that nature which was born at physical birth joining up with a new nature that is born at conversion. It is that nature that was born at physical birth joining up with the eternal nature of Christ! Now, to be sure, that new life is NEW TO US, and Paul said in II Corinthians 5:17, we are new creatures, or better still, a new creation, but that which has entered us is really that Person Who is the beginning and the ending.

Someone may say, "I have a new car." That doesn't mean the new car was made the minute he got in it or paid for it; it already existed, but it was new to him. A family moves into a house and they say, ""We have a new house." The truth is the house didn't come into existence when they moved in; it was simply new to them. Hence, the new nature is news to us, but in reality, it is the eternal nature of Christ Himself living in us. This miracle of His coming into us and regenerating us is performed by the Holy Spirit. John 3:5, 6, "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

Light is given to this truth in Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." The key word inn this verse is "let." In other words, we are to "allow" the mind of Christ to come into us. Though this occasion changes us, it is not the beginning of the mind of Christ. The only thing new is that His mind has entered into us. That little word "let" is one of the most important words in the Bible. God has so much for us if we will "let" Him do what He wills. Romans 12:1 explains this, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." The word "present" or "yield" carries the same connotation as the word `let.'" God will do His work in us if we will LET HIM.

6. The warfare then is really the old nature against Jesus. Certainly one does not do an injustice to the Scripture when he talks about the old nature fighting with the new nature, but in reality, since that new nature is Jesus in us, we are really fighting the Son of God Himself when we "do our own thing," go our own way and go contrary to the will of God. When the Christian observes a lustful television program, it is Jesus Whom he fights. When he listens to rock music, it is Jesus Whom he fights. When he attends the movie or theater, it is Jesus Whom he fights.

When one puts his faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit, in response to that faith, brings Him Who was from the beginning into the believer's life, he is not must a new creature, nor is he simply enjoying the creating of a new nature; rather, he is having the Beginning born in him. That Beginning is Jesus. Eternity is joining time. The "I Am" is joining the "I become." The Everlasting is joining the temporal. What a motivation this is for the believer to yield himself to that Christ Who lives in him, as the Holy Spirit has wrought the amazing work of regeneration! This is amplified in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Notice the words, "I am crucified with Christ." In a mysterious sense, since the Eternal dwells in me, I was IN HIM at Calvary. It would not be improper then to say, "I created with Him, I was tried with Him, I was condemned with Him, I was crucified with Him, I arose with Him.' What a truth! What a salvation! What a Saviour!

3. The Reception of the Holy Spirit

I was preaching in a southern state. My message dealt with the fulness of the Holy Spirit and how that we are to meet the conditions and then plead with God constantly for His mighty power. A wonderful preacher followed me and made the statement that we do not have to plead for the fulness of the Holy Spirit but that if we simply claimed that fulness by faith, it could be ours. Though he was sincere, and though I think that he is a Spirit-filled preacher, I was saddened that he would make such and over-simplification of this vital doctrine. He overlooked Luke 11:13, "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?" In this verse the word "ask" is in the linear or durative which means we are to ask and ask and ask and ask. What a dangerous thing it is to misunderstand the fact that God insists that we pay the price for the fulness of His power-the kind of price that George Fox paid when he was alone with God for two weeks in prayer and fasting for the power of the Spirit, the kind of price that Dwight Moody paid when he pleaded with God for His mighty power, the kind of price that Jacob paid when he wrestles with the angel of God throughout the night, the kind of price that the New Testament church paid during the ten days preceding Pentecost!

I think it is possible that this misunderstanding of simply claiming the Holy Spirit fullness by faith is caused by the omission of a truth which I call "THE RECEPTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT." Careful attention should be given to the following discourse concerning this doctrine.

First, we must establish the fact that the Holy Spirit does come in at salvation. Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." I Corinthians 6:19, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost Which is in you, Which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

Though he does come in, there remains something else for us, and that is THE RECEPTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Do not confuse this with the fulness, the anointing or the indwelling. It is a doctrine all its own. Here are some illustrations.

A man realizes that his mother-in-law is unable to continue housekeeping. He feels that it is his obligation to invite her to live in his house. She comes in to live, but he has a hard time accepting her. He pays her little attention. He does not accept her as a part of the family. Then one day he realizes his error. He comes to her and says, "Please forgive me. I want to accept you as one of the family." Now she has been living in the house for some time, but he had not accepted her yet. There are many believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but who have not accepted Him and acknowledged his presence and, as it were, His being a member of the family.

A widow with her children marries for the second time. Her new husband comes in to live where she and her children have been living. The children do not accept him; perhaps they are bitter; perhaps they are suspicious or perhaps they are jealous. Now they live in the same house with their stepfather, but they have not yet accepted him as such. Then one day they learn to love him and suddenly they accept him as a member of the family. This simple illustration describes millions of Christians who when they received Christ became the temple of the Holy Spirit. However, they never acknowledge him; they never speak to Him! They accepted Christ as their Saviour. When Christ came, the Holy Spirit came with Him, and He indwells them, but they have never come to the place to where they say, "Holy Spirit, just as I accepted Christ, I accept You. You are a member of the family. I will acknowledge you as such."

Now the Holy Spirit has been there all along to lead, to strengthen and to comfort, but He awaits His acceptance. The stepfather provided for his stepchildren. He may have comforted them, taught them and loved them, but they did not accept him as their own and acknowledge his presence and membership in the family.

Notice John 7:37-39, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, Which they that believe of Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" Now compare that with John 20:22, "And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." John 20:22 is a fulfillment of John 7:37-39. In John 7 our Lord had promised that the Holy Spirit would be available to indwell believers upon the resurrection of Christ. In John 20:22 our glorified Lord admonished His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit. This verb "receive" is not passive but active. It could be translated, "accept the Holy Spirit" (just as you accepted Christ). You see, Jesus is the Saviour of the world, but we have to accept Him personally for Him to be our personal Saviour. The holy Spirit indwells believers, but we need to come to a time when we receive Him or accept Him, even as the stepchild received the stepfather and the son-in-law received the mother-in- law.

This explains Acts 19:1,2, "And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost." These disciples, though they were indwelt by the Holy Spirit, had not heard about the Him Who lived in them. This, no doubt, is true in the lives of so many Christians. The One Who indwells us receives no attention, no conversation, no expression of live, and in many cases no awareness of His presence.

Notice Galatians 3:2, 14, "This only would I learn of you, RECEIVED YE THE SPIRIT by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; THAT WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT through faith."

The main purpose of these studies is to acquaint believers with a Person (the Holy Spirit) so that they may ACCEPT Him Who came in at salvation and yet Who is being treated like an unwanted stepfather or an unwanted mother-in-law!

I had been preaching for many years. I knew that the Holy Spirit lived in me. The Bible said so. I even taught the doctrine, but I had never one time spoken a word to the Holy Spirit. Though I realized He lived in my body, and knew my body was His dwelling place, I had never accepted Him as a person. Yes, He provided; yes, He assured; yes, He comforted; yes, He strengthened; yes, He taught. Though I was aware of these marvelous works in my life, I never accepted Him as a person or received Him as such.

One day I was preaching on a radio broadcast. I was standing behind the pulpit of my small church in east Texas. My coat was half off, my collar was unbuttoned, and my tie was draped around my neck as I was preaching in the early morning hours to a radio audience from behind the pulpit of my empty church building. That morning I said to my radio audience, "The Holy Spirit lives in you. He hears what you say. He knows what you do. He sees where you go. He knows how you are dresses this morning." I began to tremble. I realized for the first time that He saw me and that He was a person. I finished the broadcast, I fell to my knees, lifted my voice to God and looked heavenward as I said, "Dear Holy Spirit, forgive me. I have never spoken to You. Doctrinally I knew you lived in me, but I have never accepted You as a person. I have never reckoned that You were part of my life in a practical way. I accept you today."

My life has changed! I have never been the same! I went out to my car to drive home for breakfast. I bowed beside the car and said, "Holy Spirit, lead me to know the route that I should take as I drive home." I then included Him in every decision that I had to make. I asked Him to help me when I went shopping. I asked Him to lead me in every area of my life. There has not been one day from that day until this when I have neglected to say a word to the Holy Spirit. To me He is a person. He not only lives in my body, but I accept Him as such. I acknowledge His presence. I talk to Him. I seek His guidance in even the smallest of decisions.

In summary, dear reader, when you accepted Jesus and asked Him to come into your life, He had with Him another member of the Godhead. As Jesus entered, this other member silently entered. Perhaps you did not realize it, or perhaps you realized it and have never taken time to accept this other member for what He really is. The purpose of this manuscript and of these studies is to acquaint you with Him. May we begin by accepting Him. Bow your head now and say, "Holy Spirit, I know You have been living in me. I now accept You." Beloved reader, would you do what this preacher did many years ago in an empty church building after preaching on a radio broadcast? Your life will never be the same. Accept Him now; receive Him now; include Him in everything. Ask Him to help you find the bargains when you go grocery shopping. Ask Him to lead you to the right clothing when you shop for apparel. Ask Him what route to take as you take even the smallest and most insignificant of journeys. Ask Him where to sit on the airplane. Ask Him to help you as you wash the dishes and clean the house. He yearns to be accepted by you.

Yes, He does come in at salvation. Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."

Yes, we are to plead with God for the fulness of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." Luke 11:13, "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?"

Yet, in between His entering at salvation and His filling us for service there needs to come a time in our lives where we receive Him or accept Him Who very quietly and without fanfare has been doing His work in us, through us and for us. Without any attention or gratitude He has been strengthening you, comforting you, teaching you, exhorting you, helping you and guiding you. He longs for you to know that He is there. He longs for you to fellowship with Him as a person. This moment could be the dawning of a new day, the beginning of a new era and a day of gladness for the Holy Spirit. He is in you. He is your guide. He is your teacher. He is your comforter. Bow your head now and accept Him as such and tell Him that you will never again live a day without fellowshipping with Him, expressing your love to Him and acknowledging His presence in your life.

4. The Holy Spirit and Christlikeness

In Bethlehem 2,000 years ago a male Child was born. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. One of His titles was Paraclete (helper). He gave Himself to helping others. When He saw hungry people, He fed them. When He saw sad people, He cheered them. When He was weary people, He strengthened them. When He saw discouraged people, He encouraged them. When He saw poor little children, He blessed them. When He saw bereaved people, He comforted them.

He never hated anybody. When people cursed Him, He blessed them. When people hated Him, He loved them. When people despitefully used Him, He prayed for them. When one betrayed Him, He called him, "Friend." When people reviled Him, He did not retaliate. He never sought vengeance. His feet never trod a wicked path. His mind never had a wicked thought. His hands never took that which they should not have taken. His tongue never spoke that which was sinful to speak. His heart never entertained an unholy motive. His hands never performed a sinful deed.

It was wonderful. One of those who knew Him best summarized His life by saying He "went about doing good." Acts 10:38, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil; for God was with Him." yes, it was wonderful.

Yet there was something sad about this. You say, "Something sad about his wonderful life of Jesus?" Yes, there was something very sad. The sadness is that His entire life was spent in a small geographical area of no more than 75 miles by 40 miles and in a chronological era of 33 years. America never saw Him. China never saw Him. Southeast Asia never saw Him. The Islands of the sea never entertained Him. The other countries of the Middle East never saw Him. People of Russia never saw Him. Only those who lived in that small little country of the Palestine and only those who lived during His brief life span on earth saw this wonderful life.

Do others not need to see Him too? Is it fair for most of the world to live and die and never see the life of Jesus? No, it is not. So God conceived a plan. This plan included that there be a Jesus in every city of every country and in every neighborhood of every city in every home, factory, office, shop and school of every neighborhood. He arranged for each of His people to have access to the same power through which He lived His life. That power was the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not live His life, perform His miracles, preach His sermons nor do His deeds as God. He did them as a Spirit-filled man. Luke 4:1, "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." That same Holy Spirit has been made available to every Christian so that every one in the world will have opportunity to see the amazing life that Jesus lived. Now every country can see Him, every business can see Him, every office can see Him, every factory can see Him.

There are so many passages that remind us of our obligation to be Christlike.

We are to present Christ on earth. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are here "in Christ's stead." II Corinthians 5:20, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

We are to have His mind. Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

We are to do His work. John 14:12, "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." We have been sent by Him, even as He was sent by the Father. John 20:21, "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you." We are to attempt to live in His likeness. Psalm 17:15, "As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness."

We are to be exactly as He was as we walk and talk among men. I John 4:17, "Herein is our live made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world."

We are to love as He loved. John 15:12, "This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."

We are to do as He did. John 13:15, "For I have given you and example, that ye should do as I have done to you."

Our son, David, is now a preacher and a father. For years he rode home from church with me. He would wait until nearly the middle of the afternoon to ride home with Dad after I had counseled with scores of people. Then I would again counsel after the evening service and Dave through the years would wait and ride with Dad. When he was just a little boy he was promoted into his first Sunday school class where he sat up and listened to a teacher in a classroom situation. Going home one Sunday morning, I asked him what he learned in Sunday school that day. He said, "I learned about God." I said, "What did you learn about God?" He replied, "I learned that God loves me more than anybody loves me." "What else did you learn about God?" I asked. "I learned that when I do bad, God spanks me and does He spank me Hard!" "What else did you learn?" "I learned that after God spanks me, He hugs me and tells me that it hurt.........Him.....more than it hurts me......Hey, Dad, are you God?"

I hugged my little boy to my breast and said, "No, son, I'm not God, but I'm glad you think I am, and I hope after you've been in our home for 18 or 20 years, that you still get me mixed up with Jesus."

A little boy in our church used to call me Brother God. One day I was preaching Hell, fire and brimstone. He looked up to his mother and said, "Mama, ain't God mad today!" One day I went by his house to make a visit. He hollered into the house and said, "Mother, Brother God is here." I noticed his bicycle was broken. I tried to fix it and failed. As I left, his father came home from work. His father saw the broken bicycle and said, "Hey, son, is your bicycle broken," whereupon the boy replied, "Yes, Dad." The father said, "Let me fix it for you." The son said, "You can't fix it, daddy." "Why?" asked the father. The boy said, "Well, God came by and he couldn't fix it, and if God couldn't fix it, Daddy, you dead sure can't."

One day I tied a little boy's shoe. He was a bus kid. His mother watched as I tied his shoe. As I walked away, he looked up to his mother and said, "Mama, did you see God tie my shoe?"

These are but a few illustrations to remind us that we are to be like Jesus. Cindy, our youngest daughter, used to stand on the hearth of the fireplace when she was a little girl and sing, "To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus, all I ask to be like Him. All through life's journey, through hill and valley, all I ask, to be like Him." Though she didn't always get the words exactly right, often her dad would weep as her little voice would sing clearly, "To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus, all I ask is to be like Him. All through life's journey, through hill and valley, all I ask, to be like Him." The entire Christian life can be wrapped up in those words. We are to be like Jesus. He cannot be here in person to forgive now. I have to show people how he forgives. He is not here in person to feed the hungry, to strengthen the weak, to encourage the discouraged, to clothe the cold, to help the widows and orphans, so He says to me and too you, "Show them how I would love. Show them what I would do. Go where I would go. Preach what I would preach. Teach what I would teach. Sing what I would sing. Love as I would love. Forgive as I would forgive. Be kind as I would be kind. Do good as I would do good."

And so I set out to be like Jesus. I tried so hard. I would sing, "Trying to walk in the steps of the Saviour." I would sing, "O, to be like Thee! O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou are. Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fulness; stamp Thine own image deep on my heart." I would sing, "Be like Jesus, this my song, in the home and in the throne; be like Jesus all day long! I would be like Jesus." I really tried, but I failed. I found that I would rather be served than serve. I found that I would rather be helped than to help. I found that I would rather receive than to give, to be fed than to feed, to be clothed than to clothe. I found that I would rather hate my enemies than love them. I found it difficult to bless those that cursed me, and I also found that I would rather be cheered than to cheer and be comforted than to comfort. Try though I may, I failed. I could not be like Him.

Then one day I came across a verse that transformed m life. Roman 8:11, "But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you."

I had always thought that that passage dealt with the resurrection of the body. I thought that our Lord was saying that if His Spirit dwelt in us, we would be resurrected someday, even as His body was resurrected. Then I became aware that Romans 8:11 is not talking about our coming physical resurrection but rather the availability of the resurrected life while we are yet in the body. Our Lord is saying that if the Holy Spirit can raise up Jesus from the dead, that same Holy Spirit can raise me up from selfishness and self- centeredness in order that I may live a resurrected life. That resurrected life can be lived only in the power of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit of God could raise the body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that Holy Spirit can raise us to walk in the Spirit and to have daily victory to live a resurrected life.

Bear in mind that it was by the holy Spirit that Jesus cast out devils. Matthew 12:28, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." It was by the Holy Spirit that Jesus offered Himself as our substitute. Hebrews 9:14, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" In the millennial kingdom when our Lord reigns, he will reign by the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 11:2, "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."

When I was in Rome I went with our party to visit the Vatican City. High on my list of priorities was that amazing Sistene Chapel adorned with Michaelangelo's famous painting, "The Last Judgment." The painting covers the entire ceiling and much of the walls. It is an unbelievable work of art.

Now suppose for a minute that we were to go to the Sistene Chapel, and suppose that the Lord Jesus said to me, "Paint another `Last Judgment' like the one painted by Michelangelo." It matters not how hard I tried; I could not paint a likeness of that masterpiece. I would say, "Lord, try though I may, my painting is as a child's first-grade attempt."

There could be a way, perhaps, that I could paint another "Last Judgment." Suppose God offered to take the spirit of Michelangelo and place that spirit within my body. Could I not them make a replica of his famous painting? To be sure, it would take some time. Day by day, week by week, month by month and even year by year I would add a little bit as did Michelangelo until someday perhaps I could, with Michelangelo's spirit within me, make a replica

The Lord Jesus came to me and said, "My child, make another life like Mine." I tried, but I failed. I miserably failed. Then one day He said to me, "You could succeed perhaps if I would put My Spirit in you." So He made His Spirit available to me, and by that Spirit I can attempt to paint a likeness of the life of the Son of God.

Yet again I failed. I could not match His masterpiece. I could not completely show this old world how He lives. Then I came across what to me is the most important Scripture in the Bible on this subject. II Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Notice the words, "are changed into the same image from glory to glory," and notice the words, "even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Then it dawned on me I AM NOT THE PAINTER! I AM THE CANVAS! THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE PAINTER! My job is simply to present myself, or to yield to Him. Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

So as I yield to Him, just as a canvas yields to the artist, the Holy Spirit paints from glory to glory a likeness of Christ in my life. Ha, here is the secret: Yield, yield, yield, yield, yield! He does the work that I cannot do.

Yes, I tried to be like Him; I failed. Then in the power of the Holy Spirit I tried to paint His likeness. This helped some, but again I failed. Then I realized that I am not the painter; I am the canvas. I, as canvas, yielded to the master artist, and He in turn paints day by day the life of Christ in my yielded flesh.

So every morning I yield to Him, and then I ask Him to let me cross the path of people whose path our Lord would cross and whom our Lord would help if He were on earth. I must yield to Him to make me like Jesus, and then I must yield for Him to lead me where Jesus would go, for what value is it to be like Jesus if my path does not cross the path of that one that Jesus would help today.

Several years ago I made several trips to see my dentist. His wife was both his nurse and receptionist. When I would go visit the dentist's office, I would sit in the waiting room and attempt to witness to his wife. She had no interest in the Gospel and my attempt proved feeble. One morning I arose early, yielded to the Holy Spirit, and asked Him to let me cross the path of that one that Jesus would help if He were on earth today. On my schedule was a trip to the dentist's office. As I was sitting in the waiting room reading an old magazine, the door opened. An old lady walked in wearing tennis shoes and clothing associated with poverty. She was holding a handkerchief in her hand, and in the handkerchief was a set of false teeth covered with blood. She said through a toothless mouth, "My teeth don't fit! My teeth don't fit! Could the dentist make my teeth fit?"

The dentist's wife said, "Mary, I'm sorry but your guarantee is past." Mary replied, "But my teeth don't fit and my gums hurt. I've got to have my teeth made to fit." The dentist's wife again replied, "Mary, I'm sorry, but you should have come earlier." Mary replied, "I couldn't come earlier. I don't have a car and it's been cold and snowy. This is the first day I could come." Again the dentist's wife said, I'm sorry, Mary. Your guarantee period has past." I looked up, as the Holy Spirit reminded me of the prayer I had prayed that morning. I asked the dentist's wife, "How much would it cost to have a new set of teeth made for Mary?" She told me that it would cost a little over $400. I said, "Then make her a new set and put it on my bill." The dentist's wife then asked me if I knew Mary. Of course, I replied that I did not. I told her about my prayer that morning, as I yielded to the Holy Spirit and asked Him to let me cross the path of the ones that Jesus would help if He were on earth.

A few days later I received a call from the dentist's office. It was the wife of the dentist. She said, "Reverend, could I come to your office to see you. I cannot forget your kindness to Mary. I believe I can get saved now." She did come to my office. She did get saved.

May God forgive me for the many times that I have forgotten to ask Him to let my path cross the path of that one that our Lord would help, and may God forgive me for the many times that I have crossed paths and have forgotten or refused to help.

Someone is saying, "Dr. Hyles, I could not afford that kind of money." Then maybe the following illustration would fit your life better. I was at a supermarket waiting to be checked out. The little lady in front of me was very poor. Her bill came to $4.72, but I noticed she had only $4.00. She timidly told the clerk that she didn't think she would take the bananas that she had planned to buy. She just was not very hungry for bananas any more.

The clerk was offended and suggested that she make up her mind. With tears in her eyes the little lady who had only $4 had no other choice but to place the bananas back. After she was checked out and had received several insults from the lady at the chick-out counter, I picked up the bananas and added them to my bill. I them followed the little lady who could not afford the bananas. When I came to where she was I said, "Lady, you left something back at the supermarket." She said, "Oh, I didn't buy those bananas." I said, "Oh, yes, I saw you buy them." She began to weep and she said, "Mister, are you giving me those bananas?" Then with a stunned look on her face she said, "You're Reverend Hyles, aren't you? you're the Jesus- man. I've seen you before." It wasn't difficult to win her to the Saviour.

In Bethlehem, 2,000 years ago a male Child was born. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. One of His titles was Paraclete (helper). He gave Himself to helping others. When He saw hungry people, He fed them. When He saw cold people, He clothed them. When He saw sad people, He cheered them. When He saw weary people, He strengthened them. When He saw discouraged people, He encouraged them. When He saw poor little children, He blessed them. When He saw bereaved people, He comforted them.

It was wonderful. One of the ones who knew Him best summarized His life by saying He ""went about ding good." Acts 10:38, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil; for God was with Him." Yes, it was wonderful.

Yet there was something sad about this in that His life was confined to one area that at most would be 75 miles by 40 miles and to one era of 33 short years. Yet, thanks be to God, His plan makes it possible for every one of His people to be like Jesus and to so yield himself to the master painter, which is the Holy Spirit, that people in every country, state, county, city, township, neighborhood, school, office, business and home can see the life that Jesus lived!

Oh, Holy Spirit of God, may people who cross my path have the privilege and the blessing of seeing Jesus!

5. The Fulness of the Holy Spirit

A pastor requested that I bring my message on "Fresh Oil" to his people. I refused to do so using as an excuse that the sermon was more adapted to preachers rather than to laymen. After the service that night I returned to my room and the Holy Spirit began to convict me and rebuke me for limiting to preachers the doctrine about Himself. He reminded me that His fulness was for everybody, and He led me to reexamine Joel 2:28, 29, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit." He especially pointed out to me that He would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. That would include our sons and daughters, our old men and young men and even servants and handmaids. I fell to my knees asking His forgiveness and promised Him that I would make the doctrine of His fulness as plain as I could so that young men and old men, sons and daughters, handmaids and servants could understand. This blessed truth is for the busy housewife who goes about her duties. It is for the mother who rocks the world in her lap. It is for the steel worker at the blast furnace. It is for the service station attendant who pumps gas. It is for the maid at the motel who cleans rooms. It is for everybody. So, in simple language, understandable by the layman and the clergy, I approach this vital truth.

First came the light. Then came the firmament. Then God lit the starry host of the nighttime. After that came the fist of the sea and then all the tribes of the animal kingdom. Now God was ready for man. He made man in his own image, and it was marvelous. Man walked in the garden of Eden fellowshipping with his Creator. They walked in splendor. Every tree that grew was pleasant to the eyes. Rivers flowed peaceably through verdant valleys. Every sound was a melody. Every scene was a delight. There was no war to unrest the beast. There was no sickness to cause a fear of death. The leaf never withered; the wind never chilled. No perspiration moistened the brow. No profanity cursed the ear. There was no weariness, no heat and no cold. No blossoms were smitten by a tempest. Man had not yet learned to sigh or weep. There was no withering frost to chill the rose. There was no shadow of guilt ever known. Choirs of birds serenaded man. It was wonderful!

Yet something was missing. There was no kindred creature on earth with whom man could share this beauty and this wonder. Then there she comes, dressed in all the beauty a human being could possess. Grace was in her step. Heaven was in her eye. Every gesture possessed dignity and love. Perfection was stamped upon her. The sons of God shouted for joy. The morning stars sang together, and Eden was transformed.

How wonderful it was! Man and woman, made for Him, sharing fellowship with God in Edonic splendor. They knew not the definition of sorrow. They had never seen a funeral. There were gardens of perpetual bloom, orchards that surrendered their fruit daily. No child was dying with leukemia. Garlands of flowers covered their path. Brows never furrowed, faces never wrinkled, hands were never palsied, the step was never offensive.

All the while the Lord Jesus was with the Father in Heaven. Torches flared as He walked the golden streets. Trumpets announced His every arrival. Demonstrations dogged His heels. Multitudes adored Him; worshippers bowed before Him. Angels ministered to Him. The planet sang His praises. All of the earth's diamonds could not fill His scepter. All of earth's gems could not fill His crown. He was always in the presence of the Father. The sun and the moon obeyed His voice, and the four living creatures sang His praises!

Then one day it happened! There were groans heard in Heaven because something tragic had happened on earth. God's race had fallen. Ruin had blighted His creation. Now the winds howl, the serpents hiss, the brow furrows, the shoulder stoops, the hands tremble, the eyes grow weary, the mind grows dull, the hair turns gray. Sin had blighted the human race.

God's mercy wanted restoration, but God's justice would not allow it until the penalty was paid. The only was the inhabitants of earth could be salvaged for God was for the Lord Jesus Christ to go to earth. This He did. He fled to a virgin's womb. There was no welcome for Him. The only open door to Him was a barn door. He was born in another man's stable, ate at another man's table rode another man's beast, slept on another man's pillow, cruised in another man's boat and was buried in another man's tomb.. He was King of kings, but He had no throne but a cross, He had no crown but a crown of thorns, He had no scepter but a walking stick, He had no royal robe but a borrowed coat from a soldier. He had no subjects but a jeering mob. He was despised and rejected of men. He was a man of sorrows; He was acquainted with grief. He bore our griefs, He carried our sorrows, He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. He was oppressed, He was afflicted, He made His grave with the wicked, He gave his soul an offering for sin, and worst of all, He became sin and stood before the judgment of God bearing the sins of the whole world! He was pronounced guilty by His Father, and on the cross He paid the penalty for the sins of mankind. He was buried and rose after three days and three nights. Now the message is complete. It is time to send that message out to a lost world. Twelve men are chosen to begin this task.

But there is still a problem! The message is unbelievable! Imagine twelve common men starting out to convince a world of unsaved people that Jesus was born of a virgin! Imagine how that will be received by the natural ear, the natural mind, and the natural heart! Imagine trying to convince a sinful world that Jesus lived for 33 years and never committed one sin! Imagine how difficult it would be to convince the world of the vicarious death and bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ!

So God made it possible for Someone to accompany these men Who could talk to people from within as these missionaries told the story from without. This One talking from within would be the Holy Spirit. God would make it possible for these preachers and missionaries to be so filled with the Holy Spirit that while they preached the message from without, the Holy Spirit would convince the listeners from within that the message is true.

For example, a preacher who is filled with the Holy Spirit stands in his pulpit and preaches. While he is preaching the truth, a voice talks from within to the congregation saying, "That's right! What the preacher says is true. Jesus was born of a virgin. He did live a sinless life. He did die on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. He did rise again after three days and three nights. He did ascend back to the Father. He is at the right hand of the Father interceding even now. He is coming again." The preacher keeps preaching. He says that those who accept Christ go to Heaven. From within the Holy Spirit says "He's right. He's right. Listen to him. He's telling you the truth." the preacher preaches about Hell and judgment. The Holy Spirit from within says, "He's right. Believe him. He's telling you the truth. Listen to what he says." Ah, what a blessedness it is to preach in the power of the Holy Spirit so that while the words come from the lips of the pastor to the ear of the hearer, the Holy Spirit comes to the heart of the hearer and confirms what the pastor is saying!

Ah, this will transform a Sunday school teacher! The Spirit-filled teacher can stand before his class and teach the Word of God. What would have been a boring lesson suddenly becomes life-changing because the Holy Spirit is saying to the pupils, "Listen to your teacher. He loves you. That's right. Believe him." This is the need for our Sunday schools.

Imagine a Spirit-filled soloist singing in the public services and as the song is sung and the message is heard by human ears there is a Voice from within speaking to each member of the congregation saying, "That song is right. Jesus does save. He does comfort. His is your need!" This would transform the music program of our churches. While Spirit-filled choirs sing, a Voice from within speaks to the congregation saying, "That choir is right. Believe them." Their hearts begin to burn. Conviction settles in and decisions follow.

An organist or pianist is playing the offertory on Sunday morning. That organist is filled with the Holy Spirit after having paid the price in fervent prayer and after having met the conditions for His fulness. the organist plays the offertory and as she plays a song like "Sweet Hour of Prayer," a Voice speaks to the hearts of those in the congregation: "That's right. Prayer is sweet and it does call you from a world of care. It is the answer for your life." The Voice continues to say, "You should pray. You should pray often. You should pray before you eat. You should pray before you start the day. You should have seasons of prayer."

The Spirit-filled Christian school teacher stands before his or her class, and as the teacher teaches, the Holy Spirit says to the pupils, "Your teacher is right. Believe what your teacher is saying. Listen carefully." Ah, that will help the deportment and behavior in the classroom.

Imagine a Spirit-filled soul winner knocking at the door of a house. A person comes to the door and suddenly the holy Spirit speaks from within. The soul winner begins to tell the wonderful story of Christ and from within the heart of the hearer there is this Voice saying, "Believe him. The man is from God. He is telling you the truth. This is the way to Heaven. This is your only hope.

At Pentecost that Voice even spoke different languages so that people who could not understand language that was used in the preaching could hear the message of Christ and be saved!

Oh, preacher, this is your answer! Sunday school teacher, this will transform your class. Singer, this will give life to your special numbers. Instrumentalists, this will multiply your effectiveness. Christian school teachers, this will help us to produce dedicated young people. Nursery worker, this will help the children even in the nursery. Imagine a nursery worker telling a baby about Jesus; the Holy Spirit can even speak to that little heart. Mothers, this will help you rear your children properly.

The question immediately comes: How may this power be obtained? Of course, there are obvious steps such as separation from the world, faithfulness to the cause of Christ, hours of studying the Word, obedience to the commands of God and to the will God, etc., but the main thing is for a Christian to be so sincere that he pays the price in agonizing and pleading and tarrying, begging God for His power. Notice Luke 11:5-13, "And He said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, saying unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 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?" The word "importunity" in verse 8 means "much begging."

This chapter is being written at my desk. On my desk I see the words, "Pray for power." Behind my desk I see the words, "Pray for power." In the Bible that is in my lap I see the words, "Pray for power." On the mirror where I shave I see the words, "Pray for power." On the door leading from my office into the hallway I see the words, "Pray for power." Hundreds of times a day I plead with God for His power. Then, of course, there are seasons of prayer when I go alone with God to plead for the power of God.

I am commanded in the Scripture to be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." Notice that in the same passage about Spirit-fulness, drunkenness is mentioned. It would seem then that it is just as wicked for a person to do God's work without the fulness of the Holy Spirit as it would be to do God's work drunk with wine wherein is excess.

As a child I was very nervous. We were very, very poor. My father was an alcoholic. He left our home when I was a boy. Through a series of events, God called me to preach His Gospel. I was very sincere. When I was 21 years of age, I began to pastor. For one lonely year I pastored with no results. No one walked the aisle for salvation, no one walked the aisle to transfer membership. It was a long, barren year. I decided to find the answer. I went to a library at a Baptist college. I began to read the biographies of great men. I read how Dwight Moody was filled with the Holy Spirit while walking down Wall Street one day. I read how his ministry was changed and how he would preach the old sermons where he at one time had five conversions and then he had fifty! I read how his ministry was transformed,, and my heart began to burn from within. I wondered, "Could that be available for me? Could that which Dwight Moody received when he was filled with the Holy Spirit be available for a little Texas preacher?" I continued reading. I read about Savonarola, who went to his pulpit one day and realizing he was powerless refused to preach until thee power of God came upon him. For five hours he sat and waited until the power of God came, and then he was filled with the Holy Spirit as he preached. I read about Christmas Evans, who was riding his horse on his circuit one day and suddenly the power of God came upon him. He knew for the first time in his life that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. I read about Charles G. Finney and his Spirit-filled life. I began to ask God as a young preacher, "Is that for me? Is that for today? Is there actually a power that can come over me where the Holy Spirit can speak to people from within as I speak from without?"

I read about John Wesley, who at three o'clock in the morning on October 3, 1738, after having prayed with a number of preachers for most of the night was filled with the Holy Spirit. His ministry was never the same. I read about George Fox, who went alone for two weeks begging for the power of God, and how his life was transformed. I read about Peter Cartwright, who had been filled with the Holy Spirit and mighty power came upon him. I read of George Whiitefield, who on June 20, 1736, was ordained to preach. As he knelt at the altar, Bishop Benson laid his hands on the young preacher and George Whitefield know then and there that he was filled with the Holy Spirit! I read about George Muller, who was filled with the Holy Spirit the first time he ever saw Christians on their knew in prayer. I read how Billy Sunday used to preach every sermon with his Bible open to Isaac 61:1 and how the Spirit of God came on him. My heart began to burn from within! "Was this for me as well as for them? Was that power that Moody had and Wesley had and Whitefield had and Billy Sunday had available for little Jack Hyles, a poor country preacher in east Texas?"

I began to walk in the woods at night. Night after night I would walk and cry and pray an beg for power. My heart was hungry. I got a Cruden's Concordance and looked up the terms, "Holy Ghost," "Spirit of the Lord," "Spirit of God," etc. I looked up every Scripture in the Bible that had to do with the Holy Spirit. I read in Judges 6:34 that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and in Judges 14;6 how the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson in and in I Samuel 11:6 how the Spirit of God came upon Saul. I read in I Samuel 16:13 how the Spirit of the Lord came upon David. I read in Acts 9:17 where Paul was filled with the Holy Ghost and in Luke 4:1 where Jesus was full of the Holy Ghost. My heart burned! I needed something. I needed the blesses power of God. I needed the fulness of the Holy Spirit. I didn't understand all the Scriptures. I read in Luke 3:16 the words, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." I read in Acts 1:4 the mention of the "promise of the Father." In Luke 24:49 I found the words, "be endued with power from on high." In Acts 1:8 I found the words, "after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." In Acts 2:17 I learned of the "pouring out of the Spirit" and in Ephesians 5:18 I found the term, "filled with the Spirit."

I was no seeking sinless perfection nor was I trying to name what I wanted God to give me. I had no desire to speak in tongues not did I even desire to have some kind of an experience. I just wanted God to work in the hearts of the people while I preached and witnessed. Could it be for me? Yes, it was for Samson, for Gideon, for Torrey, for Moody, for Billy Sunday, for Jonathan Edwards, for Muller, for Whitefield, for George Fox, for Christmas Evans, for Savonarola, for Peter Cartwright, for John Rice, for Bob Jones, for Lee Roberson, but was it for me? I was just a country preacher. I can recall how my eyes fastened on Isaiah 40:31 and Acts 2:4 and Acts 4:31. I was hungry!

"I must have results. I must have power." I can recall saying to God, "I'm not going to be a normal preacher. I'm not going to be a powerless preacher."

Night after night I would walk through the pine thickets of east Texas, up and down the sand hills, begging God for His power. If you had driven down Highway 43 outside Marshall, Texas, on the way to Henderson, Texas, in the wee hours of the morning, you could have heard me praying, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" and begging God to give me power.

I was losing weight. I couldn't eat. What I did eat came back up! My family was worried about me. My deacons got together and said to me, "Pastor, you've got to take care of yourself. You are going to get bad sick."

Then came May 12, 1950. All night I prayed! Just about sunrise I fell to my face in some pine needles and told God I would pay the price, whatever it was, for the power of God! I did not know what I was saying. I did not know what that meant.

In less than four hours, my phone rang in our little country parsonage. The operator said that it was a long distance call for Reverend Jack Hyles. She put the call through and a voice said, "This is Mr. Smith. I work with your dad. Reverend Hyles, your dad just dropped dead with a heart attack." I put the phone down. I could not believe what I had heard. Just a few months before I had preached to my Daddy, but I was powerless. He did not get saved. I had witnessed to him, but once again I was powerless and he did not get saved. He had promised me the first of January, 1950, that in a few months he would come back to east Texas and receive Christ as his Saviour. He never made it. As far as I know, he died without Jesus under the influence of alcohol. We drove to Dallas to the same funeral home that later embalmed President Kennedy when he was killed. On May 13, 1950, Mother's Day afternoon, we had a little service in the chapel. We then followed the hearse about 50 miles south to a little cemetery on the northeast corner of Italy, Texas, where two of my little sisters were buried. Down near the creek was a hole in the ground. They lowered my daddy's body in the grave. Not long after, I returned to that grave and fell on my face and told God I was not going to be a powerless preacher any more and that I was not going to leave that grave until something happened to me. I don't know how long I stayed. It may have been hours; it may have been days. I lost all consciousness and awareness of time. I did not become sinlessly perfect nor did I talk in another language nor was I completely sanctified, but my ministry was transformed!

To God be the praise, there has not been one single Sunday since that day without conversions in the churches I have pastored. That's been over 31 years now, and though I'm not the preacher I ought to be, I have seen the mighty power of God over and over and over again. Over a quarter of a million people have walked the aisles in the churches I have pastored professing faith in Christ. I am no great preacher. I am no giant of the faith. I just found out there was a way that a person could be filled with the Holy Spirit, enabling Him to speak from within as I preached from without.

One of the great mistakes that Christians make, however, is believing that fulness of the Spirit is a one-time happening. The truth is that the New Testament church was filled with the Spirit over and over again. They were filled with the Spirit in Acts 2:4, "And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Again they were filled with the Spirit in Acts 4:31, "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the Word of God with boldness."

Several years later I was called to pastor the Miller Road Baptist Church of Garland, Texas. Twenty-one people voted on me-eighteen voted for me, two voted neutral and one voted undecided. The church enjoyed unbelievable growth. What a ministry God gave us, and how blessed was the Holy Spirit's power! The church grew so fast that it was too big for me and I felt that I must resign. On December 31, 1954, I went to my study on New Year's Eve. I went alone with God and told Him the church was too big for me and that I would have to resign and let someone more qualified and capable continue the ministry. I would be content to go to some smaller church and start over again. I wrote out my resignation, laid it on the floor of my study and told God that unless He gave me a new power I would have to read the resignation on January 1, 1955. I did not want to resign, because I loved my people dearly, but there was no other choice. I prayed from 9:00 until 10:00; from 10:00 until 11:00; from 11:00 until 12:00; from 12:00 until 1:00. Sometime past midnight, there was a knock on the door of my study. I went to the door. It was one of my deacons. He was weeping. He said, "Pastor, what's wrong?" I said, "Why do you ask?" He said, "The Holy Spirit told me something was wrong with my preacher tonight. I called your house and they did not know where you were, so I thought I would come to the study. What's wrong?"

I showed him the letter of resignation and told him that God was going to have to give me something more than what I had I f I stayed, He said, "Pastor, let's pray." We prayed from 1:00 until 2:00; from 2:00 until 3:00; from 3:00 until 4:00; from 4:00 until 5:00 and sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning the sweet power of God settled upon us, and I knew that God had given me some fresh power,, some fresh oil, as spoken of by the Psalmist in Psalm 92:10, "But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: Ishall be anointed with fresh oil." I tore up the letter of resignation. My deacon and I danced for joy and hugged and lifted our hands in holy praises to God. Oh, the sweet years we had after that!

Then in December, 1958, I received a letter from Hammond, Indiana. For months I wrestles with the possibility of becoming Pastor of that Chicagoland church. I did not want to go, but the Holy Spirit led in that direction, and I became Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond in August of 1959. Soon the problems mounted. The church and I were different. It seemed there was no way I could continue pastoring that church.

I was preaching for a week at the Bill Rice Ranch. Every night I wrestled with the calls from other churches to return to Texas. It just seemed that I was not cut out for the First Baptist Church of Hammond. On Friday night I could not sleep. The Holy Spirit kept me awake. About ten o'clock I knelt to pray beside the bed in room 11 of the Widner Inn at the Bill Rice Ranch. I told God I was going to resign the church the next Sunday, but God wrestled me through the night. All night long I pleaded for God to give me something I must have if I were to stay in Hammond. After a night of prayer and a night of wrestling with the Holy Spirit, that "something" came. Again I knew that I was filled with the Holy Spirit in a new and fresh way. Fresh oil had come! The rest of the story is legend. The great First Baptist Church of Hammond was born that night.

It has been over 21 years since that all-night prayer meeting but I find myself again and again needing a new fulness of fresh oil. That's my only hope. I need that Voice talking to people as I preach. I need Him to speak from the inside as I witness from the outside.

Dear reader, you too need that fulness. Dear music director, you need that power; and so do you, choir director, choir member, Sunday school teacher, bus worker, Christian school teacher, Christian school administrator, instrumentalist, youth worker, and Sunday school worker; and, blessed be God, it is available for you! It's for sons and daughters, for young men and old men, for bondmaids and servants. Joel says it is for all flesh! Praise the Lord!

Won't you now bow your head? Promise God several things. Promise Him that you are going to be clean and separate from the world. Promise Him that you are going to live in His Book. Promise Him that you are going to be sure that He gets what is His financially and in every other way. Promise Him that you are going to work hard and be faithful and loyal to Him. Then promise Him that you are going to pray and plead and wrestle with Him. Don't be concerned about having some kind of an experience, just be concerned about the Holy Spirit talking from within as you talk from without. It may be that that power will come upon you the next time you preach or teach or sing. It may be that it will be a gradual thing and that more and more you will be aware of His presence and power as you serve. Don't be concerned about having some kind of stereotype experience and don't be concerned about getting up and telling what happened to you. Just yield your self; sanctify your self; pray an pray and pray and pray until you see people moved as you speak by that Voice that speaks from within! When you see this, continue to pray, continue to ask Him for His fulness and continue to love Him and serve Him. Crown Him, honor Him, and praise Him until the veil is pulled and we shall se Him as He is!

6. The Holy Spirit - Our Prayer Partner

Romans 8:26-28, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."

Two of the most important things that the young Christian has to learn are (1) how to get things from God, and (2) how to share with others and give to others what God gives.

It should be remembered that in the Bible, prayer is asking. Prayer is not praise; it is asking. Prayer is not thanksgiving; it is asking. Prayer is not adoration; it is asking. This discussion will deal with the Holy Spirit, our prayer partner, Who joins with us in our prayer life.

1. The Holy Spirit intercedes with us. Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." The word "intercession" in verse 26 is not the same word that is translated "intercession" in verse 27. In verse 26 the word means that the Holy Spirit goes WITH us to the Father to help us plead for our needs and, yes, for our wants. There are several aspects: (1) I don't know what I need. (2) The Holy Spirit DOES know what I need. (3) I go to Him, that is, the Holy Spirit, to find my needs. (4) He tells me what my needs are. (5) I make a list of the things He reminds me. (6) I then go the Father. (7) He goes with me.

After I have been to the Holy Spirit with pen and paper in hand to inquire of Him what my needs are, and after I have made a list of them, I then go to the Father with the needs that the Holy Spirit has given me. Then, praise, God, the Holy Spirit goes with me to the Father. He knows the Father better than I, and He knows me perhaps better than the Father, so what a better Person could I have to go with me to the Father when I present my petitions than the Holy Spirit Who led me in making my petitions.

Now for an illustration. Before I go to the Father, I ask the Holy Spirit what I need. Let's suppose, for example, I go to the Holy Spirit and say, "Holy Spirit, I would like to have a cashmere coat with a mink collar. What do You think?" The Holy Spirit says, "Now I do think you need a new coat, but you could sure get along without a cashmere coat and you certainly don't need a mink collar." So the Holy Spirit leads me to ask for a coat. I then ask the Holy Spirit, "I would like a mink hat." The Holy Spirit reminds me that I perhaps could use a hat, but mink would be too extravagant. I then suggest to the Holy Spirit that He and I go to the Father and ask for a new $500 suit of clothes. The Holy Spirit reminds me that I do need a new suit, but not a $500 suit.

So I make my list: a new coat, a new hat and a new suit. The Holy Spirit has led me. After He has led me and after I have written down what I believe the Holy Spirit wants me to ask the Father, I ask the Holy Spirit to go to the Father. This He does as my petitions are presented to the Heavenly Father, as I pray in and with the Holy Spirit.

Note Ephesians 2:18, "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." Note the word "both." We find then that we pray TO the Father THROUGH the Son WITH the Spirit. Our access to the Father is through the Son. Our prayer partner when we go to the Father is the Holy Spirit.

Now notice Matthew 18:19, "Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything on earth, it shall be done for them. The word "agree" is the word from which we get our word "symphony" or "harmony." When we are in tune with the Holy Spirit or when we harmonize with the Holy Spirit, we can present our petition to the Father. Not only can we present them to the Father, but the Holy Spirit will accompany us as we appear at the throne of grace.

Now notice Acts 15:28, "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things." Ah, these are beautiful words: "It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, AND TO US." Notice the agreement there. There was a fellowship between the Holy Spirit and the apostles. They had communed with the Holy Spirit and there was a harmony between them.

There is another way that the Holy Spirit helps us when we pray. Just as He talks to the sinner as I talk to the sinner, He also talks to the Father as I talk to the Father. He has helped me make up my prayer list. I have taken the prayer list that He has led me to make and brought it before the Father. The Holy Spirit went with me as I went to the Father and now, praise the Lord, He talks to the Father as I talk to the Father. I say, "Father, give me a new coat." The Holy Spirit says, "Yes, Father, he does need a new coat. He and I have talked about it." I say, "Father, give me a new hat." The Holy Spirit says, Father, I believe he needs a new hat. We have talked about this too." I ask, "Father, give me a new suit." The Holy Spirit says, "Father, I do believe he needs a new suit. He and I have talked about this before coming to You."

In summary and in practicality, let's review. It is time for me to pray; that is, to ask God for some things. I bow to my knee and talk to the Holy Spirit. I tell Him what I think I need. He impresses me concerning my needs. He leads me to make a prayer list of things for which I am to ask the Father. Then I go to the Father in prayer. The dear Holy Spirit accompanies me. He leads me as I talk to the Father and then He talks to the Father with me, reminding the Father that we have talked together before coming to present the petitions.

Then I can claim Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Then I can claim John 15:7, "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." There is a way that the Christian can walk in the Spirit in such a way that the Lord will almost give him power of attorney. He will almost give the Christian a blank check because as we walk in the Sprit, with the Spirit and through the Spirit, our wants become much like the wants of God, our delights become His delights, our desires become His desires.

2. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us concerning things for which we do not ask. See Romans 8:27. The word "intercession" here does not imply the Holy Spirit meeting with us to plead. This is the Holy Spirit coming before God for us on our behalf. Here He tells God about the needs for which we forgot to ask. He tells the Father our needs even when we forget them. Suppose, for example, that I prayed to the Father for the aforementioned "coat and suit," but I forgot the hat. I say, "Father, please give me a new coat and please give me a new suit." The Holy Spirit says, "Father, he needs a new hat too." You see, he is interceding FOR me just as He previously interceded WITH me.

There are some things that I need that I do not know that I need. There are some things I forget when I come to the Father. The Holy Spirit knows my needs. Some of these may not be things that I myself would choose, but He knows what they are, and so He intercedes before the Father to give me the things that I need. I may want all sunshiny days, but He may know I need a cloudy day. I may want all victories, but He may know that I need a defeat. I may want all smiles, but He may know that I need some tears. This is where Romans 8:28 comes in. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."

Years ago I was preaching in a big tent in Jacksonville, Florida. After the crowd had dispersed one night, I was kneeling at the altar praying. I thought I was alone. An old preacher walked up beside me and asked if he could pray with me. Of course, I was delighted to have him join me in prayer. He prayed aloud: "Dear Lord, I hate baking powder." I could not believe what I heard. Then he prayed, "Dear Lord, I hate flour." I could not believe what I was hearing. Through tears he said, "Dear Lord, I hate baking soda." Then he prayed, "Dear Lord, I hate salt." He continued to list several things that he hated, and the more he prayed the louder he got. Then a smile came across his face as his voice continued heavenward. "But, dear Lord, " he said, "put together all those things I hate, stir them up, put them in the oven and cook them, and I sure do love hot biscuits!"

That is the best explanation of Romans 8:28 that I have ever heard. Thank God that the Holy Spirit knows what I need and makes intercession for me.

Now in review, dear Christian, the next time you come to God in prayer concerning your needs, first talk to the Holy Spirit. Speak something like this, "Dear Holy Spirit, I have a pen and paper in hand, and I'm on my way to the Father to present my needs. Would You help me make out my prayer list?" Tell Him what you want to ask from the Father. Ask Him what He thinks about it. Then ask Him to impress you about other things for which you should ask. Once you have completed your prayer list, as led by the Holy Spirit, then come the Heavenly Father, asking the Holy Spirit to appear with you before the throne of grace. Then pray in the Spirit to the Father, trusting the Holy Spirit to help you convince the Father of what you and He have decided to request. Be grateful that the Holy Spirit will work on your behalf. Realize that those things for which you forget to ask, He will not forget to mention to the Father. For those things that you do not even know you need, ask the Holy Spirit to petition the Father if He thinks best.

7. The Anointing of The Holy Spirit

Perhaps no doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit has been more misunderstood than that of the anointing of the Spirit. This doctrine has been associated with the fulness of the Spirit. There is, however, a difference between the two.

There were three different types of anointing in the Old Testament. First was the anointing of the priests. Leviticus 8:12, "And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him." It is noteworthy that this anointing took place only one time for each priest.

Second, there was the anointing of the kings. I Samuel 16:13, "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah." This anointing was likewise a one-time ritual.

Third, there was the anointing of the prophets. I Kings 19:16, "And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel- meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room." Again, it took place only one time for each prophet.

Since our Lord Jesus was a priest and king and prophet, then He was anointed. Luke 4:18, "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." Acts 4:27, "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, Whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together." Acts 10:38, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil; for God was with Him." Notice in Luke 4:18 the words, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He HATH anointed Me." It had already been done. Now compare this one-time anointing to Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."" The words, "be filled," here are in the durative or linear which means "be being filled" or "be filled and be filled and be filled and be filled." Notice the fulness of the Holy Spirit is a durative doctrine, whereas the doctrine of the anointing is an aorist or a one-time anointing. That is, one time for each job or each responsibility. Notice the words in Acts 4:27, "hast anointed." Notice the past tense and then in Acts 10:38 we have the word "anointed." Once again, this is the past tense.

Therefore, the anointing of the Holy Spirit was and is like the anointing of a king or a priest or a prophet. When one was chosen to be a priest, he was anointed with oil, symbolic of the Holy Spirit coming upon him and giving him power, wisdom and ability for the task set before him. The same was true when a king was anointed and when a prophet was anointed. This leads us to some conclusions.

1. The anointing was done upon the accepting of a new responsibility. When a Christian accepts a new responsibility, he should be anointed by the Holy Spirit for that task. When a pastor is called to a new church or when a Christian is chosen to be a Sunday school teacher, a choir member, a choir director, a departmental superintendent or an usher, he should be anointed by the Holy Spirit. Any new task to which a child of God is chosen and any new responsibility that God has given to him is so important that the Holy Spirit should anoint him upon the assumption of his new responsibility. Likewise, as the Christian ministers and continues to fulfill the work to which God has called him, he should constantly be being filled with the Spirit. However, the doctrine of being filled should not be mistaken for the doctrine of the anointing.

2. This anointing was appropriation; it equipped one for a task. When God calls, He qualifies, He equips and He prepares. When a Christian is called to a new responsibility, he needs to be equipped. Hence, he needs to be anointed by the Holy Spirit as God appropriates to him what he needs to fulfill his new calling and equips him for that calling.

3. The Christian simply yields himself to the Spirit for this anointing. Hemay, upon being given a new ministry, go along with God and yield himself and surrender his will and present himself for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Have you been called to a new task? Is there a new charge given you? Then choose several hours. Get alone with God. Plead with Him to equip you or anoint you for the task to which God has called you. This should be done by a new parent, a new bride, a new groom, a new pastor, a new song director, a new choir director, a new Sunday school teacher, a new bus captain,, a new usher, a new choir member, a new deacon a new evangelist. This anointing will not take the place of the fulness of the Spirit. After the king or the priest or the prophet was anointed by God, he still from time to time was filled with the Holy Spirit, as we are admonished by the apostle to be "being filled" with the Spirit.

4. This anointing is, in a sense, God giving His mind to the task. It is a little private ordination service. It is a private inauguration. It is a private installation service.

I have pastored five churches. At the beginning of each pastorate I have gotten alone with God for hours, and in some cases, for days, and asked God to anoint me and equip me for the task ahead.

A perfect illustration of this truth is shown in the life of a dear pastor friend. He had just assumed a new pastorate. It was his first. He came to the nationwide Pastors' School at the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. His life was transformed. As he and his wife and another couple drove their rented car back to the airport they came to the Hammond city limit sign. They stopped, got out of the car, made an altar of the city limit sign yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit of God to be used of Him to build a great work in Florida. This was anointing time. God did anoint him. This did not take the place of the need to be filled again and again with the Holy Spirit, But in some wonderful way God equipped him at this little inauguration service beside a road with the Hammond city limit sign as an altar. In a marvelous way, God will give His mind to a task as a Christian yields himself for equipping, for anointing and yes, for sanctifying.

This anointing could be called "sanctifying" or "being set apart for a task." The nation of Israel faced an impossible task. Three million people with no food, no water, no homes and no jobs had to march across a dangerous wilderness toward a land they had never seen. God told them to sanctify themselves. Exodus 19:10, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes."

When this little nation stood before the Jordan River facing the land of heathen nations, each to become their enemy and each larger than theirs, again God told His people to sanctify themselves. Joshua 3:5, "And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: For to morrow the lord will do wonders among you."

When that nation came to Ai, again they had a task before them; again they needed to be sanctified. Joshua 7:13, "Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you." When those people had endured terrible apostasy under King Ahaz, God raised up another to sanctify themselves. II Chronicles 29:5, "And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place."

Another apostasy came under Amanasseh and Amon, but God raised up another king named Josiah. Again he told the people that before revival could come they would have to sanctify themselves. II Chronicles 35:6, "So kill the Passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses."

Blessed believer, aren't you weary of laboring in the energy of the flesh?? Aren't you tired of going through the motions of serving God without having been anointed for the task that is yours? Tiptoe into the woods somewhere. Drive away from civilization for awhile. Spend some hour with God. Tell Him that the task is bigger than you and the responsibility is too great for the flesh. Ask Him to anoint you, to sanctify you, to equip you, to inaugurate you for the job ahead. Ask Him for His mind as you serve. Ask Him to appropriate to you what you need.

Have you recently been chosen for a new responsibility? Begin this responsibility by finding a quiet place and having a little private ordination service between you and God. Ask God to lay His hands upon you and to anoint you for the task ahead. Then day by day, beg for His power, plead for His fulness and walk in the Spirit.

Remember that the anointing of the priest took place at the beginning of his ministry, the anointing of the king took place at the beginning of his reign and the anointing of the prophet took place at the beginning of his work. Perhaps no human bands will place olive oil on your brow (though this is certainly not out of order), but at such a time of surrender the hand of God could take His Holy Spirit and equip you for a task for which by nature you are not equipped.

Even now, place a marker in this book, walk or drive to a place where you can get alone with God. Sanctify yourself; set yourself apart; yield yourself to the Holy Spirit for His anointing. The rest is up to Him. Believe that He does it. No doubt, He will!

An old country preacher was heard praying, "Lord, give me the unction. Lord, give me the unction. Lord, give me the unction." Someone who overheard the prayer said, "Reverend, what is the unction?" The old preacher, through tears, cried, "I don't know what it is, but I know what it ain't." Perhaps we do not know all that the anointing is, but far too many of us know "what it ain't." Lord, give us the unction!

8. The Holy Spirit and Complete Sanctification

John 17:17, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth."

Sanctification means to be set apart for special use. In a spiritual sense, the word "sanctification" means "being set apart for special use for God." Sanctification does not mean sinless perfection or the eradication of the flesh; it simply means to be set apart for the Lord's work. The church pulpit is sanctified;; it is set apart for the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. T

Index of Sermons and Books by Dr. Jack Hyles