04 - Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV THE HOLY SPIRIT AS HELPER
There had developed among several devout members of the church considerable opposition to the plan of evangelism as suggested by the pastor and adopted by the church. There were two principal objections. Mr. Brown, speaking for one group, said: “You talk more about seasons of the soul and the laws of psychology than you do about the divine side of evangelism. For my part I believe in depending upon the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin and bring them to repentance.”
Mrs. Goodwin said: “ I do not believe in all this organization and all these plans for prayer groups, personal work, and training-classes. Let us depend entirely upon the Holy Spirit, and we shall need no plans or organization.” The pastor was troubled. He prayed about it and talked it over with the deacons. It was evident to him that any considerable opposition on the part of his people would militate against the whole program. But deeper than this he was grieved because to his way of thinking God was in this whole program. There are laws of the Spirit. If he could discover them and use them he was working in harmony with God. Then, top, the Holy Spirit was promised for certain definite things. As he had studied in his Bible the work of the Holy Spirit, he had come to believe that the Spirit was promised to help in the very things they were undertaking. But how could he make this plain to the people? He felt sure that if they could see the Bible teaching on this they would no longer oppose but cooperate heartily. He, therefore, decided to turn his midweek service into a Bible study group, to invite all these conscientious objectors to bring their Bibles and to study the Bible teachings about the Holy Spirit.
There was a large attendance at the midweek service.
Each person who had not brought a Bible was furnished with one. After a brief period of worship, the pastor said: “ There is a divine side to evangelism. We are workers together with God. Without him it is impossible to do our task. God has provided the Saviour, Jesus Christ. There is no other. God has given us the evangel (good news). We have the blessed privilege of telling the good news of salvation. God has sent the Holy Spirit as our helper. It is important for us that we know the laws that govern the growth of the body and the mind.
It is right for us to organize our church in every legitimate way for the purpose of helping people to become followers of Christ. We may do all this and fail unless we recognize our Divine Partner and work with him in our task.
“ There has been a great deal said in recent years about the Holy Spirit. I believe him to be our Helper in the very work which we are now undertaking in our church. As I have studied my Bible I find that he is promised as our special helper in every essential part of our present program of evangelism. On the last night that Jesus was with his disciples he told them that he was going away but that the Father would send another Helper. Read carefully John 14:16-17.
“ Mr. Brown, what is the marginal reading of the word translated * Comforter ’ “
“ Advocate or Helper.”
“ Yes, that is right. Jesus said: * I am going away, but the Father will give you another Helper. I have been with you. I am going away. But the other Helper will be with you forever. He abideth with you and shall be in you.’ This was a special gift to the disciples and not to the world. A Helper with them and in them forever. This is exactly the need of our church in this campaign. The realization that we have a Divine Helper, not given to unbelievers, who is in us, and with us forever.
“ Let us now see from the Bible itself in what ways the Holy Spirit is promised as a Helper. Mrs. Matthews, read John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:13-14. Tell us the things that Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do.”
“He is promised as a Helper to know about Jesus” she said. “ It reads: ’ He shall teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things which I said unto you. He shall bear witness of me. He shall guide into all the truth. He shall glorify me, for He shall take of mine and shall declare it unto you/ “
“ Don’t you see,” said the pastor, “ the Holy Spirit was promised as a helper to understand, to remember, and to write the story of the life and teachings of Jesus? This same Spirit helps us to know and understand Jesus as we read and study the Bible today: This Spirit also makes Jesus real to the sensitive hearts of youth. The Spirit does not talk about himself, but about Jesus. Our whole educational program is right and we have the help of the Holy Spirit in making Jesus and his way of living known and accepted.
“ Will you read in concert John 16:7-11? ““ Mr. Richards, what help is promised from the Holy Spirit in these verses? “
“I think/’ said Mr. Richards, “that the Holy Spirit helps us to know right and wrong. I am sure we need his guidance in this particular. It seems to me that this promise helps us in our personal work. If I go to a boy in my Sunday school and talk with him about the Christian life, God’s Spirit has also been working with him in making clear the things that are right and those that are wrong. I may be quite sure that when the Spirit convinces me that it is right to speak to some one about the Christian life he has also convicted that one of the sin of unbelief and the Tightness of the Christian life. The Holy Spirit is our greatest helper in personal work and in winning others from a life of sin to the life of holiness.”
“ Now, will you all follow carefully as Deacon Jones reads John 3:1-16, also John 1:12-13. Deacon Jones, what do these verses mean to you? “
“ It seems clear to me,” said the deacon, “ that the Holy Spirit helps us to become Christians. On our part we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour and we turn from our sins. But God has a part too. Our spiritual life is from above. That which is of the Spirit is spirit. Our spiritual life is God’s gift through his Holy Spirit.”
“ Yes,” said the pastor, “ we stand with bowed heads in the presence of God and marvel at his wonderful love, recognizing the mystery of his divine grace. * For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ But where do we find that God saves only adults or that he cannot and does not use the seasons of the soul for his saving grace? If we find that at certain times in youth the soul is more sensitive to the teachings of the Holy Spirit and the heart is more believing, should we not, therefore, work with God in his seasons? If there is the believing heart we may be sure that God will do his divine part in imparting spiritual life.
Mr. Witter, will you read Romans 8:14-17, and tell us in what way the Spirit helps young Christians? “
“ I think,” he said thoughtfully after he had read, “ that the Spirit helps us to know that we are Christians.
We need no longer go about fearful and wondering whether we are God’s children. ’ As many as are led by the Spirit these are the sons of God. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God/ “
“ In our present campaign,” continued the pastor, “ we are making much of prayer. We have our prayer lists. Can we claim the Holy Spirit as our helper in prayer? Has any one Weymouth’s translation of the New Testament? Yes, Miss Neel, will you read Romans 8:26-27?”
“ ’ In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness: for we do not know what prayers to offer nor in what way to offer them. But the Spirit himself pleads for us in yearnings that can find no words, and the Searcher of hearts knows what the Spirit’s meaning is, because his intercessions for God’s people are in harmony with God’s will.’
“ I surely think,” she said, “ that we ought to pray definitely for definite people just as Jesus did and expect the Holy Spirit to help us and interpret for us to God our longings for the salvation of our Sunday school pupils and others who are near and dear to us. I heard once of a Sunday school which invited a man to conduct a decision day for them. He outlined carefully the plan of intercessory prayer and personal work. Some one led them to believe that they did not need any prayer or personal work or any organized effort to win the pupils for Christ. So they did nothing. When the decision hour came, no one responded. They failed because of unbelief and lack of prayer. Until this evening I had never seen the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer. I shall surely let him use me in my prayer life.”
“ In our effort to win others to the Christian way of living,” said the pastor, “ we are expecting to make much of personal testimony. In personal work there is an important place for a personal endorsement of the Christ.
We must speak a good word for him if we want others to accept him. We need to- provide for testimony meetings in our church. Every time a person speaks a good word for Jesus he helps two people, himself and another.
He may never know who the other one is. But no one can give a personal testimony of the love of Christ without loving Christ the more. Has the Holy Spirit anything to do with ’ Witnessing for Christ ’?
“Read carefully Acts 1:4-5; Acts 1:8. Jesus promised the disciples power. This power should come through the Holy Spirit. This power was for a definite purpose. For what purpose, Mrs. Goodwin, do you find this power was given? “
“ In Acts 1:8 the purpose is set forth as power to bear witness in Jerusalem, Judea, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.”
“You are right, Mrs. Goodwin. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as a helper to bear powerful witness to him.
Read Acts 2:1-47, the story of Pentecost. The significant fact is that all became witnesses of Christ and that Peter became an outstanding witness for him and that many believed and were baptized. If you read the entire book of the Acts you will find the story of those who bore powerful witness to Christ, first in Jerusalem, then in Judea, and then unto the uttermost parts of the world.
“ The Holy Spirit is our Helper in witnessing for Christ. Whether we talk face to face with a friend or whether we stand in the midst of a congregation and speak to many, the Holy Spirit is our Helper in making a powerful presentation of Christ. I wish now that you would all read with me Galatians 5:16-26 :
“ ’ This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to another, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But the fruit of tJie Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us walk. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another/
“ Also Galatians 6:7-8 : ’ Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. He that soweth unto his own flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption: but he that soweth unto the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.’
“ In our church we expect growth in the Christian life.
We do not expect full-grown Christian experience in new-born Christians. We do not expect our boys and girls to have the character and knowledge of old men and women. We are planning our whole church program so as to help our young people grow up into Christ in all things, and to become like him. This takes time and it takes struggle. But the end is glorious both now and eternally.
“ The Holy Spirit is our Helper in developing Christian character. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, selfcontrol.
“ Before we close our study tonight I want you tp heed two warnings:
“1. Quench not the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19. The Holy Spirit produces zeal and enthusiasm. This is especially true of young Christians. Do not quench them by criticism, indifference, or unbelief.
“ 2. Grieve not the Spirit. Ephesians 4:30. Notice how this warning is placed between two common sins corrupt speech and anger. Does it mean that we grieve our Divine Helper when we are impure in our speech and unkindly in our attitudes toward others? Listen:
“ * Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be that it may give grace to them that hear.’
“ ’ And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption.’
“ ’ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and railing be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, even as God for Christ’s sake forgave you’ (Ephesians 4:29-32).
“ May we all make much use of our Divine Helper.
Let him teach us more and more about Christ.
Let him teach us right and wrong.
Let him give power to bear witness.
Let him assure our hearts that we are children of God.
Let him help in prayer.
Let us live and walk by the Spirit, fully confident that in us shall appear the fruit of the spirit and we shall reap eternal life.”
“ Pastor,” said Mr. Brown, “ I have greatly enjoyed our Bible study tonight. I am very grateful that you have opened before us the work of the Holy Spirit as our divine helper. I am delighted to know that in our educational program and in our evangelistic campaign we are not depending merely upon organization and human plans, but shall avail ourselves of the assistance of our divine Helper, the Holy Spirit. You can count upon me in this campaign.”
REFERENCES “ The Holy Spirit Our Silent Partner,” Hobart.
“ A Study of the Holy Spirit,” Stafford.