THE TECHNIQUE OF OBTAINING

The merely regenerated person soon finds that at times all is not love within his heart, as we saw in Chapter 4. How to rid himself of this condition now becomes the outstanding question of his Christian life. It is all-important that one get the right start as this has so much to do with the success or failure of Christian living.

In the material world about us every great phase of life and nature is governed by laws of various kinds. Even the minute things of our everyday knowledge are regulated by certain laws. Matters of spiritual life are likewise governed by great principles which must be obeyed if we are to progress in spiritual living. In this chapter some simple rules will be laid down which it is hoped will prove helpful in obtaining the gracious experience of sanctification or the baptism with the Holy Ghost.

To receive this experience it will be necessary to follow the laws governing its obtainment, just as it is in becoming a Christian. One must repent and believe to be saved; likewise, he must consecrate fully his all and himself to God and believe to be filled with the Spirit, or sanctified.

1. One Must See His Need of It. No one is interested in something which he thinks he does not need. Early after conversion the writer felt no need for anything more; in fact, he felt he had no room for more, so over running was his joy. But ere long he began to feel a void in his soul, a hunger for something which he was convinced he did not have, and for this need he began to pray, as the blessed Spirit continued to whisper, "Son, there is something more for you." After struggling through many difficulties, finally the restful assurance of full salvation was received. O how blessed it is to be in possession of such an experience!

Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled," Matt. 5:6. To "hunger" and "thirst" is certainly to feel a need.

On this point, Rev. J. A. Wood, in "Perfect Love" says: "If you have but little sense of need, you will make little progress. Your efforts in seeking holiness will be likely to harmonize with the strength of your desires. The necessary feelings of penitence, self-abasement, and of strong desire for holiness, may be secured by prayer, searching the Scriptures, meditation, and self-examination." p.97.

When one sees his need as he should, it will not take him long to get the blessing.

2. One Must Desire It Above Everything Else. Let nothing crush out that hunger for the blessing created by the vision of need. The devil will be on hand to show one everything else, but it must be put from the heart and mind, with the earnest resolve to seek nothing short of this full blessing.

As Jacob was wrestling alone by the murmuring brook of Jabbok, which was singing its way to the Jordan, and he continued pleading, sighing, groaning, holding on until day break, so the earnest soul must hold on to God in prayer until it can be said of him as of Jacob, "He blessed him there." And then he can testify as did Jacob, "My life is preserved." It will take a strong purpose and an unconquerable resolution, but these will win out in the end.

If this experience is as rich and great as it is described to us by Bible writers, by the best authors upon the subject and the most spiritual of Christians, is it not worth putting aside all else in order to obtain it?

3. One Must Pray for It, and Seek It Incessantly. Refuse to become discouraged if you do not obtain it when you first seek it. Let no one entice you to make a shallow consecration and take it by faith without receiving the witness. God purposes to give you this experience in a manner which will bring a satisfactory witness to your soul that you have received it.

In all your prayer, both family and private, plead for this "fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ." God will not fail you. Never stop until you get the experience.

Some will argue to you that we are not taught to pray for the Holy Ghost. This arises out of their ignorance of the facts or willful prejudice. Jesus said, "If ye then, being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him," Luke 11:13. "To them that ASK Him." For what? The Holy Spirit, of course. In the account of the Samaritan revival, Acts 8:5-17, we are told that Peter and John "prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost." Christ said, "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter," John 14:16. If Christ and the apostles taught that men should pray for the Holy Ghost, it is safe for us to take their word. This much is sure: no one ever received the Holy Ghost who was not a person of prayer, and it is doubtful whether anyone ever received Him who had not prayed for His coming. One may receive Him, however, at a moment when he is not engaged in prayer, if his consecration is complete and he is only waiting in simple faith.

4. One Must Make a Complete Consecration and Abandonment of Self to God. All one has or expects to gain; all one is or hopes to be; all he knows or intends to acquire, and the unknown future as well; yea, everything must be consecrated to God forever. But this is not all. So far we have spoken only of possessives; now we come nearer, to the person himself. One must fully abandon himself to God, praying earnestly to be cleansed from the last stains of sin and filled with the Spirit of God. Nor must he shrink from dying out completely to the whims and clamours of carnal friends and relatives, or their criticisms, and to the rest of the world and all they may say about him. This does not mean that he will cease to love them, but that he ceases to let their frowns or favors desist him from doing the whole will of God so far as he knows it.

St. Paul gave remarkable instructions about the receiving of this experience. Let us examine them.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, ( not sinners -- brethren) by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, (spiritually alive and perpetually consecrated) holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom. 12:1. Thus far he describes the experience obtained; in the following, the experience operating, and the results. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Vs. 2. "The carnal mind is enmity against God," Rom. 8:7. So the "renewing of the mind" can only mean the cleansing away of the carnal mind. Note that the "good, and acceptable and perfect will of God" he speaks of here ties in perfectly with I Thess. 4:3, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification."

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, (not sinners) let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh (outward habits unbecoming to a Christian ) and of the spirit (carnal desires and motives of the soul), perfecting holiness (finishing the task or getting sanctified) in the fear of God," (or realization of the consequences of not so doing) II Cor. 7:1. Is not the great issue towards which he was pointing summed up in the words "perfecting holiness in the fear of God"? Certainly so. I have paraphrased these Scriptures to emphasize the meanings set forth.

These two passages set forth the thought of consecration as the means of obtaining this experience. Read this description over again and notice how closely the thoughts of presenting and cleansing our bodies are connected with those of renewing the mind and perfecting holiness. There can be no sanctification without entire consecration.

5. One Must Trust Him Wholly to Do the Work. It is not how much a seeking person groans, fasts and weeps that brings the victory. Good as all this is, it can never bring peace and assurance of the blessing to the soul. God alone, by the cleansing baptism with the Holy Ghost, can do this mighty work for and in you. Turn the case over to Him completely; take your hands off, letting Him perform His good will and pleasure in you, and the blessing is not far hence.

It must be remembered at all times that every soul is fully dependent upon Him in the last analysis to cleanse and keep His heart from sin. No human merit, nor suffering can suffice to give this glorious experience. We have a part to perform in consecration, but only God can do the gracious work of cleansing and infilling. Therefore, trust upon Him every moment not only before but after the experience is received.

Do not fall into the unwholesome error of depending upon the emotions or feelings for the assurance of heart purity. These will often prove uncertain, sometimes indeed changing and almost bewildering. They are not to be trusted in such important matters. There is surer guidance: the Word, faith and the comforting witness of the Holy Ghost. If a person is Spirit-filled he will certainly have times of rejoicing, and the constant realization of the joyous satisfaction it brings to be saved from all sin, but he will not likely be constantly feeling happy thrills in his emotional nature. Contrariwise, he may at times experience seasons of heaviness and a depression of the emotions. But if he is trusting wholly upon the Lord for victory, this need not rob him of his assurance, since his peace is not based upon his feelings but upon the great eternal promises of God and faith therein. Hence, he need not be swept about by the winds of his emotions.

6. One Must Believe God's Promises and Receive It by Faith. He is more willing to give than we are to receive. Luke 11:13.

Speaking of this experience, the great and good Wesley said: "The voice of God to your soul is, Believe and be saved. Faith is the condition, and the only condition, of sanctification, exactly as it is in justification. No man is sanctified till he believes; every man when he believes is sanctified," -- Works Vol. II. p.244; Vol. 1. p.388. Again he states: "But what is that faith by which we are sanctified, saved from all sin and perfected in love? This faith is a divine evidence or conviction". That God hath promised this sanctification in the Scriptures.

"2. That what God hath promised He is able to perform.

"3. That He is able and willing to do it now.

"4. To this confidence that God is able and willing to sanctify us now, there needs to be added one more thing-a divine evidence or conviction that he doth it." - Sermons, Vol. I., p.390.

Rev. John S. Inskip, in "Methods of Promoting Perfect Love," page 13, says: "In regard to the nature of the faith necessary to obtain perfect purity, it will be found to be essentially the same as that which we exercised when we sought and found pardon."

"The man who remembers how he sought the blessing of pardon, knows how to seek the blessing of purity; namely, to look for it as something to be received at once by simple faith," Rev. B. W. Gorham, "God's Method with Man," p.188.

Well did Bishop Hedding, in a Conference Sermon, say: "That faith which is the condition of this entire sanctification is exercised only by a penitent heart -- a heart willing to part with all sin forever, and determined to do the will of God in all things."

Mr. Wesley exhorts: "Look for it every day, every hour, every moment. Why not this hour-this moment? Certainly you may look for it now, if you believe it is by faith." When one comes to the end of himself, he may look up and believe for the blessing that instant.

How glorious that it is not obtained by works! If so, some would be forever left out; others would never know when they had worked sufficiently to merit it. If it were by growth, many would never reach it; still others would not recognize when they finally came to its border. If it were by self-mortification only, who could know when his sorrow was deep enough? But since it is by faith, all may come simply trusting to receive it; all may come on the same grounds to accept it; all may have the same assurance of it, the same nature of its inward witness though their spoken testimonies differ ever so much.

O how simple is this full salvation. The atoning blood of Christ is the meritorious basis; the promises of God afford the immovable rock of confidence and faith; the Holy Ghost is the gracious applying Agent, witnessing to His work, first, by a gentle persuasion, which grows into a strong conviction in the soul. Now we, the happy recipients, simply trusting God, go on our way heaven-ward with a shout of victory in our souls and a stride of triumph in our march. To keep this blessed victory is easy; just follow the rules of obtaining it, and there will be no insurmountable difficulties in the way. Praise God for victory this moment!