The Person and Work of The Holy SpiritTorrey, R. A. (Reuben Archer)
Religion
The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit
Torrey, R. A. (Reuben Archer)
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit not only calls men and sends them forth into definite
lines of work, but He also _guides in __ the details of daily life and
service as to where to go and where not to go, what to do and what not to
do_. We read in Acts viii. 27-29, R. V., “And he (Philip) arose and went:
and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace,
queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to
Jerusalem for to worship; and he was returning and sitting in his chariot,
and was reading the prophet Isaiah. _And the Spirit said_ unto Philip, Go
near, and join thyself to this chariot.” Here we see the Spirit guiding
Philip in the details of service into which He had called him. In a
similar way, we read in Acts xvi. 6, 7, R. V., “And they went through the
region of Phrygia and Galatia, _having been forbidden of the Holy Ghost to
speak the word in Asia_; and when they were come over against Mysia, they
assayed to go into Bithynia; and _the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not_.”
Here we see the Holy Spirit directing Paul where not to go. It is possible
for us to have the unerring guidance of the Holy Spirit at every turn of
life. Take, for example, our personal work. It is manifestly not God’s
intention that we speak to every one we meet. To attempt to do so would be
to attempt the impossible, and we would waste much time in trying to speak
to people where we could do no good that might be used in speaking to
people where we could accomplish something. There are some to whom it
would be wise for us to speak. There are others to whom it would be unwise
for us to speak. Time spent on them would be taken from work that would be
more to God’s glory. Doubtless as Philip journeyed towards Gaza, he met
many before he met the one of whom the Spirit said, “Go near, and join
thyself to this chariot.” The Spirit is as ready to guide us as He was to
guide Philip. Some years ago, a Christian worker in Toronto had the
impression that he should go to the hospital and speak to some one there.
He thought to himself, “Whom do I know at the hospital at this time?”
There came to his mind one whom he knew was at the hospital, and he
hurried to the hospital, but as he sat down by his side to talk with him,
he realized it was not for this man that he was sent. He got up to lift a
window. What did it all mean? There was another man lying across the
passage from the man he knew and the thought came to him that this might
be the man to whom he should speak. And he turned and spoke to this man
and had the privilege of leading him to Christ. There was apparently
nothing serious in the man’s case. He had suffered some injury to his knee
and there was no thought of a serious issue, but that man passed into
eternity that night. Many instances of a similar character could be
recorded and prove from experience that the Holy Spirit is as ready to
guide those who seek His guidance to-day as He was to guide the early
disciples.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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