Thrilling to witness a few faces like this.
It's challenging, it makes one tremble when it
comes to the responsibility of preaching the word
of God.
So many people, you've come here for something,
I trust.
I'm going to assume that you're here from
a sincere motive.
You're here because you love God, you want
the truth from God's word.
I want each of you here who has
knowledge of Jesus Christ to pray during the
progress of this service.
This is God's work and not the work
of man.
Our policy and our declared position is that
God shall have the glory for every victory
won.
These campaigns are, let no human finger be
touched ever, raised to touch it.
Because God shall be praised for every blessing
that comes to us.
And so let's look to God tonight and
expect from him the blessing that we need.
I'd like to have that ready and, well,
clear response from you as I ask you
a few questions.
I'd like for you to come back at
me with a clear and ready response.
With a yes or no, either one.
I'd like for everybody to respond.
Yes or no.
Do you believe that the devil is against
this revival?
Yes.
All right.
Do you believe God is for it, not
only this one, but for the cause of
revival?
Yes or no?
Yes.
Thank you.
Are you looking in simple faith to God
tonight for the blessing that we need?
Yes or no?
Yes.
Now the vital question, and it comes last.
I want you to give me an answer,
yes or no, on it.
Will you be obedient to the spirit of
God as he speaks to your heart tonight?
Now come on.
Yes.
Thank you.
I wish that we might be in prayer
not only for this meeting, but for others.
The other evangelists around the country and around
the world who are all preaching the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God is making a visitation
to the nation and to the world today.
It is remarkable.
There's something unique about it.
Something is happening.
The third God is moving across the countryside.
We ought to pray for those men and
for those workers, missionaries, men and women who
are out there testifying for God.
Right now there are men preaching, doctors in
pulpits, in churches and under tents and in
other places, giving the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let's pray for them that God may give
them souls tonight for their heart.
Let's pray for the other phases of the
church's program.
We do not want to leave the impressions.
We think revival meetings and evangelistic campaigns make
up the total program of the church.
I want to pray for the educational program
of the church.
I want to pray for the publishing program
of the church and for the mission program
of the church and for the total program
of the church that the impact of the
gospel upon the world might be felt marvelously
in these last days.
My subject tonight is God's supreme condition of
power.
God has made provision for his people of
all time that they shall possess the blessing
of his own presence and the power of
the Holy Ghost.
I would like tonight, by the grace that
God only can give, to proceed in this
manner.
To show first that God in his word
has shown us what a New Testament church
is to be like.
I should like then to show that that
church was possessed with members and leaders, all
of whom were filled with the Holy Ghost.
I should like to move from that to
say that the provision that God made for
the church in that day is the same
provision for the church in this day.
And that being the case, all Christians today
and all leaders should be filled with the
Holy Ghost.
That's my story tonight.
We come back to the first point and
we find much in the word of God.
We go back to the book of Acts.
We like to speak of it as God's
blueprint for the Christian church.
A photograph of what God wants the church
to be, in the main, in the major
outlines of it, I would say.
We don't want a cronged quibble about every
minor detail, no.
But in the major points and outlines of
the book of Acts, we believe that we
have here a blueprint of what God wants
the church to be like in all times.
On that, well, we could go last Tuesday
night, I believe it was, we spoke on
the subject of God's pageantry of power.
And we pointed out that night that tracing
through the book of Acts, we find a
great demonstration of power and progress in the
church.
Briefly, this is what it was.
On the day of Pentecost, as we have
it in Acts 2.41, there were 3
,000 added to the church in one day.
And there were additions every day thereafter.
That's what it says.
In 2.47, they were praising God, having
favor with all the people.
And the Lord added to the church daily
such as should be saved, or such as
were being saved.
The Lord added to the church daily.
You wouldn't let me off by reading it
any other way.
I tried to get you to let me
read it.
The Lord added to the church annually.
You wouldn't accept it.
I tried to let you, uh, have you
let me read it.
The Lord added to the church monthly, those
that were being saved.
And you wouldn't let me do it.
And then I tried to read it.
The Lord added to the church weekly, those
that were being saved.
And you wouldn't let me do it.
And then I asked you, while you've been
satisfied with that kind of program, why won't
you let me read it that way?
Well, you wouldn't let me.
And so we read like it is in
the word of God, that the Lord added
to the church, how often?
Daily.
Those who were being saved.
Now we go on to the fourth chapter
of the fourth verse of the book of
Acts.
And we find here that there are 5
,000.
Albeit many of them which heard the word
believed, and the number of the men was
about 5,000.
In 514, we are told that there were
multitudes, men and women.
And believers were the more added to the
Lord's multitudes, both of men and women.
And then in 6-7, the word of
God increased.
The number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem
greatly.
And the great company of the priests were
obedient to the faith.
Philip and Samaria, priests, and there was great
joy in that city when he preached Christ
unto them.
You have Philip under Enoch, a man of
great authority in 8-38.
And you have the churches being multiplied over
there in 9-31.
Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea.
And Galilee and Samaria and were edified and
walking in the fear of the Lord, and
in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were
multiplied.
In 9-35, you have a similar passage.
Going over to 9-42, it was made
known throughout all Joppa.
And many believed in the Lord.
In the 10th chapter, the Gentiles were converted
to the Lord.
And then in the 11th chapter, you have
the great Antioch revival.
The hand of the Lord was with them,
and a great number believed and turned unto
the Lord.
And then Barnabas came, and much people were
added.
We read in 11-24, for he was
a good man and full of the Holy
Ghost and of faith.
And much people was added unto the Lord.
And the word of God grew and multiplied
in 12-24.
14-1, great multitudes believed.
That's the pattern right straight down through the
book of Acts.
You have a church here that's striking right
and left.
And there are hundreds, for Jesus Christ, in
our going program of evangelism in the early
church, that challenges my heart tonight, when I
read it and when I think of it
and when I review it.
The early church knew multiplication and it knew
addition.
The church of today knows more about division
than it does about either one.
And there's a world of difference, a world
of difference.
The early church knew multiplication and knew addition.
And justly anything, if anything at all, about
division.
Today, we know not very much about multiplication,
a little bit about addition, and a whole
lot about division.
And I say, God help us indeed.
Going back, we have here one of the
most moving and marvelous representations and portraits of
divine power that we have anywhere in the
word of God.
It was back there at the beginning, early
in the period of the Christian church.
And the blessing of God was poured out
upon it.
And there are a few things that bring
pain to the heart of a preacher.
Like the comparison between the church of today
and the church of that day.
I would say again tonight what I said
earlier in this campaign.
I don't want you to misunderstand me when
I speak about the church of today.
I don't want to use derogatory terms.
I don't want to minimize the church.
I believe in the church as the greatest
institution of God, greatest institution in the world
perhaps.
Blessed of God, one of his choice institutions.
But I think there is a sense in
which we may exercise wholesome dissatisfaction with the
church.
And that's my point of view.
To look at its clarity, to face its
weaknesses, to face its failures, and make rectification
and improvement wherever that is possible to be
made.
I spoke earlier in this campaign about what
one bishop brother told me when he came
to him.
I had much trouble with the head of
the park.
About conditions in his own conference district.
He said, brother, and he brought me a
sheet of paper and he had the figures
on it.
He said, I have figured this out, the
increase in our conference.
The number of accessions to the church.
And I have broken it down according to
the membership of our conference.
And the number of Sunday school teachers and
the number of preachers in the conference.
And he said, this is what I have.
And he showed it to me.
And it was a very, a very, well,
discouraging report.
He was deeply moved about it and so
was I.
This is what he brought.
He said that according to the progress that
our conference has made, it has required, in
order to win one soul to Jesus Christ,
this is what it took.
It took this many people in our conference
one whole year to win one soul.
I want you to get this now.
This is important.
He said it took this many people a
whole year to win one soul in our
conference.
And this is it.
It took a preacher and a half.
It took three and a fifth Sunday school
teachers.
And it took 30 members of the church.
Get this now.
A preacher and a half.
Three and one fifth Sunday school teachers.
30 members a whole year from January 1st,
1951 to January 1st, 1952 to win one
soul.
And I tell you that's shocking.
I wonder how much better we are here,
brethren.
I suspect the pattern runs just about the
same.
The conference from which the brother comes is
a live conference, we say, not a dead
conference.
And they have all died in the last
of the conferences across the country.
But that was the picture.
And when I put that down side of
the record in the divine word of God,
I tell you, my dear people, there's something
wrong.
I wish every one of you would say
amen.
And of course there are some of us
who've come to this conclusion that we're living
in the last times.
The Bible says, will there be faith upon
the earth?
The last times will be perilous times.
Many will depart from the faith.
This and that and the other thing.
And that is exactly true.
The word of God says that.
But my dear hearers tonight, I warn you
against taking refuge behind those scriptures to justify
the weakness and the failure of the church.
We're living in a day when the gospel
is still good.
There are still men and women who will
believe it.
And there are still thousands of people who
will receive it.
If it's presented to them under the power
of the Holy Ghost, there are still thrones
and masses of people.
Do you know one thing that's moving across
our nation?
In higher centers of society, our magazines are
beginning to recognize something is happening.
Religion had almost come to be a joke,
and it still is in some quarters.
But today, those who turned up and curled
their lips at the fires of revival that
were beginning to burn, today are recognizing that
the American public has a new appetite for
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And there is something, something remarkable and not
to be explained by, man.
It isn't because there are better men.
Not because there are better educated men.
Not because there are more evil men.
No, it's because God's Spirit is moving, I
tell you.
Now the thing that makes us sick at
the heart is when we look into the
book of God, and we see a moving,
a growing, a prospering program under God.
And then we look in the church today,
and we see a light that is flickering.
And seemingly almost going out, and so many
Christian people say, Oh, if I can just
hold on until the Lord comes, I'll be
so glad if I can just hold on
until the Lord comes.
And then going to glory, at last, if
I can't take anybody along with me, I
just hope I can hold on myself.
But the Lord, I believe that he intends
for you to bring somebody along with you.
I believe that the church of this present
day, now listen, I believe that the church
of this present day can move under the
dynamics of the Spirit of God as it
did in the days of the apostles.
If not, I'd like to know why.
Why has God blessed the church in one
era of their history, and not blessed her
in another?
Unless the conditions are not met upon our
part, I'm not able to understand why God
would pour out his blessing upon the church
at one era, and then strangle it and
starve it at another.
No, my dear people, the fact of the
weakness and the powerlessness in the church today
lies not with God, but with man.
We can and we shall move forward today
under the banner of God and the anointing
of the blessed Holy Ghost.
Now brother, don't hide behind those negative scriptures.
Don't hide behind Noah's ark, he and his
sons and their wives going in.
They didn't live in a dispensation of the
Holy Ghost.
Don't hide behind the fact that Jesus himself,
while he was here upon the earth, well,
he didn't sweep the country.
The masses, when they found out what his
message was, turned away from him, and the
nucleus followed him.
Don't hide behind that either.
For Jesus said himself, The works that I
do shall you do also, and greater works
than these shall you do, because I go
to my Father, and because the Holy Ghost
comes.
That's God's double-fold provision for progress in
the church.
Jesus Christ at the Father's right hand, and
the Holy Ghost upon earth as the great
agent of God.
That's his provision.
And that's why we say, yes, the church
in this period is to win souls, is
to have a greater following of believers, even
than Jesus Christ had when he was here,
because Jesus himself said so.
That's why I'm clear to say it.
Because Jesus said it.
I don't think he meant that we'd raise
more dead people, and heal more sick, though
I still believe in God's power to heal
the body as far as that's concerned.
But I do believe that Jesus Christ meant,
and he said, that under a preaching, a
presentation of the gospel, there will be thousands
who will receive it, and be gloriously saved
and blessed.
Now we go back to the book of
Acts.
I want you to use your Bible.
We tried to give the word of God
a large place in our campaign.
We wanted to be that way.
I want you to open your Bible to
the book of Acts.
I'd like for you to let God bless
your soul tonight, neighbor.
Let him fill your soul tonight from the
word of God.
We began with this major premise.
The book of Acts, a sample, a blueprint,
a photograph, of what God wants the church
to be like in general terms.
Here it is, progress, power, blessing, in a
marvelous way.
Now let's see, let's see what is this
supreme condition of power that we're talking about.
That's my subject tonight, the supreme condition of
power in the church.
Let's see what it is.
In the book of Acts, there is something
very, very outstanding, and that is the relationship
that the early church had to the first
person of the gardeners.
You know, if I could take you this
evening to the nearest railroad yard, I don't
know where they are, perhaps Richmond, take you
down there and show you a steam locomotive.
On the sidetracks, there it is, all the
brass parts polished, all the bearings well greased
and lubricated, the boiler full of water, a
man at the control, and the fireman there,
shoveling in the coal.
That's it, ready to go, everything organized, everything
prepared from every corner.
And there's one thing wrong with it, and
you know what it is?
No fire in the box.
But I'll tell you, until she's got steam
in there, she'll never move a thing.
And I say to you, my dear people,
that much of our church life today reminds
me of a steam locomotive that's got water
in the boiler, the bearings are lubricated, and
everything is ready.
There's just one thing that's gotta happen, and
that is fire in the box.
The anointing of the Holy Ghost.
We've got machinery to no end.
We're moving in that direction, in organization.
Not opposed to it, a good organization is
in place.
Machinery is necessary in the church.
But you know, my observation is this, that
the more the fire goes out, the more
outstanding and complex the machinery becomes.
And the colder the church gets, the higher
the steeple goes.
And the better the furniture.
And the more kids go in, and all
that.
What is it?
Compensation for the absence of the Spirit of
God.
That's why.
You go back here in the book of
God, and see what was the relationship with
the Holy Spirit.
You go back even beyond the book of
Acts.
You go back to John the Baptist.
We're told that John the Baptist was filled
with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb.
We're told that Zachariah was filled with the
Holy Ghost.
We're told that Elizabeth was filled with the
Holy Ghost.
We're told that Jesus Christ was born, Mary
conceived of the Holy Ghost.
And that he went about doing miracles by
the Holy Ghost.
And he was raised from the dead at
the Father's right hand.
You come on down, the last thing, now
listen to me.
This is important.
The last thing that was upon the heart
of our Lord Jesus Christ, before he ascended
into glory, was this thing that I'm talking
about, the supreme condition of power in the
church.
You know usually, people talk in their last
moments, before they depart, about those things that
are of particular value to them.
Those things that lie close to the heart.
You know what Jesus talked about before he
ascended?
It was the Holy Ghost, and the baptism
that he would give.
That's what it was.
You go back to the first chapter of
Acts.
Do you have your Bibles open?
Verse four of this first chapter, being assembled
together with him, commanded them that they should
not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the
promise of the Father, which saith he, ye
have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water, but ye
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not
many days hence.
And of course, he is here referring to
the day of Pentecost.
Now Jesus is here saying to his followers,
he said it over and before in the
24th chapter of Luke 2, he said, I
don't want you to go out and teach.
I don't want you to go out and
preach.
I don't want you to go out and
carry forward the program of evangelism until something
happens to you.
That's what Jesus said.
I believe that if Jesus could come into
this tent tonight and speak to us in
a visible form and an audible voice, he
would say, Sunday school teachers, don't teach that
class next Sunday unless you have been filled
with the Holy Ghost.
He says, Sunday school superintendents, you better resign
your job or seek God to fill you
with the Holy Ghost before you go on
with that work.
He'd come on this platform, I believe, and
say to the preachers, don't try to preach
the word of God unless and until you've
been filled with the Holy Ghost.
Until you've been endued with power from on
high.
That's the way he puts it.
And but wait for the coming of the
Father which that he have heard of me.
Now let's get this clear.
We're not asking for Pentecost to take place
again.
Pentecost is a historical incident.
It took place.
It's past.
Pentecost is past.
But the benefits from it continue to the
present.
Just like the cross of Jesus Christ.
We're not asking for Christ to be crucified
again.
He was crucified once.
He takes the place of man's redemption.
But it becomes real and it becomes effective
in your life and mine when we accept
it by faith.
And I tell you tonight, listen to me,
this is vital.
I believe that Pentecost becomes operative and effective
in your life and in mine when you
accept it by faith.
And if you want to skip this part,
go over to Galatians 3.14. He says
we receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith.
Through faith there are conditions for being filled
with the Holy Ghost.
I'm going to talk about those at another
time.
But here's Jesus.
He says wait.
Stay at home.
To put it in modern speech, he says
stay at Harrisonburg.
If you live in Rockland County, stay at
Harrisonburg.
Don't go across the sea.
Don't go to another state.
Don't go to a mission station.
Don't go over the mountain to preach the
gospel of man until you have been induced
with power from on high.
If I understand the language of our Lord
Christ, that is it.
I think I should give you my personal
testimony at this point.
I hesitate to do it because I know
it's a risk for a preacher to refer
to himself.
Will you pardon me if I do?
I want to give you my testimony.
I tell you the time came in my
ministry.
God made it upon my heart.
I said Lord, you know I'm not saving
souls.
You know my ministry is a miserable failure.
More than one time I went home on
a Sunday morning.
Went back in the closet on the back
side of the house and wept and cried
and asked God to forgive me.
And my whole digestive tract would lock up.
Nervous tension.
Oh Sunday was an awful day.
I hear people talk about this day of
rest.
God help me if it was anything but
that for me.
It was a miserable day.
Filled with duty and tried to preach and
get up there and stumble and stammer and
go on.
And I'd cry and the time came when
I told God, I said Lord I'm through.
I know there is something better than this.
I said Lord if I can't see it
and if I can't tap the root of
divine power and the source of divine grace.
I want you to let me die and
bury me twelve feet under the ground and
raise up another man that can preach.
That's what I did.
I got back up and I told God,
I said I intend to resign, to hand
in my resignation to the Virginia Conference of
the Mennonites.
And ask them to hold in somebody else.
I can't preach.
I want to tell you God did something
to me.
I'm going to say it humbly.
Do I sound like I'm boasting to you?
God has much.
There's no boasting in the glory feet of
God.
But I want to tell you brethren tonight
from the platform to the back end of
this tent.
That God has something for His children.
You can turn over the sod and get
to it and let God fill and bless
your soul with His own glory.
I came to that point.
I said Lord you blessed the people back
there in the Bible.
You blessed the preachers back there.
You blessed John Wesley who was sold by
the thousands when he came out to an
open field when the churches were closed to
him.
And preached to ten thousand people without any
amplification system.
And he won souls by the thousands.
I know you did it for Charles Penney.
He was perhaps the greatest American evangelist who
ever lived.
It's rated so by some at least.
Great man of God.
I read about G.L. Moody.
Oh I thought God did you just do
it back there?
In order that we can look back and
see the way it used to be.
All we got to do is yes.
And then I come up to the times
of R.A.T.O.Y. That great
Presbyterian fireball with God.
And I said God help us.
Is it all history?
Is it all over?
I said I'm going to find out.
And I began to search.
I began to search the local ash bush.
And I began to search Wesley.
And I began to search Penney.
And then I began to search Moody.
And then I began to search Corey.
And I found that all of these together
shared a common conviction.
That the people of God are to be
filled with the Holy Ghost.
They had fighters to fight them by.
And here they were.
Charles Wesley told the people.
He said if any of you are filled
with the Holy Ghost.
Somebody is going to fight you.
And he'll call you crazy.
And it may be from the people that
ought to lead you on into these things
of God.
That's what he told them.
I want to tell you my dear people.
I've come to this conclusion.
I'll challenge you to do it.
You go back and begin as a book
of Acts.
And come up to 1900.
And surely a man or a church or
a movement.
That shook and rocked its generation for God.
That didn't believe in the fullness of the
Holy Ghost in the church.
Now in the book of Acts.
Here it is.
Let's look at it.
I'm having some difficulty to get through it.
In the eighth verse of the first chapter.
He says.
I'd like to underscore that word upon.
That's a unique word in the book of
Acts.
The Holy Spirit upon you.
In an anointing.
I believe primarily for service.
It isn't a question whether a Christian has
the Holy Spirit or not.
Every Christian if he is one has the
Holy Spirit.
That's no argumentation at all.
But when Paul writes to the Ephesian church.
He says.
Was he writing to a bunch of rebels?
Unregenerate?
Certainly was not.
He was writing to people who have the
Spirit.
They were Christians.
Ephesian believers.
And he said.
The Holy Spirit upon you.
In an anointing for service.
Jesus had that.
The Holy Spirit came upon him.
You think he had the Spirit before that?
Was he an unregenerate?
Before this?
No.
The Holy Ghost came upon him when he
was baptized with water.
And we have this word in Acts 1
.8. You shall receive power after that the
Holy Ghost is compound upon you.
Now I remind you again.
That supposition is characteristic of the book of
Acts.
Let's go over.
Now to the second chapter of Acts.
And the fourth verse.
They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.
Began to speak with other tongues as the
Spirit gave them offerings.
The thing I want in that passage is
this.
That they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost.
In the book of Acts.
They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.
And now we go over to chapter.
Chapter 4.
And we see here in the eighth verse.
Then Peter filled with the Holy Ghost said
unto them.
Ye rulers of the people and elders of
Israel.
And so forth.
And then down in verse 31 of chapter
4.
Of Acts.
Look at these words.
When they had prayed the place was shaken.
Where they were assembled together.
They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.
And they spake the word of God with
boldness.
And the rest of it.
The multitude of them that believed were of
one heart and of one soul.
Neither said any of them that all of
the things which he possessed was his own.
But they had all things common.
And with great power gave the apostles witness
of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And great grace was upon them all.
We go over to chapter 6.
Notice we've read now twice.
That they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost.
We'll read it a third time.
Where it says in Acts they were all
filled.
In the sixth chapter.
We read here about those days when the
number of disciples was multiplied.
There arose a murmuring of the Grecians against
the Hebrews.
Because their widows were neglected in the daily
ministration.
Then the twelve called the multitude of disciples
unto them.
And said it is not reason that we
should leave the word of God and serve
tables.
Wherefore brethren look ye out among you seven
men of honest report.
Now notice.
Full of the Holy Ghost.
Here they want some men to handle money.
They don't even think of it a man's
place to handle money.
Unless he's been filled with the Holy Ghost.
And I don't think so either.
Much less to preach the word of God.
Deacons are supposed to be filled with the
Holy Ghost too aren't they?
Yes they are.
Look ye out among you seven men of
honest report.
Full of the Holy Ghost.
Now we talk a lot about the honest
report.
We get ready to ordain a deacon.
We say now boy we want you to
have a good reputation.
Want you to have a good record in
the community.
Don't have anybody come around and say you
swindled me out of some money.
Want you to have a good report.
Good reputation among the brethren.
I must say to you.
I never have heard an ordination from them.
Declare clearly and forcefully that a man should
be filled with the Holy Ghost to be
a deacon.
It's in the word of God though.
Seven men full of the Holy Ghost.
This is one of the requirements.
Now we make a lot of orders.
We probe into a lot of different areas.
Where you do this.
And where you do that.
And where you do the other thing.
And a whole multitude of things.
But scarcely ever anything about the Holy Ghost.
Now Stephen was a man filled with the
Holy Ghost.
You read in verse five.
The saying pleased the whole multitude.
And they chose Stephen.
A man full of faith and of the
Holy Ghost.
And then in verse six, seven.
The word of God increased the number of
the disciples.
Multiplied and given to them greatly.
And the great company of the priests were
obedient to the faith.
Stephen full of faith and power.
Did great wonders and miracles among the people.
And now going over to chapter seven.
In verse fifty-five.
Let's go to something else.
We read there again.
With reference to Stephen.
He being full of the Holy Ghost.
Looked up steadfastly in the heaven.
And saw the glorious God, Jesus, standing on
the right hand of God.
And now over in verse fifteen.
The next chapter.
You have here Philip's experience with the Samaritans.
Who believed.
He preached Christ to them.
We read in verse five.
The people with one accord gave heed unto
those things which Philip spake.
Hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
Unclean spirits crying with a loud voice.
Came out of many that were possessed with
them.
And many taken with palsies.
And that were lame were healed.
And there was great joy in that city.
Well they heard about what happened down there.
Verse thirteen.
Simon himself believed also.
And when he was baptized he continued with
Philip.
And so forth.
Verse fourteen.
Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem.
Heard that Samaria had received the word of
God.
They sent unto them Peter and John.
Who when they were come down.
Prayed for them that they might receive the
Holy Ghost.
For as yet he was fallen upon none
of them.
Only they were baptized in the name of
the Lord Jesus.
Then laid there their hands on them.
And they received the Holy Ghost.
My dear people.
The primary concern of the leaders of the
early church was.
That the people were filled with the Holy
Ghost.
I ought to turn this way and say
it.
That was their major concern.
Filled with the Holy Ghost.
We're scared of it.
Some of you are scared right now.
You're squirming in your seats.
You're saying where in the world is that
preacher going to wind up at anyhow.
Talk about being filled with the Holy Ghost.
You know what kind of camp meeting I've
been in?
I haven't been in one.
But I'd like to turn this into one.
For the convicting power of the Holy Ghost.
Falls on the people.
Makes them cry out because of their sins.
That's right.
You know what I'd like to see the
Spirit of God do right under this canvas?
Is see some people here who are not
right with God.
And make them scream and wail while I'm
preaching.
That's what I'd like to see happen.
Make you cry out to God and stand
up where you are.
Lift your hands up and beg God to
forgive you.
That's what I'd like to see happen.
Get things thought out and knocked through for
God.
You needn't be afraid of being filled with
the Holy Ghost.
The Book of God's full of it.
Why should we be afraid of it?
Amen.
You go back here to these leaders brother.
You don't find them asking people, Are you
saved?
Did you die in the church?
Or what church do you belong to?
Have you been filled with the Holy Ghost?
That's the question.
And I ask you tonight.
You say, I reckon I have.
I understand that everybody that's saved is filled
with the Holy Ghost.
You do?
Who told you that?
You know what I tell a man, If
he tells me he doesn't know, He guesses
he's filled with the Holy Ghost.
I say brother, I don't think you are.
If you have been, you know it.
I'm not through.
So rest yourself.
Relax.
You got some questions in your mind.
Just relax.
I'm not going to hurt you.
Everything I say is going to be in
this book.
I want to use languages in this book.
Faithful to God.
And let's not be restless about it.
We go on down here.
And we see that these people were blessed
of God.
They did receive the Holy Ghost.
And they were blessed marvelously.
Let's go into the ninth chapter.
And see here about the Apostle Paul himself.
Paul was filled with the Holy Ghost.
You have in this chapter the record of
what happened to him on the Damascus Road.
And in verse 17 we read these words.
There it is.
Some of us look back and say, Oh
Paul, that great man of God.
That shook cities and shook the continents for
God.
Well I guess it's a thing of the
past.
We'll never see it anymore.
Paul was filled with the Holy Ghost.
And Peter was too.
And Stephen was.
And all the leaders of the church were.
I don't read of any leader in the
early church.
Deacon or preacher that was not filled with
the Holy Ghost.
I'll tell you brethren on this pulpit, we'd
have a different program in the church if
all the ministers in the Mennonite church were
filled with the Holy Ghost.
We'd have a different operation.
Praise God we would.
Things would turn upside down.
I'll tell you when it did, the right
side would be up.
Yes sir.
Paul himself was filled with the Holy Ghost.
Now in 1038.
Jesus of Nazareth.
Now God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Ghost and with power.
Who went about doing good.
Healing all that were oppressed of the devil.
For God was with him.
That's wonderful.
I love that.
God was with him.
Oh my dear people if there's anything my
heart pleads for is that God may be
with us.
What can we do with our poor feeble
puny efforts for God unless God is with
us.
What can we ever do in a tent
campaign unless God is with us.
What can we ever do in a church
whatever church it be unless God be with
us.
In his fullness and in his blessing.
Now here also in the 10th chapter you
have the experience of camellias in his house.
It's a very interesting story.
Peter went down there to preach and the
Lord broke it up.
Wonderful I'd love to be in there when
Peter started to preach.
The Lord broke it up and sent the
Holy Ghost down upon that crowd of people.
They were filled with the Holy Ghost even
before they were baptized with water.
I noticed here in the book of Acts
that there seems to be a relationship between
water baptism and the fullness of the Holy
Ghost.
And it looks like God intends for people
to receive the blessing of the fullness of
the Holy Ghost in their initial or related
or adjacent to in some sense to their
conversion experience.
Now does that rest some of you?
You've been wondering?
There's a pattern in the word of God
that when Jesus was baptized with water the
Holy Ghost came upon him in the form
of a dove and sat down upon him.
In the 8th chapter of Acts they were
baptized the Holy Ghost upon them.
Here in Acts 10 the Holy Ghost fell
upon them and then they were baptized.
And this is the only instance in the
word of God which we know of that
anybody ever was filled with the Holy Ghost
or the Holy Ghost fell upon them if
you please or they received the Holy Ghost
before they were baptized with water.
And there's a reason for it here evidently
because of the Jewish unwillingness to admit Gentiles
into the church.
And so God had to baptize them with
the Holy Ghost first so they would be
willing to baptize them with water.
And Peter finally says well the Lord's baptized
them I guess we better do it too.
I reckon too you have.
I wonder what it would take for them
to convince some of us that God has
the blessing of the Holy Ghost for us
today.
That's what it took to take Peter out
of his tracks and the rest of the
church too.
God had to break over the barriers break
over the boundaries.
He had to break over the ecclesiastical form.
And listen to me God may have to
do that again.
We have a way of setting up our
mode.
And we say now Lord if you can
bless us this way we want to be
blessed.
And if you want to bless us any
other way we don't know.
Now let's tell you I bless God I'm
ready for anything he's got for us.
Anytime in any form in any fashion.
Let him bust a moon wide open and
let the Spirit of God have liberty.
Was that alright now?
Well looking at the 10th chapter here put
your Bible open please.
It says in verse 44 While Peter yet
spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on
all them which heard the words.
That's a good condition for being filled with
the Holy Ghost.
And they of the circumcision which believed were
astonished as many as came with Peter because
that only Gentiles also was poured out the
gift of the Holy Ghost.
I want you to notice these expressions I'm
coming back to them.
The Holy Ghost fell on them in verse
44 and now in verse 44 the Holy
Ghost poured out on them.
And now in verse 47 Can any man
forbid water that these should not be applied
which have received the Holy Ghost as well
as we.
There are three expressions and I want you
to see how Peter interprets them in chapter
11 and in verse 16 Peter goes back
and he has to give account to the
executive committee of the conference.
So what happens?
He gets called on the top and he
has to explain what took place and how
the Holy Ghost was poured out on them
and this is how he explains it.
Then remembered I the word of the Lord
how that he said John indeed baptized with
water but ye shall be baptized with the
Holy Ghost all as much then as God
gave them the like gift as he did
unto us who believed on the Lord Jesus
Christ what was I that I could withstand
God.
And Peter sums it all up and says
they were baptized with the Holy Ghost and
if I as a Mennonite preacher would doctrinate
to preach about being baptized with the Holy
Ghost some of you would want to throw
me out but you couldn't do it.
You get scared.
Why you scared of?
The Christians in the book of Acts were
baptized with the Holy Ghost yes or no?
That's why I tried to pin you tight
on that first preposition that the book of
Acts is God's blueprint for the church and
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost
they were baptized with the Holy Ghost if
you please.
Now you can take your choice of believing
God's word or some distorted and washed opinion
or judgment you've got take your choice.
I'm going to take the word of God
for my part.
Peter sums it all up the Holy Ghost
fell on them the Holy Ghost was poured
out on them and they received the Holy
Ghost and he says they were baptized with
the Holy Ghost so it must be the
same thing.
Now let's go on some more over into
the 13th chapter and the second verse As
they ministered to the Lord and fasted the
Holy Ghost said separate me Barnabas and Saul
for the work when to I have called
them.
Yes this is God's plan I skipped one
chapter in the 11th chapter I wanted a
passage there and here it is.
They had a revival a sweeping revival in
Antioch and it was a lay revival incidentally
apparently it was a lay revival you understand
what I mean not a lay down revival
but a get up revival on the part
of the layer.
You have it here in verse 19 Now
they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution
that arose about Stephen traveled as far as
Sinaiti and Cyprus and Antioch preaching the word
to none but unto the Jews only and
they were ready to turn things over I
think sometimes if we sit back brother and
let the laity go ahead they might beat
us at it.
Is that right?
I'll tell you one thing and I don't
say that to speak disparagingly of these dear
brethren of Platform God bless every one of
them fill them with the Holy Ghost if
they haven't been use them under his blessed
presence and power but I will tell you
this that I have observed and felt the
pulse of the people across the United States
in these months and years and there is
deep burden for revival on the part of
the laity and if we as men of
God called the priests can seize upon that
situation and lead it I believe it's going
to be blessed with God.
Here's a lay revival the preachers came down
to see what was going on they didn't
squelch it either the hand of the Lord
was with them it says in verse 21
of the 11th chapter of Acts the hand
of the Lord was with them and a
great number believed and turned unto the Lord
oh that thrills me the hand of the
Lord was with them that's what we need
today bless us in our services for him
now he speaks of Barnabas in verse 22
and in verse 24 tells us what kind
of a man he was here you have
another reader don't miss it it tells us
that Barnabas was a man well let's see
let's read it he was a good man
and full of the Holy Ghost and of
faith and much people were added unto the
Lord and I think there's a relationship between
his being full of the Holy Ghost and
people being added to the Lord now brethren
we talk about a good reputation I said
a while ago about the deacons we make
a big case good reputation good record and
all that and they're conformed on a hundred
different points but God have mercy brethren where
have we emphasized and demanded to be full
of the Holy Ghost now brethren we better
turn over a new leaf and start emphasizing
the fullness of the Holy Ghost and when
we do that some other things are going
to take care of themselves yes sir here's
another reader now how many have we got
let's see Peter was full of the Holy
Ghost Stephen was full of the Holy Ghost
Paul was full of the Holy Ghost there's
those and now Barnabas full of the Holy
Ghost my it looks like it's setting a
precedent it looks like there's a precedent here
certainly certainly there is now let's look at
the 13th chapter in the 9th verse 2
it says here again of Paul of Paul
that he was filled with the Holy Ghost
and he said his eyes on a man
he said something wasn't very nice here and
if any man would use language like this
today I want to say all you guys
we'd better go and get a dose of
fragrance of occasion until I have a car
well it says Paul was filled with the
Holy Ghost and this is what he said
to the man this is it it's rough
language it's rough and it's rugged some people
think a preacher ought to be like a
jellyfish no backbone no talk back nothing just
give soothing words and say nice things and
pronounce the benediction and give a bunch of
pious platitudes and then go home say God
bless you you're alright and all of you
are going to go to glory and I'll
meet you there no Paul filled with the
Holy Ghost set his eyes on a man
and said oh full of all subtlety and
all mischief thou child of the devil thou
in the way of all righteousness wilt thou
not be separate from the right wills of
the Lord and he was full of the
Holy Ghost when he said it now you
go over to the 52nd verse of the
same chapter and you read this the disciples
were filled with joy and the Holy Ghost
there it is first time it says they
were all filled now open chapter 19 and
that will conclude our study in Acts but
we'll not conclude the message in the 19th
chapter you have Paul coming down to Ephesus
and the thing uppermost in his mind is
Holy Ghost I don't know what denomination Paul
would fit in today which do you think
he'd fit in to the best I'm afraid
we couldn't handle it I really am I'm
afraid we couldn't handle it I wonder about
John the Baptist sometimes if he would appear
in our time with his leather girdle and
his cool camel hair and a rugged countenance
and that he but maybe wasn't too refined
say if he'd wander into your church on
one Sunday morning I wonder if it wouldn't
be a walk out we don't have the
time for that kind of stuff we're cultured
around here we want a little college I
wonder whether John the Baptist could get in
to a modern metal like church I really
do the priest I wonder whether we could
handle Paul I really do cause if he'd
come into a church and start asking the
question you people been filled with the Holy
Ghost say Paul there's a door we don't
use that language around here we don't use
that language being filled with a hole there's
a door alright amen say
it then Paul come down there he didn't
ask him are you saved did you join
the church what church do you belong to
no have you received the Holy Ghost sink
your belief of course one virgin gives it
hoist your belief take your charge makes no
difference to me I don't quibble about time
I think the devil gets his claws out
when we argue about certain things that are
incidental and not in the foreground of the
scripture take your charge the divine virgin says
did you receive the Holy Ghost where did
you believe take your charge the Greek says
having believed it's a part of simple having
believed did you receive the Holy Ghost take
either one you want doesn't make any difference
to me the question in my mind is
this that New Testament believers are confronted with
a question have you been filled with the
Holy Ghost or did you receive the Holy
Ghost since you believed or when you believed
take your charge take your charge and they
answered they knew the answer now listen to
me why would Paul ask people a question
that had no answer if Paul didn't expect
New Testament believers to know whether they had
received the Holy Ghost or not that's why
they ever ask them now what I ask
you every one of you in this audience
tonight every last one of you from this
frontier go and ask them in every line
have you received the Holy Ghost don't answer
me now you answer it in your heart
if you tell me you don't know I'll
make a I'll make a guess that you
haven't because when you have you know it
and they said no the Ephesian people said
no they hadn't been instructed and that's the
same reason some of you haven't it's because
you don't know that's the reason
you don't know reason
you that's the reason you that's the reason
you that's the that's the reason you
don't know I
ask you to watch this want you this
and if want scene Have you been performing
a service in the church that leaves your
heart heavy and cold?
Nearly everywhere we go, there's some man of
God been called a priest who comes around
and says, In substance, my ministry is a
misery to me.
Preaching is not a joy.
I question whether God calls me.
I mean it.
I was called by the church as little
kneel though it ain't.
Well though I'm miserable, I want to tell
you such a man is one of the
most miserable preachers in the world.
I'll tell you honestly, if I didn't believe
God called me to preach, and if I
didn't believe he anointed me to preach, I'd
hand my resignation in tonight and be done
with it.
And I'll say furthermore, if I didn't enjoy
it more than any other thing in the
world, I'd still hand it in.
And the Holy Ghost, my dear people, is
the supreme condition, the fullness of the Holy
Ghost, the supreme condition for power in your
life and in the church.
Now who is this for?
Somebody says, well, Kennecott, early church, it was
for them, surely, I go along with you
so far.
They were filled with the Holy Ghost.
They were baptized with the Holy Ghost.
They had the power of God.
Yeah, but today it's different.
Oh, who said so?
Who said it was different today?
Who said God would give the church power
in one era and not give it in
another?
Who said so?
I declare before God and men that the
same provision obtained today, if it ever did,
for the Christian church.
The Spirit of God is here.
This is a dispensation of the Holy Ghost.
And where have we left him?
Generally, in the background.
The Holy Ghost has been in the back
seat, maybe in the trunk of our ecclesiastical
vehicle.
And I tell you, when the Holy Ghost
is put under the wheel, and that's a
control to you all.
And there'll be prosperity, and there'll be power,
there'll be progress, there'll be converts, there'll be
accession to the church, my dear people.
When the Holy Ghost is given his rightful
place in the church today.
The question is this, I'm asking you, I'm
not arguing about time.
And I make this proposition, if you haven't
been filled with the Holy Ghost yet, you
can be now.
I'm not saying that the normal thing is
for a period of time to elapse.
I'm not saying you must wait 10, 15,
20 years.
No!
I believe, my dear people, that whenever the
conditions for being filled with the Holy Ghost
are met, then is when one is filled.
And that's what decides it.
You want it at the time of conversion?
Alright, have it!
Whenever the conditions are met, that is when
it becomes real in the life of an
individual.
Now you understand the Holy Ghost isn't a
force, isn't a liquid, he's a person.
He's a person.
And for you to recognize that leads us
into every kind of faith.