WELL, we are back to the book the Complete Green Letters after taking a side trip related to my Morning Meds. So now we return to where we left off in the CGL’s by Miles Stanford’s Part – Five, A Guide to Spiritual Growth, also known as Abide Above in the standalone edition. As I said going into this chapter, I would be “cherry picking” certain sections useful to our overall study in principles of spiritual growth.
CHAPTER 57 – Keep Looking Down, was the last chapter reviewed. I’m going to skip 58 through 61 and take up our reading in Chapter 62 next in dealing with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Chapters 58 through 61 discuss the use of the Law, Conference Ministries, and a few experiential errors. If you have Miles’ Complete Green Letters in hand, there are some good things to note in those chapters, and few things open to debate. At this point however, I don’t find the topics discussed all that helpful to the flow of the discussions here.
WITH that, let’s now look at Chapter 62 regarding the ministry and work of the Spirit as we continue to Thinking Position and Keeping Looking Down, in our faith endeavor in Abiding Above (Col 3:1-3).
In the inexorable riches of Christ,
Joe
Neh. 8:10, Isa 30:15, Jas 1:2; Prov. 21:30
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Chapter 62—The Spirit’s Ministry
Normally, the Holy Spirit fills the Christian as a result of the balanced application of death and life. By death (the Cross), that no flesh should glory in God’s presence; by life (growth), that Christ may be all (I Cor. 1:29; Col. 3:11). No experience could ever bring that about.
This is a call to return to the Cross and to abide above in Christ. The Christian life is not developed through an experience, or even a series of experiences, no matter how enthralling they may be. Rather, spiritual maturity and fruitfulness develop as one grows in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be valid experiences resulting from growth, but they will glorify Him and never self.
Spirit-filled
It is true that the waiting disciples were instantly filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Not long afterwards, the Spirit filled them again (Acts 4:31). It was also for a specific purpose that Paul was immediately filled with the Spirit shortly after his conversion. Nothing powerful or spectacular occurred at the time of his filling, and there were no signs involved. Rather the Lord said to Ananias concerning Paul, “He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:15, 16).
Anti-Spirit
There is no denying that many believers are suddenly filled with the Spirit for reasons which are related primarily to service. Such instances, however, are not meant to be the norm, nor are they to be the means of growth into the image of the Lord Jesus.
….to be continued
