Cheap Substitute for The Real Thing

"They measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise" (2 Corinthians 10:12)

We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone.

Large and influential sections of the world of fundamental Christianity have gone overboard for practices wholly unscriptural, altogether unjustifiable in the light of historic Christian truth and deeply damaging to the inner life of the individual Christian.

They have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Spirit. The glowworm has taken the place of the bush that burned, and scintillating personalities now answer to the fire that fell at Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus also called the Spirit of Truth, has not come into the world to fool around; He will be found wherever the Lord's people meet, and in confirming the Word and the Person of Jesus Christ, He will demand moral action!

~A. W. Tozer~
_____________________

Steady Inward Fire

"I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy" (Acts 2:18)

God dwells in a state of perpetual enthusiasm. He is delighted with all that is good and lovingly concerned about all that is wrong.

He pursues His labors always in a fullness of holy zeal. No wonder the Spirit came at Pentecost as the sound of a rushing mighty wind and sat in tongues of fire on every forehead. In so doing He was acting as one of the Persons of the blessed Godhead.

Whatever else happened at Pentecost, one thing that cannot be missed by the most casual observer was the sudden upsurging of moral enthusiasm.

Those first disciples burned with a steady, inward fire. They were enthusiastic to the point of complete abandon.

With [the disciples'] baptism in the Spirit, their whole demeanor changed. The sadness left their hearts. The minor key left their worship. Their self-imposed righteousness was turned into life in the Spirit.

~A. W. Tozer~