Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 139, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 June 1911 — Must Be Filled Always With the Spirit [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Must Be Filled Always With the Spirit

JJKT 1 HE greatest need of the Ik WLa church today, and especlally of her ministry, is spirits filled personalities. The xcS* P a-Pd pew mußt surcharged with the poten-

tial power of the all-encompassing Holy Spirit There is no substitute for such an infilling, there can be none. Thd peril of our modern church life is, that this fact is too much lost sight of or neglected. We are glad that other churches are emphasizing this truth, churches who in the past were not <so persistent in emphasizing this vital truth. One need but attend the Winona Indiana Bible conference meetings, to be convinced that the Presbyterian church is forging to the front on the line of spirituality. This is cause for rejoicing. Then those who heard the world-famous F. B. Meyer of London, April 25, when he addressed the ministers in Cleveland, will remember how among other things, he laid special emphasis on the ministry being in partnership with the Holy Spirit He himself is a splendid illustration of such an anoints ing. Life Work Well Done. This blessed man of God, though his life’s sun Is westering, being well up in the sixties, yet in his decHning years when most men lead a retired life, is president of the World’s Sunday School association, and Is now with others touring through the states, speaking on an average three times a day, Is a marvel of spiritual power, because he is a spirit-filled man. He told us ministers in his Cleveland address that we must take the holy spirit Into partnership with us in our work. With all the energy of his consecrated and sanctified personality he emphasized this vital truth and fact He said the holy spirit must be the invisible force or partner, permeating the message, and the messenger, and the aim of the preacher should be under the delivery of a spirit-filled message to' achieve results, immediate results. He should make unexpected appeals'to the unsaved in the midst of the sermon, and not always wait until at its close. The very suddenness of the appeal, startling the unsaved in the audience, Will often prove effective. The Word of God. He also said ministers must make much of the word of- God, more than is generally being done. His criticism on the American ministry was that there is too much topical and not enough expository preaching. He remarked: You are splendid and eloquent at topical preaching, but if you want to realize more effectiveness and larger results in soul-saving you must do more expository preaching which deals fully with the word of God. The speaker told us that he commenced at Genesis and got to the prophecies of Zechariah in fifteen years in his Sabbath morning expository sermons, and for the evening expository sermons during those fifteen years commencing at Matthew’s gospel he got to Corinthians. Those sermons compose largely his forty books of devotional spirit. You must preach the gospel straight, he declared, so that the holy spirit can say Amen to your message, in its preparation and in its delivery. Preach the word of God, he continued, and not other subjects. If you want the sanction of the hely spirit upon your message and his confirmation in its presentation you must be a clean man, otherwise he will withdraw himself from you and withhold his seal of approval from your sermon. Be simple in your exposition of Bible passages so that children can understand you. Preach more to children. Mr. Meyer has a Sunday School connected with his church in London numbering 4,000, and has 400 teachers. It is his custom to preach an eight-minute sermon to the boys and girls when in his home church. A minister or pastor, he said, must be the power behind the throne in ' the Sunday School, he must stand vitally connected with it. A minister linked to God and in partnership with the holy spirit will accomplish much for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. What an inspiration to listen to such an unpretentious and spirit-filled man. May the holy spirit descend upon our ministry in mighty effusion.—Evangelical Messenger.