“The wind bloweth where it listeth…”  (John 3)

 

There are so many logical arguments one can give in the defending of the Christ-ian faith as well as in seeking the conversion of the unbelieving.”  Many say, C.S. lewis’ “Mere Christianity” was instrumental in their conversion.  Many an atheist make the same statement.  I remember when I was a young and unlearned preacher and of little understanding preached a “sermon” called, “Whosoever.”  I made the logical argument that the Scriptures promise salvation to whosoever will and since everyone is a whosoever…  I expected many to hear this argument from clear logic and would certainly be converted.  Obviously, no one came to Christ then and there.

Many a new convert thinks their family and friends will certainly come to faith as soon as the new convert explains the facts of the Gospel to them. Many, in the fundementalist circle, still believe this, even those who have been saved for years and decades. Reader, the new believer and many of the old believers still believe this, as I did for years, years ago.

The missing element in this belief and in the practice is the Holy Spirit and His Absolute and Essential Witness to the Truth that is being presented to the unbeliever.  Let me make a very clear statement, A person not only will not, but cannot believe the Gospel without the Holy Spirit’s Witness, no matter how sound and logical a human witness may be. Let me use other words, it is impossible for an unbeliever to believe the Gospel unless the Holy Spirit allows it and makes it possible.

Let us use a Scriptural principle. One plants the Gospel seed, another waters the seed, but it is God that allows the seed to grow, to even take root in the first (1st) place, therefore he that plants and he that waters is nothing; God is Everything.  This does not mean the planter and waterer is not used by God, but in comparison to the importance of God’s blessings upon the seed and water alone, are nothing.

How does one know if God has blessed one’s efforts and if the Spirit gave Witness to the human’s witness?
*A changed life instantly.
*Changes in life continuing.
*A hunger and thirst for God’s Word and righteousness.
*A dedication to the God that saved him or her.
*A continued growth in holiness.
*A turning from the world.
*A desire for Christ’s return.

I can remember a good Christ-ian, who misunderstood the necessity of the Spirit’s Witness, telling me of an experience he had.  This goes back years and hopefully this man has grown in his understanding of the Gospel and the sound Christ-ian witness.  These are the events he shared with me:  He had witnessed to a man and this man’s family.  This man “received Christ” by saying the sinner’s prayer. The next day, this “new believer” killed his wife.  My friend said to me, “I’m so glad I got to him and he was saved the day before he killed his wife.”  My reader, I kid you not.

I remember, years ago preaching at a nursing home.  There were some believers present that left the room where we were preaching and went around visiting the residents of the nursing home. After we were finished and caught up with this couple, they were rejoicing that some “received Christ.”  I was familiar with their method of “witnessing” so I requested to be introduced to this new “convert.”  They brought me into the room.  I asked the woman to tell me what has happened to her.  She couldn’t answer that simple question.  Upon further digging, we found out this woman was a Jehovah’s witness. The couple then quickly excused themselves. I then asked the non-convert why she prayed the”sinner’s prayer?”  she said she wanted the couple to leave her alone.

I remember seeing two (2) men of this school of thought speaking to a man on a corner.  I said to those with me, “These two (2) will come to evening service, and brag about “their new convert.”  They came to service that eveing and bragged about their success.  Their convert, and it was “their” convert, and not God’s convert, never showed up to church as he said he would. I know a “Christ-ian” or a “brother so called” that has caused so much pain to so many persons in the name of “his Christ-ianity.”  I will not go into detail as not to drudge up pain for some that may read this.

There is a group in Christendom, called fundementalists that hurt so many people and give so many people a false hope in Christ, thereby disallowing many from truly coming to Christ, humanly speaking. Many power hungry leaders in this camp have destroyed families and hurt young people for so many years because of their denial of the Holy Spirit and His essental and Absolute Presence and Witness in all that this “church” says does.

This fundemental group is no differnce in many ways from the catholic church they hate so much. This fundemental movement treats it’s leaders as a pope and these leaders accept it gladly. These fundemental churches are suffering a fool gladly and these fundementalist, in many cases are making “their converts” two (2) times the children of Hell as they are.  Matthew 23, in almost every line, describes and defines these pharisaical fundementalists.

Reader, I acknowledge that I have been writing much on the fundementalists lately.  It is my intention, after this coming Sunday, to cease on this topic for a while.

Logic, without the Word of God and the Spirit of God will not ever bring someone to faith in Christ, no matter how logical the human witness is.  However, the Spirit uses the Word of God and logical argument to bring the unbeliever to Christ and faith in Christ. The Word of God Alone, minus the Spirit’s Witness, will not bring anyone to Christ.  Logic alone will not bring anyone to Christ.  The Spirit of God will not act without the Word of God and His inspired logic.

So much of the weakness, lack of logic, and missing Christ-likeness in Christ-ianity is due to what has been written above.  If one asked the majority of Christ-ians whether one enters the kingdom of God before or after one believes, they will say, “after,” and this includes many Christ-ian preachers, teachers, etc.

However, Christ is so very clear when He says, in John three (3), except a man is born again (first/1st) he cannot [even] see [or believe in] the kingdom of God.  Christ says, one must repent and [then] believe, Does this not sound counter to what much of the church believes and teaches?  Most would think, one must believe before one will repent?

The above is because many do not understand repentance and the scriptural defining of belief. Belief includes love and obedience, as well as trust.  Repentance is the turning from sin due to a divinely changed mind as repentance, according to Scripture, is granted, and does not have an origin in the human mind. Therefore, one must be made willing to turn from sin before one can begin the love, obey and trust Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Without the Spirit’s Witness to scriptural Truth and the granting of the gift of repentance, it is impossible for anyone to find Christ.  Reader, likewise is faith a necessary gift given by God.  No one has faith existing in one’s self or laying latent.  The Scriptures teach “For by grace are ye saved, through faith and [that faith] is the gift of God. New life, faith, and repentance can only come from God Alone and without this, “it is impossible for man to be saved, but with God all things are possible.”  It is the above that makes salvation possible and it is only possible with God and is impossible with the human witness alone.

To summarize:  No man has ever or will ever come to faith without the Spirit of God giving witness and power to the human that witnesses to Christ and the salvation that belongs to God.  The same is true in preaching and teaching.  Except and unless the Spirit of God gives power and His Witness to the human preached Word of God, there will be no real preaching or teaching accomplished.

The last paragraph tells us why one can sit and listen to a man of God, agree with everything he says and find his preaching or teaching very Scriptural, yet you were not “fed” or you sensed not power in the lesson/message and you found yourself watching the time. On the other hand, a man of God, with the Witness and Power of the Holy Spirit, can preach the same or similar message and you find yourself hoping time stops and the preacher continues. I know you know what I’m talking about.

This writer firmly believes this. This writer remembers sitting on his bed and refusing to begin preaching until the Witness and the Power of the Spirit arrived. Matryn Lloyd Jones would pray in front of his congregation until the Spirit arrived and gave him Power. It was not strange for him to pray over thirty (30) minutes.  Many of the “greats” attest to this truth.

However, one must not depend solely on feelings. I have been in the pulpit and “felt” God leave me altogether.  I would continue for a while and then cease. I would say, later, to my wife or others close to me that God left me alone in the pulpit.  Their reponse was doubt in God’s Absence and told me they received much from the message. The preacher must be balanced.

I have been in the pulpit, had a message prepared in my heart and mind and God changes everything in an instant, if I preached the prepared message, God would not grant power.  However, if I preached this “just in” message He would be Present and bless.  Often times I found that the prepared message was meant for our hearers at the nursing home, who we would be visiting the same day. We have also found that what we thought we were to preach was meant to be written.  The preacher must be sensitive to the will of the Spirit.

Sorry for so many “i’s” in this article.