God Fills The Hungry
By W. C. Moore
"He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away" (Luke 1:53).
Our unchanging God is not forcing His blessings on those who are already satisfied. If we want God we can have God! But if we are rich, and increased with goods and have need of nothing (Rev. 3:14-22), we are about ready to be spewed out of the mouth of God except we repent!
An outstanding evangelist told me one time that he would give anything for someone who could get him under conviction. He felt that he had cooled off, become professional, lost his first love. A little thing can get us under conviction for sin if we are humble and honest and hungry enough for God's very best.
When the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost their preaching brought conviction on sin. God never changes. Preaching under the power of the same Holy Spirit brings conviction on sin today.
To quote from the late Robert C. McQuilkin, formerly president of Columbia Bible College: "There was at Pentecost a tremendous conviction of sin, and the urgent call to repent. They were exhorted, 'Save yourselves from this crooked generation' (Acts 2:40)...Men are lost sinners and need a supernatural salvation. What the Church of Christ needs today is the power of Pentecost--supernatural power which God the Holy Ghost gives.
"The greatest work God can do...is to send spiritual revival which will fan into flame intercessory prayer and soul-winning zeal....The believers at Pentecost continued in prayer. Prayer was their vital breath. Men filled with the Spirit are men of prayer. Our Lord said the man who believed on Him would do the works that He did, and 'greater works' (John 14:12-13).
"The living Christ is still the Head of the Church. He is still doing miracle works....But these mighty works are to be done through His believers. They are to be done by the power of the Holy Spirit, and they are to be done through our prayers, in the name of Christ....
"We read that wonders and signs were done through the apostles. We are not to deny that the living God is able and willing today to work miracles, miracles of healing, miracles of answered prayer. The whole heart of the Christian message is the supernatural.
"When a man is filled with the Holy Spirit, he will handle his money for one purpose only, to lay up treasure in heaven. This is very far from the standards of our churches today. Many Christians today handle their money as though it belonged to themselves. The Bible teaches that every foot of ground and every dollar on the earth belongs to God. We are simply His stewards.
Centered In God
"When those early Christians were filled with the Spirit, their whole life was centered in God...Nothing mattered to those people except God. Nothing mattered except the will of Christ. Day by day they were with one accord in the temple 'and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart' (Acts 2:46). They still had to eat and drink and wear clothing and attend to business, but in all the commonplace things they had joy and gladness.
"This is the power of Pentecost that the Church needs. It is a costly thing. It is a supernatural matter. It is not a matter of joining a church."
The Lord Jesus Christ pronounces a blessing on those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; "they shall be filled" is His promise in Matthew 5:6. So be encouraged, greatly encouraged all you who are "poor in spirit" (Matt. 5:3), and "press toward the mark" (Phil. 3:7-14).
When revival comes, let us all exalt the Lord Jesus Christ--not exalt ourselves--not exalt any outstanding or brilliant person.
"Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not" (Jeremiah 45:5). We need to watch our motives as we pray for, believe for and expect a revival. "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Matt. 23:12).
If God uses us, let us never be proud about it. Pride is a very subtle snare of the devil. "Let no man glory in man" (1 Cor. 3:21). "Who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7).
Christ Pre-eminent
"That in all things He (Christ) might have the pre-eminence" (Colossians 1:12-19).
We should abhor any thought of receiving praise to our own selves as we abhor the Bubonic Plague, as we loathe leprosy. "If a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself" (Galatians 6:3).
When the lame man at the Beautiful gate of the temple was healed, Peter was very careful to direct the attention of the people to Christ, and to disclaim any power inherent in himself. Peter said, "Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power of holiness we had made this man to walk?
"The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus...And His Name, through faith in His name, hath made this man strong...yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all" (Acts 3:1-16).
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Be the first to react on this!
