Lesson 19: Separated Unto the Holy Spirit, part 4

The fourth thought. What is the will of God as the Holy Spirit reveals it? It is contained in one word: Separation unto the Holy Spirit. That is THE KEYNOTE OF THE MESSAGE FROM HEAVEN.

"Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work for which I have called them. The work is Mine, and I care for it, and I have chosen these men and called them, and I want you who represent the Church of Christ upon earth, to set them apart unto me."

Look at this heavenly message in its twofold aspect. The men were to be set apart to the Holy Spirit, and the Church was to do this separating work. The Holy Spirit could trust these men to do it in a right spirit. There they were abiding in fellowship with the heavenly, and the Holy Spirit could say to them, Do the work of separating these men. And these were the men the Holy Spirit had prepared, and He could say of them, “Let them be separated unto me.”

 Here we come to the very root, to the very life of the need of Christian workers. The question is: What is needed that the power of God should rest upon us more mightily, that the blessing of God should be poured out more abundantly among those poor wretched people and perishing sinners among whom we labor? And the answer from heaven is: "I want men separated unto the Holy Spirit."


What does that imply? You know that there are two spirits on earth. Christ said, when He spoke about the Holy Spirit, “The world cannot receive Him." Paul said, “We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is of God." That is the great want in every worker—the spirit of the world going out, and the Spirit of God coming in to take possession of the inner life, and of the whole being.

I am sure there are workers who often cry to God for the Holy Spirit to come upon them as a Spirit of power for their work, and when they feel that measure of power, and get blessing, they thank God for it. But God wants something more and something higher. God wants us to seek for the Holy Spirit as a Spirit of power in our own heart and life, to conquer self and cast out sin, and work the blessed and beautiful image of Jesus into us.