Excerpts from D. L. Moody
from Evenings With Moody and Sankey
The Work Of the Holy Ghost
Now I have a great many letters against that hymn “Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove,” and I hear a great many people complain about our singing that hymn and praying for the Holy Ghost to come. They say He came on the day of Pentecost, and has been here ever since. But when we pray for Him to come, it is that He may anoint us afresh, that He may endow us with fresh power. There is such a thing as a man just having life, but not having the power, and so when we pray that the Holy Ghost may come upon us with power that we may be anointed, that is a different thing. - D..L.
And a thought I want to call your attention to is this, that God has got a good many children who have just barely got life, but no power for service. You might say safely, I think, without exaggeration, that nineteen out of every twenty of professed Christians are of no earthly account so far as building up Christ’s kingdom; but on the contrary they are standing right in the way, and the reason is because they have just got life and have settled down, and have not sought for power. The Holy Ghost coming upon them with power is distinct and separate from conversion. If the scripture doesn’t teach it I am ready to correct it. - D. L.
I believe we should accomplish more in one week than we should in years if we had only this fresh baptism. - D..L.
If a man is only converted and we get him into a church, we think the work is done, and we let him go right off to sleep Instead of urging him to seek the gift of the Holy Ghost, that he may be anointed for work, we let him sleep and slumber. This world would soon be converted, if all such were baptized with the Holy Ghost. - D..L.
When a man is full of the Holy Ghost, he cannot help working for the Lord. We would indeed have a stir in the church if we were baptized with the Holy Ghost. The cry would be, “Here I am Lord; use me!” We would all be anxious to be used in God’s service. - D..L.
A great many think because they have been filled once, they are going to be full for all time after; but O, my friends, we are leaky vessels, and have to be kept right under the fountain all the time in order to keep full. - D..L.
In the 19th chapter of Acts, they went down there at Ephesus, and they found twelve men, and said to them, “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” The early Christians looked for that; but what would our converts do now if that question were put to them? They would rub their eyes and say they never heard of such a thing, and, what do you mean by receiving the Holy Ghost for service? That is the reason men dare not speak to their neighbors about Christ, and the reason why every night so many go away from here that are anxious about their souls, and yet the man, the Christian who sits next to them, has not the moral courage to speak to them about Christ and salvation. - D..L.
As you seek to be effective for the Lord it is good not to forget that it is not you that can convert a man, woman, or child. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that reaches into their heart and brings about the change. It is so important to seek the Lord for more of His Spirit and though the Holy Spirit has been made a mockery of in many circles whether in places of false signs and wonders or scoffed at by groups that deny He is at work in this present day, the reality is that if you care about the people around you and want to see them saved, you need His help. Without Him you can do nothing because you can’t reach in and break the addictions people are under. You can sympathize with them, maybe even make their lives a little more comfortable but you can never break them free from the bondage of sin. This is the Holy Spirit’s domain and He can and will accomplish this work through you if you seek for His help.
So let us seek Him out today and ask for His help that we may be effective in our service of the King!
