Written by: John Sernaque
Call to Worship
Ephesians 4:30
grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The mighty power of the Holy Spirit works an entire transformation in the character of the human agent, making him a new creature in Christ Jesus. When a man is filled with the Spirit, the more severely he is tested and tried, the more clearly, he proves that he is a representative of Christ. The peace that dwells in the soul is seen on the countenance. The words and actions express the love of the Saviour. There is no striving for the highest place. Self is renounced. The name of Jesus is written on all that is said and done. {RH June 10, 1902, Art. A par. 14}
We may talk of the blessings of the Holy Spirit, but unless we prepare ourselves for its reception, of what avail are our works? Are we striving with all our power to attain to the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for his fullness, ever pressing toward the mark set before us, —the perfection of his character? When the Lord’s people reach this mark, they will be sealed in their foreheads. Filled with the Spirit, they will be complete in Christ, and the recording angel will declare, “It is finished.” {RH June 10, 1902, Art. A par. 15}
And he said, hear you now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore, he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his Holy Spirit within him? In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. The third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. The unpardonable sin is to grieve the Holy Spirit. When you renounce the love of God, the love of Christ, and continue in your sin, you will grieve the Holy Spirit. Where there is no repentance, there can be no forgiveness, nor any blessings. To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. By our words and actions, we can express the love of Christ. When we reflect the perfection of His character, we will receive the seal of God on our foreheads. It is my prayer that I may be filled with the Holy Spirit. I pray it is yours as well.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
We thank You for giving us the opportunity to once again come before You in thanksgiving, praise, and prayer. We thank You for giving us this day, and each day You give us. We thank You for giving us Your breath of life. We thank You for giving us the lifeline to heaven through prayer. We pray for the continual outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us. We pray for a double portion of the Holy Spirit. May Your Spirit live and dwell within us, abide in us, and we abide in You. You are the vine, and we are the branches and pray to be filled with Your character. We pray You lead us and guide us and keep us on a safe path. May we receive Your power, strength, courage and wisdom to do what is right and favorable and well pleasing in Your sight. May we attain the perfection of Your character. May we demonstrate by our words and actions our love for You and each other. Let everything we say, and do, and all our hands touch, honor and glorify Your name. May the power of the Holy Spirit work an entire transformation in our character to make us a new creature in Christ Jesus. May Your peace dwell in our souls. We are sorry we have sinned against You and pray You save us and forgive us of our sins, wash us clean in the blood of Christ, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, that we may receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We pray for Your people, Your children, Your saints, that they grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption. May we all be filled with the Spirit, to be complete in Christ, for the recording angel to declare, “It is finished.” We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers, in the name of Christ Jesus we thank and praise You. Amen.
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