The following teaching comes from the book, Joy Unspeakable: Power and Renewal in the Holy Spirit, written by the late Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Thus far, I have found it to be very challenging and encouraging.
Personally, I am thankful for the Spirit’s conviction, enlightenment, regeneration, and indwelling. Additionally, I would love to experience more of the Spirit’s fresh falling. Friends, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Holy Spirit freshly fell, visited, and encouraged you and yours tomorrow? I would think the Lord’s house on the Lord’s day would be a great time and place for this to happen.
“Let me finally tell you again what I regard is one of the most beautiful ways in which this matter — the Holy Spirit and his assurance salvation — has ever been put. It is by Thomas Goodwin, one of those great Puritans … of 300 years ago … This is the difference between what I call, the customary assurance of the child of God, and this extraordinary assurance.
He describes a man and his little child, his son, walking down the road and they are walking hand-in-hand, and the child knows that he is the child of his father, and he knows that his father loves him, and he rejoices in that, and he is happy in it. There is no uncertainty about it all, but suddenly the father, moved by some impulse, takes hold of that child and picks him up, fondles him in his arms, kisses him, embraces him, showers his love upon him, and then he puts him down again and they go on walking together.
That is it!
The child knew before that his father loved him, and he knew that he was his child. But oh! this loving embrace, this extra outpouring of love, this unusual manifestation of it – that is the kind of thing. The Spirit bearing witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
This is the outstanding characteristic of the baptism with the Spirit. God give us grace to examine ourselves in the light of these things … Do you know anything of the glory of God, this immediacy, this certainty, this absolute assurance given by the Spirit that banishes all doubt and uncertainty and you know that God loves you in particular with an everlasting love in Jesus Christ?”
Friends, like Martyn Lloyd-Jones, I am thankful for the objective promises made in the scriptures and especially in the Gospel.
And like Martyn Lloyd-Jones, I am thankful for the subjective evidences that pop up from time to time in my life and show Christ’s work through the Spirit in my life. The fruit of the Spirit is encouraging.
But like Martyn Lloyd-Jones, I am needing my Father to “pick me up” from time to time. I am needing special experiential touches, impressions, encouragement, fallings, and baptisms from the Holy Spirit.
Therefore I pray and sing, “Holy Spirit, fall fresh upon me!” Yesterday’s daily bread is not sufficient for today.
Unfathomable Grace 