How to bring men to Christ

by R. A. Torrey

We now come to the practical question: how can we obtain this Baptism of the Holy Spirit which is such an absolute necessity in our work for Christ? Fortunately the answer to this question is very plainly stated in the Bible.

(1) “Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts ii. 38 R. V.) The first step toward obtaining this Baptism is repentance. Repentance means “a change of mind,” a change of mind about sin, about God, and in this case especially (as the context shows) a change of mind about Christ. A real change of mind such as leads to action—to our turning away from all sin, our turning to God, our turning away from rejecting Jesus Christ to accepting Him. The second step is the confession of our renunciation of sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ in God’s appointed way by baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit in at least one instance (Acts x. 44–48) preceded the baptism with water but this was manifestly an exceptional case and God says “repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” (Acts ii. 38, R. V.)

(2) “The Holy Spirit whom God hath given to them that obey him.” (Acts v. 32). The condition of the gift of the Holy Ghost here stated is that we “obey Him.” Obedience means more than the mere performance of some of the things that God bids us do. It means the entire surrender of our wills, ourselves and all we have, to Him. It means that we come to Him and say from the heart, “here I am, I am thine, thou hast bought me with a price, I acknowledge thine ownership. Take me, do with me what thou wilt, send me where thou wilt, use me as Thou wilt.” This entire yielding of ourselves to God is the condition of our receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it is at this point that many fail of this blessing. At the close of a convention a gentleman hurried to the platform and said there was a lady in great distress who wished to speak with me. It was an hour before I could get to her, but I found her still in great mental suffering in the intensity of her desire for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Others had talked to her but it had seemed to do no good. I sat down behind her and said, “Is your will wholly surrendered?” She did not know. “You wish to be a Christian worker do you not?” “Yes.” “Are you willing to go back to Baltimore and be a servant girl if it is God’s will?” “No!” “You will never receive this blessing until your own will is wholly laid down.” “I can’t lay it down.” “Would you like to have God lay it down for you?” “Yes.” “Well, let us ask Him to do it.” We did, he heard the prayer, the will was laid down, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was received and she went from the church rejoicing.

Obedience means also the doing in all matters great and small, the will of God as revealed in His Word or by His Spirit. Any refusal to do what God bids us do, any conscious doing of what he bids us not do, even in very little matters, is sufficient to shut us out of this blessing. If there is anything no matter how little, that comes up before us to trouble us as we pray over this matter, we should set it right with God at once. Mr. Finney tells of one who, in great agony prayed for days for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit but received no answer. At last as she was praying one night she put her hand to her head and took off some little adornment that always came up before her when she prayed and cast it from her. Immediately she received the long desired blessing. It seemed a very little thing but it was a matter of controversy with God and hindered the blessing.

(3.) “How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.” (Luke xi. 13.)

(a.) There must be definite prayer for this Baptism. It is often said that the Holy Spirit is already here and that every believer has the Spirit and so we ought not to pray for the Holy Spirit. This argument overlooks the distinction between having the Holy Spirit and having this specific operation of the Holy Spirit. (see [1. 2.]) It also contradicts the plain teaching of God’s word that He gives “the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.” It is furthermore shown to be fallacious by the fact that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts was constantly given in connection with and in answer to prayer. (Acts i. 14; ii. 1–4; iv. 31; viii. 15,17.)

(b.) Prayer implies desire. There is no real prayer for the Baptism of the Spirit unless there is a deep desire for it. As long as a man thinks he can get along somehow without this blessing, he is not likely to get it; but when a man reaches the place where he feels he must have this no matter what it costs, he is far on the way toward receiving it. Many a minister of the gospel and other worker has been brought to a place where he has felt he could not go on with his ministry without this gift and then the gift has soon followed and the character of his work has been entirely transformed.

(c.) The prayer to be effectual must be in faith (Mark xi. 24). James says in regard to the prayer for wisdom, “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” (Jas. i. 6, 7.) The same principle, of course, holds in regard to the prayer for the Holy Spirit. It is at this very point that many miss the blessing. How to approach God in faith is clearly taught by 1 Jno. v. 14, 15. “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to his will He heareth us, and if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” When we ask Him for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit we know that we have asked something according to His will for it is definitely promised in His word. Therefore we know that “He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us we know that we have the petition” which we have asked of him. As soon then as I am sure I have met the conditions stated above of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and asked it of God I have a right to count this blessing mine—the prayer is heard and I have the petition I asked of him—and get up and enter into my work assured that in my work will be seen the Spirit’s power. “But,” some one will say, “shall we expect no manifestations?” Yes, but where? In service. When I know on the authority of God’s word that my prayer is heard, I have the right to enter upon any service to which He calls me and confidently expect the manifestation of the Spirit’s power in that service. It is a mistake to wait or look for, as so many do, the manifestation in electric shocks or peculiar emotional experiences. They may and often do accompany the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. But the Bible clearly teaches us (i Cor. xii. 4–11) that the place to look for manifestations, is in service and the most important, reliable and scriptural manifestations are found in our work. “Must we not wait,” it may be asked, “until we know that we have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?” Most assuredly, but how are we to know? The same way in which we know we are saved, by the testimony of God’s word. When I know I have met the conditions and have asked this gift which is “according to his will” I know by God’s word (1 Jno. v. 14, 15.) that my prayer is heard, and that I have the petition I desired of him. I have a right to arise with no other evidence than the all–sufficient evidence of God’s word, and enter into the service to which God calls me. “Did not the early disciples wait ten days?” it may again be asked. Yes, and the reason why is clearly given in Acts ii. 1.—“When the day of Pentecost was fully come.” In the O. T. types the day of Pentecost had been appointed as the day in God’s economy for the first giving of the Holy Spirit and the offering of the first–fruits (the church) and so the Holy Spirit could not be given until that day. (Lev. xxiii. 9–17.) But after the Spirit was once given we find no protracted period of waiting on the part of those who sought this blessing. (Acts iv. 31; viii. 15, 17; ix. 17, 20; xix. 6.) Men are obliged to wait to–day, but it is only because they have not met the conditions, or do not believe and claim the blessing simply on the Word of God. The moment we meet the conditions and claim the blessing it is ours. (Mark xi. 24 R.V.) Any child of God may lay down this book, meet the conditions, ask the blessing, claim it and have it. In a Students’ Summer School at Lake Geneva after a talk by F. B. Meyer on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, a student remained to talk with me. He said he had heard of this before and had been seeking it for months but could not get it. I found his will was not surrendered, but that was soon settled. Then I said, “Let us kneel down and ask God for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.” He did so. Was that petition “according to his will?” I asked. “Yes.” “Was the prayer heard?” After some hesitation, “It must have been.” “Have you what you asked of Him?” “I don’t feel it.” I read 1 Jno. v. 15 from the Bible that lay open before us: “If we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petition we desired of him.” “Was the prayer heard?” “Yes.” “Have you what you asked?” “I must have; for God says so.” We arose and soon separated. Going back to the school in a few days I met the young man again. His face was now all aglow and he knew he had received what at first he took upon the bare word of God.

4. The Repetition of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

One thing more needs to be said before we leave this subject. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience that needs frequent repeating. This appears from a comparison of Acts ii. 4—where Peter with others was filled with the Holy Spirit—with Acts iv. 8.—where Peter was filled again,—and with Acts iv. 31 where Peter with others was filled yet again. A new filling is needed and should be sought for each new emergency of Christian service. There are many who once knew experimentally what the Baptism of the Holy Spirit meant who are trying to work to–day in the power of that old experience and are working without God. They need and must have a new Baptism before God can use them.