Thoughts for Life: #104 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 2

Dr Wesley L. Duewel: George
Whitefield, for some time a co-worker of the Wesleys, had a clear experience of the new birth before the Wesleys did.

His old friends thought him insane because he was so zealous for Christ. Later he spent days and nights in prayer and fasting because of his battle with pride and other inner defeats. (Google image, Restoring the foundations)

  But God greatly blessed him and he wrote,

"Oh! with what joy, joy unspeakable, when the weight of
sin went off; and an abiding sense of the pardoning
love of God, and a full assurance of faith broke in
upon my disconsolate soul!"

Later at his ordination on June 20, 1736, he was mightily filled with the Holy Spirit. He had spent all of Saturday fasting and praying and in the evening had gone to a hill outside town where he prayed for another two hours.

Sunday he rose early to pray in further preparation for his ordination at the altar of the church. "When the bishop laid his hands upon my head," he later testified, "my heart was melted down, and I offered my whole spirit, soul, and body to the
service of God's sanctuary."

Dr. Lloyd-Jones writes:

'Whitefield tells us that he was aware, actually in his
Ordination Service, of the power coming down upon
him. He knew it. He was thrilled with the sense of
power. The very first Sunday after his ordination he
preached in his home town . . . and it was an amazing
service (15 were convicted powerfully and converted)
. . . The subsequent Journals of Whitefield, and the
various biographies of him, contain endless accounts
of his awareness of the Spirit of God coming upon him
while he preached, and also at other times.'

Remember that until the twentieth-century Pentecostal movement rose and adopted "baptism with the Spirit" or "baptism in the Spirit" as their terms for an experience accompanied by speaking in tongues, the designations were commonly used for the infilling of the Spirit.

Moody, Torrey, Finney, and many others spoke constantly in this way. Today many Bible teachers prefer not to use the term "baptism" for the infilling to avoid confusion with teachings of the Pentecostal churches.

Charles G. Finney was a young lawyer who for two days struggled with God under deep conviction of sin. On October 10, 1821, he went to a hill outside town and spent the whole morning in prayer. He was determined to find God or die in the attempt, and finally laid hold of God's promise in Jeremiah 29:13. [See below]

God lifted the burden of sin and filled him with peace. That evening he had a vision of Christ, fell at His feet, and bathed them with tears. He described what happened next:

"I received a might baptism of the Holy Spirit. Without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any memory of ever hearing the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner  that seemed to go through me, body and soul.
I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed, it seemed to come in waves of liquid love, for I could not express it in any other way.
It seemed like the very breath of God. I can remember distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings. No words can express the wonderful love that was spread abroad in my  heart.
I wept aloud with joy and love . . . These waves came over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I remember crying out, 'I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.' I said, 'Lord, I cannot bear any more,' yet I had no fear of death."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana. Creative reading style by Jean.

Ablaze for God
#104 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 2
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 301- 302) ZondervanPublishingHouse

Let's pray:

Father, after Mr. Whitefield had an experience of the new birth, he was zealous for Christ and spent much time in prayer and fasting, battling pride and other inner defeats.
When You lifted the burden of sin and filled Charles Finney with peace, he was given a vision of Christ, fell at His feet, and bathed them with tears.
Father, there are many of us who have experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. It is true this infilling is available for us today when a complete surrendering occurs to make Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior; however the infilling may be manifested, and whatever it may be called.
As it is recommend that we all seek Your Spirit for ourselves, and experience the awesome infilling of Your Spirit, we ask for this blessing! In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Today's Bible verse-

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) "And you will seek Me and
find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

Acts 19:4-6 "Then Paul said, 'John indeed baptized with
a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they
should believe on Him who would come after him, that
is, on Christ Jesus.' (v. 5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (v. 6). And when
Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon
them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied."

Today's quotes-

~ Andrew Murray- "The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history."

~ Del Fehsenfeld, Jr- "Why are church splits so common? Why are so many professing Christians barren, empty, hurting, and in spiritual bondage? Why is the world so utterly disinterested in what we have to offer?
As long as we think we are doing right, we will never cry out to God to send fire from heaven."

[Taken from Herald of His Coming newspaper, Vol 77, No 11 (923), p. 1. Used by permission.]

List of recent sermons of CFC ministers

Upcoming posts-

Blessing in the Mess
12/1- Saturday's post by Monika Brands

#105 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 3
4th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel

#106 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 4
6th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel

In Progress or Completed?
8th- Saturday's post by Ada Holz