Seeking God's Grace: The Journey to Spiritual Maturity

The earth is dependent upon the rain shower from heaven and so are the souls of men, and so are their holy works dependent upon the grace shower which cometh from the great Father of light, the giver of every good and perfect gift. A famine would surely follow in the East if the rain were withheld, so would spiritual disasters of the worst kind be sure to ensue if the grace of God were restrained. [00:04:06]

It is needful whenever any holy enterprise is commenced, that it should be early watered by the helpful Spirit of God. Nothing beginneth well unless it beginneth in God. It cannot take root, it cannot spring up in hopefulness, except the Holy Spirit shall descend upon it. It will wither like the grass upon the housetops if the celestial dew of the morning fall not early upon it. [00:04:56]

Years ago, we were minished and brought low, dark was the hour and pale were the faces. The numbers who gathered for sacred worship in connection with this church might almost be counted upon the fingers. Our Zion was all but utterly forsaken, yet there was a living band of men whose hearts the Lord had touched who ceased not to pray day and night that He would be pleased to remember us. [00:06:05]

But my fear is, a fear which haunts me often, a fear which springs I trust out of zeal for God's glory, lest having had the early rain we should become contented to forego the latter rain. But ah, this must not be. Let any church dream that it is established by the lapse of years and can stand alone because of its acquired strength. [00:09:08]

The true labor lies in the perseverance which alone can win the victory. I address some Christians here who have now been for years occupied with the service which the Holy Ghost laid upon them. I would remind them of the early reign of their youthful labors, the moisture of which still lingereth on in their memories, although it has been succeeded by long years of drought. [00:13:30]

If you did not feel a need for more grace, it would be a reason for alarm, but to be conscious that all that God did by you in the past has not qualified you to do anything without Him now, to feel that you lean entirely upon His strength now as much as ever is to be in a condition in which it shall be right and proper for God to bless you abundantly. [00:14:29]

The joy of conversion, the early days of faith, are often marked by joy and fervor. Remembering these times can encourage us during spiritual droughts, reminding us of God's faithfulness and the reality of our salvation. If in those days we had to suffer anything for Jesus, we only regretted we could not suffer more. [00:19:21]

It is very usual in the life of grace for the soul to receive, in after years, a second very remarkable visitation of the Holy Spirit which may be compared to the latter rain. As I told you, the latter rain was sent to plump out the wheat and make it full and mature, ready for the after harvest ripening. [00:27:07]

There is a time of special grace granted to saints to prepare them for heaven, to make them completely meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. To some, this is given in the form of what has very commonly and I think correctly been called a second conversion. [00:27:36]

Consider well that the harvest begins in the field though it ends in the ghana. Going to heaven begins upon earth and as the texts tell us of weeks, so may I add that going to glory is often a long work. I believe God takes months and years in getting in His sheaves. [00:37:18]

The process of getting a soul to heaven, it must be detached from the earth whereon it grew. The sickle has cut many of our earth bonds already for some of us, and no doubt the gash at the time has been very deep and sharp, but how could we as God's wheat be carried into the ghana without first of all being separated from the earth? [00:38:09]

How happy is the state of a Christian when he is in the world but is not linked to it. His ripeness drops here and there a grain into the soil for he is still ready to do good, but he has no longer any vital connection with ought below. He is waiting to be in heaven. [00:40:21]