Unless There Is Germination Of The Word Of God In Our Heart By The - TopicsExpress

Unless There Is Germination Of The Word Of God In Our Heart By The Early Rain Of The Holy Spirit There Will Nothing To Ripen By The Later Rain 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28, 29) Holy Spirit Rain Down - https://youtube/watch?v=_54ECo6s2M8 We cannot receive the benefits of the latter rain until the early rain of the Holy Spirit has been given the opportunity to effectively germinate the word of God in our hearts. Using the analogy of the growing of a plan from seed, the Lord wants to remind of the importance of the former rain and the latter rain. For the seed the germination, it needs the nutrients from the former rain. This rain, which signifies the Holy Spirit, will cause the word of God to grow in our hearts and to transform our lives. This rain will give a burst of energy to propel the spread of the gospel. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down like tongues of fire upon the disciples in the upper room and they were filled with extra ordinary. The result of this power could be seen the 3,000 souls won to the kingdom of God the moment the disciples moved into the field to spread the gospel. The Bible reminds us that a similar outpouring of the Holy Spirit will take place in preparation for the second coming of Jesus. This outpouring will ripen the fruits that have been in production since the early rain began. God has been sowing the seed of His word to many people around us. His words are germinating in the hearts of these people. But God needs to have an extra special outpouring of the latter rain in the hearts of His people so that the reapers can go into the ground and encourage those who are ready to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour. It is very clear that the latter rain has not been poured out in fill measure upon the whole earth as yet. In order to get a better understanding of the requirements for the outpouring of the latter rain it would be good to examine for a moment what happened with the disciples during the outpouring of the early rain. While the disciples were in the upper room waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they would themselves in prayer and soul searching. The confessed their faults one with another. They asked the Lord to cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Only after they had individually received the cleansing and had resolved their issues one with another that the Holy Spirit was poured out on them. Every single person in that room had to reach the same place in terms of their state with God and with each other before the Holy Spirit was poured out on them. Before the Holy Spirit can be poured out in full measure on our church we must reach the same place. We must be on one accord with our difference resolved among each other and or robes fully washed in the blood of the lamb. During this time we should be in a state of preparation. We must allow the Holy Spirit to change us individually before we can be changed collectively. Without the germinating power of the early rain in our hearts, the latter rain of the Holy Spirit will have nothing to ripen before the harvest. I pray that we will continue to surrender our all to the total control of the Holy Spirit so that the early rain can do its work in our lives thus preparing us individually for the collective outpouring of the latter rain of the Holy Spirit. Many have in a great measure failed to receive the former rain. They have not obtained all the benefits that God has thus provided for them. They expect that the lack will be supplied by the latter rain. When the richest abundance of grace shall be bestowed, they intend to open their hearts to receive it. They are making a terrible mistake. The work that God has begun in the human heart in giving his light and knowledge, must be continually going forward. Every individual must realize his own necessity. The heart must be emptied of every defilement, and cleansed for the indwelling of the Spirit. It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. Then the human agent had only to ask for the blessing, and wait for the Lord to perfect the work concerning him. It is God who began the work, and he will finish his work, making man complete in Jesus Christ. But there must be no neglect of the grace represented by the former rain. Only those who are living up to the light they have, will receive greater light. Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it. At no point in our experience can we dispense with the assistance of that which enables us to make the first start. The blessings received under the former rain are needful to us to the end. Yet these alone will not suffice. While we cherish the blessing of the early rain, we must not, on the other hand, lose sight of the fact that without the latter rain, to fill out the ears and ripen the grain, the harvest will not be ready for the sickle, and the labor of the sower will have been in vain. Divine grace is needed at the beginning, divine grace at every step of advance, and divine grace alone can complete the work. There is no place for us to rest in a careless attitude. We must never forget the warnings of Christ, Watch unto prayer, Watch and pray always. A connection with the divine agency every moment is essential to our progress. We may have had a measure of the Spirit of God, but by prayer and faith we are continually to seek more of the Spirit. It will never do to cease our efforts. If we do not progress, if we do not place ourselves in an attitude to receive both the former and the latter rain, we shall lose our souls, and the responsibility will lie at our own door. Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain. Do not rest satisfied that in the ordinary course of the season, rain will fall. Ask for it. The growth and perfection of the seed rests not with husbandman. God alone can ripen the harvest. But mans co-operation is required. Gods work for us demands the action of our mind, the exercise of our faith. We must seek his favors with the whole heart if the showers of grace are to come to us. (Review and Herald, March 2, 1897 – Ellen G. White)