The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Quotes by Ellen G. White"None should wait in idle expectancy for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is given for service. As church members go forth at God's bidding, the Holy Spirit comes to give efficiency and power. Every truly converted soul will be intensely desirous to bring others from the darkness of error into the marvelous light of the righteousness of Christ. The great outpouring of the Spirit of God, which lightens the whole earth with his glory, will not come until we have an enlightened people who know by experience what it means to be laborers together with God. When we have entire whole-hearted consecration to the service of Christ, God will recognize the fact by an outpouring of His Spirit without measure; but this will not be while the largest portion of the church are not laborers together with God." (Review and Herald, The Time and The Work, p. 16)
"We need to pray as we have never prayed before for the baptism of the Holy Spirit; for if ever there was a time when we needed this baptism, it is now. There is nothing the Lord has more frequently told us He would bestow upon us, and nothing He would be more glorified in bestowing, than the Holy Spirit. When we partake of this Spirit, we shall be born again. A firm, unwavering faith in God will be manifested. The Sun of Righteousness will be in our midst, with healing in His wings. Souls once lost will be found, brought back, and kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." (The Signs of the Times, 10-11-99, Even your Sanctification)
"Jesus is our Redeemer. He practiced self-denial, self-sacrifice, and He loves us in our weakness and offers to us His strength. He says, "I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands." He will impart His Holy Spirit in the plenitude of His reviving, and there shall not be room enough to receive it. Nothing but the baptism of the Holy Spirit can bring up the church to its right position, and prepare the people of God for the fast approaching conflict. Why is there not individual growth in the church? Why is not every member of the church growing up into Christ our living head? This growth does not mean growing earthward, but heavenward; not downward, but upward. We are living in the dispensation of the Spirit. We hold in our hands the promise of His Spirit, and ministers may be qualified to give the trumpet a certain sound, to arouse the sleeping people and set them at work for themselves and for others out of the fold." (Letter 15, 1889 To Dr.Burke, Dec. 20, 1889, Manuscript Releases Volume Two, p. 30)
"Men make the cause of God an excuse for doing unjust actions when in reality they wish to advance their own interests. God condemns such actions; for they are a misrepresentation of Christ's character, a working out of Satan's principles. Those who do this work are taking advantage of God's patience and long-suffering to strengthen self-confidence and arbitrary exactions; they are encouraging others in sin rather than leading them to avoid it. By their actions they give the most decided evidence that they cannot be trusted as the Lord's stewards to do His business. He will not sanction the use of common instead of sacred fire in His work, any more than He would not excuse Nadab and Abihu in their departure from His requirements. The Lord has not changed. Those in positions of trust who do anything that savors of oppression will find no favor from God in the action. They are using common fire, not the sacred fire of His kindling. To fill aright important positions of trust requires a baptism of the Holy Spirit. Only as they receive this baptism can men work the works of Christ and reveal pure, holy principles. The words and works reveal the spirit and principles which control the heart." (The Kress Collection, pp. 78, 79)
"Just before he left them, Christ gave his disciples the promise, "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." While these words were upon his lips, he ascended, a cloud of angels received him, and escorted him to the city of God. The disciples returned to Jerusalem, knowing now for a certainty that Jesus was the Son of God. Their faith was unclouded, and they waited, preparing themselves by prayer and by humbling their hearts before God, until the baptism of the Holy Spirit came." (Special Testimony to Battle Creek Church, p. 6)
"When the heart is emptied of self, it will be ready for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then you will be fitted to strengthen the sheep and lambs of the flock of Christ; for self will be hid with Christ in God. The Spirit of Christ will be manifested in your daily life. The apostle says, "Be ye holy in all manner of conversation." You are to be found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Your whole body, soul, and spirit are to be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord. What we need is the deep movings of the Spirit of God; for the standard of Christian life is expressed in these words: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength . . .Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (The Signs of the Times 08-01-92 The Necessity of Receiving the Holy Spirit) "The Spirit of God, as it comes into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal. With the baptism of the Holy Spirit upon the teacher of truth, he can talk of Christ and him crucified in language that savors of heaven. The mind and spirit of Christ will be in him, and he can present the will of God to man because his own heart has been brought into submission, and has been glorified by the Spirit of God. The Sun of Righteousness is risen upon him, that he might reflect its brightness to the world, and he will give evidence in a holy life that the truth he has received has been a sanctifying principle, and not a mere theory." (Bible Echo and Signs of the Times 03-01-92, The Truth With Power)
"Why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit, since this is the means by which we are to receive power? Why do we not talk of it, pray for it, preach concerning it? The Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to us than parents are to give good gifts to their children. For the baptism of the Spirit every worker should be pleading with God. Companies should be gathered together to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely. Especially should men pray that God will baptize His missionaries with the Holy Spirit." (T-8 p. 22)
"When the authorities come between us and God, we shall receive help if we only trust in him as did the patriots, prophets, and apostles, and with them we shall be able to say, "Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is." But while we trust in God, no one should be presumptuous; and that we may not take an unwise course, we should pray constantly. We should not rush into danger unless God sends us there; nor should we call our brethren cowards because they are cautious in their plans that they may not unnecessarily provoke the rulers and powers of the earth. What was the strength of those who in the past have suffered imprisonment and death for Christ's sake? It was union with God, union with the Holy Spirit, union with Christ. They had fellowship with God and with his Son, and the multitude that believed were of one mind and one soul. We may safely seek to be of one accord in doctrine and spirit, and if this were done, we would be in harmony with God's will. If selfishness and pride and vanity and evil surmising were put away, we would become strong in God, and the door of our heart would be open for the entrance of Christ; the baptism of the Holy Ghost would fall upon us, and we should be filled with all the fullness of God. Then we should know what is the length and depth and breadth and height of the love of God which passeth knowledge,--we should know something of the mystery of godliness. We would be able to speak, as did Peter and John, of the things which we had seen and heard. What we need is a living experience in the things of God. We need the transforming grace of Christ to bring into subjection every thought of the mind, every power of the intellect. The physical, mental, and spiritual powers should be under the control of the God of heaven who gives us life, who gives us food, who gives us every blessing. He is the God of Israel, therefore we will accept him, and him alone will we serve." (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 04-22-90. I Will Keep Thee From the Hour of Temptation)
"We are to seek most earnestly to be of one mind, of one purpose. The baptism of the Holy Spirit, and nothing less can bring us to this place. Let us by self-renunciation prepare our hearts to receive the Holy Spirit that a great work may be done for us, so that we can say, not, "See what I am doing," but, "Behold the goodness and love of God!" (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 06-10-02, The Promise of the Spirit)
"In this work more than in any secular business, success is proportioned to the spirit of consecration and self-sacrifice with which the work is done. Those who bear responsibility as mangers in the work need to place themselves where they can be deeply impressed by the Spirit of God. You should have as much greater anxiety than do others to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and a knowledge of God and Christ, as your position of trust is more responsible than that of the common worker." (T-7, pp. 188,189)
"When you have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then you will understand more of the joys of salvation than you have known all your life hitherto. "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses to Me . . . unto the uttermost parts of the earth." (MR 5--Letter 33, 1890, pp. 9, 10. To "Dear Brethren and Sisters in Norwich, Massachusetts," December 4, 1890)
"Will we carry forward the work in the Lord's way? Are we willing to be taught of God? Will we wrestle with God in prayer? Will we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit? This is what we need and may have at this time. Then we shall go forth with a message from the Lord, and the light of truth will shine forth as a lamp that burneth, reaching to all parts of the world. If we will walk humbly with God, God will walk with us. Let us humble our souls, and we shall see of his salvation." (RH, 07-01-09, The Work Before Us)
"May the salvation of God be manifest among us this morning. May the Lord help us all. I felt thankful that God gave me strength to talk to you yesterday. Then I thought, What good has it done? I felt a wave of discouragement coming over me. But I said, No, I can not afford that. I have done my duty, and I leave the result with God. I slept for about fifteen minutes, and when I awoke, it seemed as if the glory of God was all around me. My heart was filled with praise and thankfulness. And I feel thankful this morning. Oh, shall we not clear away the rubbish that is filling our hearts, and invite Christ to enter as an abiding Guest? Then He will richly bless us, and we shall receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit." (The General Conference Bulletin, 04-02-03, How to Receive God's Blessing)
"In much of the service professedly done for God, there is emulation and self-exaltation. God hates pretense. When men and women receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they will confess their sins, and pardon, which means justification, will be given them; but the wisdom of the human agents who are not penitent, not humbled, is not to be depended on; for they are blinded in regard to the meaning of righteousness and sanctification through the truth. When men are stripped of self-righteousness, they will see their spiritual poverty. Then they will approach that state of brotherly kindness which will show that they are in sympathy with Christ. They will be able to appreciate the importance of Christian missions." (Selections from the Testimonies for the Church, p. 67)
"One reason that there are not more conversions now is because you yourselves need to be converted. Just as soon as you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you will see of the salvation of God. Let the breaking-up plow do its work in the heart. We desire to see everyone drawing strength from Christ by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. May God help you. May He cleanse you from all unrighteousness, and let His light shine upon you. May we see the salvation of God before this meeting closes." (Manuscript 77, 1902. Sermon at Petaluma, California, Campground, Sabbath, June 7, 1902)
"The plan of salvation is not presented in its simplicity for the reason that few ministers know what simple faith is. An intellectual knowledge of the truth is not enough; we must know its power upon our own hearts and lives. Ministers need to come to Christ as little children. Seek Jesus, brethren, confess your sins, plead with God day and night, until you know that for Christ's sake you are pardoned and accepted. Then will you love much because you have been forgiven much. Then you can point others to Christ as a sin-pardoning Redeemer. Then you can present the truth from the fullness of a heart that feels its sanctifying power. I fear for you, my brethren. I counsel you to tarry at Jerusalem, as did the early disciples, until, like them, you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Never feel at liberty to go into the desk until you have by faith grasped the arm of your strength." (T-5, p. 169)
"As the instruction of Jesus to the apostles was drawing to a close, and as the hour of his separation from them approached, he directed their minds more definitely to the work of the Spirit of God in fitting them for their mission. Through the medium of a familiar intercourse, he illuminated their minds to understand the sublime truths which they were to reveal to the world. But their work was not to be entered upon till they should know of a surety, by the baptism of the Holy Ghost, that they were connected with Heaven. They were promised new courage and joy from the heavenly illumination they should then experience, and which would enable them to comprehend the depth and breadth and fullness of God's love." (The Spirit of Prophecy Volume Three p. 240)