A believer who is faithful in all these other aspects of the Christian life but who has not received the baptism in the Holy Spirit will probably prove a more effective Christian than one who has received the baptism in the Spirit but who neglects these other aspects of the Christian life. On the other hand, if the believer who is already faithful in these other duties receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit, he will immediately find that the benefits and the effectiveness of all his other activities will be wonderfully enriched and increased by this new experience.
We may illustrate this point by the example of two men, Mr. A and Mr. B, each of whom has the task of watering a garden. Mr. A has the advantage of using a hose attached directly to a tap. Mr. B has only a watering can which he must fill from the tap and then carry back and forth to each place in the garden where water is needed. Obviously Mr. A starts with a great advantage. He needs only to carry the nozzle of the hose in his hand and then direct the water wherever he wishes. Mr. B has the labour of carrying the can to and fro the whole time.
Let us suppose, however, that Mr. B has a great superiority of character over Mr. A. Mr. A is by nature lazy, erratic, unreliable. Sometimes he forgets to water the garden altogether. At other times he waters some areas but omits those which need watering most urgently. At other times he takes no care to direct the hose correctly, wasting large quantities of water in places where it is not needed and can do no good.
On the other hand, Mr. B is active, diligent and reliable. He never forgets to water the garden at any time. He never overlooks any areas that urgently need water. He never wastes any of the water from his can but carefully directs each drop where it will do the utmost good.
What will be the result? Obviously Mr. B will have a much more fruitful and attractive garden than Mr. A. However, it would be quite wrong to deduce from this that, as a means of watering a garden, a watering can is superior to a hose.
The superiority is not that of the watering can over the hose, but that of Mr. B’s whole character over Mr. A’s. This is proved by the fact that if Mr. B now changes over from the watering can to the hose and continues as faithful with the hose as he was previously with the can, the results he will be able to achieve with the hose will far excel those which he previously achieved with the can. Furthermore, he will save himself a great deal of time and effort, which he will be free to devote to other useful purposes.
In all probability Mr. B will prove to be a more fruitful and effective Christian than Mr. A. However, it would be quite illogical to conclude from this that there is anything amiss with the baptism in the Spirit as Mr. A received it. The fault lies not in the experience itself but in the failure of Mr. A to make the right use of it in his daily life.
However much we may admire Mr. B’s faithfulness, we still cannot deny that he would be foolish not to seek and receive the baptism in the Spirit. It is foolish not to exchange the watering can for the hose.
We see, then, that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not just an unusual and isolated phenomenon which can be detached from the whole context of Christian experience and duty as revealed in the New Testament. On the contrary, the baptism in the Spirit will only produce the benefits and blessings which God intends when it is joined together in active Christian service with all the other main parts of God’s total provision for the believer. Isolated from the rest of Christian life and service, it loses its true significance and fails to achieve its true purpose.
Heavenly Father, help me to receive the fullness of Your Holy Spirit, to strengthen me, encourage me and help me to live by Your guidelines and under Your guidance. Amen.
