The News #13

What would it mean for us to receive a revelation of hell, where the Holy Spirit made it ever so real to us? Why would God do such a thing? Dear friends, please listen very carefully to what I am about to say.

I do not believe that God really blesses and uses any form of ministry that is not Spirit led and directed. That is to say that I do not believe that Christian activity that is not empowered by the Spirit bears any real fruit. So if you take a mental understanding of what I have been writing about hell and then go out and start to warn everyone you know, I don’t think it will do much good. It might even do some harm because any exposure to the truth apart from the gracious working of the Holy Spirit tends to harden the heart of man. So don’t rush out and go up to total strangers and yell, “Turn or burn!” in their faces. It won’t do any good.

But if God begins to revive His church He is going to take most all of us into a deeper, richer relationship with the Father than any we have ever known. And part of that deepening relationship will mean that we will have more power, and a clearer sense of direction in our Christian service than we ever had before.

A great many of us will be used to either directly lead people to Christ or to invite them to church where they will hear the gospel and be everlastingly saved. And it won’t be really hard to talk to people and it won’t seem all that awkward, the way it does now, because it will all be done under the direction and in the power of the Spirit of God.

Now you don’t have to wait for a great outpouring of the Spirit of God to witness. I’m not saying that. But whether in revival or not I believe that such work is fruitful only when God directs us and empowers us. If God is so directing you at this time, well and good. Follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. For the record, I will be speaking to someone I know in the near future about her soul. I believe it is God’s time and place to do that. So you don’t have to wait for revival, but you do need to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and if you are not sensing His leading in this area, that may not be your ministry and this time and you shouldn’t trouble yourself greatly about it.