ARE WE TO PRAY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT? 

I was recently a guest in a class at a Church of Christ in Dallas where the question was raised as to how we might in a practical way realize the Holy Spirit in our lives. The class had three distinguished visitors, all professors, one from Pepperdine, one from ACU, and one from our Biblical Institute in Austin, all friends of mine and all fine men and excellent scholars.

It was an interesting and informative discussion, especially the input from the professors. The class seemed to be of one mind that the Holy Spirit does indeed indwell the believer, which reflects an encouraging change for our people. Many among us still see little in the ministry of the Spirit in our lives apart from what the Bible does, and not a few still equate the Spirit with the Bible. And it is still common to hear the dubious refrain, "The spirit operates only through the Word." I recently listened to a tape recording of a debate between two of our brethren (Guy Woods and Given Blakely) in which one of them categorically denied the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Even though most of the class believed in the presence of the Spirit in the life of the believer, they appeared to have a problem with the question raised. I detected remnants of the old Spirit/Bible mentality, for no one who spoke dared to suggest that the Holy Spirit might work powerfully in our lives quite apart from the Scriptures themselves. That we either receive the Spirit or are ministered to by him only in reference to the Bible is a belief that pervades the thinking even of our more open brethren. Those in the class were left to conclude that if they want more of the Holy Spirit in their lives they are to get closer to the Bible. Nothing was said about prayer, and there was no suggestion that there might be truth in what we sometimes sing, "Beyond the sacred Word I seek thee, Lord."

I was left to wonder how one goes about realizing and appropriating the Holy Spirit in a practical way, which was the question at hand, by simply studying the Bible more. I can see the frustration of a grieved and troubled soul leafing the Bible in quest of the comfort of the Holy Spirit. It is true, of course, that the Spirit ministers to us through the Bible, but there is much more to it than that. There is no evidence either in or Out of the Bible that the Spirit restricts himself to the written Word.

Surely Paul had far more than that in mind when he prayed: "that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." The Spirit opens up our inner eyes so that we can really know and appreciate the glorious hope that is ours. When our Lord promised to send "another Comforter," one like him, he surely had more in mind than the Bible. In fact, the earliest disciples had the Holy Spirit before they had the Bible.

While it did not seem appropriate to say so in the class, I did point Out to a few afterwards that Jesus gives us a simple and practical way of receiving the Holy Spirit: asking God! When he promised "Seek and you will find, ask and it will be given you," he was probably referring to the Spirit. It would certainly include that, for in Lk. 11:13 he says, "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him."

Does this not mean that we are to ask for a deeper and fuller visitation of the Spirit even if he already indwells us? We can rightly believe that we receive the Spirit when we believe in Christ and are baptized, for Acts 2:38 makes that promise. And Acts 5:32 says we receive the Spirit when we obey Christ. Eph. 1:13 shows that the Ephesians receive the Spirit when they became Christians.

But to those Ephesians the apostle also wrote "Be filled with the Spirit" (5:18), which either means that receiving the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit are different or that being filled is a continuing experience growing out of the initial reception. If Paul would urge them to be filled with the Spirit, it would surely be appropriate for them to pray for that continual filling.

We know God, but we can pray to know him better. We love Christ, but that love can grow stronger through prayer. We received the Spirit when we were baptized, but we are promised a continual filling, a more glorious presence by seeking and praying. Every day we can get on our knees and ask God to fill us more and more with His Spirit.

What more practical way is there to make the Spirit more relevant to our lives than to be filled with the Spirit, and that by seeking, knocking, and asking. He gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. What a glorious promise that is! — the Editor