June 2001 New Horizons

The Spirit-Filled Christian

by Larry Wilson

"Be filled with the Spirit" John MacArthur tells this story on pages 241-42 of Our Sufficiency in Christ: A poor man had wanted to go on a cruise all his life. As a youngster he had seen an advertisement for a luxury cruise, and ever since, he had dreamed of spending a week on a large ocean liner enjoying fresh sea air and relaxing in a luxurious environment. He saved money for years, carefully counting his pennies, often sacrificing personal needs so he could stretch his resources a little further. Finally he had enough to purchase a cruise ticket. He went to a travel agent, looked over the cruise brochures, picked out one that was especially attractive, and bought a ticket with the money he had saved so long. He was hardly able to believe he was about to realize his childhood dream. Knowing he could not afford the kind of elegant food pictured in the brochure, the man planned to bring his own provisions for the week. Accustomed to moderation after years of frugal living, and with his ... Read more

The Return of the Holy Spirit

by Geoffrey Thomas

The group was singing earnestly, the drums were pounding, the guitarists were strumming away, and the audience was tapping their feet—but the Spirit was not there. They sang songs for an hour, building up to a great crescendo and sitting down to an aura of well-being—but the Spirit was not there. The preacher gave his message, told his stories, made them laugh, and made them cry—but the Spirit was not there. He began his appeal and worked them over—some needed to come to the front to be saved, others to rededicate their lives, others for inner healing, others to talk to counselors about their problems. A crowd gathered. A man said to himself, "I want to be happy like these people," and he went forward—but the Spirit was not there. After the service was over, the people talked to one another about their activities and plans, and nobody realized that again the Spirit was not in their midst. Down the road in another church, the congregation sang the hymns of Toplady and Watts and a ... Read more

The Leading of the Spirit (Part 1)

by B. B. Warfield

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14 RV). These words constitute the classical passage in the New Testament on the great subject of the leading of the Holy Spirit. They stand, indeed, almost without strict parallel in the New Testament. We read, no doubt, in that great discourse of our Lord's which John has preserved for us, in which, as he was about to leave his disciples, he comforts their hearts with the promise of the Spirit, that "when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). But this guidance into truth by the Holy Spirit is something very different from the leading of the Spirit spoken of in our present text, and it is appropriately expressed by a different term. We read also in Luke's account of our Lord's temptation that he was "led by the Spirit in the wilderness during forty days, being tempted of the devil" (Luke 4:1-2), where our own term is used. But though undoubtedly this passage throws light ... Read more

Discerning the Work of the Spirit

by Samuel T. Logan, Jr.

What do you think about 'the Toronto Blessing'...or the Pensacola revival...or T. D. Jakes...or ____________ [fill in the blank with the latest 'revival' phenomenon near you]?" "We know there is a problem with the OPC, because most of its churches are so small." "Well, we know there is a problem with many Korean churches, because they are so big!" "Any minister who uses a manuscript when he preaches guarantees that his ministry will be out of touch, ineffective, and, in fact, counterproductive." "Are you kidding? Those who speak spontaneously are the problem because that style assures that mindless 'spontaneity' rather than thoughtful biblical understanding will characterize the congregation." Do any of these comments sound familiar? I have heard them all—and fairly recently. How do we respond to these issues (and others like them, such as the "worship wars" debates)? We surely say that Scripture alone is sufficient to answer them all. But I also have a habit, as a wanna-be church ... Read more

The Door Opens in Québec

by Bernard Westerveld, Jr.

Welcome to Québec City, home of the Summit of the Americas—and home of the Reformed Church of St. Mark (l'Eglise réformée St-Marc)! On March 31, I became the pastor-evangelist of this church. My work is a joint undertaking of the Committee on Foreign Missions of the OPC and the Reformed Church of Québec (l'Église réformée du Québec [ERQ]), in order that the gospel might be more widely proclaimed to the French-speaking Quebecers. Let me take you through some of the history of this "Québec Project," as it has become known. There is a real mission field here on North American soil. Bienvenue au Québec! Québec is one of the ten Canadian provinces, located in the eastern part of Canada, along the St. Lawrence River. Most of the seven million plus Quebecers live on the banks of this river, with half of the population living in the greater metropolitan area of Montreal. Farther downstream (northeast) is Québec ... Read more