Dwight L. Moody - Secret Power - Updated Edition: The Secret of Success in Christian Life and Work

Chapter 1

Power Its Source

I n vain do the inhabitants of London go to their conduits for supply, unless the man who has the master key turns the water on. And in vain do we seek to quench our thirst at ordinances, unless God communicates the living water of His Spirit. (Augustus Toplady)

It was the custom of the Roman emperors, at their triumphal entrance, to cast new coins among the multitudes; so doth Christ, in His triumphal ascension into heaven, throw the greatest gifts for the good of men that were ever given. (Thomas Goodwin)

To unconverted persons, a great part of the Bible resembles a letter written in cipher. The blessed Spirits office is to act as Gods decipherer, by letting His people into the secret of celestial experience, as the key and clue to those sweet mysteries of grace, which were before as a garden shut up, or as a fountain sealed, or as a book written in an unknown character. (Augustus Toplady)

The greatest, strongest, mightiest plea for the church of God in the world is the existence of the Spirit of God in its midst, and the works of the Spirit of God are the true evidences of Christianity. They say miracles are withdrawn, but the Holy Spirit is the standing miracle of the church of God today. I will not say a word against societies for Christian evidences, nor against those weighty and learned brethren who have defended the outworks of the Christian church. They have done good service, and I wish them every blessing, but as to my own soul, I never was settled in my faith in Christ by Paleys Evidences, nor by all the evidence ever brought from history or elsewhere; the Holy Spirit has taken the burden off my shoulders and given me peace and liberty. This to me is evidence, and as to the externals which we can quote to others, it was enough for Peter and John that the people saw the lame man healed, and they needed not to speak for themselves. (Charles Spurgeon)

The Source

Without the soul, divinely quickened and inspired, the observances of the grandest ritualism are as worthless as the motions of a galvanized corpse. (Edward Davies)

I quote this sentence because it leads directly to the subject under consideration. What is this quickening and inspiration? What is this power needed? Where is the source? I reply the Holy Spirit of God. I believe the Apostles Creed, and therefore, I believe in the Holy Spirit.

A writer has asked, What are our souls without His grace? as dead as the branch in which the sap does not circulate. What is the church without Him? as parched and barren as the fields without the dew and rain of heaven.

Lately, many have asked about the subject of the Holy Spirit. In this and other lands, thousands of people have been focusing more on the study of this grand theme. I hope this interest will lead us all to pray for a greater manifestation of His power upon the whole church of God. We have dishonored Him in the past. Weve been ignorant of His grace and love and presence. True, we have heard of Him and read about Him, but we have little intelligent knowledge of His attributes, His function, and His relationship to us. I fear He has not been an actual presence to many professed Christians, nor is He known to them as a personality of the Godhead.

The first work of the Spirit is to give life spiritual life. He gives it and He sustains it. If there is no life, there can be no power. Solomon said, A living dog is better than a dead lion (Ecclesiastes 9:4). When the Spirit imparts this life, He does not leave us to droop and die but constantly fans the flame. He is ever with us. Surely, we shouldnt be ignorant of His power and His work.

Identity and Personality

In 1 John 5:7 we read: For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one . The Father is the first person; Christ, the Word, is the second; the Holy Spirit, perfectly fulfilling His own office and work in union with the Father and the Son, is the third. My Bible clearly presents that the One God who demands my love, service, and worship has revealed Himself, and each of the three names of God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has personality attached to them.

Therefore, we find some things ascribed to God as Father, some to God as Savior, and some to God as Comforter and Teacher. Some say that the Father plans, the Son executes, and the Holy Spirit applies. But I also believe they plan and work together. The distinction of persons is often noted in Scripture. In Matthew, we find Jesus submitting to baptism, the Spirit descending upon Him, and the Father declaring His approval:

And Jesus, after he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, behold, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him; and, behold, a voice from the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:16-17)

In John 14:16 we read: I [Jesus] will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter. And in Ephesians 2:18: For through Him [Jesus Christ] we both [Jews and Gentiles] have access by one Spirit unto the Father . In these verses we can see the distinction of persons in the Godhead and their inseparable union. From these and other Scriptures we also learn the identity and actual existence of the Holy Spirit.

If you ask if I fully understand what is revealed in Scripture, I must say no. But my faith bows before the inspired Word, and I unhesitatingly believe the great things of God even when my reason is blinded and my intellect confused.

In addition to teaching us Gods Word, the Holy Spirit in His gracious work in the soul declares His own presence. Through His agency we are born again , and through His indwelling we possess superhuman power. When compared to the existence and presence of the Spirit of God, science, falsely called knowledge , only exposes its own folly to those who have become new creatures in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit, who inspired prophets and empowered apostles, continues to enliven, guide, and comfort all true believers. To the actual Christian, the personality of the Holy Spirit is more real than any theory science has to offer, for so-called science is only calculation based on human observation, which is constantly changing its assumptions. But the existence of the Holy Spirit is to the child of God a matter of Scripture revelation and of actual experience.