Recalling an incident from the history of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus as recorded in Luke 9.51-56, will suffice us for an illustration of this great truth. It occurred during the course of the Lord's final journey up to Jerusalem and His ultimate victory there. The apostles, incensed by the attitude of some Samaritans towards the Lord, said to Him, 'shall we call down fire from heaven and consume them as Elijah did?' To this the Lord answered, 'ye know not what spirit ye are of ...', which shows that although greatly privileged at that time, the apostles did not have nor could they function in the same Spirit as the Lord.
His Spirit is the spirit of salvation, preservation, grace, love, forgiveness, but theirs was not, so He restrained and reproved them. What they wanted to do was quite foreign to His Spirit, but then they were not members of His body at that time. Therefore they were not of Him, nor could they be, for they had not as yet been baptised into Him and it. They were of His company, but not of His Spirit. We may safely assume that they had either the gift of faith or of miracles, perhaps even both, for they were quite certain that they could actually call down fire, and perform the destructive miracle. Seemingly they had the gift which enabled them to do so, but the Spirit of the Body, and therefore of Christ, would not have been manifested by such an act. And no wonder either, for these men were seeking to model themselves upon Elijah, it was he who had performed the miracle which the apostles wanted to emulate.
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G.W. North (1913 - 2003)
G. W. North was born in London England in 1913. As a young man he became aware that the Lord was calling him into the work of the ministry. At timely stages the Lord placed folk in his path who were able to direct him into the truth of heart purity and a more expansive understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He held pastorates in Kent and Bradford. By the late 1960s, following a significant period of ministry in Liverpool, he began a more itinerant ministry. This led him to many parts of the world, and occupied him until well into his eighties. His powerful preaching and the unique sense of the Lord's presence, which seemed to brood over his meetings, were always intensely challenging.The true secret of his remarkable ministry stemmed from his personal communion with the Lord Jesus. To him, 'entering the holiest' was not merely a theological concept; it was a distinct spiritual reality - and the central feature of his spiritual life. It was here, in the place of worship, that his revelatory ministry found its source. He preached from understanding and conviction. He was never the echo of another, nor did he take on board the ebb and flow of various contemporary emphases. He was not a man of 'books'; he soaked himself in Scripture and allowed it to saturate his heart and mind. Truly, this is a man who has lifted up a standard for the people. Mr North went to be with the Lord on 29th April 2003, shortly after his ninetieth birthday.