This account is taken from Mr R. A Torry's description of D. L Moody in the book "Why God Used D. L Moody". To read the complete account please refer http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/dasc/WGUDLM.HTMWhat is illuminated in this post is a description of how Mr. Moody concluded one of his Christian Conferences. In those days, preaching was always followed by the real work of Holy Spirit. You will see an ocean of difference between now and then!
"It was the closing day of the Northfield Students' Conference--the gathering of the students from the eastern colleges. Mr. Moody had asked me to preach on Saturday night and Sunday morning on the baptism with the Holy Ghost. On Saturday night I had spoken about, "The Baptism with the Holy Ghost, What it is, What it does, the Need of it and the Possibility of it." On Sunday morning I spoke on "The Baptism with the Holy Spirit, How to Get It."
It was just exactly twelve o'clock when I finished my morning sermon, and I took out my watch and said: "Mr. Moody has invited us all to go up to the mountain at three o'clock this afternoon to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit. It is three hours to three o'clock. Some of you cannot wait three hours. You do not need to wait. Go to your rooms, go out into the woods, go to your tent, go anywhere where you can get alone with God and have this matter out with Him."
At three o'clock we all gathered in front of Mr. Moody's mother's house (she was then still living), and then began to pass down the lane, through the gate, up on the mountainside. There were four hundred and fifty-six of us in all; I know the number because Paul Moody counted us as we passed through the gate.
After a while Mr. Moody said: "I don't think we need to go any further; let us sit down here." We sat down on stumps and logs and on the ground. Mr. Moody said: "Have any of you students anything to say?" I think about seventy-five of them arose, one after the other, and said: "Mr. Moody, I could not wait till three o'clock; I have been alone with God since the morning service, and I believe I have a right to say that I have been baptized with the Holy Spirit." When these testimonies were over, Mr. Moody said: "Young men, I can't see any reason why we shouldn't kneel down here right now and ask God that the Holy Ghost may fall upon us just as definitely as He fell upon the apostles on the Day of Pentecost. Let us pray." And we did pray, there on the mountainside.
As we had gone up the mountainside heavy clouds had been gathering, and just as we began to pray those clouds broke and the raindrops began to fall through the overhanging pines. But there was another cloud that had been gathering over Northfield for ten days, a cloud big with the mercy and grace and power of God, and as we began to pray our prayers seemed to pierce that cloud and the Holy Ghost fell upon us. Men and women, that is what we all need--the Baptism with the Holy Ghost." R. A. Torrey
The faith of this man and the students is profound. Imagine the effect if 1% of present day conferences were any practical or palpable as this?
1 comment:
that was really cool
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