The Holy Spirit is the Representative of Christ in the
Church. The local church should always recognize the sovereignty of the Spirit. By this we
mean that He can do as He pleases, and that He will not always choose to do things in
exactly the same way, though He will never act contrary to the Word. The symbols of the
Spirit used in the Scriptures -fire, oil, water, wind -speak of uncontrollable and
unpredictable behavior. Therefore the wise Christian will be flexible in order to allow
the Holy Spirit this divine prerogative. It was so in the early church, but soon people
became uneasy with meetings that were "free and social, with the minimum of
form." Thus controls were added and formalism and ritualism took over. The Holy
Spirit was quenched, and the church lost its power.
This shift from the freedom of the Spirit to human control has been described by James
Denney. Commenting on the verse, "Quench not the Spirit," he says: "In the
First Epistle to the Corinthians Paul describes a primitive Christian congregation. There
was not one silent among them. When they came together every one had a psalm, a
revelation, a prophecy, an interpretation. The manifestation of the Spirit had been given
to each one to profit withal; and on all hands the spiritual fire was ready to flame
forth. Conversion to the Christian faith, the acceptance of the apostolic Gospel, was not
a thing which slightly effected men: it convulsed their whole nature to its depth; they
were never the same again; they were new creatures, with a new life in them, all fervor
and flame. In a primitive church anybody who pleased might speak -when it would have been
better for him to be silent. It might lead him to break out in prayer or praise or
exhortation, in a style which made the wise sigh. And for those reasons the wise, and such
as thought themselves wise, would be apt to discourage the exercise of spiritual gifts
altogether. Contain yourself,' they would say to the man whose heart burned within him,
and who was restless till the flame could leap out; contain yourself; exercise a little
self-control; it is unworthy of a rational being to be carried away in this fashion.
It is forbidden to pour cold water on such enthusiasm when it
breaks forth in words of fire. That is the meaning of 'Quench not the Spirit.' The
commandment presupposes that the Spirit can be quenched. Cold looks, contemptuous words,
silence, studied disregard, go a long way to quench it. So does unsympathetic criticism.
Everyone knows that a fire smokes most when it is newly kindled; but the way to get rid of
the smoke is not to pour cold water on the fire, but to let it burn itself clear. When you
meet with a disciple whose zeal burns like fire, very likely the smoke hurts your eyes;
but the smoke will soon pass by; and it may well be tolerated in the meantime for the sake
of heat. For this apostolic precept takes for granted that fervor of spirit, a Christian
enthusiasm for what is good, is the best thing in the world. It may be untaught and
inexperienced; it may have all its mistakes to make; it may be wonderfully blind to the
limitations which the stern necessities of life put upon the generous hopes of man: but it
is of God; it is expansive; it is contagious; it is worth more as a spiritual force than
all the wisdom in the world.
I have hinted at ways in which the Spirit is quenched; it is sad to reflect that from one
point of view the history of the Church is a long series of transgressions of this
precept, checked by an equally long series of rebellions of the spirit. 'Where the Spirit
of the Lord is,' the Apostle tells us elsewhere, 'there is liberty.' But liberty in a
society has its dangers; it is, to a certain extent, at war with order; and the guardians
of order are not apt to be too considerate of it. Hence it came to pass that at a very
early period, and in the interests of good order, the freedom of the Spirit was suppressed
in the Church. 'The gift of ruling,' it has been said, like Aaron's rod, seemed to swallow
up the other gifts. The rulers of the Church became a class entirely apart from its
"ordinary" members, and all exercise of spiritual gifts for the building up of
the Church was confined to them. Nay, the monstrous idea was originated, and taught as a
dogma, that they alone were the custodians of the grace and truth of the gospel; only
through them could men come into contact with the Holy Ghost. In plain English, the Spirit
was quenched when Christians met for worship. One great extinguisher was placed over the
flame that burned in the hearts of the brethren; it was not allowed to show itself; it
must not disturb, by its eruption in praise or prayer or fiery exhortation, the decency
and order of divine service. I say that was the condition to which Christian worship was
reduced at a very early period; and it is unhappily the condition in which, for the most
part, it exists at this moment."
The Church then, should never fetter the Holy Spirit, either with unscriptural rules,
stereotyped programs, rituals, or liturgies. How grieved the Holy Spirit must often be by
rigid understandings that a meeting must end at a certain time, that a service must always
follow a certain routine! Such regulations often attempt to manipulate and control the
Church, resulting in the loss of spiritual power
From: A Revival Source Center