Day 19: Martyn Lloyd-Jones - “Access to the Spirit”
“And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you… If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Introduction
From the late 1940s through the 1960s, thousands gathered every Sunday at Westminster Chapel in London. Many of them were visitors and students who traveled far and wide simply to hear the church’s extraordinary preacher. On the surface, the congregation listened intently as he spoke. But internally, their hearts were gripped by God’s presence and pierced with conviction. This was a typical Sunday at Westminster whenever Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached.
Many who heard his sermons later shared that they came to Christ through his preaching. But if we had to attribute the fruitfulness of his ministry to one source, it would be God— namely the Holy Spirit. Lloyd-Jones relied wholly on the Spirit, knowing that without Him, he would have accomplished nothing.
Access to the Spirit
That’s why Martyn Lloyd-Jones prayed earnestly for the Holy Spirit. No matter how rhetorically gifted a speaker is, a sermon is powerless if the Spirit is not at work through it. Lloyd-Jones was someone who prepared his preaching meticulously and strenuously, but he made sure to keep prayer and reliance on the Spirit his priority. We can only imagine how Lloyd-Jones’ ministry would have turned out if he didn’t pray for the Holy Spirit. He was an ordinary man who was led by an amazing God.
Aside from preaching, Lloyd-Jones also stressed the dependence on the Spirit for one’s personal walk with God. There’s obviously a lot to discuss about this topic, but in short, we experience God’s love and grow in our relationship with Him only through the Spirit. Lloyd-Jones prayed for the Spirit to work in his life and urged his congregation to do likewise. Real growth and change occur only through the Spirit.
Reflection
Paul’s exhortation for his readers in Ephesians is appropriate for us today. He told them to constantly be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). We often go through spiritual dryness and feel powerless in ministry. That’s why we must always pray for the Holy Spirit. There is no other way— no shortcuts and no escape from prayer. God delights to fill us with the Spirit as we pray. Therefore, let’s ask Him to work in our lives and in the church all the more.