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Vital Principles of Relationship
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church, as in camp meetings, the assemblies of the home church,
and all occasions where there is personal labor for souls, are God’s
appointed opportunities for giving the early and the latter rain.
But let none think that in attending these gatherings, their duty
is done. A mere attendance upon all the meetings that are held will
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not in itself bring a blessing to the soul. It is not an immutable law
that all who attend general gatherings or local meetings shall receive
large supplies from heaven. The circumstances may seem to be
favorable for a rich outpouring of the showers of grace. But God
Himself must command the rain to fall. Therefore we should not be
remiss in supplication. We are not to trust to the ordinary working
of providence. We must pray that God will unseal the fountain of
the water of life. And we must ourselves receive of the living water.
Let us, with contrite hearts, pray most earnestly that now, in the
time of the latter rain, the showers of grace may fall upon us. At
every meeting we attend our prayers should ascend, that at this very
time God will impart warmth and moisture to our souls. As we seek
God for the Holy Spirit, it will work in us meekness, humbleness
of mind, a conscious dependence upon God for the perfecting latter
rain. If we pray for the blessing in faith, we shall receive it as God
has promised.
The continued communication of the Holy Spirit to the church
is represented by the prophet Zechariah under another figure, which
contains a wonderful lesson of encouragement for us. The prophet
says: “The angel that talked with me came again, and waked me,
as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me, What
seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all
of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon,
and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and
the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the
angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? ... Then
he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord
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unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My
Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.... And I answered again, and said
unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two
golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? ... Then said