Empowered Christians: G. Campbell Morgan
Abandonment and Abiding
George Campbell Morgan (1863-1945) began preaching the gospel at a very young age. He was influenced greatly by D.L. Moody’s trip to England and began preaching in country chapels regularly as early as 12 or 13 years old. At 23, he left a profession in teaching and devoted himself to preaching and teaching the Word of God. By the time he was 33 years old, his reputation as a preacher had spread across England and he was invited to lecture students in the United States at the Moody Bible Institute. Five years later he returned to England and became pastor of Westminster Chapel in London. He spent fourteen years there before returning to the United States for another fourteen years as an itinerant preacher.
Morgan spoke boldly about the essential ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church,
“Ministries accomplishing great results in the Kingdom of God today are those which put the whole burden of their work upon the Holy Spirit of God. He is finally becoming thought of as a Person rather than an influence. Wherever the Spirit of God is being enthroned in preaching and in all Christian work, and given His rightful place as the Administrator of the things of Jesus Christ, apostolic results follow.”
Morgan struggled with the teaching that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a second blessing after salvation. He believed Scripture teaches that we are baptized in the Holy Spirit when we experience reconciliation with God through Christ in our initial salvation experience. However, he referred to another experience after salvation that he believed was best described as a “filling with the Holy Spirit” and he believed, “most believers experience the filling of the Spirit after the baptism.”
He believed the reason many Christians fail to experience being filled with the Spirit comes through checking, quenching, hindering, and grieving Him. He taught that there are two conditions to experience the Spirit-filled life: abandonment and abiding.
“I use abandonment intentionally….[it] is perhaps not an ordinary theological term, but is full of force. Whenever we make whole-hearted, absolute, unquestioning, positive, final abandonment of our life to God, filling with the Spirit results.” Abandonment is twofold - abandonment to purification by the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30-31) and abandonment of the whole being to Jesus Christ so that He may offer it to God (Romans 6:13).”
He continues with a description of abiding,
“Abiding in Christ keeps us filled with the Holy Spirit. People talk a great deal about abiding and many have endeavored to define the term. Some give beautiful definitions, mystical and poetic, but mostly out of reach to the ordinary life of the believer. Let us stay with the definitions in Scripture: “He that kept His commandments dwellers in Him, and He in him” (1 John 3:24). The definition is so clear. I will state it simply: To abide is to obey.”
Morgan would challenge us today with the words he used to challenge Christians in his day, “Living as a Spirit-filled Christian is a matter of personal responsibility. Is He indwelling in you in all His fulness? Or are you grieving and quenching Him? Believer, abandon your whole life to Him.”
It’s time for us to abandon ourselves entirely to the Lord and to abide in Him each day!