Many years ago Morgan Derham writing in the old, 'Life of Faith', remarked sadly that one of his friends, a Christian of many years standing, had abandoned Christianity because it did not work. This struck a chord in my heart. It is a common Christian assumption that subsequent to conversion the believer's new nature and the indwelling Spirit combine to produce virtue. It is fatally easy to assume that this will occur automatically; that sanctification is the inevitable result of being a Christian. When nothing of the sort happens it is possible to become thoroughly disillusioned.

This problem may seem far removed from Jesus reaction to the Pharisees who believed that holiness was about looking miserable and who criticised the disciples for their exuberance. However their is a link. Jesus countered the Pharisees judgement by telling the parable about the wineskins. "Nobody puts new wine into old wineskins," said Jesus, "because the new wine will burst the skins. New wine must be put into new wineskins." Jesus is referring here to something that is learned from experience. The man who used old skins that had lost their elasticity to store wine that had not finished fermenting discovered his folly the hard way - by experience. The disciples joy was experimental. They had committed themselves to Christ and life was great. It was exciting and invigorating. That was a fact. The Pharisees through unbelief were denied the same experience and so could not understand it. Jesus highlights the importance of experience. It cannot be gain said.

Interpretation of Scripture and doctrinal teaching must harmonise with experience otherwise there will be damaging tensions and much unhappiness for the Christian. Indeed experience is a valuable test of the authenticity of Bible teaching. Disillusion may not be the fault of our experience so much as the result of erroneous beliefs.

The area of difficulty for Morgan Derham's friend and myself was the role of the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification. We both expected the Spirit to add virtue to our lives. Paul says, after all, that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Yet as we examine our lives it seems that the Holy Spirit is signally failing to produce any of these graces.

It is important to examine those few tangible evidences we have for sanctification in our lives to get clearer about how the Holy Spirit produces his distinctive fruit.

My Headmistress persuaded me to change rooms. I abandoned my purpose built Geography room for a large laboratory. It involved a lot of work but was worth while because the new room gave me a lot of storage space. A few years later the Headmistress retired and a fresh Head was appointed. One of his first decisions was to relocate the Geography Department. I had to surrender the laboratory and was consigned to a poky little room much inferior to the one I had in the first place. I was full of fury. I wasn't going to move all the textbooks and equipment again into inferior accommodation. The Headmaster could do it himself. I was eaten up with bitterness and resentment. I hadn't been given much during my fifteen years at the school - but I had a good teaching room. Now even that was being taken away. I was very unhappy and I prayed that God would remove the hatred from my heart. He didn't. Instead, after a weekend of brooding, I was reminded by God's Spirit of Jesus' words, "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." Mt5v41. Eventually I prayed and promised God that I would do everything that the Headmaster asked with no more fuss - for Jesus sake. Immediately all the rancour, self-pity and sense of injustice left me and I was at peace.

So in the end I displayed meekness, a fruit of the Spirit. I submitted to God and was able to act with discipline in trying circumstances. What part did the Spirit play in the process?

The Holy Spirit did not act like yeast in a loaf or corn flour in gravy that once added inevitably produces a result. Meekness had not been added to my life so that it was there when I needed it. My first response was anything but meek. Rather the Spirit came alongside as a friend and counsellor and reminded me clearly of the teaching of Jesus, my Lord. That is all he did. The rest was up to me. I could either accept or reject the advice that I was given. However it was genuine assistance. The Comforter gave me just the right text at just the right time. The reason we do not make more progress as Christians is not the fault of the Holy Spirit it is rather our unwillingness to take the advice of our helper. I think, too, that after making the decision the Holy Spirit influenced my emotions. The storm raging in my heart was stilled immediately. It was like receiving a hug from a loving father who is pleased with something we have just done. In this way God's Spirit encourages a similar response in the future.

My experience is compatible with Jesus' promise to his disciples, as he prepares them for his departure, of another Comforter. The Holy Spirit helps as Jesus helped his followers when he was with them on earth. Jesus warned, reproved, encouraged and guided; he exhibited warmth and affection and touched hearts; he quoted and explained the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit assists in the process of sanctification by communicating the truth and sometimes graciously caressing the emotions and imparting love.

It is very important for Christians to give others the benefit of their experience. I have been blessed reading Corrie ten Boom's autobiographical books because she writes about the ways the Spirit guided, prompted, taught and used her. I also found John Sherrill's book, 'My Friend the Bible', refreshing because in it he describes his struggle to live a holier life with concrete examples of how victories were won. There is so little teaching from the pulpit of this sort. A lot of preachers apologise when they illustrate a truth from their personal experience. What on earth for? This is just what the listener needs to hear. There really is no need for everyone to put new wine into old wineskins and discover the consequences the hard way.

Go to Luke5v39 THE DANGER OF AN ACQUIRED TASTE