Life on Wings - A Tribute to Dr Ern Baxter

Where Are We Going?

This question was one that seemed to characterise Dr Ern Baxter throughout his life. It was of course the name of his monumental series that he preached at the Dales Bible Week in 1976 but I think he would approve applying this question to this series that I began inspired by his statement; “The Kingdom of God Only Becomes Reality Through the Holy Spirit”. I wanted to get to know this Holy Spirit. Who is He? What does He do? How does He act? And above all how can we get to experience and know Him deeper?

So far using Ern Baxter’s archive notes, we have seen:

- "The Kingdom of God becomes Reality Through the Holy Spirit" Series - Part 1 and Part 2. A series designed to understand the Holy Spirit in greater depth and detail using notes from Ern Baxter's Archive.

Part 1 - "The Gift of Prophecy" - We are told to earnestly desire ... especially this gift!

Part 2 - "Sealed with the Holy Spirit" - A vital subject. Misunderstanding it is the reason the Church is in the mess that it's in according to Dr Lloyd-Jones.

Part 3 - "The Holy Spirit as Dew" - A beautiful picture of the way the Holy Spirit may fall!

Part 4 - "The Holy Spirit as a Dove" - Showing how easily He can be quenched and grieved.

Part 5 - "The Holy Spirit as Holy Anointing Oil" - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3. This most precious of substances used in the Old Testament in great mystery. Here Dr Baxter applies it to the Holy Spirit.

Part 6 - "The Holy Spirit as the Dynamic of the New Covenant" - Ern Baxter agues that we have become side-tracked on the blood.

Part 7 - "The Holy Spirit as Fire" - The Holy Spirit alone can produce spiritual fervency.

Bearing all this in mind the 'joyful hope' I spoke of yesterday, it is my passionate desire to know more of God. It is a month or less till the Brighton Leadership Conference - "Together on a Mission" and I want to be prepared for it when the time comes. It was for a good reason that I decided to book the training tracks with the amazing sounding Rob Rufus that are described thus so:

"Living Daily Under The Miraculous Mantle Of God’s Increased Power And Presence For The Greater Works - Speaker: Rob Rufus.

These 3 sessions are about the simple secrets of how anyone can be used to manifest the awesome power and glory of God’s wonderful presence. This is about how God moves us by His anointing into the greater cloud of His glory for increased intimacy and increased signs and wonders".

The account in Ezekiel 47 seems very appropriate. At the present time I would describe my experience of the Spirit of God as 'dipping my toe' in. I want to go deeper! I hope this serves as a rationale for why I want to transcribe Ern Baxter's notes on "Rivers" next.

Ezekiel 47:3-5 - "The River of the Spirit"

"He brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came upto my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came upto my waist. Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed".