Matthew 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
The passage above describes for us the sad and unfortunate experience of the five foolish virgins, who were not ready when the Master appeared for the marriage. These virgins represent Christians who are so in name only, yet they are destitute of the daily replenishing of the Holy Spirit, so that when a real emergency arises, the extra "Oil" that is needed is no where to be found. The oil in the passage represents the indwelling of The Holy Ghost, according to the scriptural interpretation. Let's read:
Zechariah 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again, 2 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: 3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. 5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
It is a fact that every Christian is endowed with a portion of the Holy Spirit when we give our lives to Christ, yet this is not sufficient to take us through our entire Christian journey, for just as we need food every day to live, just so we are in need of fresh baptisms of The Holy Spirit, so that we can survive and grow stronger in Christ everyday. Without these daily renewals, our experience becomes shallow, and consequently, when a sudden crisis arises, we find ourselves devoid of any reserve strength to face unprecedented challenges or temptations. The Holy Spirit cannot be shared by the human agent, for we all need to have a personal relationship with God for ourselves, just as how we cannot eat for another person, in order to fill their need of food.
What is worthy of note, is that upon learning of the approach of Christ, the five foolish virgins tried to trim their lamps, but without the necessary oil, there could be no fire, and so they turned to the human agent in order to buy a portion of The Holy Ghost. Now who in their right mind would have the audacity to sell The Holy Spirit, and furthermore, what does "buying" represent? Apparently this is not the only time that persons tried to purchase the Holy Ghost, for these attempts were made by Simon Magus when he saw the miracles that were done by the disciples of Christ, through the power of God. Let's read:
Acts 8:18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
In order to purchase anything of value, we must first give up something of greater value, and so the question is, what are the five foolish virgins willing to give up in their proposed purchase of the Holy Spirit? Many Christians are trying to "Purchase" the Spirit through speaking in tongues, which in many Christian circles is held as a certification that one is imbued with the Spirit of God, and so in the process, many people give up a genuine Christian experience, in which the deep-cleaning work of the Holy Ghost is exchanged for a superficial and emotional experience that does not eradicate cherished sin, nor develop the active Christian virtues. It is not enough for us to have our names on the church records, nor is it sufficient to have periodic, emotional experiences with The Lord. There must be a daily seeking after God and His righteousness, asking Him to replenish us individually, so that whatever comes our way will meet us prepared.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to ask God for the indwelling of His Spirit, so that a well- balanced, all-rounded character may be developed in us from day to day. This is the will of God, and it is our duty to ask, for according to the promises of Christ, every one that asketh, receiveth. Let's read:
Luke 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Let us then ask in faith, and God will certainly deliver according to His good will, for it is His purpose that every Christian be filled with The Holy Ghost. "Good night" and God bless!