It is clear from Galatians 3:2:

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

And Galatians 4:19:

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

That to be saved and filled with the Spirit is one matter but to have Christ formed in us is something else again.

The Galatians had received Christ as Savior and had also received the Holy Spirit. But Christ had not been formed in them as yet. Paul knew this because they were so easily led back into the Law of Moses.

Today a great multitude of people have received Christ as Savior. A lesser number have received the Holy Spirit to the extent of speaking in tongues and prophesying.

But we know that Christ has not been formed in many believers to any great extent because of the ease with which they are led astray into obviously unscriptural teachings such as the so-called prosperity message.

There is a time and season for all things. The latter rain has been falling since the days of the Protestant Reformers, as we understand it, and little by little Christ has been formed in the believers.

Many doctrines and experiences have been restored to the churches since the days of the Reformers. The latest has been that concerning the ministries and gifts of the Spirit of God. Speaking in tongues, prophecy, the supernatural healing of the sick, the working of miracles, words of wisdom and knowledge, the gift of discernment, are fairly common in numerous congregations.

As soon as God plants an increase in doctrine and experience and they begin to be established and grow, God moves ahead to new doctrine and experience. When He does there is a good deal of shuffling around as people adjust to change.

Today the earth is bringing forth by handfuls, so to speak. Doctrine and corresponding experience are being added to the church that are making the Bible come alive to us. Of particular interest and value is the renewing of the original Gospel, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The concept of salvation being for the purpose of bringing the believer to the spirit Paradise to live forever in a mansion of material wealth is giving way before the actual Gospel of the Kingdom, which is the preparation of the Church for its role of returning with Jesus Christ and establishing justice and order on the earth.

In addition to the restoration of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God we have the doctrines concerning the role of the Body of Christ as the Servant of the Lord, the necessity for obeying the commandments of Christ and His Apostles rather than trusting in "grace" to do all the work for us, and the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles—a step past the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Pentecost.

The central and most important feature of the work of restoration is the increase of Christ in the members of His Body. The gifts and ministries of the Spirit and all the other aspects of healthy church life are scaffolding contributing to the growth of Christ in the believers.

To be continued.