By DR. LLOYD T. ANDERSON
THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND PENTECOST
come at the time of the presenta tion of the two loaves from the first fruits. There are many misconceptions about Pentecost. Some erroneous ly believe that it may be a repeated event. The fact is that there has only been one Pentecost and nev er will be another. There is no need for it. Similarly, there will never be another Bethlehem experience, another Calvary, another Joseph's tomb. These are once-for-all trans actions. Pentecost marks the com ing of the Holy Spirit in His dispen- sational form into the Church of Christ. It was on this day that He took up His residence in the bodies of those who believed in Christ, as well as in the collective Body we call the New Testament Church. Some also look upon the Day of Pentecost as a second work of grace. New converts frequently are told to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Such views are entirely wrong and unscriptural. Did you know that the expression "baptism of the Holy Spirit" never occurs in Acts as it relates to individual ex perience? The Bible never records a single case where a Christian was baptized with the Holy Spirit after
The Book of the Acts is the his torically inspired chronicle of the New Testament. It is a panoramic view of the early church. The word "Pentecost," which means fiftieth, always is associated with the com ing of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). It is also called the "Feast of Harvest" because it marked the dedication of all the fruit and grain to the Lord. In the days of the law two loaves of bread, made with the first ripe grain, were presented to the Lord. You see, the feasts of the Old Testament always have their coun terpart in the New. The Feast of Passover is typical of the Lord's death on the cross. The wave sheaf offering is typical of His resurrection. The first fruits represent the new dispensation of Cod's grace. The bread of the Pass- over had to be unleavened (no yeast in it). At Pentecost there was leaven in the loaves. The first sig nified the sinless Christ, while the others represented the early dis ciples who were not sinless. It was fitting that the Lord should die at the time of the Passover. But, in the plan of God, it was also appro priate that the Holy Spirit should
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