Pentecost was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise (Acts 1:8). The Spir it was really the gift-promise of Christ and the Father. He was not given in answer to prayer. The Sav iour had said, "Wait for Him." He would come whether they prayed or not. His presence in our hearts today is the evidence of our Lord's love. As a result, for the first time in history, every believer has be come a spokesman for His Lord. In the Old Testament few were raised up for that purpose. Since Pentecost every disciple is now a "mouthpiece" of the Holy Spirit, speaking forth the wonderful things of Christ. What is the significance of Pen tecost for you and me today? What we need is to utilize the energy and power that this event has re leased for all God's children. We should return to the place of sub mission and response, ceasing to have our own way. We must be of one mind and one heart in this matter. The word in Acts 5:32 points out the way in which we ought to walk. You are obedient to Him when you accept Christ as your Saviour. This is the first act of obedience. The gift of Pentecost, with its wealth of blessing and power, is all about us like the atmosphere. It waits for our appropriation and possession. We receive the Holy Spirit the moment we believe in Christ. That is known as the bap tism of the Holy Spirit. It is a once- for-all transaction. We are then placed in the corporated body of Christ, His Church, of which He is the Head. After we have been saved, however, we can be filled with the Spirit many times as the Word of God clearly teaches us. This is promised as a result of yield-
In all my years of preaching I have sought in vain for one single Biblical passage that sets forth what has been termed a "second bless ing" or a "second work of grace." These are man-made terms not found in Scripture. This is not to say that there is nothing for the believer following the new birth. He actually has every spiritual blessing in Christ. Generally it takes many years for a believer to dis cover and possess these promised blessings. Because of wandering and a loss of Christian fellowship believers can bring themselves in to a condition precipitating a spir itual crisis. The normal Christian experience is expressed in Ephes ians 5:8, "Be ye filled with the Spirit." This is continually set be fore us in the book of the Acts (4:8, 4:31, 6:3, 6:5, 15:52). The primary significance of Pen tecost for us is to mark the coming of the Holy Spirit in a new way into human life. He now lives in a fleshly abode. He had been in the world before the day of Pentecost as we see throughout the Old Tes tament. In the same manner the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to men before His virgin birth. When He came at Bethlehem it was in a manner hitherto unknown. Similarly, the Holy Spirit had been operating among Cod's people, but never before had He taken up His presence in human hearts. Pentecost was also the birthday of the New Testament Church. Such was unknown before this event (Matthew 16:18). While the Saviour picked out the foundation stone it remained for the day of Pentecost to begin the building of the Church. This was the beginning of the church which is His body (Ephes ians 1:22, 23).
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