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receive the indwelling Spirit, bu t it is only th e saints of th is age who are “ baptised in one. Spirit into th e one Body.” The disciples were told they were to ta rry at Jerusalem un til they were “ clothed w ith power from on high.” (Luke 2 4 :49 ). The last words the Lord spake to His disciples were “Ye , shall receive power when th e Holy Spirit is, come upon you” (Acts 1 :8 ). The disciples continued in prayer, and on th e Day of Pentecost they were all together in one place, “when suddenly th e re came from heaven a sound as of a ru sh ing m ighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting, and th e re appeared unto them tongues p art ing assunder like as of fire, and is sat upon each of them ” (Acts 2 :3 ). This “ rushing m ighty wind from heaven,” and “ tongues like as of fire” have never been repeated. It has not been needed, for they are still on th e earth. The baptism of th e Holy Spirit on th e day of Pentecost was for th e whole age. Over and over again th e re have been the manifestations of th e power of the Holy Spirit, both collectively and individually; bu t not from Heaven. The power is represented by th e “ ru sh ing m ighty w ind,” a power which can overcome all obstacles, a power which could convert th ree thousand “Je ru sa lem sinners,” greatest sinners of the world— in one day, and “ five thousand” a few days later, and then a “m ulti tud e” in another few days. The “ part- ing-asunder tongues like as of fire,” th a t is, tongues in th e sim ilitude of fire, speaks of the illum ination th a t came to the people who heard them speak in th eir own language “ the m ighty works of God.” Not tongues of fire, th a t would be of judgment, bu t tongues like as of fire, th a t is illuminati(?n. The power was in the “ rushing mighty w ind,” th e understanding vras by the “ cloven tongues, like as of fire.” P aul
lowed by the m illennial age, when “ the Spirit shall be poured out on all flesh.” In th e promise of the Holy Spirit’s coming given by our Lord, He was to come as “Com forter” (Advocate) “Teacher” and “Remembrancer,” (John 14). In John 16 His m inistry to the world, was to convict th e world. Connected w ith th e Church the Holy Spirit has a three-fold m inistry. He is to “ guide into all tru th ,” to “ shew things to come,” and to “ glorify Christ” . This m inistry has been fulfilled in th e w ritings of th e New testam ent. All tru th has now been revealed. There are th ree operations of the Holy Spirit in th e Child of God. He is “ borfi of the S pirit,” “ sealed” by the Spirit, and “ baptised in the Spirit into One Body.” The moment a sinner honestly be lieves the Gospel, he is “born again of the incorruptible seed of th e Word of God,” “which by the Gospel is preached.” In th a t New B irth he re ceives a new divine natu re, a new life, etern al life, and a new relationship,— he becomes a Child of God. This is followed immediately by the “ sealing” by the Spirit. The revised version in Eph. 1:13 makes it clear th a t we re ceive the Holy Spirit when we believe. In Gal. 3:26 we are told: “ Ye are all sons of God through faith in Christ Je su sfe and in Gal. 4:6 “And because ye are sons, God has sent fo rth th e Spirit of His Son into your h ea rt cry ing, Abba F a th e r,” so the moment we tru ly believe, we become sons of God and receive the Holy Spirit. As we shall see la ter th ere is a difference be tween receiving th e Spirit, and being filled w ith th e Spirit. The th ird operation of th e Spirit is the unique work of th e Holy Spirit in th is age. In Old Testam ent tim es the saints were born of the Spirit. A fter the Church is gone th e believers will
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