guide in service and testimony. Speaking in a very general man ner, on the pages of the Old Testa ment we see the acts of the Father. In the Gospels there are the acts of the Son. In the fifth book of the New Testament, it is obviously the acts of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord commanded His dis ciples to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. His blessed arrival on the Day of Pentecost is witnessed by believers. What a change this made in the lives of these follow ers about to embark on their Lord's divine commission. Christ was their first Comforter, but now there had come another Comforter who would never leave them. In the New Testament Church He takes the roles of Administra tor, Helper, Empowerer, and En lightener of Cod 's people. He demonstrates clearly what He can accomplish through ordinary men and women submitted to His authority and leadership. Our part is to be yielded to His control. The Book of the Acts is a moving, pan oramic view of the early church's history. Acts is a book of experi ence not of doctrine. To build a doctrine of the Holy Spirit on Acts alone is a perilous undertaking. His ministry is expounded and ex plained in the Epistles. Acts must be viewed as a tran sitional book. It brings both Old and New Testament together in a changing view of God's dispensa tions with man. Keep in mind that the first Christians were all Jews. Later on the Gospel, through Paul and others, was carried to the Gen tiles who also believed. Because of this many things hap pened which do not belong norm ally this day to Christianity. For
instance, in Acts 8, during the great revival in Samaria, the Holy Spirit was withheld from the people un til Peter and John came. When they laid on their hands He was then given. This is not to be basis of His indwelling today. The rea son then was so that His work might be confirmed and to keep from having any division in the new Body of Christ. It is, therefore, erroneous to have people today saying that the Holy Spirit comes by the laying on of hands. It is impossible to have received Jesus Christ and not have the Holy Spir it. Both are instantaneous develop ments. In Acts 19 is another example of an experience which does not hap- en today. Paul went to Ephesus where he found certain disciples who had things in their lives which did not measure up to Christian standards. These people were ac tually followers of John the Bap tist who was now dead. They had never heard of the work of Christ on the cross, or of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pen tecost. They were in ignorance of these great truths. Today, I repeat, you cannot be lieve and be a Christian, without also having the Holy Spirit. Thus, the transitional nature of Acts makes it unwise for anybody to build upon it a normal and perma nent doctrine of the Holy Spirit for this age. This was never meant to be done. Many of the false teach ings regarding the work of the Holy Spirit are the result of a failure to see this. May we understand this vital principle so that we will not be misled in these important days.
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