THE KING’S BUSINESS
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o f all the. nations (Matt. 28:18-20), and that they -should be His witnesses and preach repentance and remission o f sins through His name unto all nations (Luke 24:47, 48). that they were not to take up this commission o f world-wide.evangeliza tion until they had received the all-essential and .absolutely necessary fitting for their work, “the promise o f the Father,” the bap tism in the,Holy Spirit (vs. 4, 5; cf. Luke 24:49). So far from starting out on their world-wide mission they were to stay right where they were in Jerusalem and wait until “endued with power from on high.” In point o f fact they had to wait ten days for' the promise o f the Father, the endue- ment o f power, the baptism in the Holy Spirit came, but it was not a waste o f time, for when the enduement really came and they were thus fitted for the work, they accomplished more in one day as the out come o f the waiting than they would other wise have accomplished in a life time. It is true that they alone knew the gospel which the world was perishing in ignorance of, yet they must “wait.” They were to receive this baptism “not many days hence.” It is evident therefore that they had not as yet received it. But these men were already regenerate -men; our Lord Himself had pronounced them so (John 13:10; 15:3). From this it is as clear as day that regeneration is one thing and the baptism in the Spirit something additional. (See also Acts 8:12; cf. Acts 8:15, 16). It does not follow because the disciples had to wait ten days after this baptism in the Spirit that any believer needs to so wait today; for the Bible tells us clearly why it was they had to wait, viz., because the day appointed o f God, and set forth in the Old Testa ment type of the Day of Pentecost, was not yet come (ch. 2:1-4), but since Pentecost has now come and the HolysSpirit has now been given there is no need o f waiting today. One may receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit the very moment he believes on the Lord Jesus and is born again (Acts 10:43, 44). In a normal condition o f affairs this would be the general experience
they were given after His resurrection, “ through the Holy Spirit,” i. e., in the power o f the Holy Spirit. What an honor this statement that our Lord Jesus gave His ' commandments “ through the Holy Spirit” even after His resurrection, puts on the Holy Spirit, and how it emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit’s work (cf. 1 Cpr. 2 :4 ; 1 Thess. 1:5). The things that Jesus “began both to do and to teach” continued “until the day in which He was taken up.” To what place Jesus was taken up we are not told here, but are told very definitely in Luke 24:51 and 1 Peter 3:22 that it was into heaven. The all-sufficient proof that Jesus rose, was that He was seen through | forty days after His sufferings and death. The form of expression in the Greek shows that this does not mean that He was seen all the time during the forty.days, as might appear from the Authorized Version, but that He was seen from time to time through the forty days. O f the reality o f His resurrection He left no doubt. “ He showed Himself alive after that He suf fered (death) by . many proofs.” The Authorized Version says “infallible proofs,” the Revised Version simply “proofs.” Neither one is an altogether accurate ren dering o f the word used. The word does not mean “infallible proofs,” but it does mean “sure proofs.” The proofs were of such a character that there could be abso lutely no doubt about them. “ Forty days” is in the Bible the period o f thorough test ing (Deut. 9:9, 18; 1 Kings 19:8; Matt. 4 :2 ), and the question o f the resurrection o f Jesus Christ was thoroughly tested and there is no possibility left for doubt on the part o f any candid seeker after truth. Dur in g these forty days there was just one sub ject o f conversation, “the things concern ing the kingdom o f God.” Sunday, September 24 . Acts 1 : 4 , 5 . As the days o f earthly communion between the, Risen Christ and His disciples drew to a close, Jesus laid a solemn charge upon them, viz. that though He had com missioned them to go and. make disciples
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