"Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you."
JUST before His ascension, Jesus met His disciples for the last
time, and repeated His command that they should "not depart from
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father," and
reiterated His promise that they should be "baptised with the
Holy Ghost not many days hence."
Then "they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israel?" They were still eager for
an earthly kingdom. But "He said unto them, It is not for you to
know the time or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His
own power," or authority. And then He added, "But ye shall
receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you."
They wanted power, and He assured them that they should have it,
but said nothing of its nature, or the work and activities into
which it would thrust them, and for which it would equip them,
beyond the fact that they should be witnesses unto Him "in
Jerusalem and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the
earth." After that the Holy Ghost Himself was henceforth to be
their Teacher.
And then Jesus left them. Earth lost its power to hold Him, and
while they beheld Him He began to ascend; a cloud bent low from
Heaven, receiving Him out of sight, and they were left alone,
with His promise of power ringing in their ears, and His command
to "wait for the promise of the Father" checking any impatience
that might lead them to "go a-fishing," as Peter had done some
days before, or cause an undue haste to begin their life-work of
witnessing for Him before God's appointed time.
For ten days they waited, not listlessly, but eagerly, as a maid
for her mistress, or a servant for his master, who is expected to
come at any moment; they forgot their personal ambitions; they
ceased to judge and criticise one another, and in the sweet unity
of brotherly love, "with one accord" they rejoiced, they prayed,
they waited; and then on the day of Pentecost, at their early
morning prayer meeting, when they were all present, the windows
of Heaven were opened, and such a blessing as they could not
contain was poured out upon them. "And suddenly there came a
sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all
the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them
cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost."
This was the inaugural day of the Church of God: the dawn of the
dispensation of the Holy Spirit; the beginning of the days of
power.
In the morning of that day there were only a few Christians in
the world; the New Testament was not written, and it is doubtful
if they had among them all a copy of the Old Testament; they had
no church buildings, no colleges, no religious books and papers;
they were poor and despised, unlearned and ignorant; but before
night they had enrolled three thousand converts from among those
who, a few weeks before, had crucified their Lord, and they had
aroused and filled all Jerusalem with questionings and amazement.
What was the secret? Power. What was the secret? God the Holy
Ghost. He had come, and this work was His work, and they were His
instruments.
When Jesus came, a body was prepared for Him (Hebrews x. 5), and
through that body He wrought His wondrous works; but when the
other Comforter comes, He takes possession of those bodies that
are freely and fully presented to Him, and He touches their lips
with grace; He shines peacefully and gloriously on their faces;
He flashes beams of pity and compassion and heavenly affection
from their eyes; He kindles a fire of love in their hearts, and
lights the flame of truth in their minds. They become His temple,
and their hearts are a holy of holies in which His blessed
presence ever abides, and from that central citadel He works,
enduing the man who has received Him with power.
If you ask how the Holy Spirit can dwell within us and work
through us without destroying our personality, I cannot tell. How
can the electric fluid fill and transform a dead wire into a live
one, which you dare not touch? How can a magnetic current fill a
piece of steel, and transform it into a mighty force which by its
touch can raise tons of iron, as a child would lift a feather?
How can fire dwell in a piece of iron until its very appearance
is that of fire, and it becomes a fire-brand? I cannot tell.
Now, what fire and electricity and magnetism do in iron and
steel, the Holy Spirit does in the spirits of men who believe on
Jesus, follow Him wholly, and trust Him intelligently. He dwells
in them, and inspires them, till they are all alive with the very
life of God.
The transformation wrought in men by the baptism with the Holy
Ghost, and the power that fills them, are amazing beyond measure.
The Holy Spirit gives--