Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-05-30

an tnal are afar off, even as many. as
Inc horu cur God shall call. And N
ohis way ne eXhorted them. They then
lndI received his word, were baptized /;
anu tnefe were added unto them that
uay ABOUT three thousand souls, and
tney continued steadfastly in the Apes
lleS doctrine of fellowship, IN the
breaking OF bread and the prayers,
etc.
The Day of Pentecost marks the real
birth OF the Christian Church. Before
Ills tnere were a few disciples of Je-
sus OF Nazareth, drawn together by kin
| dred faith and feelings, but no compact,
living, powerful organization. But just
so soon as the Holy Spirit came upon
them they beheld the assembled Lord
70 pc the head Of a body, the church !;
and they realized that they were mem
bers ct Him and bound to one another
by the ties Of a common birth, and
hence brothers and sisters. There were
3,UCO baptized in the name of Christ
| and added TO the church that day. They
(the dlsclples) seemed as If by magic,
TO grasp the situation at once. The
change wrought in them can only be
explained through the divine Spirit.
They saw, by inspiration, that there
was a Divine Savior to be preached
unto all the world, namely Jesus
Christ OF Nazareth. They saw also
that there were human agents COM
missioned to preach Him, namely, His
Disciples. And they now also saw that
there was a Divine Person, namely, the
Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, through
the Son, and commissioned to take
charge Of the work Of saving the world
through Christ, who was to direct,
teach and sustain them in doing their
work.
He is convi tced the world of sin.
This he did on the Day of Pentecost
through the preaching of Peter and
the other Disciples. He flashed the
light Of divine truth into the darkened
minds OF the Jews, who had run to-
gether to see what the sound which
they had heard could mean. He showed
them that this Jesus of Nazareth whom
they had put to death as blasphemer
was none other than the Christ prOph-
ecied by Joel and David and all the
prophets. He showed them that they,
with wicked hands, had crucified God s
own Son. He made them sensitive Of
their guilt He did this through their
own Scriptures. He made them cry
out, Men and brethren, what shall we
do?"
He is to convince the world of right
eousness, i. e., of a Righteousness
through which the guilty sinner may
be freed from his guilt, namely, the
righteousness Of Christ. This he did
on the day Of Pentecost. He led the
convicted sinners to repentance and
faith in Jesus Christ; and they sought
baptism as an expression and COR
fession of that faith, which believed in
the remission Of sins through His name
and blood
He is also to convince the world of
Judgment, in that especially that the
prince of this world has been judge.
This He did on the Day of Pentecost,
in that He rescued and delivered SO
many poor sinners from His power.
He showed that a stronger man had
come and that He had bound the strong
man and was despOiling him Of his
goods. He showed that another king
dom was now set up in the world which
meant the downfall and utter ruin in
time of the kingdom of Satan A great
many people have not yet learned this
itoSOU VI 6GitCOSl. ucy ltdI III lllS
Ark Of God, they tremble lest the cause
of God perish from the face of the
earth. But the God of this world has
been Judged. His kingdom is being
overthrown The work may be slow,
as we count time, but it is sure. The
kingdoms of this world shall become
the kingdom of the Lord and His
Christ.
He is to give holy courage. This
is seen on the Day of Pentecost. Those
timid disciples who fled on the night
Of the betrayal, and none Of whom had
until now ventured a speech in favor
of Christ, now stand forth and accuse
the Jews of the wicked murder of
Christ. They were no longer afraid
to stand before kings and princes to
testify for Jesus.
He is to lead into all truth, etc. This
we also see on that day. These disciples
who hitherto had been Sc dull of I'M
derstanding now saw, at a glance, how
Jesus was the fulfillment of all proph-
ecy. But the Holy Spirit operates only
through the Word of God and the sac
raments. Christ said, He shall not
speak of Himself He shall take the
things Of mine and show them unto
you. Hence the Importance of the
study of Gods Word; for that Word
is to be the instrument and the Holy
Spirit the agent in the work of illumin-
alton or teaching. The Bible is the text
book, the Holy Spirit IS the teacher
The Holy Spirit is not merely the au-
thor Of the Word of God, and He is,
for holy men of old spake and wrote
as they were moved by the Spirit of
God, but He is also the interpreter of it.
Peter was no doubt well versed in the
letter of the Scriptures, but he needed
the Holy Spirit to show him how they
related to Christ The Holy Spirit pre-
pared Peter to understand and speak
the word, and he also prepared the
multitude to hear, understand and re-
ceive the word Of truth
The Father is more ready to give the
Spirit to these who ask Him than an
earthly parent is willing to give good
gifts to his children. The Day of Pen
tecost is a most precious anniversary
in the Christian Church, for it contin-
ually reminds believers Of the fact that
they are not obliged to bring the world
to Christ through their own power and
wisdom, but that they are simply to be
the agents of a divine leader.
UHJC