Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-01-07
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
AIENTS FOR JANUARY 10.

Subject: The Descent Of the Holy
Spirit, Acts 2:1-21 - Golden
Text, John 14:18, 17-Commit
rses2-4-Expositio of Lesson
TINIE.-Sunday, May 2S, A. D. 80.
| 8 a. m. PLACE.-An upper room
in Jerusalem.
EXPOSITION ]. The Disciples
Filled With the Holy Spirit, Ia. The
| disciples had been hidden not to de-
| part from Jerusalem, but to wait for
the promise of the Father, the bap-
tism with the Holy Spirit (ch. IA.
81. They had faithfully obeyed this
command After the ascension of
Jesus they had returned at once to
Jerusalem (1:12) to wait Gods time
and Gods blessing. The following
days had been spent largely in pray
err G:14). Those were not wasted
! days. More was accomplished in the
ultimate outcome than IL they had
spent those days approaching. Though
"they continued steadfastly" in pray
err (1:14, r. W the entire time was
not spent in prayer (ch. 1:15-26;
Luke 24;53). There was absolute
unity In their prayer, 1t was with
one accord" Their minds were all
united in one thing, "the promise of
the Father" the baptism with the
Holy Spirit tLu. 11:13; Ac 4:31; 8:
1910. They did not regard the pos
tive promise of Christ l:5) as re-
lieving them from the necessity Of
prayer, but as an incentive to and
, foundation for prayer. The women
were there as well as the men (ch.
1:14. Ten DAYS passed without an
answer. The day of Pentecost. the
day of first fruits" the gathering
of the church CLev. 23:15-2D came
at last. Not till that day could the
Holy Spirit be given. Now that PEN
tecost has come no one needs wait ten
days for the baptism with the Holy
! Spirit. There is no record of any wait
ing since Pentecost fsee CHI. 4 81: s:
15-17; 9:17-22: 1914: 1870. The
baptism with the Shirt is every be-
levers birthright through the cru
cited, risen and assembled Christ Tvs.
33, 39), and the moment the condl-
tions are fulfilled this blessing will
be ours. If we have to wait. the diff
ficulty Is with us, and not with God.
It is because we have not met the
conditions. The disciples seemed to
have been expecting the promise that
very day, they were together in one
place" OR. W. 1t was at or before Q
in the morning ". 49,. They were
of one accord (cf. 1:13, IA; 2:46:
4:24. 80; SID. This unity doubt
less had much to do with the bestow-
al of the gift, and the absence of this
| unity has much to do with the failure
| of many churches to-day to receive 1t.
The blessing came suddenly" at the
last (cf CHI. 1925, &c; Nal. 81;
Luke 2:13). There was not mo-
ment's warning. There was roar as
of a hurricane. Emphasis Is laid
! upon the fact that this sound came
from heaven. 1t is wind from heav-
! en-" we need. We have too much wind
| the place where they even gathered
This sound filled all the house" The
disciples were sitting" not kneeling
In prayer as they are so often repre-
sented. There was not only wind"
from heaven, but fire as we'll (cf.
Matt. 3:11; Is. A; Jer. 23:29). The
fire was in the form of tongues. the
new power was to manifest itself in a
tongue of fire granted to them ".
~. The tongues parted asunder (R.
W or portioned themselves out to
leach one of them" Peter only Is
made prominent in the story that fol-
lows, but each one of them received a
| tongue of fire. The tongues OF fire
rested upon the women as well as
upon the men (cf. also VS.. IT, lS).
The blessing was not to the church
as a body. but to leach one OF them"
as individuals. "They were all filled
with the Spirit" This Is fulfllment
Of CHI. 1:5. So the expressions filled
with the Spirit" and baptized with
the Spirit" are practically synony-
nous. The expression used here
brings out the thought that the Holy
Spirit takes complete possession CT
The faculties. The immediate result
was they began to speak with other
tongues" (cf. CHI. 1916; 1880.
III. The Multitude Amazed, eli.
The noise of the wind from heaven
was heard by the multitudes without
". 6, h. W. They rushed together
20 find out what 1t meant. The multi
.udes always gather when the Spirit
comes upon Gods people. The disci-
pies began to speak to them of the
! mighty works of God. Each one
heard them speaking in his own Ian
guage. The effects were startling and
various. They were COMPOUNDED"
amazed" they "marveled" and
were perplexed." Some thought the
disciples were drunk. Others gladly
received the word" and were bap-
tized. The conversions were very
numerous and very thorough Tvs. 8,
7, ~, 10, 81, Al, AZ, "A, 49,. SINH
lar and equally varied effects follow
to-day when men and women are
filled with the Holy Spirit and speak
as the Spirit gives them utterance.
These Spirit-filled men and women
lid not talk much about themselves,
but about 1.-The mighty works Of God"
". 1D. The mighty work of God
that they especially emphasized was
His raising Jesus Christ from the
dead Tvs. "a, 32). The Spirit-filled
man is quite likely to be much occu-
pied with the resurrection of Christ
(cf. oh. 3:15; AS, 10, 81, 33). That
some attributed the state of the disci-
pies to intoxication is not strange, for
the effect of both wine and of the
Spirit is to stimulate, one unnatur-
ally, the other supernaturally>