Middletown transcript., 1916-01-08
LESSON FOR JANUARY 9
THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
LESSON TEXT-Acts 2:1-1s.

LESSON TEAT-ActS Z:1-13.
GOLDEN TEXT-Know ye not that ye
are temple of God, and that the spirit
of God dwelleth in you'll Cor. 3:16 r. "
Good teaching demands the use of
the concrete; objective teaching is
fundamental and essential. The incar-
nation is Gods objective teaching,
God manifest" (a) to reveal him
self, John 1879; (b) to take away sin,
John S:5; (c) to destroy the works
of the devil, John 3:S. So likewise
Pentecost is a great objective lesson.
This chapter has been divided as fol
lows: (D Tho Coming of Power wv.
1-13), (2) The Empowered Witness
(vv. 1896, (S) A Powerful Result wv.
37-47).
I. Power, "a. At the end of our
last lesson the disciples were in
prayer. The Lords promise (1:5) was
conditioned upon obedience. At last
"the day" arrived Oev. 2S:15-2D.
Their hearts were fused and the fun
damental requirement for service, the
baptism of the spirit, came upon them.
There has been no need since then to
tarry any time at all to receive
like blessing. Lack of unity has much
to do with our not receiving the spirit
now and the consequent lack of power.
Suddenly from out of heaven came
mighty sound ". q and it is such
wind that the church needs today.
There were three manifestations at
this time and one other subsequently
(see 2:44, 4:34, 35; 5:N. 1) Wind.
Let us keep clear the difference be-
tween symbol and spirit. The mani
festation was "as wind" Wind is mys-
terious, universal and mighty, but like
alone as a mighty tempest. The
sound filed the whole house. Wind
is figurative of judgment (Jer. 22:22,
Hos. 13:15) of the Spirit (John 3:S),
also of heresy (Eph. 4:1S). This last
suggests the vagaries and limitations
suggested or abetted by Satan to keep
us from the truth. ~ Fire. This
symbolizes power, light, heat and puri-
flying, but the fire was not the spirit
nor do we recall another such mani
festation since (3) Tongues. The fire
took the form of tongues which parted
or portioned themselves out to leach
one of them" though Peter is alone
subsequently more prominent. The
blessing was individual, each one;"
it was also for "all;" and was a full
f1llment of the fathers promise. This
passage emphasizes that the disciples
were in complete possession, all of
their faculties being given over to the
spirit Therefore the absurdity of say
ing that the spirit can only have been
received by those who pass through
a given experience or evidence a
given manifestation. (Read Cor. 14).
Every manifestation Of the spirit is
always that of some new power for
Christ Il Cor. 14:2-19).
The disciples spake not in their wis
dom but as given utterance, so ought
we.
H.. PerpIexity, w. 5-1s. The ques-
tion may arise, had the spirit been
seen before? and the answer is Eyes"
Matt 3:16, Jno. 1922. What then
was new? The answer to this is the
program of power. The first evidence
of power was the gathering of the peo-
pie (v. g.. The disciples at once testi-
fed to each of the sixteen classes men,
toned OLD of the mighty works of
God" Not of the gift, but the giver,
a different sort of testimony than that
given by many who today profess to
have the gift of tongues. The second
result was an amazed people, per
plexed," for them as now the world
cannot understand the spirit-flled
man. These spirit-flled men forget
self and were lost in their testimony
". III.
It is of interest to note that they did
not even say much if anything about
the spirit himself Their testimony,
for which many later gave their lives.
was regarding Gods mighty work of
the resurrection of Jesus from the
dead (vv. "a, 32).
The spirit-filled man is qure to en-
phasize this mighty work and the evi-
dence of the spirit in mans life is
his loyalty to a crucif1ed, risen and :
ascended Lord.
The work of the spirit Is thus to
testify John 1926, 1919.
A third result was that people mis-
understood and charged drunkenness,
fact seized upon later by Paul to
teach us the truth (Eph. 5:18). The
only sure cure for intemperance, or
any other evil, is an milling of the
holy spirit. The final and complete
fulfllment of the prophecy wv. 14-21,
Joel 2:28, 29) of which Pentecost was
a partial fulf1llment will be in the day
of the Lord" But then, as now, all
who cali upon him shall be saved ".
13, Rom. 1913. Some mocked."
even as today ridicule or parody are
the enemy's choicest weapons. Pente-
cost is an event well attested, that
marked the ushering in of new dis
pensation, that was misunderstood, but
one that can be verified by experience.
Pentecost was a revelation, mani
festation of new spiritual kingdom,
distinctly Christian, that exposes sin
and exalts the son.
Pentecost is a prophecy of real
Christian unity. of spiritual admins
tration, of Christ's intercession and an
evidence of an abiding presence.
When we are spirit-filled the Lord
Jesus Christ will occupy the whole
mony and will control our service. The
spirit-hlled servant can exclaim "The |
Lord (Jesus) is my shepherd" he is
Lord, he is my shepherd; he is, not
has been or will be, but he is my shep |