THE OUTPOURING OF THE SPIRIT.
By Stephen N. Haskell
THE ten days that the disciples spent in Jerusalem waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit were the days of deepest interest to them. About one hundred and twenty met daily, watched and prayed for the outpouring of the Spirit. They looked over the life of Christ, realizing that they were not prepared to take up the work that he left, and felt that they should begin as he began; therefore, one was chosen to take the place of Judas, for they had found it "written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein; and his bishopric [or office or charge] let another take." "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 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, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 2:1-4. This being the day of Pentecost, when people from all parts of the world had come to worship God, for the Jews were mingling with all nations, "there were dwelling at Jerusalem devout men out of every nation under heaven." These representatives from all parts of the world were to carry back with them the truth preached to them on this occasion with the influence of the Spirit of God. This was the beginning of the work that the disciples took up after the Saviour left. Notwithstanding this great outpouring of the Spirit, three and a half years more they remained at Jerusalem, and thousands embraced the gospel in this city. Three thousand were converted on the day of Pentecost. Satan was greatly stirred. "And the Sadducees came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold until the next day. . . . Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand." Acts 4:1-4. "And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith." Acts 6:7. But not only at Jerusalem, where this great work began, was the seed sown; but through the representatives of the different nationalities, the light and power of the gospel were carried to different portions of the world. God designed that the apostles should also go to different parts of the earth to nourish the seed sown, to establish the gospel, and to encourage the believers after the light had been accepted; but they were inclined to hover about Jerusalem. Stephen was stoned; the disciples were imprisoned, and at that time "there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria." "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word." Acts 8:1, 4. And yet they did not take in the fact that all people in every part of the world were to have the gospel, and they had no idea that they were to preach to the avowed idolaters. The Jews were the only religiously civilized people in the world; all others were heathen, or idol worshipers. And their Pharisaical ideas that they were a better people than others because they had been highly favored with great light, caused even the disciples to think that this enlightened people were the only ones to receive their personal labor. But when the Lord through certain Grecians had established the work at Antioch, and a great number had believed and turned to the Lord, the apostles sent Barnabas to investigate the matter; and their experience at Antioch broadened their views of the work. Then they began to realize that it was the design of God to go to every nation and to every people and tongue with the gospel. This had ever been God's plan, and was according to the promise to Abraham,—"In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Gen. 12:3. After this the disciples passed on through Judea and Samaria unto the uttermost parts of the earth. "The messengers bore the message rapidly from place to place, passing from country to country, lifting the standard of the gospel in all the portions of the earth." The disciples possessed great courage, boldness, and zeal. They felt thankful that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake. Their entire soul, their property, and everything that they possessed, were laid upon the altar of Christ, so that within twenty years from the ordination of Paul and Barnabas to go to the heathen, the apostle wrote to the Colossians:— "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it does also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth." Col. 1:5. These are wonderful words; for they assure us that at this early date, A.D. 64, the word183of the truth of the gospel that had come to Colosse had also gone to all the world, and had brought forth fruit in all the world as it had at Colosse. Therefore at this early period believers could be found in all parts of the world; and the world was as large then as it is now. In verse 23 the apostle makes this more specific by saying that it "was preached to every creature which is under heaven." But how was the gospel so quickly carried to every portion of this earth? What was the motive power?—Simply the promised Holy Spirit. This is an illustration of what will be accomplished under the influence of the Spirit and power of God. But this Spirit came upon none but those who were in a condition to receive it; it came upon none but those who knew God, and to know God was to have the evidence of his pardoning love; for Jeremiah says, "They shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Jer. 31:34. This knowing God showed a change of heart. A new heart God had given them; a new spirit had he put within them. He had taken away the stony heart, and given them a heart of flesh, that would be susceptible to divine impressions. In Jer. 22:16 we read: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him; was not this to know me? saith the Lord." And it was this condition that prepared them for the reception of that power which enabled them to spread a knowledge of the gospel throughout every heathen land in less than a score of years.