THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT.
By Elder J. O. Corliss
THE signs which followed the early believers in Christ, as the evidence of the presence of the Spirit with them, were those promised by the Saviour when still personally with his disciples. Thus he said: "These signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Mark 16: 17, 18. And it was so. When Philip was at Samaria, the people there had great joy because through him the lame and palsied were healed, and unclean spirits were freely cast out. Acts 8:7. At Jerusalem, multitudes of sick folk were brought to Peter and healed through his touch. Acts 5:15, 16. The same was also accomplished through Paul. Acts 16:18; 19:11, 12. When the Gentiles believed through the preaching of Peter, they spoke with new tongues. Acts 10:45, 46. Others prophesied upon the reception of the Spirit. Acts 19:6. The lame were made to walk (Acts 3: 7, 8), the dead were brought to life (Acts 9:40), and in one instance Philip was caught away by the Spirit from the side of the eunuch, with whom he was conversing (Acts 8: 38-40). It was absolutely necessary for these signs to appear among the followers of Christ. After his death, the first great question to be settled throughout the world was, Is Christ dead or alive? If he is dead, he is no better than other men. If he is alive, by what means or power does he live? The disciples knew he was alive, for they had been with him forty days since his resurrection. But how could others be made to believe it; for their faith, and the faith of all who should follow them, depended entirely on their ability to establish as a fact the resurrection of Christ. As his followers, it became necessary for them to demonstrate his power over death. This could be done only by the manifestation of a supernatural power in themselves as evidence that Christ lived in them by his Spirit. And this was done, not merely by a single individual, but by all who testified to the fact.4 The last words of the Saviour before being finally parted from his disciples were, "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8. Their power to witness for him must depend on the reception of the Holy Spirit. After that came upon them, then, and not till then, could they begin their work; hence the command for them to tarry at Jerusalem till they were endowed with power from on high. No better evidence than this is needed to show that they could not properly witness for Christ without manifesting his power. Yet this evidence is strengthened by another reference. After Peter and John were released from prison, where they had been placed for preaching Christ, they met with the other disciples, and in a praying season the whole thing was rehearsed before the Lord, and he was appealed to, to vindicate them before the people. In answer to their petition, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they themselves were "filled with the Holy Ghost." Then they went forth, and with great power gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Acts 4: 23-32. Referring again to the promise of the Saviour, "These signs shall follow them that believe." For how long a time? Is it not true that men may still believe on the Lord? But the promise is, "These signs shall follow them that believe." Again, when the Saviour said that men should witness for him, he stipulated that it must be done "unto the uttermost part of the earth." But more, this was to be done by the power of the Holy Spirit which was to descend upon them. Why, then, should not the same power attend the preaching of the gospel now that was then seen? Is not the gospel the power of God now, as much as in the days of Paul? See Rom. 1:16. If this be not so, we have another gospel than that which was so potent in the early days of the church. The early power attending the preaching of the gospel was not designed to stay at Jerusalem, but only to begin there. So when it was witnessed at Pentecost, and its influence led so many to inquire what they must do, Peter replied, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." What, the same as was exhibited there and then through the apostles? Why not? That was the only Holy Spirit; there was no other for them to have. More than that, it was given as a sample of what God had promised those very people, bad as they were. The apostle said so, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." It therefore logically follows that even now those who shall truly witness for Christ must do so by the power of his Spirit, in order to properly represent him. Otherwise they do but manifest human power to the world, and that is absolutely powerless to save. This is not saying that everyone now must have exactly the same demonstrations that were then needed to give witness to the power of Christ's resurrection. God is able to temper his testimony, and accompany it to the hearts of others as he sees is best adapted to the circumstances. Neither is anyone to fix up in his mind just how God ought to manifest himself through man to man. God knows better what is needed, and how it ought to be done, than any mortal can know. But still there is a fullness and power which ought to accompany every witness for Christ in this world that is more potent than what is usually seen. What God wants is for men to yield entirely to him, and He will see that His power is manifested through them in the best way. He does not operate with all alike. The gifts of his power were designed to be exhibited in various forms. All things are possible with God (Matt. 19: 26), and so the promise is that nothing shall be impossible to those who believe in his power (Matt. 17: 20). Stated in another way, faith in the word of God brings the Spirit, the representative of Christ, to dwell in the heart. This is the power of God in man. "They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matt. 1: 23. This is the sense of the apostle's words when he says that he prays to God for us to be "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." Eph. 3: 16, 17. Thus the living Christ may continually dwell within us, manifesting himself by his light and love and power shining out through us, as was done through the early disciples.