May we read from the book of Acts,
chapter 2.
Acts, chapter 2.
We'll read from verse 1.
And when the day of Pentecost was now
accomplished, they were all together in one place.
And there came suddenly a sound out of
heaven, as of a valiant impetuous blowing, and
filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them parted tongues as
of fire, and it set upon each one
of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave to them to speak
forth.
Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, pious
men, from every nation of those under heaven.
And that the rumor of this having spread,
the multitude came together, and were confounded, because
each one heard them speaking in his own
dialect.
And all were amazed and wondered, saying, Behold,
are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
And how do we hear them each in
our own dialect, in which we have been
born?
Parthians, and Metes, and Elamites, and those inhabitants
inhabit Mesopotamia, and Judea, Cathagonia, Cappadocia, Pontus, and
Asia, both previous, as Pennsylvia, Egypt, and the
part of Libya, which adjourns Cyrene, and the
Romans sojourning here, both Jews and Prophets, Cretans
and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our
own tongue, the great things of God.
And they were all amazed, and in perplexity,
saying one to another, What will this mean?
But others, mocking said, They are full of
new wine.
So Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted
up his voice, and spoke forth to them,
Men of Judea, and all the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and
give heed to my words.
For these are not full of wine, as
he supposed, for it is the third hour
of the day.
For this is that which was spoken through
the prophet Joel, and it shall be in
the last day, says God, that I will
pour out of my spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions, and
your elders shall dream with dreams.
Yea, even upon my bondman, upon my bondwoman,
in those days will I pour out of
my spirit, and they shall prophesy.
And I will give wonders in the heaven
above, and signs on the earth below, blood
and fire, and vapor of smoke.
The sun shall be changed to darkness, and
the moon to blood, before the great and
glorious appearing day of the Lord come.
And it shall be that whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved.
Verse 33 Having therefore been exalted by the
right hand of God, and having received of
the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,
he has poured out this which he beholds
and hears.
Verse 36 Let the whole house of Israel
therefore know assuredly that God hath made him,
this Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord
and Christ.
1 Corinthians 12 Verses
12 and 13 For even as the body
is one and has many members, but all
the members of the body being many are
one body, so also is the Christ.
For also in the power of one spirit
we have all been baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, whether born men or
free, and have all been given to drink
of one.
Last night we mentioned that the gospel
according to Luke recalls what our Lord Jesus
began to do and to speak.
But the book of Acts recalls what our
Lord Jesus continues to do and to speak.
In the gospel according to Luke the Lord
began to do and to speak in his
own person.
In his own personal body.
But in the book of Acts he continues
to do and to speak in a mystic,
corporate body.
Even the body.
So strictly speaking the book of Acts should
not be called the Acts of the Apostles.
Because originally you don't find that in the
manuscript.
Strictly speaking it should be called the Acts
of our Lord Jesus, of the Risen Lord,
by his Spirit through his Church.
It is still the same Lord who is
speaking and who is doing it.
The only difference is once he did it
in his own physical body, now he is
doing it in his mystic, corporate body.
For this reason it is of great importance
for us today to know what this body
is.
How this body is formed.
How does it function.
Because the Lord Jesus is today speaking and
doing in that body.
How important it is that by the grace
of God we will give him that body.
We will be that body or in that
body.
So that he is able to continue to
finish what he is speaking and what he
is doing.
Last night we mentioned after his resurrection he
spent 40 days appeared to his disciples living.
Speaking to them the things concerning the Kingdom
of God.
In those 40 days he prepared his disciples
for the Day of Pentecost.
In those 40 days he drew them, he
drew them out.
He lifted them out of the realm of
the physical into the realm of the spiritual.
He delivered them out of the flesh into
the spirit.
He put them on the resurrection ground so
that they may become that new vessel that
he is making.
And then for 10 days the 110 people
they waited in Jerusalem making themselves ready.
So we mentioned last night that those 50
days were very important days.
These were the days where the Lord Jesus
prevailed and his people prevailed with him for
the birth of the church that is the
body of Christ.
Now we cannot go back we have to
go on.
120 people assembled in that upper chamber in
Jerusalem.
When the Lord Jesus was on earth there
must be more than 120 people following him.
At one time the Bible says he appeared
to 500 devils probably at the time of
his ascension.
But surely there were more than 500 brethren.
But out of those who were the Lord
there were 500 who saw him ascended.
Out of the 500 there were 120 who
gave themselves to continual prayer for 10 days.
Now I wonder probably some of the 500
or maybe all of the 500 they returned
to Jerusalem but after a day or two
or after a few days probably they couldn't
stand it anymore and they began to scatter.
So when it came to the day of
Pentecost only 120 were there.
They were there continuing in prayer intimately.
Look at these 110 people.
Who were they?
Among the 120 there were the 12 apostles.
If you consider Matthias as one of the
12 it depends on your interpretation.
You find there were the 12 apostles.
These 12 apostles were people who were with
the Lord Jesus since the day of John
the Baptist until the day he was taken
up to heaven.
So for over 3 years these people knew
the Lord Jesus.
They heard the call of discipleship.
They left everything to follow the Lord.
They were with the Lord when the Lord
was speaking.
They were with the Lord when the Lord
was doing many things.
They were as it were they were with
the Lord through his death and through his
resurrection.
They were with the Lord during that 40
days of his appearance.
And they were together prevailing in prayer for
10 days.
Wonderful people.
These 12 apostles had a good background of
history.
Can you find any 12 people who had
a better background more solid history with the
Lord than these 12 apostles?
Not easy to find.
Not only the 12 apostles were there there
were some women there.
Now these women were the same women as
you'll find in Luke chapter 8 they minister
unto the Lord and to his disciples during
the earthly days of our Lord.
Our Lord with his disciples traveled around preaching
the gospel of the kingdom.
And these women they ministered to the Lord
and to the Lord.
When the disciples, the apostles were so frightened
scared to death hid themselves.
Some of these women considered as the feeble
sex.
They were there at the cross.
They saw the body of the Lord Jesus
buried.
And they came early in the morning and
they were the women that saw the Lord
before the others.
And they were the women who were given
the message to the disciples of our Lord.
The Lord said I go to see my
Father, your Father, my God.
These were wonderful women.
They were there.
Not only these women were there the Bible
says the mother of Jesus was there.
And his brethren in the front.
The mother of Jesus Mary was the most
blessed among all women.
How she gave her body to God.
That out of her womb the Son of
God might come.
The sword entered into her soul.
But she was willing.
And his brethren.
These brethren you know they did not believe
the Lord when the Lord was living.
They even in a sense were sarcastic.
And so now if you want to be
famous now don't hide yourself in the hilly
country in Galilee.
Go to Jerusalem at the feast.
Show yourself.
Then you will become famous.
They did not believe it.
They were strange.
There they were.
His brethren.
After his resurrection something.
Of course the Lord appears himself again.
His brethren.
And two of his brethren in the flesh
as we know wrote two of the books
in the New Testament.
The Epistle of Jude and the Epistle of
James.
They turned completely to the Lord.
And they gave themselves completely.
And aside from these there were others.
But certainly all the rest of the hundred
and twenty people were the elite.
The king of the followers of our Lord
Jesus.
And these hundred and twenty people were together
for ten days.
Think of that.
Giving themselves to continual prayer.
You cannot find a congregation in the whole
world of more spiritual a better congregation than
this congregation of a hundred and twenty.
Anyone would be satisfied with such a congregation.
If I'm privileged to be in that congregation
what more do I want?
So wonderful people gathered together with one accord.
With such a congregation you don't need pentacles.
You will think that that's enough.
Surely God can use this congregation of a
hundred and twenty people to be His witness
to the whole world.
But the Lord said here was a congregation
of a hundred and twenty members the best
you can ever have on this earth.
And yet the Lord said what the Lord
wants is not a congregation.
A congregation cannot be that vessel through which
He can continue to speak He needs.
We will be satisfied with a congregation if
we can get the best members.
But the Lord Jesus is not satisfied with
the best congregation in this world.
And with all good members He wants us.
Because only a body can be that vessel
through which He can express Himself.
Dear brothers and sisters, we must see the
difference between a congregation and a body.
The difference between a congregation and a body
is the difference between heaven and earth.
A congregation can be organized by man.
But a body must be born.
A congregation may be a gathering of many
superior members.
When you look at each individual, every individual
is superior.
And they can come together and pray.
Wonderful.
But they are 12 in 420 individuals.
They may come together and pray.
But they are not one body.
They are still 120 individuals.
But a body with 120 members is different.
It is not just a matter of congregating.
It is a matter of being one.
Even when they are not together, they are
one.
It is organic.
Not organizational.
There is a unity there which you do
not find in a congregation.
What the Lord is looking for as a
continuation of Himself on earth is not a
congregation of many congregations.
But and because what He wants is a
body, and only a body can continue His
speaking.
Therefore, there is a day.
The day of Pentecost is the day when
the body is born.
When the church is born.
Dear brothers and sisters, the church cannot be
organized.
It can only be born.
If you organize it, it is a congregation.
But if it is born, it is a
house.
Here you find a congregation of 120 people.
And they pray together with one accord, Good
Spirit.
But the Lord says, that's only a prayer.
That's not it.
When the day of Pentecost was accomplished.
That is when it was fulfilled.
They came to the 50th day.
And they were together, 120 people, still praying
together.
Now they must have met very early in
the morning.
Very early.
I don't know how early, but it must
be very early.
And when they were together in one place,
suddenly there was a sound coming on from
heaven.
As a violent, impetuous blowing.
Now, in different versions you'll find there are
different descriptions.
As a mighty wind, the rushing of a
mighty wind, and so forth.
Well, as a matter of fact, in the
original, the idea is the sound as of
a continuous hard breathing.
A hard, continuous breathing.
And it filled the whole house where they
were sitting.
Then there appeared to them party tongues as
of fire.
Not fire.
As of fire.
And it came upon each one of them.
Then they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit.
And they began to speak with different tongues.
Now, that is, dear brothers and sisters, what
do you see there?
Here was the sound as hard breathing.
Here was the sight.
Party tongues as of fire.
And because there was the sound, it filled
the whole house.
Because the tongues came upon every one of
them, they began to speak in tongues.
As the Spirit did.
You hear the sound?
You see the sight?
But is that all?
Is this what it is?
Why the sound?
Why the sight?
What is the real meaning behind the sound?
You know, very often, we are attracted by
the sound and the sight.
But we forget the meaning of the sound.
As Campbell Morgan says.
You know, Campbell Morgan is considered as the
prince of expositors.
Campbell Morgan says, he says, how often we
remember the incidental and forget the essence.
Yes, there was the sound.
It was like a hard breeze.
God, that is really the baptism.
During the sight, party tongues as of fire
coming upon them.
That's the gift, or the gift manifestation.
So dear brothers and sisters, do you know
what happened on that day?
What happened on that day is more than
just a sound and a sight.
What happened on that day was they were
baptized with the Holy Spirit.
And what is it to be baptized with
the Holy Spirit?
You know, dear brothers and sisters, we are
often attracted by awkward
things.
And very often we begin to lose sight
of what God has really done.
On the day of Pentecost something tremendous has
happened.
Not just a spectacular sight, but something tremendous
and essential has happened.
And what has happened was these people, a
hundred and twenty were baptized into one body.
Five.
In.
In one spirit they were baptized into one
body.
They were no longer just a congregation of
a hundred twenty members.
They are now a body with a hundred
twenty members.
That's what happened on the day of Pentecost.
Did the other people see, hear the sound
in your version?
Probably it says that the sound was heard.
But strictly speaking, most likely these hundred twenty
people heard the sound because they were in
the room.
They saw how they come as a fire
falling upon them.
But to the rest of the people the
rumor spread.
Not the sound spread.
The rumor that something had happened in that
upper room had spread.
So people from all over the city began
to gather.
How could all these people gather in that
upper room?
There wasn't room for that.
So evidently because what had happened in that
upper room the rumor began to spread and
people began to gather.
And you'll find they were moving from that
upper room.
Now that upper room probably is near the
temple.
So evidently they moved from that upper room
to somewhere near the temple or at the
temple, in the temple area.
Maybe Solomon caught it.
I don't know.
Because only there you can gather these thousands
of people.
In that upper room it's impossible.
So evidently this happened very early in the
morning and the rumor spread and you'll find
people began to gather and when they gathered
it was not in the upper room.
It was somewhere in the temple and it
was towards the morning morning prayer in the
temple.
So people moved to the temple.
Now if you can see this probably these
people, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men
of Judea, they haven't they hadn't heard a
sound.
Because they were not in the house.
They didn't see the tongues as of fire
on the head of these hundred and twenty
people.
Probably by that time the fight was gone.
What they had seen and heard was not
the sound nor the prophet's tongues.
What they seen and heard were these hundred
and twenty people on fire for the Lord
speaking of the great things of God and
speaking in tongues.
That's what they heard.
So you see there was a little bit
difference.
The appearance was different but the essential remained
the same.
Here was a hundred and twenty people who
had become one body.
What is what is the meaning of the
baptism in the Holy Spirit?
What is the spiritual significance?
People began together.
They heard these hundred and twenty people speaking
in their own dialect.
Now I don't know how hard it worked.
Think of that.
A hundred and twenty people.
They were all speaking.
And thousands of people gathered around them and
they heard they spoke the great things of
God in their own dialect.
Now how did it work?
Suppose there were a hundred and twenty people
here and we were all speaking at the
same time and all in different dialects.
And those people gathered around us.
Could they hear anything?
They couldn't hear a word.
Because there was a confusion.
Say a hundred and twenty people all talking
and talking in different tongues and people gather
around the circle around us.
They couldn't hear a thing.
So how did it happen?
I don't know.
I suppose probably it worked this way.
I don't know.
Probably these hundred and twenty people they were
each speaking in one dialect and when people
gathered naturally they were gathered to that person
who spoke in that dialect and maybe a
person was speaking to say thirty people or
fifty people.
And a hundred and twenty people speaking each
to a small group.
Here a group, there a group and then
everybody can hear and there will be no
confusion.
There will be order.
I don't know.
I mean I'm just thinking aloud.
That's all.
But anyway you'll find that these thousands of
people gathered together they heard them speaking of
the great things of God in their own
dialect.
That was phenomenal.
You cannot help but go back to Genesis
because there you'll find in Genesis when the
people of the world gathered themselves together with
one mind to build a power that will
reach heaven in order to manifest their name
God is and tongue is
a sign of when God first created man
we all speak the same tongue.
We can understand we can understand each other
but because men rebelled against God speaking in
one tongue drew them together so they began
to try to build a power for themselves
against God so God disturbed them by giving
them different tongues so one could not understand
the other and they scattered.
Tongues warped us.
It scattered the people.
But now God is reversing the whole system.
So the people being scattered divided because of
different tongues Now God gives a gift of
tongues to draw them together.
Instead of a sign of curse it has
become a sign of blessing.
Instead of scattering it began to gather out
of every nation every tongue, every people every
tribe he has gathered people together unto his
name.
And that is the reason why on the
day of Pentecost the tongues the gift of
tongues was given.
To reverse the curse and to regather a
people full.
What is the meaning of the baptism with
the Holy Spirit?
What does baptism give?
Peter said these people they were amazed.
They were perplexed.
They didn't know what to say.
And some of them began to mock.
Oh these people are full of wine that's
all.
New wine.
Sweet wine.
They were just full of wine.
So Peter and Eleven stood up.
No longer Peter alone but Peter and Eleven.
Why?
They were a body now.
Peter and Eleven stood up.
And he began.
Man these people are not drunk.
Because this is only the third hour.
That is nine o'clock in the morning.
And according to the Jewish custom before they
had their morning prayer they will not eat
anything or drink anything.
So it cannot be that these people were
drunk.
Because it was just nine o'clock.
The morning prayer.
If they would drink they would drink afterwards.
Not before that.
These people are not drunk.
But this is this is this
is that which is prophesied in Jewel.
In Jewel chapter 2 verse 28.
In the last day God said I will
pour out my spirit upon all flesh.
Young men shall see vision.
Old men shall dream dreams.
My born men and my born women shall
prophesy.
And there shall be sign in heaven and
on earth.
Blood and whosoever call it upon the name
of the Lord shall.
What is it?
This is These people were not drunk with
wine.
These people received what God had prophesied in
Jewel.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit had poured out upon them.
That's what it is.
But dear brothers and sisters you read very
carefully.
This is that.
Is this that?
In Jewel you'll find when the Holy Spirit
will be poured out upon the flesh.
What happens?
What signs do you have?
Young men shall see vision.
Old men but on the day of Pentecost
there was neither vision nor sight.
Instead you have sight.
In other words it is not the outward
appearance.
The outward appearance may change.
God may give signs differently at different times.
But the effect is the same.
This is what happens.
Having therefore been adopted by the right hand
of God and having received of the Father
the promise of the Holy Spirit he has
poured out this which he beholds and hears.
God had exalted our Lord Jesus up to
his right hand.
And he received from the Father the promise
of the Holy Spirit which he poured out.
That's what you see and you hear.
Verse 36 Let the whole house of Israel
therefore know assuredly that God hath made him,
this Jesus whom he hath crucified, both Lord.
Now whenever you find the word therefore you
know it is continuing what is said before.
In other words therefore is the consequence.
There is a cause.
Therefore there is such a result.
So here you'll find the word therefore actually
connect with verse 33 because 34 and 35
are parenthetical.
If you read it you'll find it is
a parenthetical explanation.
For David hath not ascended into heaven but
he says himself the Lord said unto my
Lord sit at my right hand until I
put my enemies to be the footstool of
thy feet.
It is an explanation in parenthetical.
It is the Lord who hath exalted to
the right hand of God not David.
Now what is the meaning of the Lord
being ascended at the right hand of the
Father and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
What is the meaning of it?
Therefore let it be known that God hath
made him this Jesus whom ye have crucified
both Lord.
You remember when the Lord was ascended these
brethren they were looking up the Lord was
taking out.
They saw him going out but then a
cloud came and took him.
They couldn't see him anymore.
They were still looking up but they couldn't
see him.
He must be going up and up and
up but they couldn't see him anymore.
How do they know for sure that the
Lord hath arrived at the right hand.
They saw him go up half way maybe
or maybe just a little distance then they
couldn't see him anymore.
How could they be sure that this risen
Lord is exalted at the right hand of
the Father and is made by the Father
as Christ and Lord over all.
How can they be sure of it?
Where is the proof?
That's right.
The proof is the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit.
If the Lord has not arrived.
If the Lord is not made Lord and
Christ over all the Holy Spirit will not
be.
The very coming down of the Holy Spirit
through the exaltation of the Holy Spirit.
So in Psalm, 2nd Psalm you'll find it
is said here.
Verse 6 And I have anointed my king
upon Zion the heel of my holiness.
I will declare the decree.
Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou art my
son.
I this day have begotten thee as of
me and I will give thee nations for
inheritance and for thy possessions the ends of
the earth.
I have anointed my king upon Zion the
heel of my holiness.
Of course the Zion here does not point
to the earthly Zion.
It points to the heavenly Zion.
At the ascension of our Lord Jesus, God
has anointed him and if you connect this
with Psalm 133 you'll find the ointment was
poured upon Aaron's head and it flows down
to his ear and it goes down.
When the Lord was ascended there in heaven
God anointed him as Lord over all and
the same ointment oil flows down.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the
result of the exhortation of Christ.
To put it in another way, the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit is for the exhortation
of Christ.
What is the meaning of the baptism with
the Holy Spirit?
The meaning of the baptism with the Holy
Spirit is that we may see Christ as
the Lord over all.
That is the first meaning.
So in 1 Corinthians 12 it says unless
one is in the Holy Spirit he cannot
say Jesus is Lord.
Not as a matter of list, as a
matter of reality.
How can you say Jesus is Lord with
all realness?
It is the Holy Spirit that enables you
to see and to announce, to declare that
he is.
So the first meaning of the baptism with
the Holy Spirit is Jesus is Lord.
If a person is filled with the Holy
Spirit he should see Jesus.
If a person does not see Jesus as
Lord, if he does not honor our Lord
Jesus as the Lord, the head, how
can we be filled with the Holy Spirit?
If we can see that Jesus is Lord.
If we only can see Jesus is Lord
we will be filled.
Instead of seeking for an experience, seek to
see Jesus.
Then you will experience the filling.
So that is the first meaning of Pentecost.
The first meaning of the baptism in the
Holy Spirit.
Christ Jesus must be Lord.
He must be head over all things to
the church before the body can be formed.
In other words, the head must be in
his place.
Then the body will be formed.
So on the day of Pentecost it is
the exaltation of Christ.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the
proof of the exaltation of Christ.
And the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to
bring us anew.
That is the first meaning.
The second meaning.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, God begins to
explain the meaning of baptism to us.
In one spirit we were baptized into one
body.
Whether Jews or Gentiles.
And we were made to drink of one
spirit.
What is the meaning of Pentecost?
What is the meaning of the baptism in
the Holy Spirit?
In one spirit we were baptized into one
body.
Whether Jews or Gentiles.
On the day of Pentecost, the Jews.
All those people that were on the day
of Pentecost were Jews.
The hundred hundred people were Jews.
All the three thousand were Jews.
Either Jews or Gentiles.
Mainly Jews.
But on the day in the house of
Cornelius you have the Gentiles.
And in the whole Bible only in these
two places, Acts chapter 2 and Acts chapter
10, you find only in these two occasions
on the day of Pentecost in the house
of Cornelius the word baptized with the Holy
Spirit.
Aside from these two places, baptism with the
Holy Spirit is never used.
Why?
Because on the day of Pentecost it was
the Jews.
There was only part of it.
In the house of Cornelius the Gentiles were
the other part.
And when the Jews and Gentiles were baptized
with the Spirit into one body, strictly speaking
Pentecost, strictly speaking baptism with the Holy Spirit
is a corporate experience, not an individual experience.
We were all baptized.
We are one.
Now that is the baptism.
Of course that doesn't mean that we cannot
and should not have personal experience of it.
It doesn't mean that.
What I'm trying to say is we have
to see what the word says.
The baptism with the Holy Spirit is for
the whole church.
It is a corporate experience, not an individual
experience.
Let me go back a little bit.
With the experience of the independent people, their
experience with the Lord concerning the Holy Spirit
comes by peace and victory.
If we may say that here.
First, during the earthly day of our Lord
Jesus, in view of the death of our
Lord Jesus, these disciples must be regenerated by
the Holy Spirit.
Don't ask me to explain more.
I cannot.
But we have to believe it this way.
Because like Peter, like John, like these people,
certainly they will be regenerated.
No doubt about that.
You cannot postpone their regeneration after the death
of the Lord Jesus.
He that is born of the Spirit is
spirit.
And the Lord said that to Nicodemus even
before he said, in view of his death.
So surely, with these disciples, they were born
of the Spirit during the earthly days of
our Lord Jesus in view of his death.
Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is connected to
the death.
What?
The Lord said, if I be lifted up.
As Moses lifted up the serpent, so the
Son of Man will be lifted up, and
all who see him shall live.
And that refers to the cross.
It is the cross, the death of our
Lord Jesus, on the basis of his death
that the Holy Spirit regenerates us.
And surely the early disciples had this experience.
Even before the cross.
I mean, I don't know how to explain
it more.
That's all I can say.
Then you see on the day of resurrection
the crossing of our Lord Jesus.
The Lord appears to his disciples.
He breathes into them and says, receive me.
Is this divine?
Is this real?
Because this is the fulfillment of his promise
to his disciples in John chapter 14 to
chapter 15.
In that day, it is the day of
resurrection.
The Comforter shall come and he shall dwell
in you and be with you.
So you find with these early disciples their
experience of the indwelling Holy Spirit came on
the day of the resurrection of our Lord
Jesus.
That's the second step, is it?
Their regeneration connects with the Lord's death.
They're receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit as a
person, as a Comforter in them on the
day of the Lord's resurrection.
Without the Holy Spirit indwelling them, how can
a hundred hundred people be together for ten
days?
Not even for ten hours.
And you know these disciples.
Even when the Lord was with them, how
often they quarreled with them.
So no more problems.
They were under the Holy Spirit.
They could pray together with one accord for
ten days.
Can you do that without the Holy Spirit?
You cannot.
So you find they had the Holy Spirit
in them.
They were not only regenerated by the Holy
Spirit, but they had the indwelling Holy Spirit
in them.
Glory of the Spirit.
Let me use another example.
Like a cup.
Here is a cup.
In the cup you pour some water there.
There is already water in the cup.
But it has not come to the brim
nor is it overflowing.
Now, this was the condition of the disciples
before the Day of Pentecost.
Here you find these cups.
They had water in them.
They all had water in them.
But they were not overflowing with water.
And on the Day of Pentecost, as if
a shower came, and so much water poured
into these cups, they were filled to the
overflowing.
That is, in other words, the work of
the Holy Spirit comes to me.
But what will be the experience of the
three thousand who heard the Gospel on the
Day of Pentecost?
Do they have to go through the same
steps one, two, three?
The Lord has already died.
He has already resurrected.
He has already ascended.
Exalted.
Everything is gone.
The Holy Spirit has come.
Do they have to first be generated by
the Holy Spirit, then wait for a certain
period to know the indwelling Holy Spirit, and
then wait for another period to have the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
On the contrary, what Peter preached to these
people is very, very simple.
Do you remember what he said to these
people?
He said, Repent.
They haven't repented yet.
Repent and be baptized with water.
Each one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For to you is the promise, and to
your children, and to all who are far
off, as many as the Lord our God
may call.
Repent.
Baptize.
Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now, the gift of the Holy Spirit here
does not refer to the diverse gifts of
the Holy Spirit.
It refers to the Holy Spirit as the
gift.
And this promise is for you, and for
your children, for those who are near, and
for those who are far away.
In other words, their experience of the Holy
Spirit can be and should be once altogether.
And that's their experience.
And we can prove it later on.
Not this morning.
These 3,000 people, their experience of the
Holy Spirit was not in peace nearly as
the hundred tended to receive the Holy Spirit
in His totality all at once.
They were regenerated on that day.
They had the enduring Holy Spirit on that
day.
And they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
They became of the body of Christ.
The body from 120 within a day, grows
to 3,100.
That's what happened.
Dear brothers and sisters, what is the baptism
with the Holy Spirit?
It brings us into a realization of Jesus
as the Lord, our Head.
And it brings us into the body as
members one of another.
Now you'll find our Lord Jesus can continue.
Because this is none other than Himself.
It is Himself.
Extended.
That doesn't mean that there are no manifestations.
On the day of Pentecost, the gift of
tongue was given.
Why?
Because for a purpose.
Together those scattered people together in the body.
And then in 1 Corinthians 12, you'll find
the Holy Spirit according to what pleases Him
gives this to them for the edifying.
Brothers and sisters, let us use an illustration.
You know in the temple or in the
tabernacle, after everything was made according to order,
after everything was set up in order, something,
before this tabernacle or the temple become anointed,
what is it?
Everything must be anointed.
All the furniture must be anointed.
All the trees must be anointed.
The anointing of the furniture and the priest
somehow quickens everything into life.
Brothers and sisters, when we receive the Holy
Spirit, what happens?
He quickens us into life.
In other words, as we become members of
the body, every member has a function.
So, the Holy Spirit, in filling us, He
activates that function by giving us.
That's the manifestation.
It is not your manifestation nor my manifestation.
It is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
How?
He manifests Himself through these gifts.
So here you'll find these gifts were activated
and began to function.
But these gifts are not given for personal
display.
These gifts are given for the building up
in life.
So, there will be manifestations.
But remember, the gift of the Holy Spirit
and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, one
is primary, the other is secondary.
In other words, the Holy Spirit Himself is
the gift of God.
And because you have received the Holy Spirit
as the gift of God, He will give
you gifts.
And all these manifestations are for the activation,
the building up.
We are in it.
But how we need to be filled with
the Holy Spirit in order that we may
be living, functioning.
What do you mean by filling with the
Holy Spirit?
It means you are under the control.
If you really give yourself to the Lord
and you're under the control of the Holy
Spirit, He will activate you as a living
if you are not filled with the Holy
Spirit.
If you are not under His control, then
you are a member, but a non-functioning,
almost dying member.
That's the difference.
I don't know if by going through together
in this way it may put everything in
a better perspective.
I don't know.
I hope.
I hope we can see what God is
really at.
It is more than a personal experience.
It is more than a manifestation of one
or other kind.
What God is really at that functions under
the head.
So the head is able to continue His
speaking every day.
If we do not see this and we
try to lay hold of the secondary or
the incidental, I'm afraid we may not.
So may the Lord really help us to
really enter into the full thought as to
how the body is formed and how the
members are activated into functioning together under the
head so that the body is not.
That is the beginning of the Church history.
Our Heavenly Father, our one desire is to
see what Thou art.
Lord, we pray that we may see Thou
art after a body, a living body under
the living head.
Thou does desire to continue to do through
this body all that we may be, filled
with Thy Spirit as functioning members of the
body through which Thou art able to express
Thyself.
And Lord, it is all for Thy sake
and for Thy glory.
We pray that we may be delivered from
confusion but really know Thy mind.
Oh Lord, do help us.
We ask in the name of our Lord
Jesus.