The Phenomena of Pentecost

Printed in the United States of America THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST

Donald Gee

HE OUTWARD PHENOMENA of Pentecost are as nothing compared to the one supreme fact that "they were all filled with the Holy Ghost." Any attention directed towards the external signs of the coming of the Spirit must be maintained with a right sense of proportion. The one was cause, the other only effect; and to magnify or to seek the effect without the cause is obviously to approach the whole subject from a hope• lessly wrong angle, resulting in the distortion of truth, and vain delusion in experience. To seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit is eminently Scriptural and right: to seek a repetition of the phenomena that occurred on the Day of Pente• cost as the one supreme object of desire can only lead the seeker into fanaticism and dis• appointment. There is an extreme position on the other side however,—a position where the accompanying outward manifestations of the Spirit's coming are either despised or treated as totally negligible details of the Pentecostal Bap• tism. Such a position can amount to a query as to the divine wisdom in giving such pheno- 5 6 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST mena as sound of wind, the fire, and the tongues at all, and misses precious truth even if it does not distort it. The result can also be most serious loss in actual experience. To the hundred and twenty who were first waiting for the Promise of the Father the super• natural manifestations that accompanied the fulfillment of that promise must have come as something of a surprise. They had been told that "signs should follow" (Mark 16), and they also immediately grasped the value of evi• dences which could be "seen and beard" (Acts 2:33); but undoubtedly they had been pray• ing and waiting for the Spirit and the Spirit only, believing that they would most certainly know when He had come, but not knowing what particular initial evidences would attend His coming, and crown the eagerly expected hour. Such a condition of innocence in expectation could, and did, only mark the original waiting band. After the Day of Pentecost we find that a standard had been set by which subsequent experiences were tested. Acts 11:15. It is very significant that there was no element of surprise at Cornelius and his friends speaking with tongues, the only surprise being at the fact that they were gentiles. Acts 10:45. The phe• nomenon itself of speaking with tongues upon receiving the Holy Spirit was by now recognized as normal. There are four great instances recorded in THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST 7 Acts of the gift of the Holy Ghost,—in chapters 2, 8, 10, and 19. In chapter 8, the instance of the Samaritan believers, there is no direct men• tion of any outward phenomena accompanying the outpouring of the Spirit, such as is definitely recorded in the other three. From this it is sometimes argued that since 25% of the early Christians received no outward manifestation when they were filled with the Spirit, then the same proportion at least might be expected to• day to do so. It has been pointed out repeatedly however that there must have been some phenomenon occurring at Samaria also, because "Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given." Acts 8:18. The coming of the Spirit upon these believers was so evident and conscious that Simon coveted power to impart a similar experience. While the particular manifestation chosen by divine grace for this occasion is not stated; yet less cannot be fairly admitted than that speaking with tongues would meet all the requirements for consistency in the record, and the evidence of the other instances all taken together make a preponderating reason for believing that this actually was the manifestation given. The question is sometimes asked as to why, if we still expect believers to speak with tongues upon receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, we do not also expect a sound as of a rushing mighty wind and cloven tongues like as 8 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST of fire. Acts 2:2, 3. They were equally the phenomena of the Day of Pentecost. As a matter of fact we have heard of instances where something of the sort is reported to have occurred, and there is no necessity to doubt the authenticity of such statements, though we may accept them with reserve. There are reasons however for expecting speaking with tongues to recur which do not exist with regard to the sound of wind and fire. As follows: (a) There is no indication in the New Testament that the distinctive sound of wind and literal fire ever occurred on occasions sub• sequent to the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit was bestowed. The nearest approach to it is the shaking of the place where they were as• sembled in Acts 4:31; but on that occasion the disciples were being refilled with the Spirit in view of a special crisis; they were not receiving the Spirit in the sense of chapters 2, 8, 10, or 19. On the other hand speaking with tongues does recur; and in Acts 10 it was taken as suf• ficient evidence, standing alone, to prove to the prejudiced Jewish believers who were with Peter that even Gentiles had actually received an ex• perience identical with that received by the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. (b) There are obvious reasons why there should be special signs accompanying the Day of Pentecost which do not occur on subsequent occasions. It was altogether a special event. The Holy Spirit then came in a dispensational THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST 9 sense, to commence His great work of forming the Church, the body of Christ. He also came in a new way, a fuller way, in which He had never come before, even in spite of many grac• ious Old Testament activities. His coming on the Day of Pentecost was a direct attestation that the Lord Jesus Christ had been in very deed exalted to the right hand of the Father, there to begin His High-Priestly work on our behalf. It was a notable occasion. Succeeding occurrences of the gift of the Spirit did not have the same special significance as the Day of Pentecost, hence there is no neces• sity for expecting a repetition of quite the same phenomena. The historical record confirms this view. Speaking with tongues was the ex• ception; and even that did not seem to have quite the same character on following occasions, for only on the day of Pentecost is it recorded that languages spoken were generally under• stood, and writing later of this manifestation of the Spirit (though here a gift in the Church) Paul says distinctly "no man under- standeth him." 1 Cor. 14:2. Exceptional occasions of an outpouring of God's Spirit however, such as the crisis of Acts 4, may still be visited with unusual phenomena. Why not? The mental attitude of the twentieth century restlessly asks "What was the use of the phe• nomena of Pentecost?" Still more petulantly it asks, "What would be the use of such things 10 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST today?" Some thoughtful and devout minds, filled with an intensely practical conception of the results of being filled with the Spirit of God, can and do urge the sleeping Church to seek a new enduement of power from on high, and both write and speak in a useful way re• garding the Pentecostal Baptism. But when it comes to this related fact of the phenomena that accompanied Pentecost, they frankly regard this as one of the most puzzling and apparently superfluous parts of the narrative, with no liv• ing message for today. On this point both Modernists and Funda• mentalists seem to agree. Modernists regard the phenomena of the Day of Pentecost as just so much legend which has grown up around cer• tain of the experiences of the early church. Fundamentalists admit their historical truth, but appear to take the view that the Church today has grown immeasurably beyond the need of such direct appeals to consciousness. Those who say they believe in such things, and believe they still have a place and value, are sneeringly re• garded as "people who do not matter much any• way," and are all relegated among the hopeless emotionlists and cranks, with no practical mes• sage for the need of the hour. Is this just? What about the deadly drift into spiritism from the churches just because there has been no living testimony to the supernatural in Christian experience? What about the glorious scenes of revival that are accompanying even a THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST 11 limited enjoyment of the supernatural mani• festation of the Spirit of God;—scenes that would move Christian periodicals into en• thusiastic reports if it were not for entrenched prejudice? What about the number of sincere and thoughtful Christians who are daily pray• ing for just such another "Pentecost"?—multi• tudes of them inside strictly orthodox churches. What about the numbers of unbelievers out• side the churches who are frankly there largely because there is no display of the power of New Testament Christianity today? There is surely some use in that which can stem the drift into spiritism, promote revival, answer the longing of many true hearts, and give the skeptic a convincing answer. It only remains to definitly enumerate some of the real uses of Pentecostal phenomena. (a) They were of use practically on the Day of Pentecost. They attested beyond contro• versy the greatness of the event and its divine and supernatural character. They compelled the attention of the crowd, and focussed it upon the message which the Spirit-filled preacher de• livered. Usefulness along the same line today is easily conceivable. (b) They were of use typically. Volumes have been written showing how perfectly wind and fire typify the energy of the Holy Spirit. The speaking with tongues also seems to have a special typical significance in relation to, and in contrast with, the tower of Babel. There God 12 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST came down to scatter; at Pentecost He came to unite in that deepest of all unities,—the unity of the Spirit. (c) They were of use significantly. The miracle and manifestation of speaking with tongues required and revealed the complete mastery of the Holy Spirit over the whole being of those He-was filling;—body, mind, and spirit. For to thus speak with new tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance required divine control of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. No small victory of grace that! Perhaps that is why the speaking with tongues remained as an abiding initial evidence of believers' being filled with the Holy Spirit after the other two phenomena of Pentecost had apparently fulfilled their purpose on the one supreme occasion. It is difficult to conceive of any other sign so simple, so universally avail• able, and yet so suggestive of the Holy Spirit's complete control of the whole of man's ran• somed powers. (d) Lastly there is nothing particularly arbitrary in speaking with tongues being con• stituted the initial evidence of receiving the Bap• tism with the Spirit. We have shown that there was more reasonableness in such a phenomenon than may at first appear. There is another side from which to understand the matter how• ever. Viewed as ecstatic utterances, and such they most undoubtedly were, they are a reason• ably understandable result of men and women's THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST li becoming so divinely intoxicated, (they said they were "drunk"), with the fullness of divine life, light, and love that is all contained in the gift of the Spirit, that they were swept beyond all the bounds of ordinary speech and expres• sion. The glory of heaven was flooding their spirits,—is it any wonder if heavenly language flowed from their tongues! Why should it seem a hard thing for God to repeat such an experience today? Perhaps the reason why the phenomena of Pentecost have not been understood more sympathetically is that the central experience of Pentecost—the mighty Baptism of the Holy Spirit—has not been entered into sufficiently. IS THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT A NECESSITY?

P. C. Nelson

MANY of our Pentecostal people put such emphasis on their exuberance of joy and ecstasy in receiving the Baptism in the Spirit, that listeners who do not know the Scriptures may conclude that his blessed spirit• ual experience is a luxury rather than a neces• sity in the life of every Christian. Alas! some baptized children of God fail to demonstrate that it is either the one or the other. The in• spired Word does not place the emphasis on the ecstasy, but rather on the necessity of this won• derful experience. Jesus did not put the Bap• tism in the list of luxuries but made it a neces• sity when He commanded His Disciples to tarry until endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49. "And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father ... ye shall be baptized with (the Greek says in) the Holy Ghost." Acts 1:4, 5. Will the reader please lay his open Bible by 14 IS THE BAPTISM A NECESSITY? 15 the side of this book and look up every reference as we attempt to show the real purpose of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit? For the sake of clearness let us lay down the following proposi• tions and see if they are supported by the Word of God: 1. Jesus Himself was anointed with the Spirit before He began His public ministry. "And Jesus, when He was baptized went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heav• ens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him." Matt. 3:16. "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil." Acts 10:38. Of all the Old Testament prophecies con• cerning the Messiah, the one which Jesus point• ed out in His home synagogue when He re• turned to Nazareth was the one in Isa. 61:1, 2, concerning His anointing with the Spirit. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recover• ing of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke 4:18, 19. Anointed to preach, to heal, to liberate, to give sight, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. What a min• istry! And yet Jesus Himself declared that our 16 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST ministry was to be like His. John 14:12. If we are to come within miles of this standard for our ministry we certainly need all the power available. Mere ecstasy will not suffice. Such a ministry requires divine power. Without this anointing it is possible to get up suppers and bazaars, rummage sales and en• tertainments, to give addresses on current events, religious, moral philanthropic, and literay top• ics, and other themes, but not to exercise a ministry even remotely comparable to that of Christ and His apostles. It was through the power of the Spirit that our Lord preached and healed and cast out demons (Matt. 12:28); it was through the eternal Spirit He offered Him• self to God as an atonement for our sins (Heb. 9:14), through the Spirit He was quickened from the dead (Rom. 8:11), and through the Spirit He gave His final commandments to His apostles. Acts 1:2. If the holy Son of God needed the anointing of the Spirit for His min• istry what supreme folly to imagine that we can dispense with it! If it behooved our High Priest to be made like unto His brethren (Heb. 2:17), it behooves His brethren to be made like unto Him. The fulness of the Spirit is the only thing that will give us any resemblance to Him in Spirit, purpose, and service. 2. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate. On the eve of His betrayal Jesus had much to say about the giving of the Spirit. How significant this announcement, "If ye love me, keep my IS THE BAPTISM A NECESSITY? 17 commandments. And I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, be• cause it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you." John 14:15. The word translated "Comforter" should have been rendered "Advocate." Jesus was the Advocate of His disciples while on earth. He ascended to heaven and is now our Advocate with the Father. 1 John 1:1, 2. Before His departure He promised His disciples to send them another Advocate to dwell in them and to abide with them forever. This Advocate was to take His place and be even more to them than Jesus Himself had been. Note His words: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is ex• pedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (Advocate) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." John 16:7. Mark the words "expedient for you"—for the disciples' benefit. Amazing words! But no more amazing than the glorious truth that the all-knowing, almighty Holy Spirit—as much a person as the Father and pos• sessing all the divine attributes—should come down from the Father and make His abode in each believer, teaching, guiding, inspiring, help• ing us just at the moment, and in the way most needed! Mark you, the Lord was speaking of an ex- 18 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST perience beyond anything the disciples had known up to that time—or could possibly know till after the ascension of Jesus. This ac• cords well with John 7:37-39, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water." To this John adds the explanation, "But this spoke he of the Spirit, whom they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not glorified." The slight changes in this rendering were made by American scholars in 1911. According to these texts the disciples could not receive the Spirit in fullness till Jesus had been glorified. Hence Jesus in His ascension address said, "John truly baptized with (lit• erally in) water; but ye shall be baptized with (in) the Holy Ghost not many days hence." Acts 1:5. Now we know why Jesus said, "He dwelleth with you (now) and shall be in you" John 14:17—referring to the time of their Bap• tism in the Spirit and subsequently. At Pen• tecost the hundred and twenty were filled with the Spirit and Peter announced that the promise was for all believers. Acts 2:38. If the other Advocate meant so much to the early disciples that they could well afford to dispense with the personal, present, visible Christ in order that He might go home to glory IS THE BAPTISM A NECESSITY? 19 and send them this Advocate, surely His pres• ence in our life, is no less significant. How the momentary visible presence of Christ would inspire and thrill us now! How much more the abiding, indwelling presence of this other divine Advocate should cheer and lift us! Sure• ly we would not dare to say that His Presence in our lives is not necessary, but is only a spirit• ual luxury! 3. Without the aid of the Holy Spirit we are helpless. We cannot pray without the aid of the Spirit—"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it• self (Himself) maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (inarticulate speech). And he (God) who searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit; because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Rom. 8:26, 27. We cannot bear effective witness without the power of the Spirit—"But ye shall receive pow• er after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jeru• salem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and un• to the uttermost part of the earth." THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Myer Pearlman

BUT ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye witneses unto me both in Jeru- salem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and un-. to the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8. THE PROMISE OF POWER The scripture which we have just read, to• gether with its context, marks the transition point between the Gospels—the Acts of Jesus —and the Acts of the Apostles. In the Gospels, the Second Person of the Trinity has come down; now, the Third Person is about to de• scend. Then, Jesus came down to die for His people; now the Holy Spirit is about to come down to live in His people. Then, Jesus bore witness to the Spirit; now, the Spirit is about to bear witness to Jesus. In the Gospels, we read about the beginning of Jesus' ministry; in the Acts, we are going to read about the con• tinuation of His ministry in the persons of His disciples and apostles. As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sent His servants—in the power of the Spirit. 20 THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 21 The first Christian council was held, with our Lord Jesus Himself presiding, in which plans for the world's evangelization were dis• cussed. He addressed them concerning the King• dom of God—a kingdom not of natural, but of spiritual power; a kingdom characterized, not by military glory, but by "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost"; a kingdom spread, not by force of arms, but by the witness of the human voice through the power of the Holy Ghost. An attempt to bring up the question of the time of Israel's restoration, was ruled "out of order." It was not for them to know the times or seasons. The council adjourned upon re• ceiving the Lord's last commission to His fol• lowers, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature"—adjourned to meet again at the call of our great Chairman, when His voice shall summon to the council in the heavenlies, both the faithful living and the dead in Christ. Acts 1:11. Jesus then ascended to His Father. If we were teaching this truth to children we should say: "Children, Jesus told His pupils to wait downstairs while He went upstairs to turn the power on." THE MANIFESTATION OF POWER Jesus declared Himself the source of power, saying, "All power is given unto me." We are told by a certain scientist that all the power 22 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST displayed in the world originates from a single source—the sun, which sends out waves of ener• gy to be transformed into light, heat, and elec• trical energy. In like manner is our Lord the source of all spiritual power. Did not Malachi refer to Him as the Sun of Righteousness who would arise with healing in His wings? Is it not said concerning Him that He is the bright• ness of God's glory (Heb. 1:3), standing in relation to the Father as the rays do to the sun? Did He not say, "I am the light—the Sun—of the world"? Oh, the blessedness of being united to Jesus, God's health-giving power—generat• ing sunshine! Notice the nature of power. Some substances can contain more electricity than others. This is called difference in potential. Now, the tendency of electricity is to flow from a body of high potential to one of a lower in order to equalize itself. When two bodies meet in elec• trical contact, the body containing the more electricity pours its power into the other. What a difference in potential between God and our• selves! But what a willingness on His part to give Himself unto us until we are "filled with all the fullness of God!" Divine power as well as natural power, must have a conductor. The energy of the sun is radiated through space by means of vibrations far into the hundreds of trillions per second. But it is not until that energy comes into contact with the air and matter that it is transformed THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 23 into light, heat and electricity. In like manner it is only as the Spirit can come into contact with yielded vessels—spiritual conductors—that His power can be manifested to the world. Electricity can be manifested in the form of heat, light, motion, and sound. Let us apply this truth to spiritual experience. It is manifested in the form of heat. The Holy Spirit can be manifested in the lives of Christians in the form of a burning zeal, a zeal without which there can be no real spiritual con• quests. The spiritual victors of all ages have been men of intense prayer, intense service, in• tense love and intense activity. Says one writer, "Nothing is possible in this life without that white heat of enthusiasm which makes the world think the saints mad." Another remarks, "No heart is pure that is not passionate; no virtue is safe that is not enthusiastic." Henry Martyn, the devoted missionary, once said, "Now let me burn out for God." To burn out for God—that is Christian zeal. Electricity may be manifested in the form of light. In the New Testament the visible mani• festation of spiritual and moral power on the part of Christians is referred to as light. "Ye are the light of the world." "Let your light so shine before men." Shining Christians are the supreme need of the hour. Such believers will not require weighty, abstract reasoning to prove the truth of Christianity. How much logic is needed to prove that an electric bulb will shine? 24 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST No logic at all. Just turn the switch! The words "Let your light shine" may have also a literal meaning. Did not Moses' face shine after coming from God's presence? Did not Stephen's face glow like that of an angel? "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Just this—let us all take a day off and visit God's face-shin• ing parlor, and ever afterwards shine, shine, shine! Electricity may be manifested in the form of motion. The feet that bear the glad tidings should not only be beautiful, but also active. Hundreds of years ago, Francis Xavier, the great missionary, had traversed during a period of ten years a distance more than twice the circum• ference of the globe. John Wesley for forty years traveled from four to five thousand miles a year and preached about fifteen times a week. Whitefield preached, on the average, forty times a week. The logical effect of the reception of spiritual power should be movement in the direction of world evangelization. The book of the Acts may be summed up in three words— ascension, descension, extension. The ascension of Christ, the descension of the Spirit, and the extension of the gospel. Christ has gone up, the Spirit has come down, our duty is to go out. Again, electricity may be manifested in the form of sound—in radio, telephone, etc. What sweeter experience for both preacher and layman than Spirit-anointed utterance—the silvery tinklings of the Spirit's bells! Such THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 25 anointing is the distinguishing mark of true gos• pel preaching—the gospel concerning which Peter said that it was "preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." Utterance in other tongues—the audible voice of the Spirit which edifies the believer, acts upon him as a stimulant—may be compared to anointed ut• terance. It convinces the sincere and unpreju• diced enquirer of the supernatural power of the gospel. Remember that I am speaking of the genuine, for in this imperfect world of ours, the true and the precious is often accompanied by the counterfeit and the worthless.

POWER REGULATED In visiting a great powerhouse, you will notice a number of dials, registers, switches, and levers. These are for the regulation and proper distribution of power, and without them there would be waste and perhaps destruction. The Church is—or if not, it should be—God's powerhouse. Like any other powerhouse, regulation is needed, and, as in any other power• house, it is provided for. The fourteenth chap• ter of First Corinthians is that regulator. But let it be remembered, that to a dead church, As• sembly of God or other, this chapter has no mes• sage. A car held fast in the mud needs no brakes. A boat at a standstill cannot be steered. This chapter was written because the church at Corinth had power but was wasting it; it was written, not to suppress power and its 26 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST manifestations, but to regulate it. Let us notice the principal rules that Paul lays down for this purpose. First: "Brethren, be not children in under• standing: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be ye men." 1 Cor. 14:20. It seems that in some quarters it has been as• sumed that the entrance of the Spirit is followed by the exit of common sense. Nothing could be more contrary to the Scriptures, which teach that the Spirit of power is the Spirit of wisdom also. Paul teaches in the verse just quoted that while as to evil, believers are to manifest the in-, nocence of babes, in relation to the affairs of God's church they are to show the wisdom of full-grown men. What was one of the sec• rets of Moody's success? Was it not the fact that he combined deep spirituality with good sound common sense? How comfortable would we feel if we knew the city powerhouse was in charge of children? Or that the governmental power of our country was in the hands of an immature boy? Yet how many of us have displayed a pitiful childishness in the use of the power and gifts entrusted to us! Second: "Let all things be done unto edify• ing." v. 26. Every manifestation of God's power should be a well-wrought piece of spirit• ual material for the upbuilding and beautify• ing of that spiritual house, the church; not an ill-formed, shapeless mass that will mar the edifice and repel earnest seekers after truth. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 27 Third: "For God is not the author of con• fusion but of peace." Order is the first law of heaven. The heavens which declare the glory of God, and the firmament which showeth forth His handiwork were the work of Christ through the Spirit, and bear the impress of order. Will the same Spirit who, in the beginning brought order out of confusion and cosmos out of chaos bring confusion in our assemblies? No, He will not. To illustrate his rule Paul gives us a picture of two meetings, a disorderly (v. 23) and an orderly (v. 24) one. He describes a disorderly meeting, where there is indeed power, but unregulated, and notice what he says will be the effect on unbelievers, "Will they not say that ye are mad?" After describing an orderly meeting, he shows the result of such on an un• believer, "He will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth." There is nothing more blessed than a meeting where the atmos• phere is charged and surcharged with the power of the Spirit, where the preacher is anointed, where hearts are melted, where eyes are wet with tears, where unbelievers are cut to the heart. Which kind of meeting shall we choose, that mentioned in verse twenty-three, or in verse twenty-four?

POWER REALIZED How shall God's power be made real in our lives? We shall again turn to the subject of electricity for our illustrations. When men be- 28 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST came aware of the existence of the power of electricity they did three things: they set them• selves to discover its laws; when they had dis• covered its laws they obeyed them; in obey• ing its laws, they saw that expense was in• volved, in the building and furnishing of power stations, the erecting of poles, etc. Let us ap• ply that to Christian experience. Notice that men sought to discover the laws of electricity. Are we studying our Bibles to discover the laws of the Spirit? Are we strain• ing every effort to avail ourselves of every means that will make us a "workman that need- eth not to be ashamed"? Evangelist, Pastor, are you "able by sound doctrine both to ex• hort, and to convince the gainsayers," and do you "give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine"? Layman, are you "ready al• ways to give an answer to every man that ask- eth you a reason for the hope that is in you"? Let us study our Bibles, regularly, systematical• ly, and prayerfully. Notice also that when men had discovered electricity's laws they obeyed them, and then as they obeyed them they discovered new laws. ft is not sufficient to discover the laws of the Spirit, there must be implicit obedience to them. As we obey the laws of the Spirit we are given new revelations that lead to increased power, "Unto every one that hath shall be given." Remember what Daniel said, "He giveth wis• dom to the wise," i.e., to those who seek wis- THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 29 dom and who practice it when they find it. Notice finally that in obeying the laws of electricity and realizing its power, considerable expense was involved. To obey the laws of spiritual power calls for no little self-sacrifice. For example; is it always easy to love those whom we do not like? And to be humble and say, "I was wrong"? Space forbids any en• largement on this point, but suffice it to say, the fruit of the Spirit gives us a clue as to His laws. One illustration will not be out of place here to suggest one law, the violation of which will bring loss of power. A man is made to stand on a stool the legs of which are made of glass. From a battery he is charged with electricity. Every time he is touched a spark flies from him. He has received the power of elec• tricity and retains it because he is separated from the earth, the glass legs of the stool preventing the flow of the power to the ground. The application is evident. John the apostle said: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." We have seen how power may be realized in the individual; let us discover how it may be realized in the church as a whole. We shall go to the Acts in order to discover the laws which will bring power to the entire church. First of all let us notice the law of unity. This is the basic law. The unity of the apos• tolic church was not a dead unity, like that manifested in any graveyard, nor that merely 30 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST

external and ecclesiastical unity seen in the Roman Catholic church, but the living unity of an organism, a unity illustrated by the mem• bers of the human body. 1 Cor. 12:14-27. See that coal car full of scrap iron. Watch that great electro-magnet (so called because it is magnetic only when the current is passing through it) swing over it. A switch is turned on and immediately a heap of iron and steel cuttings rushes to the poles of the magnet. The scraps arc of all sizes and of all shapes, yet they are a unit for one power energizes them all. "For by one Spirit are you baptized into one body." 1 Cor. 12:13. Then there is the law of united consecration. Acts 4:32-37. So real was the unity of the primitive church that they acted and moved like one man animated by one soul. So real it was that no one said, "This is my property," but they considered it "our property." No com• mand was given for them to deliver their prop• erty to the apostles. The act was spontaneous, born of the Spirit, and was an evidence of their unity. Though in our days it may not always be practical to rigidly follow their example, me may possess the same spirit of consecration. Notice the law of united prayer. When Peter was in prison, the entire church prayed and he was released. When Peter and John were for• bidden to preach, the entire church prayed, the place was shaken, they were filled with the Spirit, and spoke the Word with boldness. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 31 Notice the law of united arbitration. It is inevitable that difficulties will arise in assem• blies, and the infant church was no exception. It may sound strange to those who decry organ• ization that the first church difficulty was caused by lack of organization, and it was settled by increased organization. Acts 6:1-6. Because of lack of sufficient officers the Greek-speaking widows were neglected. There were two classes of Jews in the church: those brought up in Palestine and speaking Aramaic, and those hav• ing been educated in Greek-speaking countries. There was danger of a division. But the apos• tles and the multitude of the disciples came to• gether and settled the difficulty in the spirit of co-operation, love, and unselfishness. Their unselfishness was manifested in the choice of deacons who bore Greek names, men of the same nationality as the complainants. Finally, notice the law of united testimony. Persecution arising, the disciples were scattered abroad and went everywhere preaching the Word. Acts 8:1-4. Some of these reached Antioch and founded there the church which be• came the general center of missionary activity. Acts 11:19-26. I hear some one sigh, "Will the church ever reach the condition enjoyed by the apostolic church?" Let us repeat together the "Apos• tles' Creed." "I believe in God the Father Al• mighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was 32 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was cru• cified, dead, and buried; the third day He arose again from the dead, He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost"—Do you? Then be sure of this that the same Spirit which has again and again re• vived the church is able to quicken the mem• bers of that body until, like a strong warrior raised from a bed of weakness, it shall go forth to make spiritual conquests until Jesus comes. THE GOSPEL OF THE MIRACULOUS

Pastor George Jeffreys

As I travel up and down the land, I am usually asked four questions: What do you mean by the full Gospel? To what church do you belong? Of what persuasion are you? Do you believe in present-day miracles? As founder and leader of this Elim full Gos• pel Movement in the British Isles, I should be able to explain the meaning of the term "full." It implies a belief in the gospel of Christ—Jesus the Saviour, Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Bap- tizer, and Jesus the Coming King. This gospel, I maintain, is found in the Bible, hence my rea• son for proclaiming it. It is said of the Saviour in Matt. 1:21: "Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." He is the Healer. We read in James 5: 15: "The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up." He is the Baptizer. We read in Luke 3:16: "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." He is the Coming King. We read in 1 Thess. 4:16: "The Lord Himself, shall descend from heaven." The church to which I belong is also men• tioned in Scripture. It is the one referred to 33 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST by the writer to the Hebrews in the twelfth chapter. "But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heav• enly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn which are written in heaven." After all, there is only one Church, and it con• sists of all those who are born of the Spirit of God. It matters little to me whether you are an Anglican, a Presbyterian, Congregationalist, Methodist, Baptist, Brethren, or Salvationist, —if you are born again you belong to the very same church that I do. The sectarian label that each wears marks the difference in doctrine and government, it is true; but we are all members of the one church—the Church of the firstborn which are written in heaven. Thank God we are living in days when, as far as spiritual peo• ple are concerned, denominational walls are falling flat before the trumpet call to stand un• compromisingly for the whole Bible, and noth• ing but the Bible. As to my persuasion, I cannot do better than reiterate the words of the apostle in the eight chapter of Romans: "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor princi• palities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Doctrines, forms of government, methods of procedure in the Lord's service can THE GOSPEL OF THE MIRACULOUS 3S never separate the regenerate from the one life, and certainly not from the love of Christ. Having explained the meaning of the full gospel, identified the one church, and testified to my persuasion, let us now consider carefully the fourth question which is occupying the minds of the Lord's people everywhere: Should miraculous signs accompany the preaching of the gospel in our day? Christians generally believe that signs and wonders confirmed the word in the days of our Lord and the apostles. Some are doubtful as to whether such should be the case today. Others emphatically declare that God is silent in this dispensation, and that the heavens are sealed. They maintain that the highest level of faith is that which accepts without seeing or feeling. In deciding the question we shall regard the Bible as the final court of appeal and accept all that it reveals, and welcome all the light given on this important subject. Let us commence with the Gospel as pro• claimed by our Lord. THE MIRACULOUS GOSPEL OF CHRIST Picture the scene in the synagogue of Naza• reth on a certain sabbath day when Jesus, then about thirty years of age, enters and commences to read. What breathless silence there is as He applies a prophecy from the book of Isaiah to Himself: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gos- 36 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST pel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the cap• tives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," Here at the commencement of His public min• istry, He declares the divine program of His earthly mission. He had come to preach the gospel that could save a poor sinner from his sin, make him a joint-heir with Himself, and give him an inheritance among the sanctified. He had come to proclaim healing to all the broken-hearted, the distressed, the despised, the downcast and helpless. He had come to give deliverance to captives and to break the chains, however strong, that had long held them. He had come to open the eyes of the blind that they might see the glory of the heavens and the beauty of nature. He had come to set at liberty the bruised and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Every item on the programme an• nounced on that sabbath day necessitated the working of the supernatural in order to carry it into effect. During a general election time in our coun• try, I quite well remember the wording, refer• ring to the different political parties, that was displayed on the news agents' placards. The first was "Bonar Law declares his policy"; the second, "Asquith's great liberal program"; the third, "Labor's sweeping manifesto." Each party wanted to emphasize the benefits and privileges that would accrue as a result of its THE GOSPEL OF THE MIRACULOUS 37 being in power. We all know that promised blessings are not always realized. Many a promise given during the excitement of an elec• tion campaign is like the proverbial pie crust, made to be broken. But here, in the religious atmosphere of the Jewish synagogue, the pro• gram outlined by our Lord on that sabbath day was afterwards carried into grand effect. He not only promised, He performed: He not only declared His policy, He demonstrated its power. THE MIRACULOUS GOSPEL HANDED ON. Calvary by this time is past, the redemption of the world an accomplished fact, and the risen Lord entrusts His disciples with the same mira• culous gospel. Mark 16:15: "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall fol• low 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." Here we have the commission given to the disciples, and through them to every preacher of the gospel. You will observe that it was the same gospel that was handed on, and that the same results were promised for its confirmation. There is no mistaking the fact that these preach- 38 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST ers were to carry on in exactly the same manner as the Lord had, and that signs and wonders were to be the order of the day with them as with Him. Look at the scope of the commission—"all the world." No geographical limitation what• ever. It crosses the boundaries of every coun• try: it leaps over all barriers: it spans the mighty oceans and encircles the globe. Thank God there is no chance of our island home being left out. "Go ye into all the world." See to what extent the human family is embraced: "Preach the gospel to every creature." No distinction of class. The black-skinned of dark Africa and the whites of our privileged Isles. The yellow races of the East, and the ice-bound inhabitants of the North. The king and beggar, the peer and the pauper, the rich and the poor, the learned and the unlearned, the scholarly and the ignorant, yea all are embraced in the open arms of the gospel. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." There is not a single verse in Scripture to show that these miraculous signs—the casting out of demons, the speaking with new tongues, the rendering of poison harmless, the healing of the sick—have at any time been withdrawn. If there is no geographical limitation and no distinction of class in the commission, I am cer• tain there is no specified time limit for the mani• festation of the miraculous. As long as the gospel is preached and there are creatures to re- THE GOSPEL OF THE MIRACULOUS 39 ceive it, the power to demonstrate the super• natural will remain on earth. If we claim to believe the Bible, I say that atheists, agnostics, and unbelievers of all kinds have a right to de• mand from us a demonstration of the miracu• lous. Was it not Ingersoll, the great agnostic, who said: "Show me the signs, and I will believe the Bible"? Thank God the challenge can be met, for we see the signs follow on every hand. Here in this great crowded congregation in this Royal Albert Hall, there are thousands who could testify to the miraculous healing power of the gospel. Blind eyes have been opened, deaf ears unstop• ped, the tongues of the dumb have been loosened paralyzed limbs now vibrate with life, cancers and tumors have withered up, evil spirits have been cast out; and consumption healed. THE MIRACULOUS CHRISTIAN RELIGION I find it a most difficult task to arouse Chris• tians to the astounding claims of the religion they profess. Some have a vague idea that Christianity is only to be experienced in the intellect, and all that it claims from them is a mere assenting to certain truths and doctrines. Christianity and the miraculous are to the minds of some, terms that are diametrical opposites. To suggest that they are in any way related or linked together is to become visionary, fanatical, and extreme in views. It seems almost impos• sible at times to impress them with the fact 40 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST that the Christian religion is essentially a reli• gion of the miraculous. The very idea of a preacher's laying claim to the gifts of healings or the working of miracles seems to them to be bordering on heresy. Let me emphasize here that the Christian who denies the miraculous, denies Christianity: the Christian who rejects the supernatural, rejects the religion he professes to embrace. The whole structure of the Christian religion is based upon the miraculous, as I shall proceed to show. The man who protests against the miraculous in Christianity, undermines the whole, and is inconsistent with his profession as a Christian.

THE MIRACULOUS VIRGIN BIRTH In the incarnation of our Lord we have the great foundation upon which is raised the glorious Christian edifice. Take the virgin birth away, and the foundation is gone and the build• ing collapses. I know there are some in the land who are building upon a foundation of another kind. They deny the virgin birth, but their building cannot be termed Christian. At the incarnation we see God entering into human nature and dwelling in a temple that had been prepared and fitted miraculously by the Holy Ghost. The Creator of worlds here wraps Himself in the nature of His creatures, and as John declares, "tabernacled among men." In the manger was the promised seed of a woman, who in the fullness of time bruised the THE GOSPEL OF THE MIRACULOUS 41 serpent's head. Deny the virgin birth and you deny Christianity, yet belief in the virgin birth implies belief in the miraculous. How could it be possible for me to be born of the seed of a woman alone, apart from a miracle. Let me again remind Christians of all denominations who for some reason or other reject the miracu• lous, that they are virtually rejecting their own religion and destroying the faith in which they profess to believe.

THE MIRACULOUS LIFE OF CHRIST His whole life was full of the miraculous, but I can only refer to one or two instances. Wher• ever He went people were attracted to Him by His healing power, and by the miracles He wrought. Nicodemus, the notable teacher in Israel, referred to them when he talked with our Lord. What a revelation of the super• natural was given at the baptism of Christ in the Jordan. John said: "I saw the Spirit de• scending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him." Then what a stupendous display of the miraculous the transfiguration scene must have been! Just imagine the Lord and His three favored disciples on the mount in the dark• ness of night, holding a prayer meeting. The Master prays, when suddenly the fashion of His countenance is altered and His raiment be• comes white and glistening. The whole place is lit up with ineffable light, and the glory of the Lord is seen. Two men, Moses and Elias, 42 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST visitors from heaven, complete the picture of a future millennial reign. Peter is reminded of the glory manifested in former tabernacles; so awe-inspiring is the sight that he impulsively calls for them again, not knowing what he said. Truly it was a demonstration of the miracu• lous.

THE MIRACULOUS AT THE CROSS The supernatural was in evidence at the birth of the Saviour, when angelic choirs sang His praises and the heavens blazed forth with light. It continued throughout the whole of His life, manifesting itself in healing the sick and raising the dead. Is it any wonder that when He died it again gave testimony in so prodigious a man• ner? darkness covering the earth for three hours, at a time when an eclipse of the sun was impos• sible! Dionysius, a heathen, realizing that the darkness portended something extraordinary, exclaimed: "Either nature is deploring, or the God of nature suffers." The thickly woven veil in the Temple was rent by an invisible hand just at the time when the evening sacrifice was being offered and when the priest was standing at the altar. The earth quaked and the rocks were rent. Fleming states that a deist, who travelled through Palestine, was converted by viewing one of the rocks which still remains torn asunder, across the veins, a proof that it was done supernaturally. How miraculously guarded were all the prophecies relating to His THE GOSPEL OF THE MIRACULOUS 43 death is seen in their absolute fulfilment. Won• der of wonders, it was the Son of God who died on the cross, not a mere man, not an angel, but the Creator of all. How marvellously super• natural!

THE MIRACULOUS RESURRECTION Our Lord having been delivered for our of• fences, is now raised for our justification. But it is impossible to account for His resurrection apart from a miracle. The body preserved supernaturally from corruption is raised in spite of every possible hindrance. The sepulchre hewn out of the rock, had a stone rolled against it. The seal of the world's mightiest empire was affixed, and vigilant soldiers were on guard. In• deed, every precaution had been taken by the enemy to prevent Christ's rising from the dead. Yet in defiance of all the hindrances, up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o'er His foes. He arose a Victor from the dark do• main, and He lives forever with His saints to reign. Hallelujah! Christ arose. He who was put to death in the flesh was here quickened by the Spirit. Unbelievers have tried in every con• ceivable way to explain the resurrection. They have ransacked every brain cell in quest of a solution and have miserably failed. There is only one possible answer. Jesus Christ was raised miraculously from the dead in fulfilment of foregoing prophecies. 44 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST THE MIRACULOUS ASCENSION "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight." Such is the simple but sublime account of our Lord's as• cension, as given in the Acts of the Apostles. The Lord who descended at Bethlehem in a state of humiliation, is seen ascending in glory. Here again it would be impossible to account for the ascension apart from the supernatural. The risen Lord possessed a real body that could be handled. He had given many infallible proofs of a bodily resurrection. The hands that were uplifted in blessing at Bethany, were just as real as those laid upon sick folk before Calvary. The voice heard saying, "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" was the same that said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour." He was just as visible to His disciples at the ascension as He was to them before the crucifixion. Unbelievers have once again tried to refute the literal and personal ascension of Christ, by suggesting that the dis• ciples had become visionary and had seen a spirit. But they have attempted the impossible; for our Lord was personally, yet supernatural• ly, caught up in a cloud. THE MIRACULOUS OUTPOURING The phenomenal manifestations observed in the upper room at Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost can only be described as miraculous. THE GOSPEL OF THE MIRACULOUS 45 One hundred and twenty believers, representa• tive of every kind of temperament—the im• pulsive, the gentle, the stoical, the lovable, the strong, and the weak—all were earnestly en• gaged in a prayer convention, waiting for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Not one of them is prepared to believe that the promised blessing has come until they are supernaturally filled with power. The sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind is heard, the cloven tongues like as of fire are seen, and their vocal organs are controlled by the Spirit of God. They are all, irrespective of temperament, filled with the Holy Ghost, and begin to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gives them utterance. The Lord at this time is upon the throne, but He continues to work miraculously as He did when He was upon the earth. His earthly sphere of labor is exchanged for that of the heavenly. He, being glorified, sheds forth the power that is seen and heard. The outpouring of the Holy Ghost was nothing short of the miraculous.

THE MIRACULOUS SECOND ADVENT Believers in the personal return of Christ must, if they are consistent, believe in the mira• culous. Let us, for a moment, anticipate what will take place when He comes. The Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, the living saints will hear the voice of the archangel, and the sound of the trump of God. The rapture of saints will happen in a moment, yea, in the 46 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST twinkling of an eye, and their bodies will be immortalized. The dead in Christ shall come forth, and the slumber of the ages be ended. I maintain this afternoon that events of so stu• pendous a nature can only be termed miracu• lous. To me it is an amazing thing to find teachers exhorting their hearers to look ex• pectantly for the coming of Christ and at the same time saying that the day of miracles is past. To reject the truth that a saint's body can be healed miraculously, and yet to teach that he can expect his body to be changed and taken up altogether at any moment is a strange contradiction of logic! To teach that God is not working miraculously today and at the same time to expect the greatest of all miracles to happen any day, is certainly not compatible with well-balanced reasoning. I believe in the Second Advent of Christ and continually look for His coming, because I know the day of mira• cles is not past.

MIRACULOUS CONVERSIONS I maintain that every real conversion to Christianity is a miracle. Some change takes place in the experience of the true convert that can only be wrought through the divine agency of the supernatural. This change the Scrip• ture calls a new birth, or a passing from death into life. To be born again is to become a par• taker of divine nature, and to pass from death into life means the beginning of a life never be- THE GOSPEL OF THE MIRACULOUS 47 fore experienced. How can a person become a partaker of divine nature, and how can spirit• ual life begin in the soul of one dead in sins, apart from the miraculous? How can we ex• plain the change in some who were converted when they were intoxicated? I have seen drunk• ards saved and sobered in a few seconds, as they cried for mercy. Nothing short of a miracle could have made the change in them. Persons who could not be influenced by social reforma• tion, have been regenerated instantaneously at the reception of the gospel, and have been made new creatures in Christ Jesus. Persons who have never been tamed in the prison house have been mastered by love at the penitent form. Lives embittered by disappointment, and filled with hatred, have been transformed by the gos• pel, which is truly a gospel of the miraculous.

MIRACULOUS PRAYER I cannot possibly understand a person who believes in prayer, disbelieving the miraculous. While I am speaking in this great hall this after• noon, thousands, if not millions, will be pray• ing at the same time, and all expect to be heard. In every corner of the globe you will find men and women who pray to the one great God. Then, think again of the varied petitions that are in prayer laid before the throne. There are many that God considers best not to grant at all, and others that He will see fit to grant "ex• ceeding abundantly" above all they can ask or 48 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST think. How a person can expect to be heard in the midst of all this, apart from the miracu• lous, more than puzzles me. If God has ceased to work and act miraculously in this dispensa• tion, as some would have us believe, then pray• ing is useless. If God is silent and the heavens closed in this age, then it is only a waste of time to pray. Thank God, we know by ex• perience that He answers prayers. We cried in our sins, and He heard us: we prayed in our trouble, and He delivered: we asked Him to heal, and He healed: we sought the Baptism in the Holy Ghost, and we received. Yes! our God is still working miraculously. He hears and answers prayer.

each of its writers, has given us a complete Bible that will stand the tests of all time. Again, the way in which the Bible has been preserved is truly miraculous. In defiance of all the terrible onslaughts of the enemy, and of all the fires that have been kindled for its destruction, it remains imperishable and immortal. Voltaire predicted the extinction of the Bible within a hundred years of his day, but it still lives on, while he is dead and gone; and the very house in which he lived is now a Bible bouse, containing thou• sands of copies of the Book he spurned. I claim that the person who believes the Bible is in• consistent if he disbelieves the miraculous.

CONCLUSION The miraculous has been in evidence through• out every dispensation. In the Old Testament days of types and shadows, God gave mani• festations of the supernatural again and again. In New Testament days, when our Lord was on earth, we see how He healed the sick and demonstrated the miraculous wherever He went. If the supernatural was in evidence during the dispensation of the Father, and again in the dispensation of the Son, what reason is there to suppose that miracles were to cease during the dispensation of the Holy Ghost? Most Christians agree that the present dispensation commenced on the day of Pentecost, and if such is the case, then they must agree that it started with a miraculous demonstration of power. 50 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST Nearly all Christians agree that it will terminate at the second coming of Christ, and if that is so, then it will end with a still more marvellous demonstration of the supernatural. The apos• tles were surely within the bounds of this present dispensation, yet everyone of the mira• culous signs of the sixteenth chapter of Mark were given to confirm their message. There is no Scripture warrant for saying that they have been withdrawn at any time. On the contrary, Scripture declares that they shall follow them that believe. Thank God! we have in this great, crowded Royal Albert Hall this afternoon, thousands who have been miraculously healed, and who can give indisputable proof to the working of the supernatural in our day. Take the miraculous out of Christianity, and there is no Christianity left. THE BIBLE EVIDENCE OF THE BAP• TISM WITH THE HOLY GHOST

D. W. Kerr

AS a Pentecostal people, we hold that the Bible evidence of the Baptism with the Holy Ghost, which is promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples, and to all them that are afar off, and to as many as the Lord our God shall call, is speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We have found that whenever we, as a people, begin to let down on this particular point, the fire dies out, the ardor and fervor begin to wane, the glory departs. We have found where this posi• tion is held and wherever it is proclaimed, the Lord is working. Luke gives us an account of some of the facts which took place in connection with the min• istry of our Lord, in his Gospel. In that first letter which he wrote to his friend Theophilus —that is, "the Gospel of Luke"—he records some of the facts connected with the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the earth, but later on, he wrote a second letter to his friend called the "Acts of the Apostles," in which he records 51 52 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST some of the things which took place after our Lord ascended to heaven—that is, he records some of the things which Jesus did after He wont to heaven, just as he records some things which Jesus did while on earth. Whether we speak of His ministry during His earthly career or since He has returned to heaven, there is no difference at all as to the manifestation of His power in casting out devils, healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the leper, causing the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. When Jesus Christ was upon the earth. He wrought miracles by the power of the Spirit: when He returned to heaven He continued to work by the same power. Jesus Christ is responsible for all supernatural mani• festations that occurred as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. We read in the second chapter of Acts, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come the disciples were all together 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." Jesus Christ was responsible for what occurred here. And when in the 8th chapter of Acts, we read that Peter and John went down to Samaria and laid their hands upon believers, the Holy Ghost THE BIBLE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM 53 came upon them. Jesus Christ is responsible for what took place at that time. Later on, about eight years from the Pente• costal outpouring in the upper room, Peter went to Caesarea and preached the gospel to Cornelius and his friends, and while he was yet speaking, the Holy Ghost fell on all of them that heard, and they began to speak in tongues and magnify God. Jesus Christ is responsible for what oc• curred, for it was He that did it. Paul went to Ephesus and found certain dis• ciples, and after questioning them a little, he laid hands upon them and they received the Holy Ghost and began to speak in tongues and prophesy. Jesus Christ is responsible for what occurred there. For Luke tells us that in his former treatise he made a record of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach until He was taken up; and, after He was taken up, He con• tinued to do and to teach, and He is still doing and teaching tonight. We do most steadfastly believe this. God raised His Son Jesus Christ from the dead, and, having exalted Him by His right hand, and having given to Him the prom• ise of the Spirit, He sheds forth this which we now see and hear. He is still pouring out the Holy Ghost, and when the Holy Ghost comes, the Baptism can be seen and heard and we, as Pentecostal people, hold that a Baptism which cannot be seen and heard is not according to the pattern Baptism on the day of Pentecost, at Caesarea, at Ephesus, and at Damascus—for 48 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST think. How a person can expect to be heard in the midst of all this, apart from the miracu• lous, more than puzzles me. If God has ceased to work and act miraculously in this dispensa• tion, as some would have us believe, then pray• ing is useless. If God is silent and the heavens closed in this age, then it is only a waste of time to pray. Thank God, we know by ex• perience that He answers prayers. We cried in our sins, and He heard us: we prayed in our trouble, and He delivered: we asked Him to heal, and He healed: we sought the Baptism in the Holy Ghost, and we received. Yes! our God is still working miraculously. He hears and answers prayer.

MIRACULOUS BIBLE This grand old Book, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, is nothing less than a miracle. Its sixty-six books, the compilation of over thirty writers, took over fifteen hundred years to complete. Persons in the varied callings and stations of life were used to put it together—kings and shepherds, scho• lars and fishermen, priests and politicians, a doc• tor and a tax-collector. The first man to write had gone the way of all flesh, long before the last began. Yet from the first verse in Genesis to the last verse in Revelation, there is not one single contradiction. You may search in vain to find inaccuracies, because they are only supposed. The one divine Author, moving THE GOSPEL OF THE MIRACULOUS 49 each of its writers, has given us a complete Bible that will stand the tests of all time. Again, the way in which the Bible has been preserved is truly miraculous. In defiance of all the terrible onslaughts of the enemy, and of all the fires that have been kindled for its destruction, it remains imperishable and immortal. Voltaire predicted the extinction of the Bible within a hundred years of his day, but it still lives on, while he is dead and gone; and the very house in which he lived is now a Bible house, containing thou• sands of copies of the Book he spurned. I claim that the person who believes the Bible is in• consistent if he disbelieves the miraculous.

CONCLUSION The miraculous has been in evidence through• out every dispensation. In the Old Testament days of types and shadows, God gave mani• festations of the supernatural again and again. In New Testament days, when our Lord was on earth, we see how He healed the sick and demonstrated the miraculous wherever He went. If the supernatural was in evidence during the dispensation of the Father, and again in the dispensation of the Son, what reason is there to suppose that miracles were to cease during the dispensation of the Holy Ghost? Most Christians agree that the present dispensation commenced on the day of Pentecost, and if such is the case, then they must agree that it started with a miraculous demonstration of power. 54 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST there is where Paul undoubtedly received his Baptism, with the sign of tongues following. For, Paul says, "I give thanks to God, speaking in tongues more than you all." When the Lord Jesus has performed His of• fice work in baptizing those that obey God according to the Scriptures, the finished product can be seen and heard. We read in John 20:30, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disci• ples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name." In John 21:15, we read, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." The outstanding point here is this, that John in writing his Gospel made a selection from the great mass of material that was so voluminous that had everything been written that Jesus did the world itself could not contain the books. This is the princi• ple we want to lay down, that John made a selection of just such material as served his pur• pose, and that is, to confirm believers in the faith concerning Jesus Christ the Son of God. Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles about 65 A. D., thirty years after Jesus ascended to the Father. Do you suppose that Luke put on record everything that Jesus did during that THE BIBLE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM 55

period? I think not. I believe that Luke held to the same principle of selection as John. For those disciples had a wider ministry than the Lord Jesus had when on earth, for Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But He said, "Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." "And ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be wit• nesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth." At that time Luke was Paul's traveling companion. Paul had already gone as far as Corinth, Ephesus, Thessalonica, and Philippi; he had already completed his third missionary journey, and, wherever they went, they preached the gospel, "the Lord working with them confirming the word with signs fol• lowing." And what are the signs? In Mark 16:17, we read, "And 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 re• cover." We have here five signs that are men• tioned. These signs are what I call physical signs, signs that take place on the physical side, and every one of them can be seen. Mark tells us explicitly that the disciples went forth everywhere preaching the word, the 56 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST Lord working with them, confirming the word with signs following. The word "follow" is a peculiar word in Greek and means to follow so closely as never to be absent. The five signs followed the disci• ples in their ministry of the Word so closely that they were never absent. They were al• ways present when they preached the gospel with the power of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Jesus Christ prophesied that they which be• lieve on Him should "speak in new tongues." This prophecy was literally fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, for "they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." But were there not other of the five signs that "Oc• curred just then? No. Were there not some devils to be cast out? I think not. If those disciples needed anything done in that line I believe that Jesus would have done that before they went into the upper room. They were all blood-washed men, all justified and sanctified, and they were all waiting for one thing and that was the fulfillment of the promise of the Father which Jesus had given unto them: "And be• hold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." We have the live physical signs, and Luke uniform• ly selects the one of speaking in tongues, in con• nection with the Baptism with His Spirit. Is THE BIBLE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM 57 it not marvelous? Is this not an altogether striking characteristic of the book of Acts? When he speaks of the Baptism which came upon Cornelius and his friends, he says, "While he was yet speaking these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard, and they be• gan to speak in tongues, and magnify God." When we come to Ephesus, we find the same thing again. We ask the question, Why does Luke select the sign of tongues, when there was such a great mass of material from which he could have selected? There were other signs, and later on, still others. Why did Luke select this one sign and make it so prominent? Some say you make this sign too prominent. Speak• ing by comparison, or comparing this one sign that was singled out from all the other signs, there is no question that it was intended to stand with the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Take Paul's experience, which is recorded in the Book of Acts and in the 14th chapter of First Corin• thians; take every experience with the Baptism in the Holy Ghost, and the speaking in tongues is clearly the accompanying sign. Although not actually mentioned in Acts 8, it is plainly implied. Speaking in tongues is the work of the Holy Ghost by Jesus Christ. It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, performing this miracle by the Holy Ghost. Or, to make the statement com• plete, it is God the Father on the throne through Jesus Christ the Lord, by the Holy Ghost, with 58 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST whom He fills the believers, causing them to speak in other tongues. Some one may say, "I believe you are right, but I do not believe in railroading folks into this experience." We do not, either. We be• lieve that God the Son, or the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Holy Ghost, can do that business Himself. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost. Luke, writing the Acts of the Apostles, about 65 A. D., thirty-one years after Jesus had as• cended, by divine guidance selects from a vol• uminous mass of materials just such facts and just such manifestations of the power of God as served his purpose. What is his purpose? No doubt, it is to show that what Jesus prom• ised He hath so fulfilled. He says, "they that believe shall speak in other tongues." The 120 believed and, therefore, they spake in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. We also believe, and we speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. In the 10th chapter of the Book of the Acts, we read, "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision were astonished, as many as came with Peter because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God." We read in the 11th chapter these words, "And he shewed us how he had seen an angel THE BIBLE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM 59 in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then re• membered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. For as much then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I that I could withstand God?" Here we meet with that fixed law in the universe so manifest everywhere, that is, the law of cause and effect. Like causes produce like effects. Peter does not say this in so many words, but it is included in the expression, "as on us at the beginning." We see the cause of their speaking in tongues, "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." What was the cause of their speaking in tongues at Caesarea? In the beginning, the Holy Ghost was the cause; eight years later, the Holy Ghost was the cause. In the beginning, the effect was speaking in tongues; eight years later, the effect was speaking in tongues. Like causes produce like effects. But that is not all that Peter said. Listen: "Forasmuch as God gave them the like gift"—like means equal—so like or equal causes produce equal effects. 60 THE PHENOMENA OF PENTECOST Like causes produce like effects. Equal causes produce equal effects. You can not escape the force of this argument. You cannot get around it. It is written everywhere and illustrated by the universe. "And they of the circumcision were aston• ished because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." How did they know? Was it a signless Baptism? Would a signless Baptism have convinced those Jews? It took a sign Baptism to convince them beyond the shadow of a doubt that God had filled those Gentiles. And Peter said, "What was I that I could withstand God?" How did they know? "They heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God." Why were they astonished? They were not astonished to hear them speak in tongues, for they were perfectly familiar with that manifestation of the Spirit. What were they astonished at? "They of the circumcision were astonished because that on the gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God." "That statement says to me that the sign of tongues was the accepted evidence of the Baptism, among all the disciples and apostles up to that time; that they were entirety familiar with that sign; that it was always present; that they were not astonished when they heard anybody speaking in tongues, but they were astonished that God had poured out the gift THE BIBLE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM 61 of the Holy Ghost on the Gentiles. And they knew that, because they heard them speak in tongues. This Caesarean case is an outstand• ing witness that the Bible evidence of the Scrip• tural Baptism; the apostolic Baptism; the Bap• tism which Jesus Christ gives when He has a chance, is speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We therefore take Acts 2:4 as the sample, or pattern Baptism. Let us move up to God who is calling us to wait on Him until He baptizes with the Holy Ghost. God is still saving "by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed upon us richly" with the sign of tongues following the Baptism with the Spirit.