Using Witnessing Power

Acts 2:1-4; 4:8-20

GOLDEN TEXT: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the Word of God with boldness.”—Acts 4:31

TODAY’S lesson has to do with the baptism of the holy Spirit which came upon the waiting disciples at Pentecost, and by which they were authorized and empowered to become the ambassadors of Christ. In this Pentecostal baptism of the holy Spirit there was given an outward manifestation of the enlightening power of the Spirit and the authorization which it gave to speak in the name of the Lord.

This manifestation was given in the cloven tongues which rested upon the heads of each of the disciples. From the construction of the Greek text it is evident that these were not split tongues, on the heads of the favored ones, but rather that they were tongues of flame, cloven or split off from a central or luminous body, tongues which emanated from one common center, and went to the heads of those for whom intended.

These tongues were not of fire, but of light. The tongues represented nothing akin to destruction which fire would symbolize. They represented, on the contrary, enlightenment, knowledge, intelligence, and implied that a holy intelligence or light from the Lord was come upon the recipients, marking them as the Lord’s mouthpieces. This indicated that from henceforth their tongues should show forth His praise, to the blessing and enlightenment of the church, and finally of the whole world.

And so indeed it has been; those poor fishermen, illiterate, unlearned as respects earthly education, under the power of the Lord’s Spirit became mighty indeed in the pulling down of strongholds of error, and the scattering of darkness, by the illumination of the minds prepared for the Word of God’s grace.

The tongues of light which came upon the faithful at Pentecost did not continue with them, even as the dove, which was seen descending upon Jesus, did not continue to be seen. Both the dove and the flame of light were merely outward representations, not to deceive, but for the purpose of teaching a great Lesson—for the purpose of convincing all who can receive it, that the promised blessing and power had come.

The Lord’s people who since then have come under the influence of the holy Spirit have neither signs of flames nor doves; nor the sound of rushing wind, as at Pentecost—nor do they speak miraculously in foreign languages and, also, interpret those languages. They, nevertheless, come into and are made partakers of the holy Spirit, which no longer is accompanied by these outward manifestations because they are no longer necessary. The church having been established, and the fact of the holy Spirit’s impartation having been demonstrated, we are now to accept the same by faith, and to permit it to dwell in us richly, and to cultivate in our hearts and lives the fruits of that Spirit, instead of expecting them or other things as miraculous gifts.

Beginning at Pentecost and to some extent thereafter, some in the early church were empowered by the holy Spirit to speak with tongues. This means that they were able to speak in foreign languages with which they were not by education acquainted. The matter of speaking in tongues and its purpose has been greatly confused in the minds of many of the Lord’s people in this end of the age. Some today suppose that it has reference to a sort of incoherent babbling which has no meaning and could accomplish no useful purpose; but on the contrary, tends to convince the onlooker that the one practicing such things may be on the road to insanity.

It was not thus in the early church. At Pentecost, Jews from many parts of the then known world had gathered in Jerusalem for this special feast. These spoke many different languages. In order that the witness of the Kingdom Gospel might reach these quickly and effectively, the apostles were empowered miraculously to speak in tongues that could be understood by these representative Jews from the various districts from which they came.

There was no time to educate the apostles in the use of foreign languages. There were no printing presses by which translations of the Gospel could be printed in those languages. God’s hand was not shortened, and He enabled the witness to go forth by this miraculous means, because necessity demanded it. This necessity continued for a number of years, but ceased, as representative Christians, acquainted with the various languages, were able, without this miraculous intervention, to carry on the witness work.

QUESTIONS:

What was the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit that came upon the waiting disciples at Pentecost?

What is signified by the speaking with tongues as it was practiced in the early church?

What lesson is conveyed by the fact that the Lord used tongues as the outward manifestation of the Spirit’s baptism?

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