Living Expectantly

MEMORY SELECTION: “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” —Acts 1:8

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Acts 1:1-4

THE context of this week’s memory selection provides the setting for Jesus’ last and parting instructions to his apostles. Although they were to carry on the great work which our Lord had begun in them, they would, nevertheless, be quite unprepared for that task without first having received special power to understand the deep things in relation to the plan of God. That special power was the Holy Spirit.

Many students of the Bible are aware that the expression “Holy Ghost” (as it appears in this passage as well as other passages in their common version Bibles) is an incorrect one, which has misled students concerning the real meaning of the “Holy Spirit.” The thought is not that of a personality, as suggested by the improper use of the word “ghost,” but of special ability and understanding as it relates to the revealment of God’s purposes for his people. Those interested in pursuing the matter are encouraged to consult one of the several modern translations (for example, The New English Bible), and note the proper rendering, “Holy Spirit.”

Jesus had given instruction to his disciples in connection with the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. On one occasion (John 14:26) he said, “But the Comforter [parakletos—intercessor], which is the Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit], whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” Jesus later said, “But when the Comforter [parakletos—intercessor] is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” (John 15:26) Then, to show why the Holy Spirit was necessary and that it would not be given as long as our Lord abode with them, Jesus again said (John 16:7): “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter [parakletos—intercessor] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

The Holy Spirit was to be the means by which the apostles would be guided into an understanding of the truth as it pertained to the plan of God and its spiritual application in connection with the followers of Christ. A new age was dawning, in which our Lord Jesus began the institution of his church. It would be a time when there would be trials and testings, but it would also be a time of great blessing. The apostles of Christ were to be the special and spiritually enlightened pillars in that church.

Having received the abundant power of the Holy Spirit, which enabled the apostles to grasp the deeper significance in the prophecies and the teachings of the Master, they were instructed to use that special blessing as representatives of Christ’s kingdom “in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Throughout the long centuries of the Gospel Age, reaching even unto our own day, the inspired teachings of the apostles have been a guide for the footstep follower of Jesus. Their enlightenment has given us greater understanding and enabled us to grasp the deeper meaning of the redemptive work of our Lord and Savior. We see Jesus as the true Redeemer of the world, not of just the few followers who consecrate their lives during the present age, but also as the Redeemer of all the families of the earth, which will be manifested in due time. And in this connection we see more clearly the overwhelming privilege of joint-heirship with our Lord in that millennial kingdom of truth and righteousness.

The apostles, living away back in that distant time, were in expectation of that promised millennial kingdom; but we who have now come to the very end of the Gospel Age see evidences afresh that encourage our faithfulness and endurance to press along, ever mindful that the new age of restitution is near at hand.

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