Truth Magazine

By Robert Wayne La Coste

Remember your teenage years? Now, come on, it wasn’t that long ago. I was still a teen twenty-four years ago, yet it seems like yesterday. Now, I’m living those years again through my own teenage children. No doubt, most if not all of us have “paid for our raising” in more ways than we might like to talk about. In conversation with other parents who have teens, we all agree that it is harder being a teenager today than back even in those “terrible” sixties. The sixties had its problems, but nothing like today. In the sixties, drugs, premarital relations and thusly sexual diseases were prevalent, but today they are an epidemic! As a result of this epidemic, abortion remains America’s holocaust while in the sixties it virtually was unheard of.

Though these matters have changed (and regretably not for the better), still there are some things which have not changed. I can remember teens in my youth wanting parents to know certain feelings we had and it is interesting to note that teens still want parents to listen and to know their true feelings today.

At the Guelph Correctional Center in Guelph, Ontario (Canada), Charles Galea, who works with troubled youth in that facility, asked hundreds of teens what they would say to their parents, if they could talk to them right now. These answers helped the facility and their staff in dealing with teens, but equally important, in helping men and women to be better parents.

“Don’t Lose Your Temper”

Or as one teen put it, “keep your cool.” In difficult times kids need reassurance.

I go to thinking about this statement and surely God’s word supports the principle of self-control; especially of one’s temper. The word temper is the root of another word, temperance. Self-control, or temperance is one of the keys in maintaining any relationship. Uncontrolled anger leads to other unrighteous acts, or as James put it, “. . . for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (Jas. 1:20). You noticed however, I said “uncontrolled anger.” Surely, there is a righteous indignation or anger that may well need to exist against certain evil, but to this anger the apostle Paul gives a warning, “Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Eph. 4:26). To fathers in particular, the apostle Paul wrote, “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Col. 3:21). Uncontrolled anger only begets more uncontrolled anger. Parents, let’s get hold of ourselves before we get hold of our kids and with calmness we will find our discipline will not only be more effective, but received in a lot different manner, than if we do otherwise.

Show Us Who’s Boss

Does it surprise you that many teens in these interviews said this? It shouldn’t. Most teenagers are young people who know their limitations and realize they need guidance and direction. Others said, “We just wanted our parents to show they cared about us. One way was to set rules, which they didn’t do.”

Children without guidance and rules to restrain them are going to turn out like the sons of the priest Eli. The Scripture reveals, “. . . because his sons made themselves vile, and he restained them not” (1 Sam. 3:13).

Children don’t want cruelty, but they do want discipline. I remember a friend from my high school days having no rules or regulations. He thought it absolutely preposterous that my parents should have an I I o’clock curfew for a senior in high school. My dad however felt that “anyone out past midnight was up to no good.” We weren’t exactly crazy about the rule, but we indeed followed it. Teens, respect and obey the rules of your mom and dad. Someday you too will have teenagers and you’ll be glad you did! Anyway, this friend later got into some trouble and remarked, “If I would have had some guidance and been restrained, I might have learned restraint. My folks didn’t care about me or they would have had rules.” No, he didn’t think this as a teenager, but in his early twenties when his life was messed up, he wished then someone would have cared enough to help him control his earlier life as a teenager.

God loves mankind and has rules for men. If we love our children, can we do less? Set rules, enforce curfews. Stick to them parents. Your teenagers might not think much about them or thank you now, but they surely shall someday!

Remember Who You Are

“Kids want someone they can look up to. Parents need to act their age. Be a parent, not a pal.”

This comment did surprise me somewhat. I didn’t think most teens wanted anyone but a pal. Of a truth, they want a parent. They want someone who is a role model for them to imitate. Because parents are older, I really think most teenagers respect that and look to the older for advice and help, particularly in tough situations.

This is a tough chore for me as a parent, for I’m close to my children, as I think most parents are. Because of that closeness, there comes times when I must say no, even though I might like to say yes. It boils down to this, Fathers must take the lead in “bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). My brothers in Christ who have children: We are first fathers! Everything else is secondary.

My wife has taught high school for nearly twenty years. She sees this problem all the time. Men who want to be “pals and buddies,” rather than fathers. So what do they do? They give in when they shouldn’t, they compromise and spoil, for they don’t want their Johnny or Janie unhappy. Little do they realize, that in their quest to keep their teenager happy, and seemingly at all cost, they sell their soul to the devil. Parents: Remember who you are. You are the one God has given into your hands a precious soul for a brief time. This will mean standing for the right, as a parent should. Our children will have pals come and go. They only have one father and mother. Teens, you should surely, “hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother; for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck” (Prov. 1:8-9). Teenagers: Peers are like the weather. They come and go and are often unpredictable and often unreliable. Lean to your folks and strive to build a lasting relationship. You can depend on them and they should be able to depend upon you.

Talk About God

This response may surprise you, but it didn’t me. It made me think of the several times I have talked with troubled teens and each time, they wanted to talk about someone or something bigger than they are. They want to believe in that someone. They want to know if there is a God and if he or anyone else really cares about them. When you are a teenager in trouble, you look for answers. Some find the answer in drugs, but that’s not a solution, that’s a problem. When all seems lost and they think no one cares, some commit suicide. Teenage suicides remain at an all time high.

Long ago, realizing that in each generation, children would need guidance and direction, God spoke and said, “And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deut. 6:6-7).

It is not enough brethren to “take our children to church. ” We should have God and his law ever before them, both in our teaching and especially in our manner of living.

Call Our Bluff

“My parents always took me too seriously. Kids don’t mean everything they say,” another teenager remarked. “I only said a lot of things to get their attention.”

Young people are not the only ones who often need their bluff called. I’ve seen Christians threaten to leave the congregation like the young person threatening to leave home if they don’t get their way. Such a bluff needs to be called. At one time or another, both of my children have threatened to leave home. When asked if I could pack their bag, they immediagely dropped the subject. In fact, once with my pre-teen son, his mother did pack his bag. He immediately apologized and in another few minutes was hugging his mother and saying he was sorry. Children don’t really want to leave home, but if they can get you to thinking they just might leave, they feel they have won at least a mental victory. Truly, “foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Prov. 22:15).

Be Honest

“We just want to be told the truth.” Well, who really doesn’t’? The teenager who said this, needs to be commended, for truth is indispensable to any proper relationship. Honesty may well be however, a forgotten virtue. Yet the Scripture remains steadfast and sure, “Putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25).

When parents lie or deceive their children, why does it surprise them when their children also turn to lying and deception of some sort?

Honesty is not only a “good policy,” but it is the will of God. It was demanded of the special men who worked for the church in Jerusalem to deal with the needs of the Grecian widows (Acts 6:3). All Christians are to “provide things honest in the sight of God and all of men” (Rom. 12:17; 2 Cor. 8:21). Honesty is a surely a matter to be praised and constantly thought on and practiced (Phil. 4:8). Parents, to rear honest children, let’s be honest!

Conclusion

Most parents don’t have delinquent children to deal with, at least not like those interviewed at the Ontario correctional institute. We have teenagers who simply want and need firm, caring parents. Young people want to be treated with an equal balance of love and discipline, told the truth, and have a source of guidance in their lives. Parents are we doing what we can in these all so important areas? The thought of being lost from the Lord eternally is too horrible to even contemplate, but the thought of our children being lost because we weren’t parents as we could and should have been well that’s a nightmare!

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 16, pp. 488-489
August 20, 1992

By J.W. McGarvey (1829-1911)

“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (Heb. 5:7,8).

Why did Jesus pray! Scoffers have said that if He was divine He prayed to himself, and his prayers were not real. They forget that while He was here he was less than himself – that tho, before his advent he was “in the form of God, and counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God,” he “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, yea, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:6-8). This is the representation from which to regard him. Having thus made himself in a measure dependent on his Father, it was proper for him to pray.

Others have said that he prayed, not because he needed, as we do, the benefits of prayer, but simply to set us an example. This answer is little better than the other; for if he prayed only to set an example, it was a bad example, for it would teach us also to offer prayers for which we would feel no need. That his prayers were real and heartfelt, is manifest from the passage cited as my text in which it is said that “in the days of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.” When prayers are accompanied by “strong crying and tears” on the part of a sane man, there can be no possible doubt of their sincerity and reality.

The question still confronts us, why did Jesus pray? We are told that he was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). If this is true, he must have employed with unfailing success the means of resisting temptation which we employ so ineffectually. One of these is prayer; for he said to his disciples, “Watch, and pray that ye enter not into temptation.” To “enter into temptation,” is to come under its controlling power. To watch and to pray guards us against this. We watch, in order to see the temptation ere it assails us. We pray for strength to resist it when it comes. If we study the prayers of Jesus with reference to the occasions on which they were offered, I think we shall see very plainly that he faithfully practiced the precept which he gave to his disciples.

He began his public career by solemnly submitting to John’s baptism. Whatever may have been his trials and temptations before this, he knew that this act would introduce him into a career in which they would be more severe and would end in a struggle testing the utmost strength of his soul. He perhaps knew also that immediately after his baptism he would be subjected to the strongest temptations which Satan’s ingenuity could invent for that moment in his career. Most wisely then was his baptism followed immediately by prayer. And it was while he was praying that the heavens were opened above him, and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove, and entered into him (Lk. 3:21,22; Mk. 1:10, 11). He was now prepared for the worst that Satan could do, and when, after forty days he triumphed and drove Satan from him, angels came and ministered to him.

We know not to what extent Jesus was dependent on his Father for wisdom and guidance respecting the affairs of his coming kingdom; but we know that he made his most important administrative act the subject of protracted prayer. That act was the selection of the twelve men to whom he would entrust the establishment and ordering of his kingdom on earth after he should have returned to the world whence he came. No selection of subordinate officers in any kingdom since the world began has been of so momentous importance. Suppose, if we can, that all had proven as false to their trust as did Judas Iscariot, who can begin to imagine the consequences? We may not be able to see any temptation that beset him in making this choice, unless it was in regard to placing among the twelve the thief who was to betray him; but we learn that before making the selection he spent the whole of the preceding night in prayer (Lk. 6:12-16). Who can tell to what extent the unequaled fidelity and amazing triumph of those men in the inauguration and administration of the kingdom of God resulted from the efficacy of that prayer? The answer is wrapped up in the secrets of eternity.

On the morning of the day in which the five thousand were fed the twelve apostles returned to Jesus from their first tour of preaching and healing (Lk. 9:1-17). They had not yet eaten their morning meal. An agitated throng gathered about them and pressed them so that they could not do so. As Mark expresses it, “Many were coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat” (6:30,3 1). At the same early hour an excited group of John’s disciples came to Jesus with the crushing announcement that John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod, and that they had taken his headless body and laid it in a tomb (Matt. 14:12-14; Mk. 6:29). Either of these reports was enough to excite the people; and when they heard both, they were wild. The people were already thrilled by what the twelve had been doing, and when they heard of the bloody deed of Herod they went wild; for all counted John as a prophet. The more they heard the details of the bloody deed the more exasperated they became.

But if this fateful announcement was exasperating to the multitude of the Galileans, what must it have been to Jesus? John had been the best friend he had on earth next to his mother. He had baptized him, had given him honor in the presence of the multitude, and had secured for him his first disciples. He was also a kinsman in the flesh, and even his murderer had acknowledged him to be “a holy man and just.” No one who has not been suddenly informed of the cruel murder of a dear friend and kinsman, can realize the conflict of emotions which agitated the soul of Jesus when this announcement was made. The pang was all the keener in that it foreshadowed what was soon to come upon himself. He said nothing. Not a word of comment is quoted from him by any of the narrators. What he was tempted to say we can conjecture only by our knowledge of human nature, and the apostle’s statement that he was “tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.” He only said to his apostles, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile” (Matt. 14:34). What other purpose he had in going to the desert place we learn farther on. They quietly entered their boat and struck out for the pasture lands belonging to Bethsaida Julias, at the northeastern curve of the lake (Lk. 9:10). The people soon saw to what point the boat was headed, and with a common impulse they started on a rush around the northwestern curve and northern end of the lake for the same spot. The news spread like wild-fire through the villages, and almost the whole population ran out to join the race. Soon the largest multitude that ever gathered about Jesus was before him, and the rest for which he had started was prevented. His compassion for them and for the sick whom they brought with them overpowered his desire for rest and quiet, so he spent the day in teaching and healing until it was too late for the people to return to their homes without suffering from hunger. Then came the feeding. So wildly excited had the people been, that they had come to this uninhabited plain without food; and reckless of consequences, had remained all day.

At this point an incident mentioned only by John added immensely to the temptation which had been oppressing Jesus since the early morning. He perceived that the people 9 4 were about to come and take him by force and make him king” (6:15). This was a renewal of Satan’s third temptation in the wilderness. The people believed that he intended to set up a political kingdom; and such was the exasperation now felt toward Herod that the moment for an uprising seemed to have come. The five thousand men present were ready to strike the first blow. Herod’s capital city, Tiberias, was in full view across the lake, and it could be taken in a few hours. With five thousand men ready to move at his command and the whole of Galilee in a popular ferment, it would have been easy and quick work to dethrone the murderer of his friend, and then march with accumulating forces upon Pontius Pilate and Judea. If his soul had been fired with such passions as are universal with men, how strong the temptation would have been! But no; the disciples are hastily ordered into their boat with orders to cross the lake, the multitude are formally dismissed, and Jesus retires into the mountain at the base of which he had spent the day. Not till now did he find that for which he had started in the morning. Alone in the solitude of the mountain he spends the night in prayer. Once more he applies the safeguard against temptation; once more the tempest within his soul, like that on the lake a few days previous, hears the rebuke, “Peace, be still”; and there is a “great calm.” It was now about the fourth watch of the night; the full moon of the passover week was shining (Jn. 6:4); and a very strong wind was blowing from the west; but Jesus, knowing that his disciples were struggling in the middle of the lake against that wind, walks out to them on the boiling waves, a distance of nearly three miles (Jn. 6:1). The boat soon glided over the remaining three miles, but when it landed another day had dawned, and the whole company had passed twenty-four hours without rest, without food, unless they partook with the multitude of the cold barley bread and fish, and without sleep. This is a specimen of the laborious life which Jesus was leading, and into the hardships of which his disciples were initiating the twelve.

Not long after this occurred that ever memorable occasion on which Jesus was first formally acknowledged by his disciples as the “Christ, the Son of the living God.” He was “praying alone” when the disciples came to him and heard from him the searching question, “Whom do you say that I am?” (Lk. 9:18-20) What the especial occasion of that prayer was, we are not informed; but it illustrates at least his prayerful habit.

About eight days after these sayings Jesus went up into another mountain to pray, and now he takes with him Peter, James and John (Lk. 9:28). Matthew calls it “a high mountain” (17:1), and as one of the sayings from which the eight days are counted was spoken near Caesarea Philippi, which stands at the base of Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in Palestine, it was probably this or some of its outlying spurs that he now ascended. It was a laborious climb to reach the spot, and here was another night of prayer. The three disciples soon completed their short prayers, and fell asleep. They were awakened by the sound of voices; and on looking up they beheld Jesus transfigured in glory and two other men in glory deeply absorbed in conversation with him. They soon learned by hearing their names called, that the other two were Moses and Elijah. They learn, too, that the subject of conversation was “the decease which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” They had first heard of this about eight days before from the lips of Jesus himself (Lk. 9:22,28). Now, to their amazement they hear it spoken of again by these mighty men whose abode had been for many centuries in the land of departed spirits. What they said of it we may never know; but may we not safely conclude that the purpose of Jesus in that night of prayer was to plead for an increase of fortitude as the shadow of his final agony was now growing deeper as he approached it? His prayer was answered by the words of sympathy which came to him from men almost divine. How I would love to know what they said. If my courage shall fail not when I meet with Moses or Elijah, I shall inquire what they said to Jesus; and I shall also ask how they knew that he would be on the mountain that night, and how they knew that he was going to die in Jerusalem.

Although Jesus was so prayerful himself, he was not persistent like the apostle Paul in urging this duty on the disciples. Even in his well-known remarks on the subject in the Sermon on the Mount, he did not exhort them to pray; but, assuming that they would pray, he was content with telling them how. And so, in the subsequent course of his ministry he depended on the force of his example, rather than on repeated precept for their training in this respect. His method had the desired effect; for after what I have thus far narrated, “it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place that when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples'” (Lk. 11:1-4). Having been a disciple of John, this man knew what John had taught on the subject, and he also knew what Jesus himself had taught in the Sermon on the Mount. Why then was he not satisfied? Evidently he thought from the protracted prayers of Jesus, and perhaps from what he saw, or thought he saw, of their effects on the life of Jesus, that there was yet a secret in prayer which he had not discovered. None of the disciples could as yet pray all night; and none since then have learned to do so. Whoever tried it without falling asleep? And who has prayed so effectually as to guard himself against sin? It is a high credit to this disciple – and probably he spoke for the others as well as for himself – that he aspired to his Master’s devotion in this respect. He was disappointed. Jesus answered only by repeating the major part of the simple prayer which he had taught them before, and by adding a parable to show the value of importunity in pleading for what we need (Lk. 11:5-13).

While seated at the last supper, Peter met with a surprise greater, perhaps, than any he had ever known. Jesus said to him: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you that he might sift you like wheat: but I made supplication for thee, that they faith fail not: and do thou, when once thou art turned again, establish thy brethren” (Lk. 22:32). What a revelation to Simon! How startling to know that Satan had thus reached for him, that he might toss him up and down like a farmer winnowing his wheat! What could be meant by his future turning again that he might strengthen his brethren; and how watchful the Master had been to interceed for his safety when he was unmindful of danger. Who knows to what extent the final salvation of Peter depended on that supplication? How sweet it is to know that we too may be objects of similar solicitude in our days of peril. While praying for himself, Jesus did not forget to pray for others. Did he pray for Judas? He gave the traitor blood-curdling warnings on that same fateful night, but not a word about praying for him. Was it true of him, as the old preachers were once accustomed to say, that they was no longer on “praying ground or pleading terms with God?”

The longest prayer ever quoted from the lips of Jesus followed after Judas had left the upper room and the solemn feast. It contains few words for himself, and the rest for the faithful to whom the destinies of his kingdom were now to be entrusted till the final day without his visible presence. Then followed the silent moonlit walk through the deserted streets and down the steep declivity to the Kidron and Gethsemane. On reaching the garden it was observed that “He began to be sorrowful and sore troubled.” The composure that he had maintained thus far broke down as he directed Peter and the sons of Zebedee to go farther with him, and said to the rest, “Sit ye here, while I go yonder and pray.” His supreme hour had come, and what could he do but pray? To the three he said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” – death, unless he could find relief. “Abide ye here and watch” (stay awake) “with me.” Three times he went from them a short distance to pray, and three times came back to find them asleep. He could not endure to be thus left alone in his anguish. But wakeful angels were watching over the scene and at the moment of his keenest anguish one of them was permitted to appear to Him and strengthen Him. The reported words of this prayer are few. It was doubtless now that his words were attended with strong crying and ears, and by these he was choked almost into silence. I can almost hear the sob with which he prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” Who can fathom the depth of meaning in that utterance, or weigh the temptation which it implied? It was offered to “him who was able to save him from death,” and he was heard (Heb. 5:8) – heard not by saving him from death, but by sending the angel to strengthen him. How I long to know what that angel said! Some day I hope to ask him. It did strengthen him; for when he next returned to the sleeping disciples, instead of waking them, as before, he said, “Sleep on now, and take your rest.” Without another cry, or another groan, he passed through the arrest, the trial, the mocking, the scourging, the crucifixion, till the moment when he cried out, “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” In another moment we hear the last prayer he ever uttered: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. ” His father had not forsaken him. His temptations, his prayers and his tears were now ended forevermore. (Reprinted from Robert Scott and William C. Stiles, eds., Modern Sermons by World Scholars, 1087 Vols. [New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1909), VI: 75-87; thanks to Bruce Hudson for bringing this material to our attention.)

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 16, pp. 498-500
August 20, 1992

By Tom Roberts

“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; And also on my menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28,29).

“But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16).

Any consideration of the themes contained in the Book of Acts must surely include the administration of the Holy Spirit. As Joel prophesied, the “last days” would see the pouring out of the Spirit of God. Peter, one of the twelve who received this pouring out in Acts 2 confirmed that God had kept his word, the last days had arrived and the Spirit was thereby being given. It is notable that the apostles were never confused about the Spirit, its mission nor its medium; but confusion reigns today as every charlatan and huckster seeks to make merchandise of the Spirit of God. How fearful it is to consider the fate of those who do despite to the Spirit.

The Spirit Was Promised

Luke confided to us that Jesus told the apostles “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye heard from me: for John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence” (Acts 1:4-5).

We find these promises (which were made only to the apostles) recorded in John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” Also, John 16:13: “However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come.”

It is a mistake of major proportions, both textually and contextually, to assign these promises to all disciples. Read carefully and you will see that only the apostles were addressed. And it was only the apostles who received the fulfillment of the promise.

The Spirit Was Given

True to their Lord’s command, the apostles were waiting in Jerusalem. Just prior to the time when the Spirit was given, a number of brethren gathered to witness the selection of Matthias to replace Judas (Acts 1:15-26). But it is a superficial reading that would appoint the 120 disciples or the multitudes at the place where the Spirit was given. Please note that the last verse of chapter 1 states that Matthias was numbered “with the eleven apostles.” Then chapter 2 begins the statement, “And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place.” Who were the “they” of verse one? Was it not the “apostles” who are the antecedents of the pronoun in verse one? Further, we can pinpoint who received the Holy Spirit, because the ones who received the Spirit spoke in tongues, but verse 7 informed us that those who spoke in tongues 49were all Galileans,” an obvious reference to the apostles. Again, verse 14 clearly stated that “Peter, standing up with the eleven” began to speak and the crowd recognized that only the apostles were speaking (v. 11), “as the Spirit gave them utterance” (v. 4). But the multitude did not come together until after the Spirit was given, so they could not have been recipients any more than the 120 were.

The Purpose of Holy Spirit Baptism

Please note that every time there was an evidence of the Spirit doing something it did not mean that a “baptism of the Holy Spirit” was taking place. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was not a common event. Peter later recalled, at the time when the Spirit was poured out on the household of Cornelius, that it reminded him of what was given to the apostles “at the beginning” (11:15). Between Acts 2 and Acts 10, there is much evidence of spiritual activity, but not of Holy Spirit baptism. All the saved of 2:41 received the Spirit (2:28), but it was not Holy Spirit baptism. Likewise, God gave the Spirit to all who obeyed him (5:32). The Spirit shook the place where the brethren had gathered to rejoice at the release of Peter and John (4:41), but it was not Holy Spirit baptism. (Were the apostles baptized in the Spirit more than once?) The seven men who served the church in Acts 6 were “full of the Spirit” (6:3), but we know that they were not baptized in the Holy Spirit. How do we know? Because Philip was one of these who had the Spirit and could work miracles, yet when he preached to the Samaritans in Acts 8:5-24, he could not lay hands on the converts and give them the Holy Spirit. This was not a problem for the apostles Peter and John who came to Samaria later and imparted the Spirit to the Christians. Simon, being observant, wanted to buy the power which the apostles had, for “when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit” (8:18-19). Simon did not try to buy the gift from Philip, who, though “full of the Spirit” could not lay hands on others and impart the Spirit. He saw that the apostles had what others did not have.

It is clear that God gave the apostles the baptism of the Holy Spirit to empower them for their work as ambassadors of Christ and as those who would be able to unfold the “mystery” (Eph. 3:1-5) of the gospel. The apostles occupied a unique role in this work and were enabled by the Spirit to complete the task. But by the time the epistle to the Ephesians was written, Paul stated that there was only “one baptism” (Eph. 4:5) and it was water baptism, not Holy Spirit baptism. Holy Spirit baptism was not for all men and not for all time.

Cornelius

But didn’t Cornelius also receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit? First of all, it is not stated that he was baptized in the Spirit; but that the Spirit “fell on them” (10:44; 11:15). But I have little doubt that it was similar to what the apostles received, butfor a different purpose. Cornelius was not called to be an apostle (Acts 1:21-22). But he was a Gentile and this presented special problems to the church which was completely Jewish until this time. God used Cornelius in a special manner to prove in unmistakable fashion (by giving the Holy Spirit to Gentiles) that to “Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life” (11:18). Peter understood this, for as a Jew and reluctant to associate with Gentiles, he concluded “who was I that I could withstand God?” (11:17) What happened to Cornelius reminded Peter of what had happened to the apostles “at the beginning” (11:15). It also reminded him of the promise of Jesus to baptize the apostles in the Spirit (v. 16). Cornelius was a special case; he was not called to be an apostle; God used him as proof that Gentiles could enter the kingdom along with Jews. We should not make more of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit than the Scriptures do.

Confirmation of the Word

Jesus had promised the apostles that “signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover” (Mk. 16:17-18). This is equal to what the Hebrew writer stated: “For if the word . . . which having at the first began to be spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will” (2:2-4).

All these things happened, as God bore witness to early disciples so that the word of God was confirmed. There were nine gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-11) and many disciples had them by the laying on of the apostles’ hands (Acts 8). But we should be reminded that such gifts were “according to his own will” (Heb. 2:4) and not according to what men want. God’s will was that during the time of the oral revelation, as well as during the writing of that oral message, confirmation of truth was clear so that false doctrine could be discerned. However, once the full message was delivered (Jn. 16:13; Jude 3; 2 Tim. 3:16,17; Gal. 1:6-9, et al), the spiritual gifts were no longer needed and were removed by God (1 Cor. 13:8-12). During the infancy of the church, special gifts were needed to supply truth; once full truth was delivered, the church “grew up” (13:11) and put away childish things. The age of miracles, of spiritual gifts, is over.

Just one example should show the work of the Spirit during the formative period of the church. Acts 15 recorded the great debate over admission of Gentiles into fellowship. When the apostles and elders at Jerusalem gathered, Barnabas and Paul “rehearsed what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles through them” (15:12). The letter that was sent to the churches testifying of the events at Jerusalem included that “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit” (v. 28). The Holy Spirit was at work in the world, bringing in the full gospel message and confirming it (cf. Acts 19:1-7).

The Themes of Luke

We are indebted to Luke, as a companion of Paul, as a faithful proclaimer of the word, and as a writer and historian for both the gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts. This series of eight articles has sought to impress on our minds some of the major themes Luke set before us. This list is not exhaustive; more things are worthy of consideration. But being aware of these themes surely raises Acts above a simple historical narrative and provides us with a valuable insight to the harmony to be found between every part of inspired scripture. The next time you study Acts, whether in class or privately, see what themes you can discover and each will deepen his appreciation of the rich legacy given to us by inspiration.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 16, pp. 492-493
August 20, 1992

By Larry Ray Hafley

Romans 16 is an intriguing chapter. it is full of names. In a sense, they are nameless names. For the most part, those faithful men and women are unknown, except for their kind commendation by the great apostle. Volumes of spiritual service and sacrifice lie hidden in the brief references which are scattered like so many rose petals in the pathway of truth.

We know of Aquila and Priscilla, of course, but what of 4tray well beloved Epaenetus” and “Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles” and “Urbane, our helper in Christ” and “Apelles approved in Christ” and “Peris, which labored much in the Lord” and “Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.” The list goes on and on. Who were these unselfish, striving servants? What thrilling and encouraging lives of faith did they live? Oh, how our hearts might be cheered and our spirits edified by knowledge of their “works of faith and labors of love.”

But, alas, all such dreams await the fulfillment of the Judgment, “the day of Christ” (Phil. 2:16). These fleeting glances and glimpses of first century saints reveal several important things to us:

(1) They tell us of Paul’s gratitude. Paul did not seek all the glory or praise for his efforts. He was quick to applaud others; he appreciated their efforts. Truly great men are always conscious of the help and support they receive which allows them to achieve and accomplish their goals.

(2) They tell us that all are needed in the work of the Lord. Well known, faithful preachers often deserve their notoriety among brethren, and we acknowledge their good name. However, apparently unknown men and women are essential to the growth of the Lord’s kingdom. “From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:16, NASB). If you know such a person, one who struggles almost anonymously, let him know of your love for his works’ sake.

(3) They tell us how important it is to have our names written in the right places. Hymanaeus, Philetus, Alexander, Demas and Diotrephes are all mentioned in the New Testament, but like Judas it is in shame. Do you long for your name to be placed in Hollywood’s walk of fame? Do you want your name in a sports hall of fame? Certainly, you do not want your name in the FBI’s list! It is an honor for these brethren of long ago to be cited in Romans 16, but they all knew and rejoiced in a list that is far greater – “Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Lk. 10:20). Is your name written there? It does not matter where your name appears, nor how often it is mentioned if it is not in the Lamb’s book of life, for “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15).

Do you have a gracious, thankful appreciative heart for the work of others? Do you recognize that “those members of the body which are more feeble, are necessary” (1 Cor. 12:22)? Is your name written in the only place where it really matters? The unknown brethren in Romans 16 can still teach us a great deal.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 16, pp. 490-491
August 20, 1992