Pentecost
29
Pentecost brought them the heavenly illumination. The truths they
could not understand while Christ was with them were now unfolded.
With a faith and assurance that they had never before known, they
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accepted the teachings of the Sacred Word. No longer was it a matter
of faith with them that Christ was the Son of God. They knew that,
although clothed with humanity, He was indeed the Messiah, and they
told their experience to the world with a confidence which carried with
it the conviction that God was with them.
They could speak the name of Jesus with assurance; for was He
not their Friend and Elder Brother? Brought into close communion
with Christ, they sat with Him in heavenly places. With what burning
language they clothed their ideas as they bore witness for Him! Their
hearts were surcharged with a benevolence so full, so deep, so far-
reaching, that it impelled them to go to the ends of the earth, testifying
to the power of Christ. They were filled with an intense longing to
carry forward the work He had begun. They realized the greatness of
their debt to heaven and the responsibility of their work. Strengthened
by the endowment of the Holy Spirit, they went forth filled with zeal to
extend the triumphs of the cross. The Spirit animated them and spoke
through them. The peace of Christ shone from their faces. They had
consecrated their lives to Him for service, and their very features bore
evidence to the surrender they had made.
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