THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE PENTECOSTAL BELIEVERS
By Cornelius R. Stam
The prophesied work of the Holy Spirit in connection
with His people Israel should be clearly understood if we
would understand His work today in connection with the
members of the Body of Christ. In Joel 2:28,29 God prom-
ised to supernaturally cause them to prophesy, etc., but in
Ezek. 36:26,27, He also promised to supernaturally cause
them to do His will:
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
"AND I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU, AND CAUSE YOU TO WALK IN MY STATUTES, AND YE SHALL KEEP MY JUDGMENTS, AND DO THEM."
Thus God would show that the only way in which even
His own people can perfectly obey Him is when He takes
possession of them and causes them to do His will. Indeed,
He is still demonstrating this.
Though we today have all
the advantages and blessings of the dispensation of grace,
and though we desire most earnestly to obey and serve God
as we ought, we still continually fall short. This is because,
contrary to popular opinion, none of us has been baptized
with the Spirit (See Acts 1:5 and cf. I Cor. 12:13).We must be careful to notice the immediate change that
took place in the behavior of the Pentecostal believers, now
that the Holy Spirit had come to take possession of them.
Not only did they speak with tongues and prophesy and
work miracles, but they all began living for one another. "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common" (Acts 4:32). We have not observed this way of life among those who
call themselves Pentecostalists today.<
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