Reference: John 14:15-17
As you begin to read this tract pleaseallow me to ask you a very important question concerning the spiritualcondition that the apostles of Christ were in before they were filled with theHoly Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Since Jesus very plainly made the statementthat the apostles were clean through the word that he had spoken unto them asstated in John 15:3, do you think that these apostles were saved or saved andsanctified before they were filled with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost?
Now Jesus did say that they were cleanthrough the word that he had spoken unto them. Do you believe then that theseapostles were saved even before they received the Holy Ghost on the day ofPentecost? If you think they were saved do you believe that this proves that aperson is first saved or saved and sanctified before they receive the baptismof the Holy Ghost like today's Pentecostal preachers are teaching it?
There is of course no doubt in my mind that the disciples were in a cleanstate even before they received the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, butfriend this fact absolutely does not prove the fact hat we are first saved orsaved and sanctified before we receivethe Holy Ghost. Now since the apostles were clean as Jesus had told them, thenmy saying that this does not prove that we must first be saved and sanctifiedbefore we receive the Holy Ghost must be proven and backed up by the scripturesor else today's Pentecostal preachers would be right in their teachingconcerning this matter.
Now any Pentecostal preacher today willtell you that you must first be saved and sanctified before you receive thebaptism of the Holy Ghost. They teach this simply because they believe that thedisciples were saved and sanctified before they were filled with the Holy Ghoston the day of Pentecost. But friend I want to prove to you that we firstreceive the Holy Ghost so that he in turn will lead us into the truth of God'sholy word that will do the saving and the sanctifying operation on our wholebeing.
There is a hidden truth that Satan is notallowing very many people to see today concerning this very important subject.He is blinding the minds of millions of people today so that they can't see thetruth that would set them free. Now I want you to notice that Jesus said in John 15:3 that thedisciples were clean through the word that he had spoken unto them.
Now any Pentecostal preacher today willtell you that before you receive the Holy Ghost as an inward filling he willfirst perform the saving and sanctifying works of grace on you. They will teachyou this saying that the Holy Ghost is with you like he was with the disciplesbefore they received him on the day of Pentecost. Now what this simply means isthat a person is saved and sanctified by the Holy Ghost while he just abideswith you in an outward presence.
Now since the apostles only had the HolySpirit abiding with them before Pentecost and not within them, then today'sPentecostal preachers say and teach that the same Holy Ghost will yet abidewith the believer and first save and sanctify them and later on will take uphis abode within them in what is termed as being the baptism of the Holy Ghost.They teach also that this baptism is evidenced by the speaking in tongues likethey did on the day of Pentecost. Now the point where Satan is blinding manypeople today concerning this matter is the statement that Jesus made when hesaid that they were clean through the word that he had spoken unto them.
Please note that these disciples weredeclared to be clean through and by the spoken word of Almighty God. Now thisspoken word was the word that Jesus had spoken unto them being inspired by theinfilling of the Holy Spirit. In our text at the beginning of this tract, weare told that the Holy Ghost was with the disciples, but would be later onabiding in the disciples.
Now Jesus said that the world could notreceive the Spirit of truth (which is the Holy Spirit and Comforter) simplybecause they did not see him nor do they know who he is. Jesus then said thatthey knew him becuase he dwelled with them. The Holy Ghost dwelled with them inthe person of Jesus Christ.
Now what I want you to see and understandis that the Holy Ghost was responsible for the clean state that the discipleswere in. Although the Holy Ghost just dwelled with the disciples in theperson of Jesus Christ, he was still responsible for their clean state evenbefore they had received him in aninward presence. The Holy Ghost residing in Christ was the one that revealedthe word to the disciples and it was this word that made them clean as Jesussaid in John 15:3.
Now the disciples did not possess theinward presence of the Holy Ghost before Pentecost simply because Christ hadnot yet been glorified. They did have the Holy Ghost in the sense of sayingthat he dwelled with them, but not in them. This dwelling of the HolyGhost with them in the person of Jesus Christ was in reality the same asif he dwelled in them. The Holy Ghost was responsible for their cleanstate, but he did not dwell within them at the time. After Christ was glorifiedand ascended back into heaven, the Holy Spirit was given to indwell thedisciples. This took place on the day of Pentecost. Since Pentecost he nowindwells the believer to teach them the word of truth and it is this very sameword that will make us clean like it did with the disciples before Pentecost.Now God could have given the Holy Ghost to the disciples before Pentecost andhave him to do the very same thing that he did with them as he did in theperson of Jesus Christ, but this was not God's plan. He sent Christ to them andhe taught them the truth that made them clean. It would have been the same ifthe Holy Ghost was given to the disciples instead of having the Holy Spiritdwell with them like he did in the person of Christ.
The Holy Ghost is now given as a gift toall that will receive him. We now, since Pentecost, receive the Holy Spirit sothat he can teach us the very same truths that he revealed to the disciplesbefore they had received him on the day of Pentecost. The apostles did notreceive the indwelling of the Holy Ghost as a different work of grace, butrather he just exchanged places by taking up his abode in the disciplesinstead of just being with them.
The Holy Ghost does his saving work on abeliever while he abides within them. He does this in the same way as he didwith the disciples, but only in a different place by abiding within thebeliever and not just with the believer. The Holy Ghost does not just dwellwith the believer today like he did before Pentecost. Before Pentecost he diddwell with the believer, but now he dwells within the believer.Before Pentecost he performed the cleansing state on the disciples whileabiding with them in the person of Jesus Christ, but since Pentecost hedwells within the believer performing the cleansing work. Believing thatyou are saved apart from having the indwelling Spirit of God is turning God'sgrace into lasciviousness, which is a manifestation of the works of theflesh....