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Previous to Pentecost He was with them, using the searching
preaching of John the Baptist, and the life, the words, the
example, the sufferings, and the death and resurrection of Jesus
as instruments with which to fashion their hearts for His
indwelling. As the truth was declared to them in the words of
Jesus, pictured to them in His doings, exemplified in His daily
life, and fulfilled in His death and His rising from the dead,
the Holy Spirit wrought mightily within them; but He could not
yet find perfect rest in their hearts; therefore He did not yet
abide within them.
They had forsaken all to follow Christ. They had been
commissioned to preach the Gospel, to heal the sick, to cleanse
the lepers, to raise the dead, to cast out devils. Their names
were written in Heaven. They were not of the world, even as Jesus
was not of the world, for they belonged to Him and to the Father.
They knew the Holy Spirit, for He was with them, working in them,
but not yet living in them, for they were yet carnal; that is,
they were selfish, each seeking the best place for himself. They
disputed among themselves as to which should be the greatest.
They were bigoted, wanting to call down fire from Heaven to
consume those who would not receive Jesus, and forbidding those
who would not follow them to cast out devils in His name. They
were positive and loud in their professions of devotion and
loyalty to Jesus when alone with Him.
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