The Power that Shook the World

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

The Power that Shook the World

Today's Text: I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17

The Message:      After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the disciples, clothed with the divine panoply, went forth as witnesses to tell the wonderful story of the manger and the cross. They were humble men, but they went forth with the truth. After the death of their Lord, they were a helpless, disappointed, discouraged company-as sheep without a shepherd; but now they go forth as witnesses for the truth, with no weapons but the Word and the Spirit of God, to triumph over all opposition.... They were transformed in character and united in the bonds of Christian love.... From their lips came words of divine eloquence and power that shook the world.      The third, fourth, and fifth chapters of Acts give an account of their witnessing. Those who had rejected and crucified the Saviour expected to find His disciples discouraged, crestfallen, and ready to disown their Lord. With amazement they heard the clear, bold testimony given under the power of the Holy Spirit. The words and works of the disciples represented the words and works of their Teacher, and all who heard them said, They have learned of Jesus; they talk as He talked. "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all."      The chief priests and rulers thought themselves competent to decide what the apostles should do and teach. As they went forth preaching Jesus everywhere, the men who were worked by the Holy Spirit did many things that the Jews did not approve. There was danger that the ideas and doctrines of the rabbis would be brought into disrepute.      The apostles were creating a wonderful excitement. The people were bringing their sick folk ... and those that had been healed were shouting the praises of God and glorifying the name of Jesus, the very One whom the Jews had condemned, scorned, spit upon, crowned with thorns, and caused to be scourged and crucified. This Jesus was extolled above the priests and rulers. The apostles were even declaring that He had risen from the dead. The Jewish rulers decided that this work must be stopped, for it was proving them guilty of the blood of Jesus.-Letter 38, 1896.

Commentary: My friend, the power that attended the disciples of Jesus and shook the world was the power of the Spirit of God.  Jesus had promised that the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit would be given unto them from the Father.  This Spirit was not the Spirit of another being like the trinity teaches, but was the omnipresent Spirit of Christ, for Jesus said "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you." (John 14:18)  He also promised saying "...and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20).  How could He be with His disciples and comfort them, and always be with them?  By His Spirit.  The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, is the omnipresent Spirit of Jesus. Just prior to His ascension to heaven, Jesus gave the disciples a measure of the Holy Ghost when He breathed upon them and said "Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John 20:22).  The Spirit that they received is the same Spirit that was poured out in greater measure at Pentecost, yet the trinity would have you believe that this Spirit is not the Spirit of the Father nor the Son, but the Spirit of another, when the Scriptures clearly shows that it is the Spirit of Christ. As the Jews rejected the only begotten Son of God, so too has the remnant church today rejected Jesus as the only begotten Son of God.  Though they claim to follow Jesus, they reject that He is the literal and natural Son of God, claiming that His sonship is only a role or a title that one of the god-beings has assumed for the salvation of man.  It holds that the Son is not truly a son, and in doing so holds that the Father is not truly a father, destroying the father-son relationship.  Of this the apostle John foretold saying "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.  Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." (1 John 2:22, 23). My friend, the trinity is a deception of Satan, and while the Seventh-day Adventist church today holds that they do not believe in the trinity but the Godhead, they are in essence it is the same; three beings, each individually God, and collectively God.  The trinity is the foundational teaching of the Catholic church and by it comes all of her doctrines to include Sunday sacredness.  It is a false representation of God and as such cannot save anyone.  It is the source of all of the heresies that have come into the church, and is the reason why the church is in the Laodicean condition.  It is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, because the church is worshiping an altogether different God than the One true God of the Bible. It is time for us to turn from this false image of God, and turn unto the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ today. God bless,

Video of the Week "Receive Ye the Holy Ghost" w/Dr. Allen Davis Dr. Allen Davis presents a message based upon John 20:22.  The video was corrupted, but the message is clear.  My you be blessed by it.