Power of the Holy Ghost
A short
description of the Power of the Holy Ghost to the Apostles; The Apostles received the power of God by having one of the members of
the Godhead (the Holy Ghost), inspire and lead their own souls from within!
Have you ever thought about the
mighty difference in the Twelve Apostles before and after they had the Power of
the Holy Ghost fall upon them? And have you noticed that the change was
immediate - not gradual!
Before that day we have no evidence
at all of any powerful sermons or any
other signs of great leadership.
The leaders of the Jews must have been absolutely convinced that the death of Jesus would be the end of their
problem.
And then the day of Pentecost!
Imagine the horror of the ruling council of the Jews when they got word that men of power were coming from right and
left, and that putting Jesus in the earth was
like planting a seed now yielding manifold!
But what did the Holy Ghost do to the
Twelve Apostles that not even Jesus could do? Jesus did have one obvious limitation (in this respect); he had a physical
body of flesh and bone!
It is quite clear that Jesus, with his body, could not enter into the bodies
of the Twelve Apostles in order to give them the strength they needed, from within.
Why was it important that the
strength given came from within the Apostles, such as the Holy Ghost could
give, and not from the outside of their spirit and bodies, as Jesus had given
for the past three years? In order for one Apostle to act with power and inspiration from God, one member of the Godhead
needed to be present, and in collusion with the spirit of the Apostle in
question. Since Jesus, because of his having a physical body, could not enter
into the Apostle to be in collusion with his spirit, and since Jesus could only
be in one place at the time, the Apostles needed a member of the Godhead who
did not have a physical body, and whose influence could be made manifest
everywhere at once.
The Holy Ghost has those
characteristics. By the power of the Holy Ghost, the Apostles could act as
if they were gods themselves. Then, off and on, the Holy Ghost could withdraw
somewhat, leaving the Apostles to gradually become the powerful men that the
power of the Holy Ghost helped them appear to be.
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is
expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7)
It is clear that Jesus saw that the absence of the Holy Ghost from their
souls was a very real problem for the development of the Apostles. He knew he
had to leave them in order for them to reach their full potential.
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