On Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church. That Spirit has come to stay, for the Lord has pro­mised that He would "be with you for ever" (John 14:16). All real Christians have the Holy Spirit, while non-Christians do not (1 Corinthians 12:3). That is the great difference between these two kinds of people. In this case there is no "grey area." Not only do Christians possess the Holy Spirit. They also give evidence of it by revealing the new life and power of that Spirit. This fact must be emphasized, in opposition to the spiritual laziness, indifference and materialistic idolatry that characterize our age. A formal show of religion, includ­ing external church membership, is rather common, but the hearts of many people are not "in" it, and they reveal no spiritual vitality. True Christians, on the contrary, are alive with the Spirit and they show it.

In Acts 3 we read of a man who had been lame for more than forty years, having been born so. He sat by the gate of the temple begging for alms. At the word of Peter, he was healed by the power of the Holy Spirit. He then entered the temple with Peter and John "walking and leaping and praising God." Naturally this created a sensation among the people who were used to the sight of the crippled beggar, and they began to ask questions about what had happened. The obvious miracle gave Peter the occasion for a sermon. What Peter and John could never have done had been accomplished by the power of the Spirit of the crucified and risen Jesus.

The leaders of Israel, hearing about the incident, immedi­ately arrested and imprisoned Peter and John, intending to try them the next day. At their hearing they were asked by what power and in whose name they had performed this miracle. By the Sanhedrin's question it was admitting that a miracle had occurred. That question became the occasion for another sermon about the crucified and risen Lord Jesus and the power of His Spirit which had healed the lame man. Two facts caught the attention of the court:

1. Peter and John had been with Jesus when He was on earth.
    
2. The undeniable miracle of healing had occurred through these two apostles who confessed the name of Jesus and said that it had been done by His power.

Today the true church still proclaims the truth and power of the crucified and risen Christ. With the power of the Holy Spirit, it preaches that Jesus is and will always be alive. Through the disciples, the Holy Spirit worked, restoring physical health to the cripple. Like other special signs given on Pentecost, this one called attention to the Lord's saving power. Although He does not usually accompany the bring­ing of His Word with such special signs in our time, He still restores and renews people by the power of His word and Spirit. The truth of the matter is that all Christians should stand before the world as "healed," as "new creatures" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). They have new and different motives and priorities. They have new goals and live by different principles. They become, as an old hymn expressed it, "strangers here, within a foreign land." This is not only to characterize a few unusual theologians or missionaries; it is just as well to distinguish every lay member of the church — all of us.

Is this the way the world sees the churches of our time? Aren't these identifying characteristics of the Christian often so effaced that it is virtually impossible to distinguish the professing Christian from the professing unbeliever? When such confusion exists is it surprising that the world pays little attention to us or our message? Although we may readily sing, "I love to tell the story of Jesus and His love," how many of us who sing it have ever told that story to anyone in the world? Although we sing "Come, hear all ye that fear the Lord, while I with grateful heart record what God has done for me," how many of us seldom or never talk of these things with fellow Christians or fellow-men? Why do elders making family calls find it difficult to strike up a spiritual conversation with many of those whom they visit? Although we may attempt to give many explanations in answer to such questions, is not the basic explanation that we largely lack the Spirit of Christ?

If we are really Christians we are "born again." We are "regenerated" or made new, given "new hearts." Then we confess our sins, trust in Christ as our Savior and love Him. This new life then has to come to expression. There will be evidence of the presence and power of the Spirit which has brought about this change. We remember how Peter and John gave evidence of this power of the Spirit. Recall too, how Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet, having suffered much persecution because of his preaching, decided to speak no more of these things. But he could not be silent, because the Word of the Lord was like a fire within him which would not be suppressed (Jeremiah 20:9). So too, where the Lord is present in the hearts of Christians and they know His saving grace, they cannot be silent about it. Their testimony must break out also in our age of indifference and formalism.

After performing the miracle the apostles preached about the crucified and risen Christ with boldness and courage. The Sanhedrin was impressed with the way which these "unschooled men" spoke of these things. How could these fishermen, "dumb" lay people, speak with such assurance? Despite the impression the court received, it sternly warned Peter and John to speak no more about this Jesus. The apostles replied, "we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." On the day of the Lord's resurrec­tion they, bewildered by the previous event of His death, had stared into the empty tomb and realized that He was no longer there. Then they had met Him, standing before them, triumphant over death. Now they are being ordered to say no more about all this! One could easily order the sun to stop shining as compel them to be silent. They must speak. The Apostle John wrote in his first letter,

that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled ... declare we unto you.

For them, gripped and convicted by their experience with the risen Lord, it was impossible to be silent.

How different is this stance of the apostles from that with which many contemporary Christians face the world. Con­fronted by the demand to speak for Christ, they say, "We can't!" Forbidden to speak, these men said, "We cannot but speak!" Is it possible that we are no longer gripped by the great facts and implications of the Gospel as they are revealed to us in the Scriptures? Most of us would deny that there has been any lessening of our theological convictions. But that is not the whole of the matter. Are those convic­tions the kind that compel us to speak? When we truly believe, we not only lay hold upon the truths of the faith, but they lay hold on us! We come to know the Living Christ. Therefore we must speak. We must speak out of the joy of our salvation, knowing that we are sinners saved by His electing grace.

Are people who never speak up for the Lord and have no inner compulsion to do so really Christian? Let's not try to answer that question, but leave that judgment to the Lord. Such silence may indicate a quenching or grieving of the Spirit and seems to show little or no association with Jesus. The Sanhedrin had to connect the apostles' bold testimony with the fact that they had been with Jesus. We must learn to know Him better. We must come to know more of the publican's prayer, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." We must come to know more of the everlasting covenant mercies of our God which are "new every morning." The closer our association is with Jesus and His Word, the more the Holy Spirit will make us echo the testimony of the apostles to Him.

Sharing in the Gospel testimony of the Holy Spirit brings with it the assurance that the Spirit will never leave us (John 14:16).

The Psalmist testified (Psalm 73:24):

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Not only our souls, but even our bodies are to share in that glorious future. The Holy Spirit will raise them also on the final day to be made like the glorious body of Christ (Philippians 3:21). That is the future assured to all who, by the testimony of the Lord's Word and Spirit, come to know Him and confess His name.