THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ACTIVITIES IN RELATION TO THE GENTILES
THE HOLY SPIRIT’S ACTIVITIES IN RELATION TO THE GENTILES
Acts 8: 29, 39; Acts 10:19,20; Acts 10:44 - 46; Acts 13: 1 - 4
I have in mind to speak about the Holy Spirit, as His activities are seen in relation to the gentiles. Earlier He was engaged with the believers from among the Jews, coming in to the one hundred and twenty as they were all together with one accord. In that initial introduction we have what is worthy of note that the Spirit takes account of all, that no one, if we are to have the whole gain of His activities, is absent. So they were all together in one place with one accord, in the company with the evidence of power, as it says, “there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting”. The incoming of the Spirit is accompanied by evidence of power. Notice is taken by him of each person present. Each one had a known reputation in heaven, and so He appeared unto them (as yet it was on the principle of what could be seen) as “cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them”. Each one was taken account of and the state of each, under that form having with Him the means of dealing with all the impurity of the tongues He was about to use, parted tongues like as of fire. He had the means of purification — fire, the most drastic purifier. So He is employed with the Jewish believers, great power marking the testimony, for each one spoke as the Spirit enabled him to speak. The speaking is to be in the power of the Spirit and it was, as the Spirit sat upon each of them.
Now we arrive at the incoming of the nations as before God, that is our forefathers. It had been made known that the veil which hid the gentiles should be [p. 211] removed. Simeon in the temple as the Babe was brought in by His parents, takes the Child in his arms and says, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the gentiles”. Luke 2:29 - 32 A light for the revelation of the gentiles that is what Christ was. In Him as Man, the gentiles as being men all come into the view of God. The veil that shut them off was removed in Jesus becoming Man. As becoming Man, in the mind of God He stood in relation to men. As Peter put it to Cornelius, “I myself also am a man”. As Cornelius so was he, both men. So in chapter 8 we are approaching the incoming of the nations to blessing. Many of us here, especially the young, have no idea what the sphere of blessing implies, into which we have been brought. The gentiles were about to be introduced into it and so we have the peculiar service of the Spirit in that relation. That is what I want to dwell upon. So I take up Philip first in relation to the Ethiopian eunuch who may be regarded as a gentile, though doubtless a proselyte as he had been up to Jerusalem to worship. Notice the peculiar activities of the servant — I speak in particular to any who serve in any way, so that we may be concerned that what we give should be spiritual and therefore representative of Christ and God, for God is a Spirit. We need to take notice of the imperativeness of being spiritual whether in work or service. Philip may be taken as an example. He had no special service to God though he was a deacon. He was not recognised among the apostles as gifted to preach. It is a question of using a brother developed into doing the work without any form of recognition by the saints. He was a deacon. He went down to Samaria and preached Christ! Excellent! More than that, there was result from his preaching. I need not go over the work at [p. 212] Samaria. He had a wonderful time there. And then the angel of the Lord said, “Go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went”. No questioning! It is one thing to preach Christ and get converts but it is another thing to obey a divine command peremptorily. It says, he arose and went. You see he is qualified. It is delightful to heaven to have Christ preached. Paul says, “we are a sweet odour of Christ to God, in the saved and in those that perish”. 2 Corinthians 2:15 But what marks me after successful service? Am I to live in those plaudits? Satan suggests it and it has been the ruin of many. Note, it is not the Spirit yet; it is a providential thing, an angel, but the servant is obedient. Wanting in obedience the servant may miss much. How much would Philip have missed if he had remained in Samaria to continue his successful work? But being obedient the Holy Spirit says, ‘I will honour you’. He is told to join the chariot. The Holy Spirit tells us who the occupant of the chariot was, he was in charge of a queen’s treasury. God had His eye on this man and He would have Himself rightly represented. I urge at the outset obedience, or we cannot convey the right thought of God. Philip preached the Christ in Samaria; he had that impression in his soul. He would convey that. But now he is directed by the Spirit of God to join himself to a chariot occupied by this African, who was a noted man. He ran at once, under the influence of the Spirit’s power. You see God is about to impress this gentile with His idea. God has only one idea before Him — Jesus. Philip had preached the Christ at Samaria; to the eunuch — Jesus. Here I like to stop for a moment to dwell on the way God introduces Jesus in Acts. “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up”. Acts 1:1 - 2 Then the witness of the two men,
[p. 213] which stood by the disciples, in white apparel: “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven”. Acts 1:11 And again Peter in his address: “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ”, Acts 2:36.
So Philip joins the chariot under the command of the Spirit of God, and the man is reading the Bible. One may thank God for the number of Bibles there are today, but one has to own that it is less read. This authorised version we have was appointed to be read in churches in England, and one is thankful for every church in which it is read. You may read it in a legal way because you have been brought up to read; thank God if you read the Bible. Alas, we know it is less and less read, but here was a man who was reading it. You may say, ‘I have little time to read the Scriptures’. One often hears complaints about too much written ministry. No time: what about the time spent in the street cars, etc.? This man might have excused himself that it was no time to read the Bible. Doubtless the sun beat down upon him fiercely — but he was reading the Bible. The Holy Spirit is interested in everyone reading the Bible even if unconverted. So the Holy Spirit says, Join yourself, there is a link between the christian and every man who reads the Bible. I always feel safe spiritually as I show my Bible in the open. This great statesman was not ashamed of the Bible. But now I want to urge the understanding of it. It is not to be read scholastically but with the understanding, and so he says, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” (So the speaker is concerned that the Bible readers should understand.) What was he reading? He was reading about Jesus, one of the most touching scriptures in the whole Bible. But I do not stop to dwell on that — I am speaking about the Spirit. Philip preached unto him about Jesus [p. 214] from that scripture. Possibly never a sermon like Philip’s, one would like to have heard him. You can see at a glance that it was no stock sermon. He was under the command and influence of the Spirit and such a man is always ready to speak from any scripture. He “preached unto him Jesus”. And as they went on their way the eunuch said, “here is water; what doth hinder me ... ?” It may be some here were hindered. One could furnish a list of hindrances. One meets souls year after year who make no headway at all, and one wonders what is hindering. But the eunuch says, “what doth hinder me?” Philip does not say anything about the water; the man was profoundly affected by the preaching of Philip — and they went down both together; on the one hand a soul touched by the influence of Jesus, on the other hand one who could represent Him here. They went down both of them lovers of Jesus, going down into that which symbolised His death. How the force of those words would come home: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter ...”. He was taken from oppression and from judgment, “his life is taken from the earth”. That life is gone from the earth and the eunuch says, ‘Mine must go, too’. Philip’s was already gone. It was a fine sight for heaven — those two men in the water together.
But when they came up the Spirit caught away Philip and the eunuch saw him no more. How is this gentile to get along without his preacher? Some people say: My preacher, my minister, my clergyman. This man had to get along without his preacher. If he had been governed by natural feelings he might have asked Philip to come along with him. As it was in the days of Judges, they hired a man to be a priest. But the Holy Spirit says you are to get along without the preacher, that is His business, you do not need him more. The Spirit of the Lord caught him away. What spiritual impression that man went back [p. 215] to Ethiopia with. Would he not go home with the feeling that there was a spiritual realm? We look not on that which is seen but that which is unseen. He went on his way rejoicing — not sorrowful that his preacher was taken away from him.
Happy for Philip that he was in such a state that the Spirit of the Lord could catch him away. The Lord is going to do that for us shortly. I speak about the rapture; that is what it means. If I am on material lines I shall be greatly surprised when I am raptured. But not Philip; he was not surprised when the Spirit caught him away. The Lord Himself shall descend and we shall be changed and caught up. Who can say about the actual power and means used? What an impression the eunuch would carry into Ethiopia. He might tell her Majesty the details. She never heard anything like that, it would impress her. Christianity is a spiritual realm. We have principles and doctrines but if you take away the Spirit it will soon become an outward form.
Now I go on to Peter to show how the company at Caesarea was impressed. We have much of the experience of Peter in the Scriptures. This is a unique one. While they were preparing a meal for Peter, he went up on the housetop to pray. It was a preparing time. While he prayed he became in an ecstasy. I know little about these things, but there they are. He was beside himself, lost to seen things; and he saw a sheet come down from heaven. God said, as it were, that he was not simply to be prepared for but he was to be prepared. If we are to have any part in this service there must be divine service; you must be prepared or you can never represent Christ. It comes down, and Peter says, “It came even to me”. What for? To prepare Peter to represent God to us gentiles, that the truth might come to us in a proper spiritual way. Peter pondered the vision, as Mary of old kept the things in her mind, pondering [p. 216] them in her heart. And the Spirit of God says to Peter, “Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them”. People had been sent from Caesarea to come to him and heaven began to prepare Peter to receive them. We hear nothing of the dinner that was being prepared for him. What was of account was that Peter should be made ready. I am to be made ready if I am to represent God. The Spirit says, “Go with them, doubting nothing, because I have sent them”.
Dear brethren, the Holy Spirit is here and operating, and if we have the light of God, He will send people to us. We may be sent on the one hand to receive them. Think of the Holy Spirit sending a soul to you to enlighten him. Peter was praying, but while he was waiting for that meal God said, ‘Are you ready?’ and when the men came the Holy Spirit said, “Go down and go with them ... . I have sent them”.
So Peter went down to Caesarea and Cornelius met him and was so affected he fell down and did him homage. Peter’s successor (so-called) at Rome would be glad of such a thing; he would not lift him up and say, “I myself also am a man”. But Peter says it and lifts him up — the spiritual man rightly representing God and representing heaven says, “I am a man”. It is well to know if we are serving God how to go down to people. If I am anything different it is because God has made me different, and being thus it is easy for me to go down. So they went into the house talking together. The Jew and gentile together as men; and then Peter opened his mouth and preached. It is what the Spirit is doing, he is speaking of Jesus, and while he was speaking the Holy Spirit fell on them that heard the word. Let not any preacher think he does the thing; the work belongs to God. Speaking of it afterwards Peter says,
[p. 217] God gave them the Holy Spirit as to us at the beginning. See how the Holy Spirit laid hold of these men. Jew and gentile, he has made all one body. Nevertheless the gentile is brought in as distinct — the Holy Spirit lays hold of them. They are not brought in at Jerusalem; the sheet represented the mind of God. “Ye also are builded together”. Ephesians 2:22 As the Jews were built in so are we. Today whatever building there is, is in the gentiles; that is the feature that remains. We are builded together for an habitation of God in the Spirit. A wonderful time. The Holy Spirit fell on all these. Like the prodigal they are brought into a place of love — the love of God. The kisses of the father to the prodigal denoted this.