Immediately after the Lord Jesus, the Apostles were the first group to experience the Holy Spirit. They also experienced first the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and then the outward descending of the Holy Spirit. As early as John 14, the Lord promised His disciples that He would ask the Father to send them another Comforter, even the Spirit of truth, to dwell within them that they might live as the Lord lives (vv. 16-20). This word of the Lord indicated that they would experience the Holy Spirit inwardly as life.
On the night of the resurrection, while the disciples were together, the Lord came into their midst and “breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). Thus the Lord fulfilled His earlier promise by causing them to have the Holy Spirit enter into them and become their life. The day God created Adam out of the dust, He breathed into him that he might have life and become a living man with a spirit. Now, in the same manner, the Lord breathed into the disciples that they might have life and become regenerated men. However, that which God breathed into man at creation was not the Spirit of God; therefore, what man obtained was only his own spirit, plus a created life. On the night of the resurrection, what the Lord breathed into His disciples was His own Spirit; therefore, the disciples obtained the Holy Spirit plus His uncreated, eternal life, that they might live forever as the Lord Himself lives. Therefore, strictly, accurately, and practically speaking, Peter, James, John, and the rest of the Apostles became regenerated by obtaining God’s life on the night of the resurrection. The breath which the Lord breathed into them was the breath of life. It was wholly for life, not for power.
At Pentecost, the Apostles experienced the other aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit, namely, the Holy Spirit as power. Acts 2:1-4 says, “When the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” From this time forth, the Apostles preached the gospel with great power, bringing thousands and tens of thousands to salvation.
If we compare both instances of the experiences of the Apostles in receiving the Holy Spirit, we can see the difference. The Holy Spirit of life, which they experienced on the night of the resurrection, was symbolized by the “breath”; while the Holy Spirit of power, which they experienced at Pentecost, was symbolized by three things-“wind,” “fire,” and “tongues.” Both wind and fire typify power, while the tongue is for speaking and is also related to power. Furthermore, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit “sat upon each one of them”; He did not enter into them. Therefore, what they experienced then was the Holy Spirit upon them outwardly as their power. It was through this outward power of the Holy Spirit that they were able to speak the tongues of the nations, preach the gospel, and later work for the Lord in different regions.
Therefore, in the experience of the Apostles, we can also see both aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit, and that they experienced the inward aspect first, and then the outward.
After Pentecost, the experience of the Holy Spirit inwardly as well as outwardly was fully accomplished in the Head (the Lord Jesus) as well as in the Body (represented by the Apostles). From this time onward, all those who desire to experience the work of the Holy Spirit can experience both the indwelling and the outward descending of the Holy Spirit at the same time. The proof of this was seen in the house of Cornelius.
In Acts 10 we see that Peter was sent to preach the gospel in the house of Cornelius, and while he was preaching, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard, causing them to receive not only the indwelling Holy Spirit as life, but also the Holy Spirit as power descending upon them outwardly. Therefore, beginning with the household of Cornelius and continuing to this day, it is possible to experience the Holy Spirit’s work within and without at the same time. The Holy Spirit within is the basis for the Holy Spirit without, while the Holy Spirit without is the proof of the Holy Spirit within. This is the most normal condition.
Of course, throughout the generations there have been many who experienced the Holy Spirit only as life within when they were saved; then after a certain period of time they experienced the Holy Spirit as power without. There have been also some who never experienced the Holy Spirit outwardly as power. In any case, in the dispensation of the New Testament, none can experience the Holy Spirit outwardly as power before experiencing Him inwardly as life. Neither can anyone only experience the Holy Spirit outwardly as power without experiencing Him as life within. Such cases can never occur in the New Testament dispensation.
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