KC Tsai—Toronto, Canada

Knowledge that enables us to discern the truth is vital to our survival in the end time. The Bible repeatedly warns us that believers of the Lord Jesus will be confronted by falsehood, deception, and teachings that deviate from the truth. Some will be led astray.

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. (Mt 24:10-11)

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie. (2 Thess 2:9–12)

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. (1 Jn 2:18–21)

The passages above, and many others in the Bible, foretell the challenges coming our way. As the Lord Jesus warns, we must take heed not to be deceived; many will come in His name, saying, "I am the Christ," to draw believers away (Mt 24:4–5).

Therefore, it is vital to pray for the wisdom to identify any deceiving words that could harm our faith. The only way to avoid being fooled by such falsehood is to steadfastly study the Bible in depth, continually praying for the Holy Spirit's guidance to uphold the truth.

THE PURPOSE OF THE FATHER'S PROMISE

Before His ascension, Jesus commanded the disciples

…not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4–5)

First, why did they have to remain in Jerusalem?

Apart from Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Lord Jesus, all the disciples were Galileans. After witnessing the ascension of the Lord Jesus at Mount Olivet, not far from Jerusalem, they would likely have scattered, each returning to his trade in Galilee. Now, because the Holy Spirit would descend at the place of God's choosing, Jerusalem, Jesus commanded them to gather there and wait. After all, Pentecost was at hand, and there would be tens of thousands of pilgrims in Jerusalem to celebrate the festival. Many of these would later go back home, bearing witness to the downpouring of the Holy Spirit.

WHY SHOULD THEY WAIT FOR THE DOWNPOUR OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Jesus continued to say, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The things He wanted them to do would have been too heavy to carry out if not by the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence, they had to wait. But what was the significance of being witnesses to the Lord? And what power would they receive after the Holy Spirit had descended upon them? Was it merely the power to cast out demons and heal the sick?

When Jesus was preaching the gospel, saying the kingdom of heaven was at hand, He bestowed on the disciples the authority to cast out demons and heal (Mt 10:1; Lk 10:17–20). This was before they received the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the power they would receive was not so much about miracles, though they would indeed perform miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit later. There was much more to it.

The children of Israel inherited the covenant God had established with Abraham and the blessings it entailed. Through Moses, God gave them His laws, which enabled them to be a people dwelling alone, not reckoning themselves among the nations (Num 23:9). This inevitably built a middle wall of separation between the chosen people and the uncircumcised Gentiles, forbidding the former from mingling with other peoples. When Cornelius, a Gentile, received Peter, the latter said, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean" (Acts 10:28). 

Following the will of the Father, Jesus tore down that separating wall and abolished the enmity by sacrificing Himself and shedding His blood (Eph 2:14). He created one new man from the two in Himself, thus making peace. Yet, the Jewish people still lived according to the Old Testament, confined by the ordinances of Mosaic Law and tradition. Learning from their ancestors' failure in faith, they had dug an uncrossable chasm between themselves and the outside world. Hence, the Lord Jesus instructed them to wait for the Holy Spirit since He would lead them through the barriers of the Jewish community to reach out to all nations.

THE SPIRIT WILL DECLARE WHAT WAS WITHHELD

So, was the downpour of the Holy Spirit just to bring about the power to perform miracles and gospel outreach? After He washed the disciples' feet, the Lord Jesus bade farewell to His disciples and comforted them. Within His words of encouragement, He said:  

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." (Jn 16:12–15) 

What were the things Jesus wanted to say to His disciples but withheld at the time? Did He eventually divulge these? If so, how?

Before the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they could not bear the many things Jesus had to say to them. So, they had to wait for the Holy Spirit to speak to them about these things on behalf of the Lord Jesus. As Jesus said, "He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you."

Before departing to Gethsemane with the disciples, Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven and prayed, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (Jn 17:17). From this saying, we know the Father's word is truth. Previously, Jesus also said:

"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." (Jn 14:10) 

Therefore, the word of Jesus is truth. The power the disciples would receive when the Holy Spirit came upon them enabled them to witness the truth. The Holy Spirit would give them an understanding of the truth and guide them to walk in the truth. Jesus sanctified these disciples, and He will sanctify those who believe in Him through the disciples' words, thereby making them one. It follows, then, that the true church must adhere to the teachings of the apostles.

After receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter stood before the multitude and declared:

"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38–39)

Peter did not speak this statement of truth on his own. It is a precious salvation truth declared by the Holy Spirit.

Peter addressed this promise "to you and to your children," meaning all Jewish people from that point onward. But he also included, "all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call"—people outside the Jewish realm! Peter did not personally understand this part of the truth at the time he spoke. When he later came to the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion and Gentile, he said:

"You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?" (Acts 10:28–29)

"For what reason have you sent for me?" Peter was unprepared. He did not know why this Gentile man had invited him to his house. He did not intend to preach the gospel here! In his mind, the Gentiles were outsiders to the grace of salvation. Not until he witnessed the pouring down of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius' household did he realize that salvation is also for the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit caused him to understand that he had to baptize these Gentile people in the name of the Lord Jesus so their sins could be cleansed. The Holy Spirit revealed the truth that salvation is for all nations.

The Holy Spirit continued to guide the church to understand this truth. During the Jerusalem Council, He led the apostles and elders into the truth that Gentile believers were not required to be circumcised after baptism. They did not have to carry out the ordinances and judgments of Moses' Law. Indeed, the Holy Spirit delivered the truth of the faith to them, once for all (Jude 1:3).

"Once for all" indicates that there will be no addition or subtraction made to the salvation truth the saints received in apostolic times. Our faith must be according to this complete truth. The Holy Spirit guided the apostles into all truth. Today, the latter rain of the Holy Spirit also leads the true church of the end time into the truth entrusted to the apostles. This is the place the Holy Spirit chooses to dwell (Eph 2:19–22).

PRAY FOR THE SPIRIT'S DIRECTION

The Holy Spirit empowers us to perform miracles, preach the gospel, and understand God's complete salvation truth, among other things. This is why we must pray for and receive the Holy Spirit before we devote ourselves to serving the Lord. We need His guidance; otherwise, we will walk our own way. On Paul's second missionary trip, he and his company were vigilant enough to notice that the Holy Spirit forbade them from preaching the word in Asia as they intended. After they had come to Mysia, they realized the Spirit did not permit them to go into Bithynia. So, they went down to Troas, and a vision appeared to Paul in the night, directing them to Europe (Acts 16:6–10).

The power of the Holy Spirit allows us to walk on the right path, according to the truth. Sometimes our plans must be redefined to align with the Holy Spirit's. True submission to His guidance will keep us from going astray. This vigilant search for the will of the Holy Spirit is of utmost importance and should always be in our prayers.