Holy Spirit at Work

Recall that Jesus assured his disciples that holy spirit would play a role in the growth of God's Word and that holy spirit would empower the disciples in their preaching activity. (Acts 1:8) How did this happen? Not long after  the spirit was poured out upon the disciples at Pentecost, Peter and John were summoned to speak to the Jewish Sanhedrin, the highest court in the land, whose judges bore responsibility for the execution of Jesus Christ. Would the apostles tremble with fear before such an imposing and hostile assembly?  Not at all!  Holy spirit empowered Peter  and John to speak with such boldness that their opponents were filled with wonder, and "they began to be with Jesus." (Acts 4:8, 13) Holy spirit also caused Stephen to witness boldly to the Sanhedrin.  (Acts 6:12; 7:55,56) Earlier, the holy spirit had moved the disciples  to preach with boldness.  Luke reports: "When they had made supplication, the place in which they were gathered together was  shaken; and they were one and all filled with the holy spirit and were speaking the word of God with boldness." -Acts 4:31.

Through is powerful holy spirit, Jehovah along with the resurrected Jesus, directed the preaching activity.  (John  14:28; 15:26)  When the spirit was poured out on Cornelius, his relatives, and his intimate friends, the apostle Peter recognized that uncircumcised Gentiles  could qualify to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.  (Acts 10:24, 44-48) Later, the spirit  played a key role in appointing Barnabas and Saul (the apostle Paul) for missionary activity and in directing where they should and should not go.  (Acts 13:2, 4; 16:6, 7) It directed the decision-making process of the apostles and older men in Jerusalem.  (Acts 15:23, 28, 29)  Holy spirit also guided the appointment of overseers  in the Christian congregation. -Acts 20:28.

In addition, holy spirit manifested itself in Christians themselves, producing godly qualities, such as love.  (Galatians 5:22, 23) Love moved the disciples to share with one another. For example, following Pentecost of 33 C.E., a common fund was established to meet the physical needs of the disciples in Jerusalem.  The Bible account says: "There was not one in need among them; for all those who were possessors of fields or houses would sell them and bring the values of the things sold and they would deposit them at the feet of the apostles.  In turn distribution would be made to each one, just has he would have the need." (Acts 4:34. 35)  This love extended not merely to fellow believers but also to others, both by sharing the good news and by other acts of kindness.  (Acts 28:8, 9) Jesus said that self-sacrificing love would identify his followers.  (John 13:34, 35) Surely  the vital quality of love drew people to God and contributed to growth in the first century just as it does today. -Matthew 5:14, 16.

In all, the expression "holy spirit" occurs 41 times in the book of Acts.  Clearly, genuine Christian growth in the first century was closely linked  to the power and guidance of the holy spirit.  The number of disciples increased, the word of God spread over a wide area, and it prevailed over religions and philosophies of that era.  This first-century growth finds it parallel in the work of Jehovah's Witnesses today.  In the next article, we will examine the equally dramatic growth of God's Word in modern times. 

Next time: TRUE CHRISTIANITY PREVAILS!

From the Watchtower magazine, 2001