The early church was founded and established at the time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost which ushered in a new era for the Christian believers—the dispensation of the Holy Ghost. Before Christ ascended, He promised this glorious outpouring of the Spirit, saying, “Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

This event was foretold by the prophets and was something that even the angels desired to look into (I Peter I:I2). The prophet Joel, 300 years before the Day of Pentecost, spoke of this time, saying: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy” (or preach). In the second chapter of Acts, the fulfillment of this prophecy is related. In speaking of the I20 who had gathered in the Upper Room, the Word says: “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

To confirm the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, Peter answered the critics of that day, saying: “These are not drunken, as ye suppose… But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:I5, I6).

A little later Peter said: “The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call”: which includes Christians of all ages, even those of this 20th century.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit did not cease at the time of the establishing of the early church, for the Bible relates several incidents after the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon devout souls and they, too, received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. For about I00 years following the days of the Apostles, it is said that the gifts of the Holy Ghost were still manifested; and signs and wonders were wrought among the people.

The fire of the Spirit that burned in the souls of the Apostles  was the driving force that sent them out into all directions to preach the Gospel; and the influence of their preaching during that early Christian dispensation was so great that it fairly turned the world “upside down” (Acts I7:6).