THEY HAD BELIEVED on Christ: “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me” (John 17:8). “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

They had been born again: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12, 13). [“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him” (I John 5:1).]

Their names were written in heaven, as were those of the Seventy: “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). They had been sent to preach the gospel: “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7).

They were not of the world: “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:16).

They kept God’s word: “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word” (John 17:6).
They were clean through the word: “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3)—which is effected by “being born again” ... by the word of God—“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (I Peter 1:23).

Neither was the experience of the apostles abnormal, for the disciples of Samaria also received the Holy Spirit subsequently to their conversion.