PENTECOST: The Arrival Of The Holy Spirit
Part 2
Acts 2:1-4
In Acts Chapter 2 we are given the details surrounding the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. We are currently examining the events of Pentecost and how the arrival of the Holy Spirit transformed the believers and confounded the Jews. This chapter not only chronicles the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit, it also tells us about the birth of Christ’s Church. We are a part of that Church and it is important for us to know how the Church began. I would like to pick up where we left off and continue to consider the subject of “Pentecost: The Arrival Of The Holy Spirit”
- In verses 1-4 we saw that:
I. THE ARRIVAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TRANSFORMED THE BELIEVERS
The main characters in the first few verses of Chapter 2 were Believers. Many of these Believers were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ and all of them had faith in Jesus. Christ’s followers had been given a promise that they would be “baptized with the Holy Spirit”. After Jesus promised them that they would be baptized by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles left the Mount of Olives and returned to the upper room where they were staying. In that room, 120 faithful followers of Christ were gathered together in “one accord”. The members of the early church show us the importance of dwelling together in unity; because they were in one accord, they were prepared to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. They were anticipating a great move of God. The arrival of the Spirit that had been predicted by the prophets and promised by Jesus was now a reality.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the Believers who were gathered in Jerusalem. In verse 2, Luke says that this work of the Holy Spirit was like a “rushing mighty wind”. One of the consequences of this mighty rushing wind was that it garnered the attention of the multitude gathered in Jerusalem. As a result they came to where the followers of Christ were assembled to see what was happening. There is no way that they could have predicted what would follow.
- In the previous message we examined: The Preparations That The Believers Made Before The Spirit Arrived and The Sound That The Believers Heard When The Spirit Arrived; as we move further I would like to consider:
B. THE WONDERS THAT THE BELIEVERS SAW WHEN THE SPIRIT ARRIVED
v3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
When the Holy Spirit arrived “divided tongues of fire” sat upon each of the believers. This is not a reference to literal flames, but the best description that Luke could give in human terms is that it appeared “as fire”. In the Old Testament fire is often used to describe the presence of God. In Exodus 3, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush that was not consumed. During their journeys in the wilderness, God led His people with a pillar of fire by night. In Exodus 19:18 God descended before Israel in fire on Mt. Sinai. On Mt. Carmel, when Elijah had his confrontation with the prophets of Baal, God rained fire down from Heaven to consume his offering (1 Kings 18). In each of these instances, fire is a representation of God holiness, judgment and purity; Likewise these “tongues of fire” represent the holy presence of God. Furthermore, God’s power and presence would soon be apparent in the lives and words of His people as they proclaimed His mighty works.
In verse 11 some of the Jews were amazed to hear the followers of Christ declaring the “wonderful works of God” in their own language. God also used this appearance of divided tongues to illustrate the reality that He had sent His Holy Spirit upon each believer. In other words, this was an outwardly visible manifestation of the inward work that God had performed in the lives of His people.
- The followers of Christ heard powerful sound, they saw supernatural sights, and after the Spirit fell they possessed some amazing abilities. Notice:
C. THE ABILITY THAT THE BELIEVERS POSSESSED AFTER THE SPIRIT ARRIVED
v4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The promise that Jesus had made to His followers before His ascension has now been fulfilled, the Holy Spirit filled every believer. This was not the origination of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit was present and active in the world since the very beginning. The Holy Spirit is just as eternal as the Father and the Son, for they are three in one, but beginning at Pentecost the Holy Spirit now indwells God’s people. There are many instances in the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit was “with” God’s people, but we have the great privilege of knowing that He is “in” us.
When the Holy Spirt fell on those Believers at Pentecost they began to speak in “other tongues”. The Greek word for “tongues” can be translated “languages” and that is certainly the case in this context. There were people in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost from at least 12 different countries, when they arrived at the place where the Christians were gathered, these Jews were amazed that they could hear the Disciples speaking in their own native languages. Speaking in other tongues was a miraculous gift provided by the Holy Spirit; verse 4 tells us that “the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The Believers were filled with the Spirit, spoke in different languages and astonished the Jews who were witnesses of this miraculous event. Because they were filled with the Spirit, the followers of Christ were able to do things that can only be described as “miraculous”. It is important for us to understand that the gift that they received was not for their own benefit, it was a gift that brought glory to the Father. As they spoke in “other tongues” they praised the Lord for His marvelous works, and in doing so they testified of His greatness in the presence of many unbelievers.
Those of us who have been saved have been baptized with the same Holy Spirit that we read about in these verses. We have received this great gift that was spoken of by the prophets and promised by Jesus. We have been baptized in the Spirit and we are to be filled with the Spirit and walk in the Spirit. The verses and chapters that follow show us what God can do with people who are in the Spirit. When the day began there were 120 followers of Jesus, God was about to add 3,000 souls to that number, later we will see the number increase to 5,000 and since then He had added an innumerable multitude of people to His Church and He is still adding to His Church daily.
The early Church experienced great growth and success; we have the opportunity to experience the same things today. As Christians, we have been saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Spirit; like the members of the early church we have been given the responsibility of being witnesses of Christ in this world. These people who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost were never the same after this wonderful experience. Following Pentecost they consistently joined together and learned about Jesus, fellowshipped with one another, and they prayed, praised, worshipped and served God as a unified body of believers. We should be involved in these same activities today.
Have you experienced what those believers experienced? Have you been “baptized in the Spirit?” I must remind you that the Bible says that if you do not have the Sprit, you do not belong to God! (Romans 8:9 “…Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”) If you do not belong to Christ, this very chapter shows you how that you can be saved. Some of the Jews who were in Jerusalem heard Peter’s message and were convicted of their sins. They asked him “what shall we do? Peter replied “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.” I encourage you to do what 3,000 people did on the day of Pentecost; repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, follow through with believer’s baptism and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. A great multitude was transformed when the Holy Spirit arrived, and you can be transformed today!
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