Last week we concluded Acts chapter one where Jesus gave His followers the instructions to wait for the Holy Spirit to come, and now, as we move into chapter two, the wait is over. The Holy Spirit has come and we are now ushering in the church era. In chapter one, the Savior ascends, in chapter two, the Holy Spirit descends.
If you are tired of the strain and stress of life and are ready to experience the abundance of life which God has promised, you are a prime candidate for the workings of Acts 2. As we look at these verses, prepare yourself for a Pentecostal experience. It is time to move in and take possession of the power and abilities God has freely given to believers through a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit. I want to encourage you, as we unfold the pages of Acts, verse by verse, to allow the Holy Spirit to speak freshly into your life, for your wait is over, the Holy Spirit has come, and He is here, so let us learn together these great truths from and about our God.
I. God meets us In His own way.
“And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they nested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Acts 2:1-4
Human nature has a tendency to try and impose its plans on everything else. Our agenda, our schedule, our wants, our desires. We have talked about how they waited in the Upper Room, how they spent time waiting on God’s agenda, rather than waiting on their own. It must have been really hard for them. Just look at how difficult it is for us to wait, to say not my own personal will, but your will Lord be done in my life. People want to have control of their own will power and when they take control, they muss the opportunity for God’s power to flow through them. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and so many times God’s timetable is quite different from ours as well. The benefit of being in line with God, well, there is no comparison. So what happens? Lets take a look.
A. God’s Way’s are Higher than Our Ways
God spoke to Job about Job’s inability to control his own destiny outside of God’s will. Job 38:4-7 God asked him, Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together, and all the angels shouted for joy? I wonder, could God ask us the same thing when we try to operate outside of His power thinking we know best? When we desire to take the control of our life and circumstances away from God, thinking that we have the ability to run our own lives without repercussions, without the wisdom of the Creator, then we should also be able to respond to the questions God put to Job and have a right answer. In truth, we know we cannot. How do we know? From experience, we have tried to run things before and they work for a time, but eventually, well, we find ourselves lacking in the ability to plow ahead as we thought we could. The reason we cannot is because God controls the times and seasons. It is God who created, it is God who controls. Our responsibility is to be ready when God opens the doors for us to move ahead in our lives. We have to have our lamps ready, filled with oil, prepared to move out and light the world when the bridegroom comes. Too often we are idly doing something else, our oil us running low and we are unprepared for the visitation of God. Somewhat like the foolish virgins in Matthew 25, unprepared they were as a result missing the banquet Christ had prepared for them. Jesus gives us some advice in verse 13, Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. We use this verse to speak of the second coming of Christ, or of our own death and our passing into eternity, it can also be used of the opportunities God places in our lives right now.
B. God fulfills His Promises, Always.
On the day God designated, He fulfilled His promise of the Holy Spirit coming to all mankind, for all mankind. The timing, according to Scripture, was the Day of Pentecost.
Pentecost means “fiftieth”. It is a New Testament name for the Feast of Weeks or Harvest written of in Exodus 23:16 and 34:22-23. This Jewish Festival is celebrated fifty days following Passover. Judaism also looked to Pentecost as a celebration for when God gave the Law to Moses. For us, as Christians, we recognize Pentecost as also the day when the Holy Spirit came to all believers.
The designation, Feast of Weeks, comes from the fact the celebration followed after seven weeks of harvesting. Here, at the Temple, they would bring an offering of the first fruit. Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, is considered one of the three great pilgrim festivals of Judaism, with Passover which precedes Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, which follows it by four months, being the other two.
As Pentecost symbolizes the first fruit of harvest for the Jews, Pentecost symbolizes for the church the beginning of the first fruit of harvest for Jesus, for Pentecost is the beginning of God’s harvest of souls in the world which will lead to the last day when the curtain draws closed on this era of history.
So here, on the Day of Pentecost, 120 believers are gathered together in the Upper Room, although the place they gathered is considered so by tradition which we have already talked about. They had no idea what to expect, Jesus did not tell them how they would know when the Holy Spirit had come and they had no previous experience in which to look back to and say this is how it was done before. Just 120 men and women, in prayer, in conversation, in one accord, awaiting the promise of God. It is hard to say what their expectations were. Would the Holy Spirit come with a knock on the door, and be in human form? Would the Holy Spirit descend in the same manner in which Jesus had ascended? No matter how they might have preconceived His arrival, the Holy Spirit did come.
II. The Miraculous Power of God
A. The Wind of the Spirit begins to blow
Now they were about to discover how the Holy Spirit was prepared to come and be with them. In the Message it says, Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind—gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Suddenly, God came into their midst.
In the Old Testament we read of the power of the Spirit, Ezekiel 36:11-14 Then he said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They day: Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will pour my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.
The Lord, in Ezekiel, blew on the dry bones and brought them to life. Here in Acts, the Lord is again blowing on flesh and bones, bring life. God does that in our situations doesn’t he. When it looks like things are hopeless, when it looks like there is nothing more that can be done, the wind of the Spirit begins to blow and changes situations, blows away barriers and allows the Lord to work in situations where only His intervention can help.
Jesus spoke of the wind of the Spirit to Nicodemous in John 3 in regard to being born again. He said in verses 5-8 I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. The flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear the sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is like the wind, blowing wherever He pleases under the control of God, not under the control of man.
B. The Holy Spirit sets your life ablaze.
The second sing they experienced that day is found in verse 3: They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:11, I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Fire being associated with the cleansing of judgement. Fire is also the symbol of the divine presence. We find this symbolize throughout the Bible. There was the burning bush in Exodus 3:2-5; the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites by night during their wilderness experience in Exodus 13:21; We read of the consuming fire on Mount Sinai in Exodus 24:17; the fire which hovered over the tabernacle in Exodus 40:38, and then the fire we read about here in this passage of Matthew which talks of the Holy Spirit and fire.
C. The Holy Spirit Rests on Believers Individually.
Vs. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each one of them.
I don’t want you to miss this important point—the tongues of fire rested on each one of them individually. Under the Old Covenant, the divine presence of God came to rest on the people of Israel as a corporate entity. There were times when the Holy Spirit would nest on the leaders for a special purpose, but this was not the normal occurrences. Now, under the new covenant, beginning on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has come and now rests on each believer individually. The emphasis in the proclamation of God’s redemption from Pentecost forward is now on a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, a personal relationship with God for all who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
D. Everyone is Filled with the Spirit.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Vs. 4
The Holy Spirit came suddenly and unexpectedly to those early Christians, nevertheless, it was understood by the disciples to have been given for the purpose of clear communication to the gathering crowd who were gathering around the meeting area.
What chance would they have had on the Day of Pentecost without the baptism of the Holy Spirit? What chance do we have in finding God without the leading of the Holy Spirit in our world today? Here the Holy Spirit came down and empowered them to make an impact in their world, and the same Holy Spirit who was with them is the same who is here today seeking believers who want to utilize the gifts and talents God has given to change the world in which we live. The cause of Christ would have died an early death had it not been for this powerful work of God in bringing His Spirit into our lives to teach us, guide us, and direct our path. We need that power today as much, if not more, than they did in the early church.
III. God will give Understanding to all.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphila, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Creatan and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues. Vs. 5-11
Under the power of the Holy Spirit, languages known to the audience, but probably unknown to the speaker since the point was made they were all Galileans, were being spoken to a crowd that had gathered around where they were meeting. There is speculation, again, reading between the lines of the Scripture, as to why all these different areas of the world were in Jerusalem. Remember, this is a feast, and important feast celebration. This could be the reason, or it could be that because of Roman rule, Jerusalem had become somewhat of a melting pot for traders traveling through the area or having set up places of business in the city. We don’t know for sure why they were there, we do know that they were there.
What was the draw to the area where the disciples of Jesus had been meeting for prayer? It appears the sound of a mighty wind may well have caught their attention. When you hear a crash, don’t you pay attention to where the sound came from? Here the Holy Spirit came down with a loud sound and I can picture people running to the house to see what the commotion is about. The verb used in the Greek in this verse is in the imperfect tense, which suggests their hearing took place over a period of time—perhaps those who had come to the Upper Room heard the disciples speaking in tongues, and then it spilled out onto the adjacent street and courtyard, perhaps even going as far as the Temple area by the disciples who were overjoyed with this new found experience given to them by God.
Have you noticed how God works in many ways to catch our attention so we can share the Good News of Jesus Christ with other people? Jesus told them to wait until the Holy Spirit comes and then they would be His witness not only in Jerusalem but stretching out to encompass the world. Supernatural signs and wonders have the effect of drawing people’’ attention. Go to any meeting where the Spirit of God is moving in signs and wonders and it does not take long for a crowd to develop as word gets out. The purpose of God working this way, well, we learn from reading here in Acts, as the people came and heard soon they became riveted on Peter and the others who were speaking out in the languages of the growing crowd. There are some things we can learn and probably have already learned about crowds that gather.
A. Some People will respond to the Power of God.
Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’ Some, however made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’ Vs. 12-13
Not everyone will look at a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit and respond in a positive way. There needs to be a heart preparation for the miracle to accomplish its full purpose and intent. Jesus had condemned the Pharasees for seeking signs and wonders. He told them in Matthew 12:39 A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. We don’t have time to dig into this statement tonight, you can do your own study, but Jesus does make a powerful statement to sign seekers.
Here is the problem that comes up. God speaks to people through signs and wonders and their habits do not change, their lifestyle remains the same. I had a prophet tell me how people come to him expecting God to speak something different into their lives through the prophet but they have not yet done anything with what God has already spoken to them. It is a common problem. Even in our Bible knowledge, we know far more than we are applying in our lives.
This is what I see happening with the miraculous. There are some people who will embrace it. We see that here in this chapter. We also see in the same chapter, same experience, there are those who will reject it, will laugh at it, will make fun and even make excuses to try and explain it away, like they have had too much wine. The drunk comment is not uncommon for people who do not see God’s actions through the eyes of faith, choosing to explain away a move of God and the accompanying boldness as people who have a blood alcohol level over 1.5.
As we look at Acts 2, and we still have a lot more to study in this chapter, we can see that what God promises, God delivers. What the prophets foretold in the Old Testament is birthed to life here concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit. And now, in Acts, and in our own generation and time period, God continues to baptize His followers with the Holy Spirit so they can be empowered to witness. Here, in Acts 2, the church is born, the waiting is over, the Holy Spirit has come. And today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we continue to impact the world with the love and power, the forgiveness and grace, given to us by Jesus Christ.
IV. The Pentecostal Distinctive: Speaking In Tongues.
Interesting, this gift from God, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which we will continue to see through this book, has drawn such sharp division among believers. I have been amazed, and a study of 1 Corinthians allows for a closer examination of this issue, but I have been amazed how different sections of the Christian community can have such dispute over the miraculous gifts of the Spirit. I do speak from a background where I once also shared similar leanings until I looked at what the Bible said in its fullness. To eliminate the miraculous is to set the church back into human reason. To say that God does not speak today through signs and wonders is to take away the powerful tool of evangelism and spiritual growth God has given. Tongues is just one of those expressions of God that enables Christians to be victorious in their faith. Let me make a few points before we close that you might be able to share with those who question this gift but have an open mind to information.
A. Tongues are a Manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
Here, in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came, they spoke in the language of these other nations as the Holy Spirit gave them the ability. That comment, in verse 4 indicated they did not know the language themselves as it was the Holy Spirit who enabled them. I think we could all agree then, that tongues are a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit, that is, tongues are God inspired. This could be an existing language known to others as is indicated in Acts 2:6, or it could be in an unknown language, at least a language unknown here on earth as 1 Corinthians 1:13:1 indicates.
B. Tongues is the initial outward sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
God linked tongues with the baptism of the Holy Spirit from the outset in Acts 2:4. This was a confirmation to the 120 believers who had gathered there, and it is also a sign for us today, although I will state, not all Charismatic/Pentecostals take this stand. I think the reason speaking in tongues diminished over history is because people generations after the initial day of Pentecost experience, stopped saying it was the initial evidence and thus tongues has become distorted, ignored and rejected as a legitimate gift of the Spirit. I do believe, when you are saved, the Holy Spirit comes on you, but I also believe that there is an added dimension of the Spirit, which Jesus spoke to Nicodemous about in John 3, which takes us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with God, we refer to it as the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
C. Tongues are a gift from God.
Speaking in tongues is a gift from God, given by the Holy Spirit, to believers. We find this in Acts 12:4-10. The gift has two main purposes:
1. Uses for Public Worship.
Speaking in tongues, accompanied by interpretation is used in the church service to communicate with the congregation a word from the Lord for the purpose of Spirit inspired praise or prophesy.
2. Uses for Private Devotion.
Speaking in tongues is used by believers to speak to God in his or her own personal devotional time and thus building up ones spiritual life. This is found in Romans 8:26 when Paul did not know how to pray, so he prayed with groinings too deep for words, and in 1 Corinthians 14:4 where it talks about building up your faith. It is allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through you, speaking at a heavenly level to God, understanding you are the one who is in control. You can also do this by singing, by giving thanks, and by praise.
There are false uses of tongues just as there are also false manifestations of the other gifts. The Bible cautions us not to believe every spirit, but to put them to the test. We know according to the Bible, that in the last days there will be false prophets who will come and perform signs and wonders with the power from Satan according to Matthew 7:22-23 and 2 Thessalonians 2:9. So how do we test the Spirit. If someone who is claiming to speak in tongues is not committed to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and is not living under the authority of the Scripture, obeying God’s Word, whatever their manifestations, they are not from the Holy Spirit, there are some Scriptures to support this, 1 John 3:6-10; 4:1-3; Mt. 24:11, 24; John 8:31; Galatians 1:9.
In conclusion, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is for today, for all believers who desire, and may times I have found, people who have prayed for the baptism and did not evidence it with tongues, found later when tongues became a part of their prayer time, they had those words all along.
