A Prophetic Heritage
Series: Book of Acts #2
Acts 1:1-2[1]
10-9-05
Intro
Acts 1:1-2 “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” Last week we learned that the book of Acts is the second volume in a two volume work by Luke. There is a flow of thought that runs through both volumes that helps us understand the message of Acts.
Today we go back to the Gospel of Luke at a pivotal point in God’s plan—Jesus’ baptism and anointing for public ministry. In the clip you are about to see, John the Baptist is ministering under a powerful unction of the Holy Spirit. He prophesies the ministry of Jesus and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Pay close attention to his words at the end of this clip. Show “The Jesus Film”[2]: Begin ch. 7 (0:06:27) to (0:09:05).
John was the last of the great prophets before the coming of Jesus.[3] His statement in Luke 3:16 links the old with the new—“John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’” The baptism of John was a powerful call to repentance for the nation of Israel. But it was only a preparation for greater things. John baptized with water; but Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. As a foundation for interpreting Acts we will look at the flow of prophetic anointing in the Old Testament and then in the Gospel of Luke. We will see the desire of God and the design of God in anointing a prophetic people for His glory.
I. God’s Desire Spoken by Moses
One of the clearest revelations of God’s heart toward His people is found in Numbers 11. Turn there with me. Moses has hit a wall of discouragement. In verse 11 he asks God this question, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant?” (NIV) He is complaining about the burden of his ministry. In verses 16 and 17 God answers Moses. He tells him to gather seventy elders (people already recognized as leaders) at the Tent of Meeting—the place God had chosen to meet with them. Then God promises to distribute the anointing of the Holy Spirit that is on Moses to those seventy leaders as well. What does that foreshadow? It foreshadows the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2:3-4 “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” On the Day of Pentecost the anointing of the Anointed One, Jesus, was distributed[4] upon one hundred and twenty of His followers.
What was the purpose of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you...” Now look at Numbers 11:17 and you will see that same purpose in Moses’ situation.[5] Num 11:17 “I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.” The principle in both texts that we must not miss is the purpose for the outpouring of the Spirit. That purpose is empowerment for service—empowerment for service. That is an essential key for understanding the Holy Spirit in Acts.
Now follow with me as we read Numbers 11:24 & 25 “So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.” Two observations from that last sentence. (1) When the Holy Spirit came upon these people something observable happened. “When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied....” The Hebrew form for the word “prophesied” indicates visible, physical demonstrations of some kind.[6] People knew that the Spirit of the Lord had come upon them as in Acts 2.[7] (2) “...they did not do so again.” Although this event foreshadowed Pentecost it did not yield the same abiding influence.
Numbers 11:26-30 “However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ 28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them!’ 29 But Moses replied, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!’ 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.” Moses’ response in verse 29 is a genuine refection of the Father’s heart and the Father’s plan. “I wish that all the LORD’S people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit on them!” Joel prophesies that this will happen[8] and we see it happening in Acts 2. Here is what we must understand from this. It is God’s purpose and desire that His people from the least to the greatest be Spirit inspired and empowered—that the church be a prophetic community of believers operating in the supernatural unction of the Holy Spirit. What we see happening in Acts 2 flows out of what God had been doing all through the Old Testament[9] and in the Gospels. 1 Cor 14:31 “For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.” I want you to get this concept of supernaturally inspired prophetic community in mind as we approach Acts 2.
When we read through the Old Testament we see a flow of supernatural interventions by the Spirit of God. We see God delivering His people miraculously—ten plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, miracles and signs in the wilderness, the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. In the days of the Judges the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, Samson, and others to empower them for service. There were three principle realms of leadership and anointing: the king, the priest, and the prophet. And for all these ministries people needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit to do the work they were called to do. What we’re pointing out as we approach the book of Acts is the divine enablement for service that only comes by the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Turn with me to 2 Kings 2 for a moment. Of course, you know that awesome miracles occurred in Elijah’s ministry and later in Elisha’s ministry. These men were not just good philosophers or debaters. They operated in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit.[10] In 2 Kings 2 God is about to take Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha understands the secret of Elijah’s success. What is that secret? It is the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when Elijah asks Elisha what he wants, do you remember Elisha’s request? 2 Kings 2:9 “And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?’ Elisha said, ‘Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’” (NKJV)
Old Testament believers understood that it was the Holy Spirit empowering them for service unto God. In 2 Sam 23:2 David said, “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.” Micah, the prophet said (Micah 3:8) “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.” The word of the LORD that came to Zerubbabel in Zech 4:6 was “... ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” What we want to recognize is the charismatic nature of God’s people even in the Old Testament. People familiar with their Bibles in Jesus’ day expected charismatic activity as evidence that God was amongst His people.
The Septuagint was the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was commonly used in the synagogues during the first century. On the devotional that I have provided this week is a list of the ways the Septuagint described the charismatic activity of the Holy Spirit.[11] Words like “fall upon”, “go out with”, “come upon”, “clothe”, “fill”, etc. are used. There are two reasons we need to understand this. First, it helps us see the broad activities of the Holy Spirit amongst the people of God. Second, it helps us understand that terminology describing the activity of the Holy Spirit may vary. Many of the biblical quotations in Luke-Acts reflect terminology from the Septuagint. Years ago I found myself very frustrated trying to construct sharp technical differences in the way Luke uses terms like “filled with the Spirit” and “baptized in the Spirit”. I personally don’t think Luke is trying to make many of the strict technical distinctions that we try to develop. He is simply using common terminology to describe the charismatic activity of the Holy Spirit. We will see that more clearly as we proceed in our study of Acts.
The Holy Spirit has always worked supernaturally amongst God’s people. That anointing was more limited to leadership in the Old Testament. We primarily see the Spirit of the Lord coming upon Judges, Kings, Priests, and Prophets. But we also see that God’s desire is that all his people experience the anointing and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.[12] In the Old Testament the prophets point toward a future outpouring of the Spirit that will encompass all God’s people and involve a much more intimate relationship. Ezekiel 36:26-27 prophesies a deeper work of the Spirit in the New Covenant, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” And Joel lets us know that the New Covenant outpouring of the Spirit will not be limited to a few leaders. Joel 2:28-29 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”
Although they did not understand the full implications of these promises, this is what the godly remnant in Israel was longing for as the New Testament opens. As we approach the Gospel of Luke we emerge from a 400 year period of very limited manifestation of the Spirit amongst God’s people.[13]
II. God’s Design Exemplified by Jesus
The Gospel of Luke opens with a fresh, increased activity of the Holy Spirit among a remnant of believers.[14] At this point in time most of Israel is religious but not living in wholesome relationship with God. Most draw near to God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him.[15] But that is not true of everyone. We find a faithful remnant in the opening chapters of Luke. Now watch how the Holy Spirit is manifested among this small remnant.
(1) In Luke 1:15-17: the angelic message to Zacharias concerning John the Baptist, “for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous-to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
(2) In Luke 1:34-35 Gabriel’s words to Mary concerning the supernatural conception of Jesus, “‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ 35 The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’”
(3) In Luke 1:41-43 Mary’s encounter with Elizabeth, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!’” Elizabeth is speaking prophetically and this is followed by Mary’s Magnificat. What we want to see is the prominence of the prophetic in Luke’s message—because this emphasis will flow into the book of Acts.
(4) In Luke 1:67 Luke introduces Zechariah’s prophecy with these words, “His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied...” Notice the expression “filled with the Holy Spirit” occurring in Luke’s gospel.
In Luke 2 we find the Holy Spirit working in and through two other individuals.
(5) Luke 2:25-28 “ Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:...” And so again, prophetic utterance is given by the Spirit.
(6) Luke 2:36-38 “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”
In Chapter 1 & 2 Luke introduces us to the Holy Spirit working amongst God’s faithful people. Miracles happen and supernatural utterance happens. There is lots of prophesy going on in these two chapters.
Between this representative prophetic community in chapters 1 and 2 and the fuller realization of God’s prophetic community in Acts 2, stands the ministry of Jesus, the anointed prophet of God.[16] How many know what the title “Christ” or “Messiah” means? It means Anointed One.[17] That title alone brings focus to the anointing of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ ministry.
(1) Of course, we’ve already seen that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He experienced the Holy Spirit in his conception/birth.
(2) Now at his baptism we find a second work of the Spirit in Jesus’ life to equip Him for ministry. The Holy Spirit is not restricted to one encounter or one work in a person’s life. To say that I have been born of the Spirit and now there is nothing else for me to experience is not consistent with what we find in the Bible. Even Jesus had more than one experience with the Holy Spirit. When He comes to these baptismal waters He comes as One conceived by the Holy Spirit. But in Luke 3:22 we find the Holy Spirit descending upon Him in bodily form like a dove (Luke 3:22). He does not begin His public ministry until after this experience.
Now follow Luke’s narrative as he tells us about the Holy Spirit’s work in Jesus’ life.
(3) Luke 4:1 “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert.”
(4) Luke 4:14-19 “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’”
That proclamation not only describes the nature of Jesus’ ministry[18] but it also tells how He will be enabled to do it—“the Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me...” This is how Jesus fulfilled His earthly ministry—by the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not only a pattern for living a good life He is also the pattern for believers to live a Spirit-empowered life. Acts 10:38 tells us that Holy Spirit empowerment was central to Jesus ministry, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”
(4) What follows in Luke are a number of incidents in which Jesus ministers in the power of the Holy Spirit as the Anointed One. In Luke 5 he heals lepers like Elisa healed Namaan. In Luke 8 he rebukes the wind and calms the sea. He also raises the dead. In Luke 9 he multiplies food.
So we come to Acts with a rich heritage of Holy Spirit inspiration and empowerment. In his gospel Luke has shown us how Jesus operated in the anointing of the Spirit. This is programmatic.[19] This is the example of how it is done. Here we see one person, Jesus, functioning the way God wants the whole community of believers functioning in the book of Acts. Luke first shows it to us in Jesus. Then in Acts he reveals the expansion of God’s plan to include all believers. We get glimpses of what God is about to do in Acts when we see Jesus sending out the twelve in Luke 9. Verse 1, “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
We will see this happening on a much broader scale in Acts. In the next chapter, Luke 10, he sent seventy two followers out to do similar ministry. When they came back with their reports Luke 10:21 says Jesus was “full of joy through the Holy Spirit” and began to praise God.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 comes in the context of this rich heritage of Spirit anointing and empowerment. When we see the Holy Spirit descending upon the hundred and twenty on the Day of Pentecost it is natural to expect them to begin doing the things Jesus did under His anointing—why? because it is the same Holy Spirit at work—the third person of the Trinity. He has lost none of His power and He has lost none of His will to seek and save that which is lost. We have seen God’s supernatural involvement with His people in the Old Testament. We also see the Holy Spirit anointing Jesus and his followers in the gospels. When we come to the Church in Acts we see an expansion of Holy Spirit empowerment not a reduction. The natural expectation from all this is that the Holy Spirit would continue to supernaturally anoint the people of God for mission. The expectation for you and me today is that God would anoint us with the Holy Spirit to fulfill His purposes through our lives. Do you desire that? Will you open your heart to those possibilities even today?
Invitation
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] All Scripture quotes are from New International Version unless otherwise indicated.
[2] Produced by Madacy Entertainment Group, Ltd. 2003 in Nashville for Inspirational Films, Inc. See www.inspirationalfilms.com and www.HistoricJesus.com for more information.
[3] Matthew 11:13; Luke 1:17; 7:26-28; 16:16
[4] BDAG (p.233) tells us the Greek word, diamerio, in Acts 2:3 means to divide into separte parts—probably in the imagry of the jagged effects produced by a flame; but some interpret Acts 2:3 in this sense: like tongues of fire distributed among them (REB). G. Cambell Morgan, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 24 says “a plurality and a unity, the tongues were many but the fire was One.” What we want to see in Numbers 11 and especially Acts 2 is that the Spirit on the followers was the same Spirit (the Holy Spirit) on the Leader. And the anointing distributed on the followers is the same anointing on the leader (the Christ, the Anointed One).
[5] The distribution of the anointing to Jesus’ disciples was not because He was too weary to carry the load but because He delights in sharing with His people.
[6] Roger Cotton, “Old Testament Theology Handouts” provided in June 2005 class at The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, p. 115. The note to this verse in the NIV Study Bible, Kenneth Barker, gen. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995) says that this “probably means that they gave ecstatic expression to an intense religious experience....”
[7] Gordon Wenham, Numbers in Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, D.J. Wiseman, gen. ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981) p. 109 says, “As with Saul, the prophecy described here was probably an unintelligible ecstatic utterance, what the New Testament terms speaking in tongues, not the inspired, intelligible speech of the great Old Testament prophets and the unnamed prophets of the early church....”
[8] Joel 2:28-29
[9] A careful study of Luke/Acts informs us that Luke was familiar with the Septuagint. This is why getting this OT heritage in mind as we approach Acts is so helpful. Our tendency is to approach Acts from a Twenty first century Evangelical mindset which may be quite different from Luke’s orientation.
[10] 1 Corinthians 2:4
[11] Roger Stronstad, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1984) p. 18
[12] We see this desire even in the early history of Israel (Ex 19:5-6; 1Pet 2:5,9; Rev 1:6) but God graciously dealt with their infidelity by anointing representatives to function as priests (Num 3:11-13; 25:13; Deut 18:5).
[13]Porter, S. E., & Evans, C. A. 2000. Dictionary of New Testament background : A compendium of contemporary biblical scholarship (electronic ed.). see “Holy Spirit: Intertestamental Prophecy (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL). (Also Roger Stronstad, The Prophethood of All Believers p. 39)
[14] For an extensive study of this see “Holy Spirit” by M.M.B. Turner in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Green, McKnight, and Marshall, editors (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992) pp. 341-351
[15] Mk 7:6; Matt 15:8
[16] Roger Stronstad, The Prophethood of All Believers: A Study in Luke’s Charismatic Theology (London: Sheffield Academic Press, 2003) pp. 40-41
[17] Grenz, S., Guretzki, D., & Nordling, C. F. 1999. Pocket dictionary of theological terms. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Ill. p. 25
[18] Notice the focus on the relief of human suffering. The supernatural work of the Spirit is not a show for entertainment but a healing of pain, suffering, and oppression.
[19] Stronstad, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, p. 45.
