INTRODUCTION
Pastor Gary is sending a revised version
Who did invent the church and just what is it’s job?
There is no better place to find the answer to these questions than
in the book of Acts, the action book of the New Testament.
It traces the birth, infancy and young adulthood of the church.
It is an exciting account of the work of the Holy Spirit in the
lives of the early church members.
The narrative in the first fourteen verses of chapter 1 introduces
us to some major themes that run throughout the Book of Acts.
We serve a Risen Savior - Jesus is alive.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to live lives that reveal Jesus to others.
This same Jesus will return to earth some day to set up His kingdom.
We have access to God through prayer
If the church today is to impact our world it must:
 Teach the Resurrection
and celebrate that Jesus is alive.
Teach and anticipate
the Hope of Christ’s return
Seek God’s
guidance and wisdom through prayer.
But most importantly,
we must be filled with the Holy Spirit
Acts chapter 2 gives the account of the initial outpouring of the Holy
Spirit on the Early Church. The controversy surrounding this chapter must
not cause us to shy away from it. We must, instead, approach it with anticipation
and celebrate the truths revealed here.
As we approach this chapter there are some fundamental truths of which
we must be aware:
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This is a completely Jewish context - the people, the place, the feast,
the symbols are all Jewish.
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The events described here signal the beginning of time when God interacts
with human beings in a new way. We call this the Church Age or the Age
of Grace.
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Pentecost should not be separated from the life and redemptive work of
Jesus. In our minds and on our calendars we can separate Christmas, Good
Friday, Easter and Pentecost. But we should also see them as One Divine
Plan with Pentecost as the final episode in that Plan, not the Ascension.
As we’re going to see, the Church was born with a bang, not by the strength
of the disciples but by the power of God’s Spirit upon them! In the same
way, “we are not going to move the world by criticism of the world, nor
conformity to the world, but by the combustion of lives ignited by the
Spirit of God within the world.”
Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV)
1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all
with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound
from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house
where they were sitting. 3Then there appeared to them divided
tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4And they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance.
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Originally, Pentecost was called the Festival of Firstfruits or
the Festival of Weeks. It celebrated seven weeks of harvest time
culminating in a feast day which, because it came 50 days after Passover,
came to be called Pentecost (Pente means 50).
By the time of the first century it was considered the anniversary of
the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai and as a time for the annual renewal
of the Mosaic covenant. The giving of the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai by
God - which began the Age or Dispensation
of Law, was accompanied with a lot of physical phenomena - thunder,
lightning, etc. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon His people by God
here on the Day of Pentecost, which began the Age or Dispensation
of Grace through the Church - was also accompanied by a lot of physical
phenomena - sound of a mighty wind, tongues like fire, other tongues.
The fact that this signaled a new way of God dealing with His people
would not have been lost on the Jews at Jerusalem that day. The only one
of these signs that was repeated in Acts was the “other tongues” and even
this is not repeated every time there is a fresh outpouring of the Holy
Spirit.
We, today, must also realize that the physical phenomena of these first
four verses was to signal the beginning of a new time in God’s dealing
with man and not expect them to be repeated. The important thing here -
the focus of these verses - is that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon
God’s people!
When the Holy Spirit came He was not visible. He did, however, make
His presence known in two ways that were familiar to these Jewish Christians:
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First the audio - the sound of a rushing mighty wind
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Then the video - tongues that look like fire.
The sound of the rushing mighty wind may have been like a siren heard throughout
all of Jerusalem that would have gotten everyone’s attention. There is
no doubt a play on words here as well because both the Hebrew and Greek
use the same word for “wind” and “spirit.” Jesus used this same language
when talking with Nicodemus in John 3:8.
You can’t see wind but you can see its effect - the same is true of
the Holy Spirit. Wind is the symbol of invisible power. This is to be a
characteristic of the Church. It is to be a band of men and women bound
together by their faith in Jesus, who, when they operate in the invisible
power of the Spirit, will accomplish great things.
Fire is identified with two things in the Old Testament - sacrifice
and purity. To be filled we must admit emptiness - we must present ourselves
as “living sacrifices” to God. (Rom.
12:1: NKJV) When the Holy Spirit is poured out upon us, He purifies
us so that He can fill us.
Notice that the fire “separated and came to rest on each of them.” This
represents the change is which God works with His people. Under the Old
Covenant, God’ Presence rested on Israel as a whole group and upon some
of its leaders for special purposes. Under the New Covenant the Spirit
now rests upon each believer individually.
The very fact that these 120 were filled with the Holy Spirit indicates
that all the other ministries of the Holy Spirit to believers in this Age
had already been performed. They were already saved and had the Holy Spirit
living in them (John
20:22; NKJV). This filling of the Spirit was for service - for power
to be witness for Jesus.
The filling of the Holy Spirit is the only work of the Holy Spirit that
we are commanded to seek. We don’t have to ask for His other ministries
- they happen automatically when we exercise faith and place our trust
in Christ. At the moment of salvation the Scripture says that we are born
of the Spirit and changed, the Holy Spirit lives in us, and the Holy Spirit
seals us.
But we are commanded to “be filled with the Holy Spirit” in Ephesians
5:18 (NKJV). Commands in Scripture indicate that our willful action
is required - we are to seek to be filled with the Spirit.
When they were filled with the Holy Spirit, verse 4 tells us that they
“began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
What follows caused a great commotion in Jerusalem with two basic responses:
some people were curious and seeking and others were dismissive and mocking.
Those two responses are still alive today - even among Christians.
Acts 2:5-13 (NKJV)
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men,
from every nation under heaven. 6And when this sound occurred,
the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard
them speak in his own language. 7Then they were all amazed and
marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?
8And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we
were born? 9Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling
in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia
and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors
from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs--we
hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."
12So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever
could this mean?"
13Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine."
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 We
don’t have time to go into detail tonight, but even the basic general truths
from these verses will clear up a lot of the confusion and false teaching
associated with speaking in tongues. In the first place, it is clear that
these “other tongues” were not ecstatic utterances. There were known languages,
spoken in that very region as well as in other places on the earth.
The miracle here is that the people speaking foreign languages and dialects
did not know these languages either but were enabled to speak them by the
Holy Spirit. They were not speaking “unknown languages” but they were speaking
“other languages” than their native language and they did not know how
to speak these languages. The people recognized the miracle going on because
God had used Galileans - unlearned country boys - to demonstrate this sign
of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
What was the purpose of these “other tongues” and what was being said?
Many people today believe that these people were sharing the Gospel with
pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem, who then took the Gospel back to their
countries. They believe that the purpose of tongues was to preach the Gospel
to other people. Up until recently, I held this view myself.
I no longer believe that the purpose of “other tongues” is to share
the Gospel with other people. Verse 11 actually tells us what these people
were saying in these “other tongues:” “We hear them speaking in our own
tongues the wonderful works of God.” They were praising God with these
languages. Their praise prepared the people for the sharing of the Gospel
by Peter.
Acts 2:14-21 (NKJV)
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice
and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this
be known to you, and heed my words. 15For these are not drunk,
as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16But
this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17"And it shall come to pass in the last days, says
God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
19I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
21And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.' (Joel
2:28-32, NKJV)
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In the midst of this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit, among signs and
wonders and speaking in tongues, what did Peter do? He taught the Word.
Peter’s response to the people’s question, “What does this mean?” was
to give a scriptural basis for what was happening. This must still be the
first and most important test for any religious experience today as well.
We cannot allow our experience - no matter how wonderful it feels - to
be the test of authenticity.
When it comes to our faith we need something we can trust, something
that will keep us on track, and that something is the Word of God and only
the Word of God.
The Mormons feel the Book of Mormon is right because of a "burning in
their bosom" when they read it. If we make our experience the test of truth
then we are guilty of doing the same thing.
This doesn’t mean that emotion or personal experiences are wrong or
invalid in and of themselves. John Wesley testified that at a Bible study
he felt his heart “strangely warmed” when he received the assurance of
his salvation. Feelings and emotion may accompany genuine Bible based experiences,
but these experiences can never become the basis of our faith and doctrine.
There are many experiences that Christians are having today that are
often associated with the working of the Holy Spirit. Here are a few that
are popular today and even touted as evidences of the moving of God’s Spirit
for which, at this point in time, I can find no scriptural basis.
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The Toronto
Blessing
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Being slain in the Spirit
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Christians being possessed by demons
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Preference of Rhema (the spoken word) over Logos (the written
Word)
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Prosperity
Theology
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Positive Confession ("Name it and claim it.")
It is of utmost importance that we allow the Bible to be the final authority
for our faith and practice. Any time we allow experiences to become the
criteria for doctrine or belief, we have lost Biblical authority, and the
inevitable result is confusion - and God is not the author of confusion.
The Biblical passage that Peter quotes is Joel 2:28-32. Peter gives
us the beginning and the ending of the present age of the Holy Spirit,
the great parentheses which mark the age in which we live today. It began
on Pentecost; it will end after the Great Tribulation. But through it all
runs one unbroken great thread: “And it shall be that whoever calls on
the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It is an age of faith, an age of
belief.
The emphasis of this section is that now the good news about Jesus Christ
is to go out to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. It is important also
to notice that in this quotation of Joel there is no mention at all of
tongues. Instead Joel refers to another gift of the Spirit - the gift of
prophecy. The mark of this age will be the equipping of believers to declare
the Word of God with power.
Acts 2:22-36 (NKJV)
22"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a
Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did
through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know-- 23Him,
being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you
have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24whom
God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible
that He should be held by it. 25For David says concerning Him:
"I foresaw the LORD always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.' (Psalm
16:8-11, NKJV)
29"Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch
David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this
day. 30Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had
sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the
flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31he,
foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the
Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see
corruption. 32This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are
all witnesses. 33Therefore being exalted to the right hand of
God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,
He poured out this which you now see and hear.
34"For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says
himself:
"The LORD said to my Lord,
"Sit at My right hand,
35Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."' (Psalm
110:1, NKJV)
36"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
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What a contrast to the Peter before the Resurrection and Pentecost! Filled
with the Holy Spirit he now stands up and is a powerful witness to Jesus.
The main point of his sermon is the resurrection of Jesus and its ramifications.
His resurrection proved that Jesus was God and that now He has been exalted
to the position of authority and power on the right hand of God the Father.
He explains that Jesus, having ascended to the Father, has, on this Day
of Pentecost poured out His Holy Spirit which is what they were now seeing
and hearing.
Acts 2:37-41 (NKJV)
37Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what
shall we do?"
38Then Peter said to them, "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. 39For the
promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as
many as the Lord our God will call."
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them,
saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." 41Then those
who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand
souls were added to them.
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Many in the crowd were brought to the point of decision by the Holy Spirit
through Peter’s sermon. You can sense a note in despair in their question,
“What shall we do?” “Yes, your right but what can we do now?”
Peter had a answer for them - a redeeming answer - “repent.” In this
sense, repent is a word of great hope. “You don’t have to continue the
way you’ve been going - you can change - you can turn to God.”
Three thousand people gladly responded and repented, were baptized,
and added to the church. The day before the first church had an attendance
of 120.
After their first day of being filled with the Spirit their attendance
was 3,120! |