Empowered to Serve
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Part 1
Acts 2:1-4
INTRODUCTION
A. Identifying the Transition
In Acts 1 Christ prepares the way for the birth of the church, and in chapter 2 it's born. In Acts 1 the disciples are waiting for the Holy Spirit, and in Acts 2 He comes. In chapter 1 they are equipped by Christ, and in chapter 2 they are empowered by the Spirit. First they are told to wait, then they are sent forth. In Acts 2 we see the fulfillment of Acts 1:8: "Ye shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me."
In Acts 2 is one of the greatest transitions recorded in Scripture. It marks the end of the old age and the beginning of the new. Up to now, the Spirit was with God's people, but from now on, He would indwell them. In the Old Testament era, men served God out of love along with a fear of the consequences of breaking God's law. But from now on, they would serve God out of love for Christ with the energy of the indwelling Holy Spirit. All believers have the Spirit within them and are in an invisible union with each other and Christ. Paul referred to the church as a mystery because it was not revealed in the Old Testament (Eph. 3:3-6), but in Acts 2 we see that mystery unfolding. In the Old Testament God revealed Himself to man through the law and the sacrificial system, but with Christ God revealed Himself in a redemptive manner. Christ died, was buried, rose again, and ascended to heaven. Then the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in men.
It's difficult to communicate the significance of that transition; only God can define the change that took place. John 7:37-39 defines it this way: "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spoke he of the Spirit, whom they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified)." In God's redemptive plan, the age of the Holy Spirit couldn't begin until Jesus ascended and was glorified in heaven. In Acts 1 the disciples see Christ ascend into heaven, and in Acts 2 the promised Spirit comes. This is a new dispensation; a whole new age.
B. Illustrating the Transition
What is the church? The Greek word translated "church" (ekklesia) means "called-out ones." In Ephesians 5:22-29 the church is seen as Christ's bride. John 15:1-10 describes it as the branches on a vine, the vine being Christ. The church is also seen as a flock (John 10), a household (Gal. 6:10), adopted children (Rom. 8:15-17), and a building or temple with Christ as its foundation (Eph. 2:20-22). Most uniquely, it is a body (1 Cor. 12:12-27). Just as the human body is made up of parts that function together, so is the church a body of individuals brought together in union with Christ through the Holy Spirit. We all work together as a whole.
Christ was manifest in a physical body when he came to earth; now He is now manifest in a multiplicity of people who form a spiritual body. We are a fellowship knit together with Christ as the head (Eph. 5:23). We are dependent on each other, just as the parts of the human body are. All barriers are abolished. Paul says that in Christ "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one" (Gal. 3:28). Everyone who is a Christian is indwelt by Christ, and that's what makes up the church. The church isn't the building; it's the people--those who know Christ by faith.Do All Christians Have the Holy Spirit?
Some people say not all Christians have the Holy Spirit. But the Bible clearly says that all Christians are a body of believers indwelt by the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). Romans 8:9 says, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." He is the source of instruction, power, comfort, and security. Christ promised the disciples would receive the Spirit, and that's exactly what happened in Acts 2. Since then, all believers have received the Spirit at the moment of conversion.
LESSON
I. THE EVIDENCE OF THE SPIRIT'S COMING (vv. 1-4)
As we look through Acts 2 keep in mind that we're looking at the birth of the church. It's at this time Christ's promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5) and the indwelling of the Spirit (Acts 1:8) take effect. Later we'll see how both occur simultaneously at the time of salvation. The only reason both didn't happen the moment the disciples were saved during Christ's lifetime is Christ had not then ascended into heaven (John 7:39). Acts 2 is a unique situation. It cannot be used to say that a believer is baptized with the Spirit some time after salvation. The Spirit came to baptize and indwell the disciples in Acts 2 because that's when God planned for the Spirit to come. There had to be a beginning somewhere.
A. The Specifics of the Spirit's Arrival (v. 1)
"When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."
1. The reason for the Spirit's coming
a) The Spirit's coming didn't depend on men
The day of Pentecost came ten days after Christ's ascension. The disciples were still together. The Spirit came, yet nowhere in Acts 2 do we read that He arrived as a result of the disciples' prayers or fulfillment of some special spiritual requirements. The Spirit came on this day because that's when God planned for Him to come. He didn't send the Spirit in response to anyone's spiritual activity.
b) The Spirit's coming was timed to fulfill prophecy
The proper interpretation of Acts 2:1-4 depends on understanding what Pentecost was all about. The Greek word for pentecost means "fiftieth day." The Jews had a feast called the feast of Pentecost because it took place fifty days after the feast of firstfruits, which followed the Passover. The same feast was also called the feast of harvest (Ex. 23:16) and the feast of weeks (Ex. 34:22).
The feast of Pentecost celebrated the wheat harvest. It also commemorated the giving of the Mosaic law because the Jewish people believe the law was given to them about fifty days after the beginning of their journey to the Promised Land. The Exodus began when God sent an angel to slay all the firstborn of Egypt. After the the Israelites left Egypt, it became traditional to celebrate God's giving of the law alongside the feast of harvest. The Jews still do that even today. As we'll see in a moment, it was no accident that the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost.
(1) Two types of prophecy
There are two kinds of prophecies: verbal prophecies, which tell what will happen in the future, and typical prophecies, which picture something that will happen in the future. An example of verbal prophecy is Isaiah 7:14, where we read, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (cf., matt. 1:22-23). A typical prophecy is the passover lamb which is a picture of Christ, who was the final passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7). Although the typical prophecies may not be as obvious or direct as the verbal prophecies, that doesn't make them any less important. They also have to be fulfilled.
(2) Three fulfilled prophecies
The Spirit's coming on the day of Pentecost fulfilled a typical prophecy. There are three feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23 that I'd like us to look at, and the last one will relate to the day of Pentecost.
(a) The feast of Passover
The first mentioned is the Passover (Lev. 23:4-5). To escape the plague of the firstborn in Egypt, the Israelites had to kill a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts and lintel. The angel of death then passed over that house. Christ's blood fulfills the typical prophecy of the passover lamb, for His death is what protects us from God's wrath. And according to God's plan, Christ died on Passover. First Corinthians 5:7 calls Christ our Passover. So not only was the passover lamb in Exodus 12 a picture of Christ; but it was also an indication that Christ would die on Passover--the 14th of Nisan, which corresponds to a day in late March or early April.
(b) The feast of firstfruits
This feast was on the day after the Sabbath following the Passover--the Sunday after Passover (Lev. 23:9-14). The firstfruits were taken from barley crops. A farmer who wanted to determine if he would have a good crop that year would go to different sections of the barley field and pull out some samples. If they all looked good, he could say that the whole crop was guaranteed to be good based on the firstfruits. By doing this they would be reminded to praise God for the upcoming harvest. It was a good reminder to trust in God.
The feast of firstfruits is a picture of the resurrection of Christ. In John 12:24 Jesus says of Himself, "Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." In 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul says, "Now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept." Just as the feast of firstfruits showed that the rest of the harvest would be good, so Christ's resurrection show we will be resurrected too. Jesus says in John 14:19, "Because I live, ye shall live also."
(c) The feast of harvest
Fifty days after the feast of firstfruits came the feast of harvest (Lev. 23:15-16). It is also known as Pentecost. The wheat was not ready to be harvested at the time of this feast; nevertheless, two loaves were made. The idea of the feast was to celebrate the completion of harvest in advance. The feast of harvest predicts what happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Christ died on the Passover, rose on the feast of firstfruits, and made possible the enjoyment of those events on Pentecost.
Matthew 13:30 says that when Christ returns He will take in the harvest and separate the wheat (believers) from the tares (unbelievers). What guarantees that Christians will be in that wheat harvest? Second Corinthians 5:5 says that all believers have "the earnest of the Spirit." Ephesians 1:13-14 says, "After ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance." The Greek word translated "earnest" (arrabon) can mean "pledge," "engagement ring," or "guarantee." The Spirit of God within you is the guarantee of your inheritance in heaven. Because God has given you His Spirit, He will never withhold anything from you. The Spirit came to indwell the disciples on Pentecost, fulfilling the typical prophecy of the feast of harvest.
Notice that the wheat gathered on the feast of harvest was made into loaves. That pictures the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It was the Spirit who brought the separate disciples together to make one body, the church. Christ's church is not a loosely gathered group of people, but a group that has been blended into one common body. We know that the loaves represent the church because they contained leaven (Lev. 23:17). The barley on the feast of firstfruits didn't have leaven because it represented Christ. Leaven represents sin, and Christ is sinless.
The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost to fulfill typical prophecy. The creed of Pentecostal Evangel magazine, an Assemblies of God publication, says, "We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit according to Acts 2:4 is given to believers who ask for it." That reveals a misunderstanding of why the Holy Spirit came. It overlooks the fulfillment of a typical prophesy in Leviticus 23. Jesus died, arose, and sent the Spirit all at the right moments--the times God ordained beforehand. The Spirit's coming on the day of Pentecost was not an accident; it was a promised event.
2. The location of the Spirit's coming
Acts 2:1 says that when the Spirit came, the disciples "were all with one accord in one place." Where was this place? The next verse says they were in a house. Some commentators think that refers to the Temple, which is the house of the Lord. But if Luke meant the Temple, he probably would have said so. In Acts 2:46 he talks about people who were "with one accord in the temple." Why would Luke use a different word when he talks about the same situation? Since he used the Greek word for house (oikos), they were most likely in a house. I also think the 120 people mentioned in Acts 1:15 were there, not just the twelve disciples. Otherwise that would have left 108 people out of the baptism of the Spirit, which at this time was to signal the birth of the church.
B. The Signs of the Spirit's Arrival (vv. 2-4)
1. The wind (v. 2)
"Suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, and if filled all the house where they were sitting."
a) The suddenness of the phenomena
The church was born suddenly; it came into being instantaneously. The people in the house probably weren't expecting a sound from heaven (notice it was a sound like a wind and not a wind itself). At the rapture, the church will leave just as quickly. Jesus says in Revelation 22:12, "Behold, I come quickly." He will return to take His church from the earth in an instant. God has the sovereign right to determine when the church begins and ends; it's beginning and ending have nothing to do with anyone's prayers.
b) The source of the phenomena
The sound like a wind came from heaven. The source was God, not man or Satan. It was not a real wind, but a sound like a wind. In Scripture, wind is often an emblem of the Holy Spirit. John 3:8 says, "The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the sound of it, but canst not tell from where it cometh, and where it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Generally the Greek word translated "spirit" is pneuma, which also means "breath" or "wind." But in Acts 2:2 the Greek word is pnoes, which means "a blast of breath." It's not a gentle breeze; it's more like a strong gust.
What a fantastic phenomena those people were witnessing: there was no motion in the air, but it sounded as if a hurricane came raging out of heaven! It happened suddenly, and was as if the very breath of God's had reached the earth. The people in the house were all baptized with the Holy Spirit. They were completely enveloped by the breath of God. Later on we read that unbelievers came to the scene. They were curious about the sound they had heard, and came to the house to see what was happening.Is the Baptism of the Spirit an Experiential Event?
Today people define the baptism of the Spirit as an experience. But in Acts 2:2 the baptism was nonexperiential. The people were merely sitting in the room, became baptized, and showed no reaction at that moment. Baptism with the Spirit is a sovereign act of God. A good example is what happened when you became a Christian. The moment you received Christ, you were justified. Did you suddenly feel, "Oh, there goes justification!" No, justification is a judicial, nonexperiential reality. It's when you're adopted into God's family on the basis of your faith in Christ.
Some people point to the speaking in tongues in Acts 2:4 as the experiential reaction to the baptism with the Spirit. But as we'll see when we get to verse 4, that was a result of the filling of the Spirit. If a person does have an experience, it will be from the filling of the Spirit, not the baptism.
Defining the Baptism of the Spirit
Throughout the New Testament are verses that clarify what the baptism of the Spirit is.
1. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
Paul said, "As the body [the church] is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. By one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Greeks, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." The baptism of the Holy Spirit is when God's Holy Spirit takes a believer and places him in the body of Christ. You don't shout or feel goosebumps when that happens; it's a divine transaction.
2. Galatians 3:27
Further definition appears here: "As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Paul didn't say that the baptism results in an experiential response; rather it establishes our union with Christ and His church. When you put your faith in Christ, you instantaneously become one with Him and all fellow believers.
3. 1 Corinthians 6:17
"He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit."
4. Galatians 2:20
Paul wrote, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God." How do all the believers in the church become one with each other and Christ? By the baptism of the Spirit.
5. Romans 6:3-4
"Know ye not that, as many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Paul wasn't talking about water baptism, but our baptism into Christ. When you become a Christian, you are immersed in Christ and become one with Him.
6. Colossians 2:9-12
Here we read that in Christ "dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him ... in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; buried with him in baptism, in which also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God." Our union with Christ is spiritual: when we're saved we're buried with Christ in His death and we rise with Him in His resurrection.
7. 1 Peter 3:20-21
Peter talked of the Flood as a typical prophecy of baptism with the Spirit in verse 20. Verse 21 says, "The like figure unto which even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God)." Peter was speaking of the baptism that saves us, Spirit baptism--not water baptism.
8. Ephesians 2:22
Believers "are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." The Holy Spirit filled a physical house in Acts 2, and in the same moment He filled a spiritual house comprised of believers at the birth of the church.
9. John 17:11, 21-23
If the baptism of the Spirit didn't make all believers one, then Jesus' prayer in John 17 remains unanswered. In verses 11, 21-23 He prays to the Father that His followers be one. The baptism of the Spirit made that possible; He has made us one inwardly and outwardly. Sometimes there will be disunity when we allow sin in our lives. But we are one body. We are mutually dependent on each other in the ministry of our spiritual gifts. By recognizing the baptism of the Spirit as the event that brings us into oneness, we realize that's how Jesus' prayer in John 17 was answered.
2. The fire (v. 3)
"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them."
a) The evidence of the baptism
The cloven tongues that sat on their heads weren't actually fire; they appeared to be like fire. These parted tongues appeared over each one, a testimony that each without exception had received the Holy Spirit. They were visible proof that the Spirit came.
b) The extent of the baptism
Two things happen when you're baptized with the Spirit: you are baptized into one body, and the Spirit is put in you (1 Cor. 12:13). So the cloven tongues in Acts 2:3 show not only that the Spirit had come, but also that every believer received the Spirit internally. And when the Spirit comes to dwell within you, He will stay there forever (John 14:16).
c) The explanation about the baptism
Some people believe the cloven tongues really were fire, and that they were the baptism with fire talked about in Matthew 3:11. In that verse John the Baptist says, "I, indeed, baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire." However verse 12 defines the baptism with fire by saying that someday Jesus will "thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the granary, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:11 talks about the fire of eternal judgment. John the Baptist was saying that either you're baptized with the Holy Spirit (eternal security) or with fire (eternal judgment).
d) The examination of the cloven tongues
We don't know exactly what the cloven tongues of fire were. All we do know is that they appeared on every individual, hovering overhead like little parted flames. They were a visible manifestation of the Spirit's arrival. The people weren't attuned enough spiritually to comprehend the momentous arrival of the Spirit apart from a visible manifestation. A similar situation took place when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:16). The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove.