The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Here in the second chapter of Acts we see a turning point in the history of Gods Kingdom.

If we look back over the last few weeks from our study in chapter 1 we see things such as:

The disciples being told to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit:

In chapter two He comes.

In chapter 1 they are held back

In chapter 2 they are sent forth.

In chapter 1 the Savior ascended.

In Chapter 2 the Spirit descends

In chapter 1 the promises of the Lord are given.

In Chapter 2 they are fulfilled.

What happens here in the 2 Chapter of Acts is the fulfillment of redemption from all the way back in Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3:15 ESV

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The coming of the Spirit and all believers being indwelt by the Spirit puts us all on the same level and the same accord. 1 Cor 12:13

1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV

13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

The Evidence of The Spirits Coming (vv 1-4)

This event took place in the upper-room the same place where Jesus had the Lords supper and where He appeared to them after the resurrection.

This is also the same place where they would gather and pray and where they chose Matthias to replace Judas.

This is the place where Jesus told them to wait for this very moment in time. The coming of the Spirit.

That the tongues rested on each one of them shows that all who were present received the Spirit in that moment.

It was a uniform, sovereign work of God on all collectively, not something sought individually.

At this point, by the baptism with the Spirit, they were all made into one spiritual body—the body of Christ.

The evidence of the Spirits coming was unmistakable.

He manifested His presence to the ear, eyes, and the mouths of the believers.

But it didn’t stop there. His coming had a profound effect on the people of Jerusalem as well.

The Effect of the Spirit’s Coming (vv 5-11)

Pentecost was one of the three major feasts of the Jewish calendar, and all Hebrew males were expected to celebrate it in Jerusalem.

Consequently, there were Jews living in Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost, devout men, from every nation under heaven.

Those who went to the trouble to make the pilgrimage were obviously devout men.

The phrase from every nation under heaven is an idiomatic expression meaning “from many lands,” or from all of the nations where Jews had been dispersed.

The coming of the Spirit brought attention to the upper room there we people there from all over and it was through the spirit that the believers started telling the onlookers about Christs death and resurrection in their own langue.

What amazed them the most was that all those who were speaking were Galileans.

That was shocking to the sophisticated city dwellers, who viewed rural Galileans as ignorant and uneducated.

The sight of the supposedly ignorant Galileans speaking so many languages caused the astonished crowd to exclaim, how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?

The Explanation of the Spirits Coming (vv 12-13)

As is regularly the case when Gods truth is presented some in the crowed accepted it, while other rejected it.

Instead, they proposed the ridiculous hypothesis that the apostles were full of new wine.

They tried to explain away the miracle of speaking in languages as a drunken frolic.

Tragically, their skepticism was to harden into full-fledged opposition toward the message and the messengers.

However no amount of opposition could stop the work of God that began at Pentecost.