The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost--Student Handout
Chains to Freedom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Acts 2
Acts 2
Coming of the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:2—Not a wind, but like the sound of a wind (see John 3:8), suggesting the mighty but unseen power of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:3—A violent wind and tongues of fire preceded the baptism in the Holy Spirit and were not repeated elsewhere in Acts.
John the Baptist foretold how Spirit baptism would be accompanied by wind and fire (Mat. 3:11, 12). This outward manifestation of the Spirit’s coming was another sign of His power.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Acts 2:4—FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. What is the significance of the filling with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost? It meant the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise in Joel 2:28-29 to pour out His Spirit on all His people in the end times (1:4-5; Mt. 3:11; Lk. 24:49; Jn. 1:33; Joel 2:28-29).
The disciples were “clothed with power from on high” (Lk. 24:49; Ac. 1:8), enabling them to witness for Christ and to be people through whom the Holy Spirit could bring great conviction on the lost in relation to sin.
The Holy Spirit revealed His nature as a Spirit who longs and strives for the salvation of people of every nation. Those who received the baptism in the Holy Spirit were filled with the same longing for the salvation of the human race (vv. 38-40; 4:12, 33; Ro. 9:1-3; 10:1).
The disciples became ministers of the Spirit. They not only preached Jesus crucified and resurrected,but they also influenced converts to receive the “gift of the Holy Spirit” (vv. 38-39). This leading others into the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the key to apostolic work in the NT (see 8:17; 9:17-18; 10:44-46; 19:6).
Through this baptism in the Spirit Christ’s followers became successors to His earthly ministry. They continued to do and teach, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the same things that Jesus “began both to do and to teach” (1:1; Jn. 14:12).
In the OT only those uniquely called or anointed of God received the Holy Spirit. But under the New Covenant every believer is offered the Promise of the Father (Luke 24:49), the active presence of the Holy Spirit. It is by this activity of the Spirit’s fullness in the life of every believer that the ministry of Christ in His church continues.
Seek and receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Continually be refilled with the Spirit to regularly renew your life and ministry. Exercise your prayer language as a part of the Spirit’s flow in your life.
The OT expectation about the coming of the Spirit and the beginning of a new era is at last fulfilled.
A distinct practice of the Spirit’s fullness that evolved at some later point in the development of the church is that of speaking “with the tongues . . . of angels” (1 Cor. 13:1).
Many contemporary Christians from all denominational backgrounds, believe that the phenomenon of “speaking with tongues” may accompany the occasion of a person’s initial surrender to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. “The initial physical evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit is speaking with other tongues.”
A modified view places less emphasis on the importance of tongues as the evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, either in terms of one’s initial experience or one’s ongoing life of Spirit fullness. These focus more on all the gifts, since all the gifts are deemed contemporarily operational and any one of them may serve as a sign of one’s baptism in the Spirit. One’s deepened participation in worship is also seen as a fundamental indication of being baptized in the Spirit.
Some other Christians who disagree with any of the above views usually explain the baptism with the Holy Spirit in one of the following ways:
(a) As an experience subsequent to salvation, bringing needed divine power for Christian witness and service, but without any expectation of the Holy Spirit’s gifts attending this experience.
(b) As synonymous with one’s conversion experience, when the Holy Spirit merges the individual into the body of Christ at the time the believer places his faith in Jesus as Lord (1 Cor. 12:3, 13).
(c) As unique to the book of Acts; claiming the baptism with the Holy Spirit was solely a single event of a single divine outpouring.
The New Testament understands the Holy Spirit to be the assurance of the risen Lord Jesus indwelling believers.
This was a fulfillment of John the Baptist’s words about the Holy Spirit baptizing with fire (Luke 3:16) and of the prophet Joel’s words about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29).
God confirmed the validity of the Holy Spirit’s ministry by sending fire.
God made His presence known to this group of believers in a spectacular way—rushing mighty wind, fire and His Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit filled Jesus’ followers, Jewish people from all over the Roman and Parthian Empires were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:11—These people saw the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. The apostles continued to minister in the Holy Spirit’s power wherever they went.
Peter Explains the Coming of the Spirit
Acts 2:14--Peter’s confidence came from the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:16—The baptism in the Holy Spirit and the accompanying spiritual manifestations are a fulfillment of Joel 2:28-29.
‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams;
The NT reveals that “the last days” began with the first coming of Christ and the initial outpouring of the Spirit on God’s people.
These “last days” will be carried on by the power of the Spirit (Mt. 12:28).
“The last days” constitute a time of prophetic witness calling everyone to repent, believe in Christ and experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (1:8; 2:4, 38-40; Joel 2:28-32). We must proclaim the saving work of Christ through the power of the Spirit.
The essential meaning of prophecy is using one’s voice for the service and glory of God under the direct initiation of the Holy Spirit. The 120 “were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (2:4); the Holy Spirit came on Cornelius and his household; and the disciples at Ephesus, when “the Holy Spirit came on them, . . . spoke in tongues and prophesied” (19:6).
Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for those already in God’s kingdom.
Peter says that God will pour out His Spirit in those days. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the accompanying supernatural signs cannot be limited to just the one “day” of Pentecost. The power and blessing of the Spirit is for every Christian to have and experience throughout the church age.
“I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh” : Peter explains the unusual events of Pentecost in terms of the outpouring of the Spirit predicted in Joel’s messianic word. The outpouring of the Spirit in the OT had been largely reserved for the spiritual and national leaders of Israel. The authority of the Spirit is for “all flesh.” Important evidences of participation in the Spirit’s outpouring are dreams and prophecies.
Acts 2:21—Even Moses yearned for God to put His Spirit on everyone (Num. 11:29). At Pentecost the Holy Spirit was released throughout the entire world. Now every Christian can receive the Spirit.
“Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
The pouring out of the Holy Spirit by Jesus proves that He is indeed the exalted Messiah. From Jesus’ baptism onward the Spirit was fully on Him as the Christ (the one anointed by the Spirit; Lk. 3:21-22; 4:1, 14, 18-19). He lives to pour out the same Spirit on those who believe in Him. In pouring out the Spirit, Jesus intends that the Spirit will mediate Jesus’ presence to believers and empower them to continue to do all that He did while on earth.
He “poured out this which you now see and hear” could be translated “gave Jesus the authority to send the Holy Spirit with the results you are seeing and hearing today.”
Acts 2:36—The outpouring of the Spirit is a sign that Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of the Father.
Acts 2:37—After Peter’s powerful, Spirit-filled message, the people were deeply moved and asked, “What shall we do?”
The Spirit Is for All Believers
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Forgiveness of sins and baptism are the prior conditions for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter’s demand that his hearers be baptized in water before receiving the promise of the Father (1:4, 8) must not be taken as an absolute requirement for the infilling with the Spirit, nor is baptism in the Spirit an automatic consequence of water baptism.
Water baptism did not precede the baptism of the Spirit.
Each believer must “receive” (Gal. 3:14) a personal baptism in the Spirit. The gift of the Spirit in the book of Acts was consciously desired. The baptism in the Spirit should not be considered as a gift automatically provided to the believer in Christ.
The gift of the Holy Spirit must be distinguished from the gifts of the Spirit. The former is the Holy Spirit Himself, while the latter are special abilities granted by the Spirit to equip believers for service (see 1 Cor. 12:1-31).
Acts 2:39—The promise of the baptism in the Holy Spirit was not just for those present on the day of Pentecost (v. 4). The baptism in the Spirit with its accompanying power was not a once-for-all occurrence in the church’s history. It is the birthright of every Christian to seek, expect and experience the same baptism in the Spirit that was promised and given to the NT Christians (1:4, 8; Joel 2:28-29; Mt. 3:11; Lk. 24:49).
The promise of the Holy Spirit (see v. 33; 1:4, 5; Luke 24:49) is a gift for every believer in every generation. Peter’s words clearly extend to evry believer in every era and everywhere, full reason to expect the same resource and experience that was afforded the first believers who received the Holy Spirit at the birth of the church.
Acts 2:40--Jesus Christ has received the authority to pour out the Holy Spirit on all believers (vv. 16-18, 32-33; 3:19).
Believers must expect the promised gift of or baptism in the Holy Spirit after faith and repentance (vv. 38-39).
Acts 2:41—Here is found the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who believe. Our message today should be the same as this, regarding the gift of the Holy Spirit and the life He produces.
Repent and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.