Luke-Acts: From Bethlehem to the World (2)

Good morning friends. Remember that we do not have any Small Group this Tuesday. Also, do not forget to practice generosity. It is a spiritual principle, but, on the more practical side, we would like to keep the lights on. When I pray in a moment, I will pray for the offering as well.

Today, we are continuing our summer series on Luke and Acts. If you have been paying attention, perhaps you have noticed that I’ve been going in chronological order. Week 1 was merely the introduction..week 2 was about the new of the birth of Christ and J.T.B., Week 3 was about Jesus teaching that our hearts need to be obedient. In week 4 we then come to Jesus’s last passover meal with the disciples. Week 5 was about Jesus’s death…how 2 criminals were executed with Jesus…one of them placing their faith in Christ.

We’ve been moving along a timeline, establishing who the messiah was and what He came to do. The 1st 5 weeks of this series have all culminated in what we are gong to talk about the remainder of the summer. PRAY.

The simple fact is, if the events in Luke’s gospel did not take place, there would be no book of Acts. In other words, the book of Acts exists because of the earthly ministry of Christ. In reality though, the book of Acts is more than the results of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. You see, way back in the book of Genesis, as Adam and Eve were being expelled from the Garden of Eden, the events in the in Luke’s gospel and the events in the book of Acts were already planned. Back when God used Noah to build an ark, as the world would be flooded, the day of Pentecost was already in the works. Furthermore, when humanity was scattered at the tower of Babel, God was already orchestrating a powerful move of the Holy Spirit, which united people from many different languages. As I just mentioned, the book of Acts is the culmination of everything we read in the O.T. and the 4 gospels of the N.T.

Today we are going to be looking at the first 13 verses of Acts chapter 2. However, I’ve chosen to include an outline for all of Chapter 2, as we will be covering in in the coming weeks. Because all of Acts 2 is important, I wanted to divide it up into digestible sections, so we can examine each part, rather than try to cram them all together into one sermon. Also, there are a number of ways that I could cover Acts 2…I prayed about this quite a bit, as we have a number of people here at Ottawa First that believe different things about how the events in Acts 2 impact us today. Everyone believes that the events in Acts 2 were revolutionary and necessary for the growth of the early church. I can promise you this: I will end up saying things that upset those who do not believe tongues are for today, and I will say things that upset those who do believe tongues are for today. I will be an equal opportunity offender. Over the next couple of weeks, it is my goal to present the events in Acts 2, along with Acts 10 in a balanced manner, consistent with what the whole of scripture teaches on the topic. So, let’s get started.

Acts Chapter 2 Outline:

Witness Begins: Pentecost and Fellowship (2:1–47)

1. The Disciples Receive the Spirit (2:1–4)

2. The Age of the Spirit Begins (2:5–13)

3. The First Christian Sermon (2:14–41)

a. Let This Be Known (2:14–15)

b. The Fulfillment of Joel (2:16–21)

c. Jesus Is the Messiah (2:22–36)

d. Repentance and Forgiveness (2:37–41)

4. The First Christians (2:42–47)

Let’s do just a bit of context to bring us up to speed, so we can understand what happens in the beginning of Acts 2.

Context:

If you’ve ever take the time to read Acts chapter 1, then you know that the first chapter is dedicated to concluding Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus had risen from the grave and was appearing to his followers. I can’t image the mix of emotions they felt…elation that Jesus had risen, but fear or even frustration over the fact that Jesus is going to leave them in short order. In acts 1, Jesus tells his followers to stay in the city of Jerusalem…don’t leave town, because “The Father’s Promise” is going to arrive.

Acts 1:4–5 “While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.””

Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit, or the comforter. Quite naturally, many of the disciples were still a bit fuzzy about what was going on. Some of them were still convinced that the Messiah, whom they now knew to be Jesus, was going to free Israel from Roman occupation. In Acts 1, Jesus made it clear that was not His mission. Acts 1 then ends with the original disciples choosing the man who would replace Judas…and they chose a man named Matthias. Poor Matthias is like the Beetle that no one has heard about, as he is only mentioned this one time… Acts 2 opens with Jesus’ followers being together, doing exactly what Jesus had instructed. We will start with the first 4 verses.

The Disciples Receive the Spirit (V. 1-4)

Acts 2:1–4 (CSB) When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.

Similar to Jesus sharing the Passover with His disciples, and giving it new meaning. This event, known as the day of Pentecost happend during the 2nd annual feast of the Jewish year. The fest was called Pentecost. The traditional Jewish festival named Pentecost was intended to celebrate God’s provision for His people. This festival took place 50 days after the Passover festival. This festival was also known as the Feast of Weeks. It is important to note that a very popular festival was going on when these events in Acts Chapter 2 happened, as Jews from all over the world would have come to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival. In other words, because of this festival, Jewish individuals, who spoke all manner of different languages would have been gathered together.

“They were all together in one place”

Luke uses the word “They” were all together. This, of course, if referring to Jesus’ closest companions, who were all together. It is important to note what Luke means by “all together.”

With one accord.—ὁμοθυμαδὸν = ὁμοψύχως, with one mind.

Some translations say: there were “in one accord.” In reality, the idea has more to do with how everyone was focused on the same thing…or, with one mind. In other words, “they” were united under one cause.

Here in Chapter 2 Luke does not give any details about who the “They” is…but he does talk about in just prior, in Acts 1.

Acts 1:15–16 (CSB)In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters—the number of people who were together was about a hundred twenty—and said, “Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David foretold about Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

In Acts 1, after the author details Jesus’ assent-ion, he then mentions a number of individuals were gathered together in prayer, waiting on the promise that Jesus said was coming. There were around 120 individuals…so, the “they” that Luke refers to are the people he mentions in Acts chapter 1. It is important to note that when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples in the upper room, there weren’t just 11 or 12 people. It was both men and women, numbering over 100. That is a lot of people that all of a sudden start making quite the ruckus. No wonder it drew a crowd. First let’s look at what Luke describes as “like a violent rushing wind.”

A. The Sound

Acts 2:2 “Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying.”

As with any major even in scripture, there is usually quite a bit of symbolism. I do not mean that the event itself is symbolic, but God will often use symbols to bring across a greater point, and to point to something He has done in the past…Acts chapter 2 is no different. For example, the references to “wind” and “fire” are significant. The word for “Spirit” (pneuma) is related to and translated as “wind” in this passage, It also means breath.

“Spirit” (pneuma)=wind and breath

It is interesting to note that Luke does not say that a violent rushing wind swept through the building. Reading carefully, Luke says that “A sound like that of a mighty rushing wind” Luke’s emphasis is on what was heard. A sound as of shows that the noise was not an actual strong wind that would blow your hair around, but it was a sound like a strong wind.

It is often reported from people who survive a tornado that when the vortex of wind gets close, it sounds like a freight train rumbling through your living room. Perhaps you’ve heard these stories…they are pretty well known. When I imagine the sound…like that of a violent rushing wind…this is what comes to my mind…the sound that a tornado makes.

The O.T. talks about sounds being evidence of God’s divine presence. The best example of this is in Joshua Chapter 6, when Israel blew their trumpets after walking around the walls of Jericho. When the sound of the trumpets blared, the walls of the city came down.

Another example is found in:

2 Samuel 5:24 “When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines.””

Those are just a couple of examples. We also see this in the N.T.

Matthew 24:31 “He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

This is talking about the end times, when God will gather His people to Himself. Sound has always been an important symbol of God’s presence. On that day, when all of Jesus’ followers were together, the room was filled with a mighty noise....this noise was the divine presence of the Pneuma...Holy Spirit making a grand appearance.

B. The Sight

Acts 2:3 “They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them.”

First, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit, which manifests as a sound. Next, Luke describes, in similar language to verse 2, what “looks like” flames of fire. It sounds like this second manifestation of God’s presence started in one location, then began to spread…or duplicate and came to rest upon the people’ heads.

Similar to sound, fire is very often related to the presence of God. There are many examples…but I’ll quickly mention 2.

In the book of Exodus, God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, while God was leading Israel through the desert, he appeared as a pillar of fire. (Scripture references are in your handout.)

(Gen. 15:17; Ex. 3:2–6; 13:21–22; 19:18; 40:38; cf. Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16).

In Acts 2, the tongues of fire portray the presence of God. One of my favorite scholars, Jon Courson says the following…regarding the first 3 verses in Acts 2.

The audio came before the visual, the sound of the wind before the sight of the fire because the Word of the Lord always precedes the work of the Lord. Man says, “If I can see it, I’ll believe it.” God says, “Believe it, and then you’ll see it.”

I’m not sure this idea would stand up against every biblical example of God’s presence showing up, but it certainly fits Acts 2.

One of the more interesting things I learned while preparing for today was about something that is reported to have happened during the feast of Pentecost, but in a different location from that of Jesus’ followers.

One of the most well known ancient historians is a guy by the named of Josephus

Flavius Josephus (born AD 37/38, Jerusalem—died AD 100, Rome) was a Jewish priest, scholar, and historian who wrote valuable works on the Jewish revolt of 66–70 and on earlier Jewish history. His major books are History of the Jewish War (75–79), The Antiquities of the Jews (93), and Against Apion.

Josephus wrote a number of books and was alive during the early part of church history. His work has been used to confirm a number of things in scripture. He is known to be very accurate and precise in his writing. Even Atheist scholars who reject the Bible will readily accept Josephus.

Well, Josephus talks about how during one particular Pentecost feast before the temple was destroyed in the Jewish revolt against the Romans, while the Jews were feasting and celebrating, the temple was hit with a number of earthquakes and a bunch of “supernatural sounds.” Josephus never wrote about things that are considered super natural…he is strictly a historian. This is why it is noteworthy. The day of Pentecost in Acts 2 happens before the Temple is destroyed as well. Josephus was Jewish and would have no reason to promote something or lie about something that ran counter to his own faith. It’s also important to note that Josephus wrote of this event at the Temple before Luke wrote the book of Acts.

We do not know for sure that it was the same event, but it makes sense, given the similar timelines. Personally, I view things like this as a simple faith builder. Nothing I would swear to…as I would scripture, but, as I said, Josephus is regarded as a very reliable source of information about that time period.

So, all of Jesus’ followers were together…with one mind…united…when all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit arrives…manifesting as a loud noise…like that of a violent wind. After that, what looked like tongues of fire began spreading and came to rest right above the heads of those in the upper room. The Lord had not made Himself manifest like this since the early days of the Old Testament…which was over a thousand years prior.

Let’s look at verse 4, then we will talk about how these thing pertain to us today.

C. The Speech

Acts 2:4 “Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.”

So, first the disciples heard, then they saw, and now, through the power of God, the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in languages that were unfamiliar to them. We will get into this more in a bit, but Luke says that the Holy Spirit enabled the believers to speak in “different Tongues.”

Glossolalia:

the tongue, a member of the body, an organ of speech the language or a dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations

The significance of this event can not be overstated. This is what Jesus promised when He said, in

Acts 1:5 “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.””

The believers that day were speaking in foreign languages that they did not previously know. Of course, this is one of the many miracles that were witnessed that day. When reading these accounts, I try to put myself in the situation, I try to image what it was like in that moment. Can you imagine being in the upper room that day? One wonders if Jesus’ followers realized the significance of what was happening, or were they simply caught up in the moment. In the Old Testament, we can read many accounts where the Spirit of the Lord would endwell a person, empowering them to do mighty acts. I’ve included some scripture references in your handout…just 3 quick examples are:

Holy Spirit empowerment in the O.T.

Othniel (Judges 3:10), Gideon (Judges 6:34), Samson (Judges 13:25; 14:6) .

That said, it is important that we understand the distinction between the O.T. type of H.S. empowerment and N.T. empowerment. In the O.T., the Holy Spirit would endwell a person for a particular task or job…such as king, judge, priest…etc. The events in Acts 2 changes that

Next week, as we progress through Acts 2, we will talk about what happens after the believers begin praising the Lord in other languages. I’m also going to cover what I believe is the purpose behind these events-both back then and today…in other words, God had a purpose beyond just having the believers speak in tongues that day. The miracles were a means to an end, not the end itself. For today though, I want to narrow our focus to the miracle of tongues and what that means for us today. I’ve never taught on this here, as it is not my purpose to cause division…but this is an important topic that must be handled with love.

Even for those who subscribe to the notion that believers today have the ability to speak in tongues would agree that the day of Pentecost stands as unique, compared to the rest of the N.T. Nowhere else in scripture do we see the same manifestations that were present in Acts 2. In fact, in the passages that we have from Paul about the manifestation of tongues does he refer back to the day of Pentecost as an example of what we should expect. With that said, it is clear that Paul addresses the issues of tongues a number of times in the N.T. Let’s begin by going over the passages I’m referring to.

Tongues throughout the N.T.

After the day of Pentecost, the subject of tongues is brought up many times by Paul.

Acts 10:44–47 (CSB) While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and declaring the greatness of God. Then Peter responded, “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

After the day of Pentecost, which was exclusively a Jewish event, the Lord now gives the gentiles the same gift of the Holy Spirit. This too was a watershed moment in Christianity, as it was now clear that God was no respecter of persons. Although the Holy Spirit manifested differently in Acts 10, one thing that remained the same was the presence of tongues....Next we come to

Acts 19:1–6 (CSB)While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” “No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” “Into what then were you baptized?” he asked them. “Into John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.

This is now the third instance of the Holy Spirit endwelling people, giving them the ability to speak in an unknown tongue. There has been much debate over Acts 10 and Acts 19 and what Luke means when he says that they spoke in tongues. Luke uses the same word that he uses in Acts 2. That said, it does appear that the purpose of these accounts are decidedly different than Acts 2. In both of these subsequent events, there was not a large crowd standing by like there was in Acts 2. I think it is also very clear from the context that the tongues was a sign to other Christians that the Gentiles had, in fact, been accepted by God and are no longer excluded. The main question is:

Were the tongues in Acts 10 and Acts 19 other natural languages or were the tongues some other form of glossolalia? To be honest, it does not matter. Whether those people were speaking a natural language they did not know, or a “heavenly language” we do not know. All we know is that tongues were present. Including these 3 events, we can gather some more information in the book of 1st Corinthians.

In the book of 1st Cor. Paul is trying to reign in a church who was way over the top in the area of tongues and prophecy.

Throughout the first 19 or so verses of 1 Cor. 14, Paul talks about 3 kinds of tongues…each of them have a different purpose. I debated about doing this, but I’m going to go ahead and read the main part of Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians. Follow along with me....

1 Corinthians 14:1–19 (CSB) Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. For the person who speaks in a tongue is not speaking to people but to God, since no one understands him; he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation. The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up. So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? Even lifeless instruments that produce sounds—whether flute or harp—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning. Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church. Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding. Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the outsider say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

It is rare in scripture that we get such precise instruction on a topic. In these passages Paul mentions 2 different types of tongues…although both are for the same purpose.

Speaking in tongues for the edification of the body....which must have an interpreter

Speaking in tongues in private (for praise and prayer)

It appears as though the church in Corinth has become overrun with people speaking in tongues…all at once and not doing things in order. Paul instructs the church that he would rather them use their normal words, rather than becoming disruptive and potentially bringing reproach upon the church. Of course, in verse 18, Paul proudly declares that he, himself, speaks in tongues. He is not shy about this....yet, tongues does no good when not used properly. If we boil these instructions down, what we gather is that when tongues are used publicly, in front of others (such as in a church service), it must have an interpreter....otherwise, it is not edifying. I firmly believe that given the instructions, when Paul talks about praying in tongues or praising the Lord in tongues…this is done in private…because again, Paul says that it does not edify other people. Paul makes a clear distinction between how he prays in private vs in public...

I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

I believe this is what Paul is referring to in Romans 8.

Romans 8:26–28 (CSB) In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

I’ll give this caveat though, even if in this section of Romans Paul is not talking about private prayer in tongues, that does not change what he says other places in the N.T. I do not use this verse as “proof,” only as a supporting verse that may correspond. Now, understand: tongues is a tough topic, as different people believe different things. Those who do not believe in tongues often go down that path because what they see in the charismatic church today does not comport with how Paul taught. I grew up in a church where everyone was speaking in tongues at once…which was called praying in tongues…but we just do not see anywhere in scripture where that is supposed to take place. In fact, Paul directly refutes the idea of multiple people speaking in tongues at once. The modern charismatic church has become dislodged from the scriptural use of tongues. We try to pair the idea of private prayer in tongues, but do it in public, in a church setting. I believe this is exactly what was going on in Corinth.

Naturally, there are other areas of speaking in tongues we do not have time to cover today…such as:

Can everyone speak in tongues or is it a gift that only certain people have? I will cover this question as we go forward, but not today. I will also cover some of the most common objections to tongues, because they exist and should be presented and addressed properly.

Acts Chapter 2 is the very beginning of the Church. Yes, there are parts that cause some distention among believers…no doubt about it. Some of these ideas are pretty consequential, but they are not…I repeat, they are NOT salvation issues. Those who approach their faith with a pure heart, that long to serve the Lord and love others…that bring glory to the Lord. There will always be people who are drawn to things like speaking in tongues and those who question it. I have very close friendships with people in both camps. Like with everything else in scripture that is not a salvation issue, I seek to be balanced…I’m not an activist for either side of the argument. I do my best to align my own personal experiences in this area with the teaching that we find in scripture.

I’ll end with something I shared at our small group on Tuesday:

The Lord honors our heart over our hermenutic!