The Day of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13

The event recorded in this passage is very important because it marks the beginning of the church. Pentecost means fifty and this feast gets its name because it follows the Feast of Firstfruits by 50 days (Lev. 23:15-22). In a dramatic scene those that were there heard a noise like a tornado and saw tongues of fire resting on each one of them. They were actually able to see themselves being filled with the Holy Spirit as promised in 1:8 and as evidence of this filling they spoke in other languages so that everyone could understand each other (v. 8). The tongues of fire represent the presence of God. Everyone was amazed but not everyone understood what was happening. Some even began to mock the others saying that they were drunk.

The subject of speaking in tongues, introduced here, is one that has caused confusion among Christians today and should be studied carefully. First we must realize that this event represented the filling of the Holy Spirit and not the baptism of the Spirit. The Spirit’s baptism occurs once for each believer at the moment of Salvation (Acts 11:15-16, Romans 6:3, I Cor. 12:13). The filling of the Spirit occurs not only at the moment of Salvation, but also at other times during our lives.

There is a difference in responsibility concerning the baptism of the Spirit and the filling of the Spirit. The baptism of the Spirit occurs to all at the moment of salvation. The responsibility to be filled with the Spirit is ours. Paul, in Ephesians 5:15 explains that we should “be careful how you walk” and then in v. 18 exhorts us to “be filled with the Spirit”. He also challenges us in I Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit”. We must assume from these passages that we can hinder the Spirit’s work in our lives and we do that by sinning against God. When we quench the Spirit we are not filled with the Spirit. When we confess our sin and are in right relationship with God we are filled with the Spirit.

It is very important that we realize the Spirit’s ministry in our lives and allow Him to minister effectively to us. We do that by living our lives in a way that is pleasing to God.

An Apostle Appointed

Acts1:21-26

Judas had abdicated his apostleship by betraying Jesus and then hanging himself. Peter tells us in this passage that he should be replaced. Judas is the only apostle who is replaced when he died. Note in Acts 12:2 that when Herod had James (the brother of John) put to death there is no mention of replacement. A primary reason for the need to replace Judas was so that the prophecy in Matt. 19:28 could be fulfilled. There Jesus promised that the twelve apostles would sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Psalm 109:8 also prophesied that Judas would be replaced “His office let another man take.”

There are men today who claim to be apostles, but they are not. We know that because one of the requirements of apostleship was that the individual must have witnessed the resurrection of Jesus. Of course, there is no one around today that meets that requirement.

We must be careful about who we allow to influence us and who we learn from as we grow in our Christian faith. One of the ways Satan leads us astray is by bringing bad influences into our lives. That is why it is critical that we measure everything we are taught by men by the Word of God. Men can take passages of Scripture and twist them to appear to mean something they don’t. If we are not mature enough in our faith and have not studied the Bible carefully enough we can be led into believing these false teachings.

I know this is true because I have witnessed this several times in our church. People in our congregation have become enamored with a false teaching from someone (outside our congregation) in whom they erroneously placed their trust. Even in our church I’ve had to challenge an adult Sunday School teacher who claimed the Bible was not inerrant.

I would encourage you to study the Bible carefully enough so that you will recognize when someone tries to teach you something other than its truths. I pray that you will be strong enough to stand up to that teaching and walk away from it so your faith is not hindered.

Jesus Return Promised

Acts 1:11

“and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Immediately after Jesus shared with the disciples their responsibility as witnesses He was “lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (1:9). The disciples were awe struck and gazing intently at Him as He departed. Two angels standing beside the disciples told them that Jesus would come back just as He departed. This scene took place at the Mount of Olives and I remember standing there with Nana, your Mom and Dad, and uncle Gary reflecting on that occasion. It was an awesome experience, being there on the Mount of Olives and looking toward the city of Jerusalem, thinking of all the Biblical history that had taken place.

That is a promise the disciples really held onto and one that all Christians today cherish. One day Jesus is going to return for all of us. The apostle Paul reveals more about that day in I Thes. 4:16-17 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Paul thought the Lord was going to return before he died and we as Christians can have that same expectation. His return is imminent. There is nothing else in the prophetic calendar that needs to occur before Jesus returns for us.

That event is called the rapture. It is distinguished from the Second Coming in that Jesus calls us up into the clouds to be with Him at the rapture. His second coming is a time of judgment for those who have not believed in Him.

An important message from the angels can be drawn from the question “why do you stand looking into the sky?” We should be looking for the Lord’s return but we should not be standing around waiting for it. We should be about the purpose the Lord gave us as well as the disciples of telling others about the Lord Jesus. We should be obedient to the Lord’s command recorded in Matt. 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples”. God has chosen us to be the instruments of sharing the gospel and we should be faithful in doing that.

A Promise And A Fact

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;

and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem,

and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

The promise in this verse is “you shall receive power; the fact is “you shall be My witnesses”. The promise of the Holy Spirit coming into the lives of the disciples was fulfilled just a few days later and occurs today immediately when an individual trusts the Lord Jesus as his personal Savior. We can count on that because it is a promise from the Lord. The fact is that as a Christian we are a witness to those around us. The quality of our witness depends on our relationship with the Lord.

Let’s dwell for a moment on the thought that we are a witness. We may be a good witness or we may be a poor witness. If we are known as a Christian do others see in the quality of our lives something they desire or do we live in such a way that we hinder them in trusting the Lord. We can be either a positive influence or a negative influence. The Bible gives us an example of a poor witness as we read of Peter denying any relationship with the Lord (Matt. 26:69-75). We also read of him being a positive witness many times.

The disciples were also being challenged in this verse to spread the gospel all over the world. That same command applies to us today. God doesn’t ask everyone to go to a remote part of the world to be a witness, but he does want our availability if that is what He desires. Rev. 5:9 says “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Jesus also challenged the disciples in Matt. 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…”

As a child of God you are a privileged person. You are also one who has responsibilities to Him. I pray that you will be sensitive to the Lord’s leading in your life and will be willing to go wherever He leads. Many Christians do not lead fulfilled lives because of their unwillingness to be obedient in this area. I can assure you that you will be most satisfied in your life by following God’s will.

Baptism – Water vs. Holy Spirit

“for John baptized with water,

but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Act 1:5

This is another verse that has created some controversy among Christians. Two types of baptism are mentioned here. In fact, two different Greek words are used; “bapto” and “baptize”. “Bapto” means to be dipped and “baptize” is an act that produces a permanent change. When cucumbers are made into pickles they are first dipped (“bapto”) into boiling water and then they are immersed (“baptize”) into vinegar. The vinegar produces a permanent change in the cucumber to make it a pickle.

John baptized with water as a sign of identification with his belief in Christ. We are told as Christians in Mark 16:16 that those who believe should be baptized. Paul describes this process in Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” When we are immersed in water we are identifying with Christ’s death and when we are raised out of the water we are identifying with His resurrection.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit Jesus mentions in Acts 1:5 means a permanent indwelling. Jesus says in John 14:16-17 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

One of the immediate benefits of salvation is that the Holy Spirit indwells us and will never leave. We may quench His ministry in our lives (I Thes. 5:19), but He will never depart from us. In Ephesians 5:18 we are exhorted to “be filled with the Spirit”. The filling of the Spirit in our lives is our responsibility. When we sin we quench His ministry and are not filled. When we confess our sins (I John 1:9) and live our lives in a way that pleases God, we are filled with the Spirit and recognize His benefits to us.

You can be sure that when you accepted Christ as your Savior the Holy Spirit came into your life as a helper and He will never leave you. It is your responsibility to live in a way that allows the Spirit to be most effective and allows you to be full of joy.