Baptism Of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Ghost on Pentecost (Acts 2:1–13)
Church denominations have parted ways over the content of this Bible chapter. There are entire groups of Christians who define their churches based on the verses in this section of scripture. One thing we all have in common, no matter what denomination we belong to, is that none of us would be here today without the events described here. This was the promise of the Father, and the promise of Jesus. This was the evidence that Jesus had returned to the Father. He sent the Holy Spirit. We have a clear description of what the disciples experienced on the day of Pentecost.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon these disciples was accompanied by supernatural signs and wonders. They were able to hear the sound from heaven of a rushing mighty wind. They saw cloven tongues like fire which came down and sat upon them. No matter how you read these bible verses you cannot separate the supernatural element from this. Men try hard to remove the supernatural from the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, even if you do not believe tongues are for today you still have to admit that speaking in tongues accompanied the baptism of the Holy Spirit for these believers.
I won’t go much into the controversy between tongue talkers and those who do not except to say I know the Holy Spirit is real. Speaking in tongues is real today. We cannot separate the supernatural from God. God works in ways we do not understand. He is the creator of the universe. If he wants to enable a man to speak in tongues why should we stand against that man? Are we so sure we understand everything about God and how he works in the lives of men?
I won’t debate about this. I rejoice in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This was the beginning of the church. This is when the church was born and empowered to be witnesses for Jesus in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
May we be filled again today with a fresh outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit.
Peter Addresses The Crowd (Acts 2:14–36)
Again, we see Peter took a leadership role in the early church. On the day the church was born the apostle Peter, along with the other apostles, stood up and declared the gospel to the people gathered.
Peter addressed the men of Judaea, and everyone in Jerusalem, and corrected their accusation that those baptized in the Holy Spirit were drunk. He told them that what they heard and saw was the fulfillment of bible prophecy. The prophet Joel foretold God would pour out his Holy Spirit upon his people. Sons and daughters would prophesy. Young men would see visions. Old men would dream dreams. God poured out his Spirit upon his servants and they did prophesy. This was the true description of what happened. Men and women were baptized in the Holy Ghost, spoke in tongues, and prophesied.
Notice that the purpose of this experience was to bring people to salvation. He says in verse 21, “…whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved…” The purpose in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was to bring people to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. God wanted people to be saved. The only way to be saved is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and trust in his completed work upon Calvary.
Peter went on to lay out the gospel message. Christ died for our sins. He was buried, and he rose again on the third day. Peter quoted bible prophecy from the Old Testament to prove what happened was God’s plan. Yes, evil men killed Jesus. What men intended for evil, God intended for good, to bring about salvation, not only for Israel, but also for the whole world. This reminds me of the account of Joseph in Genesis.
Peter concluded his sermon by telling everyone in Israel that Jesus Christ, who they crucified, but whom God raised from the dead was indeed their Messiah.
Today is the day of salvation. Listen to the words of the apostle Peter and call upon the name of the Lord so that you can be saved.
Three Thousand Believe (Acts 2:37–41)
The promise was the Holy Spirit. Pay careful attention to what Peter said about this promise.
This promise was unto you (Israel), unto your children (Israel), and to “all that are afar off” (Gentiles), even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Who is this? This is us today. This is one of the strongest verses I can find to support the belief that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for Christians today.
If you are a Christian then you must be filled with the Holy Spirit. If you are not baptized in the Holy Spirit then you are not a Christian.
Do I mean that every Christian should speak in tongues? Obviously, that is not the case. There are many Christians who do not speak in tongues, and even believe that speaking in tongues is not for today, yet they still love Jesus. They are filled with the Holy Spirit but do not speak in tongues.
How can you know you are filled with the Holy Spirit? Paul lists for us the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit then you will bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
In the context of the book of Acts when you see men baptized in the Holy Spirit you also see supernatural miracles. The book of Acts does not separate faith, salvation, preaching, and miracles. It is all together in the same context. Is it today? Some would prefer that we leave out the supernatural aspect today but it is still there in the Bible.
The people who heard Peter preaching were convicted by the Holy Spirit. They realized they were guilty and were immediately alarmed and wanted to know what they could do to correct their sins. Peter told them to repent, be baptized, and believe in Jesus. As a result, they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Remember, in the context, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit was a supernatural miracle. It was not men making intellectual agreement to Bible doctrines. There was a supernatural change in the heart of men. Men became new creations in Christ Jesus. They were born again by the Holy Spirit. Some received the gift of speaking in tongues. Some received other spiritual gifts as we shall see later on in Paul’s letters to the churches.
As a result of this one sermon three thousand people were saved and added to the church. There is no doubt this was a miracle from God and a true spiritual revival in the household of faith.
Call upon the name of the Lord today and be saved.
The Fellowship of Believers (Acts 2:42–47)
The Lord added people to the church daily. This is good to underline and remember. It is not special programs or outreaches which add people to the church. It is the Lord who adds people to his church. Men try hard to build their church numbers but it is the Lord who adds to the church. It is not up to us but it is up to the Lord. Our calling is to preach the gospel.
What is the apostles’ doctrine? I think this is simply the gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said he preached Christ and him crucified. It is important to keep the message simple so that people can be saved. When we add in a lot of other things it is easy to lose focus of what is most important. Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose again on the third day.
I’ve heard some preachers say it was not wise for these early Christians to sell all their goods. The reason preachers think this way is because this looks a lot like communism.
However, we cannot compare the church with a political ideology. The church and government are two completely separate things. I don’t think the early Christians were wrong in putting their material resources together to help one another. I think this is exactly what they were supposed to do. People don’t do this today because they are selfish and do not trust brothers and sisters in Christ. Everyone is independent and thinks he has to look out for number one (self). This is an American mindset that is hard to overcome as a Christian.
Christians live in community and not just on Sunday mornings. We have a watered down Christianity in America where people show up on a certain day of the week, go to a building where they smile and shake hands, and sit through a sermon. This is weak Christianity. Real Christianity is people living together and helping one another in every aspect of life and not just on Sunday morning.
Also, remember you cannot separate the supernatural from the church. There were miracles taking place in the early church. People had the fear of God in their lives. They knew the Lord was real, he was present, and he listened and saw everything happening in their midst. The Lord walked among them and they felt his presence. Do we feel God’s presence today? If not, why? Is it because we do not love our brothers and sisters in Christ?
1 John 3:17, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”
