The disciples did as Jesus said and prayed and waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit which Jesus had promised would come and make it possible for them to fulfill the commission of bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth. In today’s passage the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples. The coming of the Holy Spirit opened the door to the ministry of evangelism. If the Holy Spirit didn’t come, then the Gospel would have not spread throughout the world. This is how important the coming of the Holy Spirit was.
Dr. Moody, a 19th century American evangelist says that when he reflects on his ministry, his ministry was all by the powerful strength of the Holy Spirit. Even the same message and evangelizing the same way, before being filled with the Holy Spirit and after being filled was entirely different. Before there were some people that were interested, but afterwards there were crowds. The only difference was that the Holy Spirit had come upon Moody. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive strength. Moody received that strength.
The Holy Spirit is what we need to desire. Today let’s look at 3 aspects of the Holy Spirit’s coming.
I. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you (vs. 1)
First let’s look at when the Holy Spirit comes. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. Pentecost is 7 weeks after the Passover. Why was the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost?
1. There were a lot of people in Jerusalem at that time. There weren’t just a lot of people, but the people were very God-fearing people. In the Jewish faith there were 3 big, important festivals: the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. At Pentecost all the males must come to worship in Jerusalem. Next to the Passover, which was the time that Christ was put on the cross, this was the time when the most people came to Jerusalem. Of course, they came to worship so these people revered God, and there were a lot of very God-fearing people there. It was at this time that the Holy Spirit came.
2. “They were together in one place.” (vs.1) “one place” according to 1:13 was the “upper room”. We don’t know if this was the “temple” of Luke 53:24 or not. However, the important thing is why they were together in “one place”. It is clear. In 1:14 we were told that “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” They met in “one place” to pray. In such a place and at such a time, the Holy Spirit came upon them. The Holy Spirit comes upon people who are waiting for and desiring Him.
Luke 11:9-13
“Ask and you will receive.” When we like the disciples, desire God, meet in “one place” and, pray in one heart, God will send his promised Spirit upon us. For us this is worship, isn’t it. Why are we meeting here every Sunday? It is so that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we follow God’s word, put our hearts together and meet in the temple, and seek God, God will send his Holy Spirit upon us.
ＩＩ． The meaning of the Holy Spirit coming upon us. (vs.2-4)
Let’s think about what the Holy Spirit coming upon us means. Many people have written about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but there aren’t many who really understand correctly the meaning. It is important for understand this that we understand the Bible correctly.
According to this passage, when the Holy Spirit came, there were 2 signs. One was there was “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven.” (2) The other was something that looked like “tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.” (3) What does that mean? This was a sign that the Holy Spirit had come upon them. They were not in themselves the Holy Spirit. One of the signs was a sound and the other something that they could see. Therefore, these signs showed that the Holy Spirit had come upon them.
Next look at what happened when the Holy Spirit came upon them. This is recorded in verse 4. They were “filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” This has two meanings.
1. Freedom from the confusion that was a result of the tower of Babel. The tower of Babel is in Genesis 11. Until then everyone spoke the same language. The people began to build a tower to reach heaven “and make a name for “ themselves. However, this did not make God happy and He confused their languages and they had to quit building the tower and were scattered throughout the world. Ever since then this confusion has continued. Man has tried many times to get rid of this confusion, but has never succeeded. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were able to speak in other languages and the hearers were able to hear the Gospel in their own languages. The confusion of the tower of Babel caused can be eliminated and understanding and unity can be brought by the Holy Spirit. The only thing that can bring unity to society is the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 2:18 it tells us that the Holy Spirit makes Jews and Gentiles one. The fact that the disciples spoke in other languages at Pentecost shows that unity had begun.
2. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Witness. According to verse 5, Jerusalem was full of “God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” If there were people “from every nation under heaven” then that would mean that there were people speaking many different languages. However, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit they spoke in many languages so all the people there could understand. In other words, the Holy Spirit caused them to speak in other languages in order to confirm again the commission of the church. The church was commissioned to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) How is the church going to be able to fulfill the commission? By being filled with the Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are given strength. Then just like the disciples started to speak in other languages, we will able to share the Gospel in a way that every nation and tribe can understand. This is not just an ability to speak another language, but also in life and culture we will be able to share Gospel in a way that match the culture that we are sharing the Gospel with.
What does it mean to be filled be filled with the Spirit? In 1:5 it says, “In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Is being filled with the Spirit the same as being baptized with the Spirit? The answer is Yes and No. It is yes because here they received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to certain people at certain times in the Old Testament. However, here the Holy Spirit was given to all peoples. This means that at this time a new age of the Holy Spirit is beginning. All who ask can receive the Holy Spirit.
Romans 10:9
If we believe that Jesus died for us and rose again and accept Him into our hearts, then we will be saved. The Holy Spirit is given to us as a guarantee of that salvation. Therefore, the Holy Spirit has been given to all Christians. Through the Holy Spirit we have assurance of faith. This was made possible at Pentecost.
However, I said “no” because the baptism of the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit is different. Being baptized with the Spirit is a one time event while being filled with the Holy Spirit happens again and again.
I Cor. 12:13
Here when Paul says, “baptized by one Spirit into one body” this refers to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, even though we have been baptized by the Spirit doesn’t necessarily mean that we are filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30
We can grieve the Holy Spirit
I Thess. 5:19
The Spirit’s fire can be put out. Of course this does not mean that the Holy Spirit is completely erased out of lives. It means that there is a limit on the work of the Holy Spirit. When is the Holy Spirit grieved? When is the Spirit’s fire put out?
Ephesians 4:29－31
When we fall into such a condition, then we grieve the Holy Spirit, the Spirit’s fire is put out.
Therefore, we need to walk in the Spirit. Then we won’t allow our carnal desires to control us. If we are living by our desires, then we need to repent and return to Christ.
We need to be like the disciples. When they were baptized with the Spirit, they we also filled with the Spirit. Then they boldly shared the Gospel.
II. What happens when the Holy Spirit comes (vs.5-13)
Finally let’s look at what happened when the Holy Spirit came upon them. When the people that were in Jerusalem heard the Gospel being preached in their own language, they were very shocked.
Vs. 6 “in bewilderment”
7 “Utterly amazed”
12 “Amazed and perplexed”
These words show how shocked the people were and that they could not understand what was happening. However, this amazement prepared their hearts to receive the message of Peter. This was a very important thing.
No matter how much we try to get others to believe in Christ, there are many who are never led into the faith. Every one has their own philosophy of life and they think it is the best so they can’t accept other things. To do so they need a special experience. The fact that these people were shocked was therefore a very important experience. This is the first step in evangelism.
Vs11. The disciples didn’t just speak in other languages, they shared the Gospel of Christ. We too when we are filled with the Holy Spirit will cause people to be amazed, have power to share the Gospel, and will do amazing things.
It is the Holy Spirit that causes amazement. The Holy Spirit gives power and we are able to share the Gospel boldly.
Therefore, we need to seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we will be able to take the Gospel boldly to the world. This is the promise of Pentecost. Therefore, let’s seek the filling of the Holy Spirit and receive God’s promise of power, and let’s spread the Gospel.