The Baptism of the Holy Spirit Acts 2: 1 – 13 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

Introduction Acts Chapter 2 marks a turning point in the history of God’s kingdom – the church is born! Jesus Christ’s promises (Acts 1:5 & 8) are fulfilled – the Father sent the Holy Spirit Chapter 1Chapter 2 Disciples to wait for Holy SpiritHoly Spirit comes Disciples were equippedDisciples were empowered Disciples were held backDisciples were sent forth Jesus Christ ascendedHoly Spirit descended

Introduction The coming of the Spirit marks the beginning of the church age – “Church” translates ekklesia; which means “called out ones” The church is the body of Christ (Col. 1:24) – Within the body there is unity (Rom. 8:9) All are indwelt by Jesus Christ All possess the same Spirit – Paul wrote: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28)

Overview Acts 2: 1 – 13 describes the birth of the church by the coming of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost – Evidence of the Spirit’s coming (Acts 2:1-4) – Effect of the Spirit’s coming (Acts 2:5-11) – Explanation of the Spirit’s coming (Acts 2:12-13)

The Evidence of the Spirit’s Coming (vv. 1-4) Pentecost means “fiftieth” – New Testament name for the Feast of Weeks or Harvest – Celebrated 50 days after Passover Believers were all together in one place – Probably same upper room described in Acts 1:13 where they gathered following Jesus’ ascension When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

The Evidence of the Spirit’s Coming (vv. 1-4) Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven – Suddenly emphasizes the element of surprise Knew the Spirit’s coming was imminent They were still caught by surprise by sensory elements Same will be true with Jesus returns to earth – He will come unexpectedly and people will be caught by surprise – The sound... came from heaven Supernatural in nature Like the blowing of a violent wind... but it was not the wind And filled the whole house where they were sitting – Only those in the house received the Holy Spirit – People outside heard the sound, but the Spirit only filled the whole house not outside as well

The Evidence of the Spirit’s Coming (vv. 1-4) First came the sound; then came the visual manifestation of the Spirit – They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them No actual flames of literal fire Simile – compared the unknown visual manifestation of the Spirit with the known image of fire – The tongues of fire... came to rest on each of them All who were present received the Spirit at that moment Uniform, sovereign work of God on all collectively; not something sought individually – All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit By the baptism with the Spirit, they were all made into one spiritual body – the body of Christ

The Evidence of the Spirit’s Coming (vv. 1-4) After being filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them – Tongues spoken were known languages – Speaking in various languages showed that Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans were all equal in the church (Acts 15:8-9) They spoke as the Spirit enabled them – Spirit was in total control of the situation – Believers simply received what the Spirit gave them Evidence of the Spirit’s coming was unmistakable – Manifested His presence in the ears (sound), eyes (images), and mouths (speaking in tongues) of the believers

The Effect of the Spirit’s Coming (vv. 5-11) Pentecost was one of three major feasts of the Jewish calendar – All Hebrew males were expected to celebrate it in Jerusalem – There were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Eqypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:5-11)

The Effect of the Spirit’s Coming (vv. 5-11) When they heard this sound a crowd came together – The sound from heaven like the blowing of a violent wind – Not the believers speaking in tongues – Gathered near the source of the sound – the house with the upper room where the believers were gathered What they found when they arrived bewildered them – Each one heard the believers speaking in his own native language – “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? – Rural Galileans were considered ignorant and uneducated

The Effect of the Spirit’s Coming (vv. 5-11) “Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?” Who were there? What were they saying? – Declaring the wonders of God  Parthians  Medes  Elamites  Residents of Mesopotamia  Judea  Cappodocia  Pontus and Asia  Phrygia  Pamphylia  Eqypt  Parts of Libya near Cyrene  Visitors from Rome  Cretans  Arabs

Nations at Pentecost

Explanation of the Spirit’s Coming (vv ) Some accepted... some rejected Those who accepted it continued to be amazed and perplexed – “What does this mean?” – They would soon understand when Peter proclaimed the gospel in his sermon Those who rejected said – “They have had too much wine.” – Like the Pharisees who heard Jesus and saw his miracles, but concluded He was of the devil (Matt. 12:24) Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” (Acts 2:12-13)

Conclusion The skepticism shown by some would harden into strong opposition toward the message and the messengers No amount of opposition could stop the work of God that began at Pentecost The church had been born!!