Introduction:
One can only wonder about the mindset of the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. Just ten days earlier, they had seen their last glimpse of their master as He disappeared from view in the clouds. They must have savored every moment with Him up to his ascension. They must have also had fresh memories in mind, but they also had something to look forward to, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In His last instructions, Jesus said "do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then just before His feet lifted from the ground, He told them, "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:4-5,8).
Now on the Day of Pentecost, we find the disciples waiting after more than a week of constant prayer (Acts 1:14). One can only wonder if they knew how the promised gift would come. "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" (Acts 2:2-3). Then in an instant, the tongues they used everyday to talk to God and man were transformed into powerful witnesses to "Jerusalem, to Judea, and to the ends of the earth."
The transformation went beyond the outer manifestation of speaking in tongues. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit transformed the once huddled disciples, like their tongues, into powerful witnesses. Conversions, signs and wonders en masse would follow. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they would face any crowd and any circumstance ordained by God for them to face. Together these Spirit-empowered exploits would be chronicled as the Acts of the Apostles.
Not only did the Baptism change the disciples' witness, it marked the redemption of Gentiles and the dawn of the present Church Age. The Baptism and its physical manifestations meant that Gentile faith could not be questioned (Acts 2:4; 10:44-47; 11:15-18; 15:7-8). Through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Church was born. Even after her birthday on the day of Pentecost, the church continues to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. For instance, all who are enabled to speak in tongues today testify to a marked empowerment in witnessing, acuity to Scripture and a more passionate walk with the Lord. Are these testimonies any wonder, for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit came to empower our witness, reveal truth, and intercede for us with groans that words cannot express (Acts 1:8; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; 2 Peter 1:3-10, and Romans 8:26)? The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a promise to all believers, for there is no favoritism with God and His promises are "yes" and "amen" (Acts 10:34-35 and 1 Corinthians 1:20). Those who wait upon the LORD just as their spiritual ancestors can and will experience a personal Day of Pentecost.
Handout: (1) Questions to Think About (2) The Patterns of Christ and Christians
Verse for the week:
"The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:39)
Questions to Think About
1. Are baptisms a form of birth? Is salvation a birth by blood? Is water baptism a birth by water? Is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit a birth by the Spirit? For a possible answer, look at John 3:5-6 and 1 John 5:6-8.
2. Can it be said that the Church was born by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost?
3. Is a person given a new birth by salvation? What about through water baptism and baptism by the Holy Spirit? Which of the three if any is most important. For a possible answer, look at this question in terms of prerequisites.
4. What role does prayer play in receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? For a possible answer, look at Luke 3:21-22, Acts 1:14, and Acts 2:1.
5. Is it Scriptural to teach a believer "how" to speak in tongues? For possible insight, look at Acts 8:9-22.
6. Why does Jesus attribute the promise of the Holy Spirit to His father (Acts 1:4)? It is well known among Jews that the Day of Pentecost is a day to commemorate the giving of the covenant of Moses. Is the father's promise of the Holy Spirit a covenantal promise (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:16-18 and Numbers 23:19)?
7. Jesus often forgave and healed interchangeably; are these separate experiences (Matthew 9:1-8, Luke 5:17-26 and Luke 7:48-50)? Salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts occurred at times separately (Acts 19:1-3) and times simultaneously (Acts 10:43-44), are these separate experiences?
8. If it is true that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a separate experience from salvation in Scripture can a truth such as this change (James 1:17)?
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