Acts 1:3-5
After [Jesus’] suffering, he presented himself alive to [the
disciples] by many convincing proofs, appearing to them
during forty days and speaking to them about the
kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered
them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the
promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have
heard from me; for Jesus baptized with water, but you
will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from
now.”
Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all
together in one place. And suddenly from heaven
there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind,
and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them,
and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them
were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Acts 2:5-8
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under
heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the
crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each
one heard them speaking in the native language of
each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not
all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it
that we hear, each of us, in our own native
language?
Acts 2:9-13
“Parthians,
Medes, Elamites, and residents of
Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya
belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews
and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own
languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of
power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one
another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and
said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Acts 2:14-16
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice
and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live
in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to
what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you
suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the
morning. No, this is what was spoken through the
prophet Joel [2:28-29]:
Acts 2:17-18
“‘In
the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even
upon the slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.’
Acts 2:22-24
“Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth,
a man attested to you by God with deeds of power,
wonders, and signs that God did through him among you,
as you yourselves know—this man, handed over to you
according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,
you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the
law. But God raised him up, having freed him from
death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its
power.
Acts 2:32-33, 36
“This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are
witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand
of God, and having received from the Father the
promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this
that you both see and hear. Therefore let the entire
house of Israel know with certainty that God has
made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom
you crucified.”
Acts 2:37-39
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and
said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what
should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so
that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for
your children, and for all who are far away, everyone
whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
Acts 2:40-42
And he testified with many other arguments and
exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this
corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his
message were baptized, and that day about three
thousand persons were added. They devoted
themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:43-47
Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and
signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed
were together and had all things in common; they would
sell their possessions and goods and distribute the
proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they
spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread
at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,
praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.
And day by day the Lord added to their number those
who were being saved.
Pentecost
• “fiftieth” – celebrated on the 50th day after
Passover
• The “Feast of Weeks”
• Exodus 34:22 - “You shall observe the festival of
weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest.”
• Christ is the Passover Lamb sacrificed for us (1
Corinthians 5:7)
• “. . . so we would become a kind of first fruits of
His creatures” (James 1:18).
• We, “who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly while we wait for adoption, the
redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23)
Romans 8:9
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from
the dead will give life to your mortal bodies
also through the Spirit that dwells in you.”
Joel 2:28: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.”
Acts 2:41: “That day about three thousand
persons were added.”
The disciples’ preparation for Pentecost
• They had seen Jesus work wonders in front
of them and through them
The disciples’ preparation for Pentecost
• They had seen Jesus work wonders in front
of them and through them
• They were witnesses to Jesus’ death and
resurrection
The disciples’ preparation for Pentecost
• They had seen Jesus work wonders in front
of them and through them
• They were witnesses to Jesus’ death and
resurrection
• Jesus had promised they would receive the
Holy Spirit
The disciples’ preparation for Pentecost
• They had seen Jesus work wonders in front
of them and through them
• They were witnesses to Jesus’ death and
resurrection
• Jesus had promised they would receive the
Holy Spirit
• They devoted themselves to constant prayer
Jesus sends the Spirit from the Father
(Luke 24:49)
The Holy Spirit is the Father’s gift sent
at Jesus’ request (John 14:16)
“what my Father promised”
(Luke 24:49)
The “Paraclete”
Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor
(John 14:16)
The Spirit of truth (John 14:17)
Teaches, reminds, gives peace
(John 14:26)
Testifies on Jesus’ behalf (John 15:26)
Guides into all truth (John 16:13)
“As it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor
ear heard, nor human heart conceived, what
God has prepared for those who love Him,
these things God has revealed to us through
the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything,
even the depths of God.”
(1 Corinthians 2:9-10)
“We speak of these things in words not taught
by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit. . .
We have the mind of Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 2:13, 16)
The Spirit is God’s presence in us
• He will “be with you forever. . . . You know Him, because
He abides with you, and He will be in you” (John 14:1617)
• “You will know that I am in my Father, and you in me,
and I in you” (John 14:20)
• “You are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, because the
Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the
Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Romans 8:9)
The Holy Spirit is given to those who receive
Jesus
• Acts 2 – 3,000 people
• Acts 10 – a Roman centurion and those who
are with him
• Acts 19 – some disciples in Ephesus
The Holy Spirit is given to those who ask
• “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you
will find; knock, and the door will be opened to
you. . . . If you then, who are evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much
more will the heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:9-13)
The Holy Spirit is given to those who ask
• “You do not have because you do not ask.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask
wrongly, in order to spend what you get on
your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3)
The Holy Spirit is given to those who ask
• “Pursue love and strive for the spiritual
gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.
. . . so that the church may be built up.”
(1 Corinthians 14:1, 5)
The Holy Spirit enables us to resist
temptation.
• “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is
debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit.”
(Ephesians 5:18)
• “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
(Romans 8:2)
The Holy Spirit fills us with love.
• “I give you a new commandment, that you love
one another. Just as I have loved you, you also
should love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
• “Beloved, let us love one another, because love
is from God; everyone who loves is born of
God and knows God. Whoever does not love
does not know God, for God is love” (1 John
4:7-8)
The Holy Spirit fills us with joy.
• The disciples, while encountering opposition,
persecution and banishment, “were filled with joy and
with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:52)
• “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of
any kind, consider it nothing but joy.” (James 1:2)
• “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!”
(Philippians 4:4)
• “Give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thessalonians
5:16)
“I am His and He is Mine”
by George Wade Robinson (1838-1877)
and James Mountain (1844-1933)
Heaven above is softer blue;
Earth around is sweeter green;
Something lives in every hue
Christless eyes have never seen.
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow,
Flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know as now I know:
I am His and He is mine.
The Holy Spirit fills us with peace.
• “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not
give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
• “The kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)
• “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power
of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to
different people.
• “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy
Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same
Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the
same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but
it is the same God who activates all of them in
everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the
Spirit for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:3-7)
The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to
different people.
• “To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of
wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge
according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same
Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to
another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to
another the discernment of spirits, to another various
kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who
allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.”
(1 Corinthians 12:8-11)
We need a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit
every day.
The Holy Spirit transforms us to become more
like our Lord.
• “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol.” (Galatians 5:22)
• “All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the
Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being
transformed into the same image from one degree of
glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the
Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
The Holy Spirit is gentle.
• “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but
only what is useful for building up. . . . Do not
grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were
marked with a seal for the day of redemption.”
(Ephesians 4:29-30)
The Holy Spirit as our mother
• Jürgen Moltmann, The Source of Life: The Holy
Spirit and the Theology of Life: “If believers are
‘born’ of the Holy Spirit, then we have to think of
the Spirit as the ‘mother’ of believers, and in this
sense as a feminine Spirit.”
• “Spirit” in Hebrew (ruach) is feminine
The Holy Spirit as our mother
• St. Macarius of Alexandria (295-395) spoke of “the
motherly ministry of the Holy Spirit.”
• Nicolaus Zizendorf (1700-1760): The Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ is our true Father and the Spirit of
Jesus Christ is our true Mother, because the Son of the
living God is our true Brother.”
• Contemporary Christian feminists
We need the Holy Spirit
• “Abide in me, as I abide in you. Just as the branch
cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the
vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am
the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in
me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart
from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)
Lord, take my gifts and
let them flow
with grace from Your
hands,
Rivers of life, flowing
from You
through this desert land.
- “Humble, Obedient to You”
by Judson Chubbuck
“The Book of Acts envisions a church so full of the
Holy Spirit that its interior life embodies the Realm
of God and its external witness is irrepressible. It
envisions a church whose message and life are
magnetic to people from every race, tribe, people
and tongue. It envisions a church with the courage to
face the most savage powers of its time to invite
repentance as the first step on the journey to
restoration and to the Realm.”
- Ronald J. Allen
Lord, take my gifts and
let them flow
with grace from Your
hands,
Rivers of life, flowing
from You
through this desert land.
- “Humble, Obedient to You”
by Judson Chubbuck
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the
words of prophets, but test everything; hold
fast to what is good; abstain from every form
of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)