The Church: Carrying the Hope of Christ to All
Empowered by the Spirit of God
Acts 2:1-41
All Scripture texts unless otherwise noted are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
(Acts 2:1-41 pg 1078)
On the hot 88o afternoon of August 14th, 2003, a train of cars carrying a payload of joy-riders to
the 205 feet crest of Cedar Point’s Magnum rollercoaster suddenly came to a standstill. Workers had to
help the wobbly-kneed enthusiasts get out of the cars and descend the coaster’s emergency stairs. That
was hardly the thrill they were seeking when they climbed into those cars that day. But they were not the
only ones left stranded. All the rides in the park had sputtered to a stop.
But it was not just Cedar Point Amusement Park where the rides lost power. In fact, Amtrak’s
Northeast Corridor totally shut down everything north of Philadelphia. That included all trains going into
and out of New York City. And so did rail service in Toronto and Montreal. Regional airports were all
shut down and passengers left stranded. Gas stations also shut down because their pumps would not work.
Cellular communications began to fail as generators and spare batteries one by one began to fail. And
landlines were overwhelmed by the additional loads. Water pumping stations lost pressure possibly
contaminating the water supplies for millions and waste plants dumped raw sewage into the waterways.
Within just 3 hours, 55 million people throughout 7 states and Ontario, Canada were without electricity.
That meant no lights, no traffic controls, no air conditioning, no refrigeration, no fans, no water, limited
communications, internet was limited to dial-up service and even if your place of work stayed open, no
gas to get there and back. In some places it took more than a week to restore power.
The culprit was not a big storm or natural calamity. It was a simple software bug in the software of
a computer system in a FirstEnergy power generating plant in Eastlake, Ohio. The glitch prevented alarms
from sounding that would have warned the operators that grid system was overloading and they needed to
rebalance the supply lines. The result was that a power line overheated and stretched. When it stretched, it
sagged and came into contact with a tree tripping the line to disconnect. But as the power automatically
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shifted to other lines to compensate, it began a cascading failure of systems that one by one overloaded
and shut down 508 generators at 265 power plants. Most people in a triangle ranging from Toledo, Ohio,
to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to New York City were left without power.
That night was the first time in many, many years the Milky Way galaxy was visible in many
downtown metropolitan areas. You know, we take electricity for granted and do not give it a second
thought until it is not there. We depend on its power. Without power everything comes to a total standstill.
But with power we come alive. Power makes this nation come alive.
The Holy Spirit is the power of the church. And without his indwelling power we are nothing. In
fact, he is what makes the church the church. His presence is what sets us apart and makes us different
from all other worldly institutions and organizations. And without his presence the church would be
nothing more than a fraternal service organization like so many others around town. And I would dare
suggest that is exactly the way a lot of people see the church today: just another charitable organization
whose sole purpose is to help people in need. But the church is far more than that. The church is a living
organism whose very Spirit of life is God’s own Spirit: the Holy Spirit of God. Without his Spirit we
would be a dead body.
As we turn to the Word today, we are going to take a look at what happened when the Holy Spirit
first came upon those early disciples of Jesus Christ. For the empowering presence of the Spirit is evident.
It enables the witness of Jesus and it brings people to faith. The coming of the Holy Spirit was evident to
all. The empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in the disciples is evident.
I.
The empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in the disciples is evident.
Let’s begin in verse 1 of chapter 2:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the
blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of
them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled
them.
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Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6
When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them
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speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are
speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9
Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and
Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11
(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of
God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this
mean?”
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Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
After completing his Gospel, Luke continues to write for Theophilus perhaps to show him how the
work of Jesus Christ and all the things he taught continued on after his resurrection, even after he
ascended into heaven through his disciples. And perhaps especially how the Gospel was spread
throughout the known world to reach even him where he was. At the time of this writing Luke had the
opportunity to research the written accounts that were already in existence and talk to the people who saw
it all happen.
After Jesus was raised from the dead he spent about another 6 weeks with his disciples and then
was visibly taken away into heaven. But before he left he commanded them to stay in Jerusalem and wait
on the gift, the Holy Spirit that the Father had promised to them. And as we saw last week they did stay in
Jerusalem and waited. They did not just spend that time by themselves or sightseeing. But they spent that
time together, united in prayer. And as they were united in prayer together, God led them through his
Word to appoint someone, Matthias, to take the place of Judas Iscariot as part of the twelve.
It was also in this environment of united prayer that the gift the Father had promised came to
them. While the disciples were gathered together in prayer the Holy Spirit was heard and seen coming
upon them.
A. . While the disciples were gathered together in prayer the Holy Spirit was
heard and seen coming upon them.
The coming of the Spirit is described for us as sounding like the blowing of a violent wind. But it
does not say there was any actual wind present. When I read that I think about how tornadoes are often
described as sounding like a freight train. So we can imagine that it was a loud roar. And while this loud
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noise is happening something that looked like flames of fire came and settled on each one that was
gathered there – probably not just the 12, but all 120 of them.
It also is worth noting that when God appeared in the Old Testament, often there were similar
phenomena – mighty wind and fire. That was certainly true when he appeared to Moses in the burning
bush, on Mt. Siani and when he appeared to Elijah when he fled from Jezebel. But the point is that when
the Spirit came upon the disciples he came visibly and audibly. It was obvious. His coming was quite
evident. And the sound was apparently not just heard by the disciples, but it seems that is what first
attracted the attention of the crowds. And we are told they began speaking in various tongues as the Spirit
enabled them to do.
So when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples they began to be Jesus witnesses to the world just
as he told them. When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples they immediately began being Jesus’
witnesses to the world.
B. When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples they immediately began being
Jesus’ witnesses to the world.
Here we need to understand that when they spoke in other tongues this means they were speaking
in languages that the people of their day could actually understand. That differs from what is commonly
practiced in some circles as tongues today. A renowned linguist extensively studied recordings of
Christians speaking in tongues from all sorts of Traditions and native languages around the world. His
conclusion is that what passes as speaking in tongues by Christians today does not resemble any human
language that has ever existed.1
In the vast majority of cases people just reordered syllables they already knew into string of
varying lengths with rhythm and rhyme and varying degrees of pitch and inflections so that it sounds like
someone talking, but it really is not language. Another study by another linguist showed that there is no
distinction between what is practiced in many Pentecostal and Charismatic circles from what is practiced
1
From reviews of studies by Wm. J. Samarin and Felicitas D. Goodman. Information on original works included in
bibliography.
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by the followers of other non-Christian religions. So I can only offer a word of strong caution. If one
cannot interpret what is being spoken there is no way to know for certain that what one is doing is
actually of the Holy Spirit. One’s own feelings should not be the main test because emotions are too fickle
and deceptive. So be careful, exercise caution. There are many other gifts of the Spirit that are more
beneficial to the church – which is why God gives us all gifts in the first place – to edify the church.
The Feast of Pentecost, as it came to be known by Jesus’ day, was the Old Testament Feast of
Weeks. The date was never exactly fixed because the feast came when there had been 7 complete
Sabbaths from the exact time they began to harvest the barley. After the destruction of Jerusalem,
sometime in the second century, it became a celebration of the giving of the Law at Mt. Siani during the
Exodus. But prior to that, at the time this happened, Pentecost was still a harvest celebration. That is
significant because it is on Pentecost that the fields that were white with harvest are gathered in.
Pentecost was one of three times during the year when all adult males were to go to Jerusalem to
worship the Lord and offer sacrifices. For that reason there were many Jews there from all over the known
world. They had come to observe the sacrificial rituals and celebrate the feast. And while they were there
they observed a phenomenon that took them by complete surprise. For out of this one place – probably the
upper room where the disciples had been meeting for prayer, dozens burst forth, mostly Galileans –
known for being hardworking but uneducated types of people – speaking the praises of God and telling
about all he has done in the various languages of all these visitors to Jerusalem.
Now everybody there probably spoke Greek and probably Aramaic. So if the disciples were
merely speaking in either of those languages it would not have been very remarkable. But that is not what
happened. Rather, these disciples are speaking in the individual local dialects that all of these visitors to
Jerusalem from around the world used at home. So they understood what was being spoken in their own
language. And that is what really got the attention of the crowds of people.
The reaction of the people in the crowds was mixed. Some wanted to know more about what was
happening. Others were dismissive and made fun of the disciples saying they were just drunk. The
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obvious problem with that accusation is that drunkenness is not normally known to make people speak in
foreign languages they have never before spoken or studied.
All of the disciples are testifying of the great things God has done. And we would presume that
they are talking about the things he has done in and through Jesus especially in raising him from the dead.
So that probably did not make any sense to many of these Jews. It sort of left the people bewildered. But
they disciples were empowered to be able to testify of Jesus when the Holy came upon them. The
empowering presence of the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to witness for Jesus. We see that the
empowering presence of the Holy Spirit enables the witness of Jesus.
II.
The empowering presence of the Holy Spirit enables the witness of Jesus.
Let’s read on:
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Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews
and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15
These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was
spoken by the prophet Joel:
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“ ‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
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Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
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I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
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The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
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And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
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“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by
miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23
This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help
of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead,
freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25
David said about him:
“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me.
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Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
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because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
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You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
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“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his
tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that
he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the
resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of
God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now
see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
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until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.” ’
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“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both
Lord and Christ.”
From this account it appears that Peter was no longer speaking in a foreign tongue, but he
probably addressed the crowd in his native tongue: most likely Aramaic. It was the common language of
the Jewish people living in Palestine in the first century and probably would have been understood by any
Jew who frequently visited the area. So when the Holy Spirit comes upon Peter he stands and addresses
the crowds. When the Holy Spirit came upon him, Peter, who previously denied knowing Jesus Christ;
boldly proclaimed him publically.
A. When the Holy Spirit came upon him, Peter, who previously denied knowing Jesus
Christ; boldly proclaimed him publically.
Just 6 weeks earlier Peter was recognized as a Galilean then, too. And he was also recognized as
having been a companion of Jesus. But he was not even brave enough to face one slave girl. He cowered
and cursed there in the courtyard of the High Priest and denied even that he even knew him. But now here
he is, empowered by the Spirit he stands to boldly proclaim before thousands of people, some of them
very powerful, all of them potentially violent, that he does know Jesus. What a difference the Spirit makes
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in his life! He has a holy boldness that cannot be quiet! He cannot cower! He must raise his voice. He
must shout it out at the top of his lungs!
So Peter begins by pointing out the obvious – it is too early in the day for anybody to be drunk.
Then he goes on to explain just what these visitors to Jerusalem are seeing take place. And empowered by
the Spirit, Peter takes them back to the Scripture to explain it all to them. When the Holy Spirit came
upon Peter, he effectively used the Scripture he leaned during his time spent with Jesus to share the
Gospel with others.
B. When the Holy Spirit came upon Peter, he effectively used the Scripture he leaned
during his time spent with Jesus to share the Gospel with others.
Remember that Peter was not only a coward when someone asked him about Jesus previously.
Peter was also a Galilean fisherman. You know Peter. He was the type that is usually bold and brash:
often wrong - but never in doubt. Books were not his thing. He would rather be out in his boat fishing!
Certainly, like most Jewish men he probably had to memorize the first 5 books of the Bible as a major
part of his education growing up. But he was not the scholarly type. So where did he learn this theology
that we are still studying today? Well, I dare say that he learned all of this from listening to Jesus as they
walked along the roadways and talked together, as he listened to Jesus preach and teach, and through
those times of personal interaction in the everyday moments of their life together.
In this sermon Peter first explains what they heard and why each of the different visitors can hear
what the disciples are saying in their own language. It is not because they are drunk with wine, but that
God has just poured out his Spirit as he had promised he would do.
The passage Peter quotes though does not specifically mention speaking in foreign tongues. It
does mention signs and wonders when he does give his Spirit. And that is Peter’s point. The Spirit of God
will come with signs of wonder. The passage does refer to this happening in the last days and it being
accompanied by cosmic wonders and signs. So according to the disciples these days, from then until now,
are “the last days.” Yet, to our knowledge the cosmic signs did not occur at that time. So this was not
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totally fulfilled at that time. So we might also suppose that this was only a partial fulfillment of the
promise and that the complete fulfilling is yet to come.
But then his sermon takes a turn. And Peter explains from the Scripture the mystery that Messiah
must die and be buried, but he would not stay dead. He would be raised from the dead. His proposition to
them goes like this: When David was filled with the Spirit he spoke of dying, but not being left to decay
in the grave. Since David stayed in the grave once he died, he must have been talking about someone else.
Also when David was filled with the Spirit he addressed someone else besides just God alone that God
exalted higher than he himself.
By this time Peter really had the peoples’ attention because these were theological conundrums to
them. And many these that were here now in Jerusalem at Pentecost had probably also been there at
Passover when Jesus was crucified. They saw it or at least had heard all about it. So they knew the basic
narrative of Jesus. They understood that they as a nation had done this thing. But what they did not know
is that Jesus had been raised to life from the dead. Here the disciples provide the first public witness of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and proclaim that he is the one to whom David was referring. It
was not David who has ascended to heaven as Lord and King, but Jesus whom God raised from the dead.
When the disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit they were able to effectively share the
Gospel of Jesus Christ and be his witnesses. Peter especially became a different person. He overcame his
debilitating fears to boldly proclaim his faith in Jesus before crowds of people who could have been
hostile. But when the Spirit came, he did not just enable the disciples to witness. He enable to crowds of
people to respond. For the Holy Spirit enables people to respond by faith to the testimony of Jesus. The
empowering presence of the Holy Spirit brings people to faith.
III.
The empowering presence of the Holy Spirit brings people to faith.
Let’s read the last portion of our text:
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles,
“Brothers, what shall we do?”
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Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you
and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
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With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from
this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three
thousand were added to their number that day.
When they heard this they wanted to know how to be saved. When the people head Peter clearly
share from the Scripture about Jesus they wanted to know how to be saved.
A. When the people head Peter clearly share from the Scripture about Jesus they
wanted to know how to be saved.
So when the people heard this about Jesus they were convicted in their hearts. Just as their
ancestors had rejected and murdered the prophets God had sent to them. They had rejected and murdered
their own Messiah, the Chosen One of God! They were guilty! And now this Jesus whom they rejected
and murdered was exalted to the right hand of God! They stood condemned! Now What? How could they
escape the wrath of God? What could they possibly do? What hope was there for them now? How could
they possibly be saved? And Peter tells them:
“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
There are many today that teach that in order to be saved one must be baptized by immersion. That
baptism is essential for salvation and that you receive the Holy Spirit when you are baptized. Those who
teach this always point to this verse. Marilyn and I used to be a part of a Church that held this as their
doctrine. Many churches that helped to form our denomination: The Conservative Christian Conference
were “Christian” Churches that were part of the Restoration movement that also held this doctrine. That
one is saved by being baptized is ultimately the idea that underlies infant baptism: “we will ensure this
child is saved by baptizing him or her as soon as possible.”
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But there is a major problem with understanding it that way. And that is that it exalts this verse
above all the other times when - even Peter himself - later says that salvation is by faith alone without any
mention of baptism. We will see that several times as we make our way through Acts.
So how should we understand this verse? First of all, the very fact that the people have asked what
they should do to be saved means they have already come to believe. Faith is already present. Repentance
is the other side of the coin of faith. One cannot respond to Jesus Christ in faith without repentance. They
go hand in hand. Repentance means turn from the way you are headed and come the way of Jesus Christ.
When Christ himself preached he said: Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. It is as simple as this:
if you have not repented you have not come to Jesus Christ. You do not believe. So they have believed,
they just need to follow through with their response and repentance and baptism as acts of obedience.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the word actually means to “be placed” or
“immersed” or “dipped into” something. Because it is a word now loaded with theology, it is traditionally
transliterated instead of translated. So if we translated it here with its common meaning of being placed
into something: - Repent and be placed into Christ – would it still mean the same thing? I would suggest
that if it was translated rather than transliterated we might not understand it quite the same way.
Another way to understand this verse is to see the command to “be baptized” as a clause that
should be set apart in parenthesis. The grammatical reason for this is that in the Greek subjects and verbs
must agree in person and number. 1st person singular verbs go with first person singular nouns. 2nd person
plural goes with second person plural. Etc. And here in this statement “Repent” and “your” are plural so
they go together. But the imperative “be baptized” is singular. So grammatically it stands apart from the
rest of the verse.
Ultimately though, if water baptism is an absolute necessity for salvation, then this is about the
only place in Scripture we are told that whereas we are told numerous times elsewhere that it is the result
of faith. It seems that our understanding of this verse must be interpreted by the rest of Scripture and not
the rest of Scripture by this one verse.
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Ultimately we must understand that there are two realities. There is the physical, material reality
of water baptism. And there is the Spiritual reality: the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The realities often
coincide with one another. But sometimes we get glimpses of the difference. We are saved by being
“baptized” into Christ in the Spiritual reality. It is the Spiritual reality of the Baptism of the Spirit that
saves us. And in Scripture that often coincides with the physical reality of water baptism. But we will see
later there is actually a difference between the realities because it is not always the case. So we will see
that water baptism is an outward sign of what has happened spiritually within us.
But it appears these people responded to Peter’s sermon before he was really done preaching.
They want to know what to do to be saved. And three thousand responded to the Spirit’s call to be saved.
Three Thousand responded to the Spirit’s call to be saved.
B. Three Thousand responded to the Spirit’s call to be saved.
Here we clearly see both the role of God and the roles of man in salvation. Salvation is a promise
that had been made by God to all of those he will call. So notice that in salvation God has promised it. He
has provided for it in the work of Christ on the cross. And God calls people to be saved. One cannot be
saved without the call from God. But also notice there is a role that each of us must fill as well. We must
respond by faith in obedience to the call of God. So how do you know if you have been called? You are
here aren’t you? You believe don’t you? You would not be able to believe at all if it were not for the grace
of God calling you to believe. Salvation is a partnership. At his invitation, we join with God in what he is
doing.
One cannot make God save them. One cannot just say to God “You must save me because I want
you to” Or because “I demand that you do: because I say that you must.” No the Apostle John stated it
this way:
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will,
but born of God.
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No, salvation is not at all something we can get for ourselves. It is not about us at all. Salvation,
the baptism of the Holy Spirit that places us into Jesus Christ, is a gift freely given by God to anyone who
responds to his call to believe. He calls each one of us. He offers his gift to you today. Will you not
receive it? Respond to God’s call to believe and be saved. It is his promise to you.
Bibliography
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Christian Literature, Third Edition. Electronic. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Bray, Gerald. The Doctrine of God: Contours of Christian Theology. Edited by Gerald Bray. Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Goodman, Felicitas D. "Phonetic analysis of glossolalia in four cultural settings." Journal for the
Scientific Study of Religion, 1969: 227-239.
Grudem, Wayne. Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith. Edited by Jeff Purswell.
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Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B. & Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An
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