Jesus
Christ’s work of redemption on the Cross established the foundation for freedom
from the penalty of sin and death, it also facilitated in allowing for Jew and
Gentile to enter into the household of God, Christ is the cornerstone.
With
this freedom however comes responsibility, and the book of Acts, as documented
by Luke, expresses the Holy Spirit’s role in making available everything that
would be necessary to put this responsibility into action.
The Holy Spirit would
be the conduit by which a revolution was sparked that would lead the work of
Christ on to worldwide reach using early believer’s triumphs, sufferings, and
persecution to see it through and ultimately begin building His church. Marguerat
concludes, “…the Spirit in Luke is an inaugurating Spirit, the agent of
beginnings, of the creation of communities, and the impulse that gives birth to
Churches.”
The Holy Spirit
will fill new believers with boldness to preach Jesus. He would speak to and
direct a course of action to prevent disaster for many believers. He would
empower Apostles to heal the sick and lame in Jesus Name. He would move the
very foundation of the earth to unify the cause of Christ and use those who
would dare proclaim the truth, even unto death.
The Coming / Filling of the Holy Spirit
In
Acts chapter one, we find Jesus about to ascend into heaven, just before doing
so, He tells His disciples not to leave Jerusalem until the promised Holy
Spirit comes. Once the Spirit comes, the disciples are told they will be given
power, and they will be witnesses to Jesus even unto the ends of the earth.
What
kind of power would the Holy Spirit give them? Is this power only for Jesus’ disciples
or would it be given to all believers from that moment on? The book of Acts
quickly reveals the power and work of the Holy Spirit in and through believers
is for all believers
.
This power and
witness begins on the Day of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit will fill one
hundred and twenty believers gathered in one place.
Here
we find the first audible/visible account of the Holy Spirit’s presence as, “
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind
came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting” and “they
saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each
of them” Acts 2:2-3.
Bock states, “Luke pictures the event in a way that has an element of
“visibility” to it, as verses 2 – 4 make clear.”
Faw writes, “That this is not an actual wind but the sound of one. It is the
mighty outpouring of God's presence, told in a language in which the word for
wind
also means
spirit (Greek:
pneuma; Hebrew:
ruakh).
It seems God wants to make His presence known by
sight and sound to ensure that all the believers (witnesses) at this event
would be certain that it is Him as promised. Many from this point on will be filled with
the Holy Spirit; three thousand after Peter’s speech, Stephen, Cornelius and
his family, and others.
The Holy Spirit Speaks through Believers
An external phenomenon takes place, but so does an
internal one. The Holy Spirit will enable the believers to speak in diver
tongues, ones that many people from different parts of the land
will understand but not know how it is possible. The Holy Spirit has the
authority to cause a person to do the unimaginable, He is God. Haenchen says,
“The Spirit causes the Christians it pervades to discourse
in other tongues.”
He speaks through Peter in defense of the gift of
tongues when some of those present regard what is happening as drunkenness; as
a result, three thousand souls are lead to Christ. He speaks through Stephen
who faces those that belonged to the Synagogue of the Freedman (Acts 6:9); they
are in total opposition of Stephen and his speaking the resurrected Christ. The
Bible says in Acts 6:10, “But they could
not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.”
He He speaks through Paul. On
very many occasions the Spirit is speaking through Paul and reaching Jews for
the cause of Christ. Many are coming to know Jesus because of the boldness the
Spirit has imparted to him and others like him. Clear evidence of the Holy
Spirit manifesting His power through believers is Paul’s preaching in Damascus.
Not soon after being converted, he has fully delved into preaching the word of
Christ, knowing that he would face great opposition.
The Holy Spirit Speaks to Believers
The Holy Spirit speaks directly to believers in order to
guide and protect them.
The
Holy Spirit spoke to Peter in Acts 10:19 telling him three men are looking for him. In Acts 11:12 Peter affirms that the Holy Spirit spoke to
him. Peter is so confident in what he is hearing from the Spirit that he goes
without hesitating. Bock says, “…with the description of going without
doubting.”
The Holy Spirit speaks to Philip to engage the Ethiopian
Eunuch, he tells Philip in Acts 8:29 “go to that chariot and stay near it.” Conzelmann
says, “The intervention of the Spirit cannot be distinguished from that of the
angel...” he is referring to the angel in verse 26. Bock states, “The
Spirit, not the angel of verse 26, now directs Philip to go…” The latter correctly speaks to the Holy Spirit’s ability to
speak audibly to a believer. The Holy Spirit speaks to Paul. In Acts 20:23, Paul speaks
to how the Spirit warns him that nothing but bad times is ahead. Bock writes
that, “Acts 20:23 makes clearer that the Holy Spirit has told Paul that
imprisonment and afflictions (note the plural) await him there.” Paul, in the very next verse, counts his life nothing; all
he wants to do is finish the race begun for Christ. The Holy Spirit has
influence over believers and what there are capable of doing with His
empowerment. The unbeliever witnesses this marvelous undertaking and cannot be
but moved to decide to for Christ. Even still, there are many who would not
believe.
The Holy Spirit Works Miracles through Believers
The Spirit not only fills, speaks through, and speaks to
believers; He also enables the work of miracles, such as healings and raising people
from dead. Peter and Paul would carry out most of the miracles written in Acts.
Interestingly enough, a couple of miracles they would perform parallel one
another. Peter heals a lame man (Acts 3:6). Paul heals a cripple (Acts 14:10).
Peter raises Tabatha from dead (Acts 9:40). Paul raises Eutychus from dead
(Acts 20:10). In any event, it was the power bestowed on them through the Holy
Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ that enabled them to these things. Therefore, all that have
performed a healing, or rising from dead or any other miracle, did so at the
hand of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Builds a Church
The Holy Spirit plays an integral role in building and
moving forward the church of Jesus Christ. Acts 9:31 tells us, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria
enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord
and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. Haenchen states,
“The concluding words imply the Holy Spirit’s protection when the persecution
was over.”
Conclusion
The Holy Spirit in the book of Acts plays a vital role in
accomplishing very specific and pointed tasks. He is the one to fill believers
with his glory and really for the purpose of worship and loyalty. He is the one
to speak through believers and grant them boldness to present the gospel
message of Jesus Christ, without whom none would have dared face persecution
for a man who died on a cross.
The Holy Spirit speaks to believers in such a fashion that
they are confident of his presence and no without a doubt that he can be
trusted. He has given power to heal and raise the dead in Jesus name; he has
given disciples the means to prove they are with the Christ as they replicate
what he did in his earthly ministry. And lastly, he built a church, moving
believer to act in accordance to God’s providence and live what Christ preached
– love.
The Holy Spirit is the worker of the Triune God, but
nonetheless to be loved, revered, and worshiped.
Ephesians 2:11-22 speaks to Christ and His work in
aligning Jew and Gentile into the household of God as one entity. He broke down
the “walls” of separation and with it the laws that kept them apart. The
Apostles would be the foundation in keeping Christ’s work moving forward and
Christ Himself is the Chief Cornerstone (a stone that forms the base of a
corner of a building, joining two walls; an important quality or feature on
which a particular thing depends or is based).
“The Jewish Day of Pentecost, one of the
three major festivals of Judaism at which every adult male Jew was commanded by
the Law to appear in Jerusalem (Exod. 23:14-17; 34:18-23). Attendance at the
festival has been estimated at 180,000, with some 120,000 of them from foreign
lands (Jeremias: 5884).” Faw, 1993.
Bibliography
Darrell L. Bock, Acts: Baker
Exegetical Commentary On The New Testament (Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007)
Haenchen, Ernst, The Acts of the Apostles: a Commentary.
Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1971.
