The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
In the two previous lessons, we studied how Jesus was raised from the dead, body and soul, and how he ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father. We learned that God has given him all authority in heaven and on earth. We also learned that his work on earth is carried out by those who have received the power of the Spirit and witness to his saving deeds. These two things go together and in that order: First to receive the Holy Spirit, second, to witness to him. As Jesus says in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” In this lesson we will learn more about the work of the Holy Spirit, and above all, pray for the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Let us, however, remember each other, our cares, our hopes, our needs, and our thanksgivings. Make sure that all are well with God and others. Spend some time before you begin this lesson sharing what happened during the week. How is God answering the prayers you have said for each other? Are you each walking with him daily, learning from his Word, and setting aside time to pray each day? Have you forgiven all who have harmed you this week, and have you asked forgiveness and made restitution to anyone you may have wronged?
Do not let yourself be discouraged. It is often the case that many who first hear of Christ respond to him with joy, but then later, when troubles or worries come along, they fall away. They may have come to your small group in the beginning, but now, they no longer meet with you. Perhaps by now, only a few of you remain. Do not let this trouble you. God is faithful, and he will honor you. Pray that God will bring new members to your group, and pray for him to show you whom to invite. Let us be like Christ who, having loved his own, loved them to the end (John 13:1).
We will be studying Acts 2:1-41. Before we begin this study, however, let us open our hearts to God in prayer.
O eternal and living God, source of all goodness and love, we pray that you would open our minds and hearts to receive this teaching on the Holy Spirit. Above all, heavenly Father, risen Lord Jesus, baptize us fully in your Holy Spirit that we might be filled with your power, establish your Kingdom, be your witnesses, receive your love, and obey you forever. Amen.
Before beginning this study, it would be good to notice one more feature of Acts 1. The disciples, Mary the mother of Jesus, the women, and other followers, were together in an upper room, some 120 people in all. According to Acts 1:14, all these believers “with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” In unity and in prayer, they awaited the coming of the Spirit. For this reason, if there is any conflict or discord among you, any lack of forgiveness, please, for the sake of Jesus and his Kingdom, be reconciled with one another at once. Once you are reconciled, let us begin our lesson on the Holy Spirit. At the end of the lesson, we will do as the disciples did, devote ourselves to prayer that we might receive the Holy Spirit. We will be reading Acts 2:1-41 in sections, beginning with Acts 2:1-13. This is a long lesson and it may take you several weeks to complete it. Throughout this time, individually and together, seek the Holy Spirit.
Read Acts 2:1-13 at least twice. Then read and discuss the following points to make sure everyone understands them.
1. The account in Acts 2:1-13 is the first of several accounts in the book of Acts where persons received the Holy Spirit. As we read these accounts, we learn that the Holy Spirit is received according to God’s purposes which differ for different persons and circumstances. For example, in Acts 2:38, Peter tells those who hear his sermon that they are to be baptized with water and then they will receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10:44-48, Peter was preaching and the Holy Spirit was given to the household of Cornelius before they were baptized with water. According to Acts 9:17-19, Paul first received the Holy Spirit, and then he was baptized in water. In Acts 8:14-17, Acts 9:17-19, and Acts 19:1-7, the Spirit was given through the laying-on-of-hands. In Acts 2:1-13 and Acts 10:44-45 the Spirit was given without the laying on of hands. In our next lesson we will discuss baptism in water, but for now, we need to recognize that God gives the Holy Spirit according to his purposes which vary with time and circumstances. As we receive the Spirit we will be given the authority to minister in the name of Christ and to love God and his people.
2. The New Testament was written in Greek. The word “spirit” in Greek, is the same word as “wind.” The Spirit is a power like a wind that empowers believers to act and live with dynamic force. Fire, in Scripture, often represents the holiness of God, and when baptized with fire, believers will be aware of their sin, repent, and be purified by the forgiveness of God. As you will see in Acts 2:37, those who listened to Peter were “cut to the heart.” They were convicted of their sin because the Holy Spirit was already at work in their hearts. As you read these words, as you seek to follow Christ, as you repent of your sin, and as you worship and give glory to God, the Holy Spirit is beginning to work in you and even more, seeking to work fully in your very lives.
3. The disciples received the Spirit on Pentecost. Pentecost was one of the great religious festivals of the Jews. It occurred fifty days after Passover, and since Jesus was crucified at Passover, the Spirit was given fifty days after Jesus’ crucifixion. At Pentecost, Jewish people came to Jerusalem from many lands to celebrate the Pentecost festival. They spoke many different languages and God chose to reveal his presence and power by enabling the disciples to miraculously speak these languages. This miracle convinced a number of those present that God was indeed at work. As you receive the Spirit, God may choose to manifest his presence in this way or in other ways. As Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12, there are many gifts of the Spirit and not everyone receives all the gifts. In addition to speaking in tongues, Paul lists such gifts as wisdom, miracles, healing, faith, words of knowledge, prophetic words, and the discernment of spirits. As mentioned in Acts 2:17, dreams, visions, and prophetic words often accompany the presence of the Spirit. All these works of the Spirit are important, and we will study them in greater detail in due time. But for the moment, we need to be open today to receiving all these gifts and many more, whatever blessings the Holy Spirit desires to pour out upon us.
4. Although God gives specific gifts to each person, other blessings of the Spirit are to be given to all Christians without exception. All who receive the Spirit will be empowered by God to witness to the saving deeds and words of Jesus Christ and bring in his Kingdom. All who receive the Spirit will want to know Jesus more fully and will want to learn about him from the Scriptures. Further, as the whole of the New Testament makes clear, all who receive the Spirit will be empowered to receive and give love. This is the Spirit’s greatest blessing, the capacity to receive love from God and love others (1 Corinthians 13). For this reason, it is not uncommon for those who receive the Spirit to be filled with a sense of God’s love, to know the love of Christ dying for them on the cross, and to have a passionate desire to love and follow him forever in the company of those who love. That is the greatest work of the Spirit, knowing the love of God in Christ Jesus and rejoicing in his presence.
Let me suggest that you reread Acts 2:1-13. After you read this passage again, now would be a good time to begin to pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Why not join hands and fervently pray? Or perhaps, you need to kneel together. Pray as long as you wish. If you want to lay hands on each other, do so in turn. According to Acts 1, the disciples, before they received the Spirit, were praying constantly together in an upper room (Acts 1:14). The text does not say how long they prayed, but it may well have been several weeks. In any event, as this lesson unfolds, pray steadily for the Holy Spirit and expect God to act. You may or may not have an immediate experience of the Spirit, but you can know you have received the Spirit when you find yourself eager to follow Jesus, empowered to establish his Kingdom, and filled with love for God and others.
Let us continue with our next section, Acts 2:14-41. Please read it, discuss the following comments, read it again, and receive its message.
1. Notice that once the disciples had received the Spirit, they were immediately empowered to witness to the saving deeds of Jesus Christ. Peter, along with the eleven other disciples, stood up and addressed the people. Not all were empowered to speak in front of a large crowd as was Peter, but all who received the Spirit were empowered to help recreate the life of Christ in various ways. Peter began by saying that the disciples were not drunk “since it is only the third hour of the day,” that is, nine o’clock in the morning.
2. Notice also that Peter quotes the Old Testament. For the Jews gathered in Jerusalem, the Old Testament was the authoritative Word of God. Peter quoted three passages from Scripture, Joel 2:28-32 quoted in Acts 2:17-21, Psalm 16:8-11 quoted in Acts 25-28, and Psalm 110:1 quoted in Acts 2:34-5. Since these scriptures were the Word of God, Peter’s listeners must listen carefully to them and understand them, just as we hear and seek to understand what we are now reading in Acts.
3. Peter began the quotation from Joel by stating that these were the “last days.” By “last days,” Peter means that God has now done all things we need for salvation, and that there are no new or additional saving words and deeds until Jesus returns. These saving deeds and words are recorded in the Bible, and for that reason, we trust the Bible to tell us what we need to know for salvation.
4. Notice also that all kinds of persons can receive the Spirit: young, old, men, women, servants and anyone else. Further, as seen in Acts 2:39, the promise is for everyone, parents and children, those who live near and those who live far away. This means that all of us can receive the Spirit. The final words from Joel, about the wonders in the sun and moon and signs on the earth, have been understood by students of the Bible in various ways. Whatever the verses mean, they signify the coming power of God, beginning now and completed at the end of time.
5. Having assured his listeners that what is happening was the work of the Spirit, Peter then goes to the heart of his message — Jesus Christ. He tells them that Jesus did miracles and that he was handed over to be crucified. He also states that his listeners were among those who insisted upon Jesus’ death, just as our persistence in sin required Christ’s death on the cross.
6. Peter then quotes from Psalm 16:8-11 which, according to its title, is a psalm of David. Verses 8-11 refer to someone who did not die, who came at once into the presence of God. David, however, died, and his body suffered corruption. Jesus died, but his body did not see corruption, and further, he was raised to the right hand of God. In other words, Jesus fulfilled Psalm 16:8-11, and as a consequence, Peter’s listeners would understand that God had authorized Christ as the one who gives eternal life beyond death.
7. The word “Lord” in verse 36 means that Jesus is God. He lives with the honor, glory, and power of God. The term “Christ” means one sent by God to save us. Salvation is deliverance from all darkness, sorrow, sin, and death, beginning in this life and completed by our resurrection from the dead at the end of time. This deliverance was the result of Christ dying on the cross for our sins, forgiving us by his atoning sacrifice, clothing us with his righteousness, pouring out upon us the Holy Spirit, and bringing us into relationship with a living God. Only God, only one sent from God, can do these things, and therefore, Jesus is both Lord and Savior.
8. Once the message of salvation had been given, Peter asked his listeners to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, and further, once baptized, they would receive the Holy Spirit. By baptism, he means baptism with water. Repent means to turn around, live differently, ask forgiveness, receive the Spirit, know God, and live accordingly. In our next lesson, we will discuss baptism with water.
9. As you can see, Peter’s words had authority. They were spoken by the power of the Spirit, and therefore, they penetrated the hearts of his listeners. They were “cut to the heart,” that is, they knew they had sinned by crucifying Jesus, and further, they knew they were doomed if they did not repent. We are in the same condition today. Let us give great thanks to God that we have heard this message, that we can repent and receive baptism by water and by the Holy Spirit. All praise to the living God who does not abandon his people but sends his messengers before him that we might be saved.
As you think about these things and discuss them, the Holy Spirit will guide you and show you what to do next. We have often spoken of repentance, but perhaps, the Spirit will show you deeper sins that need repentance. Perhaps some of you will begin to sense the great and wondrous love of God who sent his Son to die for you. Perhaps others of you will feel that God has not yet come to you in the power of the Spirit. Perhaps you believe there is something blocking your receiving the Spirit. Help and encourage one another. Continue to pray for the Spirit together and individually. Let the Holy Spirit guide you as you seek the Spirit.
O great and living God, blessed Savior who died that we might live, pour out upon these your people your wonderful Holy Spirit that they might know and love you forever. Amen.
1. In our study, the Lord Jesus, we learned that Christ, by his life, atoning death, resurrection, ascension, and descent in the Spirit, redeems the four major areas of life we first studied in our lesson Sin, Corruption, and Death. He restores our relationship with God, he enables us to be at peace with one another, he enables us to use our material possessions according to God’s purposes, and he conquers the devil. As you read Acts 2:42-47, you will see this redemption happening for those who first received the Spirit. Also, you will notice that the disciples were doing many different things together. Not all were called, as was Peter, to give sermons as on the day of Pentecost. All, however, were filled with the Spirit, reconciled with God and each other, and living a vital Christian life. It was this life, as well as the teaching and preaching of the apostles, that enabled the early believers to witness to the presence of Christ acting in their midst. As in the previous sections, read and reread this passage and consider the following points and questions for discussion.
1. What in this passage would show you that the disciples were reconciled to God and experiencing his living presence? Why were the apostles able to do “many wonders and signs”? Why do you think the early disciples were “praising God”? Why do you think “awe came upon every soul”? Why did they find “favor with all the people”?
2. The apostles were those who had known Jesus in the flesh and witnessed his resurrection. While they were with Jesus, he taught them, and they in turn taught the early believers what they had learned from Jesus. This teaching was called the “apostles’ teaching” (verse 42). This teaching can be found in the four gospels and throughout the New Testament, and in the Old Testament as well since Jesus taught his disciples how he fulfilled the Old Testament. Are you, your small group, and your church “devoted to the apostles’ teaching”? What is the meaning of the word “devoted,” and why would they be devoted?
3. Are you, your small group, and your church devoted to the fellowship? Are you sharing together the things of Christ in your small group, praying for each other, and encouraging each other in the faith?
4. The “breaking of bread and the prayers” means prayer, shared meals, and above all, the Holy Communion in which believers share the body and blood of Christ in the bread and wine. We will study this very important matter in the future, but for now, are you, your small group, and church praying, worshipping, and celebrating together?
5. In addition to the points raised in the previous three questions, are there other parts of Acts 2:42-47 that would show that God was healing the second area of life, that is, our relationships with one another?
6. According to Acts 2:44-45, the believers held all things in common. In our lesson entitled, Land and Work, we learned that God divided the land among tribes, clans, and families and instituted legislation that kept land in each family for future generations. The division of the land, and its remaining within families, enabled families to always have a way to earn their living. The Holy Spirit honored this ancient legislation by fulfilling its purpose, the hope that all would be fed and have work. The Holy Spirit did not force anyone to sell what they had and share with the needy, nor did the Spirit demand that land or other resources be given to the apostles or anyone else. The Holy Spirit, however, so filled believers with the sacrificial love of Jesus who gave everything he had up to God and for us on the cross, that the first believers shared what they had. They often sold lands or other property and brought the money to the apostles to be shared among the poor (Acts 4:32-35). Out of the profound love of Jesus they helped each other. They worked together so that none would be hungry, and in this way, they fulfilled the Old Testament teaching on the use of resources. Are you, your small group, and your church, filled with a spirit of generosity and compassion so that all would have work and none would go hungry? In this regard, it would be good to review the questions asked in the lesson “Land and Work.” Let Jesus open your hearts in this matter and do not fall under his judgment.
7. The passage does not mention the devil, but you can be sure that the early believers were not able to live by the Spirit without the devil being defeated in their midst. We will say more about this soon, but for now, give thanks that Jesus Christ overcame the devil by his life and mighty resurrection, and further, that he gives believers the power to conquer the devil. Defeating the devil and his works was doubtless among the “wonders and signs” performed by the apostles (verse 43).
8. As you think back over these questions, and what happened to the early believers when they received the Spirit, ask yourself this question: Have I, my small group, and my church, received the Holy Spirit? If the answer is yes, you and others will be doing the things described in Acts 2 and elsewhere in the New Testament. If you and others are not empowered to do these things, if the love of God is not aching in your hearts, if Jesus is not real to you, if your heart is closed to those who have so little, if God’s power is not manifest in your midst, if you are not witnessing in the power of the Spirit, if you are not hungry to read Scripture, to worship and fellowship with believers, and if you are not persevering in following Jesus in spite of troubles and difficulties, then fall upon your knees now and ask the Lord Jesus to baptize you and your fellow believers in the power of his Holy Spirit. Here are the words of Jesus,
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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).
Let us pray,
Lord Jesus, by the strong mercies of your cross, do not leave us without your living presence. Pour out upon us your Holy Spirit, that we might know you, love you, worship you, and enter into those indescribable joys that mark us as your own forever. Amen.
The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
dr.sanders@globalanglican.org