Two weeks ago, we ventured into the role of the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised the disciples were to wait in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father was to come upon them.
Jesus’ promise is what I increasingly believe to be the model the Father desires for Christ followers: when they become “born again,” cleansed by Christ’s blood and transformed by the Holy Spirit, they would be “filled with the Spirit” to gain the power and boldness needed to be His witnesses. Jackie Pullinger, Kowloon, Hong Kong! Let’s wrap up chapter 1 and move into chapter 2.
We need to remember when Jesus said in Luke 24:45 that he opened the disciples’ minds
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
It is important for us to recognize that they are about to choose a replacement for Judas. Some believe the disciples made a mistake, thinking someone else should have been chosen and that God chose this person to fulfill the role of replacing Judas. But let’s take a look at it.
Acts 1:20-26
For it is written in the Book of Psalms,“‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’;
and
“‘Let another take his office.’
21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Once again, Jesus opened their minds to understand the scripture, so when they pulled out these pretty obscure scriptures from Psalm 69:25 and 109:8, we have to believe that it was the Holy Spirit guiding them. The Holy Spirit was leading them at this time to choose someone else.
They felt led by the Holy Spirit that it should be someone who was with them from the very beginning, a witness to everything that Jesus did, including his resurrection.
Until they were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, they made decisions by casting lots. Proverbs 16:33 says that God guides by the lot. Now, that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to use it today. The Holy Spirit has given us discernment. But Joshua used lots to decide which tribe would receive which territory, and the priest used a lot to determine which goat would be the scapegoat. Once again, now that we have the Holy Spirit, we can trust Him to lead and guide us. Jesus promised that He would lead us into all truth.
Some believe that Paul is actually the 12th apostle. There are some very good scholars who support this idea. However, I tend to avoid that view because I believe the apostles made this decision under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Also, Paul is an apostle to the Gentiles, and Jesus clearly stated that the 12 apostles would judge the twelve tribes. Matthew 19:28
Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
I believe the Holy Spirit gave Peter the qualifications to be chosen as an apostle. Paul was not there from the beginning and did not see the resurrected Christ along with the other apostles. But I guess we will see in the future!
History shows us that Matthias accomplished significant feats and impacted the world. He spread the Gospel across northern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. He was either crucified, stoned, or beheaded—our records don’t specify exactly how he died.
Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
We don’t know exactly how many people were there; it might have been the 120 we saw recorded in chapter 1, or there could have been more. The unity and love coming from this group was powerful. We know from Paul (1 Corinthians 15:6) that during Jesus’ 40 days, at least 500 men had gathered at one point, and since women and children were not counted, it could have been 1500 or 2000. Many of them may have been in the upper room that day.
Their hearts, minds, and spirits were united in worshiping the Lord, so when God showed up, it wasn’t a surprise. The phrase, “like a rushing mighty wind,” means hurricane-like sounds.
Jesus promised in John 14:17 that the Holy Spirit was now “with” them, but that one day after He departs, the Holy Spirit would be “in” them. This is the fulfillment of the word. This is the day the disciples, if you will, are truly “born again” as they have been transformed by the Holy Spirit. This may have been a process for them, as Jesus calls them “clean” in John 13, then encourages them to receive the Holy Spirit in John 20, but by Acts 2, it is clear that they are born again.
In this case, we see several things happening. There is a physical sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence, which had never been seen before or recorded afterward: the tongues of fire. They all started speaking in tongues, a language they didn’t know, but we will soon learn that it was a known language. Third, they immediately felt a desire and confidence to tell the world about God’s glory.
Acts 2:5-13
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians (Par-thin-ians) and Medes (meeds) and Elamites (E-lamb-ites) and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia (Kappa-doe-sha), Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia(Frig-ia) and Pamphylia (Pam-fil-ia), Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene (sigh-reen), and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” (do not place the pronunciation keys on the screen)
We are unsure where this took place; I personally believe the people in the upper room moved to the temple to begin sharing there. Later, Peter will tell them to be baptized, and there would have been a baptismal pool in the temple. Tongues served multiple purposes here. First, the people were astonished; this had to be a miracle because these were uneducated people who knew these unique languages. Most people would have understood some Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, but not these various languages. Second, when translating, it is rare that it is exactly translated; most of the time, concepts are translated. Here, God wanted the people to understand precisely what He was saying, so they spoke to them in their exact language—no concepts, just exact phrases and ideas. Third, it created further curiosity among the people, drawing them together to hear Peter’s teaching. By the way, the people all began to wonder what was going on because they heard the hurricane winds.
I believe God still uses tongues in this way. Around the world, foreign languages are given (Setan Lee’s story, if I have time). But I believe there are groups of people we may not know how to communicate with, yet God will give us the “tongue” to speak to them. People of different cultures, education levels, vocations, political mindsets, or any other social differences you may encounter. God wants everyone to hear the Gospel, and He will give you the gift of tongues to reach the people He brings into your life in a language they can understand.
Acts 2:14-21
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
Just a minor point to mention here. Notice Matthias was counted among the apostles as Peter was standing with the 11! Also, teachers, Rabbis would sit to teach, but heralds would stand. Peter was acting as a herald of God’s truth!
15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on 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 on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
So it’s 9AM, and people believe that the sign of speaking clearly in another language by the 120+ who were in the upper room was caused by a different spirit, alcohol!
Peter references all kinds of obscure passages to support his point. This man, who was known for opening his mouth and putting his foot in it, is now an eloquent speaker and theologian drawing truth from obscure scripture passages. This particular version comes from the Greek Old Testament, translated 300 years before Christ, called the Septuagint. This passage from Joel 2:28-32. If we see this as just man’s words, we miss the impact of the passage. It was the Holy Spirit speaking through Peter, just as He was through the more than 120 people speaking in tongues. Peter was speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit, declaring that the last days had begun and that these signs would be seen from now until the sun darkens and the moon turns blood red — wonders in the heavens and on the earth. This occurs in Revelation 6:12-14 when the sixth seal is broken.
When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
This was another sign God gives to those remaining after the rapture to repent and seek salvation from Him.
Just as the main purpose of gifts is for us to be His witnesses everywhere He leads us, they should also be used in the church for practice and encouragement. However, their primary goal is for the whole world to recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord.
God poured out His Spirit on the apostles, and I believe, if not everyone, nearly everyone in the first-century church. The purpose was to strengthen the church so they could primarily use the gifts to change the world. These gifts are for everyone who is willing. Are you starting to get hungry yet? If I may take the liberty of using my own obscure passage here, Amos 8:11.
Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.
God instills a hunger in His people for more of Him, and I believe He is starting to awaken a desire in the world to come to know Him. He wants to fill you with His Spirit so you can feed others and give them the words of the Lord they need to hear!
If we don’t live in the love of God, our hearts won’t be broken for the things that break His heart. The main thing that breaks God’s heart is when people don’t know Him or, worse, have rejected Him. God wants our hearts to be broken for what breaks His, and He desires us to see people through His eyes and reach them—not by might or by power, but by His Spirit. I believe part of why God has waited for us is so we could get the daycare and the coffee shop up and running, as these are two clear ways we can reach people outside of our comfort zone. The daycare is somewhat self-contained, but the coffee shop is more open and free-flowing. I’m not saying these places are the end-all, but I believe God established them as safe places to serve our community.