The Church Empowered Acts 2:1-47

“So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41, NASB).

Based on my Baptist traditions, when I hear the word “Pentecost,” my first thoughts are about a denomination of people that believe in the gift of speaking in tongues and other charismatic gifts; gifts of the Spirit. On the other hand, when we study Pentecost in our Sunday school lessons we learn that Pentecost found in Acts 2 is about the birth of the church. In today’s article we will examine what the scriptures say take place on the day of Pentecost. Let us begin by discussing the history of Pentecost and its significance to its first observers, the Hebrews of the Old Testament.

The Greek word pentekoste means fiftieth. In the Law of Moses in the Old Testament it is regarded as the second of three obligatory observances coming between Passover and Tabernacles (Ex. 23:14). “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God” (Ex. 23:17, NASB). In Exodus 23:16 it is designated “the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field.” It is also called the Feast of Weeks. “You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year” (Ex. 34:22, NASB). This commandment indicates that the Feast of Weeks was originally an agricultural festival, an occasion on which the community was expected to show gratitude to God for the first fruits. The Feast of the Harvest takes place fifty days after the first day of Passover; seven weeks beginning with the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Deut. 16:9; Lev. 23:15-16)

Luke tells us that Jesus appears to the apostles after His resurrection. “To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering , by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3, NASB). According to the commandments concerning the three major Feasts and Luke’s account of Jesus’ ascension the day of Pentecost takes place ten days after Jesus ascends into heaven. So, the apostles and their company numbering one hundred and twenty persons gather in the upper room (Acts 1:15). In the upper room “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers” (v.14). Let us examine what takes place on the day of Pentecost; ten days after Jesus ascends into heaven.

The one hundred and twenty persons are gathered together on one accord. As stated above they are all engaged in prayer. They are waiting on the promise of Jesus before they engage the world. “You will receive power (Grk. = dunamis) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (1:8, NASB). John writes that Jesus tells His disciples that He is leaving them, but He will not leave them alone. Jesus expects His disciples to do great works for the kingdom. They will need the power of the Spirit of truth that the Father will give to His servants to do the work that they are given to do (Jn. 16:12-18, 25-26).

Acts 2:1 begins Luke’s account of what takes place in the upper room. “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came a noise from heaven like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were gathered” (2:1-2, NASB). We should not miss Luke’s play on words. First, the violent wind indicates that The Spirit is making an entrance at the will of the Father; not at the will of men. Secondly, we read in Genesis that the Spirit moves before the word is spoken. “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, Let there be light; and there was light” (Gen. 1:2-3, NASB). The world will never readily receive the Word and the Spirit of God. Although the world will accept some religious teachings and ideas that it believes will give them an advantage, the world does not submit to the ways of God, and the world will never willingly yield to the power and will of God. Those that preach the Gospel are met by opposition; even persecution and death. Thus, those that preach the Gospel are in need of the power that is given to them by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit appears with cloven (divided) tongues. From one Spirit come many tongues. Each of the one hundred and twenty persons receives one of the tongues. Each person is filled with the Holy Spirit and begins to speak in the tongue that the Spirit gives to them. Now, this is more than a sign that indicates that the person speaking is saved. No, the one hundred and twenty are already saved. They are persons called of the Lord Jesus to be a community under His lordship. These tongues are given to get those attending the feast attention. God wants to speak to these Jews and proselytes at this time because it is an occasion where large numbers of Jews are present. God wants them to hear in their native tongues because this indicates that the Gospel and salvation is given to all people regardless of their ethnic, national, and social background. Later, Peter convinces the Jerusalem counsel (Acts 15:7-12) that Gentiles are saved also because “God who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith” (vv. 8-9, NASB).

The people that hear the one hundred and twenty speaking are confused. “They are amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Why are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born” (vv. 7-8). Luke tells us that these Jews were born in at least sixteen different nations. Who are these Jews that come from foreign lands? The answer is found in the history of the exiles from the Northern Kingdom (Israel) by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and the exiles from the Southern Kingdom (Judah) by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. When in power both the Assyrians and the Babylonians have a policy of removing people from their home lands and dispersing them to foreign lands. Thus, the exiled Israelites become Jews of the Diaspora.

Cyrus, king of Persia, defeats Babylon. His policy is to return people to their homelands. As a result, Cyrus sends a proclamation allowing Jews to return to Palestine (2 Ch. 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-3). The Jews that return to Palestine become known as Hebraist Jews, and those Jews still scattered throughout other nations are known as Jews of the Diaspora. In the New Testament these Jews are often referred to as Hellenistic Jews because of their being influenced by Greek philosophy, religion, and lifestyles. Although influenced by the culture in which they live they identify themselves as Jews and they are looking forward to the day that the Messiah will come and restore Israel to the glory experienced during the reigns of David and Solomon Many of the Jews journey to Jerusalem to attend the Feasts as required by the Law. Some Jews of the Diaspora move back to Palestine because they want to be devoted to their own people, their religion, and their God.

Peter replies to the accusations of the confused crowd. Some of them say that those speaking are drunk. Peter preaches the first Gospel message which explains that the Messiah has come. He is the son of David. He is Jesus of Nazareth. He fulfills the promises of the prophets by dying on the cross so that men might be saved from their sins and be reunited to God the Father. Many of the people believe Peter’s message. They ask, “‘Brethren, what shall we do’” (2:37). Peter tells them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for them and their children and for all people, “as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself’ (vv. 38-39).

Peter continues to exhort the people to believe and be saved. Peter continues to convince more people to believe and to be baptized (v. 40). “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls (v. 41). As the gospel continues to be preached more people believe the apostles’ words, and they are baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were saved” (v. 47, NASB). Here are some things that the Christian community must consider.

The church must consider its own diversity and unity. We have seen that salvation is offered to all people, because all people have sin. However, God offers salvation to all people that believe in Jesus. Just as there is no distinction in people because of ethnic and national differences, God does not distinguish between people because of the nature of how their sin nature in made manifest in life. Salvation is offered freely to all solely by grace and solely by faith. No one needs to get righteous according to the traditions of men. One only needs to be declared righteous (justified) by God. Those that are saved remain guilty of sin. They have no righteousness of their own, but God imputes the righteousness of Christ to the one that believes in Jesus.

The church must work under the power of the Holy Spirit. The world cannot give the church God’s power. Churches cannot receive power just because it grows in numbers. Regardless of numbers the church must be unified in purpose of primarily “devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to breaking of bread and to prayer. Self promotion can bring people into the congregation, but by the preaching of the gospel the Lord adds to the church, the community of believers in Jesus Christ.

God commissions believers to preach the gospel for the remission of sins. In addition the church is commanded to teach its members to observe everything that Jesus commands us to do. The church is not along. The church has power to do the work that God commands it to do. The church has the Holy Spirit sent by the Father to come alongside to give comfort and power.