Atos 2
James Montgomery Boice · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 2
Boice - In his book The Incendiary Fellowship, Elton Trueblood describes the character and company of those who are filled by the Holy Spirit. “Incendiary” means “set ablaze.” It refers to Christians themselves. But “incendiary” also means the act of setting other people ablaze. It refers to those in whom the fire of the Holy Spirit is so intense and so meaningful that they just cannot keep the message of the Spirit to themselves. So they speak of Jesus, and, as a result, here and there little fires spring up. And pretty soon there is a great raging fire of revival that spreads across the world. I do not think we have a raging fire in our time, though there are some places in the world where it may be beginning. But there is a fire. The Holy Spirit is working. We need to be part of that working and see the flames spread. (Acts: An Expositional Commentary) Spurgeon on The Instructive Symbols of the Holy Spirit (part 2) The second Pentecostal symbol was fire. Fire again is a frequent symbol of the Deity. Abraham saw a burning lamp, and Moses beheld a burning bush. When Solomon had built his holy and beautiful house, its consecration lay in the fire of God descending upon the sacrifice to mark that the Lord was there. When the Lord had dwelled before then in the tabernacle, which was superseded by the temple, He revealed Himself in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. (See Exodus 13:21.) “Our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). Hence, the symbol of fire is a fit emblem of God the Holy Spirit. Let us adore and worship Him. Tongues of flame sitting on each man’s head were tokens of a personal visitation to the mind and heart of each one of the chosen company. The fires came not to consume them, for no one was injured by the flaming tongue. To men whom the Lord has prepared for His approach, there is no danger in His visitations. They see God, and their lives are preserved. They feel His fires and are not consumed. This is the privilege of those alone who have been prepared and purified for such fellowship with God. The intention of the symbol was to show them that the Holy Spirit would illuminate them as fire gives light. “He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). Henceforth, they were to be no longer untrained children but to be teachers in Israel, instructors of the nations whom they were to disciple unto Christ. Hence, the Spirit of light was upon them. But fire does more than give light; it inflames, and the flames which sat upon each showed them that they were to be ablaze with love, intense with zeal, burning with self-sacrifice. These flames also showed them that they were to go forth among men to speak not with the chilling tongues of deliberate logic but with burning tongues of passionate pleading, persuading and entreating men to come to Christ that they might live. The fire signified inspiration. God was about to make them speak under a divine influence, to speak “as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). Oh, blessed symbol, I pray to God that all of us would experience its meaning to the full and that the tongue of fire would sit upon every servant of the Lord. May a fire burn steadily within to destroy our sin, a holy, sacrificial flame to make us whole burnt offerings unto God, a never-dying flame of zeal for Him and devotion to the Cross. Note that the emblem was not only fire but a tongue of fire. God meant to have a speaking church, not a church that would fight with the sword—we have nothing to do with that weapon—but a church that would have a sword proceeding out of its mouth, whose one weapon should be the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I think from what I know of some preachers that when they had their Pentecost, the influence sat upon them in the form of tongues of flowers, but the apostolic Pentecost knew not flowers but flames. What fine preaching we have nowadays! What new thoughts and poetical turns! This is not the style of the Holy Spirit. Soft and gentle is the flow of smooth speech which tells of the dignity of man, the grandeur of the century, the toning down of all punishment for sin, and the probable restoration of all lost spirits, including the archfiend himself. This is the satanic ministry, subtle as the serpent and as his seducing words to Eve. The Holy Spirit does not call us to this mode of speech. Show fire, intensity, zeal, passion as much as you will, but aiming at effect by polished phrases and brilliant periods is more fit for those who would deceive men than for those who would tell them the message of the Most High. The style of the Holy Spirit is one which conveys the truth to the mind in the most forcible manner; it is plain but flaming, simple but consuming. The Holy Spirit has never written a cold period throughout the whole Bible, and never did He speak by a man a lifeless word. Evermore, He gives and blesses the tongue of fire. These, then, are the two symbols: He comes as the wind which wafts the words we speak and as fire which burns a way for the truth we utter. Our words are now full of life and flame. They are born by the breath of the Spirit, and they fall like flames and set the souls of men blazing with desire after God. If the Holy Spirit will rest upon me or upon you, or upon any of us, to qualify us for service, it will be after this fashion: not merely of life for ourselves but of fiery energy in dealing with others. Come on us even now, rushing, mighty wind and tongue of fire, for the world has great need. It lies stagnant in the malaria of sin and needs a healing wind. It is shrouded in dreadful night and needs the flaming torch of truth. There is neither health nor light for it but from You, blessed Spirit. Come, then, upon it through Your people. Now, put these two symbols together; only mind what you are doing. Wind and fire together! I have kept them separate in my discourse previously, and you have seen power in each one. What are they together? Rushing, mighty wind alone, how terrible! Who will stand against it? See how the gallant ships dash together and the monarchs of the forest bow their heads. And fire alone! Who will stand against it when it devours its prey? But set wind and fire to work in hearty union! Remember the old city of London. When first the flames began, it was utterly impossible to quench them because the wind fanned the flame and the buildings gave way before the fire torrent. Oh, God, send us the Holy Spirit in this fashion; give us both the breath of spiritual life and the fire of unconquerable zeal until nation after nation will yield to the sway of Jesus. Oh, You who are our God, answer us by fire, we pray You. Answer us both by wind and fire, and then will we see You to be God indeed. The kingdom comes not, and the work is flagging. Oh, that You would send the wind and the fire! You will do this when we are all of one accord, all believing, all expecting, all prepared by prayer. Lord, bring us to this waiting state. (From his book "Power for You") Excursus on the "Birth of the Church" or When the Church Began - Wayne Grudem, a very influential theologian in the reformed movement, teaches that the church constitutes all the people of God for all time, both Old Testament believers and New Testament believers. He bases his opinion at least in part on the fact that the Septuagint uses ekklesia for the people of Israel in the OT (Dt. 4:10; 9:10; 18:16; etc) and Stephen uses ekklesia in Acts 7:38 in his description of Israel in the OT ("congregation"). This line of logic would seem to be at odds with the fact that the Church is described by Paul as a mystery hidden in the Old Testament but revealed in the New Testament: For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles– 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3 that by revelation (apokalupsis) there was made known to me the mystery (musterion), as I wrote before in brief. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not (Gk = ouk = absolutely not) made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed (apokalupto) to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body ("THE CHURCH WHICH IS HIS BODY," THE BODY OF CHRIST - Ephesians 1:22-23+), and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel, (Ephesians 3:1-6+). Paul could not have been much clearer in explaining that the Church, the Body of Christ (Eph 1:22-23+), was not revealed in the Old Testament. I should give full disclosure here and explain that I am not a dispensationalist but a literalist. That said, I believe a literal interpretation of the Scripture supports the fact that the Church, composed of both Jews and Gentiles (the latter = those "far off" in Acts 2:39+), began in Acts 2 at Pentecost. Wayne Grudem's definition of the Church as all believers of all ages tends to lend support of a teaching that is sadly growing in popularity that the Church has replaced the literal nation of Israel in God's prophetic plan of the ages. In fact Grudem espouses at least some form of Replacement Theology according to these "experts" - listen at 17'14". In fairness to Grudem, while on one hand he states that “many New Testament verses...understand the church as the ‘new Israel’ or new ‘people of God," he also declares that the Jews have a future in the plan of God writing “I affirm the conviction that Romans 9–11 teaches a future large-scale conversion of the Jewish people.” There is a "catch" however! As Vlach says "This salvation (OF ISRAEL IN THE LAST DAYS), though, is usually viewed as being in conjunction with an incorporation INTO the Christian church. Though affirming a future salvation of the Jews, supersessionists (LIKE GRUDEM) do not see this salvation as inferring any special role for Israel apart from the Church." (Various Forms of Replacement Theology bolding mine). Since Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology (which overall I think is excellent) is often assigned reading in evangelical seminaries, Bible colleges and churches (I go to Austin Stone and Grudem's text is the main teaching resource used for the entire year in men and women's development). Given that many of those exposed to Grudem's system of interpreting Scripture are usually students who do not yet know the whole counsel of God's Word, Grudem's ideas are much more likely to move students in a supersessionist direction. Related Resources: When did the church begin? - Excerpt from the Answer - The church began on the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover when Jesus died and rose again. The word translated “church” comes from two Greek words that together mean “called out from the world for God.” The word is used throughout the Bible to refer to all those who have been born again (John 3:3) through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 10:9–10). The word church, when used to reference all believers everywhere, is synonymous with the term Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22–23; Colossians 1:18). Acts 2:1-3 The Birth of the Church - Part 1 - John MacArthur (2014) What is replacement theology / supersessionism? Various Forms of Replacement Theology - 13 page article by Michael Vlach Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. filled: Acts 1:5, Acts 4:8,31, Acts 6:3,5,8, Acts 7:55, Acts 9:17, Acts 11:24, Acts 13:9,52 Lu 1:15,41,67 4:1 Joh 14:26 20:22 Ro 15:13 Eph 3:19 5:18 began: Ac 2:11 10:46 19:6 Isa 28:11 Mk 16:17 1Co 12:10,28-30 13:1,8 14:5 1Co 14:18,21-23,29 as: Ex 4:11,12 Nu 11:25-29 1Sa 10:10 2Sa 23:2 Isa 59:21 Jer 1:7-9 Jer 6:11 Eze 3:11 Mic 3:8 Mt 10:19 Lu 12:12 21:15 1Co 14:26-32 Eph 6:18 1Pe 1:12 2Pe 1:21 Acts 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Greek - kai eplesthesan (3PAAI) pante pneumatos hagiou kai erxanto (3PAMI) lalein (3PAMI) heterais glossais kathos to pneuma edidou (3SIAI) apophtheggesthai (PM/PN) autois Amplified And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words]. ESV And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. KJV And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. NET All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. NIV All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. NLT And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. YLT and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, according as the Spirit was giving them to declare. Related Passages: Acts 4:8; 31 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people,(4:31) And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 6:3; 5; 8 “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. (6:5) The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. (6:8) And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. Acts 7:55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; Acts 9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 11:24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. Acts 13:9; 52 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, (13:52) And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. THOUGHT - The church in Acts is filled with Spirit filled individuals which should be true for every church today! HE WHO FILLS YOU WILL CONTROL YOU! They were all together in one place...and they were filled with the Holy Spirit - This would (should) be a great "working description" of the local church. Obviously Pentecost was unique and was a once for all time occurrence, but the pattern of all believers filled with the Spirit on any given Sunday should be the goal of every congregation! And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit - First note the AND linking the filling with the previous signs of the baptism with the Spirit. Some think the filling followed the baptism, but the text (and the "and") supports that they happened simultaneously. Who is "they?" Acts 1:26 says it was the 12 apostles (Matthias having just been selected by lot) and they were among a larger gathering of "about 120 persons" the exact location in Jerusalem not being specified. Notice that all who were present were filled with the Holy Spirit. There were no exceptions! Notice they were filled with the Spirit. In short, they had all of the Spirit they could receive. They were "filled to the brim." We too were filled when we were born again. We received all of the Spirit we will ever receive (cf in Christ "you have been made complete [pleroo]" - Col 2:10+), but now our desire and pursuit should be for the Spirit to have all of us that He can have! What is sad is that too often we hear more about the baptism of the Spirit, while we hear much less about the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit! Our enemy must loss it, because this short-circuits the supernatural power in our lives which gives evidence of a supernatural Source! James Montgomery Boice - People talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit as if that is what Pentecost was about. Usually they mean that Pentecost “baptism” is a special experience that involves the gift of being able to speak in tongues. They would say that the ability to speak in tongues is the only sure evidence that a person has been baptized with the Spirit—or even, perhaps, is a Christian. The Bible does talk about a baptism of the Holy Spirit, of course, but not in those terms. The baptism of the Holy Spirit has to do with regeneration or being born again. It results in the regenerated person being identified with Jesus Christ, spiritually in the sight of God and publicly before other men and women. Significantly, that is what the sacrament of water baptism also signifies. It does not have anything to do with imparting some kind of special blessing. It is an identification of the baptized individual with Christ. It is done once, because a person is only saved once. To be baptized by the Holy Spirit is to be a Christian. John R. W. Stott wrote correctly, “Water-baptism is the initiatory Christian rite, because Spirit-baptism is the initiatory Christian experience.” To be filled with the Holy Spirit is different, and it is this that is being talked about here. The early believers did not become Christians at Pentecost. They already were believers. They believed in Jesus. They were meeting together. They were praying. They were studying the Bible. But now the Holy Spirit came upon them in a special way to empower them for their task. The word used to describe the experience is “filled.” (Ibid) John Stott - Before Christ sent the church into the world, he sent the Spirit into the church. The same order must be observed today. (Borrow The message of Acts : the Spirit, the church & the world) Baptism with the Spirit is a one time occurrence, carried out by Christ, and is not repeated nor commanded. On the other hand, filling with the Spirit is to be a repeated occurrence and is commanded (See Relationship Between Spirit Baptism and Filling). The saying is "One baptism, many fillings." And so Paul commanded all believers to be daily, continually controlled by the Spirit "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled (passive voice = speaks of force from without acting on the subject and translated "be" in the present imperative = command calling for this to be our lifestyle, daily surrendering our will and submitting to the will of and control of) the Spirit, (Ephesians 5:18-commentary).
Atos 2
Boice - In Acts’ version of the Great Commission we have an emphasis upon the power of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were being sent into the world with the gospel. But they were not to go in their own strength. If they had gone in their own strength, nothing would have happened. At Pentecost no one would have believed if the Holy Spirit had not blessed Peter’s preaching. The people would have ridiculed Peter, if they did not do something worse. (Acts: An Expositional Commentary) Bill Crowder gives us a pithy Illustration of Need for Power - The first winter that my wife Marlene and I were married was marked by severe blizzards. I can vividly remember one Sunday when we awoke to find that the electricity had been knocked out by an ice storm. Huddled around a battery-powered radio for news on that frigid Sunday, we heard a most unusual announcement. The announcer, before giving the list of church services canceled due to the ice storm, said,“The following churches will be closed due to lack of power.” What an interesting comment! I knew what he meant, but I was struck by what he said. The idea of churches closing due to lack of power conjures up some spiritual parallels that directly tie into Jesus’ promise of the Spirit. Just prior to His ascension, Jesus told His men in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” He directly attached the coming of the Spirit to the empowering of believers. (Bill Crowder - RBC Ministry - Promise of the Spirit) What a provocative illustration! What would the announcer say about many American churches today? They probably wouldn't be closed for lack of activity, but lack of power is another matter! David Platt in his book Radical has a chapter entitled "Beginning at the End of Ourselves -- The Importance of Relying on God's Power (Subsection entitled - “Dependent on Ourselves or Desperate for His Spirit”) – This is where I am most convicted as a pastor…I am part of a system that has created a whole host of means and methods, plans and strategies for doing church that require little if any power from God….I am frightened by the reality that the church I lead can carry on most of our activities….never realizing that the Holy Spirit of God is virtually absent from the picture.” (Borrow Radical- Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream) Francis Chan – God put His Spirit in us so we could be known for our power. Sadly, most believers and churches are known for talent and intellect rather than supernatural power. What’s worse is that we’re okay with it…. I'm willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His (the Spirit's) presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can!” (Borrow Forgotten God - Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit) John Stott - Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can be no life without the life-giver, no understanding without the Spirit of truth, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christlikeness of character apart from his fruit, and no effective witness without his power. As a body without breath is a corpse, so the church without the Spirit is dead. Luke is well aware of this. Of the four evangelists it is he who lays the heaviest emphasis on the Spirit. Near the beginning of each part of his two-volume work he demonstrates the indispensability of the Holy Spirit’s enabling. (Borrow The message of Acts : the Spirit, the church & the world) A W Tozer - If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of this world, much of what we’re doing in our churches would go right on and nobody would know the difference!...I do not believe in a repetition of Pentecost, but I do believe in a perpetuation of Pentecost—and there is a vast difference between the two! Vance Havner - We are seeing much today of service without the Spirit. There is an appalling ignorance of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit in our great church bodies. It is not what is done for God that counts, but rather what is done by Him, the work of His Spirit through our yielded wills. Programs, propaganda, pep, personnel, these are not enough. There must be power. God's work must be done by God's people God's way. The Quakers got their name from the fact that they trembled under the power of the Spirit. At least their faith shook them! Too many of us today are shaky about what we believe but not shaken by what we believe! Too many people assemble at God's house who don't really believe in the power of God. Having begun in the Spirit, we live in the flesh (Gal 3:3)… Never has the church had more wire stretched with less power in it. All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down (cp Zech 4:6). Sad to say, we seem not even to know that we have not the Spirit in power. If He ceased His work many church members would never know the difference. Like Samson, we don’t realize that He has departed (Jdg 16:19, 20, 21), but we keep "shaking ourselves" in the prescribed calisthenics. A C Dixon - When we rely on organization, we get what organization can do. When we rely upon education, we get what education can do. When we rely on eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. But when we rely on the Holy Spirit, we get what God can do. Here are examples of the filling with the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. (Note some are the verb pimplemi and some are pleroo - see discussion of these after the passages). Acts 4:8, = Peter Acts 4:8 - Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, Acts 4:31 = Disciples prayed - And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 6:3, 5 = deacons - Acts 6:3;“Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 5 The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. Acts 7:55; = Stephen - But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; Acts 9:17 = Saul (Paul) - So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:9 = Paul - But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, Acts 13:52 - disciples - And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. The Greek verb in Acts 2:4 for filled is pimplemi (from pláō = to fill) and it means to fill, to make full, to complete. Pimplemi can describe a literal filling - of a wedding hall = Mt 22:10, of a sponge = Mt 27:48, Jn 19:29, Lk 5:7 = of boats. In Septuagint (Lxx) it describes filling of skins or jars filled with water (Ge 21:19, Ge 24:16). Figuratively as used here in Acts 2:4 to describe people, pimplemi means to filled with something which wholly controls or influences them. In other words, what fills a person, exerts control over the person. God's will for believers is to be Spirit filled, but even believers still have three mortal enemies the world, the flesh and the devil and unfortunately can be filled with and controlled by a different "spirit" - Lk 4:28, Lk 6:11 = filled with rage, Lk 5:26 = filled with fear, Acts 5:17 = jealousy, Acts 13:45 = Jews filled with jealousy, compare Acts 19:29 = city filled with confusion). Another filling is described in Acts 3:10 = wonder and amazement. One of my favorite uses of pemplemi (other than being filled with the Spirit) is found in Septuagint translation of the prophecy in Habakkuk: "For the earth will be filled (Hebrew = male= to be full; Lxx = pimplemi) with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea." (Habakkuk 2:14+ ) And another verse that speaks of the glorious hope we have at Messiah's Second Coming and establishment of His Millennium (Messianic) Kingdom. "I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house (Millennial Temple - read Ezek 43:2-4, 5) with glory,' says the LORD of hosts." (Haggai 2:7) And all God's children shout "Hallelujah-Praise the Lord!" Luke also uses the related verb pleroo which can mean literally filled or figuratively filled in the sense of what fills, controls. A few uses speak of time fulfilled (as in fulfilled prophecy). There are 16 uses of pleroo in Acts: Acts 1:16 (Scripture fulfilled) Acts 2:2 noise like rushing wind filled house) Acts 2:28 (Jesus full of gladness) Acts 3:18 (time) Acts 5:3 (Satan filled Ananias), Acts 5:28 Acts 7:23 (filled Jerusalem with teaching) Acts 7:30 (time) Acts 9:23 (time) Acts 12:25 Acts 13:25 (fulfilled their mission) Acts 13:27 (fulfilled prophecy of Crucifying Jesus) Acts 13:52 (joy and Spirit) Acts 14:26 (work accomplished) Acts 19:21 (things finished) Acts 24:27 (time). Acts 13:52 is a verse that should be on the doorposts of every church in America so it is readily visible as the saints congregate to worship the Lord - "the disciples were continually filled (pleroo) with joy and with the Holy Spirit." (See A Spirit Filled Church) All disciples of Jesus should be continually filled which describes the ideal "the normal Christian life." Are you filled today? Unconfessed sin is primary impediment to being filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Confess, repent and receive the power of the Spirit's filling. While we are speaking of being filled with the Spirit, it would be good to understand what Spirit filling looks like in real life. In other words what impact did Spirit filling have on the first Church and applying this truth, what effect should it have on churches today? What we find repeatedly is that Spirit filling controls/effects our speaking. We see this "juxtaposition" of filling with the Spirit associated with speech in Ephesians 5:18 which commands us to continually "be (being) filled with the Spirit" and the very next word in the Greek text is "speaking" (lalountes - present tense = continually speaking). The point is that what (Who) fills you will show itself in your speech. In Acts 4:31 Luke records "when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness." In Acts 9:27-28 we read that "at Damascus he (Paul) had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord." You say well I don't see the Spirit filling in that passage. For that we need to examine the context which shows that just 10 verses earlier Luke records that Paul was "filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 9:17) Paul a man filled with the Spirit speaks out boldly. One practical application is that you can quickly discern (as a general rule) if you are filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit if you are manifesting "holy speech!" In Acts 13:46 (cf Acts 14:3) we read "And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly." We know Paul was filled, but we also know Barnabas was "a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." (Acts 11:24). We know that Stephen was "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:7) and he spoke out so truthfully and boldly that it resulted in the Jews stoning him to death in Acts 7:54-60. In Ephesians we see the converse association of the Spirit and speech, for "unwholesome (rotten) speech" described in Eph 4:29-note is related to the quenching "of the Holy Spirit of God" in Eph 4:30-note. Boice adds this note related to filling and speaking - It is not that they spoke in tongues (BOICE IS REFERRING TO EXAMPLES OF FILLING IN ACTS - Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:3; 7:55; 9:17; 11:24; 13:9, 52), though this did occur at Pentecost and possibly elsewhere. It is not that they did miracles, though occasionally miracles were performed. No, when the Holy Spirit came upon his people in a special way, filling them, they immediately began to testify verbally about Jesus. Someone might say, “Yes, but at Pentecost they did it in tongues.” True enough. But that is not the emphasis, nor is it part of the other examples of “filling.” In Acts 2 the emphasis is upon the fact that everyone heard about Jesus. So if you ask whether a person is “Spirit-filled,” the only way to answer the question is by determining whether or not he or she speaks often and effectively about Jesus. It is not by whether he or she speaks in an unintelligible language or does miracles. The question is, Does he or she testify to Jesus Christ, and does God bless that testimony in the conversion of men and women? (Ibid) Kistemaker - The effect of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is that he takes full possession of the individual believer. The Christian who is filled with the Spirit becomes the Spirit’s mouthpiece. In the case of the believers in Jerusalem, they speak in other tongues and thereby prove that the Holy Spirit controls and enables them. The word tongue is the equivalent of the concept spoken language. (Ibid) Steven Cole on how to be filled with the Spirit - To be filled with the Spirit, we must empty ourselves by confessing all known sin and by dying to self. We must yield ourselves fully to the Lord and depend on Him step by step (“walking in the Spirit,” Gal. 5:16). Being filled with the Spirit is also called (in a parallel passage) letting the word of Christ richly dwell in you (Col. 3:16; see Eph. 5:18 and context). Thus the filling of the Spirit cannot be divorced from God’s Word being at home in your heart. The results of a consistent daily walk in the Spirit will be the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) manifested in our lives and relationships (Eph. 5:19-6:9; Col. 3:16-4:1). (The Meaning of Pentecost Acts 2:1-13) Related Resources on the Holy Spirit and Filling: How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit? How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? - another source The Holy Spirit-Walking Like Jesus Walked! Filled with the Spirit Walking by the Spirit Fruit of the Spirit Spirit-Filled Believers Are Like Artesian Wells The Holy Spirit-2 Is a believer supposed to be able to feel the Holy Spirit? What is the power of the Holy Spirit? What is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? Is being drunk in the Spirit a biblical experience? Will the Holy Spirit ever leave a believer? Questions about the Holy Spirit A Spirit Filled Church Our Anointing - The Holy Spirit Praying in the Spirit Ephesians 5:18: Be Filled with the Spirit-1 - John MacArthur Ephesians 5:18-19: Be Filled with the Spirit-2 - John MacArthur Ephesians 5:19: Be Filled with the Spirit-3 - John MacArthur Ephesians 5:20-21: Be Filled with the Spirit-4 - John MacArthur Ephesians 5:18: Be Filled with the Spirit-1-4 Study Guide (see dropdown menu) - John MacArthur And began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance - Tongues is better translated languages, as what they spoke was clearly recognized as other (heteros = different - not the expected Hebrew or Aramaic) languages (Acts 2:6) by the unbelieving (for the moment) Jews. The ability to speak in foreign languages is here clearly associated with the Holy Spirit Who was giving (imperfect tense - again and again) them utterance. While some say that other tongues is a third sign of baptism with the Spirit, the other tongues is most closely associated with the fact that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. (see the previous association of filling with the Spirit and speaking enabled by the Spirit). Although it may be semantics, another way to view wind, fire and tongues is to interpret the first two as signs of the Spirit's arrival (baptism) and the third as the effect of the Spirit's filling. However since it was foreign languages the speakers did not know it clearly was also a supernatural sign pointing to a supernatural source, the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus. A T Robertson on speak with other tongues - Other than their native tongues. Each one began to speak in a language that he had not acquired and yet it was a real language and understood by those from various lands familiar with them. It was not jargon, but intelligible language. Jesus had said that the gospel was to go to all the nations and here the various tongues of earth were spoken. One might conclude that this was the way in which the message was to be carried to the nations, but future developments disprove it. (Word Pictures in the New Testament - Acts 2) Roy Gingrich has an interesting note on the possible symbolism of the signs The rushing mighty wind—A symbol of the Spirit’s power (to convince, convict, and convert) The cloven tongues of fire—A symbol of the Spirit’s purification (of sinners from the guilt of sin and of saints from the pollution of sin) The speaking with tongues—A symbol of the Spirit’s worldwide proclamation of the gospel in many languages during the church age (The Book of Acts) Ray Pritchard writes that this passage raises a question - "What is the “sign” of the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Some people say it is speaking in tongues. But that only happened in connection with the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, Acts 10 and Acts 19—all three unique, never-to-be-repeated occasions.(5) Nowhere does the Bible suggest that all believers should speak in tongues. The most we can say is that tongues is a gift given to some believers—but not to all. Biblically speaking, there is no “sign” of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It simply happens to us the moment we trust Christ. Don’t worry about seeking a sign. Just make sure you’re trusting Christ for your salvation. That’s the only “sign” you need. Charles Stanley offers an excellent treatment of this in The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life argues that the gift of tongues in each instance is a sign that a major new group is being incorporated into the body of Christ—Jews (Acts 2), Samaritans (Acts 8), Gentiles (Acts 10), and the followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19). Once those different groups had been incorporated in the church there was no necessity for the gift of tongues as an authenticating sign. This doesn’t rule out the possibility of the “gift of tongues” mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12-14. (The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: The Source of our Power) Dr. G. Campbell
Atos 2
Boice - The early Christians shared their possessions, not because they were communists or socialists – not because they were forced to share their things – but for a far better reason. They shared their goods because they were generous, and they were generous because they had learned generosity from God. God had been generous with them. So because God had been generous with them, they were determined to be generous with one another. Sharing (1266)(diamerizo) means to divide or distribute like the "tongues as of fire" that were "distributing themselves" on the 120 disciples (Acts 2:3+), picturing the "sharing" (so to speak) of the Holy Spirit. How fitting that here those who "shared" in the Holy Spirit (all 3000 + 120) would willingly (supernaturally enabled by the Spirit as described in Php 2:13NLT+) share in their possessions/goods with their believing brethren in need.