Acts # 8 The Church Growing and Loving

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Acts # 8 The Church Growing and Loving 2:41-47

Acts 2:41–47 (NKJV) ⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴² And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, ⁴⁵ and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. ⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Those who “accepted” (“welcomed,” Phillips) Peter’s message (because they believed it, cf. TEV, CEV) then testified to their faith by being baptized by immersion in water.

Jesus the Hope of the World

Again, Luke does not always specify details that are clear elsewhere; he does not have the space to do it in this one book. Therefore, though Luke does not mention it, we can be sure that all three thousand new believers who were added to the Church received the promise of the Father as Peter said they would and were filled with the Spirit, speaking in other tongues as in Acts 2:4.

The mention of the “three thousand” is significant. One of the themes in Acts is the spread of the Word and the numerical increase of the believers (see the following verses).

·     Acts 2:41 (NKJV) three thousand souls were added to them.

·       Acts 2:47 (NKJV) the Lord added to the church daily.

·       Acts 4:4 (NKJV) about five thousand.

·      Acts 5:14 (NKJV) multitudes of both men and women,

·      Acts 6:1,7 (NKJV) the number of the disciples was multiplying,

·      Acts 18:9-10 (NKJV) ⁹ for I have many people in this city." (God told Paul)

·      Acts 21:20 (NKJV) many myriads (multitudes) of Jews there are who have believed.

God “added” them. He was carrying out His purpose and plan by the power of the Holy Spirit. The apostles and believers never tried to carry out some program of their own devising. They followed step-by-step as the Holy Spirit guided them.

At the beginning most of the responsibility for the work of the Church fell upon the shoulders of the apostles. They were the pastors, evangelists, teachers, and counselors for the whole body. They were concerned for the well-being of all, not only spiritually but physically and materially as well.

The Spirit had baptized the three thousand into the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:13). God never saves us to wander off by ourselves. Consequently the three thousand new believers did not scatter but remained together and “devoted themselves” continuously to the apostles’ “teaching and … fellowship,” continuing together also in “the breaking of bread and … prayer.”

From this we see further evidence of their faith and their being filled with the Spirit: Not only did they take a firm stand for Christ with the apostles, they also had a persistent desire for instruction. Their acceptance of Christ and the gift of the Spirit was more than a mystical experience. It opened up to them a whole new understanding of God’s plan and purpose. With joy they became hungry to learn more. This also shows that the apostles had a body of teaching (which came to be included in the four Gospels), and they were obeying Jesus and making disciples as He had commanded (Matt. 28:19). It also shows that discipleship includes this kind of eager desire to learn more of Jesus and of God’s Word. We can be sure the baptism in the Holy Spirit made the Spirit their great Teacher as they listened intently to their human teachers, the apostles. The Spirit made the truth real and helped them apply it in their own lives. He increased their joy as well.

Fellowship was experienced in the process of teaching. It was more than getting together. It was a partnership in the purposes of the Church and a sharing in its message and work. As in 1 John 1:3, the Word, as witnessed to by the teaching of the apostles, brought this fellowship, a fellowship not only with the apostles but also “with the Father and with his Son.”

The “breaking of bread” some writers take to mean only the Lord’s Supper, but it also includes table fellowship. Believers could not observe the Lord’s Supper in the temple, so this was done in their homes, at first in connection with a meal (since Jesus instituted it at the close of the Passover meal). Paul would later have to deal with the problems caused by the way the Corinthian believers ate the meal and observed the Lord’s Supper, so we do not observe it in connection with a meal today (see 1 Cor. 11:17–34; the breaking of bread was intended to foster unity; instead, it was promoting division).

As Spirit-filled believers they also devoted themselves to prayer. Prayer was an integral part of their daily life. It kept them connected with the Lord of the Church and was necessary to the work He had for them.^[1]

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^[1] Horton, Stanley M. (2001). Acts: A Logion Press Commentary (82–84). Springfield, MO: Logion Press.

Acts #7 Peter Calls For Repentance 2:37–40

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Acts #7 Peter Calls For Repentance 2:37–40

Acts 2:37-40 (NKJV) 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."

The response to this Spirit-inspired prophetic word was immediate. The people were “cut [pierced] to the heart.” No longer were they saying “What does this mean?” The Holy Spirit’s message stung their consciences. They recognized their guilt and spoke to Peter and to the other apostles (who were evidently still standing with him), wanting to know what they must do.

They did not feel completely cut off, however. Peter had called them “brothers” (v. 29), and they responded by calling the apostles “brothers.” Their sin in rejecting and crucifying Jesus was great, but their response shows that they believed there was hope, there was something they could do. We can see in this a fulfillment of John 12:32, where Jesus said, “ ‘But I, when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw all men to myself.’ ”

Peter answered by calling on them to repent, that is, to change their minds and fundamental attitudes by accepting the forgiveness and the will of God revealed in Christ. As in Romans 12:1–2, this change means more than being sorry for one’s sins. It requires a renewing of one’s mind with an accompanying change in attitude toward sin and self. People who truly repent abhor sin (Ps. 51). They humble themselves, recognize their dependence on Christ, and realize they have no good thing in themselves enabling them to stand before the Holy God.

The repentant ones can then declare their change of heart and mind by being baptized “in the name” of Jesus Christ, that is, upon the authority of Jesus, for “the name” here means the authority. Luke does not explain further; but he often does not explain what is made clear elsewhere. The authority of Jesus points to His own command given in Matthew 28:19. Thus, the actual baptizing was done “into the Name” (Greek word, meaning “into the worship and service”) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This baptism would also be “for the forgiveness of … sins.” How marvelous! What earthly king, president, or ruler has ever forgiven a traitor? But Christ did and does. This is pure grace and matchless love (see Rom. 5:8, 10). “For the forgiveness of your sins,” however, is better translated “because of the release from and forgiveness of your sins.” Our sin and guilt is removed as far from us as “the east is from the west” (Ps. 103:12)—an infinite distance. They are not only forgiven, they are really gone, out of existence, never to be brought up against us any more.

It is clear that John baptized no one to produce repentance. When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to him he demanded that they produce “ ‘fruit in keeping with repentance’ ” (Matt. 3:8), in other words, demonstrating true repentance. That is, they must repent first, then he would baptize them. We are saved by grace through faith, not through baptism (Eph. 2:8).

After repentance, water baptism becomes the “pledge,” or testimony, of a good conscience that has already been cleansed by the blood and by the Spirit’s application of the Word concerning Christ’s atoning death and resurrection (Rom. 10:9–10; 1 Pet. 3:21).

The forgiveness of sins would be followed by a distinct impartation of the gift of the Spirit. This too was indicated in Old Testament prophecies (Ezek. 36:25–27; 37:14).

Next, Peter spoke of the promise of the Father (see 1:4). Believers would also receive the Holy Spirit as a distinct gift after the forgiveness of their sins. This gift, of course, is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It must be distinguished from the gifts of the Spirit that are given by the Spirit (1 Cor. 12 through 14). Jesus, the mighty Baptizer, gives the gift of the Spirit.

Peter goes on to emphasize that this promise of the baptism in the Spirit was not limited to the 120. It would continue to be available, not only to them but also to their children (including all their descendants), and to all who are far away, “for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Thus, the only condition for receiving the promise of the Father is repentance and faith. It is therefore still available to all who respond to the Father’s call to salvation today.

This promise is foundational for the entire message of the Book of Acts. “Joel’s prophecy continues to be fulfilled or implemented as the message of salvation is proclaimed and received in a variety of contexts.”

As Paul later said, “Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction” (1 Thess. 1:5).

The essence of Peter’s pleading was that they should, “be saved”) or “let yourself be saved”⁹¹ “from this corrupt perverse, crooked, twisted, vicious generation.” Namely, they should turn away from the perversity and corruptness of those around them who were rejecting the truth about Jesus and living for self. (See Deut. 32:5; Ps. 78:8 and the words of Jesus in Matt. 12:39; 16:4; 17:17; 23:33–36; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:41; 11:29; 17:25.) There is no other antidote to the perversity and corruptness of contemporary society.^[1]

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^[1] Horton, S. M. (2001). Acts: A Logion Press Commentary (78–81). Springfield, MO: Logion Press.

Acts #6 Jesus Exalted 2:22–36

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The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Acts #6 Jesus Exalted 2:22–36

The Holy Bible Gives the Facts

The main body of Peter’s manifestation of the gift of prophecy (vv. 22–36) centers not on the Holy Spirit but on Jesus. The Pentecostal experience was intended to bear powerful witness to Jesus, the one who poured out the Spirit (Acts 1:8; John 15:26–27; 16:14).

Peter first drew attention to the fact that the people of Jerusalem knew the man of Nazareth, Jesus. Peter did not hesitate to identify the people of Jerusalem as responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross, noting that they did it “with the help of wicked men” (Gk. “lawless men, men outside the Law”), that is, Pilate and the Roman soldiers.

The cross was not an accident. Peter made it clear that Jesus was handed over to the Jews “by God’s set purpose [Gk. “designated will, definite plan,” as revealed in the OT prophecies] and foreknowledge”—which Jesus himself recognized (Luke 24:25–27, 46), giving himself of His own accord (Gal. 1:4; 2:20; Eph. 5:2, 25; 1 Tim. 2:6; Titus 2:14). This did not lessen their guilt, however. The word “foreknowledge” (Gk.is found only here and in 1 Peter 1:2—another indication that Luke got the account of this message from Peter or from someone who wrote it down as he gave it.

It should be emphasized also that Peter was speaking here to Jerusalem Jews, many of whom were involved in the cry “Crucify Him!” The Bible never puts this kind of responsibility or guilt on the Jews in general. For example, in Acts 13:27–29, Paul, speaking to Jews in Pisidian Antioch, is careful to attribute the crucifixion to the people and rulers of Jerusalem, saying “they,” not “you.” Further, Gentiles had a hand in the crucifying, so the sins of all people nailed Him to the cross.

Quickly Peter adds, “God raised him from the dead.” The resurrection of Christ took away the stigma of the Cross and reversed the decision of the Jewish leaders and Pilate. It also indicated God’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice.

Peter bases his whole argument on the Word of God. Under the inspiration of the Spirit he says that David was speaking of Jesus in Psalm 16:8–11. Jewish tradition of the time also applied this to the Messiah.

Peter declared that it was proper for him to say “confidently” (freely and openly) of “the patriarch” (chief father and ancestral ruler) David that the psalm could not possibly apply to him. He not only died and was buried, his tomb was still there in Jerusalem. Obviously David’s flesh did “see corruption” (v. 31, KJV). But Jesus’ did not. Though Peter did not say it, he clearly implies that Jesus’ tomb was empty.

Because David was a prophet (a speaker for God), and because he knew God had sworn an oath that one of his descendants would sit on his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ (the Messiah, God’s Anointed One). God promised David there would always be a man from his descendants for the throne. God gave this first with respect to Solomon (2 Sam. 7:11–16). But He warned that if any of David’s descendants sinned He would punish him just as He would punish anyone else. God, however, would never turn His back on David’s line and substitute another as He had in the case of King Saul.

Because the kings of David’s line did not follow the Lord, God finally had to bring an end to their kingdom and send them into Babylonian exile (2 Chron. 36:11–20). His purpose in doing this was to rid them of their idolatry. But the promise to David still stood. The Anointed One to come would some day sit on David’s throne and make it eternal (cf. Luke 1:32–33). The resurrection of this Anointed One was necessary to fulfill what the Old Testament prophesied.

Peter thus declared that Jesus is the Messianic King. Because God raised Him to life, He was not abandoned to Hades nor did His flesh “see decay” (v. 27).

Christ’s resurrection, however, was only part of a process. Jesus won for us the battle against sin and death. Thus He remains at God’s right hand throughout this age (See Mark 16:19; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:20–21; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet. 3:22). This means also that He is always there to intercede for us (Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1).

In Christ we also are seated at the right hand of God (Eph. 2:6). Because this is our position in Christ we do not need our own works of righteousness to claim His promise of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Nothing we could do could give us a higher position than we already have in Christ.

Next, Peter uses Christ’s exalted position to explain the Pentecostal experience. Now at the Father’s right hand, Jesus received from the Father “the promised Holy Spirit,” and in turn “poured out” the Holy Spirit. The results of this outpouring the crowd now saw and heard: the 120 speaking in other tongues.

Jesus had said it was necessary for Him to go away in order for the “Counselor” (Gk.“Helper”) to come (John 16:7). Thus, though the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father, Jesus is the One who pours it out (cf. Luke 3:16–17). Jesus is the Baptizer.

The outpouring of the Spirit was also evidence that Jesus actually was exalted to the Father’s right hand. This baptism becomes evidence to us personally that Jesus is there and that He is still working. Therefore we can be firsthand witnesses to where Jesus is and what He is doing.

Peter uses another quotation from Scripture to give further evidence that none of this could apply to David. David did not “ascend to heaven” as Jesus did, but he did prophesy that exaltation in Psalm 110:1. Again, David could not be speaking of himself, since he prophesied that his Lord would sit on the Father’s right hand until the Father made for Him a footstool of His enemies; that is, until the Father gave Him complete and final victory (cf. Josh. 10:24; Heb. 1:13). Jesus also referred to this in Luke 20:41–44, recognizing that David called his greater Son “Lord” (see also Matt. 22:42–45; Mark 12:36–37).

The conclusion Peter drew is that all Israel needed to know that God had made this Jesus, whom the Jerusalem residents crucified, “both Lord and Christ” (Messiah). He was already the Messiah, the “Anointed One” who ministered “in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). As the Messiah He suffered and died for us (Rom. 5:6, 8; 14:15; 1 Cor. 8:11; 2 Cor. 5:14–15; 1 Thess. 5:9–10).

Acts # 5 Peter Manifests The Gift Of Prophecy 2:14–40

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Acts # 5  Peter Manifests The Gift Of Prophecy 2:14–40

Joel’s Prophecy Fulfilled 2:14–21

Check It Out in the BOOK

When Peter and the 11 other apostles (including Matthias) stood to their feet, the 120 immediately ceased speaking in tongues. Then the whole crowd gave their attention to Peter. Still anointed by the Spirit, he “raised his voice” and proceeded to address (Gk, “speak out to”) the crowd. The word used for this speaking is from the same verb used of the speaking in tongues in Acts 2:4. It suggests that Peter spoke in his own language (Aramaic) as the Spirit enabled him.⁵² In other words, what follows is not a sermon in the ordinary sense of the word. Certainly, Peter did not sit down and figure out three points. Rather, this was a spontaneous manifestation of the gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 12:10; 14:3).

Peter directed his address to the Jews and to all who lived in Jerusalem. This was a polite way to begin and followed their custom. It included both men and women. Even when they mentioned only men, they were not ruling out the women. This would be true also of verses 22 and 29. By calling them “fellow Jews” he also recognized that the Spirit-baptized believers were still true Jews. Their faith in Jesus had not removed them from the congregation of Israel.

Apparently, as the 120 continued to speak in tongues, the mocking increased until most were making fun of them. Peter did not draw attention to the fact that some did not understand the purpose or were perplexed. He answered only those who mocked.

The 120 were not drunk, as the crowd supposed, for it was only about “nine in the morning” (lit. “the third hour of the day”). Actually, even fermented wine was not very strong. In those days they had no way of distilling alcohol or fortifying drinks. Their strongest drinks were wine and beer, and they made it a practice to dilute the wine with several parts of water. It would have taken a great deal to get them drunk that early in the morning. We are sure also that anyone drinking at that hour would not be in a public place. Thus Peter showed that the words of those making fun of the 120 were absurd.

Peter then turned to the Word of God. Peter declared that what they saw and heard (Acts 2:33) was a fulfillment of Joel 2:28–32 (Joel 3:1–5 in the Heb. Scriptures). Because the context of Joel goes on to deal with the coming judgment and the end of the age, some writers today believe that Joel’s prophecy did not have a fulfillment on the Day of Pentecost. One writer actually says Peter did not really mean “This is that” (v. 16, KJV) but rather “This is something like that.” In other words, he thinks the Pentecostal outpouring was only similar to what will happen when Israel is restored at the end of the age.

Peter, however, did say, “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” Joel, like the other Old Testament prophets, did not see the time span between the first and second comings of Christ. Even Peter himself probably did not see how long it would be. He did see, however, that the Messianic Age is coming, and probably hoped it would be soon.

Peter makes one apparent change in the prophecy. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he specified what the word “afterward” in Joel 2:28 means: the outpouring is “in the last days.” Thus he recognized that the “last days” began with the ascension of Jesus (Acts 3:19–21). From this we can see that the Holy Spirit recognizes the entire Church Age as “last days” to be characterized by His powerful working. We are in the last age before the rapture of the Church, the restoration of Israel, and Christ’s millennial reign on earth—the last age before Jesus “is revealed from heaven in blazing fire” to “punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel” (2 Thess. 1:7–10).

Peter’s inclusion of “God says” in the introduction “identifies the prophecy of Joel as ‘the promise of the Father’ … (Lk 24:49; Acts 1:4; 2:33).”

The first part of the quotation from Joel has an obvious application to the 120. The many languages highlight God’s purpose to keep pouring out His Spirit or to pour out His Spirit again and again on “all people” (Gk. “all flesh”). In the Hebrew “all flesh” usually means all humankind, as in Genesis 6:12. “

 “All people” (v. 17) is then broken down to sons and daughters. There is no distinction in the Pentecostal experience with regard to gender. This is another indication that all the 120 were baptized in the Spirit, including the women. Later we read of Philip’s daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9).

The fact that we read “my servants” also “highlights what is implicit in the Joel text: The gift of the Spirit is given only to those who are members of the community of salvation,” that is, to those who are already born-again believers.

We may also see the gift of the Spirit as the firstfruits of the age to come (Rom. 8:23). The unregenerate human heart and mind has no conception of “ ‘what God has prepared for those who love Him’—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:9–10). We have already experienced it, at least in a measure. As Hebrews 6:4–5 points out, all who have “tasted [really experienced] the heavenly gift” and are “made partakers of the Holy Spirit” (NASB) have already experienced “the good word [promise] of God” (NASB) and “the powers [mighty powers, miracles] of the coming age.”

The signs here also include “blood” and refer to the increasing bloodshed, wars, and smoke from wars that will cover the sun and make the moon appear red. These things will happen “before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord”; they are part of this present age. Peter wants his hearers to understand that the Pentecostal power of the Spirit will continue to be poured out throughout this present age. The age of the Church is the age of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit will still be available even in the midst of coming wars and bloodshed.

This verse gives the purpose of the outpouring. Through this empowering the Holy Spirit will do His convicting work in the world, not just in the end but throughout the age—right down to the great Day of the Lord. All during this period, whoever calls on the name of the Lord for help, that is, for salvation, will be saved. “The Lord” is Jesus (cf. Rom. 10:9, 13). The Greek also indicates that we can expect many to respond and be saved. John confirms this, for he saw “a great multitude … from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne” (Rev. 7:9). These come out of “ ‘the great [long] tribulation’ ” (Rev. 7:14) that Jesus mentioned in John 16:33.^[1]

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^[1] Horton, S. M. (2001). Acts: A Logion Press Commentary (65–71). Springfield, MO: Logion Press.

Acts # 4 The Crowd Amazed And Confused 2:5–13

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Acts # 4 The Crowd Amazed And Confused 2:5–13

Acts 2:5-13 (NKJV) 5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs--we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?" 13 Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine."

Jerusalem was a cosmopolitan center in that many of the Jews from the Dispersion returned and settled there (cf. 6:9). “Staying” (Gk. usually means something more than a temporary stay or visit. In any case, because it was the Feast of Pentecost—one of the three feasts for which the Law required attendance in Jerusalem (Deut. 16:16)—we can be sure that perhaps as many as one million Jews from all over the known world were in Jerusalem. These were devout, “God-fearing” people, sincere in their worship of the Lord. Probably more of them would be in Jerusalem at this time than at Passover, since travel on the Mediterranean Sea was safer at this season.

As the sound of the 120 speaking in tongues rose and became heard, a crowd came together from all directions. All were bewildered because each one kept hearing them speak “in his own language.” “Own” is emphatic: his very own language that he used as a child. The tongues here were distinct languages. They were not speaking merely in a variety of Galilean or Aramaic dialects but in a variety of entirely different languages.

The result among the hearers was total amazement. They were astonished. They were filled with awestruck wonder, for they recognized that the 120 (probably by their clothing) were Galileans. And they simply could not understand how they could hear the language of their home countries being spoken by Galileans.

Some writers take verse 8 to mean that the 120 were all really speaking the same language and by a miracle of hearing the multitude were made to hear it in their mother tongues. But verses 4, 6, and 7 are too specific for that. They “began to speak.” Each man heard them “speak” in his own dialect without any Galilean accent. There would have been no surprise if the 120 spoke in Aramaic or Greek.

They spoke real languages that were understood by a variety of people from a variety of places. This gave witness to the universality of the gift of the Spirit and to the unity of the Church.³⁹

The places named where these godly Jews were born were in all directions. Judea is mentioned because Jews there still took pride in speaking Hebrew and would have been amazed at the lack of a Galilean accent.

All these people kept hearing in their own languages “the wonders [the mighty, magnificent, sublime deeds] of God.” These may have been in the form of exclamations of praise to God for these wonders. No discourse or preaching is implied, though preaching would surely have brought the salvation of some (1 Cor. 1:21). There is no record here or elsewhere, however, of the gift of tongues being used as a means of preaching or teaching the gospel.

Instead, the hearers were “amazed” (astounded) and “perplexed” (confused, at a loss, completely unable to understand what this was all about). “What does this mean?” expresses their total confusion as well as their extreme amazement. They understood the meaning of the words, but not the purpose. That is why they were confused by what they heard.

Others in the crowd took it all as the ravings of people who were drunk. Because they did not understand the purpose, they jumped to the conclusion that it had no purpose. Therefore they proceeded to make fun of them in a mocking, scornful way, saying that the 120 had “had too much wine.”

The Greek indicates there were mocking gestures as well as words. Some drinkers become noisy and this may be what the mockers were thinking of. We must not suppose there was any sign of the kind of frenzy that marked heathen drunken debauchery. The detractors were wrong. The disciples’ chief emotion was still joy. They had been thanking and praising God in their own language (Luke 24:53); now the Holy Spirit had given them new languages to praise God in. We can be sure the hearts of the 120 were still going out to God in praise for His wonderful works, even though they did not understand what they were speaking.^[1]

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^[1] Horton, S. M. (2001). Acts: A Logion Press Commentary (60–65). Springfield, MO: Logion Press.

Acts #3 All Filled With The Spirit 2:4

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

  Acts #3 All Filled With The Spirit 2:4

Now that God had acknowledged the Church as the new temple, the next thing was to pour out the Holy Spirit on the members of the Body.

What Jesus promised as a baptism is pictured here as a filling, that is, a full, satisfying experience. Some try to make a distinction between being baptized in the Holy Spirit and being filled. Actually, the Bible uses a variety of terms. It was also a pouring out of the Spirit as Joel prophesied (Acts 2:17–18, 33); a receiving (and active taking) of a gift (Acts 2:38); a falling upon (Acts 8:16; 10:44; 11:15); a pouring out of the gift (Acts 10:45); and a coming upon. With this variety of terms it is impossible to suppose that the baptism is any different from the filling.

Remember, too, that since the Holy Spirit is a Person, we are talking about an experience that brings a relationship. Each term brings out some aspect of the Pentecostal experience, and no one term can bring out all the aspects of that experience.

It is clear also, since they were all together and in one accord, that when Acts 2:4 says, “all of them were filled,” the entire 120 is meant. Some writers suppose that only the 12 apostles were filled. However, more than twelve languages were spoken. Moreover, Peter, speaking in the gift of prophecy, quotes Joel, who wrote of sons and daughters prophesying (v. 17; see Joel 2:28). Later, when Peter spoke before a large group in Jerusalem, he said, “ ‘God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them [the Gentiles] by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us’ ” (Acts 15:8). This suggests that the Spirit fell in the same way not only on the 12 but also on the 120 and also on the 3000 who believed on the Day of Pentecost. Clearly, the experience was and is for all. This, however, was a New Testament experience. In the Old Testament, only selected individuals were filled.

As soon as they were filled, the 120 began to speak (and continued speaking) in other tongues (languages). This also was a new thing. Speaking in tongues (Gk. gives us the term “glossolalia”) “was entirely unknown in Judaism, and its appearance would be regarded as a remarkable novum marking an equally remarkable new phase in God’s dealings with His people.” “Began” is significant. It shows, as in Acts 1:1, that what was begun was to continue. This indicates that speaking in other tongues was the normative accompaniment of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It continued to be a gift that brought edification and blessing on other occasions (1 Cor. 14:4).

This speaking came “as the Spirit enabled them” (Gk. “proceeded to give and kept on giving them to speak out loudly and boldly”). That is, they used their tongues, their muscles; they spoke. However, the words did not come from their own minds or thinking. The Spirit gave them what to speak—and they expressed it boldly, loudly, and with obvious anointing and power. This was the one sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit that was repeated.

Some writers call these tongues “ecstatic” utterance. “Ecstatic,” as the word is used today, implies a state beyond both reason and self-control. It also suggests a trance, or mystic state, that makes it nearly impossible for one to move. This sort of ecstatic state or trance was common among the pagans, but “ecstatic” is really an improper term and does not apply either here or in other passages where speaking in tongues is mentioned. There is no evidence that any believer spoke as if forced to do so. They retained their senses and spoke in willing cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

With this in mind we must also recognize that the tongues here and the tongues in 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 are the same. Tongues at Pentecost were a sign to unbelievers. God used them to draw a crowd as well as to edify the believers. But when they continued speaking in tongues, the crowd said of them that they were drunk. This corresponds to what 1 Corinthians 14:23 says about uninterpreted tongues. We should also note that there are about four thousand languages now and many more existed in the past (cf. 1 Cor. 14:10). But in a local church, as at Corinth, there are not likely to be many foreigners present. Therefore, the messages in tongues need interpretation (1 Cor. 14:6–13). The fact that they can be interpreted shows also that the speaking in tongues is real language, not gibberish.

In the 1906 Azusa Street revival, people were coming from all over the world. When my grandmother spoke in tongues a man from Denmark told her she was speaking Danish. When my mother spoke in tongues a black woman from one of the French-speaking islands told her she was speaking French. There was enough of that type of evidence to let them know that what was happening was the same as on the Day of Pentecost. A number of missionaries have told me of people in recent times speaking in tongues that were languages the missionaries understood but the people who were speaking did not.^[1]

Dr. Stanley Horton, noted AG Theology professor at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, continues to map out for us a clear path to understanding the purpose and process of the Holy Ghost ministry in Early and Present day Church.

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^[1] Horton, S. M. (2001). Acts: A Logion Press Commentary (57–60). Springfield, MO: Logion Press.