When the Day of Pentecost had fully
come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a
sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house
where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of
fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4
It is likely - if you sit down and read this paragraph with some of your friends
in the evangelical, denominational or Pentecostal community - the substance of
the discussion will be something like this:
"This is dramatic and exciting and powerful. THIS IS WHAT I WANT! To be in a
room and hear a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind. To see these
divided tongues, as of fire. Then, to be filled with the Holy Spirit; and to
began to speak with other tongues. This is it."
Why is it Galatians 5:22,23 doesn't generally provoke the same reaction? Paul
said, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is now
law." This passage is about the Holy Spirit! But you may not hear people say -
"Wow, that's what I need; that's what I want."
In reading Acts 2 many modern readers immediately fasten their attention on the
sensation, the excitement, the drama. The sights and sounds of this text provoke
excitement and desire on the part of many in our time.
That raises this question that will be worthy of some thought - In reading the
Bible, what are you looking for? Do you want to know the truth about God and His
plan so you can be a participant as an obedient child of God? Or, do you want
drama, the high of emotion, the fun of something sensational (that is often
imposed on the text by perception and experience)?
I say to you, reading the second chapter of Acts should yield one overwhelming
response: Who is Jesus Christ and what is my response to Him? He is at the
center of everything in Acts chapter 2. And once the truth about Him is
presented we can repent and be baptized; then continue steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine. This is what it is all about. It is about Him and our
response to Him, as revealed by the Holy Spirit.
This event recorded by Luke in Acts 2:1-4 has already happened. It didn't happen
every day to everybody. When you read about Christians in the book of Acts and
the epistles, they are not having this experience every day or every time they
meet. They are not getting up everyday seeing divided tongues and hearing the
sound from heaven. They are not all filled with the Holy Spirit in the same way
the apostles were. They are not all speaking with other tongues. Christians in
the book of Acts are busy; faithful Christians are excited and involved, but the
Pentecost event was not a permanent or repeated fixture.
What are the Christians in the book of Acts doing? They are continuing
steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine (Acts 2:42). They are together and sharing
(Acts 2:44). They are continuing daily with one accord in the temple, "and
breaking bread from house to house," eating their food with gladness and
simplicity of heart (Acts 2:46). They spend a lot of time suffering for
righteousness' sake (Acts 4:3). It was so bad for them, they would come together
to pray about it, asking God to be with them (Acts 4:24-31).
Don't just read about the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-4 - and start
coveting excitement! Let this account find its place within the larger context
of history, apostolic power, the Great Commission and the reality of what
Christians were doing under the instructions of the apostles. They were not
getting up everyday to enjoy another emotional experience like Pentecost. They
were engaged in the tough grind of life. They were following the instructions of
the Spirit-filled apostles. They were preaching the gospel and suffering for it.
They were coping with daily stress as sojourners, getting up everyday trying to
do what is right. There is our pattern!
By Warren E. Berkley
The Final Page
From Expository Files 13.4; April 2006
