In John 14:16, 1716And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:16‑17), and 26 the Lord promises that the Father will send another Comforter. He was going away, but this other Comforter would abide with them forever, and would dwell with them and be in them. In Acts 2:3333Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (Acts 2:33), Peter says that He has now come. Pentecost was fifty days after the resurrection of Christ. Then it was that the baptism of the Holy Ghost took place. (The baptism of fire is judgment, and is still future: Matt. 3:1111I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: (Matthew 3:11); Luke 3:1616John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: (Luke 3:16). Notice John 1:3333And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. (John 1:33) leaves the baptism of fire out). First Corinthians 12:12, 13 tells us it was the forming of believers, sealed with the Spirit, into one body.
If you examine the Scriptures you will see that the baptism of the Spirit is not individual, but corporate. Individuals are sealed. The body was formed by the Holy Spirit coming upon them all at once; since then, we, Jews or Gentiles who have believed the gospel, are united to the Head and to each other by receiving the Holy Spirit. Some have mistakenly called this the second experience or blessing; but really, no one in Scripture is called a Christian till the Holy Spirit dwells in him (Rom. 8:9, 159But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9)
15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (Romans 8:15); John 7:3939(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:39)).
We will look now at some of the ways of God in The Acts of the Holy Spirit. In chapter 1 we find the disciples, for ten days after the ascension of Jesus, waiting in prayer for the promise of the Father (vv. 4, 5); and in chapter 2 we are told how He came. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. It was not babbling or jabbering; it was intelligent speaking which those present could understand and by which every one could hear in his own tongue the wonderful works of God. This was the beginning of the time mentioned in Caiaphas' prophecy (John 11:5252And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. (John 11:52)) when the children of God were to be gathered into one.
Peter had been given by the Lord (Matt. 16:1919And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19)) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, (not of heaven-that has no keys) that is, the authority to admit or reject the subjects for the kingdom-the profession of Christ's name on earth. He now stands up (Acts 2:14-4114But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: 20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:14‑41)) and convicts them of rejecting and murdering the Messiah, whom God has now glorified, and quotes Joel 2 to show them that these men were not drunk, as they supposed, to show according to their own prophecies, the true character of that which had taken place. The signs of Joel 2 did not take place, nor was the Spirit poured upon all flesh, but it was of that character. Joel 2 will be fulfilled when Israel is restored to their land and to the Lord.
Thousands of these godly Jews heard this and were pricked to the heart, and said, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter answered, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." They must own with repentance the name of the crucified One before they could be forgiven or receive the Holy Ghost. We could not baptize any for this purpose now, as we shall see in Acts 10:43, 4443To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 44While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. (Acts 10:43‑44).
There is no evidence here of any speaking with tongues except the preachers-no falling down, no screaming or indecent disorder; all was solid reality.
After the murder of. Stephen, a great persecution began, and all the disciples were scattered abroad, except the apostles. They could not be a community any longer, with one purse; they could not wait any longer for the King to come back. They had to leave everything, but with glad hearts they preach the Word wherever they go. Philip, a deacon at Jerusalem, proves that he is an evangelist everywhere, and going down to Samaria he preached Christ unto them (Acts 8:5,65Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (Acts 8:5‑6)), and God confirmed the word by the miracles he did. (Hebrews 2:33How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:3) and 4 states God's use for miracles.) Then he baptized them all, both men and women, but none of them received the Holy Spirit till Peter and John came down from Jerusalem and prayed for them, and laid their hands on them; then they received the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:14-1714Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. (Acts 8:14‑17)).
Here we must consider the antagonism of the Jew and the Samaritan to each other. God would not have two divided assemblies, two fellowships, for there is only one Spirit and one body (Eph. 4:44There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (Ephesians 4:4)), and this was taught here in that God withheld the Holy Spirit till they are acknowledged one by the apostles' laying on of hands. God is careful that we should maintain the uniting bond of peace. This case is neither like Acts 2 nor Acts 10, as we shall see.
Here again we can notice the difference between the work of the Spirit in us, and the indwelling of the Spirit. The first gives life; the last gives us power to live and to enjoy the things of God, and to call God our Father.
Again, there is no mention of speaking with tongues among the converts. There is no mention of the eunuch receiving the Spirit. John 7:3939(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:39) is enough to show that he was sealed. In Acts 9 we have the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Again we see the effect of the Word in the sinner in convincing him of his lost condition. This continued for three days, when he neither ate nor drank. Then the Lord, who spoke to him on the way to Damascus, sent a disciple called Ananias to him, who came in, laid his hands on him, called him "Brother Saul," and added, "The Lord, even Jesus... hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." The scales were gone, his sight came back, and he arose and was baptized.
In Acts 10 we have the Gentiles brought in. While they did not know salvation (like Abraham and other Old Testament saints), yet we see plainly something in them that was not the flesh; "devout" means "pious" or "godly," and Cornelius showed it in his works and prayers, which God accepted (see vv. 2, 4, 22). God gives Cornelius a vision, and Peter a vision, and prepares each for his part, overcoming Peter's scruples regarding the unclean Gentile, and preparing Cornelius and his company to hear the good news. This Cornelius is ready to believe at once, ready to receive Peter as God's messenger, and says, "We are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God." There is every mark here to show that he was already born again- really converted long ago. But now something is
to be added; he is to hear of the work of Christ, and that "Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins." No sooner are the words uttered than they are believed, and no sooner believed than "the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word." They were sealed at once, united to Christ the Head in glory. They are members of His body, and children of God the Father. Peter, too, is astonished, and so are his company; but it is true, "on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." And this time they speak with tongues, and magnify God. They do not jabber or babble. It is intelligent worship to God, understood fully by those present. It was evidently to convince the Jews and Peter that God was also granting to the Gentiles repentance unto life. Again Peter uses the key, and in the name of the Lord commands that they be baptized.
In going over this narrative to the Jewish brethren at Jerusalem, Peter remembered the word of the Lord, "Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost," thus owning these Gentiles as one with those in Jerusalem or elsewhere.
In Acts 19 Paul meets twelve of John the Baptist's disciples who had not heard the gospel of the grace of God, nor did they know that the Holy Ghost was now dwelling in His house on earth. These were believing Jews, but they did not know the finished work of Christ, and were still on Jewish ground. Paul taught them to believe on Christ Jesus, the glorified One. They were baptized to the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul laid his hands on them, thus expressing their oneness with the Christians. Then the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Again, it is intelligent speaking, as the word "prophesying" shows.
These three cases of speaking with tongues are all that are in the Acts. In 1 Corinthians 14 we find the gift of tongues, but it is no mark of spirituality, and it was forbidden to speak with tongues unless there was someone to interpret. Paul spoke with tongues, but it is no mark of spirituality, and it was forbidden to speak with tongues unless there was someone to interpret. Paul spoke with tongues more than they all, but he would rather speak five words with his understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue (1 Cor. 14:18, 1918I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: 19Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. (1 Corinthians 14:18‑19)).
Miracles, gifts of healing and diversities of tongues, are not of prime importance and are no mark of spirituality, as is seen in the Corinthians.
At the beginning, the word was confirmed by works of power (Heb. 2:3, 43How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? (Hebrews 2:3‑4)). This had been done. Faith comes by hearing, not by seeing (John 2:23-25; 11:4023Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2:23‑25)
40Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? (John 11:40)).