The Promise & the Coming of the Holy Spirit

Promise of the Holy Spirit

Luke wrote in Acts 1 that after Jesus' resurrection, Jesus appeared to His followers for forty days. During this time, Jesus taught the disciples about the kingdom of God. While Jesus was with them, He told them not to leave Jerusalem. Jesus wanted them to stay until they received the Holy Spirit, which Jesus promised would come quickly.

Appearances and Ascension

Jesus appeared to the disciples several times before He ascended into heaven. He came to two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. He appeared to them when Thomas was not there. Because Thomas had not seen Jesus with his own eyes, Thomas doubted that this was true until Jesus appeared and showed Thomas the scars from the crucifixion. Jesus spoke to Peter and told Peter to take care of His sheep.

After the Great Commission, Jesus led the disciples out to Bethany, to the Mount of Olives. Jesus lifted His hands and blessed them. They asked if He would restore Israel. He replied that it was not for them to know when this would happen and that it was the Father's decision. Jesus was then carried up into heaven. Two men in white robes appeared and stood by the disciples. The men told the disciples that Jesus would return the same way they saw Him leave. The disciples worshipped Jesus with great joy.

Matthias Chosen

The disciples returned to Jerusalem. When they entered the city, they went to the upper room where they were staying. All of the remaining disciples were together, along with Mary (the mother of Jesus), Jesus' brothers, and some other women. They all had one purpose at that time: to devote themselves to prayer.

Peter stood up with a group of about 120 of Jesus' followers. He told them that the Scripture recorded in the book of Psalms had been fulfilled. This was where the Holy Spirit had spoken through King David concerning the use of the money Judas had received for betraying Jesus as well as his betrayal of Jesus and subsequent death.

The book of Psalms also mentioned the need to replace the betrayer. The disciples decided to choose a man who had followed Jesus from the time of His baptism by John the Baptist all the way up until when He ascended into heaven. Two men were put forth as options to replace Judas. One of these men was called Joseph Barsabbas (sometimes referred to as Justus), and the other man put forward was named Matthias. The disciples prayed to God to guide their decision and cast lots. Matthias was chosen to be one of the twelve.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

On the day of Pentecost, the sound of a heavy rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where Jesus' followers were seated. Tongues of fire came upon each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in tongues.

In Jerusalem, there were devout men from all over the world. These men heard the disciples speaking in their own tongues. They asked if the disciples were not all Galileans, and they wondered how the disciples were speaking their native languages. The disciples told these men about the works of God. Some of the men were amazed; others thought they must be drunk.

Peter's Sermon

Peter stood with the rest of the disciples and spoke to the crowd. Peter told the crowd that the disciples were not drunk because it was too early in the day. He shared that the prophet Joel had foretold that in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit. God had said that sons and daughters would prophesy, young men would see visions, and old men would have dreams. God would show signs and wonders on the earth. The sun would turn dark, and the moon would turn to blood. Everyone that called on God would be saved.

Peter declared that Jesus had come and done mighty works, signs, and wonders. Jesus had done all of these things with a plan and a knowledge of God. He had been crucified and killed by lawless men, but God had raised Jesus because He could not be held down by death. David had prophesied all of these things. God had told David that one of his descendants would sit on the throne. David had spoken about the resurrection. All of Israel should know that the one who had been crucified was the Lord.

When the people heard this, they asked Peter and the apostles what they should do. Peter recommended that they repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus so that their sins could be forgiven. In doing this, they would receive the Holy Spirit. Peter continued to preach to them and beg them to save themselves. Those who heard this were baptized, and about three thousand souls were saved that day.

A Fellowship of Believers

These people devoted themselves to the preaching of the apostles. Many signs were done through the apostles. All of them were together. They sold what they owned and gave what they had to others. They gathered in the temple and in their homes and broke bread. They received their food and were thankful for what they received. God increased their numbers every day, and more were constantly being saved.

Healing of the Lame Beggar

One day, Peter and John were going to the temple, and they met a man who had been lame from birth. He was laid at the gate of the temple every day to beg. He asked Peter and John for money. They replied by asking the man to look at them. The man stared at them, expecting a donation. Peter told him that they did not have silver or gold, but to rise and walk in the name of Jesus. Peter took the man by the hand, and he stood and walked. The man went into the temple with them. Everyone saw the man walking and praising God. They recognized him and were filled with wonder.

Peter Speaks

The man clung to Peter and John, and the people ran to them. Peter asked the people why they were amazed by this, and if they thought that it was through his power or John's power that this had been done. He pointed out that Jesus had been glorified by God, but they had executed Him after Pilate gave them a chance to spare Him. Instead, they had freed a murderer. They had killed Jesus, but God had resurrected Him from the dead. It was through Jesus that His disciples had restored this man to health.

Peter said that he knew that the people and their leaders had acted in ignorance. God had fulfilled what all of the prophets had predicted Christ would suffer. Peter instructed the people to repent of their sins so that they may be forgiven. He explained that Moses had prophesied that God would raise a prophet like him. Moses had told the people to do what the prophet commanded, and anyone who would not listen would be destroyed. All of the prophets had spoken about these days. God had sent Jesus to the people to turn them from their evil ways.

Peter and John

As Peter and John were speaking to the people in the temple, they were arrested for teaching about Jesus and His resurrection. Many people (about five thousand of them) who had heard them believed them. The next day, the rulers, scribes, and elders came together with Annas, the high priest. They asked Peter and John in whose name they did these things. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and wanted to know if they meant healing the lame man. Peter announced that he and John had done this in the name of Jesus, whom the Jews had crucified, and whom God had raised from the dead. Peter told them that there was only salvation through Jesus.

When they heard Peter, they were amazed, and when they saw the man who had been healed, they had nothing to say. They spoke among themselves and asked what they would do with these men. An important sign had been performed, and they could not deny it. They agreed to warn the disciples not to speak to anyone in Jesus' name anymore. After they did this, Peter and John asked if it was right to listen to them or to God. They threatened the disciples again and then let them go. The man that had been healed was over forty years old.

A Prayer for Bravery

After Peter and John were released, they went to their friends and told them what the chief priests and elders had said. When they heard this, they prayed to God. They lifted up their voices, saying that there were men in Jerusalem that were gathered together against Jesus. They asked God to listen to them and enable them to continue to speak without fear. After they prayed, the place where they were was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They continued to speak the word of God with bravery and boldness.

Signs and Miracles

The apostles performed many miracles. This brought many more people to be saved, both men and women. They healed the sick, and people laid those that were ill in the streets so that Peter's shadow might fall on them when he passed by. They brought people from all around Jerusalem who were in need of miracles, and they were healed.

This made the high priest jealous, so he arrested and imprisoned the apostles. During the night, however, an angel came and opened the prison doors. The angel told the disciples to go to the temple and proclaim the gospel. They went there in the morning and began to teach the people.

The high priest gathered the council together and called for the prisoners, but they were gone. Someone reported to the high priest that they were teaching at the temple. The captain and the officers brought the disciples back, but not by force because they feared that the people would stone them for this treatment of the disciples. When the apostles were before the high priest, he confronted them about the order not to teach in Jesus' name. Peter answered that they were doing what God wanted, not what men wanted. Peter stated that they were witnesses to these things, and so was the Holy Spirit.

When the council members heard this, they wanted to kill the disciples. Despite this, a Pharisee named Gamaliel suggested that the apostles be put outside. He told the council about others who had gathered a following in the past and said that they should leave the disciples alone. If the disciples were following a man, they would fail, but if they were following God, the Jews would not be able to overthrow them. The council might even be going against God in what it was doing. Taking Gamaliel's advice, the council had the apostles beaten but then released them, warning them not to keep preaching in the name of Jesus. The disciples continued to preach and teach in the name of Jesus.

Stephen

Stephen was one of seven chosen to serve the people while the apostles preached and taught. Stephen was performing miracles and was filled with the Holy Spirit, but there were some synagogue members that rose and argued with Stephen. They could not stand his powerful witness. They gathered men to lie and say that Stephen had spoken against Moses and God. They raised the people against Stephen, then seized Stephen and took him before the council. They told the council lies about Stephen, but when the council looked at Stephen, he looked like an angel.

When the high priest asked if the accusations about Stephen were true, Stephen began a powerful speech. He gave the history of the people of Israel, starting with Abraham and continuing through to Moses. He told how the people of Israel had disobeyed God and how God had shown them mercy. David had made a tent to be a home for God, but Solomon had constructed a house for God.

Stephen then started calling the people proud and stubborn. He described how they refused to listen to the Holy Spirit. They were doing the same things their ancestors had done. Their fathers had persecuted the prophets, and they were now repeating those actions. Their ancestors had killed the prophets that had foretold the coming of Christ. They had received the law, but they had yet to keep it.

When they heard all of these things, they were furious. Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked into heaven and saw God. He saw Jesus standing at God's right hand. The council members yelled and rushed at Stephen. They ran him out of the city and began stoning him. As they stoned him, he called to God to receive his spirit. When he fell down, he asked God not to hold these sins against them, and then he died.

Summary

The resurrected Jesus told the disciples not to leave Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit would come and fill them. Jesus then ascended into heaven. Matthias was chosen to replace Judas as one of the twelve apostles. Peter and John went to the temple and healed a lame man. They were arrested and taken before the high priest. He ordered them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. The apostles prayed for bravery. On the day of Pentecost, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The twelve continued to do God's work in the name of Jesus. They were arrested again and taken to prison, where an angel came down and freed them. Stephen was teaching about Jesus when he was arrested. He made a speech before the council and detailed the history of the Jews since Abraham. He accused the council members of killing prophets, just like their ancestors. He was then stoned to death.

Application and Reflection

Application

Stephen was teaching about Jesus and was arrested. He was taken to the council, where he told its members that they were just like their ancestors who had persecuted prophets. If Stephen had agreed to stop preaching, he may have been safe from their retribution. He did the right thing, however, and rebuked the council. Sometimes, doing the right thing involves risk. That does not change the fact that it is the right thing to do.

Reflection

When the apostles faced retribution from the chief priests and council, they prayed for God to make them brave. When you face trouble, do you take it to God in prayer?