The Church is Born

By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Acts 2:1-13

 

Acts 2:12

So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

(NKJV)

 

Like the announcement by an angel and heavenly choir to the shepherds at the birth of Jesus, the coming of the Holy Spirit is with great and miraculous fanfare. It comes with wind, fire, and the miracle of people speaking a language they do not know. The question that has caused division in the Church throughout its history is whether these signs, or at least the sign of speaking in tongues, must occur as an indication that one has received the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this post is to lend biblical clarity to this debate.

 

It is the day of Pentecost, one of the Jewish feasts requiring that all come to Jerusalem. As such, Jews from all over the known world have gathered in Jerusalem. The 120 disciples of Jesus are in the upper room when they hear the sound of a rushing mighty wind enter the room where they are praying (Acts 2:1-2). Then they see tongues of fire sitting on each of them (Acts 2:3). They are then filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in other tongues, or languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

 

This sound must have been loud because it got the attention of the multitude gathered for Pentecost, confusing them because they heard these people speaking in their own language (Acts 2:5-6). The crowd was also amazed because those speaking in tongues were not among the highly educated and elite of Jerusalem but people from Galilee (Acts 2:7-8). Adding to the miracle was that the people hearing the Galileans speak in their language were from many diverse places, hearing people praise God in their native tongue (Acts 2:9-11). Some among the crowd were amazed and perplexed, wondering what this sign meant, with others mocking the Galileans, saying they were drunk with some new wine (Acts 2:12-13).

 

The Church is the bride of Christ and functions in a fallen world. In this environment, it needs the power of the Holy Spirit to be effective (Acts 1:4, 8). This power source has come with a glorious entrance involving.

• A rushing wind (Acts 2:2) – Like any guest coming to the house, the Holy Spirit enters the room like a wind. Jesus told Nicodemus that one must be born of the water and Spirit to be part of the kingdom of God, with him comparing those born of the Spirit to the wind (John 3:5, 8). In nature, wind is unseen but powerful, causing damage or generating power through a wind turbine. It is the wind from a jet engine that produces the thrust to propel a large airliner into the air. The Holy Spirit has made His presence known to the 120 in the upper room.
• Tongues of fire (Acts 2:3) – The tongues of fire rest on everyone in the room, an indication that the Holy Spirit is for everyone in the room. John the Baptist told his followers that he was not the Messiah, for he baptized with water, but that the Messiah would baptize them with fire (Luke 3:16; Matthew 3:11). The tongues of fire resting on everyone is the fulfillment of this prophecy and indicates it is for them all.
• Speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4) – Speaking in tongues is a sign indicating the empowerment of the Spirit to share the Gospel. While those filled with the Spirit did not know all the languages of those gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost, they were able to praise God in all the languages spoken (Acts 2:7-8). The sign occurs two more times in the Book of Acts. First, as a sign to Peter that the Gentiles had been saved (Acts 10:44-46), and second as a sign that a group of people baptized in John’s baptism had received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-6).

 

Just as a cell phone with a low battery needs to be plugged into its charger, the Church becomes weak without plugging into the power of the Holy Spirit. However, some have turned the signs that occurred at Pentecost into a show to gather large crowds, especially the sign of speaking in tongues. Unfortunately, this has turned some off from believing in the power of the Holy Spirit in ministry, resulting in a weak Church. These are two extremes of worship, with the first group worshipping in spirit, not necessarily the Holy Spirit, without any regard for biblical truth for what they are doing. The other group does not want to go into non-biblical worship and ignores the need for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in ministry.

 

Jesus warned his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until receiving the empowerment of the Holy Spirit with the Church today also needing this empowerment. The Church functions in a fallen world with persecution, something the Church should expect (John 16:33). A weak Church without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit will go dead and give in to persecution unless it plugs into the power source of the Holy Spirit for charging. The Church needs to wordship in both Spirit and Truth (John 4:24). The sign one has the Holy Spirit in their life if their life has the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

 

If you are reading this and have never made a public profession of faith in Jesus as your savior, I urge you to do so now by praying with me.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

Let someone know of your profession of faith or comment on this post. I also urge you to find a church of truth, teaching from the Bible with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, so you can grow in your faith. May God convict, challenge, and bless everyone reading this post.