Introduction: When I read internal criticisms of the Church of which
I am a member, they most often deal with theological differences, or
a concern about appropriate standards of behavior. This reminds of
my car. If I were missing a headlight, or had a dent in the fender, I
would think it needed to be fixed. But, if my engine didn’t work,
that would be my first concern. In the Church, the presence (or not)
of the Holy Spirit should be our first concern. Without discounting
the importance of other matters, we need to have the right focus. Our
lesson today helps our focus. Let’s dig into the Bible and learn more
about the Holy Spirit!
- One Place
- Read Acts 2:1 and Acts 1:11-14. Where do you think the
“one place” is that they were gathered? (We cannot be
sure. But, I put these texts together so you could see the
close connection between Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the
gathering in a room to pray and the gathering on
Pentecost. They may still have been in that same room in
the house “where they were staying.”) - Read Acts 2:2-4. What three distinctive things happened
upon the arrival of the Holy Spirit? (Loud and violent
wind noise. Tongues of fire. Speaking in other tongues.
Let’s look at these separately.) - Holy Spirit and Wind
- What purpose does the loud and noisy wind serve? (Read
Acts 2:6. It got attention. It was part of what caused a
crowd to gather.) - Why would the Holy Spirit appear as wind? The noise of the
wind is the first thing mentioned! - Read Ezekiel 37:9-10 and Ezekiel 37:14. What role does the
Holy Spirit play here? (He gives life!) - Read John 3:5-8. What work does the Holy Spirit engage in
here? (He gives birth to the new life in Jesus. Notice
Jesus compares the Holy Spirit to wind.) - Read John 20:19-23. Is there a connection between
receiving the Holy Spirit and forgiveness? - What about a connection between the Holy Spirit and
having peace? - What about a connection between the Holy Spirit and
witnessing?(Part of the new life, the baptism of
water and the Holy Spirit, is forgiveness of sins and
leaving the old, dead life behind.) - Friend, do you see that the Holy Spirit brings life, new
life, just like the air we breath sustains our life? Do
you have the Holy Spirit in you? If not, you are
spiritually dead! You have stopped breathing! - Fire
- Read Isaiah 4:4. What is the “fire” of the Holy Spirit
doing here? (Cleaning.) - Read Matthew 3:11-12. What is the fire of the Holy Spirit
doing here? (This does not specifically say that it is the
fire of the Holy Spirit that burns up the “chaff,” but the
suggestion is that the Holy Spirit is part of this
separation process.) - As you contemplate the “fire” aspect of the Holy Spirit,
how would you describe the goal of this power? (Part of it
is working on my mind to convince me of my sins and to
turn me from them. Some accept the leading of the Holy
Spirit and some do not. This results in the separation of
the wheat and the chaff.) - Read 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22. What happens if you have put
out the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life? (You will
not hear His direction, you will not be able to tell what
comes from God and what does not, you will not be able to
separate the good from the bad and thus avoid evil.) - Tongues
- Re-read Acts 2:4. How do you understand the phrase “as the
Spirit enabled them?” (This is a gift directed by the Holy
Spirit. All of this power comes from the Holy Spirit, of
course, but this indicates that the Holy Spirit enabled
certain languages.) - Read Acts 2:5-8. What is the gift of tongues here? (The
gift of having others understand you in their own
language.) - Is this consistent with the wind and fire? (Part of a
new life in Jesus is understanding His will for you.
You cannot understand until you first hear.) - Acts 19:4-6. What happened to these new Christians when
the Holy Spirit entered them? (They spoke in tongues and
prophesied.) - Is it obvious that they needed to communicate to
those around them? (It is hard to see that is true
here. It appears that we are told the tongues to
confirm the Holy Spirit came on them. They were given
special abilities.) - Read Mark 16:14-18. Is there a way to prove that we
believe in Jesus? (Jesus says that the following are
“signs” of a believer: driving out demons, speaking in new
tongues, picking up snakes, drinking poison, healing sick
people.) - How many of these “signs” are “hanging” on you?
- Let’s explore this a bit more. What does Jesus tell
His disciples to do? (Go to the world and preach.) - If you were to plan for your world evangelism
trip, what would concern you? (Opposition from
Satan and his fallen angels. Speaking the
language of the locals. Physical danger from
wild animals. Danger from bad food or water.
Not being able to convince the people of my
message. Do you see how these “signs” are
actually ways to overcome the problems that
arise in evangelism?) - Read 1 Corinthians 14:1-4. So far, the references to the
gift of tongues either explicitly refer to foreign
languages or are unclear. Is this spiritual gift of
tongues a foreign language? (The text specifically says it
is not. “No one understands.”) - These verses make the argument that being understood
is more important because it helps others. Why would
the Holy Spirit give a gift of tongues that cannot be
understood by anyone? What is the benefit of
uttering a mystery? (If you carefully read these
verses, they teach us that one version of the gift of
tongues is a communication with God that “edifies”
the Christian.) - Does this make any sense? (Think about the fact
that a major work of the Holy Spirit is
internal – guiding our mind into the right
path.) - Read 1 Corinthians 14:27-28. What does this teach us about
speaking in a mystery tongue? (It should not happen in
church unless someone interprets.) - The Future Now
- Read Acts 2:14-18. Are we living in the “last days?”
(Peter says that Pentecost was part of the last days, so
clearly we are in the last days.) - Let’s focus on Acts 2:17-18. How widespread is the gift of
prophecy, the gift of visions and dreams? (The verse says
“all people.” The Holy Spirit will work through everyone,
regardless of gender or age.) - Read Deuteronomy 13:1-3. Are God’s followers to test those
who claim to have the gift of prophecy? (Yes.) - What is the test? (Whether they lead you to God or
away from God.) - Read Deuteronomy 13:5. What should happen if the prophet
fails the test? (Death.) - Read Deuteronomy 18:22. What are we told to do if a
prophet gives a message that does not come true? (We need
not be afraid of that prophet, for the prophet has spoken
presumptuously.) - In the Old Testament, prophets were fairly rare. Joel
tells us that last day prophets will be numerous. How
should we react to modern prophets? (We should test them.
If they get things wrong, then I would not place great
confidence in other things they say. But, with a
widespread gift, I don’t think the same harsh death
penalty is appropriate. Today, of course, we are not the
state and have no such authority. - Friend, is the Holy Spirit alive in you? Are you letting
the Spirit do its full work: giving us new life, cleansing
us of sin, helping us to give others a right view of
Jesus? If not, why not ask for that right now? - Next week: Life in the Early Church.
