4. Inauguration of the Infant Church

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Hymns: RHC 235 Pentecostal Power 244 Fill Me Now, O Lord 243 The Comforter Has Come

Acts 2:1-13

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. 12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

Inauguration of the Infant Church

OUTLINE

  • Mighty Movement of the Holy Spirit (v1-4)
  • Mighty Witnessing for the Works of God (v5-13) 

INTRODUCTION

It was at the Tower of Babel that God confounded the languages of the men gathered. The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. When men said, “… Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen 11:4).

Genesis 11:6-8 (KJV) And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Men’s rebellion against God reaches its climax in the ecumenical movement to form a world government and one people against God.

God confounded them and scattered them giving rise to nation states and the people are scattered when they did not understand each other’s speech.

The scattering gave rise to the unique situation when the people had their own languages. 

It was 2242 B.C. when this happened. And the day of Pentecost A.D. 33. There was a regathering of the people under God through Christ. 

The great purpose of Pentecost was to give the final proof of the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God the Saviour of the world. 

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

Two thoughts as we consider the coming of the Holy Spirit to energize the disciples for witnessing.

  • Mighty Movement of the Holy Spirit (v1-4)
  • Mighty Witnessing for the Works of God (v5-13) 

(1) Mighty Movement of the Holy Spirit (v1-4)

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

The scene is at the Upper Room where the disciples were praying for the last 10 days. It was on the day of Pentecost.

The word “Pentecost” is a Greek word, signifying the fiftieth part of a thing; or the fiftieth in order. Among the Jews it was applied to one of their three great feasts which began on the fiftieth day after the Passover. 

This feast was reckoned from the sixteenth day of the month Abib, or April, or the second day of the Passover. The paschal lamb was slain on the fourteenth of the month at even, (Leviticus 23:5); on the fifteenth of the month was a holy convocation – the proper beginning of the feast; on the sixteenth was the offering of the first-fruits of harvest, and from that day they were to reckon seven weeks, i.e., forty-nine days to the feast called the feast of Pentecost, so that it occurred fifty days after the first day of the feast of the Passover. 

This feast was also called the feast of weeks, from the circumstance that it followed a succession of weeks. 

Exodus 34:22 (KJV) And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.

Numbers 28:26 (KJV) Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:

Deuteronomy 16:10 (KJV) And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

It was also a harvest festival, and was accordingly called the feast of harvest. And it was for this reason that two loaves made of new meal were offered on this occasion as first-fruits. [Barnes] 

Leviticus 23:17 (KJV) Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

Numbers 28:27-31 (KJV) But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the first year; 28 And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto one bullock, two tenth deals unto one ram, 29 A several tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the seven lambs; 30 And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you. 31 Ye shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings.

During the post-exilic period, this feast also celebrates the giving of the Law to Moses. It was a time to go back to God’s Word.

1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

There was a sudden movement, a surprise to everyone in the room. Though the disciples were told to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, when it came it caught them by surprise. There was described a noise, a violent rushing wind. 

The movement of the Holy Spirit has been described by Christ as the wind – John 3:8 (KJV) The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

(2) Mighty Witnessing for the Works of God (v5-13) 

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. 12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

When the Word of God was preached, every man heard in their own tongue. There were 16 different nationalities of devout Jews who came Jerusalem. And God’s plan was to save these men though the preaching of God’s Word. At the close of this episode, three thousand souls would be saved when the Word of God was being preached.

In the 28 chapters of the Book of Acts is recorded for us 19 sermons. Studying them carefully will lead us to know that the proclamation of God’s Word is the means by which souls will be saved. Many souls were ushered to the kingdom of God by the fervent preaching of God’s Word.

This God-ordained means of conveying God’s purpose to men through the preaching of His Word is most clearly seen in the Book of Acts – as we said 19 sermons in 28 chapter recorded in great detail to help us to see the efficacy of preaching and that faith comes by listening to the spoken Word of God. When the Holy Spirit came mightily to fill the hearts of the disciples waiting upon the Lord at the Upper Room, God enabled them to proclaim the truth of the gospel that men might be saved.

the power of the Holy Spirit coming as a rushing wind and tongues of fire, the fiery words of the works of God to cause men to confess God in the hearts.

The people said Acts 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. This miracle from God is explained away as a drunken frenzy that has come upon the disciples. They don’t know what they are saying. They are under intoxication! they are drunk!