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“The Holy Spirit In Acts”
(Part II)
(I Corinthians 6:19-20)
I. Introduction.
A. Let me begin this second lesson on “The Holy Spirit In Acts”
where we ended Part I. We should not view the Holy Spirit
only in the extraordinary, or the spectacular. That Spirit of
God must be seen in faith in Christ, and as the gift given to
everyone who obeys the gospel, repents of their sins, and is
baptized into Christ for the remission of sins.
B. In I Corinthians 6, Paul affirms that such obedience makes an
individual “. . . the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
[them] . . .” (verse 19). This Spirit comes from God and
makes that person the possession of God (“. . . you are not
your own”).
1. What does this mean? The individual is not free to
indulge his own desires, but is obligated to honor and
“. . . glorify God in [this] body” (verse 20).
2. The price of such freedom from sin was the life of
God’s Own Son. His blood buys His people
(Acts 20:28).
C. Peter, in beginning his message to Cornelius’ household, in
Acts 10, affirms the gospel is intended to save all people, not
just Jews, not just Samaritans, but anyone outside of Christ
(read, Acts 10:34-35).
1. The whole of Acts 10 should be considered to get the
full impact of Peter’s statement. Peter’s vision, on the
housetop at Joppa, is a good starting point
(Acts 10:9-16; read). What Peter saw confused him
(verse 17: “Now while Peter wondered within himself
what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the
men who had been sent from Cornelius had made
inquiry for Simon’s house and stood before the gate.”).
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2. The precise moment when Peter realized the
significance of the vision is really unknown, but,
by the time he’d reached Cornelius’ house, in
Caesarea, he had grasped its meaning:
3. If everyone had understood this impartiality of God,
and the Lordship of Christ over all people, (verse 36:
“. . . He is Lord of all – “), the unusual events that
occurred at Caesarea would not have been necessary.
But, not everyone then understood what Peter had now
learned.
D. As Peter was explaining to his attentive audience that, as all
the prophets had taught, everyone who believes in Christ as
the Son of God can receive forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit
came upon Peter’s hearers (Acts 10:43-46; read).
1. Peter does not separate baptism and the Holy Spirit.
He connects them: (verses 47-48: “ ‘Can anyone
forbid water, that these should not be baptized who
have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ And
he commanded them to be baptized in the name of
the Lord. . . “).
2. Peter compares what has happened in Cornelius’ house
to what occurred on Pentecost, in Jerusalem, when the
apostles received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.
3. This was not something that commonly occurred, and
its significance is immediately clear to Peter. Surely,
no one could refuse baptism for these Gentiles, as God
wanted them to become Christians just as He wanted
Jews to embrace His Son as their Savior.
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E. In the events at Caesarea, where do we see evidence of the
Pentecostal doctrine of a “higher experience?” It isn’t there.
The only way one could argue for this point of view is to
believe that Cornelius and his household were saved, were
Christians, before Peter ever got to Caesarea.
1. Cornelius, in his own vision from God, had been told
to send men to Joppa to bring Peter back with them.
Peter, then, “. . . will tell you what you must do.”
(Acts 10:6).
2. The only thing Peter commanded them to do was to
submit to water baptism. This is when they became
Christians and, like all who obey such a command,
received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
II. The Ephesian Disciples.
A. Our next example comes from Acts 19 (read verses 1-7).
B. Once again, Pentecostalism regards these verses as a support
for the doctrine of the “higher experience.” But, instead of
teaching the coming of the Holy Spirit following conversion,
as a separate work of God’s grace, it teaches the one, and only,
coming of the Spirit at conversion. We see, again, clearly, the
union of faith, baptism, and the Holy Spirit.
C. Why Paul suspected that these disciples of John had not been
immersed for the remission of sins, Luke does not say. One
thing we can say with certainty, it was not because Paul
observed their drab, powerless lives. The only possible reason
for such a suspicion could have been an understanding that
Apollos did not, at one time, teach baptism into Christ (where
the Spirit is given) because he, himself, did not know of it
(read Acts 18:24-26).
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1. Notice the very first question Paul asks the Ephesians:
“. . . ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?” . . . (verse 2). This surely indicates that
Paul expected the Spirit to come as a result of their
faith in, and obedience to, the gospel. As Paul wrote
to the Galatians: (Read, Galatians 3:2-3).
2. Instead of looking for some “higher experience”,
Paul’s question addresses the fact that all penitent,
baptized believers in Jesus Christ receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit.
3. Now, look at what Paul doesn’t ask these Ephesians:
“Do you know that after your obedience to the gospel
you cannot be satisfied until you’ve received the real
fullness of God’s blessings? Were you taught that you
are incomplete until you have a “higher experience”
and the “baptism of the Holy Spirit? Have you yielded
totally, removed all known sin, and prayed earnestly
for the Spirit to come?”
4. Then, Paul’s second question comes: ‘. . . Into what
were you baptized?’. . .” Their problem was not
lacking the Spirit. It was not having been baptized into
Christ, first. Paul explains that John’s baptism was
based not upon faith in Jesus, but upon the promise of
the Messiah (re-read, verse 4).
a. The Ephesians had never come to believe
(because that had not been instructed to
believe) in Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ
(Messiah).
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b. When they understood who Jesus was, and
what they themselves needed to do to be
“in Christ,” they then were, “. . . baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus.” (verse 5).
5. What you find in Acts 19 is not a subsequent Christian
experience. It cannot be, as the Ephesians were not
Christians until they were baptized into Christ.
D. When Paul, as a true apostle, “. . . had laid hands on them, . .”
(verse 6), some did receive the miraculous power that is
associated with the Holy Spirit.
1. But, where does Paul teach the necessity of laying on
of hands for a person to receive the “gift” of the Holy
Spirit? His emphasis (in verse 4) is upon belief in
Jesus Christ.
2. The Ephesians did speak in “tongues,” but their doing
so does not fit the Pentecostal pattern. There is, here,
no condition beyond conversion to be met, nor is there
an expectation of speaking in tongues taught to these brethren. The Ephesians are not told they will not be
complete Christians until they have spoken in tongues.
E. Everywhere you find this manifestation of God’s Spirit, the
tongue-speaking was given to a group of people, not just one
individual.
III. Paul’s Message To Christians.
A. At Miletus, Paul reminds the Ephesian elders that he, himself,
had preached boldly, and had not shrunk from: “anything that
was helpful [profitable]” (Acts 20:20). He had declared the
“. . . whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27). What was Paul’s
primary message: “testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks,
repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ” (Acts 20:21).
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B. Paul’s message was testimony to “. . . the gospel of the grace
of God” (Acts 20:24), not of a “higher experience,” or a
reception of power after they had become Christians.
1. In verse 32, Paul says: “So now, brethren, I commend
you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able
to build you up and give you an inheritance among all
those who are sanctified.”
2. It’s the “word of His grace” that, itself, has the power
to “build. . . up” and “give . . . an inheritance.” What
need is there for some deeper, subsequent work of God
to grant us power for our lives and service? The word,
itself, is our strength, our shield, and our weapon to
combat Satan and his lies.
IV. Conclusion.
A. What must we conclude? “Acts” does not teach salvation in
stages. Salvation comes all at once, when we obey the gospel
call to repent and be baptized.
B. “Acts” does not teach that the coming of the Holy Spirit must
be accompanied by extraordinary “signs.” It does record such
manifestations of the Spirit, but always for a good reason –
and for God’s reason.
C. Conversion is a simple action – in response to the freely given
grace of God. By faith, not miracles, we know we’ve received
the Spirit of God and Christ.