Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Birthdays are a time of great celebration in our individual lives and in our families. They provide the opportunity for sending cards and giving gifts. Depending on one’s age, birthdays are anticipated with joy. This may not be the case for those older since birthdays signal the rapid pace of time and the fact that we are getting older. When a birthday arrives, it should remind us of God’s faithfulness to us and lead us to thank Him for giving us another year. Nations, organizations, and other groups also experience birthdays. When I mention July 4, 1776, you think of the birthday of our nation. Blue River recently commemorated the church’s 60th birthday on April 2. A day more important than either of these dates was the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. This day is significant because it marked the day of the Spirit’s coming and of the birthday of the Church.
In the past four articles, we have been studying the Holy Spirit, our Divine Comforter. In examining the person and work of the Holy Spirit, we saw what the Spirit did in the Old Testament and in the Gospels. He was active in creation, in inspiration of the Scriptures, in Israel, and in the life of Christ. Another phase of the Spirit’s ministry began after the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven. Jesus spoke to His disciples in the upper room before His crucifixion about the coming of the Spirit. A new day was about to dawn. In this study we will answer the question: “The Holy Spirit: What Did He Do When the Church Was Born?”
On that day the Holy Spirit came into the world.
The Lord Jesus told His disciples in the upper room about the coming of the Holy Spirit in the near future. All three Persons of the Trinity were involved in the Spirit’s coming. The Father and the Son would send the Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7) and give the Spirit (John 14:16). The Spirit Himself would come (John 15:26; 16:7, 8, 13) and abide with them forever (John 14:16-17).
When the Holy Spirit came
He was not given before Christ’s death, as Jesus described His coming as yet future (Jn.14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-8, 12-15).
He was not given before Christ’s ascension (Luke 24:49; John 16:7; Acts 1:8-11). He would not come until Christ departed.
He was not given until after Jesus was glorified (John 7:37-39). He would be glorified after His resurrection and ascension.
He was given in His baptizing work “not many days” after Christ’s ascension (Acts 1:4-5; cp. 11:15-17).
This promise of the giving and sending of the Spirit was fulfilled when He came on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).
Why the Holy Spirit came
On that day a new age was ushered in—the Church age.
On that day the Spirit began a new, distinctive ministry in His new people, the Church.
He would be received by believers (John 7:39), but not by unbelievers (John 14:17).
He would not be with them (as in Old Testament times), but in them (indwelling). While His indwelling before the Church age was selective and temporary, now it would be universal and permanent.
The Spirit would also have the ministry of convicting unbelievers (John 16:7-11) and, most importantly, of glorifying and revealing Christ (John 16:14).
On that day the Spirit came to make His abode in the world (John 14:16). This does not mean that the Spirit was not omnipresent—He is. Nor does it mean that He did not work in the world before the day of Pentecost—He did. It does mean that He was sent into the world to begin a new era.
On that day the Holy Spirit began distinctive ministries to the Church.
The Spirit baptized believers, placing them into the Church, the Body of Christ (Christ did the baptizing, using the Holy Spirit as the agent) (Acts 1:5; cp. Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 11:15-16).
This baptism first occurred on the day of Pentecost and marked the beginning of the Church.
This baptism occurs in the life of each believer at the point of trusting in Christ for salvation (Rom. 6:3-6; I Cor.12:13).
The Spirit empowered believers for service, that they might be witnesses for Christ (Acts 1:8).
The Spirit filled believers, as He controlled their lives (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:3, 5, 10; 7:55; 9:17; 11:23-24; 13:9-12, 50-52; 19:6).
The Spirit’s filling is a repeated experience in the believer’s life (Acts 2:4; 4:31; cp. Eph. 5:18).
The Spirit’s filling accomplishes powerful results in the believer’s life: they spoke with tongues (on only limited occasions—Acts 2:4; 10:44-47; 19:6), spoke the Word with boldness and wisdom (4:8, 31; 6:10; 7:55; 13:9-12), ministered to others’ needs (6:3, 5), exhorted and evangelized (11:23-24), and rejoiced (13:50-52).
The Spirit guided believers, guiding evangelists to prepared souls (Acts 8:29, 39; 10:19-20; 11:12; 16:6-7) and guiding by revealing the future (Acts 20:22-24).
The Spirit comforted believers, as the growing Church experienced the consolation of the Spirit (Acts 9:31).
The Spirit revealed the message through believers (Agabus—11:27-28; 21:10-11; disciples—19:6, 21:4).
The Spirit appointed believers for service, specifically missionaries (Acts 13:1-4) and pastors (20:28).
The Spirit instructed believers, instructing the Jerusalem Council concerning His will for Gentile converts (Acts 15:28-29).
(Resources used: Major Bible Themes, L. S. Chafer/J. Walvoord, pp. 93-95; The Divine Comforter, J. D. Pentecost, pp. 81-108-119, 136-143)
The work of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, ushered in a new age. We as believers have the privilege of living in that age. Let’s yield to the Spirit, that we might see Him do amazing things in our own lives!
Because of His Grace—Pastor Charlie