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The Birth of the Church

The Birth of the Church. Acts : The Unfinished Story of the Church Series [3] Acts 2:1-13. COMMON PITFALLS IN RELATING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. NEGLECT: Living the Christian life as if the Holy Spirit doesn ’ t exist.

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The Birth of the Church

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  1. The Birth of the Church Acts: The Unfinished Story of the Church Series [3] Acts 2:1-13

  2. COMMON PITFALLS IN RELATING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT • NEGLECT: Living the Christian life as if the Holy Spirit doesn’t exist. • SENSATIONALISM: Pursuing the work of Holy Spirit mostly through sensational spectacles. • CARELESS OPENNESS: Being open to the work of the Holy Spirit without Scripture-guidance and cautious discernment. • CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE: Believing in the sound doctrine of the Holy Spirit in concept but in reality experiencing no power.

  3. If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference. A. W. Tozer

  4. THREE SYMBOLS IN THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT • Like a mighty rushing wind (v.2): SOUND • Wind is a recurrent symbol for God’s presence. • It points extraordinary presence and powerful work of God (cf. Ezek. 37:9). • As of tongues of fire (v.3): SIGHT • Fire is also a symbol for God’s presence, holiness, and purifying power. • It points to the twofold implication: (1) personal relationship of each believer with God and (2) one body of Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit in each believer. • In other tongues (v.4): SPEAKING • They were foreign languages of all nations in their world. • It points to the reversal of the curse of Babel in Christ.

  5. WHAT DOES THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH REVEAL ABOUT GOD’S PLAN? • It reveals a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that the church would receive power.  1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (vs.1-4)

  6. WHAT DOES THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH REVEAL ABOUT GOD’S PLAN? • It revealsa fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that the church would receive power. • Jesus’ promise was that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit and will receive power (Acts 1:5,8). • The church was born by the outpouring of the Third Person of the Trinity—Holy Spirit—to empower for its mission. • Two important work of the Spirit: (1) baptism of the Holy Spirit when one is saved (once for all) and (2) filling/fullness of the Holy Spirit (repeatedly and continuously). • We don’t have to wait for the Holy Spirit because he indwells in each believer, but we are to be filled with the Spirit by yielding ourselves utterly to the Spirit’s control.

  7. WHAT DOES THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH REVEAL ABOUT GOD’S PLAN? 2) It reveals the beginning of the New Covenant— the law of the Holy Spirit written on our hearts. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:33 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:25

  8. WHAT DOES THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH REVEAL ABOUT GOD’S PLAN? 2) It reveals the beginning of the New Covenant— the law of the Holy Spirit written on our hearts. • The coming of the Holy Spirit has opened up a new era where God’s law is written on the tablets of hearts by the Holy Spirit. • The New Covenant involves two things: (1) forgiveness of sin through death and resurrection of Christ and (2) the grace of the Spirit through his leading and power. • We must realize that we are no longer under the law but under grace, which means that we are to be led by the Spirit, fulfilling God’s will for our lives and for the world.

  9. WHAT DOES THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH REVEAL ABOUT GOD’S PLAN? 3) It reveals the scope of the church in God’s plan—a harvest from all nations. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” (vs.5-13)

  10. WHAT DOES THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH REVEAL ABOUT GOD’S PLAN? 3) It reveals the scope of the church in God’s plan—a harvest from all nations. • We see what the Jews in Acts 2 couldn’t fully realize until later—God’s plan is to include all nations in the church. • The need for spiritual harvest was and still is the purpose of Pentecost’s power and challenge for fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8; Matt 28:18-20). • In accordance with this purpose and challenge, we must earnestly seek the continuous filling of the Spirit in our church as well as in our personal lives.

  11. Revealing the Nature of the Kingdom of Christ Nothing could have demonstrated more than this multi-racial, multi-national, multi-lingual nature of the kingdom of Christ. Ever since the early church fathers, commentators have seen the blessing of Pentecost as the deliberate and dramatic reversal of the curse of Babel. At Babel human languages were confused and the nations were scattered; in Jerusalem the language barrier was supernaturally overcome as a sign that nations would now be gathered in Christ, prefiguring the great day when the redeemed company will be drawn “from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Rev. 7:9). Besides, at Babel earth proudly tried to ascend to heaven, whereas in Jerusalem heaven humbly descended to earth. - John R. W. Stott

  12. THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE • What realization do I have about the Holy Spirit? What common pitfall do I need to be watchful about in relating to the Spirit? • How do I live by the power of the Holy Spirit? What must I confess and surrender to be filled with the Spirit? • If God’s plan for the church is to include all nations, what first step can I take toward participating in this plan?

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