By The Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Read Acts 2:2-13

Jesus said “I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The Rev. Ron Purkey

As we study the events of Pentecost, it is important that we separate the accidentals from the essentials. The spirit came and the people heard the sound of rushing wind and saw tongues of fire. The spirit baptized and filled the believers, and then spoke as they praised God in various languages. The spirit empowered Peter to preach, and then he convicted the listeners so that 3,000 of them trusted Christ and were redeemed. Let’s consider these ministries one by one.

First the spirit came (Acts 2:2-3). The Holy Spirit had been active prior to Pentecost and had worked in creation (Genesis 1:1-2), in Old Testament history (Judges 6:34; 1 Samuel 16:13), and in the life and ministry of Jesus (Luke 1:30-37; 4:1, 14; Acts 10:38). However, now there would be two changes: the spirit would dwell in people and not just come on them, and his presence would be permanent, not temporary (John 14:16-17).

Second, the spirit baptized (Acts 1:5). The Greek word baptize has two meanings, one literal and the other figurative. The word literally means “to submerge,” but the figurative meaning is “to be identified with.” The baptism of the spirit is that act of God by which he identified believers with the exalted head of the church, Jesus Christ, and formed the spiritual body of Christ on earth (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). Historically, this took place at Pentecost; today, it takes place whenever a sinner trusts Jesus Christ and is born again.

Third, the spirit filled (Acts 2:4). The filling of the spirit has to do with power for witness and service (Acts 1:8). We are not exhorted to be baptized by the spirit, for this is something God does once and for all when we trust his son. But we are commanded to be filled with the spirit (Ephesians 5:18), for we need his power constantly if we are to serve God effectively. At Pentecost, the Christians were filled with the spirit and experienced the baptism of the spirit; but after that, they experienced many fillings (Acts 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9) but no more baptisms. The Holy Spirit has revealed God’s truth to us in words (1 Corinthians 2:12-13), and these words have definite meanings that must not be changed.

Fourth, the spirit spoke (Acts 2:5-13). Notice that the believers were praising God, not preaching the Gospel, and that they used known languages, not an “unknown tongue” (Acts 2:6, 8). Luke named 15 different geographical locations and clearly stated the citizens of those places heard Peter and the others declare God’s wonderful works in languages they could understand. The Greek word translated “language” in Acts 2:6 and “tongue” in Acts 2:8 refers to a language or dialect of some country or district (Acts 21:40; 22:2; 26:14).

Read Ron Purkey’s free Bible study outlines at rcpbibleoutlines.com. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.