Where we’ve been:
Key points (refer to previous lessons):
1. Yeshua walked in the authority and power of God, NOT because he was God, and he was, but because he humbled himself in his humanity and relied only on the Holy Spirit.
2. Every supernatural thing he did – every sign, every wonder, and every miracle – he did as a man by the power and direction of the indwelling Holy Spirit, under the authority of the Father.
3. Just like the disciples, ALL believers are called to accomplish much beyond our natural ability, according to: John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
4. The disciples had seen more miracles than any one history, yet the main reason they were committed to Yeshua was because of what he said.
5. Yeshua was teaching his disciples how to interact with the Holy Spirit so that they could continue what he started, with increasing effectiveness. Just like Yeshua came to reveal the nature of the Father, the Holy Spirit would reveal the nature of the Son in and through the disciples.
Where we’re going:
We’ve come to Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost marks the 50th day from Passover and represents the beginning of the new harvest season. It has come to be the day that traditional Jews commemorate Moses receiving the stone tablets of the Law on Mt. Sinai.
In talking about the Holy Spirit and his work in the early church, Pentecost is perhaps one of the most important days in history.
Acts 1:1-2
In the first book (Gospel of Luke), O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
First, let’s highlight “To do and teach” in vs.1, which was done and taught.
Traditionally, as Western thinkers, our methods of teaching and learning promote lectures, principles, philosophy, and human wisdom. That’s the Greek mindset and it’s not wrong, but it’s not effective to teach or learn Biblical/Hebrew truths.
Biblical teaching and learning elevates relationships – doing, demonstrating, discussing, and discipling. Scripture constantly mentions the companionship of teaching and doing.
In fact, if Yeshua is our example, the teaching of the Word is when many miracles should be happening. Throughout the gospels, many of his miracles happened while he was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. That’s why the Pharisees were so upset, he violated their understanding of God’s word.
God will never violate his Word – but he has no problem violating your understanding of his Word.
Q: Do you think the modern church on a Sunday morning is the place for miracles?
Acts 1:3
He (Yeshua) presented himself alive to them (disciples) after his suffering (crucifixion) by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
When Yeshua appeared and reappeared to his disciples for 40 days he talked about the kingdom of God.
Immediately after the resurrection, Yeshua appeared to Mary Magdalene, and separately He appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and then he appeared to his disciples In the upper room where they were ….hiding.
John 20:19
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ( ! ) And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (??)
Q: What’s the difference between John 20:22 when Jesus tells them “receive the Holy Spirit”, and Acts 2:4 when the disciples were “filled with the Holy Spirit”?
“Peace be with you.….” Vs.19,21,26
Q: Why did he do this 3 times in this chapter, but never anywhere else?
Because they didn’t have him – and they didn’t have peace, they were filled with fear and were hiding behind locked doors.
It wasn’t just a greeting; he was imparting his supernatural peace to them.
* The Peace of God has to displace the fear of man before faith can take root.
Although there’s surprisingly little recorded about these conversations, we do have this passage in Luke 24. After the road to Emmaus encounter, Yeshua appears to all his disciples in Jerusalem-
This one chapter in Luke contains events immediately following the resurrection — — and events at the time of his ascension in Bethany. The mystery is that somewhere in between there are the 40 days Yeshua spent with his disciples, teaching them about the Kingdom. Those teachings are recorded nowhere in scripture.
Luke 24:44-53
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (!), and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Notice:
They “were continually in the temple blessing God.” Are these the same men who were hiding in fear of the Jews a few days before? …………What happened?
They had received the peace of God and insight into the scriptures. (“he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures”) They were beginning to understand the Kingdom!
And they hadn’t even received the baptism of the Holy Spirit yet.
Interestingly, from this point on there’s no more mention of fear hindering them. In fact, they were bold and fearless.
An understanding of the Kingdom tends to put everything in proper perspective.
They didn’t know how long they would have to wait for this “power from on high”, but they knew this was not the time to go fishing or play golf. For this ten-day period, the expectancy, the prayer, the discussion – must have been building an incredible anticipation among the disciples.
Acts 1:12-14
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these, with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Gr: “and sisters”)
(Note: Yeshua’s own brothers and sisters, once estranged, are now present.)
The Outpouring of Acts 2
Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. (Hint: NOT the upper room) And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Q: Why would I say they were not in the upper room, when most of the church has assumed that’s where they were when the Spirit was poured out?
This mention of “together in one place” and “house”, combined with the previous mention of the upper room has led many to assume they were still in a residential upper room when the Holy Spirit was given. Gentiles may assume this, but any Jew who knew his Torah – and the date – would know where to find them.
All the observant and faithful Jews in the area would have been assembled in the Temple or in the outer courts or in the surrounding plaza, at the time of the morning sacrifice (9:00am). This is exactly when the gift of Holy Spirit was poured out from heaven.
The scale of this event is easy to underestimate if you believe the disciples were hiding in some obscure upper room and were overheard by some visitors on the street below.
Remember Luke 24 –“ and they were continually in the temple ..”
After the resurrection of the Messiah, after receiving a supernatural peace from Yeshua, after having their minds open to the scripture, and after 40 days of Kingdom teaching — the disciples were no longer hiding in the upper room.
I believe they were stepping into the purpose and the destiny for which they were called and the fear of man that caused them to hide behind locked doors was being driven out by the presence of God.
The temple was often referred to as a “house”, as in “the house of God”. They were most likely inside the temple itself, which means they were no longer cowering in an upper room. I would speculate that they were beginning to enjoy a Holy Ghost boldness.
Here is one overlooked detail to help us understand that the entire event occurred in the temple, and not in the upper room:
In Act 2, immediately following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Peter repeatedly addresses the crowd. His first sermon. Vs 14, “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: Men of Judea…. “ and later he says, “Men of Israel…” and again, “Brothers….”
Women were only allowed to assemble in the Court of the Women in the temple, and they would’ve been separate from the disciples during the ceremony, and hence during the outpouring. The eleven would have been gathered with the men and the women would’ve been in the Court of the Women. Therefore, it makes sense that only men are addressed in Acts 2.
This contrasts the setting of the upper room as mentioned in Acts 1:14
“All these, with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”
And yet, even though Jewish culture and temple protocol separated the men and women, God’s Holy Spirit would be made available to ALL who were there. In fact, from this point on women are counted and addressed differently than previously. The culture that Yeshua always promoted was one of honor.
The plaza around the temple was built to contain all the pilgrims and faithful Jews who were required to be there. Interestingly, the official area of the temple and plaza was about 10 football fields in size.
For this one-day feast, there would be many thousands of faithful Jews (possibly up to 1 million) in the heart of Jerusalem – the temple complex.
Acts 2:5-13
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
The place and the timing that the Lord chose to pour out his Holy Spirit showed his amazing and persistent love for the Jewish people by giving these faithful Jews a once-in-all-of-history opportunity to be among the very first people to be born again by God’s Holy Spirit.
Also, it meant that the gospel of the Kingdom and the power of the Holy Spirit would be carried throughout the whole Roman world by those faithful Jews and converts.
Don’t ever believe that God has turned his back on the Jewish people!
The First Revival
As this is essentially the first Pentecostal church service in history and really the first revival fully under the Holy Spirit’s control, this event sets the standard for all revivals to follow.
Q: What was the people’s response to this move of God? (See Acts 2:5-13)
They were bewildered, amazed, astonished, amazed and perplexed, questioning and mocking.
The pouring out of the Spirit created chaos, confusion, and jeering accusations of drunkenness. Most of these men in Jerusalem had journeyed a long way, perhaps for weeks or months, to demonstrate a commitment and dedication to obeying the will of God as expressed in Torah. And yet, many of these serious and scholarly men were getting very uncomfortable.
Can you imagine the outcry from these dignified religious men:
“…Stop making a scene / This is out of control / Stop your foolishness / Is this any way to honor God? / Does this behavior glorify God?…..”
But I believe the Holy Spirit was enjoying himself immensely.
Q: Could it be that we define the will of God by what makes us comfortable?
Has God ever promised you that he would never make you uncomfortable?
After Peter’s sermon where he explains what’s happening by quoting from the prophet Joel, He makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is for everybody who will repent and be baptized.
Acts 2:37-39
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Acts 2:43
And awe (fear of the Lord) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
Now the disciples have become the apostles, the students have become the teachers. The apostles are raising up a new generation of disciples to continue the pattern of teaching and doing….
Teaching the gospel and doing miracles.
