Tag: Acts 2:38-39

The Turning Point

Growing up, we had an old-school Children’s Bible with colorful illustrations splashed across the pages. I had a few pictures I’d pore over and examine with great interest. One that particularly intrigued me was a depiction of the disciples at Pentecost, each with a flame of fire dancing on top of his head. None of them appeared to be in pain, their hair wasn’t on fire, and they weren’t burning to death, so the illustration always seemed curious to me. It wasn’t until years later that I learned the significance of the scene that I’d found so fascinating. It was all about the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Probably the least understood and most overlooked aspect of the Triune God is the Holy Spirit. He hovered over the waters during creation and played an active role in bringing the earth into existence. He’s been characterized as a ghost, a fire, a wind, and a dove, but He is none of these things—they are simply manifestations that reveal different qualities about Him. During the time of the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon different people for fixed amounts of time to accomplish specific purposes, but He didn’t stay with them throughout their lives. We see this with Saul (Israel’s first king-see 1 Sam 16:14), Samson (the mighty man in the book of Judges- see Judges 16:20) and David (Israel’s best known and most beloved king-see Psalm 51:11).

In the New Testament, Jesus promised His disciples: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16-17a, NIV.) But it wasn’t until after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven that this promise was fulfilled. There was a distinct turning point when the Holy Spirit came to earth to stay. He began taking up residence in the hearts of those who believed in Jesus and trusted Him to be their Savior during Pentecost, a Jewish feast that had been celebrated since the time of Moses.

The story unfolds in the New Testament book of Acts. Faithful Jews from far and wide traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost. Jesus’ disciples were there to participate in the festivities and were all gathered together in one place. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:2-4, NIV)

Other Jews gathered in amazement when they heard the disciples from the backwater town of Galilee communicating in languages spoken around the world. People in the crowd from different nations and cultures heard unschooled men speaking in each of their native tongues as they proclaimed the name of Jesus and shared the good news of salvation offered through Him.

In the midst of the excitement and confusion, Peter stood to address the crowd with boldness and confidence. (This was the same Peter who had been one of the twelve disciples, who had walked on water, and who had denied he knew Jesus during His trial). He explained that they were witnessing the fulfillment of a prophecy from the book of Joel in the Old Testament:

“‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy…
 And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved.'” (Acts 2:17,18 & 21, NIV)

Peter told the crowd that Jesus was the Messiah, the long-awaited and much-anticipated Savior that had been promised to the Jews since the time of Abraham. He finished by challenging them to respond to the good news: “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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39, NIV)

Let’s not miss a few key parts of this story:

  • The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and enabled them to speak in different languages to tell people about Jesus.  (Consequently, this was the way God redeemed the confusion of languages created when people built the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11.)
  • The arrival of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of both Old Testament prophecy in the book of Joel and the promise Jesus had made to His disciples in John 14 before He was crucified.
  • Peter promised that all individuals who chose to repent, be baptized, and accept forgiveness for their sins would receive the Holy Spirit.

This was a significant turning point for followers of Jesus. It was the start of the Christian faith and the beginning of a new era when God’s Holy Spirit would live permanently within the hearts of those who believed in Jesus and accepted Him as their Savior. And what’s most exciting about this is that it’s not just a lesson about church history, but something that impacts us today. Scripture tells us, “you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13, NIV)

If you’ve received Christ as your Savior, then the Holy Spirit resides within you. Like an official document with a notary’s seal verifying its authenticity, you’ve been marked as “officially” belonging to God. Sadly, this gift of the Spirit is often underutilized and undervalued by believers today. It’s up to each of us to unwrap it and discover the many blessings and benefits of having the Spirit of the living God residing within us. Make it a priority to learn more about this awesome gift and watch your life transform in the process.

Listen to “Holy Spirit” by Francesca Battistelli and have a renewed sense of wonder about the gift of the Holy Spirit in your life.

  • Photo from The Children’s Bible, Golden Press, 1965
  • Priscilla Shirer, Discerning the Voice of God, Lifeway Press, 2018

Reclaiming Your Spiritual Authority

Glancing in the rearview mirror, my heart skipped a beat as I saw the police car’s flashing lights. A quick look at the dashboard showed that I wasn’t speeding before I eased the car onto the shoulder. I’d been taking a shift behind the wheel as my husband and I made the 1700-mile drive to our son’s college halfway across the country.

Leaning into the passenger side window, the officer scanned my license and registration and asked where we were from and where we were going. His heavy boots crunched in the roadside gravel as he returned to his police cruiser to check my information. There was nothing we could do but wait. He had total authority over the situation. Eventually he returned and explained I hadn’t been following a driving law that was unique to his state. Thankfully, he let me off with a warning. (But not before my husband snapped a photo in the sideview mirror to rat me out to our son…)

I hadn’t even realized I was doing something wrong because the rules of the road are different where I live. Nonetheless, the police officer had authority over me as I drove through his jurisdiction.

It may sound strange, but that incident came to mind as I was reading Genesis 1 & 2 recently.  God created the world and then gave Adam and Eve authority to rule over it. (Their authority and “jurisdiction” were a bit more significant than the officer who pulled me over.) God gave them free will, allowing them to choose His way or to follow their own path.

Everything He had given them was good, but it wasn’t long before Satan came in the form of a serpent and enticed Eve to doubt God. By tempting her to disobey Him and eat the forbidden fruit, the enemy implied her Creator might be withholding something desirable from her. He mocked the Lord’s warning that eating from the tree would lead to death:

“‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” (Genesis 3:4-6, NIV)

By choosing to disobey, Adam and Eve unknowingly relinquished the authority God had given them at creation. They were too naïve to understand that everything under their authority would fall when they fell. Their actions brought a curse on all of creation and gave Satan authority over all that God had given them. The world would be under his jurisdiction from that point forward.

Because of this, Satan could legitimately claim authority over the earth when he tempted Jesus many years later: “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours’” (Luke 4:5-7, NIV). Fortunately, Jesus refused the enemy’s temptation and succeeded in obeying His Father where Adam and Eve had failed. During Christ’s life on earth, He set aside His nature as God and lived as a human so He could pay the penalty for the sins of humankind:

“[Jesus] Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8, NIV)

When God resurrected Jesus from death, Satan was defeated and stripped of his authority: “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive… Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 24-25, NIV).

Jesus commands ultimate authority and respect and, as His followers, we have access to that same authority. Jesus said to His disciples: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:18-19, NIV). He returned us to the original place of authority for which we were created. He also gave us the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us (see Acts 2:38-39).

We have jurisdiction over the earth– it is ours to reclaim, if only we will recognize this and act upon it.  Satan was defeated at the cross, but he will continue to wreak havoc on the earth until Jesus returns. There’s no need to fear, however, because we know how the story ends: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you” (Romans 16:20, NIV).

Do you understand the authority God has given you? Are you using it to combat the enemy and to expand the Lord’s kingdom in your spheres of influence?

If you want to learn more about these concepts, consider reading Charles Kraft’s book I Give You Authority, which provided the inspiration for this post. The information here is only a brief overview of this weighty topic.

Jen Wilkin, God of Creation: A Study of Genesis 1-11, Lifeway Press 2017