Jan 12, 2014
Acts 2:5-13
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3 prepositions that describe our interactions with the Spirit.
This means each of these three preposition defines a different interaction we have with the Spirit of God and are designed to produce very specific results within the individual. In John 14:17 Jesus presents the first two interactions.... “The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for (first) He dwells with you and (second) will be in you.”
1. “He dwells with you” is the Greek preposition “para” meaning “to come alongside.”
“Para” ministry convicts over sin for the purpose of drawing that person to Jesus.
2. “He will be in you” is the Greek preposition “en” meaning "to come within.”
“En” ministry produces regeneration where we are literally born again of the Spirit.
In Acts 1:8 Jesus presents the third interaction.... “But you shall receive power when (third) the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
3. “Has come upon you” is the Greek preposition “epi” meaning “to come upon.”
“Epi” ministry is unique because it manifests in two distinct ways:
A. Internally: The Holy Spirit provides power to live a righteous life.
Romans 8, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.... But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Galatians 5, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.... If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
B. Externally: The Holy Spirit produces tangible results from our lives.
Fruit: Godly attributes produced as a byproduct of the Holy Spirit’s influence.
Galatians 5, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Gifts: Godly equipping for ministry and the edification of the church.
Romans 12:4-8, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy.”
Ephesians 4:7-12, “To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.... He gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
Acts 2:4 records a gift given as an immediate manifestation of the filling of the Holy Spirit, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Before we examine the “gift of tongues” it is important to point out that according to 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 the “Gifts of the Spirit” are not limited to just speaking in tongues. Paul says, “There are diversities of gifts.... But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, the working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
Set the Scene
120 followers of Jesus are gathered in an outer courtyard of the Temple precincts when “suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind.” We know from Luke’s account that what resulted was that everyone present was “filled with the Holy Spirit.” The result of this filling is that each of them “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” We have no idea how long this lasted, but from the context provided by Luke it didn’t take long for a crowd of some considerable size and magnitude to gather....
Acts 2:5-13, “And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians, Medes, Elamites (Iran), those dwelling in Mesopotamia (Iraq), Judea (Israel) and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia (Turkey or Asia Minor), Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene (North Africa), visitors from Rome (Europe), both Jews and proselytes, Cretans (Crete's and Grecians) and Arabs (Saudi Arabia)—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
Luke tells us two important things about this Jewish crowd:
1. They were Devout Men.
“Devout” is the Greek word “eulabês” meaning “extremely religious.” These men were serious concerning the things of God, so it seems very likely this same group would have also been present for Passover 50 days earlier.
2. They were Diverse in National Origin.
Luke tells us they were “from every nation under heaven.” Jews who have been scattered across the world as a result of the diaspora are now visiting Jerusalem to celebrate the “Feast of First Fruits.”
Though it would seem the initial “sound of a rushing, mighty, wind” drew their attention to the location where this 120 had gathered, it was what they heard coming from this group of disciples that seemingly demanded further investigation.
1. They “were confused (confounded or bewildered), because everyone heard them speak in his own language.” The crowd’s initial reaction as they make their way to the scene was a peaked curiosity because everyone was hearing their native language.
2. They “were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?” As the crowd takes a more detailed look into what’s actually taking place, those present simply didn’t know what to make of what they were seeing!
Q: What is actually happening?
We’re told each bystander “heard them speak in his own language.”
Literally, they each heard them speaking (in the active tense) from their own “dialektos” or “native dialect and language.” This multitude notes that they were hearing these languages from a group of “Galileans” who possessed the reputation of being uneducated and unlearned; and yet, they were worshipping God using languages that were obviously foreign to them.
Theory: In an attempt to strip the passage of the supernatural weirdness that often comes associated with the “gift of tongues” there are those who postulate that the miracle occurred in the ears of the listeners and not from the mouths of the worshipers. Basically, the 120 were praising God in their own natural language, but everyone present was able to understand what was being said in the own native language.
Problem: This theory is not substantiated by the text. While it is true everyone who is listening is indeed hearing them speak in their own native language, Luke is clear those speaking are using a language they couldn’t possibly have known and therefore couldn’t understand.
Luke started off this section of Scripture by saying these 120 disciples “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The Greek word we find for “tongues” is “glôssa” meaning they were speaking with a “language and dialect distinct from their own language of origin.” Though everyone in this society was bilingual - all knew Greek (the language of the Roman Empire) and Aramaic (the language of the Arab street), and most Hebrew - it was true this group from Galilee wouldn’t have been proficient in much else.
To explain how this group of Galilean’s were able to communicate in languages they didn’t know, the passage is clear that an incredible, supernatural manifestation of the “filling of the Holy Spirit” enabled them to speak in these foreign languages as “the Spirit was giving them utterance.”
Note: They were speaking “as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Though each of them were an active participant by uttering the words, the words themselves were manifested in a unique way by the Holy Spirit. Luke is also clear they spoke “as the Spirit gave....” What was occurring within them and manifesting through them was in no way a forced activity. Tongues was given by the Holy Spirit to be received and enjoyed. In essence, they were willing not forced participants in what was occurring!
Q: What are they saying?
A: Luke tells us they were declaring “the wonderful works of God!”
This small detail is critically important to our understanding of the gift of tongues.
The Law of First Mention is a principle for Biblical interpretation which states that the first place a doctrine is mentioned in Scripture presented fundamental truths inherent to uncovering the meaning of that particular doctrine. Since Acts 2 is the “First Mention” of the “Gift of Tongues,” this passage can prove to be extremely helpful in our understanding of this special gifting of the Holy Spirit.
According to the passage....
1. Tongues is a manifestation of the filling of the Spirit.
Acts 2:4, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Though there are many within Christian circles that have tried to down play the gift, not only is it clear this a real, spiritual phenomenon presented here in Acts 2, but.... Jesus predicted the gift would exist in the church in Mark 16:17 “These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues....”
The Apostle Paul writes often about the gift and even goes so far as to defend the use of the gift. 1 Corinthians 14:39 “So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.”
2. Tongues enables a believer to worship God in a deeper way.
According to Acts 2:11 this gift enabled them to declare “the wonderful works of God” using languages they didn’t know and couldn’t understand.
Let me ask: Have you ever been so filled with wonder and emotion about a person that you were unable to find the words to express yourself.... That the limitations of human language hindered your ability to express yourself? When it comes to our relationship with God the gift of tongues is the solution to this frustration.... Tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit that provides a person with a form of communication whereby they can express themselves to God beyond the limitations of their personal knowledge and understanding.
Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
In a general sense all language is an agreement between people. Societally, language develops when people agree that certain sounds create words and these individual words possess definitive meaning. What makes tongues special is that when we express ourselves using this gifting we are entering into a different agreement based upon faith, not understanding. Because I don’t know what I’m saying, tongues enable me to express my deepest desires to God without the restrictions of logic and reason. Tongues is a pure function that transcends my brain and allows me to speak directly from my heart believing God knows what I’m saying even if my brain has no clue. 1 Corinthians 14:14, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.”
As we find demonstrated in Acts 2, this gift served to provide a conduit by which these believers could express themselves to God, not to each other.
1 Corinthians 14:2, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him....”
Luke is clear the multitude that had gathered was eavesdropping. Understand: They were not preaching to the crowd using the gift of tongues. Instead, they were thanking and praising God for His “wonderful works!” Contrary to what some have claimed, “tongues” was not manifested by the Spirit so that the people in this large, diverse crowd would be able to hear the Gospel of Jesus presented in their own language. The text doesn’t say this was the case. The only reason this crowd understood what was being said was because of the diversity of the nationalities that were present. It would be unnecessary since the crowd had a common language. Note: Tongues ceased when Peter preached!
One of the other things that makes tongues unique is that unlike all the other gifts it is given for the edification of the person and not always the church.
1 Corinthians 14:4, “The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.”
Jude 1:20, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit....”
1 Corinthians 14:19, “In church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
Caveat: Though Scripture is clear that tongues has a huge place in the devotional life of the believer and a very limited one in the corporate life of the church, that isn’t to say the gift can’t be used to edify the church. That said, in order for tongues to be used in the assemble Paul says it must be accompanied by the gift of interpretation.
1 Corinthians 14:27-28, “If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.”
The other reason why the gift of tongues is limited in the corporate life of the church is out of consideration for the presence of an unbeliever.
1 Corinthians 14:23, “If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?”
Tongues are given by the Spirit to be used under the directive of the Spirit.
They “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The Spirit gave them utterance as they began to speak.... meaning they weren’t forced to speak in tongues. The Spirit simply provided them the enablement to express the desires of their hearts and then guided the process forward.
Think about it this way.... Most parents who give their teenager a cell phone as a Christmas gift do so with the intention of providing an open line of communication with a child gaining more freedom. And yet, wise parents don’t give their teenager a cell phone without also establishing a set of parameters for how they might want that phone to be used. You see the giver of the phone has this right to establish parameters because the giver understands how best to maximize the gift while avoiding dangerous misuse.
Scripture is clear that tongues are to be used in a responsible way.
1 Corinthians 14:26, “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”
1 Corinthians 14:40, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” In addition to the obvious parameters set up by God for how tongues is supposed to be handled in the assemble of the church, please understand gifts are to be used in a supernaturally natural not supernaturally weird way.
Scripture is clear that tongues is not a gift given to every believer.
1 Corinthians 12:27-31, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”
Hebrews 2:3-4, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”
Note: Because the Bible states that not all gifts are given to everyone, contrary to what certain Pentecostal movements teach, it is wrong to see speaking in tongues as the primary evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Reaction of the crowd was twofold:
1. There was a contingency of people who mocked what they were seeing.
Luke says “others mocked saying, “They are full of new wine.” These people rationalized what they were seeing by asserting to everyone present that this group of Jews clear had had to much to drink. This is obviously an unfounded accusation because I’ve never met a drunk who could speak languages they didn’t know. Not to mention, declaring the wonderful works of God is not typically a by-product of getting plastered!
2. The majority of people were intrigued enough to ask a question.
Luke says most of the onlookers were asking, “What could this mean?” What was happening was so far-out they were left with nothing but questions.... which was not a bad thing because God often provides answers to our questions.
The reaction of the crowd establishes the framework for a sermon Peter is about to give where he will defend against the accusation of being drunk - before providing the ultimate answer to their question: “What could this mean?”