Pentecost - Part 2

Read Acts 2. The true assembly today cannot have some of the things experienced during the time of the apostles. Paul raised the question, “Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” (I Cor. 9:1 NASB). Paul saw Him, and that is what qualified Paul to be an apostle. Paul did not take the place of Judas Iscariot. That person was Matthias (Acts 1:26). There are no apostles today. There are no prophets. Today we have elders or ministers to take care of the flock. There is no need for apostles or prophets today because we already have the completed revelation of God’s mind. There is a great gulf between that which is orthodox and that which is charismatic teaching.

A favorite verse used by the Charismatics in speaking to new believers is Luke 11:13—“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (NASB). According to them, these new believers have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit and have not spoken in tongues. They tell these new believers that God is ready and willing to give them the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and they call it Pentecost. Luke 11:13 is not a promise to us today in this dispensation. Christians today assemble around a completed revelation instead of gathering around a so-called miracle of special and continuing revelations given by God. Pentecost was an earnest or guarantee of the second coming of Christ at which time our salvation will be complete, that is, the salvation of the body. The Holy Spirit does not make the promises sure because God cannot lie. He does not make sure our interest in these promises because they are made sure in the Divine decree. (A cherished portion of Scripture to read is John 13-17.)

Wind and Spirit come from the same Greek word—pneuma (John 3:8). Human conditions do not limit the Holy Spirit. He sovereignly acts. John the Baptist did not see the intrinsic nature of the Holy Spirit when he baptized the Lord Jesus. Furthermore, those who were baptized in the Holy Spirit did not see Him at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is invisible. No human eye can see the Spirit of God. John the Baptist saw the dove, and those baptized at Pentecost heard the mighty wind rushing and saw the fire. A spiritual object may be recognized by a visible sign. In this sense, one may call the Lord’s Supper a union of Christ’s body when we break bread and partake of the wine. The bread is not Christ’s body, and the wine is not His blood. The bread is a symbol of His body; the wine is a symbol of His blood.

At Pentecost, there appeared to them tongues being divided like fire. The passive voice of the participle diameridzo in Acts 2:3 proves the Holy Spirit caused the apostles to see the distributed languages. Tongues (languages), like fire, are different from the prophetical statement made by John the Baptist concerning Jesus Christ’s baptizing in the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16). The fire in the Gospels speaks of judgment, but there is no reference to judgment in Christ’s promise to the disciples that they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). Pentecost is not the time for judgment. Judgment is connected with the second advent of Christ. If religionists were correct to admonish people to tarry and meet certain conditions to experience their Pentecost, baptism in the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:5 would have to be in the subjunctive mood, which suggests possibility or potentiality. However, it is not in the subjunctive mood. Christ said, “…you shall be baptized [future passive indicative of baptidzo] with [in] the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5 NASB). This signifies that it would be the work of God, and the recipients would have nothing to do with it. What the Lord promised, He decreed; and it took place at His appointed time.

The burning in the hearts of two men, Cleopas and his companion, who were on the way to Emmaus when Jesus Christ joined them and began instructing them, illustrates the symbol of fire. “And they said to one another, Were not our hearts burning [present passive participle of kaio, light, keep burning, cause to burn, to be kindled into emotion, or to consume] within us, while He [Christ] was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining [imperfect active indicative of dianoigo] the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32 NASB). The passive voice of the participle kaio signifies that the One causing their hearts to burn within was Jesus Christ. The Lord causes the hearts of Christians in fellowship with Him to burn with joy when we hear God’s word expounded. Paul charged Timothy to rekindle the gift of God in him: “And for this reason I remind you to kindle [present active infinitive of anadzopureo] afresh the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God” (II Tim. 1:6-8 NASB). Within the compound Greek word anadzopureo, which means to kindle afresh or rekindle, is the word pur, which means fire.

The entire infant assembly of Christ was baptized in the Spirit in fulfillment of the promise in Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, and Acts 1:5. There are only two references to baptism in the Spirit following Acts 1:5; both refer to the event at Pentecost (Acts 11:16; I Cor. 12:13). The house of God, which is the assembly of God, was baptized in the Spirit at Pentecost. On the surface, one might say the house was the place where they were waiting for the promise. According to I Timothy 3:15, the assembly is the house of God that is the pillar and ground of truth. The building is unimportant; it does not make up the assembly. The assembly Christ is building is made up of living stones, not brick and mortar.

Unity of the saints is in view in I Corinthians 12:13. The Greek verbs for “baptized” (baptidzo) and “drink” (potidzo) are first person plural aorist passive indicative. Therefore, the baptism into one body goes back to what took place at Pentecost. This verse cannot be translated, “by one Spirit each is baptized into the body.” Baptism into the body of Christ is a metaphorical expression, which means the persons born of God are identified with the body of Christ. Pentecost was not a singular event that occurs when each person is saved. It was collective.

Baptism in the Spirit cannot be one thing at Pentecost and something entirely different today. Pentecost was the coming of the third Person in the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is a Person proceeding, that is, a Person with a course of action. The term “pour out” in Joel 2:28 is symbolical. It is adopted from the promise of rain in Joel 2:23. The early and latter rain assured the Israelites of harvest (Deut. 11:14). The early rain, according to the Jewish calendar, was in the October and November months, and the latter rain was in the March and April months. Therefore, rain at the beginning and rain at the conclusion assured them of an abundant harvest. Joel compared the future blessing of Israel to the early and latter rain. He was using symbolical language. James, who wrote to the Jews, referred to the early and late rains (James 5:7). He too was using symbolical language. When people repent as a result of God’s coming to them, it is like the early and latter rain. God’s sign of immediate blessing to Israel through Joel is the early and latter rain (Joel 2:23). The prophecy of the early rain took place at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came in His abiding presence, baptizing and empowering the early assembly to carry His message to the world. It is history. The latter rain is not history; neither is it presently taking place. It will take place when Jesus Christ comes as King of kings and Lord of lords. God will grant repentance to Israel, and then Israel will experience the latter rain when a nation is born in a day.

The question often repeated is, how can one Pentecost be represented as coming on Jews (Act 2), Samaritans (Acts 8), and Gentiles (Acts 10)? As both advents of Christ embraced a series of acts, the coming of the Holy Spirit in His abiding presence in the body of Jesus Christ embraces a series of acts. The workings of the Holy Spirit in His people are recorded in the Epistles. The apostles constituted the infant assembly, which was established by Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. This assembly was already empowered and filled with the Holy Spirit when Pentecost came. Along with the eleven disciples and the one appointed to take Judas’ place were other Christians assembled and waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They made up the infant assembly that represented the entire body of Jesus Christ, although countless thousands would be added to that assembly Jesus Christ is continuing to build.

Being “born of the Spirit” must not be confused with being “baptized in the Spirit” (Acts 1:5). The Spirit in regeneration introduces the recipients of grace into the already baptized body of Christ, which is a historical fact. The Holy Spirit indwells Christians (Rom. 8:9). Sealing of the Spirit gives the stamp of ownership for time and eternity. Anointing consecrates the person for service, and filling is necessary for usefulness.

A true spiritual experience never bypasses the Christian’s understanding. The teaching of Scripture is “hear and understand.” All spiritual gifts are given for the instruction of the mind of the Christian. We are to pray and sing with the understanding mind (I Cor. 14:15). When we give a witness, we must witness the truth. Subjective experiences must be tested by the objective revelation of Scripture. Anytime a person places his experience or his opinion ahead of the word of God, he should not be heeded. All worship must be in Spirit and in the objective truth of God. It is experienced not because it is fleshly, but because it is in truth and not according to the opinions of men. Everything not spiritually edifying to the mind is only delusion.