"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine."  Acts 2:1-13

The Day of Pentecost was one of the most phenomenal and important events in all of history, and one of the major reasons for that is because it was “the coming of the Holy Spirit.” The disciples had been deliberately prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Throughout the Bible the revelation of the Spirit had been progressive (Joel 2:28-29, Luke 3:16, Acts 4:8, etc.).

Ultimately one asks the question, what does all of this mean? First, when a man grasps the gospel and believes, really believes, the Holy Spirit enters his life. He comes upon, falls upon, pours, fills, baptizes (immerses) Himself into the life of the believer. This is a personal experience. This act of the Spirit takes place in the life of the believer. The believer experiences the Spirit coming into his life. The believer receives the Spirit experientially. Second, when a man grasps the gospel and believes, really believes the Holy Spirit takes him and baptizes or immerses, and places him into the body of Christ, which is God’s Church. The believer does not feel or experience this act. It is an act of God that takes place in heaven. The believer is counted as a child of God. He is counted as a member of the body, of the church. The believer is adopted as a child of God. It is an eternal position, an eternal sonship. Thirdly, after a man is saved, he is to be filled and to keep on being “filled with the Spirit”—day by day (Eph. 5:18).

Study Questions:

1. How does the story of the Pentecost make you feel? Do you have a hard time with it? Why or why not?
2. Does the Holy Spirit bring you comfort? Or is it something you have a difficult time grasping?
3. Reflect on a time in your life when you felt like you were being “filled with the Spirit.”
4. Do you think it is important to be a part of the body of Christ? What does that look like for you?
5. Do you believe that you have been adopted as a child of God? What does that mean for you personally?