Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey.

13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

11b We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

 

MEMORY VERSE: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. —Acts 2:17-18

 

CENTRAL THOUGHT: In fulfillment of the types, shadows and prophesies of the Old Testament and Jesus’ promise, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the one hundred and twenty believing disciples who had met together in one accord in the upper room, continuing for about ten days in earnest prayer and supplication.

 

WORD DEFINITIONS

 

Acts 1:5 “Baptized”: Dip under; submerge; immerse.

Acts 1:8 “Witnesses”: eye or ear witness; one who testifies for one; also, a martyr; one who has proved the strength and genuineness of his faith in Christ by undergoing a violent death.

Acts 1:12 “The mount called Olivet”: on the east side of Jerusalem, a mountain Christ much frequented, and from whence he ascended to heaven. It has its name from the multitude of olive trees which grew upon it. “A Sabbath day’s journey”: According to the Jews, who often called it “the bound of the Sabbath,” seven furlongs, or two thousand cubits from any city or town, which was 0.596 miles (a little over half a mile).

Acts 2:2 “Mighty”: strong; violent. “Wind”: not just rushing or moving air, but rather, life-giving breath.

Acts 2:3 “Cloven tongues like as of fire”: tongue-shaped, flame-like appearances; one such tongue sat upon each one of the brethren or disciples present.

Acts 2:4 “Other tongues”: other actual languages.

 

LESSON BACKGROUND

 

We have studied various Old Testament historical and ceremonial types of the Holy Spirit; however, there is another beautiful event in II Chronicles 5 that foreshadows the sudden, overwhelming “filling” of the house by the presence and glory of the Lord on the day of Pentecost.

When Solomon finished the temple and brought the ark of the Lord and other furnishings into it, and the singers and musicians, all white-robed, began to sound praises to God, along with the one hundred and twenty priests, it was recorded that they “were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord” (II Chronicles 5:13). Surely, this points forward to the one hundred twenty disciples, who had been made kings and priests unto God by Jesus’ blood (Revelation 1:6) who prayed “in one accord.” The resulting glory in the Old Testament temple was described as filling the house of the Lord, “so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud. . .” As Haggai prophesied, “The desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. . . The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts. . . .” (Haggai 2:7, 9).

It was now not a literal sanctuary or temple, but the hearts of men and women. They were not literal Jewish priests, but a royal priesthood and a holy nation to “shew forth the praises,” or “the wonderful works” of God.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

 

DISCUSSION:

 

  1. Fully Come: How many days after the Resurrection was Pentecost?
  2. Unto the Uttermost Parts of the Earth: What did it mean to the disciples, and to many thereafter, to be a witness?
  3. I Will Fill this House with Glory: Who prophesied particularly of this day, and how was it fulfilled?
  4. The Baptism: What symbol of the Holy Spirit is in today’s lesson? What other symbols have been used in the Scriptures?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

 

In the beginning lesson we studied the way the Holy Spirit visited and moved upon different individuals at different times in Israel’s history. Some were given special abilities to perform certain tasks; some were kings who were given anointing to bear rule over God’s people; some were prophets who were given a divine message about Israel’s future and the coming of the Messiah. How were these visitations different from Pentecost?

I think that one difference is that the Old Testament saints were given the Spirit in measure, while in the New Dispensation He was given in fullness. In the Old Testament, He moved only upon the Children of Israel; in the New Testament, He was poured out upon all flesh, Jews and Gentiles alike.

There is also a difference in that He endued the New Testament saints with power; power to triumph over sin and truly live, at all times, holy unto the Lord. The reason is that He was now given through Christ. Jesus lived without sin, offered Himself to God as a substitute for mankind, redeemed man from the enemy, and in and by and through that sinless sacrifice, He sanctified forever those who come to God through Him. Hallelujah!

I have often thought of the disciples as they watched Jesus rise into the air— what they must have thought, how they must have felt, to see Him go away. Oh, how they would do ANYTHING to have Him again! He had assured them He would send the Comforter to them, Who would bring His Words, His abiding presence— His LIFE—into their hearts. If we were there—would we have thought of doing anything else but seeking, waiting and praying for His visitation?

Would we have sought Him just that earnestly, with that same abandonment of selfish pursuits, desires and ambition; and just that many days–not ceasing, not being put off by the length of time passing and the feeling of “not getting somewhere”? It seems we are greatly affected by this “instant” age in which we live. We grow discouraged when we pray a while and “nothing happens”. Ten days? Could we have done this for His outpouring upon us?

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

 

REFLECTIONS

 

The Holy Spirit’s work in our lives is a wonderful but often misunderstood topic of the Bible. Just the very thought of our dear Creator God spending time with us to teach us of His ways is very humbling. I’m reminded of the verse in John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name…” Power to overcome attitudes, power to forgive, power to yield my ways, power over pride, power to go forth with the gospel. Power to live a godly life. This is part of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.

People who are truly born of the Spirit (John 3:8) will be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14). Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” The Holy Spirit is a teacher, guide and purifier. His purpose is still the same today.

Proclaim and live the truth in Jesus name. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—the Holy Trinity–work together and each compliments the other. Thank God for His great plan of salvation.

—James Bell