Unit 3: The Birth of the Church
Key Verse:
Acts 2:39 NLT
39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away[h]—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
What you need to know
Joel 1:1-3 NLT
1
The Lord gave this message to Joel son of Pethuel.
2
Hear this, you leaders of the people.
Listen, all who live in the land.
In all your history,
has anything like this happened before?
3
Tell your children about it in the years to come,
and let your children tell their children.
Pass the story down from generation to generation.
Little is known about the Prophet, Joel. All that is known for certain is that he was the son of Pethuel. Other than that, there is some dispute concerning the exact dating of his writings. Early theologians believed the dating to be around 900 BCE, during the time immediately before and then during the reign of the child king, Joash. Later scholars believe that the dating was much later, sometime around 500 BCE, during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. The name, ‘Joel’, means ‘ YHWH is EL’, or rather, ‘The Lord is God’. In that his name is so declarative, I will take my cues from the timeless majesty that Joel’s name suggests. The Lord is God. That statement is true regardless of the context of Time. In fact, Joel’s name suggests that The God of Israel is The Eternal God who exists outside of and is, therefore, Lord over Time itself. Thus, Joel’s message encompasses all of the time of the Old Testament. Additionally, Joel will introduce to us a new age: the Church age, the age of Grace that will transition us to Eternity.
The Lesson
Acts 2:1 NLT
1 On the day of Pentecost[a] all the believers were meeting together in one place.
Acts 1:12-15a NLT
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.[c] 13 When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying.
Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (son of James). 14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
15 During this time, when about 120 believers[d] were together in one place,
The recounting of the events that occurred on the Day of Pentecost ensues where Chapter One ends. Approximately 120 believers have been sheltered in the Upper Room, assembled together at Jesus’ command since His Ascension into Heaven. Scripture informs us that they are on one accord and are in constant prayer, awaiting the promise of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus had told them would soon arrive. Be reminded: Jesus appeared to over 500 believers during the forty days between His Crucifixion and His Ascension, yet only 120 assembled together in Jerusalem.
Acts 2:1 NLT
2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.
Suddenly and unexpectedly, a deafening roar descends upon the place where the believers are assembled. This is but the beginning of a series of events that announce the arrival of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, The Holy Spirit. The magnitude of that roar from above heralded the Presence of Majesty. In the same way that the night sky was filled with angels heralding the birth of Jesus, this great sound heralded the arrival of the Holy Spirit of God on the Earth to guide and empower The Church, the Redeemed of the Lord.
Acts 2:3 NLT
3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.
Upon His arrival, The Ruach Ha’Kodesh immediately begins the distribution of the charismas, the gifts of the Spirit, to the assembled believers in spectacular fashion. The Ruach Ha’Kodesh wastes no time in drafting the believers into service. This scene is reminiscent of the episode where Elijah made an offering to God on Mout Carmel, and God responded by consuming the offering with fire from above. In this case, The Holy Spirit is declaring that He will no longer dwell in earthen temples built by men; rather, He has come to dwell in Earthen Vessels built by God, He has come to make His dwelling in us.
Acts 2:4 NLT
4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,[b] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
As a result of these seemingly visible streams of fire descending on the believers from Heaven, the Bible states that all of the believers, one hundred and twenty souls, were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues. The Bible also informs that all of this occurred by the unction and providence of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. From its inception, the Church has been empowered by the Holy Spirit. He is the life force of the Church.
This group of believers receive the first manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit; the gift of speaking in tongues. We are about to be introduced to a second group upon which The Holy Spirit will impress His gifts…
Acts 2:5-6 NLT
5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
The immediate response of the people in the area who were not a part of the initial group of believers was to run toward the deafening sound they’d heard. What had happened? An explosion? The collapse of a building? Whether out of a sense of concern or curiosity, devout Jews who were assembled in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost ran to the scene. Upon arrival, their attention was arrested by the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. They each heard the one hundred and twenty speaking in their own language. Without belaboring the point, I will posit that this hearing was under the unction of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh and should be identified as the gift of the accompanies tongues, as Paul taught in his first letter to Corinth; interpretation of tongues.
Acts 2:7-8 NLT
7 They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, 8 and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!
The amazement and bewilderment of this group of devout Jews is only heightened as they recognize that something otherworldly is occurring. They testify that they hear unlearned Galileans speak, each in their own language.
Acts 2:12-13 NLT (not included in the lesson text )
12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.
13 But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”
As evidence of the veracity of the hypothesis posited above, I point to the experience of a third group of people who are also witnesses to the miracle that the Holy Spirit is pouring out on the first two groups. This third group is made up of scoffers who summarily dismiss what they are witnessing as a bunch of people who are “just drunk.” What this tells me is that The Holy Spirit has not given this third group of naysayers the gift of interpretation of tongues, again, as described in 1 Corinthians, chapters 12 and 14.
Acts 2:14-16 NLT
14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
Peter, filled with the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, the Holy Spirit, steps up boldly to refute the contentions of the doubters. No, these believers are not drunk. Rather, they have received that which was prophesied by the prophet Joel hundreds of years before. What cannot be overstated is that the Holy Spirit is in control of everything that is occurring in this moment.
Acts 2:17-18 NLT
17
‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
When Joel originally wrote and preached his messages, it was in response to the sin of the people of God. While the nature of the transgressions were not specified, there are some characteristics of the Jewish culture that we can look back to as possible problems. The Jews were a very patriarchial, very male-oriented culture. Additionally, they held a very high-minded view of their religion as being exclusively their own. This created two problems. Within their culture, women and children were often regarded as property, having no more value than cattle. Additionally, the Jews regarded non-Jews as unclean, unworthy of the inheritance of God.
God had other plans. God’s plan was not only to fulfill His promise to bless Abraham but to redeem all of the descendants of Adam through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Thus, on this day, God made his purposes evident through this wonderful outpouring of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh upon men and women, upon Jews and Gentiles. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh was evidence of the fact that God no longer held any enmity toward mankind because of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us at the cross. Before the end of his sermon, Peter would make that point clear.
This outpouring of the Holy Spirit also signified the beginning of the end of time. Joel called it the Last Days. As the Holy Spirit ushered in the Church Age, He also signaled the imminent return of Jesus as our conquering Messiah, who would return victorious over all of the enemies of God to establish His Kingdom.
Acts 2:19-21 NLT
19
And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below—
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20
The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
Most every week, I have the distinct pleasure of previewing the lesson with my good friend and brother in Christ, Eric Wright. As is the case every week, his input this week offered fresh insights for me to ponder. It was a minor point, however, it is worth noting. Concerning verses 19 and 20, Eric was of the opinion that these signs and wonders in the Heavens were specific to the events surrounding the events of recent weeks: the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus as well as the outpouring of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh on the Day of Pentecost. My contention is that all of these events signify the beginning of the ‘last days’, which will culminate in Jesus’ eventual return (as I stated above). In actuality, both things can be true, or at least both can contain elements of truth. Verse twenty-one puts everything in the proper perspective.
Acts 2:21 NLT
21
But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’
Whatever our eschatological views may be, it is not for us to argue over events, past or future, over which we have no control. As I stated in last week’s lesson, Time is under the sole authority of God alone. We have one job: preach the Gospel. We have been commissioned, as ambassadors of Heaven, to preach the Good News of Christ Jesus to all people, regardless of race, creed, gender, or socioeconomic status. Our primary focus must be to win souls for the Kingdom of God.
Acts 2:22-24 NLT
22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene[b] by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
Peter proceeds to do exactly this; to preach the Gospel. The highlights of the Gospel message are the person of Jesus Christ, His life, death, burial, resurrection, and eventual ascension into Heaven. The message is quite simple: Jesus came to save sinners, of which I am one. The beauty of God’s plan for the spreading of the Gospel is that He sent help, The Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost was poured out on the day of Pentecost. He came to empower the Church (us) to save the world (the unsaved) through the … (smile)... foolishness of preaching the Gospel. Amen.
Selah
wb
Epilogue:
Acts 2:41 NLT
41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Peter’s first sermon, under the unction of the Holy Spirit, brought 3,000 souls into the Kingdom that day. Nothing is too hard for God. Believe God Beloved. He believes in you. He knows what you’re capable of when you place your trust in Him.
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