Lane Rogers

Acts and the Holy Spirit, a start.

The Book of Acts is a wonderful chance to help people with the idea of the Holy Spirit and to try and clear up some confusion. But before I comment on that I want to give some general definitions not relating to the Holy Spirit necessarily, that we are forced to confront in the Book of Acts.

1. The phrase "The Day of the Lord" is always a judgment figure. We learn this from the Minor Prophets. Sometimes the expression is coupled with salvation, but judgment is the idea. Acts 2:20 is the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. according to the book of Joel.

2. The phrase "The Last Days" is never a reference to the time period we live in but always a reference to God's last days of a "Theocratic reign" over Israel. For example, look at Isaiah 2: 2ff. The assembly of Christ was established in "the last days." Another example. Hebrews 1:2, Jesus lived and spoke in the "last days." The last days were 2000 years ago when God ended His relationship (as in the OT) with Israel.

The Holy Spirit.

The word "spirit" (πνεύμάтι) in the Greek text is never capitalized. The only way we ever know if the text is speaking about the Holy Spirit is context and the word Hagion (Holy) is in front of the word "spirit." This one fact makes all translations very subjective. Very often, the word "spirit" is used to express an attitude. "Blessed are the meek in spirit." Or in the LXX, Leviticus chapter 23, the Lord commanded the people to be assembled so that He might see who is in the "spirit of the day" (He wanted to check attitudes). In fact, I don't think that in Galatians the 5th chapter "the fruit of the Spirit, " should be capitalized but should be "the fruit of the spirit" or the outgrowth of the proper attitude. Then again, it could be the Holy Spirit since we know there was an apostle in the congregation distributing miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit (See Gal. 3: 1-5), which means no one knows for sure.

The Holy Spirit is found in the in the Book of Acts in two forms and can be easily identified by one of two names as we move through the Book.

THE EMPOWERING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

To grasp this one, we must start in John 16:7ff. with Jesus promising the apostles that after He was gone "the Helper" the Holy Spirit" would come to their aid. Look at the last chapter of the book of Luke. This is after the resurrection. Jesus says in Luke 24:49, that He will send the promise of the Father if they (the apostles) go to Jerusalem and wait.--- This promise (the Holy Spirit) was going to come with "POWER." Thus, the empowering of the Holy Spirit. The Empowering of the Holy Spirit is always related to miraculous gifts and is found in most of the books of the New Testament. Notice Acts 1:8. They were to receive their POWER when the Holy Spirit came on them, which it did in Acts 2:1ff. The Empowering of the Holy Spirit was generally transfered by the laying on of hands. Acts chapter 6 is the clearest case of this. Notice that in Acts 6:5, Stephen already had the Holy Spirit - but in verse 6- they laid hands on him and in verse 8 he was full of POWER! Stephen had the INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT before they laid hands on him and gave him the EMPOWERING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, giving him the ability to perform miraculous deeds.

THE INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit is what every Christian receives at baptism. This is also a biblical name. (The Spirit that dwells in you). For instance, passages like II Tim 1:14 could be the empowering of the Holy Spirit but most likely is a reference to both. James 4:5 is probably the Indwelling of the Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is found all over the book of Romans. Particularly in passages as in Romans 8:26ff, we find the Holy Spirit making intercession for man with God. In 8:16, we find that the indwelling Spirit, is one way God identifies us as His.

Now, what we are told about the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

1. We receive Him at baptism (Acts 2:38).

2. He is our seal (same as mentioned in Romans) Ephesians 1:13.

3. He is our Promise. When we were baptized we were promised the Holy Spirit and thus receiving it is the fulfillment of that Promise. Ephesians 1:13.

4. He is our guarantee. Those of us sealed with the Spirit have a guarantee. Ephesians 1:14

5. He is our Inheritance. - He is our rightful inheritance from God.

6. We can grieve the Holy Spirit. Eph. 4:30, that we received when we were baptized (Acts 2:38).