“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them . . . ’Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know–Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it . . . Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
ACTS 2:14, 22-24, 38
When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you don’t just receive power to perform signs. He strengthens you physically, psychologically and emotionally. The baptism of the Spirit imputes boldness; the weakest coward can be transformed into the most courageous and heroic person.
IT WAS NOT JUST SEEING JESUS OR HEARING HIS VOICE THAT made the disciples the bold people they later were—even some of them doubted (Matthew 28:17; Mark 16:13-14; Luke 24:41). They shut the door when they met for fear of the Jews (John 20:19). They met secretly, being too afraid to have a street procession shouting, “Jesus is alive!” At first, far away in Galilee, they even went back to their old jobs—fishing (John 21:3). All that changed, however, on the Day of Pentecost when they received the Holy Spirit baptism and boldness. Instead of being afraid of the Jewish crowds, the crowds trembled before them and cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). This was the fulfillment of what Jesus said: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me . . . to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
For what purpose did the Father send the Holy Spirit? Without any question, it is to make it possible to preach the Gospel to every creature on earth.
PAUL DESCRIBES IT AS BRINGING THE NATIONS INTO THE obedience of the Gospel (Romans 1:5). The consuming passion and work of Christ was “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus was never just a wonder-worker. First and foremost, He was and is the Savior. It was that work which took Him to the Cross. That was the ultimate purpose of His earthly life. It was not for some social good—just to feed multitudes—but for the redemption of humankind. This was foremost in His mind. Any talk of ‘greater works’ has to be in line with His own ‘great work’ to save the lost. Salvation is the greatest labor and the greatest marvel God ever undertook.
The Holy Spirit illuminates the Scriptures, bringing understanding to the Word of God and revealing mysteries hidden in Scripture. Without the Author of the Bible to shed light on the Word, we are reduced to guesswork.
THE GOLDEN RULE IN BIBLE INTERPRETATION IS THAT WHICH Paul himself shared in 1 Corinthians 2:12-13: “ . . . That we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” The word translated “spiritual things” here is the same word translated “spiritual gifts” in 1 Corinthians 12:1—pneumatika. Understanding the Bible is not a matter of guesswork. Simply make use of the Bible interpreter, the Holy Spirit.
One man filled with the Holy Spirit is better than 100 committees, which, as someone said, “keep minutes but lose hours.” When God so loved the world, He did not form a committee; He sent His Son, and His Son sent the Holy Spirit (John 3:16; Luke 24:49). Christ said that believers are the light of the world, but we need the Holy Spirit to switch us on. Are you plugged in?
ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST, PETER STOOD UP, SHOOK OFF his shame and fears, and shared the only theology he knew—Jesus and Him crucified. Thus, 3,000 were saved from diverse nations without a committee, budget or finance meeting. That is the power of the Holy Spirit; He makes the Gospel come alive and brings conviction en masse. If we pay more attention to the Holy Spirit, we will spend less time in planning committees and see more results.