Still Vertical – Living in Faith – Part 1

There is an amazing period of time consisting of roughly 27 years, from the time of Jesus’ resurrection to Paul’s second imprisonment. This is the period in which the early church is formed, and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is shared boldly by his followers. We don’t know as much as we’d like about the activity of the early church during this time period, but we do have the writings of Luke in the book of Acts.

The story recounted in Acts is both compelling and riveting, starting from the time immediately following Jesus’ resurrection, with his instructions and promises to his followers.

Acts 1:4-11 - On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

I think it is safe to say that there is no way they could have understood the power of the Holy Spirit, and they were probably completely freaked out by the ascension, regardless of the fact that Peter, James and John witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus (as recorded in Mark 9). It is also clear that his followers still have not understood Jesus’ intentions. They are stuck in the past, and thoughts of Israel returning to the glory it held during the time of David. In addition, it is clear from repeated accounts in Acts that Jesus’ followers believed he would return soon. I’m certain that at some point, it must have crossed their minds that their own teachings about Jesus’ coming being foretold from the time of David (over 1,000 years prior) might be a hint that things will not unfold so quickly.

At any rate, Jesus’ followers do what he asks, and they stay in Jerusalem, in constant prayer. We are told in Acts 1:15 that there are currently 120 believers, and they begin to act as a single body of believers as they await the gift from the Father.

That’s when things get a little strange.

Acts 2:1-4 - When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Actually, I prefer the version of verse 1 in the King James version, where it is stated that they were all with one accord in one place. 

But before we get into this, perhaps we should say something about Pentecost. For Christians, Pentecost marks the birth of the church, but Pentecost was a Jewish celebration that took place 50 days (hence the term Pente) after Passover. During this time, there would have been Jews of roughly 70 different nationalities visiting Jerusalem, with most of them speaking in different languages. On this particular Pentecost, something truly incredible happened. God sent the gift of the Holy Spirit. Literally, God came to indwell with us.

As an aside, let me mention that the verses above seem reminiscent of verses in 1 Kings.

1 Kings 19:11-13 - And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Notice how a violent wind preceded God’s presence in 1 Kings, and we see the same thing again in Acts. Then we see something described in terms of fire, and this is reminiscent of what we see in Exodus when God gave us the law, and made a covenant. 

The happenings here are part of God’s new covenant, and as Jesus’ followers are filled with the Holy Spirit, they are speaking in tongues. Not only that, but recorded further in Acts 2, we learn that all of the visitors in Jerusalem can hear them speaking in their native tongues, even though all of the men filled with the Holy Spirit are Galilaeans (Acts 2:7). Incredible!

There are some who initially pass this off as ridiculous, and even say that the men are drunk, but then Peter lifts his voice and delivers an incredible sermon that pierces the hearts and souls of all who are listening (Acts 2:14-36), causing them to ask what they should do, and leading to Peter calling them to repent, be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (verse 38).

Acts 2:41 - Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.

The number 3,000 above is significant, and I want to return to God originally giving the law to Moses and making a covenant with his people, as recorded in Exodus. You might recall that when Moses goes to the top of the mountain to meet with God, the people become impatient, and they break the covenant that they had so recently made with God by creating and worshiping a golden calf, and even making sacrifices to this calf.

Exodus 32:25-28 - Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about 3,000 of the people died.

Notice that God’s original covenant with the law brought 3,000 deaths, and God’s outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost resulted in 3,000 lives being saved. Mover, notice how the presence of the Holy Spirit is transformative!

Acts 2:42-47 - They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This was a powerful time. The Holy Spirit completely transformed the lives of a multitude of people, and perhaps for the first time, they were acting in one accord, and thinking collectively, instead of individually.

Prayer – Lord, we thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, and your constant presence in our lives. We pray that you will continue to guide us to do your will, lead us to live in community with others, and boldly share our faith.