Acts 2:1-4 - 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.

For years and years (from the time of Christ until the early 1900’s) the preaching of the gospel was sufficient for the edification and glorification of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, or for any people. But now in the last 50 or so years, it has not been enough. People want more. This transition from the preaching of the gospel to the "feelings" evidenced by Charismatics all over the world coincides with the emergence of rock music. As teenagers, people rocked and rolled to the beat of rock music, and as adults they rock and roll to the beat of "religious" music. Rock music has increased in intensity, and now "Christian" rock music has come to the forefront, proclaiming a new way of worship. Be not deceived, Satan is a great deceiver. He gives what the people want. He makes them think they are getting closer to God, when in reality, they are getting farther and farther away from Him and His Holy Worship. Refer to what Adam and Eve thought when Satan deceived Eve, and Adam willingly followed her into transgression. Eve believed she was getting closer to God, when in reality, spiritual death came over her and her husband, and death has passed upon all men, for that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

It is interesting to note the great amount of lawlessness that has come into the United States since the "revival" of charismatic gifts. Abortion has been voted in and 40 million babies have been killed in their mothers womb. Homosexual activity has increased, and become more open and public. Vicious crime has increased, and on and on the downward cycle to destruction goes. What has happened is a fulfillment of scripture. As time grows to a close, preachers have been preaching what people like to hear, tickling their ears - II Timothy 4:3,4 states, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." In the last days people will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn to fables, they will have itching ears, which preachers will readily scratch for the money the people will pay them. II Timothy 3:5 declares, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." In the last days, people will have a form of religion, yet they will deny the power thereof. As it is true with these false Charismatics, so it is also true with the people of God, especially when the people of God have no backbone to stand against this evil. Remember one of the prophecies of the end days is that signs and wonders will increase. Jesus said in Matthew 16:4, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed."

The events on the Day of Pentecost is a wake up call for the unbelieving Jews of that day, and a wake up call to all Gentiles since that day. Pentecost did not happen to the Jewish nation, although it happened in the Jewish nation. Pentecost did not happen to all the Jewish people, but it did happen to some of the Jewish people. The events of the day of Pentecost did not happen in the Jewish Synagogue, rather in the upper room where the first church was assembled.

The events of the Day of Pentecost reveal that God had already removed the keys of the kingdom of God from the rebellious Israelite nation and had given those keys to the three year old church at Jerusalem, which was established by Jesus Christ at the very beginning of his earthly, public ministry.

It must be understood that the church was already established by Jesus Christ during his personal ministry. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ did not have its beginnings on the Day of Pentecost, but the events on that day reveal that God is present with his church. Before the Day of Pentecost the church:

They had a treasurer, who was Judas Iscariot, John 12:6, John 13:29.

They had already begun to baptize believers, John 4:1,2.

They already had the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:49, John 20:21-23, Acts 1:8.

They had instructions for disciplining members, Matthew 18:15-20.

These are only a few of the many evidences that Christ had already established his kind of church on this earth.

What happened on the Day of Pentecost is like God saying, "I AM HERE!" Just as the cloud of God came upon the tabernacle when it was finished, just as the cloud of God came upon the temple when it was finished, God has appeared in a very public fashion, proclaiming to all people of all the world that he is present with his church.

What happened on the Day of Pentecost is a fulfillment of the promise God gave to His early church for additional blessings.

1. John 7:37-39 - The receiving of the Holy Spirit Power by the church was future. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"

2. John 14:15-17 - Jesus will pray that the Father will send "another comforter", which is the "Spirit of Truth". "If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

3. John 14:26 - the Holy Ghost is the comforter that is to come. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." Notice the purpose of the Holy Spirit coming to the early church was to teach them about Christ and his teachings. The Holy Spirit never speaks of himself, John 16:13, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come."

4. John 20:21-23 - Jesus gives the "internal manifestation of the Holy Spirit" to the church. "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."

5. Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:1-8 go together as both verses tell the early church to wait for the promise of the Father before they do anything, or go anywhere. Luke 24:49 states, "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." Acts 1:8 declares "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 Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Acts 2:1-4 - Jesus gives the "external manifestation of the Holy Spirit" to the church. The Holy Spirit is given as the comforter and power. (Read the text)

I. Acts 2:1-4 - The Holy Spirit baptism.

A. The condition of the church when the Baptism came. They were calm, cool, and collected, not like the modern Pentecostals.

1. They had been praying for 10 days. Acts 1:15-26 shows they had been studying the Word of God.

2. They were all of one accord, because of their praying and studying.

3. They were all in one place, in the upper room.

4. They were sitting, not standing, or jumping around like the Pentecostals do.

5. The Pentecostals I have seen always work their people up into a frenzy of activity by singing repetitive choruses, a continual waving of the hands in the air, and a general condition that seems to border on mass hypnosis.

B. What is tongues?

1. A tongue is a known language.

2. Acts 2:6 - they said every man heard them speak in his own language.

3. Acts 2:8 - Every man heard in the language of his birth.

4. Acts 2:7 - Every man that spoke was a Galilaean and wouldn't have had enough education to speak in another language.

5. Acts 2:9-11 - Note the list of languages spoken.

C. What did they hear?

1. Acts 2:11 - The wonderful works of God.

2. This is not like the Pentecostals who speak and nobody can understand what they are saying.

3. Note: In the Bible, there seems to be more emphasis in hearing the language than in speaking the language.

4. Acts 2:14-36 - Peter preached in tongues this message concerning the sin of the people, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

D. Who spoke in tongues?

1. Acts 2:3,4 - each person had a cloven tongue like fire sitting on them.

2. Acts 2:3,4 - each person was filled with the Holy Spirit.

3. Acts 2:4 - The people spoke with other tongues, not all at once, but as the Spirit gave them utterance.

a. I Cor. 14:27 - Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, wrote that if any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two or at the most by three, and that by course, and let one interpret.

b. Only men shall speak in tongues.

c. I Cor. 14:34, Women should be quiet in church services, learning from their husbands.

1) This would strengthen the church and home.

2) It is wrong for a woman to whisper in her husbands ear, then him speak her thoughts.

3) She is supposed to talk to him at home.

4) This shows the manner of church business.

5) Business is not to be conducted hastily, but in such a way that every person has a chance to think about what should be done.

d. Only two or three shall be lead by the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues. Anybody else speaking in tongues is not led by the Spirit of God.

e. "by course" - they shall not all speak at once, but one at a time.

f. If there is no interpreter, then all shall remain silent.

g. Verse 32,33 - The spirit of the prophet, though given by God, is to be controlled by the prophet.

1) God is not the author of confusion.

2) He would not have everybody speaking at once, even though they have been given something to say by Him.

3) If everybody speaks at once, those standing by will say they are mad (verse 23), and God won't be glorified.

h. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was the interpreter.

E. What is the result of speaking in tongues?

1. Acts 2:37 - The lost were pricked in their heart and wanted to be saved.

2. I Cor. 14:23 - Paul, by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, said that if an unbeliever came into a church service where all the people spoke in tongues they would say the church was mad (crazy).

3. The modern Pentecostal movement has changed the meaning of speaking in tongues from "preaching the gospel in a foreign language which a person previously didn't know" to "speaking in gibberish which nobody knows". When the person interprets his gibberish, it is called "Word of Prophecy" and is more valuable to the charismatic than the Holy Word of God.

4. The gospel message was proclaimed to those near and to those far off.