We need more empowerments and infillings of the Spirit for an inward holy life and outward ministry. After all, the Spirit filled Peter three times (Acts 2:1-4; 4:8, 31). This is a paradigm for us today.

Let’s begin our study.

I. Introduction

A. Next step

In this post, we assume that you have already repented of your sins and placed your trust and faith in Christ. Your sins are forgiven. You have been justified. God’s free gift of righteousness is yours now, for it has been imputed to you. The Spirit has caused you to be born again. The Spirit lives in you. Now what?

B. Lifelong journey

You have been launched into a lifelong journey of growing in holiness and conformity to the image of Christ. This process is called sanctification. Discipleship consists of activities and a lifestyle by which you grow in holiness and in conformity to the image of Christ.

C. Ethical justification

Sanctification is sometimes called “ethical justification,” by which you prove and demonstrate by good works–living the life of a disciple–that you have been forensically or legally justified, that you have been declared righteous. You work out what God has worked in you and declared you to be.

D. Life in the Spirit

The section on pneumatology shows that we disciples are filled with the Spirit. Sanctification and discipleship assumes that the Spirit lives in us. We cannot live a holy life without the Holy Spirit and grace empowering us.

We saw just above that Peter was filled and empowered with the Spirit three times. He is our example. One key verse to support this:

¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18)

The verb tense of “be filled” is present continuous. Be filled and keep on being filled. Pray regularly for this.

And now let’s explore more deeply the reality of living life in the Spirit, first by looking at how the Spirit first engages in the person as revealed in Greek terms.

II.. Key Terms

A.. List of Greek terms

This list reveals the activity of the third person of the Trinity. His Spirit empowers us to worship Jesus Christ and God the Father and to live godly lives in the image of his Son. Let’s look at the words that describe this biblical truth. Please apply the reality behind them to your life. Don’t leave them as mere words.

	Greek Terms	Meanings
1	pimplēmi	Pim-play-mee; “fills”: Luke 1:15 (John); 1:41 (Elizabeth); 1:67 (Zechariah); Acts 2:4 (the 120 disciples); 4:8 (Peter); 4:31 (disciples); 9:17 (Paul); 13:9 (Paul)
2	plērēs	Play-rayss; “full” or “filled”: Luke 4:1 (Jesus); Acts 6:3 and 5 (seven deacons), 6:8 (Stephen); 7:55 (Stephen); 11:24 (Barnabas)
3	plēroō	Play-ro-oh; which means “fills” or “fulfills”: Acts 2:2 (house); Acts 13:52 (disciples); Eph. 5:18 (Ephesian Christians). In Eph. 5:18, it is in the present tense, so one is continually filled
4	oikeō	Oi-keh-oh; “lives” or “dwells”: 1 Cor. 3:16 (The Spirit lives in God’s church); Eph. 2:22 (God make his church his dwelling place by his Spirit)
5	menō	Meh-noh; the Spirit “remains,” “abides” or “stays” with you (John 1:32; 1 John 2:27; 1 John 3:24; 1 John 4:13)
6	lambanō	Lahm-bah-noh; “takes,” “takes hold of,” or “grasps,” but in the context of the Spirit, it is best to translate it as “receive” or “accept”: John 7:39 (The Spirit was about to be received by disciples); John 14:17 (the world cannot receive him, implying his disciples can); John 20:22 (disciples); Acts 1:8 (the disciples will receiver power through the Sprit); Acts 2:33 (exalted Jesus received promise [Spirit] of Father and then poured Spirit out); Acts 2:38 (Jews hearing Peter at Pentecost); Acts 8:15-17 and 19 (Samaritans); Acts 10:47 (Cornelius and his household); Acts 19:2 (Ephesian disciples); Rom. 8:15 (Christians received Spirit of sonship); 1 Cor. 2:12 cf. 2 Cor 11:4 (Corinthians have not received spirit of the world but the Spirit); Gal. 3:2 (Galatians Christians)
7	ekcheō	Eh-khoh; “pours out”: Acts 2:17 (the Spirit poured out on all flesh); 2:18 (same as 17); 2:23: (same); 10:45 (on Cornelius and his household); Rom. 5:5: (God’s love poured out by Spirit on Christians)
8	chrio	Khree-oh; “anoints”: Luke 4:18, quoting Is. 61:1-2 (Spirit anointing Jesus); Acts 10:38 (God anointed Jesus with Spirit); he anointed us, set his seal of ownership, and put his Spirit in our hearts (2 Cor. 1:21-22)
9	pempō	Pehm-poh; “sends”: John 14:26 (The Father sends the Spirit); John 15:26 (Jesus sends the Spirit who proceeds from Father)
10	exapostellō	Ex-ah-po-stel-loh; “sends” or “sends out,” or “sends forth”: Gal. 4:6 (God sent forth the Spirit of his Son to Galatians)
11	epi	Eh-pea; “upon,” and combined with verb “be”: Luke 2:25 (The Spirit was upon Simeon); Luke 4:18, quoting Is. 61:1-2 (Spirit was upon Jesus)
12	epipiptō	Eh-pea-pip-toh; “falls upon” or “comes upon” (the prefix epi– usually means “upon”): Acts 8:16 (Samaritans); 10:44 (Cornelius and his household); 11:37 (Peter reporting Spirit falling Cornelius and household)
13	katabainō	Kah-tah-by-noh; “descends” or “comes down”: Matt. 3:16 // Mark 1:10 // Luke 3:22 // John 1:32-33 (Spirit descending on Jesus)
14	erchomai	“comes” or “goes”: John 16:13 (Spirit of truth will come); Acts 19:6 (Paul laid hands on Ephesians and Spirit came on them)
15	eperchomai	Eh-pehr-kho-my; “comes upon” (the prefix epi– usually means “upon”): Luke 1:35 (The Spirit comes up Mary to conceive Jesus); Acts 1:8 (The Spirit comes on disciples)
16	ekporeuomai	Ehk-por-eu-oh-my; “goes out” or “proceeds”: John 15:25 Jesus sends the Spirit who goes out from the Father
17	tithēmi	Tih-they-mee; “puts” or “places”: Matt. 12:18, quoting Is. 42:1-4 (God puts his Spirit on Jesus)
18	didōmi	Dih-doh-mee; “gives”: John 1:34 (The Father gives the Spirit without measure); Acts 8:16 (Spirit was given by laying on hands); Acts 15:8 (Peter reporting to council God giving Spirit to Cornelius and household); 1 Thess. 4:8: (God has given his Spirit to us)
19	baptizō	Bahp-tih-zoh; “immerse” or “plunge” or “dip”: Matt. 3:11 // Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:26 (crowds); Acts 1:5 (on 120); Acts 11:16 (Peter repeating what John and Jesus said); 1 Cor. 12:13 (Spirit baptized Corinthian church into one body). When the rich man was in Hades, he asked Lazarus to dip his finger in water to refresh him. The Greek word for dip is baptō. So what does baptism mean? John the Baptist’s water baptism was immersion. He could have been called John the Dipper. The Spirit immersed spirit and soul, and even their bodies (Rom 8:11), just as water immersed John’s candidates. The main point is that Jesus is the Baptizer (Matt. 3:11; Mar 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:26). One could also say he is the “Filler” or “he who fills” or “Immerser” or “he who immerses” with the Spirit. The body too, since the Spirit inspiring them to speak affected (but not forced) the physical tongue
All of these Greek terms are verbs, except no. 2 (plērēs), which is an adjective, and no. 11 (epi), which is a preposition.

B.. Summary

What can we learn from the table? I like what Craig Keener says in his commentary on Acts:

Neither Luke nor 1 Peter (1:11; 4:14) strictly follow the supposed distinction between the NT Spirit being “in” (often Paul, following Ezek. 36:27) and the OT being “upon” people; “in” reflects more common Greek anthropology whereas “upon” reflects more Hebrew idiom. Nevertheless, Luke generally prefers “upon” (Luke 1:35; 2:25; 4:18; Acts 1:8; 2:17; 10:44-45; 11:15; 19:6) reflecting OT idiom for empowerment to prophesy (Num 11:17. 25-26, 29; 24:2; 1 Sam 10:6, 10; 19:20; 23:1; 1 Chron. 12:18; 2 Chron. 20:14; probably 2 Kgs 2:9; Is 59:21; 61:1; Ezek 11:5; 37:1) to lead (Judg 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 1 Sam 16:13) or to exhibit superhuman strength (Judg 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Sam 11:6). (Craig S. Keener, Acts, New Cambridge Bible Commentary, [Cambridge UP 2020], p. 305, note 1120, emphasis original)

III.. Receiving the Holy Spirit

A.. The basis of faith

Receiving the Holy Spirit must be done by placing one’s faith in Jesus, the Son of God. One first repents, believes and receives the Spirit.

⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” ⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. (Acts 10:43-44)

In Samaria, Philip proclaimed Christ to them. And then they believed his words and received the Spirit.

5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. […] 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (Acts 8:5, 12)

Next, Paul met disciples in Ephesus, who had been baptized only by John. Paul preached Jesus to them, the fuller revelation. When the Ephesians heard, they were baptized, implying that they believed the message of the kingdom. Paul then laid hands on them, and they received the Spirit.

⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues^[b] and prophesied.  (Acts 19:4-6)

Further, Paul asked the Galatians whether they received the Spirit by obeying the law or by hearing with faith:

² I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Gal. 3:2)

Finally, Paul writes to the Ephesians that when they heard the word of truth, the gospel, they believed and were sealed with the Spirit.

¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Eph. 1:13)

B.. Outward Means

1.. Water baptism

This act may precede the receiving of the Spirit.

Peter proclaims that on the repentance baptism of the pilgrims in Jerusalem, they will receive the Spirit:

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

In Samaria, water baptism preceded the receiving of the Spirit. After the Samaritans’ water baptism, Peter and John came down to Samaria and laid hands on them, and the people received the Spirit.

¹⁵ When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 8:15-16)

The twelve disciples who had been baptized by John only. Then they were water-baptized in Jesus’ name, and Paul laid hands on them, and they received the Spirit.

⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:4-6)

Water baptism may follow the receiving of the Spirit.

As we saw in Acts 10:43-44, quoted above, Cornelius and his household received the Spirit and then were water baptized.

Saul of Tarsus, later taking on his Roman name Paul, received the Spirit, the moment Ananias laid hands on him. Then the future apostle was water baptized.

¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, (Acts 9:17-18)

To sum up, then, these examples demonstrate that water baptism is not a precondition nor a channel for the gift of the Spirit. Rather, water baptism is linked to the forgiveness of sins. Water baptism is a means to receiving the forgiveness of sins. It is best not to see the water as containing any power to save in itself, but I will argue in the post on water baptism that it is sacred when it is consecrated to God for the purpose of baptism (Williams, Renewal Theology, vol. 2, p. 282).

2.. The laying on of hands

We have already observed in the above passages that Christians laid hands those who had just placed their faith in Christ. At this physical act, they received the Spirit. Laying on of hands in an instrument of receiving, but faith must be in Christ, not on the instruments (the hands). Further, the instruments were not only apostolic. Ananias laid hands on Saul, and he received the Spirit. However, Peter did not lay his hands on Cornelius and his household, yet they received the Spirit. Therefore, let’s not turn the mere instruments into a power source in themselves.

C.. Preparation and receptivity

We must prepare our hearts and minds for receiving the Spirit and understand these truths.

1.. God’s sovereignty

We must understand the God is sovereign. Receiving the Spirit is a gift, so humans can do nothing to earn it. God grants it to those who fulfill other conditions, like the ones listed below. He is willing to give his Spirit.

2.. Prayer

We must be in an attitude of prayer.

Jesus prayed during his water baptism, and then the Spirit descended on him and received the fullness of the Spirit.

²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.  (Luke 3:21-22)

The Father will grant the Holy spirit to those who ask. The one who asks will not receive a snake or a scorpion. So no one needs to fear that he will receive a bad spirit.

¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

Those verses come just after these important ones:

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)

Keep seeking God for more of his Spirit.

Right before receiving the Spirit at Pentecost, everyone was in prayer, without idle waiting:

¹⁴ They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:14)

Before receiving the Spirit, Saul was in constant prayer.

¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus  named Saul, for he is praying. (Acts 9:11)

Peter and John prayed for the Samaritan believers, and they received the Spirit (Acts 8:15).

3.. Obedience

This is not works or law keeping. Instead, obedience appears in an atmosphere of faith in Christ. People must place it in him, which is an act of obedience.

³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:32)

Jesus commanded the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, and the promise was the Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). This waiting required obedience.

Saul was told to go into Damascus and wait; it will be told what he must do (Acts 9:6). He obeyed.

The Lord commanded Cornelius to send men to Joppa, where Peter was staying (Acts 10:5). Peter also had to obey when he had been instructed to go with Cornelius (Acts 10:20). They obeyed and Cornelius and his household received the Spirit.

So we must walk in the way of faithful obedience to prepare our hearts to receive the Spirit. We cannot harbor lust and bitterness and a cold heart. We must instead repent and receive forgiveness of those sins, and then our hearts will be open. We may call this repentance and faith in Christ a certain kind of yielding. We have to yield to the will of God.

4.. Expectancy

We must expect to receive the Spirit. This creates an atmosphere of faith, which is the basis of receiving the Spirit. Peter and John when down to Samaria and saw an atmosphere of salvation and repentance and water baptism. After getting saved and delivered from demons, there was great joy in the city (Acts 8:6).

Peter said that the promise of the Spirit is for our days (Acts 2:39). We must expect that God is glad to give us his Spirit, once we repent and believe and receive the forgiveness of sins.  As noted, Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promise in Jerusalem. They must have been expecting the Spirit to come up on them. And he did, at Pentecost.

IV.. Are ‘Tongues’ the Sign of Spirit Baptism?

A.. Brief intro.

Are prayer languages, also called tongues, the necessary sign of being baptized in the Spirit? Bible interpreters disagree about this. When they disagree so strenuously because the key verses can be interpreted in various ways, that is a sign that we are asking the wrong question. Here is a clearer way.

The gift of Spirit-inspired languages is God-ordained. He wants his people to pray the perfect prayer and worship him with the mind of the Spirit. Therefore, he extends his gift to anyone who will take it. His hand is open and on it is this gift he invented. They can receive it at any time and in any place, whether at the initial baptism in the Spirit or multiple infillings or long afterwards. But if his people reject his offer of his gift—it is an offer that they can refuse—then he will not compel them to accept it. It seems sad, however, that they would slap it away, out of his hand.

B.. Mixed biblical record in Acts

1.. In Jerusalem, the 120 disciples at the birth of the church knew Jesus from the beginning or early on (2:1-4).

The church was born and empowered, and the charismatic environment can now ripple throughout Acts, and this gift and the Spirit’s power are for everyone who are afar in geographical distance and subsequent generations (2:39).

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

It is important to realize four biblical truths about the 120. First, that they had already converted to and trusted in the Messiah (Luke 9:1-2; Luke 10:22; John 20:22). They had already been saved. Second, they received their prayer language as a sign of this infilling of the Spirit. Third, therefore salvation and the (re)filling of the Spirit are two distinct, divine acts. Fourth, they–the 120 disciples– were speaking in languages they did not understand, but the pilgrims from all over the world understood them because the 120 disciples were speaking in the pilgrims’ native languages:

“Aren’t all of them Galileans who are speaking? So how do we each hear them in our own language, to which we were born? […]. “We hear them speaking with our own languages the great things of God!” (Acts 2:7-8, 11, emphasis added).

They were Galileans who were speaking, and they did not know those far-flung languages by their own study and knowledge. It was a supernatural gifting. It was not a miracle of hearing.

2.. In Samaria, Philip works signs and wonders (8:7, 13).

Peter and John came from Jerusalem to endorse the evangelistic campaign and lay hands on the Samaritans. Simon the Sorcerer saw that the Spirit was given (8:17-18).

¹⁴ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. ¹⁵ When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money […] (Acts 8:14-18, emphasis added)

It is important to realize the same three biblical facts. First, the Samaritans had converted to and trusted in the Messiah. As a sign of their faith, they were water-baptized. Even Simon believed and was baptized (Acts 8:13). Second, the gift of spiritual languages is clearly implied, for Simon saw something (v. 18). What did he see? Luke assumes his readers would understand that the visible sign was spiritual languages, in light of Pentecost and when two prominent apostles prayed and laid hands on the Samaritans. Recall that Peter preached to the pilgrims in Jerusalem, and told them that they have seen and heard the gift of tongues: “Therefore he was exalted to the right hand of God; receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out even what you see and hear” (Acts 2:33). It could be objected, however, that Peter said “see” and “hear,” not just “see.” Third, therefore salvation and the (re)filling of the Spirit are two distinct acts.

3.. In Caesarea, Cornelius and his household, who were Gentiles (or Cornelius was), needed their own Pentecost (10:44-48).

The Scripture reads:

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” ⁴⁸ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. (Acts 10:44-48)

And it is also important to realize the same biblical truths, with perhaps a compacted element. First, Cornelius and his household heard the word, so faith rose in their hearts. Second, they received their Spirit-inspired prayer languages. Third, it could be the case that salvation and the empowerment of the Spirit to the point of receiving prayer languages can happen at the same time, or at least one right after the other. It is the Spirit who works both salvation and the empowering infilling. Finally, they spoke in tongues. It was not a miracle of hearing, but of speaking.

4.. In Corinth, Paul spent eighteen months there because Jesus appeared to him in a vision and told him that he had numerous people there (Acts 18:1-18).

In regards to Paul, Luke never mentions any of the spiritual gifts, including prayer languages, but Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians spells out that these believers exercised them powerfully and frequently (1 Cor. 12:7-11; 14:1-40). Once again, Luke’s omissions speak volumes about the charismatic atmosphere in Acts.

That is, Paul’s experience proves that Luke does not have to explicitly link the fullness of the Spirit and prayer languages every single time. Paul received the fullness of the Spirit, but his prayer language is not mentioned at that time (Acts 9:17-18). But we know that he used this gift very often (1 Cor. 14:18).

5.. In Ephesus, twelve disciples believed in the Messiah, but knew only the baptism of John (19:1-7).

Scripture:

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when [or after] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all. (Acts 19:1-7, emphasis added)

And, as expected, it is important to understand the same biblical truths. First, the twelve men were called “disciples,” and in every instance in Acts this refers to believers in the Messiah Jesus. And Paul even called them believers (Acts 19:2). Second, they received the fullness of the Spirit and spoke in their prayer languages. Third, therefore salvation and the infilling of the Spirit are two distinct acts of God. Finally, these twelve spoke. It was not a miracle of hearing, but of speaking.

C.. Summary

It is possible to be filled with the Spirit many times, but this is not the same as being born again many times. Empowerment can be separate from regeneration by the Spirit, and empowerment can happen many times in the believer’s life. Or empowerment and regeneration can happen at the same time, and then after regeneration, empowerment for service can happen many times.

These cases are paradigmatic and exemplary because they illustrate that converts to the Jesus Movement or the Way also had to be filled with power and this speaking gift. Tongues is in addition to salvation, not a required (necessary) condition for salvation.

Luke expects us to fill his omissions with the power of the Spirit because the entire sweep or context of his book of Acts is charismatic. It is similar to his omitting water baptism in key places. Often he does say that new converts got baptized with water: Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 35-38; 9:18; 10:48; 16:14-15, 31-33; 18:8; 19:5. Yet in other cases water baptism is not brought up for new converts: Acts 9:42; 11:21; 13:12, 48; 14:1; 17:12, 34.

However, it must be said that “tongues” is not explicitly mentioned every single time that the Spirit was poured out in those five passages, so if interpreters want to believe that it is not the necessary requirement and sign and evidence for the initial infilling or immersion in the Spirit, then they are certainly free to believe as they wish.

First Corinthians 12:30 asks this question: “Do all speak in tongues?” The Greek construction says the answer is no. However, Pentecostals interpret the context of the question to be speaking in tongues in a church setting. Not all speak in tongues in church. But I am not so sure this interpretation is the best. The question may not assume speaking in public. But I won’t quarrel about this.

A prayer language is a wonderful gift from God. If anyone wants it, they should seek God for it.

V. The 120 Were Filled with the Spirit

A. Brief intro.

A teaching on Acts 2 has been circulating among certain (restrictive) Bible interpreters, which says that only the twelve apostles received the fullness or the baptism with the Spirit at Pentecost with the gift of speaking in Spirit-inspired languages (commonly called ‘tongues’).

The thesis here, however, is that the biblical data say that 120 received the promise of the Father and spoke in their God-inspired languages.

All (tentative) translations are mine. If you would like to see others, please click on biblegateway.com.

1.. Jesus promised (key word) the fullness of the Spirit to Cleopas and his traveling companion and the eleven, in one room:

⁴⁹ Now be attentive. I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But you settle in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49, emphasis added)

So the promise is for more than the twelve.

2. Jesus repeats the truth that the promise is the baptism in the Spirit:

[…] but to wait for the promise of the Father, “which you heard from me; ⁵ John baptized you with water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit, not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4b-5, emphasis added)

We just saw in the first point that Cleopas and his companion were promised to receive the power and baptism of the Spirit, because they were in the process of reporting to the eleven what they had just lived. When Jesus appeared to the apostles, there is no abrupt scene change that indicates Cleopas and his travelling companion had left. And in Acts 2, at least, the promise involved Spirit-inspired languages, as we shall see.

3. Galileans, in addition to the eleven, devoted themselves to prayer, including women (see Luke 8:2-3; 23:49).

¹⁴ They [the eleven] were all persistently devoted and attached to prayer with one, single-purposed heart and spirit and mind, with women too, and including Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts 1:14)

Some may dispute whether they were from Galilee or Jerusalem, but geography does not matter, because the issue is whether the 12 or 120 received the Spirit baptism, even if they were all from Jerusalem (and they were not, though some were, like the host of the upper room!).

4. Some time later the 120 disciples (it says about 120.

However, for the sake of convenience, let’s use the precise number of 120) were witnesses to the replacement of Judas.

¹⁵ In those days Peter stood up among his brothers and sisters (the gathering of persons was about 120 there together) and said, ¹⁶ “Men and women, brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit had spoken beforehand through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus … (Acts 1:15).

It is safe to assume that most of these 120 were from Galilee since a large contingent of them followed him to Jerusalem. (Jesus did not seem to know many people in Jerusalem, but only a few.) Matt. 27:55-56 and Luke 23:39, 55 speak of women, and it is further safe to assume that a large contingency of Galilean men was there, as well. Also, Jesus commissioned 72 disciples in Galilee, so they too were probably Galilean (Luke 10:1). Therefore, many of these Galileans should surely be counted among the 120.

5. They prayed in an “upper room” (Acts 1:13).

This fact will be important because Acts 2:1 says “in the same place.” Most likely this “same place” is the upper room.

¹ And when the Feast of Pentecost had fully come, all of them were together in the same place. (Acts 2:1)

6. In Acts 2:1 the Greek literally reads “all” (pantes, pronounced pahn-tehs) “were together in the same place.”

And to carry the theme of “all” from the entire chapter 1, in Acts 1:14, where the other “all” appears, it includes the women and some men. In 2:1, “all” refers to the 120 who witnessed the replacement procedure (Acts 1:21-26), not just to the twelve. It is not as if the 108 suddenly and unexpectedly disbanded after the replacement proceedings, when the text does say they disbanded (Acts 1 ends at v. 26). Luke’s narrative style is not as careless as that. Thus “all” is the theme carried on from 1:15, so let’s not be overly demanding on Luke’s narrative style. Thus “all” encompasses everyone in Acts 1:15 (the 120). And thus the 120 received the Spirit in Acts 2:1-4, particularly when the original manuscripts did not have chapter headings but flowed continuously.

7. In Acts 2:7, the pilgrims who came to Jerusalem for Pentecost from all over their known world heard the Galileans speaking in the pilgrims’ own languages.

⁵ There were staying in Jerusalem devout Jews, men and women from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When this sound happened, the crowd came together and were amazed because each one heard them speaking in their own language. ⁷ They were beside themselves with amazement and marveled, saying, “Look! Aren’t all of them Galileans who are speaking? ⁸ So how do we each hear them in our own language, to which we were born? (Acts 2:5-8, emphasis added)

As noted, these Galileans made up most of the 120, who witnessed the replacement of Judas in the previous chapter. It is true that the noun “Galileans” is in the masculine plural, but this is how Greek was written in a mixed group of men and women–masculine plural. Therefore, the Galileans were not only the twelve.

The miracle was in the speaking, not the hearing, because the pilgrims were amazed at the 120 speaking foreign languages. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them inspiration to speak out” (Acts 2:4).

Let’s imagine that a Chinese Christian cannot speak English. He is praying in the Spirit, in ‘tongues.’ I hear him and say to him by a translator, “I didn’t know you spoke English! It was perfect!” He informs me through the translator that he does not speak English. He was talking in ‘tongues.’ So where was the miracle? In my hearing him speak my own language or in his speaking? Obviously the miracle is in his speaking. It does not take a miracle for me to understand my own native language.

Points 4-7 are dispositive for showing that the 120 received their Spirit-inspired languages, and not just the twelve. But let’s keep going to show that the promise (the Spirit baptism) of the Father is for everyone.

8. In Acts 2:16-21, Peter stood up and proclaimed that Joel’s prophecy applied to sons and daughters and young men and old men, so the demographics was broad.

The promised Holy Spirit is for everyone, and the 120 were speaking in their God-inspired Spirit language.

¹⁷ ‘It shall be in the last days, says God,

I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

And your sons and daughters shall prophesy,

And your young people shall see visions,

And your elderly people shall dream dreams

¹⁸ Even on my male servants and female servants in the last days

I shall pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)

9. However, in 2:14 Peter stood up with the eleven, so does this indicate that only they were out in Jerusalem speaking in the Spirit?

Not necessarily, because in Acts 5:29 Peter and the other apostles stood and spoke to the Sanhedrin; thus, Peter took the lead. In that context, the twelve were alone, but here, the twelve plus the other 108 are encompassed in the “all” in 2:1. Peter and the eleven represented all the other recipients of the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Spirit.

10. Peter again connects the promise of the Father with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

And, as noted, in Acts 2 at least the promise involved Spirit-inspired languages (Acts 2:33).

³³ Therefore he was exalted to the right hand of God; receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out even what you see and hear. (Acts 2:33)

Once again, the 120 people, mostly Galileans, were speaking in languages unknown to themselves, and the pilgrims heard them in pilgrims’ own languages. As noted under the seventh point, the miracle was in the speaking, not the hearing. It did not require a miracle for the pilgrims to understand the 120 disciples speaking in the pilgrims’ own language. But it did take a miracle for the 120 to speak in languages they never learned or knew.

11. Peter expands even farther the candidates who can receive the promise of the Spirit (fullness and baptism of the Spirit) to everyone who is “far off.”

This means both geographically and generationally, even for us, 2000 years later: “for you and your descendants” (Acts 2:38b-39).

… you shall receive the free gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and your descendants and all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:38b-39)

12. In Caesarea, Cornelius and his household, who were Gentiles (or Cornelius was), needed their own Pentecost (10:44-48) and spoke in Spirit-inspired languages.

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on everyone listening to the message. ⁴⁵ And the circumcised believers who went with Peter were amazed that even upon the Gentiles the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in tongues and magnifying God. Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ Who can refuse water to baptize these who have received the Holy Spirit, as we also have?” ⁴⁸ He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for some days. (Acts 10:44-48)

Therefore the gift of ‘tongues’ is not only for the twelve, but for everyone. And the miracle happened in their speaking, not in Peter’s hearing.

13. About twelve men who were baptized under John the Baptist received the baptism or fullness of the Spirit, including their Spirit-languages (Acts 19:6).

So this gift is not just for the twelve apostles.

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul put his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. ⁷ They were about twelve men in total. (Acts 19:5-7, emphasis added)

Once again, the speaking in tongues was the miracle.

14. Paul enjoyed his prayer language (1 Cor. 14:18).

So this gift is not just for the twelve. “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you” (1 Cor. 14:18, NIV).

15. Many Corinthian Christians also enjoyed their prayer languages (1 Cor. 14), so this gift is not just for the twelve.

B. Summary

Adding up all these biblical data, especially points 1-7, the 120, and not just the twelve, received the fullness and baptism with the Holy Spirit with prayer languages (‘tongues’). This promise of the Father is for everyone, even for you and me (points 8-14).

I hope that this exegesis puts to rest the notion that only the twelve spoke in Spirit-inspired languages. In Acts 2:1 “all” were together in the same place, and in the previous chapter “all” must include the 120 who witnessed the replacement proceedings. Therefore, all spoke in tongues. And then many converts to Jesus spoke in their Spirit-inspired languages, throughout Acts and in 1 Cor. 12-14.

An important note. If some or all of the 120 were at the prayer for boldness, then they were filled with the Spirit again.

³¹ And while they were praying, the place where they were gathered together was shaken, and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31)

Multiple infillings and empowerments–let’s ask God for them for ministry.

VI.. The Spirit at the Beginning of the Disciple’s Life

A.. He gives us new life.

You must be born again, of Spirit and water, which probably means water in baptism, which comes second—the Spirit is the one who causes new birth (John 3:3-6).

In a very similar theology to that of John, Paul says the believer is washed from his sins and experiences new birth by the Spirit (Tit. 3:5).

B.. Repent of our sins.

Peter just finished his first sermon after Pentecost. The Jews asked what they had to do. He told them, “Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the free gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38, my translation). So baptism is for forgiveness of sins, and the Spirit washes you at the same time water washes you. The free gift of the Spirit includes empowerment and prophetic speaking.

C.. Believe in Jesus.

While Peter was recounting his meeting with Cornelius (Acts 10) to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, he told them that the Spirit fell on Cornelius and his household before he finished his sermon (Acts 11:15-17). Faith must have surged in their hearts, so they believed in Jesus. And then the fullness and baptism in the Spirit came on and through them.

Paul asked this simple question: did the Galatians receive the Spirit by works of the law or faith in Jesus? The answer is the second one (Gal. 3:2-3). Then he restates his case: we receive the Spirit by believing in Jesus Gal. 3:14).

When the Ephesians heard the gospel of truth and believed they were sealed with the Spirit (Eph. 1:13). We have to preach the truth, so people can have a knowledge of it. Then faith will rise in their hearts.

D.. Be baptized in Jesus’s name.

As noted, Peter said the hearers of his gospel had to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). This does not mean, however, that water—H₂O—saves a person. The Spirit must first work salvation in the heart. Cornelius, for example, received the Spirit, without being water baptized (Acts 10:44-46). And then afterwards they were water baptized (vv. 47-48). So let’s not make too much of sequential steps and formulas.

While Paul was in Ephesus, he came across disciples (a word used exclusively in Acts for followers of Jesus) who had not received the Spirit. They had not even heard of him, but had been baptized under John’s ministry—the baptism of repentance. So then they were baptized in Jesus’s name and were filled with the Spirit with the evidence of payer languages (Acts 19:1-6).

Once again, let’s not make too much of formulas and develop a theology of sequential steps.

E.. Pray to receive him.

If we are imperfect—even bad—people, yet we know how to give good gifts, then the Father in heaven knows how to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13). The Spirit does not often fall sovereignly on a life. (Even Cornelius and his household were seekers.) One has to ask, and he has to be invited. Be hungry for the Spirit, and ask you Father for him expecting to receive him.

VII.. A Disciple’s Life in the Spirit

A.. The Spirit’s activity in us

1.. The Spirit lives in us.

The Advocate, the Stand-by Helper, the Spirit of truth, will be with us forever, because Jesus will ask the Father to send him (John 14:16-17). You can be sure this happened at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us (Rom. 8:11).

Our bodies are the temple of the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). Take care of your bodies. Don’t let them become polluted.

2.. He reveals God’s love and sends it into our hearts.

God’s love has been poured out in us through the Spirit (Rom. 5:5).

3.. He reveals God’s secrets to us.

Eyes have not seen or ears have not heard or no human mind has conceived what God has in store for us. But the Spirit has revealed those things (1 Cor. 2:10-16).

4.. He brings Christ’s presence to us.

As noted, Jesus said he would ask the Father, who would send his Spirit of truth, who will live in us forever (John 14:16-18).

5.. He teaches us about Christ and truth.

Jesus says plainly that the Advocate, the Helper, the Spirit, whom the Father will send in Christ’s name, will teach them all things and remind them what he said (John 14:26). This applies to us, as well, when the Spirit leads us to the truth.

The same is ideas is repeated here: “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me” (John 15:26).

6.. He leads us to find the truth.

John teaches in his first epistle that we can know truth from falsehood by the Spirit and this test: Has Jesus come in the flesh and not some strange being who simply occupied a seeming body (1 John 4:1-6)? In other words, we must hold true to what the truth is. In John’s day, Scripture was being written, so they had other tests from what he learned directly from Jesus and spending hours with him. We don’t have that advantage today, so we better stay true to what they wrote about him—the written Scriptures. Yes, the Spirit will lead us too, but often our own private interpretations and desires can confuse us. We need to test our leadings by the Scriptures.

7.. He leads us into fellowship.

Here is Paul’s final words to the Corinthians: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14).

There is common sharing and comfort and encouragement in the Spirit (Phil. 2:1).

8.. He governs us.

If the Spirit lives in us, then we are not in the realm of the flesh (human sin nature), but we live in the Spirit (Rom. 8:9). He takes the lead.

9.. He empowers us to pray in him.

Paul says to pray in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18), and so does Jude (Jude 20), most likely Jesus’s half-brother (same mother, different Father!). If so, then he was in the upper room at Pentecost (Acts 1:14), and received his prayer language at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Praying in the Spirit is explained in 1 Cor. 14:16; it is done in a language that the speaker does not understand, but God does (1 Cor. 14:14).

10.. He empowers us to live the Christian life.

We either have our minds on the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit. The Spirit governs our minds to life and peace. The mind governed by the sin nature is hostile to God, but the mind led by the Spirit is set on God (Rom. 8:5-9).

11.. He produces his fruit in us.

Paul writes straightforwardly: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). We do not have to struggle or strain to produce fruit by self-effort. When the Spirit lives in us, the fruit comes naturally-supernaturally.

Please go here to begin a series of my polished drafts (as distinct from near-final or final drafts) on the fruit of the Spirit:

1 Fruit of the Spirit: Love

12.. He gives us righteousness, joy, and peace.

The kingdom of God consists of those three virtues (Rom. 14:17). Righteousness is also produced in us by the Spirit. We lead righteous lives, by the Spirit’s power. And we also have joy (cf. 1 Thess. 1:6) and peace.

13.. He sanctifies us.

God gave Paul the priestly duty to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles, who are sanctified by the Spirit (Rom. 15:16). Sanctification is a process. It literally means sanct- (holy), fic- (making), and -ion (act or process). If you do not see holiness in your life after receiving salvation, you need to call out to the Spirit to help you.

God saved you through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and believing the truth (2 Thess. 2:13). Then Paul goes on to say that God called them through the gospel.  Sanctification does save us from the devil’s foothold and our fleshly desires.

14.. He gives us gifts.

These gifts are the charismata, which is the plural of charisma. The –ma– suffix means “the result of.” Add it is the stem charis (grace), and you get “the result of grace.” So his charismata is distributed as the Spirit wills (1 Cor. 12:4-11), and they empower us to help people, not to show off or burnish our ministries while the cameras are rolling.

15.. He encourages us.

A paraclete is someone who has been called (klete– or clete-) alongside (para-). He is like an attorney or advocate standing by you to plead your cause for you. He is your stand-by helper.

The verb form of the word can mean exhort, which means to stir someone up to walk on the right path and not the wrong one. It can mean comfort, that is, giving support and strength during tough times. And it can mean, as noted, to encourage, which puts courage in your heart (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13-14.

The next verse is one of six summary verses Luke inserts throughout Acts: “And so the church throughout all of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee enjoyed peace and was being built up and walking in awe for the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, and increasing in numbers” (Acts 9:31).

Just because it is a summary verse does not mean it is empty. They really were being encouraged by the Spirit.

16.. He gives us his sword to fight Satan.

The sword of the Spirit is the word of God (Eph. 6:17; cf. Heb. 4:12), like the epistle Paul was writing to the Ephesians. Yes, 2000 years ago it can mean the gospel as it was preached apart from a written text, but we better stay close to the Scriptures handed down to us, because our own ideas can interfere with God’s truths.

17.. He empowers us to witness.

The Spirit has to come on us with great power, so we can be witnesses (Acts 1:8). Power cannot come by soul power and intellect alone. The “great power” includes prayer languages. If you got this wonderful gift, use it. If you don’t, ask for it. You’ll never be the same.

Jews of the Synagogue of the Freedmen opposed Stephen’s message, but they could not counter what he was saying because the power of the Spirit was flowing through him (Acts 6:9-10).

18.. He teaches us what to say during persecution.

This point illustrates the previous one. When Messianic Jews are called before synagogue authorities, they do not need to obsess over what to say, rehearsing it in their minds. The Spirit will guide them (Luke 12:12). In countries where persecution is still happening, this is “real.”

In nations like ours where persecution is not happening (though things seem to be worsening), this can apply to us in a variety of situations. When you have a demanding presentation before a hostile board or an authority, for example, relax and trust God that at the right time the Spirit will bring thoughts to your mind.

19.. He intercedes for us.

It is comforting and encouraging that the Spirit intercedes for and with us through “wordless groans” (Rom. 8:26). This means that something is transpiring in the heaven realm between the Spirit and the Father that does not need words, but they communication is deep, full of compassion. I get the impression that on a human level, we participate in those wordless groans, through the Spirit.

20.. He empowers our bodies right now and at the future resurrection.

He whisked Philip away by supernatural translation (Acts 8:39). This is how powerful the Spirit is in working miracles in our bodies.

The Spirit lives in us, and he raised Jesus from the dead. He will also and similarly give life to our mortal bodies, both now and at the future resurrection (Rom. 8:11). For the here and now, we can have supernatural renovation and strength in our bodies.

B.. Summary

It is wonderful to believe that the Spirit is active in your life, just like those points emphasize. You can get to know him in all of those ways. One key point is that he sanctifies us. In grace, we need holiness. If the grace teaching does not lead to purity and right living, then this brand of the grace teaching should be avoided.

On a positive note, he regenerates you or gives you new birth. That is, through the Spirit, you can be born again. He can wash you of your past sins, and that’s great news. He sanctifies you. He empowers you to live a godly life. He can work miracles through your life.

Surrender to Jesus now, and he instantly sends his Spirit into your heart and mind, so you can follow him.

VIII.. Application

A.. The Scriptures have many verses about the Spirit.

The epistles and entire book of Acts are very charismatic, and the Spirit is behind it all. (The four Gospels are also very charismatic, but they focus on Christ’s anointing, which he extends to his church in Acts and the epistles, but with limits.)

For example, in the book of Acts, in 11:24 Barnabas is said to be full of the Holy Spirit and faith. It is inconceivable that he would not have his prayer language, as an associate of Saul / Paul, who stated the fact that he prays in the Spirit more than all the Corinthians (1 Cor. 14:18).

To that point, Saul was said to receive the Spirit, but Luke does not mention anything about Spirit-inspired languages (Acts 9:17). Luke does not need to mention the fullness or baptism of the Spirit including prayer languages in every verse that talks about this fullness. It would be like Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, intervening to tell his readers on every other page, “Don’t forget! We’re on a whaling ship!” The author assumes the readers know this from the context—from the entire book of Acts. The same goes for the epistles.

B.. Be hungry

No, all God’s gifts are received when people are hungry and genuinely reach out for it. Analogous example: people receive salvation through hunger and faith. And so it is with the gift of Spirit-inspired prayer languages. You actually need this gift to boost and empower your Christian life. Seek him for this gift, with a hungry and humble and open heart and mind. He will be glad to give it.

Luke 11:9-13:

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;  seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:9-13)

Luke links receiving prayer languages with being empowered and (re)filled with the Spirit in three explicit paradigmatic or exemplary instances, and one clearly implied paradigmatic and exemplary instance, and another example that he omits entirely, but the church practiced this gift (Corinth).

C.. Accept the Spirit

I urge people everywhere to accept the fullness of the Spirit. If they receive their prayer language then and there, great! But they can receive it years later, if they want. But they must come with hungry hearts and an open mind. They must not come to God’s wonderful offer with over-intellectualizing mental blocks or an attitude that says, “Oh yeah? Let’s just wait and see!” Or “Maybe, maybe not!” Or “I have my preconceived ideas, and I’m prejudiced against it!” Or “My previous pastor taught against it, and it will take a lot for me to accept it!”

D. One important result

When we are baptized in or with the Spirit, we enter into the church or body of Christ:

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Cor. 12:12-13)

We can drink deeply of the Spirit. Being a member of his body is a wonderful truth. Attend church regularly.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Works Cited