This study was first taught on June 3, 2018

Topic: The Birth of the Church (5): The Significance of the Manifestations of the Holy Spirit

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Background
In our meeting last week, we saw the evidence or proof of the presence of the Holy Spirit at the birth of the Church—the sound as of a mighty rushing wind; the cloven tongues as of fire; and, the speaking in tongues of the disciples as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance; and, the unprepared sermon of Peter. We, however, cautioned that we should not presume that every such manifestation is an indicator of the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit! And in any case, the sound from heaven, and the cloven tongues, only manifested at the birth of the Church, and was not replicated elsewhere again in the New Testament account of the Holy Spirit’s activities.

Furthermore, we noted that we should also not be like the church in Corinth, which focused majorly on tongues, whereas there were many other manifestations of the Holy Spirit, including, prophecy, miracles, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, etc. And for all the manifestations or gifts of the Spirit, if the fruit of the Spirit is not manifest in our lives, the gifts are unprofitable to us!

We, therefore, concluded that the manifestation of the Holy Spirit must be the totality of spiritual gifts (at least one), the fruit of the Spirit (all of which must be present—the result of the a crucified and sanctified life), and the abiding presence of Christ (the result of obedience, which is itself, the result of our love for God!).

Scripture Text(s)
Acts 2:1-16
On the day the Church was born, there were the manifestations, especially of tongues, in which peoples of every nation gathered in Jerusalem, heard the disciples—all Galileans—speak audibly in their own language. One question they mostly asked was, “What can this mean?” In our study today, we seek to provide answers to this question. May the Holy Spirit give us an answer of peace, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let us begin by noting that we shall be focusing on those manifestations that took place in the verses of our scripture text, with a view to noting their significance. Let us also note that God is a God of purpose—nothing happens without a reason! We may not immediately know the reason for certain things that God does, but there is always a reason!
Acts 2:5; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4; Exodus 3:1-10; Luke 4:14; Acts 8:26ff; 10:1ff; Matthew 15:11, 17; James 3:1-12; 1 Corinthians 13:1; 14:2-4, 21-25; Acts 2:5-13; Romans 8:26-27; Acts 2:14ff; 4:8-13.

Conclusion
Everything the Holy Spirit does, and indeed, every manifestation of the Holy Spirit, is for a purpose, and it is tied to the eternal plan and purpose of the Godhead (Genesis 1:26; 3:14-15; Isaiah 14: 12-15, 24-27; Psalm 110:1, 3; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:6; 1:21; Luke 10:17-24; Ephesians 3:1, 6, 10-11).

On the day the Church was born, the sound from heaven drew people’s attention to the remarkable event that was about to take place, so that they could be witnesses of God’s awesome power—men speaking in languages they neither learned before, nor even understand; and yet are communicating the wonderful works of God to a dying world! The cloven tongues as of fire signified the work of God on the total man by reason of the Holy Spirit in taming the tongue and bringing such men to the control of the Holy Spirit (self-control)—purging, purifying, and preparing men and women to be able to serve God acceptably! The speaking in tongues showed the awesome ability of God to communicate through men and to all men, and His desire to have all men saved through the preaching of the gospel—as He manifested it in Simon Peter.

Indeed, for everything God does, there is always a purpose. May we, like Moses did, be able to turn aside from our daily schedules, pursuits, and dreams, and turn to God, and hear and receive His instructions!

LET US PRAY!

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