Study 2 — The Holy Spirit Comes: When God Begins Something New:From Waiting to Witness
Last week we began our September journey with a simple but important idea:
God was at work after Pentecost.
The resurrection had happened. Jesus had ascended into heaven. But His work on earth was not finished.
In fact, Jesus told His disciples that they were about to become witnesses to something far greater than they could accomplish by themselves.
Acts 1:8 records His words:
“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…”
Those words are the bridge between the ministry of Jesus and the birth and expansion of the early Church.
The disciples were about to discover something they could never have fully understood before Pentecost:
God's work would continue through them—but only through the power of the Holy Spirit.
1. Jesus Told Them to Wait
This is one of the first things we should notice.
Jesus had given His disciples a mission.
He had told them to be His witnesses.
He had commissioned them to take the Gospel to the nations.
But He did not tell them to begin immediately.
He told them to wait.
Why?
Because the work of God cannot ultimately be accomplished through human enthusiasm, intelligence, organization, or strength.
The disciples needed the power of the Holy Spirit.
That is an important lesson for us.
We often want to do something for God.
We make plans.
We organize.
We work.
We become busy.
But Scripture reminds us that God's work requires God's power.
The disciples had walked with Jesus.
They had heard His teaching.
They had witnessed His miracles.
They had seen Him die.
They had seen Him risen.
And still Jesus told them to wait.
Their experience with Jesus was not a substitute for the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.
2. Pentecost Was God's Promise Fulfilled
Then came Pentecost.
Acts 2 describes a moment unlike anything the disciples had experienced before.
They were together.
Suddenly there came a sound from heaven.
The Holy Spirit came upon them.
And they began to speak in languages they had not learned.
People from many different nations heard the disciples declaring the mighty works of God.
Something remarkable was happening.
The Gospel was no longer going to remain within one small circle of followers.
God was beginning to move outward.
And He was doing it through ordinary people.
Peter stood up and preached.
This is the same Peter who had once denied Jesus.
That contrast is impossible to miss.
Before Pentecost:
Peter was afraid.
After Pentecost:
Peter became a bold witness.
What made the difference?
Peter had not suddenly become naturally courageous.
He had received the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. The Church Was Born Into Mission
Pentecost was not simply a remarkable spiritual experience.
It had a purpose.
The Holy Spirit came so that the disciples would become witnesses.
That means Pentecost was connected directly to mission.
Jesus had already given the command:
Jerusalem.
Judea.
Samaria.
The ends of the earth.
The Gospel would move outward.
And Acts shows us that it did.
This gives us another important principle:
God blesses His people so that they may become a blessing to others.
The disciples weren't given the Holy Spirit simply so they could have an extraordinary experience.
They were empowered to proclaim Christ.
They were empowered to serve.
They were empowered to endure suffering.
They were empowered to witness.
They were empowered to build up the Church.
The Spirit's work in them was intended to produce God's work through them.
4. Peter's Sermon Points People to Jesus
Peter's sermon in Acts 2 is also worth noticing.
Peter did not make himself the center of attention.
He pointed people to Jesus.
He proclaimed that Jesus had been crucified and raised from the dead.
He called people to repentance.
He announced the good news of salvation.
And the response was extraordinary.
Thousands believed.
But we should be careful about where we place the emphasis.
The miracle wasn't simply that Peter preached a powerful sermon.
The miracle was that God used Peter's witness to bring people to Christ.
That is the pattern we will see repeatedly throughout Acts.
God uses people.
But God receives the glory.
5. Pentecost Created a Community
Acts 2 doesn't end with people making individual decisions.
Something larger happened.
A community was formed.
Acts 2:42 tells us:
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Look at what characterized these first Christians.
They learned.
They fellowshipped.
They worshiped.
They prayed.
They shared.
They served.
They cared for one another.
And they continued to reach others.
The Church was not simply a collection of people who happened to believe the same things.
It was a new community created by God.
This is important because Christianity was never intended to be merely private.
Following Jesus means becoming part of His people.
6. God Was Doing Something New
There is a larger biblical pattern here.
Again and again, Scripture shows us God beginning something new.
Creation.
The calling of Abraham.
The Exodus.
The establishment of Israel.
The coming of Christ.
The resurrection.
And now Pentecost.
Each time, God takes His purposes forward.
Pentecost therefore belongs to the larger story of redemption.
God was not abandoning His purposes.
He was advancing them.
The risen Christ was now reigning.
The Holy Spirit was empowering His people.
The Gospel was beginning its journey to the nations.
And the Church was becoming the visible community through which that Gospel would be proclaimed.
7. The Same Holy Spirit Still Works
This is where the story becomes personal.
It is easy to read Acts 2 as ancient history.
We see the rushing wind.
The tongues of fire.
Peter's sermon.
The thousands who believed.
And we say:
“What an amazing thing God did back then.”
But our September theme asks a different question:
What is God doing now?
The Holy Spirit has not become irrelevant.
Jesus has not stopped building His Church.
The Gospel has not lost its power.
And God's people have not been released from the calling to be witnesses.
The circumstances have changed.
The technology has changed.
The culture has changed.
But the mission remains.
Christ is still calling His people to make Him known.
8. We Should Not Confuse Activity With Power
There is a warning here for the modern Church.
We can become very busy.
We can build organizations.
Create programs.
Develop strategies.
Use technology.
Advertise.
Publish.
Plan.
And all of those things may have their proper place.
But none of them can replace the work of the Holy Spirit.
The disciples had almost none of the resources we consider essential today.
They had no buildings.
No printing presses.
No Christian radio.
No television.
No internet.
No social media.
No modern transportation.
Yet the Gospel spread across the Roman world.
Why?
Because God was at work.
That does not mean organization is unimportant.
It means organization is never the source of spiritual power.
The source is God.
9. What Does Pentecost Ask of Us?
Perhaps the most important question is not:
“Could God use me?”
The story of Acts answers that question.
Yes.
He can.
The better question is:
“Am I willing to be used?”
The disciples were ordinary people.
They had weaknesses.
They had made mistakes.
They sometimes misunderstood Jesus.
They were frightened.
But they became available.
And God used them.
That should encourage every Christian who has ever thought:
“I don't have much to offer.”
Perhaps you don't.
Neither did Peter.
Neither did Andrew.
Neither did many of the unnamed believers whose faithful witness helped spread the Gospel.
But what we offer God is not ultimately the source of the power.
He is.
Questions for Our Study
Let's take these slowly.
1.
Why do you think Jesus commanded the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit rather than immediately beginning their mission?
2.
What changed in Peter between his denial of Jesus and his bold preaching in Acts 2?
3.
Why is it important that Peter's message focused on Jesus rather than on himself?
4.
What do the characteristics of the early Church in Acts 2:42 teach us about what a healthy Christian community should look like?
5.
Are there ways in which we can become so busy doing things for God that we forget our dependence upon God?
6. Most importantly:
Where might God be asking you to depend upon His Spirit rather than your own strength?
Our Thought for This Week
Pentecost reminds us that God does not simply give His people a mission.
He gives them His presence and His power for the mission.
The disciples began as ordinary men and women who had followed Jesus.
After Pentecost, they became witnesses who carried His message into a waiting world.
And that is where our journey through September truly begins.
We will continue to watch God at work—not only through the famous apostles, but through ordinary believers, suffering Christians, unexpected missionaries, unlikely converts, and communities that carried the Gospel farther than anyone could have imagined.
The story of Acts is not ultimately about what impressive people accomplished for God.
It is about what God accomplished through people who were willing to trust Him.
And perhaps that is exactly where we should begin this week:
“Lord, make me available to You.”
A Prayer for the Journey
Lord Jesus,
Thank You that the story did not end when You ascended into heaven.
Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to empower Your people.
Teach us not to depend upon our own strength, wisdom, or ability.
Make us willing witnesses.
Give us courage when we are afraid, faith when we cannot see the way forward, and love for those who need to hear the Gospel.
And help us remember that the Church is not ultimately our work.
It is Your Church.
You are still building it.
You are still calling people.
You are still saving.
You are still working.
Make us available to You.
Amen.
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PENTECOSTAL POWER
Lord, as of old, at Pentecost,
Thou didst Thy power display,
With cleansing, purifying flame,
Descend on us today.
Refrain
Lord, send the old-time power,
the Pentecostal power!
Thy floodgates of blessing,
on us throw open wide!
Lord, send the old-time power,
the Pentecostal power!
That sinners be converted
and Thy Name glorified!
For mighty works for Thee, prepare
And strengthen every heart;
Come, take possession of Thine own,
And never more depart. Refrain
All self consume, all sin destroy!
With earnest zeal endue
Each waiting heart to work for Thee;
O Lord, our faith renew! Refrain
Speak, Lord! before Thy throne we wait,
Thy promise we believe,
And will not let Thee go until
The blessing we receive. Refrain
Words & Music: Charles H. Gab¬ri¬el, 1912
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