Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts

Holy Spirit in Acts

The book of Acts in the Holy Bible refers to the Acts of the Apostles and how these acts contributed to the formation of the early church. The importance of the Holy Spirit in the early days of the church cannot be underestimated. Paul told the Ephesians it was necessary to believe in the "one coming after him, this is, in Jesus" (New International Version Acts 19:4). Believing in who Jesus Christ was one thing but believing in the Holy Spirit was another. It was difficult to grasp this idea as well as understand the importance of his work. However, because of these early days, we know believing in the Holy Spirit is an essential part of believing in Jesus as the Son of God. The church, in these early days, taught this doctrine involved performing the right actions because a person's actions reveal the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. According to Jesus, the Holy Sprit is an essential aspect for every believer. Through examination of Acts coupled with Paul's teachings, we can know the role of the Holy Spirit and his importance in the organization of the early church as well as our world today. The role of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts was to provide direction, inspiration, peace and strength through to believers.

The Holy Spirit is essential for believers; they must believe in him and they must be open to him H.H. Halley writes one of the first missions of the church was to be a "witness-bearing institution to Christ" (Halley 767) rather than an authoritative organization pushing Jesus on the world. Part of this witness-bearing responsibility was the experience of the Holy Spirit, which proved Christianity was something of a supernatural experience. In that day, the presence of the Holy Spirit meant the apostles could work miracles in the name of Jesus, which led others to believe. This also meant the Holy Spirit aided in the growth of the early church. Halley maintains there can be no real denying that the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples. It was more essential for them in the early church because they were facing issues and struggles that can only be identified with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit arrives to fulfill Jesus' promise of a Comforter and this arrival is known as the day of Pentecost. (New International Version Acts 2:1). Paul emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit when he reprimands the church for placing works and law above the Holy Spirit. (New International Version Galatians 3:1-5) H.H. Halley writes, the "expansion of Christianity from a Jewish sect into a world religion was Paul's consuming passion, in pursuit of which he broke every hindering tie, and strained every faculty of mind and body for upwards of thirty years" (Halley 609). Paul explained that the genuine children of Abraham possess faith rather than a desire to keep the law. He wrote, "The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith" (New International Version Galatians 3: 7). This is important because Paul knew believers could not rely on their works as a means to gauge their spirituality. He says if "inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise" (New International Version Galatians 3: 18). Here we see how the importance of the Holy Spirit plays into salvation.

The Holy Spirit provides direction and inspiration. In the early days in Acts, the Holy Sprit directs missionary journeys. For example, when the apostles traveled to Phrygia and Galatia, they were impelled by the Holy Spirit not to go into Asia (New International Version Acts 16:6). This is an example of the Holy Spirit in action, and it provides us with a concrete example of how believers should the Spirit's lead. In Acts, we see how he inspired the apostles to speak of God's love and use words in such a way that others would come to experience God. For instance, we read how the apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak the word of God "boldly" (New International Version Acts 4:31). While this seems like something easy to do, it was difficult in the days of the early church. The Holy Spirit provides encouragement for the apostles as well as guiding them.

The Holy Spirit speaks to believers and brings them peace and strength when they need it. The Holy Spirit speaks to Philip in the book of Acts (New International Version Acts 8:29) and we can also see the Holy Spirit speaking to the Roman church when it was experiencing difficulty. Paul tells the Romans, "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet" (New International Version Acts 28:25). In the early days, churches in "Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in fear of the Lord" (New International Version Acts 9:31). The Holy Spirit also confirmed the apostles' miracles. We see this in Hebrews when "God also testified to it by signs, and wonders and miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will" (New International Version Hebrews 2:4). Paul writes that one role of the Holy Spirit is to provide strength for believers in moments of weakness. The Holy Spirit also intercedes for believers when they experience difficulty finding the words to pray. The Bible says, "The Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance to God's will" (New International Version Romans 8:26-7).

Evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is seen through spiritual gifts. Paul writes in I Corinthians that there are many gifts but that they all come from Him. The purpose of different gifts allows believers to work together as a body. Spiritual gifts include teaching, prophecy, preaching, healing, speaking in tongues, the interpretation of tongues, edifying and administering. These gifts are of the Holy Sprit and he "gives them to each one, just as he determines" (New International Version I Corinthians 12: 11). Paul writes that gifts are necessary for the body of Christ to survive. We read:

But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (New International Version I Corinthians 12:24-25)

The gifts are important and Paul is careful to indicate that they are equal in importance.