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The book of Acts of the Apostles can be more appropriately named the Acts of the
Holy Spirit. The words “Holy Spirit” appear more times in Acts than any other books of the
Bible1. No doubt the Holy Spirit is at work from Genesis to Revelations, and no doubt God
the Father and Jesus are both clearly present in Acts; but the Holy Spirit is front and center. F.
F. Bruce says that it is plain from Luke that “all the apostolic acts” in Acts were “performed
by the power of the Holy Spirit”2. This paper will focus on four works of the Holy Spirit in
the book of Acts, His 1) empowering, 2) guiding, 3) revealing, and 4) unifying work3 in the
formation of the early church, as well as to reflect on the application in today’s context.
Jesus told His disciples before His ascension in Acts 1:8, “you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”. The Holy Spirit’s empowering work is clearly the
most important and prominent work. The context of the empowering is for witness, as Jesus
goes on to say, “… and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:84). This verse is the theme verse which “contains an
1
56 times in Acts; Based on Logos search of the ESV Bible. See table in Appendix.
2
F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988), p. 31
3
Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2004), 635.
4
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version
(ESV)
2
inspired outline of the Book of Acts”5. Luke goes on to narrate event after event of
First and foremost, the disciples were empowered to be bold. We see the sharp
contrast in the disciples before and after Pentecost. When Jesus was arrested, the disciples
fled, Peter denied his Lord. Things could not be bleaker after Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, as
the disciples went back to their old trade. But the day of Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit fell
on the disciples, and everything changed. Immediately Peter addressed the crowd, declaring
the good news of the Gospel, three thousand souls were saved as a result. Said St. John
Chrysostom: “Listen to him preach and argue so boldly, who shortly before had trembled at
the word of a servant girl!”6 Later, when Peter was brought before the rulers, elders and
scribes, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and declared salvation in no other name but Jesus,
and everyone “saw the boldness of Peter and John” and “recognized that they had been with
Grudem said that “the Holy Spirit also gave great power to the preaching of the early
church”7. Luke recorded many speeches, mostly from Peter and Paul. Peter was an
uneducated common man, but his speeches were characterized with clarity and power. This
was evident as the hearers “were cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37). Luke said of Stephen’s speech
before he was martyred that “they [Jewish leaders] could not withstand the wisdom and the
Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:10). As their message of the gospel spread, it was
said of them that they had “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
5
Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Acts, n.d.
6
The Acts of the Apostles, The Navarre Bible (Dublin; New York: Four Courts Press; Scepter Publishers,
2005), 33.
7
Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2004), 638.
3
The disciples were empowered to perform signs and wonders. Just as Peter healed the
lame (Acts 3) and raised Dorcas (Acts 9:40-41), so Paul healed the man crippled from birth
(Acts 14:8-10), casted out demons (Acts 16:18, 19:11-16) and raised Eutychus (Acts 20:7-
12). Other disciples too, performed great signs and wonders (unnamed apostles 5:12; Stephen
in Acts 6:8, Philip in Acts 8:6-8; and Barnabas in Acts 14:3; 15:12). Three times in Acts,
when the Holy Spirit fell on people, they spoke in tongues or other languages (Acts 2:1-4,
10:44-47, 19:1-7). The signs and wonders were for the purpose of authenticating the apostles’
message. Speaking in tongues, in the case of Cornelius, made it clear to Peter that God
accepts Gentiles with impartiality. It’s important to note that Speaking in tongues did not
accompany every case (Acts 4:31; 8:15-17; 9:17-20). I agree with Duvall and Hays’ principle
of finding repeated patterns and their conclusion that “Spirit-empowered speech of some kind
How does the Holy Spirit empower the believers today? Can we expect to be bold in
the face of danger? To perform miracles, to heal, to speak in tongues? To preach? To answer
this question, we need to go back to Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8. The promise of power must be
seen within the immediate context of witnessing for Jesus. The story of Simon the sorcerer
(Acts 8:9-24) is a cautionary tale to set our hearts right before God. We cannot use His power
for our personal gain. Paul went to Jerusalem despite the many warnings because he was
“constrained in the Spirit”. Likewise, we should submit ourselves under the Spirit’s control
and God’s sovereignty. Not every believer in Acts spoke in tongues, was delivered from
prison by angels, nor transported to another location (only Philip; even Paul had to physically
go through perilous journeys), and not everyone performed miracles. Jodi Carlson and Dr.
8
Duvall, J. Scott and Hays, J. Daniel. Grasping God's Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading,
Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 305.
4
Kristin Beasley said it well, “the Holy Spirit’s empowerment can be surprising, and that in
itself is a reminder that it is not you at all”9. We can neither expect nor demand specific
manifestation of power, but when we do submit ourselves for the work of His Kingdom, the
Holy Spirit equips and enables us, and even more, He works alongside with us.
Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until
they received the Holy Spirit. It was crucial for them not just be empowered, but also be
guided by the Holy Spirit. Until the stoning of Stephen which marked the start of persecution,
there was no sign of anyone reaching out to Judea and Samaria. Did they forget Jesus’ words
in Acts 1:8? It’s likely the disciples were still holding on to their hope for an earthly kingdom
as they did (Acts 1:6) just before Jesus gave them the Great Commission. God used
Acts 8:4 tells us the scattered disciples preached the word, and Philip had a thriving
ministry in a city of Samaria. Contrary to human wisdom (and calculation), Philip was
directly told by the Spirit to leave Samaria in order to meet one person on a desert road, an
Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:29), one who represents not only Gentiles but everyone who would
The Holy Spirit is the One that brought a very reluctant Peter to the Gentiles.
Cornelius, a Gentile, received a vision to send for Peter. Before their arrival, Peter was given
a vision, not once but three times! Though I am certain that he did not forget Jesus’ words to
witness to “the end of the earth”, nothing short of arm-twisting was needed for Peter to
overcome his reservations. He was then told to go with the men standing at his door (Acts
10:19-20; 11:12). Similarly, the double revelation to Saul and Ananias (Acts 9) highlighted
9
Jodi, Carlson, Dr. Kristin Beasley, Empowered by the Holy Spirit,
http://justbetweenus.org/faith/spiritual-growth/empowered-by-the-holy-spirit/, accessed by 30 Oct. 17.
5
God’s calling of the “Apostle to the Gentiles”. The Holy Spirit later impressed upon James
Having reached Judea and Samaria, the Holy Spirit actively led the way in witnessing
“to the end of the earth”. The church in Antioch was told to “set apart Barnabas and Saul for
the work” (Acts 13:2). The guidance is especially evident in Paul’s second missionary
journey. The Holy Spirit forbade Paul from going into Asia, then stopped Paul and his team
when they attempted to go into Bithynia; but in a vision, directed Paul into Macedonia. Paul
went to Jerusalem despite warnings from other believers because he was “constrained by the
Throughout Acts, Luke describes a variety of means in which the Holy Spirit guides,
sometimes directly but at other times indirectly through other believers (Acts 6:1-6; 9:17-19).
Even in Paul’s journey to Rome, the Holy Spirit was working behind the scenes. “What is
normative is not so much how God guides his people, but that God guides his people”,
Can we calculate the effectiveness of a ministry using numbers and key performance
indicators? Are we inhabited by our long-held deep-rooted prejudice against certain people?
The early Christians were no strangers to these flaws, but they were sensitive and obedient to
Should we always expect dramatic leading and guiding? Or should lack of such
leading be a sort of negative indication to carry on the mission work? I believe that the Holy
Spirit led the new church in clear and specific ways so that the church truly understands her
mission. This is analogous to a parent teaching a child, then taking his hand and showing him
10
Duvall; Hays, Grasping God's Word, 304.
6
just how to do it. Today, the church has grown, but the mission is not yet complete, what
remains unchanged is our calling through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of Truth. Jesus said, “when the Spirit of Truth
comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). Grudem categorized the Holy Spirit’s
guidance under His revelation11. I do not disagree but would like to make a distinction. I see
guidance is for direction, but revelation is for understanding. Through the Spirit’s revelation,
Agabus prophesied about the danger waiting for Paul at Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-14). Paul
himself was told by the Holy Spirit that he would be imprisoned. At the same time, Paul is
“constrained by the Spirit” to press on (Acts 20:22-23). Paul must have felt a clear direction
from the Spirit to have such a firm conviction. In this example he received both guidance and
revelation.
The Holy Spirit supernaturally reveals to Peter the heart of Ananias and Sapphira in
Acts 5; Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, saw “the heavens opened, and the Son of Man
standing” (Acts 8:55-56). The apostles, by the Spirit’s revelation, saw into the hearts of men,
even God’s throne in heaven, and Jesus standing to welcome Stephen. What comfort it must
Before Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he already had a well-developed
Christology12. He studied under Gamaliel and was well versed in the Scripture. Yet it led him
to persecute the church with zeal. He speaks to his persecutor, the Jews, with compassion,
because he shared the same “zeal” with which they were persecuting him (Acts 22:3). Paul
speaks of a “veil” which is “only removed when one turns to the Lord” in his second letter to
11
Grudem, Systematic Theology, 640-643.
12
Victor Kwok, Class Notes for Acts, #13-03, 26.
7
the Corinthians (2 Cor. 3:15-16). I believe it is the Holy Spirit who removed the veil from
Paul’s heart when Jesus appeared to him, enabling him to see the truth of the Scripture in the
Peter, through the Holy Spirit’s revelation, quoted Joel in his first sermon. Joel’s
prophecy was that the Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh. Barclay said, “the Holy
Spirit enabled the disciples to see in Scripture meanings, significances, pointers, that they had
never seen before. Only the Holy Spirit can interpret the Scripture which the Spirit has
inspired.”13 It is interesting to note that though Peter connects the Pentecost experience to
Joel’s prophecy, he himself was still some distance away from fully accepting that the
pouring of the Holy Spirit on “all flesh”, which was made clear in the Lord’s calling Peter to
Cornelius.
The unifying function is another key element among the works of the Holy Spirit.
Grudem says, “in the event of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit created a new community which was
the church… [that] was marked by unprecedented unity”14. The baptism of the Holy Spirit
mysteriously joined the believers not just to one another, but also to Christ as the head.
The Holy Spirit delayed His filling of Samaritan believers until Peter and John arrived
and laid their hands on those believers (Acts 8:14-17). It was important for Peter and John to
witness the pouring of the Holy Spirit on Samaritans. In so doing, the believing Samaritans
are united with the Jewish believers. The confirmation of God’s acceptance of Gentiles
through the story of Cornelius by the Holy Spirit was even more dramatic. Following the
double vision to Peter and Cornelius, Peter went to Cornelius’ house. I love how Luke
described the scene, that “while Peter was still saying these things” - before he was even
13
William Barclay, The Promise of the Spirit (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 53.
14
Grudem, 646.
8
finished speaking, no laying of hands or baptism, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the
word” (Acts 10:44). Bruce says “this baptism in the Spirit – Christ himself being the baptizer,
in fulfilment of John the Baptist’s prophecy – is not simply an individual experience; it is the
divine act by which believers in Christ are incorporated into his body”15. Peter later testified
to the Jerusalem Council of this particular event, concluding that God “made no distinction
between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9), leading to the
official acceptance of the Gentile believers. The rest of Acts continues with the expansion of
the gospel into the Gentile world. This progression of Jew only to the inclusion of Samaritan
and finally both Jew and Gentile illustrates the unifying work of the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
the Holy Spirit’s power, namely, speaking in tongues and healing. I believe in their zeal to
replicate the early church, they made the interpretive mistake of treating everything in Acts as
normative, and risk missing the forest for the trees. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the
Trinity. The Holy Spirit’s empowering, guiding, revealing and unifying functions are
indispensable to us in this present age. “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build
it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). We can neither work without the Spirit nor decide how the
Spirit should help in our ministry. He is sovereign. We should follow the apostles’ examples
in submitting to the Holy Spirit, in prayer, in study the Word and in fellowship, been
sensitive to His guidance, for the work of the mission, to the glory of Jesus Christ.
15
F. F. Bruce, Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1910), 430.
9
Bibliography
Barclay, William. 1960. The Promise of the Spirit. Philadelphia: Westminster Press.
Bruce, F. F. 1910. Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmands.
Carlson, Jodi, and Kristin Beasley. n.d. Empowered by the Holy Spirit. Accessed October 30,
2017. http://justbetweenus.org/faith/spiritual-growth/empowered-by-the-holy-spirit/.
Hays, J. Daniel, and J. Scott Duvall. 2012. Grasping God’s Word. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Kwok, Victor. 2017. "Class Notes for Acts."
2005. The Acts of the Apostles. Dublin; New York: Four Courts Press; Scepter Publishers.
10
Appendix – Reference to Holy Spirit, Categorized
11
Acts 13:9 ἁγίου, πνεύματος Holy Spirit empower
Acts 13:52 ἁγίου. , πνεύματος Holy Spirit empower
Acts 15:8 τὸ, ἅγιον, πνεῦμα Holy Spirit unify
Acts 15:28 τῷ, ἁγίῳ⸃ , πνεύματι Holy Spirit guidance
Acts 16:6 ἁγίου, πνεύματος Holy Spirit guidance
Acts 16:7 πνεῦμα, Ἰησοῦ· Spirit of Jesus guidance
Acts 19:2 ἅγιον, πνεῦμα Holy Spirit unify
Acts 19:2 ἅγιον, πνεῦμα Holy Spirit unify
Acts 19:6 τὸ, ἅγιον, πνεῦμα Holy Spirit unify
Acts 19:21 τῷ, πνεύματι the Spirit guidance
Acts 20:22 τῷ, πνεύματι the Spirit guidance
Acts 20:23 τὸ, ἅγιον, πνεῦμα Holy Spirit revelation
Acts 20:28 τὸ, ἅγιον, πνεῦμα Holy Spirit empower
Acts 21:4 τοῦ, πνεύματος the Spirit revelation
Acts 21:11 τὸ, ἅγιον, πνεῦμα Holy Spirit revelation
Acts 28:25 τὸ, ἅγιον, πνεῦμα Holy Spirit revelation
12