Purpose+of+the+Holy+Spirit+in+Acts

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There are 57 references to the Holy Spirit in Acts and each one reveals a little about the Purpose of the Holy Spirit, however, there seems to be two main overarching purposes of the Spirit; the first main purpose of the Spirit is that He came to form the church through His ushering in of a new dispensation, uniting all believers through baptism[|[i]]. The second purpose is to empower believers to effectively testify of the gospel[|[ii]].

 The Spirit brings a new dispensation and unity to believers as foretold by Jesus and by baptizing believers into a common bond. Jesus prepares the disciples not only for His coming death and resurrection but also the coming of the Holy Spirit in John 16:7-11. In this verse He tells them that it is to their advantage that He is leaving because it is only through His departure that the Spirit can come. He tells them that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of their sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Also, Jesus emphasizes the fact that the Spirit will guide them in all truth. In Acts 1:4-8, after the resurrection, Jesus again tells them of the coming of the Holy Spirit and how the baptism of the Spirit will provide them with power and make them witnesses of Christ. In John14:16, when Jesus says “Another comforter” in reference to the Holy Spirit He is suggesting that the Holy Spirit is similar to Jesus in nature and ministry.

 The most common reference to the Holy Spirit’s work in Acts is in relation to being baptized by, filled by, or receiving the Holy Spirit. Even when the references to the seemingly temporary obtaining of the Holy Spirit are removed, there are still 15 references to this capacity of the Holy Spirit. Here, baptism is referring to the “pouring out of the Holy Spirit from on high, by God, and in Acts 2:38 this is especially associated with the forgiveness of sins”[|[iii]] .It is this being filled by the Holy Spirit that enables the recipients to carry out that which God calls them to and unites them in a common bond.

 The main ways in which the Spirit enables believers to testify to the gospel is by helping them understand the truth, by influencing them to speak, and guiding them. According to Brown “in Acts… the Spirit leads the Church into all the truth, of which understanding of scripture formed a vital part”[|[iv]] and this vital understanding of scripture is seen in each of the speeches recorded in Acts. In Peter’s sermon in chapter 2 and his words before the Sanhedrin in chapter 4 we see how the Spirit has helped him understand the Scriptures properly and he was able to effectively communicate and employ them. We can also see this understanding of the truth of scripture through the Holy Spirit in the example of Stephen and in Acts 6:3,10 we see that the Spirit is linked with wisdom.

 Another purpose of the Holy Spirit in Acts is to influence people to speak (1:2; 2:4, 18; 4:8, 31; 6:10; 21:11). This is in reference to both the ability to preach and the ability to speak in tongues that the believers received at Pentecost. The ability to speak in tongues allowed them to be able to preach the gospel to people in intelligible languages that the listeners could understand. Along with this same idea of speaking is the idea of sharing the words of God, which is what the Old Testament writers did through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and in Acts 1:6, 4:25, and 28:25 it is clear that the Holy Spirit inspired the Old Testament writings.

 The Holy Spirit also guides and warns those who are indwelt by it. We can see examples of this in the Spirit’s prompting of Philip to go to the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:29, 39. The Holy Spirit also warned Paul of the persecution he would face if he were to return to Jerusalem in Acts 21. We also see this many other places in Acts (8:29, 39; 10:19; 11:12; 13:2, 4; 15:28; 16:6, 7; 20:22, 23). The Holy Spirit empowered and guided the followers of Jesus in their mission to Israel and to the ends of the earth.

 The purpose of the Spirit in Acts is to bring a new dispensation and unity to believers, and also to empower believers to testify of Christ and the gospel. The aspect of bringing in the new age and unity, is seen in the preparation that Jesus gives the disciples regarding the Spirit and through the baptism of the Spirit. The second purpose of the Spirit in Acts to empower believers in their testifying of the gospel is seen in the revealing of truth, the influence to speak, and the guidance of the Spirit.
 * Bibliography: **
 * 1) Darrell L. Bock, //Acts: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament// (Baker Academic, 2007).
 * 2) Holman Bible Editorial Staff, //Holman QuickSource Bible Dictionary// (B&H Publishing Group, 2005).
 * 3) Joseph B. Tyson, //Images of Judaism in Luke-Acts// (University of South Carolina Press, 1992).
 * 4) Orville James Nave, //Nave’s topical Bible: a digest of the Holy Scriptures// (International Bible agency, 1905).
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">David Jackman, //Spirit of Truth: Unlocking the Bible’s Teaching on the Holy Spirit// (Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2006).
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">MacArthurJohn F., //The Acts of the Apostles : a verse by verse commentary//, vol. 1, 2 vols. (Burbank, California: Voice of Calvary).
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">C. K. Barrett and Charles Kingsley Barrett, //The acts of the apostles: a shorter commentary// (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002).
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Paul E. Brown, //The Holy Spirit and the Bible// (Great Britian: Christian Focus, 2002).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[|[i]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;">MacArthurJohn F., //The Acts of the Apostles : a verse by verse commentary//, vol. 1, 2 vols. (Burbank, California: Voice of Calvary).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[|[ii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px;"> Ibid. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[|[iii]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">David Jackman, //Spirit of Truth: Unlocking the Bible’s Teaching on the Holy Spirit// (Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2006). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[|[iv]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Paul E. Brown, //The Holy Spirit and the Bible// (Great Britian: Christian Focus, 2002).

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