“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,” Acts 2:4.
This is a subject of which an understanding is very necessary today! There is sad evidence of a great lack of such an experience as that of the early believers on the day of Pentecost. It was not just on that occasion that this infilling took place, but it was obviously repeated on many occasions. This may be seen in Acts 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9; 19:6.
Pictures
In verses 2-4 of Acts 2, we are given three word ‘pictures’ of the infilling by the Holy Ghost of those waiting in prayer, in obedience to the Lord, on the day of Pentecost.
These descriptive phrases help us to understand just what it is to be “filled with the Holy Ghost”.
I. I MIGHT START BY STATING THAT IT IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR ALL HIS PEOPLE TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST!
1. The extremes and excesses of the ‘Pentecostal’ movement have caused all too many to shy away from the truth of God on this solemn matter. But fleshly imitations of that which is ordained of God should not cause us to turn our backs upon that, without which in truth, we cannot serve the Lord with any degree of success!
After all, the all too common counterfeiting of money does not cause us to abandon the use of genuine currency!
2. The Word of God says to us all what is God’s will regarding the Holy Ghost. “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God,” Ephesians 5:18-21.
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God,” are the marks of the Christian life BUT such is not possible unless ‘fuelled’, if I may use that term, by the grace of Holy Spirit. These holy activities can only be manifested in the life of one who is “filled with the Spirit.”
The drinking of wine and other alcoholic beverages is in order to ‘enjoy’ the effect of the drug contained within the wine – alcohol. Broadly speaking, it can generate a sense of ‘well-being and contentment’. Though this very soon dissipates and further alcohol is required to maintain such a falsely generated sense of joy.
3. In a parallel sense, the blessings of being filled with the Holy Ghost can only be maintained by a constant renewing of that relationship with the Holy Ghost. Thus, an obedient and submissive and repeated yielding to Him is ever needed if we are to remain ‘filled’ by Him.
II. LET US CONSIDER THE ‘PICTURES’ OF WHAT TOOK PLACE ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST.
As I have already stated, I believe that we are all given three pictures of what took place on that wonderful day, even as the Lord Jesus had promised the disciples would take place. “Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence,” Acts 1:5.
1. Consider first of all the ‘sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting’. Under this imagery, this figurative picture of the descent of the Holy Ghost, we are given to understand just how all-enveloping the experience was.
When we are standing out in the wind we are surrounded entirely by it. No matter how well we are wrapped up, it can touch us everywhere!
In like manner, the infilling of the Holy Ghost results in our whole becoming subject to the influences of the Spirit of God and the graces that He conveys to the believer.
Often we feel chilled by the wind when standing in it. That is because it is dispelling the warm air that encases our body.
Well, in a similar way the Holy Spirit removes the ‘atmosphere’ we formerly abode in. It is a work of ‘sanctification’. It is a putting off of “the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him,” Colossians 3:9-10.
What a wonderful change was wrought that day, and that in a matter of moments!
We have but to think of Peter. But a few days before he had shamefully and most cowardly denied all knowledge of the Lord (Matthew 26:74). Now, however, that cowardliness has been blown away and he responds to the mockers most boldly: “But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: for these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel,” Acts 2:14-16.
Such was the power with which he and the other apostles preached the Gospel that “there were added unto them about three thousand souls,” verse 41.
This is the wonderful blessing that follows being purified and refreshed and revived by the “Wind” of God!
2. Consider also, “there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” The sound of the wind was accompanied by the appearance of “cloven tongues like as of fire”.
The word translated ‘tongues’ in verse 3 differs somewhat from the word translated ‘tongue’ in verse 8. Verse 3 is a reference to the likeness of that instrument of speech in our mouth. In verse 8, it is a reference to that produced by the tongue: speech and language.
Surely we may conclude that the ‘fiery tongues’ were an indication of the marvellous ability that the Holy Ghost was bestowing upon those early believers, namely, the ability to speak in languages that had hitherto been unknown to them!
That ability was demonstrated that day as verses 6-11 indicate.
“Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.”
Error
Pentecostalism engages in a fleshly and fictitious ‘speaking in tongues’! It is carnally produced gibberish which is nigh unto blasphemy in that it purports to be the workings of the Holy Ghost when it most certainly is not.
The first generation of believers were gifted with this ability in order to ‘immediately’ go to foreign lands and preach the gospel. The apostles, on a relatively short missionary journey, would encounter many different languages and dialects. That would mean that the slow business of learning these languages would mean a very limited ministry indeed!
However, the Lord enabled them to instantly communicate with any of a differing tongue.
Today, there is no need for this gift for modern means of learning and translating into many languages is speedy. However, as the infilling of the early believers resulted in them being able to carry out the command of God to “go into all the word and preach the gospel to every creature”, likewise there is still a need for the servants of God to be equipped by the Holy Ghost to preach the Gospel.
Consider these words of the Saviour.
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” John 7:37-39.
Here is the explanation of the ‘dry sermonising’ that is all too common today! The Holy Ghost does not infill those guilty of such ‘dry preaching’ and there is no outflowing of rivers of water from those in the pulpits as once there was!
Let us all humbly acknowledge this and take steps to be “filled with the Spirit”!
3. We come to the third ‘picture’ given us of the experience of the believers in the upper room. “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost,” verse 4. The first time the Greek word pletho, translated ‘filled’ appears in the New Testament is in Matthew 22:10. There it is translated by the English word ‘furnished’. The reference is in a parable told by the Saviour. It refers to the kingdom of heaven being likened unto a king’s wedding feast for his son. After some difficulties, the feast is finally ‘furnished with guests, that is every place was completely filled.
There is a ‘completeness’ when it comes to the infilling of the Holy Ghost. There is no such thing as partial filling. Such a completeness requires the whole of our being yield to the Holy Ghost in its entirety!
We must yield our all to His control and not seek to retain a hold upon any of our old ways.
I have long looked at Paul’s words in Galatians 2 as an explanation of full surrender.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me,” verse 20.
Death
Here is a dying of all that by nature we hold dear and precious, a slaying of the desires of the flesh by the power of the Saviour’s cross, and as a result, really and truly ‘living’!
Indeed, as Paul then explains, it is not merely us living at a higher level but it is the very life and power of the Saviour enlivening us!
This is what Paul had also taught the Romans. “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin,” Romans 6:6.
This wonderful enabling by the Holy Ghost brings about such a change that we cease to ‘serve sin’ and are found living and reigning over sin by the power of Christ.
Notice that Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20 that this is accomplished within us by ‘faith’. “I live by the faith of the Son of God.”
The Saviour declared in John 10:10: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Repentant sinners have entered into that life and those who fully surrender enjoy “it more abundantly.”
In heaven we shall enter into the immeasurable fulness of that which Christ by His atoning death purchased for His elect. John teaches us, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is,” 1 John 3:2.
But even while still here in the body of our flesh, we can still experience to a very large degree, the life Christ came to bestow.
We will get to the fulness of heaven’s blessing by faith. In like manner, we enter upon the enjoyment of the fulness of life in the Holy Ghost by faith in Christ — that is we believe His promise of fulness upon full surrender and yield to Him.
We die to ourselves, lay our all on the altar and the fire of God’s blessing falls upon us and fills us for service for the Master.
That is what happened at Pentecost and it may be our experience also for, as Peter said on that day as he explained what was happening,
“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy,” Acts 2:16-18.
The blessing of Pentecost is for ALL of the last days!
May this generation of believers, young and old, see that it is so and seek the fulness of God’s blessing, as enjoyed by former generations of believers.
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
9th October 2026