The Work of the Holy Spirit in Acts – (Part 4 of 5)

(Essay #12 – God’s Prophetic Spirit)

8:14-20

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

After the execution of Stephen in Acts 7, the persecution that came upon the church caused it to scatter out from Jerusalem (Acts 8:1-4). The first “mission point” about which Luke informs us is in the region of Samaria. The prophet Philip began preaching the gospel in that province and was able to win some converts to the faith (8:12). Included in that number of converts was a local magician named Simon who was amazed at the “miracles and signs” which Philip was working. Upon hearing that the gospel had taken root in Samaria the apostles dispatched Peter and John to the region to ensure the presence of the Holy Spirit’s work among the new Christians there. Once Peter and John arrived in Samaria they laid their hands on the saints and caused the Holy Spirit to come upon them.

This text is perhaps second only to Acts 2 in importance in describing the coming of the Holy Spirit on the early saints. As such, it is discussed in a number of essays in this series. Few commentators would argue against the position that Peter’s and John’s purpose in going to Samaria was to impart the Spirit’s prophetic powers to the saints of that region. That much of the meaning of this text is clear to most. However the ramifications of that admission are more far-reaching than many would like to admit.

Five of the most important word pictures about the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament are included in this text. Within these verses the Holy Spirit is:

1. Given
2. Received
3. Falling
4. Given by the Laying on of Hands
5. The Gift of God

Each of these words or phrases is examined in another essay of this series.[1] At the very least, Acts 8 establishes by its inclusion of these phrases that each can refer to prophetic aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work. That so many significant descriptive phrases about the Holy Spirit’s work are grouped together in one text, one might imagine this text would provide clarity about His work. Yet, it is worth noting that instead of seeing in Acts 8 a passage from which a cohesive doctrine of the Holy Spirit’s work can be drawn, many commentators are forced to explain how the usage of these phrases in Acts 8 should not be taken as a precedence from which other verses can be understood.

However, the need to make Acts 8 an exceptional passage is understandable. Most every modern doctrine about the work of the Holy Spirit is demonstrably false if the text establishes:

1. That one can be baptized and not receive the Spirit;
2. It takes the apostles’ hands being laid upon a person for the Holy Spirit to fall on that person;
3. That laying on of hands is the manner that God “gives” the Holy Spirit to man;
4. The manner of a person’s receiving of the Spirit is the manner in which he receives the “gift of God,”

The problem, of course, is that given a fair reading – one that does not need to resort to variant translations of the Greek and other such measures – that is exactly what this passage establishes. Acts 8 is the text that illustrates how the apostles went about carrying out the promise made in Acts 2. It is the passage to which we should appeal to explain the manner by which God ensured that “all flesh” in His kingdom would have the Holy Spirit “poured out” on them. It is the bridge that ties Acts 2 to the rest of the New Testament. Unfortunately, most teachings of the work of the Holy Spirit cannot cross it.

If a Bible student will simply take the five key phrases listed above and apply them in other passages as they are clearly used in this passage, he will begin to build for himself the same conclusion which is being contended for in this work.

8:29

And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”

This passage is another simple statement of the Spirit’s direction of an inspired prophet.

8:39

And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

The Spirit’s direction of Philip continued after his encounter with the Ethiopian. The statement that the Spirit “carried Philip away” may even be more than a simple description of an inspired directive. It may very well be a statement of some miraculous act of the Holy Spirit regarding the transportation of Philip. In either case, the work of the Spirit in this text falls within the prophetic realm as well.

9:17

So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

This passage makes a statement of a fact: Paul, after his conversion, was “filled with the Holy Spirit.”[2] While verse 17 makes no direct statement about how Paul was filled with Spirit or the effect that infilling had upon him, the verses that follow do give some indication of it.

In verses 18-20 the following structure appears:

1. And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes . . .
2. Then he rose and was baptized . . .
3. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus . . .

While some may argue that Ananias’ laying his hands on Paul was to empower Paul with the Holy Spirit, the rest of the Bible will not permit that conclusion.[3] The break between the “immediate” falling away of the scales and Paul’s immediate preaching of the gospel is purposeful. Ananias’ touch on Paul cured Paul’s blindness.[4] Paul then heeded the call to “Arise and be baptized” (cp. Acts 22:16). After obeying the gospel, God “filled” Paul with the Holy Spirit. That empowering, just as it had with the twelve apostles in Acts 2, allowed Paul immediately to begin proclaiming Jesus – a doctrine unknown to him just days before.

On the whole, this passage is descriptive of Paul’s conversion and subsequent empowering as the apostle of Christ to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15).

9:31

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

The conversion of Saul was a great victory for the church. His removal as a prime mover behind the persecutions it was suffering was of great benefit. The result of that victory is reported in this text. The comfort that was given to the saints in that region is attributed to the Holy Spirit. In some way the Holy Spirit’s work brought relief to God’s people.

From an interpretive standpoint, the difficulty that arises from this text is that the manner in which that provision appeared to the saints is not specified. As has been discussed in other essays, some passages about the Holy Spirit state the “fact” of His work without specifying the “function” of it. This text largely fits within that realm. Using this text as an evidentiary foundation for a doctrine of the work of the Holy Spirit would be a strained effort at best.

The circumstantial evidence in the text is, however, at least supportive of the work of the Holy Spirit this series of essays is seeking to highlight in scripture. While verse 31 gives no certain indication of the nature or manner of the Spirit’s work, does the broader context give any insight as to what the Holy Spirit was doing in that region?

The primary function of the Holy Spirit in Acts 9 is that he “filled” Saul to empower him to be the apostle Paul. The effect of that infilling is stated five times between verses 17 and 31:

1. Verse 20: “And immediately he proclaimed Jesus . . .”
2. Verse 22: “But Saul increased all the more in strength . . . confounded the Jews . . . by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
3. Verse 27: “ . . . and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus”
4. Verse 28: “So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord”
5. Verse 29: “And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists . . .”

The dynamic of the situation is best seen in verse 27. The disciples in Jerusalem believed that Paul’s “conversion” was nothing more than a scheme to entrap them. It was Barnabas’ testimony about Paul’s preaching that allayed their fears and allowed them to accept Paul as a true brother. The evidence Barnabas used to show the sincerity of Paul’s faith was Paul’s boldness in preaching. That boldness was given to Paul by the influence of the Holy Spirit. It is that connection that is repeated in the other verses as well.

While the connection to the comfort of verse 31 is not conclusive, it is certainly a point of emphasis in the text that Paul’s Spirit-led preaching did bring comfort to the saints. Given that no other work of the Spirit is referenced in this context, the most natural reading would seem to connect the Spirit’s comfort in verse 31 to the Spirit’s preaching though the person of Paul in verses 20-26.

10:19

And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.”

In preparing Peter to travel to the house of Cornelius, God used the Spirit to inform Peter of the coming of three men who would invite him to accompany them back to Cornelius’ house. Here is another case of the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit.

10:38

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

In his sermon, Peter connects the power of Jesus to heal people and relieve them of their demon possession to His anointing with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s work in this case is again prophetic.

10:44-47

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

The record of the Holy Spirit’s action in the household of Cornelius links together four concepts used in the New Testament about the Spirit:

1. “[T]he Holy Spirit fell on all”
2. “[T]he gift of the Holy Spirit”
3. “. . . [P]oured out even on the Gentiles”
4. “[S]peaking in tongues . . .”

In this context the imagery is cohesive and informative. God’s gift to the Gentiles was that He poured out His Spirit as Joel prophesied He would. As that outpouring came down from on high, the Spirit fell on those of Cornelius’ house. As a result of their reception of the Holy Spirit, those so blessed by God were able to speak in tongues. It is beyond reasonable dispute that the work of the Spirit in this context is prophetic. Further, if the clear meaning of the imagery of this text is applied in the same way in other contexts in which it is found, the teaching of those passages about the Holy Spirit become more easily understood as well.

11:12-16

And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

Peter’s retelling of the events of Acts 10 makes reference to the work of the Holy Spirit in the same manner as in the account of chapter 10. The coming of the Spirit to Cornelius is tied directly to the Spirit’s manifestations at the “beginning” found in Acts 2. Peter’s defense of his actions among the Gentiles is made based upon the prophetic activity of the Holy Spirit.

11:24

For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

These words are spoken about Barnabas. The verse studied in isolation is another verse that states a fact of the Spirit’s work without an explicit statement of its function. However, notice the first word of the verse: “For.” That indicates that Barnabas was able to accomplish a function previously stated because of the fact that he was “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”

What function is it that he was able to accomplish? Verse 23 states that upon his arrival in Antioch he “. . . exhorted them all to remain faithful. . .” His work in Antioch was that of exhorting people to remain faithful to the Lord. The connection between verses 23 and 24 that is most natural is Barnabas’ being full of the Spirit and of faith is a statement of his prophetic abilities.[5] Through that empowering from the Spirit, Barnabas was given the words needed to exhort the brethren in Antioch to follow God with a “steadfast purpose.” Once again, the Holy Spirit’s work is prophetic in nature.

11:28

And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).

Agabus’ prediction of the famine that afflicted the world in the first century is attributed to the prophetic influence of the Holy Spirit in this text.

13:2, 4

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” . . . So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

This passage describes the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of organizing the first of Paul’s missionary journeys.          

13:9

But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.

This text describes Paul’s encounter with Elymas (Bar-Jesus) on the island of Cyprus. This false prophet’s obstruction of the apostle’s effort was met with a decisive action of the Holy Spirit. The verse describes the Spirit’s work as filling Paul so that he was able to prophesy about Elymas’ blindness and then to strike him blind. The Spirit’s assistance in this case is again prophetic in its nature.

13:52

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

The manner of the disciples being “filled with the Holy Spirit” in this text is not described. Perhaps one could argue that the effect of that infilling is described by the words “filled with joy.” In which case their remains a question to be answered: Did the Holy Spirit directly infuse joy into the hearts of the saints or did His work produce joy in their hearts?

The context will help in answering that question. In verse 48, the text states: “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord . . .” Their reaction to the message that a “light for the Gentiles” had come (v. 47) stands in sharp contrast to the Jews who had rejected it: “But the Jews incited . . . stirred up persecutions . . . and drove them out of their district.” The Jews hated the message and sought to drive out Paul and Barnabas. For one group the declaration of the gospel brought joy; that same message stirred up anger in another.

For our investigation however, it must be noted that the source of joy among the believers of verse 48 was the prophetic declaration of the universal nature of the gospel. At the very least then, a phrase which has been prophetic throughout the book of Acts – “filled with the Holy Spirit” – is said to create the same effect in the disciples of verse 52 that the prophetic utterances of the apostle Paul created in verse 48. The preaching of Paul created rejoicing and the disciple’s infilling of the Spirit created joy. While not a conclusive thought, why should it be necessary to explain the work of the Holy Spirit in this passage in any different manner than it has in other passages?

1. We know that being “filled with the Holy Spirit” is a phrase by which Luke described prophetically gifted saints.
2. We know that an apostle, Paul, had been with the disciples of 13:52 that were filled with the Holy Spirit.
3. We know that providing the Holy Spirit to new converts was the custom of the apostles (Acts 8:15-20; Acts 19:1-6).
4. We know that prophecy produced joy among the saints of Acts 13:48.
5. It is at least allowable, and arguably probable, that the “filling” of verse 52 is of the same nature as the infilling of other places in Acts.

15:8

And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

During the discussions of the Jerusalem council of Acts 15, Peter refers back to his time in the house of Cornelius. Our study of the text revealed the prophetic powers of the Holy Spirit in the house of the first Gentile convert. His presence caused those in that home to begin to speak in tongues (Acts 10:45-46). In Peter’s retelling of those events in this passage he states that the presence of tongue-speaking in Cornelius’ home was God’s bearing witness to the Gentiles’ right to the gospel and His giving of the Holy Spirit to them. Peter’s words equate the witness of God and the giving of the Holy Spirit to the miraculous powers supplied to the early Christians. The Spirit’s work is once more prophetic in its nature.

15:28

For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements . . .

At the conclusion of the Jerusalem council, the apostles sent out a letter enumerating the points of the decision of their deliberation. Acts 15:28 shows that they understood the true authority behind their decision. That authority resided in the Holy Spirit. The apostles realized that their words were guided by the inspiration provided to them by the prophetic influence of the Holy Spirit.

16:6-7

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

Just as the Holy Spirit had been directly involved in the organization of Paul’s first missionary journey, He remained active in directing Paul’s further travels. This text reveals that Paul’s path was guided by the commands of the Spirit. This passage then refers to the Spirit’s prophetic leadings of Paul.

19:2,6

And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” . . . And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

Paul’s encounter in Ephesus with the twelve disciples of John forms another passage that needs substantial commentary. Other essays in this series address the particulars of it.[6] However, all that needs to be seen at this time is that the nature of the Spirit’s work with man remains prophetic. Once Paul finished a complete teaching of the gospel to these disciples they were baptized in the name of Jesus (19:5). They were then ready to “receive the Holy Spirit” (19:2). To accomplish this goal, Paul prayed for them and laid his hands upon them. At that point the Holy Spirit “came on them.” The result of their union with the Holy Spirit was that they “began speaking in tongues and prophesying.” The Spirit’s work is once again prophetic in its impact.

19:21

Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

It must first be noted that it is possible that the reference to “the Spirit” may be a personal reference. Luke could simply be saying that Paul “made up his mind” or “was determined” to go to Jerusalem. However, if this is a reference to the Holy Spirit then it falls in line with Acts 13:1-2 and Acts 16:6-7 as another example of the Spirit’s direct revelation guiding Paul in his travels.

20:22-23

And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.

The same qualification is needed in this text as was in the one immediately preceding it. The “constraint by the Spirit” Paul was under could only be the constraint of his own will which was pressing him toward Jerusalem. However, the second mention of the Spirit in this text is a direct statement of the Spirit’s testimony to Paul. That can be nothing other than His prophetic work with Paul.

20:28

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Paul’s admonition to the elders of the church at Ephesus was that they were made overseers of that congregation by the work of the Holy Spirit. However, Paul does not specify the manner in which the Spirit accomplished that appointment. However, we do know at least two things about elders in the early church:

1. The qualifications needed to serve as an elder were a part of the Spirit’s revelation to the church (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).
2. Elders were specifically named as individuals empowered to accomplish their work by the powers of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:8-11).

Because there is no revelation on the matter, it is not possible to know the specific manner in which the Ephesian elders were appointed to their task. However, it is a matter of certainty that the Holy Spirit’s prophetic work defined the person and work of an elder for the early church and also gifted men to complete the arduous task of overseeing the church of God. Given that Paul wrote to the Ephesian church about gifted elders (Ephesians 4) and that this text of Acts 20 is about the same group of men, it is reasonable to conclude that the same work of the Spirit is referenced in both texts.

21:4

And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

Once Paul finally arrives in Canaan, he is greeted by a collection of saints. Those saints discourage Paul from going to Jerusalem. They give him this advice based on prophetic revelation given to them by the Spirit. This point is made even more strongly in the next reference to the Holy Spirit in Acts 21.

21:10-11

While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'”

A leader in the group of disciples discouraging Paul from going to Jerusalem was the prophet Agabus.[7] His prophecy informed Paul that certain imprisonment awaited him in Jerusalem. This prophecy is introduced by this formula: “Thus says the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit’s work remains prophetic in this passage as well.

28:25

And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet. . .

The final reference to the Holy Spirit in Acts is again a matter of prophecy. Isaiah’s words from Isaiah 6:9-10 are said to be the correct sayings of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

The book of Acts is a critical book in defining the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. It is a book about which there exists a great deal of controversy over the teaching it provides about the Holy Spirit. However, in the more than 50 passages we have examined, the overwhelming majority of the passages are easily understood. The passages about which there is no controversy are the verses which specifically inform the reader about the function the Holy Spirit provided to the early church. Those passages state that the Holy Spirit spoke to or through the saints in some manner. This leads to one important conclusion: In the book of Acts, whenever both the fact and specific function of the work of the Holy Spirit is referenced, the function of the Spirit’s work is always prophetic.

That conclusion is exactly what one should expect. As has been shown in the essays leading up to this point, the Holy Spirit’s function with man in the 43 books of the Bible preceding Acts is always prophetic in nature. Also, as has been thoroughly examined in previous essays, Joel 2, which is the foundational prophecy about the Spirit’s work in Acts (and the whole of the New Testament) is a promise of “dreams, prophecy, and visions.” As that prophecy stands at the front of Acts in declaration of the Spirit’s coming to the church, why should the remainder of Acts have a different focus on the Spirit’s work? One’s doctrine about the Spirit in Acts should seek to find harmony between Acts 1-2 and Acts 3-28. The only understanding that allows for that expected unity is that the work of the Spirit in Acts is prophetic – from start to finish.

[1] Please see Essay #20: “Related Word Pictures About the Holy Spirit”

[2] Please see Essay #20: “Related Word Pictures About the Holy Spirit” for more discussion on the imagery of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

[3] First, Ananias was not one of the 12. As we have seen in Acts 8, the power to lay hands on a man for the intention of giving him the Holy Spirit was reserved to them (Acts 8:20). Second, Paul asserts that his reception of the gospel did not occur through any human agency (Galatians 1:10-12). Paul was careful to make clear that his teaching did not originate from the other apostles (Galatians 1:17-22; 2:6). If it could have been proven that Paul’s reception of the gospel came from the administration of one outside of the 12 that would have been an even more severe blow to Paul’s credibility. Luke cannot be affirming as truth a statement even beyond the criticism Paul rejected in Galatians.

[4] Verse 12 supports this statement: “ . . . he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” While this verse affirms that Ananias did have miraculous power to heal it makes no mention that Ananias would be the source of Paul’s infilling of the Spirit.

[5] There is no doubt that Barnabas was a prophet. Acts 13:1 specifically lists Barnabas among the prophets in the church at Antioch. Further, the phrase “full of faith” is also prophetic in its nature. “Faith” was one of the prophetic gifts granted by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9). Being filled with the Holy Spirit and faith is tied together with being full of the Holy Spirit, power, grace, and wisdom in Acts 6:5-10. It is by those gifts that Stephen was able to preach in Jerusalem and before the council (Acts 6:10; 7:55).

[6] Please see Essay #20: “Related Word Pictures About the Holy Spirit” for discussion about receiving the Holy Spirit.

[7] See Acts 11:28.