Experiencing the baptism in the Spirit is said to be for the witnessing task, for the proclamation about the kingdom of God through the power the experience brings along it. This essay focuses on how the Spirit is seen in Acts and in the life of Paul as the advancer. Why Paul then? Simply because he is in the Lucan literature the most powerful advancer of the gospel.
Paul’s experience of the Spirit
The passage of Acts 9:17 and further includes the Luke’s recording of Paul’s fillment with the Spirit. When Ananias visited at Paul in Antioch, one purpose of visit was that Paul would be filled with the Spirit. Right after that, Paul is told to start his witnessing, which is the other important consequence, besides tongues, connected to the baptism in the Spirit by Luke.
Paul himself says elsewhere that he speaks in tongues, but Luke is not mentions his tongues. Anyway, Luke’s usage of terms refers to the similar experience than earlier, and later, the others believers got. They spoke in tongues and prophesied, in a meaning to proclaim boldly the words of power.
Therefore, we suppose that Paul got the general gift of the power to witnessing, as a part of that prophetic ministry continuing from Jesus and disciples to the Church. Luke clearly connects the Spirit to the strong guidance incidents in the life of Paul, which immediately, or later, are revealed to have significance for the advance of the Gospel.
Activity of the Spirit in Paul missionary journeys
Stronstad has collected[1] charismatic experiences of Paul together. According him, Luke tells the filling experiences in Acts 9:17 and 13:9. The guidance from the Spirit was experienced in Acts 13:1-2; 16:6-7; 21:4,10-11. All the guidance experiences have connection to Paul’s missionary journeys.
In Acts 13 the Holy Spirit speaks clearly and initializes the activity on Paul’s first journey. After the obedience for the Spirit’s speak, Paul and Barnabas are told to be “proclaiming the word of God.” Surely, those apostles had a call to take a trip earlier, but they were waiting for the right moment.
In Acts 16:6-7 the Holy Spirit, or the spirit of Jesus, had an unusual task in our eyes on Paul’s second journey, it was hindering the proclaimation. But like the verse 10 says, the team as a whole understood that God has called them elsewhere than their human-plan was taking them. They were ought to conquer new areas soon.
In Acts 21:4 and 10-11, the friends of Paul and Agabus warned Paul not to go into Jerusalem. Luke tells that those “warners” talked in the Spirit, but Paul himself said: “compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there… I consider my life worth nothing to me, if I only… complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me –the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
There is no common feature at the beginning of the journeys that could be considered as programmatic report. At the beginning of the first journey, the Spirit activated the departure. But, on the two later journeys, Paul experienced the lead of the Spirit during the trip. Paul and his team made own plans, but they were open for the guidance too. The activity of the Spirit decided and changed the direction.
Luke says concerning the later journeys that Paul and companions “strengthened the churches”, or “all the disciples.” This is common feature of those journeys. This together with the reported proclamation on the first trip could be a programmatic exposition. Those journeys took their place in a purpose to advance the proclamation indirectly or directly. We know that one task of the Spirit is strengthening, enabling the saints for the effective witnessing task.
Activity of the Spirit in advancing the gospel
The disciples received the power as Jesus promised. They also became witnesses. Their witnessing spread geographically as Jesus prophesied in the Spirit. Luke’s narrative implicitly tells that external force of the Spirit was necessary to start the expansion.
First, the disciples suspiciously listened the stories about non-Jews whom God has called. Secondly, they stayed Jerusalem-centered until the persecutions broke out. Thirdly, after the compulsory starting shot from Jerusalem they mostly stayed with the Jews in other cities. In every case above, later interpretations are noticing the work of the Spirit. It opens the cultural, spiritual, language or other bindings that are hindering the advance. Jesus transferred the prophetic ministry to disciples and further -to all.
In Acts, all are witnessing and getting the power are speaking in tongues. According Stronstad, important is that Luke hints by the usage of Greek term ten ecclesia that God’s nation was nomore Israel only, but the community (church) of Spirit filled and baptized believers (Acts 4.) The signs and wonders, as shaking of house in Acts 4:31 as well as phenomenas in the day of pentecost too, are references from the Old Testament. God has changed the tool for serving the mankind.
The nation of Prophets (or spokesmen) of God, as Moses in Numbers 11 hoped for, had born. The regeneration into the nation happened in the baptism with and by Spirit. The Spirit influenced to the inner life of individuals and community. Outer life was also created by and in the Spirit; all were witnessing boldly with the words of power in Acts.
The advance of gospel was now on the shoulders of new nation called Church, which was empowered by the Spirit. The Spirit was personally guiding the community of spokesmen as the individual prophets guided the nation in the Old Testament.
Activity of the Spirit in contemporary mission
The contemporary mission could learn something about Menzie’s thoughts. He concludes in his article on the supplemental readings (p.276,) that Luke maybe wrote to the church contemporary him. He gave guidance in the light of primitive church, which decades earlier existed. Menzie thinks that Luke tried to demonstrate for his contemporaries that activating and initializing of the Spirit was necessary for the missions.
Menzie supposes also that the church in Luke’s time maybe had emphasis of dunamis, the powerful works. Luke put the weight to the inspired speech, which dominated in the Old Testament. Stronstad supports Menzie’s thought by his general defining that the purpose of the Spirit was to help in a service of others, and God, by witnessing.
However, the contemporary church puts the weight on the activity of itself today. The work itself is important; it is the commandment of our Lord that is clear and easy enough to proceed. The Spirit is thought to support the work because it is the will of God, anyway. The Spirit is particularly needed in cases which the existence of God should be proved trough the miracles, dunamis. Otherwise, the Spirit is useful only in making the life of individual more pleasant.
What was normative, or at least necessary in Luke’s concern, should be that today also, more commonly. The Spirit should initialize our the deeds as well as to change our plans of work, as it changed Paul’s and made him more effective in advancing the gospel.The Spirit is not supporting just the pure practice. The effectiveness and spirit goes together. We need the continuing experience of the Spirit.
[1] Stronstad, R., The Charismatic theology of St. Luke, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 66.
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