sermon: 'I Will Pour Out My Spirit!'

Martin G. Collins
Given 08-Jun-25; Sermon #1822-AM; 64 minutes

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As the church awaits complete fulfillment in the Millennium, we are called to live by the Spirit now—faithfully, humbly, and actively. In the Old Testament period, the Holy Spirit was not the common gift of God to all His people. Therefore Moses said, "I yearn that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them." So he expressed a real need and longing all the way back at that time. God's Spirit was poured out on selected servants with specific commissions to lead and warn God's people.

Now Christ explained the nature of His work by referring to such texts, saying that the disciples were foolish and slow to believe because they did not see that what had happened to Him had fulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament. And when Jesus sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they must have used the time to search in the Old Testament for prophecies that concerned the Holy Spirit. After all, the only Bible they had was the Old Testament at that time, and they had verbal instruction from Jesus Christ, and they probably took some notes along the way, but they had no formal Bible other than the Old Testament. So Peter certainly could have spent the days before Pentecost studying the important Old Testament text on Jesus' ministry, and his in-depth, meaningful study would prepare him with the right frame of mind for what would come in a few days.

Around 3,000 people responded to Peter's sermon on Pentecost 31 AD, which was deeply rooted in the Old Testament prophecy and linked Jesus to these events. And though these new converts lacked the close experience with Jesus that the apostles had, their calling was intentional and guided by God's love and careful judgment. Despite persecution, each person was individually chosen, not for failure, but for a deliberate purpose in God's plan of salvation for mankind.

The initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church on the Day of Pentecost foreshadows a greater global outpouring yet to come. Actual evidence of God's Spirit is seen in a life of repentance, humility, and Christ-like service. And when the Holy Spirit did come and Peter stood up to preach his first great sermon, he began with the most critical text about the coming of the Holy Spirit in all the Old Testament. Peter quoted from Joel 2:28-32 about God's Spirit being poured out on all flesh, which is the central prophecy about God pouring out His Spirit. Peter's sermon on Pentecost in Acts 2 connected this prophecy to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon a people that God calls and who answer that call.

Please turn with me to Acts 2, verse 14. On Pentecost 31 AD, God began fulfilling Joel's prophecy of His Spirit being poured out on all flesh, and this marked a turning point. The Spirit was no longer reserved for a few but offered to all believers. We are going to read verses 14 through 21, which is a quote in Peter's sermon.

Acts 2:14-21 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. [that is referring to the languages that were spoken of the different people that were there] But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

Joel was written during a time of national disaster that had come upon Israel at that time. There had been a locust invasion and the plague had destroyed every green thing in the land. In a rural agricultural economy, this devastation was a catastrophic happening to Israel. Joel's prophecy warned of a greater judgment and eventual restoration. It was a matter of life and death for most people, so Joel talks about it. But instead of saying, as some of us might say under those circumstances, "Well, every cloud has its silver lining. Things will get better. Don't worry about it." That is pretty much the way society is every time there is an economic problem or war or whatever it might be.

In the middle of this very gloomy book, Joel talks about a blessing that will come in the latter days. And he says that God will restore the years that the locusts have eaten, and there will be a time when God blesses the people so that they will be satisfied.

At this turn in the prophecy, as Job begins to speak comforting words, the verses that became Peter's first sermon on Pentecost occurred. Peter referred to this text first because it was the most straightforward and obvious Old Testament prophecy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Then with clarity and urgency, Peter linked it to what everyone in Jerusalem noted, namely the clear, powerful proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone in their own language, and Peter contended, "This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel."

Peter did not say that Pentecost fulfilled the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 because the signs and wonders predicted had not occurred. So when you read Joel's prophecy in context, you see that it deals with the nation of Israel in the end times in connection with the Day of the Lord. However, Peter was led by the Spirit to see an application to the church in the prophecy, and he said, this is that same Holy Spirit that Joel wrote about. It is here. Such an announcement would seem incredible to the Jews because they thought God's Spirit was given only to a select group of people, such as the patriarchs. So Peter's audience enjoyed the blessing of the same Holy Spirit that had empowered Moses, David, and the prophets. It was truly the dawning of a new age—the church age in which God would intensify His plan of salvation for humanity.

Now please turn over to Joel 2. We are going to eventually read verses 28 through 29, but right now let me introduce it. Joel 2:28-32 predicts the Lord's promise of personal spiritual endowment in the lives of His saints. And chapter 3 of Joel predicts God's final triumph on behalf of His saints at the culmination of human history. While God may allow other nations to chastise Israel for her sins, He has reserved a remnant for Himself. On them, He will pour out His Spirit, and He will manifest Himself with wonderful signs. Then He will regather them and bring them to the Promised Land, that is, the Kingdom of God. Joel 2, verse 28, refers to the beginning of the church era.

Joel 2:28-29 "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

I read that a little earlier in context, but that is the specific part I want to speak about now.

The Bible itself sometimes takes the prophecies in more than one way. And they can be applied to a then-current event in Israel, but they can also refer to a future Day of the Lord. While recognizing this, we know that many Old Testament prophecies are interpreted to us by the New Testament. So Joel 2:28-29 is a passage interpreted by the apostle Peter as applying to the events at Pentecost 31 AD as a type of what was to continue in the church down through to the end times. And then following the Day of the Lord, and when Jesus Christ sets up God's government on earth, the Holy Spirit will be poured out on many people. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit will continue through the Millennium.

Now note the time indicated in verse 28. The events set forth here are designated as "afterward." What does that mean? Does afterward mean after the crucifixion or after Christ's return? There seems to be an application to both. We find the word afterward used in Hosea 3, and there it is coupled with "in the latter days."

Hosea 3:5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.

Peter's words in Acts 2 show when it is talking about.

Acts 2:17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.'

So it will be universal in character and scope. But does this "all flesh" mean for all believers, Israel, or mankind generally? We know that all true believers receive God's Holy Spirit. It distinguishes us from the world. From the context and the prophetic teaching of other portions of the Old Testament, we know that all Israel eventually receives God's Spirit in the Millennium, and the Gentile world will have access to it as well. So age differences shown as young and old, sex shown as sons and daughters, or position shown as menservants and maidservants will not constitute barriers or hindrances to this gift of the Spirit.

The dreams, visions, and prophecy spoken of in Joel 2:28 are the three modes previously mentioned in Numbers 12, verse 6.

Numbers 12:6 Then He [that is, God] said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream."

So Joel 2:29 reiterates the same truth in verse 28, "I will pour out My Spirit."

Joel 2:28-29 is not the first mention of an outpouring of God's Spirit upon Israel in the Old Testament prophetic books. There are at least eight other places.

Now, accompanying the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in those days as visible signs of God's supernatural and overseeing intervention in human history, God will cause extraordinary phenomena to be seen in nature and consequently, the totality of man's experience will be affected. We are going to continue on in verses 30 through 32. Now, this refers to the sixth seal, the heavenly signs of Revelation 6:12-13.

Joel 2:30-32 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem [the code word for God's church] there shall be deliverance [that is, salvation], as the Lord has said, among the remnant [or the survivors] whom the Lord calls."

Although the heavens are mentioned first, the following order is one of ascending emphasis, beginning with events on earth, blood, fire, and smoke, and moving to signs in the sky, the sun and moon. So God will perform mighty transformations in the heaven and on earth, and it will be the great and fearful Day of the Lord. Nevertheless, the outpouring of the Spirit will result in salvation for those who call on God. And there will be those who call upon the Lord for physical deliverance and whom God will call to spiritual salvation.

Please turn with me to Zachariah 14, verse 1. Now there is a two-fold use of the thought of calling in Joel 2:32. The first is calling on God, which refers to salvation. Romans 10:13 says, "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." And then the second use of the thought of calling is God calling them. In Joel 2:32, God foretold that there would be an escaped remnant which would bless the whole earth. Now there is a reference to the remnant here:

Zechariah 14:1-5 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of the battle. And in that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with You.

So in a sense, Joel's prophecy began the fulfillment, serving as a type of what was to come, starting with Pentecost, which could have also marked the onset of a type of the latter days continuing down to the end time. Nevertheless, Joel's prophecy is yet to be fulfilled entirely as the Old Testament passages on the outpouring of Spirit show.

Now, let us flip over to Numbers 11, verse 29. Four things show the fulfillment of God's plan for this outpouring of His Spirit. The first is the need for this particular outpouring of God's Spirit. The second is the promise of it. The third, the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise in Acts, and the fourth, the result of that fulfillment. The roots of the promise are in Numbers 11, verse 29 in a story about Moses.

Numbers 11:29 Then Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!"

You recall that from me reading that earlier. It was a bad time for Moses. The people had been complaining about their wilderness diet of manna, which we are very familiar with, and Moses, perhaps overcome by sheer physical weariness, was burdened by the weight of leading the people and addressing their complaints. So God sympathized with him and told him to select 70 of the elders of Israel and bring them with him to the tent of meeting. And then God promised in,

Numbers 11:17 "Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you [that is, upon Moses] and I will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone."

So that is what happened. These men received the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy, preach, and teach, and it was a sign to the people that they had received this gift and were therefore chosen by God to minister alongside Moses. Now two of these elders were not with the others at the tent of meeting, but the Spirit of God came upon them as well, and they also prophesized. This bothered some who were close to Moses, and we see this here in,

Numbers 11:27-29 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of the choice men, answered and said, "Moses my Lord, forbid them!" [And Moses' reply was the root of the promise found in Joel 2:29.] Then Moses said to them, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!"

The incident demonstrates that in this early period, God's Spirit was not given to all His people in the same way as it is given to His church today. God was with His people and His Spirit came upon them, but did not dwell on them. Instead it came upon certain individuals for specific purposes, and sometimes it left them, as happened in the case of Saul.

I Samuel 16:14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.

The first reference in the Bible to any individual's possession of the Holy Spirit is in Genesis 41:38, where Pharaoh asks concerning Joseph, "Can we find [anyone like this man], one in whom is the Spirit of God?" This was because of Joseph's ability to interpret Pharaoh's dream. In Exodus 3:13, the craftsman who helped build the Tabernacle are said to have been filled with the Spirit of God. Joshua is described in Numbers 27:18 as a man in whom is the Spirit.

Please turn over to I Samuel 10, verse 6. The Israelite judges Othniel, Gideon, Jephtha, and Samson also fell into this category. Similarly, Deborah, who served as judge and functioned in the name of the Lord, was filled with the Spirit, although it is not explicitly stated. The Holy Spirit came upon Saul and David and presumably all the prophets, although this is not explicitly stated in every case.

I Samuel 10:6-7 "Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you [Saul], and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you."

I Samuel 10:9-10 So it was, when he [Saul] had turned his back to go to Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

So the Spirit of God, or the Spirit of the Lord, refers to God's Spirit coming suddenly upon a person to empower them to serve His people. In Saul's case, this divine empowerment affirms his selection as king and publicly validates his new role. It does not make Saul a prophet but transforms him, equipping him with the necessary power to fulfill his responsibilities, not by erasing his identity, but by enabling him to take a new role.

In contrast, when David was anointed king, it was done secretly. He was not publicly anointed until much later. Saul was still legally king, but God prepared David for his future responsibilities. So forward six chapters to I Samuel 16. In a sense, this is a type of survey of the Old Testament having to do with the Holy Spirit at this point in the sermon.

I Samuel 16:10-13 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here." So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

So the anointing oil poured over David's head stood for holiness, and it was used to set people or objects apart for God's service as David was at that point. Each king and high priest of Israel was anointed with oil, and this commissioned him as God's representative to the nation. Although God rejected Saul's kingship by not allowing his descendants to sit on Israel's throne, Saul remained in his position until his death. God allowed an evil spirit to torment Saul as judgment for his disobedience, and this demonstrated God's power over the spirit world as well. So continuing in I Samuel 16:14 which has to do with the distressing spirit troubling Saul.

I Samuel 16:14-15 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely a distressing spirit from God is troubling you."

This demands the question: does God allow angels to entice people to do evil? To understand evil, we must understand how God works. So let me give you some points here. 1) God Himself is good, Psalm 11:7. 2) God created a good world that fell because of man's sins, Romans 5:12. 3) Someday God will recreate the world, and it will be good again, Revelation 21:1. 4) God is stronger than evil, Matthew 13:41-43 and Revelation 19:11-21. 5) God allows evil; thus He controls it, but did not create evil. Revelation 20:10-15 shows us that God, who hates all evil will one day do away with it entirely and forever. God does not entice anyone to become evil. 6) God offers help to those who wish to overcome evil, Matthew 11:28-30. And 7) God uses everything, good and evil, for good purposes, Romans 8:28. Exodus 11:10 indicates that those committed to evil may be used to sin even more to hurry their deserved judgment.

So we do not need to understand every detail of how God works to have perfect confidence in His absolute power over evil and His total goodness toward us.

Please turn to I Kings 22, verse 18. God's prophet Micaiah's first words to Ahab, the king of Israel, are precisely those of the other prophets, but Ahab sees that his words are a mere mocking imitation of the court prophets who tell him what he wants to hear.

I Kings 22:18-21 And the king of Israel [Ahab] said to Jehoshaphat [king of Judah], "Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?" Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: 'I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. And the Lord said, 'Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?' So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, 'I will persuade him.'

The vision Micaiah saw was illustrating that the seductive influence of false prophets would be part of God's judgment on Ahab. The imagery is that of a council of war, with the heavenly king sitting on His throne surrounded by His army, making plans to defeat Ahab in battle.

I Kings 22:22-25 The Lord said to him, 'In what way?' So he said, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And the Lord said, 'You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.' Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you." Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah [a false prophet] went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?" And Micaiah said, "Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!"

So Micaiah is predicting that that is what he will do because that is what God told him he would do. And that would prove that Micaiah had God's Spirit and Zedekiah did not. In verse 23, Micaiah claimed that Zedekiah and his colleagues had a lying spirit, and Zedekiah responds that he had been influenced by the Spirit of the Lord, who cannot have been speaking to both him and Micaiah. Whether or not God sent an angel in disguise, He used the system of false prophets to ensnare Ahab in his sin. The lying spirit symbolized the way of life for these prophets who told the king only what he wanted to hear, and all will become clear, Micaiah claims, when the disaster that he is predicting eventually falls and Zedekiah is forced to hide in the city in someone's home.

The determination of who is a prophet of the Lord is whether his prophecy comes true.

I Kings 22:26-28 So the king of Israel [Ahab] said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; and say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace." But Micaiah said, "If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me." And he said, "Take heed, all you people!"

Ahab could not escape God's judgment. Thinking he would escape, he tried a disguise. But a random arrow struck him while the chariots chased the wrong king, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. It was foolish for Ahab to think he could escape by wearing a disguise. Sometimes people try to escape reality by disguising themselves, by changing churches or moving to a new town, or even changing spouses. Yet God still judges a person. Therefore, attempting escape is futile.

We do run from our sins sometimes and we also take them with us, and so we have the same problems when we go somewhere else. So we have to deal with them with God's help and the power of the Holy Spirit. We have to deal with them in our situation.

God's promise through Joel is remarkable because it is the book's first mention of spiritual rather than physical blessing. Understandably, material things are emphasized: material prosperity in Joel 2:19; national security in Joel 2:20; restoration of lost years in verse 25. Because the locust plague was a material disaster and it formed the focal point and occasion of the prophecy. And still we are glad to find spiritual blessings too, because we know as Jesus Christ taught in,

Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?"

So Joel emphasizes the universal nature of this gift because he shows that it is for all people as opposed to being for some only, as it had been previously. Therefore, to avoid missing this, the point is explicitly stated. It will be for the young, that is, your sons and daughters, and the old, your old men, and the strength of the nation, your young menservants, even on My servants, both men and women.

Let us go back to the New Testament to I Peter 2, verse 9. You are very familiar with this. We probably read it dozens of times every year. Now this is truly a momentous event as it signifies that in the church age, which the coming of the Holy Spirit would inaugurate, all would be part of our royal priesthood, not merely a special group of workers.

I Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light [and we know that is done by His Spirit]; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Of course, there will be different tasks to accomplish and various gifts given to enable God's people to do them. Men and women, young and old, slaves and free will not necessarily do the same work, but all will have work to do and will be indwelt by God's Spirit so that the work can be done effectively.

Now please turn over to Ephesians 4, verse 11. The Spirit helps each to develop and use his gifts to serve others.

Ephesians 4:11-13 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

And this can only be done and carried out by Christ in us if we have God's Holy Spirit indwelling us.

Sometimes a man in the ministry wants to lord it over the other brethren to dominate those who attend church, and this may lead to outright abuse or tyranny. We have seen it in the past over the last five decades or so. At times, not often, but often enough.

A prime biblical example in the New Testament is the person of Diotrephes, who according to the apostle John loves to be first there in III John 9. The name Diotrephes means "nourished by Jupiter." And I find that meaning of the name Jupiter very interesting. He loved to have authority. Jupiter means "authority or preeminence over people," which is interesting. So he loved to have authority, the preeminence. Desiring preeminence, he refused to see the letter sent by John, thereby declining to submit to his direction or acknowledge his authority. He circulated malicious slanders against the apostle and exercised an arbitrary and pernicious influence in the church.

The word preeminence occurs twice in the New Testament. In Colossians 1:18, Paul speaks of Christ having the preeminence in all things. As used about Christ, the Greek word proteon means to be first in rank or influence. Proteon is the Greek word from which preeminence is translated. So, however, when the term preeminence is used regarding Diotrephes in III John 9, it refers to the compound Greek word philoproteon, which means "loves to have the preeminence." It is literally "to be fond of being first," that is, being ambitious for distinction.

Now flip over to I Peter 5, verse 2. The warning against this attitude is found in I Peter in a passage conveying instruction to church elders.

I Peter 5:2-3 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

The chief biblical example is Jesus Christ who, though the Lord of creation, nevertheless put on the servant's garment and performed a servant's job in washing His disciples' feet. However, some members want to sit back and let the pastor do it. Sir John Lawrence, a prominent British statesman who served as viceroy of India from 1864 to 1869; and you are wondering what does this have to do with this subject. He described the type of pastor the Protestant laymen prefer. I think it is kind of interesting the way he describes it. "What does the layman really want? He wants a building which looks like a church, a clergy dressed in the way he approves, services of the kind he's been used to, and to be left alone." Hopefully that is none of us.

This is not what Joel 2:28-29 envisions. People seem to want church organizations that do something for them, but what is needed is for people to do something for the church. It brings to mind President Kennedy's quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." So we actually use that principle and state it a different way.

The conservative theologian Bela Vassady points out an essential difference in serving someone or or something. And here is the quote.

The words servant and service are often used in our everyday life. We call the experts who service our cars, servicemen, the clubs we join service clubs, and the time our young men spend in the army is regarded as a time devoted to military service. But we all feel that such services usually have mixed motives, that they are more or less compulsory. And unless something else is added to them, they are but the products of rapid calculations and enlightened self-interest. That something else is exactly the unique quality of Christian service initiated by a call to sonship motivated by thankful obedience rendered primarily to the word of God and designed to benefit the whole world.

Now, let us get back to the subject of God's given gifts. It is essential to recognize that gifts of teaching and leadership are bestowed upon some for the church's well-being, but also that there is ample biblical teaching about the need for such leadership. Judging from Acts and the various Pauline epistles, it was the apostle Paul's regular practice to appoint elders in every church and entrust them to the training of the flock.

Acts 14:23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

So these were already faithful members that this is talking about.

Please turn over to Titus 1, and we will see where I am going with this. In the pastoral epistles, the appointment of such leaders is specifically commanded.

Titus 1:5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you.

And the qualifications are given here in Titus 1, verses 6 through 9. So here is an abbreviated version of this.

Titus 1:6-9 If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given the wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

What a list of that and what a pressure of responsibility that is! I do not know of any minister that really feels that he lives up to all of that perfectly. God does it; He is the only one who does this in a minister. We have too much human nature that we are dealing with as well, but we try.

So these are the character qualities of which everyone should strive, is my point. Even though this is qualifications for a minister, it is also qualifications for a royal priesthood, for all of us. Developing righteous qualities must be the goal of every member of God's church.

Please turn to Luke 12, verse 47. Potential ministers must strive to have these qualities before they can be ordained. So you are already doing the job beforehand and it is the same with deacons as well. You must be doing the job beforehand.

Luke 12:47-48 "And the servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For every one to whom much is given [that is every last person that is converted in God's church], from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they shall ask the more."

Now flip over to I Timothy 3, verse 1 (which is also that list of qualifications just in longer form). First Timothy 3 gives the character qualifications in even more detail, and this provides a better understanding of many of the things all Christians should strive for.

I Timothy 3:1-5 [Qualifications of Overseers] This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?). . .

If you want to know how you are doing, look at how your house is being ruled and you will probably find yourself wanting to do something about it. Now, we all have problems. We all have to work on them.

I Timothy 3:6-7 . . . not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

What is it they say? Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is a person fully being driven by human reasoning and human nature.

I Timothy 3:8-13 [Qualifications of Deacons] Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children in their own houses well. [It is repeated just like it is for the overseers.] For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

There is great respect to be shown to deacons because they are qualified and they are trying the best that they can to live righteously.

So what is the actual ministerial pattern in the church? We read Ephesians 4:11-13 earlier, which describes it well as it points out that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are to equip the saints for the work of ministry. It states that the proper relationship of ministers to other brethren is one of service. So as John Ritenbaugh established from the beginning, we are to be shepherds as ministers, not policemen. And there is a big difference. We do not police people and what they are doing in their personal lives. We are shepherds. We are here to give a nudge here and there and lovingly give advice and counsel and that type of thing. In this pattern of service, we have no better example than that of Jesus Christ.

Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Verse 45 is a key verse in Mark's gospel. Summarizing the book, Christ came, ministered, and gave His life a ransom. Christ came in chapter 1, ministered in chapters 2 through 13, and gave His life as a ransom, chapters 14 through 16. By calling Himself a servant and defining His mission as giving His life a ransom for the many, Jesus identifies Himself with the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53:10-12. And although the Servant's mission had been given to Israel as a whole, Israel through disobedience could not fulfill it, so that the One who would fill it had to restore Israel as well as bring light to the Gentiles.

Now, please flip back over to Acts chapter 2, verse 44. God's ministers are to equip the other saints, that is, to assist and train them to be what they should be and to do the work they should do, which helps to prepare the bride of Christ and proclaim the gospel to the world. In this pattern of service, we have no better example than that of Jesus Christ, as I mentioned before.

Remember, Joel's prophecy began to be partially fulfilled in a limited way at Pentecost AD 31 as a type of what would transpire when the Holy Spirit came on all believers down through history. However, the comprehensive fulfillment of Joel's prophecy will not be realized until the Millennium. A new era was inaugurated on that first Pentecost, referring to the church, and Luke writes in,

Acts 2:44-47 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Regarding the gathering of all things in common and their possessions together, there was a need. The other churches were struggling, especially one specifically, I cannot remember the name of the one specifically, but they needed food and they were desperate and so there was a collection taken for that type of thing. So this is according to need; it does not mean that you have to do it if there is no need. So we have to use wisdom in these things.

So what happens when the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to a person? In each of nine cases in which it is said that the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, the consequences of that filling was a witness to Jesus Christ. The first of these cases in Pentecost AD 31. We are told that all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and that they immediately began to witness. Peter did so officially and effectively.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with tongues [or in other languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The second case is Peter's being filled with the Holy Spirit just before he addressed the Sanhedrin on the occasion of his first arrest in Acts 4, verse 8. He preached about Jesus.

Acts 4:7-9 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, . . .

So, the Holy Spirit was involved in Peter then.

Then the third case describes a prayer meeting in Acts 4, verse 31 where the believers were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.

Acts 4:29-31 "Now Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

The fourth reference states that deacons were chosen based on their being full of the Spirit, as mentioned in Acts 6, verse 3.

Acts 6:2-3 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business."

So they were already active as witnesses because they had been living God's way of life and doing some of the responsibilities of a deacon.

The account of the choice of these deacons is immediately followed by the story of the death of the deacon Stephen, which certainly contains an effective witness to the grace of God in Christ's ministry.

The fifth example of a person being filled with the Spirit is Stephen.

Acts 7:55-56 But he [that is, Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

Now the sixth and seventh examples are of instances where Paul is specifically said to have been filled with the Holy Spirit. The first instance is found in Acts 9, verse 17 when Ananias came and placed his hands on Saul at the time of his conversion.

Acts 9:17-18 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

So Paul recovered his sight, was baptized, and at once began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

The second instance is in Acts 13, verse 9 where Paul confronted Elymas the sorcerer and pronounced a judgment on him in the name of Jesus.

Acts 13:8-11 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

And then the eighth example is Barnabas, who was said to have been sent out by the Holy Spirit. Now he was a Levite from the island of Cyprus and dedicated himself and all he had to the service of Jesus Christ. He was a preacher of the gospel.

Acts 13:2-4 As they [that is, prophets and teachers listed there in verse 1] ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." [So the two were set apart as apostles, meaning "one sent out."] Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they [that is, Barnabas and Saul] went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

Then the ninth example is the company of disciples at Antioch who were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit, and doubtless revealed this by continuing to spread the gospel even after Paul and Barnabas had been expelled from their region. That is found in Acts 13:52.

Now this is a clear and distinguishing mark of a person filled with the Holy Spirit, and it is the sense in which the words in Joel must be taken. Your sons and daughters will prophesy or will preach or will teach. There may be prophecy in the sense of foretelling things to come. Peter, John, and Paul and some others did that. But in the sense that all will prophesy, what is involved is a proclamation of God's truth concerning Jesus as Savior. And how can a person proclaim such a thing if he or she is not living the way Jesus Christ lived, and lives?

The result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the consequent testimony to Jesus Christ by those who are filled is repentance. So we are told that after Peter preached, about 3,000 repented of their sin, were baptized, and were added to the number of the early Christians. And this was the beginning of what Joel prophesized. It was a small but powerful precursor of what would happen to both Israelites and Gentiles who would be called into God's church by our heavenly Father down through human history. However, the global fulfillment of Joel's prophecy is yet to happen and will follow the Day of the Lord and Christ's return.

Back to Acts 2.

Acts 2:37-41 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

So repentance brings us back to Joel and the purpose of Joel's prophecy. Joel had been calling on the people to repent of specific sins. The sin of worshipping other gods and of failing to give God the true worship and obedience He deserves. Therefore, they broke the first and second commandments, which means they were guilty of breaking them all.

James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

God had promised blessings if the people would repent. Now it is essential to note that at the same time God calls for repentance, He promises a time in which He will pour out His Spirit on all people. And when that happens, repentance is the first evidence of the indwelling of God's Spirit.

Please turn with me to a final scripture in II Corinthians 3. Now the evidence of the Spirit is not in showy gifts but in repentance, humility, and Christ-like service, mirroring Jesus' example. As part of God's royal priesthood, we are now called to proclaim the truth, build up the church, and live Spirit-led lives in preparation for Christ's return. Millions of people in the Millennium will be convicted of sin, repent, and turn to our God and Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.

God will gather for judgment those nations that have dealt severely with His people and bring them to a great and final battle near Jerusalem. On that day, He will lead His people in triumph, ushering in an unparalleled era of peace and prosperity which we all look forward to. And His teaching about the Day of the Lord is essential to Joel's prophecy by skillfully using this term which gives cohesion to his message. Joel demonstrates that God is sovereignly active in all that comes to pass, directing all things to their appointed end. And then, of course, Peter in his speech reiterated that. And when God's Spirit dwells in us, the most convincing manifestation is our repentance and yielding to God's direction.

II Corinthians 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with an unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory [that is, from man's glory to spiritual glory], just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

So use this wonderful gift of the indwelling of God's Spirit to glorify God in all that you think and do.