The Holy Spirit is a major character in the book of Acts. He is seen in every aspect of the book. He moves in and out of the lives of the people of the book. I would venture to say that He is the narrator of the book.
As I wrote the affirmations for the book of Acts, the Holy
Spirit is a part of 24 of them. I can
even say that I could have probably written a lot more of them.
The Holy Spirit made everything possible. Luke, the author of Acts makes this
abundantly clear. He tells of so many
instances when the Holy Spirit made things possible.
The introduction of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is magnificent. Luke gives us a vivid sensory experience as
he describes how the Holy Spirit came upon the first believers. To experience feel how the people who
heard them speaking in tongues felt gave me goosebumps. Peter’s speech solidifies the Holy Spirit’s
work.
What impressed me most about the first experience of the
Holy Spirit was that it created a unity between the first believers that I do
not think we will ever see again. They were
willing to be together all the time and share all that they had with each
other. For the Holy Spirit to usher in a
moment like this; it was an amazing way to show us how powerful the gift Jesus
left for us before His ascension was remarkably astounding indeed.
The Holy Spirit moved in power. He has amazing power and did amazing things
with this power. He sent people places. He directed people how to preach and minister.
He performed signs and wonders. And
amazingly, we have this same power in us because of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit guided the early church. He systematically told the people where to
preach and teach. The Lord said, “…you
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of
the earth…,” and the Holy Spirit made this possible. He put the right people in the right places at
the right time to deliver the right Word for the right moment. He does this in and for us today. He does His job well.
I was taught that the focus of receiving the Holy Spirit was
speaking in tongues, but as I began to learn more about the Holy Spirit, I see
that emphasis of the Holy Spirit is giving us power to live a holy life, as we
work for the Lord to build the Kingdom of God.
According to the Britannica website, a narrator is “one who
tells a story. …the narrator determines the story’s point of view. If the
narrator is a full participant in the story’s action, the narrative is said to
be in the first person. A story told by a narrator who is not a character in
the story is a third-person narrative.”
The Holy Spirit is indeed a full participant in the book, therefore
making this story a first-person point of view narration. The Holy Spirit determined the point of view
of the story… It is His point of view as the important influence and strength
of the church, the early believers, and the building of the Kingdom of God.
I am so glad that the Holy Spirit directed Luke to put Him
front and center as the narrator and major being, personality, and character of
the book of Acts.