On the Day of Pentecost, Jews from many nations had gathered in Jerusalem for a religious celebration. As residents of various countries and regions, these Jews had many “mother tongues.”

And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language [tongue] in which we were born?” (Acts 2:5-8)

Notice the Bible states that “when this sound occurred, the multitude came together.” These utterances drew many to those who were speaking in tongues. The multitude was astonished that the Galileans (many of whom were considered untrained or unlearned) were speaking in many different languages. This expression of God’s Spirit was a sign to those who were not yet followers of Jesus.

“We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” (Acts 2:11-12)

This outpouring of the Spirit created the opportunity for Peter to respond with one of the most famous sermons in the Bible, in which he said, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:32-33). Notice that everyone both saw and heard evidence of the Holy Spirit’s power.

A few verses later, the crowd responded:

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?” (Acts 2:37)

Peter told 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 [the Holy Spirit] is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

As Peter declared the good news of salvation that has been made available to all who call on the name of the Lord (see Romans 10:13), he also made it abundantly clear that the gift of the Holy Spirit is available to everyone who believes. How amazing! This promise is available to every believer—past, present, and future.

Four Accounts

In the book of Acts, there are four additional accounts of people being filled with the Holy Spirit after the Day of Pentecost. As we go through these four accounts, I would like for you to pay special attention to two things. First, in all but one of the accounts, the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a separate occurrence from the salvation experience. Second, those who witnessed these infillings of the Spirit both saw and heard evidence of the Spirit’s presence in the new believers.