Q: On the day of Pentacost were the apostles the only ones who spoke in tongues as a result of being baptized with the Holy Spirit? Also, I have come to believe that there is only one baptism of the Holy Spirit, that which every believer receives upon accepting Jesus as Saviour. At that time we are baptized into the body of Christ. However, I read in Acts 8:12-17 that although the Samaritans had accepted Jesus and had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus that the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon them. It wasn't until Peter and John prayed and laid hands on them that they received the Holy Spirit. What is the difference between the Holy Spirit falling upon someone and someone receiving the Holy Spirit? It appears that there were two baptisms. There is a similar account of Cornelius in Acts 10. This is very confusing. Could you please explain?

A: It does not appear that the apostles were the only ones to speak in tongues. There is very much an emphasis on all (Acts 2:1, 4). The "all" seems to refer to the gathering of about 120 (Acts 1:15). Speaking in tongues was not limited to the apostles after Pentecost.

You are correct in believing that there is only one baptism of the Spirit. The first century, however, marked a transition for the Holy Spirit. Rather than the Holy Spirit temporarily coming upon people as in the Old Testament, Christ's death and resurrection made it possible for the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer in a more unique and permanent relationship. To signify this, God used tongues. It is important to keep in mind Acts 1:8 as we see the spread of Christianity. This verse gives us the general geographic plan of evangelism (Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the rest of the world). The first occurrence of baptism of the Holy Spirit was at Pentecost, as a witness to Jews who were in Jerusalem from all over the world. The Samaritans and Judeans were next, and while speaking in tongues is not specifically mentioned, it may very well have happened in Acts 8. It occurs again with Gentiles living in Caesarea (Acts 10), where speaking in tongues is specifically mentioned. The other occurrence is in Acts 19 with Gentile Ephesians (here we are on a different continent). The pattern becomes evident when comparing it to Acts 1:8. As a permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit was quite the paradigm shift, God was pleased to demonstrate the gift of the Holy Spirit in a very visible and unique manner at the beginning. This would have confirmed the baptism of the Holy Spirit to those who received the Spirit and to those who witnessed the event. In fact the audible manifestation of speaking in tongues affirmation that salvation was indeed extended to Gentiles (Acts 10:46-47).

In the New Testament, most people are described as being "full" or "filled" with the Holy Spirit. There are few references to the Holy Spirit "falling" upon people, although this is essentially the same as people being filled with the Spirit (at least after Christ's resurrection). Before Christ's resurrection, the Holy Spirit would temporarily fall upon people. The command to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18) and other instances of people being filled speak more to the quality of the relationship with the Spirit than to whether or not a person has the Holy Spirit.

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