The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Early Church

The Holy Spirit helped early Christians resolve church problems and go on missions to spread God’s Word. Even today, He fosters spiritual growth and empowers church leaders to expand their ministry and reach more people.

What did the Holy Spirit do in the early church, and how does He foster growth today? Read on to find out.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Early Church

In the earliest days of the church, there were 120 disciples in Jerusalem. This number multiplied through the works of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Apostles, eventually becoming the church we know today.

Here are three of the roles the Holy Spirit played in the early church:

Bring New Believers Through Preaching

The day of Peter’s sermon at Pentecost is called “the birthday of the Church” because it’s the day when the Apostles started building the church. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter’s sermon at Pentecost brought in 3,000 new believers. 

Peter promised the gifts of the Holy Spirit during his sermon at Pentecost, as stated in the Bible: “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ 

And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:37-41)

Resolve Internal Church Problems

The Holy Spirit was there when the Apostles solved several problems in the early church. An example of how the Holy Spirit solved internal problems in the church was during the choosing of the Seven Deacons.

As the church grew in number, some members began complaining about unequal food distribution. By request from the Apostles, the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews chose seven men to assist in food distribution and other community concerns. One of the deacons, Stephen, was said to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

Scripture tells the story of the Choosing of the Seven: “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:1-7)

Send Disciples on Missions

The Holy Spirit assisted in spreading God’s Word by sending disciples on ministry missions to other regions.

You can read about one of these missions in Acts 1-5: “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.”

Five Manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the Early Church

The Holy Spirit gifts Christians with Prophecy, Faith, Tongues, Words of Knowledge, and other spiritual gifts. Here are five examples of Holy Spirit manifestations in the early church:

The Holy Spirit Baptized Believers

Before Jesus went to Heaven, He bestowed the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and all Christians. As stated in the Bible: “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 1:4-5)

Later, we see the fulfillment of this promise at the day of Pentecost (see below). 

The Holy Spirit Revealed Ananias’ Lies

When a man called Ananias sold a piece of land, he withheld part of its proceeds for himself. The Holy Spirit gave Peter the gift to see through Ananias’ lies, and, once the truth was revealed, Ananias dropped dead. As recorded in Scripture: “Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.’

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.” (Acts 5:1-5)

The Holy Spirit Cured Saul’s Blindness

When a heavenly light blinded Saul of Tarsus for three days, the Holy Spirit gave Ananias of Damascus the gift of healing his blindness. Scripture states: “Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,” (Acts 9:17-18)

The Holy Spirit’s Gift of Tongues

Sometime before Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles with the sound of a violent wind. Afterward, they started speaking in tongues that other people heard as their respective languages. Acts 2:3-6 states: “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.”

The Ethiopian Eunuch’s Baptism

The Holy Spirit directed Philip to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza, where he found an Ethiopian eunuch. Philip baptized the eunuch, and as soon as he did, the Holy Spirit took Philip away to Azotus, where he continued preaching the Gospel. 

As stated in Acts 8:38-40: “And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.”

What Is the Role of the Holy Spirit in the Growth of the Church?

The Holy Spirit plays a major role in the growth of the church by empowering Christians to preach the Gospel to others and strengthening us against sin. Here are some ways the Holy Spirit fosters church growth:

• The Holy Spirit guides us to make the right decisions in daily church operations.
• The Holy Spirit empowers us to preach the Gospel and answer our calling.
• The Holy Spirit gives us a deeper understanding of God.
• The Holy Spirit inspires us to live in Christ.

Closing Thoughts

The Holy Spirit has empowered Christians to spread God’s Word since the early days of the church. Even today, He still gives Christians the strength and conviction to live in Christ.