Note 5 at Acts 2:4: It is not completely clear who the "they" were. In chapter one, Luke spoke of 120 men and women being present in the upper room but it cannot be said for sure that all of those were present when the Holy Spirit came. It can be safely assumed that the eleven apostles who were waiting as Jesus had commanded them (Acts 1:4-5), spoke in tongues. It is also very possible that others or all of the believers that were present in the upper room spoke in tongues (see note 20 at Acts 2:11, 578).

Either way, Peter in his sermon to the people, quoted Joel 2:28-29 and interpreted this out pouring of the Holy Ghost "upon the servants and upon the handmaids" as being for all the people who were present (over 3,000-Acts 2:41), their children, and those who are far off (that's us-Acts 2:39). This forever proves that this gift of tongues was not just for a very few apostles.

Note 6 at Acts 2:4: This filling of the Holy Ghost was subsequent to their born-again experience (see note 27 at Jn. 14:17, p. 491). Paul later revealed in Rom. 10:9 that a person had to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that Jesus was raised from the dead before they could be saved.

These disciples had already done this. John 20:28 specifically records Thomas kneeling before the resurrected Jesus and confessing that Jesus was both Lord and God. No doubt all of these disciples had already been saved and yet they had not received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. This same thing was true of the people who believed on Jesus in Acts 8:12-17 and Acts 19:2-7.

Therefore, it is possible to be saved and yet not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke of (Jn. 7:37-39; Acts 1:4-5). Since the Holy Spirit is now given and we do not have to tarry for His coming, we can receive salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the same time, but it is not automatic. We must ask and believe (Mt. 7:7; Lk. 11:13) for the baptism of the Holy Ghost just as we believed for salvation.

Note 7 at Acts 2:4: Speaking in tongues is unique to the Church Age. This is because when a person speaks in tongues, his new born-again (see note 2 at Jn. 3:3, p. 92) spirit is speaking (1 Cor. 14:14), not his mind. Before salvation, our spirit was the part of us that was, "dead in trespasses and sins." Therefore, until we received a new spirit (2 Cor. 5:17), the Holy Ghost could not give us this supernatural communication with the Father.

However, this experience was prophesied in the Old Testament. Joel prophesied about it in Joel 2:28-29, which Peter refers to in his explanation of this miracle. Isaiah spoke very specifically of speaking in tongues in Isaiah 28:11-12 and Jesus also said believers would speak with new tongues (Mk. 16:17).

Note 8 at Acts 2:4: The other tongues that these disciples spoke in were languages other than their own, which they had never learned before. These tongues were different than the tongues which Paul was giving instructions about in 1 Corinthians 12-14 in that these were known languages.

There are two kinds of speaking in tongues which are very clearly spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13:1. They are called "the tongues of men and of angels." The tongues of men are the known languages which the disciples spoke in here and the tongues of angels, or heavenly languages, are the tongues which all Spirit-filled believers can speak in that Paul was speaking about in 1 Corinthians 12-14.

This is the only example of believers speaking in known languages recorded in the Bible. The other instances of speaking in tongues (Acts 8:18 [implied]; Acts 10:45-46; Acts 19:16), were evidently the heavenly languages unknown to men.

Note 9 at Acts 2:4: This speaking in tongues was not as many have envisioned it. The Holy Spirit did not take possession of the disciples to the point that the individual had no control over what was happening.

Paul makes a special point of this in his letter to the Corinthians about how the gifts should be properly administered. He tells the Corinthians to control themselves and not speak in tongues in church unless there is an accompanying interpretation (1 Cor. 14:27-28). He would not have told them this if they had no control over the gift.

The gift of speaking in tongues is no different than the ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11. A true minister of God is also operating in a supernatural gift when he preaches or teaches. Peter was being used of the Holy Spirit just as much when he preached to this crowd as when he spoke to them in tongues. Yet no one expects him to simply open his mouth and have God supernaturally control it.

The Holy Spirit inspires and anoints a preacher, but the minister's will is still intact and the degree to which the Holy Spirit uses the message is largely dependent on how much the individual yields to His control. This is how it is with speaking in tongues. The Holy Spirit gives the individual the utterance but the individual must exercise his faith to speak (Mk. 16:17) and believe that the result is inspired by God (Lk. 11:9-13).

Failure to understand this one truth has caused many people to ask the Lord for the gift of tongues and then wait for the Lord to supernaturally move their mouth. If nothing happens, they say that the Lord must not want them to speak in tongues or it would have happened.

This is no more true than to say that every person the Lord has called to preach is preaching or every person He has given a prophecy has prophesied. We have to step out in faith.