It was on Pentecost that the Spirit entered the twelve apostles, and to the amazement of all, they began to speak in tongues. The message heard by Jews from every nation is clearly described. “We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). These tongues were God’s way of showing others that these men were speaking the words of God.
Are you aware that there was another day when twelve men all spoke in tongues? Many have overlooked the significance of this second event. On his third missionary journey, Paul came to Ephesus. He had never met these twelve men, and the question he asked should be studied carefully. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit since their faith had led them to be baptized. Those who know this story will remember that because they had received the wrong baptism, they were immersed a second time in the name of Jesus. Read the text carefully. After they were baptized, Paul laid his hands on these twelve men and the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and prophesying.
Isn’t this how Jesus described how the gospel would spread so rapidly when He gave the great commission? “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast our demons; they will speak with new tongues…” (Mark 16:15-17). Tongues were to be given to those who believed and were baptized.
Those tongues came only by an apostle laying his hands on them. This was what apostles could do when they came to baptized believers (Acts 8:12-15). It is obvious that he had never met these twelve men and even more obvious why he asked his question to these he knew who were believers who had been baptized. The Holy Spirit was given by an apostle’s hands, and Paul wanted them to have the Spirit. He discovered they had not been baptized with the baptism mentioned in Mark 16, so these men were then baptized. He laid his hands on them to fulfill the prophecy that Jesus made in the Great Commission that believers would speak in tongues and prophesy. This is why he asked his first question.
The results were obvious. They were baptized, and the sign of speaking in tongues was given to them by the laying on of Paul’s hands. They not only spoke in tongues but prophesied. They then could speak in other languages like the apostles and tell the “wonderful works of God.” People could know these twelve were messengers just like twelve on Pentecost. These tongues confirmed the message (Mark 16:20).