And yet Peter does, and he gives a bold sermon. There was doubt. What is of particular interest is that this revelation came about through the Spirit.. And then going on here, in verse 44, "He said to them, 'These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms concerning Me.' Our text has much to teach us, which is why Luke designed this chapter as his introduction to the Book of Acts. Ministers in church often wear robes with red in the design as a symbol of the flames in which the Holy Spirit came to earth. It sounded like a very strong wind, and it looked like tongues of fire. "And He said to them, 'Thus it is written, thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and the remissions of sins would be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these things. Labor in the Word, meaning to read the Word, and to learn it, and to soak it in and drink it in; and to live the Word, this past year. So, let's continue our Book of Acts Bible Study. Before long (Acts 5:3-4), the Holy Spirit will be identified as God. We learn that it was Peter who provided the leadership (1:15). Why does Luke spend as much time (12 verses) describing this one event as he does depicting the 40 days of our Lords appearances on the earth (11 verses)? And so I made a certain few inquiries, I got on the bus, didn't miss it. You ever been in that type of situation where you don't know what to do next? These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. He spent days and days, and weeks and weeks doing that, bringing new dimension of understanding to the Scriptures that they had never had. They had been told to be there, to wait in Jerusalem until that day. Pentecost was unmistakable because of its three distinct phenomena, which served to make it perfectly clear that Jesus had indeed come to His people by His Spirit. They must not attempt to carry out the Great Commission without Pentecostal power. As the first volume ends with the Great Commission, the second volume begins with it (verse 8). Let us eagerly look forward to the changes Pentecost will bring for the better.. As you read on in Acts chapter 1, one of the main things they did was to choose a successor to Judas. This was something that was spiritual in nature, that bound them together and they prayed, they studied the Scripture, and they praised God, it says, and because of that, their example caused them to have favor with people and others were drawn to their example at that time. 2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. In verses 12-14, Luke tells us what the apostles were doing while they waited. And this dramatic miracle, but beyond that, 3,000 people being added to the Church, and then a community being developed. 3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He said He wouldn't and He didn't, even though there was a moment in time when they thought that they were orphaned, as they stood gazing up and looking and wondering, "What do we do next. Acts 2:1-13 records the events of this Pentecost, about 10 days after Jesus' ascension. What is Pentecost? It is. The Church was given favor, we're told, as they demonstrated these fruits and others were added. 11 For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what remains come in glory! The same things were going through their minds that go through our minds. Pentecost is a special day for any Christian, but it is emphasised particularly by Pentecostal churches. They had not been a part of anything like that before. Jesus promised authority within the boundaries of what God purposed, because the coming of the Spirit was the promise of the Father (verse 4). Acts is the record of how our Lord is fulfilling the Great Commission by using weak and fallible men. And we must live knowing that way. God's Word and Spirit give us power to overcome and to change to accomplish the work of God. And therein, lies a key to the understanding of what had taken place with these individuals here. It is available on the Internet at:www.netbible.org. Bold, Men and brethren, he begins to explain what's happened. In the Great Commission of Matthew 28, Jesus claimed all authority, and He based His command to proclaim the gospel to all nations on this authority: 18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. They were with Him and they asked Him in verse 6, "Lord, will You at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" And you can begin to imagine how this dynamic begins to must have been being set up within the disciples, because when you begin to doubt one another, you begin to lose trust. If you go back to Matthew chapter 28, chapter 28 and verse 16, let's just read a few of the accounts of that period following the resurrection, that the Gospel accounts tell us and there's more there. The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The gospels and the book of Acts tell us that would-be zealots and messiahs had come and gone. I would suspect that it may have been during that 40-day interval between our Lords resurrection and His ascension. So if I can come back to the question that I asked, what was going through their mind on that morning of Pentecost? Our Lord saw to it that these witnesses had more than enough evidence of His resurrection, and added to this was the witness of the Spirit to the resurrection: 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. They weren't orphans, and we are not either in our life. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20, emphasis mine). It was a mighty, powerful machine, the most powerful that the world in that day had ever seen. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? As I read the early verses of chapter one, I am also impressed with the realization that Luke provides us with some powerful evidences of the resurrection of our Lord from the dead: To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was just [snaps fingers] gone, He was there. Why did the apostles speak of the coming of the kingdom of God as its being restored? Originally, Pentecost was a Jewish holiday held 50 days after Passover. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2), and it marks the . It is rooted in the Word of God. My point here is that Luke links the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of our Lord in the Gospels to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church in Acts. Colossians 2:15, tells us that He disarmed the powers with His death. And they're seeing that, and it's the final time. And perhaps like you and I would today, we might look at it as a little bit odd. The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. They were alone. "And all who believed were together and they had all things in common. Before Pentecost: What Were They Thinking. Here,the twelveaddressed a problem of inequity in the care and feeding of their widows. Acts is not the account of God choosing the best and most talented and godly people on the face of the earth, so that He can accomplish the Great Commission. Zechariah's prophecy in chapter 14 shows that Christ will, on that day, set foot on the Mount of Olives. Our text also reminds us that whenever God commands us to do something, He will provide all that we need to carry out His command. And what was the key to that? And then this dramatic miracle takes place, festive occasion. Volume 1 the Gospel of Luke is the description of all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen(verse 1b-2a). In Colossians chapter 1, Colossians 1:27, Paul writes, "To them, God will to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." They will receive power through the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. 4This is much like Adam and Eve, who sought knowledge outside of the boundaries of their authority. They didn't know. 30 He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Maybe a few more decided to go to Jerusalem on Pentecost to see what was going on, and the town was bursting at the seams, and from all these nations that we're told about here and areas. Long before modern advertising, the Bible had its own versions of before and after. In Genesis, we have a picture of man before the fall and after. In the Book of Judges, we have Gideon as a fearful and reticent man (before), and then we have Gideon after as the brave warrior. They stood there, transfixed. 8 Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. That's how I imagine it and He was home, He was back at, He was at the third heaven. And it just caused them to proverbially tear their clothes and rush at them and ultimately to the point of Stephen and they stoned him. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.". And more specifically for this group that they would be witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth being fulfilled. The elixir, the antidote to our faith, to every one of our problems, if we could see a miracle; and we like signs, but miracles, well, they're a little harder to come up with. It is the Word of God and it is the Spirit of God that did it for them, and will do it for you and for I today as we live our lives, as we go about our lives. 19 This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so that in their own language they called that field Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his house become deserted, and let there be no one to live in it, and Let another take his position of responsibility. 21 Thus one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time the Lord Jesus associated with us, 22 beginning from his baptism by John until the day he was taken up from usone of these must become a witness of his resurrection together with us. 23 So they proposed two candidates: Joseph called Barsabbas (also called Justus) and Matthias. Others have sought to justify this action on the part of the apostles. They gave him a piece of broiled fish and honey comb, He takes it and he sits down and eats in their presence. They need to see within us, Jesus Christ. As I got up this morning, prepared to come over here, go through the day, same things that will be in my mind tomorrow, and next Thursday, and a month from today. 14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this (Acts 4:13-14). In particular, Judas death was seen to be a part of the divine plan. No, He said wait till, wait in Jerusalem, and so they were there and they continued. When the Jerusalem Council met to determine what should be required of Gentile converts, they determined that Gentiles must not be placed under the law, and that they observe only a few restrictions. . We can accomplish the work of God, and we can then be the firstfruits who follow the Lamb and who know their God and do mighty deeds and mighty exploits. And it is in that, we reach the real nexus, the real critical point of our life before God, where we recognize that, with the Holy Spirit, we are taking on the very nature of God, the divine nature. And what happened? What did they do during that 10 days? He certainly became one of the boldest witnesses for the faith. That's how we live the Word, that's how we drink in the Word, and it changes our life and it banishes the fear, gives us confidence in who we are and what we are to do. This should come as no surprise because the Great Commission of Matthew also referred to all three members of the Godhead: 18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Verses 1-11 describe what happened during that 40-day period between our Lords resurrection and His ascension. And this small group of people who had signed on to what they thought was a remarkable, gifted rabbi, and followed Him around and soon learned that they had fallen into something quite different than anything they could have ever imagined, as they witnessed miracles of loaves and fishes, and people being brought back to life, and dramatic healings. No lots were cast here, nor did they need to be. Now, when we turn over to Acts chapter 1, and we look at, kind of summing up of this as it is. How do we handle them? "Pentecost" is actually the Greek name for a festival known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Weeks ( Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:9 ). Somewhere along the line, the apostles were enlightened by our Lord concerning the mystery of the church. And there was fear of the unknown, of what was going to take place, fear of the future. 9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! The feast has been celebrated 40 days after Easter in both Eastern and Western Christianity since the 4th century. So there is going to be a gap. To seek this knowledge is to go outside the boundaries of their authority.4. That is how the mission of the Church is done and that is how then that vision of a community, of a Church, of a people who are rooted in the Word of God, who actually do care for one another, is accomplished; by no other means, by no other means. ), and the Holy Spirit (1:2, 5, 8, 16). "And they looked steadfastly in toward heaven," verse 10, "as He went up, and behold two men stood by them in white apparel." And that is of people led by the Holy Spirit, knit together, everyone providing that which they can toward a community of faith, power, and love, sharing, looking out after one another and caring for one another. Makeover programs turn proverbial ugly ducklings into swans. First, there was an unmistakable "sound like a mighty rushing wind" that "filled the entire house" where the believers had gathered. The Apostle Peter may have been the most outspoken of the twelve apostles in Jesus' ministry on earth. This is implied in Acts 1:3, but it is clear in particular instances, such as when Jesus appeared to the disciples who went fishing with Peter in John 21. This process will never be seen again in the rest of the New Testament. I didn't know how to read a board to tell me these things. 24 Then they prayed, Lord, you know the hearts of all. There were several festivals, celebrations, or observances that took place before Pentecost. That He had to rebuke them and teach them. The Giving of the Holy Spirit: On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Disciples and those with them. Pentecost starts in a locked room with believers waiting. Farewell (Acts 15:28-29, emphasis mine). That is what caused them to banish their fear, trouble, doubt, and unbelief: Christ in them through the Holy Spirit. We sometimes just kind of tail off when we get to the end of one of the Gospels and we know the events, Christ was crucified, Christ was risen, and we don't look at some of the details there. Consider this question, with what we have just read: how could people filled with doubt, even a measure of unbelief, fear, general fear, intense fear, heightened fear, abject fearfear takes many different forms and guises; sometimes we can control our fear, sometimes it overcomes us and we're just shaking in our bootshow could a people dealing with all of these emotions during this 50-day period of time be expected to do what Jesus told them here in verse 8, they would do, when they have problems figuring it all out at that particular moment? Barnabas and Saul arrived at the island of Cyprus and had traveled as far as Paphos. About 10 days earlier, Christ had finally ascended for the final time and they were left alone. They call attention to references tothe twelveafter this (Acts 6:2; 1 Corinthians 15:5). In Revelation chapter 14, we are given an image of the firstfruits, called the 144,000 in this part of the Revelation. We are no exception today, as we wait and look for the time when the Kingdom will be restored. Let's go into Luke's account. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth . We have a very involved, and very good, and a very detailed review process at many different levels of our writings, of our speaking in the United Church of God today. They had come up against the two most powerful authorities of their day in their world. "Also for this very reason, giving all diligence into your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, the divine nature. It's an interesting way that they did. It seems to me that these loyal followers of Jesus are at their finest in verses 12-14. And I was going to go out to California, my first trip to California, visit my brother for about three weeks. We will handle them by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. I don't think it was an intergalactic tour that He was on to get to the third heaven. This truth is buttressed by John 14-16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and 2 Peter 1:20-21. A firstfruit is one who follows Christ. 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called the Mount of Olives (which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath days journey away). They were going up against a lot, just as we go up against our world today, and ourselves, and what Satan might throw at us. Before the church could begin Jesus had to die, rise again, and then ascend into heaven. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. At the end of John, you remember, John says, there were so many other things that He did in his life and no doubt probably part of that 40-day period that it would take volumes to teach it, and to record it during this period. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. On that day of Pentecost, people who had been doubtful were moved to speak powerfully, to repentance, to belief, and to action. The mystery of this paragraph is to explain why Luke went to so much effort (and space) to describe an event which appears to have little impact on the events that follow Pentecost. On the Day of Pentecost prophecy was fulfilled. That's the famous road to Emmaus experienced from the book of Luke, "and they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either." Jerusalem was swelled with pilgrims, at this point in time, and this added to the drama of the moment. What we read about back in Matthew 28:19 of the gospel being taken to the world. We can deal with them. At the end of the 40 days, Jesus was taken up into heaven. Again, nothing like this had been a part of their frame of reference before. In the Old Testament Pentecost was the feast which occurred fifty days after Passover. But they were terrified, and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit." The idea of 10 days to do nothing is desperately needed in the church today, and this is the perfect time of year to embrace that very thing. And all the others came right in and were a part of it with him. That Numbers 32 and verse 23, is correct. And a voice from heaven like many waters, and the voice of thunder, and the sound of harpers playing their harps, they sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders.
Maxout Available In Mercury Drug,
Theories On Factors Affecting Motivation In Facilitating Learning,
Reza Eslaminia Net Worth,
Martin County, Nc Sheriff,
Wonderfold X4 Accessories,
Articles W