Something Greater

Acts 8: Baptism, The Holy Spirit, and Tongues Acts 8:18-19 What has gone before... Philip's preaching brought crowds in Samaria to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Sustainer. They gladly proclaimed their repentance and dependence upon God through water baptism. But something more was yet in store for these new believers. Peter and John prayed for the Samaritan Christians and they received the Holy Spirit. Moving on... "Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, - Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Acts 8:18-19 (ESV) Simon the Magician was a believer , baptized along with crowds of men and women who had listened to Philip and saw the signs that he did. Simon must have also been among those for whom Peter and John prayed, and upon whom the Holy Spirit had fallen. Luke does not describe what "receiving the Holy Sp...

Sovereignty of God The religious rulers in Jerusalem were between a Rock and a hard place: they feared the power of Jesus and they feared the power of the people. They squirmed out of the trap, temporarily, by threatening Peter and John , charging them to speak and teach of nothing concerning Jesus, and releasing them from custody. "When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, - Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, - "Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed - "For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, w...

Sainthood "To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 1:7 (ESV) There are many religions which recognize individuals as "saints" or "enlightened ones". One church reserves the term "saints" only for a member of their church regarded as "holy" who has died. The "saint" must have demonstrated "heroic virtue" or suffered martyrdom. After approval by an investigative panel, the candidate is proclaimed to be "venerable", the first step toward sainthood . The second stage is called "beatification" . It requires the candidate perform a miracle after their death and as a result of specific prayer to the candidate. This miracle proves that the person is in heaven and is able to intercede for the living. The final stage of sainthood requires one more miracle, allowing the religious leaders to ...

Resurrection Power "[Christ Jesus] was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 1:4 (ESV) The Holy Spirit's power declared Jesus to be the Son of God, resurrecting Him from the dead. DECLARED: horizo (to mark out or bound, "horizon"); from horion (a boundary-line, a frontier); from horos (a bound or limit) The power of the Holy Spirit dramatically changed the limits of life. Jesus was no longer bound to ordinary limits of life and death... death no longer could control Him. The boundaries of Jesus now extended even to God. The Holy Spirit removes boundaries and limits. "If Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit ...

Love is From God. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in lov...

The Holy and Righteous One The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. Acts 3:13-15 (ESV) To this point in Luke's book of Acts of the Apostles, Jesus has been named Lord and Christ. In his second great instance of preaching, Peter is speaking to Jews at the temple. They've all gathered in amazement, responding to the miraculous healing of a lame man. Peter is even more descriptive of the glory of Jesus . Peter begins by calling upon the Almighty God, using references that are most meaningful to devout Jews: " The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers ." Then, Peter describes Jesus as the Servant o...

Outward Signs Of Inward Change: Wind And Fire "And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting." Acts 2:2 SOUND: "Echos", a loud or confused noise ("echo"), i.e. roar; figuratively, a rumor The same Greek word, "echos" (translated as "reports"), was used to describe the rumors flying around the country regarding Jesus. "And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region." Luke 4:37 "Echos" (translated as "sound") was also used to describe the voice of God experienced by the Jews led by Moses. "For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them." Hebrews 12:18 The word implies frightening, loud sounds from all directions....

SPIRITUAL POWER "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8 POWER: "Dynamis", force, specially, miraculous power; from "dynamai" (to be able or possible COME UPON: "Eperchomai", to supervene, i.e. arrive, occur, impend, attack, (figuratively) influence; from "epi" (upon) and "erchomai" (to come or go) WITNESSES: "Martys", a witness END: "Eschatos", farthest, final (of place or time); from "echo" (to hold) WHAT DO YOU THINK? To this point the disciples had not experienced the indwelling Spirit of God. Why not? And what would change not many days later when they would? Why would God delay sharing His Spirit? Was there some change required in the lives of the disciples? The primary purpose of the indwelling Spirit of God was to empower Christians to b...