The Holy Spirit at work in Acts 4

Dr Luke's history of the birth and growth of the early church is named "The Acts of the Apostles" may well be better titled the Acts of the Holy Spirit. As like us those early followers of Jesus were totally reliant on the Holy Spirit in everything they did.

The Holy Spirit at work in Acts 4

• When we proclaim Jesus the Holy Spirit does the rest v4
• The Holy Spirit arranges incredible opportunities for us to tell others about Jesus. v5-6
• When telling others about Jesus it's a good thing to be "filled with the Holy Spirit". v8
• The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say when telling others about Jesus. v8-12
• The Holy Spirit gives us boldness. v13
• The Holy Spirit specialises in using unlikely people. v13
• The Holy Spirit silences even the most sceptical. v14
• The Holy Spirit at work is a powerful sign to unbelievers. v16
• The Holy Spirit compels us to tell others about Jesus. v20
• The Holy Spirit can work a miracle in an instant even if we have been waiting 40 years. v22
• It was the Holy Spirit speaking through David that wrote the Psalms. v25
• Empowered by the Holy Spirit David, prophecied about the victory of Jesus. v25-26
• The Holy Spirit heals and performs "signs & wonders".
• The work of the Holy Spirit can literally share the ground under your feet. v31
• An outcome of being filled with the Holy Spirit is boldly telling others about Jesus. v31
• The Holy Spirit gives the power to share your own "Jesus" story. v33
• The Holy Spirit gives us the favour of God. v33
• The Holy Spirit at work in us destroys selfishness and inspires incredible generosity. v34-37

The Holy Spirit at Work - Acts 3

Dr Luke's history of the birth and growth of the early church is named "The Acts of the Apostles" may well be better titled the Acts of the Holy Spirit. As like us those early followers of Jesus were totally reliant on the Holy Spirit in everything they did.

Acts 3

• The Holy Spirit gives us gifts to give away v6
• The Holy Spirit can instantly make limbs that have never been used strong enough to jump v7
• The Holy Spirit can take a lifetime of hurt into pure joy v8
• The Holy Spirit in action fills even those who are not followers of Jesus with "wonder and amazement". v9
• The Holy Spirit at work often draws a crowd v11
• When seeing the Holy Spirit work through your life often people can reach the wrong conclusion and think you have superpowers. v12
• The Holy Spirit gives us the words to say to the crowd that points back to Jesus. v13 - 16
• The Holy Spirit empowered the Old Testament prophets to talk about the coming of Jesus. v21

The Holy Spirit at Work - Acts 2

Dr Luke's history of the birth and growth of the early church is named "The Acts of the Apostles" may well be better titled the Acts of the Holy Spirit. As like us those early followers of Jesus were totally reliant on the Holy Spirit in everything they did.

Acts 2

• The presence of the Holy Spirit can sound like "mighty rushing wind" v2
• The presence of the Holy Spirit may be seen on occasions. This time as fire. v3
• Experiencing the Holy Spirit is often likened to being "filled". The greek word for filled can also be translated "to be under full influence". v4
• The Holy Spirit can give someone the ability to speak a language they have never learned. v4
• The Holy Spirit draws people to God v6
• One of the reasons the Holy Spirit gives the supernatural ability to speak in another language is that people who speak that language can here the Gospel. v6
• The Holy Spirit tells people about "the mighty works of God". v11
• Being filled with the Holy Spirit can be so overwhelming it can look like a person is drunk! v13
• The Holy Spirit was promised in the Old Testament. On this occasion, the prophet Joel is quoted by Peter. v16
• The Holy Spirit is for every believer not a select few. v17
• A sign of the Holy Spirit is prophesy v17
• A sign of the Holy Spirit is visions v17
• A sign of the Holy Spirit is dreams v17
• The Holy Spirit fills both male and female v18
• The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin. v37
• Receiving the Holy Spirit is an integral part of salvation. v38
• The Holy Spirit is for every believer from the day of Pentecost onwards. v39
• The work of the Holy Spirit brings "awe" v43
• Signs of the Holy Spirit are "many wonders and signs" v43

Can you add any more?

Acts 3 tomorrow

The Holy Spirit at work - Acts 1

We launched a brand new teaching series at MKCC this past Sunday about the Holy Spirit. I am reminded of how John Phillips, my favourite lecturer at college, introduced his series of lectures on the book of the Acts of the Apostles. He suggested that a better name for the book would be "The Acts of the Holy Spirit" and set us a task of listing all the times we see the Holy Spirit at work in these chapters. 

So, I thought to repeat that exercises again 38 years later would remind me of the Holy Spirit's vital work in the early church.

So here is Acts 1

• Jesus was directed by the Holy Spirit in choosing the Apostles v 2
• Jesus was guided by the Holy Spirit in His teaching of the Apostles v 2
• The Holy Spirit was promised by God the Father and Jesus v 4
• Experiencing the Holy Spirit is described as baptism. The Greek word "baptizo" to immerse, cleanse or purify. v 5
• The Holy Spirit is guided by God Father’s v 7
• The Holy Spirit brings us power v 8
• The Holy Spirit comes to individuals v 8
• The main purpose of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to tell others about Jesus. v8
• The Apostles recognised that the Holy Spirit was at work in writing scripture v 15
• Was the Holy Spirit at work in how the Apostles chose a replacement for Judas Iscariot v 26

Can you add any?

More to come

A Fellowship of differents

The first European church began as a fellowship of differents. A wealthy fashionista named Lydia, an abused slave girl and an ex-praetorian guard, and his family, living out his retirement as a jailor in this outlying Roman colony. It would seem that Holy Spirit pulled together, as the founding church members in Philippi, a very diverse group of people.

Scot McKnight describes in his book "A fellowship of Differents" a typical house church in Rome.

Understand that these early Christians did not meet in churches and sit apart from one another in pews, and then when the music ended, get in their chariots and go home. No, their churches were small, and they met in homes or house churches. A recent study by a British scholar has concluded that if the Apostle Paul's house churches we composed of about thirty people, this would have been their approximate make-up:

• A craft worker in whose home they meet, along with his wife, children, a couple of male slaves, a female domestic slave, and a dependent relative.
• Some tenant, with families and slaves and dependents, also living in the same home in rented rooms.
• Some family members of a householder who himself does not participate in the house church.
• A  couple of slaves whose owners do not attend.
• Some freed slaves who do not participate in the church.
• A couple of homeless people.
• A few migrant workers renting small rooms in the home.

Add to this mix some Jewish folks and perhaps an enslaved prostitute and we see how many "different tastes" were in a typical house church in Rome.

Scot McKnight, A fellowship of differents, Ch 2

But Paul made it clear how these desperately different people would relate to each other. They were ONE. Not one because they managed to work out all their differences. But one IN Christ Jesus. 

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28

Or as it is put in a literal translation of the Greek;

there is not here Jew or Greek, there is not here servant nor freeman, there is not here male and female, for all ye are one in Christ Jesus.

And as the Galatian believers were gathered together, not in rows facing the front, they're in someone's dining room and the centre of their activity really is the fellowship meal or the communal meal, Paul's letter was read aloud to them. Maybe there was a dramatic effect placed on the word HERE. Here at this table, we are all one because of Jesus. 

Loving our enemies?

The Spirit is the One who can transform us from people who love only the people we like and the people who are like us, into people who love the people we don’t like, the people who are different from us, and yes, even our enemies. - Scot McKnight (Open to the Spirit)

Maybe it’s because of my Pentecostal background but mention the Holy Spirit and the first thing that pops into mind or is often mentioned by others is miracles, healing, speaking in tongues. Basically the 9 “gifts of the Spirit” given as examples by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. (Yes for me Pentecostal friends I said examples as comparing this with other similar list I don’t think Paul’s intention was to create a definitive finite list for the gifts of an infinite God)

Now I prefer to think firstly about the Holy Spirits work in my salvation journey which is beyond doubt the ultimate miracle!

But I also think of Jesus command for us to love our enemies! The first virtue of the Holy Spirit is Love and the Spirit grows divine Love in our lives. Even love for our enemies. That could be the second biggest miracle of the Holy Spirit? Just a thought.

Not so fond of transformation a prayer

Praying for transformation that I’m not sure I want. By John Levison 

Holy Spirit, 

I’m not so fond of transformation. 

I’m not so hungry for adaptation.

I’m not so keen on modification. 

“Leave things as they are.” 

That’s my earnest prayer. 

But how can I ask you for this? 

And how could you possibly answer this prayer?

What could I be thinking? 

How little could I know you? 

You’re torrential. 

We’re sopping, sodden, soaked. 

Caught in the downpour of your craving 

to transform us from inside out 

and also from outside in. 

Amen

Have we tamed the lion?

The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused Him of being a bore—on the contrary; they thought Him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround Him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified Him “meek and mild,” and recommended Him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.

Dorothy Sayers

Open to the Spirit......

Being open to the Spirit has nothing to do with struggling to meet a standard. Rather, to be open is an inside-out and upside-down approach. To be open means God’s grace is at work in us through the Spirit. Openness is not a game of strategy and intense planning, like chess. Rather, being open is a dance in which we listen to the beat of the Spirit and respond to the Spirit’s promptings. Every time we are open to the Spirit’s steps, the Spirit takes us to Jesus, the Living Word.

Scot McKnight

Open to the Spirit

Page 21

Invaded by the living God

We have been invaded by the living God himself, in the person of his Spirit, whose goal is to infect us thoroughly with God’s own likeness. Paul’s phrase for this infection is the fruit of the Spirit. The coming of the Spirit, with the renewing of our minds, gives us a heavenly appetite for this fruit. The growing of this fruit is the long way on the journey of Christian conversion, the “long obedience in the same direction,” and it is altogether the work of the Spirit in our lives.

Gordon D Fee

Paul, the Spirit and the people of God

I am not my own

The from now on to live for him.

That I am not my own, 

but belong with body and soul, 

both in life and in death, 

to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. 

He has fully paid for all my sins

with his precious blood, 

and has set me free from all the power of the devil. 

He also preserves me in such a way that 

without the will of my heavenly Father 

not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, 

all things must work together for my salvation. 

Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me 

of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready

from now on to live for him.

Gaining Wisdom

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them. If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” - ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

King David placed enormous value in knowing God’s wisdom over his own knowledge. We are living in an age where we are on information overload. A study in 2011 said:

“When you think that 100 years ago people were lucky to read the equivalent of 50 books in a lifetime but now most children have watched a couple of hundred movies.”

The researchers went on to say that there was now “295 exabytes of data floating around the world – that's 29,500,000,000,000,000,000,000 pieces of information. While this is enormous – 315 times the number of grains of sand on Earth – Dr Hilbert points out it is still less than one per cent of the information that is stored in the DNA of a single human being.”

So all the information in the world equates to an infinitesimally small amount compared with that of the creator! So it’s pretty clear where we should be going for our understanding of life and the universe. God the Holy Spirit has given us access to some of his wisdom through the Bible. Here is how John Piper talks about scripture.

“The Holy Spirit is the divine author of all Scripture. If this doctrine is true — and it is — then the implications are so profound and far-reaching that every part of our lives should be affected. Because Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture: 

It is true (Psalm 119:142) 

It is altogether reliable (Hebrews 6:18)

It is powerful, working its purpose in our hearts (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

It is not returning empty to the One who sent it (Isaiah 55:10–11)

It is pure, like silver refined in a furnace seven times (Psalm 12:6)

It is sanctifying (John 17:17)

It gives life (Psalm 119:37, 50, 93, 107; John 6:63; Matthew 4:4)

It makes wise (Psalm 19:7; 119:99–100)

It gives joy (Psalm 19:8; 119:16, 92, 111, 143, 174)

It promises great reward (Psalm 19:11)

It gives strength to the weak (Psalm 119:28)

It comfort to the distraught (Psalm 119:76)

It gives guidance to the perplexed (Psalm 119:105)

It reveals salvation to the lost (Psalm 119:155; 2 Timothy 3:15)

The wisdom of God in Scripture is inexhaustible.”

7 years later

So there I am minding my own business at my in laws Golden Anniversary party and this lady comes up to speak to who I've never seen before. A slight challenge for an introvert like me:)

This was further heightened when she said let me tell you about our interaction 7 years ago.

She said, "7 years ago I was struggling spiritually. I had been brought up a catholic and was full of guilt and fear. For some reason that even I can't explain I ended up attending a service at Milton Keynes Christian Centre. I was fearful and felt all alone knowing no one. I had never been there before so sat nervously alone wishing I'd never come."

Not knowing about this lady at the start of the service, hearing what I thought was a whisper from God I decided nervously to share something with the congregation. It wasn't the most earth shattering thought and I almost dismissed it.

I can't remember the actual words but it was something like, There is a lady here today for the first time. She doesn't even really know how she has ended up here today. She knows no one and feels all alone. But God wants to say to her even though no one here knows her name that, He knows her name. He knew she would be here and he loved her.

That was it. No thunder and lightening, in fact to my knowledge there was no response and it helped no one.

But now 7 years later I find out that actually I did hear the whisper of God and through simple obedience with no fanfare, God's Word found its home in a moment of need.

Just a small reminder to me and us all that listening and acting on the whisper of God can change lives. And maybe just maybe God arranged for us to meet just to give me the encouragement I needed.

The confusion of Gifting and Growth

The true index of Christian maturity is not the possession of gifts of the Spirit, but the production of the fruit of the Spirit - Luther

How do we recognise a maturing and growing Christian, someone who is becoming as the name suggests - Christ-like.

Often we equate gifting with growth and maturity. If God has given someone the gift of prophecy then they must be mature. If God has given someone the gift of preaching or leadership they must be very mature.

We must not confuse gifting with growth. Gifting is what God gives us by an act of his grace, growth is what he produces in us over time through testing and trails.

Growth is seen in a leader, not by the mere fact of them being a leader, but in them being a leader who is steady in faith when everything is heading south, a leader who loves continuously even when being betrayed, a leader who is reliable when everyone else lets people down, a leader who endures through unbearable suffering. That’s maturity!

Catch more of these thoughts on the video below:

Creating the possibliity

‘For here’s what I’m going to do:..... I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. - Ez 36:26-27

Growing up in a Pentecostal church, God the Holy Spirit, was high on the agenda. In my limited child like understanding he was the cool powerful God who would show up with strange but dynamic gifts that demonstrated His majesty.

He gave people the power to speak in other languages, the ability to understand and interpret  those languages, the ability to prophecy the words of God into and about a situation, revealed hidden secrets and imparted His wisdom, give people the ability to have rock solid faith even against overwhelming odds and even on the odd occasion heal a person of sickness or perform an unbelievable miracle.

I still believe that God the Holy Spirit demonstrates the power of the Godhead in all these ways but I have also come to understand, and for me possibly more importantly, his day to day work in my life, which, for me is so much more incredible:

God has put His Spirit in me and made it possible for me to do what He tells me and live by His commands.

For me that is the greatest miracle of all! Without him I am helpless but with Him I CAN live exactly like God wants me too. Maybe I need to remember is possibly the main reason God has put his Spirit in us.

Overloaded fuses of love

This illustration from Martin Lloyd-Jones in his book Joy Unspeakable to describe the difference between common Christian living and what happens when the Holy Spirit "clothes" a person with power blew my mind!

"It is like a child walking along holding his father's hand. All is well. The child is happy. He feels secure. His father loves him. He believes that his father loves him but there is no unusual urge to talk about this or sing about it. It is true and it is pleasant."

"Then suddenly the father startles the child by reaching down and sweeping him up into his arms and hugging him tightly and kissing him on the neck and whispering, "I love you so much!" And then holding the stunned child back so that he can look into his face and saying with all his heart, "I am so glad you are mine." Then hugging him once more with unspeakable warmth and affection. Then he puts the child down and they continue their walk."

"A pleasant and happy walk with God is swept up into an unspeakable new level of joy and love and assurance and reality that leaves the Christian so utterly certain of the immediate reality of Jesus that he is overflowing in praise and more free and bold in witness than he ever imagined he could be."

"The child is simply stunned. He doesn't know whether to cry or shout or fall down or run, he is so happy. The fuses of love are so overloaded they almost blow out. The subconscious doubts—that he wasn't thinking about at the time, but that pop up every now and then—are gone! And in their place is utter and indestructible assurance, so that you know that you know that you know that God is real and that Jesus lives and that you are loved, and that to be saved is the greatest thing in the world."

"And as you walk on down the street you can scarcely contain yourself, and you want to cry out, "My father loves me! My father loves me! O, what a great father I have! What a father! What a father!"

Waiting....

In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. - Luke 2 v 25 

I hate waiting.
I get impatient when I'm sitting in the car and the kids seem to be taking an age just to exit the front door of the house.
I mutter unmentionable things if the driver in front delays when clearly there was a huge space in the traffic.
I feel some tension in my stomach if waiting a couple of weeks for those results at the Doctors. 

Sometimes you wait so long you just give up. 

Not Simeon, he along with the Israel nation had been waiting for their salvation 100's of years.
Most probably decided it was not going to happen. Not Simeon
Most would have said God had been silent for 400 years. Not Simeon. 
He was eagerly watching and waiting for the ADVENT. 

Simeon had been waiting with PRAYERFUL EXPECTANCY & he had the Holy Spirit so to him God was not silent. 

We on the other side of the divide of history are also WAITING.
Waiting for the Second Advent 
Lets wait in PRAYER
Lets wait with EXPECTANCY
Lets wait listening to the HOLY SPIRIT 

Loved this video on ADVENT by the Village Church.

He cares.....

I've been thinking about God's healing recently.
The Bible says that Jesus healed EVERYONE that came to Him.
I believe passionately that God still heals today.
But I am still left with many questions that I can not answer yet.
Most of them start with: WHY?

But what I do know is that HE CARES.

As John Piper puts it in this video:

"He cares about our ... tears .... cancer ...... leukemia ..... sore throat ...... depression .....
BUT he cares about our soul 10 million times more."

Mark Driscoll in Belfast

Yesterday I got up bleary eyed at 4 am to start a pilgrimage with Mark Sherratt & Ryan Amos to St Annes Cathedral in Belfast. Initially I said to Mark that after the schedule we have had over the last few weeks we must be mad. But after a few hours listening to Mark Driscoll I was left in no doubt as to why we came.

Here are some headlines from Mark's first talk.

When there is new technology there is new opportunity for the Gospel.
He suggested that he saw the following hallmarks where God was moving in the church globally.
1 Reformed Theology
There is a return to Christ centred biblical truth.
Resting in the sovereignty of God in uncertain times.
The Bible starts with in the beginning God! Always start with God not man.
Follow the story line of the Bible don't pick a team of systematic theology.
We don't make movements towards God, it is God who pursues us, God who saves us, God who redeems us.
The heart of reformed theology is Jesus! A saturation of Jesus.

2 Complementary relationships in the church and home
1st government is the government of the home. Husband wife & children.
The question is not: is the man head of the home, it is, is he a good head or a bad head?
To be the head is not to be the bully or the boss it is to take 1st responsibility.
You must not only help the women who have been victims in your church you must beat the men till they change!
Presently there are around 10,000 people in Mars Hill Church. If I just had the women who had been raped and abused in the past I'd still have a mega church of 2000.
In men there is an epidemic of evading responsibility.
A man is defined not by what he consumes but by what he produces.
Men follow men.

3 Spirit filled lives
A life patterned after Jesus.
To be spirit filled you will be on mission in culture.
Luke is very intentional to show the Spirit on Jesus in his first book and the Spirit on the church in his second.
Spirit filled people don't want to be a part of a museum they want to be part of a movement.
True religion is the gospel takes root deep in the heart of the affections.

4 Missional Churches
Contend but not for everything.
A missional church contends and contextualised.
Are you doing all you can and using everything you can to reach the lost.
Don't be afraid of failure. You are already failing Just fail more creatively.
Move people from meetings to mission.
We should be gathering for worship scattering for mission.

The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be what we cannot be and do what we cannot do.

Gifts we all benefit from

The Holy Spirit gives us GIFTS which we use for the common good of all believers.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. - 1 Cor 12 v 7

The Greek word used in the New Testament that is translated Spiritual Gifts is Charismata. The literal translation is "Gifts of Grace".

This in my view is probably the most important thing to keep in mind when thinking about Spiritual Gifts. Use of Spiritual Gifts does not say anything about a persons spirituality, it says everything about God's grace. He chooses by grace to work through flawed individuals to bring the supernatural to mankind.

Too often in the church we get the this mixed up. We elevate people instead of the Holy Spirit. We transfer greatness to the conduit instead of the power source. Yes in the cold light of day we would never seek to do that but we do it be our actions all too often.

The gifts are given not to make us look good, they are not even primarily given to make God look good (He already is) they are given for the COMMON good of all followers of Christ!

Remember that WHATEVER gift God has chosen to give you it is for OTHER peoples benefit.

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