Acts 1:1-5 (ASV) 1 The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, - TopicsExpress

Acts 1:1-5 (ASV) 1 The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, 2 until the day in which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom he also showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God: 4 and, being assembled together with them, he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye heard from me: 5 For John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence. ________________________________________ Luke says that the disciples were eyewitnesses to all that had happened to Jesus – His life before His crucifixion, and the 40 days after His resurrection as He taught them more about the Kingdom of God. Today there are still people who deny Jesus’ resurrection. But Jesus appeared to the disciples on many occasions after His resurrection, proving that He was alive. Consider the change His resurrection made in the lives of His disciples. At Jesus’ death, they had scattered, disillusioned, and fearing for their lives. After seeing the resurrected Jesus, they became fearless and risked everything to spread the Good News about Him around the world. They faced imprisonment, beatings, rejection, and martyrdom, YET THEY NEVER COMPROMISED THEIR MISSION. These men would not have risked – and in some cases, given – their lives for something they knew was a fraud. THEY KNEW JESUS WAS ALIVE – and they, along with the early church were fired us with enthusiasm telling their testimonies. We need to know this so we can tell our testimonies also. Jesus explained that His coming inaugurated the Kingdom of God. When He returned to heaven, God’s Kingdom remained in their hearts as well as in the hearts of all believers through the presence of the Holy Spirit. But the Kingdom of God will not be fully realized until Jesus returns to judge al people and remove all evil from the world. Until that time believers are to do all they can to build God’s Kingdom throughout the world through the proclamation of the Gospel. . . But what does it say? The message is near you. Its in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim. SO IF YOU DECLARE WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT JESUS IS LORD, AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. . . For a person believes with his heart and is justified - and a person declares with his mouth and is saved. For the Scripture says, Whoever believes in him will not be ashamed. So then, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can people call on someone they have not believed? And how can they believe in someone they have not heard about? And how can they hear without someone proclaiming him? And how can they proclaim him without being sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news! But not everyone has obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah asks, Lord, who has believed our message? Romans 10:8-11, 13-16 (ISV) WHAT THE EARLY CHURCH STARTED – WE MUST CONTINUE. Jesus declared that it was expedient form Him to go away – and upon His going away He would send the Holy Spirit. If Jesus had stayed on earth, His physical presence would have limited the spread of the Gospel because physically He could be in only one place at a time. After He was taken up into heaven, He would be spiritually presence everywhere through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent so that God would be with – and within – His followers. The Holy Spirit will comfort us, guide us in all truth, remind us of the Word of God, give us the right words to say, and fill us with God’s power. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit was made available to all who believe in Jesus. We receive the Holy Spirit when we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord and must be understood in the light of His total work in born-again-believers. (1) The Holy Spirit marks the beginning of the Christian experience. We are not Christians – nor can we be Christians without His Spirit. “However, you are not under the control of the flesh but under the control of the Spirit, since Gods Spirit lives in you. Whoever doesnt have the Spirit of Christ doesnt belong to him.” Romans 8:9 (ISV) We cannot be joined to Christ without His Spirit. “But the person who unites himself with the Lord becomes one spirit with him.” 1 Corinthians 6:17 (ISV) We cannot be adopted as His children without His Spirit – “For all who are led by Gods Spirit are Gods children. For you have not received a spirit of slavery that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received a spirit of adoption by which we call out, Abba! Father! THE SPIRIT HIMSELF TESTIFIES WITH OUR SPIRIT THAT WE ARE GODS CHILDREN. Now if we are his children, we are also his heirs. We are Gods heirs and heirs together with Christ—if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order to share his glory.” Romans 8:14-17 (ISV) “Because you are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts to cry out, Abba! Father! So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if you are a child, then you are also an heir through God.” Galatians 4:6-7 (ISV) We cannot be in the Body of Christ except by the baptism of His Spirit. “For by one Spirit all of us—Jews and Greeks, slaves and free—were baptized into one body and were all privileged to drink from one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13 (ISV) (2) The Holy Spirit is the power of our new life. He begins a life-long process of change -= making us more like Christ. “I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (ISV) When we receive Jesus by faith, we begin an immediate personal relationship with God, our Father. The Holy Spirit works in us to help us become more and more like Jesus. (3) The Holy Spirit unites the entire Christian community (in spite of our denominational claims) in Christ. “That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of Gods household. You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the Cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises into a Holy Sanctuary in the Lord. You, too, are being built in Him along with the others into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 (ISV) Being filled with the Holy Spirit is to be LED AND CONTROLLED BY HIM. We are admonished by the Word of God to BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. “For everything that is visible is light. Thats why it says, Wake up, O sleeper! Arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you. So be careful how you live. Dont be unwise but wise, making the best use of time because the days are evil. Dont be foolish, but understand what the Lords will is. Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living. INSTEAD, KEEP ON BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. Ephesians 5:14-18 (ISV)