Hello
Friends!
Welcome back! As we learned and discussed in our prior studies of The Holy Spirit: His Work & Ministry we considered The WORK of the Holy Spirit in SALVATION according to God’s wonderful Word…
Welcome back! As we learned and discussed in our prior studies of The Holy Spirit: His Work & Ministry we considered The WORK of the Holy Spirit in SALVATION according to God’s wonderful Word…
Therefore, let’s now consider the SECOND critical concern regarding this extremely important subject matter surrounding the third PERSON of the thrice Holy Trinity within the Godhead – The BIRTH of the Church BY the Holy Spirit!
The Holy Spirit: His Work & Ministry (Part 2)
The BIRTH
of the Church BY the Holy
Spirit!
OPENING POINTS TO PONDER: Few biblical books are as misused as the Book of Acts written by Doctor Luke under the INSPIRATION of the “Holy Spirit” Himself. And sadly, some denominations have collected their distinctive and distorted teachings from their faulty interpretations of them. HOW? By CONFUSING what “Christians” ought to DO in their “walk” of “faith” by “Jesus Christ” with what “they” ought NOT to DO. Thus, we cannot PROPERLY INTERPRET this historical narrative regarding the early years of the first-century “church” by merely “teaching” the EXPERIENCES of the “Apostles” themselves… This initial point is – VERY IMPORTANT!
OPENING POINTS TO PONDER: Few biblical books are as misused as the Book of Acts written by Doctor Luke under the INSPIRATION of the “Holy Spirit” Himself. And sadly, some denominations have collected their distinctive and distorted teachings from their faulty interpretations of them. HOW? By CONFUSING what “Christians” ought to DO in their “walk” of “faith” by “Jesus Christ” with what “they” ought NOT to DO. Thus, we cannot PROPERLY INTERPRET this historical narrative regarding the early years of the first-century “church” by merely “teaching” the EXPERIENCES of the “Apostles” themselves… This initial point is – VERY IMPORTANT!
Therefore,
we must NOT make the tragic
spiritual MISTAKE of “teaching” the EXPERIENCES
of the “apostles”
as opposed
to EXPERIENCING the “teachings”
of the “apostles”
of whom were PERSONALLY hand “chosen”
by “Jesus Christ” through GOD
the “Holy Ghost” Himself…
Until
the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had given
commandments unto the apostles
whom He had chosen
– Acts 1:2
Rather,
according to the Biblical mandate for the “Christian” in “Christ”
today, “we” in the “church” must – EXPERIENCE and OBEY the DOCTRINES they TAUGHT!
RECAP REMINDER: As we have discussed in our prior sessions, the “Holy Ghost” was the wonderful “promise of the Father” unto the [Jewish] “apostles” of “Jesus Christ” as they were to WAIT for Him being “assembled together” as Jesus had instructed them in the Gospel of John – A ONE TIME event!
RECAP REMINDER: As we have discussed in our prior sessions, the “Holy Ghost” was the wonderful “promise of the Father” unto the [Jewish] “apostles” of “Jesus Christ” as they were to WAIT for Him being “assembled together” as Jesus had instructed them in the Gospel of John – A ONE TIME event!
But now
I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I
have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I
tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go
not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you – John 16:5-7
Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through
the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he
shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days,
and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And, being assembled together with them,
commanded them
that they
should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye
have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the
Holy Ghost not many
days hence – Acts 1:2-5
The
“Holy Spirit” in the “Gospel”
record: Birth of the Church [Jewish: Disciples
of Jesus Christ & Devout Men] a ONE
TIME event!
To whom
also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days,
and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And, being assembled together with
them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but
wait for the promise of
the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me – Acts
1:3-5
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and
were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another,
Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how
hear we every man in
our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the
dwellers in Mesopotamia,
and in Judaea,
and Cappadocia,
in Pontus,
and Asia,
Phrygia,
and Pamphylia,
in Egypt,
and in the parts of
Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues
the wonderful works of God – Acts 2:5-11
Then they that gladly received his
word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about
three thousand souls. And they continued
stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,
and in prayers.
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles
– Acts 2:41-43
The “Holy Spirit”
in the “Gospel”
record: Added
to the Church [Jewish: Citizens/Men] a ONE TIME
event!
And as they spake unto the people,
the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
Being grieved that they taught
the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day:
for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the
word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand – Acts 4:1-4
The “Holy Spirit”
in the “Gospel”
record: Added
to the Church [Jewish: Priests/Rulers] a ONE TIME
event!
And the
word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied
in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith – Acts 6:7
The
“Holy Spirit” in the “Gospel”
record: Added to the Church
[Samaritans: Half-Jew/Gentile] = ONE TIME
event!
Then
Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people
with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that
were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were
healed. And there was great joy in that city – Acts
8:5-8
Now
when the apostles which
were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when
they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
(For as
yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Then laid
they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost – Acts 8:14-17
And they, when they had testified and preached the word
of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans – Acts 8:25
The
“Holy Spirit” in the “Gospel”
record: Added to the Church [Gentiles:
All
Non-Jews] = ONE TIME event!
There
was a certain man
in Caesarea called Cornelius,
a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout
man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the
people, and prayed to
God alway. He saw in a vision evidently
about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying
unto him, Cornelius…
– Acts 10:1-3
Then Peter went down to
the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye
seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come? And they said, Cornelius
the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews,
was warned from God
by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee – Acts
10:21-22
And as
he talked with him,
he went in, and found many
that were come together. And he said
unto them,
Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me
that I should not call
any man common or unclean – Acts
10:27-28
Then Peter opened his
mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every
nation he that feareth
him, and worketh
righteousness, is accepted with him – Acts
10:34-35
While Peter yet spake these
words, the Holy Ghost
fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many
as came with Peter,
because that on the
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost – Acts
10:44-45
And as
I began to speak, the
Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John
indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord
Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God,
saying, Then hath God
also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life – Acts
11:15-18
The
“Holy Spirit” in the “Gospel”
record: Added to the Church [Jewish:
The “twelve”
men “set aside” and “far
from God” from the Old Testament
of whom were “found” by “Paul” in the New
Testament as “certain disciples” of John the
Baptist] = ONE TIME
event!
In
those days came John
the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye:
for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet
Esaias, saying, The voice
of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a
leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then
went out to him Jerusalem,
and all Judaea,
and all the region
round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins
– Matthew 3:1-6
And it
came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper
coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they
said unto him, We have not
so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
Then said Paul,
John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the
people, that they should believe
on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul
had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with
tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve – Acts
19:1-7
THEOLOGICAL THOUGHTS: As “Jews,” “Samaritans,”
“Gentiles,” “certain
disciples” and “Devout men”
from the Old Covenant were “added to the church” body, the “unity of the church” was now FULLY established. WHY?
Because “God is no
respecter of persons” unto SALVATION!
No longer would the Jewish “nation”
of “Israel” be God’s “witness”
during this “dispensation” of “Grace” in God. The true “church” is comprised of “Jews,” “Gentiles,”
half-breed “Samaritans,” and Old Testament true “believers”
of whom became New Testament godly “saints” and “Christians”
unto “God” the “Father” Himself. Therefore, “we” are indeed – SAVED by GRACE in Jesus Christ ALONE!
And
to demonstrate this TRUE Biblical “unity” through our “Lord
Jesus Christ,” it was imperative that there be some
REPLICATION in each instance of
what had initially occurred at “Pentecost”
in the city of “Jerusalem” with the “believing Jews” from abroad – HOW?
ONE: By the physical PRESENSE
of the “Apostles” of “Jesus Christ” incarnate!
TWO: By the powerful PROCLAMATION
through the “Holy Spirit” manifest!
THREE: By the preliminary PREACHING
of the “Gospel” message!
All
of these PROMISED ingredients
were COMMUNICATED through LITERAL
human “languages” and “tongues” (dialects) GIVEN by the “Holy
Spirit” via His POWERFUL
purpose – The BIRTH
of the CHURCH!
REAL REFLECTIONS: Our “walk” with the Lord is NOT one of PERFECTION but one of DIRECTION!
There is a distinct
difference concerning
our eternal RELATIONSHIP with God verses our earthly FELLOWSHIP with Him. There are MANY FILLINGS received FROM
the “Holy
Spirit” in your
“sanctification” and YOU have ALL of HIM at
the MOMENT of your “salvation”
in “Jesus Christ” alone – HOWEVER… Does HE have ALL of
YOU?
Don’t miss our next exciting study – “The Holy Spirit: His Work &
Ministry”
We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!
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Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><
Encouraging Concepts
Truth for Today
"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"Lighthouse Publications <><
