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An essay about the work of the Holy Spirit in The Book of Acts
describe the holy spirit in the book of acts
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These supernatural acts of the Spirit are not relegated to Acts or the New Testament. The same acts of the Spirit is evident in the New Testament as well. Mark D. McLean instructs us to put out of our minds completely the impression that the Holy Spirit did not come into the world until the Day of Pentecost. Possibly the most direct empowerment connection in the Old Testament is Joel 2:28-32. The connection from Old Testament to New Testament is drawn by Peter in Acts 2:17-18. Here Peter sees the fulfillment of the promise of God that He will “pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.” This verse was the bridge that brought the history of Israel to Pentecost.
Luke stays very consistent with his treatment of the Holy Spirit as empowerment. That’s not to say that there are references to
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What’s more, they very obviously have a gift or an aptitude for evangelism or for teaching the Word of God. How can this be? They have not been “baptized with the Holy Spirit” according to Pentecost in Acts 2, so how is it that they have a propensity toward evangelism? Even though someone only exhibits the indwelling of the Holy Spirit without experiencing the empowerment of the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean that God will prohibit them from evangelization. Many people have great abilities and gifting given to them by God to do great things, but that gifting would be even more potent empowered by the Holy Spirit. Those who have experienced the empowerment of the Holy Spirit must never think they have a corner on the market of spirituality, they simply have an experience and empowerment that is available to every believer. It is the observation of this researcher that whenever someone earnestly longs and asks for more of God, God gives them His Holy Spirit and
In the film “The Holy Ghost People,” right away we get individual accounts of what the “Holy Spirit” is to certain individuals. One woman says the Holy Ghost guides her and keeps her going. The people are very intense about their beliefs, which comes from the religion Pentecostalism, which has a hyper focus on personal experience with God and baptism with the Holy Spirit. We see them in their church, we hear the sermon, and see the ritualistic dances and the way the prayer overcomes them, and causes seizure like motions. We see and hear the prayers for the healing of one woman’s eyesight, and another woman’s back pain. One man, seemingly the pastor, says that “if God is not doing what they ask, people aren’t believing hard enough.” Later we get an account from a woman of how she was nursed back to health as a little girl brought her nutrients, and she believes it was
In the Bible’s New Testaments the book of Acts is of Narrative genre and is also called the Acts of the Apostles. It is written by Luke who happens to be the author of Gospel of Luke. This book tells a story of first Christians. After the death of Jesus (as mention in “Matthew”) as he went to heaven the Christians waited in Jerusalem. After Holy Spirits were sent by God, the first Christians were given the power by them. And they end up telling the people about Jesus. It was the Christians who explained t...
Apostle Paul was a man who dedicated himself to the evangelism, church planting, and disciple making. This author will examine the biblical answers of relationship evangelism for contemporary churches through the research on Paul’s ministry revealed in Acts.
In Luke 4: 18-19 it says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
The Charismatic debate on whether the gifts of the Spirit have ceased or continue to be used in modern times divides the Christian church. There have been some extremes on both sides of the fence. One view believes that, if a person speaks tongues, the person is under some demonic control and the other says that, if a person does not speaks tongues as evidence of receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he or she is not saved. Both views use Scripture to defend their positions. The Scripture was not written to divide, but to bring us closer to God. The Apostle Paul states, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV). He also reminds Christians that, if “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind” (Romans 14:5). Two views dominate the debate, on one side you have the Cessationists who believes the charismatic gift were intended to cease after the New Testament was completed and on the other side, you have the Continuationsts who believes the Charismatic gift were intended to continue throughout the church. Consider some of the central questions that will be answered in this paper. Are the gifts for today or have they ceased? What is the purpose of the sign gifts, and if they are being practiced today, are they being practiced in a biblical manner?
Our comforter, teacher, and guide, the Holy Spirit is all these things and more. The Spirit convicts men of their sin and brings them new life. Before examining His ministry, we must first learn to view the Spirit as a person rather than a power. He has a mind, will, and emotions. In I Corinthians 2:10, the Bible states that the Spirit "…searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." For someone to search and explore another's thoughts, he must himself possess a mind. Jesus says that the Spirit will come to convict mankind of sin (John 16:8). This demonstrates His will. Acts 15:28 says, "…for it seemed good to the Holy Spirit…" Therefore He has the capability to determine between good and bad. He has a will and emotions.
This Revival occurred as an expression of social and theological discontent among the nation’s lower and middle-class groups. Advocates for holiness disapproved of the impiety in forefront denominations and were alienated by the growing wealth and grandiosity of their churches. With dissatisfaction in these principal churches, they formed new religious communities devoted to the theological doctrine of perfectionism. These previous Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists believed they were experiencing a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit which bore a resemblance to the early church experience as described in the book of Acts in the Bible. The Holiness Revival produced zeal for "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" (a heavenly enablement for believers) and for other gifts of the Holy Spirit such as healing and prophecy (Dieter, 1996). Holiness leaders such as John Alexander Dowie, Charles Cullis, and Albert B. Simpson set up healing missions across the U.S. They, like other holiness advocates, believed a new, miraculous era of the spirit was taking place which would end in the second coming of Christ (Dieter,
The Holy Spirit is for everyone. When the Holy Spirit came in Acts it fell on everyone who was in the room not just certain people. According to verse 17 the sign of the Holy Spirit is that you speak. When the Holy Spirit comes on falls on you the only response is to tell people about it. As the NT church today we should be cautious not to put limits on the Holy Spirit.
The Church as a whole debates many concepts that are in the Bible, in both theology and in practice. One of these debates surrounds the gifts that are spoken of in the Bible. In one corner are those who believe that charismatic gifts are alive and well in the church today. The Continuationist view believes that the gifts have continued on through Biblical times and are still relevant for today. In the other corner are those who believe that particular gifts have ceased to be used in the modern church and that they were only given for a particular reason in Biblical times. This view is called the Cessationist. Today each view, and other views in between, and the practice of the gifts in the current culture will be examined for truth, validity, and application by searching through each view and holding fast to the scripture as the final word of authority.
The doctrine of the Holy Spirit begins with examining biblical witness to the work of the Holy Spirit in the history of Israel, as well as the ministry of Jesus, and in the life of the church. During the creation account it was the breath of God that grave life to all creation. The Holy Spirit has been a primate actor sin the beginning of time. While the Spirit was present prior to the ministry of Christ, the New Testament speaks in greater detail of the Spirit because it empowered Jesus. From his conception to the day of Pentecost the Sprit was present and active in the life of Christ and the believers. We see in ...
For Christians it is impossible to comprehend all of God’s mysteries, all of God’s plans, all of God’s desires, abilities, mercies, and blessings. It’s impossible to comprehend all of God. This is the price they pay for serving a divine God of infinitive complexity. Even when he spells it out for them, as he did with creating the bible, the human mind is incapable of understanding how God works. Since people are simple minded and selfish beings, debates over what God is trying to tell them in scripture can be formed, and can get to the point where these debates spilt the Christian churches. The question of whether or not the gifts of the holy spirit still has an active role in the modern day churches is one that has been greatly argued among the believers. Although many ideas have been presented on the matter, three major viewpoints have been formed; Cessationism, Continuationism, and an open but cautious view. Whether or not the gifts of the spirit are still part of the Christian chu...
For starters, Jesus chose Paul specifically to spread his word and filled him with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:1-19). Shaw claims that
The Book of Acts was written to provide a history of the early church. Acts emphasis the importance of the day of Pentecost and being empowered to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ. Acts sheds light on the ministry gift of the Holy Spirit, which empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our Counselor. When reading the Book of Acts many of the readers will be enlightened and encouraged by the many miracles that were being performed during this time by the disciples Peter, John, and Paul. The Book of Acts emphasizes the importance of obedience to God’s Word and the transformation that occurs as a result of knowing Christ. There are also many references to those that rejected the truth that the disciples preached about in Jesus Christ. Power, greed, and many other vices of the devil or evidenced in the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 serves as a good summary of the Book of Acts. Acts records the apostles being Christ's witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the rest of the surrounding world.
The Holy Spirit gives us power to make things possible. Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The power enabled the apostles to heal the sick (3:1-10, 5:15-16, 9:32-35) and raise people from the dead (9:36-43). The power also enabled them to speak the truth boldly (4:1-14, 7:1-53,
Evangelism is one of the key component for changing people’s lives. McRaney states, “The word evangelism comes from a combination of Greek words for “good” and “messenger.” Evangelism involves bringing the goods. Kent Hunter reminded us that “when Christians witness, they tell how Jesus Christ has changed their own lives. The change in their own lives gives them the desires to share the Good News with others.” Christians must share their testimony to people and spread the gospel so that they can bring lost souls to Christ. God has commissioned every Christian to evangelize so that people will learn about Jesus Christ and accept Him as their personal savior. Matthew 28:19 states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Christians are required to spread the Gospel throughout the world and can no longer just attend church. Christians must plant seeds and water the seeds so that lost souls will be saved.