Go, therefore, make disciples of nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded, and lo, I am with you, always, even to the end of the age.'" have had the same God-given talent as the apostles and could learn any new language three days after arriving in the region. We sometimes just kind of tail off when we get to the end of one of the Gospels and we know the events, Christ was crucified, Christ was risen, and we don't look at some of the details there. We, again, don't necessarily always pause and think about this, in these hours and days following Christ's resurrection. For example, in the life of Samson we read, "The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and he tore the lion asunder as one tears a kid" (Judges 14:6). Well, the real answer is for you and I, the same things that are going through your mind right now, and my mind. The man with the epileptic son initially brought his son to the disciples to be cured. With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! But that was a life lesson that I had to learn. and there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. Prior to Pentecost, the Apostles, though often zealous and willing to make sacrifices to follow Jesus, were also slow to understand and often confused. Guardians Of Ancora Bible Plan: Ancora Kids See Jesus Alive! Third, the OT believers enjoyed the constant presence of God's Spirit. And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.". Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. In other words, I'm not teaching or requiring anything new. Old Testament believers enjoyed the presence of God's Spirit wherever they went. In one sense, all craftsmanship and artistic ability is a gift of God, just like our breath is. It seemed to point to something more that might come in the future. Could very old employee stock options still be accessible and viable? As we came here this morning, to services, and as we gathered here this morning ourselves, there is a very important lesson for us to learn as well. That's how we live the Word, that's how we drink in the Word, and it changes our life and it banishes the fear, gives us confidence in who we are and what we are to do. Show them otherwise what had been done, rebuke their unbelief, as it goes along here. I never have believed in knowledge for its own sake or art for art's sake. 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. But the disciples didn't stop focusing on the Kingdom of God after Pentecost. Then I finally figured out, "Oh, I got to do this myself. Not only apostles, but even the prophets of the Old Testament, who are lower than apostles, had a degree of presence of Spirit in themselves, through Whom they prophesied (needn't to give references, for they are so numerous!). This is the threefold commission that is given to this group of disciples where they are to be witnesses of Him in the city of Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samariathe wider region of the country, look at it as kind of the wider counties of the country of Israel at the timeand then ultimately, to the end of the earth, to take the Gospel and to be a witness of God, to do this. Really. Has 90% of ice around Antarctica disappeared in less than a decade? But the text says that God called Bezalel by name and filled him with his Spirit. A fellowship, a community, prayer, sharing food together, much like we do today. In Revelation chapter 14, we are given an image of the firstfruits, called the 144,000 in this part of the Revelation. You know, before we ever get to that rushing wind that came in, it's good to think about this question, because it has a direct application to you and I today. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.". And this express bus took Route 66 out of St. Louis all the way to Los Angeles, my first time to get on that fabled highway, Route 66. Now, when we turn over to Acts chapter 1, and we look at, kind of summing up of this as it is. 157 views, 3 likes, 4 loves, 3 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Mora Grace Lutheran Church: Music used with permission from CCLI He went on to show that, "It's not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. Before or after this instance. Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? Some say apostles got Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The hated Samaritans and the occupying Romans were both shown to be within the reach of the grace of God. This is it. That is what caused people to see something in those disciples and to want to be a part of it. And I think there was and is today a special touch or filling of the Holy Spirit that elevates the work of an artist or a musician or a craftsman from mere technical skill to divinely empowered ministry that exalts God and builds faith. The disciples had to walk a week away to get to Jerusalem (Acts 1:12). Our sins will find us out. Instead of competing, the disciples were now cooperating. Did they doubt that it was real? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Put your hand into my side. Verses 40 to 47 is a summary of one of the most remarkable periods of the church experience. When did the disciples become born -again? Thank you Mr. McNeely , for making Christ more real. If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven. Luke 2:25-27. They thought that Jesus Himself didn't actually know that asleep people wake up? We've just read it. It says, "The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. And all the others came right in and were a part of it with him. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayers. They had hoped He would overcome the power of the Roman government and establish a new kingdom, and now their hopes of this vanished. But they were frightened and they thought that they had seen a spirit. Because they were seeing Christ risen and they saw Him in a bodily form, but then they were attributing something different to that. Was Galileo expecting to see so many stars? I was standing there gazing, not quite knowing what to do. In verse 14, it says, "Then later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table and He rebuked them, rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen." And every breath you take ought to be a prayer of thanks that you live and move and have your being in the Spirit of God. Send inquiries regarding the operation of this Web site to webmaster@ucg.org. The ministry has had those two themes for the past two conferences. United Church of Godis a501(c)3organization. And there was fear of the unknown, of what was going to take place, fear of the future. They were looking for power from on high. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died .John 4:11-14 Come on. Please take the Tour, see below, where you will find that in order to practice biblical hermeneutics we need a text upon which to practice the technique. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43years. What we are seeing here is again, the power of the Word of God. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out in fear. That they're not drunk, that this is of God. The elixir, the antidote to our faith, to every one of our problems, if we could see a miracle; and we like signs, but miracles, well, they're a little harder to come up with. This was just three and a half years, and in really a few weeks, seven weeks and a day of intense thought, emotion, that they had to grapple with and deal with as they came into the presence of one another on the morning of Pentecost. Jentezen Franklin preached a sermon about scribes. The vision of the Church was coming together and the mission of the Church was being accomplished. But it is also due to a much simpler and . And then there came a time, in verse 4, where they were assembled together with Him and He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, "You have heard from Me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.". My Spirit abides among you. "Standing with the Lamb on the Mount of Olives," in Revelation 14:1 Revelation 14:1And I looked, and, see, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.American King James Version, "144,000 with the Father's name written on their foreheads. When you read what Peter said about these prophecies from Joel and the Psalmstrust me, folks, Peter's sermon would not have passed doctrinal review by the Jewish doctrinal committee of that day. Beginning with Easter Sunday (e.g., Luke 24:32,45) and most likely throughout the forty days before ascending, the Lord instructed and formed the Apostles in the Gospel. Apparently not. It is a remarkable period of church history, because right here we have a vision being fulfilled that Jesus Christ has for His Church. The world we grew up in and live in does not see things this way. The world sees a mechanical process of evolution and natural selection. Praying a Scriptural Rosary is accomplished by praying a traditional Rosary and adding scriptural verses related to each mystery of the Rosary. It was celebrated 50 days after Passover and was marked by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate the event. What's the next step?" That's been the hallmark of our feature. Jesus was crucified during the Passover celebration. Everybody who gets up and gives a sermon in a congregation, that sermon before it's ever posted on a website, has been reviewed or at least approved by individuals within the congregation. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. Let's go into Luke's account. Such notions have always struck me as profoundly atheistic. But they saw Him for a period of time, and that's how I like to imagine it. And that power would be what would begin to banish the fear, the troubling, doubt, that they had, coupled with the Word of God that they were to have. The Disciples' Sprititual Strength. And those days you didn't fear getting on a Greyhound bus, and you could go all over the country on a very cheap pass. Luke 1:15 says that John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit from his mother's womband he got his head chopped off for denouncing Herod's unlawful marriage. You may find that without a specific text of scripture your question could be voted for closure as 'off-topic'. But it was a very intense period of time of Jesus appearing to them both in Galilee and Jerusalem, teaching them from the Scriptures, appearing to them in larger groups, perhaps even, more smaller groups, and in some of the ways they're talking like He did to Peter, on the Sea of Galilee, having meals with them. Answer: In Luke 10:17, when the seventy came back from visiting the towns in Israel, they said, " Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. They had not been a part of anything like that before. Two things we can summarize to show what was the key to bring about this scene that we see here at the end of chapter 2 in Acts. What happens?". Those in the Spirit are indwelt by the Spirit and are enabled by him to fulfill the just requirement of the law. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy. and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting and in carving wood, for work in every craft.'". After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me. Then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Seventh, the saints of old experienced victory over fear by the presence of the Spirit. "Behold, He said, My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. An eyewitness account, there was a lack of belief that put them in the situation here that they did not understand and didn't believe that had actually happened. And that is of people led by the Holy Spirit, knit together, everyone providing that which they can toward a community of faith, power, and love, sharing, looking out after one another and caring for one another. No longer did they flee like sheep without a shepherd. A firstfruit is one who follows Christ. Then Peter preached a sermon and said, "This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, 'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams'" (Acts 2:1617). Far more people than they could have ever imagined and Peter gets up and gives the sermon of his life. That's what the gift of the Holy Spirit is for us. 1. A period of unity, one accord, fellowship, love for one another, treating people as equals, not in a completely socialistic manner that we understand from our modern context of socialism, or the welfare type of society. Reading the Holy Scripture. Micah 3:8 says, "As for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin." Trials hit us that will shake our faith, test our faith. They understood their problem, in verse 38, "He said to them, 'Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts?'" But on that 50th day, from the morning after Christ's resurrection, a lot had happened. Those in the flesh are devoid of the Spirit and cannot submit to God's law or please God. For example, when Moses gathered with the seventy elders of Israel at the tabernacle, it says in Numbers 11:25, "The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took some of the Spirit that was upon him and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. When people are filled with the Holy Spirit, they do not blink at evil. But ten billion kilowatts were added to enable the church to take the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ to every tongue and tribe and nation. However, of course, the apostles had smack of the Spirit even before, for even before Spirit was present in them to a certain degree and intensity; they possessed the Spirit-ual gifts even before the Pentecost, however the gifts of the Infinite Spirit are also infinite and at the Pentecost they got a greater share of this graceful infinity, so as to totally be absorbed in it. They'd likely not seen it. This is the dimension that was given on Pentecost, and what this day is all about for those of us who are the firstfruits. It is I. Don't be afraid.'" And in the book of Revelation, John reports an experience similar to Daniel's. And you will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." That's an important trait for a firstfruit, for a firstfruit to have in their life, and in their approach to life. Before that from the OT time onward, the Holy Spirit would come on a person and it is not permanent. 7:50; 19:9). It was their life. Bold, Men and brethren, he begins to explain what's happened. These were redeemed from among men being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. It gives me a lot of encouragement, when I am called to go places where I feel insecure, to know that the Spirit is within to give me the words I need and that he is also already in the place where I am going to prepare the way and to hold me when I get there. Peter was quoting Scripture and applying it to something that had happened and that is Jesus, His death and His resurrection. That's what He did. Seven weeks later, on the day of Pentecost, the risen Lord Jesus fulfilled the promise he had made in John 15:26namely, that he would send the Holy Spirit. answer choices. Centering layers in OpenLayers v4 after layer loading. Though the emperor, a man named Tiberius, had been holed up on an island called Capri or Capri for a number of years in absentia, the empire was running quite well on its own. The Sadducees were more focused on the Five Books of Moses than the history and prophets. And the tomb was empty, and the disciples had seen Jesus, and the authorities were beside themselves trying to figure it out, looked for the body. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love. The second obvious change in the lives of the disciples was in their spiritual strength. Now all of a sudden, as Peter steps forward, and of course, you know the story of Peter. They didn't believe that He had risen, they didn't believe that they had been seen, that He had been seen, and therefore, then they would not believe these eyewitnesses. And so Christ gives them teaching and He gives them understanding. Today the Spirit still instructs us by the Word of Scripture and we ought to pray earnestly for an outpouring of God's enlightening Spirit so that the Scriptures really live for us and become intensely personal. We can internalize that and think that through. Was the power they received in Matthew 10 different from the one they received in Acts 2? He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren. "Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13). Were on a mission to change that. ; 39:29) and Joel (2:28) prophesied and longed to see. The indwelling Holy Spirit was only sent after Jesus' resurrection. The Day of Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter in Western branches of Christianity. I like that phrase. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Because Ruth saw in Naomi, God, an example that she wanted to be a part of. Or is this authority that I mentioned just about Jesus' own power he gave them and isn't about Spirit in themselves like when he said to Peter to cast net into water and pulled out much fishes? The Spirit gives that courage. That power would come in the form of the Holy Spirit. There are no more decisive turning points in redemptive history that must happen before Jesus returns to establish his kingdom. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." 60 seconds. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? As Jesus' disciples they may be afraid of someone that would deliver them to soldiers to punish them for taking part in 'rebellion' (as occupants may see it). All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. The religious leaders are "astonished" and marvel that such common and unlearned men can have such a sweeping command of their topic, and such serene courage. But on the morning that those disciples were gathered there, before it happened, you have to imagine that they had no idea that, that would be what would take place. . And this dramatic miracle, but beyond that, 3,000 people being added to the Church, and then a community being developed. 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