Acts of the Apostles26 Mar
Get ready to be wowed by the work of the Holy Spirit. Full outline of the book to follow, but if you are commenting on Acts, do it here.
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Get ready to be wowed by the work of the Holy Spirit. Full outline of the book to follow, but if you are commenting on Acts, do it here.
Meeting the Lord in Dry Places:
None of us really want the Dry Spells of life. We become tired, and thirsty for something that satisfies, we are uncomfortable, we are unsure of the future. The dry places of our lives feel the most distant from the Lord. We think that the dryness is an expression of God’s removal of blessing, the absence of his presence, when in reality, it is the desert places that allow us raw and concentrated time with Him. Allow this series to challenge your thinking of that a time of blessing from the Lord looks like.
“There is in true grace an infinite circle:
a man by thirsting receives,
and receiving thirsts for more.”
- Thomas Shepard
I love the first verse of Acts – “In my first book, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach” – i guess it’s really two things that I appreciate.
1) I like the summary of Luke (and other gospels) that Jesus fundumantally did stuff and taught stuff. – i think it’s easy to get hung up on one or the other.
2) I like that this verses is a bit of a preview for the rest of the book, and the rest of the history of Christianity – followers of Jesus in the book of acts did stuff, and taught stuff – and really they were continuing Jesus’ work… and so are we…. good into to this book
Interesting that in Acts 7:59, Stephen commends his spirit to “Lord Jesus” rather than the Father. Truly “all authority in heaven and on earth has been granted unto me.” Mt. 28:18
Acts 1:2, John 1:1-3, Heb.1:1-2. In these verses I see the Godhead preferring one over the other. Jn.1:1-3, Heb.1:1-2 The Father preferred the Son to create all the worlds at His will, the Son and for Him, Jn.5:19, Jn.12:49 Jesus does only what the will of the Father is. John 16:13-14 The Holy Spirit receives from the Son of God and executes the will of the Son of God. What an example of perfection in humility, harmony and co-operation all with the same intent and interest of the other. I fear in simplifying the intent of the Godhead.
Acts Chapter 10, the Lord really had to convince Peter (3X in a vision and then hearing the voice of God’s Spirit)to preach to the gentiles. Cornelius a centurion of the band called “The Italian Band”. Allow me to gloat for a minute. Ok, I’m done. The first gentile converts were Italian, I guess I wasn’t done! Ok now I’m done. Forgive me for my folly. Maybe we can rename our music ministry to Arters Lynn sorella e il Dix Hills Libera Chiesa Evangelica. (a merry heart doeth good like a medicine).
Acts 20:9-10 Let all preachers take heart when one of his congregants falls asleep during his sermon. This goes back to Paul’s time. Act 20:9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
Act 20:10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. Good thing our church is not on the 3rd floor with sleepy congregants sitting by the window. It will just make the Pastor’s job a little harder