Monthly Archives: February 2019

THE BOOK OF ACTS – THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER

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THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER 

“As they met and ate meals together, He told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but ‘must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptised you in water; you will be baptised in the Holy Spirit. And soon.’” Acts 1:4-5 (The Message)

Finally, at last, here it comes! The promise of the Father is on the brink of fulfilment. With these words, Jesus linked Himself and His ministry to the ministry of His forerunner, John the Baptist. “John answered them all.’ I baptise you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.'” Luke 3:16 (NIV).

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was crucial to the existence of the church because He is the key to the completion of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Everything Jesus accomplished in His life, death and resurrection would end right there had the Holy Spirit not been given to apply what He did in the hearts of believers.

Some branches of the church claim the baptism of the Holy Spirit as special to their persuasion and others react by shying away from Him and relegating Him to a doctrine. The truth is that He was given, not for an experience or for a doctrine, but for the very life of Jesus in us without which we are mere empty shells.

It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin and draws us to the Saviour. “‘Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go I will send Him to you. When He comes He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin…'” John 16:6b-8a (NIV).

It is the Holy Spirit who brings our dead spirits back to life in response to our faith in Jesus. “‘Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit…'” John 3:5 (NIV).

It is the Holy Spirit who reproduces the life of Jesus in us, “So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the deeds of the sinful nature…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:16, 22 (NIV).

It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the gifts that are necessary for the life of the Body. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good…All these is the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.”  1 Corinthians 12:7, 11 (NIV).

It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to bear witness to the life-changing power of Jesus at work in and through us. “‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses…'”  Acts 1:8a (NIV).

The coming of the Holy Spirit would complete the reversal of the disaster that came on the human race and on the earth when Adam decided to go it alone. Jesus made it possible for God’s rebellious sons to return to the Father’s house, to be reconciled to the Father and to be reinstated as His beloved sons. The Holy Spirit makes it all happen by His working within the spirit of man.

No wonder then that Jesus ordered them to wait in Jerusalem for His coming which had to take place on a specific day to fulfil the Feast of Pentecost and without which any effort on their part to carry out the mandate of Jesus would only be futile and disastrous.

THE BOOK OF ACTS – WHAT NOW?

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CHAPTER 1

WHAT NOW?

“Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day He said goodbye to the apostles, the ones He had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After His death He presented Himself alive in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, He talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:1-3 (NIV).

It is fitting that we continue the story of Jesus as Luke did to his friend, Theophilus. We are indebted to him for his meticulous record. Without it we would never know the sequel to the Jesus-story and how the first disciples took on the Roman Empire and, through the promised Holy Spirit, so securely planted the message of the truth about Jesus that it infiltrated the known world of their day and still continues to change lives through their writings.

Luke made sure that Theophilus understood that Jesus spent forty days with His disciples after the resurrection, tying up all the loose ends so that they would know exactly what to preach and teach after He left them. His theme was the kingdom of God.  There was no doubt that He was alive and that He would continue to be fully involved with them as they carried out His instructions and lived out His life in a hostile environment.

Unlike so much of current preaching and teaching which ignores the bigger picture and makes the gospel all about us, He put His life and death into the perspective of God’s realm and rule in the lives of people. It was not about them. It was about Him, His purpose for coming and their on-going mission to proclaim Him to the world.

He would have warned them that their task was a dangerous one. Like Him they would have to face the hostility of the Jewish leaders who had put Him to death as well as the Caesars whose claims demanded the worship and allegiance that was due Him alone.

These arrogant Roman emperors, in particular Caesar Augustus, “believed that he was god incarnate on earth, the prince of peace who had come to restore all of creation…His priests offered sacrifices and incense to rid people of their guilt. One of his popular slogans was “There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved than that of Caesar.” Another phrase they used was “Caesar is Lord.” Throughout the Roman Empire, the Caesars called on people to worship them as the divine saviours of humankind…” (Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, Zondervan 2005, page 162)

The implications are obvious. Into this world came the “Jesus movement” in a remote corner of the empire that was giving them no end of trouble. These people claimed that their leader was a rabbi, that He had announced the arrival of the kingdom of God, that He had been executed by the Roman authorities for treason, and that His followers claimed that He was alive. Now they were claiming that He, not Caesar, is Lord!

Their opposition would be ruthless ad relentless but the message had to go out. The apostles had to know it, be convinced of it, believe it and proclaim it no matter what the consequences. This was the final mission of Jesus before He returned to the Father. For forty days He instructed them until He was sure that they were ready to take on the world!