Fly High - Acts Part 5

"Fly high" - Acts part 5

On The Lighter Side of Life: More funny photos

Thesis: The book of Acts was written to show what God can do with ordinary people who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Scripture Text: Acts 2: 42-47:

42They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Introduction:

The book of Acts demonstrates what happens to a person when they are filled with the Holy Spirit. If you recall prior to Pentecost the disciples had frequently got into trouble and seemed to be powerless in their witnessing role for Jesus. At the time of Jesus arrest one tried to stop the arrest by the power of the sword. His name was Peter! The others ran like mice running from a cat. Others scattered and hid for cover. The church of Acts was not represented well before the Day of Pentecost. It seemed as if the church was in big trouble because of its frequent failures but Jesus went to the cross and then rose again on the third day and commanded his followers to go to Jerusalem to wait for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

It’s interesting if you read the life of the apostles before the Day of Pentecost and then read about their lives after this pinnacle day because you must admit the group changes dramatically. Something happened!

So what was the difference? It was the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It was the infilling from the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised. I honestly believe that the primary focus in the book of Acts is not the Apostles but it is actually the Holy Spirit. I believe Luke penned this book as the Lord directed to show the church and His followers that their power and ability to do ministry was linked with the Holy Spirit. The power to be a witness for Jesus would only come from the Holy Spirit’s enablement.

The book reveals that power does not come from our own strength or abilities but from the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts tells me that if I want to do marvelous and supernatural things for the Kingdom of God then I need to yield my life to the Holy Spirit. I need to allow the Holy Spirit to fill me and dwell in me so that I can be empowered by the Lord from the inside to do and fulfill His purpose for my life. The point Luke makes is we must allow the Spirit of God to affect our head and allow Him 100% reign in our heart. When I let this happen then I will do great and mighty things for the Kingdom of God.

I must remember that it is not by my might or my strength but it is by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that I am able to work effectively for the Lord.

Acts reveals what God can do with ordinary men and women who commit themselves to Jesus and then allow the Holy Spirit to fill them and direct them in their lives. A key that stands out in the book of Acts is how the Holy Spirit empowers individuals to be witnesses for Jesus. This supernatural empowerment to witness comes from being devoted to the teachings of the Word of God and also by allowing the Holy Spirit to perform miracles through our lives.

Testimonies: This last week we had the privilege of witnessing the Lord move through the ministry of Tom Stamman and his associates. This morning we are going to take some time to take testimonies from those who feel this ministry and its gifts touched their lives.

Video Illustration: Mercy Me and Rebecca Saint James talk about serving the Lord and its struggles and rewards.

T.S. - Today we will look at an individual named Stephen: We read about him in Acts 6:5-7:60. We discover that he was a man full of the Holy Spirit. He was a witness and he testified to the Jewish nation about the validity and the truth of Jesus Christ. He was arrested and martyred for his faith and his teachings on Jesus. Let’s learn some lessons of what it means to be a witness for Christ from this man filled with the Holy Spirit and with wisdom.