The 7 Step Cycle Of The Body Of Christ's Growth In Acts

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit. -Acts 1:3-5

The mysterious Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. After Jesus rose from the dead, and spent time with his disciples and others in the city, he told them that though he was leaving, he would send the Holy Spirit to lead them and guide them in their mission.

In Acts 1:8-11 Jesus continued saying, “ 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.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Here we also get a hint about how Jesus will return to the Earth, when our mission to win the world for Christ is finished. He will return from the sky, the same way that he left. Many believe the church will be raptured, or taken up into heaven, when Jesus appears in the sky, and at that moment the great tribulation will begin, the last days disaster and judgment.

In any case, we see that the moment Jesus leaves the Earth, the way in which Jesus works fundamentally changes. Jesus had been on the Earth, in person, in the flesh, doing miracles, healing people, and sharing the word of God. But now Jesus’ returns to heaven, and the disciples are told to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

They would receive power when the Holy Spirit was on them, in them, you might say. They would become “little Christs” Christians, as we say today, and they would have the same authority as Christ did, to share the word of God, to heal people in Jesus name, and to talk to God directly in Jesus name.

So they waited 40 days, and then the day of Pentecost came. This was a sacred festival day. And that is often how God works ,he does things on these sacred festival days, like Jesus crucifixion took place over the Passover festival. Some believe the rapture will take place over the feast of trumpets. In any case,

Acts 2:1-4 NIV “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.”

On that day, the Holy Spirit was given to Christians. And today, as Christians we continue to have the Holy Spirit. And as the Spirit enables us, which you saw in verse 4, we do the works of Jesus in the world. We share the gospel, we pray, we preach, we teach, we evangelize, we meet needs, we heal, we go to the lost world.

We as the church are currently under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, who is on Earth with us. But the Holy Spirit is under the authority of Jesus Christ, who is under the authority of God the Father. The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the Spirit of Christ, and Christ said if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father. We serve a triune God, who reveals himself as Father, as a divine creator of the heavens and Earth who loves us as a dad, as Jesus Christ our divine savior who gave his life as a ransom for us, who is our King and even our brother, our friend, and as the Holy Spirit, a comforter who gives us power, guides us, corrects us, encourages us, and leads us in our mission to win people to Jesus on a daily basis. Pretty awesome, right?

It all fits together just so. God reveals himself to us in 3 distinct ways. Father, Savior, and Comforter.