What is the Book of Acts all about? It seems that before Irenaeus named ‘Acts of the Apostles’ in the 2nd Century, it was known as ‘Gospel of the Holy Ghost’!
Before we look for the Holy Spirit’s activity….
The Lord Jesus called the Holy Spirit - the Parakletos, meaning ‘one called alongside’ or intercessor, consoler. This has been translated as ‘Comforter’, from Latin - com: together ; fortis: strong
Wow! No wonder Jesus told his disciples:
1:8 “…you will receive power, the Holy Spirit having come upon you…and you shall be My witnesses…to the ends of the earth”
Did the Holy Spirit just come alongside? No!
1:4 “…they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” – not just the apostles!
Very soon someone else is filling hearts….
Ch 5 “…Satan filled your heart that you should lie to the Holy Spirit…”
Then Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead!
The apostles were slow to take the gospel to the nations…
Ch 8 “all were scattered …EXCEPT the apostles”…but that doesn’t stop the Holy Spirit - the gospel goes to AFRICA with the Ethiopian state treasurer!
Ch 9 Even Paul, once the worst persecutor of Christians, hears:
“…be filled with the Holy Spirit”
Ch 10&11
The apostles are reminded – the gospel is for ALL NATIONS.
The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch - where the gospel was preached to Gentiles also.
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| the ripple effect - to the ends of the earth! |
Ch 13 The Holy Spirit directs that Paul & Barnabas now take the Gospel to ASIA
Ch 16 The Holy Spirit directs Paul to now take the Gospel to EUROPE
Hey, the Holy Spirit has a global agenda here!
Ch 21 Apostle Paul was warned ‘by the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem’…but he went anyway.
There is no further mention of the Holy Spirit’s direction in Acts after this warning was ignored.
No, don’t mess with the Holy Spirit of God.
(Where does that leave the clergy?)
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