ACTS: THE ACTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (7 OF 29)
by Roger Thomas
Scripture: ACTS 1:1-8
This content is part of a series.
Acts: The Acts of the Holy Spirit (7 of 29)
Series: Through the New Testament
Roger Thomas
Acts 1:1-8
Introduction: Acts is an important book. It is important to the Bible because it bridges the Gospels and the Letters. It shows us how the message of Christ and the work of the church fit together. Acts is important to this and every congregation committed to restoring the life, practices, and teachings of the New Testament church. We insist that what we find in the church described in Acts is what Christ wants this church to be today. Acts provides the model.
Acts is important for another reason. The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the book. It can't be missed unless you really try. Some have insisted that the book might be better entitled The Acts of the Holy Spirit rather than the Acts of the Apostles. Indeed, the book chronicles the work of some of the apostles as the Holy Spirit demonstrated his power and ministry through them.
Talking about the Holy Spirit makes some of us nervous. Churches like ours have been avoiding the Holy Spirit as much as we can. Sometimes I suspect that is true. It shouldn't be. But our reluctance is understandable for a number of reasons.
Part of it is natural, almost necessary. There is always more of God than we can understand. "His ways are not our ways," Isaiah said (55:8). If we understand everything about our God, then our God is a man-made God, an idol--a product of our imagination.
Another reason for the questions is the character of the kind of society we live in. We are programmed to be materialistic. We are led to believe that if we can't touch it, see it, hear it, or taste it, then it is not real. Such a notion not only eliminates major portions of the creation God made, it is also quite unsatisfying. Our God put eternity in our hearts. We have a hunger for something more. Something that only the supernatural can satisfy.
Consider this quotation: In our own time the doctrine o ...
Series: Through the New Testament
Roger Thomas
Acts 1:1-8
Introduction: Acts is an important book. It is important to the Bible because it bridges the Gospels and the Letters. It shows us how the message of Christ and the work of the church fit together. Acts is important to this and every congregation committed to restoring the life, practices, and teachings of the New Testament church. We insist that what we find in the church described in Acts is what Christ wants this church to be today. Acts provides the model.
Acts is important for another reason. The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the book. It can't be missed unless you really try. Some have insisted that the book might be better entitled The Acts of the Holy Spirit rather than the Acts of the Apostles. Indeed, the book chronicles the work of some of the apostles as the Holy Spirit demonstrated his power and ministry through them.
Talking about the Holy Spirit makes some of us nervous. Churches like ours have been avoiding the Holy Spirit as much as we can. Sometimes I suspect that is true. It shouldn't be. But our reluctance is understandable for a number of reasons.
Part of it is natural, almost necessary. There is always more of God than we can understand. "His ways are not our ways," Isaiah said (55:8). If we understand everything about our God, then our God is a man-made God, an idol--a product of our imagination.
Another reason for the questions is the character of the kind of society we live in. We are programmed to be materialistic. We are led to believe that if we can't touch it, see it, hear it, or taste it, then it is not real. Such a notion not only eliminates major portions of the creation God made, it is also quite unsatisfying. Our God put eternity in our hearts. We have a hunger for something more. Something that only the supernatural can satisfy.
Consider this quotation: In our own time the doctrine o ...
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