Sunday, 23. May 2010 13:29
Make sure to read Acts chapter 1 and 2
Today is Pentecost Sunday and as you read yesterday I have been doing a lot of reading on the Holy Spirit. My parents go to Saddleback(I also attended their for many years) and they mentioned Pastor Rick Warren would be teaching on “Real Christianity, The Model Of The First Church” so the title kind of peeked my interest and I became fired up as I have been praying that Saddleback would embrace all that the Holy Spirit has for them. Pastor Rick said he wanted Saddleback Church to get back to doing what the first Church was doing during the Churches first 300 years. He mentioned the first church started on Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 persons who had gathered in the upper room and after Peter’s sermon 3,000 people were saved.
In Acts Chapter 2:43 it says,” everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. Yes Peter’s sermon probably cut their hearts wide open to who Jesus is and now who the Holy Spirit is but whenever Jesus was out preaching and teaching there was always healings to follow and now that is what t the apostles were doing. That is why you hear me always talk about healing, signs, wonders, and miracles all the time. Healings, signs, wonders and miracles are also for today but what I have found is most churches do not touch this subject. So 3,000 people were saved but I am willing to bet when the healings started and peoples eye sight came back, disease disappeared, and the crippled walked masses probably fell on their knees asking Jesus into their heart as Lord and Savior.
In Acts 1:8 it says,” but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” and in1 Corinthians 4:20,”for the Kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power”. The word power in the Greek is called “Dunamis”. The Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon defines Dunamis as strength, power, power for performing miracles, and in the Dictionary of Biblical Domains defines Dunamis as mighty deed, supernatural power, ability.
What am I trying to say here? I am saying we as born again Christians who have the Holy Spirit in us can do what the first Church was doing when Jesus was alive and after he died on the Cross, rose again and is now sitting at the right hand of God.
When Jesus was comforting his disciples in John chapter 14 he said in verse 12,” truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes In me, the works that I do, he will do also, and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the father. HELLO!. In Matthew chapter 10 Jesus gives his 12 disciples authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and heal every kind of disease and sickness. In Verse 7 Jesus says,”as you go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Freely you received, freely give. Mark chapter 6 and chapter 16, also talk about how Jesus sent out the 70 to preach and heal and it talks about the great commission.
The gifts of the Spirit are in 1 Corinthians 12 and they are wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, the effecting of miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, various kind of tongues, interpretation of tongues. In veres 11 it says,” but one and the same spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as he wills”. This is why being plugged into a Church is so important as each person has different gifts and we are a team using them for God’s purposes.
In conclusion this is a hard subject to blog on as I could go on for pages and but pray for all Churches would have a blast of the Holy Spirit come through just like on Pentecost where believers are refreshed, people are saved, the sick are healed and revival breaks out across the world.
Please leave a comment below or email me anytime if you have any questions.
Neal