Fifth, the OT saints believed that craftsmanship and artistic ability in the service of God was a gift of the Holy Spirit. Copy. This is the threefold commission that is given to this group of disciples where they are to be witnesses of Him in the city of Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samariathe wider region of the country, look at it as kind of the wider counties of the country of Israel at the timeand then ultimately, to the end of the earth, to take the Gospel and to be a witness of God, to do this. After Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream about the coming famine, Pharaoh says, "Can we find such a man as this in whom is the Spirit of God?" And then they had seen that He was resurrected. What was on their mind? The disciples had seen Jesus reach out across ethnic and religious divides birth in His parables and in real life. Verses 40 to 47 is a summary of one of the most remarkable periods of the church experience. I also think this is true in some way, but in gospels there is record that Jesus 'gave them authority over devils and diseases and sent them to preach gospel, to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. Thus, the Pentecost is the culmination, the ultimate gift of Spirit, when the apostles get Him to such an extent and intensity that they can already be emboldened by Him to preach to all corners of the world, withstanding all calamities and opposing powers. Signs and wonders followed their ministration, and they were continually filled with [] This event is very significant because the Bible says when we are born again, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit; in other words, the Holy Spirit comes to live on the inside of us (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). Matthew 71:seventeen, XVII, 10-18, and on the Sabbath (beginning): Rome, 111:seventeen, XIII, 1-10. What's the next step?" He used Deborah and the tribe of Zebulun (the mountain may have been in their land) in the sermon. Acts 1:8 is the vital point about Pentecost. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43years. And I can't help but think that knowledge for its own sake or art for art's sake is a very callous and unloving motto. In other words, Peter says, we have entered the last days: the Messiah has come, he has accomplished redemption on the cross, he has risen and ascended to the right hand of God, and the interval before he returns in glory will be marked by an incomparable outpouring of the Holy Spirit on men and women, old and young, slave and free, near and far. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. I was going to get on a Greyhound bus. I have my own Star Trekkian-type of way to imagine how Jesus ascended. Before Pentecost the river of God's Spirit blessed the people of Israel and was their very life. And then going on here, in verse 44, "He said to them, 'These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms concerning Me.' Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? Please take the Tour, see below, where you will find that in order to practice biblical hermeneutics we need a text upon which to practice the technique. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you, but tarryor waitin the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. Such notions have always struck me as profoundly atheistic. First few verses of Acts chapter 1, beginning in verse 3, Luke in his prologue to the account as he writes to this man named Theophilus, about all that had been done by Jesus until the day in which He was taken up through the Holy Spirit and had given commandments to the apostles, whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during 40 days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God., So Luke gives us an explicit reference point that this went on. Jerusalem was swelled with pilgrims, at this point in time, and this added to the drama of the moment. And there was fear of the unknown, of what was going to take place, fear of the future. I wouldn't bother with the question if I didn't. Learning and labor which do not lead people in love to God are not prompted by the Spirit of Christ. Jesus was crucified during the Passover celebration. Now, when we turn over to Acts chapter 1, and we look at, kind of summing up of this as it is. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Answer: In Luke 10:17, when the seventy came back from visiting the towns in Israel, they said, " Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. But they were frightened and they thought that they had seen a spirit. And those days you didn't fear getting on a Greyhound bus, and you could go all over the country on a very cheap pass. In other words, I'm not teaching or requiring anything new. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). All the gods of doubtand I say gods with a little g, because doubt, and guilt, and fear can really separate us from Godthe gods of doubt, and fear, and unbelief have all been shredded by Jesus Christ. Before that from the OT time onward, the Holy Spirit would come on a person and it is not permanent. Jesus began to teach them, we read, from the Law of Moses, from the prophets, the Scriptures about Him, to explain to them what had happened. We have a very involved, and very good, and a very detailed review process at many different levels of our writings, of our speaking in the United Church of God today. These accounts of like what we have read in the gospels and others for a 40-day period. Third, the OT believers enjoyed the constant presence of God's Spirit. The world we grew up in and live in does not see things this way. A fellowship, a community, prayer, sharing food together, much like we do today. Again, what they thought that they were becoming a part of was a movement that was noble, that was good, there had been many movements of other Messiah-type figures at this period of time in Judea. There are no more decisive turning points in redemptive history that must happen before Jesus returns to establish his kingdom. I didn't know how to read a board to tell me these things. And it just caused them to proverbially tear their clothes and rush at them and ultimately to the point of Stephen and they stoned him. But when was it first true? Even before the dam was completed and the reservoir was officially unleashed on the day of Pentecost, the OT saints downstream enjoyed stupendous benefits from the river of God's Spirit. Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. I don't think it was an intergalactic tour that He was on to get to the third heaven. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. And so it was very key that His final ascension would be from this mountain. So there was still this not fully developed confidence and faith in what had happened, and so He goes even further and asks for some food. It doesn't lie within man's own power to risk his life and stand up for the truth of God and denounce sin. It was true then. First, and most basic, the OT believers were conscious of God's Spirit as the Creator and Sustainer of their natural life. At the end of John, you remember, John says, there were so many other things that He did in his life and no doubt probably part of that 40-day period that it would take volumes to teach it, and to record it during this period. Praying a Scriptural Rosary is accomplished by praying a traditional Rosary and adding scriptural verses related to each mystery of the Rosary. Joh 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but . The disciples had to walk a week away to get to Jerusalem (Acts 1:12). When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground.". As we have received the gift of God's Spirit, as those on that first day of Pentecost received the gift of the Holy Spirit were brought into the Church, they became, and so are we, partakers of the divine nature. And that is of people led by the Holy Spirit, knit together, everyone providing that which they can toward a community of faith, power, and love, sharing, looking out after one another and caring for one another. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. They sold their possessions, they divided among them, they shared among those who had need. For example, Numbers 14:24 says of Caleb, "My servant Caleb, because he has a different Spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into this land." He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. At least part of the answer to that is found in the teaching on spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 1214, which we will soon begin to study in an evening series. For example, when Moses gathered with the seventy elders of Israel at the tabernacle, it says in Numbers 11:25, "The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took some of the Spirit that was upon him and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. He quotes Joel, he quotes Psalms and he gives interpretations upon those scriptures, here in chapter 1, no one had ever heard of before. That's an important trait for a firstfruit, for a firstfruit to have in their life, and in their approach to life. Before or after this instance. Stop doubting and have faith! And Numbers 27: 18 says, "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Take Joshua the son of Nun, in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him.'" But after Pentecost the power of the Spirit spread out to light the whole world. And let's look at it beginning in verse 36, this is after His resurrection, "As they said these things," this is the two that He had appeared to on the road to Emmaus, "Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, 'Peace to you.' I never have believed in knowledge for its own sake or art for art's sake. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:24). When He approached, they thought they saw a spirit and were afraid, and of course, Peter became afraid when he saw the waves and felt the wind, when he was attempting to walk on the waves to Jesus. He went on to show that, "It's not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. The appearance of Jesus' face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. They saw it in different ways and understood it completely different from anything from our frame of reference and they were ascribing, would have been ascribing then even to Jesus something that was not of God, which in itself can be a problem. We have to live as well, knowing that there is a God, and to live our life that every day counts. Jesus was enveloped within a burning bush, but was not harmed. Think about that among our own relationships with each other. Psalm 104 celebrates the wonder and variety of all living things and says (vv. But they were terrified, and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit." How could the person in Luke 9:49 cast out demons without Jesus' mandate? Because Ruth saw in Naomi, God, an example that she wanted to be a part of. Now, it was all beginning to come together. But on that 50th day, from the morning after Christ's resurrection, a lot had happened. We all have signs, we take certain things as signs. The world of the 1st century was very much tied into an awareness that there was a spirit world, and a lot different than even we today, we see a spirit world today in media and entertainment form. It was a mighty, powerful machine, the most powerful that the world in that day had ever seen. How to increase the number of CPUs in my computer? The Feast of Pentecost, or Shavuot in Hebrew, was just starting in Jerusalem as the book of Acts begins. Send inquiries regarding the operation of this Web site to webmaster@ucg.org. They didn't believe that He had risen, they didn't believe that they had been seen, that He had been seen, and therefore, then they would not believe these eyewitnesses. After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me. Then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Why are you standing around gazing? They were kind of like this, and like this. Chapter 4 takes as its starting point the gift of speaking in tongues from the narrative of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13. . Today the Spirit still instructs us by the Word of Scripture and we ought to pray earnestly for an outpouring of God's enlightening Spirit so that the Scriptures really live for us and become intensely personal. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. An eyewitness account, there was a lack of belief that put them in the situation here that they did not understand and didn't believe that had actually happened. Again, the answer is yes. But let's go back, let's look at a few of these scriptures in a little bit more detail and see exactly what had been taking place among the disciples during this period of time, that brought them to that morning of Pentecost. In one sense, all craftsmanship and artistic ability is a gift of God, just like our breath is. 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