So many remarkable things take place in the book of Acts. Jesus ascends to the Father, the Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost, people are healed through the apostles in Jesus name, angels of the Lord are making jailbreaks and appearing to Gentiles. The next thing you know, the Holy Spirit is telling people to go here, and to do this, and to say that. The book of Acts has a lot to say about the work of the Spirit in the early days of the Jesus movement. When we remember that the book of Acts is a narrative, we realize that makes the Holy Spirit one of its main characters. The Holy Spirit is so prevalent that some have argued the book should be called, “The Acts of the Holy Spirit Through the Apostles.”
We are about half way through our sermon series on the book of Acts now. We’ve seen that the Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot,” (Acts 8:29); or that the Spirit said to Peter, “Three men are here looking for you. Get up, go downstairs, and go with them…” (Acts 10:19-20). The Spirit says, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them,” (Acts 13:2) and the Spirit helps the apostles to discern what requirements to make of the Gentile believers.
What is your reaction to the Spirit speaking this way in the book of Acts?
Does it feel completely reasonable to you because you are someone who senses the Spirit speak that clearly? If so, that’s wonderful! If not, does it make you a little uncomfortable to imagine someone today saying that the Holy Spirit told them where to go and what to do?
I often choose not to even engage with these Scriptures on that level. What I mean is that instead of considering how these passages may apply in my life, I simply drop it into the bucket of familiar Bible stories. I am glad the early church experienced that, but I don’t always stop to consider the implications for my walk with the Lord.
A Thought Experiment
Try something for me. Imagine that you had been reading the Bible all your life and were quite familiar with the book of Acts, but you had never attended a church. Then imagine that you attended your first ever church service. (I suppose this thought experiment depends a great deal on what church you were dropped into.) Maybe you would find yourself in a church that was exhibiting behaviors that they credited to the Holy Spirit which could not actually be found anywhere in Scripture. On the other hand, you could show up to a church where you were shocked by the apparent absence of the Holy Spirit. Do you think there is discrepancy between what we read in Scripture about the Holy Spirit and how most believers and churches exist today?
If you could shed the context of your own church culture and come to the book of Acts with a clean slate, I think you would see that the Holy Spirit is as necessary to the day-to-day life of a Christian as the air we breathe. Eighteenth century preacher Jonathan Edwards spoke of five evidences of the work of the Spirit:
A deep and abiding love of Christ.
A hatred for sin and desire for holiness.
A passion for God’s word.
A deep conviction about the doctrines of Scripture.
An increased love for God and man.
As we continue through the book of Acts keep these in mind, and see if you observe them in the works that the Spirit does through the early church.
“Do you think there is discrepancy between what we read in Scripture about the Holy Spirit and how most believers and churches exist today? ”
Empowered by the Spirit
The Spirit empowered the early church to spread the gospel of Jesus to their neighbors and ultimately the world. They taught the truths of Scripture to anyone who would hear. They lived countercultural lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. They were inexplicably joyful, loving, and generous. Could that be said of us? Are we boldly sharing the gospel? Are we full of joy and optimism that can’t be quenched by the political landscape or pandemic? Do we proclaim the truth of God even when it is costly? Are we confusing to the watching world because of the way we love and serve even across social and cultural lines?
If you and I can go through our days without relying on God’s Spirit for strength and for guidance, I’m afraid we may be missing what God has for us. As believers, we did not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we could continue to live lives that look no different than our unbelieving neighbors. Do you go about your days accessing nothing more than your own human wisdom in the decisions you make - and accessing nothing more than your own strength, both physically and emotionally, to meet the demands of the day? The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in each of us, so why don’t we act like it?
Still Needed Today
The church in the book of Acts needed the empowering, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in order to do the ministry that they were called to, and that is still the case for God’s people today! In the book of Acts the Holy Spirit speaks to God’s people directing them who to speak to and when to speak. We have that sort of guidance available to us too! Listen for the leading of the Holy Spirit, and see what he might do in and through you. Cultivate a desire to hear and obey, to put sin to death and grow in godliness. Pray that the Holy Spirit would make you receptive to his leading. Test everything by the Scripture and in the context of faithful community. Help one another discern the leading of the Spirit. It is my prayer that going through the book of Acts as a church will help us grow in our dependence upon and interaction with the often-misunderstood third person of the Trinity.