Grace's Answer - Description of Events in the Acts of Apostles

 

*Grace's Answer - Description of Events in the Acts of Apostles 

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost:

The eleven disciples were told by Jesus to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, when they would be clothed with power from on high (Luke24:49). They had no idea how long they would have to wait. They stayed for ten long days anxiously expecting something to happen. The disciples still thought that Jesus was going to deliver Israel from the Romans. (Acts 1:6) 

Now that Jesus had ascended into heaven, they fasted and prayed and sang songs of worship in the temple daily, hoping for some sign to tell them what they were to do next.

Jesus had said they would be baptised by the Holy Spirit not many days after He went back to heaven. (Acts 1:5) But none of them had any idea what that meant. All they knew was that Jesus had promised them power from heaven.

Acts 1:8(ESV)

“But you will receive power 

when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, 

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem 

and in all Judea and Samaria, 

and to the end of the earth.”

On the day of Pentecost, (meaning fifty), suddenly the world as was known to the disciples was rocked beyond their wildest imaginations. Exactly fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Spirit entered each of the disciples, changing them forever. Only seven weeks earlier they were a group of frightened sheep without their shepherd. But now, suddenly they were strong, bold, and fearless, preaching the gospel with divine power in languages they had never been taught. Every listener heard the message spoken in their own native tongue and there were added to the followers of Jesus 3,000 souls that day.

Acts 2:1-6

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 

2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 

3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 

6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is just as important today in the church as it was on the day, He changed the lives of the disciples. Without the Holy Spirit, we are powerless. It is the Holy Spirit who gives power to a sermon. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us boldness to testify and present the gospel. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts people of sin and draws them to salvation. It is also the Holy Spirit who gives believers spiritual gifts for the purpose of building up the church.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is available for every believer who earnestly seeks it.

Acts 2:38-39(ESV)

And Peter said to them, 

“Repent and be baptized every one of you

in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, 

and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

For the promise is for you and for your children 

and for all who are far off, 

everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

The Fellowship of Believers and Importance of Prayer:

The believers met together daily for prayer and fellowship. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, eagerly wanting to learn more about their new faith. (Acts 2:42) They prayed for strength in persecution and great boldness and miracles when brought before the religious leaders. (Acts 4:29-31)

The Holy Spirit confirmed the apostles’ teaching through powerful miracles of healing, baptism of the Holy Spirit, and speaking in tongues. New believers were added to the church daily.

Prayer, fellowship, and sound Bible teaching are all of most importance today if the Church is to grow in their knowledge of God and have boldness in sharing the gospel to individuals in their lives. The great commission is still the same, “As you walk through life, share the gospel”.

Matthew 28:19-20(ESV)

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, 

baptizing them in the name of the Father 

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Persecuted Church:

Jesus had warned His disciples that they would be persecuted and hated because of their teaching. Not long after the beginning of the church, called “The Way”, the apostles began facing opposition to their message. The High Priest, Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees had the apostles arrested and put in prison. But an angel freed them and sent them to the temple to preach. When they were discovered, the apostles stated that they must obey God rather than men. They presented the Gospel to their challengers after which they were flogged and told not to speak in the name of Jesus and were released.

The apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ. They continued day after day to preach in the temple and from house to house. (Acts 5:41-42) 

Shortly after, Stephen was stoned to death for preaching. As a result the followers of Jesus scattered, leaving only the apostles in Jerusalem. But as they travelled, throughout Judea and Samaria they preached the gospel everywhere as they went. Thus fulfilling the command to preach the gospel first in Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria. (Acts 8:1& 4)

The Church today is facing a growing wave of persecution throughout the world. Many Christians have been martyred, tortured, and put in prison.  Evangelical Christians are the most persecuted group in our time. But the underground church continues to grow, and thousands are being added to the Church daily. 

We need to stand strong and be willing to die for the cause of Christ. Persecution strengthens the faith of Christians and emboldens them to stand with those who are being killed or tortured. We need to be praying daily for the persecuted Church.

Paul’s Conversion:

Saul had been a witness to the stoning of Stephen. This spurred him on to rid the world of these new believers in “The Way”. He was very zealous in protecting his religion in what he thought was God’s will for him.

He obtained letters of permission from the High Priest to arrest, imprison and kill the believers in Jesus. But Jesus met Him on the road to Damascus and revealed Himself to Saul. Blinded by the light, Saul was led by his companions into Damascus were he remained blind for three days. 

(Acts 9:1-22)

God sent His servant Ananias to Saul to lay his hands on him and restore his sight and fill him with the Holy Spirit. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus then went full force in preaching the good news of the gospel. 

This event is important to us today because God used the greatest enemy of the gospel to evangelize the then known world, planting many churches, and writing the largest part of the NT. Paul mentored young pastors and wrote several letters to the churches from which we gain much knowledge of how to walk out our faith and how to grow in godly character and in being transformed into the image of our Savior.

Paul ended his life by stating—

2 Timothy 4:6-7(ESV)

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, 

and the time of my departure has come. 

I have fought the good fight, 

I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

May God grant us the Grace to be able so state the same at the end of our lives. We need to strive to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us. (Phil 3:12)

The Choosing of the Seven:

With the disciples of Jesus growing in number daily, the Apostles began to realize that they could not carry the burden of serving the people any longer, alone. The Hellenists, (Greek speaking Jews) complained that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. So the Apostles called a business meeting for the entire group of disciples to discuss the situation and find a solution. They felt that if they continued to serve tables, they would be neglecting their God-given responsibilities of prayer and preaching the Word. 

They commanded the group to choose from among themselves seven men to carry out the duties of caring for the widows. These men were to be full of the Spirit and wisdom, and have a good reputation to prove consistency in humility, integrity, compassion, and godly character.

This would free the Apostles to devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. (Acts 6:1-4)

This example shows us that today in our churches we need men and women in leadership roles to assist the Pastors in ministry. These individuals should be carefully chosen for their being full of the Spirit and wisdom, and have a good reputation to prove consistency in humility, integrity, compassion, and godly character. They are not to be chosen on their business abilities, popularity, financial giving, or any other trait that is pleasing to our human viewpoints.