Acts - Part 5
September 24, 2023
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about the way the early believers started the church after Jesus was resurrected & went back to heaven.
In Acts 1:8 Jesus told them “...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”, we’ve been asking the question What would you do for the kingdom of God if you were given the unlimited power to do it?
During this series, we’ve used this tag line: When the PEOPLE of God become filled with the SPIRIT of God they now have the power to DO the Christian life. But…
What if the baptism of the Holy Spirit isn’t just about the power to do superhuman things… but the power to have a NEW NORMAL in the Christian Life.
The supernatural way of thinking and speaking that was evident on the day of Pentecost wasn’t just a momentary miracle of superhuman ability, it became the new NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE.
● We read in Acts 6 & 8 that the disciples gained a new ability for administration to serve the widows/orphans.
● …i.e. social justice being a part of everyday life without losing the importance of the Gospel.
● We talked about their shared ministry, responsibility, activity… so that it wasn’t just one person or a few people doing the work…
● Logistics & planning, Continued spread of the Gospel, Great wonders & signs ● They learned the everyday practice of hearing directly from God / the Holy Spirit ● …Learning to Obeying what they heard from the Spirit
● Learning how to share the Gospel with individuals like Phillip did with the eunuch… ● We talked about the opportunity to share with both royalty as well as simple people on the street since we don’t know what the Lord has in store for THEM …
Then from Acts 9
Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE:
● Living in peace with their neighbors, city, and the people around them… ● Living in encouragement (as opposed to discouragement, depression) ● Living in the fear AND comfort of the Lord
Then we talked about the fact that the Gentiles were invited into the Gospel through the vision of Corenlius & the vision of Peter (with the food in the great sheet…
● Peter learned to hear past what was honestly a cultural racism between the Jews & Gentiles…
● Learning to work according to God’s will & not simply man’s traditions.
All of these things prove to us that the NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE gives new meaning to life, new authority and a supernatural ability to DO what has previously NOT been possible in life…
Acts 13: 1-5 – 1Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.
NEW NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE:
● Calling for ministry…
● Regular opportunity for missions work being sent out to other cities & nations… And if we go back to Acts 11 we find this new church being started in Antioch…
Acts 11: 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. 23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. 25 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
NEW NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE:
● This is literally where they were first called “Christians”...so this really was the new normal Christian life.
● Their lives were so transformed by the Gospel & the power of the Holy Spirit that the WORLD took notice of them & called the “Little Christ’s Ones”
The next part of the normal Christian life we want to point out REALLY takes a turn…
Acts 16: 6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
NEW NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE:
● Here, the new normal Christian life centers around hearing the Holy Spirit for where NOT to go!
● It’s important to not only hear from the Spirit WHERE & WHEN to GO but WHERE & WHEN NOT to go!
Wrap up: we said in the beginning that the baptism of the Holy Spirit isn’t just about the power to do superhuman things… but the power to have a NEW NORMAL in the Christian Life.
What is it that you need from the Spirit to live the New Normal…