Luke-Acts And The Giving Of The Holy Spirit

Jesus’ departure also created anxiety and questions amongst the apostles (Pentecost, 1981). Thus, in the narrative of John 13:36-14:31, Jesus lovingly admonishes the apostles with the command of “Let not your heart be troubled” (Wiersbe, 2007). As a consequence of this command, Jesus promised the apostles a place in heaven along with Christ’s return (John 14:3), assurance that Christ was the way to the Father (John 14:6), and a permanent, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16; Acts 13:52) who would be the apostle’s teacher (Luke 12:12) in Jesus’ absence (Gromacki, 1978). Most profound is the fact that with Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the apostles would benefit in Jesus’ absence (John 14:9) with greater spiritual power (Pentecost, 1981). Additionally, Jesus also revealed the divine essence of the Godhead (John 14:9) while further defining the true essence of Christianity, “Ye in me, I in you” (Gromacki, 1978).

In Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God, Gordon Fee outlines a theology of the Spirit in the Divine Trinity, the basis within Scripture for the experience of the Spirit, and the interaction of the two. Fee, a Pentecostal scholar, “redefines the terms of discussion about the Holy Spirit in a way that transcends today’s

Acts 8:26-40 teaches us a variety of things about mission as well as evangelism’s role within it. It reminds us whose mission it is, that radical inclusion is anticipated, that evangelism is an important aspect of but is not in itself mission, and that the Holy Spirit plays a fundamental and essential role in mission and effective evangelism.

Acts of the Apostles chronicles the rapid advancement of the Gospel by way of the gift of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles: The Charismatic Community in Mission” takes into account the narratives succeeding Pentecost including Spirit Baptisms from Samaria to Ephesus (Acts

The unique experience of the Jerusalem church at Pentecost in Acts 2 occurred in similarly public and significant ways for

Pentecost is known as the birthday of the church as it marks the beginning of fearless Christian pursuit to spread the Good News of salvation of Jesus in 33AD. After Jesus’ death, disciples had the fear of being alone in the battle to spread the message of Jesus. This is one obstacle that is apparent of being one of the largest barriers in the church’s development. On the day of Pentecost, Jesus’ disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit in the form of a lingering light above their heads, after they gathered Jerusalem. This Holy Spirit allowed them to speak

• Acts 1:8 (ch. 17)- But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come

The Holy Spirit, as a member of the Trinity, has eternally existed and worked with the Father and the Son to bring about the plan for our salvation (CCC 686). In a similar vein, the Holy Spirit, along with the Word of God, “are at the origin of the being and life of every creature” (CCC 703). The Holy Spirit is present with humanity from the beginning of time and the beginning of our individual lives, for as the Gospel writer John says, “he abides with you, and he will be in you” (John 14:17).

The Holy Spirit comforts: John 14:16, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Helps us in our Weakness. The Holy Spirit intercedes: Romans 8:26, in the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans. The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God: 1 Corinthians 2:11, The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit sanctifies: Romans 15:16, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Bears witness or testifies: Romans 8:16, The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

|The miracle of tongues |The final consummation on Earth|Peter preaches at Pentecost|The Witness in Jerusalem | |

It is also important to see their obedience Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem (acts 1:12) Jesus told them to return to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and that is exactly what they did. They heard what he had sad and responded to what Jesus told them to do, even though He was no longer physically present with them. This was major key in ushering in the power of the holy Spirit.

Welker also explains the statement, ‘God’s Spirit is poured out from heaven or from on high’ which is found repeatedly in the biblical traditions by being “poured out from heaven” (p.145). The classic OT text that talks about the ‘pouring of the Spirit’ is found in Joel 2: 28-32, the so called Pentecost sermon quoted by Peter.

To start our research, we need to ask a critical question at the very beginning : Who is the Holy Spirit? The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person. Jesus never referred to “it” when He was talking about the Holy Spirit. In John 14,15 and 16, for example, He spoke of the Holy Spirit as “He” because He is not a force or thing but a person. The point is especially important at a time when pantheistic tendencies are

Luke and Acts tells the story of what Jesus did and taught during his ministry, first in his earthly life and then as the exalted Christ and Lord through his disciples. This essay will outline the various titles Luke used to portray or described Jesus in his two-volume narrative, in doing this we hope to get a better understanding and a complete picture of who Jesus was. Luke in his two volume work described Jesus in numerous ways and I am only going to be discussing four which referred to him as Christ, Lord, Prophet and Savior. The main Christological themes that appear in Luke-Acts highlighted and emphasised on the concept of the “Lord 's Christ”, meaning the coming ruler of God 's people, who will serve as their Savior and performing prophetic work [2 pg. 123-143]. Moreover, Jesus’s role was not assumed on his own initiative, but rather it was the work of God. Thus we can say that God’s work and plans were at the center of the Book of Acts and Luke’s gospel [1 pg 22].

Their is much debate surrounding the use of the charismatic gifts in Acts. Many questions arise about how to use such gifts, and whether or not they can be used today in the first place. The debate regarding the continuation and the cessation of the spiritual gifts, the meaning of which we will clarify in a moment, is a relatively modern one. Although we read about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the early church of the New Testament, history is more or less silent on this issue. It was not until the early