The Apostle, Paul, in the Book of Acts

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

Statement # 1(From The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown Chapter 8, Loc 10638 of 28382, 1st Paragraph) “There are several significant human agents, but there is one, and only one, major divine agent underlying the entire plot of the book of Acts: the Holy Spirit. For this reason, rather than identifying the book as presenting the “Acts of the Apostles,” it may be more accurate to say that at its heart are the “Acts of the Holy Spirit.” I believe that the book of Acts is a great depiction of how the Holy Spirit can and will move through dedicated people. Without the Holy Spirit, Paul and all the great men in the book of Acts are just great men.

Barnabas is mentioned all throughout the book of Acts, especially in relation to Paul. They both went on mission together, and suffered much together as well. Barnabas is introduced in Acts 4:36, "Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostle's feet” (ESV). He too became an apostle and did many things for the kingdom. Perhaps one of his greatest actions, in my opinion, is described in Acts chapter 9. After Paul escapes from the Jews he attempts to join the disciples, but they were afraid of him because of his past. That is when Barnabas sticks up for him. "But Barnabas took him and

In all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’’ (Acts 1:8). “I have told you this while I am still with you. The helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you” (John 14:26). “I have much more to tell you, but now it would be too much for you to bear. When however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God.

Just when there’s no hope for Humanity, The Holy Spirit (the third Godhead in the trinity) sent from the father as a promise to aid humankind to inspire and empower Theophilus (The ones who loves God) to spread the “Good News” on the Salvation of Jesus Christ. The necessity of the Holy Spirit is to increase effectiveness of churches and personal testimony and become witnesses in all the Earth. In addition, it gave the disciples a power to perform miracles and healing.

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.

Saul (later to be known as the apostle Paul) was devoted in all that he did. He was of the Jewish tribe and said he was the Hebrew of Hewbrews and a Pharisee and he persecuted the church for many years. Even so, he was to become one of the greatest evangelists of his day in spreading Christianity after his encounter with Christ Jesus on the road to Damascus.

As Jesus was teaching with one of authority, a possessed man approached him who attempted to belittle Jesus Christ. Immediately, Jesus rebuke him telling the spirit to leave the man. Since the people were in wonder, news of Jesus spread rapidly through Galilee. After leaving the synagogue they went to Simon and Andrew house. Simon's mother-in-law had a fever. Jesus went to her and soon as he touched her the fever left. When evening drew near, all the sick and demon-possessed were brought to Jesus who he began to heal, but those with demons Jesus would not let them mention his name. In the morning, Jesus went out to find a private place to pray. His disciples went in search of him. When they found Jesus, he explained he needed to teach abroad. So they left and began to teach throughout Galilee in the synagogues. A man with leprosy came to Jesus for healing. Jesus reached out, touched him, and healed him, but Jesus warned him not tell anyone, but to follow Mose's commandments regarded cleansing. However, he began to tell what Jesus had done because of this Jesus had to stay outside of the town, but people still searched him

Paul the apostle is known for his letters in the Bible to the church in Philippi. Paul devotes his faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, to promote Christianity to the people of the Philippians. He is seen throughout the New Testament furthering God’s Word and projecting it in such a way to get fellow Jewish people to convert to Christianity. In the midst of this activity, Paul was travelling in between cities when a mob broke out against him. Israelites were furious with him spreading the Word of Jesus Christ throughout their land. The Israelites began to beat him repeatedly until the word reached the commander of the Roman soldiers. The roman soldiers immediately came to Paul and put him under arrest for a total of seven days before freeing him. Paul was charged with speaking out against the law of the land, promoting Jesus Christ among the Jewish people and disturbing the peace among the city.

I think Saul/Paul is the main character in the book of Acts. I know of no other person, other than Jesus himself, which shaped the history of Christianity like Paul did. Paul was transformed by God from a Pharisee and tent maker, a persecutor of Christians, and prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus, to a preacher for Christ.

position. Impassioned and incited by the false teaching and accompanying behaviour, Paul addresses this issue throughout the whole letter and brings the argument to its fullness in the conclusion.

Speaking in tongues is initial evidence of Spirit baptism. Scriptural evidences include Acts 2:4, 10:45-46, 19:6. 8:17-18 also suggests this, although it is not directly stated. It is also interesting that speaking in tongues occurred in all five of the narratives in Acts.

Whatever tales may have spun out of the antiquity of time, Jesus was not the initiator of Christianity as we know it. The division between Jews and Christians did not begin with the death of Christ. Indeed, many of his teachings have been lost forever for none of his disciples ever wrote a single word down. Although this religion, established solidly upon this man, does not even regard Jesus in most of the New Testament (Collier). The man behind the curtain, the usurper, and divider was an Apostle who never met Christ. In fact, he twisted and filled his letters to the Corinthians, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians with thoughts and quotes from Jesus that filled his own idea of what form Christianity should take. The Apostle Paul was that man.

Christianity is mostly closely associated with Jesus Christ, its founder and premier exorcists. Out of all of Jesus’ healing one-fourth of them dealt with Exorcism and there are at least 26 references to exorcisms preformed by Jesus in the New Testament. Through out the Gospel many accounts of Jesus performing exorcists are documented in the Gospel by his apostles (Bancroft.) The first accounts of Jesus performing types of exorcisms comes from Mathew 4: 24. Matthew writes that Jesus cured all the people who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytic. This also integrates the idea that exorcism is not just about free an individual from demonic possession, but also free them of mental and physical diseases as well. In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus casts out multiple demons named Legion out of man from Gerasenes, who would cry all night and bruise himself with stones, into a herd of pigs who than ran off a cliff to their own demise (Mark 5: 1-20). Satan does not act alone when he posses an individual, he is working with several evil spirits such as lust, hate, destruction, , anger, anxiety, desperation, suicide, revenge death and torment. Conversely Exorcism is not always seen as a negative experience. In Acts 16: 16, It is told of a women possessed by an oracular spirit, literally a python spirit of whom was the guardian of Delphic oracles. In

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