LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ACTS
A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO
DR. C. TODD HARTLEY
IN COMPLETION OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
BIBL 364
BY
HENRY PATTERSON
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINA
OCTOBER 16, 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------2
THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT-------------------------------------------------------------6
THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT---------------------------------------------------------------------9
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN
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With the promise of the Holy Spirit we can become effective witnesses. This paper will explain the promise of the father, the importance of the promise, and how to activate the promise that dwells in you.
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WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
When Christ was preparing to leave the disciples he gave them this Command “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak of” Acts 1:4. The disciples probably were confused and in distress hearing that there leader was leaving. However, I am sure when Jesus reassured them that he was not leaving them alone put them at comfort. Jesus Spoke to the disciples and told them “He will pray to father and that he will give them another helper that he may abide with you forever John 14:6. Jesus also told the disciples the night before his death that it was to their advantage that He goes away, for if He doesn’t go away the Helper will not come John16: 7. This Helper that Jesus was referring to was the Holy Spirit. The word Holy Spirit is translated in Greek as Paraklétos, which means counselor, intercessor, one who encourages and comforts. As we read the bible we learn that the Holy Spirit is a person which dwells in us, which in turns fills us. “Luke also records Jesus identification of the Holy Spirit as the good gift of God for his Children”. Jesus was even filled with Holy Spirit the bible speaks of “the Lord is led out into the desert by the Holy Spirit to be tested
In his first chapter, McRaney emphasize the involvement of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of sinners into saints (p. 27), and the all part of evangelism; in the life of His witnesses, and lost people, regeneration and conversion. The Holy Spirit helps the witness and the lost person’s understanding. When Christian who within the heart of God, desire to see all persons come into recovered relationship in faith to sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Evangelism begins. All that is in God’s control.
Charles Ryrie holds a Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary and a PH.D from the University of Edinburgh. Hence, he is quite knowledgeable about theology and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Ryrie’s book is comprised of twenty-two chapters. He includes a section in the book that provides other helpful books the reader might find invaluable to read on the subject of the Holy Spirit. At the end of the book there are two indexes – an index of subjects and an index of select scripture passages.
Gromacki’s book is comprised of fifteen chapters. The book focuses on the personality, deity, and symbols of the Holy Spirit. Six chapters are dedicated to the various aspects of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. There is a chapter that focuses on the baptism of the Holy Spirit as well as one that discusses what it means to be indwelled and filled by the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as speaking in tongues are covered in the book. Each chapter is divided by headings and these headings are separated into sub-headings. Theses headings and sub-headings keep the reader focused on what the chapter is about. The book ends with a discussion of the future of the Holy Spirit.
The fundamental theme presented in chapter twenty five and twenty six of David W. Dorries book Spirit Filled Christology maintains that Jesus came, not only as a pathway for salvation, but also to lead as an example of the Spirit’s movements and to empower His church with supernatural abilities to further the ministry that He began. In order to expound upon his statements, Dorries uses historical context.
In The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, Robert Stronstad adduces a succinct interpretation of the significance of Holy Spirit according to Lukan theology. He examines both the Spirit’s activity in Luke-Acts and the implications of the Gift of the Spirit in empowering, equipping, and commissioning of God’s people for service. The text is separated into six sections covering “the Holy Spirit in Luke-Acts”, “the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament”, “the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of Luke”, “The Holy Spirit at Pentecost”, “The Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles” and the Charismatic Theology of St. Luke.
The book of Acts is known as 'the birth of the church'. Acts recounts the story of
The witness is not just the power to preach the gospel; the first result of the coming of the Holy Spirit is the ability to speak in other tongues.
In these brief three pages, there is a bold calling for spiritual authority, and ways friends of Jesus can authentically experience and acquire that authority. In the beginning, Anderson explained that spiritual authority is manifested from personal experiences and not “secondhand authorities” (pages 50-51). Next, he addressed certain characteristics that “make one fit to be a minister of the gospel” (pg. 51). Finally, he provided a glimpse on what it takes to be an Authentic Child of Light by walking well in the Light. In these three pages, I felt like Margaret Fall in which these words cut to my heart and I wept.
The concept of analytics-based decision marking takes into consideration industry knowledge and business analytics which includes four acts (Bartlett, 2013). The four acts help prepare analytics to support an anticipated decision and illustrate a process for analytics-based decision making. As a result, the role of statistical thinking, the interaction, and relationship between industry knowledge and analytics, as well as where things can go wrong in a real business problem can be revealed (Bartlett, 2013). In addition, moving from one act to another seamlessly, jumping back from and forth from one act to another or simply following some other route is easy to do in a real business problem. This annotated bibliography will examine articles that contain resources that support the concepts contained in the four acts.
First of all, when describing who the Holy Spirit is, one must understand that the Holy Spirit is not an “it.” The Holy Spirit is a He. He is the third person of the Holy Trinity. He is God, just like the Father and the Son. 2 Cor. 13:14 proclaims the Spirits deity along with the Father and the Son when Paul said, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” His deity is also seen in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 where we are told by Jesus to, “Go therefore and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.” When speaking of the phrase “another helper”, Charles Ryrie, American Bible Scholar and Christian Theologian, said, “The Promise of our Lord to
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.
The Holy Spirit of God is the active force or power in one’s life, which most certainly includes spiritual formation (Pettit, 2008, p. 46). When Jesus was speaking with his disciples he made it clear – by using the analogy of a vine and branches – that apart from him they could do nothing (John 15:5). Only if one is connected to Christ will they have the ability to bear fruit and the way Jesus empowers those connected to him is through the Holy Spirt that that father will send in his name (John 14:26). The fact is that the triune God dwells in the Christian in and through the Holy Spirit. One sees this when they place multiple passages together to gain a full understanding of this concept. For example, Jesus made it clear that he and the father would come and make their home with the disciple (John 14:23). In 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul reminds the Corinthians that their bodies are the very temple of God because the Holy Spirit dwells in them which is similar to what Jesus said would happen when he sent the Holy Spirit after his resurrection and ascension (John 14:17, 16:7).
The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, and is equal in essence and in power in the Trinity to the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit was originally sent by Jesus after his ascension into heaven, Jesus himself saying that he would send a “helper” after he departed from the earth. This spirit is worshipped just as the Father and the Son are, and also participated in the creation of the world, sustaining and giving life continually to all things, and exhibits the uniqueness and characteristics of the third person in the Trinity. This is the same Holy Spirit that divinely inspired the infallible word of God, and although the canon is now closed, the Holy Spirit still works powerfully and constantly in the life of the church and in believers. The Holy Spirit is the giver of spiritual gifts, which are given at conversion and help the believer become more like their creator. The presence of the Holy Spirit is evident in the life of all true believers, and this Spirit turns cowardly men into mighty warriors for Christ who accomplish actions way beyond their natural ability.
Paul’s question is to be asked of believers today, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2)
The various gifts of the Holy Spirit as listed in Scripture are conveyed according to the will of the Holy Spirit to every man for the eventual purpose of the edification and building up the church body.