There have been a lot of Wednesdays between my last post and this one. My best guess is fifteen or sixteen. My promise to myself for 2010 was to write a new post every week. You can see how that has gone.
We started the new year looking at the book of Acts. The book of Acts is a continuation of the book of Luke. It is about the spread of the gospel after Jesus' ascension, the history of the early church.
It turns out that three years with Jesus wasn't enough for the disciples to grasp the kingdom of God. Jesus taught them for forty days after the resurrection. That coupled with the coming of the Holy Spirit gave these men all that they would need to be able to discern the Scriptures (Old Testament) and present the gospel. These "uneducated" men would turn the world upside down!
One thing I would like to note is the presence of Jesus' mother, Mary, in chapter one. She has been a part of God's plan and a witness from the visit by the angel (announcing the birth of Jesus) to the birth of the church (the body of Christ). There was obviously much pain involved but she was truly blessed. She was chosen by the Father, gave birth to the Son, and witnessed the coming of the Holy Spirit.
There is so much more. The book of Acts shows the power of God. These ordinary men did extraordinary things by the power of the Spirit, the same Spirit that indwells you and me. In chapter 3 Peter heals a crippled man. When the people notice, he addresses them. He says, "Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by OUR OWN POWER AND PIETY (emphasis mine) we have made him walk?" It's not just the healing but the power to present the gospel too. A few weeks earlier Peter is denying that he even knows Jesus!
THE SAME SPIRIT THAT HEALED THE CRIPPLE AND GAVE PETER THE POWER TO PREACH DWELLS IN US!! That should encourage all of us!!
