Acts 19:1-7 While Apollos was at Corinth , Paul took
the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus . There he
found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy
Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did
you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a
baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after
him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of
the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy
Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and
prophesied.
Pastor Rick continued on our
Sunday Sermon series through the book of Acts last week and stated that each
challenge that we face is conquered through the gospel of Jesus Christ because
the Holy Spirit, sent by the Lord to indwell the Believer, brings physical,
spiritual and eternal life to the situation. Be filled and feel the power of
God. Approximately 80% of Americans profess to be Christians in this Christian
nation, yet many of the minority non-Christian 20% put themselves into
positions to silencing God and persecuting Christians. Who are we disciples
(learners/followers) of? Do not surrender to them; surrender your life to
Jesus, the Savior and find victory in Christ. We know that we are sinners and
need to turn from our sin; repenting and following the Lord, our God, being
baptized in Jesus.
Colossians 1:26-27 “The mystery that has
been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s
people. To them God has chosen to make known among the
Gentiles the glorious riches of this
mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory.”
The disciples believed, but
believed in what? John 3:16 tells us
“that whoever
believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life.” Believers in
Jesus Christ receive a salvation and a regenerated spirit, but also have a
personal relationship with the Lord beyond an intellectual experience. The
disciple walks with the Holy Spirit inside and worships the person of Jesus
Christ; not the idea or the title. Disciples are baptized into what? Baptism is
an outward express of an inward desire to follow the Lord. It’s an act of
repentance in a public proclamation because of the hope in Jesus – one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins. Baptism is truly a matter of the heart. In Acts 2:38 Peter
replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in
the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if
anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”
Let’s make this clear: If
you are in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit, but if you are not in Christ, you
do not have the Holy Spirit and if you do not have the Holy Spirit, you do not
have Christ. If you are not worried about your friends, family members and acquaintances;
you should be. John 3:35-36 tells us:
“The
Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever
believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects
the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” And 1 John 5:9-12 explains further: “We accept human
testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given
about his Son. Whoever believes in the
Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him
out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony
God has given about his Son. And
this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
his Son. Whoever
has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
Take our distracted eyes off of other things and focus on Jesus.
This
side of eternity with the Lord in the Kingdom of Heaven ,
we are engaged in a spiritual battle; not against flesh and blood, but against
evil; the darkness of sin and unbelief against the Light of God and the Lord’s
sovereign Word, Will and Way. Do not live like something’s missing. Be on
mission for Christ; not going through the motions, but truly going and knowing
and doing for the Lord, equipped with the fullness of God in righteousness,
obedient to God’s called for us. This is our Heavenly Father’s world and we are
His. Now live like it.
In
Christ, Brian - on my notes from Pastor Rick's sermon
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