The Acts of God - Part 2
Hi!!
I hope you enjoyed the first study of the book of Acts. Today’s passage is a most important one which sets the foundation of the whole book. I hope it helps you understand an amazing thing…that we can all know God!!!
A little boy was flying his kite once and it flew so high that it was in the clouds and couldn’t actually be seen. A man was walking along the beach at the time and came up to the boy and asked him what he was doing. The boys said he was flying a kite but you couldn’t see it at the moment. “Well,” said the man, “if you can’t see it how do you know that it is there?” The boy replied, “I know because every now and then I feel its tug and know it’s there.”
It’s a bit like that with God. How do I know He’s there? Because I feel him tug at my heart strings and I know He’s there. In our reading today we hear about when Holy Spirit came to the apostles after Jesus went to heaven. They really knew He was there!!!!
Let’s find out what the Bible says…
Bible Reading
Acts 1:1-11
1On the day of Pentecost all the Lord's followers were together in one place. 2Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. 3Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. 4The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak. 5Many religious Jews from every country in the world were living in Jerusalem. 6And when they heard this noise, a crowd gathered. But they were surprised, because they were hearing everything in their own languages. 7They were excited and amazed, and said: Don't all these who are speaking come from Galilee? 8Then why do we hear them speaking our very own languages? 9Some of us are from Parthia, Media, and Elam. Others are from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, parts of Libya near Cyrene, Rome, 11Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others of us have chosen to be Jews. Yet we all hear them using our own languages to tell the wonderful things God has done. 12Everyone was excited and confused. Some of them even kept asking each other, "What does all this mean?" 13Others made fun of the Lord's followers and said, "They are drunk."
Peter Speaks to the Crowd
14Peter stood with the eleven apostles and spoke in a loud and clear voice to the crowd:
Friends and everyone else living in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I have to say! 15You are wrong to think that these people are drunk. After all, it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16But this is what God had the prophet Joel say, 17"When the last days come, I will give my Spirit to everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams. “
Consider this…
Where were the followers of Jesus and why? (v1)
What happened when the Holy Spirit came? (Vs 2-13)
What comment can you say about Peter and what he said (Vs 13-17)
Does the Holy Spirit still come to people today ? (Vs 10-11)
To Think About
You should never refer to the Holy Spirit as “It”. No! The Holy Spirit is God… God’s Spirit and we refer to Him as He. What a joy to know that God has sent His Spirit to live in us. Have you thought about that?
Memory Verse
“John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.””