Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them. Those in the flesh are devoid of the Spirit and cannot submit to God's law or please God. The Disciples' Sprititual Strength. They drank it, they washed in it, it watered their crops and turned their mill-wheels. Praying a Scriptural Rosary is accomplished by praying a traditional Rosary and adding scriptural verses related to each mystery of the Rosary. Put your hand into my side. They were going up against a lot, just as we go up against our world today, and ourselves, and what Satan might throw at us. As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus took all believers out of Hades ten days before Pentecost, when He ascended into the third heaven. Christ did not leave His disciples as orphans. What is the difference between "receiving the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:14-20; 19:1-7) and "being filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17; 4:31)? But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit if the Spirit of God really dwells in you." Acts 2 Was Galileo expecting to see so many stars? Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? And then it came to an end, it came to a close. Afterwards, though, they go about with the boldness described here. That's been the hallmark of our feature. After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me. Then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. The Feast of Pentecost, or Shavuot in Hebrew, was just starting in Jerusalem as the book of Acts begins. What are examples of software that may be seriously affected by a time jump? Jesus said, Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? Some say apostles got Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. LISTEN NOW. From the sorrow of the Cross to the glory of Resurrection. And so Christ gives them teaching and He gives them understanding. "He appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom He had cast seven demons. And yet, they had not been able to completely separate the fact that now what they were part of was the real, the real thing, because Christ had died. And I didn't know how to make a connection. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. John the Baptist had promised: The one who comes after me "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:16). What's the next step?" Again, I think that is an example of using an . And God will expose sin, ours to ourselves, sometimes to others. These were not terrified, doubtful people. And as we've seen, even when they were confronted with the miracle of Christ's resurrection, and they recognized that they still had to deal with the hostility of the world around them, in a kind of a two-pronged government called the Roman Empire and the Jewish society, plus their own human nature, and themselves. 3. https://www.bible.com/bible/392/JHN.20.19-29.CEV. Every now and then in extraordinary circumstances of need the Spirit enables ordinary Christians to perform amazing feats of rescue far beyond their ordinary capacitylike lifting a car off of a pinned husband or escaping from a raging rapist. Again Jesus in John 15 talks about Spirit that he will send it, does this mean they yet had no Spirit upon them? I wouldn't bother with the question if I didn't. 1 Samuel 16:14 John 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Number one was the Roman Empire. Fifth, the OT saints believed that craftsmanship and artistic ability in the service of God was a gift of the Holy Spirit. It's an interesting way that they did. They had a very life is now, living in the present mindset that this was all going to happen in their lifetime, which is something that pertains to every group of people from that time forward, that looking for the appearance of the Kingdom, the return of Christ. And you can begin to imagine how this dynamic begins to must have been being set up within the disciples, because when you begin to doubt one another, you begin to lose trust. And not for the reality that the 1st century world would have known and experienced, that other dimension. The indwelling Holy Spirit was only sent after Jesus' resurrection. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. We can take on that nature and we can live. All the gods of doubtand I say gods with a little g, because doubt, and guilt, and fear can really separate us from Godthe gods of doubt, and fear, and unbelief have all been shredded by Jesus Christ. So at 9:00 on Pentecost morning, while the disciples were praying, "a sound came from heaven like a rush of mighty wind . And in the room of the house where they were gathered, it obviously became a little bit too small for all that took place, because as these other people take note of it, you get the impression they moved out into a more public location in Jerusalem. Luke 24:53 says that the disciples stayed continually at the Temple praising God. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. This means that all the saints of the OT who trusted God and followed his ways in the obedience of faith were born again by the Spirit and indwelt by the Spirit. Having Peter's undivided attention, Jesus spoke of the eventual crossing of Peter's own finish line. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. Now all of a sudden, as Peter steps forward, and of course, you know the story of Peter. Seventh, the saints of old experienced victory over fear by the presence of the Spirit. And then this dramatic miracle takes place, festive occasion. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. At what point of what we watch as the MCU movies the branching started? John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. For example, Numbers 14:24 says of Caleb, "My servant Caleb, because he has a different Spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into this land." And I think there was and is today a special touch or filling of the Holy Spirit that elevates the work of an artist or a musician or a craftsman from mere technical skill to divinely empowered ministry that exalts God and builds faith. Fear not" (Haggai 2:5). He is author of. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! The Church was given favor, we're told, as they demonstrated these fruits and others were added. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). When did the disciples become born -again? PTIJ Should we be afraid of Artificial Intelligence? Those in the Spirit are indwelt by the Spirit and are enabled by him to fulfill the just requirement of the law. Surely we have need today of men and women filled by the Spirit to expose and denounce evils in our society that are hardly blinked at any more: the exploitation of women's bodies and debasement in advertising, the unconscionable destruction of human life through abortion on demand, the maneuvers of our own country to destabilize other governments, the gross waste and gluttony of American life, the cavalier attitude to divorce and remarriage which God hates, and the multi-million dollar promotion of alcohol and cigarettes as anything less than family-destroyers and body-killers. And Numbers 27: 18 says, "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Take Joshua the son of Nun, in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him.'" During the long period of construction the Nile River wasn't completely stopped. After Pentecost, a radical transformation took place. And I sat, and I sat, and I thought somebody will come along and tell me what to do. In the New Testament, Elisabeth, John the Forerunner's mother, was filled with Spirit as she saw the pregnant Virgin, and she prophesied immediately (Luke 1:39-41) and so did the old widow-prophetess Anna at vision of Jesus taken to the temple (Luke 2:36-38); John the Forerunner himself was filled with Holy Spirit from his childhood (Luke 1:15), and of course the apostles, even before the Pentecost, had a degree of presence of Spirit in them (at least no less than John the Forerunner), through which presence they could act miracles; they got even to a greater degree of intensity the gift of the Spirit, when Jesus - before the Pentecost - blew in them the Spirit and added to them (through this new dimension of the presence of Spirit) an ability to forgive sins (John 20:22). 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. In 2 Peter chapter 1, 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter writes, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you and the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. And this small group of people who had signed on to what they thought was a remarkable, gifted rabbi, and followed Him around and soon learned that they had fallen into something quite different than anything they could have ever imagined, as they witnessed miracles of loaves and fishes, and people being brought back to life, and dramatic healings. Now let me suggest an analogy to illustrate the experience of the Spirit before and after Pentecost. But first let me tell you why I think it is so relevant. No, He said wait till, wait in Jerusalem, and so they were there and they continued. But the text says that God called Bezalel by name and filled him with his Spirit. Acts 1:8 is the vital point about Pentecost. He had a lot to come back, he was at the back of the pack. 2. More likely, the believers assembled in one . Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. None of the benefits enjoyed in the pre-Pentecostal days were taken away. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy. But all of this in the midst of a troubled, terrified, frightened mindset that they were having to work through, during these days between the resurrection and Pentecost. The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Prior to Pentecost, the Apostles and disciples gathered in fear, behind locked doors. And we have by and large absorbed their mechanistic view of things. It was true then. (1 Cor., 148 pp., XI, 8-22). Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. People should see God in us. They came together, in verse 1 of chapter 2, "On the day of Pentecost when it was fully come, they were with one accord in one place. Trials hit us that will shake our faith, test our faith. And . If we can make that decision and live with that reality that there is a God who lives, and before Him we stand every single day of our life and every major decision, every small decision of character, and the decisions that we make in the privacy of our own mind, and in our own actions that not everyone knows about, not even our mate, all are in accordance with righteousness and a desire for righteousness. For example, in the life of Samson we read, "The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and he tore the lion asunder as one tears a kid" (Judges 14:6). 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to Gods law; indeed, it cannot. Then I finally figured out, "Oh, I got to do this myself. A Church that was grounded in the Word of God. But how could the various prophecies found in Ezekiel, Joel and Zechariah be fulfilled if this were true? These significant events from the life of Jesus are made easier to comprehend and better-illustrated thanks to the passages . Before that from the OT time onward, the Holy Spirit would come on a person and it is not permanent. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Thank you Mr. McNeely , for making Christ more real. This is it. Luke chapter 24. Exodus 31:15 says, "The Lord said to Moses, 'See, I have called by name Bezalel . When I got off the bus from my hometown, I was in this large room, this large terminal, it was as larger, even larger than this room here, which for me, from my small town was a pretty big thing to walk into, and I did, first time I had ever traveled. And so I made a certain few inquiries, I got on the bus, didn't miss it. It goes on, "Jesus came and He spoke to them saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. We take that for the story that it is, and the gift of tongues, and the speaking of tongues that the Scriptures talk about but we don't see that as what we need to be doing in practice or in faith, but it is a dramatic story. That they're not drunk, that this is of God. Probably the Spirit was their instructor in two senses. But on the morning that those disciples were gathered there, before it happened, you have to imagine that they had no idea that, that would be what would take place. They'd likely not seen it. A survey of Old Testament spiritual experience is needed to wake us up to our privileges in these last days that were inaugurated at Pentecost. Peter was quoting Scripture and applying it to something that had happened and that is Jesus, His death and His resurrection. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. And yet Peter does, and he gives a bold sermon. and there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. Though a miracle had taken place in front of them, that still wasn't enough to remove the doubt and fear. This makes it seem that the Disciples were astonished, but those who followed behind them were afraid. Being mentally separated from other people (because of being ashamed of lost of their 'cause') made them being afraid of people. On that day of Pentecost, people who had been doubtful were moved to speak powerfully, to repentance, to belief, and to action. Second, the OT believers experienced the new birth and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Where is it being manifested in the church today? But Thomas said, First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. But it was a very intense period of time of Jesus appearing to them both in Galilee and Jerusalem, teaching them from the Scriptures, appearing to them in larger groups, perhaps even, more smaller groups, and in some of the ways they're talking like He did to Peter, on the Sea of Galilee, having meals with them. On the day of Pentecost Peter said that in these last days "your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17). That He had to rebuke them and teach them. [Darris McNeely] On the morning of Pentecost 31 AD, what do you think was going through the minds of the assembled disciples in Jerusalem? Zechariah 4:6 says, "Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts.". Though the emperor, a man named Tiberius, had been holed up on an island called Capri or Capri for a number of years in absentia, the empire was running quite well on its own. The Victory over Fear On the day of the Pentecost, The Spirit of God came to them, filled their minds and their hearts and their entire being. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They were looking for power from on high. Old Testament believers enjoyed the presence of God's Spirit wherever they went. We get on to verse 40, the wrap-up: "With many other words, he testified and exhorted them saying, Be saved from this perverse generation, that those who were, who gladly received his word were baptized; about 3,000 souls were added to them. Or is this authority that I mentioned just about Jesus' own power he gave them and isn't about Spirit in themselves like when he said to Peter to cast net into water and pulled out much fishes? Is the promise of "power" in Acts 1:8 only for the apostles or for Christians in all ages? But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! Really. He quotes Joel, he quotes Psalms and he gives interpretations upon those scriptures, here in chapter 1, no one had ever heard of before. These were redeemed from among men being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. In one sense, all craftsmanship and artistic ability is a gift of God, just like our breath is. And Peter thence begins to quote Scripture. Well, the real answer is for you and I, the same things that are going through your mind right now, and my mind. It wasn't a common manifestation of the Spirit, but it was real then and it is today. The last holy day season, the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread had seen the death of Jesus Christ, and then three days later He was resurrected and He had appeared to them. I've got to find out where that next bus leaves, and what time." Read the Bible, discover plans, and seek God every day. We live in the days that Isaiah (44:3) and Ezekiel (11:19; 36:26f. Please take the Tour, see below, where you will find that in order to practice biblical hermeneutics we need a text upon which to practice the technique. Pentecost was a Jewish festival fifty days after the Passover. This was a healthy fear of respect and awe and wonder at now what had happened. answer choices. In Revelation chapter 14, we are given an image of the firstfruits, called the 144,000 in this part of the Revelation. And so they had become a part of something that again, they were still trying to understand. Because they were seeing Christ risen and they saw Him in a bodily form, but then they were attributing something different to that. The Essential 100 Bible Challenge14The Cross Of Christ. The OT believers were saved the same way we are: they were born of the Spirit, they trusted in God's promises, and they followed his commandments in the obedience of faith. Week 8 to Pentecost. The gospels and the book of Acts tell us that would-be zealots and messiahs had come and gone. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If we can learn to take on the divine nature and drink that in, in our lives, then we can banish doubt, uncertainty, and fear, unbelief, that will creep in at various times as we go through our lives, and stages in the developments of life. United Church of Godis a501(c)3organization. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love. And because both were working together, the mission and the vision, there was a remarkable picture being described here by Luke, of the Church at peace. . As such, it requires a sabbath. If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there! When you look and you understand what was taking place, here are people who've been terrified, they had been doubtful, unbelieving to one degree or the other during this previous 50-day period. And they did, and thousands were added to the Church that day. Every minister's dream, to give one sermon and thousands of people get baptized and join the Church in one day, every minister's fantasy. Picture a huge dam for hydroelectric power under construction, like the Aswan High Dam on the Nile, 375 feet high and 11,000 feet across. Back in Mark's account, chapter 16 of Mark, we see that the same thing lingered among the wide group of people there. The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. But when was it first true? The disciples had to walk a week away to get to Jerusalem (Acts 1:12). 1 Samuel 11:6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. The hated Samaritans and the occupying Romans were both shown to be within the reach of the grace of God. And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. It says, "The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. People should see that in us. Labor in the Word, meaning to read the Word, and to learn it, and to soak it in and drink it in; and to live the Word, this past year. The disciples met in the upper room after the ascension, but ten days elapsed between the ascension and the events described in Acts 2. I also think this is true in some way, but in gospels there is record that Jesus 'gave them authority over devils and diseases and sent them to preach gospel, to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead. Did they doubt what they were seeing? There's a lot of information in the details that we are given in chapter 28 verse 16. We can deal with them. Hadn't He told them that He'd come back to life again? We know in Acts chapter 2, when we turn there and look at the story alluded to in the sermonette here this morning, that they were gathered together. Jesus showed Himself for 40 days after the resurrection (Acts 1:3). It's always fun to try to imagine how this happened. From the Day of Pentecost, when they had been baptized by the power of the Holy Spirit, they were equipped to go into the world. And so she was the first to see the empty tomb and have that appearance, and she goes and tells them. And speaking about the deep things of the Kingdom of God to prepare them for what they were to take part in, and what they were to be a part of. But the Christian ought to see the creative, imaginative work of God's Spirit. They had been told to be there, to wait in Jerusalem until that day. Summary of Ideas of the Sunday readings. But we do not debate and discuss biblical topics. They turned the world upside down because they fully understood two simple . We can internalize that and think that through. The second obvious change in the lives of the disciples was in their spiritual strength. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. The Key to a Life Well Lived. That's what the gift of the Holy Spirit is for us. The Day of Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter in Western branches of Christianity. Paul says in Romans 8:79, "The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed, it cannot; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Answer: In Luke 10:17, when the seventy came back from visiting the towns in Israel, they said, " Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. ", A church begins to develop. You may find that without a specific text of scripture your question could be voted for closure as 'off-topic'. Such notions have always struck me as profoundly atheistic. YouVersion uses cookies to personalize your experience. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. Micah 3:8 says, "As for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin." "Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13). They sailed on it in the moonlight and wrote songs about it. And to live with the reality that there is a God who judges, who sees, and who knows. When I was 15 years old, I got on a bus from my little hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. After the disciples received the Holy Spirit, received Christ in them, they began to operate under the strength and ability of Christ in them. And then the 50th day came, the morning of Pentecost, and they were gathered together. But some doubted." The vision of the Church was coming together and the mission of the Church was being accomplished. Jesus was crucified during the Passover celebration. These accounts of like what we have read in the gospels and others for a 40-day period. Finally, the Holy Spirit gave some in the OT a gift of prophecy. That's what He did. This was something that was spiritual in nature, that bound them together and they prayed, they studied the Scripture, and they praised God, it says, and because of that, their example caused them to have favor with people and others were drawn to their example at that time. Guardians Of Ancora Bible Plan: Ancora Kids See Jesus Alive! 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Copy. But after Pentecost the power of the Spirit spread out to light the whole world. Whoever believes in Jesus has everlasting life. They sold their possessions, they divided among them, they shared among those who had need. Historically, Pentecost ( Shavout) is a Jewish feast celebrating the giving of the Torah and the summer wheat harvest. Did they doubt themselves? I took a course in seminary on the Old Testament wisdom literature where we talked about Hebrew poetic parallelism and determinism and Heilesgeschichte ("salvation history") and I would generally raise my hand at the end of class and say, "So what?" . Stop doubting and have faith! Maybe a few more decided to go to Jerusalem on Pentecost to see what was going on, and the town was bursting at the seams, and from all these nations that we're told about here and areas. Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. The religious leaders are "astonished" and marvel that such common and unlearned men can have such a sweeping command of their topic, and such serene courage. Why were Jesus' disciples so disheartened and fearful after His death? And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.". Send inquiries regarding the operation of this Web site to webmaster@ucg.org. 157 views, 3 likes, 4 loves, 3 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Mora Grace Lutheran Church: Music used with permission from CCLI Which again points forward to the last days inaugurated at Pentecost. Now, it was all beginning to come together. The man with the epileptic son initially brought his son to the disciples to be cured. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Theoretically Correct vs Practical Notation. It was by God's Spirit that the prophets spoke to the people God's Word (Nehemiah 9:30), and it was by the Spirit that the people were enabled to grasp and apply the Word. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out in fear. Show them otherwise what had been done, rebuke their unbelief, as it goes along here. It is I. Don't be afraid.'" And in the book of Revelation, John reports an experience similar to Daniel's. The goal is that the addition of scriptural verses will assist you in meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary as you pray. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. I happen to think that they, no doubt during this period of time, as the days go on they talked and they read. Before or after this instance. What do we do now? Even though they had seen miracles, again, another indication to us always to remember that miracles are important, miracles can be faith-builders, but miracles by themselves will not do it all. Maybe they had their hands in their pockets kind of like this, thinking, "Wow, that was neat. So, as Jesus Christ was teaching His disciples to focus on the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God during the time between His resurrection and Pentecost, we can be focusing on that now too. If we can borrow a phrase that we've used over the last two years, two phrases, they labored in the Word and they lived in the Word. Instead of competing, the disciples were now cooperating. In other words, I'm not teaching or requiring anything new. And we can have the power to believe that, and to grow together and develop together as a bride of Christ, and accomplish His work and His purpose and His will. Before Pentecost the river of God's Spirit blessed the people of Israel and was their very life. What was on their mind? But on the day when the reservoir poured through the turbines a power was unleashed that spread far beyond the few folk down river and brought possibilities they had only dreamed of.
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