Here are some points from Acts 4 (and Mozambique!) that I think we need to be challenged on here in Perth:
1) The number of believers continued to grow; (v4)
2) When Peter spoke, he was again filled with the Spirit; (v8)
3) Peter & John were full of courage, not fear; (v13)
4) The miraculous healing has an ongoing positive ripple effect; (v21)
5) They prayed that they would speak with great boldness; (v29)
6) They prayed and expected that their message would be confirmed with healings and miraculous signs (v30)
7) They were all filled with the Holy Spirit again so soon after Pentecost; (v31)
8) Their prayer for boldness was answered; (v31)
9) Their was amazing unity amongst the believers; (v32)
10) No one was striving to build their own wealth portfolio and they shared everything; (v32)
11) They proclaimed the message with power and much grace was upon them all; (v33)
12) There were no needy persons at all – see verse 32; (v34)
I reckon the message is coming through loud and clear. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit on an ongoing basis which will lead to boldness, courage, healings, miracles and conversions. They have also grasped and applied the many teachings by Jesus on money, wealth and possessions and are living in such a way as to put all this into practice.
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An eight week journey of seeking God as we read.think.pray.live our way through the gospel of John
An Invitation
Please join us during this lead up to Christmas 2009 by doing the four things listed below. Anyone can join at any time throughout this 8 week period although obviously it would be best if you can begin with us on the first of November 2009.
Requirements:
1. Commit to seeking God EVERY DAY in Nov & Dec '09 in a way that is more radical than anything you have ever done before.
2. Read.think.pray.live your way through the Gospel of John in seven weeks (3 chapters each week) and then 1 John, 2 John, 3 John in the final week.
3. Listen to the Holy Spirit and obey whatever he says to do!!
4. Contribute your insights and experiences to this blog.
May we all continue to seek the Kingdom of God before anything else!
Requirements:
1. Commit to seeking God EVERY DAY in Nov & Dec '09 in a way that is more radical than anything you have ever done before.
2. Read.think.pray.live your way through the Gospel of John in seven weeks (3 chapters each week) and then 1 John, 2 John, 3 John in the final week.
3. Listen to the Holy Spirit and obey whatever he says to do!!
4. Contribute your insights and experiences to this blog.
May we all continue to seek the Kingdom of God before anything else!
2 comments:
I agree Andrew. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to be fully equipped for kingdom work. It happened in Acts (then) and is still happening in Mozambique and other such places today. However, miracles are happening in first world countries too; people are being healed. We just need to trust the Lord and truly believe that ".... with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).
This 'sharing everything' though is something that I definitely need to work on!!!! I like my stuff and I like my space. I don't know if I could sell my home and just give it away! (A selfish thought but I'm being honest.)
Good to hear from you Gabi. Just one other thought on the "sharing everything" concept that has helped me. I am learning to see that nothing I have is truly mine and I am actually just being a "steward" or trustee of my home, car and possessions. This changes the whole way I see "my" stuff because it is not really mine in the first place.
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