Gospel on the Ground, Part 1

Follow Along with the Message

In the first two chapters of the book of Acts, we will be addressing the following important questions: 

• Who is the Holy Spirit?
• What role does the Holy Spirit have in my life as a Jesus follower?
• How do I receive the Holy Spirit?
• What is the church?

During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

--Acts 1:3 (NLT)

“Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

--Acts 1:4-5 (NLT)

Questions & Theological Understanding:

1.    Have I experienced recreation [regeneration, new life, transformation] in Christ?

•  is different than .
• [Greek] Ginosko = intimately knowing.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

--Romans 10:9-13 (NLT)

2.    What is my relationship to the Holy Spirit?

• Our power comes from the Holy Spirit.
• As believers, the Holy Spirit dwells within every one of us:

“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.”

--Romans 8:9 (NLT)

“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”

--1 Corinthians 3:16 (NLT)

3.    Have I been baptized in the Holy Spirit?

• Being filled with the Holy Spirit:
• As evidenced in the book of Acts and throughout the New Testament, there is a difference in  the Holy Spirit in us and  with the Holy Spirit

“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit…”

--Ephesians 5:18 (NLT)

“And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.”

--Acts 2:4 (NLT)

“After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.”

--Acts 4:31 (NLT)

And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

--Acts 13:52 (NLT)

• There is an empowerment of the Holy Spirit upon our lives in different seasons, yet the Holy Spirit is always in us.

The Process for Being Baptized in the Spirit:

1. We must first give our lives over to Jesus. Confess Him as your Lord and Savior, turn from your sins, trust His grace, and devote yourself completely to Him.
2. Understand that Jesus wants to baptize us with the Holy Spirit in order to fill us with Christ-like character and to give us power to be witnesses for Him in this world.
3. Ask the Lord Jesus to baptize you in the Holy Spirit.
4. Choose to believe and receive by faith this promised gift of God.
5. Expect both immediate and ongoing, long-term transformation.
6. Anticipate the Lord will distribute spiritual gifts as He chooses and that any of them could begin to take place in the moment. This may include speaking in tongues or prophesying.
7. Expect and seek additional spiritual gifts and other biblical expressions of the Spirit’s presence and power.

4.    Is our church a community of recreated humans, filled with power from the Holy Spirit to expand the kingdom of God with the works and words of Jesus Christ?

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

--Acts 1:8 (NLT)

Jesus came and told his disciples “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

--Matthew 28:18–20 (NLT)

The Purpose, Plan, and Power of the Holy Spirit in our Lives:

1.    The purpose is to be a .

He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. 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.”

--Luke 24:46–48 (NIV)

2.    The plan is to impact the world for the glory of God.

The story of Acts is how God’s kingdom

• Starts in Jerusalem
• Spreads into Judea and Samaria
• Ultimately turns the world upside down
• Jesus is the King of an unstoppable kingdom.

3.    For us today, the story remains the same.

• Our power is the same: the Holy Spirit.
• Our purpose is the same: to be his witnesses.
• The plan is the same: to impact the world with the kingdom of God.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

--Acts 2:2-4 (NIV)

• Thus, the Church was birthed in Jerusalem.

Power of :

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

--Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

Power of :

• The church had a tremendous influence on those around them. Followers of Jesus were impacting their city by embracing the life and teaching of Jesus. (“…enjoying the favor of all the people.”)
• God brought people into his kingdom. (“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”)
• Through the disciples’ , , , and , God added to the church daily. The kingdom was growing!

Power of :

• Love  and obey his .
• Walk in deep  with one another.
• Give .
•  continually.
• We will once again change the world by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We can confidently and courageously be witnesses of Jesus by understanding the power, purpose, and plan of the mission God has entrusted to each of us.