Luke tells us that the high priests were concerned about the rapid growing of the Christians and the impact of their instructions in Jerusalem. ( Acts. 5: 27 ) . Although the Pharisees and their follower were sharply assailing the apostles, directing them to prison in an effort to pour H2O on the fiery Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, they could n’t stamp down and or halt it. Get downing from the descending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Luke reported dramatic growing of the Church. In Acts 2: 47, 3000 individuals believed merely in one discourse. In Acts 4: 4, 5000 work forces were added to the trusters. Harmonizing to Peter C. Wagner, at this point a entire figure of 15,000 work forces and adult females could cautiously be estimated to be saved.[ 1 ]Furthermore in Acts 5: 14 Luke studies that many work forces and adult females were added. Harmonizing to R.C. H. Lenski, at that minute the entire Numberss of the trusters was between 20 thousand to 25 1000s.[ 2 ]Then when the trusters were persecuted, they took the Gospel wherever they went. When Philip went down to the metropolis of Samaria and preached Christ in power, the people of the metropolis including Simon, the powerful magician gave their lives to Jesus Christ ( Acts 8: 5-13 ) . Furthermore, when Paul and Silas proclaimed the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, the atheistic Hebrews and their leaders who had been populating in Thessalonica were covetous and angry admitting that the apostles and their colleagues were turning the universe upside down. ( Acts. 17: 5-6 ) .
They were merely ordinary people, most of them from the lower category of society ; four were fisher work forces and one was a revenue enhancement aggregator others were Zealots ( Mark 1: 16-20 ; Luke 5: 28 ) . ON top of that the Gospels record the repeated weaknesss, battles, fright and uncertainties of all the adherents. They were fighting even in the apprehension and embrace of Jesus ‘ discourse. Fore illustration: Simon Peter was enthusiastic, emotionally unstable, and speedy to talk without thought, hot tempered, every bit good as fearful. ( Matt. 16: 22-23 ; Matt. 26: 33-35, 5, 69-75 ; Mat 17:4. ) . Sometimes he was legalistic and clannish, and Jewish in a damaging manner so mach so that Paul had to call on the carpet him, and God had to reason with him in order to convert him to travel to the Gentiles ( Acts 10: 9-16 ; Gal 2:11-14 ) . Even Jesus predicted his denial in Matt. 26:35 ; and Peter denied him three times in poetries 69-75. James and John, the boies of Zebedee, topographic point personal involvement above company trueness ( 15: 40 ) . Thomas was another skeptic among the adherents. When Jesus asked them to travel with him to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the decease, Thomas with his acerb sense of temper told the adherents to travel and decease with Lazarus ( John 14-16 ) . Furthermore, when Jesus told to his adherents about his decease and Resurrection and about his program to fix a topographic point for them, Thomas showed a singular sightlessness to Jesus ‘ discourse. He wholly missed the point that Jesus was seeking to do ( John 14: 1-5 ) . Besides when the other adherents told him they have seen the resurrected Jesus, Thomas said that he ca n’t believe that unless he sees and touched Jesus. ( John 20: 24-25 ) . There was contention among them because each was carnally viing to be the greatest among the others ( Luke 9: 46 ) . Most of them were unconditioned and untrained, except the preparation given by Jesus ( Acts 4: 13 ) .
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Therefore, if we take the above deficiency of accomplishment and character of the adherents in to consideration, they were among the least campaigners for such an unbelievable impact.
The Descending of the Holy Spirit
Before Jesus went to the cross, he made an astonishing statement. He told his adherents that they shall make greater plants than that of his ain ( John 14: 12 ) . It sounds dry because he knew that his adherents were excessively weak and animal to even understand his ministry allow entirely to make greater plant. But if we understand the whole content of the poetry, Jesus was non decidedly doing his statement because he believed the accomplishment and personal appeal that his adherents had already possessed. This is because he said they will make greater plants because he was traveling to his male parent. Obviously the descending of the Holy Spirit on the adherent ‘s lives was in his head as he makes that statement. Furthermore, he told them that his go forthing would be for their advantage ( John 16:7 ) . That was because the Holy Spirit would merely come if and merely if Jesus goes to His Father.
Jesus as human retainer of God had to wait for the Holy Spirit to make exploit. He could n’t proclaim the Gospel of the land of God in power mending the ill, projecting out devils raising the dead before the descending of the Holy Spirit up on him. After his baptism by John the Baptist nevertheless, the narrative was wholly different. The Holy Spirit visibly came up on him and led him to the wilderness for some ground the enemy tried to halt him but he could n’t and he returned from the wilderness to Galilee full of power and began to agitate the land of darkness with his powerful Gospel until his name was reported to all the surrounding ( Luke 4: 1-14 ) . Then he proceeded to Nazareth, where he was brought up and was known as female horse ordinary carpenter and boy of an ordinary carpenter, ( Matt. 13: 55-56 ; Mar. 6: 3 ) ; come ining in their temple he boldly proclaimed that the Spirit of the Lord was up on him and he has anointed him to put the confined free, mend the sick, proclaim the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, ( Luke 4: 16-19 ) . Jesus hence knew that merely the Holy Spirit can authorise his adherents to make greater plants and told them that he had to travel to his Father for their benefit.
As predicted by Jesus the brush of the Disciples of Jesus with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost had dramatically changed their lives and ministry for good ( Acts 2, 3, 4, 5aˆ¦ ) . The same group of work forces who had been timid, dubious and talentless, were changed into work forces of intent, religion and unbelievable power ; those who had been so panicky even to the step that they could n’t stand for their religion even before a servant began to howl like a line standing in the midlist of 1000s ; those who run off for their lives populating their maestro deceasing at the inhuman treatment of the Romans, came out to the streets with Earth agitating power and obstinate finding. They went all the manner for the Gospel ‘s cause in rebelliousness of the firry resistance from their oppositions. Jail, anguish, even decease could n’t halt them ; merely ordinary work forces were able to make an excess ordinary undertaking for their coevals. Some thing must hold decidedly happened to them. In Acts 2: 4 ; 4: 31 Luke said that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit ; and in Acts 3: 10 he said all the people were filled with admiration and astonishment. If we must acquire the purpose of the communities around us, we need to be filled by the Holy Spirit. As we the church Begin to populate a life full of the Holy Spirit, the universe does non hold a pick but to be filled with wander and astonishment.
Decision
The beginning of apostles ‘ feats was non their power or might but the power of the Holy Spirit ( Zach. 4: 6 ) . The committee that the Lord Jesus Christ had given to his adherents and the church can merely be achieved by the power of the Holy Spirit. Talking about the importance of the Holy Spirit in the work of the land of God, Peter C. Wagner pointed out that, “ for the intent of evangelization, the immediate presence of the 3rd individual of the three is more of import than the immediate presence of the 2nd individual of the three. ”[ 3 ]
The apostles were most improbable to act upon even their ain household, allow entirely to turn the universe up side down. But when the Holy Spirit had come over them once more and once more make fulling them with supernatural power and wisdom they began to make exploit. It is impossible to do any positive impact with the Gospel without the Holy Spirit. “ Exploit is impossible without the Holy Spirit. Without smarm there is no manifestation, the Holy Spirit is our surety fir feats ”[ 4 ]all the echt powerful move of the Gospel on the face of the Earth had been empowered and lead by the Holy Spirit. For illustration, Aimee Semple Mcpherson began to agitate different metropoliss with the Gospel in the twentieth century because the Holy Spirit was mightily up on her[ 5 ]. Furthermore an American revivalist known as Tommy Hicks, through his power evangelism had up side down the Argentinean Cities wining 1000s into the Kingdom of God.[ 6 ]
Therefore Since the ministry of Jesus Christ, all the feats, earthshaking resurgences, be it by the apostles or any other curates afterwards, were because of the power of the Holy Spirit.
