Renewal to be .
Attempted to Contain the Spirit—
A. The & Primitive
Set up camp in Jerusalem for six years.
B. The Leaders
Set out to stifle the movement.
C. Simon the
Set his mind on using the Holy Spirit for his own purposes.
God’s Spirit will ,
but will be .
Psalm 76:10 NLT
“Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon.”
Acts 8:4, 8 NIV
“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria… Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”
Preach: εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō): Tell the good news, share the gospel.
Keys to Moving with the Spirit—
I. Preach Jesus in and .
“Ordinary, everyday believers evangelized with boldness, despite cultural and geographic boundaries, and planted gospel seeds beyond Jerusalem.” — John-Michael Wong, Opening Up Acts
“The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart.” –John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life
Moment of Reflection:
II. Serve the and the .
This was not the first time the Samaritans had heard about Jesus.
John 4:28-30, 39 NIV
The woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him… Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.
“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” —John Bunyan, Poetry vol. II
Moment of Reflection:
Acts 8:15-17 NIV
When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
New Testament Conversion:
a. Repent
b. Be Baptized
c. Be Filled with the Spirit
Acts 8:18-20 NIV
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
III. our personal .
Acts 8:24 NIV
Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
“If you are not willing to give up everything for Christ, are you willing to be made willing?“—F.B. Meyer
Moment of Reflection: