The Filling of the Holy Spirit: Part 1
Memory Passage
Those who live according to the sinful
nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in
accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The
mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and
peace.
Romans 8:5-6
Scripture Reading: Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Scripture Reading: Acts 4:7-13
They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Scripture Reading: Acts 6:5-10
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)--Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
Scripture Reading: Acts 7:54-56
When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
Insights
"The work of God is not by might of men or by the power of men but by His
Spirit. It is by Him the truth convicts and converts, sanctifies and saves. The
philosophies of men fail, but the Word of God in the demonstration of the
Spirit prevails. . . The resources of the Church are in "the supply of the Spirit."
He is Christ without the limitations of the flesh and the material world. . . It is
for the Church to explore the resources of the Spirit; the resources of the
world are futile."-Samuel Chadwick, excerpted by Jim Cymbala in Fresh
Power
Consider this!
Peter spent 3 ½ years with Jesus, walking and talking daily with Him as a
friend. And yet Peter's spiritual life during that time was marked by a mixture
of moments of faith and moments of blunders. Note how he was transformed
into a man of incredible boldness and spiritual strength after Pentecost and
the "filling of the Spirit" in his life. We would be tempted to believe that
Peter's personal experience with Jesus-seeing Him and interacting with Him
daily-would have given Peter great power. Yet it was the filling of the Spirit,
after Jesus' resurrection that gave Peter boldness and spiritual strength.
Personal Reflection
- Have you ever thought that having the Holy Spirit reside within you was
somehow inferior to what it would be like if Jesus was with you physically? Is
that biblical?
- Are you aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? If so, describe it.
If not, write a brief prayer asking for God to grant you more awareness of the
Spirit's working within you.
- Stephen was said to be a man "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5)."
Do you long to have your life and faith described in the way that Stephen's is
described in Acts 6-7? Write a prayer expressing your heart's longing, and
listen for what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. Write down any thoughts that
come to mind.
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