From Jesus to Holy Spirit

In Acts chapter one, we see where Jesus had died for our sins, arose on the third day to defeat sin, death, hell, and the grave, and spend forty days after the crucifixion proving to this disciples that he was alive and still telling the disciples about the kingdom of God. It was at this time when Jesus told the disciples not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes down on earth. It was after this statement when the disciples asked Jesus about restoring the kingdom of Israel and freeing the people to the past days. Here, the same attraction to the past and nostalgia of a previous time and work of God was desired even though Jesus did a new thing by becoming the sacrificial lamb and High Priest to atone for our sins and defeat sin, death, hell and the grave by arising from the dead on the third day. We had people in the Old Testament desiring to go back to Egypt, going back to Moses, and now people in the New Testament going back to Old Covenant though patterns after a miracle of sacrifice took place? It takes the neverchanging Word of God to change a neverending human nature. We have Christians who are now praying to God "When are you going to take us back to the Reaganomic era where the church was hopping in revival and the church was in it's best shape mentally physically, and spiritually?". Many of these same people forgot that the church in this time era experienced the most confessions of financial and moral discrepancies ever in the history of Christianity. It's interesting how the selective memories of yesterday delude the real picture of what actually happened. My response to that question about going back to Reganomics is in the article Since "Christian" America Got What It Wanted, Will American Christians Give This Nation What It Needs" available by clicking on the link on the Table of Contents page. The same nostalgic mentality alive in Moses time and in the time of King Hezekiah was trying to relive a past glory after the ultimate sacrifice and price of freedom was paid for.

It is understandable in one realm of thought to see the rationale behind the apostle's question. The apostles, like many of the Israelites, detested Roman rule and desired a physical kingdom to kill the Romans and recreate Israel in it's previous glorified state. But Jesus had different ideas and motives. It was never the desire to build a earthly kingdom that would rule and dominate others. It was Christ's desire to fulfill the inherent will of the father to establish and mobilize a heavenly kingdom that would obey his commandments, fulfill the Great Commission, and take the Gospel throughout the ends of the earth. Like the Promise Land in the Old Covenant, the apostles and those gathered in Jerusalem were prepared to receive their blessing called the Holy Spirit, a promise Jesus told about in John chapters fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen where Jesus states that the Comforter will come and convince the world of it's sin.

It was after this that Jesus ascended unto heaven to rejoin his Heavenly Father for his mission was done on Earth. It was imperative that the apostles saw the ascension in order to reconfirm that Jesus conquered death to the point where Jesus could never die again. Instead JESUS LIVES!!! Also, this was further confirmation that Jesus was alive to where he would come back again in the same way he left Earth.

In Chapter two, after electing a new apostle, we see the disciples gathered together in Jerusalem celebrating Pentecost (a.k.a The Festival of Harvest). It was at this meeting place in an upper room where the believers heard the sounds of heaven like a mighty rushing wind and the appearance of tongues of fire that settled upon each of the believers. It was at this point where the believers became filled with the Holy Spirit and by the ability of the Holy Spirit, began to speak in other tongues. It was after this experience that the church grew with power while experiencing persecutions and in some cases, death for their belief in Christ. It was at this point where the Gospel spread to the ends of the earth as many of those gathered at that Pentecost feast took their new found anointing back to their native lands and spread the Good News and formed the first churches that Paul helped correcting, rebuking, and edifying. A newfound boldness took effect in the lives of the people that caused miraculous signs and wonders to take place to further spread the Gospel.

Please Click here for part four of this article.