Today's teaching shows us what happens when we follow where God leads and when we share the Good News of our Savior Jesus. Philip used "Isaiah's Prophecy" to teach the man in today's story, all about Jesus.
Scripture text: Acts 8:26-40, Isaiah 52:13-52:12
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This question is often asked this way:
⁃ Is the Holy Spirit an impersonal force?
⁃ What does the Bible say about this?
⁃ What does the Holy Spirit do?
⁃ Why are some afraid of the Holy Spirit?

Let us consider:
Is the Holy Spirit a "Force" or a "Person"

Marks of Personality:
⁃ Intellect
⁃ Emotion
⁃ Will
Are these evident in the Holy Spirit? Let's look in the Bible and see what we find, as there is so much confusion about the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit
⁃ Speaks - Acts 13:20 (….the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
⁃ Forbids certain things - Acts 16:6-7 (….having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching….but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to."
⁃ Guides - gives direction - John 16:13 Jesus says, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth…."
⁃ Teaches - John 14:26 Jesus says, "but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my team, will teach you all things…."
⁃ Helps - John 14:16-17 Jesus says, "And I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever, the Spirit of truth….."
⁃ Predicts - insight and prophetic revelation - Acts 21:11 "Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" And this is something that did happen to Paul.
⁃ Can Be Lied to - Acts 5:3-4 The story of Ananias and Sepphira selling property. Peter says, "Ananias how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit ….. You have not lied just to human beings but to God."
⁃ Can be Grieved - disappointed by our behavior or when we do not listen to God - Ephesians 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holt Spirit of God…"
⁃ Intercedes for us - he prays - Romans 8:27 "And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God."
⁃ Testifies - bears witness to Jesus and makes Jesus known - John 15:26 Jesus says, "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about the Me." The Holy Spirit testifies to who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. The Holy Spirit testifies to each one of us that Jesus is our only Hope, and our Messiah.

Back to the question of why be afraid of the Holy Spirit?
Father - Son - Spirit = three in One.
The Holy Spirit is real and is part of the essence of the One True Living God. And Holy Spirit desires to move in power in our lives and desires that we experience a real and personal relationship with Him. It is only in the Living God that we have life forever.

Pastor closes with: The Father gives the Holy Spirit to those that ask Him. That's a promise for each one of us.(Luke 11:13 "…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!")

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Pastor opens today's class with the words from Psalm 135:15-18 "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." We will see the truth of these words in today's study.

Elijah' Days: Most of this prophet's ministry was during the height of King Ahab in the north in Israel and King Jehoshaphat in the south in Judah. His name, Elijah, is even prophetic. In Hebrew it literally means, my God is Jehovah.

⁃ A time of great apostasy - under Ahab and Jezebel there was an attempt to get rid of any semblance of worship of the Living God and to supplant God with the worship of Baal.
⁃ A prophet of great faith (Elijah)
⁃ A man of insignificance (very little is know about him, was he even an Israelite?)
⁃ A time of great danger for believers. Ahab and Jezebel sought to destroy God's prophets.
⁃ A ministry of great impact

Elijah's ministry is recorded in
1 Kings 17-19, 21
2 Kings 1-2
2 Chronicles 21

Elijah's Ministry:
⁃ Prediction and Provision (1 Kings 17) Elijah speaks that there will not be rain or dew for the next few years. This is a direct attack on King Ahab's gods. And the drought begins. Elijah goes into hiding. There are some great stories of God's miraculous provision for Elijah during the famine.
⁃ Contest at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18-19) God tells Elijah 3 years after the drought started that he was to go to Ahab and tell him that God would send rain. Elijah confronts Ahab about abandoning God and says for Ahab and his people and 850 prophets of Baal to meet him, a prophet of God, at Mt. Carmel and offers them the choice to follow God or Baal. Elijah is severely outnumbered against 850 false prophets, but the contest begins.
⁃ The Contest - those prophets worshiping Baal were told to pray to Baal for Baal to bring fire onto their altar, but it never comes. Elijah then builds his altar of 12 stones (1 for each tribe of Israel), slaughters the bull and then covers the altar in water and at 3pm he prays to God and the fire of the Lord falls on Elijah's altar. When the people see this they fall and cry out, "The Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God!" They destroy the false prophets, and the rains start falling.
⁃ The Aftermath - Elijah runs to Jezreel (the summer palace) where Jezebel threatens him saying she is going to ensure he is killed. Elijah becomes fearful and runs for his life. He hides in the wilderness and becomes very discouraged and depressed. He tells God that he's had enough, and to take his life. Then an angel of the Lord comes and tells him to head to Mt. Sinai where the Lord will appear to him.

Join us next week as we continue our study of Elijah!

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A study on how God uses opposition, and how to handle it. Pastor teaches us to deal with opposition through the applied truths found in the Bible. These words of God will encourage, build up, and carry us through our times of opposition!

A study of the story of Stephen, a man who understood the truth of Jesus and experienced the consequences of speaking the wisdom the Holy Spirit gave him. God is calling us today to have the faith of Stephen, to follow the Lord Jesus, to be faithful, to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and to speak God's truth in love.

Pastor examines the statement "I'm not a Christian because of all the hypocrites." Hypocrisy is play acting that one has faith, rather than having genuine faith. In this message, we see a tragic example of hypocrisy in contrast to an example of bold faithfulness. The lesson of this story is to take God seriously. It is not about having a little religion, but rather a lifetime commitment to a loving God who gives life and forgiveness to all who repent and believe in Jesus.

Peter and John were bold witnesses of the power and authority of Jesus. It is in Jesus' name alone that we find Salvation. Peter and John's courage in telling others about Jesus astonished others, and the people noted that Peter and John had been with Jesus, eyewitnesses that had spent time with Him. We, too, can spend time with Jesus and get to know Him like Peter and John did.

In the midst of cultural lunacy, craziness, confusion and deception, how are Christians to live? (Hint: It's not through a mindset of judgement.) Pastor points us to a heart of devotion and encourages us to submit ourselves to the authority of God's word, to seek an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, to be a people of prayer, to pray for God to open people's hearts and minds, and to pray for awaking and transformation.