The Acts of The Holy Spirit

Mike Hosey, Elder

The Book of Acts is usually referred to as the Acts of the Apostles.  But a few older preachers will refer to it as the Acts of the Holy Spirit. The older preachers are probably more accurate.  The acts of the Apostles, after all, were the result of the Holy Spirit guiding them and moving them through the world to do the will of God, and not their own fleshly will.

For instance, take a look at what Jesus tells the disciples about the Holy Spirit right before He ascended to Heaven (Acts 1:8).  He told them that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit, and that they would be witnesses for Jesus to the ends of the earth. Amazingly, in the very next chapter, the Holy Spirit descends on a group of disciples, and they begin to speak in other earthly languages (Acts 2:5-12).  A group of God fearing Jews from all over the world (and some not so God fearing) approach this cacophony of languages. And each person that approached heard in their own native tongue, what was being spoken by the believers.  What Jesus said was going to happen WAS happening!  They were taking the gospel to the ends of the earth in that very moment that those believers received the Spirit.  The will of God was being done!

But the Holy Spirit does so much more.  The Holy Spirit changes us so that we will willingly do what God wants us to do.  He gets in our heart, changes it to desire Godly things, and we begin to do those things because we want to do them, and not because we’re forced to do them by some external law or pressure. Instead, we do them out of an internal motivation.

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22-26 that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control. He tells us that against such things there is no law.   A fruit is something produced.  When you have the Holy Spirit in you, you begin to produce those things from an internal place!  And when you are producing those things, you will do the will of God by taking His good news wherever you go!  So in a sense, the Acts of the Holy Spirit will be happening through you!