The Action in Acts

Mike Hosey, Elder

The book of Acts is one of the most popular sections of scripture in the Bible. In fact, of all 66 books of the Bible, Acts ranks as #10.  It’s pretty easy to see why.  Acts is a book of action.  From the first chapter to the last, there are stories of amazing motion from the early foundational days of the church. Central to the story is the character of the Holy Spirit.  He appears early on in the book, and it is He who moves things along to accomplish God’s purposes on earth.

There are some interesting things about the Holy Spirit that we learn in Acts.  Consider these three things:

1) The Holy Spirit EMBOLDENS people for service to God:  Take a look at Peter.  Just before Jesus is crucified, Peter fearfully denies Him three times (John 18:15-27). But after the Holy Spirit touches him in the Book of Acts, Peter becomes exceedingly bold, preaching a sermon on the proofs of the Lordship of Jesus.  He sums up his sermon by openly proclaiming to the religious leaders who had just murdered Jesus for His claims, that they had, in fact, murdered both their Lord, and the anointed Son of God (Acts 2:36).

2) The Holy Spirit ENLIVENS the word of God: When Peter had finished his Holy Spirit inspired sermon, which was filled with direct quotations from the word of God, and which also became the word of God, the people were pierced to the center of their being (Acts 2:37). It put them in a state of immediately wanting to serve! And it’s no wonder that this happened.  Afterall, because of the Holy Spirit, the word of God is ALIVE and sharper than a two edged sword, and judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)!

3) The Holy Spirit causes even the least to PROCLAIM God’s Truth:

Take notice of Peter’s sermon once more.  He quotes from the Old Testament book of Joel which decrees that even slaves will proclaim the truth of God to the world (Acts 2:18) in the last days.

So if you want to be emboldened, with an enlivened sense of the Word, and an effective proclamation of the truth, then submit yourself to Jesus, and God will give you a very great gift (Acts 2:38).

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!

Forgiveness Takes Strength of Character

Mike Hosey, Elder

Mahatma Gandhi, who was not a Christian, had a good grip on the Christian concept of forgiveness. Describing the character of one who forgives, he once noted that, “The weak can never forgive.  Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.”  Even though he didn’t know Jesus, Gandhi recognized the Christian truth that forgiveness is a decision that takes strength of character.  Those of us who are Christian know that such strength of character comes from knowing Jesus, and the spiritual power He gives. The person who does not know Jesus must draw from his own will power a resistance to hatred, anger, pride, and bitterness.   The person who knows Jesus draws from an infinite well of spiritual and character strengthening power (Philippians 4:13)

This strengthening power comes to us directly through the Holy Spirit, and indirectly through our knowledge of the word.  The more Holy Spirit we allow in our lives, and the more we know God’s word, the more strength we will have.

So how do we have the strength to forgive? Well, here are some tips:

Recognize that WE were in need of forgiveness: Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:1-7 that God forgave us even though we were objects of anger and wrath. 

Recognize that WE did not deserve that forgiveness: In that passage above, God gave us forgiveness even though we didn’t deserve it.  That’s what the word “grace” in that verse means.  It means “unmerited favor.”

Recognize that WE are COMMANDED to forgive like Christ forgave:  Paul tells us to forgive like Christ did in Ephesians 4:32. And the same truth is taught in Colossians 3:13.

Get rid of anger, malice and bitterness: Paul precedes his command to forgive with a command to get rid of those things (Ephesians 4:31). Paul knew that getting rid of those things would make forgiving easier, because we’d be working from a place of spiritual fruit.  Compare and contrast Galatians 5:19-21, and Galatians 5:23-25.

Making Decisions Easier

Mike Hosey, Elder

Every serious adult knows how hard it can be to make a decision at times.  All of us have been in that place of paralysis where we are afraid to make a decision, because, frankly, we know that all decisions have consequences. We are either paralyzed by a fear of the bad consequences of a decision in which there seems to be no good options, or we are paralyzed by a fear of missing out on good or better consequences if we choose the wrong option.

And therein sits the key to a lot of decision making – realizing that decision making is simply the act of choosing between options. Roy E. Disney, the late Walt Disney Company billionaire once made a great observation about this.  He said, “When your values are clear, making decisions becomes a lot easier.”

By Obsidian Soul via Wikimedia Commons

Think about his observation for a moment. Most Christians don’t have a problem making a decision about whether or not to steal – even in times of great need.  This is because our value system says stealing is wrong, and so the decision to not steal is easier because we ultimately make all of our choices based on what we value.  Since we value pleasing God, we try to avoid decisions that displease him. We are even willing to suffer the pain of want and poverty, over the pain of a troubled conscience.

Therefore, one of the first steps in making a good decision is defining the choice.  Is this choice a moral or spiritual choice or a non-moral choice? Once the choice is defined in those terms it becomes much easier to apply your value system to it.  It also becomes easier to search the wisdom of the Bible, the wisdom of your church community, as well as to pray (and to listen) for guidance.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us this very thing.  Essentially, that passage says to trust in the Lord with all of our heart, to acknowledge him in all of our ways, and to not lean on our own understanding, and He will make straight our paths. In other words, applying God’s value system to all our problems will guide you on the right path.

How We Keep Our Light Lit

Mike Hosey, Elder

The truth is a strange thing. It is both loved and hated. We see it exalted in our literature and in our laws, inscribed on our buildings, and studied in our philosophies.  We often celebrate it, but we often hate it, and shy away from it as well. For those who are willing to open their eyes, it is a light in a dark world.

And it has always been this way.

Consider the reaction of the Jews, and some of the disciples in John, chapter 6.  Here, Jesus describes himself as the bread that came from Heaven (John 6:33-38, John 6:58-59).  In both these instances, Jesus’ teaching was met by grumbling. The first grumblings were from the Jews in general (John 6:41).  This group was probably comprised of religious leaders, as well as common people mired in the traditions of the Jewish religion.  It was just too hard for them to believe that a local boy with local parents could be a powerful prophet, savior, or king.

The second grumblings were from people who said they followed Jesus (John 6:61)! But they weren’t really followers of Jesus at all.  They did not value the same things that Jesus valued, and had an interest in things other than spiritual transformation. When the hard teachings of Jesus came, they left Him, and no longer walked in His way (John 6:66).  They simply could not bear (or stomach) the truth. Their departure was a kind of evidence against their genuineness (1 John 2:19).

Unfortunately, that’s what truth does to us when our heart is not right.  It repels us.  So how do we protect ourselves from the same errors as those Jews and disciples?  As a body of believers, we must discipline ourselves to love the truth. We commit ourselves to the truth, and submit to it always. And since Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) we should be sure to recognize Him and love Him for who He is.  If we don’t commit ourselves to Him and worship Him in a personal and real way, we could lose our light as a church (Revelations 2:4-5).  And if that happens, Alachua and High Springs would be a bit darker.  So, too, would Haiti, the Philippines, India and Pakistan!