Holy Spirit

Verse
When his [Paul's]  friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town [Jerusalem], took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus. Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country — Judea, Samaria, Galilee — the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully.

— Acts 9:30-31 MESSAGE

Thought
I love the sentence...

 

Verse
So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

— Acts 9:17 MESSAGE

Thought
Acts 9 tells the story of the church's greatest enemy becoming one of its most passionate leaders. No one could have expected this complete turnaround to happen, especially not Saul of Tarsus. (Saul later becomes known as the...

 

Verse
Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

— Acts 8:38-40 NIV

Thought
When the Holy Spirit leads and guides God's servants, people come to Christ with great joy. Then the Holy...

 

Verse
The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot [carrying an Ethiopian official]  and stay near it."

— Acts 8:29 NIV

Thought
As in a previous Key Thought section, we are reminded again that reaching the ends of the earth with the good news of Jesus is the Holy Spirit's work. Throughout the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit inspires, convicts, empowers, emboldens, directs, guides, and leads God's servants in sharing the story of Jesus in much of the Roman Empire. In the book of...

 

Verse
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."


Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God."

— Acts 8:18-21 NIV

Thought
Simon's callous disregard for the...

 

Verse
When the apostles in Jerusalem received the report that Samaria had accepted God's Message, they sent Peter and John down to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit. Up to this point they had only been baptized in the name of the Master Jesus; the Holy Spirit hadn't yet fallen on them. Then the apostles laid their hands on them and they did receive the Holy Spirit.

— Acts 8:14-17 MESSAGE

Thought
Jesus promised his closest followers that the Holy Spirit would empower them to...

 

Verse
[Just before Stephen was stoned:]  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand.

— Acts 7:55 NLT

Thought
Stephen had been chosen to serve widows because he was full of the Spirit. He had spoken the truth of Jesus in the face of great hostility by the power of the Spirit. He had warned those who opposed his words not to resist the Spirit like their ancestors...

 

Verse
[Stephen, in his defense before the Sanhedrin:]  "You stubborn people! You are heathens at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you!"

— Acts 7:51 NLT

Thought
Stephen was empowered by the Holy Spirit and spoke with wisdom. He knew that there was great opposition to the Jesus he proclaimed and the truth that he spoke. He also knew that this kind of opposition was nothing new. God's own people had...

 

Verse
None of them [the people arguing with Stephen]  could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

— Acts 6:10 NLT

Thought
Stephen had been selected as one of the seven special servants of the church in Jerusalem to help make sure the widows were given the proper care. He was chosen because he was full of the Holy Spirit, faith, and wisdom. The Holy Spirit within him not only helped him in his service to the widows, but the Spirit also empowered him...

 

Verse
[The apostles to the church in Jerusalem concerning ministering to the widows:] "Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty." ... And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.

— Acts 6:3 ESV, Acts 6:5 ESV...