Holy Spirit

Verse
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 6:5 esv

Thought
At this crucial moment in the life of the early church, the people joined together to look for leaders to help take care of the needy widows among them. While the task appears to be a "physical" task — taking care of hungry widows — the men...

 

Verse
"And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility."

— Acts 6:3 nlt

Thought
Almost every religion defines spirituality a little bit differently. However, a follower of Christ defines authentic spirituality based upon a person having the Holy Spirit living within them. A leader among Jesus' followers is a person who is well respected and who is full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. This is what...

 

Verse
"The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him."

— Acts 5:30-32 nlt

Thought
An incredible amount of truth is compacted into these few verses. In SpiritFire today, we...

 

Verse

And Peter said, "How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too."

— Acts 5:9 nlt

Thought

There is no conspiracy theory in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. This IS conspiracy. However, Peter puts their sin of conspiracy into the context of testing the Holy Spirit. They apparently presumed that the Holy Spirit was either not at work in...

 

Verse

Peter said, "Ananias, how did Satan get you to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of the price of the field?"

— Acts 5:3 msg

Thought

This verse comes from the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). They had taken proceeds from the sale of their land and gave it to the apostles. They apparently conspired to make it seem that they gave the whole amount, but kept back part for themselves — a premeditated lie to make themselves look good. The fact that they...

 

Verse

After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

— Acts 4:31 nlt

Thought

When I read the prayer these threatened, early followers of Jesus prayed (Acts 4:23-31), I am touched by several things. First, they acknowledge the sovereignty and power of God. Second, they recognize that the situation they face is the fulfillment of prophecy — they are where they are supposed to be, doing what...

 

Verse

"You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?'"

— Acts 4:25 tniv

Thought

Peter proclaims that what is happening in his day is what God had spoken through his servant David, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The violence and opposition that the early followers of Jesus were facing were not a surprise. They were expected. They were anticipated. They were prophesied years...

 

Verse

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people!"

— Acts 4:8 tniv

Thought

Not only did Jesus pour out the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, but the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to speak the message of God's grace and truth to the people. We must not underestimate the incredible truth that this simple verse proclaims. Just as God spoke through the prophets in ages gone by, God spoke through Peter and the apostles to reveal his will and...

 

Verse

And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."

— Acts 2:38-39 esv

Thought

The promised gift of the new movement of God prophesied in Scripture is the Holy Spirit. We often focus on the forgiveness of our sins, and clearly...

 

Verse
"In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants — men and women alike — and they will prophesy."

— Acts 2:18 nlt

Thought
Luke emphasizes that the coming of the Holy Spirit wasn't to just a select few leaders for a limited period of time (also see yesterday's thought and Acts 2:17). When the Holy Spirit came and began the "last days" era of God's work, the Spirit came to all people — young and old, men and women. All of God's servants have the powerful presence of...