#10a (Acts
4:23-31) The Provision of the Spirit (A Follow-up)
[Editor's Note: In response to the previous study one of the students wrote with some observations and questions. The student's comments are in blue.]
> Pastor Buddy,
>
> If I am understanding what you are saying in this lesson, it is not
> only that these Apostles had been with Christ, and filled with the
Holy
> Spirit; it is also because of the knowledge of God's Word that they
> were imbued with power?
Absolutely. If you recall the Lord Himself had opened their minds to
understand
the Scriptures. It says, " Then beginning with Moses and with all the
prophets,
He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the
Scriptures." (Luke
24:27)
It is not enough to say that we are Spirit-filled believers. If we are
without
proper knowledge of the Word, our ability to minister the things of the
Lord
will be hampered. This is why ignorance in the pulpit can cause a lot of
damage.
(Regardless of good intentions.)
> This knowledge of the Holy Writ combined
with the gift of the Holy
> Spirit granted them (and us) to be able to speak of God's word with
> boldness relating to Jesus and God's eternal work through him?
You are correct. And this is why the apostles were so concerned with
the study
of Scripture. We will get into this in a later study,
> I am not asking this because of any doubt,
but because I want to
> understand how "Hebraic" methods also apply to us today
because of
> these who have gone before us in Christ.
You may have heard me say that God's ancient people considered the
study of
Torah to be the highest form of worship. This is where our western mind
set can
be a hindrance. We tend to study for the purpose of scholastics, or to
brace up
what we want to believe. They on the other hand studied to draw near to
God.
There is a vast difference.
> I have always believed that the Psalms were
a means by which I could
> express myself to God in prayer. I later learned that there were many
> Psalms written that had been put to music in English and other
> languages as well. The way that you express the "Hebraic"
use of
> Psalms to express the life of Christ as an affirmation of Jewishness
is
> an approach that I had never seriously considered; in spite of the
fact
> I have actually taken many of them to "heart".
Jeff, take it to heart. This is an important principle in learning to
think
properly.
When we began Christian Challenge in 1976, my wife and I, and our three
children
lived in home that was quite small. (We rented. $75 a month.) The house
was off
the ground, and when it rained, we had a healthy leak in one of the
bedrooms.
The one thing we had going for us was a stewardship from the Lord. That
was
without question.
After retiring one evening, I was unable to sleep. I felt the Lord
wanted to
speak to me. So I picked up my Bible, went to our kitchen table and sat
down. My
Bible opened to Psalms. That's when the Lord began to explain the purpose
of that
book. And that is why Psalms is my favorite book to this day. Psalms
teaches us
how to think. It is filled with God's promises, prophecies, providences,
praises, and provisions. (Psalms is quoted more in the New Testament than
any
Old Testament book.)
Example: Look at Psalm
110. It lays out redemption history, from the first to
the second coming of Jesus. It is the most quoted Psalm in the New
Testament.
Another example is Psalms
22, 23,
and 24.
These three Psalms go together. Psalm
22 is the Psalm of the Cross, and it projects itself across history. Psalm
23 is
the Psalm of the Shepherd walk. (It's about Jesus.) Psalm
24 is the Psalm of the
millennium. (Awesome, no!)
> > In verses 26-27, the believers quote
from Psalm 2. What I would like
> > now is for you to see this Psalm in its entirety. In it you will
see
> > the first and second coming of Jesus, and a great many other
things.
> > Take time to meditate on it:
>
> This was so very rich! Thank you for expounding Psalm 2 for us!
See what I mean? Jeff let your heart be drawn to the book of Psalms.
There is
prophecy in that book yet to be discovered. Its not hidden from you. It is
hidden for you. (I don't mean to limit your reading to Psalms. All God's
books
are filled with insight and wisdom.)
> This reminds me of that old Gospel song
"Standing on the Promises of
> Christ my King. Through eternal ages let His praises sing. Glory in
> the highest I will shout and sing. Standing on the promises of
God."
> It might not be a Psalm, but it certainly bears the spirit of one.
I love that old song. It isn't a Psalm, but it is a hymn of praise. Its
included
in the Ephesians
5:19 emphasis on living a Spirit-filled life.
> Would it not be true that WE are somewhere
in the "middle era" between
> the beginning and fufillment of this "New Covenant" that
Christ ushered
> in by his completed work of the cross?
I believe we are at the concluding time of the Church age as we know
it. Keep
your eyes on Israel and Jerusalem. All prophecy eventually leads to
Jerusalem.
> Would this not be true regardless of
anyone's individual stand on
> eschatology?
Yes.
> I notice here that they do not simply
"parrot" the "Lord's Prayer".
> Would this not be a "classic" example of "praying in
the spirit"?
Absolutely again. Praying in the Spirit simply means to pray under the
auspices
of the Spirit. There is no better way to do this than by learning to pray
in
agreement with God's Word of truth.
As for 'parroting' the Lord's prayer, the Lord taught against vain
repetitions,
and the use of empty words. The Lord's prayer is actually a Davidic
prayer. It
is very Hebraic.
Here is an interesting thought. The ancients taught that the way to put
on the
Kingdom of God each morning was to pray, 'Sh'ma Yisrael, Yahweh
Elohainu, Yahweh
echad.' (Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Later Jews
put Adonai in the place of Yhwh, so as not to pronounce God's name.)
When they said, "Hear, O Israel," it was an affirmation of
Israel's faith. But
there was a play on this. They also believed they were telling Jacob that
His
God is their God. (Not that they were speaking directly to Jacob.) Does
this say
anything to the Christian? Yes. You can do the same thing.
Listen to Paul: "For us there is but one God, the Father, from
whom are all
things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all
things,
and we exist through Him." (1Co8:6)
> Thanks for these lessons! My Mother is now
reading these lessons
> too. I copy them and then enlarge the print so that she can
> appreciate this most wonderful study too. She's got a lot of catch up
> to do, but she is very excited about this study of Acts.
Jeff, its a double blessing to know that your mother is finding these
studies
interesting. Please extend to her my deepest regard.
Previous: #10 (Acts 4:23-31) The Provision of the Spirit
Next: #11 (Acts 4:32-37) Sharing From The Heart
This study on
Acts was originally part of a
series on the book of Acts given to members of
Hebraic Foundations from July 10, 2002 through January 19, 2003.
They were written by Pastor Buddy Martin, Founder and Senior Pastor of
Christian Challenge International.
|