Monday, September 4, 2023

Acts 18:24–28 Baptism of Holy Spirit


Grace…God’s gift to mankind in the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord and Messiah, Jesus Christ. He took on the sins of the world. His salvation is a priceless gift that we could never earn. 


The Baptism of Holy Spirit, which Jesus give us, transports us into the realm of God and changes everything. Precept by precept His fruit is shown in our life. 


We tell others of this amazing grace given to us but Holy Spirit takes the seed we plant and waters it. But He will never enter where He is not ask in. 


1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.


As Pastor RonGrubb would say “we don’t need more of Holy Spirit He needs more of us”. His fullness  lives in us we just need to give Him more space and time to work in our life.


Faith in our salvation is our hope and it pleases God that we trust in Him alone. 


Pneuma hagion is the power of Holy Spirit in our life.


Because of God's sovereignty and His faithfulness to His promises, we can trust Him with our every need, whether big, small, personal or global. 


He gives strength, protection, provision and blessing (Psalm 37:23-26). He preserves His people and will never forsake them (Psalm 37:28). He promises salvation, deliverance, refuge and a peaceful future for those who trust in Him (Psalm 37:37-40). When we place our burdens in His hands, we do so knowing that He will keep every promise He's made to bless, protect, provide and care for us. 


First Peter 1:3-5 says that those who have been born again by God's mercy have a living hope and heavenly inheritance. This inheritance was secured through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and is given to all who trust in Him. God's gracious gifts to us include redemption through Christ's blood, forgiveness of our sins, adoption as His children, guidance from His Holy Spirit, and assurance of an eternal home with Him in glory (Ephesians 1:3-14). First5 


To sit still is to practice Sabbath–meaning literally, to quit.
To stop. To savor uncluttered time.
To be gentle with yourself.
And yes, to waste time with God. SabbathMoments 


If you could benefit from a tale of God’s unending, unbending, unswerving faithfulness…

Then the story of Jacob is what you need.

In Exodus 3:15 God said to Moses, “…The Lord is the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…” God used Jacob in spite of Jacob. Period.

The word for such devotion? Grace. Grace came after Jacob. Grace found him in the desert. Grace protected him when he lived in exile. Grace wrestled him to the ground and blessed him.


Do you know such grace? God never gives up on you. Max Lucado


Acts 18:24–28

24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. The New King James Version


Although he was Jewish, Apollos was probably knowledgeable in other customs since he came from a major Roman city where Jews were more influenced by Graeco-Roman culture than they were in Judaea and the nearby regions. This Roman province, across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus, includes Corinth and Athens. Faithlife Study Bible


This Jew with a Greek name was from the second largest city in the Roman Empire. Alexandria was a seaport on the northern coast of Egypt. Founded by Alexander the Great, the city was very cosmopolitan. Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks all lived there; over a quarter of the population was Jewish. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures had been produced in that city about 150 years before the birth of Jesus. The city was famous for its great library and was considered the cultural and educational center of the world. 


John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. John’s followers had scattered throughout Asia Minor and into Egypt. Apollos was a disciple of John the Baptist. Apparently he did not know about the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit.   

Paul vigorously refuted the Jews. Many of the believers in Corinth were Gentiles and were easy targets for opponents who knew the Hebrew Scriptures. However, the arguments of these Jews did not stand up against the brilliance of Apollos, the new Jewish Christian apologist. The NKJV Study Bible


Acts 18:5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.


1 Corinthians 1:12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”








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