This week’s teaching shows us the importance of growth in faith.

Today’s scripture is on the story of Paul’s mission work in the city of Ephesus. As he begins to meet people he asks several believers if they received the Holy Spirit when they came to faith in Jesus. Their response was no, that they had never heard of the Holy Spirit. 

Sadly, this is much the condition of the christian church in America today. The Holy Spirit has often been ignored. 

Paul learns that the Christians there had received John’s baptism. They had heard the teachings of John the Baptist and had been baptized in a baptism of repentance. Paul taught them that the One (Jesus) that John had predicted was coming was here and this was Jesus. John had said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Paul fills them in on Jesus, the one John had said was coming. So after hearing this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues.

Today speaking in tongues has become very controversial. How do we deal with spiritual gifts? 

Spiritual Gifts 

• Expired – A view that many have is that these once were, but have now ended with the end of the apostles and the end of the New Testament. But the TRUTH is that there is NO expiration on the gifs of the Spirit. We are to earnestly desire the gift of the Spirit. (1 Corinthian 12 and 14) And Jesus says in Luke 11:13 “…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” There is nothing in the New Testament to indicate that these gifts have expired. 

• Everyone – People say everyone has to have the same gifts or we all have to have the gift of speaking in tongues and yet the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says that the Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different believers, that not all have the same gifts. 

• Eliminate – Many desire the gifts of the Spirit be eliminated because they are controversial. This attitude is basically trifling with the gifts of God and in effect encourages the church to remain weak and spiritually deficient. However, Paul says to earnestly desire the gifts and don’t forbid speaking in tongues. We need to take to heart what Paul says. 

The gifts aren’t badges to impress others with our spirituality, but they are gifts from the Holy Spirit given to build up the body of Christ, encourage believers and to empower us to carry out the work God has given us to do. 

These opening verses of Chapter 19 of Acts – while controversial – show us that the gifts are still very important and require us to take a look at what the Bible actually says about them. We need to make sure we are allowing the scriptures to guide us rather than our own prejudices, our own practices and our own jealousies. 

As we continue looking at more of Paul’s work in Ephesus where he spent around 3 years, we discover more that we can learn. 

In the synagogue, Paul spoke out boldly about the kingdom of God, but after 3 months, individuals refused to believe and began to publicly malign the teachings on Jesus the Messiah. So Pal moves from teaching in the synagogue to teaching daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus for the next two years so that all the Jews and Gentiles who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the God. 

Paul was a tireless worker for the Lord, but what was it that he shared with the people of Ephesus? We can discover the answer to this in his epistle/letter to the Ephesians. 

The Book of Ephesians 

• Messiah – Firstly, Paul concentrated on sharing the Good News of Jesus the Messiah and that through Him we receive every spiritual blessing, we come to know the deep love of Jesus, that we are saved by grace, and to know the fullness of God. 

• Maturity – Paul encourages us to grow in our faith, in our knowledge and love of Jesus our Savior. He shares how to not grieve the Spirit of God through impurity, but instead to grow in fellowship with God and to be filled with the Spirit. Paul also teaches to always give thanks for everything and to put on the full armor of God.

In summary of today’s text, Christ is to be in the center of our lives and we are to grow up in our relationship with Him. This is God’s desire for His children. 

We do not want to hold to a form of religion and deny it real power.

• We want to hear the Holy Spirit’s testimony
• We want to respond to what the Word of God has to say
• We want to live in a dynamic relationship with Jesus, that we might not only be blessed by Him but may be used by Him to be a blessing for others

The Gospel message of Jesus transforms! It has POWER! We encourage you to read the book of Ephesians.

Scripture: Acts 19:1-10 and 2 Peter 3:18

 

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Luke 1:1-25.

Today we begin a study of the Gospel of Luke with a look at Zechariah who was a devout man who thought he was prepared to meet the Living God – but reacted with fear and doubt when God showed up. God graciously gave him a second chance to respond with faith, and extends that same grace to us when we falter and fail. This story of Zechariah is a story that still speaks to us today.

There are lessons to learn from this story
– All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness so that we can be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
– God wants us to KNOW HIM not just know about him.
– When we read the scriptures God desires that we not only look at it and say, “what happened?” He desires that we look at the story and say, “What does this say to me today?”

In examining what this story has to do with us today, we start by going through what we know about Zechariah:
1. He was a devout priest
2. He was praying
3. He knew this was from God
4. He knew the Scriptures

As Zechariah was met by the angel of the Lord as he did the priestly duties that day, when He actually had an encounter with the Angel of the Lord he had a difficult time accepting what he was told. At the root of his doubt was Zechariah’s desire to have God fit into his personal perception of who God was and how God should talk to him and what God should do. Basically, Zechariah wanted to make God conform to what he desired rather than allowing God to be who He is and to speak directly into his life.

What God desires to do is reveal Himself to us, rather than have us go along with our own personal perception of Him. We try to put God into a box, like Zechariah did, and to contain God, but God says, “NO!” And He reveals His true self to us. He reveals who He is.

God desires we come to Him in humility, repentant in spirit and willing to receive what He gives and that means that we accept one of the most important truths that anyone can know and act on and that is:
– God is god and we are not
– God is god and I am not

God is:
Supernatural
All powerful
Present everywhere
And when He speaks he means it!
His Word is true and it can be trusted!

We have been made in the image of a Holy God and we owe Him everything:
– My life
– My future
– My family
– My wealth
– My daily activities

We must not underestimate God. Zechariah heard great news that day from the angel and he just could not accept what God was saying. Zechariah made one of the biggest mistakes of his life and underestimated God. He said, “How can this be?” Because in his mind it just did not seem possible. BUT with God NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

Divine Promises brought to Zechariah by the Angel of the Lord:
– Fear not!
– Answered prayers
– Good News of joy
– Holy Spirit outpouring
– Repentance and return
– Power
– Awakening

Zechariah thought he was too old to receive what the Lord was giving him, but we are NEVER too old for any of the good things of God!!!

God seeks to build a trusting faith in each of us that causes us to acknowledge, “I am the Lord’s servant and I will do what He says.”

Zechariah missed the boat that day, but God still came through and He took Zechariah’s doubts and reluctance and He brought it all about for His glory and Zechariah’s good.

God is faithful. He keeps His Word!

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St. Luke’s Account is part three of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. The Gospel of Luke takes a look at the life of Jesus, beginning with the well-known Christmas stories. Luke, a non-Jew, offers a unique perspective into the story of Jesus’ life.

This study is great for large group. small group or home group Bible study.

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This teaching is from Matthew 21:10-23 and continues a study of Holy Week – Jesus’ final week before His resurrection.

In today’s story, people recognized Jesus as a prophet, but He was much more than a prophet! Over the next few weeks we will be exploring: The heart of the Gospel as the heart of God’s message of salvation, and that message is at the heart of who Jesus is. Let’s dig into what that means for us.

Following Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, in today’s text picks up with Jesus entering the temple courts and how he drives out all who were buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. Jesus says, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.”

Pastor shares the perspective that this is the second tine Jesus cleansed the temple, the first was at the beginning of His teaching ministry and the account in Matthew brings the second time Jesus does this.

Pastor talks in detail about the temple at this time: size, construction and the courts on the sides of the temple allowed possibly as many as 200,000 people to worship at the temple.

Following the overturning of the tables in the temple court, the blind and lame came to Jesus and he healed them and children were singing hosannas. But this angered the priest and teachers of the law, revealing their spiritual blindness and arrogance.

Jesus desires that heir minds would be opened and that these leaders would be accept Him for who He is. He desires that we all come to Him in humility and genuine worship.

Jesus then leaves the temple and heads to Bethany for the night. Everything the scriptures have predicted is about to take place…

Today’s teaching closes with the story of the cursed fig tree. What does this story tell us? Was Jesus just in a bad mood? Was he ‘hangry?” No, there is much to learn from this story, here’s how it goes.

Jesus is hungry. He goes to a fig tree to pick fruit but there’s nothing on it except leaves. But it wasn’t the season for figs! Didn’t Jesus know this?

Here’s what we do know: Prior to the season for figs to come on a tree there are small nubs that grow on the tree called paggim. They are edible – but there aren’t even any paggim on this tree. All Jesus finds are leaves.

It’s then that Jesus says, “May you never bear fruit again!” The fig tree is a symbol for Israel, the fig tree is often used as a representation of the children of Israel. And Adam and Eve, after the fall, were clothed in fig leaves.

So the fig tree is a reminder of human sin, Genesis 3, but also a reminder of the nation of Israel especially its leaders.

What Jesus sees as he looks at this tree is that it looks like a great tree but it has no fruit. This is a prophetic judgement on the leadership of Jesus’ day – it is also a clarion call to us to take seriously the things of God!

What God desires is that we don’t just “look good” on the outside, He desires that we bear fruit!

Jesus tells us throughout His ministry that if we continue in His word we will bear fruit. We’re not saved by our fruit production but because we are saved, we will produce the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control so that others are drawn to Jesus.

We don’t want our lives to be all for show – we want to produce fruit!

Jesus goes on to let us know we can trust God to hear and heed our prayers and that we can, with confidence, do the work He has called us to do: on our knees, praying and believing what Jesus says, “You will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

We can ask anything according to His will – He hears and answers!

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