CENTRAL THOUGHT
¬ Genuine proof of empowerment is seen in life and ministry.
TEXT: ACTS 1:1-8; ISA. 11:1-5; JOEL 2:28-29; GAL. 5:22-25
INTRODUCTION:
After the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, He commanded His disciples to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). In Acts 1, He tells them how they will receive enablement for the task. It is very instructive to note that in Acts 1:1-8, while the questions on the minds of the disciples after the resurrection of Christ concerned the restoration of the kingdom of Israel (and their possible political and economic elevation as individuals), the Lord’s interests were very different. His last words to the disciples, before He physically ascended, captured what He wanted them, and us, to be busy with till He returns “… But ye shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth”.
The Lord showed that the focus of the church must continuously be outward, to the unreached regions of the world until the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has been preached to every creature. The twenty-eight chapters of the book of Acts document how the early church obeyed the Lord’s instructions and bore witness to Him from Jerusalem… to the Gentile nations that surrounded them. The Lord’s instructions clearly indicate that the church of Christ was not established to be preoccupied with herself, but to be witnesses to the unsaved wherever they are.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
- To examine the empowerment that is available to the believer
- To examine what it is intended for
- To examine the obstacles to genuine empowerment of believers
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1) WHO DID THE LORD REFER TO WHEN HE SAID “… YE…”? Acts 1:8
The people that the Lord referred to were committed to Him. They were people who had identified with Him over various periods of time and had demonstrated that they were disciples. The implication of this is that God’s promise of empowerment is only for people who have repented of their sins and decided to follow Jesus. The subsequent rejection and hardships the early disciples faced demonstrated the depth of commitment they had and that it was unconditional. On the other hand, for people who are not born again, He makes only one request of them: that they repent, so to not perish with the world!
QUESTION 2) HOW IS ONE EMPOWERED?
It is noteworthy that the Lord Jesus never spoke of empowerment in monetary and material terms. He also did not speak of it in terms of educational attainment or the number of disciples available. While these may be useful, they are not of primary importance in the kingdom of God. Rather, He stated, “… But ye shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…”. God’s work will not be necessarily better done by the more educated persons there are in the church or money they possess. Rather, God needs committed men, men and women sold out to Him and willing to do His will. When God finds such, as clearly demonstrated in the Acts of the Apostles, He takes care of the rest! Are you one of such?
The disciples were to receive power, divine enablement only after the Holy Spirit came upon them. They had spent three and a half years with Him before His death and resurrection, and forty days after. They heard sermons and numerous miracles, but the Lord knew it was not enough! The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the only source of power for a godly life and fruitful ministry. While the enablement of the Holy Spirit will result in the receipt and exercise of the gifts of the Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit does not make the Holy Spirit a servant, but the lord of the life baptized. The results of a fruitful life and ministry do not result from having much of the Holy Spirit, but from a function of how much control the Holy Spirit exercises over a life.
The class should discuss the ways individuals received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the following scriptures: Acts 9:17, 10:44-48.
QUESTION 3) WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE EMPOWERED?
To empower, in this context, means the provision of the enablement or resources to achieve set goals. Acts 1:8 shows that the Lord’s desire was for them to be “… witnesses unto me”. The best proof of genuine empowerment is demonstrating that you are identified with Jesus both in life and ministry. In life, this reflects in the fruit of the Spirit which presents a true picture of Christ’s likeness in every area of life (Gal. 5:22-25). In ministry, the demonstration of the guidance and power of the Spirit is the evidence of enablement; this is in contrast to service evidenced by craftiness and by human wisdom and strength.
The class should discuss how the disciples demonstrated divine enablement in following instances.”
a. The apostles in Acts 5:12-16
b. The early disciples in Acts 4:32-37
c. The church in Antioch in Acts 13:1-5
d. The conduct of the early apostles, elders, and brethren at the council in Jerusalem over circumcision in Acts 15:1-33
QUESTION 4) WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES TO THE BELIEVER LIVING A DIVINELY EMPOWERED LIFE?
The scriptures command the believer to be “… continually filled with the Holy Spirit”. In Ephesians 4:30, we are commanded not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom we are sealed for the day of redemption. A life of sin and disobedience and ignorance of God’s Word make it impossible for an individual to operate in divine empowerment and recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit on issues of life and ministry. The class should give other examples of the things that grieve the Holy Spirit and how to prevent or overcome them.
QUESTION 5) WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES TO THE LOCAL CHURCH MANIFESTING DIVINE EMPOWERMENT? (Matt. 20:27; Rev. 3:14-19)
The Holy Spirit is the Lord of the harvest and not individuals (Matt. 9:38). He alone knows who is best suited for different roles in the body of Christ and calls men and women to ministry. The local church is made up of individual believers, whose body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. This must be recognized by the persons that are privileged to be in different positions of leadership. He Holy Spirit, being the executor of the plans and purposed of the Godhead, will not serve the selfish ambitions of individuals. For the Holy Spirit to enable a church as He desires, the leaders must recognize their place and exercise caution in ensuring that their plans are guided by Him. They should demonstrate the fear of God both in their lives and service, knowing they are not called to be lords but will give account of their lives and service to God. When men take the place of the Holy Spirit, decisions are guided by human principle and selfish ambitions, division reigns. When appointments are based on sentiments, tribe or grounds of presumed loyalty, the Holy Spirit is grieved and withdraws. What is left of the church then is an organization going through the usual routines and seeking to keep up with the trends as in other churches.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
The Christian life cannot be lived by natural strength but by the continuous enablement of the Holy Spirit. Every believer who is genuinely born again should not delay in receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When this has occurred, continuous empowerment should be attained by living in obedience to the Word of God and not grieving the Holy Spirit. The local church must recognize the place of the Holy Spirit and submit to His guidance and empowerment continually. Only then can the church truly fulfill its purpose in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.
MEMORY VERSE:
ACTS 1:8A
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you”.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
MON: The promise of empowerment. Acts 1:1-8
TUE: Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 9:17, 10:44-48
WED: Proof of genuine empowerment in life or ministry. Gal. 5:22-25
THU: Challenges in divinely empowered living. Eph. 4:30, 5:17
FRI: Local church challenges in manifesting divine empowerment. Matt. 20:27; Rev. 3:14-19
SAT: The kingdom of the Messiah. Isa. 11:1-5