Skip to main content

New Covenant Living

    The church of Acts is the model for new covenant churches today. In the old covenant they had a chosen leader who interacted with God physically for wisdom and guidance. Then there were those in the time of the gospels who interacted with Jesus face to face. Now, neither of those things are available to us. But Jesus did send us His Spirit, for all who are willing to accept it, so that He may dwell inside of us and fill us with His power. 

    That being said, living by the Spirit is extremely important and we need to know how that looks in our lives and in our churches. The model of the Acts church gives us just that. While reading Acts 6 today, one thing stuck out to me. The man called Stephen, who would later become the first martyr. Stephen was a man who was truly living by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 6, some other Jews with different backgrounds came and challenged Stephen. But the Bible says they could not stand up to His wisdom. 

    We can live exactly how those in the church of Acts did. Exactly how Stephen did. We have wisdom and power and everything we need available through the Spirit that lives inside of us, if we only receive it. I challenge you to ask God for that wisdom and to receive the power of His Spirit and then apply it to your life so that His light may shine through you! Live your life victoriously.

Romans 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (ESV)

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (NIV)

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (ESV)

Acts 6:8-10 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. (ESV)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Listen Up

    Is Jesus talking to you? I hear many people wonder how to hear God's voice and what to listen for. I want to offer a bit of wisdom on the topic. If you are wondering if God is talking to you, the answer is yes. We were designed to have a relationship with our creator and He is always there trying to get ahold of you if you'll only pay a little attention.     How does God communicate with us? The first way is through His word. Those are direct words from God Himself, written through His people. The Bible is our instruction manual to life. Whatever difficulty we may be facing, there is always an answer in scripture. God, having known every need before we ever needed it, has already provided an answer. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (ESV)     The second way God communicates with us is by talking directly to us. Just like Adam and Eve spok...
Post a Comment
Read more

1 2 3, Count on Me

     I am thankful to say that for the first time in my life I am surrounded by friends and a community who I know will always build me up and point me in the right direction. More importantly, I know that they will always be honest with me. Honesty is a rare trait these days and I think it to be (combined with love) the most important thing to have in any relationship.    The Bible instructs us to speak life and truth into one another. To be honest and point each other to Christ when we are failing to see straight. I cannot emphasize how much I have grown since having access to that kind of community. Being in close friendships where I am able to be completely honest about my life, my struggles, my thoughts without fear of rejection or judgement is monumental alone. But take that a step further. I have been blessed to have friends that I can not only share my most intimate thoughts with, but they additionally are on their toes looking out for me and honest wh...
4 comments
Read more

Multiplication Without Division

    The church environment is made to be the body and the family of Christ. We are supposed to love each other and support each other through everything. Sadly, this is not the attitude of most churches in America today. Unfortunately, many people bring the world into the church instead of bringing the church into the world.      A lot of people use the church as a place where they can jockey for positions and get recognized for their talents. They use it as a place where they can judge and condemn others from the safety of their own elite clique. They look down condescendingly on those they see sinning, while sweeping their own sin under the rug.  They cause division. This attitude comes straight out of the world without Christ.  Matthew 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (NIV)     A church is a place where we exalt Jesus and ...
2 comments
Read more