Impossible Acts

At the outset of the launch of the church in the Book of Acts we see some important things established that are not just relevant for us today but critical if we want to be successful in our church and personal lives. They set the platform for an action packed book full of impossible things occurring because of the incredible power of the Holy Spirit unleashed in The Church. Here are some important things that God wants to be a part of His church today

 Jesus is central

In the first 11 verses of Acts 1 we are left under no misunderstanding about who and what the church is all about, and its mission. Jesus is mentioned or quoted throughout these verses, emphasising that the church and this Christian walk is all about Him. He needs to be central to all we do as a church as well as our individual lives.

When talking to His disciples in Matthew 16:13-20 about the foundation of the Church, Jesus wanted to be very clear about who He was and what He was about. He asked the question “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then declared that on this confession of faith He would build His church. Is our response to this question the same as Peter? Is He the saviour of the world (Messiah) and divine, or just some anointed teacher or prophet? Jesus is worthy of us following Him as both Lord and saviour because of the work He did on the cross.

The Holy Spirit empowers the believer to do the impossible.

Acts 4:30, 31 “...Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

One of the greatest promises in the Bible is found at the beginning of Acts. Jesus ascended to Heaven but He never left us alone to fulfil His mission by ourselves. He promised to send us a helper. That helper was The Holy Spirit. In fact The Holy spirit was so important to the success of the church that Jesus ‘commanded’ them to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptised in the Holy Spirit! Jesus Himself only stepped into his public ministry moving in the impossible after He was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21, 22). If we as His Church want to live and move in the impossible like Jesus and the early Church then we too must have the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through our lives.

Power to be a witness

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The primary reason for God giving us the Holy Spirit was for the lost! Jesus is so concerned for lost people that He told the disciples that The Holy Spirit will give us power to be effective witnesses as we share the love and saving power of Jesus. Our effectiveness in sharing the gospel increases significantly with the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit! The more we have the Holy Spirit in our lives the more we will want to share our faith with people because that is at the very heart beat of Jesus and of utmost importance. Remember that God wants to empower you to do that which is impossible through the Holy Spirit, so don’t shy away from asking the God of the impossible to make things possible.