Today, Pastor Kevin introduces a new study of the Book of Acts, written by physician and historian Luke. This book, a continuation of his account of Jesus’ life in the Gospel of Luke, covers the period just prior to Jesus’ ascension until Paul’s first imprisonment. In these first few verses, Jesus instructs His followers to remain in Jerusalem, where, “…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NKJV).
Pastor Kevin shows from passages in the Gospel of John where Jesus had previously prophesied this coming of the Holy Spirit, an event that would institute a completely new way for sinful human beings to enter into a relationship with a holy God and begin the Dispensation of the Church. Pastor Kevin reminds us that all that Jesus had prophesied about the Holy Spirit and the spread of the gospel has been fulfilled in the 2,000 years since this book was written. In the same way, we know that all that the Scriptures prophesy about events still future to us will also be fulfilled. Pastor Kevin encourages us to take comfort in our security in Jesus and exhorts us to trust Him in these last days, no matter what may come before Jesus takes us home.
Maranatha!