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Bible Verses

Luke 24:49 And behold, I send forth the promise of My Father upon you; but as for you, stay in the city until you put on power from on high.

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses…unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Words of Ministry

Forty days after the Lord’s resurrection, He promised the disciples again that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. This promise of the Lord was fulfilled at Pentecost. In the Old Testament, the outpouring of the Spirit was the special privilege of a few, such as the priests, prophets, or judges. There might have been only one person in the whole nation of Israel who had this privilege. We find this kind of man appearing only once every few decades or centuries. Such events were rare. But in the New Testament, everyone can and should have this experience.

This promise is very unique; it is something that we can all receive. It is a special blessing from the Lord. What a joy that we can all have the Spirit upon us. Before His ascension, the Lord charged the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promise. By that time the disciples already had the indwelling life. They heard the Lord’s word and were praying and waiting. Ten days later at Pentecost [fiftieth day] , they were all filled with the Holy Sprit. Everyone who reads Acts 2 knows that this speaks of the Holy Spirit’s outward work upon man. It does not refer to the inward working of the Spirit. From John, Luke, and Acts, we see that there are two lines to the work of the Holy Spirit. One line is within man, and the other is outside of man.

ref: www.emanna.com

Why should we read the Bible?

The Bible and the Holy Spirit are the two greatest gifts that God has given to men. Both are vital to the Christian life. Without the Spirit, the Bible becomes merely a book full of laws, rules and regulations—dead letters that kill. Without the foundation of the Bible, Christians may be misguided into thinking that God has inspired a certain thought, action, plan, or the development of a concept—when He really hasn’t.

The Bible, the word of God, provides sinners with the knowledge and the faith they need to receive God’s salvation and be regenerated by God’s life. Once saved, believers need the Word for spiritual nourishment so they can grow and be perfected and equipped for God’s work.

The Apostle Paul wrote of the Word’s central role in a letter to his young coworker in 2 Timothy 3:15-17.

“And that from a babe you have known the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.”

Another passage also points to man’s dependence on God’s word to live the Christian life. In the gospel of Matthew, the Devil tempted Jesus by suggesting that He turn stone into bread. Unaffected, Jesus remarked, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).