As we enter the book of Acts, we witness Christ’s miraculous building of his Church. In Acts 1, Jesus gives the disciples their mission and the mission of the Church. He tells them that, although he will not reveal to them when he will return, he will send them the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Christ has previously taught on the coming of the Spirit, recorded in John 14-16, telling the disciples that the Helper or Comforter will come to give the disciples assurance of their message and standing before God, give them the words to say when faced with persecution, and convict the world of their sin and need for a Savior. Throughout the book of Acts, we see that the Church is completely dependent on the power of the Spirit.
Tag: Church
General
Read more
Praying for Healing
We all want healing. No one desires suffering, discomfort, or illness, nor do we want those around us to suffer. So when believers read what James 5 says about praying and anointing for healing, believers are often confused. Does this passage provide a surefire way to defeat disease? Or is this passage speaking about something else entirely? What does James say about praying for healing?
False Teaching
Read more
Is the Sparkle Creed Biblical?
What is a Creed? To determine if the Sparkle Creed is a biblical creed, we must first understand the characteristics of a biblical creed. According to Miriam-Webster, a creed is “a brief authoritative formula of religious belief” (Miriam-Webster). The word creed comes from the Latin credo, which means “I believe.”…
The Shepherd's Sheep
Read more
The Church According to Jesus
The Church is a vital part of the New Testament. After all, Jesus himself gave the Church its mission (Matthew 28:16–20), Acts contains a plethora of references to the Church, and Paul wrote most of his letters to churches throughout the known world. Even the final book of the New…
The Shepherd's Sheep
Read more
The Shepherd’s Sheep: Introduction
I knew that I needed a church to minister in. How else would I find people to preach to? I didn’t understand that the church was essential to my desire to serve in full-time Christian ministry.