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Reflections on the New Testament: John and Acts


“Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me…?’” John 14:9, NKJV

Alas, this is the story of many modern-day Christians! It is remarkable how long the Holy Spirit may dwell within a person, and yet be utterly neglected—even suppressed—while the person professes a form of mere outward Christianity, a simple belief, but pursues no firm conviction or depth of knowledge. The Lord wishes His servants to know Him! By the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we may know Him in truth. If we quench that Spirit, He is yet with us, but we know Him not.

On the Book of Acts

The book of Acts provides Christians of all time periods with direct and powerful insight into the carrying out of the Christian ministry. In the sermons of Peter, Steven, and, later, Paul, we see the repeated and heavy use of Scripture as the chief premise for all arguments; we see marked humility and glorification of God and the Holy Spirit; in short, we see the reiteration of perhaps the single most important acknowledgment of the Christian ministry: that we do not speak on our own authority. Would you see revival (if only one earnest soul at a time)? Follow the model of the apostles: have no other premise than the Scripture, submit to the Holy Spirit, and glorify the God who works through you.

See Acts 2 and 7. Peter and Steven, acknowledging themselves to be but sinners saved by grace, submitted themselves to the Holy Spirit and built their arguments on the Scripture alone. The responses of their audiences were vastly different, but in both cases, the truth was preached and preached powerfully. Reflect upon it.

“What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it,” Acts 4:16, NKJV.
God grant that the world may say this of us also! The apostles submitted themselves entirely to the power of the Holy Spirit, and undeniable miracles were done through them. Too often, we, as Christians, submit rather to our own flesh, or cling to our illusory “free will,” and quench the Holy Spirit striving for mastery within us. In such a state, we are indistinguishable from the world—our own words and deeds have no power either to convict or to awe. Submission to the Holy Spirit enables God’s power to work through us, distinguishing us remarkably and undeniably from the world, and puzzling and frustrating the authorities of this age.

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