Sunday, February 3: Lord of All
Acts 19:1–20
And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Acts 19:2
As the gospel message spreads, Paul and his crew reach a wider and wider audience, pick up some new preachers along the way, and even revisit a few places that had already been visited. As Apollos leaves for Corinth, Paul returns to Ephesus and there he finds some disciples who had never heard of the Holy Spirit. These were men who had heard about the good news but only as far as John the Baptist. They had the first few chapters of the book, but not the best parts, and Paul was quick to pick up on the gaps in their understanding.In this passage we’ll see how essential the Holy Spirit is, how necessary a living relationship is with God, and the consequences of trying to go at it alone. If you’ve ever wondered why the Holy Spirit matters to Christians, this passage demonstrates to us how important this often overlooked member of the Trinity is.
See you on Sunday!
2 Comments
Do you teach that the Holy Spirit is God? The Trinity?
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your interest! I was preaching that Sunday so I’ll answer up, short answer is Yes. Absolutely. Being in relationship with the Holy Spirit means being in relationship with God. I’m 100% onboard with the reality that the Holy Spirit is God, and affirm the doctrine of the Trinity. In our “About Us” section we affirm what the Nicene Creed says about the Holy Spirit:
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
The Nicene Creed did a great job packing in a lot of info in a few lines, but it’s worth unpacking to demonstrate what we believe. First the Holy Spirit shares the title “Lord” with the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit is co-equal, co-powerful, and co-eternal. “Giver of Life” speaks to the role of the Holy Spirit in creation, which the Father and Son are recognized in earlier in the creed. “Worshiped and glorified” means we affirm that the Holy Spirit is due the same praise and honor that’s due to the Father and the Son.
In this sermon I was hoping to emphasize the essential nature of relationship with God, which for us is accomplished by the Helper that Jesus sent, the Holy Spirit. Hope that’s helpful, and feel free to email me at Jeremiah@believersfellowship.net anytime!
– Jeremiah