The Coming Of The Holy Spirit

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on May 23rd 2021 by Lasya D via zoom. For the audio please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

A couple of Sundays ago, Manesh shared the ascension account of Luke in Acts 1 when Jesus, just before his ascension into glory gives them one of the hardest instructions- WAIT Acts 1: 4-5 “4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
How do you know what you’re waiting for when you don’t know what to expect? More importantly, what do you do while you’re waiting? The disciples did this – Acts 1:14 “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” And they did something else – in verse 16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.” They studied the word of God and they replaced Judas in accordance with scripture and chose Matthias– they aligned themselves with the word of God.
1.   They were united.
2.   They devoted themselves to prayer – to communion with God
3.   They studied the scripture.
4.   They aligned their lives with the word of God.
Acts 2: 1 – 4 “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The Holy Spirit never changes, but when he comes upon us and rests on us, he turns the world upside down. That is why I entitled this message – The catalyst among the Pentecostals.
So let’s look at what happened once the Holy Spirit came –
Then peter stood up to address this confused crowd and said, these guys are not drunk as you think – this is the fulfilment of the prophetic word spoken by Joel:
 
And he makes the great gospel proclamation. He testified of the wonders and signs that God did through him. With great boldness he proclaims Christ as risen. He opens up the scriptures – just as Jesus did at the synagogues and market places to reveal the kingdom that has come. And there is a wild response – in verse 37 – 39 “37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself…. received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.””
 
The filling of the holy spirit is not peculiar to the New testament. in the old testament was selective, temporary and task oriented. Numbers 11:25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.”
Even David who delighted in the presence of God and cried out “Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me” in Psalm 51:11 had a limited experience of the Holy Spirt.
But today, because the wrath of God is removed through the work of Jesus, to those of us who believe in Him, we have the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. John 14:17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. So we are no longer waiting, he is here.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
1.   The third person of the trinity – fully God. From Genesis to Revelation we see the move of the Holy Spirit. Gen 1: 2 “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Revelation 22:17 “17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”” The Holy Spirit is not exempt from one step of all history.
2.   The names / character of the Holy Spirit –
i.Breath Of The Almighty Job 33:4
ii.Counselor & Comforter - John 14:16,26; 15:26 and Romans 8:26
iii.Spirit of Counsel - Isaiah 11:2
iv.Eternal Spirit - Hebrews 9:14
v.Power of the Highest - Luke 1:35
vi.Spirit of Might - Isaiah 11:2
vii.Spirit of Adoption - Romans 8:15
viii.Spirit of Wisdom - Isaiah 11:2, Ephesians 1:17
ix.Spirit of Prophecy - Revelation 19:10
x.Advocate – John 14:16, helper, counsellor… The Holy Spirit is alive and active.
3.   He is the giver of gifts - Rom 12:6-8: Prophecy; Ministry; Teaching; Exhortation; Giving; Leading; Showing Mercy, Eph 4:11- Apostles; Prophets; Evangelists; Pastors; Teachers, and 1 Cor 12:8-10 - Tongues; Discernment of Spirits; Word of Knowledge; Word of Wisdom; Prophecy; Interpretation of Tongues; Faith; Gift of Healings; Working of Miracles.
Do we need to be Baptised with the Holy Spirit?
1.   Jesus was Baptised in the Holy Spirit - Matthew 3: 16-17 “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.””
2.   We are commanded to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit - Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”Sure enough this is exactly what happens-  Acts 4:31 “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
3.   Testimonies of baptism in the Holy Spirit - Billy Graham wrote in his book – “My heart is so flooded with the Holy Spirit!”  They alternately wept and laughed, and Billy began walking back and forth across the room, saying, “I have it! I’m filled. I’m filled. This is the turning point of my life. This will revolutionize my ministry.”
How does the Holy Spirit come?
1.   In the passage that we read, Luke describes the coming of the Holy spirit like the sound of a rushing wind, and divided tongues as of fire appeared – Luke uses all these metaphors because he is trying to describe the indescribable. In John 3:8 – Jesus explaining the kingdom to Nicodemus says, “For the spirit wind blows as it chooses. You can hear its sound but you don’t know where it came from or where it’s going. So it is the same with those who are spirit born”.
 
 The Holy Spirit moves in different manifestations – some people when the spirit comes upon them, they shake or fall down, or cry uncontrollably or laugh uncontrollably – but what is really happening is that the fullness of God is coming to dwell in us. It is the passion of the father and the privilege of humans to host the precious presence of God. In several places the spirit comes through the laying on of hands - Acts 8: 17, Acts 19: 6; or when someone was preaching – Acts 10:44, when they were praying – Acts 4:31 – when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. So we cannot predict exactly how the Holy Spirit comes, but one thing is for sure – he comes when he is invited.    
2.   Ask – Luke 11:9- 13 “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ What father among you, if his son asks for^[d] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; ¹² or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” This has been my experience. I simply asked earnestly and he filled me. That’s it.  Steve was praying for me at a conference for the infilling of the Holy Spirit and i was having difficulty receiving him and i was just focusing a lot. And Steve said you know you receive the holy spirit with your heart, not your mind... and sure enough, I just let my guard down and welcomed the holy spirit and he filled me.
3.   Jesus is the baptiser – John 7:37 – 38 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as^[f] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Luke 3:16 “John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
So let’s pray and ask the Holy Spirit to come and rest on us. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

The Kingdom Of God

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on May 16 2021 by Navaz D via zoom. For the audio please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

 

INTRODUCTION

Jesus spoke a lot about the KOG. The Kingdom of God is a big theme in Jesus' preaching. The word KINGDOM is mentioned 162 times in the NT. The word KOG is mentioned 126 in the gospels.

 

He gave us some clues as to how we are to seek His Kingdom, what is it like, and why is it important?

Is the Kingdom of God an NT concept? Jesus prayed, "Your Kingdom come".

Therefore, the KOG is an eternal concept before time began.

 

In the NT, Israel was under Roman rule. The Jews longed for a Messiah to come as a Saviour who would be a conquering King who would overthrow Rome. But Jesus comes as a King laying aside His majesty and divinity

 

1. WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

In today's age, we find it difficult to understand a Kingdom because all we have a picture of is a figurehead King/Queen who does not rule or have any authority or decision-making powers.

 

Let look at what is a real Kingdom.

 

KING & SUBJECTS

 

A king has dominion, and he rules over people. His will is the law and is binding upon his subjects. In a real Kingdom, there are no elections, no opposition party, no votes. You cannot vote a king in or out.

God is King. In many languages, the word for King and God were one as the same. For example, the Jews prayed this before a meal" "The King of the universe…."

Since God is King, it is fitting to call him "Your Majesty"!!

 

REALM AND RULE

The term the Kingdom of God means that we celebrate and extend the dynamic ruling of Jesus over every part of life in every nation on earth

 

AUTHORITY

 When Jesus said all authority is given to me in heaven, and on earth, it means everything. God is King over history and of the nations. He is the KING of kings and the LORD of lords.

 

We do not see many descriptions for the Kingdom of God in the Bible because people knew what it meant in those days.  Like today no one needs to explain the term "Whatsapp me tomorrow". But maybe 50 years later or even 100 years later, people will need an explanation for that phrase. Like record player or cassette player needs to be explained to today's children.

 

 

2.   CHARACTERISTICS  OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Righteousness, peace, joy, power in the HS

 

While people in those days were familiar with what a kingdom looked like, Jesus was ushering in a different kind of Kingdom.

Jesus uses parable after parable, metaphor after metaphor, to describe the KOG.

It is like a hidden treasure in a field (Matt 13:44)

It is like a pearl of great price ( Matt13:45-46)

It is like a house full of old and new treasures (Matt13:52)

It is like yeast (Matt 13:33)

It is like a mustard seed ( Matt 13:31-32)

It is like a seed scattered and grows by itself ( Matt 4:26-29)

It is like a net that catches all sorts of fish (Matt 13:47-50)

 

It was not a kingdom where the King lorded it over the others. This Kingdom does not force itself upon others. It's quite the opposite. In fact, we need to vigorously, passionately pursuer the Kingdom if we want to benefit from it. This Kingdom with not force itself upon you. You have to grab hold of it forcefully.

 

 

The growth of the Kingdom of God will be like the one who sows. This  sower is the son of man, Jesus himself.

The good seed here is representing people. i.e people of the Kingdom.

The field is the world, not the Church.

 

Christians often think that you have to get as far away from the world as possible. Jesus said exactly the opposite. Just as the Father sent Jesus into the world, he said, I am sending you.

 

So we are sown into the world for kingdom purpose by Jesus himself. Whatever you do, wherever you are, think of it as Jesus has sown me here.

 

But the enemy, the devil, is at work as well. Some people think that if only the Kingdom of God grew and grew, there would be no evil in the world. But that is not true.

 

 People ask will things get better or worse before Jesus return. The answer is both. The Kingdom will grow

 

So the Church grows while even the problems in the world grow. Sometimes the Church gets affected by what the enemy is doing because the weeds look like wheat, and we get confused. So even racism, materialism, corruption, and humanistic teaching can come into the Church.

That is why we have to keep pursuing  Kingdom righteousness in all that we do to bring His will and mindset and culture here on the earth.

 

CULTURE

The Kingdom of God is everything Jesus is. Jesus is everything the Father is. Jesus came to reveal the Father to us and thus reveal the Kingdom. Therefore, when we pursue a relationship with Jesus and abide in Him, we will reflect His heart, which will affect the culture we create around us.

 

ALREADY AND NOT YET

So overall, the Kingdom growsSo take a long term view. We think 20 years is a long time. But be encouraged. As we plant churches in this nation and across the world, Jesus is sowing sons and daughters of the Kingdom who cause the Kingdom to advance.

 

You may not see the whole picture in your life, but don't be discouraged. Evil grows alongside the good. Don't worry. The Lord is not slow to keep his promises as some may understand slowness. Instead, he is patient, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

 

STORY:

The Note Dame cornerstone was laid in 1163 and completed in 1345. It took a long time. They were not in a hurry. Just do what you are meant to do.

Great pioneers like William Carrey and Joe Frazer had to wait seven years before they saw any converts.

 

OUR STORY

It took seven years before we began to see a breakthrough. For seven years we would be happy to see 25 people. Then breakthrough slowly came. Nineteen years on, we have seen more than 700 people pass through our doors; we have seen scores born again and baptised here. But it took time and patience. 

 

In the end, the righteous will shine like the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father. So you shine where Jesus has sown you.

 

3. WHERE IS THE KINGDOM NOW?

 

The Kingdom as both a present reality (Matt. 12:28; 21:31; Mark 10:15)

A future blessing (1 Cor. 15:50; Matt. 8:11; Luke 12:32),

Spiritual and saving blessing of new life (Rom. 14:17; John 3:3)

Expanded future rule of society (Rev. 11:15).

 

4. WHERE DOES THE CHURCH FIT IN?

What is the role of the Church concerning the Kingdom of God?

The KOG is the top priority. Jesus told us to seek the Kingdom FIRST (Matt 6:33)

Jesus told to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done.."

 

We are told the forceful men and women understand the Kingdom and advance the Kingdom (Luke 16:16), who strive to obtain its privileges with the utmost eagerness and effort.

 

The Church is the agent that ushers in the KOG. The Church is the model or prototype for people to experience the KOG here on earth.

The Church is the Apostolic representation of the KOG here on earth.

 

Ushering in the Kingdom is through preaching the gospel and expressing God's  Kingdom through culture, lifestyle, commerce, justice, creativity, family, marriage, science, etc. 

 

The Church is not people who have just experienced salvation; we are a Royal nation (1Pet 2:9). We have a culture of our own.

 

So can I do without a church because I am part of the Kingdom? Is it like saying, I know how to shoot a gun, so can I go to the border and defend my country? No. You have no authority to do so. You need to join the army to be able to put that skill into proper use. You may know many things, but God has in His wisdom chosen for us to function with the Church. The Church is the legitimate means through which you can exercise your gifts and influence and favour God.

 

SO WHAT DO WE DO?

The purpose of the Kingdom of God is to see the image of God restored because men and women together were commanded to fill the earth and take and move everywhere.

 

 

Allow the Kingdom of God to alter every area of your life: Your choices, your character, your marriage, your family life, your attitude to work, how you engage your society, neighbourhood, your talents, your money. In short, everything.

When the Kingdom infuses our lives, we start changing the culture around us because it will work like yeast in the dough and influence everything.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

Why Are We Here?

 

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on May 2nd 2021 by Colin D via zoom. For the audio please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

Why are we here?

We’ve been going through the Resurrection appearances of Jesus. Today will look into the account of the ascension of Jesus from Acts 1:4- 11 “⁴ And while staying^[a] with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Jesus gave some instructions to his disciples before his ascension. But why is the ascension important?

·         Marked the end and success of Christ’s earthly ministry

·         Disciples witnessed a supernatural event

·         Demonstrated how Jesus would return

·         Jesus is going to send the Holy Spirit soon

Today we will identify 3 things through the ascension of Jesus. Why are we on the earth? What does God want us to accomplish?

1.    Remember the Purpose

Acts 1:8 gives the purpose. It is to be his witness. This instruction was given just before the ascension. We need to start witnessing in our Jerusalem first.

What is your Jerusalem? Your family, your friends, your neighbours and colleagues. This is the bare minimum.

Matthew 28:19 is the command Jesus gives us – Therefore Go and make disciples of all nations. We are called to be fishers of men. His kingdom plan is very simple, it’s a chain reaction. We need to be careful not to break our chain by not witnessing about him.

We are here because many obeyed this command. We need to get the assignment right. We might be great at our job and our role in our homes, but if we forget this assignment it is all a waste.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 says “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” God desires all to be saved. Our duty is to share the gospel we are not the saviour.

2 Corinthians 5:19-20 “ that is, in Christ God was reconciling^[c] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God”

In Christ God reconciled the world to himself and he entrusted that truth to us. People are looking for vaccination, but more than that they need the gospel.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” The harvest is plentiful in India, let us rise up and get to work.

The assignment is to be his witness.

2.    Receive the Power

We receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes on us. What does it mean that the Holy Spirit comes on us? How is it different from Jesus breathing on the disciples? This is referring to Baptism in the Holy Spirit – it means to be immersed in the Spirit.

Why do we need this power?

a.    Power is for the purpose

b.    Power equips us for the war

                                         i.    Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words”

                                        ii.    We are at war with a host of enemies – “no weapon formed against you will prosper. But make no mistake, the weapon will be formed ” – Christine Caine

c.    Power ignites a zeal in us 

                                         i.    Peter who was locked in a room before the holy spirit came upon them spoke boldly once he received the power? The disciples were transformed – burning with zeal for Jesus.

                                        ii.    How to receive this power? When Peter and other disciples were waiting in one place (Acts 2); Cornelius and his family were baptised when Peter was preaching (Acts 10:44) and so on. So how do we get baptised today? Just ask. Luke 11:13 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” IF you are already baptised in the Holy Spirit, seek to be filled continuously.

3.    Rejoice in the promise

Acts 1:11 – Jesus will come back in the same way he went into heaven – visibly and physically. In Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” With joy, we wait for his return!

 

Let us not forget the purpose for which we are here. In Isaiah 6 when he had an encounter with the Lord, God said whom shall I send? Isaiah responded without waiting for anyone else to show up and said, “here am I, send me”.

Let’s pray.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

 

Why Is The Resurrection Important ?

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on May 2nd 2021 by Colin D via zoom. For the audio please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

Last week we looked at the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to 2 strangers on the road to Emmaus. Jesus also appeared to Peter as mentioned in 1 cor 15:5. The appearances of Jesus to these groups of people attest to the resurrection of Jesus and that he is alive forevermore.

Today we will look at the account of Jesus’ appearance to the disciples in Luke 24:36 onwards. The same account is also recorded in John 20. 

In John 20:19 “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”

Why is the resurrection important?

1. Jesus justifies – the resurrection meant that our sins are justified and forgiven. The righteousness of Jesus is credited to our account. Due to this, we are entitled to live with him forever.

2. Jesus proved that he defeated death – Romans 6:9 “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.” Today we are filled with stories of death, but for us, death is not the end, just a doorway to eternity. 

3. It declared that Jesus is the son of God – Romans 1:4 “and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

4. When we die, we will be raised to be like him – 1 Cor 15:20 – 23 “ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”

5. Hope beyond the grave – 1 Peter 1 : 3-4- “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” Acts 17:30-31 “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

The first thing that Jesus says when he sees the disciples is “peace be with you”. Receive the peace of God in this challenging situation. 

At one time we were hostile to God. But what Jesus declared is peace. Jesus could have appeared in the synagogue and lorded it over the high priest for crucifying him. But there is no record of Jesus appearing to his enemies. There are only 2 categories of people – those who have peace with God and those who don’t have peace with God. We are born hostile to God. John 15: 15 “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant, does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” When we put our faith in Jesus, we are friends of God and peace with God. 

We see this account in Luke 24 as well. 

Luke 24: 36 “36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

When we die we too will have a new body – a resurrected body. 1 cor 15:42 - 44“So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

John 20: 22 “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

What is happening here? 

Where did God breathe on people in the Old Testament? In the garden of Eden, Gen 2, God breathed on Adam when he created him and breathed life. That is the old creation, and this is the new creation through Jesus Christ. 

John 20: 21 “As the Father has sent me, even so, I am sending you” This is the same for us as it was for the first disciples. 

John 20: 23 “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” God has given us great authority. We need to proclaim the gospel to people. 

Luke 24: 47 “and that repentance for[c] the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” This is one area we need to grow in. In today’s world, He wants us to hold out the hope of eternal life to people who are perishing physically and spiritually. But he says “But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high”

We receive the holy spirit inside us when we receive Jesus. But then there is a baptism in the holy spirit. Let’s inspect where we are in obeying the words of Jesus – have you received the peace of God? Have you been sharing the gospel with people?   Have you been baptised and filled with the holy spirit? 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.