Spirit-Filled Empowered Spirit-Filled: In this series, learn to move under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit, to accomplish what God has designed us for, by using the gifts that He has given to us. In This Lesson: Read Acts 2 and discover the way the Holy Spirit empowered the early church. Equip Think about what it means to live a Spiritpowered life. Accountability Discuss your thoughts with your group and encourage each other to apply God s Word to your lives. Pray Pray together with your group because everything begins with, ends with and depends on God. Scorecard How are you doing with the mission that Christ has given you? Key Verse: 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. (Acts 1:8, ESV) A man reaps what he sows ~Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)
Read The Book of Acts is a historic account of the beginning of Jesus Church. There are amazing things accomplished by followers of Jesus through, and for, God. The way these great things are accomplished, the way the Church grows, is through followers of Jesus, who are on mission to share the Good News, that are empowered by the Holy Spirit. They could not do the work of the ministry on their own. Before the Spirit came upon Jesus followers, they were powerless, waiting and praying with anticipation. All of that changed after the Holy Spirit empowered them; after that day, they turned the world upside-down. Jesus told His followers to wait until they received Read Acts 2 the Spirit (Acts 1:4-5) because He knew first-hand the need to be led and empowered by the Spirit to accomplish the ministry God gives us. That is why He told them to wait. (Luke 24:49) What was Jesus talking about when He said that we would receive power when the Spirit came upon us? The Holy Spirit of God was active throughout all of scripture, but we see specifically in the life of Jesus what it looked like when someone was completely led of the Spirit. During His incarnation, Jesus was filled with, and reliant on, the Spirit. From His baptism, when the Holy Spirit came upon Him, through His suffering death for us, Jesus was completely filled with, and reliant on, the Spirit of God for His ministry (Matthew 3:13-17 & Hebrews 9:14). Unfortunately, in our fallen state, we tend not to allow ourselves to be completely filled and completely reliant on the Spirit; though we strive towards the example of Jesus. It was a hard thing for Jesus disciples to grasp, when He told them it was better for them that He leave (John 16:7). It s hard for us to understand too. How can Jesus not being physically here with us be better for us? The reason was that God would
Read no longer just be among us, but that He would truly be within us. When Jesus walked among His creation, His presence was manifested in a specific place. Now, the Holy Spirit manifests God in, and through, each and every follower of Christ. At the end of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells his disciples, And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49) This was very important for the disciples then, as it is for us, as disciples, now. Jesus knew that they could not accomplish the mission He had given them (the Great Commission) without the power of the Holy Spirit. In order to face the trials they would face, they would need the Spirit. In order to share the Gospel with power, they would need the Spirit. In order to be bold witnesses, they would need the Spirit And so do we! We need the power given to us by the indwelling Spirit of God in order to become who He has called us to become, and to do what He has called us to do. Each of us has been given talents, knowledge, skills, and abilities that will allow us to do the work of God s Kingdom, but without the power of the Holy Spirit, we will never be effective. If we allow ourselves to be led of the Spirit, He will use the gifts He has given us for the purposes He planned for us in advance. Jesus, when He walked the earth, had the gifts and graces of the Spirit without measure (John 3:34), but to his followers, the Spirit has distributed various gifts in measure, according to our faith, for use in His Kingdom (Romans 12:3). Through the power given by the Spirit, and by this distribution of gifts, we are called to serve our God. For additional reading: Acts 13 John 20:19-23
Equip As you read through the Scriptures, perhaps there were some things you didn t understand or needed to study further. Take some time to think and respond to the following questions: 1. What would it look like if we began to experience the Holy Spirit in similar ways to how Jesus did in His life and as He promises to us? 2. Explain, in your own words, what it means to live a Spirit-empowered life.
Accountability Before your next D group meeting, think about the questions below. You will discuss these with your group. These questions will help you to examine your life in light of the truth you explored this week. They also give other group members an opportunity to encourage you to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. 1. Where, in your life, are you living a Spirit-empowered mission? Where are you not? 2. What aspect of your life do you tend to operate under your own power instead of relying on the Holy Spirit?
Pray We believe that we must pray because everything begins with, ends with, and depends on God. Use the following A.C.T.S. model to pray: Adoration: Begin your prayer by adoring God; He is worthy of all our praise! Be specific when offering Him your adoration, not just You're so wonderful but God your mercy and love toward me is wonderful, this allows us to really build our relationship with our redeemer. Confession: When we pray with unconfessed sin in our heart we are beginning with barriers to our prayer. He knows our sin and has called us to confess and repent. Our confession shows that we acknowledge our sin and submit to God s authority, mercy, and grace. Thanksgiving: Simply let Him know what you are thankful for. This could be as simple as Lord, thank you for loving me, even when I feel unworthy, or you could tell Him the entire list of things you are thankful for. Just make sure you are thanking Him for what He gives and does. Supplication: This means humbly pleading for something. We come to God with our requests because we know all good things come from Him. If our heart is right and we are seeking things that are His will we are told if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. A.C.T.S. is an easy to remember acronym that helps us remember what we want to talk to our Heavenly Father about and how we should approach Him. This model can be used for short or long prayers. The model is a good reminder but far more important than the model is the act of praying.
Pray My prayer request regarding the topic this week is: My prayer request regarding a situation in my life is: My prayer request for others is: (fill this out at D Group)
Scorecard What is Jesus mission? It is to make His gospel known to all people through word (sharing the gospel) and deed (demonstrating the gospel). This is the mission that every generation of His followers must take up as well. But, don t confuse becoming missional with becoming a foreign missionary. A missionary may devote his or her life to making the gospel known beyond a border or across an ocean. But, Christ calls all of His followers to make the gospel known through word and deeds wherever they live, work or play, as well as in their surrounding communities. Who am I praying for an opportunity to share the truth of Jesus with right now? Who am I intentionally witnessing to about Jesus right now? Who am I discipling right now?