This podcast covers the Introduction to Radical Acts Bible Study by Melanie Newton.
Get Fired Up and Ready for Adventure
The radical blessing of the Holy Spirit
On the day of Pentecost around 30 AD, the power of God poured forth on the followers of Jesus gathered in Jerusalem. The church of Jesus Christ was born—a radically new creation on Earth that never existed before.
The Holy Spirit is a radical blessing to us. The definition of radical is “having a profound or far-reaching effect.” Through the Spirit’s transforming power in our lives, He changes the world immeasurably and irreversibly.
3 reasons why you should study the book of Acts
Reason to study Acts # 1. To understand how to live out your life in Christ.
Acts is a book of history. The Spirit of God selected what He wanted us to know. The book of Acts is really the acts of Jesus Christ by His Spirit through His Church.
Acts is a book of theology. You will see how theology is lived out, evidence for the inspiration of scripture, and proof that the gospel message has never changed.
Acts is a book of biography and human relationships. You will see the fire of the Spirit erupting in the lives of people who are touched by the Spirit and changed forever.
Reason to study Acts #2. To connect with your spiritual heritage
Gain a connection and appreciation for those who obeyed Jesus by spreading the gospel everywhere they went to reach people like you who never saw Jesus face-to-face but learned to believe in Him as Savior and Lord.
Reason to study Acts #3. Because you need spiritual adventure.
Acts is a book of adventure. Within the history, theology, biography, and relationships, this marvelous book introduces us to adventure with Jesus Christ.
Adventure with the Spirit of God
According to the dictionary, adventure is “an unusual or exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.” Our English word adventure comes from the Latin for “about to happen.” What a way to look at life following Jesus—something’s about to happen!
In Acts, the adventure definitely includes the unexpected. Adventure rarely means easy. But, it never means alone. The Holy Spirit is with you and me every day, forever.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
We can know these truths about the Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit is the breath of God.We can’t see Him. But, the Bible confirms that He lives inside every believer.
- The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Our God is one God but three persons. The Spirit is a personal being just as the Father and the Son are persons.
- The Holy Spirit is central to salvation.He convicts the unbeliever of sin and makes believers into new creations the moment we believe. He enters our spirits and seals us with Himself so our salvation is secure. He unites us with Christ and places us into the universal Body of Christ.
- The Holy Spirit is the One who makes the Christian life possible.He is the first gift we receive from God when we trust in Jesus for salvation. And, all those wonderful spiritual treasures Paul writes about in Ephesians and his other letters are wrapped up and delivered by the Holy Spirit to us in a package deal the moment we are saved.
- The Holy Spirit is the power for spiritual growth.He enables us to understand the Bible and takes our prayer needs to God the Father, even when we can’t. He fills us with Himself and transforms us from the inside out so that our character looks more like Jesus and our lifestyle glorifies God more and more.
This firepower is inside us. Yet, we must choose to cooperate, consciously depending on the Holy Spirit when making decisions, facing temptations, in our relationships, and in how we respond to the Spirit’s leading us.
Getting fired up for adventure
Volcanoes form over hot spots in the earth’s crust where a crack allows molten lava to flow to the surface. The Holy Spirit’s work in our lives becomes our own “hot spots.”
Open your eyes to the evidence around you of the firepower of the Holy Spirit—your own Holy Spirit hot spots. We hope that this study will also spark in you a longing and expectation for the Holy Spirit’s transforming power in your life as you learn what it means to live in daily dependence upon Jesus Christ. God’s Spirit will get you fired up and ready for adventure as you follow Jesus daily.
Let Jesus satisfy your heart with His Spirit’s transforming power. And say yes to a life of adventure with Him!
Until next time, I’m Melanie Newton. And, this is Series 7 of Satisfied.
Joyful Walk Bible Studies by Melanie Newton are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.