Until He Comes by Margie Burger by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries

COMES UNTIL HE

LIVING OUT THE BOOK OF ACTS

Until the Lord returns, the Book of Acts contains the marching orders for every believer

MARGIE BURGER ALDERSGATE RENEWAL MINISTRIES

COMES UNTIL HE

LIVING OUT THE BOOK OF ACTS

Until the Lord returns, the Book of Acts contains the marching orders for every believer

MARGIE BURGER

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction

Chapter 1 Filled with the Holy Spirit Acts

Chapter 2 Supernatural Ministry Acts

Chapter 3 Prayer Acts 26 Chapter 4 Fellowship Acts

Chapter 5 Care for the Poor Acts

Chapter 6 Worship Acts 53 Chapter 7 Teaching and Preaching Acts

Chapter 8 Missionary Outreach Acts

Other Resources 82

Aldersgate Renewal Ministries The UNITED METHODIST RENEWAL SERVICES FELLOWSHIP, Inc. an affiliate of The Upper Room, General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church Aldersgate Renewal Ministries (ARM) is an affiliate organization of the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church through The Upper Room Program Section. ARM was organized in 1978 as the United Methodist Renewal Services Fellowship, Inc. as a network of individuals and churches who are praying and working together for the spiritual renewal of the Church. The purpose of ARM is to encourage United Methodists and their churches, by the grace of God and the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be filled, gifted, empowered, and led by the Holy Spirit in ministry to the world. ARM, a 501 ( c )(3) non-profit ministry, receives no funding from the general church. Individual and corporate contributions are tax-deductible. ARM is a member of the ECFA – Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Local congregations are encouraged to include ARM in their missionary budget. The ministry is sustained solely by the grace of God and the freewill offerings of those persons and Churches that have caught the vision of “bringing the Life of the Holy Spirit into the Life of the Church.” Aldersgate Renewal Ministries 121 East Ave., Goodlettsville, TN 37072 Phone: 615-851-9192 Fax: 615-851-9372 Email: Info@AldersgateRenewal.org www.AldersgateRenewal.org

Introduction

he book of Acts is an inspiring and challenging book in the Bible. Contained in these chapters are a myriad of stories of the early disciples. But Acts is much more than a history of the early church. It is a testament to the power of God at work through individuals.

Some do not consider Acts as a “teaching” book like the epistles, but consider this: Even the “acts” of Jesus and the apostles were meant to teach us something. In the first chapter of Mark we read how Jesus met a man with an unclean spirit that cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” And although Jesus chose not to enter into conversation with a demon, his clear answer to the question would be, “You got that right! I HAVE come to destroy you and all the devil’s works!” The response of the people is very interesting. Mark 1:27 says that the people were amazed and said, “A new teaching, and with authority.” There is no record of Jesus giving a lecture on casting out demons here or doing any teaching at all, yet the people referred to a new teaching. They recognized that this was not just a spectacular event, not just an “act” of Jesus; there was a new teaching here in his actions. You are encouraged to see the book of Acts in the same way. The first disciples encountered the Lord’s power at Pentecost and they were never the same. Their lives and ministries were empowered by the Holy Spirit. They leave us a legacy of seeing the Holy Spirit at work through ordinary men and women who gave themselves totally to the Lord. Their stories challenge us to be filled, gifted, empowered, and led by the Holy Spirit in ministry to our world today. As you study this book with others in the body of Christ, you will be consistently challenged to live a supernatural life where the works of the Holy Spirit are evidenced in your own life and the life of your church. Acts holds a key to understanding and activating the supernatural. But this resource is meant to be more than a Bible study. It will be a means

6 for you to share your testimony and your honest questions with others. To reap the benefits of the small group experience, you are challenged to read, pray, worship and serve together. The eight chapters in this resource are in no way a complete study of the book of Acts. Rather, they are representative of themes for believers who desire to live out the book of Acts in their daily lives. Each of the chapters in the study centers on a different aspect of the Spirit-filled life. We are called to be filled with the Spirit, to walk in the Spirit, to live in the Spirit, to pray in the Spirit, to worship in the Spirit, and to preach and teach in the power of the Holy Spirit. The acts of the Holy Spirit will empower our fellowship, our care for the poor, and our outreach to a hurting and dying world - and so much more. There is no end to the story. Until He Comes we are to carry on the acts of the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts contains the marching orders for every believer. The adventure begins as you delve into the scriptures and participate in the group discussions. The study deepens as you participate in prayer and worship activities together. But the real work of the Spirit begins as you commit yourself to live a Spirit-filled life and allow the Holy Spirit to use you in ministry to the world. That means your world; your sphere of influence; your church; your family; your workplace; your community. May you never be the same again!

Chapter 1

FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT ACTS

“

But the ministration of the New Testament was that of a Spirit which giveth life; -- a Spirit, not only promised, but actually conferred; which should both enable Christians now to live unto God, and fulfill precepts even more spiritual than the former; and restore them hereafter to perfect life, after the ruins of sin and death. The incarnation, preaching, and death of Jesus Christ were designed to represent, proclaim, and purchase for us this gift of the Spirit.” (John Wesley, sermon#141)

Until He Comes. Christ will one day return for his bride, the church. The scriptures tell us to be always ready for that day. Consider these examples: At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. (Mark 13:26-27) I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time. (1 Timothy 6:14-15)

What a glorious truth. My heart is joyful at the thought of seeing Christ coming in the clouds. Perhaps you and I will live long enough to experience that day. Those who are still alive on that day will be changed in an instant, given glorified bodies, and prepared to spend eternity with the King of Kings. We will join those faithful followers who died awaiting the fulfillment of Christ’s return. And we will celebrate together for all eternity the miracle of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and His lordship. But an important question for each of us is what should we do Until He Comes?

8 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:10-11)

We should be encouraging one another as Christ’s return becomes imminent and we should be found faithful doing what the Lord has commanded. In this first chapter we’ll look at some important directives from the book of Acts concerning the Holy Spirit. We live in a glorious day and time when the Acts of the Holy Spirit continue to be manifest and even increase. So understanding the person and work of the Holy Spirit is foundational to being ready for Christ’s return.

FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTURES Where do we begin? The book of Acts begins with the promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of that promise at Pentecost. So that is our starting place as well. All of the “acts” recorded in the book of Acts flow out of Pentecost. All of them required the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. They would not have happened apart from the Holy Spirit being poured out on the church. These important scriptures lay the foundation for the book of Acts and for our study together. Jesus told his first disciples that the Holy Spirit would soon be poured out. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5)

By a miracle of God’s grace that scripture was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:4)

And every believer since that first Pentecost has full access to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:17-21)

9 But there is much confusion and even dissention in the body of Christ concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Aldersgate Renewal Ministries (ARM) always teaches and ministers the baptism of the Holy Spirit from a biblical and Wesleyan understanding. ARM has a team-led local church renewal event called Life in the Spirit Seminar that centers on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You are urged to consider this event for a deeper understanding and experience of the Spirit. The following quote from Wesley Center Online ( wesley.nnu.edu), I believe, helps put the mystery of the trinity in perspective. “But of all the doctrines of the church we believe that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is the least abstract and impractical. It is precisely the Holy Spirit that makes all Christian doctrine practical and relative to life. This is because the Holy Spirit personalizes all Christian truth. The Holy Spirit explains the trinity rather than obscures the meaning of it.” (The Communion of the Holy Spirit by Mildred Bangs Wynkopp)

Do you believe that the Holy Spirit personalizes all Christian truth? Have you experienced how the Holy Spirit explains the trinity rather than obscures its meaning?

BUILD ON GOD’S TRUTH For the purposes of this study, let’s begin with some foundational truths. The Holy Spirit is the indwelling presence of the risen and living God. He is not a third God or 1/3 of God. He is God. The Holy Spirit is the empowerment of believers. The Spirit fills our life with God’s power. The power to love, to forgive, to witness, for example, all come from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also the empowerment to change. I challenge you to try to stop sinning by trying to stop sinning. It is impossible. The world is full of suggestions for change apart from God’s empowerment. The reality is they all fall short of true change. When you embrace the power of the Holy Spirit you will see lasting change in your life. The Holy Spirit is also the promise of the Father. Consider Luke 24:49. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

Clearly, this promise is given without any restrictions. It is for all, regardless of age, ethnicity, background, or education. Have you been clothed with power from on high? Study of scripture shows that the early church discussed who could be

10 filled with the Holy Spirit. Some believed this gift was only for the Jews. That’s what makes Peter’s experience of ministering to the Gentiles so important. It clarifies for all of us that God’s promise of the Holy Spirit is for all. Consider Acts 10:44-48. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. (Acts 10:44-48)

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life. It is impossible to have spiritual life without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in our life at conversion. He is the source of spiritual life at the new birth. When we pray and ask Jesus to come into our hearts at salvation, it is the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, that enters our life. Consider these scriptures that help to illuminate how the Spirit brings life. Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:5-6) But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9)

These scriptures clearly answer the question many believers ask: “Do I have the Holy Spirit?” As a Christian, yes, you do. An important question, and the focus of our study here is: “Does the Holy Spirit have all of me?” In other words, “Am I filled, gifted, empowered and led by the Holy Spirit?” A phrase used to describe how the Holy Spirit fills and empowers believers is “the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” Baptism of the Holy Spirit differs from our experience of the Holy Spirit at conversion in several ways. Here are three brief visual pictures of baptism.

VISUAL PICTURES OF BAPTISM The baptism of the Holy Spirit means to be immersed. In what are we immersed? At baptism in the Holy Spirit we are immersed in God’s nature, his holiness, and his immeasurable love. Romans 5:5 contains one good

11 definition of this baptism. God’s love is poured into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5)

Baptize also means to dip, as in the dying of a garment. When a white cloth is dipped in a purple dye, for example, the cloth will never be white again. The dying results in an obvious change. Likewise, this experience of Holy Spirit baptism changes us forever. We take on a new nature as God’s Spirit permeates our entire being. The baptism of the Holy Spirit also signifies burial. What is buried in the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Our old self is buried with all of our willfulness, our selfish self-centeredness, our priorities and our own personal agendas. With the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we fully relinquish control. And this is precisely the reason many believers are not filled with the Holy Spirit. They fail to relinquish control. God cannot fill what he does not have. There is a true cost to this kind of total commitment and surrender to the Holy Spirit. But it is absolutely worth the cost. Has your old self been buried in baptism in the Holy Spirit?

WHY DO WE NEED THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? Scripture tells why the baptism of the Holy Spirit is so important. It is clear that we are to be born of the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, pray in the Spirit, worship in the Spirit, and live in the Spirit. We are to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Consider these scriptures. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. This, he said, is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. (Acts 1:4-5) Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

Have you heeded that command? The good news is the baptism of the Holy Spirit is both an initial experience and a repeatable one. Those who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit understand it best that we leak. Constantly ministering to others and/or just the demands of daily life often causes us to feel depleted. But God has the answer. The remedy is to ask again. The language of Ephesians 5 literally means “to be continually being filled.” Ask once. Ask again. Both are scriptural. Another undeniable reason to be baptized in the Holy Spirit is because the world is looking for an authentic witness of God’s power. The reality

12 is we often fail on two counts. We fail to display the character of Christ. We also fail to display the ministry of Christ. The world is looking for the embodiment of Christ’s love in our witness. Often our words do not match our actions. The fruit of the Spirit, true love, is absolutely necessary for an authentic witness to the world. In addition, the world is hungry to see the true power of God. Many turn to other sources seeking power. An anemic church can be at fault. Are we doing the supernatural works of the Lord? We should be. Consider 1 Corinthians 2:4-5. This scripture gives a great example of how we can judge effective ministry. Could the Lord say the same about your ministry or about your church? My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

THE RESULTS OF SPIRIT BAPTISM The results of being baptized in the Holy Spirit demonstrate why the scriptures so clearly encourage every believer to experience Spirit baptism. The power to live the Christian life is poured out. God’s Spirit sets us apart for his purposes in sanctification. With Spirit baptism the process of sanctification intensifies. God changes us from the inside out. The Lord works his character and nature into our lives. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are released in our lives. The supernatural ministry of Christ becomes activated in our lives with this baptism. Each of these results of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a work of God’s grace. Each deserves further study beyond the scope of this chapter. Without doubt, however, they should make us hungry to pursue Spirit baptism. When you are convinced of the need of Spirit baptism, you may easily ask another question. How may I be baptized in the Holy Spirit? Luke 11:13 gives a clear scriptural answer. 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. (Luke 11:13)

Have you asked the Father to give you the Holy Spirit? Many Christians today have lost the fervor of the early disciples to make certain that all believers were filled with the Holy Spirit when they received Christ as their personal savior. Consider Acts 8:14-17.

13 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17)

Did you have a Peter or John in your life? Would you be willing to be used in other believers’ lives to encourage and pray with them to receive the Holy Spirit? Spirit of the living God, fill me and empower me. I want to be a vital witness of your love and grace in my family, my church, and my community. Lead me by your Spirit to opportunities to share with others. I commit myself to be fully surrendered to your will and your way. Amen.

PERSONAL REFLECTION AND GROUP SHARING 1. At Pentecost recorded in Acts 2, people asked “What does this mean?”(See verse 12.) Answer that question in your own words. Share with your group any questions you may have about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 2. Reflect on the statement: The Holy Spirit is the empowerment for change. Have you ever tried to stop sinning by trying to stop sinning? What was the result? How has the Holy Spirit been the source of change in your life? Where does the Holy Spirit still need to change your life? 3. Where do you see the Holy Spirit at work in your local church? What elements of 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 could your group pray to experience? My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

14 ACTIVITIES FOR SMALL GROUPS 1. Prepare a five minute testimony of your own personal Pentecost. This could mean the first time you were baptized with the Holy Spirit or a subsequent refilling of the Spirit. Be prepared to share your story with your small group. 2. Study some of the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Take notice of the many ways the Holy Spirit was active in the Old Testament. Contrast the work of the Holy Spirit before and after Pentecost. Here are some examples of the Holy Spirit’s work in the Old Testament: · Special powers bestowed on the Judges including Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. (Judges 3:10; Judges 6:34; Judges 11:29; Judges 13:25) · Wisdom and skill for various purposes such as the building of the tabernacle and the temple. (Exodus 31:2-4; Exodus 35:21; 1 Kings 7:14; 2 Chronicles 2:12-14) · Wisdom and empowerment for leaders like Joseph, Joshua and Daniel. (Genesis 42:38; Numbers 27:18-21; Daniel 4:8, 5:11-14) 3. Pray Ephesians 5:18 with the members of your small group. You can use this scripture to pray for the initial baptism of the Holy Spirit or for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 4. Read and study together Guidelines the United Methodist Church and the Charismatic Movement. This document is available through Aldersgate Renewal Ministries or can be found in the 2008 Book of Resolutions. (Resolution #8010, p. 921)