Throughout the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit was powerfully present. He ministered to and through the believers as they witnessed for their Lord in a variety of ways. He strengthened them to face the trials and challenges of witnessing in a hostile culture. He led them to honest-hearted truth seekers. He prepared the hearts … Continue reading –>
The book of Acts rightly has been called, “The Acts of the Holy Spirit”. It is an exciting adventure in witnessing, evangelistic proclamation, and church growth. Acts is the story of consecrated believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, impacting the world for Christ. They were totally dependent on the Holy Spirit to accomplish miraculous results. … Continue reading –>
With the promise of the Holy Spirit, Jesus met the disciples’ concern about His leaving them and returning to heaven. “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7, … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: John 15:26-27; Acts 2:41-42; Acts 8:4; Heb. 4:12; Acts 17:33-34; Acts 18:8. Memory Text: “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31, NKJV). When Jesus commanded the early believers to … Continue reading –>
Faithful Soldier in Poland By Slawomir Pacek When the Polish military phased out MiG-21s for newer jets, I had the opportunity to leave my job as a mechanic for a new career. I chose to work as an air traffic controller and took intensive classes for six months. But when I graduated, an eye doctor … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Privilege of Prayer”, pages 93-104, in Steps to Christ; “Work for Church Members”, pages 19-24, in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7. When we pray for others, God honors our commitment to Him and our dependence on His apower by employing all of the resources of heaven to transform human lives. … Continue reading –>
Throughout the Bible, there is an emphasis on specificity in prayer. Prayer is not some vague longing of the soul. It presents God with specific requests. Jesus prayed specifically for His disciples. The apostle Paul prayed very specifically for the Ephesian, Philippian, and Colossian Christians. He prayed for his young colleagues such as Timothy, Titus, … Continue reading –>
Intercessory prayer is a mighty weapon in this battle between good and evil that we call “the great controversy”. One of the clearest revelations of this struggle is in Daniel chapter 10. You will recall that the prophet Jeremiah predicted that the Jews would be in bondage to the Babylonians for seventy years. At the … Continue reading –>
Intercessory prayer is biblical. Throughout his ministry, Paul prayed for the new converts in the churches that he established through his evangelistic ministry. Paul believed that something happened when he prayed that would not happen if he did not pray. Although he was separated from those he loved, he recognized that they could be united … Continue reading –>
Read Luke 3:21, Luke 5:16, and Luke 9:18. What do these texts tell you about the relationship between Jesus’ prayer life and His effectiveness in ministry? Jesus’ life was one of constant divine communion with His Father. At the time of His baptism when He launched His Messianic ministry, He prayed for divine power to accomplish heaven’s purpose. … Continue reading –>
