The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church

In the book of Acts we are given a picture of a church that is glorious, holy, filled with Christ and the gospel. The Lord was adding to the church day by day those who were being saved; and wherever believers went many people and sometimes multitudes were believed on Christ and new churches were born. Today’s church presents the opposite picture however, with people belong by one’s and two’s while much of today’s church growth results from those already Christians moving from church to church. Why is there such a difference between today’s church compared to the first church? Why is today that there is a seeming lack of unity, lack of power, lack of holiness and lack of true conversions? This message diagnoses this problem by showing that in the days of the first church, the church was filled by the Holy Spirit, while praying in the Spirit, and these factors, together, resulted in the gospel impacting many people for the glory of Christ and the spread of the kingdom of God. Questions which are asked and answered are 1)Who or what is the Holy Spirit? and 2) What does the Holy Spirit Do? This sermon will be followed by another which examines the questions “Why should believers be concerned about the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives? and What should churches and believers do in order to walk in the Spirit, be filled with Him and see the gospels spread to those who do not yet follow Jesus?