Three Months with the Spirit - Softcover

Gonzalez, Justo L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0687045991 ISBN 13: 9780687045990

Verlag: Abingdon Press, 2003

Inhaltsangabe

In his lively writing style, renowned author Justo Gonzalez makes this material, formerly available only in Spanish, available to an English-speaking audience. Consisting of 13 Bible studies--each in 7 parts--Three Months with the Spirit can be used for individual or group study.

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Justo L. Gonzalez has taught at the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico and Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He is the author of many books, including Church History: An Essential Guide and To All Nations From All Nations, both published by Abingdon Press. Justo L. Gonzalez es un ampliamente leido y respetado historiador y teologo. Es el autor de numerosas obras que incluyen tres volumenes de su Historia del Pensamiento Cristiano, la coleccion de Tres Meses en la Escuela de... (Mateo... Juan... Patmos... Prision... Espiritu), Breve Historia de las Doctrinas Cristianas y El ministerio de la palabra escrita, todas publicadas por Abingdon Press.

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Three months with The Spirit

By Justo L. González

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 1997 Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-687-04599-0

Contents

Introduction, 
Week 1: Acts 1–2:41, 
Week 2: Acts 2:42–5:11, 
Week 3: Acts 5:12–8:25, 
Week 4: Acts 8:26–10, 
Week 5: Acts 11–13:12, 
Week 6: Acts 13:13–15:29, 
Week 7: Acts 15:30–16:34, 
Week 8: Acts 16:35–18:23, 
Week 9: Acts 18:24–19, 
Week 10: Acts 20–22:24, 
Week 11: Acts 22:25–23, 
Week 12: Acts 24–27:12, 
Week 13: Acts 27:13–28, 

CHAPTER 1

Week One

* * *

First Day: Read Acts 1:1-3.

See: Acts is the continuation of the Gospel of Luke. In the first four verses of that Gospel, you will note that the book is addressed to a certain Theophilus. In today's reading we see that Acts is addressed to the same person. That is why Acts begins with the words "In the first book."

One could then say that Acts is the second part of a two-volume work. The first volume tells us about Jesus, and the second about the Holy Spirit. But the two are interwoven, for Acts tells us that Jesus gave his instructions "through the Holy Spirit." (Remember that in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is born by action of the Spirit, so that now Jesus is giving his instructions through the same Spirit.) The Gospel of Luke speaks of Jesus, in whom the Spirit works. Acts tells us about the Spirit, through whom Jesus is made present. That is why this particular study of Acts is called Three Months with the Spirit.

Judge: When Luke wrote this book, he did not give it a title. The name of "Acts of the Apostles" was given by somebody else, probably in the second century, as a way to refer to this second book that Luke addressed to Theophilus. But the truth is that Acts is not so much about the apostles as it is about the Holy Spirit. In the first weeks of this study we shall see that the apostles are indeed central characters in the narrative. But already in chapter 6 these twelve move away from the center narrative, and eventually they disappear. Even Paul, who will soon occupy center stage, is not the main character of the story, for Luke does not even tell us what happened to him after he arrived at Rome.

The central character of the story is the Holy Spirit, who is present in the apostles and in the rest of the church. The purpose of the story is to lead us to understand how the Holy Spirit acts in the church, so that we may make allowance for such action in ourselves and in today's church.

Act: Make a commitment to read Acts with a new perspective, as the "acts of the Spirit." Pray, inviting the Spirit to act in you as the Spirit acted in those early Christians.

Second Day: Read Acts 1:4-8.

See: The passage deals with the promise of the Spirit and its power. But as part of that promise Jesus must clarify its purpose. The disciples wished to know if this was the time when Jesus would establish the Reign. But Jesus told them that they should not be concerned about this matter, for "it is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority" (verse 7). That is to say that the matter of when the Reign would come, or when Jesus would return, was not their concern. It was not to that end that Jesus promised them the gift of the Spirit. Verse 8 begins with the word "But," which lets us know that Jesus was offering an alternative. The word "but" introduces the actual purpose of the promise of the Spirit, which is to provide the power to testify. No matter how eager the disciples may have been to know when all the things that Christians awaited would be fulfilled, their task was not to inquire about it. Their task was to be witnesses. And they would do this, not through their own power, but by the power of the Spirit.

Judge: It is important to understand this, for even today there are many Christians who think that if one has the Holy Spirit this should give one the clue to know, for instance, when the Lord will return. But the truth is that Jesus repeatedly told his disciples that such matters are beyond our reach. Today's text shows that our concern and our occupation are to be different: It is a matter not of knowing "the times or periods," but rather of being witnesses.

• Do you know someone who thinks that he or she knows when the promises of the end times will be fulfilled? Some such people claim to have that knowledge because the Holy Spirit has revealed it to them, or because they have discovered the key to unlock the meaning of Scripture in this regard.

• In the light of today's passage, what do you think Jesus would say about this?

Act: Make a decision that throughout this study your main purpose will be not curiosity, but rather obedience — above all, obedience in witnessing. Pray that God will help you in this purpose.

Third Day: Read Acts 1:9-12.

See: Compare this text with Luke 24:50-52. Note that Luke is the only one among the Gospel writers who carries the story of Jesus on to the Ascension.

Probably the most interesting detail in this passage is that, when the disciples seemed to be perplexed and looking at heaven, the two men in white robes confirmed the promise that Jesus would return. But in spite of that they told the disciples that what they were to do was not to remain there looking at the sky, but rather to go to Jerusalem. As a result, the disciples returned to Jerusalem, as Jesus had told them to (Acts 1:4, 8; Luke 24:49).

Judge: Note that the two men promised the disciples not that they would go to heaven but rather that Jesus would return to earth. Meanwhile, what the disciples were to do was to be faithful on earth. They were to go to Jerusalem, where Jesus told them that they should expect the gift of the Spirit. And eventually, from Jerusalem, they were to go "to the ends of the earth."

Christians have always had the tendency to remain static, "gazing up toward heaven," and forgetting about earth and what Jesus demands of us here and now. Using heaven as an excuse, some Christians have allowed great injustices without protesting in the name of their faith. Thus, for instance, during the conquest of the western hemisphere the original inhabitants of these lands were mistreated, exploited, even annihilated, and sometimes this was done with the excuse that their souls were being saved so that they could go to heaven.

But it is not necessary to go so far back in time. Similar attitudes exist even today among Christians of every nation and persuasion. They existed among the disciples, and if we are not careful, they will also exist in us.

Act: Have you ever been tempted to stand looking at heaven, where Jesus is, and forget the earth, where we are to be obedient? Reflect on that temptation and the shapes it takes, and write down your reflection.

Look around you, and ask yourself where is the "road to Jerusalem" where Jesus wishes you to begin your witnessing. Pray over it, discuss it with other people in your faith community, and write down your reflections and decisions.

Fourth Day: Read Acts 1:13-26.

See: The passage tells us of the election of someone to take the place vacated by Judas. With that end in mind, Peter established certain criteria or prerequisites that the person to be elected had to meet: It had to be someone who had been with Jesus from the beginning,...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Abingdon Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2003
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0687045991
• ISBN 13: 9780687045990
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 173
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: preigu GmbH & Co. KG; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; Niedersachsen; 49078; Deutschland