The Coming of the Spirit

So what have we accomplished so far in our study? We know that Jesus died.

We know that he rose again.

We know that he appeared to his disciples for 40 days.

We know that during those 40 days, Jesus gave the disciples instructions.

I wish I could have been in his seminary class for those 40 days to have heard all that he taught them.

We have his word, and it records that he instructed them, and he was with them for 40 days.

And then where are we in the story? He said, go to Jerusalem and wait.

Go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come and give you the power that you will need to carry out the mission that I told you about in Acts 1 verse 8.

And so Jesus ascends into heaven and the disciples do as they're told.

And they go to Jerusalem and wait.

So here they are in the upper room.

I believe this upper room is the same upper room that they were in when they had their last supper with Jesus.

We don't know that for sure, but I think it was.

And there were not just 12 apostles.

There were approximately 120 believers who were gathered in that upper room.

And they were praying, and they were together.

And the Bible says they were in one accord together.

how vital and beautiful it is when brothers walk together in unity.

And would to God that each of us as members of our local churches, whether you're visiting here from a faraway place or whether you're a member here, that we would do all that we can personally to preserve the bond of peace and unity within the body of Christ.

And the reason this is so important is because the body is one body.

And how can the body function well if one part is disaffected against another part? This is up to us, brothers and sisters, to preserve the unity of the faith in the bond of peace.

So now we come to chapter 2, and we're approaching a pivotal moment in the history of the new church.

The forming of this new church, we're coming to the power source now, And it's being gifted to the body.