As promised, God sends the Spirit, the Spirit is received, and the watching world takes note. Acts 2:1-13 is God's Word for us this Lord's Day and in it we are going to see the faithfulness, power, glory, and mission of God. Without this event, my friend, you would not be a Christian. So, let's take note, hunger to learn, and hunger to live in Acts 29 (not the network but the kingdom life now) based in this text.
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Preparations (Acts 1:12-26) [Jay Thomas]
Jesus has gone to the Father, leaving the disciples with teaching and the promise of the Holy Spirit. So, now what? They prepare. They prepare by actually obeying Jesus, waiting as they trust Him, praying together in unity, and getting serious about the Word. Hearts are prepared. Character is prepared. The full apostolic band is completed. The table is set. The church is ready for the Spirit!
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Introductions to the Spirit-Empowered Church Movement (Acts 1:1-11) [Jay Thomas]
We begin the Book of Acts. It is part 2 of Luke's gospel. We move from the ministry of the earthly Christ to the heavenly ministry of the Risen Christ through His earthly people, the church.
My prayer for our study is that we are enthralled, encouraged, and empowered by this Word of God to bear witness to Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit as we gather, share, pray, sit under the Word, and worship as the Chapel Hill Bible Church.
Will you pray for this with me?
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The Fruitful Church (John 15:1-17) [Kyle McManamy]
We're in week 3 of "From an Elder’s Heart" and our elder - Kyle McManamy - focused on Jesus' famous vine and branches discourse as we learn what it means to drink in and share in the life of God. When God's life flows through us, what comes out of us?
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Maintain Unity, Gain Maturity (Ephesians 4:1-16) [Jason Portnoy]
Week 2 of "From an Elder’s Heart" and our focus will be on unity – true Christian Unity – as we look at Ephesians 4:1-16. Paul exhorts the church of Ephesus – and us by extension – to maintain the unity of Christ. In so doing, Paul causes us to see that the source of our unity is the Holy Spirit and as we each use the gifts the Holy Spirit has given to us, we cooperate with the Spirit to not only individually mature in Christ but also build up the body of Christ in love and unity. This is a beautiful antidote to the winds of pride and individualism that swirl in the culture around us.