21.2: The Holy Spirit Comes, the Good News is Preached and a Church is Born

<p>This is one of my favorite chapters in the New Testament. It's the birth &nbsp;of the church. Notice that they're not called "Christians" yet. That &nbsp;comes later in the Book of Acts. Here they are just believers. We left &nbsp;them in Acts 1 waiting, being patient. Jesus promised them the gift of &nbsp;the Holy Spirit from God. They just didn't know when. However, &nbsp;interestingly enough, God took advantage of a Jewish festival celebrated &nbsp;50 days after Passover. In Greek, it's called Pentecost. There were &nbsp;many Jews from other countries there for the festival. Consequently, the &nbsp;Holy Spirit gives all the believers a special power -- a spiritual gift &nbsp;just to get the crowd's attention. Let's dig in....</p> <p><a href="https://giselleaguiar.com/2021/01/02/the-holy-spirit-comes-the-good-news-is-preached-and-a-church-is-born/"><em><strong>Click on over to my blog to keep reading and to dig deeper...</strong></em></a></p> <p><em><strong>Jesus said, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” ~ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3:22‬ ‭NLT‬‬ - this is repeated 14 times in scripture. Kind of gives the idea that God wants us to pay attention.&nbsp;</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>If you want to reap all the benefits of salvation including the 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven then…</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.&nbsp;</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Pray this prayer humbly and wholeheartedly…</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Please forgive me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and my life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. I surrender my whole life to you and I will follow you for the rest of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen.”</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Jesus is coming back soon! Are you ready?</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Soli Deo Gloria —