'Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.’ (John 14:1-4, NIV.)

The whole world is shaking, whether that is political division in UK, USA, Europe and elsewhere, or the wars in Ukraine and now Israel; we are living in turmoil. I believe we are closer to the return of Christ than many imagine. Jesus opens chapter 14 saying, "Let not your heart be troubled - believe in Me - I'm going to prepare a place for you." 

Peter, only in the previous chapter had said, "Lord, why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You." We all must lay down our lives for the call of Christ; to follow Him is to take up the cross. Taking up our cross is identification with Christ in His suffering and resurrection. It's not half-hearted commitment; it is full surrender in discipleship. It's the decision to live our lives as 'crucified with Christ'.

If you study the Acts of the Apostles, you see that Pentecost was not a one-off experience for a select few. It was for ALL who would believe. When Philip the deacon went to Samaria in Acts 8, he preached Christ with miracles following, and all who believed were baptised in water – but the Holy Spirit had not fallen on any of them. When Peter and John heard this, they came down from Jerusalem to lay hands on the new believers so that they would receive the Holy Spirit also. This was such a clear event, so powerful, that Simon the sorcerer offered Peter money to get this same gift of laying hands on people... Peter rebuked him saying, “Your money perish with you!” 

Later in Acts 18:24-19:6, we find a man called Apollos, ‘mighty in the Scriptures’, who was preaching Christ ‘accurately’, but only knew the ‘baptism of John’ – water baptism – he had not received the Holy Spirit. Priscilla and Aquila, friends of Paul, seeing this, explained the way more fully to him. But when later Paul came, he found some who presumably had come to Christ through Apollos’ earlier teaching. He asks them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” The answer: no. So Paul laid hands on them and they received. You see, when you receive Christ, you must also then receive the Holy Spirit – with evidence following.

Peter said in Acts 2:38-39, you must repent, be converted, be baptised in water in the Name of Jesus – and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit… This gift is for ALL whom God shall call. 

The job of the early Church was to preach Christ and the Resurrection of the dead, that the Messiah had come, had lived, had died and been raised to life as prophesied in Scripture! Jesus was seen alive for 40 days before He ascended into Heaven. Paul tells us He was seen by more than 500 brothers and sisters at one time! 1 Corinthians 15:6.

The fact is, I believe if we want the Power of God today, if we want to see the Holy Spirit move, we’ve got to get back to live and preach what they lived and preached in the early church: Christ and the Resurrection – confirmed by signs and wonders following.

From the moment I received the Holy Spirit, I believed I had to live as Paul, Peter, John, Philip and the others did in the Acts of the Apostles. And I'm not just saying this, but I demonstrated it, as I'm speaking to you now, I'm 92 and next year, I'll be celebrating 75 years of full-time ministry.

The Power and Authority I have is through the Holy Spirit. I take and use that Power. I have Authority. Why? Because I have received the Pentecost experience myself. After my Dad spoke with me about the importance of the Holy Spirit, aged 14, I was praying and seeking for some time, a year, before I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But when I did, immediately it transformed my experience – I led my teacher to Christ and two classmates went on to become preachers! Aged 15, God called me to give Him everything and live for Him alone! Aged 18 I went to Bible College, and after only 3 months was asked to pastor a church! I was the only student pastoring a church, full-time, the whole time I was in college! How could I do it? Not because of what I was learning in Bible College – it was what I received from the Holy Spirit! And though I was only a student, so many members of my congregation received the Holy Spirit whilst I was there, that my Dad said, I saw more receive the Holy Spirit in those 2 years, than he had in his whole life!

In this episode, David is summarising all the key points from his recent bible study series from the book of Acts.

The Church began in the Acts of the Apostles with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It’s the story of the birth of the Church, how it was formed, how it developed – and I believe it’s how the Church should be today. I believe we should live as they lived in the Acts of the Apostles, in the same Power of the Holy Spirit – it’s the Power behind my ministry of evangelism. In Joel 2 the prophet speaks of the first rain and the last rain. I believe, and many would agree, this refers to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost when the church began, and now in these last days before Christ returns. 

Acts begins in the period after the Resurrection, before His Ascension into Heaven, when Jesus was still appearing to His disciples. He tells them, wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes. Acts 1:8. Why? Because everything changed when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples at Pentecost! Look at Peter, after Jesus was arrested, when just a servant girl approached him – he was so afraid, he vehemently denied he knew Jesus. After Christ’s crucifixion, even after the Resurrection, there was a panic, what to do now? Peter’s idea was ‘let’s go fishing’! Yet when he received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it was Peter who was the first to leap up onto the roof of the building and preach Christ! Three thousand repented and were baptised! The Power Peter now had was in the Holy Spirit!

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: ‘The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

‘“Go to this people and say, ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.’ For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

‘Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!’

For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hindrance! (Acts 28.23-31, NIV.)

After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island – it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they travelled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: ‘My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.’

They replied, ‘We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.’

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. (Acts 28.11-24, NIV.)

'Keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island...’

Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, ‘This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.’ But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

There was an estate near by that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was ill in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of those on the island who were ill came and were cured. They honoured us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.' (Acts 27:25-26; 28:1-10, NIV.)

‘Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.’ But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbour was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbour in Crete, facing both south-west and north-west.

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the ‘North-Easter’, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sand-bars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: ‘Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.” So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. (Acts 27.10-25, NIV)

'It is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

‘I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

‘On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

‘Then I asked, “Who are you, Lord?”

‘“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” the Lord replied. “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

‘So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen – that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.’ (Acts 26.6-23, NIV)

These chapters highlight Paul’s unwavering faith, his trust in God’s promises, and his commitment to spreading the Gospel, even amidst trials and danger.

'When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood round him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them. Then Paul made his defence: ‘I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.’ Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favour, said to Paul, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?’ Paul answered: ‘I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!’ After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: ‘You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!’ A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: ‘There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner.

'Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself.’ So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defence: ‘King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defence against all the accusations of the Jews, and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. ‘The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?' (Acts 25.7-14; 26.1-8, NIV)