Prophecy, Prayer, and Outpouring of the Holy Spirit

David W Palmer

(Acts 2:17 NKJV) “‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy …’”

From this, we see the close connection between prophecy and the outpouring of God’s Spirit of Holiness. Also in this same context, we see:

(Acts 1:14 NKJV) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

Prior to the outpouring that happened in Acts 2 and that Peter was explaining, we see that Jesus had ensured that they had receive the Holy Spirit (Like he did at his baptism before going into the wilderness to fight the enemy—from where he returned “in” the power of the Holy Spirit (See: Luke 3–4)):

(John 20:22 NKJV) And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

So, first Jesus’s apprentices were filled with the Holy Spirit, and then led by him into the upper room where they involved themselves in “prayer and supplication.” No doubt, the Holy Spirit in them was deeply involved in this, leading them by his deep inner witness. As they spoke and prayed what he led them to say, they were literally releasing him from inside them to affect the outer world.

After 10 days of this agreeing prayer and intercession, the Holy Spirit was poured out and they prophesied. This was a further release of Holy Spirit words and power from them.

We see a similar occurrence later in Acts:

(Acts 4:24–31 NKJV) So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord … look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, {30} by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” {31} And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Jesus’s people were under pressure from the enemy, so they gathered and prayed. In the prayer they quoted scripture, pled their case to God, and opened their hearts to him in supplication for bold preaching, healings, signs, and wonders to be done in Jesus’s name. As a result, God’s answer was shaking and another outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The situation we face today is similar; we are undergoing server testing and attacks from God’s enemy trying to discourage Christians and thwart the efficacy of Jesus’s church. Our response should be to gather and pray and to continually confess what God has said in his word.

And then, like is so clearly spelled out in the Bible, we should expect shaking and outpouring—including healing, signs, and wonders in Jesus’s mighty name.

An interesting way to look at this is one I find to be motivating for me. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and if we are “one spirit” with the Lord (1 Cor 6:17); then when we pray wholeheartedly, we are releasing what’s in our spirit and thus the Holy Spirit. In other words, when pouring out our hearts to the Lord, we are simultaneously pouring out from the Holy Spirit through our mouths. I believe this contributes to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that Jesus declared to be his plan for the church age.

This greatly motivates me to pray with all of my heart and to continue confessing God’s word. Like those in the upper room, who continued in prayer and supplication; and like those in Acts 4, who prayed scripture and for the supernatural, our prayers and confessions can be accompanied by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Holiness. 

This will result in increasing holiness, signs, wonders, healings, and all of the other work of the Holy Spirit, including conviction on sinners, new births, repentance, and love.

Today, I encourage you to see yourself as part of Jesus’s end-times plan to cover the ear

Supernatural Declaration of God’s Plan

David W Palmer

(Acts 2:14–17 NKJV) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. {15} For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. {16} But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: {17} ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.’”

When the Holy Spirit filled and clothed Peter on the Day of Pentecost, he suddenly understood something from Scripture; it was a prophetic insight. Peter could see exactly what God was saying in this prophetic passage and how it applied there and then. He immediately stood up to address the people whose attention the Holy Spirit had arrested. The Holy Spirit spoke through him and delineated the way Jesus intended for the church age to unfold: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh.”

On that day, God poured out his Spirit on the 120 devoted followers in the “upper room,” but the revelation the Holy Spirit gave Peter shows that it is God’s plan for this to continue unabated to include “all flesh.” When coupled with Jesus’s commission to preach the gospel everywhere to everyone, we see that God’s vision for the time in which we live is to have both the gospel and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit reaching everyone—without exception.

With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes: “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.’” Prophecy is supernatural saying, and “see visions” and God-given dreams are supernatural seeing. So, not only is the spontaneous and supernatural revelation to be given to us—and we should expect it continually—God’s plan is for everyone to have things revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. Of course, he wants them to hear and receive the gospel first. But even grasping the truth of the gospel and its power unto salvation is a revelation given by the Holy Spirit.

As we move deeper and deeper into these last days and end times, let’s expect more than ever to receive revelation, prophecies, dreams, visions, and gifts of the Holy Spirit—supernatural seeing, saying, and doing. And let’s expect that it is fully God’s plan for new believers to begin to experience this too.

Part of our role in discipling newborns in God’s kingdom is to show them how to be guided by God’s written word so they can walk genuinely in the revelation God wants them to receive without being deceived, side-tracked, or thwarted by the enemy. I always remember what I was taught as a novice in all of this: “All word and you dry up; all spirit and you blow up; word and spirit together and you grow up.”

Today, I encourage you to expect to receive prophecy, see visions, or have dreams if age-appropriate. Expect revelation from God as you read his word, and expect spontaneous and supernatural seeing and saying while conversing, preaching, teaching, or writing. This, after all, is God’s plan for this time. Let’s also expect the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh. Expect God to use you in this today.

We must also remember that when filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus’s followers appeared to be drunk to their audience:

(Acts 2:12–13 NKJV) So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” {13} Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

Mere observation without explanation can lead to cynicism and misunderstanding. Peter had to preach and teach them that these spirit-filled people were not drunk, but full of the Spirit of Holiness. We too need to be ready and fully prepared to give explanation of what God is doing and quietly nip in the bud any hint of the enemy’

Supernatural Saying in Known Languages

David W Palmer

(Acts 2:4 NKJV) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

On the day of Pentecost, Jesus’s followers were all filled with the Holy Spirit and clothed in fire. They spontaneously began supernatural saying; they spoke in tongues—real languages that they hadn’t learned or rehearsed. Jesus and the Holy Spirit had several things to say about this supernatural saying—when words are given to us by the Holy Spirit ready to be expressed.

As we have seen, some of these words are in languages we don’t know or have never learned. They are languages of men and angels (1 Cor. 13:1). But, scripture records several examples of this supernatural saying in our normal languages as well—words given to us by the Holy Spirit to say, declare, and proclaim in Jesus’s name—being the words he would have said if he were here pre-cross and words he wants said now through his body.

Jesus prepared his trainees for this type of experience in advance:

(Mark 13:11 NKJV) “But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

The Lord shows clearly that without premeditation or long preparation, words can supernaturally be given by the Holy Spirit to his followers. He simply takes over the moment and formulates what he wants said, and then allows us the privilege of being able to express it.

This is exactly what often happens when we are preaching. We [should] diligently prepare notes and messages, but when we are delivering in Jesus’s name, other words may come to us supernaturally—words from the Holy Spirit that press to be expressed. Then, by faith, we can leave the security of the prepared message and trust that the Holy Spirit will supernaturally and spontaneously give us the words he wants said.

The Holy Spirit gives us a brilliant example of this in Acts 10 when Peter was the first to announce the gospel to non-Jews:

(Acts 10:34–35 NKJV) Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. {35} But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”

Peter spoke a revelation that he received “in that hour” or at the moment of opening his mouth—or at the longest, it was received that day when he saw the vision from heaven of the unclean food. But it reads like it all came together in his mind when he stood to speak. Suddenly, he just knew something from the Holy Spirit and felt the Spirit prompting him to say it. It was profound and contained essential doctrine for us all. Without doubt, this was supernatural saying—after all, it became part of the written word of God; without doubt, God said it. We should all expect him to do similar things through us. 

You may not be a preacher, but you will no doubt be in situations where you begin to speak about God; and suddenly, you will simply become aware of something that needs to be said. It’s the Holy Spirit giving you supernatural saying.

Even in the Old Testament book of Psalms, God was looking forward to this day and preparing us for it:

(Psalm 81:10 NKJV) “I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

“Opening our mouth wide” expecting God to fill it is an act of faith—especially when we begin and don’t know what’s to come next. This often happens when the Holy Spirit calls on us to prophesy or to follow him in a prompt or the beginning of a revelation while speaking to someone or preaching. By faith, we open our mouths widely—whole heartedly—expecting and allowing him to fill them. This may feel tenuous and risky to our natural man, but God loves this kind of faith. But remember, this applies to when he prompts us after we prepare in the spirit with a life of devotion, prayer, praise, and

Spontaneous and Supernatural Saying

David W Palmer

(Acts 2:1–4 NKJV) When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. {2} And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. {3} Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. {4} And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Throughout Acts, we see Jesus what Jesus continued to do, operating as the Head of the Church—using his disciples, the Holy Spirit, and angels to fulfil his mission. To his true disciples, he delegated the authority to speak his word on his behalf, he clothed them with supernatural power, and he imparted to them his vision and commission. For the disciples, this resulted—among other things—in supernatural seeing, saying, and doing. 

On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon them to clothe them in power, they certainly had supernatural seeing: they saw the tongues of fire. They also had spontaneous supernatural saying: they spoke with “tongues.” In other words, supernaturally by the Holy Spirit’s ability, they were enabled to speak in languages they had never learned. This was a miracle.

Speaking in tongues first allowed them to speak languages that the bystanders from foreign countries were able to understand. In other words, the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in a way that the people on the street could understand them. Today, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to enable us to speak in ways that the common people and migrants of our day can understand.

The apostle Paul later spelled out other brilliant benefits of the supernatural saying of speaking in tongues:

(1 Corinthians 14:2, 4–5, 14 NKJV) For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. ... {4} He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself … {5} I wish you all spoke with tongues ... {14} For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

From what Paul—speaking on behalf of the Holy Spirit—explained, we see the amazingly supernatural side of speaking in tongues. First, we see that it enables supernatural speaking directly to God. This is a powerful prayer benefit; what we say when speaking in tongues may be a mystery to us as it is not usually understood by the speaker. But to God, it is not a mystery; it is a direct communication from the spirit of a human—with the Holy Spirit’s help—which bypasses the human intellect—so it cannot be corrupted by the flesh or selfishness, etc.

The second benefit the Holy Spirit recorded through Paul is that the one speaking in tongues edifies himself. This may sound self indulgent, but before we can edify others, we need to be edified so we can overflow life, power, and love to them. This truly is an amazing benefit of the supernatural saying of speaking in tongues.

Paul rounds out this passage by saying, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.” To me, if tongues is available, it is indispensable. God has provided a way for us to have this supernatural advantage in prayer and self edification. All of which means God’s will being done through the prayer, and others being helped via the edified disciple—who overflows in life-giving ministry.

Another supernatural sign released when speaking in tongues is found here:

(1 Corinthians 14:21–22 NKJV) In the law it is written: “With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,” says the Lord. {22} Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers …

I often wondered how this was supposed to work. I even tried speaking in tongues to a non-believer who asked to hear it. I’m not sure if she took it as a sign, but I did it in obedience to

Disciples Gathered and Prayer Overflowed

David W Palmer

(Acts 1:12–14 NKJV) Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet … {13} And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. {14} These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

Jesus had just finished finalising his apostle’s commission and declared to them his promise of Holy Spirit power before ascending into his new role at Father’s right hand. (This of course doesn’t mean that he doesn’t still appear on earth as needed.) As “Head of the Church,” Jesus directs the church. He leads through his word, the Holy Spirit, angels and anointed leaders. So, where his body is obediently following his will, commission, daily directives, walking in the spirit, and living by faith, we see Jesus in action—building his church and subduing the universe.

After Jesus’s ascension and another promise from God’s angels about the Lord’s return, the apostles returned to Jerusalem. Quite a lot of them were staying together in an “upper room.” Several others—including Jesus’ physical mother and his [half] brothers—joined them in prayer.

(Luke 24:49 AMP) “Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.”

(Acts 1:8 NKJV) “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus had clearly promised them that they would be clothed with Holy Spirit power from on high; yet they still drew near to God in prayer:

(Acts 1:14 NKJV) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

We see from this that even when you have received a covenant-backed promise from the God who cannot lie, you still need to pray. Prayer is not like pulling teeth; prayer is enjoyable fellowship and interaction with the One who is pure love. That’s why his word tells us to “delight” ourselves in the Lord:

(Psalm 37:4 NKJV) Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Perhaps the apostles didn’t force themselves into prayer, or do it out of a sense of duty; maybe they just did it automatically as a natural consequence of having had such overawing encounters with the resurrected Lord Jesus. His majesty and authority had impacted them, and his amazing grace empowered them to overflowing gratitude, prayer, praise, etc.

When our whole band received salvation and we had a life-changing encounter with Jesus, his salvation, and his love, prayer was the overflow. Immediately, several band members and road crew moved into our house so we could be together. It wasn’t an upper room, but the feeling was the same.

The whole house gathered each morning and evening and simply began praying. We didn’t have to work it up, force ourselves into it, or manipulate ourselves through a sense of religious sacrifice or duty. It was automatic; we simply spoke to God like he was in the room. Praying to him was what we wanted to do, and we enjoyed it. In prayer, we opened our hearts declaring our devotion, our willingness to obey whatever he wanted, and we asked for the salvation of everyone we knew. We wanted them to discover what we had found—or should I say, to have God reveal himself to them as he had to us.

At that stage, we didn’t contemplate the theology of prayer, we simply spoke to our Lord as we would a new friend. Our lives had changed; and we have never looked back. God has answered, guided, and provided ever since. And we are still overflowing to others about God’s

Fight the Fight of Faith

David W Palmer speaking

Faith The Servant of the Believer

David W Palmer

(Acts 1:6–11 NLT) So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” {7} He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. {8} But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” {9} After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. {10} As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. {11} “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

Jesus’s awestruck apostles wanted certainty and answers to their curiosity-motivated questions. They wanted to know what would happen, and when it would take place—just like our natural man does. However, Jesus didn’t tell them everything; he simply gave them some instructions, and sent some angels to give them a promise of his return. After that, they simply had to walk forward by faith, not knowing all the facts, but certainly knowing and needing to trust their Saviour.

Jesus had also left them with the promise: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” They simply had to wait in Jerusalem by faith for this to happen (Luke 24:49), but Jesus didn’t tell them when it would take place. Of course, we know that on the Day of Pentecost Jesus sent the Holy Spirit from heaven in great power, fire, and light to clothe them, but they didn’t know this; they had to wait by faith:

(Acts 2:1–3 NLT) On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. {2} Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. {3} Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.

Jesus’s apostles and followers needed faith to wait for 40 days or so in the city that had just murdered their leader. They waited with no visible sign or feeling to comfort them; they simply had to trust what Jesus and the angels had said to them. Those who stayed in faith received what he promised. Now all of us are continuing in the faith they also displayed in the angels’ promise that he will return in the same way he went: 

(Acts 1:9 NLT) After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.

(Revelation 1:7 NLT) Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!

Faith is now, and always has been, God’s way of doing things. The Holy Spirit has always fulfilled the Father’s will, as expressed by the living Word, because of mutual trust. Faith operating via the covenant is God’s means of accessing the world; it is his way of doing things in man’s domain through the Holy Spirit’s power. Jesus expects us to operate by faith just as he and his Father do (Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38). Jesus wants us to receive by faith what he has achieved for us in the plan of redemption. In other words, he wants us to trust him to fulfil his promises.

Believing God’s word and confessing it on earth is our responsibility. The Holy Spirit will then release his unlimited ability (because of the covenant, and because of his faith in the Father and the Living Word) to bring to pass on the earth what God says. Our faith allows God the access he needs to complete his objectives. 

Jesus operated this way as the four Gospels reveal. The following Scriptures give some examples of Jesus’s amazing faith-life:

(John 6:5–6 NKJV)

Jesus’s Plan to Subdue the Universe through His Church, Part 2: His Strategy:

David W Palmer

(Acts 1:8 AMPC) “But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.”

To succeed in his mission of bringing all of created reality back into right relationship with God, Jesus needs to work through others. So, by functioning in his current ministries from God’s right hand, he has implemented several strategies. This is so he can work through his church effectively. He was preparing for this the whole time he was ministering on earth as recorded in the gospels. So, what is Jesus’s strategy? By looking at the gospels and Acts we see that Jesus:

• Operated through his trained apprentices, loyal angels, and the Holy Spirit;
• Imparted his vision to, delegated his authority to, and poured out his power on his disciples;
• Gave them supernatural seeing, supernatural saying, and supernatural doing.

We see that Jesus imparted his vision, delegated his authority, and poured out his power. He used his disciples, angels, and the Holy Spirit—all working in harmony to continue his work on earth. If we understand what Jesus is doing throughout Acts, we will know how to cooperate with him now. Let’s begin our discovery by looking at how Jesus and the Holy Spirit work together:

(John 14:26 NKJV) “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

(John 15:26 NKJV) “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

(John 16:7 NKJV) “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”

(John 16:13–14 NKJV) “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. {14} He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Before Jesus’s death, resurrection, and ascension, he explained to his disciples the way in which he would operate in the future. He said that he would “go to the Father” (John 16:16), and that the Holy Spirit would convey his messages to them (John 14:26, 15:26). Jesus, the Head of the church, will instruct and lead his body through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12–13).

Therefore, we can expect Jesus our Lord to guide us in this way. To cooperate with him in this, we need to know how the Holy Spirit interacts with us. In other words, how does the Holy Spirit bring information and instructions etc. to us from Jesus? How does he communicate? What language does he speak? In Acts 2:17, we see part of the answer:

(Acts 2:17 NKJV) “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.”

Here we read that in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, people will “prophesy,” see “visions,” and have “dreams.” These, therefore, are part of the Holy Spirit’s language. Just as God works from a dream, and Jesus was following a vision and receiving daily guidance through revelation, so too the church receives its instructions in dreams, visions, and Holy Spirit given revelations. We then, like Jesus, should only do that which we see and hear with him in the spirit (John 5:19):

(John 5:19–20 CSB) Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things. {20} For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing,

Jesus’s Plan to Subdue the Universe through His Church, Part 1: His Mission

David W Palmer

(Acts 1:1 NKJV) “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.”

Luke wrote both the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts; they are a two-volume set. In this verse, Luke describes his objective for volume one: he says that in the “former account” (the gospel of Luke), he described what Jesus “began” to do and teach. From this we can infer that he intended the book of Acts to describe what Jesus continued both to do and teach.

What was the mission Jesus began in the gospels? If we understand this, we can learn from the book of Acts how he continued it through his apostles, disciples, and followers—as they were empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, and assisted by angels. Thankfully, many New Testament verses disclose Jesus’s mission:

• Seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10)
• Call sinners to salvation (Luke 5:32)
• Serve and not be served (Mat. 20:28)
• Destroy the works of the devil (1 John)
• Go about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. (Acts 10)
• Go to all the towns and villages (Mark 1:38)
• Finish the work given to him by his Father (John 17:4)

(John 20:21 MKJV) Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As My Father has sent Me, even so I send you.”

We see clearly from this verse that Jesus intends us—his disciples and followers—to continue the mission his Father gave him; he began it in the gospels, his church continued it in Acts, and we are called into it today.

After his resurrection, Jesus ascended to Father’s right hand and sat down. However, through his ongoing ministries—in particular as Head of the Church—he continued to direct the affairs of his kingdom on earth. So throughout the book of Acts, we see Jesus continuing to do what he began in the gospels: the mission of restoring all of created reality to right relationship with God:

(Hebrews 1:3 KJV) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Here we see that Jesus, having successfully fixed our sin problem through his cross and resurrection, sat down at Father’s right hand. The sitting mentioned here indicates that his work in this area has ceased. However, this does not mean that he is currently idle or unemployed; Scripture indicates that he has many present ministries. (See yesterday’s devotion and our teaching on Jesus, What is he doing now?) One of His current ministries is being Head of the church (See: Eph. 1:22, 5:23, Col. 1:18).

In his capacity as “Head of the church,” Jesus does the thinking, directing, organizing, planning, and building of his church (Mat. 16:18). The apostle Paul readily acknowledged that it was Jesus living in and through him who achieved the results of his ministry. His summary statement was that all that he did and achieved was because Jesus was living and operating through him:

(Galatians 2:20 EMTV) “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”

(1 Corinthians 3:6 NKJV) “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”

Jesus’s long-term objective as head of the church is first, through his body, to subdue all of God’s enemies:

(Hebrews 1:13 MKJV) But to which of the angels, did He say at any time, “Sit on My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool?”

Then, once he has brought all created reality back to right relationship with God, Jesus will hand all governing control of the kingdom back to his Father:

(1 Corinthians 15:24–25 EMTV) “Then will be the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God, even the Father, when He abolishes every ruler and every authority and power. {25} For He must reign till He puts all His enemies under His

What Jesus Continued to Do – An Introduction To The Series

David W Palmer

(Acts 1:1 NLT) In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach.

Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke; he also wrote the book of Acts. That’s why he begins here with the words, “My first book.” Luke says that his gospel account covered what Jesus “began” to do and teach. This implies that his second book—the book of Acts—is about what Jesus continued to do and teach.

As we work our way through the book of Acts, we will look at it from the perspective of Jesus being at God’s right hand, operating as Head of the Church and his other continuing ministries:

• Lord of the universe (Rev. 19:16)
• King of all domains—King of kings (Rev. 19:16)
• Head of the Church—his government (Col. 1:18)
• The Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2)
• Our Eternal High Priest (Heb. 6:20)
• Our Intercessor—who ever lives to make intercession for us (Rom. 8:34, Heb. 7:25)
• The High Priest of our Confession (Heb. 3:1)
• Our Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1)
• The Surety of the New Covenant (Heb. 7:22)
• Our Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
• Etc.

In our study of Acts, we will see Jesus continuing to do and teach. To achieve this in his new set up, we will see that he operated through the Holy Spirit, angels, his church, disciples, followers, and apostles, prophets, evangelists, elders, etc. To them he imparted his vision, delegated authority, and poured out his power.

With Jesus running things from his exalted position at God’s right hand, we will see the church growing and spreading into all the world according to the commission he gave his disciples.

Jesus is preeminent:

(Colossians 1:17–18 NKJV) And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. {18} And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Jesus, the Sequel: What He Continued to Do and Teach

David W Palmer

(Acts 1:1–2 NLT) In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach {2} until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.

“In my first book”

The person who wrote this is Luke. His “first book” refers to the gospel of Luke; Acts is the sequel. Interestingly, he said that his first book was about “everything Jesus began to do and teach.” By saying that it was about what Jesus “began” to do, Luke is implying that his current book covers what Jesus “continued” to do. Luke’s gospel begins the story; Acts is the sequel—a published work that continues the story or develops the theme of an earlier one. In my mind, therefore, I think of Acts as: What Jesus Continued to Do.

After his resurrection, Jesus didn’t go on holidays for the rest of eternity. He is now busy in several key ministries. For example, he is currently:

• Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)
• King of kings (Rev. 19:16)
• Our eternal High Priest (Heb. 6:20)
• The High Priest of our Confession (Heb. 3:1)
• The Surety of the New Covenant (Heb. 7:22)
• The Author and Perfecter of our Faith (Heb. 12:2)
• The Good Shepherd who guides, guards, and provides for his sheep (John 10:11)
• Our Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1)
• Our Intercessor (Heb. 7:25)
• The Bride Groom who went to prepare a place for us (John 14:2), etc.

And importantly, he is currently Head of the Church:

(Ephesians 1:22 NKJV) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church.

(Ephesians 5:23 NKJV) For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

(See also: Col. 1:18, Eph. 4:15) 

The church is Jesus’s body, his bride, his army, etc. But importantly, the Greek word from which we get our word, “church,” implies that Jesus’s church is his governing body on earth—like the Queen’s parliament today, or the Roman senate of their time. In other words, Jesus—the ultimate sovereign King of kings—