When God gets ahead of us
Dr. Roberto Miranda
(Audio: Spanish)
SUMMARY: The book of Acts emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in the formation and growth of the church. It records how God moved in the early church and emphasizes the importance of having a passion for first love and the role of the Holy Spirit in church life. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a common theme throughout the book, and the flexibility to follow God's will, even if it goes against established beliefs or prejudices, is crucial. The church's theology and understanding of God's beneficent intention to save all of humanity evolved over time, and God used unexpected circumstances and people to spread the Gospel. The restless and curious people in the church can bless the church by keeping it on its toes to see what God is doing.
In this sermon, the speaker discusses the importance of remaining open and flexible to God's revelations, even when they may come in unexpected ways. He uses the example of Peter and the early church's acceptance of Gentile believers, despite initial resistance from some, to illustrate the importance of being attentive to what God is doing and adjusting accordingly. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of remaining humble, open to the Holy Spirit, and seeking the wisdom of others, regardless of their background or status. Overall, the message encourages listeners to trust in God's sovereignty and to remain flexible and open to His guidance in all aspects of their lives.
In dealing with differences in church or any kind of conflict, it's important to preserve unity, avoid gossip, use legitimate means, go to the person involved, assume goodwill in people, focus on glorifying God rather than winning, give time to time, trust in the inherent strength of the church of Jesus Christ, pray and commend our cause to the Lord, put ourselves in the other's place, and ask if our reaction and behavior reflect the love of God and the character of Jesus Christ. God cares more about love than correct doctrine, but that doesn't mean compromising clear principles from the Gospel. The goal is for our daily processes to reflect the character of Jesus and for the church to be a place of love, integrity, justice, tolerance, compassion, generosity, and forgiveness.
In this sermon, the speaker discusses the importance of remaining open and flexible to God's revelations, even when they may come in unexpected ways. He uses the example of Peter and the early church's acceptance of Gentile believers, despite initial resistance from some, to illustrate the importance of being attentive to what God is doing and adjusting accordingly. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of remaining humble, open to the Holy Spirit, and seeking the wisdom of others, regardless of their background or status. Overall, the message encourages listeners to trust in God's sovereignty and to remain flexible and open to His guidance in all aspects of their lives.
In dealing with differences in church or any kind of conflict, it's important to preserve unity, avoid gossip, use legitimate means, go to the person involved, assume goodwill in people, focus on glorifying God rather than winning, give time to time, trust in the inherent strength of the church of Jesus Christ, pray and commend our cause to the Lord, put ourselves in the other's place, and ask if our reaction and behavior reflect the love of God and the character of Jesus Christ. God cares more about love than correct doctrine, but that doesn't mean compromising clear principles from the Gospel. The goal is for our daily processes to reflect the character of Jesus and for the church to be a place of love, integrity, justice, tolerance, compassion, generosity, and forgiveness.
And that is what the book of Acts tries to impregnate in our consciousness. Because it is there in the very formation of the church, by the Holy Spirit he chose to put it there, at that critical moment. And that this book was written to record for generations to come how God moved, what that passion was like at the very beginning, and what is the passion, the first love that we are supposed to have, and what is the role of the Holy Spirit in life? church life.
Someone has said that in this book the Act of the Apostles is not due, as it has been called many times, but rather the Acts of the Holy Spirit. And the Christian life is a dynamic relationship with the Holy Spirit. He guides us into all truth. He reflects the person of Jesus. He is Christ himself here on earth, in this new operation of God's work. And he encourages, strengthens, the paraclete, stands by our side, encourages us, comforts us, advises us, corrects us, directs us, trains us, endows us with his gifts. All these things are involved in the relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Someone has said that in this book the Act of the Apostles is not due, as it has been called many times, but rather the Acts of the Holy Spirit. And the Christian life is a dynamic relationship with the Holy Spirit. He guides us into all truth. He reflects the person of Jesus. He is Christ himself here on earth, in this new operation of God's work. And he encourages, strengthens, the paraclete, stands by our side, encourages us, comforts us, advises us, corrects us, directs us, trains us, endows us with his gifts. All these things are involved in the relationship with the Holy Spirit.
