All that Jesus began to do and to teach

All That Jesus Began To Do And To Teach

Acts 1.1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.

The Bible is full of beginnings.

It begins with a beginning! 

The Beginning of Creation in Genesis 1

The Beginning of the Hebrew (Jewish) Nation in Genesis 12

The Beginning of the New Covenant in the Gospels

The Beginning of the Work of Christ Building His Church Acts 1

The Beginning of the New Heaven and the New Earth Revelation 21-22

The Bible ends with a Beginning!

He is the beginning and the end!

All that Jesus began to do and to teach...

The four Gospels... so much more John 21.25

v.2 Began

Outline of Biblical Usage:

to be the first to do (anything)

to be chief, leader, ruler

"began" is the key word here.

The Gospel of Luke is the story of the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ in the earth. His teaching, His works. The idea conveyed here is that the ministry of Jesus Christ did not end with His ascension into heaven. But He continues to work and teach, only now, it is through His apostles. “I will build My Church.”

What Luke is saying is that the works of Jesus and the teaching of Jesus continues. He continues to work and teach, only now it is through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the lives of the believers.

Thus the book of Acts of the Apostles is an open ended book. It continues to the present day, and will continue until He returns.

The work of Jesus continues today throughout the world.

 Jesus said in John 14, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do, shall He do also, and even greater works than these shall He do, because I go unto My Father."

The book of the Acts of the Apostles is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke/ the work of Jesus.

1. Jesus is the Trailblazer/Author of Our Faith.  Hebrews 12.2

Author= one that takes the lead in any thing and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter, pioneer

He did.

He taught.

We do it through His power.

Ephesians 2.10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We find our greatest contentment and joy when we are walking and working in these things. Now your greatest work could be prayer. I am convinced that much is accomplished by those who lift up prayers to heaven.

These prayers and God answering them enable God’s servants to do His work through His Spirit. 

We teach through the Spirit

“Anointing”

Billy Graham had a prayer team praying each time He preached.

Whenever anyone asks me what I need I say, “Pray that I will have wisdom.

What an Amazing Teaching and Healing Ministry He Had!

Continuing to work through His Church 

Hospitals around the world

Bible Colleges

2. Jesus Opened Up the Way to The Father.

John 14-17 detail that. 

The curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Matthew 27.51

We can come boldly to Throne of Grace. Hebrews 4.16

There is one Mediator between God and man- the  man Jesus Christ. I Timothy 2.5

3. It is the Beginning

It is a time for missions and what a time it is! vs.6-8

It is a time to be concerned about the whole world.

That is what Jesus is saying to the disciples then and now. His Eternal Word.

Just here in this little church... Our Sunday Morning Message is being read around the world and used in places by pastors. France, Italy, Russia, The Ukraine, Germany,  Romania, Brazil, South Korea, Poland, Argentina, VietNam, China, Spain, Sweden, Norway, United Arab Emirates, and many other places.

Mission vs. settling

New Beginnings

Haiti 3 1/2 years, my 7th trip a week from Tuesday. 

Friday,  February 9th

I woke up with this song in my heart:

Come, let us worship the LORD,

For we are His people, the flock that He shepherds

Hallelujah

My thoughts had gone several times before and after as I laid in bed thinking about the upcoming trip to Haiti. My mind went back to that meeting downstairs in the living room, when I was 14 years old, sitting in that rocking chair at that Teen Missionary Council Meeting with Dr. John Stark, Hope Crawford and Don Arey and myself. 14 years later I became the Pastor and moved into this house. They did not even have Work and Witness trips back then.

16 years later I went on my first Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic. We stayed with Pastor Lyswa Renee, a Haitian refugee who had come to the Dominican to work for a $1 a day plus housing in Dominio Sugar Cane Fields. He planted the Church of the Nazarene there on the Lima Bayta.  On that Sunday in January, 2000 when he was bringing us to meet up with the other pastors to go back to the mission station he pointed to the mountains and said, “Haiti”

14 years later I went to Haiti for the first time. It was God’s plan, although I had no idea what He was going to do. A week from Tuesday, Pastor Maurico and I will leave around 4:30am and head into Kennedy and prayerfully, God willing land in Port Au Prince by noon and meet up with Pastor Jorge and another brother.

Added to that my daughter and son-in-law and grandkids and nephew and niece have all joined me on trips prior to this one along with about 40 souls now.

1988 Cairo, Egypt conversation with Art about short term missions.

China

Cuba

Technology into Muslim nations

To the ends of the earth!

Michaelle, the cook, with a little cell phone, showing me a Christian song on her phone.

Here too! Drug Crisis, Immigration, Dessert Social

Pray we will find that place God wants us in and that this fellowship would touch the hearts of the people in the heart of the South Shore of Long Island.

God is still working beginnings, 2nd chapters, new things

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