{"id":1637,"date":"2019-06-11T05:11:37","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T13:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1637"},"modified":"2019-06-11T05:11:37","modified_gmt":"2019-06-11T13:11:37","slug":"devotion-acts-1044-48-wonder-working-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1637","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 10:44-48 Wonder Working Power"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 10:44-48\u00a0<\/b>\u2013\u00a0While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on\u00a0all who heard the message.<\/i><\/span>\u00a045\u00a0The circumcised believers who had come with Peter\u00a0were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out\u00a0even on Gentiles.<\/span>\u00a046\u00a0For they heard them speaking in tongues\u00a0and praising God.\u00a0 Then Peter said,<\/span>\u00a047\u00a0\u201cSurely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water.\u00a0They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.\u201d<\/span>\u00a048\u00a0So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.\u00a0Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on\u00a0all who heard the message.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Clearly it is said that the Holy Spirit \u201ccame on\u201d all who heard the message.\u00a0 What does that mean?\u00a0 Some would say that it was at that point that these Gentiles believed and were saved and so the received the Holy Spirit, as all born-again believers do.\u00a0 Others say that while Peter was speaking the Holy Spirit came on them and they believed.\u00a0 So, did they receive the Spirit as the original infilling, or did they, as the Apostles and disciples did at Pentecost, receive an empowering of the Holy Spirit to be ministers of the Gospel?\u00a0 We know that the Apostles had received the Holy Spirit in (John 20:21-22<\/b>) before the empowering in\u00a0Acts 2<\/b>\u00a0which they had been told to expect in\u00a0Acts 1:4-8<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe circumcised believers who had come with Peter\u00a0were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out\u00a0even on Gentiles.<\/i><\/span>\u201d This expression could mean that the Believers present (circumcised does not necessarily mean Jews, but could mean Gentiles who had converted to Judaism, completed the learning and rituals that required, including circumcision, and then after coming to Judaism had came to Jesus.\u00a0 Or it could mean Jews.) \u00a0They were astonished that what these Gentiles were blessed in the same manner that the Apostles and disciples present at Pentecost were blessed.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the stronger inference from the scripture is that these Gentiles had a Pentecost type of experience.\u00a0 But that would lead us to believe that they were already saved.\u00a0 Yes, that is not a problem.\u00a0\u00a0Romans 10:9-10<\/b>\u00a0\u201cIf you declare\u00a0with your mouth, \u201cJesus is Lord,\u201d\u00a0and believe\u00a0in your heart that God raised him from the dead,\u00a0you will be saved.\u00a010\u00a0For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.<\/i>\u201d This scripture is evident and simple, in spite of a taught doctrine that attempts to confuse and narrowly define it.\u00a0 The thief on the cross believed and was saved (Luke 23:43<\/b>).\u00a0 He did not have a lot of knowledge.\u00a0 He observed Jesus and heard a little of what Jesus said from the cross and He believed and Jesus declared his salvation.\u00a0 Believers should abound in biblical and theological knowledge, but that is not required for salvation.\u00a0\u00a0 That would be a type of work.\u00a0 Rather, faith in Jesus can come from a very rudimentary knowledge, as with the thief on the cross.\u00a0 We must remember that God discerns the heart and does not judge as we judge.\u00a0 On the cross, Jesus judged that the thief had given his heart to Him.\u00a0 While Peter was speaking the Gentiles present gave their heart to Jesus.\u00a0 Jesus knew that, and immediately, as with all believers, the Holy Spirit within them and sealed them (Ephesians 4:30<\/b>).\u00a0 Since they had given their hearts to Jesus then they were empowered to be witnesses for Jesus, as had happened at Pentecost.\u00a0 We know that Cornelius was devout, and he had already invited family and friends to come here Peter speak.\u00a0 Family, Cornelius was being used before being \u201csaved\u201d and now he received a filling of the Holy Spirit to receive power to bring the Word of God to the world (at least the world he lived in).<\/p>\n

Whether these Gentiles received the original reception of the Holy Spirit, or a subsequent filling of the Holy Spirit, it is obvious that they now belonged in God\u2019s family as none receive the Holy Spirit without knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor they heard them speaking in tongues\u00a0and praising God.\u00a0 Then Peter said,<\/i><\/span>\u00a047\u00a0\u201cSurely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water.\u00a0They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/i>Here is the definite tie to the Pentecost experience that Peter and the other Apostles had received.\u00a0 He recognized that what had just happened was the same as his own Pentecost experience.\u00a0 He stated so.\u00a0 That should settle the matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, could it be that, different to the Apostles\u2019 experience, that they were born again and also received the Pentecost experience at the same time?\u00a0 Of course it is.\u00a0 Who are we to limit God and to restrict how He would act.\u00a0 Lord God, help us to never be so arrogant as to suppose that we can restrict how You do things. You do as you will.\u00a0 We like it that way!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c48\u00a0So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.\u00a0Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.<\/i><\/span>\u201d\u00a0 Peter, seeing their conversion and witnessing the Holy Spirit coming on them and speaking in tongues, ordered that they be baptized.\u00a0 It should not be thought that he was ordering the neophytes to baptized, but rather that he was ordering the other believers to baptize them.\u00a0 Baptism should be taught and then embraced by new believers.\u00a0 It is evidence of their love of Jesus and submission to Him.\u00a0 All who love Jesus want to obey Him and need not be ordered to be baptized, but rather encouraged to do as the Lord has said they should be.\u00a0 The true believer is obedient to Jesus (John 14:15<\/b>) and will want to be baptized (for some it may take time).\u00a0 Peter was telling the other Believers with him to baptize them.<\/p>\n

Peter stayed with the new believers to give them a foundation of their new belief.\u00a0 It seems likely that he realized, by the empowering of the Holy Spirit, that they would be used as witnesses for Jesus.\u00a0 Peter gave them knowledge of The Gospel to prepare them.\u00a0 Praise our God who, like He did for Cornelius, calls us, saves us, empowers us, and instructs us all along our walk.\u00a0 Praise our good and loving God!\u00a0 Praise God!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 10:44-48\u00a0\u2013\u00a0While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on\u00a0all who heard the message.\u00a045\u00a0The circumcised believers who had come with Peter\u00a0were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out\u00a0even on Gentiles.\u00a046\u00a0For they heard them speaking in tongues\u00a0and praising God.\u00a0 Then Peter said,\u00a047\u00a0\u201cSurely no one can stand in the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,1841,100,106,94,17,10],"class_list":["post-1637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-ephesians","tag-john","tag-luke","tag-micah","tag-psalm","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1638,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1637\/revisions\/1638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}