Passover to Pentecost – Miracles, Signs, and Wonders

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Passover to Pentecost – Miracles, Signs, and Wonders       Week 4 Day 5

Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him. Acts2:22 (NIV)

Like leadership, today’s topic is a component of God’s work when He is bringing His people together.  Moses did miracles for the People of Bondage in Egypt.  Once on the other side of the Rea Sea He did miracles for His People of Freedom.  Jesus did miracles to bring the Disciples together.  The Holy Spirit used the signs and wonders of wind, fire, and strange languages for the speakers to add 3000 to the Church that first Pentecost morning.  But this extended past that first day, and rested in the churches.

We can see this with Peter as he was building the church in Israel in Acts 9 + 10.  Many signs and wonders were reported in the ministry of Barnabas and Paul on their mission’s trips.   I would like to focus on the church of God that was in Corinth.

In Acts 1: 6 Paul talks about his testimony for Christ being confirmed by the fact that they had spiritual gifts.  In chapter two he continues by saying that the demonstrations of power by the Holy Spirit were to confirm the good news about Jesus.  While establishing order in the new church he talks about spiritual gifts and manifestations in chapter 12, 13, and 14.  It would seem that Jesus’ church is to have these gifts and they are to be present in the services.

Passover to Pentecost – Leaders

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Passover to Pentecost – Leaders       Week 4 Day 4

To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity.  Ephesians 4:12 + 13 (NIV)

Jesus took about three years to pick and train the twelve leaders who would take over when He finally left for Heaven.  Some people would argue that Paul’s extended stay in Corinth was to train Timothy, Titus, and others to take his place or at least join him in the ministry.

By the time Paul wrote his book to the Ephesians there was growth in thinking about leaders in the Body.  In Ephesians 4: 11 Paul talks about leaders as being gifts to help mature us.  But Paul still trained leaders.  The letters to Titus and Timothy are the writings of a mentor to two of his mentees.  He not only gives personal instruction but he gives advice on how to maintain a church.

Jethro when he visited Moses during the first Counting of the Omer advised him to pick leaders.  These men may have been in addition to the leaders in families and tribes of Israel.

Passover to Pentecost – The Beta Program

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Passover to Pentecost – The Beta Program       Week 4 Day 3

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.   When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.  Matthew 13: 45 + 46 (NIV)

I left a comfort zone on this post so I hope the terms and concepts are correct. I have helped to field test a new educational product line, and I see what the disciples did in Acts as being very similar.  All of the references will be from the Book of Acts.

  • Have a plan developed and present it to the staff. (1:7)
  • The staff needs an intense preparation period. (1:14)
  • Make sure you have the proper staff to start the project. (1:21)
  • Have a big “kick-off” to start the program. (2:2)
  • Play off of public interest, explain what is going on, and relate it to previous experiences thus showing how better your program is. (2:14-41)
  • Initiate the Beta test. In the case of Acts it was baptism, Apostle teaching’s, fellowship, communion, and prayer. (2:41-43)
  • Look for and validate results. There were awesome miracles, shared lives, God praised, people see a change and are favorable, and new growth. (2:44-47)
  • Take opportunities to spread the message and receive competition from the establishment. (3:1 -4:22)
  • First beta test passed. (4:23 – 31 especially verse 29)
  • Study the program and find highlights of the results. Spotlight people. (4:32-37)
  • Internal challenge to first Beta test. (5:1-42)
  • Implement the second Beta test. (6:1-7)
  • Go live with new program. (Chapters 7-12)
  • Next level of program Chapters 13 to 28.

Passover to Pentecost – The Basic Package

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Passover to Pentecost – The Basic Package       Week 4 Day 2

“You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:34 (NIV)

The teachings of Jesus in the Gospels were geared to the crowds.  He was trying to pull them out and up from their circumstances and speak life into a very static religious experience.  Jesus using parables allowed every academic level of listener to get something from His public ministry.  He started shifting toward the end of His life from public to private time with His disciples.  Why?  He was training His leaders.  After the crucifixion it was all private time.  He had built the ground work for His Kingdom in their lives.  He upped the training before Palm Sunday and now He was fine-tuning His commanders.

Great training courses add material while connecting it to the basics.  Jesus’ base package was just two things: Love God and Love Your Neighbor (Matthew 22: 37, Mark 12:28).   The other things were still there but these two things were Jesus.  The Torah has 613 commandments; Jesus condensed that rich volume of information to just two commandments!

Go forward many years, how is this base package now looking?  Love God, love your neighbor, Jesus is Lord, and Hebrews 6:1 +2.   I think the training worked!

Passover to Pentecost – Class in Session

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Passover to Pentecost – Class in Session       Week 4 Day 1

He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  Acts 1:3

We have looked at several of the recorded meetings Jesus had with the Eleven and the other disciples.  We are not finished with them yet, but I want to think about this forty-day seminar on the Kingdom.  To do this we will look at what the disciples taught, put into action, and how some of the churches lived out these teachings.  Jesus had actually promised this training time while they were in the Passover meal in John 16: 25 – Though I have been speaking figuratively, I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father (NIV).  I talk about His use of parables and other teaching styles in Jesus the Master Teacher.  A good parable would affect the crowd at many different levels and give them a lot to think on.  That can be good and bad for the understanding of because two people next to each other can take away two completely different ideas.  That is why the disciples would ask for clarification to lessons for the information they did not want to miss; Jesus would help them understand (Parable of the Sower).   This mini-session, however, would be different, no parables just straight talk and answers.  A great thing, there was no notes!  They would soon receive the Holy Spirit and He would help them remember the lessons.

In my current thinking mode, it is very easy for my mind to drift to Moses and two forty day sessions on Mount Sinai, and then the months of construction so the Ark and the Tabernacle would be finished for the second Passover.  All of these things and activities reflect the Teacher who is giving His last lessons here on earth.  Imagine the teaching that took place in Jesus’ last forty days.  Jesus and the disciples are in Galilee after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so with travel time that is about thirty days before they needed to be on the Mount of Olives.  They are sitting on Mount Tabor able to see “forever” in the clear blue sky and Jesus is ending His teaching just before the meal.  500 people are listening and he gives them the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:16 and Luke 24: 46, there is a version in Mark but that really reflects the doing of what was said).  He had trained and sent the Twelve, then seventy-two, and now he has commissioned a small army.  When Jesus actually gave the lesson from Acts 1:4 – Wait for the Holy Spirit; I have no idea.  I will, however, put it after the “second month Passover” which would have been three weeks from Thomas’ restoration.

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