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LEARN & GROW
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Week of March 8, 2009
KEY VERSE
"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" Acts 19:2a
CENTRAL TRUTH
The Holy Spirit is with you in every circumstance.
DEVOTION
In Acts 19, Paul comes upon a group of John's disciples in Ephesus and asks them an important question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? The Greek word/tense here indicates that he literally asked them whether there was a point when they had "taken hold" of the Spirit as believers. Paul quickly discovers that they had not yet heard the full Gospel and remained under the baptism of John. When he points them to Jesus as the payment for their sins, they believe and receive the Holy Spirit. Oh, what a joyful day that must have been for them! As I read, I also wondered what had changed for me and whether the Holy Spirit has made a difference in my life. I thought back to 1982, when I made a true commitment to follow Jesus every day. I still remember the rush of excitement and joy! I ran to tell a friend that had shared the Gospel with me earlier. I knew something significant had transformed my life, and it was not long before I realized I was a different person and my life had to change, but back then I didn't know how. Thankfully, after 26 years, I can see just how radically my life has changed. For me, the change did not come instantaneously, but as a result of trusting God through the joys and trials of life. I realized my life has become a testimony to the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives. When you read Acts 19-21 this week, be encouraged that, if you are a believer, the Holy Spirit is working just as powerfully in your life as He was working then! If you have not yet believed, this is a perfect time to respond, just as the Ephesian disciples did!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you made a commitment to follow Jesus every day?
2. How are you depending on the Holy Spirit to help you in your Christina life?
3. What are the areas that you need to give to God and yield to His Holy Spirit?
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