I had memorized the book of Acts many years ago.If you study, the thorough account is a narrative of the Holy Spirit activity in protecting, uniting and infusing the New Testament Church.What did the Spirit perform in providing evidence to the church and the world that He was active historical account? The Holy Spirit came upon the believers in prayer, worship and protection in the public square.Think about this by your modern-day understanding of the Middle East.What would happen to a preacher who visited Iran and stood in the middle of the city preaching the gospel? He would be quicked apprehend and burned at the stake. Consequently, we see in the first century, the authority, the Holy Spirit exercised in the culture.
We need to understand the Holy Spirit is equal in substance in the Trinity as with a sovereign will. Not only does the Holy Spirit active in regeneration and baptizing the believer in the implantation of the word of God but He also comes down upon the church and unites the church by filling the assembly with power. Why did the Holy Spirit baptize the church? When Christ started His ministry in Johns baptism when the Holy Spirit descended as the instrumental in Christ public ministry. Christ was baptized with Spirit and promised the apostle that He would baptize them with the Spirit.
The fundamental question is the Holy Spirit work simply an inward work of eternal salvation? The specific problem with intentionally limiting the Holy Spirit is we undoubtedly have the new testament book of the published work of the Spirit of local manifestation as well. You cannot intentionally disregard this New Testament book recorded to accurately show the Spirits work in public activity of the church. If we invariably reject the book of Acts then the Holy Spirit is limited to work in the believer. Consequently, when we describe the history of the local ministry, it should be an accurate account of Acts. Because Acts shows that the Holy Spirit faithfully performs the work to inseparably unite the local church by empowering the people to gainfully employ their extraordinary gifts in the considerable success of the local ministry. It is unlogical to describe the unity and empowerment as simply responding to the inward work.
Christ incarnation was the temple in the flesh. The symbols in the ark were silent. The old ceremonial law and the prophetic symbols were set aside.That represented Johns baptism.Christ baptism is giving Christ as the sacred temple to the local church. We are all the temple of God by the Holy Spirit. Water baptism was a sign of Christ baptizing the local church as a living temple.The Holy Spirit is the Person who comes down in extraordinary power in a public assembly gifts and empowers saints.