Acts - 3 Week Study.pdf

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Dear Harvest Family,

As of this Sunday. we are oﬃcially 19 months and 2 days old as a church family. God has been incredibly gracious and faithful to us day after day and week after week. The past 19 months have been filled with discipleship: small groups being strengthened and multiplied, ministry teams being strengthened and growing, the ministry of the Word making a giant impact in the hearts of God’s people, and the ministry of worship growing stronger week after week.

We ought to and must be praising God for each of these things and more.

As I and the leaders of Harvest have been praying for this church to thrive, The Holy Spirit has been impressing upon my heart that He desires to move within us in a specific way: outside of our walls.

Something has been bugging me. I need to be very careful about what I am about to write, but I want you to hear my heart. We have seen 3 people baptized in 2017: amen, hallelujah, I will rejoice forever over those 3 baptisms. But my brothers and sisters, I need to ask you a question: have we baptized 3 people because, despite my greatest eﬀorts and your greatest eﬀorts to sow the seeds of the Gospel in the lost over these past 10 months of 2017, the Lord is simply not bringing forth the harvest? Or have we only baptized 3 people because you and I have not been taking every opportunity to sow seeds of the Gospel to harvest? Have you been scattering Gospel seeds broadly? Or are your pockets full of unused seed?

I’ll go first: for me, it has been the latter. My pockets are stuﬀed with unused seeds. The Lord has been driving this home in my heart in excruciating ways over the past month or so.

How about you? Let me give you a chance to answer: write down the names of the last 10 people that you prayerfully and intentionally explained the Gospel to:

How far did you get? Probably not much further than me.

So let’s repent together. Father, forgive us for our laziness. The time is short. Jesus is coming soon to gather His Bride to Himself. Jesus said to us, “repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in My name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. (Luke 24:47-48).” We have not been proclaiming Your name to the Nations, let alone Rochester, even though you have promised us Your Holy Spirit as our power. Please forgive us, and please give us a renewed passion for what You want to accomplish through Your willing servants. Have mercy on us, Lord. And use us. We are Yours. In the gracious name of Jesus we pray, Amen.” Listen: Jesus had much better options than you and me. But He has chosen to use us anyway, and that is a privilege worth trembling over. He has entrusted the eternal message of the Gospel to go from your lips to someone else’s ears. It is time to take that call seriously and get after what He called us to do.

But as we read before in Luke 24, He has not left us alone. No, actually He has done us one better. John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” How much do you pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing in your life? How much do you actually look for Him to be active? How much do you ask Him to be active in your life? If you are anything like me, you are thirsting for more of what is seen in the book of Acts by the Holy Spirit and less of boring, flesh-led Christianity.

Enter our reason for reading the book of Acts together.

If we are going to be a church that is having a hard time keeping our baptistry empty, then we need to be a church that is full of on-mission, Holy Spirit filled believers who are chomping at the bit of every chance we get to sow Gospel seeds in the hearts of the lost. We need to pursue the lost with an intensity we have not seen or experienced before.

Quite frankly, we need to get uncomfortable.

So here is what we are going to do.

READING THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS For the next 28 days, I am asking you to stop whatever Bible reading plan you are on, and I am asking us as a church to focus in on the book of Acts. Every day you will read 1 chapter in the book of Acts and you will answer 3 questions:   1) What do you see the Holy Spirit doing in this passage? Everything you see in the book of Acts can be attributed to the Holy Spirit. This is Who Jesus said to wait for because when He shows up, there is power. So, what do you see the Holy Spirit accomplishing? Make some observations. 2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest? We are assuming some things here: the Holy Spirit is not dead, the Holy Spirit is the same as He ever was, Jesus has promised us His Holy Spirit, and when the Holy Spirit shows up there is supernatural power. If the Holy Spirit emboldened fishermen to preach the Gospel, opened locked prison doors, and brought 3,000 people to Christ in one day, why can’t He do those things today? Based on the observations you made, what do we need the Holy Spirit’s power to accomplish here and now?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit. You’ve made the observations, now get down on your knees and pray! We need to ask Him to do it. And beware: you may be the answer to all of your prayers. As you write down the names of people you want to see saved, what are you waiting for? Ask for the Spirit’s power, and go for it.

Wednesday Fastday FASTDAYS You will notice that every Wednesday Fastday over the next 28 days will be dedicated to fasting. We will send out an email on Tuesday specifically spelling out what we will be praying for as we fast. Join us. Do not eat for an entire day. Wake up hungry and go to bed hungry, but don’t just be hungry: pray for the Lord to fill your hunger for the Holy Spirit! For some of you it may be the first time you have ever fasted, for others it may be a regular routine, and for the rest of us we are somewhere in between. Listen: revivals happen when God’s people fast and pray in unison. Trace back any major work of the Holy Spirit through church history and you will find at their roots men and women fasting and praying for the Spirit to move. There is power in doing this together. Join us.

ANSWERED PRAYERS AND OBSERVATIONS There is a blank sheet every 7 days, and the Holy Spirit can fill those sheets. We know the Holy Spirit is the same as He was back then, and we are expecting Him to move. The bigger you pray, the bigger the answers and observations will be. Pray specifically and watch carefully. Record what He is doing, and share it with others. I want to see these sheets filled with the names of men and women who started the month of November unsaved, and were baptized in December because you stepped out in faith and shared the Gospel. What a powerful God we serve.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18 6-8PM :: PRAYER AND WORSHIP NIGHT All of this will culminate in a prayer and worship night on November 18. We are specifically asking the Lord to show us how He can use us to advance His mission in Rochester. There is no childcare provided for this. Let’s come on fire from a month of praying, reading, and fasting, and lets explode in corporate prayer and worship. I don’t want to miss it, and I hope you don’t either.

Where does this journey end? I hope it does not. My prayer is that this is the shot in the arm our church needs to see multitudes come to faith in Jesus Christ.

The days are evil and the time is short. J.D. Greear pointed out in a sermon I heard last week at the Vertical Church Conference that 39 of the 40 miracles in the book of Acts happened outside of the church walls.

That means the Holy Spirit used more people than just the pastors.

He wants to use you.

Are you available? Are you willing?

Are you ready?

Let’s go.

See you on November 18.

You are loved,

Pastor Brandon.

Sunday, October 22 Reading: Acts 1 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Monday, October 23 Reading: Acts 2 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday, October 24 Reading: Acts 3 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday Fastday, October 25 Reading: Acts 4 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday, October 26 Reading: Acts 5 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Friday, October 27 Reading: Acts 6 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday, October 28 Reading: Acts 7 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Answered Prayers October 22nd - October 28th

What I Am Observing the Holy Spirit   Doing In My Life October 22nd - October 28th

Sunday, October 29 Reading: Acts 8 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Monday, October 30 Reading: Acts 9 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday, October 31 Reading: Acts 10 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday Fastday, November 1 Reading: Acts 11 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday, November 2 Reading: Acts 12 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Friday, November 3 Reading: Acts 13 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday, November 4 Reading: Acts 14 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Answered Prayers October 29th - November 4th

What I Am Observing the Holy Spirit   Doing In My Life October 29th - November 4th

Sunday, November 5 Reading: Acts 15 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Monday, November 6 Reading: Acts 16 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday, November 7 Reading: Acts 17 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday Fastday, November 8 Reading: Acts 18 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday, November 9 Reading: Acts 19 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Friday, November 10 Reading: Acts 20 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday, November 11 Reading: Acts 21 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Answered Prayers November 5th - November 11th

What I Am Observing the Holy Spirit   Doing In My Life November 5th - November 11th

Sunday, November 12 Reading: Acts 22 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Monday, November 13 Reading: Acts 23 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday, November 14 Reading: Acts 24 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday Fastday, November 15 Reading: Acts 25 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday, November 16 Reading: Acts 26 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Friday, November 17 Reading: Acts 27 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday, November 18 Reading: Acts 28 1) What do you observe the Holy Spirit doing in this passage?

2) In light of this, what can we ask the Holy Spirit to do in Rochester and beyond through His people at Harvest?

3) Write down 3 specific mission-minded prayer requests to bring to the Lord today that only He can accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Answered Prayers November 12th - November 18th

What I Am Observing the Holy Spirit   Doing In My Life November 12th - November 18th