April 22, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for April 22nd: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:25-31; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8; theme: dying in Christ, Rising in Christ Acts: The Holy Spirit told Philip to go a certain way in order to show the power of the Risen Christ. Philip ends up encountering the Ethiopian, who is so impressed with the words that he hears that he wants to be baptized in the name of Jesus. The spirit is so powerful that Philip is taken up by the encounter, and the Ethiopian continues to rejoice. This helps Philip to know that it is okay that he has given up everything, he is doing what God called him to do. He has the confidence to continue to preaching the good news of the resurrection of Christ. When we are working for Christ, we have to listen to the Holy spirit and understand that it is the Spirit’s power that is working, we are just witnesses to the power of the Spirit. John: John is trying to help us understand what it means to be saved by the messiah. So he gives a series of statements of who the messiah is, each start with I AM. This statement is I AM the true vine. The messiah is our connection to God. We are the fruit, and God is the vineyard keeper. Christ helps us to grow in God and in life. Christ says that we cannot accomplish anything without a connection to him. This helps us to understand the point that the Holy Spirit undergirds all of our actions, and it is the spirit, not us that makes a difference. Christ is God’s abiding presence in our lives. Questions: When did you first have an understanding of who Christ is? Were you excited about the experience? What is the holy Spirit urging you to do to help others understand Christ? How do you intentionally stay connected to Christ? What does it mean to produce fruit for God? How do you feel the Holy Spirit in your life?