Building a great Church – lessons from Jerusalem

What changed Jesus disciples from being doubtful and fearful to being bold evangelists and church builders? Luke tells us that on one occasion while Jesus was eating with them after his resurrection he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about”.

Jesus then takes them back three years starting with his baptism and his encounter with John the Baptist saying, “For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” The disciples would have remembered Jesus baptism by John the Baptist and the dramatic events surrounding it. They would have remembered how the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

The result of this was that Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and news about him spread through the whole countryside. Jesus was now promising his disciples the same Holy Spirit. Just before he ascended into heaven he said “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.

Building a great Church – lessons from Jerusalem

What changed Jesus disciples from being doubtful and fearful to being bold evangelists and church builders? Luke tells us that on one occasion while Jesus was eating with them after his resurrection he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about”.