Category: Theology 101
The Work of the Holy Spirit (Cont'd)
After Stephen the martyr had proclaimed the truth of Christ and exposed the evil intentions of the Israelite men, they reacted in hostility and began stoning him to death. In the midst of their wrath, the Spirit enabled Stephen to peer into heaven and see Christ standing at the right hand of God.
While on the road to Gaza, Philip was told by the Spirit to go into the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch and there he taught the court official the truth of Jesus. After the man believed and was baptized, the Spirit "snatched Philip away" and relocated him in the city of Azotus (Acts 8:26-40).
One day, Peter was on a rooftop praying when he saw a strange vision involving a sheet and animals and a voice instructing him to eat the unclean beasts. A short time later, the Spirit told Peter that three men had arrived looking for him and he should go with them without hesitation (Acts 10:9-22). The men were from the house of Cornelius--a man who worshipped God, but did not know about Jesus. When Peter was still in the midst of preaching the death and resurrection of Christ to them, the Holy Spirit manifested Himself by falling upon Cornelius and his household and enabling them to speak in foreign languages (Acts 10:44-48).
The Holy Spirit revealed to Agabus that there would be a famine over all the world (Acts 11:27f.). He instructed the church at Antioch to set Barnabas and Paul (Saul) apart for special missions work (Acts 13:1-3). While on their journey, the Spirit revealed to Paul that a Jewish magician and false prophet was trying to impede their evangelistic efforts, and so Paul exposed him and caused him to become blind (Acts 13:4-12).
Paul's desired destinations were under the guide of the Holy Spirit; in fact, on one occasion, the Spirit refused to allow him to travel to a particular location (Acts 16:6). And the Spirit made Paul aware that he would suffer persecution in every city he entered (Acts 20:22f.)