From the MLJ Archive

Acts 4:31 — What happened on that day when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost? Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones unfolds the teaching of Christ in this sermon from Acts 4:31 and the power of the Spirit that came upon the early church. This event, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, began the supernatural and Spirit-filled ministry of the early church led by the Apostles. This was the source of their success, not programs that catered to what fallen sinners wanted. This is a message that the church in modern times needs to hear, as it is not the entertainment value of the gospel that brings people to faith and repentance in the name of Jesus Christ. When the Holy Spirit works in the lives of fallen men and women, they become new creatures with new desires and inclinations. This is the source of the Christian’s strength in life, and it is the Holy Spirit that prompts them to pray and seek God. This is not the mere effort of people, but it is part of being a new person in Christ Jesus. Once the church understands this, they will see the futility of appealing to the appetites of fallen people. They will cease to accommodate the gospel to the standards of minds that do not know the light and have suppressed the knowledge of God. The church must imitate the examples of the Apostles who relied on the power of God and not on humanity.