"The Weekly Diner"

Dear weekly readers! Welcome to the Weekly Blog which now has a new name! It is now called the Weekly Diner! I have loved that portion of scripture when Jesus says “ Come and Dine!” Oh that we could dine on His word often. It is the prayer of myself and the Foreign Mission that many souls across the world could be fed and encouraged by this “Weekly Diner.”
This week our article is written by one of our former pastors, Pastor Alvin Holmgren. This faithful servant of God is now elderly and unable to preach, but thankfully we have some of his writings preserved!

May God Bless your week! John
Fellowship in the Early Church
Acts 1 and 2

The Scriptures give a very favorable report of fellowship in the early church. Jesus had numerous meetings with His followers in the
forty-day period between His resurrection
and ascension. Luke explains in the book of Acts that
these various meetings provided infallible proof of the resurrection
and gave additional opportunity for the Lord to speak with
His disciples of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Then in preparation for His ascension, Jesus told the disciples
not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the coming of the
Holy Spirit. They had been baptized with water, but Jesus
promised that they would also be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
The disciples were obedient to the Lord’s command. They
continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the
women and with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His
brethren.

When the day of promise came, we are told that they
were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there
came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting. And there ap-
peared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)

The power of the Holy Ghost gave the disciples the freedom
and courage to speak the Word to the multitude assembled that
day. Many hearts were pricked by the spoken Word and they
began to inquire, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts
2:37) Apostle Peter, the primary spokesman, said to them,

Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord
our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify
and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward
(crooked) generation. (Acts 2:38-40)

St. Luke summed up the
effect of the Spirit’s power by saying, Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized: and the same day there were
added unto them about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41)
The Word of God teaches that faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. God’s Word also teaches that
when we believe, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of
the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.

Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. But if
the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that
we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:9, 11, 16-17)


Pastor Alvin Holmgren
Seattle, Washington
Archived writing