It’s been quite a while of silence on this podcast, so when God began weaving these thoughts together in my mind on the Saturday before Easter, it felt like the perfect comeback episode.

We can learn so much in silence - about God, about ourselves. We can gain quite a bit of perspective on our circumstances too when we remember God has a much bigger plan with so many moving parts that He desires for us to fit into.

But on the grassroots level, from our human perspective, silence is awkward. It’s uncomfortable and empty. It causes a stirring of emotions and a drive to fill the space with... something. But I’ve come to learn that God often uses silence as an invitation.

Scripture Study Guide
Silence in the beginning

• Genesis 1:2 (the Spirit of God moved before creation)
• Genesis 1:3 (God’s first words)

Silence in the Garden

• Genesis 2:1-3 (God rested)
• Genesis 3:8-9 (God’s voice in Eden)

The Silent Years

• Luke 1:5-19 (God breaks the intertestamental silence, sending the angel Gabriel with the message of John’s birth)
• John 1:1-10, 14-15 (the Word in the world)

The Trial Silence

• Matthew 27:11-14 (Jesus doesn’t speak up to defend Himself)

Saturday Silence

• John 19:28-30 (“It is finished.”)

The Passover to Pentecost Silence

• Acts 1:1-14

Repentance, Rebirth and Reconciliation

• Isaiah 43:25 (God forgives us for His own sake!)
• John 3:3-5 (Jesus explains the new birth to Nicodemus)
• Acts 2:38 (The plan of salvation)
• Romans 6:1-4 (newness of life)

The Holy Ghost

• Acts 2:1-6 (120 are filled with the Holy Ghost in the Upper Room)
• Acts 2:41 (three thousand more)
• Acts 2:7-37 (Peter affirms Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy)
• Acts 2:38 (Peter’s answer to “What shall we do?”)
• Acts 2:39 (Who the Holy Ghost is for)

Instances recorded in the Bible when people received the Holy Ghost:

• Acts 4:31
• Acts 8:14-17
• Acts 9:17
• Acts 10: 34-48
• Acts 19:1-6

Resources
From this episode:

• Apostolic church locator
• Apostolic global missionary directory and interactive map
• Read this episode on the blog

More Purposed to Impact

• Check out the books
• Start the Purposed to Impact YouVersion Bible plan
• Get the Wednesday Dovotional
• Join the #DAY67 Challenge