The Spirit Baptized Church

The Spirit-Baptized Church is the place where God’s people experience the future promise of heaven now while we wait for its promised fulfillment yet to come.

What we learn in John 20 (Jesus breathes the Spirit on to his disciples) and Acts 2 (Pentecost in the upper room) is that it is the Holy Spirit who forms us into “a special and peculiar people”, the people of God.

We are a people (or we should be) unlike other people! Because we have been re-made into the image of God by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit baptized church, or sometimes called a full-gospel church, is not just a church that preaches about the Holy Spirit, or that speaks in tongues, or that believes in the gifts of the Spirit....

which we do....but....we are a people uniquely formed, we are different!

1 Peter 2:91 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Illustration: Dropping off Alex at a large elementary school near Raleigh, NC…I was aware that the influences on his life were not just Jennifer and me…somehow I needed him to understand that we were what Peter called “resident aliens”

1 Peter 2:11 (NLT)

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

The Church is an outpost of heaven…it’s a place suspended between the coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus.

If Jesus is the head of the church, the Holy Spirit is her Activator

Illustration: Mission trip drama using a chemical activator to change murky, dark water into clear water.

The Holy Spirit is like that…He is an activator that works within our divine design to change our spiritual DNA…and even change our mental, emotional, and physical DNA!

Christian cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf has presented several studies that show there are actual physical changes in the shape and structure of the brain when we practice the life habits of Scripture, prayer, and cooperating with the Holy Spirit.

7 Ways The Spirit’s Shapes the Church:

The Holy Spirit leads us to Repentance.

“Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:” (John 16:7–8, CSB)

The Spirit-Baptized church should be known for its humility and repentance, rather than its arrogance.

2 Chron 7:14 “[If] my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

The Holy Spirit teaches us to Pray

“In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26–27, CSB)

There are a lot of good practices of prayer like reading prayers or using a prayer book....

But truly, the deeper relationship with God can only come when you simply say, “Holy Spirit, I am listening, teach me to pray your will today.”

The Holy Spirit points us to Jesus

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13–14, CSB)

Too often we think of Jesus more as an event in history (the cross) that we are hoping to get some use out of today.

But Jesus is not just a path to heaven....he is a liveable example for what it means to be part of the human race.

Ps 25:4-5 “Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long.”

The Holy Spirit Empowers us to New Life

“The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63, CSB)

Illustration: Over the years in churches where I’ve pastored there have always been back rooms full of babies running around from all the pastoral staff…loud, wild, FULL OF LIFE!

The Spirit-Baptized church should be a place full of energy, full of hope, full of birthing babies…it’s messy, and unpredictable, but FRUITFUL and JOYFUL!

That’s the way our lives should be!

The Holy Spirit Speaks the Language of the Heaven

“They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:3–4, CSB)

My Spiritual Father liked to remind us that every writer in the New Testament spoke in tongues, including Mary the Mother of Jesus.

So, there is a heavenly expression of language that comes from the Holy Spirit.

But the language of Heaven is also: Loving, Peaceful, Welcoming, Kind, Warm, Understanding, and Hopeful

Too many tongue talking pentecostals in the altar have been forked-tongued in the parking lot!

The Holy Spirit Manifests the Supernatural

“At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to his will.” (Hebrews 2:4, CSB)

With all our advances in human technologies we cannot become a people who does not expect and hope for the supernatural work of the Spirit in our world today!

I don’t always know how God will heal, or provide, or intervene, I just now he is faithful and his POWER is alive and active TODAY!

The Holy Spirit Releases a Special Grace to Every Believer

“Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good:” (1 Corinthians 12:4–7, CSB)

We will talk more in a couple weeks on the Gifts of the Spirit....

Tonight, I want you to remember that the Holy Spirit has not only made you a special people…he has also given each of you a special grace to live in such a way that points to Jesus and brings NEW LIFE to the world where you live.