A Life Marked By The Spirit

Acts 2: Holy Spirit

When the Holy Spirit fell on believers…

Acts 2:1–4 “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place (the disciples, Jesus’ mom, men & women). Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.”

Acts 2:5–6 NLT

At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

The Holy Spirit is key to our purpose

Take Peter’s story for example, Peter said he’d never deny Jesus and yet, in a time of weakness, he disassociated with Jesus the night he was betrayed. Remember the story? As Jesus was being beaten and mocked in front of the Jewish leaders, Peter FROZE. He was going to “die for Jesus” but in a moment of his humanity, he denied he ever knew Jesus.

But, when Jesus experienced a move of the Spirit, look @ what happened: he was empowered in a way that saved thousands. It’s not me, we’re not drunk, but we have had an encounter with the Spirit that empowered us.

-And what does the Spirit bring into the lives of believers? Boldness, spiritual gifts, spiritual fruit, purity, holiness, patience, kindness, goodness, etc. Not of our own strength, but of his.

Ephesians 2:10 says we are created for, “good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” BUT what’s illustrated in Acts 2 is that the good works we’re called to do are caused by the empowerment of the Spirit living inside of us.

The Holy Spirit is key for the purpose of the church (ecclesia the gathering of the people of God)

Acts 2:46 “They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—”

Before the move of the Holy Spirit, they were united, but not like this. Not as vibrant and as radical as this. Somehow, their grief of Jesus going away turned into fuel for radical living.

Sadly, today, there are churches that are trying to achieve the same results as the early church: empowerment, unity and community, and radical living and giving and outreach, with only the tools of man: marketing strategies and LED Screens. If only we had Planning Center nailed down to a T can we achieve the unified church we see in Acts.

I’m not against administration, but I am against administration and marketing and LED screens without a sensitivity of the Holy Spirit.

If we as individuals and our churches are to enter into the purposes that God has for our lives, I think we must welcome the Holy Spirit’s power and presence in a greater way.

How do we do this? Well, #1) we do our part. It’s understanding, first, that Acts 2 was not only an event for the early church, the Holy Spirit wants to fall afresh on people who are looking for it.

Look here at Acts 4:31–32 “After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.”

Even for the ones who were already “filled” with the Holy Spirit were filled again and with boldness.

You know, there’s no limit to how much the Holy Spirit’s anointing and grace God will pour out onto the people who pray for more.

Jesus said: Luke 11:13 “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.””

We consistently get hungry and need food. Likewise, we consistently need the Spirit’s empowerment in our life and so we should continue to ask God for a “fresh filling” of the Spirit.

Sadly, I think people have stopped asking and stopped seeking more of the Spirit. No doubt, a believer has the Spirit when they receive Jesus.

Ephesians 1:13–14 “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

But the same Paul makes the argument: Ephesians 5:18 “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled [and keep being filled] with the Holy Spirit,”

Paul states clearly to the Ephesians: yes, you have the Spirit living in you, but you still need more of the Spirit every day.

What you’ll see in the Bible is that there are many contradictions like this: God’s beyond our knowledge, but yet He’s knowable? Wait Paul I thought you said this, but now you’re saying this? And I’m reminded about how Jesus described the Spirit: like the wind.

You try to figure out the wind, and you can map how the wind moves, and you can try to predict it, but you can’t pinpoint it exactly.

Our takeaway: yes we have the Spirit living in us, but we need to be contending for more.

The best way to describe it is this: I have a bucket full of water already, but I’m not overflowing with water. What do I need to do? I need to put that bucket underneath the facet of the Spirit that was turned on in Acts 2.

I feel like God is asking: who will start contending again for more of the Spirit? How many of us will worship and pray and knock and seek and ask, til we see another move of God in our cities and lives…

But I think also it starts in us. In our own personal times with God. In our struggles. It’s about getting around believers who think like this: who are discontent with the world and need a fresh fire.

Often people debate the Semantics of this more of God, allowing the Spirit to flow through us. And, it’s all true.

PRAY) Is me asking for more of the Spirit measurable? Pray until we see a change in our own lives - boldness and purity, pray until we see a change in our communities and families - loving and hospitable and radical..

POSITION) Get Around People who want what you want. Read the Bible, worship with abondon

It’s hard to pinpoint what that looks like. You can just tell. It’s an anointing that. I don’t know what about her or him is different, but they just are. They have the fire of God in their life. And, you can’t quantify that - it’s just a real thing. The aroma.

Just being with Jesus. And, His warm love melts our stone-cold hearts…

2 Timothy 2:20 “In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use.”

Gifts. Filled with the Spirit - Billy Graham.

Pentecostals: some of them had funky belief systems: you didn’t have the Holy Spirit until your received