Becoming Like Jesus

Today, we are finishing out our series called “Missio Dei.” For the last seven weeks, we have been examining our new vision, mission and values statements here at Brentwood Park Alliance and my hope and prayer is that you not only have gained a greater sense of where we are going as a church, but that you have also been personally challenged in your relationship with God.

Our vision is to see all people fully alive in Jesus and sharing his love with others.

Our mission is to empower people to grow in a relationship with Jesus through Biblical Preaching, Passionate Worship, Community Service and Intentional Relationships.

Our first two core values are Connecting with God through Prayer and Worship AND Loving our Neighbour.

So, let’s continue on and look at our third core value -

Core Value # 3 - Experiencing Life Transformation

My faith story

When a person chooses to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in them.

This indwelling secures your salvation in Christ. It spiritually regenerates you.

But some people have received Jesus, are indwelt, but still haven’t “received the Holy Spirit” or have been “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Bible teaching on being filled subsequent to salvation:

Luke 11:13 NIV

13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Acts 1:8 NIV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 8:14–17 (NIV)

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19:1–6 (NIV)

…Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

Some people, like me, experience that first filling of the Holy Spirit when you first surrender your life to Jesus. Others need may need to pray to receive that first filling, even though they believe, and are saved.

But all of us need to pray to be filled with the Spirit. It’s not a one and done thing. While the indwelling of the Spirit happens when we believe and he doesn’t ever leave us, the filling of the Spirit is ongoing.

I pray every Sunday to be filled with the Spirit so I can share the love of Jesus with you.

But I also need to pray to be filled with the Spirit more often so that I can overcome the sins that entrap me.

The filling of the Holy Spirit is what will empower you to overcome the sins that so easily entangle you and empower you to share the love of Jesus with others.

So here is the question for you to consider: Are you ready to filled with Holy Spirit? Are you ready to invite God to transform you and empower you?

But transformed into what? Or maybe better yet, transformed into whom?

The goal of the transformation is Christ-likeness. Look at what Paul writes in the passage that Brandon read earlier:

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 NIV

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

To become like Jesus is to eliminate the habits and the thinking patterns that keep you from intimacy with God AND it’s to relate to others in a self-giving, loving, and others-oriented way.

And for that transformation to happen, we need to be filled with the Spirit.

The result of that ongoing transformation is you experience a greater and greater sense of being fully alive in Christ.

Core Value #4 - Extending God’s Grace

The greek word for “grace” is “charis” and it means unmerited favour. It is intricately tied together with mercy, forgiveness, and blessing. Essentially, it’s doing good for others even though they don’t deserve it.

Some people really struggle with that idea. They don’t like that the gospel is unfair. For something to be fair, you have to get what you deserve.

But praise be to God who gives us blessings upon blessings that we don’t deserve. The gospel isn’t fair. It is 100% rigged in our favour - we are forgiven for what we have done and we are blessed with gifts we don’t deserve.

2 Timothy 1:9a (NIV)

9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

God gives us grace and we are called to extend that grace to others.

We extend God’s grace through our words

We extend God’s grace through our forgiveness

We extend God’s grace through our service

We extend God’s grace through sharing the gospel

Conclusion

Our vision is to see all people fully alive in Jesus and sharing his love with others.

Our mission is to empower people to grow in a relationship with Jesus through Biblical Preaching, Passionate Worship, Community Service and Intentional Relationships.

Our core values are:

Connecting with God through Prayer & Worship

Loving our Neighbour

Experiencing Life Transformation

Extending God’s Grace to others

My hope is that you will personally experience this as part of our church family - that you would feel empowered to grow in your relationship with Jesus and that you would become more fully alive through it.

I also hope that you will walk with us and help us to live these out. That you will serve the church and our community by using your gifts, your resources, your skills and your ideas to help all people become fully alive in Jesus.

If you would like to pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit, come and see me in the corner. I’m not making any promises that you are going to have an spiritual awakening experience right now.

But I do promise that our God is faithful to do what he said he would and he will by the Holy Spirit give you power - power to overcome whatever is holding you back from being fully alive in Jesus and power to testify about the life-changing redemption we experience through faith in Jesus.

Pray.