The Fullness of the Spirit

Acts Series: Discovering your Spiritual Gift in the Body of Christ

Acts 2:1–4 “When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 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.”

Ephesians 3:14–19 “For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

There is a unique way God has shaped your life

This is not a question of “if” you are gifted by the Spirit.

Tell your neighbor, “You are REALLY gifted!!”

Romans 12:4–8 “Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: [Paul goes on to list different gifts]

Acts 2 and The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Typically when we preach Acts 2 in particular we tend to focus on what we call “The Baptism of the Holy Spirit”.

We tend to mean the experience of coming alive on the inside with this encounter of the Holy Spirit…..not going to take a lot of time on that tonight.

Rather, I want you to see this. The point of Pentecost according the Peter’s sermon is this (Acts 2:14-17): The Holy Spirit has now been poured out on all flesh!

The work of the Holy Spirit has been poured out by the Son to ANYONE who will receive and cooperate with him.

Dr. Garnett Pike (Papa G) at the lunch room table at Emmanuel University… “You can receive him right here, right now!”

We didn’t that was possible. We thought you needed a special service or special prayer.

When the Holy Spirit came to the church…

He broke down the powers that kept us apart.

Politics, gender, nationality no longer separate us. We are all sons and daughters of God…some of us just don’t realize it yet!

He gave the church a new language of the Spirit, both human and divine.

The confused languages of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11) has become the new language of the Spirit in Acts 2.

The new world language is the language of Love: Love God and Neighbor

He invited EVERYONE to get in on what God was doing in the earth today.

Acts 2:37–39 “When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.””

How do we miss the Holy Spirit’s work in our life?

We believe God’s work is better left to the professionals. What could I really do anyway?

I’m not religious. I’m not talented.

The church is not made up of professional Christians. Just sons and daughters of God!

We allow our busy lives to determine what’s important.

I just don’t have the time.

The enemy wants to steal your eternal soul, but he’ll settle for distracting you from God’s best for your life.

Surrendering our gifts in the service of others is Inconvenient & sometimes messy.

You know the axiom: The church would be perfect if it weren't for all the people.

Where there are people working and living together, there is friction.

We can’t always have it the way we want it, and that’s a very good thing!

We have not honestly prayed the prayer of surrender.

“Holy Spirit, here is my life in your service. Show me how I was created to serve your people; this world.”

God’s not keeping something from you..He’s kept a special gift FOR you.

When we are not all serving in our unique divine design something is missing!!

iPad paint by number game (“Happy Color”) and staff littles - Livvy once asked to play this game on my ipad and I have this kryptonite with saying no to the requests of cute staff kids.

<First Un-colored Painting>

The church without all the body activated in love and service is like the paint-by-number picture without all the colors filled in. You can see the outline, but you are missing the full picture, you are missing the LIFE and the MEANING the picture was meant to convey.

We are missing the “fullness of God” that comes through the Spirit.

<Second Colored Painting>

You might remember the line in the Apostles Creed that says we believe in the Holy Catholic Church.

As Pentecostals “catholic” is not a term we use a lot. It sounds strange to us.

But the word actually means full expression or complete. We’ve just been using a different name and calling it baptism of the Spirit.

(Notice the creed says right before “the Holy Catholic Church”, “We believe in the Holy Spirit.”)

Here’s the takeaway: Without you living in your grace, the church is INCOMPLETE!

Spiritual Gifts Inventory

[Make sure to pickup the Spiritual Gift discovery handout]

Here’s what I want you to begin praying:

Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking: Who will I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me.”