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Holy Spirit

“For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:5

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses...”

After this statement, Jesus ascended into heaven

Imagine the weight that immediately fell on Peter

He would ask, “What do I do now?” and “What next, God?”

He was called to be the cornerstone, the start of this new “church”

“ When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Baptism: “A ritual of initiation into a religious community”

When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit you become a member of a deeper spiritual community.

These 4 verses were a powerful move of God, yet they take up 1/12 or 8% of Acts chapter 2.

What would the book of our church look like?

Would it be a book about the move of God or the outreach?

2. The fruits of being filled.

Two things are displayed in being filled with the Holy Spirit:

Dead to the flesh

Newness in the Spirit

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Peripateo: “I conduct my life, live.”

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

“ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

The enemy doesn’t have to get us to sin, all he has to do is distract us through the temptation and battle in our souls.

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

The works of the flesh cap our level in the Holy Spirit.

Paul lists several sins that men fight with.

Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity(hostility toward something or someone), strife (bitter disagreement), jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions( arguing until discord), divisions, envy, drunkeness, orgies, and things like these.

This is not a comprehensive list, Paul allows the Holy Spirit to convict us of more than this.

But when the Holy Spirit is able to fill the heart these are present.

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Illustration of replacing burnt out light bulbs from room and closet

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

We must take a self inventory to see what light bulbs are out and what lights we need the Holy Spirit to replace. And to allow the Holy Spirit to clean out new areas of our hearts.

Example of putting verses on hand.

3. Yet we are not to be filled with the Holy Spirit just for us, but to have the boldness to witness to others.

Two jobs of the Holy Spirit are to convict and prompt.

For the unbeliever the Holy Spirit convicts and prepares the heart for the one He will send.

For the believer, the Holy Spirit will prompt and prepare for action.

The Holy Spirit gives us opportunity according to our gifts.

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The Holy Spirit uses the gifts that God has given us personally, our personalities, our strengths and he uses the gifts of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Spirit are: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues.

“All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

Example of the telephone operator.

All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

When the Holy Spirit prompts, He always gives ability.

4. How to become filled:

John Piper

Don’t be drunk on wine, be filled with the Holy Spirit.

“The wine in Paul’s day was so weak you have to drink for hours to get drunk.”

So drink lots of the Holy Spirit.

How? By setting your mind on things of the Spirit

Spirit-filled preaching, writings, the Word of God, and being focused on God himself.

As this happens you will thirst more.

My thoughts.

As you thirst more you reach new levels spiritually, eventually you get to the point where you say, “God I can’t get closer to you unless I have your Holy Spirit filling me.”

That is when God pours out his Spirit and you are part of this new spiritual community.

After this you begin to see fruits of the Spirit sprout in your life.

Whether speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence I don’t know. You will tell by the fruits.

John Piper on why he is baptist: “The point here should probably simply be that, for me, to be a gospel-believing, Bible-guided Christian is foremost. Second in priority is to embrace the gospel-embodying, gospel-protecting, Bible-rooted, joy-sustaining, God-glorifying doctrines of grace. And only third I would say are my baptist convictions.”

John Piper on why he is baptist: “The point here should probably simply be that, for me, to be a gospel-believing, Bible-guided Christian is foremost. Second in priority is to embrace the gospel-embodying, gospel-protecting, Bible-rooted, joy-sustaining, God-glorifying doctrines of grace. And only third I would say are my baptist convictions.”