Spirit Filled: Church

Acts 13:1-3 1 Corinthians 14:26-29 Spirit Filled Church Introduction: Good morning. If this is your first time at Refuge Christian Fellowship - Welcome. Two weeks ago we began a new mini series called: Spirit Filled. We are exploring what the Christian’s relationship to the Holy Spirit is supposed to be, or, What does it look like to live a life filled with the Holy Spirit? I shared my own experience of feeling caught in the middle of two opinions - Hyper Charismatic/Pentecostal, on one endbeing Spirit filled means Ecstatic experiences, and physical manifestations only; and on the other end - A Cessasionist - being Spirit filled means conformity to the person of Jesus a life marked by holiness and obedience and not the ecstatic experiences. What we did is we looked at the the life and person of Jesus and saw how present and persistent the Holy Spirit was in his own life and how that was manifest in both the miraculous and a life of holiness and obedience. It seems to me that if our lives are to be patterned after the life of Jesus - then both aspects of the Holy Spirit holiness and obedience and as well as power and the miraculous - should be at work in our lives. For the Last two weeks we took a non exhaustive look at what the Holy Spirit does in the life of the Christian: on one end the Holy Spirit Regenerates, baptizes, fills with knowledge of God’s love, convicts of sin and inconsistency with the way of Jesus, teaches and the list goes on - we saw how the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of the Christian is to conform us to God’s image displayed for us in Jesus. The Holy Spirit’s work brings holiness (A difference and distinction, we are God’s people) and obedience to God’s ways - his way of thinking, speaking and living. The NT calls Christians to live their lives in a distinct way - that will allow the Holy Spirit to continue his work of transforming our lives…. On the other end, the Holy Spirit equips and empowers the Christian with gifts, ministries and manifestations (eruptions) of the Spirit’s power to serve God’s people and continue the mission of Jesus in the world - The variety of gifts, services, and workings are manifestations of the Spirit in Jesus followers so we can worship God, serve His people and fulfill our mission of making disciples of all nations. It is so we can do God’s kingdom work with His mighty power. They are bestowed by God through the empowerment of His Spirit and must be exercised in love by following biblical principles and guidelines (1 Cor. 13-14). Each Christian has at least one gift, or service that is given by the Holy Spirit and the Spirit can manifest or erupt anytime in any christian - we discussed then the need for each of us to be ready - both body and soul to be used by the Holy Spirit. And that’s where we are going to pick up today: The Spirit Filled Church 1. What does a Spirit filled Church look like? 1. Prepared and Expectant 1. “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 2. From this passage and others we can get a good idea of what Christian meetings/gatherings were like in the early church. Along with Paul’s letter to Timothy we see an emphasis on public prayer, and preaching and teaching the Word - when you take all this together here’s what you have: The Spirit leads all church members to contribute; The word is read and taught; the sacrament is shared and savored; songs of praise are sung. We have speaking and listening, giving and receiving, belonging and contributing. 3. We discussed this a bit last week but when we gather together we aren’t just coming to be spectators and consumers but colaborers, and contributors - If the Holy Spirit wants to speak and minister through each of us, if his will is to use every member of the body of Christ - to equip strengthen and encourage - then we need to come to church gatherings prepared 1. The church congregation are the actors and actresses of a theatrical performance. Each of us has a costume to wear, and lines to speak in order for the full production to take place - Our costumes are the Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus that Paul says each of us are to be clothed with - we individuals should spiritually prepare ourselves to gather, and not just those who teach, or lead - we should all be in prayer -( speak to me, speak through me; minister to me, minister through me), We reflect on our daily practices, heart motives and mindset, confessing and repenting—preparing ourselves to meet with God’s people. We also, rehearse our lines and come prepared to play our part. Holy Spirit, use me to bring encouragement and help to others - exhortation, encouragement, comfort, correction, love and affirmation, etc 4. We come prepared because we expect to meet with God, to have an encounter with the Living God 1. Many times our expectations are too low, we come to church and we aren’t expecting to meet with God. Maybe God’s people, maybe God’s word, but God himself? But the church is called the temple of the living God - we are living stones that are assembled together in order to be inhabited by God’s Spirit. In Ancient times a temple was understood to be the place where heaven and earth came together. Listen to this: 2. “For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.” - Hebrews 12:18-25 1. “On the whole, I do not find christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it?... It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return”. - Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk 2. When we gather together we should be come prepared, with expectancy to encounter the living God. Trusting that our God is going to be present to work, to speak, to heal, to bind up, to save, to convict, to rebuke, to comfort and he’s going to use us to do it. 2. Singing, Praising and Thanking 1. “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - Ephesians 5:15-20 2. Let the message about the Messiah dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:16-17 3. If you take a survey of the Bible, especially the NT, it’s fascinating to see how the Spirit of God often moves in response to or within - singing, praising, and thanksgiving. 4. The Holy Spirit came upon the Church at Pentecost as they were praying and seeking God. Again in Acts 4, as they prayed, they were filled with the Spirit. Multiple times, Luke records movings of the Spirit, during the jewish set hours of prayer and worship. 5. In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas were in jail but as they prayed and sang praises to God, a miracle occurred; an earthquake shook their prison doors and chains free, and the end result was the conversion of the jailer and his whole household. And then again in Acts 13 - “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” - Acts 13:1-3 1. In these instances Prayer and worship mystically created a platform for the Spirit to come and speak prophetically and move powerfully. 2. In Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 11; 12:1-9; 14, revelation and the demonstration of the Spirit are shown to flow through corporate worship. Acts 2 mentions awe coming upon the gathered church, which is always associated with the manifest presence of God, and a demonstration of God’s power in signs and wonders. In Corinth there was the sensational manifestations we mentioned last week. 3. These passages should cause us to give space in our gatherings to listen to the Lord and to see what he might say, show or do in our midst. 4. “Worship is a dramatic encounter with the power of God, rather than a passive and comforting moment of education and encouragement.” - Tim Dearborn, Emerging Church, The Old Church Made New 3. Directed by the Holy Spirit 1. I believe there are ministries, visions, empowerings, words of wisdom, words of knowledge, tongues, gifts of faith and discernment, missions, evangelism, outreach, healings and blessings, prophecy, etc that the Lord wants to do - But I believe that will only happen as we come together with preparation, and expectation making room in our gatherings together for the Spirit to speak and move through us. 2. I felt moved by the Holy Spirit to implement what I read in Acts 13 some months ago -as they ministered to the Lord, the Holy Spirit spoke and directed them to a new mission, and new ministry - I gathered with some individuals in our church recently and we did exactly that - I was so encouraged…. we need to do that more 3. Order of Church Service/gathering 1. Ministering Worship to God 2. God Ministering to us in Devotional Exposition of the Word and Prophecy 3. Ministering to Each Other Through Prayer and the Manifestations of the Spirit - individually and corporately 1. It may be a scripture or a prayer that brings encouragement 2. It might be a praise or thanksgiving, a hymn or a Psalm 3. It might be a word of exhortation or affirmation for someone in particular or all in general 4. It might be a vision, a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, a tongue with an interpretation…Don’t be afraid to speak it if you feel the Spirit leading you.