The Holy Spirit and You, Part 8

 

 

The Power of the Spirit

We hear a lot about “power” today.  Some people want more of it, others feel like they have none.  There’s coal power and nuclear power.  There’s the power to create and the power to destroy.  We seem to be living in the age of “power.”  The church, too, is living in an age of  “power,” and a church or a Christian without spiritual power is living behind the times.  When Christ ascended to continue His work in Heaven, the Holy Spirit descended to continue His work here on Earth.  But the Holy Spirit didn’t come to us as a helpless baby in a manger, He came in power, as “a rushing mighty wind,” a symbol of self-generating power.  It is God’s will that every church, regardless of the “label” attached to it, live and work in this spiritual, “pentecostal,” power.  And yet, as we look at the Church of Jesus Christ today, we see a distinct lack of spiritual power.  We see lots of programs and man-generated systematic doctrines and we see plenty of churches looking for the acceptance of man, but so many of them are bereft of the Spirit.  We have ministers with more letters after their names than you can find in a can of alphabet soup, who can speak with great eloquence and quote other eloquent (often dead) ministers in their sermons, yet they have no spiritual power.  What’s really needed in the Church today – all churches -  is the  power of the Holy Spirit, manifested from behind and in front of the pulpit.  Christians are desperate for that power, whether they realize it or not.  It’s not another program or committee or dinner or choral presentation the Church needs.  It’s the power of the Holy Spirit.  The great thing is, this power resides in EVERY believer.  This power of the Spirit is:

1.  Desperately needed

Think about what Jesus told the disciples in Luke 24:49–

“And now I will send the Holy Sprit upon you, just as my Father promised. Don’t begin telling others yet—stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”   (Luke 24:49  TLB)

As far as Jesus was concerned, there was no point in doing His work without the power of the Holy Spirit.  In the context of Luke 24, Jesus had assured His disciples of His resurrection and He gave them some final instructions.  But then Jesus did something significant:  He talked to them about the Scriptures.  And He explained that even beyond the resurrection, something else had to happen in order to fulfill Scriptures written generations ago.  It involved preaching the Gospel and it involved waiting in Jerusalem for something to happen.  Before they attempted to do anything Jesus had told them to do, they NEEDED a power from Heaven that only the Holy Spirit could give.  We, today, are called to the same work and we need that same power. 

Then he said, “This is God’s message to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty—you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak.’  Therefore no mountain, however high, can stand before Zerubbabel! For it will flatten out before him! And Zerubbabel will finish building this Temple with mighty shouts of thanksgiving for God’s mercy, declaring that all was done by grace alone.”  (Zechariah 4:6, 7  TLB)

Work for The Lord, be it building the Temple or preaching the Word or just sharing your testimony with one who is lost, cannot be done by your determination alone.  It cannot be done in your power alone.  It MUST be done in the power of the Holy Spirit.  William Carey famously said,

Expect great things from God.  Attempt great things for God.

That’s a good quote as far as it goes.  But, if you are going to attempt great things for God, you’d better make sure you are doing them in the power of the Spirit.  If you aren’t sure the power of the Spirit is behind you, then you’d better wait to make sure.  King David, one time, was told to wait for the tree-tops to move before he could do what God had called him to do.

When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the balsam trees, attack! For it will signify that the Lord has prepared the way for you and will destroy them.”  So David did as the Lord had instructed him and destroyed the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.  (2 Samuel 5:24, 25  TLB)

You and I need the power of the Holy Spirit if we are to do anything of lasting value for Kingdom of God.

2.  Promised

But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection.  (Acts 1:8  TLB)

It was Jesus who said this and Jesus always keeps His promises!  He fulfilled that same promise in Timothy’s life through the apostle Paul:

This being so, I want to remind you to stir into flame the strength and boldness that is in you, that entered into you when I laid my hands upon your head and blessed you.  For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them.  (2 Timothy 1:6, 7  TLB)

Timothy wasn’t anywhere near the Upper Room when the Spirit fell and neither was Paul, yet here we see Timothy receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit – God’s gift or promise to believers – through the ministry of Paul.

Just as becoming a Christian involves coming into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection, power to live for and serve Him comes through a relationship with the Holy Spirit whereby He endues you with His power.  You need it!

3.  Life-giving

Consider these verses:

He is the one who has helped us tell others about his new agreement to save them. We do not tell them that they must obey every law of God or die; but we tell them there is life for them from the Holy Spirit. The old way, trying to be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives them life.  (2 Corinthians 3:6  TLB)

But God is so rich in mercy; he loved us so much that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from the dead… (Ephesians 2:4, 5  TLB)

And if the Spirit of God, who raised up Jesus from the dead, lives in you, he will make your dying bodies live again after you die, by means of this same Holy Spirit living within you.  (Romans 8:11  TLB)

The Holy Spirit will not only raise your mortal body as He did Christ’s, He imparts abundant life to you today!  The Holy Spirit gives you life today; it’s a new life, full of God’s grace and mercy and power.

4.  Enough

I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.  And my preaching was very plain, not with a lot of oratory and human wisdom, but the Holy Spirit’s power was in my words, proving to those who heard them that the message was from God.  (1 Corinthians 2:3, 4  TLB)

Paul was not a weak man.  Looking at the incredible work he did on his missionary journeys, the churches he founded and the lives he changed, we know that he was not weak.  So to what was Paul referring when he told the Corinthians he “came to them in weakness?”  Paul described his attitude as he preached the Word in any city.  Wherever he found himself doing the work of The Lord, he decreased so that Christ in him might increase.  He shared Christ without gimmicks and without relying on the the wisdom of man, of which he had plenty.  Instead, Paul shared Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.  He relied on the Holy Spirit.  Paul found out that the power of the Spirit was all he needed.

When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan, I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God—some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth—that out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you the mighty inner strengthening of his Holy Spirit.  (Ephesians 3:14-16  TLB)

It was Paul’s earnest prayer in light of God’s plan that Christians be filled with God’s glorious, unlimited resources:  the power of the Holy Spirit.

5.  Cannot be purchased

When Simon saw this—that the Holy Spirit was given when the apostles placed their hands upon people’s heads—he offered money to buy this power.  (Acts 8:18  TLB)

A man named Simon was so impressed with the power of the Holy Spirit, he thought he could buy this power.  It sounds foolish, but there are Christians who are just as foolish.  They see other other believers working in the power of the Spirit and they think they can “buy” this power, not necessarily with money, though.  They think they get the power of the Spirit through education, for example.  Or through church membership. Or through being baptized in water.  Or through other means.  That’s wrong-headed thinking of the highest order!  The power of the Holy Spirit is a gift to be received; it is not something you can buy any more than you can by a puff of wind.

6.  Cannot be imitated

“And say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall always be my holy anointing oil. It must never be poured upon an ordinary person, and you shall never make any of it yourselves, for it is holy, and it shall be treated by you as holy. Anyone who compounds any incense like it or puts any of it upon someone who is not a priest shall be excommunicated.’”  (Exodus 30:31-33   TLB)

The anointing oil in the Old Testament is a type of the Holy Spirit.  God made it explicitly clear to His people that it could could not be imitated.  There could be NO substitute acceptable to God.  When it comes to doing great things for God, you cannot substitute anything for the power of the Holy Spirit.  You cannot substitute enthusiasm for the power of the Holy Spirit.  You cannot substitute worship songs for the power of the Holy Spirit. You cannot substitute education for the power of the Holy Spirit.  Clever plans and programs cannot do the what only the Holy Spirit can do. 

7.  May be taken away

Finally, as difficult as it may be to imagine, the power of the Holy Spirit may be taken away from a believer.   The power of God rested on Samson, but because of sin and selfishness, that  power was snatched away.

Then she screamed, “The Philistines are here to capture you, Samson!” And he woke up and thought, “I will do as before; I’ll just shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize that the Lord had left him.   (Judges 16:20  TLB)

Without the power of the Spirit, the mighty Samson was reduced to an ordinary man.  He was so focused on himself he didn’t even realize he last that power.  He took the Holy Spirit for granted.  He was utterly helpless with the power of the Spirit. 

There is nothing so pathetic as a Christian who has lost the power of the Spirit.  It’s not that the Holy Spirit has been taken from them, but the Holy Spirit is sensitive, and if a believer neglects Him or lives in open rebellion to Him, though His presence may remain His power He will withhold from that believer until that believer makes his heart right.

But there is another way the Holy Spirit may be taken from a believer. 

I will come down and talk with you there, and I will take of the Spirit which is on you and will put it upon them also; they shall bear the burden of the people along with you, so that you will not have the task alone.  (Numbers 11:17  TLB)

This is God speaking to Moses.  Interesting, isn’t it?  When you are serving God in the power of the Holy Spirit, God knows if and when you need help, and He will help you!  God never expects any of us to “go it alone.”  When the Church of Jesus Christ is full of people full of the Holy Spirit and full of His power, a believer who is without that power doesn’t stand a chance!  The power of the Holy Spirit is self-perpetuating.  We may pray for other believers to receive it.  We may lay hands on believers to receive it.  But in the end, it is God who will endue that believer with the power of His Holy Spirit.  There is not begging involved.  Only receiving.

The Mission of the Church

 

What is the “mission” of the church?  Another way to put that is, What is the “purpose” of the church?  Some people see the church as a social club; sort of a religious version of any number of clubs or societies you may find in any town or city.  Some people think the church is a place where people come to “get saved.”  Still others see the church as a sort of “religious bank” that gives out money to people who can’t their electric bills. 

The fact is, most people don’t know what the purpose of the church is, which probably explains why church attendance in mainline denominations is steadily declining.   Churches that are growing tend to be ones that are focused on their “mission” or their “purpose,” and very often these churches are not affiliated with any denomination, which frees them, as they see it, to pursue that “mission” or “purpose” without being straitjacketed by unnecessary man-made rules and denominational regulations.  So they say. 

Since the idea of the church came from God, let’s consult God’s Book, the Bible, for answers.

1.      Foretold in the Old Testament

It may surprise you to know that the church, a New Testament “thing,” is actually first hinted at in the pages of the Old Testament!  Through these “hints,” we get an idea of what the “mission” of the church is.  You won’t find the word “church” anywhere in the Old Testament, but you do find a very early precursor to the church – another special group of people God called into existence and separated from all other people on the earth:  the nation of Israel.

(a) A light to the nations, Isaiah 42:1, 6-7

See my servant, a whom I uphold; my Chosen One in whom I delight. I have put my Spirit upon him; he will reveal justice to the nations of the world.  (Isaiah 42:1  TLB)

I the Lord have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them.d You shall also be a light to guide the nations unto me. You will open the eyes of the blind and release those who sit in prison darkness and despair.  (Isaiah 42:6, 7  TLB)

In this chapter of Isaiah’s book, the prophet is beginning his rage against idolatry.  Also in this chapter, the  nation of Israel is referred to as “the servant of The Lord.”  In Matthew 12:17-21, this prophecy of Isaiah is applied to Jesus Christ.  We can see how parts of this chapter can be applied to Israel, but clearly it finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Verse 1 is often applied to Israel – the “ideal Israel” – but the Matthew passage indicates something else.  It refers primarily to Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel.  Isaiah wanted his readers to consider or think about God’s servant.  In a sense, though, these verses do refer to Israel.  After all, it is through Israel that God chose to communicate to the world.  God’s gracious dealings with Israel and especially His covenant relationship with its people would be extended to all people thanks to the work of One of Israel’s very own, Jesus Christ. 

So we see a sort of progression here. Israel was (and will be again in the future) a light to the nations.  Jesus Christ is a light to the nations.  Jesus Christ works through the church. 

(b)  A universal pilgrimage, Psalm 67:1-4

Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind.  (Psalm 67:2  TLB)

This brief psalm is a prophetic psalm in that it reveals the ultimate purpose of God for the Earth.  At one time it was thought that this psalm taught that the church would finally convert the whole world in a post millennium utopian missionary kind of way.  Post-millennialism is view of Eschatology that insists (get ready for this) we are already living in the Millennium and that the church is in the process of converting the world.  When this conversion is complete, Jesus Christ will return.  Yes, there are Christians who believe this.  Post-millennialism comes in and out of favor depending on world events and who is in the White House, it seems.

Leaving this view of Eschatology aside, this psalm is not a missionary psalm but it certainly does contain applications useful in missionary endeavors.  We see, for example, that God is the source of all blessings and benefits His children receive.  These blessings and benefits make life on Earth all the more enjoyable.  But there is a purpose in these good things from God:  they are tokens or signs of His presence that the nations – the lost – of the world may see.  As it relates to Israel, surrounding nations should have been able to look at her and deduce that Israel’s God was at work in the lives of His people and their nation.  Shouldn’t the same thing be true of the church today?  The lost should be able to witness God’s blessings and His presence in the church and come to the conclusion that God is real and that He is interested in His people. 

How glad the nations will be, singing for joy because you are their King and will give true justice to their people!   (Psalm 67:4  TLB)

Obviously this hasn’t happened yet; this verse is yet to be fulfilled.  But what it teaches is profound:  God is interested in people and He may be their Sovereign as surely as He is Israel’s.  Of course, these “nations” must acknowledge who God is and that He is their God, the One who gives all blessings and benefits.  He worked through Israel to accomplish this, and He is working through One who came out of Israel, Jesus Christ, to the same end.  And Jesus Christ is working through His people today, the church, to accomplish God’s goal of becoming the God of all nations and all people.

(c)  God’s initiative, Romans 9:25, 26

Remember what the prophecy of Hosea says? There God says that he will find other children for himself (who are not from his Jewish family) and will love them, though no one had ever loved them before. And the heathen, of whom it once was said, “You are not my people,” shall be called “sons of the Living God.”  (Romans 9:25, 26  TLB)

Just as Psalm 67 speaks of salvation coming to the nations, Paul makes the case in Romans 9 that God is even now calling all people to be a part of “His people.”  This great call is God’s initiative – it was His idea and He has taken the first step.  It doesn’t matter what your heritage is, you are being called to be a part of His family!  All those who were not God’s people (Gentiles), are now being called by God’s grace and benevolence to become His people.

Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it.   (Ephesians 2:8, 9 TLB)

2.  Emphasized by Christ, Luke 4:18-20; 24:46-49; Matthew 24:14

When Christians think about the “mission” or “purpose” of the church, the so-called “Great Commission” comes to mind.  Versions of Jesus’ last orders to His disciples (and to us) are found in Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; and John 20:21.  Luke has a different kind of “great commission” that begins with Him attending religious services.

(a) The Nazareth Manifesto, Luke 4:18-20

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessings to all who come to him.”  (Luke 4:18, 19  TLB)

In reading this passage of Scripture, Jesus defined His role as the Messiah.  The only hope for all these needy people would be Him.  Jesus acknowledged that He was the One who had been commissioned to bring the Good News to lost humanity.  Jesus as the Messiah is concerned with both the spiritual and material needs of people.  His message is a simple one:  the blessings of God’s salvation is for all.

(b)  Luke’s ‘Great Commission,’ Luke 24:46-49

“And now I will send the Holy Spirit upon you, just as my Father promised. Don’t begin telling others yet—stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”  (Luke 24:49  TLB)

The entire chapter has one major thrust:  it would be up to the disciples to share what they saw – the ministry, the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus – with those who had not.  These people were eyewitnesses!  Their testimony would be accurate and true.  But before they could begin that witnessing, Jesus made it clear they had to wait for something to happen.  In order for this disparate group of people to be effective witnesses, they needed the Holy Spirit.

(c)  Preaching the Gospel, Matthew 24:12

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come.   (Matthew 24:14 TLB)

Without getting into the eschatology of this verse, there is a very important lesson for today’s Christian.  Throughout chapter Matthew 24, Jesus speaks of false messiahs, terrible natural disasters, and widespread persecution of believers.  In spite of all those awful things taking place, the Gospel – the Good News -  would be preached all over the world.  Think about that!  Nothing can stop the work of God from being accomplished. 

3.  Enacted by the early church, Acts 11:19-26; 13:46-49

Meanwhile, the believers who fled from Jerusalem during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, scattering the Good News, but only to Jews.  (Acts 11:19  TLB)

(a)  From Jerusalem to Antioch, Acts 11:19-26

The death of Stephen was a watershed event.  It triggered mass persecution of Christians which forced members of the fledgling church to flee Jerusalem to the far ends of the Roman Empire.  This literally forced the church to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus to take the Gospel to the world.  Had it not been for this persecution, it may well have been that the early church would have been content to remain in Jerusalem.

But many Christians – the leaders of the church especially – remained in Jerusalem, riding out the storm of persecution.  This group of believers became the “mother church,” and they were concerned about all these Gentiles from all over the Empire who were, apparently, converting to this new faith.  Upon examination, church leaders acknowledged that God was indeed doing great things among the Gentiles. 

(b)  Mission to Gentiles, Acts 13:46-49

Acts 13 begins what we call “Paul’s First Missionary Journey,” and it tells the story of how the Gospel spread, truly, to the four corners of the world.  Paul was a fearless missionary, a true trailblazer who went where no preacher had gone before!  But Paul was only doing what the Great Commission told all believers to do.  Paul’s message to the Gentiles whom he was evangelizing was a simple – and very familiar – one:

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that this Good News from God should be given first to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and shown yourselves unworthy of eternal life—well, we will offer it to Gentiles. For this is as the Lord commanded when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to lead them from the farthest corners of the earth to my salvation.’”  (Acts 13:46, 47  TLB)

Notice the quote the Old Testament in verse 47.  We’ve come full circle!  What started out as something Israel was supposed to be; what would become what Jesus was; has now become the “mission” and “purpose” of the church:  to be a that light for the lost.

 

 

The Holy Spirit and You, Part 6

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Part 2

 

The New Testament teaches that there are three baptisms:

•   baptism into Jesus Christ, which refers to our initial conversion

•   baptism in water, which is a testimony to the world of our conversion

•   baptism in the Holy Spirit, which refers to a heavenly blessing, from Jesus, whereby a believer experiences a fullness of the Spirit he never experienced before

The baptism in the Holy Spirit – this “subsequent baptism” – gives its recipient the potential of exhibiting various gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Even though every born again believer is filled with the Holy Spirit at the very moment of his conversion, the teaching of the New Testament definitely supports the idea of a “subsequent baptism,” an experience available to all believers; a glorious encounter with the Spirit, that adds a depth to his relationship with Christ.

When a Christian is baptized in the Spirit, something happens to him on the inside.  Somehow, that believer realizes his complete and utter helplessness and unworthiness as he feels the tangible presence of God in his heart.  He will become very conscious of God’s presence in his life; he will feel when God’s Spirit is grieved because he himself will be grieved.   The Word of God will take on a new, burning importance to him.  He will experience a strange, new enthusiasm for the “things of God,” things like Bible study and fellowship with other believers. 

It’s no exaggeration to say that a Christian baptized in the Holy Spirit has a power heretofore unknown to him, but it is a power to serve and glorify God, not a power to benefit his flesh in any way.  And this is the important point.  The Holy Spirit wasn’t given until Christ was glorified, and until we are prepared to glorify Him at any cost, we won’t experience the baptism in the Spirit.  This is probably why so many Christians have not experienced this blessing; they may love Jesus and they may serve Him, but He is not The Lord of their hearts.

When a believer is baptized in the Spirit, certain things will happen.  The Spirit always makes His presence known!

1.  Amazement

 “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “For these men are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking all the native languages of the lands where we were born! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, men from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia Minor, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the Cyrene language areas of Libya, visitors from Rome—both Jews and Jewish converts—Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these men telling in our own languages about the mighty miracles of God!”

They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.  (Acts 2:7-12  TLB)

“What can this mean?”  All these people visiting Jerusalem for Passover celebrations saw and heard a lot more than they bargained for!  They experienced “second hand” the tremendous blessing the disciples received.  They saw and heard, but they didn’t understand it.  Why?  It’s because the natural mind cannot make sense of the things of the Spirit.  The unredeemed mind will always be blind to these things until it is set free by the Holy Spirit.

But the man who isn’t a Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. Others just can’t take it in. But the spiritual man has insight into everything, and that bothers and baffles the man of the world, who can’t understand him at all. 16   (1 Corinthians 2:14, 15  TLB)

When a Christian has experienced the fullness of the Holy Spirit, his life will not be the same; his speech will not be the same; God’s thoughts become his thoughts.  When a preacher experiences this fullness of the Spirit, his sermons become more than just talks laced with man’s wisdom, they will demonstrate the power of Spirit because where the Spirit is, He will manifest His own presence.  Listeners will ask, “What does this mean?” and lives will be changed by the Word.

2.  Glory to God

Be happy if you are cursed and insulted for being a Christian, for when that happens the Spirit of God will come upon you with great glory.  (1 Peter 4:14  TLB)

Not everybody appreciates the fact that you are a Christian and even within the ranks of the Church, not everybody will appreciate the fact that you have been baptized in the Spirit.  Brothers and sisters in the Lord may mock you, as surprising as that may seem.   It’s always that way, though.  The worldly mind has a hard time comprehending the things of God.  And, sadly, the church of Jesus Christ is awash in worldly minds today.  But, as Peter observed, consider it a blessing when you are “cursed and insulted for being a Christian.”  Consider it a badge of honor when your testimony confounds even a fellow believer because in those moments, God will be glorified!  God is always glorified when He anoints one of us.  God is always glorified when we are at last humbled and He becomes the One standing in our stead. 

When God is truly glorified IN us, He will be glorified THROUGH us.

3.  Ongoing fellowship

If you love me, obey me; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you.  (John 14:15, 16  TLB)

But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, in your hearts, so that you don’t need anyone to teach you what is right. For he teaches you all things, and he is the Truth, and no liar; and so, just as he has said, you must live in Christ, never to depart from him.  (1 John 14:6  TLB)

Our continuing fellowship with God the Father is made possible ONLY if we remain in full communion with the Holy Spirit.  Now would be a good time to consider how much time you spend in active fellowship with the Holy Spirit over the past week.  Did you even give Him a passing thought?  You might want to reconsider the role He plays in your life!  He makes fellowship with God the Father and the Son possible. 

Yes, continual, ongoing fellowship is made possible by the Holy Spirit.  But when we neglect the Holy Spirit, either on purpose by ignoring Him or simply by honest neglect, we are literally cutting ourselves off from the kind of intimate fellowship God wants with us.

So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it upon David’s head; and the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him and gave him great power from that day onward. (1 Samuel 16:13  TLB)

“From that day onward.”  David, sins and all, had unbroken fellowship with God  every day because the Spirit was in him and, as we read in the Psalms, he acknowledged His presence.

4.  Holy boldness

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer will make that believer especially bold when it comes to sharing the Word of God.  Just consider these verses:

When the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John and could see that they were obviously uneducated non-professionals, they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them!  (Acts 4:13  TLB)

“Teacher,” these spies said, “we know you tell the truth no matter what! You aren’t influenced by the opinions and desires of men, but sincerely teach the ways of God. Now tell us, is it right to pay taxes to Rome, or not?”  (Mark 12:14  TLB)

The Holy Spirit will make you like Jesus.  Jesus courageously proclaimed the Word of God, and when you allow His Spirit to use you, so will you!  You will be like Jesus:  courageous.  Do you find it hard to share Jesus with other people?  You need to step out in faith, open your mouth, and let Him speak through you.  Think about Gideon:

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet as a call to arms, and the men of Abiezer came to him.  (Judges 6:34  TLB)

Gideon was filled with a holy boldness when he blew that trumpet.  The fact is, when one is overflowing with the Holy Spirit, he can not help but blow that trumpet!  When you are overflowing with the Holy Spirit, you can not help but speak the Word of The Lord to those who need to hear it.

“We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we saw Jesus do and heard him say.”  (Acts 4:20  TLB)

5.  A powerful testimony

When you walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, you will be an effective witness for Christ.  This is all part of that “holy boldness” in that declaring the goodness of God will become natural to you.  Here is the Biblical precedent:

After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly preached God’s message…And the apostles preached powerful sermons about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and there was warm fellowship among all the believers… (Acts 4:31, 33  TLB)

But we also see this precedent in the life and ministry of Micah, the Old Testament prophet, who wrote this:

But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, fearlessly announcing God’s punishment on Israel for her sins.  (Micah 3:8  TLB)

Micah was filled with the Holy Spirit and was consequently filled with His power for the purpose testifying!  When you are full to overflowing with the Holy Spirit, He will anoint you to share Jesus – to testify about Him – without holding anything back.  He will give you the right words to say and He will bring back to your memory the Word you have hidden in your heart.  In fact, the Holy Spirit is the Great Witness, and we are co-workers with Him.

But I will send you the Comforter—the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me.  And you also must tell everyone about me because you have been with me from the beginning.  (John 15:26, 27  TLB)

And we are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to all who obey him.  (Acts 5:32  TLB)

So the Holy Spirit will give us the power to talk about the greatness of God.  But, that power will only be in direct proportion to how willingly we work with Him.  If you want to experience the power of the Holy Spirit, then step out in faith and open your mouth.

6.  Might works

Those who have experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit and who continue to walk in the fullness of the Spirit will be able to not only talk about the greatness of God, but they will be able to DO great things for God.  Think about Samson:

At that moment the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and since he had no weapon, he ripped the lion’s jaws apart and did it as easily as though it were a young goat!  (Judges 14:6  TLB)

Samson ended up a failure, but that’s not the fault of the Holy Spirit.  We can see multiple examples in his life of how the Spirit gave this man supernatural strength.  He can do that for you too.  The “lion difficulties” of your life, which threaten to derail your faith, will become as feeble as a “young goat” when you walk in the fullness of the Spirit.

Jesus promised:

In solemn truth I tell you, anyone believing in me shall do the same miracles I have done, and even greater ones, because I am going to be with the Father.  (John 14:12  TLB)

This promise was fulfilled because Jesus left and sent us the Advocate, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.  The baptism in the Holy Spirit opens up new avenues of service because we are given gifts to do work for Christ.  So many Christians – genuine believers – are fearful of this experience, and yet there is no need to fear any blessing from Christ!  The Holy Spirit’s business is NOT to embarrass you, making you do crazy things you would otherwise never do.  He is not a feeling or an emotion or a foreign language.   The Holy Spirit is already in you, waiting to do even more through you.  Let Him engulf your whole being and you will be amazed at He will do.

Church Membership…What’s It All About?

The old days, when church membership was taken very seriously!

What does it mean to be a “member” of a local church?  A lot of churches today don’t even have a “membership roll.”  Can’t you just go to a church, give to that church, participate in the life and ministry of that church and not be on that church’s official “membership roll?”

It might surprise you, but being a member of a church is not about whether your name is on the roll or not.  In fact, the New Testament teaches that being a member of a local church is all about doing things, not signing a register.  Being a member of a local church means that you will do three basic things within that church:

•         Build up other members

•         Support church ministries

•         Meet needs within and without the church

To these things Christians are called, and the very best place to do these things is within the local church.  In an age when church attendance is dwindling, it’s vitally important to understand that being a part of a local church is something God takes very seriously.

Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.  (Hebrews 10:25, CEV)

1.  Build each other up, Romans 15:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13

In considering the nature of the Church, we need to think about the responsibilities of people that make the local church.  Evangelism, missions, and prayer are all important aspects of being part of the church, but according to the New Testament, we belong to a local church to encourage other members and to receive encouragement ourselves.  This is what “building up” means:  we build each other up.  There is not a Christian alive who doesn’t need fellowship with other believers.  Living daily in the world, exposed to sin and degradation constantly, our faith is apt to get worn down.  We get our “spiritual batteries” recharged at church!

(a)  A united community, Romans 15:1-7

Even if we believe that it makes no difference to the Lord whether we do these things, still we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves; for we must bear the “burden” of being considerate of the doubts and fears of others—of those who feel these things are wrong. Let’s please the other fellow, not ourselves, and do what is for his good and thus build him up in the Lord.  Christ didn’t please himself. As the Psalmist said, “He came for the very purpose of suffering under the insults of those who were against the Lord.”    (Romans 15:1-3  TLB)

In this group of verses, Paul associates himself with “mature” or “strong” believers – those Christians in Rome who were sure of their beliefs and secure in their faith.  Ideally, we should all be that strong!  But in reality, there are many “weak” Christians in our churches.  These people have a kind of wavering faith – a faith that is easily swayed by what they see or hear.  Paul’s advice is not to the “weak” to “buck up” and “have faith,” instead the weaknesses of “weaker” believers, which he refers to as a “burden,” must be borne by those of us who are “strong” and “mature.”  Unfortunately in many churches, the opposite is true.  The more “struggles” a brother has, the less “love” we tend to show him!  Paul faced a similar situation in Corinth, and to that church, he gave this advice:

Next is your question about eating food that has been sacrificed to idols. On this question everyone feels that only his answer is the right one! But although being a “know-it-all” makes us feel important, what is really needed to build the church is love.  (1 Corinthians 8:1 TLB)

Paul’s point to both churches is a simple one.  We who are strong in faith should NOT lord it over those who are not.  We who are strong have no right insult or humiliate weaker believers.  Rather, we must be united WITH them in their journey to maturity by bearing their burden of weakness.   In other words, treat them the way Jesus treats all people but putting their needs ahead of His own.   Paul quotes Psalm 69:9 and applies to Jesus.  He didn’t live to please Himself, and neither should we.

(b)  An orderly community, 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13

Dear brothers, honor the officers of your church who work hard among you and warn you against all that is wrong. Think highly of them and give them your wholehearted love because they are straining to help you. And remember, no quarreling among yourselves.  (1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13  TLB)

If we are to be patient with and bear the burdens of weaker believers, we are also to show honor to leaders in the church.  This was a problem in the church in Thessalonica.  Many in this church had been expecting Christ to return and therefore they quit working.  Church leaders apparently admonished them to “get back to work” but their admonitions  were being ignored.  To make matters worse, it seems many in the community experienced conversion at about the same time and became members of the church at the same time.  The fact that some had risen to positions of leadership and others hadn’t bothered those who hadn’t and they, therefore, weren’t giving those who had become leaders the proper respect. 

It is true that we are one in Christ and unity transcends social position and race.  However, in the Body of Christ, there are people with different callings and gifts and therefore different responsibilities.  In an orderly church, church leaders are to be respected and honored.  As we read on in Thessalonians, we realize very quickly that the respect and honor are given in respect to the quality of their work, not merely by virtue of their office.

2.  Support church ministries, 2 Corinthians 9:6-13

Everyone must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don’t force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes.  God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more so that there will not only be enough for your own needs but plenty left over to give joyfully to others.   (2 Corinthians 9:7, 8 TLB)

We can do more good together than we can separately.  This is the guiding principle behind giving in the New Testament, and this another reason to be a part of the local church.  Some modern churches fall all over themselves to find Biblical evidence that Christians ought to tithe.  The fact is, the tithe is NOT part of Christian responsibility.  GENEROUS GIVING, however is.  Christians are expected to give generously.

 (a)  A generous community, verses 6-10

It seems that Paul’s guiding principle for Christian giving is really a proverb of his day:  “scanty sowing, scanty harvest; plentiful sowing, plentiful harvest.” It’s not found the Bible precisely like that, but we do have many Biblical proverbs, like these:

When you help the poor you are lending to the Lord—and he pays wonderful interest on your loan!  (Proverbs 19:17  TLB)

The unjust tyrant will reap disaster, and his reign of terror shall end.  Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor.  (Proverbs 22:8, 9  TLB)

But we don’t have to go all the way back to Old Testament days to see where Paul got his inspiration from.  These words of Jesus are so popular, they’ve been set to music!

For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give—large or small—will be used to measure what is given back to you.”  (Luke 6:38  TLB)

Let’s hope Christians do more than just “sing” these words!  Let’s put them into practice.

(b)  A community glorifying God, verses 11-13

Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help.  (2 Corinthians 9:11  TLB)

These verses say a lot more than we see on the surface.  When we give away to people in need, it is not the needy person who is the real beneficiary, it is God Himself!  How so?  Because He will receive the glory for what you did in His name.

3.  Serve the needy, Acts 6:1-7; James 1:27

The last reason (at least for the purpose of this brief study) for being part of a local church, is to better help those in need.  Helping the needy caused the first conflict in the church and this conflict served to show the early church leaders an important reason for the church’s existence.

But with the believers multiplying rapidly, there were rumblings of discontent. Those who spoke only Greek complained that their widows were being discriminated against, that they were not being given as much food in the daily distribution as the widows who spoke Hebrew.  (Acts 6:1  TLB)

The church’s response to this “crisis” shows us the importance of being involved in the work of a local church:

Now look around among yourselves, dear brothers, and select seven men, wise and full of the Holy Spirit, who are well thought of by everyone; and we will put them in charge of this business.  Then we can spend our time in prayer, preaching, and teaching.  (Acts 6:3, 4  TLB)

So the whole church was involved in the apostle’s plan of action.  These verses are significant.  Here we see:  (1)  The wisdom of the apostles.  They could have easily picked men to do the work, but they sought input from all the believers.  (2)  The wisdom of believers.  God works through church membership!  He speaks to members, not just to the leadership. 

Now, some people may read this and think, Who needs a  pastor, then?  Who needs elders?   We serve a God of freedom, but He’s no anarchist!  God wants order in His church just as surely as He wants order in a marriage.  In the church, Christ is the Head, but the New Testament teaches a plurality of elders and pastors with input from members.  This is why being involved in your local church is so important:  God works through all of you – pastors, elders, deacons, members – to get His work done in the most effective manner.

Here, the needs of some widows were met more effectively when some structure was put in place.  A lot of Christians despise “organized religion,” and anybody who has ever had to deal with a denomination can empathize with them, but some organization is essential, and if that organization is Bible-based, it will work.  It has to!  It’s God’s idea.

But it must be noted that this organization was for a purpose.  It was not Peter and John building a kingdom for themselves.  It was for the purpose of ministry.  The church needs to look after those members who are in need.

The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world.  (James 1:27  TLB)

Of course, there is more to being a Christian than just looking after orphans and needy widows.  But James’ point is well taken.  It’s hard to consider a person a true Christian if he continually avoids fellowship in a local church and if he can continually turn a blind eye to the needs that exist within his congregation!  One of the purposes for being part of a local church is to make sure those needs are met.  God’s plan, like His ways, are perfect.

Jesus Is Alive!

 

John 19:28 – 20:31

John was a master in using ironic phrases, especially in his buildup to the Crucifixion.  For example, Jesus referred to this event as “the time of His glorification.”  What an ironic way to describe the way He was going to die!

John also devoted more time describing in minute detail the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion than the other Gospel writers.  We can learn a lot about the Crucifixion from reading what John wrote, and we can also learn a lot about God’s eternal purposes in how he wrote it.

1.      Jesus died and was buried, John 19:28-30; 38-42

(a)  The Lamb of God, 19:28-30

Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures said, “I’m thirsty.”  A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so a sponge was soaked in it and put on a hyssop branch and held up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished,” and bowed his head and dismissed his spirit.  (John 19:28-30 TLB)

Only John gives us the very profound theological background for Jesus’ words, “I’m thirsty.”  It’s remarkable to contemplate, but even in His last few moments of life, Jesus was fully aware of His mission and completely dedicated to its completion.  The word “finished” in verse 28 refers to the “perfect completion of the whole prophetic image.”  With the utmost care and attention to detail, Jesus carried out His mission on Earth for man’s good and His Father’s glory.  It reminds us of what Jesus had  prayed just a couple of chapters earlier:

I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to.  (John 17:4 TLB)

But not only was Jesus fulfilling His mission, He was also fulfilling Scripture, specifically Old Testament symbolism.  The use of the “hyssop branch,” for example.  The hyssop was used in certain Passover observances in memory of Exodus 12:22, where it was used like a paint brush, painting and sprinkling blood around the doors of Jewish homes.  In John’s Gospel, Jesus is referred to both as the Lamb and the door!  The Jewish Passover was perfectly fulfilled in the sacrifice of the true Paschal Lamb.

In verse 30, Jesus exclaimed, “It is finished.”  What was finished?  His earthly life, certainly was finished, but the word He used, tetelestai, refers to the absolute completion of His job on earth.  This expression has been interpreted in various ways:  a cry of relief, a cry of painful anguish, or a shout of victory.  Given the stress in John’s Gospel on the fact of Jesus’ control of all the events we’re reading about, the last interpretation seem best.  “It is finished” was Jesus’ cry of absolute victory.  This was, as some scholars have noted, the last report of Jesus from earth to His Father in Heaven.  IT IS FINISHED!  was the Victor’s cry, not a victim’s whimper.  Jesus, remarkably, remained in complete control of Himself and events until He gave up His life.

(b)  Compassionate religious leaders, 19:38-42

Together they wrapped Jesus’ body in a long linen cloth saturated with the spices, as is the Jewish custom of burial.  (John 19:40  TLB)

In another ironic twist, all of Jesus’ disciples had fled the scene.  It was two of Jesus’ “secret disciples,” Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus, who worked together to prepare Jesus’ body for proper burial, which in the Middle East, takes place within 24 hours after death.  Had these two religious leaders not intervened, Jesus’ body would have been tossed into a common grave, along with the other two who had been crucified with Jesus. 

Joseph of Arimathaea was a wealthy man and member of the Sanhedrin.  Luke gives us this insight:

Then a man named Joseph, a member of the Jewish Supreme Court, from the city of Arimathea in Judea, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He was a godly man who had been expecting the Messiah’s coming and had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other Jewish leaders.  (Luke 23:50-52  TLB)

Nicodemus, was also a member of the Sanhedrin, who first visited our Lord “by night,” suggesting there were other visits.  Both men were wealthy and both men were followers of Jesus.  How much did Nicodemus think of Jesus?  Apparently he brought enough spices to bury a king.

2.   Jesus rose from the dead, John 20:1-8; 19-20

The accounts of Jesus’ Resurrection differ from Gospel to Gospel, each emphasizing a different aspect of the event.  But no Gospel gives details about the three-day interval between His death and Easter morning. 

(a)  An empty tomb, verses 1-5

Then Simon Peter arrived and went on inside. He also noticed the cloth lying there, while the swath that had covered Jesus’ head was rolled up in a bundle and was lying at the side. Then I went in too, and saw, and believed that he had risen.  (John 20:6-8  TLB)

If the biography of Jesus had ended at chapter 19, Jesus’ would have been just another religious leader; a man of exceptional character whose teachings changed lives and whose sincerity could never be questioned.  Every biography of every human being ends in their death. But the story of Jesus was far from over.

John may have hesitated entering the tomb of Jesus, but Peter had no problem barging ahead of his friend.  What they saw was startling.  No wonder John wrote that he “believed that he had risen.”  In all, there were three convincing proofs:

•   The stone was rolled away.

•   The grave clothes were  now lying in a neat pile;

•   The body of Jesus was gone.

At this point, John had not seen the risen Lord, but he believed.  The word used, episteusen, means John simply made up his  mind.  It was a real step of faith, especially in light of verse 9:

 ...for until then we hadn’t realized that the Scriptures said he would come to life again!  (TLB)

Right now, they believed the evidence of their own eyes, but they didn’t grasp the teachings of the Scriptures in this regard.  But what Scripture or Scriptures does this verse refer to?  We may only offer an educated guess.  On the Day of Pentecost, Peter delivered his amazing sermon and quoted Psalm 16:10–

For you will not leave me among the dead; you will not allow your beloved one to rot in the grave. (TLB)

For these two men, John and Peter, the real truth of the Resurrection of Christ was just beginning to dawn on them.  They didn’t possess the full revelation, but they knew enough to know something miraculous had just happened!

(b)  A holy encounter, verses 19, 20

That evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors, in fear of the Jewish leaders, when suddenly Jesus was standing there among them! After greeting them, he showed them his hands and side. And how wonderful was their joy as they saw their Lord!  (TLB)

This is actually the third appearance of Jesus after He rose from the dead.  John does not record the appearances to Peter and to the men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).  This visit of Jesus to the group of disciples was of vital importance because, though they believed a miracle had taken place, they were still filled with fear.  They had almost been arrested in the Garden, they were under suspicion, and they were without Jesus, the Leader they depended on.

The doors were shut and locked, but that didn’t  keep Jesus out!  His first words indicated He knew exactly what these people needed at this moment in time:  Peace.  But really, what this group of frightened believers needed most of all was Jesus Himself.  To prove to them that He was the genuine article, Jesus showed them His wounds and the result was “joy.”  The people were filled with joy.

3.  Jesus is Lord and God, John 20:24-31

The Resurrection was and remains a life-changing and world-changing  event.  But even it wasn’t the end of the story.  The Resurrection was more than just Jesus coming back to life; there was a meaning and a purpose behind it.  The disciples needed more than just to know Jesus had come back to life; they needed to know the meaning behind the event:  His continued ministry on Earth IN them.

(a) Doubting Thomas, verses 24-28

Thomas was absent when Jesus visited the other disciples in verses 19 and 20.  Why he wasn’t there is obvious:  he was a doubter, so what was the point in meeting together as though Jesus were alive?  Obviously their leader was dead, so why keep the band of followers together?  As far as Thomas was concerned, people didn’t return to life and Jesus was dead.  The hopeful thought that Jesus might have been the Messiah was just that:  a thought.  And this is why Jesus had to come and see Thomas.

 ”I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands—and put my fingers into them—and place my hand into his side.”  (verse 27  TLB)

Only John records this visit.  It may be unfair to nickname Thomas “Doubting Thomas,” because all the disciples had their doubts.  Maybe a better nickname would be “Pessimistic Thomas,” or “Thomas, the Dark Cloud.”  He was a practical man that leaned toward being pessimistic.  The events of the last few days simply confirmed his worst fears. 

Thomas should have been with the other believers – doubts and pessimism aside – the night Jesus visited the group.  Instead of fellowship, he chose to be by himself and that was a big mistake.  Fortunately for him, Jesus cut Thomas some slack.  A week later, Jesus appeared to Thomas and that visit must have scared Thomas witless! 

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger into my hands. Put your hand into my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”  (verse 28  TLB)

Jesus’ direction to Thomas shows that Jesus knew what Thomas had said to his friends even though He was nowhere around!  

This visit to Thomas teaches us some very important things about the Christian life. First, whether we like it or not, Jesus is always around us.  He hears what we say. He knows what’s in our hearts.

And second, there are levels of faith; we aren’t all the same and our faith changes.  There are those believers who depend on seeing with their eyes before they believe.  Their salvation is real, but Christians like this are missing out on the blessedness that comes to those who believe in Jesus AND  in what He can do for them beyond saving them.  Christians that depend on what they see are limited in their experiences with God because they unknowingly limit God.  But those who believe in Jesus AND see Jesus as actively involved in their lives open themselves up to wonderful, limitless spiritual vistas.  Such was the case with Thomas.  In a life-changing encounter, Jesus showed the skeptic how involved He could be in a believer’s life!  Jesus proved to Thomas that He knew what Thomas had told His friends and then paid him a personal visit to encourage the man’s faith.  There could be no doubt any more that not only had Jesus risen from the dead, but that He was somehow more than just alive.  He was divine.

(b)  Stunning proclamation, verse 29

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. But blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”  (verse 29  TLB)

Sight is important, but it isn’t everything.  It was important for His disciples to “see” who He was.  Through miracles and the Resurrection, His disciples believed because they “saw” these things.  This included Thomas.  But the main part of this verse is what comes after because Jesus is referring to the many future believers who would manifest saving faith in spite of never having seen Jesus perform a miracle or seen Him in His Resurrected state. 

Even though this isn’t the very end of the Gospel, it is the climax because it shows Jesus as truly divine for His appearance elicited a profession of faith from the disciples, including Thomas.  It shows Jesus as victorious over death and the grave; sin and sorrow; doubt and fear.  In the experience of Thomas, John shows how faith can grow into maturity and how that growth can change the direction of a single life.

Jesus:  the most remarkable Man who ever lived.  And died!  And lived again!  Had He remained in the tomb the world would barely have noticed Him.  But the tomb couldn’t hold Jesus.  He rose from the dead.  Because of the Resurrection, redemption had been made available to all who call upon His Name.

The Holy Spirit and You, Part 5

 

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Part One

 

There are all kinds of ideas floating around out there in the church world about what the baptism in or of the Holy Spirit is.   Pentecostal and charismatic churches will say that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience subsequent to salvation.  This is not incorrect.  Some will teach that speaking in tongues is “proof” that one has received the baptism.  This is open to debate.  It’s best that we consult the Bible, however, to get the facts straight about this wonderful experience.  That sounds like an easy task, but it’s get a little complicated with verses like this one:

For us there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism…  (Ephesians 4:5  TLB)

Actually, the New Testament teaches clearly that there are three baptisms, not one:

•   A baptism in water, Acts 8:38.

•   A baptism in the Holy Spirit, Matthew 3:11.

•   A baptism into Jesus Christ, Romans 6:3

So, just what was Paul getting at when he wrote to the Ephesian church, telling them that there was only one baptism?  In truth, the first two would be nothing without the last one.  The ONE baptism must surely refer to the baptism into Jesus Christ, with the other two flowing from this one.

For now we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and we who have been baptized into union with Christ are enveloped by him. (Galatians 3:26, 27  TLB)

So why all these baptisms when only one is the significant one?  Water baptism is the earthly witness and Spirit baptism is the heavenly witness that a person has been baptized into Christ.  By these two witnesses – human and divine – our union with Jesus Christ is positively established on earth and in heaven.  By the Spirit we are baptized into Christ and then by Christ we are baptized in the Spirit.

Water baptism is pretty easy to  understand.  Whether you are a sprinkler, pourer, or dunker, you can see with your eyes a baptism and hear with your ears the explanation about what’s going on.  But before we move on to look deeply into Spirit baptism, let’s consider all that is involved in being baptized into Christ.

1.      Baptism into Jesus Christ

The very first thing of note is that being baptized into Christ suggests death. 

For sin’s power over us was broken when we became Christians and were baptized to become a part of Jesus Christ; through his death the power of your sinful nature was shattered.   (Romans 6:3  TLB)

Some Christians have a hard time taking this verse literally, but Paul meant what he wrote.   Upon accepting Jesus as our Lord and savior, were were baptized into Him – baptized into His death – so that our sinful nature would no long have control over us. 

For now we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and we who have been baptized into union with Christ are enveloped by him.  (Galatians 3:26, 27  TLB)

Remember, to be “baptized” properly means “to be immersed.”  The Greek baptizo is a very descriptive word.  Imagine, being born again is like being immersed in Jesus Christ!  That’s the idea Paul is conveying; a Christian should be so immersed or enveloped in Christ, it is as though his old sinful  nature has gone a way.  Now, experience teaches us that it is still very much a part of our lives.  Our obligation being “in Christ” is to consciously avoid paying attention to it.  It should be as though we are dead to it. 

I have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  (Galatians 2:20a  TLB)

The second thing baptism into Christ implies is burial. 

Your old sin-loving nature was buried with him by baptism when he died; and when God the Father, with glorious power, brought him back to life again, you were given his wonderful new life to enjoy.  (Romans 6:4  TLB)

If we have been “enveloped” by or “immersed” in Christ, then we have been completely identified with Him in every way, including His burial.  How can we be raised to a new life if we haven’t first been buried?  Romans 6 is full of powerful language that gives rise to profound ideas and startling images.  For Paul, we have been entombed with Christ so that like Christ we may be raised to a new life. 

This leads right into the third point.  Our baptism into Christ suggests resurrection.  Colossians 2:12 says,

For in baptism you see how your old, evil nature died with him and was buried with him; and then you came up out of death with him into a new life because you trusted the Word of the mighty God who raised Christ from the dead. 

Our “resurrection” is just a figure of speech Paul’s employs to describe how Christians have been delivered from their old life of sin into their new life of salvation.  We have moved from our old life to our new life by way of a spiritual resurrection. 

Baptism into Christ also involves unity, the fourth point.  Obviously when we are baptized into Christ, we become one with Him.  We become so identified with Him we can’t be separated from Him.  But there is another kind of unity at work here.  Consider–

We are no longer Jews or Greeks or slaves or free men or even merely men or women, but we are all the same—we are Christians; we are one in Christ Jesus.  (Galatians 4:28  TLB)

Talk about unity!  We are all one in Christ Jesus.  This kind of unity is only possible IN Christ.

2.  The second baptism

So far, we have been talking about “the first baptism,” the baptism into Christ.  We can also call this “conversion.”  The “subsequent baptism” is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  When it comes to how we found Christ, our conversion experiences are all different.  No two people can say they experienced Christ the first time same way.  The same thing is true of Spirit baptism.  This is why there is so much confusion surrounding this “event.”  To some, the baptism in the Holy Spirit comes on them so powerfully and so obviously they can remember the day, time, and even what they were wearing when it happened.  Others receive this baptism quietly, sometimes by themselves, with no fanfare. 

Let’s consider Spirit baptism

(a)  The baptizer. 

With water I baptize those who repent of their sins; but someone else is coming, far greater than I am, so great that I am not worthy to carry his shoes! He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.   (Matthew 3:11  TLB)

 

It might surprise some reading this, but it is back in Matthew, not Acts, that we first read about this “subsequent baptism.”  John the Baptist is talking about Jesus; Jesus is the One who baptizes a believer in the Holy Spirit.  This great gift – this moving experience – is Christ’s blessing to us.  It is something He personally does in us and for us.  Of course, it is to His advantage; that is, it is to the advantage of the whole Body of Christ that believers receive this Spirit baptism.  It is meant to strengthen the believer and ultimately these strengthened believers will result in a stronger Body.  It is for His glory that Jesus is as ready and willing to baptize the saint as He is to save the sinner.

(b)  The promise.

That Jesus will baptize His followers is a promise He has made. 

John baptized you with water,” he reminded them, “but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days.  (Acts 1:5  TLB)

And Peter replied, “Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit.  For Christ promised him to each one of you who has been called by the Lord our God, and to your children and even to those in distant lands!”  (Acts 2:38, 39  TLB)

Take note of the promise!  The promise to baptize in the Spirit is just as real and just as much a promise as the promise of salvation!  If that’s true, why are unbelievers encouraged to “get saved” yet Christians, unless they attend Pentecostal or Charismatic churches, are seldom encouraged to seek Spirit baptism?  Think about it.  Pastors and church leaders are so ignorant of this great BIBLICAL doctrine, they are literally hindering members of their congregation from receiving an experience every bit as real as their conversion.  The really sad thing is that this “subsequent baptism” is just the second part of or a continuation of their salvation experience.

(b)  The fulfillment.

After that first handful of believers received Spirit baptism, Peter explained it to onlookers:

No! What you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel…  (Acts 2:16  TLB)

This experience was not some kind of funky, self-induced state of hysteria experienced by a group of fringe Jews.  In fact, Spirit baptism was predicted generations before!  It was spelled out by the prophet Joel.  Lest anybody think the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was only for the disciples gathered in the upper room, Paul wrote about it–

But when the time came for the kindness and love of God our Savior to appear, then he saved us—not because we were good enough to be saved but because of his kindness and pity—by washing away our sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us with wonderful fullness—and all because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did.  (Titus 3:4-6  TLB)

The very fact that you, as a Christian, are an ambassador for Christ, demands that you experience the fullness of the Spirit Paul wrote about.  You are supposed to be representing the One who sent you, Jesus Christ, and of Him, we read this–

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…  (Luke 4:18a  TLB)

This is Jesus quoting from Isaiah, and applying that quote to Himself!  If the Spirit rested on Jesus, He must surely rest on us, too!

(c)  The necessity.

Many, many Christians have never and will never experience the “subsequent baptism” because they’ve never learned about it or, worse than ignorance, they have no interest in it.  But the fact remains, being baptized in the Spirit in an absolute imperative.  At least the first leaders of the apostolic church thought so.

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through Turkey and arrived in Ephesus, where he found several disciples.  “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.  (Acts 19:1, 2  TLB)

Paul and Apollos found a group of Christians (note that!) that had not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Now, being Christians, members of this group were full of the Spirit, but they had not yet received the baptism.  Why?  Their problem was simply one of ignorance.  When the baptism of the Spirit was explained to them, they received it. 

(d)  The condition.

Ignorance can certainly keep Spirit baptism from a sincere believer.  But there are other conditions.

You love the right and hate the wrong.  And that is why God, your very own God, poured fragrant oil on your head, marking you out as king from among your dear companions.  (Psalm 45:7  KJV)

Loving the right and hating the wrong speaks to character and also to honesty before God.  Living right and thinking right, being a person of principle and upstanding character are conditions that have to be met if you want to receive the baptism, or the anointing, of the Holy Spirit.  In other words, your heart has to be right – not perfect, just right before God.

(e)  The evidence.

Some Pentecostal churches stubbornly teach that speaking in tongues is the evidence that a believer has received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.  Unfortunately for them, the Bible teaches something else.

In fact, in everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God.  We patiently endure suffering and hardship and trouble of every kind.  We have been beaten, put in jail, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, stayed awake through sleepless nights of watching, and gone without food.  We have proved ourselves to be what we claim by our wholesome lives and by our understanding of the Gospel and by our patience. We have been kind and truly loving and filled with the Holy Spirit.  (2 Corinthians 6:4-6, TLB)

Paul left being “filled with the Holy Spirit” to the end, but being filled with Spirit made all the things that came before it possible!  Patience, courage, strength to work and stay awake, fasting, living wholesome lives…all those things were possible because Paul and his friends were filled with Spirit and filled with His power.  Being able to things that don’t come naturally to a human being is surely proof one has been baptized with the Holy Spirit.

(f)  The result.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in the new life of the believer is a given.  At the moment of salvation he is filled with God’s precious Spirit.  After that, God wants that believer to experience even  more of His presence.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience made possible because of the work of the risen Christ in the life of His people.  Salvation is wonderful.  Salvation is what gets you into heaven.  But between then and now, we all have to live our lives in the here and now.  The baptism in the Holy Spirit makes life on earth a little more bearable and your work for God a little more effective.  Can a Christian get by without the baptism in the Holy Spirit?  Yes!  Of course he can.  But why would he want to?

Jesus: The True Vine

 

A vineyard in Israel

John 15:1-27

Jesus is known many different ways throughout the Gospels.  He’s the Light, the Life, the Gate or Door, and the Good Shepherd.  These are all apt and wonderful ways of describing our Lord; they help us understand the nature of His character and His work.  The metaphor of the Vine and the branches is not so much a description of Jesus than it is a way to consider discipleship – the relationship between Christ and His people.

Throughout the New Testament there is the basic requirement of all believers:  to be IN Christ.  This is not an option; we are to abide in Christ.  But what does this really mean?  What it does NOT mean is that we lose our identities when we become disciples of Christ. We do not dissolve into God’s cosmic consciousness like a drop of water in the ocean.  That’s Buddhism, not Christianity!  In fact, for Christians the exact opposite is true:  we find ourselves in Christ!  It’s like the person we are deep down inside is set free, and it is only as we remain IN Christ that we become the kind of person God intends for us to become.

1.      A vine has branches, John 15:1-6

It’s an odd fact while Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus’ last night on Earth in amazing detail, John, the most intimate Gospel of all, leaves out what might be the most important event of that night:  the Last Supper!  John, who wrote his Gospel after the other three, was probably well aware of their content and felt it necessary to record something else:  a vital teaching on discipleship.

(a) Products of the Word, verses 1-3

This is a masterful teaching that blends reality and figure so perfectly that a correct interpretation is possible without having guess at what Jesus was saying.  It’s also a teaching as old as the Old Testament (see Isaiah 5; Psalm 80; Jeremiah 2, for examples), so the disciples would have been familiar with imagery.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.   He cuts off every branch in me  that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  (John 15:1-3 NIV84)

Jesus calls Himself  the “true vine.”  The Greek word used here is alethino, which properly means “genuine.”  Jesus is “genuine vine” as opposed to a counterfeit vine.   Jesus’ purpose in His use of alethino is clear:  it is not Jewish blood or adherence to a particular set of doctrines that results in salvation but rather simple faith in Him.  For the disciples with their deep-seated Jewish concepts, what Jesus said was truly revolutionary:  Israel (or the Jewish faith) is NOT the true vine, HE IS.  These disciples needed to understand that the most important thing for them from now on was to be “related” to Jesus, the genuine vine, not the plastic vines of their heritage. 

The Heavenly Father is the one who “tills the ground,” or “tends the vine.”  This is important and almost never preached on.  Why is the mention of the gardener so important?  It’s because of what he does, which is revealed in verse 2.  You don’t have a vineyard for no reason; there is a purpose:  a vineyard is supposed to produce fruit.  The gardener’s job is to tend the vine; to cultivate healthy, quality branches that produce fruit.  Sometimes this job involves skillfully removing branches that don’t produce any fruit.  Jesus may have had mind Judas when He said this.  As the saying goes, “one bad apple spoils the bunch.”  A fruitless branch – a Christian who professes Christ but refuses to bear fruit – weakens the whole plant – the Body of Christ.

Branches – believers – that are producing fruit, the gardener – God – prunes, or encourages to bear even more.  This a powerful statement of how God works in believers to keep them clean or pure.  This cleansing in the life of the disciples was the result of “the Word” Christ spoke to them.  It was belief in His Word that justified them, but this cleansing was effected at Pentecost and it is the presence of Christ in the life of the believer today in the Person of the Holy Spirit that cleanses them.  It’s sanctification, the process of becoming Christ-like.  We are justified by the Word and sanctified by the Spirit.

(b)  Connectivity, verses 4-6

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  (John 15:4 NIV84)

The imperative, “remain in me,” with its corollary, “I will remain in you”  shows how close a relationship ought to exist between our Lord and believers.  It’s more than an attachment.  We are IN Him and He is IN us.  We are in Him by faith – our faith in Him – and He is in us by the Holy Spirit.  The evidence of this spiritual connectivity is that a believer will be bearing fruit.  If one who says to you they are a Christian yet you see no evidence of the corresponding fruit, you have to wonder what’s going on!   Jesus makes it so simple, and in fact, Christianity is simple, though not easy. 

There is a note of judgment in verse 6.  The one who does not remain in Jesus is in for trouble:

If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  (John 15:6 NIV84)

Notice what Jesus says and what He leaves out.  There is the possibility that a believer may not want to remain in Jesus but nowhere does Jesus say that He will leave Him.  Jesus cuts no one off; it’s all on us to remain in Him.  But what happens to these unfruitful branches?  In all, there are five stages:  he (singular) is thrown out; he (singular) is withered; they (plural) are gathered; they (plural) will be thrown them into the fire; they (plural) will be burned.   When a believer (a branch) separates himself inwardly, eventually he will be separated outwardly; he will be removed from among the body of believers (the fruitful branches).  The idea is that there exists the possibility that there will eventually be many such unfruitful branches.  And because there are so many stages between leaving the vine and being finally burned up, there is plenty of time for repentance and a change of heart.  This dark part of the allegory reminds us of Paul’s advice to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 5.  Here is how the Church is to deal with an unfruitful member:

But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.  (1 Corinthians 5:11 NIV84)

2.  Remaining in the vine, John 15:7-15

(a)   Intimate prayer, verses 7, 8

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.   (John 15:7 NIV84)

Here, answered prayer is all but guaranteed if we remain in Jesus.  But, the key is that “His words remain in us.”  The beauty in intimate prayer is that when the Word is in us we will pray in accordance to that Word and God will never fail to fulfill that Word.   And verse 8 suggests an element of pride:

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:8 NIV84)

A fruitful vine is a source of pride to the gardener; a fruitful believer is the glory of God.  Here again is proof of discipleship; as believers produce fruit they “show” (prove) that they are true followers of Christ.

(b)  Joyful living, verses 9-11

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  (John 15:11 NIV84)

The secret to lasting “joy” is making sure that you are in Christ and knowing that He is in you.  But the beauty of verse 11 is two-fold.  First, how wonderful is that that our Lord wants us to be full of joy?  Jesus doesn’t want any of His followers to be dour or morose!  Second, the love of Jesus for us is not just a fact; we are meant to enjoy that love.  Jesus tells us that His love is in us and He tells us that so that we may experience FULL joy.  If the love of God in Christ completes our joy, we don’t need anything else!  He is enough.

(c)  The ultimate commandment, verses 12-15

All the things Jesus “commands” His followers to do may be reduced to one:

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  (John 15:12 NIV84)

He’s said this before, but with the Cross so close, Jesus introduces a new element:  what real love looks like:

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  (John 15:13 NIV84)

Jesus isn’t specifically referencing His upcoming crucifixion, but rather, this is depth of love believers should have for each other.  This is fullest manifestation of real love.  And, of course, in a short while, Jesus will show His disciples just how much He loved them.

3.  Produce fruit, John 15:16-21, 26-27

(a)  Fruit in spite of opposition, verses 16-21

Jesus had just called His disciples “His friends,” and in truth all believers are His friends.  The foundation of that friendship, though, is not that we are such great people that Jesus wants to be our good pal.  This friendship Christ has with us is not based on our merit or works.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.   (John 15:16 NIV84)

Jesus specifically chose to be friends with us!  This is not to suggest that man does not have a free will, but to absolutely affirm that without Him, man is impotent.  And, in this case, Jesus is not referring to any kind of predestination to salvation, but rather the choice of who His friends would be.  If Christ chose us to be His friends, it follows that He has “appointed” or “ordained” us to produce fruit “that will last.”  It’s another corollary; it’s logical:  if you are a friend of Jesus, you will produce fruit.  Furthermore, it’s the fruit that is important, not the circumstances.  Even in a hateful and hate-filled world, Christians – friends of Jesus – are to be producing good fruit! 

Friendship with Jesus will result in the world hating you.  One follows the other.  This is not to say we should go looking for trouble or confrontations with unbelievers.  Generally speaking, the world will not be impressed with out love and our fruit for Jesus. 

(b)  The role of the Holy Spirit, verses 26, 27

The whole “vine-branch” analogy is a good news/bad news proposition.  The good news is obvious.  What could be better than being a friend to the Son of God?  The bad news is being a friend to the Son of God will make it difficult to live on Earth without facing some opposition to our faith.  To deal with that, Jesus offered this:

When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.  And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.  (John 15:26-27 NIV84)

We won’t be going at this alone!  Producing fruit will not always be easy or even desirable, but Jesus personally takes care of this for us by giving us the “Counselor” or “Advocate”, the Holy Spirit.   He is also known as “the Spirit of truth,” in that what He says is always the truth.  The Holy Spirit “testifies” about Jesus truthfully, as we must also.  In a world that hates us, the Spirit testifies to them about their greatest need.  In the Church, He offers comfort.  Whenever a friend of Jesus opens his mouth to talk about Jesus – within the Church or without – it’s a work of the Spirit.  Whenever a believer by word or example points other to Christ, it’s a work of the Spirit.  The world will probably not receive the work of the Spirit, but we must never restrict the work.

In the night before His Crucifixion, the night Jesus had His last meal with His friends, He broke bread and drank wine.  It was natural to talk about “the vine” as a symbol of spiritual fruitfulness.    It was important for the disciples to NOT follow the example of Judas, but to remain in the Vine, in Christ, in His Word and in His love.  Jesus is the true vine – the genuine Vine.  Jesus lived an exemplary life, died in obedience, and arose in power.  In a word, Jesus’ work was FRUITFUL.  He expects that kind of fruitfulness from us.