Life In The Spirit

TITLE: LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

TEXT: 2 Cor 4:1-16

INTRO: As Pentecostal people, you and I share something that none of the rest of the "Christian" world has. A life truly in the Spirit. While other groups of Christians may teach about the Holy Spirit….may acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives….may even speak of being empowered by the Holy Spirit…..there is never-the-less a clear-cut difference in our experience. The Baptism in The Holy Spirit brings us into a new dimension of life. A life lived in the Spirit. Tonight I want to do my very best to make this life more understandable to us all. You see, there seems to be some confusion about what this Spirit life consists of in all of us. As your pastor, I have told you often that the Baptism in The Holy Spirit brings supernatural power & supernatural gifts…this is true…but after much reflection and allowing the Lord to speak to my heart, I realize that I may not have told you enough about Spirit’s role in our personal lives. This message is a correctional one. Although I have spoken to you generally in the past along these lines, tonight I am going to be very specific. I want everyone to listen closely. This is a very important message. It is designed to bring everyone of us under the divine control of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.

1 Cor 1:1-4

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.NIV

1 Cor 1:7

7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

NIV

1 Cor 1:10-13

10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

11 My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

12 What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

NIV

1 Cor 3:1-4

1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-mere infants in Christ.

2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? NIV

I. IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE THE GIFTS AND STILL BE A BABY.

A. Just because you can lay hands on the sick and

see them recover does not automatically label

you a Spiritual giant.

1. The gifts of the Spirit come with the

Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 12:11

11 All these are the work of one and the same

Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

B. You can give messages in tongues….you can

interpret….you can prophesy…you can do

miracles….and yet be a baby in the things of

the Spirit.

1 Cor 13:1-3

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

NIV

1. The center of the Spirit filled life is

the love of God flowing through us and out

of us to everyone around us!

a. It is very possible for God’s Spirit to work

through us even though we have not grown into

His image because it is God’s Spirit working

in jars of clay!

b. Whenever the Spirit of God meets with the

flesh...there are problems.

GOD’S POWER IS LIKE EVERY OTHER PART OF GOD, PERFECT! IT IS ONLY WHEN HE GET’S INVOLVED WITH THE FLESH THAT PROBLEMS ARISE…THE PROBLEMS ARE ALWAYS IN US.