“Free Hugs” “8 I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit. 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[g] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. Mark 1:8-13
Intro: Other than the computer, I can’t think of any invention that has impacted our lives more than the cell phone. This device I hold in my hand goes with us everywhere.
I remember a few years ago a
cell phone interrupted worship right in the middle of a service while I was preaching.
Not only did the lady answer it.
She proceeded to talk for a least a good two minutes.
Then after she hung up
told the entire congregation that her daughter would bring the grand baby to visit her in a few weeks.
As much as a cell phone can be interrupting
They are amazing.
I use mine in the car as a GPS with maps.
We use them to send text messages
We use them to take pictures.
We use them to watch movies,
kids use them to play games.
It’s incredible!
But a cell phone is almost useless if it is not charged up.
I say, “almost useless” because I know of a person,
Who when he is in a hurry…, he will walk around with the cell phone to his ear.
He pretends to be talking to someone and just nods to people he doesn’t want to stop and talk with.
So a dead phone has a little value.
Go ahead and take your cell phone out.
Look up at the top right hand corner and see how much the battery is charged?
Right now mine has 98%
Every night I plug my cell phone in to a power source and charge it up.
When you tap into that power the cell phone stores it up and is ready to go the next day.
Today I want to talk to you about the “Cell Power of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38 “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
When you became a Christian you received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
As you pray and grow in your faith God fills you more and more with His Spirit.
When you were baptized you may have felt a spiritual surge in your life.
Whether you felt it or not, God promised to energize you at that point.
When Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove.
Then we read, “He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.”
When we’re energized by the Holy Spirit we can do much more than we can do in our own power.
The Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
The Holy Spirit can empower you to
follow God’s will,
overcome temptation,
pray effectively,
witness boldly,
understand Scripture,
cope with suffering.
If you try to do those things in your own power you will find yourself pretending, exhausted and ineffective.
The Holy Spirit will strengthen your Christian character.
2 Peter 1:3 and following reads,
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness…
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;
and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, love.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
God has equipped us with everything we need to mature in the Christian life.
Our character ought to be deeper five years from now than it is today.
The fruit of the Spirit should be more evident in our lives next year than it is today.
But just as a cell phone can be drained of power and become useless,
so we are of little value if we are not continually renewed by the Holy Spirit.
An early Christian named Stephen
is a good example of how the Holy Spirit empowers the believer and deepens Christian character.
Stephen is a type of steward who was empowered with a heart to serve wisely.
Acts 6:1 says the number of disciples was increasing,
but some of the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews
because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
So the Apostles called a meeting and proposed;
“Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.
We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. This proposal pleased the whole group.
They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 6:3-5).
Stephen and the others were selected to assist the apostles in the Jerusalem Church.
Say the word stewardship.
Say the word stewardship again.
When church says the word stewardship you typically visualize an offering plate.
But stewardship is more than giving money to the church.
The Bible teaches us that disciples of Jesus Christ should give back from all of their resources,
which include not only treasure, but time and talents.
As United Methodists when you take the vows of membership
you promise to be faithful with your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness
—all are part of your stewardship.
Stephen’s character had matured from being born again a few years before
to now being full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.
Wisdom is the ability to see life the way God wants it for us.
It’s not just good common sense; it’s Godly sense.
Stephen would need God’s wisdom
because he had been given the difficult assignment of overseeing the distribution of food to the elderly widows in a church of over 20,000 people.
It takes wisdom to evaluate the needs of a community.
It takes wisdom to organize a distribution program
It takes wisdom to listen to the complaints
It takes wisdom to keep unity while we are working with others.
Because there are always different cliques of people who want it their way or no way.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, Stephen and the others stewards served well.
We read in Acts 6:7: “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly…”
The church went on to reach thousands more for Christ.
The Theme beyond March 18th for the Next 1000’s days
Is “Helping People Changing Lives.”
The way we as Christians touch other peoples lives:
It is spoon and cross.
It is clothes and grave clothes.
It is food for the body and food for the soul.
It is a financial help and spiritual help.--bruce lee
What if we at First United Methodist Church Paintsville,
were so filled with the Holy Spirit and Wisdom of God?
Would it be possible?
Instead of just reaching a few hundred with food and clothing, and Easter meal’s and Christmas presents
Could we begin to reach thousands of the poor?
Could we give more than temporary hand out?
Could we begin to make real difference?
Could we break generational poverty?
Could we help people get an education?
Could we help them find a job?
Could we help them build stronger families?
Could we share with them the Gospel and save their soul?
Could we actually help them change their life?
It only started with 7 stewards in the bible.
People Called by God and chose by the People of God
7 committee members elected to an office to serve
Ministry is blessing and also a serious responsibility.
It recognizes your special gifts
And calls you to work among us and for us
So, as you grow in grace and faith and wisdom
You are called upon to serve more and more in the church.
You begin to be filled with wisdom and empowered by the Holy Spirit to become more and more effective.
In your own power, you can’t do what God wants done.
You need a daily empowerment from the Holy Spirit,
because, it doesn’t take long for the Holy Spirit’s power, like the energy in the cell phone, to ebb away.
When Moses came down Mount Sinai his face was aglow because he had been in the presence of God.
So Moses put a veil over his face when he talked to people.
Do you know the reason Moses put a veil over his face before he talked to the people?
2 Corinthians 3:13 say the reason he covered his face is that
he didn’t want the people to see that the glow was slowly fading away.
Sometimes we are like Moses
Sometimes we too were once empowered by the Holy Spirit
but the power ebbs away
and we become weak and ineffective, and discouraged in our own strength.
If there was a little battery meter on your foreheads…, indicating your spiritual energy level
What would it show us?
Would it be it would be flashing: “Low power – low power!”
Here’s the question for us.
How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit after we’ve been Christian for a while?
Let’s say your spiritual batteries are low…how do you get recharged?
Several times the Bible speaks of people being filled with the Spirit
when the same phrase had been used to describe them earlier.
Acts 4:8: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…”
Acts 4:31: “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
These people were described as being filled with the Holy Spirit earlier,
but they seem to be recharged, refilled on occasion.
What can we do to be recharged and full of the Holy Spirit?
What action can we take to recharge our spiritual batteries?
Here are six ways to be spiritually renewed:
1. First, we can REPENT of any sin that may be quenching the Spirit.
The Bible warns us not to quench the Spirit’s fire and not to grieve the Spirit with malice and envy.
“Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me” Psalm 51:11.
We need to turn from our transgressions and pray, “Lord, renew a right spirit in me.”
2. We can STUDY THE SCRIPTURE to be recharged.
The Bible says that Scripture came about when,
“men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” 2 Peter 1:21.
When we study Scripture, we fill our hearts with the mind and Spirit of God.
We can also pray daily for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 11:13 promises, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
3. Before I preach I PRAY,
“Lord, anoint me with your Spirit so the words I speak will be the very words of God.”
Otherwise I’m just a public speaker.
I want to be more than that.
The mutual encouragement from others can help fill us with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
4. Then he adds: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs…
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” SING
Just being around Spirit-filled people is contagious and energizing. Their Spirit bears witness with our Spirit.
5. Another thing we can do to be filled with the Spirit is to WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH.
Psalm 68:35 reads, “You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!”
Genuine worship can recharge our batteries.
Sometimes you come out of church and you are just filled with renewed energy for the Christian life.
Sometimes worship doesn’t do that for you but you can find other ways to praise God and be recharged.
I’m sometimes asked,
“How do I keep on preaching when sometimes the room seems to not be paying attention?
What do you do to be renewed spiritually?”
You have heard me say, I worship weather anyone else does or not.
I sing in my heart
Whether I am standing up here singing in front of you or not.
You don’t have to be the lead singer to be singing in your heart.
As I sing along until the goose bumps pop up and the tears flow and my spine tingles.
I’m ready to worship and I am revived again to serve.
The reason you might not get anything out of church is you might not appreciate singing with a joyful noise.
And you might not be as spiritual as I am!
You might be bored because you not participating.
I don’t measure their spirituality by what moves me.
But I know what happens when I worship.
If you can’t worship him in this house how can you worship him in the storm?
If you can’t worship him when someone else is standing before you trying to lead you in worship
How can you obey God when someone is standing before you cursing and tempting you?
Worship edifies me
Worship strengthens me
Worship empowers me.
Worship fills me.
Worship recharges me.
and I take advantage of that.
There’s one other way to be filled with the Spirit:
exercise your spiritual gift.
Paul told Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline 2 Timothy 1:6-7.
6. My spiritual gift is PREACH. (YOU are also to Share the Gospel)
After preaching two sermons on Sunday morning I am physically tired but I’m spiritually filled.
The Holy Spirit will help you become more encouraging.
The Holy Spirit will help you boost others up.
The Holy Spirit will help you become more bold to share you faith.
You are gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve, whether it’s teaching children,
playing an instrument,
leading a small group,
or greeting people at the door
when you use your gift to serve God’s purpose, you find a renewed filling of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 6:8-10 we read about Stephen the preacher
– The Holy Spirit empowered him with the courage to witness boldly.
“Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue…,
These men began to argue with Stephen,
but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.”
Stephen’s character was deepening and his circle of influence was broadening.
We first read that he was respected in the church.
Then he is filled with God’s grace and, by the power of Holy Spirit,
he heals and performs miracles among the people in Jerusalem.
Then his preaching was so persuasive that those who were opposed to Jesus
tried to suppress his influence by arguing with him.
But they were no match for his wisdom.
“They could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.”
As the Holy Spirit deepens in you,
you should become more capable of verbalizing what you believe.
Luke 9:26 “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory
and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels”
Stephen didn’t have any support.
He stood in the face of opposition and spoke the truth.
He could only do that by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 6:11-15 reveals Stephen the martyr – The Holy Spirit empowered him to die confidently.
“Then they secretly persuaded some men to say,
‘We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.’
So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law.
They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They produced false witnesses, who testified,
‘This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.
For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place
and change the customs Moses handed down to us.’
All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen,
and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”
Stephen was in very dangerous territory.
Other disciples had been arrested, flogged, and warned not to speak any more about Jesus.
Stephen had disobeyed the Sanhedrin’s directive and the authorities were extremely agitated.
They dragged him before the Sanhedrin for intense questioning.
Now he’s in a totally hostile environment,
victimized by false witnesses who accuse him of blaspheming their temple and undermining their religion.
Angry eyes focused on Stephen and waited for his answer.
That would be an intimidating setting.
You would think his knees would quiver, his voice would tremble, his vocabulary would fail.
However, the Holy Spirit was so empowering in Stephen
that even those hostile toward him later admitted seeing a divine countenance.
But they saw his face was aglow like that of an angel.
“Then the high priest asked him, ‘Are these charges true?’” Acts 7:1.
What follows in Acts 7 is a powerful, reasoned response to their charges.
Read Stephen’s sermon sometime this week.
It’s an excellent, condensed version of Jewish history.
Stephen insists that he didn’t blaspheme the temple.
He just pointed out that God wasn’t limited to the temple.
God existed long before the temple was built.
He was with Abraham in Ur of the Chaldeans,
He appeared to Moses at the burning bush and Mount Sinai,
He was worshipped in the tabernacle in the wilderness.
It wasn’t until years later that Solomon built the temple.
"…the Most High does not live in houses made by men.
As the prophet says: 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool’” (Acts 7:48-49).
And he wasn’t trying to undermine the Jewish religion,
He was telling about Jesus who fulfilled the Scripture promise of a coming Messiah.
Look at what Stephen says in Acts 7:51: "’You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!
You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!’”
????? Obviously Stephen hadn’t attended a modern preacher’s seminar about being seeker-friendly.
He was bold in the face of opposition.
“When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God,
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’ (Acts 7:54-56).
To my knowledge, this is the only time that the Bible mentions Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
Normally He’s portrayed as seated at the right hand of God.
It has been suggested Jesus stood to honor the sacrifice of the first Christian martyr.
I see Jesus standing at the Fathers right hand
I see Jesus yonder in the promise land
Work is over, now I’m coming to thee
I see Jesus, standing waiting for me….
Acts 7:57-59 reads: “At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices,
they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.
Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’"
When the Holy Spirit empowers us
He deepens our character to the point that we can face death with confidence.
Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that Jesus shared in our humanity, “so that by his death he might…
free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
The will to live is very strong and there is an innate fear of death.
People instinctively fight to stay alive right up to the last breath.
But when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the closer we get to death the less we fear it.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Romans 8:11 promises, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you,
he who raised Christ from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit,
who lives in you.”
So there’s really no need to sit around and fret about it.
What God says He will do.
Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with faith so that you turn that fear over to Him.
Stephen was stoned as the first Christian martyr. But he wasn’t afraid.
The Holy Spirit empowered him to face death with confidence.
He lifted up his eyes and said, “Look, I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Let’s look at another of Stephen.
The Holy Spirit empowered him with the grace to forgive immediately.
Acts 7:60 reads: “Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’
When he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Only a man filled with the Holy Spirit could forgive at this point.
You and I might be tempted to say, “Lord, you promised to avenge my enemies—now’s the time!”
But Stephen’s last expression was a prayer of forgiveness.
Have you noticed the number of comparisons between the death of Jesus and the death of Stephen?
• Stephen was accused by false witnesses and so was Jesus.
• Stephen was accused of blasphemy and so was Jesus.
• Stephen was tried before the Sanhedrin, so was Jesus.
• Stephen was dragged outside the city and stoned; Jesus was dragged outside the city and crucified.
• Stephen’s enemies laid their clothing at the feet of a young man named Saul;
Jesus enemies laid his robe at the feet of roman soldiers.
• Stephen died saying, “Lord receive my Spirit.”
Jesus died, saying, “Father into your hands I commit my Spirit.”
• Stephen forgave his enemies before he died, crying out, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.”
When Jesus was dying he said, “Forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing.”
When the Holy Spirit empowers you, He gives you the capacity to forgive the gravest offenses.
Some of you here have been deeply wounded
and wronged by someone who has said something, done something…
a relative,
an family member
a greedy business partner,
some insensitive person who is a member of the church…, I don’t know….
That offense has left you wounded…, hurting…, broken,
I don’t know how long it will take to heal.
It might leave a life-long scar that will never completely disappear or be forgotten.
While you can’t forget it,
while you can’t in your own strength forgive them,
you can by the power of the Holy Spirit release the forgiveness that comes from God
That’s asking a lot.
That’s asking for mature Christian character.
But we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Ephesians 4:30-32 reads: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Get rid of all bitterness,
rage and anger,
brawling and slander,
along with every form of malice.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Wouldn’t it be great if God just called us up on the cell phone
And spoke to us words of comfort, forgiveness, and peace.
But the truth is that God doesn’t normally speak audibly through a cell phone.
“In times past God spoke in a variety of ways but in these last days he has spoken by His Son” Hebrews 1:1.
If you’re waiting for some dramatic demonstration or some ecstatic experience from the Holy Spirit
you’re probably going to be disappointed.
God usually speaks through that voice in our heart of conscience.
Maybe He’s nudging you now from within.
Will you respond to His gentle call?
Sometimes people say, “I’m going to get my life straightened out and then join church.”
That’s the wrong order and the wrong terminology.
We can’t straighten our life out; we need cleansing and empowerment from above.
It’s not about joining church—it’s about turning our life over to Christ and making Him Lord of all.
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
If you want to receive that forgiveness and be empowered by the Holy Spirit,
we invite you to respond today as we sing.
“I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
I have decided to stick with love because hate is too great a burden to bear.
Love people ---Turn the other cheek
I believe and worship the Shepherd Jesus---Free hugs---Warm feelings
Closing: Pray bold prayers. Believe. When you do God will show up.
The Holy Spirit wants to be your Companion.
Let us pray for the full of anointing of the Holy Spirit.
What would happen if we spent the next few weeks of Lent praying for the full anointing of the Holy Spirit upon us as individuals? Upon our family? Upon our church? Upon your enemies? Upon our Community?
Have you asked God to send the Holy Spirit upon us?
