Welcoming the Spirit of Pentecost
Acts 19:1-7
It is my heart that we encounter a re-visitation of the Holy Spirit through Pentecostal experience, not merely the recognition of an annual event on the Christian calendar, but a rekindled passion for God and the work, which He calls us to perform…
Jack Hayford said, Such a heartfelt passion must be sustained in our lives as disciples of Jesus. Otherwise, Christian living” becomes reduced to simply being nice girls and boys for Jesus, rather than living in the timelessly available resources of the Holy Spirit, fully empowered as witnesses of His life, love and power.
Some traditions persist without the knowledge of their significance. William Poteet wrote in The Pentecostal Minister how in 1903 the Russian czar noticed a sentry posted for no apparent reason on the Kremlin grounds. Upon inquiry, he discovered that in 1776 Catherine the Great found there the first flower of spring. "Post a sentry here," she commanded, "so that no one tramples that flower under foot!"
Keeping our experience in the Spirit’s fullness is very scriptural and should never be relegated to a tradition of indiscernible origin. In the NT, Spirit-fullness is emphasized as a recurring necessity. For example, the disciples of the early church were filled afresh for special situations; Acts 2:4 with 4:31.
The Disciples and Paul recognized this necessity among believers, who had yet to be filled with the Holy Spirit… Acts 8:4, 14-17; Acts 19:1-7. On both occasions, they took leadership to bring these believers into the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
In order for us to gain a sense of the ways in which the Spirit fills us, we can study several of the verbs used in the book of Acts, which describe our being filled to overflowing by the Holy Spirit. He didn’t choose these different words simply to provide a variety of expressions. Rather, they reveal to us the full range of experiences in the Holy Spirit.
1. We Are Baptized in the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:5
In ancient times the Greek word baptizo was used in a number of interesting ways. It essentially described something that was immersed. Examples include a sunken ship, a drowned person, the dipping of a morsel of bread in a drink and the dyeing of a garment.
In using the word “baptizoo” to describe our entry into the dynamic of His fullness of life and power, Jesus chose it to describe living in the fullness of the Spirit. Today, the Lord might say, “I want to flood all compartments with my life and power!”
He was calling for a change, just as a dyed garment takes on an entirely new dimension of beauty that wouldn’t be present otherwise. Just as a sunken ship has all of its compartment flooded, God’s Spirit flows in to fill the vacuum of His presence.
Being baptized in the Holy Spirit brings new qualities to our life and character. So when we talk about baptism in the Spirit, these kinds of immersions show us what we were intended to experience.
2. We Receive Him. Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power…
Interestingly receive, or lambano, conveys both the ideas of giving and receiving. It describes taking or laying hold of something or someone with the hand, in order to make use of it. It can also mean to receive a person to give someone access to one’s self.
Jacob is an OT picture of this in Genesis 32:22. With persistence and passion, he took hold of a promise, a future, a purpose, which only God could give him. Symbolically, in changing his name, God transformed him into His man.
In short, everything ultimately relates to our willingness to be open to Him, to allow His power, grace and glory to flow all ways—to and from us!
EM Bounds wrote in Power of Prayer: The men, who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking him the rest of the day. Behind this early rising and early praying is the ardent desire, which presses us into this pursuit after God. Morning listlessness is the index to a listless heart. The heart, which is behind in seeking God in the morning has lost its relish for God… We might go through the list of men who have mightily impressed the world for God, and we would find them early after God.
A desire for God, which cannot break the chains of sleep, is a weak thing and will do but little good for God after it has indulged itself fully. The desire for God that keeps so far behind the devil and the world at the beginning of the day will never catch up.
The verb is repeated in Acts 8:17… Are you, like me, wanting this openness to be manifest in your life and attitude, your church and ministry? Our encouragement is to take hold of God’s promise to pour out His Spirit upon us. We must commit ourselves to persistent prayer, to lift our voices, and fervently ask him.
3. The Holy Spirit Comes Upon You. Acts 1:8 …when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…
Come upon or eperchomai relates to the overtaking of a whole new set of circumstances coming upon us. When we are full of the Spirit, we are overtaken with His heart and His mind. His compassion burns inside of us. His quest becomes our own.
Another coming upon involves the Spirit’s clothing us (enduo) us in power (Luke 24:49). In this we are anointed with His resources of enablement.
To be filled with the Spirit is to be overtaken with His mind, His heart, His focus, & the faith to do ministry in His name; be it healing, deliverance, encouragement, preaching, prophesying...
The Holy Spirit wants to reshape
· our perspective on the world
· our passion for the lost
· our pointedness in focusing on human need.
4. We Are Filled. Acts 2:4
In the Greek language, the verb pleroo (to fill) was not used except to indicate an overflow. The word means there’s more than enough! We need not depend upon the scanty resources of past experiences because His resources are abundant and always available.
There always will be more than enough of His Spirit working in us, wanting to fill us, but we need to remain open to His renewing, refilling workings! Just like a sponge can become harsh and brittle, we need full immersion in the fullness of the Spirit.
Paul’s call to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18) by continuously being “filled with the Spirit” provides us with direction to ensure our keeping this overflow occurring.
In Genesis 17:1, God revealed the promise of a son to Abraham and Himself as El Shaddai. Some believe “Shaddai” comes from a Hebrew word meaning to be strong. Others prefer a word meaning “mountain.” Metaphorically, a mountain is a symbol of expansive strength. If we combine these several ideas, we might say that “El Shaddai” is the name of the all-powerful and all-sufficient God, who can do anything and meet any need. God reveals this name to Abraham at this time, to remind him of the source of this promise to have a son. Because God was going to tell His friend that Sarah would have a son. The Lord wanted Abraham to know that He is the God who is all-sufficient and that nothing is too hard for Him.
Paul would likewise acknowledge this sufficiency for apostolic ministry, a sufficiency without lack: 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.
Let every day be filled with more than enough. Pray in faith. Praise Him with thanksgiving. Receive with abundance.
5. The Holy Spirit Is Poured Out. Acts 2:17
In Acts 2:17 Peter quotes from Joel’s prophecy about the coming of the Holy Spirit…
The OT word from Joel describes a pouring or spilling forth, an abundant, intentional, Sovereign imparting of God’s Spirit… Peter echoes that under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is a bestowing of an abundant proportion – God’s Spirit given extravagantly with Sovereign planning. In other words, it is His power with a purpose.
What happens when the abundance of water behind the dam courses through the generator within the dam and releases energy? A roaring sound? Perhaps, but the purpose of this engineering marvel is not to generate the thunderous sound as the water rushes through the gates but, rather, to generate power and light to serve cities miles away. By the releasing of the potential within the dam, energy is channeled for the intended purpose.
God would say to us, “Live in the fullness of the Spirit and let the rivers surge in and through you to light the world wherever you go, day by day.”
6. The Holy Spirit Falls Upon Us. Acts 10:44
Fall upon or epipipto suggests one of the loveliest ideas concerning being filled with the Spirit. In the story of the prodigal son, when the boy returned, the father met his son with great affection—he “fell on his neck,” embracing him with joyous acceptance. The word means to rush upon and seize.
This is the picture of a man coming and capturing his long-lost son in a grace-filled embrace of gratitude and affection.
Here we find believers who had been baptized in water as an action of obedience following their repentance and faith in Christ, but they had not yet received the fullness of the Spirit. Follow-up work was needed. They needed an enablement for power-filled service and in the appropriate time, the Holy Spirit rushed upon them to seize them for His work.
Can you get a picture of that very experience? The Spirit of God so urgent, so passionate, so committed to His agenda and His love for us, that He would run to meet us in this place and say You are My ambassadors, called to a holy calling, set apart for the History, which I write!
Conclusion
Let’s review…
· He baptizes us, immersing every compartment with His dynamic presence.
· We receive Him with an persistent & passionate embracing of His plan & presence.
· He comes upon us, reformatting the direction of our lives towards His heart and ways.
· When we are filled Him, He supplies more than enough for us to fulfill His plans.
· God pours out His Holy Spirit with careful planning and abundance.
· The Holy Spirit falls upon us with an ambitious seizure for His work and calling.
As a Pentecostal church, we must maintain our objective: to keep full of the Spirit that we may demonstrate His love and power to that world each one of us touches. Keep the experience and passion alive.
