Batteries are a great portable power source. Batteries come in all shapes and sizes and can be used to power just about anything you can imagine. Perhaps the best of all batteries is the rechargeable kind. I have a rechargeable battery on my cell phone and another on my laptop computer, but I think the best decision I made was to get some rechargeable batteries for my digital camera. When I got this camera, I thought I would save a lot of money on film. I can download all my pictures to the computer and print only the ones that are really good. Great idea right? Unfortunately I was spending a fortune in batteries. It seemed like no sooner had I taken 10 to 15 pictures that I needed another set of four batteries. I had never gone through batteries so quickly. That¡¯s when I decided to try the rechargeable batteries in the camera, and was it ever worth it! Not only can I recharge the batteries when they get low instead of throwing them away, but the charge lasts longer than ordinary batteries.
Now how many of you know how well my camera would work if I never took the time to charge the batteries? Or how about my cell phone, what if I never put it on its charger? And what if I never plugged in my laptop to let its battery recharge? You guessed it none of them would work. The batteries may start out strong, but as they are used they get weaker and weaker. The battery must be recharged in order to be effective.
Likewise each of us as believers need to be regularly ¡°recharged¡± with the Holy Spirit. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit comes and lives within us, and when we are filled or baptized in the Holy Spirit, God energizes us to live an effective Christian life. However, it¡¯s not good enough to just get plugged into God once. The daily routine of life has a way of draining our strength not only physically and emotionally, but spiritually as well.
God¡¯s desire is that we remain strong¨C¡°fully charged,¡± and He makes that possible for us. We must continually come to God to be ¡°recharged¡± or refilled with the Holy Spirit.
A. GOD¡¯S DESIRE IS THAT WE REMAIN FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
+ Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (NIV)
1. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is more than just a doctrine to believe; being filled with the Spirit should be a vital personal experience!
As an Assembly of God church, the baptism in the Holy Spirit has been called ¡°our distinctive doctrine¡± being one of four cardinal or fundamental doctrines of our church. Our doctrine or belief in the Holy Spirit sets us apart from other churches. However, the Assemblies of God did not invent the Holy Spirit!
One of the first doctrinal statements made by the church early in the second century A.D. is called the Apostles Creed. It was not written by the disciples but was a summary of their teachings and beliefs as found in the New Testament. The Apostles Creed states, ¡°I believe in the Holy Ghost.¡±
Some 200 years later in 325 A.D. the Nicene Creed was written in response to the Arian heresy which among other things believed that Jesus and the Holy Ghost were created beings. The Nicene Creed further affirmed the doctrine of the Holy Sprit as God saying, ¡°and I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the prophets.¡±
My purpose today is not to bore you with a history of doctrinal statements about the Holy Spirit. Nor do I want to expound upon our doctrinal belief. (If you would like to know in greater detail about what our doctrinal belief in the Holy Spirit is, then let me encourage you to pick up the pamphlet ¡°Our Distinctive Doctrine¡± at the welcome center.)
What is my purpose today? We need to do more than just rationally understand the doctrine of the Spirit; WE NEED TO PERSONALLY EXPERIENCE THE SPIRIT! It is not enough to say, ¡°I believe. . .¡±; we must experience what we believe.
Speaking about the work of the Holy Spirit within our lives at the Pentecostal Preachers Week this March, Denny Durron said, ¡°PENTECOST HAPPENS; PENTECOST IS!¡± As an Assembly of God church, as individual believers, we are not Pentecostal because of what we believe; WE ARE PENTECOSTAL BECAUSE OF OUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!
God¡¯ desire is that we remain filled with the Holy Sprit. That means that the baptism in the Holy Spirit must be more than just what we believe; it must be a personal experience. If you have not received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, then don¡¯t be satisfied; get thirsty. God wants you to be filled; get desperate for God to fill you!
But there is more! Once you have been filled with the Spirit; don¡¯t be satisfied with just a past experience.
2. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit, or being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time experience, but a lifestyle.
Reinhard Bonnke, in his book Mighty Manifestations says, ¡°The baptism in the Holy Spirit was not meant to be a single emotional event recorded in believers¡¯ diaries. It wraps believers around permanently. The Spirit is their environment, the air which they breathe moment by moment, providing the vitality of the Christian faith¡± (page 29).
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not an
event; it is a lifestyle. We continually draw strength and life from the Holy Spirit; apart from the Holy Spirit we have no strength or spiritual vitality . Just like rechargeable batteries are renewed or refreshed when they are put on their charger, we too are energized for life by the Holy Spirit.
+ 1 Corinthians 14:4 A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally in the Lord. (NLT) ¨Cedifies himself (NIV)
¡ñ PETER was filled with the Holy Spirit along with the other 120 believers in Acts 2. However, Peter did not try to live the rest of his life on that one experience. In Acts 4 Peter and the other believers were again filled with the Holy Spirit.
¡ñ STEPHEN was filled with the Holy Spirit before he was selected to serve the church as a deacon in Acts 6. Again, Stephen didn¡¯t go through his life with one filling. Luke tells us in Acts 7 that even as he was being stoned Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit.
¡ñ PAUL didn¡¯t try to serve the Lord without being re-energized and filled continually with the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, ¡°I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you¡± (1 Corinthians 14:18 NLT).
From out of his own experience Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said, ¡°Be filled with the Holy Spirit¡± (5:18 NIV). Paul understood the need to continually be renewed in the Holy Spirit. Without a continuous infilling of the Spirit our spiritual batteries ware down; soon we are running on empty; therefore Paul says, ¡°Be filled with the Spirit.¡±
As a father I have had times when I have said to one of my children, ¡°Be nice to your brother,¡± or ¡°Be nice to your sister.¡± When I tell them to be nice, it is not for a one time event; ¡°Be nice at this moment, and then tomorrow you can pull each other¡¯s hair out.¡± How many of you know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying? When we as parents say, ¡°Be nice,¡± we are describing a continuous and on-going behavior.
Paul is not telling the Ephesians, ¡°Be filled once with the Spirit.¡± The verb ¡°be¡± expresses a present and continuous action. Paul is saying, ¡°Be continually filled with the Spirit,¡± or ¡°Be perpetually filled with the Spirit.¡±
When we ask, ¡°Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit,¡± we are really asking the wrong question. We should ask, ¡°ARE YOU FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT?¡± Remember, being filled withe the Spirit is not to be an event or spiritual high that we write about in our diaries. Being filled with the Spirit is to be a lifestyle!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE A LIFESTYLE OF BEING CONTINUALLY FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT?
¡ñ Last week we saw that the evidence of being baptized in the Spirit or filled with the Spirit was to ¡°speak in other tongues,¡± so does that mean that living a lifestyle of being continually filled with the Spirit is to go around and continuously ¡°babble on and on in tongues?¡± If that¡¯s the case then you need to pray for your pastor because I continue to find myself talking in English just like I am now!
Living a lifestyle of being continuously filled with the Sprit means that YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE SPIRIT. That¡¯s the Spirit-filled life!
When you are baptized in the Spirit and begin to speak in other tongues you yield control of your tongue to the Holy Spirit. In the same way you live a Spirit-filled life by allowing the Holy Spirit to control and direct your life with every step you take. Thus as Reinhard Bonnke said, the Spirit is the ¡°environment, the air which [you] breathe moment by moment.¡±
The Spirit-filled lifestyle is one in which you do not do anything apart from the Spirit. The influence or the presence and power of the Spirit should not ¡°wax and wane¡± in our lives like the phases of the moon. As we live as Spirit-filled lifestyle, we should not go from light to darkness like the phases of the moon. Instead we continually ¡°walk in the light, as he is in the light¡± (1 John 1:7).
When we live the Spirit-filled lifestyle being continually filled with the Spirit, we can ¡°be strong with the Lord¡¯s mighty power¡± (Ephesians 6:10 NLT). Therefore we don¡¯t continually go from strength to weakness like a rechargeable battery; instead we go from strength to strength to strength!
B. Because it is God¡¯s desire to live a Spirit-filled lifestyle, GOD MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO BE CONTINUALLY FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.
God wants us to be filled with His Spirit, but He won¡¯t force His desire upon us. God gives you a choice. You don¡¯t have to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit to make it into heaven; God won¡¯t look down on you. You can choose to be satisfied with having been baptized in the Holy Spirit ¡°once upon a time;¡± God won¡¯t make you live a Spirit-filled life.
As parents we know that as we watch our children grow we have dreams and desires for their lives. Because we love our children we don¡¯t force our desires upon them (although they may at times feel like we are), however, we will share our desires with them with the hope that they will come to want the same things. Then we do what we can to make it possible for our kids.
God is our loving heavenly Father. He makes His desires for our lives know to us and in turn He also He makes it possible for those desires to become a reality. The question is, do you want what God wants? Are you willing to co-operate with God so that you can live a Spirit-filled lifestyle?
The question we need to answer then is HOW CAN WE STAY FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT? How do we need to co-operate with God so that His desire for us to be continually filled with the Spirit is a reality in how we live from day to day?
1. We can live the Spirit-filled life BY DAILY LIVING LIKE JESUS.
+ Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (NIV)
We cannot be filled with sin, the lust and desires or our flesh and at the same time be filled with the Spirit. As Paul says in Galatians 5:16, we have a choice to make; either we will daily live under the control and influence of the Holy Spirit, or we will live to satisfy the desires of our flesh. If we want to live a Spirit-filled life, then we must turn away from sin and choose to daily live like Jesus.
The imagery Paul uses here in Ephesians 5 paints a powerful picture to contrast the difference between living for your own desires and living for the Spirit. In one brush stroke, Paul likens living to fulfill the desires of your flesh to getting drunk on wine. In a second stroke living like Jesus is represented by being filled with the Spirit.
In what ever its source alcohol has an effect over the chemistry in our brains. Our mind and senses are numbed; the thinking process is slowed down and our ability to react to stimuli is lessened. Often our inhibitions are also set free, and we find ourselves doing or saying things that we would not do when we were sober; some of the things done under the influence of alcohol can¡¯t even be remembered. Drunkenness Paul says leads to debauchery¨Cself-indulgence, promiscuity and riotous behavior which in the end will routine your life.
When we choose to live to satisfy the flesh then it¡¯s passions and desires are never satisfied. Self indulgent sin will only create a thirst for more; the desires of the flesh will become our master.
Paul tells us not to live under the control of the flesh which leads to death, but to live like Jesus which gives us life; ¡°be filled with the Spirit.¡± We must make the choice to live our lives to please God. When we make that choice, then the Spirit is right there to help us say no to the desires of the flesh; God¡¯s Spirit becomes the influence to direct our choices so we can live like Jesus
Impurities in a transformer create an ¡°eddy¡± current (a contrary or circular current). Transformers are made to distribute current and not absorb it, so when an impurity is in the transformer, very little power gets out and into your home. When an eddy current develops, energy is wasted; the power is blocked or trapped within the transformer. As the power circles inside the transformer it gets hot and burns out; the transformer self-destructs and you have no power.
Sin is like an impurity within a transformer; sin will sap our spiritual strength. When we begin to feed the desires of the flesh it will only thirst for more and more. A cycle of sin will circulate within our lives.
God ¡®s desire is that His power and love will flow through our lives, but sin disrupts that flow. Either the impurity of sin will be removed from our lives or we will eventually self-destruct. We must make the choice to live like Jesus, to be set free from sin in order to continually live the Spirit-filled life.
If we are going to live a Spirit-filled life, then we must turn away from sin and daily live like Jesus. Is there some hidden sin in your life that you need to let go of? Don¡¯t let the impurities of sin keep you from being filled with the Spirit.
Perhaps you have been desensitized to sin in your own life. Have you stopped ¡°feeding the flesh?¡± Have you taken the 50-days to Pentecost challenge to turn the your TV off? What are you going to do to make a commitment to living like Jesus?
2. We can live the Spirit-filled life BY DAILY STAYING IN TOUCH WITH JESUS.
A fully charged battery is of no use if it is not placed in proper contact with the connections or poles. If we are going to receive the power of God¡¯s Spirit in our lives then we have to get in touch with Jesus.
How do you stay in touch with a friend? You communicate with each other. When they talk, you listen, and when you talk they listen. Simple huh?
2.1 We stay in touch with Jesus BY LISTENING TO GOD when He speaks. How will God speak to us?
God will speak to us through His Word. The Bible is not just another book. It is God-breathed¨Cinspired by the Holy Spirit. It is an eternal, unchanging, perfect Word. The Bible is God¡¯s personal love letter to you. (If you have not been a part of the adult study ¡°Spiritual Devotion on Wednesday nights, then you need to join us this week; together we are discovering how to hear God everyday.)
God will also speak to us by His Spirit. The Bible says, ¡°He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says¡± (Rev 2:7 NIV). Jesus said, ¡°My sheep recognize my voice¡± (John 10:27 NLT).
God will communicate His heart to you through His Spirit; do you have an ear to listen to Him? Generally the Spirit will speak to us in two different ways: within our mind or thoughts, and through other people.
As you listen to God¡¯s Spirit keep in mind these two reminders. First, when God¡¯s Spirit speaks to you He will never say anything that contradicts the written word of God. Second, don¡¯t automatically accept the what people say; it should either confirm what God has already placed within your heart or you should wait for God to confirm what others may say before acting on it.
2.2 We stay in touch with Jesus BY TALKING TO GOD.
We need to learn to pour out our hearts to God in prayer. One way you can talk to God is in your own language¨Cfor most of us that would be English. However that¡¯s not the only way we can talk to God.
We can also communicate with God in the language of the Spirit¨Cthat is in other tongues.
+ 1 Corinthians 14:15 I will pray in the spirit, and I will pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will sing in words I understand. (NLT)
+ Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (NIV)
Not only can we stay in touch with Jesus through prayer, both in English and in other tongues, we can also communicate with God through praise and worship.
+ Ephesians 5:19-20 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)
Living a Spirit-filled life start by choosing to live like Jesus, but it doesn¡¯t stop there. We also need to make the choice to stay in contact with the source; we need to get in touch with Jesus.
Do you have a daily time established to be alone with God where the two of you can just talk? Do you have a place where you can listen for God to speak to you through His Word and by His Spirit¨Ca place where God can hear from you? Set a time to talk with God.
3. We can live the Spirit-filled life SHARING JESUS WITH OTHERS.
God does not intend for us to be containers filled with His Spirit. A cup that is filled with water is stagnate; over time that fresh water will become polluted and spoiled. The Dead Sea is such a ¡°cup¡± filled with water. However it keeps everything put into it; nothing flows out, so it is lifeless.
When Jesus said the infilling of the Holy Spirit would be like ¡°rivers of living water¡± (John 7:38). A river is not stagnate; it flows and moves giving life to everything along its banks. Jesus said, ¡°Freely you have received, freely give¡± (Matthew 10:8).
God wants us to be filled with the Spirit like a garden hose with a sprinkler attached to it; when the water is turned on the hose is filled, but it can¡¯t hold it in. The water showers and refreshes the everything it touches.
We need to look for opportunities to share the love, grace and power of Jesus that is within us by His Spirit. Don¡¯t try to keep the Spirit bottled up inside you; take the cork off and let the Spirit spray out.
________________
Portions are taken from a teaching series 50-Days to Pentecost, by John Palmer.
