FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
INTENTION:
This is the greatest
thing in my life and walk with the Lord: to be Baptised and Filled in the Holy
Spirit.
No longer was I a
cowardly Christian pushed around by just any doctrine—He showed me Himself and
with that came the Dynamite Power and Authority He desires so much for us to
have and continually walk in.
I.
TOPIC:
We want to look at being Filled with the Holy Spirit (also
referred to as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit).
This is something that truly transformed my life—but didn’t
know and experience this until late in my Christian life.
After being Born-Again at the age of 16 and being water
baptised, I thought that was it—and from then, lived a life programmed to try
and be the best “Christian” I could be. And then, of course, failing miserably
at that religion.
At around the age of 30, I met a group of young people who
were showing a form of fellowship, freedom, and Godly Love that I had not experienced
in any church. And one of these people ministered to me about this “Baptism of
the Holy Spirit” that I was not quite familiar with—but because my heart was
still hardened from trusting the Lord, I used my best Bible-studied religion to
reject it and call out that person as misinterpreting scripture and the Holy
Spirit.
It was not him misinterpreting scripture and the Holy
Spirit, it was me. I wasn’t ready, but seeds were watered.
Of interest was that, when I was 18 years old (a couple
years after being Born-Again), I had a chance to personally experience someone
speaking in tongues. I was still “new and fresh” in being born-Again and didn’t
think twice about it happening. My religion hadn’t gotten in the way yet. Some
early seeds.
But those seeds came to life in me around 38 years old when
I started to hear and soften my heart to an un-religious Christianity. My
belief changed over the course of a few years of hearing this message; the
testimonies of dozens of people sharing their personal experiences in the Holy
Spirit, Tongues, healings, gifts, and miracles; and personally, witnessing this
infilling of the Holy Spirit with speaking in Tongues in others. And on the 28th
of May 2014, I asked the Lord for this thing called the “Baptism of the Holy
Spirit” with the ability (utmost want) to speak in Tongues.
That evening, by myself, in my flat, I put on some sermons
on the topic, broke through my flesh’s resistance (and the devil’s dissuasion),
and openly asked the Lord for it. In an instance, I felt inside of me,
something like a balloon filling, swelling into every part of my being—as
though my body would pop (burst) from this inner pressure. I literally didn’t
burst, but what “popped” out was an outpouring of Tongues. So many different
variations. Dialogs that were legitimate, but other-worldly; other languages
that sounded foreign, but of this world. And with variety: fast, slow; stern,
soft; gentle, strong (with a righteous indignation).
My flesh did not know what to think. It wanted to reject
this as not being “real” languages or dialog. The devil wanted to convince me
that it was of him, not of God. But I kept on!
As I lay on the floor face-down (having started the process
walking around), I could physically sense Jesus Himself next to me—sensing and “seeing”
Him standing there, sandals on, with the hem of His white robe reaching down to
(but not covering) His feet. So real was it, that I reached my arm out with a
definitive knowing of His presence, expecting to touch his feet and ankle with
my hand.
He confirmed for me that it truly was Him that personally “Baptises
with the Holy Ghost and Fire” (Luke
3:16).
My experience (which will be different for all people) was one
that ministered directly to who I was at the time, and to what would be the
most convincing to my being—a convincing that I could not dismiss away as
something else. A confirming in my body, mind, soul, and heart that what had
transpired was real and was uniquely of the Lord. That what I had felt and now
possessed was God’s Holy Spirit that filled me up to the point of “exploding”
out in Tongues.
From that time, I pray, speak, think, feel, and sing in
Tongues—anywhere and everywhere. For myself, for others, for my personal
relationship with the Lord and His Angels.
In an instance then, my Christian reality changed—confidence
grew, scripture rewrote itself out of a religious book into Christ-words (words
of Life and Love) as my “eyes” (understandings) were opened. There was an
authority, perception, and power in me that flowed out of me, that wasn’t a
“me” I had ever known. My Born-Again Holy Spirit was now infused and infilled
with God’s own Holy Spirit. My vessel was filled up with Him, and as this water
was scooped out, it became His best wine (John
2:1-11)!
As we look at the scriptures about being “Filled with the
Holy Spirit”, we will see the simplicity that is involved in receiving it. But
first, we will see how important it is as we look at the impact it had on the
Disciples (looking at them before receiving Him—with and without Jesus—and after
receiving Him).
During Jesus’s ministry with the “12” and “70”, He gave them
His authority over sickness/disease and demons. They could perform the same
miracles as Jesus did. They did this without the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
But when Jesus “left” them by dying on the Cross and getting
buried, they went from celebrating their authority, to fearfully retreating
into hiding.
Yet, that all changed when the Holy Spirit came. Jesus
“breathed the Holy Spirit” on the remaining eleven disciples (John
20:21-22) and told them to wait for the Holy Spirit to come to everyone before
going out. Having been given the Holy Spirit by Jesus, the now power-filled eleven
Disciples boldly and bravely addressed the crowd gathered when the Holy Spirit
came at Pentecost. This same Holy Spirit baptism of power was given to all the
other believers gathered and witnessed at Pentecost. And this same power is
what we can gain when “filled up” too.
II.
READING: The changes in the Disciples (with Jesus,
without Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit):
Luke
9:1-6; 10:1-2,17-19 (VOICE)
Jesus convened a gathering of the twelve. He gave them power
and authority to free people from all demonic spirits and to heal them of
diseases. 2 He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
3-5 These were His instructions:
a.
Travel light on your journey: don’t take a
staff, backpack, bread, money, or even an extra change of clothes.
b.
When you enter a house, stay there until you
leave that city.
c. If
a town rejects you, shake the dust from your feet as you leave as a witness
against them.
6 The disciples left on their journeys from village to
village. They preached the good news, and they healed the sick everywhere they
went.
1 The Lord then recruited and deployed 70 more disciples. He
sent them ahead, in teams of two, to visit all the towns and settlements
between them and Jerusalem. 2 This is what He ordered.
Jesus: There’s a great harvest waiting in the fields, but
there aren’t many good workers to harvest it. Pray that the Harvest Master will
send out good workers to the fields.
17 When the 70 completed their mission and returned to
report on their experiences, they were elated.
Seventy: It’s amazing, Lord! When we use Your name, the
demons do what we say!
Jesus: 18 I know. I saw Satan falling from above like a
lightning bolt. 19 I’ve given you true authority. You can smash vipers and
scorpions under your feet. You can walk all over the power of the enemy. You
can’t be harmed.
Mark 16:9-14 (VOICE) {PoG}
After He rose from the dead early on Sunday, Jesus appeared
first to Mary Magdalene, a woman out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She
brought this news back to all those who had followed Him and were still
mourning and weeping, 11 but they refused to believe she had seen Jesus alive.
12 After that, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of
them as they walked through the countryside, 13 and again the others did not
believe it.
14 The eleven did not
believe until Jesus appeared to them all as they sat at dinner. He rebuked them
for their hard hearts—for their {unbelief}—because they had failed to believe
those witnesses who had seen Him after He had risen.
Acts 2:1-4;37-41 (VOICE) {PoG}
When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover,
they were gathered together in one place.
2 Picture yourself among the disciples: A sound roars from
the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where
you are gathered reverberates with the sound. 3 Then a flame appears, dividing
into smaller flames and spreading from one person to the next. 4 All the people
present are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they’ve
never spoken, as the Spirit empowers them.
37 When the people heard this, their hearts were pierced;
and they said to Peter and his fellow apostles,
Pilgrims: Our brothers, what should we do?
Peter: 38 Reconsider your lives; change your direction. {Be
baptised} in the name of Jesus God’s Anointed, the Liberating King. Then your
sins will be forgiven, and the gift of the Holy Spirit will be yours. 39 For
the promise of the Spirit is for you, for your children, for all people—even
those considered outsiders and outcasts—the Lord our God invites everyone to
come to Him.
40 Peter was pleading and offering many logical reasons to
believe. 41 Whoever made a place for his message in their hearts received the
baptism; in fact, that day alone, about 3,000 people joined the disciples.
III.
RELATED VERSES AND QUESTIONS:
A. There
are many demonstrations in Acts of believers receiving and/or being “filled”
with the Holy Spirit. Often, it was a natural process to believing. Other times
it was a separate occurrence from first believing in Jesus Christ. In this way,
we can experience it for ourselves and others in the same way—upon a person believing
in Jesus Christ (being Born-Again), or as a separate experience anytime after a
person believes in Jesus Christ (is Born-again). So, this Baptism of the Holy
Spirit (infilling of the Holy Spirit) can be simultaneous or separate from
Water Baptism and/or Baptism into Jesus Christ (believing in Him). It can be
done by hearing or laying on of hands by believers. Many times, the
confirmation of this infilling was people speaking in Tongues.
Acts
2:4 (VOICE)
All the people present are
filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they’ve never
spoken, as the Spirit empowers them.
Acts 4:8-10 (VOICE)
Peter (filled with the
Spirit): 8 Rulers and elders of the people, 9 yesterday a good deed was done.
Someone who was sick was healed. If you’re asking us how this happened, 10 I
want all of you and all of the people of Israel to know this man standing in
front of you—obviously in good health—was healed by the authority of Jesus of
Nazareth, the Anointed One. This is the same Jesus whom you crucified and whom
God raised from the dead.
Acts 8:14-17 (VOICE)
Meanwhile word had reached
the Lord’s emissaries in Jerusalem that the message of God was welcomed in
Samaria—a land of half-breeds and heretics in the minds of many Judeans. They
sent Peter and John 15 to pray for the Samaritans. They were especially eager
to see if the new believers would receive the Holy Spirit 16 because until this
point they had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus but had not
experienced the Holy Spirit. 17 When Peter and John laid hands on the people,
the Holy Spirit did indeed come upon them all.
Acts 9:17-19 (VOICE) {PoG}
So Ananias went and
entered the house where Saul was staying. He laid his hands on Saul and called
to him.
Ananias: Brother Saul, the
Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, sent me so you can regain
your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
18 At that instant,
something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see. So he got up, {was
baptised} 19 ate some food (remember, he had not eaten for three days), and
regained his strength. He spent a lot of time with the disciples in Damascus
over the next several days.
Acts 10:44-48a (VOICE) {PoG}
Peter wasn’t planning to stop at this point, but the Holy Spirit
suddenly interrupted and came upon all the people who were listening. 45-46
They began speaking in foreign languages (just as the Jewish disciples did on
the Day of Pentecost), and their hearts overflowed in joyful praises to God.
Peter’s friends from Joppa—all of them Jewish, all circumcised—were stunned to
see that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on outsiders.
Peter: 47 Can anyone give
any good reason not to {baptise them}? After all, it’s obvious they have
received the Holy Spirit just as we {saw} on the Day of Pentecost.
48 So he had them baptized
in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 13:9 (VOICE)
Saul, who is also known as
Paul, was suddenly full of the Holy Spirit. He stared directly into Elymas’s
face.
Acts 13:52 (VOICE)
The disciples weren’t
intimidated at all; rather, they were full of joy and the Holy Spirit.
Acts 19:1-6 (VOICE) {PoG}
While Apollos was in
Corinth, Paul’s overland journey brought him back to Ephesus. He encountered a
group of about a dozen disciples there.
Paul: 2 Did you receive
the Holy Spirit when you became believers?
John’s Disciples: We’ve
never heard about the Holy Spirit.
Paul: 3 Well then, what
kind of {baptism} did you receive?
John’s Disciples: We
received the {baptism} that John taught.
Paul: 4 John taught the truth—that people should be baptized with
renewed thinking and turn toward God. But he also taught that the people should
believe in the One whose way he was preparing, that is, Jesus the Anointed.
5 As soon as they heard
this, they were baptized, this time in the name of our Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul
laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them in the same way the
original disciples {witnessed} at Pentecost: they spoke in tongues and
prophesied.
Question: If you have not received the Baptism
of the Holy Spirit or aren’t sure if you have been “Filled with the Holy
Spirit”, would you like to—even speaking in Tongues?
B. “Re-Filled”.
Here we read about already-filled Disciples being filled again. We don’t assume
they somehow lost their in-filling, but we can see there is nothing wrong with
being “filled” again (or as many times as you need).
Acts
4:29-31 (VOICE)
And now, Lord, take note
of their intimidations intended to silence us. Grant us, Your servants, the
courageous confidence we need to go ahead and proclaim Your message 30 while
You reach out Your hand to heal people, enabling us to perform signs and wonders
through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.
31 They finished their
prayer, and immediately the whole place where they had gathered began to shake.
All the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began speaking
God’s message with courageous confidence.
Question: Anyone want a “Re-Filling” of the Holy
Spirit?
C. For
a believer, we don’t need to be filled with the Holy Spirit for our walk with
the Lord, but why would we not want it. If there was no benefit to it, the Lord
would not have offered it—even Jesus needed the infilling of the Holy Spirit
before He could begin His ministry. For the disciples, they first had Jesus to
rely on for support and the Holy Spirit was “with them”; but when Jesus ascended,
He replaced Himself with an even “better” personal support for us: the Holy
Spirit “in them”.
John
14:16-18 (VOICE)
I will ask the Father to
send you another Helper, the Spirit of truth, who will remain constantly with
you. 17 The world does not recognize the Spirit of truth, because it does not
know the Spirit and is unable to receive Him. But you do know the Spirit because
He lives with you, and He will dwell in you. 18 I will never abandon you like
orphans; I will return to be with you.
John
16:7 (VOICE)
But the truth is that My
departure will be a gift that will serve you well, because if I don’t leave,
the great Helper will not come to your aid. When I leave, I will send Him to
you.
Romans
8:26-29 (VOICE)
A similar thing happens
when we pray. We are weak and do not know how to pray, so the Spirit steps in
and articulates prayers for us with groaning too profound for words. 27 Don’t
you know that He who pursues and explores the human heart intimately knows the
Spirit’s mind because He pleads to God for His saints to align their lives with
the will of God? 28 We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything
to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His
invitation to live according to His plan.
Question: Do you feel that having Jesus with you
would be better than having the Holy Spirit with/in you?
D. I
have found that having the infilling (Baptism) of the Holy Spirit has helped me
in my everyday walk with the Lord. It is His purpose-given ability to walk in a
Godly authority. Some benefits of having the infilling of the Holy Spirit is
that He makes living His life easier—a huge power-boost to our own Holy Spirit
inside of us. This power-boost is translated as “dynamite power” (G1411: dynamis).
Your own Spirit made Holy (Holy Spirit) is infused with dynamic power that
gives you a greater abundance than you would have on your own. The same infused
power that Jesus used.
Luke
4:14 (VOICE) {PoG}
Jesus returned to Galilee
in the power {G1411} of
the Holy Spirit, and soon people across the region had heard news of Him.
Acts
1:8 (VOICE) {PoG}
Here’s the knowledge you need: you will receive power {G1411}
when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be My witnesses, first here in
Jerusalem, then beyond to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the farthest places
on earth.
Romans
15:13 (VOICE) {PoG}
I pray that God, the
source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and peace
in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through the power {G1411} of
the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians
3:16 (VOICE) {PoG}
Father, out of Your
honourable and glorious riches, strengthen Your people. Fill their {inner man} with
the power {G1411}
of {His Spirit}.
Question: How would a “dynamite” boost of His
Power help you in your everyday walk with Him?
E. Here
are some of the extra dynamite-power-benefits that He helps us with. It’s not
that without the infilling, you don’t have these gifts and abilities; it is
just that He helps you overflow more abundantly with them!
1
Corinthians 12:1,4-11 (VOICE)
Now let me turn to some
issues about spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters. There’s much you need to
learn.
4 Now there are many kinds
of grace gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. 5 There are many
different ways to serve, but they’re all directed by the same Lord. 6 There are
many amazing working gifts in the church, but it is the same God who energizes
them all in all who have the gifts.
7 Each believer has
received a gift that manifests the Spirit’s power and presence. That gift is
given for the good of the whole community. 8 The Spirit gives one person a word
of wisdom, but to the next person the same Spirit gives a word of knowledge. 9 Another
will receive the gift of faith by the same Spirit, and still another gifts of
healing—all from the one Spirit. 10 One person is enabled by the Spirit to
perform miracles, another to prophesy, while another is enabled to distinguish
those prophetic spirits. The next one speaks in various kinds of unknown
languages, while another is able to interpret those languages. 11 One Spirit
works all these things in each of them individually as He sees fit.
Galatians
5:16-18;22-26 (VOICE) {PoG}
Here’s my instruction:
walk in the Spirit, and let the Spirit bring order to your life. If you do, you
will never give in to your selfish and sinful cravings. 17 For everything the
flesh desires goes against the Spirit, and everything the Spirit desires goes
against the flesh. There is a constant battle raging between them that prevents
you from doing the good you want to do. 18 But when you are led by the Spirit,
you are no longer subject to the law.
22 The Holy Spirit
produces a different kind of fruit: unconditional love, joy, peace, patience,
kindheartedness, goodness, {faith}, 23 gentleness, and self-control. You won’t
find any law opposed to fruit like this. 24 Those of us who belong to the
Anointed One have crucified our old lives and put to death the flesh and all
the lusts and desires that plague us.
25 Now since we have
chosen to walk with the Spirit, let’s keep each step in perfect sync with God’s
Spirit. 26 This will happen when we set aside our self-interests and work
together to create true community instead of a culture consumed by provocation,
pride, and envy.
Ephesians
5:8b-21 (VOICE)
…let God fill you with the
Holy Spirit. 19 When you are filled with the Spirit, you are empowered to speak
to each other in the soulful words of pious songs, hymns, and spiritual songs;
to sing and make music with your hearts attuned to God; 20 and to give thanks
to God the Father every day through the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed for
all He has done. 21 And the Spirit makes it possible to submit humbly to one
another out of respect for the Anointed.
Question: Would you like to have a boost in
living as Christ and a boost to all His Gifts—to just “be Him” (the Identity
you have been made having been Born-Again)?
IV.
FURTHER THOUGHT:
A. This
is one thing I want to make clear about the Baptism (infilling) of the Holy
Spirit: that this is not a requirement to speak in tongues, perform miracles,
healings, and all the Gifts. To do those which Jesus says we can do, all we
have to do is believe. The same happened with the Disciples—they did all the
same healing and casting-out demons that Jesus did before they themselves had
the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Mark
16:17-18 (VOICE)
And these signs will
follow those who believe: they will be able to cast out demons in My name,
speak with new tongues, 18 take up serpents, drink poison without being harmed,
and lay their hands on the sick to heal them.
Thoughts: There truly is a reason Jesus sent
the Holy Spirit down for us to be able to be infilled (overflowing) with Him.
Take ahold of that free power for us. And do not fear it or that you could do
something to lose that infilling—for He so gladly wants you to have it. His
countenance is so happy for you to have it.
Nothing you can do, or
have done, or are doing can keep the Holy Spirit from infilling a believer. You
are already made Holy when you believed in Christ Jesus; thus, there is no
other need of ritual-cleansing, forgiveness-asking, or sacrificing. No sin will
keep Him from coming into you. He comes into you because you are a Born-Again
child of the Living God and Father, not because you “don’t have sin”. You
deserve it because He wants you to have it!
A thank you to Kelly and Joshua who are inspirational in this life-journey. And to all the family, friends, sponsors, and donors who have fed into this ministry and outreach.
If you would like to support this ministry and outreach, you may do so via our website or at:
Comments
Post a Comment