Spirit Filled - Life

Acts chapter 2, verses 1 to 21.

I remember quite vividly it was a Sunday evening in 2010 after an evening service at my home church in Swansea, where a good friend of mine called me aside.  I was a new Christian and he asked me Mark I’ve been praying for you and I wanted to know have you been baptised yet in the Holy Spirit?

I was a young new Christian and I had no idea what this meant, so Andy explained it to me.  He told me the baptism of the Holy Spirit is basically when God fills you with His power, love and gives you the gift of speaking in tongues – which is a heavenly language you can use to communicate with Him.  You won’t know the words necessarily, but it’s a spiritual language where your spirit connects to God in a deeper way.

I remember sitting there doing the Church thing, nodding away saying okay when inside I had no idea what he was talking about.  Andy then began to pray for me speaking in tongues.

I sat there thinking this guy is nuts, then it got even more awkward.  At any moment now Mark you will be filled with the Spirit and speak in tongues so just go with it Andy said it was this incredibly uncomfortable situation where he was believing God but nothing happened for me.  I didn’t even know how to fake it if I wanted to and when he asked me are you sensing anything I just said I don’t know what I’m meant to do!

Nothing happened for me that day – I didn’t experience anything just a huge awkwardness.

Fast forward a few months….. Soul Survivor

Vicky – I spoke in tongues the first time

Didn’t happen straight away, but after that moment I began to see three major changes in my life.

I experienced God’s power more, my worship went to a deeper place and I felt the Spirit’s embrace.

I want to focus this morning on those three aspects of a Spirit-filled life. 

1. A Spirit-filled life is a life of EMPOWERMENT


2. A Spirit-filled life is a life of ENCOUNTER


3. A Spirit-filled life is a life of EMBRACE

1. A Spirit-filled life is a life of EMPOWERMENT

When the Holy Spirit comes and fills an individual’s life the first thing that happens is they begin to move in power.

Acts 1:8 Jesus says:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus commissions His followers after His crucifixion to continue the mission He came to Earth to begin – to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.  Before they were to go though Jesus tells them to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

THEY NEEDED TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT FIRST.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to live supernatural lives and boldly proclaim the Gospel.

Before the Holy Spirit was poured out, we see Peter just a few chapters prior denying he ever knew Jesus when confronted by a servant girl out of fear.  The disciples afterwards are so afraid of the Jews they are hiding away locked behind a door.

But when the Holy Spirit comes all that changes!  THEY RECEIVE POWER!

The same Peter gets filled with the Spirit and boldly proclaims the Gospel and 3,000 people get added to the church!

The Spirit EMPOWERED PETER and gave him the boldness he needed to proclaim Jesus.

The Holy Spirit does the same for you and me today.

A Spirit-filled life is a TRANSFORMED LIFE.  The Spirit of God empowers us to share our faith and gives us boldness in place of fear.

When I got prayed for to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and be filled with His power by my friend Andy, I felt nothing in the moment.  Something did change though.

I remember having a greater desire to pray for others and began to see more results when I did.  I somehow began to knew things about other people I couldn’t have otherwise known and started to see people get healed.

CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY – RUN ON THAT FOOT

POWER AND COURAGE TO WITNESS

When the Holy Spirit comes – He replaces fear with courage, transforms us and gives us power to be His witnesses!

I think it’s important to note as well here that the filling of the Spirit is not a one time experience in the Christian life.

Ephesians 5:18 - Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

That phrase be filled with the Spirit is in the PRESENT CONTINOUS tense in the Greek language which could be read as KEEP ON BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.

A Spirit filled life is a life of EMPOWERMENT.

1. A Spirit filled life is a life of ENCOUNTER

When the Spirit was poured out in Acts 2 we’re told the people were loudly praising God and declaring His wonder.  It led them to worship and just listen to how the first ever sermon in Church history starts:

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  These people are not drunk, as you suppose.  It’s only nine in the morning! 

WE’RE NOT DRUNK!  We’ve just encountered God and we have this incredible joy!

Imagine if that is what our churches became known for – an INEXPRESSIBLE JOY and we need to start our sermons off with we’re really not drunk.  Most of the time I feel like we need to begin our messages off by saying we’re really not boring!

IN A SOCIETY WHERE THIS IS SO MUCH DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND FEAR – THE CHURCH NEEDS TO BE THAT CITY ON A HILL SHINNING OUR LIGHT.

We should be the most joyful people on Earth – how do we experience this inexpressible joy that when we lose our jobs we’re still joyful, when we experience loss we still have hope?  WE NEED TO BE CONTINOUSLY FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

TORONTO OUTPOURING – JOY AN LAUGHTER WHEN SPIRIT WAS POURED OUT

One of the gifts the Holy Spirit gives though when He is poured out is the gift of tongues.

Now you may be new to Christianity and be wondering what on earth does that mean?  Speaking in tongues?

The Greek word translated “tongues” literally means “languages.” Therefore, the gift of tongues is speaking in a language the speaker has never learned in order to minister to someone who does speak that language.

To keep it simple, the Biblical definition of speaking in tongues would be the supernatural ability to speak in a language you do not know.

ACTS – THEIR LANGUAGE

But Paul (a follower of Jesus) teaches that speaking in tongues can also be a heavenly/spiritual language given to us.

WE DON’T NECESSARILY UNDERSTAND THE WORDS, BUT WHEN WE SPEAK IN TONGUES WE COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY TO GOD. 

WHEN I RECEIVED THIS GIFT, I FELT GOD’S PRESENCE MORE AND HAD MORE JOY!

Research done – those who speak in tongues are less likely to suffer emotional instability and depression!

The Bible says those who speak in tongues edify themselves and get stronger in their spirit.

IT CAUSES US TO ENCOUNTER GOD IN DEEPER WAYS!

If you don’t speak in tongues, we’ll pray for you to receive this gift at the end of the service today.

A Spirit filled life is a life of EMPOWERMENT, ENCOUNTER and finally it’s a life of EMBRACE. 

1. A Spirit filled life is a life of EMBRACE

William Seymour who is known by many to the father of Pentecostalism writes this about the baptism of the Holy Spirit:

“The Pentecostal Power, when you sum it all up, is just more of God’s love.  If it does not bring more love, it is simply a counterfeit.”

IF IT DOES NOT BRING MORE LOVE – IT’S SIMPLY A COUNTERFEIT. 

This is so powerful to me because it tells me when the Spirit comes upon us it’s so much an act of empowerment, than it is