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1 1 Ephesians Series Holy Spirit Special #3 FEFC READ THE TEXT: 1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Romans 6:1-4 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 8:9 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. MY STORY I became a Christian in my last year in High School. The first few months of my Christian walk were pretty solid. My love for God was intense and I lived for Him. Then I fell away for several months. And I was sad because I knew that I was grieving God the Holy Spirit. Eventually I dove back into my relationship with God. My passion burned bright once again. I wanted God more than anything. Then I met a girl that I really liked. And she tried leading me to Christ but I was already saved. Then she asked me if I had the Holy Spirit. I assumed I had the Holy Spirit but I had no idea what the bible said about the Holy Spirit. I told her about the powerful experiences I had with God when I came to Christ. I assumed that only the Holy Spirit would dramatically change my life for God. But she told me that unless I spoke in tongues I did not have the Holy Spirit. She said that if I just spoke in tongues then I would have more of God in my life and I would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. I really wanted everything that God offered for my life. I did not care if I needed to speak in tongues or do the bunny hop around the block or the worm dance, I wanted more of God in my life and I would do whatever was necessary to get more of God s presence. So I asked this girl what I needed to do. She told me that I needed the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. To get that gift all I needed to do was to repeat a couple of words that she gave me over and over really fast and then God would change my gibberish into a legitimate gift of speaking in tongues. Well, after repeating a couple of gibberish words for several minutes as she prayed for me I suddenly felt like there was a sense of cadence and rhythm that felt kind of like a language even though I was speaking gibberish. I was thrilled out of my mind because I thought that I was speaking in tongues and believed that now God gave me the Holy Spirit. And I believed that now God loved me more and approved of me more. I am sure God was pleased with me because I wanted Him so much in my life. But I also look back and I realize that if God wanted to give me a gift of speaking in tongues I would not need coaching and I would not need to speak in Gibberish to have God turn it into a gift. God could have delivered the spiritual gift without all the gymnastics. I don t see gymnastics or coaching as a means of getting the Holy Spirit in the bible. After I received this so-called gift of speaking in tongues I realized that I had the same ups and downs in life and that not much had really changed. In fact I would say this experience brought more confusion into my life than blessing. After all, why did I still struggle with the same flesh patterns and temptations that I had before this so called baptism? Why did I not feel any closer to God days after my experience? Why could I not validate my experience with scripture? LET S ACKNOWLEDGE THE AUTHENTIC

2 2 Just a quick note for clarity sake; I believe I have seen the legitimate gift of speaking in tongues a few times in my life. Once on a mission trip a girl spoke in Spanish way beyond her capacity for the purpose of leading many people to Christ. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and given the power to reach people miraculously with the good news of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. And there are other occasions where I believe I saw the gift work in a biblical way. The difference between my experience and the authentic gift was this; I was trying to get God to love me more and approve of me more and fill in something that I thought I was missing inside of me. But the legitimate gift kicked into place when people of faith put themselves in a position where they needed God s miraculous help in order to share the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ or deliver a powerful word to build up the whole assembly of believers. The gifts are to win others to Christ and build up the church. If you focus on that we will have plenty of God sightings and testimonies to share. ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS There are many people who are confused even today about such matters, so I would like to equip you so you can understand these things and help other people. I want us to remember that people who are confused are not the enemy. They are to be loved deeply and taught patiently if God gives you the opportunity. And let s remember that the most important thing in the world is whether someone receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. With that in mind let s see if we can understand this issue. HOW DO WE GET THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? Let s begin by looking at what various groups teach about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Evangelical Denominations like ours teaches that the baptism of the Holy Spirit comes at the moment of salvation. We are baptized once by the Holy Spirit when we are born again but then we seek every day to be filled with the Holy Spirit so we can run on God s power instead of our power. These daily fillings are where the God sightings come from. Charismatic Denominations would say that we have enough of the Holy Spirit for salvation but that we need more of the Holy Spirit. We should be baptized by the Holy Spirit sometime after salvation and the evidence will be speaking in tongues. Pentecostal Denominations Some Pentecostal denominations teach that a person does not even have the Holy Spirit until they show evidence of speaking in tongues. Other Pentecostal denominations go so far as to teach that a person cannot even be a Christian until they speak in tongues. No wonder there is so much pressure to speak in tongues and even coach people into such experiences when necessary. So to summarize; we would say that we are baptized with the Holy Spirit when we are born again. And then we want to be continually filled up with the Holy Spirit. Charismatics would say that the baptism of the Holy Spirit comes sometime after salvation and is proved out by speaking in tongues. And Pentecostals would say that a person is either not saved or does not have the Holy Spirit until they speak in tongues. I think the best way to determine when we get the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to truly understand what the baptism of the Holy Spirit is. When we understand the WHAT...then it will clear up the HOW. WHAT IS THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? Let s look at a good definition of being baptized by the Holy Spirit. I see this as a different thing than being filled with the Holy Spirit. But I could be wrong. One author put the baptism of the Holy Spirit this way: The baptism of the Holy Spirit may be defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. Let s dig into some bible texts. There are at least three ways to look at the baptism of the Holy Spirit. SUBMERGED INTO (THE) FELLOWSHIP 1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body whether Jews or Greeks, slave or

3 3 free and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (1 Corinthians 12:13). The word baptism means to submerge. When we are baptized by the Holy Spirit we are baptized into the body of Jesus Christ. What does that mean? Being baptized into the body means that we are now submerged into a group of people who all share the same Spirit. That means we are dead to the unconnected life because we are submerged into a group of people to whom we belong and to whom we are called to serve and love and lay down our lives and preferences for. Being baptized into a body of people means that just as a baby is born into the family and takes on the name of son or daughter or brother or sister...and is a permanent part of a family, so also, by a miracle of the Holy Spirit we are submerged into the family of Jesus Christ. Your brothers and sisters are all those who share the same Spirit. Human families share the same DNA...the body of Christ shares the same Spirit. Usually a Father and Mother decide how to organize their families. They hand out chores and determine what kid is good at what skills and they organize the family so it can be productive. And a Father and Mother organize meal times and budgets and all sorts of things. Everyone in the family has a job and responsibilities so they are supporting the family. And Fathers and Mothers make sure that everyone in the family is giving and receiving love. Out of a productive family, children grow to adults. In God s family which is the church, the Holy Spirit is the one who hands out the chores and duties and encouragement and pulls the family together so that it will bring glory to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the one who makes sure that everyone is giving and receiving love. He is organizing our activities. If we all listen we will grow healthy. That is the family that we are submerged into. A family headed by Jesus Christ and his wishes are communicated through the Holy Spirit and the word of God. God s plan is to submerge us into a Holy Spirit led family. SUBMERGED INTO HOLINESS The second way to think about the baptism in the Holy Spirit is that God submerges us into His own holiness. When we are baptized by the Holy Spirit we are submerged into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Being baptized into the death of Jesus means our old way of life is crucified with Christ and dead on the cross. It means we are dead to the penalty of sin and we are declared righteous in front of a holy God. But it also means that we are dead to the old way of life and through the Holy Spirit we now have the option to not sin. In other words we are baptized or submerged into the holiness of Jesus Christ. Imagine that! We are submerged into the holiness and purity of Jesus Christ himself. As a miracle of God we were given a gift of God s own righteousness into which we were submerged. The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the new desires to live a holy life. Romans 6:1-4 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. In my opinion the language of this passage is so similar to 1 Corinthians 12:13 that I am convinced Paul has Spirit Baptism in mind. MY BAPTISM INTO HOLINESS The day before I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior I had big plans to get kegs of beer and throw a wild party. I was in fights all the time and could make a demon blush with the language I used.

4 4 But the day after I received Jesus Christ I could not even go the party that I had helped to plan. I could not swear unless I hit my thumb with a hammer. And I could not hit anyone and get worked up into a fit of rage over small stuff. We are baptized into God s own holiness when we are born again. But then we must continue to do things God s way and seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit so we have the power to continue to walk out our baptism into God s holiness. SUBMERGED INTO UNITY The third way to consider the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a submersion into the unity that is only found in God himself. Ephesians 4:5 states that we have; Ephesians 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; This one baptism seems to address all Christians. It is spoken in the same type of language that is found in 1 Corinthians 12:13 which states that we have been baptized by the one Spirit into one body. This similarity of language leads me to believe that this one baptism spoken of in Ephesians 4:5 is Spirit Baptism. The context of the Spirit baptism is unity. The very basis of unity laid out in Paul s words is that we share the baptism in the same Holy Spirit. HOW DOES UNITY COME FROM SPIRIT BAPTISM? So in what ways are we submerged into the unity of God himself? God has perfect unity with himself. God existing as three persons loves himself with perfect love. There is no greater love in the heavens or earth than the Father has for His own son. The heavenly Father adores His son. He has adorned His Son by turning over the ruling of the universe to him as a glorious inheritance. When we are baptized by the Holy Spirit the same love that fuels the unity between the Father and Son and Spirit is given to us. I believe when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit we are baptized into a love that comes from God himself. Since it is love that comes from God himself and is given to us as a gift it is perfect love. It is love that is expressed back to God and it is also expressed to one another. The bottom line is that the amazing love that binds together the Trinity in perfect inexhaustible love and unity is given to us as a gift so we can love one another the same way The Father loves His Son Jesus; and give people an idea of what God might be like. We are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the unity of the godhead. If people look at us and do not get a better idea of what God is like then we are not walking out our baptism of the Spirit into God s own unity. We are thus blocking people from seeing God. Who wants to do that?! QUICK SUMMARY So, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is expressed in three ways; 1) He submerges us into the body of Christ, 2) He submerges us into the crucifixion with Christ and turns the holiness of God into our living reality. 3) He submerges us into the unity of God himself. The Holy Spirit baptism serves as the basis for keeping the unity of the church. OTHER CONCLUSIONS RE; THE SPIRIT S BAPTISM? Through our study of WHAT the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is, we can also conclude some other things that came up in the text, some of which we did not discuss. First, 1 Corinthians 12:13 clearly states that all Christians have been Spirit baptized. If you are born again, you have the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. Second, nowhere in Scripture are believers told to be baptized with, in or by the Spirit, or in any sense to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This indicates that all believers have had this

5 5 experience. Third, Ephesians 4:5 seems to refer to Spirit baptism. If this is the case, Spirit baptism is the reality for every believer, just as one faith and one Father are. OTHER HOT TOPICS RELATED TO THE SPIRIT There are some things that I could not cover today. For example; some people use a few passages out of the book of Acts to show that the Holy Spirit comes on people sometime after salvation. I will include a few comments about this in the full text version of this sermon which is on our web site. And you can follow up with me in person or through if you would like. REVIEW - THE MOMENT WE RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST We are baptized (submerged) by the Holy Spirit; 1. Into the body (Spirit filled people) of Jesus Christ 2. Into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His holiness 3. Into unity with God and other Christians WHAT HAPPENS SOMETIME AFTER SALVATION? We are told to continually seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit to live under the power of the Spirit for the glory of Jesus Christ. And being filled will help us live our baptism in the Holy Spirit. TAKING IT HOME 1. How does it impact your thinking and life to know that the Holy Spirit submerged you into the body of Jesus Christ? 2. How does it impact your thinking and life to know that you have been submerged into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? 3. How does it impact you to know that the Holy Spirit has submerged you into the unity that flows out of God himself? APOLOGETIC ON RECEIVING THE SPIRIT PASSAGES THAT DON T FIT THE PATTERN There are a couple bible passages that do not fit the normal pattern that we have seen today. These passages have been used by some to suggest that we need a 2nd work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This second work of grace that comes after salvation is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:4, Acts 2:1-6, Acts 8:14-17 I will go into some depth with our small group and I am willing to answer your questions via about these passages. Here are a few principles that apply to these passages. RULES OF THUMB FOR THE ACTS PASSAGES 1. Acts is a historical narrative. A Historical Narrative such as Acts is a recording of what did happen. It is not a teaching about what must always happen. That is not to dismiss things that are a command or principles that apply to all people for all time. However, there are events in Acts that do not apply to all people. For example; in Acts 1 a replacement apostle is chosen by the drawing of lots (you remember this from childhood; whoever picks the longest twig or piece of straw wins). God does not use that method method of choosing leaders for all times as a regular pattern. In fact the method of choosing leaders is clearly laid out in 1 Timothy. Principles can be used from Acts 6 in choosing leaders. However this idea that we see something such as the upper room experience occur once and then try to recreate it for all people is as silly as trying to get God to part the waters and drown our enemies. 2. These upper room passages in Acts record events that are a fulfillment of Joel chapter 2. The tongues of flames and upper room experience were a sign that the Holy Spirit had come upon

6 6 everyone, not just a few priests and prophets. In fact Peter himself interprets what occurs in the upper room as a fulfillment of Joel 2. It s in the same chapter. After ward he tells people the real secret of Holy Spirit baptism, repent and you WILL (universal language) receive the Holy Spirit. 3. God had to make a big deal out of giving the Holy Spirit to gentiles. So in Act 8 God commissioned the apostles to visit Gentiles who had not yet received the Holy Spirit to lay hands of them. But that is a onetime occurrence in scripture as a fulfillment of prophecy. The apostles acted as witnesses and set the tone for the entire world wide church. They were there to pass the torch of the Holy Spirit both symbolically and in a very real way to Gentiles. This laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit occurred only once and is not the normative pattern. After all, how did the Apostles receive the Holy Spirit? By laying on of hands? No, the Spirit just fell on them because it was God s time to fulfill prophecy.