The Holy Spirit s Power

Transcription

1 1Christ Community Church Acts 1:8 May 31, 2015 Acts 1:1-8 INTRO the Problem isn t about the Spirit s Power it s about Receiving & Experiencing that Power "The topic on which we enter is by no means superfluous at this time. we may safely affirm that the doctrine of the Spirit is almost entirely ignored. The representatives of modern theology it is well known have almost wholly abandoned it.... Wherever Christianity has been a living power, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit has uniformly been regarded, equally with the Atonement and Justification by faith, as the article of a standing or falling church. The distinctive feature of Christianity as it addresses itself to man s experience, is the work of the Spirit, George Smeaton, "The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit", p. 1 (1882) "The message of this book is simple but serious. It is the greatest need of the church, and that which all believers ought to seek after with one mind and their whole heart: to be filled with the Spirit of God." Andrew Murray, "The Fullness of the Spirit" (written around 1900) "For some time it has been evident that we evangelicals have been failing to avail ourselves of the deeper riches of grace that lie in the purposes of God for us. As a consequence, we have been suffering greatly, even tragically. One blessed treasure we have missed is the right to possess the gifts of the Spirit as set forth in such fullness and clarity in the New Testament." A.W. Tozer, "The Deeper Life", p. 5 (1957) I see a gap often a chasm between what the church is and what it ought to be. I see disparity between what Christians say and what they do, between what they know and how they live, between what they promise and how much they fulfill. Preachers teach the Bible, and people snore. Homemakers share their faith, and it falls on deaf ears. Lives are broken and rarely get fixed. Bodies are suffering, and few are healed. Marriages are dying, and people just give up. Temptations are faced, and sin flourishes. So what s wrong? I m convinced the problem is power, or, should I say the absence of it. Sam Storms, The Beginner s Guide to Spiritual Gifts, p. 9 Acts 1:8 A Unique Power was to Characterize the Christian s Life & Ministry Was Acts 1:8 referring to a unique event that was reserved only for those in the upper room in Jerusalem? Or does this verse describe all Christians until Jesus returns? What Happens when that Unique Power goes unobserved or unexperienced?

2 2Christ Community Church "The second danger, then, is that of being satisfied with something very much less than what is offered in the Scripture, and the danger of interpreting Scripture by our experiences and reducing its teaching to the level of what we know and experience; and I would say that this second is the greater danger of the two at the present time....people come to the New Testament and, instead of taking its teaching as it is, they interpret it in the light of their experience, and so they reduce it....they take what they have and what they are as the norm." D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "Joy Unspeakable", p.18 "I think the fear of God failing us leads us to 'cover for God.' This means we ask for less, expect less, and are satisfied with less because we are afraid to ask for or expect more." Francis Chan, "The Forgotten God", p. 47 Acts 1:8 Help in Interpreting & Applying This Passage - What is this power associated with in this passage? It is associated with the Mission of Being a Witness Is there an Empowerment Language in Scripture that is NOT the same as the Regenerating/Indwelling work of the Spirit? - One should conclude that there are aspects of the Spirit s Operation in our life that are automatic and aspects that must be pursued and cultivated. "Now the positive thing I want to say about the moderate Pentecostal teaching is that it is right to stress the experiential reality of receiving the Spirit. When you read the New Testament honestly, you can't help but get the impression of a big difference from a lot of contemporary Christian experience. For them the Holy Spirit was a fact of experience. For many Christians today it is a fact of doctrine. Surely the Charismatic renewal has something to teach us here. In sacramental churches the gift of the Holy Spirit is virtually equated with the event of water baptism. In Protestant evangelicalism it is equated with a subconscious work of God in regeneration which you only know you have because the Bible says you do if you believe. It is easy to imagine a spiritual counselor saying to a new convert today, "Don't expect to notice any difference: just believe you have received the Spirit." But that is far from what we see in the New Testament. The Pentecostals are right to stress the experience of being baptized in the Spirit." John Piper,"How to Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit" Crash Course in Biblical Terminology & Usage You need an Overdose to see this! LEARNING FROM LUKE When it comes to the Spirit, not every Scripture writer is bringing the same insights o JOHN on the Holy Spirit born-again or born of the Spirit or born of God around 15 times while Luke never once uses this language.

3 3Christ Community Church There are activities of the Spirit that cover a wide range of ministry: conviction of sin, revealing truth & giving understanding, giving faith, strengthening the inner man, the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, boldness, direction in ministry, transformation of character, and more. LUKE s SPECIALIZED LANGUAGE Luke uses the phrase filled with the Spirit or full of the Spirit 15 times, while Paul only uses it once and John doesn t use it at all. Luke uses baptize(d) in the Spirit 5 times to Paul s one. Luke uses the phrase receive(d) the Spirit 6 times, while Paul uses it 5 in a review of Michael Green s book I Believe in the Holy Spirit, Clark Pinnock rightly observes: If you read Luke by himself, and listen to him, it seems rather clear that the outpouring of the Spirit he has in mind is not brought into relation to salvation [initiation/ incorporation], as it is in Paul, but in relation to service and witness. Stronstad, Roger ( ). Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, The: Trajectories from the Old Testament to Luke-Acts (Kindle Locations ). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Luke was entitled to his own views, and the fact that they differ in some respects from those of Paul should not be held against him at this point. On the contrary, he is a theologian in his own right and must be treated as such. I. Howard Marshall, Luke: Historian and Theologian (quoted in Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, The: Trajectories from the Old Testament to Luke-Acts) Luke Takes Us to MANY, MANY settings of Encountering the Holy Spirit This is extremely important to him. This is an inspired emphasis in His writings. The LANGUAGE OF LUKE KEY: The Descriptions & Encounters Luke presents the Results Given and Expectations Formed.In Luke s Language the Empowering Ministry of the Spirit results in ACTION Luke 1:67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, Luke 2:25-28 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Luke 3:16 John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Luke 3:21-22 when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

4 4Christ Community Church Luke 4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness Luke 4:17-18 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. Our Lord was their beginning to enter on his public ministry. He had lived as a man, he had worked as a carpenter, but now at the age of thirty he was setting out in his ministry though he was still the eternal Son of God, he needed to receive the Spirit in his fullness, and God gave him the Spirit. In other words, our Lord himself could not act as witness and as preacher and as testifier to the gospel of salvation without receiving this enduement of the Spirit. And that is the purpose of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Joy Unspeakable, p. 48 Acts 1:4-5 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:17-18 "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. Acts 4:8-9 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 8:14-17 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, Acts 10:37-38 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:44-46 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift

5 5Christ Community Church of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Acts 11:15-16 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' Acts 13:9-10 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? Acts 13:51-52 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 19:1-7 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." 4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. Paul baptized these men at Ephesus, then, having finished that, he laid his hands upon them and they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in tongues. The two things are separate and distinct. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Joy Unspeakable, p. 45 The Language of Luke is Empowerment Focused and associated with the concepts of coming upon falling upon receiving the Spirit being filled with the Spirit Luke s Usage is Consistent with the Empowering for Ministry Motif of the O.T. Ex 31:1-7 The Lord said to Moses, 2 "See, I have called by name Bezalel 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. 6 And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: Common Observation: When God Ordains Tasks to be Done for His Purpose, HE SUPPLIES THE POWER & ABILITY! Num 11: Then the Lord said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. 25 And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

6 6Christ Community Church Num 24:2-3 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he took up his discourse and said 1 Sam 10:10 When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 1 Sam 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. 2 Chron 20:14-16 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah 15 And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. Isa 11:1-2 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, Isa 61:1-2 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, Luke s Language is NOT New. He continues to use concepts that should already have established some thoughts and expectations in our lives. The New Testament gives us a picture and a portrayal of what a Christian should be, and obviously in that connection nothing is more important than that we should understand the doctrine of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This is not only that we may enjoy the full blessing of the Christian salvation, but also, more urgently, because of the times in which we live. We see the Christian church in a more or less parlous condition, ineffective in a world of sin and shame, a world which is increasingly manifesting, in a horrifying manner, godlessness and hatred and antagonism to God. There is only one hope for such a world and that is a revived church. So the most urgent need of the hour is revival in the Christian church, and that means revival in individual Christians. There is no such thing as the church apart from people, so we start with personal, and through that we see how the general can be effected. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Joy Unspeakable, p. 33 Bottom Line: Are you content to live your life with its current level of connection with the Power of God?