Empowered by the Spirit

Empowered by the Spirit Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/January 27, 2013

Empowered by the Spirit Sermon Notes January 27, 2013 I. Introducing Apollos! A. A broken, teachable, gifted teacher 1. Excellent teacher 2. Powerful orator 3. A compelling debater 4. A teachable, broken spirit Write any notes from the week here 2 B. A great conduit for the Spirit 1. Apollos character and brokenness enabled him to be used powerfully by the Spirit 2. God uses all sorts of instruments, but the most effective are the broken ones II. Incomplete Disciples A. People can be discipled before they are saved! 1. These guys intently followed John s teachings 2. They had been water baptized in the name of the coming Messiah B. Willing Disciples 1. Water Baptism 2. Spirit Baptism C. When does Spirit Baptism occur? 1. Catholics - At Confirmation 2. Evangelicals - At new birth 3. Pentecostals & most Charismatics- At new birth, or as a second blessing always with the evidence of speaking in tongues 4. Third wave - At new birth, evidenced by this: Everything is Jesus! Also accompanied by great boldness and the gifts of the Spirit (I Corinthians 12), but doesn t have to be tongues 19

Table Talk Teens Read Acts 18:24 - Acts 19:12 Question One: In Acts 18:24-28, Apollos doctrine regarding Jesus was accurate but deficient. This probably means that Apollos did not know about the Holy Spirits baptism. John s baptism symbolized cleansing by God because of repentance toward God. Why do Aquila and Priscilla have to explain to Apollos the way of God more accurately? Question Two: The finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit is important to the Christian faith. D. What keeps people from being baptized in the Spirit? 1. Lack of knowledge 2. Lack of faith 3. They are full of something else III.The gift of miracles A. A Spiritual Gift 1. Paul and several of the New Testament believers walked in this gift 2. The gift of miracles is mentioned in I Corinthians 12 B. Not just for the church 1. Note that Paul s gift was used in the public arena 2. God uses this gift to draw unbelievers to Himself C. Not just for superstars 1. The gift is for any believer 2. Not given to everyone Explain why it is important to the Christian faith. Question Three: Describe in your own words the role of the Holy Spirit. Question Four: What does the term led by the Holy Spirit mean? Describe how the Holy Spirit can help you grow in your faith. 18 3

Life Group Questions for January 27, 2013 Message =Empowered by the Spirit Ice Breaker: Tell about one of the best practical jokes someone played on you, or you played on someone else. Read Acts 18: 24- Acts 19: 12. 1. What do you observe about this passage? 2. What talents and strengths do you see in Apollos? What character qualities do you see in him? 3. Have someone read Acts 19: 1-3. See if you as a group can tell what the baptism of John was all about. When was the time in a believer s life that Paul expected people to be baptized in the Spirit? Why do you think these folks were NOT baptized in the Spirit when they believed in the coming Messiah? 4. What is the evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit? Please make your statements based on scripture. If you don t know, that s okay! 5. Have someone read Acts 19: 9. Why do you think a large contingent of Jews in each city rejected the message of the Messiah? 6. Ask a couple of people in the group to share about their relationship with the Holy Spirit and how He has changed their lives. Table Talk Elementary Acts 19 Day 1 - This week we will be looking at Acts 19, which tells of us Paul s time in a place called Ephesus. The theme that I would like to touch on is that "Faithfulness leads to a fruitful life." There is a lot to be learned from Paul's experiences in Ephesus as his preaching of the gospel produces a riot in the city! A faithful person is stable, dependable, and loyal. God alone is completely faithful. He will meet our daily needs and provide for us no matter what difficulty we face. Do you have faith? What is the evidence/proof of your faith? Day 2 - In the beginning of Acts 19 (verses 2-5), Paul asks the question, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" How would you answer this question? Do you believe in God? If not, take time to talk to your parents/pastor/church leader about this. Does the Holy Spirit live within you? What does it mean to have a the Holy Spirit live within you? Have this discussion with your parents or a trusted Christian believer. Day 3 - What do you think it means to be faithful? I found a definition of faithful that says faithfulness staying true to God in my thoughts, words, and actions. In Acts 19, Paul is faithful to God and, as a result, he has great power (in Jesus name!). Acts 19:11-12 says that "even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and evil spirits left them." Paul was faithful. What types of things do you think about? What words do you speak? Are your actions pleasing to God? If not, pray and ask God to make you a faithful servant! 7. Pray for one another. 4 17

Table Talk Preschool & Nursery: Day 1: Read Acts 18:24-19:1-12, 17-20 Explain that Paul traveled to Ephesus and learned that there were many who believed there, but that they did not know about Jesus or the Holy Spirit, only about John the Baptist. Paul told them about Jesus and then baptized some believers in the name of Jesus and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul taught others about Jesus, everyday for two years, until all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Asia heard the Word of the Lord. Ask your children how long God wants us to tell others about Jesus. Day 2: Talk about how God did amazing miracles through Paul in Ephesus. Explain how God s power healed the sick. Because of the great miracles that happened, people started to honor Jesus name and turn from their false gods and forms of worship. Talk about how God is the one true God and He is mighty and conquers all evil. Share a story of a miracle in your life. Memory Verse: So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. Acts 19:20 Day 3: Discuss how the word of God spread through others telling of what they had seen and heard. Talk about ways you can tell others about Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and about how mighty and wonderful God is. Activity: Use a handkerchief, an apron, or a favorite blanket and take turns acting out the miracles in Acts 19:11-12. Then have those that were healed tell the other family members how wonderful God is. Personal Devotion Pages The following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom. LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God. BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol: INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol: ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him. These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming. Enjoy! 16 5

Day One 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read and meditate on Acts 18: 24- Acts 19: 12. 3. Think about a hard thing someone has said to you lately about your character. Were you willing to look past the initial hurt of what they said to see if there was any truth in their message? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you have a listening heart. Memorize James 1: 19 Memorize James 1: 19-21 Memorize James 1: 19-25 Day Five God gave Paul the power to do unusual miracles, so that even when handkerchiefs or cloths that had touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and any evil spirits within them came out. ~Acts 19:11, 12, NLT Okay, that s a little weird. Reminds me of something I saw on TV. Reminds me of a tele-evangelist offering prayer cloths (that he had personally prayed over) for a donation of $50 or more to his ministry. Well, I ll be honest. I saw it on TV for about 30 seconds before I threw up in my mouth and turned the channel. For others, it may sound like a witch doctor or even witchcraft. Yet Luke firmly believes that it was God who gave Paul the power to heal. Why wasn t anyone else in the traveling delegation empowered with such miracles? Why just Paul? Is God really into this faithhealer stuff? You know, that s where one guy has the anointing to heal, and the rest of us are just impotent nobodies. Paul gives us the answer to this in his first letter to the Corinthians chapter 12. He tells us that the same Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people. Some get miracles, others get the gift of faith, and still others get the gift of tongues. Some of us, upon hearing of such gifts, tell ourselves that such gifts are only available to people who attend Charismatic or Pentecostal churches. Yet, that was not Paul s view. For Paul, the gifts are for anyone who receives the Holy Spirit! Father, the Bible is full of amazingly powerful things that are beyond my ability to comprehend. However, I receive all that you have for me today. I am willing to receive whatever gift you give to me! 6 15

Day Five 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate on Psalm 145. Day One Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ~Acts 18:24-26 Apollos is an impressive guy. He s eloquent and intelligent. He s a stellar spokesman for the Gospel of Jesus. But I like him because he has a teachable heart. My guess is that s why God uses him so significantly. 3. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you today in any way He would like to speak. Give Him permission to say things that you do not want to hear. As Apollos comes to Ephesus, he meets Aquilla and Priscilla, who meet with him privately to explain that not only did Jesus come to baptize in water, but to baptize in the Spirit as well. The Holy Spirit serves as the energizer of the New Covenant. When a person comes to Jesus, He baptizes them in the Holy Spirit, who enables them to do everything Jesus commanded. Without the Spirit, the Gospel is reduced to plain ol religion, or even worse, to self-help philosophy. This learned man of great intelligence and eloquence had the humility to sit down with a couple of blue collar workers and listen to them. Apollos rightly knew that God s wisdom could come from anyone and he humbled himself to hear about the Holy Spirit. 4. Finish your Bible memorization today. Father, I humble myself today under your mighty hand. Holy Spirit, I invite You to tell me whatever You wish and I will listen and obey! I can do nothing apart from You! 14 7

Day Two 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Read Galatians 5: 22-23. 3. Do you see the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your life? Take time to ask the Lord to search your heart and let you know what He sees. Day Four Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? he asked them. No, they replied, we don t know what you mean. We haven t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. ~Acts 19:2, NLT Scholars debate this passage, finding it hard to believe that there were disciples of Jesus who hadn t even heard of the Holy Spirit. some think that they had heard of the Holy Spirit, but did not know that He could live inside of someone, empowering them to live the Gospel. Whether they had heard of Him or not, these guys haven t experienced the life that comes from being baptized by the Spirit. They are like many church goers today. They have heard of God the Father, and Jesus the redeeming, sacrificing Son, but they are ignorant of the Holy Spirit. Paul s expectation of believers was interesting. His questions tells us that he expects people to be baptized with the Holy Spirit when they initially believe. It s not seen as a second blessing by Paul, but rather the first blessing, which can be followed up by many fillings of the Spirit. 4. Do you see overwhelming power in your life due to the work of the Holy Spirit? If not, ask the Lord to show you why you do not. If you do, take some time to praise Him for His mighty work in you. 5. Continue memorizing and meditating on the scriptures for this week. Second, Paul sees that Holy Spirit baptism must be received by faith, and faith comes by hearing about it from someone. Since they had not heard of the Spirit, they did not have the faith to be baptized in Him! Paul explains that the New Covenant must begin with faith. Water baptism is the outer sign of my repentance and faith. It tells the world that I am turning away from my sin and turning to Jesus. Along with that, a person must be baptized (immersed) in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes upon us and in us, transforming us into new creations, anointing us for ministry in the kingdom of God. 8 13

Day Four 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Do you feel like the Holy Spirit leads you on a daily basis? Write down your answer here and explain. Day Two Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him in this. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God s grace, had believed. He refuted all the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them, The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus. ~Acts 18:27, 28, NLT Now that Apollos is baptized in the Holy Spirit, he has joined the cause of the Gospel with great power. The Holy Spirit has brought on board an anointed teacher and debater. Paul and his traveling companions have so far been the only group establishing churches in Europe, but now they have another capable leader in Apollos! 3. Read John 15: 1-11. Ask the Lord to help you abide in Him today. I like the attitude of the believers in Ephesus. They don t want to selfishly hold on to this great teacher. They are all about sharing him with others who need to hear what he has to say. Luke uses these modifiers to describe Apollos ministry: great benefit and powerful arguments. This man, who was previously only eloquent, has now added power to his eloquence. The Holy Spirit has enabled him to speak not only to the mind of his listeners, but to their hearts as well. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. When an anointed teacher speaks, he not only enlightens the mind, but something beautiful and peaceful, even overflowing with joy, swells up in the chest. Such teaching does more than add information, it transforms! This is the work of the Holy Spirit in the teacher and the Holy Spirit in me speaking to my deepest needs and desires. Father, I deeply desire to hear from You today. Speak to me at the deepest level of my heart. 12 9

Day Three 1. Take some time to praise the Lord for who He is and enjoy thanking Him for what He has done in your life lately. 2. Meditate on Acts 19: 1 and Acts 16; 6. Think about times in your past when a door of opportunity was shut off to you. Did good things or bad things follow that event? Ask the Lord to give you insight into the closed doors of your past. Day Three While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces. Finally, he came to Ephesus, where he found several believers. ~Acts 19:1, NLT Without a map, this verse can be read without any special insights. However, when you look at a map of ancient Europe, you see that Paul is now traveling through the Roman province of Asia - a province that was previously blocked by the Holy Spirit. Remember what Luke wrote about this? In Acts 16: 6, Luke wrote, Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had told them not to go into the province of Asia at that time. 3. Bring at least three friends or loved ones to the Lord and ask Him to bring them to repentance and faith. Ask Him to show you how you can boldly love them and speak the words of Jesus into their lives. Apparently, the time for the province of Asia has come. Luke seems preoccupied with the work and direction of the Holy Spirit. I want to say it again - Acts is called The Acts of the Apostles, but Luke would probably agree that it is all about The Acts of the Holy Spirit. The apostles could only go where the Holy Spirit led them and could do only what the Holy Spirit empowered them to do. Now that the timing is right, Paul goes to Ephesus, a major city in the province of Asia. This will perhaps be some of the most fruitful time in Paul s ministry. For some reason way above our knowledge, God puts a lot of emphasis on timing. We must do what we do in His time, not our own. The danger for you and me is to run before God or to lag behind Him. When we raise the sails and move with the wind of God, we experience the power and anointing of His Spirit. 4. Continue meditating on and memorizing the scripture for this week. Father, show me where I have hurried before You, or failed to obey You and have missed the move of Your Spirit. Today, I place myself at Your disposal to move me in whatever way You chose! 10 11