FILLED IN THE SPIRIT Jesus promised to baptise us in the Spirit? But what exactly does that mean? Berni Dymet LIFE APPLICATION BOOKLET
WALKING WITH THE SPIRIT by Berni Dymet LIFE APPLICATION BOOKLET
Published by Christianityworks Berni Dymet 1st edition - Published 2016 Except where otherwise indicated in the text, the scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Cover design: Mariah Reilly Design, Sydney Australia We gratefully acknowledge the creative contribution of Mariah Reilly in the cover design of this book. Ben McEachen, Editor www.thebigpicturewebsite.com We gratefully acknowledge the creative contribution of Ben McEachen in the editing of this book. Printed by: Creative Visions Print & Design, Warrawong, NSW, Australia No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise - without prior written permission. Christianityworks Australia: PO Box 1729 BONDI JUNCTION NSW 1355 p: 1300 722 415 United Kingdom: PO Box 201 CHESSINGTON KT9 9BX p: 0800 078 6565 India: PO Box 1602 SECUNDERABAD - 500 003 Andhra Pradesh p: 91-9866239170 e: ekommu@christianityworks.com w: christianityworks.com e: info@christianityworks.com
CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Refiner s Fire CHAPTER 2 Filled with the Spirit CHAPTER 3 Power from on High 5 19 33 This booklet is a gift to you from Christianityworks. Our prayer is that you will truly be blessed as you receive God s Word.
CHAPTER 1 Refiner s Fire One of the things we re promised about Jesus is that when we let Him into our lives, He ll sort the good from the bad; that in each one of us, He ll sort the wheat from the chaff and then burn the chaff with an unquenchable fire. At first, that sounds a bit confronting. Yet, when Jesus gets to work cleaning out the muck that we have on the inside, He sets us free from ways of life which aren t worth living! Many people who believe in Jesus want to see the power of God at work in their lives. They want to walk in His Spirit, relying on God s wisdom and guidance but, at the same time, they ignore God s Word, the Bible. They don t have time for that in their busy lives. So they run their own race doing this, 5
doing that and then wonder, So um, where s God in all of this? I wonder I wonder if you know anyone like that. What we re going to do in the few brief chapters of this life application booklet, is look at some of the amazing things God s Word tells us about His Spirit The Holy Spirit. Because when we slow down and make time to see what God s Word says, all of a sudden the Holy Spirit starts to do some amazing things in us. We want to give more of ourselves to God; all of ourselves to God and then all of a sudden we start to experience the power of the Holy Spirit. He only truly goes to work in our lives when we say to Him: You know Lord, everything s on the line for you. There s nothing that I m going to hold back from you. Let s be honest. Anything less than a you can have it all approach to God is pride. And we know that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. We know it because He tells us so in his Word (in the book of James 4:6). Imagine for a moment what it would be like to give your whole life to God. To give His Spirit a completely free reign in your life. What might the Holy Spirit get up to in your life? Well, hold onto your hat because we re about to go beyond imagining to truly discover the power that s available to you and me through the Spirit of the living God. It s powerful stuff! When Jesus was about to begin His public ministry in the 1st century in Israel, a man called John the Baptist went ahead of Him. He 6
was heralding Jesus arrival. And John s central message was for God s people to confess their sins, to repent (that is, to turn away from their sins, back to God) and be baptised. Now that s an interesting message for God to send out ahead of the entrance of Jesus, His Son. A message prompting every single person to turn away from selfishness and back to God ready to accept this Jesus into their lives. Of course, people were expecting a Messiah (although not quite the one that God ended up sending them). So they were asking John, Are you the one? Are you the Messiah? But just before Jesus came to him to be baptised, this is what John the Baptist said about Jesus: I baptise you with water for repentance but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor, and he will gather his wheat into the granary but the chaff he will burn with an unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11-12) That s a such powerful depiction of what Jesus is about, in our lives. But I used to read this Scripture and understand it as follows: When Jesus comes to clear out the threshing floor, those people who are good and righteous will be like the grain to be gathered in the store. But the bad people will be cast into the fire. 7
I think a lot of people understand it that way. Then one of my lecturers at Bible college challenged me by asking, What s the context here? What s John really talking about? I answered him, Well, baptism; He s saying that Jesus will baptise each one of us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Correct. We re going to talk about this baptism with the Holy Spirit a bit later in this booklet, because it has caused so much controversy and division in the Church. But for the moment, let s stick with the context of what s going on here, so that we can really understand what John is saying. So, the fire that Jesus is going to wield will be part of my baptism from Him and part of yours too, if you confess your sins, repent and accept Jesus into your life. So, when John the Baptist goes on to talk about what that fire will do, he s talking about what it will do in my life and in your life if we so allow Jesus to baptise us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. What will happen when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, as a result of accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour, yielding our lives to Him by allowing Him to baptise us with the Holy Spirit and with fire? Well here s the answer. He ll sort out what s in our hearts, our thoughts, our desires, our attitudes and our intentions. He ll sort them out with a winnowing fork in His hand and He ll clear the threshing floor of our hearts. He will keep what is good but the chaff the sin He ll burn with the unquenchable fire with which He baptises us. 8
Do you get it? This isn t about other people. It s about you and me and what Jesus wants to do in us, by baptising us with the Spirit and with fire. I encourage you to read this passage again for yourself Matthew 3: 11-12. When you do, notice how Jesus s intention with this baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire is to clean us out, to make us pure and holy. After all, there s a reason that the Holy Spirit is called the Holy Spirit. And what He does, just as Jesus promised, is to begin the life-long work of making us holy. But friend, here s some sobering news. There is always a cost to holiness. If someone has a cancer that needs to be cut out, there is an incision to be made. There s something to be cut out. There are stitches that must go in. Time has to be spent in hospital with recovery and rehabilitation. Perhaps, even chemotherapy and radiotherapy will be necessary. But while such things are a cost, the whole point is to bring healing to the person, by removing the cancer. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gets the winnowing fork out in our lives and starts to sift through the rubbish, the disease, the sickness, the sin that s accumulated in us over a lifetime. And when the Holy Spirit starts doing that there is almost always going to be pain involved. Because it hurts to have sin cut out of our flesh. It hurts to see things that have been a part of us, winnowed out and cast into the fire. Giving up anger, as I had to do, involved such pain. I had to learn not to vent my anger on other people, but to actually learn to humble myself; to hold my tongue. Boy, that hurts sometimes! But 9
I am a better person because I yielded to God s Word and God s Spirit, in allowing Him to work that out in me. Was it worth it? Without a doubt! Am I glad He took the time to do this for me? Absolutely! So when we yield our lives to Jesus, what He does by His Spirit is to start to burn the chaff the sin in our lives with an unquenchable fire. We all want to see some power and some miracles and feel His presence and joy and peace and all that stuff. Of course, as we walk in the Spirit, those things do come. But in order for us to grow, to be all that God made us to be to shine the light of His glory and His love into this lost and hurting world He needs to rake the muck out of us. That s why He comes and baptises us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He has to get right in there, to sort out the wheat from the chaff. Here s the point that I think God is leading us to: He wants free reign in our lives. He wants to be invited in to deal with the sin in our lives, the stuff that s robbing us of the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. So let me encourage you to read again what John the Baptist said about Jesus in Matthew 3:11-12. I encourage you to open your heart and your soul to the power of the Spirit of God, and give Him full sway in every part of your life. Hold absolutely nothing back from Him, for He means to clean you from the inside out. He means to set you free from the sin that s been robbing you of life all this time. He means to shine His glory out through you and me, when we are a clean, pure, perfect, holy vessel 10
transformed by the Spirit. Yep, through the likes of you and me. Can you believe it? EXPLORE I baptise you with water for repentance but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor, and he will gather his wheat into the granary but the chaff he will burn with an unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11-12) 11
GOING DEEPER... QUESTION 1 What did you think John the Baptist meant when he said Jesus will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire? 12
QUESTION 2 Why does it make a difference to know that Jesus baptises believers with the Holy Spirit and with fire? 13
QUESTION 3 How would your life change, if you allowed Jesus to bring his fire to your chaff? 14
QUESTION 4 What stops you from giving your whole life to Jesus? 15
QUESTION 5 When you count the cost of being baptised with the Holy Spirit and with fire, what are you really losing? 16
PRAY Dear God, We thank You for helping John the Baptist to realise what Jesus would be bringing to those who believe in Him. Enable us to be people who are fully baptised with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Reveal to us the areas of our lives which we are not fully giving to You, and bring them into the purifying light of Jesus fire. May we be people who allow Your Spirit to have free reign in us. Cleanse us of our chaff and bring out the good. We ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Your Son, Amen. 17
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CHAPTER 2 Filled with the Spirit So, Jesus wants to baptise us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. This is what Jesus does in those who believe in Him, cleansing us from the tarnish of sin and freeing us to live for God in every area of our lives. But, wow, hasn t that baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire caused some controversies across the Church over the years? Some think it means this, some think it means that. Some say that it happens at conversion, others say it has to happen after conversion. It s enough to make your head spin. So let s forget the denominational baggage for a moment, because the big question really is: If God wants to drench me in His Spirit, well, isn t that a good thing? One of the lessons that I ve been learning as I journey through my life with Jesus at my 19
side is that I just can t achieve much on my own. Let me explain People do clever, brilliant, powerful and effective things all the time, apparently without the help of God. There are plenty of brilliant musicians, gifted leaders, effective counsellors and so on, who don t believe in Jesus. Before I came to faith in Christ, almost two decades ago, I was able to accomplish plenty of impressive things. I was part of building an international IT consulting firm. I could make a piano sing, as it were. But when I came to faith in Jesus, I discovered that when it comes to doing things of eternal significance like what I m doing right now with you I can do nothing on my own. I can probably entertain or engage you, but the one thing I cannot do is effect a change in your heart change that will impact you for eternity. It turns out that that s something that only God can do. How do I know that? Because Jesus told us so: I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them will bear much fruit because, apart from me, you can do nothing. ( John 15:5) So, in order for you and for me to bear fruit fruit that truly makes a powerful difference in the lives of others we need to be connected, grafted into Jesus who is the vine. When you stop to think about it, the substance that flows from the vine to the branches to allow them to thrive, grow and bear fruit, is the sap of the plant. In this analogy, life-giving, fruit-producing sap is actually the Holy Spirit. 20
What makes me really sad is that there has been so much conflict and disagreement between different denominations, on this important subject of how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. It seems that everyone has a different perspective. But actually, it s all pretty clear. Let s go back to John the Baptist again. I baptise you with water for repentance but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor, and will gather his wheat into the granary but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11-12) John said Jesus would baptise us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Well, that s something of a mixed metaphor. According to the original Greek word baptidso, baptism really means to be drowned and drenched and changed. For instance, if a ship sinks, it has been baptidso d. If a piece of cloth is put in some dye and changes its colour, it has been baptidso d. So, to be baptised in the Holy Spirit means to be dunked and drenched and completely transformed by the Holy Spirit. Imagine that piece of fabric coming out of the liquid dye. It s dripping, completely saturated and, on top of that, it s a brand new colour. That s the picture of what it means to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. Much of the controversy in the Church about baptism in the Holy Spirit surrounds the question of timing. When does this happen? Is it 21
at the moment someone believes or is it something that happens later? Does it happen to every believer? Seriously? Can we put God in a box like this and tell Him He either has to do it this way or that? At the point of coming to faith or at some later time? Can I tell you something? The Bible actually contains an historical record of both instances of baptism with the Holy Spirit both at the point of coming to faith, and some later time. Have a listen to what happens when the Apostle Peter preaches the good news to Cornelius and his family for the very first time While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. (Acts 10:44) The Holy Spirit fell upon them all, right when they first believed. But, it happened totally differently a few chapters later in the book of Acts: While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers? They replied, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. Then he said, Into what then were you baptised? They answered, Into John s baptism. Paul said, John baptised with the baptism of repentance telling the people to believe in the one who is to come after him, that is in Jesus. On hearing this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and prophesised. All together there were about twelve of them. (Acts 19:1-7) 22
So it seems to me that the point isn t about when or how. God is going to do what God is going to do and I for one, am not about to put Him in a box and tell Him how He has to do things. The real point, as God s Word makes clear, is that unless we have the Holy Spirit in us, we don t belong to Christ (Romans 8:9). But not every believer is drenched in the Spirit. Not every believer has yielded their lives completely to God and given the Holy Spirit sway in every part of their lives. In fact, plenty walk more in the flesh, in their own worldly desires, than they do in the Spirit. Again that s something God s Word makes absolutely clear. For those who live according to the flesh will set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, they ll set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:5) So, my friend, the question for you is simply this have you yielded your life completely to Christ? Have you invited Him to have complete sway in every corner of who you are every nook, every cranny or are you holding something back? I know people who say they love God and they do yet they choose to live together, man and woman, without being married. That s holding something back. That s doing something God says not to do. That s not honouring to God. And people who deliberately hold something back can t be fully drenched in the power of the Spirit, because it s like wrapping cling wrap over part of our lives. You go down to be baptidso d in the Spirit and you come out and you ve not allowed all of you to be changed. 23
After being caught up by this futile, senseless argument about how and when we re baptised in the Holy Spirit, I decided a long time ago to give the whole thing a miss. When and how is completely not the point. The point is that you and I can be completely drenched in the Holy Spirit. Every part of us, every bit of sin and stubbornness within us. Every part opened to the Spirit of Christ, holding nothing back. That way, when Jesus comes into our lives with His winnowing fork to get rid of the chaff to burn that sin, that horrible stuff, that useless chaff in the unquenchable fire He has free reign and free access to do so. I don t know about you, but what I want to do with my life is to walk in the Spirit. To be guided in all things by Christ and to have the power of God. I want to travel the roads He calls me to travel and to go through the trials He calls me to go through. Let me ask you this: have you been drenched in the Spirit of God? Have you yielded your life completely and utterly to Christ so that He can get about sorting out the wheat from your chaff? Because Jesus wants to baptise each one of us with the Spirit and with fire. EXPLORE I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them will bear much fruit because, apart from me, you can do nothing. ( John 15:5) While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. (Acts 10:44) 24
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers? They replied, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. Then he said, Into what then were you baptised? They answered, Into John s baptism. Paul said, John baptised with the baptism of repentance telling the people to believe in the one who is to come after him, that is in Jesus. On hearing this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and prophesised. All together there were about twelve of them. (Acts 19:1-7) For those who live according to the flesh will set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, they ll set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:5) 25
GOING DEEPER... QUESTION 1 What are the parts of your life, which you think you can bear fruit, without needing Jesus? 26
QUESTION 2 How does being a branch on the Jesus vine shape what you say, do and think? 27
QUESTION 3 Consider the two accounts from Acts of believers receiving the Holy Spirit. What stands out to you about them? 28
QUESTION 4 Romans 8:5 suggests not all those who love Jesus and God have set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Why might this be? 29
QUESTION 5 What will have to change for you to be a person who lives according to the Spirit? 30
PRAY Dear God, We ask that You fully saturate us in baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. Drench, drown and change us by the radical power of Your Spirit. Keep us as vibrant branches attached to the true vine, Jesus, and provide us with opportunities to bear the sort of eternal fruit that matters. The sort of eternal fruit that is seen in those who set their minds on the things of the Spirit. It can be hard for us to stay focused on what the Spirit focuses on, so constantly remind us that we can do nothing of lasting significance without You. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 31
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CHAPTER 3 Power from on High Okay, so we ve been thinking about baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and giving our lives over fully to Jesus; how being drenched in the Spirit that should change us from the inside out. But one of the things I ve noticed is that I simply don t have the strength or the power in my own right, to live the life God wants me to live. Have you noticed that too? We try and we fail. What we need is power. Power from on high. And fortunately, that s exactly what Jesus has in mind. You know, I often think about how it s kind of strange the way God has set things up. He Himself is Spirit; we can t see Him or touch Him or hear Him here in the physical dimension where we live. 33
Now, of course, at one point in history, He stepped into the physical dimension as Jesus, who came and dwelt among us. But that was more than two thousand years ago and while we can read about Jesus and who He is and what He says and does, we can t experience Him in the physical dimension in the same way today, as those people did back there in the first century. So, now, we have something of a dilemma. God lives in a dimension that s spiritual and you and I, we live in a dimension that s physical. How then do we communicate with God? How do we know not just about Him, but how do we know Him? How can we have a relationship with someone we can t see or hear? Fortunately, that s something God has taken care of. He has sent His Holy Spirit, one of the three Persons of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) to dwell in us. When Jesus was set to depart from this world the physical Son of God departing from our physical world what would be left behind? Well, fortunately, the Holy Spirit would be left behind. That was the promise that Jesus made to His disciples, the ones who were to become the Apostles and spread His good news throughout the known world. Jesus said to them: If you love me, you will keep my commandments and I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him or knows him. But you know him because he abides with you and he will be in you. ( John 14:15-17) 34
Jesus promised to send His Holy Spirit to those who believed in Him. In fact, during those final days and hours before He was crucified, this is something He promised over and over again: that through the Spirit of God, the Father and the Son would come and make their home in us. Now you and I, we have a body. We also have a soul (our mind, will and emotions) and deep down, we also have a spirit. And it s at this deep level that the Holy Spirit connects with us. After Jesus had risen again, and just before He ascended into heaven and left His disciples behind, He gave them this instruction: He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father. This, He said, is what you have heard from me, for John baptised with water but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. (Acts 1:4-5) The disciples thought this was fine, but it wasn t the most important thing to them. You see, Jesus was their Messiah. To the Jew living in the first Century, they thought their Messiah was meant to be someone like the warrior king of old, King David. A leader who would boot out the occupying Romans and restore the kingdom of Israel. Despite spending three and a half years with Jesus, the disciples were more interested in what was going to happen in the physical dimension of their lives, instead of the spiritual dimension. I wonder, does that remind you of anyone you know? 35
Take a look at the exchange between them and Jesus, about their physical concerns on the one hand, and the spiritual priorities of Jesus on the other. So when they d come together, they asked him, Lord is this the time when you ll restore the kingdom of Israel? And he replied to them, It s not for you to know the times and the periods the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in all Judea and Samaria and even to the ends of the earth. When he had said this, as they were watching he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. (Acts 1:6-9) Do you see that? They re interested in perhaps the most important thing from their perspectives when is God going to finally restore the kingdom of Israel? And Jesus completely brushes that off, because He didn t come to restore the kingdom of Israel. He came to usher in the Kingdom of God and that s spiritual, not physical. Let s look at what Jesus said earlier on this subject. Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees, When is the Kingdom of God going to come? And he answered, The Kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed nor will they say Here it is, or There it is, for, in fact, the Kingdom of God is among you. (Luke 17:20-21) In the very last thing Jesus said to His disciples before He left them and ascended to heaven, He reminded them again that He wasn t so much interested in the physical dimension. His priority for them, these men who would go on to found the 36
Church, was that they should have spiritual power. The power of God, in them. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and even onto the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Why is that? Why was this Jesus s greatest concern? Because He knew that without the power of God, without the witness, communication, encouragement, guidance and truth of the Holy Spirit, these men simply would not be able to do the things that they were called to do. If you read the Book of Acts of the Apostles (in my view, it really should be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles), what you see is that these men came across horrendous opposition. They were called on to do mighty things and many of those things were miraculous. They went way beyond their own abilities. But Jesus knew that if they had power from on high, if they were filled with the Holy Spirit of God, they could do whatever God needed them to do and then some. And, friend, that s how it with us. We can think sometimes that it s all up to us and our gifts and our abilities and our hard work and our resources. Hey, I m not knocking any of that, but even as I share these things of God with you, I know beyond any shadow of any doubt that I could not do what I m doing if it weren t for the power of the Holy Spirit. Part of walking in the Spirit is being filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit so that we have the power to do what God has called us to do. 37
The power to resist the evil one; the power to overcome temptations; the power to love those who abuse us; the power to die to self; the power to take up our cross and follow Jesus every day. Friend, those things take power. They take power that is way beyond any of us and it s for this reason that God has sent His Spirit to dwell in us. And as the Holy Spirit dwells in us, He gives us the guidance and the power that we need to operate for God s glory in this physical world in which you and I live. The spiritual and the physical dimensions aren t two separate things when we walk in the Spirit. How exciting is that? So let me encourage you to open your heart and your soul and your spirit to the presence and the power of God the Holy Spirit. He will come and dwell in each man and woman and child who has set their trust and faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He will come and clean us out from the inside. He will come and fill us with power and transform our lives so that we may be the clean, pure and holy vessels that shine the light and the glory of God into a lost and hurting world. That is God s plan for each person who believes in Jesus. That s God s plan for you. 38
EXPLORE If you love me, you will keep my commandments and I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him or knows him. But you know him because he abides with you and he will be in you. ( John 14:15-17) He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father. This, He said, is what you have heard from me, for John baptised with water but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. (Acts 1:4-5) So when they d come together, they asked him, Lord is this the time when you ll restore the kingdom of Israel? And he replied to them, It s not for you to know the times and the periods the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in all Judea and Samaria and even to the ends of the earth. When he had said this, as they were watching he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. (Acts 1:6-9) 39
GOING DEEPER... QUESTION 1 What do you find strange or confusing about how God has set up the physical and spiritual dimensions? 40
QUESTION 2 Are you more concerned about your physical status than your spiritual status? 41
QUESTION 3 What was Jesus most concerned about? 42
QUESTION 4 Why is having the power of God through His Holy Spirit something we all should desire? 43
QUESTION 5 What are the works God has called you to and how will you remember to rely on His power, not your own? 44
PRAY Dear God, Giver of Your magnificent Holy Spirit, open our heart and soul and spirit to the Spirit s Presence and power. Plant Him in us so deeply that He cleans out whatever is in us that doesn t love Your Spirit of Truth. Please fill us with the Your power and transform our lives so we may be the pure and holy vessels that shine Jesus s light and glory into a lost, hurting world. In Christ s name we pray. Amen. 45
ABOUT CHRISTIANITYWORKS Here at Christianityworks our passion is seeing countless lives transformed one by one, as we share the good news of Jesus through the media around the globe. It s something that we ve been doing since 1957. Of course back then we were known as Back to the Bible, changing our name to Christianityworks in 2001. Today, the radio and television broadcasts that we produce with the support of friends like you, reach a weekly audience that we conservatively estimate to be over 20 million people in 160 countries. We believe that as we make innovative use of mass media radio, television, digital + online and print God works mightily by His Spirit and His Word, transforming lives. In fact, its not something that we just believe, it s something that we know. We receive so many testimonies each month from around the globe, of lives that have been saved, touched and transformed as God works through the ministry of Christianityworks. Thank you for remembering that Christianityworks is a faith based ministry. We rely on the support of friends like you to reach the lost with the saving love of Jesus. Your secure, online gift today, will make a powerful difference in the lives of so many. To give, just visit: christianityworks.com/donate. Thank you with all my heart. Your friend in Jesus, Berni Dymet 46
Berni Dymet FILLED IN THE SPIRIT Jesus promised to baptise us in the Spirit? But what exactly does that mean? Many people have heard the term Walking in the Spirit. That would be awesome wouldn t it? I mean it sounds great! But exactly what does it mean to walk in Spirit? I mean, how does it actually happen in our lives. Those are questions that many a Christ-follower has. Somehow, we can come to the realisation that in the day-to-day reality of our lives, rather than walking in the Spirit, we seem perhaps to have walked away from the Spirit. In this booklet, Berni again goes to God s Word to show us not only that God means for each one of us to walk in the Spirit, but to uncover exactly how right in the middle of the lives we each lead.