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Updated 240315

Live the Spirit-Filled Life

Ephesians 5:18-20

Holiday Villa, No. 260 Jalan Dato’ Sulaiman, Taman Abad, 80250,

JB 26 to 28 July 2019

 

Welcome Gathering

Welcome

Program Info

Time of Worship

Introduction of Theme - Living the Spirit-Filled Life

Our Bible Passage – Ephesians 5:18-20
Being “Filled” with the Spirit carries Two Meanings:

  • being empowered by the Spirit in a direct and experiential way

  • living a life under the control of the Spirit
    Purpose of this SRG – not only to study but to Seek the Spirit's presence &

    empowering for us in the face of the realities of life that we each face as His Church as a person; together, through each other & personally

Studies

  1. The Person & Work of the Holy Spirit
  2. The Fruit of the Spirit
  3. The Gifts of the Spirit
  4. Be Filled with the Spirit

Waiting on the Spirit

  • Time to Seek the Presence of the Spirit to be with us
  • Time to Pray to Hear & Receive from the Spirit
  • Time to Minister to one another as the Spirit leads and enables

Worship & Ministry

Time of Worship God in songs
Continue Waiting on the Spirit to minister to one another

 

 

Spiritual Renewal Gathering 2019 – Live the Spirit-Filled Life

Day 1 – Session 1 – The Person & Work of the Holy Spirit

The Importance of the Person

He is the Person of the Trinity present on earth since the Day of Pentecost - Acts 1 & 2

He indwells us - Romans 8:9; Ephesians 2:22; 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19,20

He is the One who makes real & effects God's presence & power to us

  • Romans 8:1-2,9-11,23,26-27; Eph 1:13,14; 1 Cor 12:3

The Personhood of the Spirit in Scripture

The NT Revelation

Jn 14:15-27 – Jesus' discourse on the Spirit clearly refers to Him as a Person and implies that He is the equal of the Father and the Son

Eph 4:30 calls us not to grieve the Spirit, suggesting that He feels Paul's writings repeatedly refer to the Spirit as a Person

The OT Revelation

The OT makes very many references to the Spirit of the Lord speaking or acting in many different ways. But these are generally understood as God Himself speaking or acting. So, the Spirit is not understood as a distinct Person in His own right

This was changed in the light of the NT – the Spirit is to be understood as a Person in His own right; He expresses the immensity and diversity of the godhead

Is 11:1-4 gives a comprehensive OT description of the Spirit of the LORD – the qualities here listed help us to grasp His immensity and diversity

The Holy Spirit in the Holy Trinity

The 3rd Person

3rd is NOT an evaluation of His importance
It is a Way of Distinguishing Him by the sequence that God revealed Himself in history –

the Father is 1st, then the Son, then the Spirit
In terms of the work of revelation, the sequence is reversed – the Spirit reveals the Son, who reveals the Father (1 Cor 12:3; John 1:14,18)
God is Three-in-One – Each Person is the equal of the other and eternally united as one

Historical Creeds & Theology

The Apostles' Creed – We(I) believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

  • He is acknowledged together with the Church, forgiveness, resurrection and

eternal life, but not further described

The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (abbreviated as the Nicene Creed) - We(I) believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father & the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified, He has spoken through the Prophets.

  • He is affirmed as an equal to the Father & the Son, like them, He is the Giver of Life

  • His is related to the Father & the Son by His procession from them

Recent Theology has given much more attention to the Trinity and to the Holy Spirit

Relationship with the Father

He is the “Spirit of God” or “Spirit of the LORD” - Gen 1:2; 1 Sam 16:13; Job 33:4; Eze 37:1; Mt 3:16; Rom 8:9; 1 John 4:2

In OT – the phrase is generally understood as God in Action
In NT – the Spirit is He who DOES the will of the Father & the Son – Gal 4:4,5,6; Eph1:13,14

Relationship with the Son

Is 11:1-4 – prophecy of Christ as He who is filled with the Spirit of the LORD
He is the “Spirit of the Lord” or “the Spirit of Jesus” or “Spirit of Christ” - Acts 5:9 (Lord), 16:7 (Jesus); Rom 8:9 (Christ); 1 Peter 1:11 (Christ)
The Spirit enables the birth of Christ and baptised Him for His mission on earth – Mt 1:18,20, 3:13-17; Lk 1:26-35; 3:21,22
The Son baptises with the Holy Spirit and sends the Spirit after His ascension – Mt 3:11,12; Lk 3:15-17; Jn 15:26, 16:7; Acts 1:4,5

Symbols of the Holy Spirit

Two Symbols stand out for the Spirit

Fire – Mt 3:11-12; Acts 2:1-4

  • Power – energy, strength to live and to move and to work, overcoming of opposition
  • Judgement – God's destruction of everything evil

Water – Jn 3:5; 7:37-39

  • Life – water is needed for all living things; symbolises God's life-giving power
  • Cleansing – washing away of sin and death and all evil

Relating with the Holy Spirit

Every Person of the Trinity is absolutely vital to us in some way
In the case of the Holy Spirit – here is a Highlight of some Vital Points

  • Without the Spirit in us we do not belong to Christ – Rm 9:9
  • He indwells every Christian and the Church as a whole – Eph 2:22
  • He intercedes for us & is the Power behind Prayer – Rm 8:26-27; Eph 6:18

We are expected by Scripture to relate with the Spirit as much as with the Father and the Son

The Life and Growth of the Christian is tied up with Every Person of the Trinity

  • We cannot make the Holy Spirit an exception
  • Example – Prayer – we pray to the Father, in the Name of the Son, by the Holy Spirit

Salvation

The Holy Spirit washes us from sin
The Spirit washes us clean through our baptism & rebirth (Titus 3:4-6)
The Holy Spirit gives us freedom in Christ from sin
In Christ we live by the Law of the Spirit that frees us from sin and enables us to live in

the freedom of Christ (Rom 8:1-4; Gal 5:1-6, 16-18)

Identity

The Holy Spirit makes us children of God
We are God's children as we live by the Spirit (Rom 8:13-16)

Life-Giving

The Holy Spirit gives Life to the Church

  • Pentecost – the “Birthday” of the Church (Acts 1:1-11; 2:1-4)

We need to be born of the Spirit to have life from God (Jn 3:5-8)

  • The Spirit gives life (Jn 6:63; Rom 8:10-11)

The Holy Spirit indwells the Church

Christ gives the Spirit to those who confess Him as Lord & Saviour (Acts 2:38) 

Every Christian has the Spirit of Christ in order to belong to Christ (Rom 8:9)
The Spirit Indwells the Christian and the Church – indwelling of the Spirit is unique to the Church & its members (1 Cor 3:16; 2 Cor 6:16; Eph 2:22)

The Spirit indwells us eternally (forever) (Jn 14:15-16)

Devotion & Growth

The Holy Spirit reveals the truth of God
He is the One who enables us to know the things of God (1 Cor 2:9-16; Jn 14:15-17,25; 16:12-15) The Holy Spirit prays for us & enables us to pray (Rom 8:26-27; Eph 6:18)

The Holy Spirit enables us to understand Scripture

  • The Spirit spoke through the prophets who wrote Scripture and He gives the interpretation of its meaning (2 Peter 1:20-21; Rom 1:1-4; Rev 19:10c)

The Holy Spirit gives us our freedom in Christ

  • Our freedom in Christ is enabled by the Holy Spirit – when we walk by the Spirit, we stay free of sin and are not under the law (Gal 5:1,5,16-18)

The Holy Spirit moulds character

We are to live by the Spirit and reject the way of sin so that we may bear the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:16-26)

We are to be filled with the Spirit to counter the control of sin (Eph 5:17-20)

Ministry & Mission

The Holy Spirit makes us witnesses

  • We not called just to do witnessing but we are called to Be Witnesses (Acts 1:8)

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness & judgement

  • The Spirit does not just work in the Church but in the world according to the Father's will with Christ – through this work we are saved (Jn 16:8-11)

The Holy Spirit empowers the Church

  • The Spirit emboldens and gives the Church the strength to do what is good and right in the LORD (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 4:31; Zech 4:6)

The Holy Spirit enables the Church to exercise His gifts

  • The Spirit enables the Church to exercise the supernatural abilities of GOD in worship & ministry, witness & mission (1 Cor 12:1-11; Mk 16:15-18)

The Holy Spirit fills the Church

  • Being filled carries the idea of indwelling, worship, Spirit-control, empowering, exercising the gifts (Eph 2:22; Acts 2:1-4)

 

Spiritual Renewal Gathering 2019 – Live the Spirit-Filled Life

Day 1 – Session 2 – The FRUIT of the SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit Transforms us

All Aspects of the Spirit's Presence & Work in the Church anchor the truth that Christian character is formed by the Spirit

Cf to Session 1 today -

Salvation; Identity; Life-Giving; Devotion & Growth; Ministry & Mission

The Nine Factors of Biblical Discipleship

Word, Spirit, Worship, Prayer – the Vertical Dimension of Relationship with GOD

Fellowship, Ministry, Witness – the Horizontal Dimension of Relationship with Fellow Humans
CHARACTER – the 8th Factor – the outcome of practicing the 1st 7 and impacts on them

Disciple-making – the 9th Factor – reproducing the 1st 8 in more lives and in ongoing growth

The Spirit forms our Character by His Transforming Work in us

Romans 7:21-8:11 – the Law of the Spirit

The Flesh – the Law of Sin & Death

  • we are freed of its condemnation by Christ

  • sin in the flesh is condemned by Christ

  • we live according to the flesh when we set our mind on the things of the flesh

The Law of the Spirit has set us free

  • those who set their mind on

    ◦ theSpirit and

    ◦ the things of the Spirit

  • has life and peace

This is the CRITICAL CHOICE we Need to Make for ourselves, personally & collectively

Galatians 5:16-26 – the Fruit of the Spirit

The Old Nature that we are to Reject and Leave Behind – Sexual Immorality, Impurity, Sensuality, Idolatry, Sorcery, Enmity, Strife, Jealousy, Fits of Anger, Rivalries, Dissensions, Divisions, Envy, Drunkenness, Orgies, and such

The New Nature that we are to Cultivate & Live By -  the FRUIT of the Spirit - Nine Fold - 

  •  Love, Joy, Peace
  • Patience, Kindness, Goodness,
  • Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control
 

1 Corinthians 13 – Love – the Highest Virtue – is an outcome of the work of the Holy Spirit in us; it cannot be achieved or attained by our own effort but by faith in Christ and the Spirit – He acts through our faith & obedience

 

Spiritual Renewal Gathering 2019 – Live the Spirit-Filled Life

Day 2 – Session 1 – The Gifts of the Spirit

GOD & the Supernatural

The Gospel and Revelations of God are supernatural and not of human or worldly origin John 18:36-37 – my Kingdom is Not of this world – points to the divine realm

Divine wisdom is wisdom of the Spirit and not human or worldly wisdom

  • 1 Cor 2:6-7ff - the Wisdom of the Gospel is the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit enabling us to have the mind of Christ

The Gospel is preached with supernatural power demonstrating its divine origin

  • Rom 15:17-20 – Paul preached the Gospel with signs & wonders by the Spirit's empowering
  • 1 Cor 2:1-5 – the Gospel is believed by the Power of the Holy Spirit through signs & wonders and not by human reasoning & intellect
  • Heb 2:1-4 – the Gospel is confirmed by the Spirit with signs & wonders, miracles & gifts

The Bible teaches that the supernatural is a normal part of our God-given Christian life!

  • But note that God is also God of the natural!
  • Hence, we must not dichotomise but recognise both as from the One True God

A Trinitarian Perspective on Gifts

Each Person of the Holy Trinity gives us gifts
The Gifts of the Father are universal to all humankind through His act of creation – it all that makes us human in being and abilities
The Gifts of the Son are for the Church only – these are the Roles & Ministries He has for each one of us – Eph 2:11; 1 Cor 12:12-31
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are also for the Church only – these are the divinely empowered supernatural gifts – 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit – 1 Cor 12:1-11

This passage lists for us nine gifts of the Holy Spirit
Although there are other passages that list different gifts in the NT, ONLY this passage specifies that it is a list of the gifts of the Spirit.
ONLY this passage uses the word “phanerosis” which is translated as “manifestation”; so this passage is unique in listing to us specifically the Gifts of the Spirit that are manifestations
A “manifestation” points to something audible or visible or both, something that is clearly heard and seen by those around, not something hidden.

The Nine Gifts are

  • word(message) of wisdom

  • word of knowledge

  • faith

  • gifts of healing

  • miraculous powers

  • prophecy

  • discernment of spirits (distinguishing between spirits)

  • speaking by different kinds of tongues

  • interpretation of tongues

 

The Body Context

I Corinthians 12:1-11 also suggests that

  • The gifts of the Spirit are given in worship with the gathering of believers, large or small
  • The Spirit distributes as He pleases – anyone may receive any or all of the gifts
  • All are for use for the Common Good

The Mission Context

Mk 16:14-20 clearly specifies that the gifts of the Spirit are manifested in the course of the preaching of the Gospel

We see this in Jesus and His disciples (Mt 10; Lk 10:1-24), the Book of Acts, and some of the Epistles.

God expects us to be Good Stewards

Mt 25:14-30 – Parable of the Talents

Lk 19:11-27 – Parable of the Minas (or Pounds)

1 Cor 3:10-15 – the Stewardship Principle

Application

Discover your gifts and use it because God holds us accountable for them
Do not shy from the supernatural because there is a genuinely supernatural dimension at the core of the biblical faith – use it to serve the LORD according to His purpose –

as much as we are to use our natural abilities to do so

 

Spiritual Renewal Gathering 2019 – Live the Spirit-Filled Life

Day 2 – Session 2 – Be Filled with the Spirit

Important But Confusing Issue

The 20th Century – Pentecostalism & the Charismatic Renewal Historical Survey – Present but Poorly Accounted for

  • Early Church History – Tertullian testified that the gifts of the Spirit were all present in his time (3rd century AD) but seemed to be faded or ignored from late 4th century with the growing institutionalisation of the Church
  • Medieval History – associated with Mysticism which emphasises personal meetings with God
  • Reformation – some Anabaptists, independent groups, Quakers
  • Industrial Revolution – Revivals – Jonathan Edwards, Moravians, Evangelical Revival, Edward Irving, Welch Revival

Views of Baptism with or in the Spirit

Very many views – perhaps as many as people who have an opinion!

  • Controversial & polemical – so confused

A Second Baptism After Water Baptism

Once & for All with speaking in tongues – differentiate Spirit Baptism from Water Baptism – based mainly on Acts 2:1-4

Testimony of many who experienced the Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal

A Repeatable Act of the Spirit

Linked with being “Filled” with the Holy Spirit – used in Acts 2:1-4 when the Holy Spirit was poured out

Based on the fact that those who were at Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4 were later said to be filled again with the Spirit a number of times; e.g. - Peter in Acts 4:8; the disciples in Acts 4:31

A Biblical Perspective: There is Only ONE Christian Baptism

Noun form “Baptism” in, with or of the Holy Spirit does not occur in the Bible, only the verb “baptises” or “baptised”

Jesus is the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is given at the point of receiving Christ Christian Baptism includes

  • the baptism of John the Baptist

  • the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist

  • Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit

Main Scriptures – Acts 2:38-39; Eph 4:3-5 – all 3 aspects noted are considered as ONE

Collating the NT Teaching & Evidence

Jesus Baptizes with the Holy Spirit

Mt 3:1-16 – Ministry of John the Baptist who preached the Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit

Found in all the 4 Gospels – Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16; Jn 1:32-33
Corresponds with Romans 8:9 – everyone who belongs to Christ is given the Holy Spirit

This supports Once & for All Action

Occurrences of being Baptized or Filled with the Spirit for the First Time

After Baptism – Acts 2:1-4 – the gathered disciples would have been baptised earlier After Baptism with Laying on of Hands & Prayer – Acts 8:14-17 – Peter & John with those

who were converted & baptised by Philip 

Before Baptism – Acts 10:44-48 – Cornelius' household by Peter
At Baptism – Acts 19:5-6 – Paul for disciples of John the Baptist
May be asked for – Lk 11:9-13 – the Lord gives the Spirit to those who ask Him

Repeatable Action of the Spirit

We noted this above on views of the Baptism of the Spirit

Impact of being Filled with the Spirit

Heightened sense of God's Presence & encourages worship – Acts 2
Boldness to Witness – Acts 4:31
Enabled to Exercise the Gifts of the Spirit – Book of Acts – example of the apostles (especially Peter, John and Paul), the deacons (Steven and Philip), and many others mentioned

Inferring from the NT Study: What does it mean to be “Filled with the Spirit”?

We draw from our Bible study above and from the experiences & testimonies of believers in church history & recent times. We summarize what we covered above but highlight the Manifestation of the Spirit & How we should Respond to this because this is a problematic area for many Christians today.

  1. Baptising with the Spirit is an Act of Jesus for our Salvation

  2. Baptism as taught in the NT is a Once & for All Event

  3. Being Saved in Christ and Being Given the Spirit are One Event

    • BUT Baptism as a Rite is to be Differentiated from the Act of Salvation by Christ which is a Spiritual and Invisible Event which may occur Before, During or After Baptism

    • NOTE: Our modern-day practice of Praying to Receive Christ is NOT found in the NT but is a ritual based on the understanding that each one needs to make a decision for Christ as found in the NT

  4. There is Only One Christian Baptism

  5. The One Christian Baptism Includes Jesus giving us the Holy Spirit to live in us so that

    we live by His Presence & Empowering

  6. The Activity of the Holy Spirit includes the Manifestation of His Presence & Power – this Manifestation occurs as being “Filled” with or by the Spirit

    • This is an EXPERIENCE of Sensing His Presence & Power in a tangible way

    • Speaking in Tongues is a Frequent But Not Doctrinal Sign of this manifestation;

      other gifts like prophesying & others may also be manifested

    • This Manifestation may occur Before, During or After one's Baptism – it is an Act of the Lord BUT influenced also by our receptivity and understanding of the

      matter

    • It is NORMAL & EXPECTED for being a Christian and serving & witnessing as one

    • It is a Repeatable Event

Action & Response

If we have never experienced the Presence & Empowering of the Spirit pray for this for your own strengthening in Christ by the Holy Spirit

  • Do Not Be Afraid of the Experience – it is Of the LORD and of Scripture

  • Do Not Seek Just the Experience Seek the Deepened Presence & Power of the LORD in

    your life to grow, serve and witness
    Remember to Call upon the Spirit whenever we Need Guidance, Power or Boldness in

    life, service or witnessing

  • Do Not be Forgetful Or Reluctant to Do this

  • It is to our own lack and own hurt not to do so

Seek to be Filled with the Spirit!

  • Grow in His Fruit, which is to become like Christ!

  • Discover & Exercise His Gifts, which is part & parcel of Christian service &

    witness;
    do NOT get stuck with dividing between the natural and the supernatural, we are meant to receive All and Use All that our God gives us to serve Him

 

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