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An essential guide to Baptism in the Holy Spirit – Chapter 7God’s Endowment for MinistryWhat can we expect when the baptism with the Holy Spirit comes? (48)1. The Holy Spirit restores an intimate relationship with God as Father. (48)Galations 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”The Spirit of His Son? The Holy Spirit. Pay special attention to this. The Spirit calls out. We don’t call out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit calls out, “Abba Father.” The Holy Spirit needs your voice to do it. It’s a great example of how the Holy Spirit speaks through us.Worship is the Spirit praising God through you. You can sing on your own. Worship is when you are prompted by the Spirit to praise Him, and you yield to the Spirit, and allow the Spirit to worship.2. The Holy Spirit’s gives power for the purpose of witness and missions. (49)The power to be witnesses IS the great commission.Side note: A recent decision by the Southern Baptist Convention allows member churches to call themselves Great Commission Baptists, instead of Southern Baptists. We need the power of the Holy Spirit (and we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit to get the power of the Holy Spirit) to be effective witnesses. See three examples that back this statement. The first is . . . Acts 1:8 you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”Jesus command wasn’t just to go and be witnesses. He told them to get the power to be witnesses.The second example that we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses: 2 Timothy 1 6?For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7?For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 8?So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9?who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. (1) Your lifestyle is part of your effective witness. It’s what people see. And it’s what people hear. Do they hear us complaining? Do they hear us expressing fear? We live a holy life by grace. We are to live a self-controlled, self-disciplined life, but that’s not what makes us holy. We are holy. Just like we are saved. We are holy not because of what we have done, but because of His purpose and His grace. Regarding self-discipline – the ability to live the life God expects is in the power of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.(2) What is the “gift of God” (vs 6)? . . . given to you when someone “laid hands” on you? Vs 6 describes how they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.(3) Flame as in fire. Matthew 3:11 He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. You are instructed to fan the flame. Fan that gift. Actually, fan the Holy Spirit into flame. Fan the fire. Fan the flame into a fire. Be on fire. Don’t be satisfied with a candle. Want a Texas A&M sized bonfire inside your chest. (Aware they don’t do that, anymore. Don’t be picky. Just look at the word picture in your head. There, very good.)(4) Through this gift you are not to be timid. KJV says you have not been given the “spirit of fear.” You are not to be fearful. Most of the time our timidity is pride. We’re afraid of what people will think. You are not to be overly careful. As a result of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, you have power, love, (KJV) a sound mind. You can be calm in stressful situations. You can think clearly. Mainly, you are not to be shy. You have been given the Spirit of power, so you will not be ashamed, but you’ll have confidence when you testify about our Lord.The third example that we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses: Mark 16 15?And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16?He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17?And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18?they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”Go. Preach. Baptize. See signs. These are the four food groups to the Great Commission. Not just the first three. He was still talking. So don’t stop reading. Verse 17 follows first 16. After he told them what to do, they went and did.Mark 16 20?And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. KJV - signs following.Fortunately, the details on verse twenty are recorded in the book of Acts. Acts 2:11, 2:19, 2:22, 2:43, 4:30, 5:12, 6:8, 7:36, 14:3, 15:12. Heb 2:4. The accompanying signs, wonders, and miracles are certainly the work of men and women who had been baptized with power to be witnesses. They were just doing what He told them to do. He had told them to go and do it with style. Do it and attract attention while you’re doing it, so more people will see you doing it. A “wonder” isn’t fully explained in scripture. It’s not a miracle. It’s just something a little odd. Something that doesn’t fit in a category. Something that makes you wonder. A coin in a fish’s mouth. An ax head floats. A plague of frogs. A non-burning bush.The church’s worldwide mission was to be confirmed with signs and wonders. Clear evidence of Spirit-baptized witness was casting out demons, speaking in tongues, divine protection, and healing miracles. (49-50)You could go and preach and water baptize without receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but you could not have the signs described in verse 17 and 18 without receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. To have those kinds of signs, you need to get a little Pentecostal.3. The Holy Spirit’s baptism results in mental and emotional transformation. (50)Re-read the second paragraph of page 50. Galations 5 16? live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 18?But if you are led by the Spirit, . . . then you have the ability to avoid . . . 19? sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20?idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21?and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.Through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the “radical transformation of human character becomes possible.” (50)Rather than following old habits, you will have the fruits of the Spirit such as . . . 22?. . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23?gentleness and self-control. 25?Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.4. The baptism of the Holy Spirit brings special enlightenment, wisdom, and understanding. (50)Ephesians 1 17?I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18?I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you . . . The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation. The Holy Spirit reveals things to you. The Holy Spirit helps you to understand the scripture. The Holy Spirit gives you wisdom. The Holy Spirit helps you to know the Father better. The Holy Spirit cries “Abba, Father,” through your mouth. As the Holy Spirit transforms you, “Abba, Father” becomes the cry of your heart as well. May the eyes of our heart be opened and enlightened. An essential guide to Baptism in the Holy Spirit – Chapter 8Physical Manifestations of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit1 Cor 2 4?My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5?so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.Shaking and Trembling ( 53)Jeremiah 5:22 “Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Should you not tremble in my presence?”Daniel 10 7?I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8?So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9?Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. 10?A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11?He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.If they didn’t see anything, why were they afraid?No strength. Helpless. Fell in to a deep sleep. Trembling.Habakkuk 3:16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled.Other examples (54). Mark 5:33, Acts 4:31, Acts 9:6, Acts 24:25RP (54) – Trembling was common during the Great Awakening. It’s how the Quakers got their name. Read the quote from Rev Barton Stone (54-55).Joy and Singing (55)Unexplainable, spontaneous laughter is a manifestation of the move of the Holy Spirit. I often laugh when I see someone get set free.Psalm 126 1?When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.2?Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. 3?The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 4?Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev. 5?Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. 6?He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.RP (56) – Freedom from bondage produces real joy.Drunkenness (57)Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine . . . . Instead, be filled with the Spirit. RP (58) This verse is “not a contrast but a comparison.”Acts 2 15?These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16?No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17?“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.Jeremiah 23:9 My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man,like a man overcome by wine, because of the Lord and his holy words.RP (58) – Paul taught that it was possible to be drunk on the Holy Spirit. Read to “the Spirit may cause you to do some things you would not usually do.”Crying and Weeping (58)While some are unsure about laughter being a legitimate response to the move of the Spirit, “hardly anyone would question the validity of tears.” We easily accept tears as an appropriate expression of how grateful we are.There’s another level of weeping. Intercession brings a wailing.Romans 8 26?In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.Driving home from Ft Smith. Cried so hard had to pull over. Didn’t know why til I read the paper later that day. Many people had drown the night before at that spot in the river.Falling out in the Spirit (61)Deep sleep – Adam, Gen 2:21 / Abram, Gen 15:12Ezekiel 1:28 This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown.Ezekiel 2:1-2 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2?As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet.“Spirit came into me”Matthew 17 6?When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.Matthew 28 4?The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.John 18 6?When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.RP (64) Notice that in the presence of God’s power, both believers and non-believers seem to be unable to stand.Acts 22 17?“When I (Paul) returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18?and saw the Lord speaking. Acts 10 9? . . . Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10?. . . and he fell into a trance.Revelation 1 17?When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.On page 66, read the quote from Jonathan Edwards, and on page 67, the quote from Charles Finney.One more – 1 Kings 8 10?When the priests had come out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the Lord’s house, 11?So the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.How can we be sure these things are real? (68)Sometimes, unfortunately, they aren’t real. There are fakes, liars, cheats, pretenders, hypocrites in the church. Sometimes people fake it to fit in, or pretend just to impress. This should never be the case. For the most part, you can’t control others. Best to allow those in positions of authority to manage through those situations. As for yourself, make a decision that you will have enough integrity to not fake an experience. Don’t fall down – unless, of course, you can’t stay up.The other thing that may happen is that someone is really trying to “press in” and get all that God has for them. In their best effort, they may miss God a little. Let’s give them the grace to fail and learn. Hey, we’ve all fallen short (Rom 3:23) in one way or another.Satan will try to counterfeit the true and original. (69) He would not try to imitate and discredit that which was not real in the first place.1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.1 Corinthians 14 40?Let all things be done decently and in order.It doesn’t say, “don’t allow these things, because there’s too much trouble.” It says “Let all things be done.” In terms or things being done in order, let me suggest this. If you feel like you have a word from the Lord that the rest of the church needs to hear, come to an elder or to the Pastor and share it there first. This allows him to discern if and when and how to use what you feel like God is saying. ................
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