Pentecost: Fresh Filling of Holy Spirit

19 May 2013

 

1.            Introduction

·         Exodus 19:16-19 The first Pentecost – a visitation of God to His people.

·         Thunder, lightening cloud, trumpet, fire, earthquake.

·         God met with His people to become engaged to marry them.

·         He required that they remember and celebrate this day each year!

·         Leviticus 23: 16, 20-22  Pentecost instituted as an annual celebration.

         (v16) Come before the host to make an offering and celebrate.

         (v21  No work!

         (v22) Remember to be generous to the poor.

●Pentecost begins with an encounter with God and ends with generosity to the poor.

● Church needs constant fresh encounters with God and filling with the Holy Spirit.

 

2.            Personal Experience: Be Filled with the Holy Ghost

      Acts 2: 1-4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”

 

(a)        Baptism In Holy Spirit is a gateway experience to Supernatural Life.

·         God’s intention is for us to experience spiritual reality.

·         Baptism in the Holy Spirit opens up realm of Supernatural.

·         Further evidence – overflow with new languages of spirit – speaking in tongues.

·         This is the language of intimacy with God (1 Corinthians 14:2)

·         They received from God an impartation – speaking, joy, drunkenness.

 

(b)        Keys to Ongoing Filling with the Holy Spirit

·         Believers need to keep being daily filled with the Holy Spirit.  The power to live the Christian life.  (Eph. 5:18) 

·         Trying harder doesn’t change us or make us better, must learn to receive.

·         Everything we receive from God comes by believing not trying.

(i) Speaking in Tongues

·               When you speak in tongues you activate and energize your spirit man.

·               You open up a direct flow with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4)

·               You edify or build up your inner man.  (1 Corinthians 14:4)

·               Speaking in tongues is a powerful way to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

(ii) Yield to the Holy Spirit Within

·               We receive from God by believing not trying – striving.

·               To receive must first stop trying, striving, struggling

·               Yielding is an act of surrender – letting go self effort: letting God.

·               Our challenge is to believe what God says is true about us.

·               John 6:29 “This is the work of God that you believe….”

(iii) Meditation – Imagining Gods’ Word

·               V17 “Dreams and Visions” – both are pictures or imaginings.

·               Nothing indicates they are seen with the natural eyes.

·               Both are images in the mind, in the imagination.

·               They are God inspired pictures in your imagination.

·               Take Gods’ truth – practice imagining what it would be like to experience being in this truth.  What would it look like? Feel like? Sound like?

Eg:    Being in the Temple of God

         Entering the Throne of God

         Being filled with the love of God

·               Stop working, striving to obtain – set imagination to see, embrace, believe.

 

3.            Personal Experience: Flow with the Spirit

      Acts 2: 17-18 “I will pour out My Spirit in those says and they will prophesy”

·         You are filled with the Spirit for the purpose of mission.

·         The overflow of the Spirit of God is seen in life and ministry to needs.

·         1 Corinthians 12:7The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each man to profit all”

·         ‘Given’ – you receive by believing not by striving or struggling.

·          ‘Each man’ – Gods design is every believer ministers to others.

 

4.            Practice Generosity (Fruit of the Spirit)

      Vs 44-45 “Generosity to those in need were the consequence of being spirit filled.”

·         Generosity is evidence of the love of God: can’t love without being generous.

·         Pentecost starts with being filled with Holy Spirit and ends with generosity.

·         Dt 24:18-22Pentecost was a harvest time – here is what God required.”

·           World pressure – consumerism, pressure to spend all on yourself.

·            God requires intentional generosity to be part of our life.

·            Leave margins in your life – compassion for those in need, time, finance, talent, relationships.

·            No quantity specified – the issue is gratitude to God and generosity.

·            Command – this is a way of life of person filled with the Holy Spirit.

·            Generosity to strangers, fatherless, widows.

 

Questions:   (i)  Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

(ii)   Are you flowing with the Holy Spirit?

(iii)  Are you practicing generosity?