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COMMUNITY GROUP STUDY 3: THE EMPOWERING OF THE SPIRIT
The Spirit saves but He also empowers
This can be quite an unsettling subject. This is not surprising as it is dealing with things that the devil wants us to miss, because a church with power is the last thing he wants to see!
JESUS PROMISES THE HOLY SPIRIT
This promise is for you. It’s important that we believe for the promise of the Spirit – our faith is key to our experiencing His power.
Read Acts 1:4-8 and Luke 11:9-13. What does Jesus promise to those who are already Christians?
“WAIT” – BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SPIRIT
Many of us are so busy - or busy doing less important things - that we don’t make time personally to be with the Spirit devotionally. This links with what we looked at earlier in the series that the Holy Spirit is a person who wants a relationship. Our experience of the benefits He brings to us will, of course, be diminished if we live our lives rushing around, failing to spend time in His presence. Simon Elliot said,‘We wait for stuff that matters!’
How good are you are making time, personally, in your Community Group, or during a Sunday service to ‘Wait’ on the Holy Spirit?
YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER
We saw earlier in the series that a person becomes a Christian by the power of the Holy Spirit; we are united with Christ by the Spirit, as we see in 1 Corinthians 12:13. As we see in Acts 1, Jesus promises that the Spirit will empower us after we have been born again. John Piper wrote, in reference to Acts 1:5
‘I think the essence of being baptized with the Holy Spirit is when a person, who is already a believer, receives extraordinary spiritual power for Christ-exalting ministry.’ John Piper
Share your experiences of the Spirit together to encourage one another.
Let’s pray for one another to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Believe Jesus promise, come to Jesus, and expect to receive from your Father.
DAILY PERSONAL BIBLE DEVOTIONAL WEEK 3 – THE EMPOWERING OF THE SPIRIT
MONDAY: ASK WITH THE TWO GREAT MOTIVES
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.
Luke 11:9-13“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
Clearly, this is an invitation, not principally to salvation, but to God’s children to receive more of the gracious influences of the Spirit in their lives.
ASK WITH THE RIGHT MOTIVES
There are many reasons why one might want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Clearly motives matter as James says,
James4:3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Maybe our asking for the Spirit is for ungodly motives (See Acts 8:18-19). One can never be completely clear of impure motives but let’s at least examine the reasons for our asking for the Spirit’s empowering.
Take a moment to ask God to search your heart and ask Him to purify your motivations.
GREAT MOTIVE #1 – FOR THE LOVE OF GOD
The Spirit loves it when we desire to join Him in loving God and bringing Him glory. Let’s endeavour to join the Spirit’s in his intention to glorify Jesus,
John 14:6He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
Ephesians 5:18-20…Be filled with the Spirit,speaking to one another with psalms (A song in praise of God), hymns (Songs to or about God), and songs from the Spirit (Singing inspired by the Spirit -not limited to tongues). Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (See Colossians 3:16)
The singing of these kinds of songs is a choice that we make. It comes out of a motive to glorify God. Such a motive pleases and promotes the Spirit’s work. Gordon Fee wrote,
‘Where the Spirit of God is, there is also singing. The early church was characterized by its singing; so also in every generation where there is renewal by the Spirit a new hymnody breaks forth.’ Gordon Fee
So, if you desire to have more of the grace of the Spirit, aim to glorify God, sing songs to and about Him.
GREAT MOTIVE #2 – FOR THE LOVE OF OTHERS
A second motive that attracts the work of the Spirit is to desire His empowering so as to love and build His church. In speaking of the purpose of His gifts Paul wrote,
1 Corinthians 14:12.“So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church”
Francis Chan has written on this,
‘The purpose of these manifestations is for the good and edification of the church. The Spirit desires to use us when our hearts are aligned with this vision, when we are filled with genuine love for the church, and when we desire to see the church grow in love for God and others.’
This is not a trivial matter!– “why’s he going on about searching our motives…?” Paul warns us,
1 Corinthians 13: 1-2If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
I trust that you don’t want to be ‘nothing’! And that’s a real possibility!
RESPONSE
Jesus beautifully summarized these two motives. Read, meditate and pray out of the following.
Matthew 22:38‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.
Pray that this would become your motive and pray for the Spirit’s empowering to help you to do this.
TUESDAY: WHAT IS BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Over the next three days we will consider three terms that are used for power of the Spirit in our lives. Today we are thinking about baptism with the Spirit. I think that in the subject of the Spirit’s work, as in much of life, confusion and conflict arise from misunderstanding or assuming things by the words and terms that are used. Let’s look at 3 terms used for His work.
WHAT IS BAPTISM BY THE HOLY SPIRIT?
For many this is understood to only mean the post-conversion, initial, empowering of the Spirit. Does it always mean this?
IT CAN REFER TO POST-CONVERSION EMPOWERING
Matthew 3:11"…He will baptize youwith the Holy Spirit and with fire."
Acts 1:4-5“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized withwater, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
(See Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 11:16)
Baptism with the Spirit, in these contexts, is referring principally to a post-conversion empowering. As John Piper says of Acts 1:5,
‘I think the essence of being baptized with the Holy Spirit is when a person, who is already a believer, receives extraordinary spiritual power for Christ-exalting ministry.’ John Piper
BAPTISM BY THE SPIRIT CAN ALSO REFER TO REGENERATION
1 Corinthians12:13“For we were all baptised byone Spirit so as to form one body – whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
Romans 6:23, for example, although referring to water baptism is also pointing to baptism (immersion, or union with Christ) by the Spirit.
Baptism by the Spirit can relate to regeneration and union with Christ so as to unite the church. Baptism by the Spirit is an umbrella term that can be used for regeneration or an initial empowering after becoming a Christian.
RESPONSE
Pour out your thanks that the Spirit has ‘baptised’ you into Christ – you are united to Him. Secondly, ask yourself if you have been ‘clothed with power’ by the Spirit? Ask a friend or leader to pray for you – the promise is for you!
WEDNESDAY: WHAT IS FILLING WITH THE SPIRIT?
The second term we will think about is filling or being filled with the Holy Spirit.
FILLING CAN REFER TO THE POST-CONVERSION EXPERIENCE
Acts 2:4‘All of them were filledwith the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesas the Spirit enabled them.’
On this occasion it refers to their initial, post-conversion experience of the Spirit.
CAN POINT TO AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SPIRIT
Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
This is an empowering of the Spirit after Pentecost and shows that the Pentecost experience is to be repeated in our lives – We, like the early church need to be regularly filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filledwith the Spiritspeaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
‘Be filled’, In Ephesians 5, should be translated ‘go on being filled’. So this term can also be used of the on-going experiences and a lifestyle that is filled with the Spirit. (See also Acts 4:31; 6:3; 7:55; 13:52)
This passage is also interesting in that it’s hard to know whether one is filled with the Spirit and speaks, sings and gives thanks as a response, or whether one sings etc. in order to be filled with the Spirit. I’m inclined to hold both. An individual or community that sings and thanks God richly is a community that is filled with the Spirit.
RESPONSE
As important as “were you filled?” is “Are you going on being filled?” Being filled is vital to on-going fruitfulness in life. How will you make this a reality in your life? Read Acts 6:3 and pray that this would become your ‘biography’.
THURSDAY: WHAT IS EMPOWERING BY THE SPIRIT?
The third phrase we will think about is the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
IT CAN REFER TO THE POST-CONVERSION EXPERIENCE
Acts 1:8 “You will receive powerwhen 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, prophesying about the Day of Pentecost, speaks of how the Spirit’s coming will empower them. Empowering can be used to refer to the initial experience of the Spirit post conversion.
CAN POINT TO AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SPIRIT
Ephesians 3:18I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being (See 3:18 also)
Here, Paul speaks of the empowering of the Spirit as a daily lifestyle.
Looking at the terms (baptism, filling and empowering) I hope you can see that that terms are used interchangeably. What is important is that that all Christians experience the power of the Spirit in salvation (regeneration); that they are to receive a post-conversion experience of empowering; thirdly, one lives a life of being filled with the Spirit.
RESPONSE
Meditate on Ephesians 1:17-20
‘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. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.’
Ask for a deeper appreciation of the power that isalready at work in you. Secondly, pray for fresh empowering from the Spirit, using Ephesians 3:17-20 as inspiration.
FRIDAY: EXAMPLES AND RESULTS OF THE EMPOWERING OF THE SPIRIT (PART 1)
Many get upset by the notion that they need the empowering of the Holy Spirit. But, can I state the obvious, if you were experiencing all that is promised through the Spirit, you would not be reading this or have the desire for greater things. Let’s read what the bible says and endeavour to believe and press into all that God has for us.
Let’s look at 2 episodes from the book of Acts that show our need of a post-conversion empowering of the Spirit.
1. THE JERUSALEM ENCOUNTER (ACTS 2:1-18).
Acts 2:1-4When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tonguesas the Spirit enabled them.
This is clearly the empowering of the Holy Spirit after the conversion of the first disciples. However, it’s place in ‘salvation history’ (the tipping point between the Old and New Covenant) make it hard to apply to ourselves. However, it does point to the glorious transformative power that we can and should all be living in.
THE RESULT? The public speaking of tongues (actual human languages in this case); Peter was emboldened to stand up and preach; three thousand were saved. Pray using this text as inspiration.
2. THE SAMARITAN ENCOUNTER (ACTS 8:14-17).
Acts 8:14-17 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Here they became Christians and only later did He ‘come on’ them.
THE RESULT? Not specified but was clearly powerful and visible. Such was the experience of the Spirit that Simon (the Sorcerer) offered money for the ability to impart the Spirit (v. 18). Pray using this text as inspiration.
SATURDAY: EXAMPLES AND RESULTS OF THE EMPOWERING OF THE SPIRIT (PART 2)
Let’s look at 3 further episodes from the book of Acts that show our need of a post-conversion empowering of the Spirit.
PAUL’S ENCOUNTER (ACTS 9:3-19).
Acts 9:17-19 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
It seems best to understand Saul’s conversion as on the Road to Damascus; Ananias confirms this by calling this former murderer of Christians ‘brother Saul’ (v.17). It is three days after his conversion he is ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ (v.17)
THE RESULT?He was Healed, baptised, and started to witness (v18, 20)
4. THE GENTILE ENCOUNTER (ACTS 10:24-48, 11:15-18).
Acts 10:44-46While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.For they heard them speaking in tonguesand praising God.
In this account, the Spirit ‘came on’ the listeners whilst Peter was speaking the gospel – the filling with the Spirit was at the same moment as conversion.
THE RESULT?‘They heard them speaking in tonguesand praising God.’ (v.46)
5. THE EPHESIAN ENCOUNTER (ACTS 19:1-7).
Acts 19:1-6While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit whenyou believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”“John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tonguesand prophesied.
Like the account of Saul, the Spirit ‘came on them’ just after their conversion (v.6). A few comments about this:
· It’s interesting to note that in his question, Paul separates ‘belief’ and ‘receiving’, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
· Paul so emphasised the experience of the Spirit that he asked the question – I guess that many Christians today might ask ‘Did you believe the gospel when you believed’? Many have lost sight of the essential place of the Spirit! Let me ask you, “did you receive the Spirit when you believed?”
The result?‘The Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tonguesand prophesied.’ (v. 6)
RESPONSE
Use the texts we have looked at to inspire faith and prayer.
Ask the Father to fill you with His Spirit. Ask for opportunities to help others to encounter and walk with the Spirit. Let the following Quote challenge you.
‘Every child of God is under the solemn obligation to see to it that he definitely receives the Holy Spirit, not merely as a regenerating power, and an indwelling presence, but as a definite enduement of power’ (R A Torey)
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