Sermon Tone Analysis

*Spiritual Gifts I: The Holy Spirit*

*/November 1, 2009/*

/ /

*Main Point(s) of sermon:*

·         The Gathering is a charismatic church

·         We need to seek the Spirit to empower us.

*Objectives of sermon:*

·         To inspire our church to eagerly seek the presence and empowerment of the Spirit.

* *

*Prep: *

·         Spirit verses.

·         029, 082, 088

·         Baptism of Spirit paper, leftovers

 

*Scripture reading: *Acts 2:14-21

 

 

Intro: Purpose of series

 

I am *looking* *forward* to this sermon series because it is a chance both to *study* *personally* and *preach* about a topic that’s very important but I’ve been *shy* about because of *controversy*.

·         The *gifts* of the Holy *Spirit* are a topic that has *dividing* churches since the turn of the *20th* *century*.

On one hand are groups that say that the spiritual gifts (esp.

tongues and prophecy) *disappeared* with the completion of the Bible and seem to be a *little* *scared* of the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, there are other groups that spiritual gifts to such an *extreme* that they *violate* *Biblical* *principles* of the Bible and *scare* most Christians.

Or perhaps you *don’t* even *know* what I am *talking* *about* – we will get there.

·         The *Spirit* has become *polarizing*, which is the opposite of Jesus’ desires, because the Spirit is supposed to *unite* us.

And is always the case the *polarization* makes it hard to find s *common* *ground* and focus on what *unites*.

It also makes it hard to *look* at *Scripture* to *clearly* see, as our *biases* get in the way.

My goal for this series is *twofold*:

 

1.

To help us become *Biblically* *grounded* in what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit and his gifts.

One friend said to me that he looks forward when we teach on the gifts of the Spirit because we attempt *ground* everything in the *Word* and give a *commonsense* *perspective*.

·         But that is *useless* information if there is no *change*.

2.

To see The Gathering become more *filled* with the Spirit, more dependent upon him, and *more* *empowered* by him for life and ministry, through *whatever* *manifestation* he chooses.

Prayer

 

 

Why this matter?

The first question to ask (and hopefully answer) is “*So* *what*?” or “Why does this matter?”

We could start with “Jesus said so”:

 

*John 16:7 *  7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.

Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Jesus genuinely saw his leaving as best thing: If you had to *choose* between me staying here or getting the *Spirit*, you really should choose the Sprit.

Why?

 

*John 14:12 *  I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.

He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Not that we would do *better* *miracles* than him, but that by the Sprit, we will replicate what he did to many *times*, *places*, and *cultures*.

He is the *prototype* of what a life lived through the Spirit looked like.

·         We see “*greater* *things*” when *Peter* (who had denied Jesus) boldly *preached* on *Pentecost* and had more converts than Jesus.

Put another way: If we *ignore* power of the Spirit, we’re living *short* of what God has for us, like a man *digging* a ditch with a *shovel* because he doesn’t know how to use his *ditch*-*digger*.

·         I was told this at *camp*, but because it came in a *different* way than I *expected* (and slower too), I *didn’t* *understand*.

Personal Experience

 

In few moments, we will talk how he specifically aids us, but first let me *speak* *personally* – I have been a *Christian* a long time (30 years), grew up in a *Charismatic* *church*, ordained with a *Pentecostal* denomination, but I am *more* *dependent* on the Spirit now that I have ever been, and I *love* *it*.

·         *Every* *morning* I pray for the Spirit to *guide* *me* and speak through me, and I do the same at the beginning of each sermon.

·         That’s why I went back and prayed *last* *Sunday*, not out of *obligation* but *desperation*.

The *specific* *ways* the Spirit works through me is hand-in-glove with my *personality* (which God also gave me).

You won’t see standing on a street corner evangelizing, but it is very real.

That’s why I want the Spirit active in *all* of our *lives*.

*Imagine* everyone in the church moving fully in the Spirit.

We would both be *growing* more *personally* and *serving* the church in many ways.

Pneumatology 101

 

Let’s begin by a very abbreviated look at the Spirit and his history (so to speak).

He shows up in the very beginning:

 

*Genesis 1:1-2 * In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Scripture makes it clear that he a person, not an inanimate force (i.e. he can be grieved and John breaks rules of grammar to call him “he” not “it” in John 14:8).

He is active throughout the OT, speak through OT prophets, empowering to complete their mission (e.g.

Samson and building the tabernacle, which says something about labor as ministry), and ability to interpret dream.

·         But there is no sense of the Spirit *indwelling* and *empowering* “*regular*” people – he more came for special events.

Yet there was a promise that that would change:

 

...I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.*

*/Joel 2:28-29 NIV/* * 

 

Then comes Jesus.

After his death and resurrection, before he ascends ha says:

 

*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 with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

This happens on Pentecost, and they understand God was fulfilling his promise in Joel, which is why Peter quoted it.

Following Pentecost, the Holy Spirit’s involvement literally explodes.

He is mentioned 90x in the OT and 115x in Paul’s writings, which doesn’t seem like that much more, except the OT is 14 times longer – Paul mentions the Spirit 17 ½ times more!

If the Spirit was active in the OT era, he is (literally) all over the place in the NT era.

We see him working through ever Christian in ways both mundane and spectacular.

·         Shortly after the NT, there’s a decline in “the *gifts*” (esp.

the more *spectacular* ones: *prophecy*, *tongues*, and *miracles*).

My theory is that the ambiguity of the Spirit speaking through fallible humans vrs. the certainty of Scripture caused people to grow suspicious of the Spirit’s work.

·         They were right to trust *Scripture* *over* *prophecy*, but they threw the *baby* *out* with the bathwater.

While there were occasional “Pentecostal” experiences throughout history, things didn’t really change until the turn of the 20th century with the Azusa Street Revival.

Some historians believe that this literally saved the church.

While they were initially rejected, the Pentecostals brought a thirst for the Spirit back to the church.

Three views of the Spirit’s work

 

That brings up to today.

There are basically three different views of the Holy Spirit, particularly if he still works miraculously today as he did in the NT.

 

·         Note: these *terms* are *used* *differently* by different people.

 

1.

Cessationists: They say that these gifts ceased after the completion of the NT.

 

2.

Pentecostals: All of spiritual gifts of the NT are still available today and Christians must go through a “Baptism of the Holy Spirit,” with the evidence of speaking in tongues, to receive them.

* *

3. Charismatics: All of the gifts of the Spirit are still available when we are saved.

Q   Which one of these do you think best *describes* The *Gathering*?

The Gathering is basically Charismatic, but this definition, though we won’t necessarily use that term because of the connotations it has to many people.

Pentecostal vrs.

charismatic

 

Without spending too much time, I want to briefly point out that all of the elders believe the baptism of the Spirit is component of salvation, not something separate from it.

·         That doesn’t mean a “*Baptism*” experience is *invalid*, but rather *misunderstood* and *mislabeled* (more later).

·         A paper is available on *my* *blog* explaining the *theology*[1].

It is not in our doctrinal statement, because it is not worth dividing over.

But it is important to mention for two reasons:

 

1.

Need to know we won’t pray for a person to be “baptized” as a one-time event but rather continually “filled.”

 

2.

The idea of “two tiers” of Christianity is both unbiblical and harmful.

Some Pentecostals will say that Billy Graham is not Spirit-filled because he doesn’t speak in tongues and think of themselves as more complete Christians because they do.

I see no Biblical evidence of there being two types of Christians: Christian 1.0 and Christian 2.0.[2] What I do see is that many Christians, either out of fear or ignorance, failing to utilize what God has given them.

·         It’s like a *kid* in a *candy* *store* wishing he had money, forgetting that his dad owns the store.