Living in the Spirit
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Over the last several weeks, we have read as the disciples waited and prepared. They are united, dedicated to the spiritual discipline of prayer, and preparing themselves for the next step. It is important for us to see the disciples gathered together in unity. The Spirit of God works best when believers come together for the sake of the Gospel. Division hurts the testimony of the church and prevents the Christians from being the light God has called us to be. We need to be united together in Christ, through prayer, and in mission. The disciples don’t know when the Spirit is going to arrive, but they are faithfully and obediently preparing for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:1-12, we read about the Spirit’s arrival.
God always blesses us when we are obediently following Him. He is always faithful to keep His promises, provide for us, and lead us through life. There are definitely times in life, especially when we are in the middle of the struggles or difficulties, when we may begin to doubt. Satan wants us to doubt. He wants us to feel isolated from God and from other believers. It is easy for us to begin to think we are alone and no one understands our situations. But God always provides. He personally provides for us and also provides people in other people in our lives to help support us. I wonder if the disciples went through any of these ideas. They were gathered together and were waiting for the Spirit. I wondered if any of them doubted. It is easier for us to read the Scriptures and understand the Spirit is coming and the power He will bring. The disciples didn’t have the benefit of hindsight to carry them through, but they faithfully and obediently trust God to deliver on His promises. So follow along as I read beginning in Acts 2:1.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
The Holy Spirit arrives. In fact, the Spirit arrives in such a way that there is no room for doubt. As I read the description of the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit arrives with power in ways that our words probably are not enough to describe. Luke can only say like a mighty rushing wind, and then think about the description of these tongues of fire. I can’t even really picture what that would look like. Somehow a bunch of tongues on fire doesn’t really provide me with a feeling of warm feelings. The Spirit arrives and provides in ways that are beyond the descriptive or comprehensive ability of our finite minds. The gift of the spirit is absolutely important to the disciples in Acts and we see our they are empowered the moment the Spirit arrives. The Holy Spirit is just important to our lives today. God provides the Holy Spirit as a gift.
1. Gift of the Spirit
One of the things we know as believers is that we do not deserve the gifts of God. A believers relationship with God is entirely a free God from God through the blood of Jesus Christ. We do not deserve that sacrifice, there is nothing we can do to earn that sacrifice. God provides for our sinfulness through the gift of His son. The spirit of God is a gift in the same way. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are able to pray directly to God, be guided through the reading of Scriptures, sealed as one of God’s children and given gifts of the Spirit. Every believer is given a gift of the Spirit.
These gifts are given to us through the Spirit of God. As we trust in the Spirit, we will discover and grow in these gifts and every believer has been given a gift of the Spirit.
Every believer has a gift
The gifts of the Spirit are numerous and varied. However, these gifts are not just for the of the individual. These gifts are given for a purpose within God’s kingdom. These gifts are to be used for encouraging the church and for God’s glory.
b. Given for encouraging the church and for God’s glory
Spiritual gifts are never to be used to elevate an individual. There are people who have been blessed tremendously by God and they use their gifts in powerful ways. However, we must be careful not to given credit to individuals over God. Yes we want to be encouraging and build people up, but not by overlooking the work of God. The provision of spiritual gifts are an important part of God’s work today. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 tell us about these gifts.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
Gifts of the Spirit are very real. They are powerful ways that God provides for His church. As we read in Acts, the gift of tongues is definitely on display. I want to be clear that the gift of tongues definitely exists. There are people I have talked with that tend to downplay this gift of the Spirit. In scripture, we see the gift of tongues and healing on display regularly, but often don’t see this in our everyday modern life. I believe that God still uses these gifts. When a person miracles is healed and doctors have no idea what happened. Speaking in tongues still occurs today. I have seen God use this in my life. While this example is not what I typically think of as speaking in tongues, I believe God performed a miracle in this situation. Several years ago, I went on a mission trip to Costa Rica. For a little bit of background, I took two years of Spanish when I was in high school and that had been close to 20 years prior to this trip. I had not even been that good of a Spanish student. But over the course of the week we were in Costa rica, God either provided me with words or allowed be to supernaturally recall things for decades before. There were times I was able to carry on conversation for hours with Spanish speaking individuals, sharing the Gospel, and providing instruction in the Scripture. As I think back on that trip, there is no earthly reason why I should have been able to speak with those individuals in that capacity. Personally, I believe God worked by providing for me to share the Gospel and encourage others for the sake of His Kingdom. The gift of tongues is very much a miracle of communication. Each person present on the day of pentacost when the Spirit arrives hears the disciples in their own language.
What language where they speaking? Was each disciple speaking in a different language, so everyone could understand? Probably not. Whatever language was being spoke, God allowed each person to understand what was being said. This is a miracle of speaking in tongues, but also a miracle of understanding. This event can even been seen a point in time when God reverses the confusion that comes after the fall. Prior to the tower of Babel, all people spoke the same language. People could communicate clearly with no division, but the result is not God glorifying. As a result, of the sinfulness of man, God confuses the languages and seperates mankind around the world. When the Spirit of God arrives, we see God clearing the languages and allowing each person to hear in their own personal language. Where the tower of Babel results in sinful attitudes, the miracle performed when the Spirit arrives results in God’s glory. The disiciples are empowered by the Spirit of God to accomplish His will.
2. Empowered by the Spirit
The disciples are empowered, not for their glory, not to prove that they were right about Jesus. No they are empowered for the sake of the Kingdom. The Spirit is still working to empower those who have faith in Jesus Christ. The first step of this in the empowerment to overcome sin.
Empowered to overcome sin
Without the drawing of the Holy Spirit and the conviction of our sinfulness, no one would come to know God. Romans 3:11 says,
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
Without the Spirit, we would just exist in our sinfulness. We would have no choice, but to be a slave to sin. But through God’s grace, the Spirit of God draws us into a personal relationship with Him. As we surrender to this calling, we recognize that we are sinful people and then can seek forgiveness and repentance. This is the saving work of the Holy Spirit as He points us to the blood of Jesus Christ and when we respond in faith our personal journey with Christ begins.
This recognition of sinfulness doesn’t just happen at the moments leading up to salvation. no, it is a continual process. The Spirit reveals sin in our lives, convicts us of those sins, and then will lead us through repentance. Our choice is how are we going to respond. We can attempt to ignore that drawing, we can just go about doing what we want, but we cannot live for Christ in this manner. I would even say that without repentance and a life lived in obedience, true peace, hope, joy, and purpose will escape us. It is through the work of Christ we find each of those items and about from God we cannot be fulfilled. The Spirit of God desires for us to be right with the Lord and He will work in our lives to help us to do so. When we are walking right with the Lord, the Spirit with empower us to share the Gospel
b. Empowered to share the Gospel
As the disciples are talking in tongues, the mighty works of God are being declared. God desires for the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to go out into the world. The disciples begin be sharing with the people in Jerusalem on the day of Pentacost and we see thousands of people come to know the Lord. God desires for us to do the same thing. Each of us has been tasks with sharing the Gospel message with those around us. I know you may say, but I’m not a pastor or missionary, God could never do anything like that in my life. Let me tell you, God will perform miracles and use you when we are faithful. I used to hate public speaking. I was a musician. I could sing or play an instrument, performing music, but I hated speaking in front of crowds, even the small groups of people in my speech classes in school. I picture God almost laughing as I was sweating giving those speeches. He was probably thinking I know you think this is hard, but I know where I am going to call you. Fast forward years later, I love preaching in front of people. It is a great priviledge and honor to be able to share the scriptures with people. I know I’m not perfect, I make up words sometimes or stumble over a phrase, but God has transformed my heart and provided me with a love to declare His word. The Holy Spirit can and will empower anyone for the sake of the Gospel. We just have to let Him and we do that by living by the Spirit
3. Live by the Spirit
Each and every day, you are going to make a choice. How am I going to live today? Am I going to go about the plans that I have made, following my desires, and making my own choices? or am I going to lay all of those things down and follow what God has for me today? When we choose the first option, we are going to ignore the work of the Spirit. In fact, I would say when we live by our choices, we are elevating ourselves and declaring our works. Living by the Spirit is exactly the opposite. As the crowd of people are hearing the disciples speech, they are hearing the mighty works of God. When we live by the spirit our lives declare the mighty works of God.
Declare the mighty works of God
Faith is not just about reading your Bible or praying. No faith is about God putting our lives back together, it’s about apply the work of God in our lives, allowing Him to change our hearts, and being used for His Kingdom. Real faith requires action. When we are unsure of ourselves or a situation, we have faith and trust in God. In the midst of difficulties we look to God and allow Him to provide. Phillippians 4:6-7 says,
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We don’t need to worry or be anxious about anything. God is a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. He controls everything. When we have faith in the one, true God, that faith must lead to life change. and that life will often be misunderstood by the lost.
b. Misunderstood by the lost
People thought the disciples were drunk when the Spirit came upon them. The secular world will always attempt to find ways to explain away the things of God. All around us, people look to explain creation apart from God. However, the exact opposite is true, creation screams at us about the glories of God. But our job is not to make people believer, or force them to live a certain way. No our job is to faithfully live for Christ and share the Gospel when given the opportunity. We do our job, God does His, and then the choice is up to each individual. So even though we may be understood, we must live for God. In fact, I would even say a life lived through the Spirit will draw people to God. When the disciples are talking, a large crowd gathers to see what is going on. This presents the opportunity for God to work in the hearts and minds of many of the lost in Jerusalem. Let us live those types of lives. May our faith be lived in such a way that people are drawn to Christ.
Today we have a great opportunity to do just that. All around us people are confused and looking for answers. We can be a great witness by living through the peace of God and allowing the Spirit to work through us. So today how are you going to live? Through the spirit or through the world?