We become people of fully realized potential when the Holy Spirit comes upon us (including our body).
We are investigating the complete integration of the spirit, soul and body for purposes of reaching our maximum potential in Christ.
In a previous message we considered the two-tiered philosophy of our day. For example, the SCOTUS determined in Roe vs. Wade that an embryo and fetus are human but not person.
The dangerous two-tiered philosophy may show up in Christian thought in relationship to spirit, soul and body. “I am spirit and soul with no emphasis upon body.”
In this life, I have no potential without or outside my body.
One of the most important, yet extremely difficult things in life is to properly approach the Bible.
We can first hold our beliefs and then read and understand the Bible through our beliefs OR we can first read and understand the Bible and then form our beliefs.
In the first scenario, I force the Bible to say what I want it to say. In the second, the Bible forces me to believe and respond to what God has said.
Let’s lay aside all of our beliefs about our relationship with the Holy Spirit and see what the Bible says and then come back and form our beliefs.
God gives us three primary position terms for our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The three position terms of our relationship with the Holy Spirit are with (para), in (en) and upon (epi).
The Holy Spirit is With
- 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. John 14:15-17
- “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
The Holy Spirit In
- 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17
- 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:11-14
- 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19
The Holy Spirit Upon
- 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
What happens in the human body when the Spirit comes upon? 1 Samuel 10:1-7
Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’ 3 Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 5 After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
In this passage we see:
- Anointing 1
- Obedience 2-5
- The Spirit Rushes Upon 6
Samuel declares two results of the Spirit coming upon Saul, prophesy and becoming a new person.
When the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, throughout the entire Bible, Spirit inspired speech follows.
- Speech Inspired by the Holy Spirit
- Speech in a language previously unknown
- Speech in a language of the spirit
When the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, the person experiences…..
- Creativity beyond human natural capacity. Genesis 1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1, 2
30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer. Exodus 35:30-35
- Empowered living beyond human natural power. Judges 6:34
But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.
- The birthing of things of God beyond human natural capacity. Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Jesus, our Great Example, experienced the Holy Spirit descending upon Him. Luke 4:18, 19
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Again, notice the connection of the Spirit and anointing.
In this portion of our weekend worship, we will anoint one another with the following prayer.
“As I anoint you with oil, may the Holy Spirit come upon you as He came upon Jesus, those in the Upper Room and millions of Christians since then. May you be clothed with the Spirit’s speech, creativity and power. May new things of God be born within and through you as the Spirit rushes in upon you and you become a new person.”
MCA LIFE GROUP HOMEWORK
Listen – My Story
- When was the first time you heard about the Holy Spirit or your first experience with Him?
- Do you have a favorite Holy Spirit experience? Maybe a time when he was with, in or upon you?
Learn – Digging Deeper
- Pease read Joel 2:28-29.
- Which preposition for the relationship with the Holy Spirit is used?
- Who will be the recipients of the relationship?
- What will these recipients do as a result of this relationship?
- Please read Acts 2:1-16
- How might Peter have known the Acts 2 experience was a fulfillment of Joel 2?
- As God fulfills Joel 2 in your life today, how will you know?
Lift – Prayer
- Please pray for the many MCA folks who are asking the Spirit to come upon them with creativity, empowerment and a longing for new things of God to be born in and through them.
- Pray for those who desire to have Holy Spirit inspired speech and to experience the “rushing in upon” that produces a brand-new person.
Life – Taking it Home
- What in practical day to day things, do you desire the Holy Spirit to do in and through you?
- What do you need to consider changing in order to become more comfortable with the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit?