Many of us know that we need to change in some way in our lives. We need to be more loving, more patient, more kind, more committed, more fruitful. But how can we actually change? Well the answer is that if we really want to see change in our lives, then we need the help of God. That can happen when we repent of our sins and we are 'born again' as Jesus put it. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us a new nature and new desires to live for God.
But there is something more needed to see ongoing change; yes we need to be born again by the Holy Spirit but also we need to be baptised with the power of the Holy Spirit just like we need to be baptised in water. We not only need to have the Holy Spirit within us, we also need to be immersed by the Holy Spirit. You need the fire of God within you, but also a heavenly fire that comes upon you, like it did for the first disciples on the Day of Pentecost.
Just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus made it very clear to His disciples that they needed a greater experience of the Holy Spirit than they'd yet had (John 20:22). Even after this wonderful breath of life through which the apostles experienced the Holy Spirit, Jesus explained that their Holy Spirit experience was still incomplete. In His final words before His ascension, He commanded them not to go out to preach immediately, but to return to Jerusalem and wait there until they were invested with power from on high so that their testimony and service would be effective (Acts 1:4-8). So how can we be changed by the Holy Spirit?
1. You must recognise your need to be filled with God’s power (1 Corinthians 4:20; Acts 1:4)
a. The Holy Spirit will be our comforter (John 14:18; John 16:7)
b. The Holy Spirit will be our guide (John 16:13)
c. The Holy Spirit will be our teacher (John 14:26)
d. The Holy Spirit will be our authority (Luke 24:49)
2. You can be freed from fear (Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14; Acts 4:13; Acts 4:31)
3. You can be focussed on your great mission in life (Acts 1:6-8)
a. Home city ('Jerusalem')
b. Region and Nation ('Judea and Samaria')
c. The world ('to the ends of the earth')
Apply
Do you recognise your need to be filled with God’s power? It’s not enough to say you are a Christian; you need the power to live as a Christian and to be an effective witness for Christ. You need and every church needs to always experience the power of God (1 Corinthians 4:20). The disciples knew that Jesus had the power of God, but they themselves needed a lot more spiritual authority if they were to see miracles like Jesus saw. They were not ready yet to go and change the world. That’s why Jesus commanded them in Acts 1:4: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.' The promise of the Father was the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit will be: our comforter (John 14:18; John 16:7); our guide (John 16:13); our teacher (John 14:26); and our authority (Luke 24:49). These were the promises that the disciples needed to receive. There was a lot more to come for them and there is more to come for every Christian today. But, like the first disciples, we have to seriously focus on receiving our inheritance. We need to put time aside and pray until we receive this baptism of the Holy Spirit. You should not be content to stay where you are, just getting by as a Christian. You should be honest with God and honest with yourself that you that you need much more than you have! As the great preacher C.H. Spurgeon put it: ‘We must have the Holy Spirit’s power and presence; otherwise our religion will become a mockery before God, and a misery to ourselves.’
Are you nervous about sharing your faith? Are you free to speak about Jesus to your family, your friends, in school or university, in the place where you work or in the street or on the train? After Jesus was crucified, the apostles were very scared people. They ran away and went into hiding. They were intimidated by the religious leaders. They were full of fear, but everything changed when they received the Holy Spirit's power that Jesus promised them (Acts 1:8). They suddenly had a new confidence and authority. Their tongues were freed to speak in other languages and also to speak boldly to all who heard them (Acts 2:14; Acts 4:13; Acts 4:31). When we experience the Holy Spirit, we really can be set free to enjoy life and confidently tell others about Jesus. Can you tell others with confidence about the great love of God, about forgiveness, faithfulness, freedom and the hope of new beginnings? The answer to losing your fear and having a bold faith is to be baptised and daily filled with the Holy Spirit.
Are you focussed on your great and God-given mission in life? The disciples wanted to focus on Israel and when God would fulfil prophecy, which we heard about last week. But Jesus wanted them to focus on spreading the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world (Acts 1:6-8). The coming of the Holy Spirit is to equip the whole church, whatever role you have in life, to spread the whole gospel to the whole world. And Jesus has given us a clear strategy for doing this. First we must be witnesses for Christ in our home city (‘Jerusalem’). For many of us that means having a plan to spread the whole gospel to all of the 100 different ethnic groups in Slough or to everyone in Windsor or in Robertson, South Africa. We must focus on reaching our whole towns and cities. Also we must be focussed on reaching our Region and Nation (‘Judea and Samaria’). For us this can mean London or the Western Cape and all of the UK and South Africa. We must share in the responsibility for the spiritual state of our great cities and nations. We must do all we can to re-evangelise and rebuild every nation. But also we must have the heart and vision to share the gospel with the world (‘to the ends of the earth’). Whoever we are and wherever we are, we must be a light to the nations. God loves the world and so must we. Our goal is to make disciples of all nations. The fire of God spreads when we each first receive the fire of God in our hearts and lives and then spread that fire to others. Today ask for God to send you His fire and the promised Holy Spirit.
