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I’m convinced we don’t know as much about the Holy Spirit as we think we do.  Leonard Ravenhill used to always get upset when people tried to force the Spirit into a box and knowing God into 3 steps to accepting Jesus, or being filled with the Spirit, or whatever.  If you look at history - God’s Spirit has always moved - but it moved in different ways throughout history - but the Spirit has never been absent.  You see the Spirit in the early church, the early church Fathers, Augustine in North Africa, Patrick in the British Isles, Francis in Europe, Luther & Calvin in the Reformation, Wesley, Edwards & Whitefield in the Great Awakennings, we saw the move of God in the 1900’s when the Spirit was moving and lots was being written and experienced that came from Andrew Murray, R. A. Torrey, and Azusa street.  We continue to see it in many different forms and manifestations.  The worst thing any group can do is to believe they invented, created, the Holy Spirit or that it showed up with them.  The Holy Spirit is God and has been and is present and is active and at work.  We must keep a global, historical, and eternal view of God - meaning the Holy Spirit.

I believe when you look at God’s Spirit and how it worked in the first century it was in everyone and everywhere.  After that, it would be seen in specific movements more than the others.  I don’t believe that’s how we will see the Spirit operate in the 21st century.  I think with the convergence of all knowledge, domains, and discipline you are seeing the Spirit spread virally through people and groups like never before in the history of humanity.  The Spirit is the broth in a soup mix that is covering the earth.  This is proven out when we realize the power of the Holy Spirit in the global church - its an undebated issue and reality. 

I LOVE Terry Virgo and highly recommend his book the Spirit-Filled Church.  Gordon Fee’s Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God, along with other writers like Martin Lloyd Jones, Watchman Nee, A.W. Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill, and yes Bonhoeffer.  There would points with all of those men I would disagree and for a fact they would disagree with one another on - but here is where they would ALL AGREE - and where I hang my hat - we can and must all be filled with the Spirit. 

First of all, I’m with Ravenhill - formulas to guarantee you know God become idols and dead end paths, how God worked in one era with one person or group changes - the Spirit is wind.  Though Terry Virgo and I would differ on the “technology” of how the Spirit works I definitely believe he is filled with the Spirit and he believes I am filled with the Spirit.  There has to be a lot of grace extended to people that God will work as he will.  I’m convinced the Spirit has been quenched and grieved because people thought the Spirit was a project, or a set of steps to walk into - its the Spirit - it’s the wind. 

Second of all, I do believe we receive all of God at salvation - unequivocally - the Trinity is not dissected.  HOWEVER, just thinking that Jesus is there doesn’t mean you glorify him neither does knowing you were sealed in salvation with the Spirit assures you are filled, anointed, or empowered.  Whether it is at salvation - or a “second blessing” each position would adhere to the fact that you need to be “continually being filled with the Spirit” as Eph. 5:17 says.

Third, how do you know you are filled with the Spirit?  That’s easy - the fruit of the Spirit in Eph. 5:22 makes it clear.  You can speak in tongues all you want - but if you don’t emulate the fruit of the Spirit - the gifts of the Spirit are a joke and fabricated or worse.  I like what Ravenhill says, the sign of the Holy Spirit is holiness.  I’m grateful for the spiritual gifts the Spirit God has bestowed upon me - but 1 Cor., 13 makes it clear without love none of those mean anything. 

Fourth, the filling of the Spirit isn’t just for me, but the body of Christ as we built up one another and grow the body of Christ as Jesus is glorified and people hear about God.  One of the things Terry said I loved last week as he spoke at our church was how that the coming of the Holy Spirit upon people wasn’t something new - they all experienced it in the Old Testament be it Joseph, Gideon, Jeremiah, etc., The good news is, the Spirit of God comes upon all of us for function in the body to glorify Jesus.  God’s eternal purpose is his family - for now, that means calling out to lost humanity to bring that family together and to build up that family as his body.  This is impossible without the Holy Spirit.

Fifth, I’m more concerned what happens after a person is “baptized” in the Spirit or “filled” with the Spirit than I am in an experience.  I grew up with lots of charismatics and pentecostals.  We mainliners would accept Jesus and then backslide.  We were told if we had the Spirit we would be able to not backslide.  Well, some of us “got” the Spirit and still backslid.  If anything, I actually had friends and even family get really frustrated because they were filled or baptized (whatever your terminology) and then fell and felt they could never get up again because they had that special experience and they were left feeling defeated.  I’ve met NorthWood members who have come from churches where what was taught on the Holy Spirit and practiced was really forms of spiritual abuse (you don’t have enough faith, you haven’t been filled, you need to be anointed, etc.,) and if you would just seek a new blessing.  Peter Wagner was speaking to us one day and a very prominent charismatic pastor asked him why is it one day we have thousands in a big charismatic church and the next day they are all running down the street to another charismatic church.  Wager basically stated that it was because people were running for an anointing or something instead of God - he was right. 

Sixth, you don’t have to work it up - just ask God to fill you or baptize you in his Spirit and he will!  I LOVE Terry Virgo - he cracks me up - we had a time so that if anyone wasn’t sure if they had been filled/baptized with the Spirit they could come forward and we’d lay hands on them and pray for them.  The man at the keyboard was playing music - he had him stop - he didn’t want anyone manipulating anything!  He didn’t have to create an atmosphere for the Spirit the Spirit is God.  I’ve NEVER heard a man preach on the Spirit as gentle as Terry preached on it - soft-spoken, Englishman, and then softly “now just pray and ask him to fill you . . . ”  and people met God.  It was powerful.

Seventh - continue to be filled with the Spirit.  Each morning, get up and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you so that he can convict, guide, direct, empower, and use you for his glory. 

FINALLY - let God be God.  He’s going to work different for different reason in everyone’s life - don’t project your experience with the Spirit on others and don’t judge others by it.  The Spirit is love and gentleness with a lot of humility.  God has reasons for what he does he doesn’t always tell us.  In the end, there is more we don’t know about God than we do know - the greatest thing we know is the joy of his presence in our life.  I love what Gordon Fee wrote about this - that in the end, it’s the presence of someone we live being near us that means the most.  As God moved in a powerful way at our church Sunday night - with some he moved one way, with others another way.  I told them, allow God to be God as he chooses in others.  Receive from God what he wills you to receive, but don’t dictate to others what that looks like.  He is God of all and Lord of all.  The presence of God is spelled H-O-L-Y-S-P-I-R-I-T.

So today Holy Spirit, we love you with all our hearts.  Thank you that you came to be with us as the very presence of God living inside of us.  I ask you , Holy Spirit fill every portion and every part of me.  Flow in and out of my very being.  Kill and destroy my flesh so people may see Jesus and not me.  I receive you and accept all that want to do today.  Use me as a vessel of honor and let mer serve you today to extend and expand your kingdom.  Convict me of sin so there is no barrier between us.  Direct me in all I do.  Keep me alert of your’e movement through out this day so I am in step with what you want done.  Protect me not just from myself, but from evil and anything satanic that would want to harm me.  I love you God, I yield myself as your channel today.  I know that, you are with me.  You are walking before me, behind me, above me, beneath - deep within me - you are God and I am yours - that is enough.