Have You Been Baptized in the Holy Spirit?
Good Morning Friends,
John the Baptist preached that Jesus was coming to baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire. And if you have experienced it you know that it is an internal discovery of the power and anointing of God that takes us beyond repentance to experience God’s will for us in our life. And friends, make no mistake about it, this is necessary if one hopes to have the power and boldness to be a witness to others. We can sniff it or we can take in a lungful. But this is to be nothing less than the breath of spiritual life that fills us to overflowing, covering and immersing us in a new life. Have You Been Baptized in the Holy Spirit?
Scripture: I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Matthew 3:11 (NRSV)
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.
Luke 4:1-2 (NRSV)
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38 (NRSV)
That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Acts 10:37-38 (NRSV)
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Romans 8:11 (NRSV)
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
John 20:21-22 (NRSV)
Message: Jesus’ ministry was guided by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was born by the work of the Spirit and Jesus was led by the Spirit to suffer temptation and come out spotless. Jesus was empowered by the Spirit to do ministry and was filled with wisdom and knowledge by The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave Jesus words to speak and get this, the power of the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. And now friends, this transformative power lives in us. And that means we have enough power to do some amazing things…including being obedient to God. Yes, the Holy Spirit will help us to overcome our fears and temptations so we might love the more. And yes, the Holy Spirit will help us expand the borders of God’s blessings if we but follow His agenda. You see, God wants us to be part of His Hand at work in our world. God desires for us to discover what really matters. But we each have to face our self in the mirror and decide if we are going to choose our own will over God’s will for us. Here we discover that God’ provision is high-yield so the investment He requires seems high-risk. Sometimes it takes decades, for others years, but be assured, God is preparing a place of service for each of us born of the Holy Spirit. Here we experience the Spirit and the power that is brought on for each of us to connect, change and be transformed. The hope is that today and each day we can be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire….forged together with each other as the Body of Christ. Friends, the Holy Spirit evokes, empowers and engages us in a transformation that bears fruit. We are formed in a way to reflect a new identity that is both individual and collective. Friends, Jesus is both 100% human and 100% God, so too our existence needs to be connected to the divine before we can experience a transformation that comes from our God who exists three in one. Friends, Jesus as a human, like you and like me was tempted and yet unlike us fully submitted to and was guided by the Holy Spirit. His life is a picture of the perfect work of the Holy Spirit in man. The power is on right now for us to be transformed so we might never sin again. The power is on for us to be a blessing together.
Pray the Holy Spirit blows the dust off the relics of our religion. Pray we walk in a deeper, authentic faith with the power of who Jesus says we are…children of God. Pray we not try to live the Gospel in our own strength but discover a pathway to Holy Spirit power. Pray we discover a new identity and a new way of being in the power of the Spirit. Pray that our focus shifts from me getting saved, me getting forgiven, me finding peace, me avoiding hell and me going to heaven to a reality that is community centered as well. Pray that God would bless each of us when our trinity is not me, myself and I. Pray our family resemblance shifts to a heavenly relationship. Pray for greater intentionality to be a missionary that embraces a challenge of having a beauty that is more than skin deep. Pray the Holy Spirit teaches us to be disciples. Pray we turn our everyday lives over to God to remake them and us for his glory. Pray that the Holy Spirit would keep us from evil. Pray we would each day look forward to seeing how God will engage us in His agenda for our lives. Pray we seek Him. Pray we surrender to God. Pray we follow Him. Pray we have strength and discernment. Pray we stay away from temptation and walk with and for Christ. Pray we realize that nothing is impossible with God. Pray we trust, receive, believe and have faith. Pray we are baptized and grow in the Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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