But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.     Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Lk.2:10-11)

The birth of Christ was declared to be good news by the angles who announced his birth. Good news, of course, is the definition of the word gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of Jesus Christ. In this verse, the idea is linked to the title of Savior. If you’re drowning and someone shows up on the scene who can save you – that’s good news. A world drowning in sin and hopelessness needed some good news and that was Jesus! It is still the same today.

The declaration of good news by angels to shepherds in the gospel of Luke was not the first use of that term related to Jesus. In Isaiah 61, the prophet who spoke often of the coming Messiah, declared on behalf of the one who would come, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn” (Isa.61:1-2). This is one of the great Messianic prophecies and it gives us some significant insights into the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Somehow in the past 200 years the gospel of Jesus for many has simply become the message that Jesus died for our sins so that we could be forgiven and live forever in heaven. If that was all the gospel promised, that would be more than enough but the truth is that it offers much more. The “good news” referenced in Isaiah 61 includes the healing of broken hearts, freedom from every form of bondage including sin, release for those who have been imprisoned in spiritual darkness, and the declaration that God is for us rather than against us. Too many believers have lived a Christian life believing that the extent of Christ’s power in their lives was forgiveness. As a result, they live forgiven but not transformed. They live as if freedom from bondage, addictions, fear, depression, and all the other things that hinder the witness of believers is only available after their funeral. They seem to believe that forgiveness is for now but transformation only comes in heaven. But that is not the gospel.

The good news the shepherds heard 2000 years ago was that not only will your sins be forgiven in Christ but the power of Christ will make you into a new creation in this world as well as the world to come. If you were to read the next few verses of the Isaiah 61 passage you would see the word “instead” mentioned several times. The prophecy promises that when Jesus came the lives of people would be drastically changed. In Christ they would exchange ashes for a crown of beauty, mourning for the oil of gladness, and despair for a garment of praise. In each life there would be radical reversals – not just the forgiveness of sin but radical transformation.

Yet how many of us know long-time believers whose lives and conditions are hardly different from those who don’t know Jesus at all. Sometimes, they remain in the same condition in which they met Jesus because they don’t know what has been made available to them through the cross. The announcement of angels that a Savior had been born was intended to communicate that this Savior would not only deliver them from sin but also from their brokenness and their bondage. That is a gift worth celebrating. That is a gift you definitely want to unwrap and yet many believers leave most of the packages Christ has purchased for them under the tree. They leave the gifts unclaimed because they don’t know what’s in the boxes nor do they know that those presents are for them. This Christmas you may want to seriously consider all the gifts in heaven with your name on them and begin to confidently ask God to release those gifts into your life because in the Kingdom of Heaven, every day is a day to celebrate Jesus and every day is Christmas.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isa.7:14). For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. (Isa.9:6-7)

These are two of the great Messianic prophecies of Isaiah that are traditionally connected to Christmas. Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14 in relation to the birth of Jesus (Mt.1:23) as one of the definitive signs that the Messiah had come. These verses reveal the mind of God regarding the birth of his son and give us some insights that should be recalled at Christmas.

First of all, Jesus is God. Through the prophets, God wanted us to know that he was coming and that he would be coming as a man. Immanuel is descriptive because it means “God with us.” From this side of the cross and the resurrection the idea that God came in the flesh is still difficult to wrap our minds around but before the cross and the revelation of the New Testament it would seem impossible to understand.

The Jewish view of God was one of power and glory rather than in infant who needed to have his diaper changed by a teenage girl from the backwaters of Galilee. Isaiah’s vision perfectly depicts the Jewish revelation of God. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa.6:1-3). To make the incarnation even more difficult to grasp, John tells us that the glorious one Isaiah saw in his vision was Jesus (see Jn.12:41). Imagine now the Word of God seated on a throne in heaven, huge in stature and glory, surrounded by powerful angels singing his praises. Now imagine that same God being reduced and somehow poured into the womb of a tiny Jewish girl.

Even more amazing than the miracle of an infinite God becoming a finite human is the willingness of God himself to do such a thing for a fallen race. Why would such a God come to live among us and to be one of us? In the book by the same name, Job cries out to God and asks, “Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees? Are your days like those of a mortal or your years like those of a man” (Job 10:4-5). His complaint was that God was judging him without really knowing what it was like to be a man subject to weakness, pain, and temptation. After the birth of Christ, that complaint was answered because God would experientially know exactly what it was like to be a man subject to all the hurts, disappointments, and losses of this world.

In addition, Isaiah confirmed that Jesus was God’s greatest and most perfect gift to his people. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Certainly, we did not deserve salvation. Certainly God was not obligated to do anything for us. And yet, the God who is love was compelled by his love to give himself in the form of a son to ultimately make things right in a world that had gone terribly wrong.

Not only would Jesus answer our sin problem by his sacrifice but he would also rise from the dead to take his place again on the throne he had occupied when Isaiah got his glimpse of heaven. From that moment on Jesus assumed the title and role of King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is already the Prince of Peace and Wonderful Counselor to those who know him and we are moving toward his return when all the earth will be under his rule. There is a mystery about the Trinity for Jesus will also be known not only as Mighty God but Everlasting Father whose rule will be without end and whose imprint will be that of peace. That peace was declared at his birth by angels who sang, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men upon whom his favor rests” (Lk.2:14). The incredible gift that brings peace to those who believe now and to an entire world later – that is the spirit of Christmas. I hope you will find some time for peace during this season for Jesus is our peace.

One of my favorite authors is Philip Yancey. As far as I can tell, his theology would not at all be charismatic but he has insights into the word and into spiritual things that are fresh, honest and thought provoking. One such insight is found in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew. As Christmas is upon us I want to share a lengthy quote from his book and then make a few observations that come to me as a result of his thoughts.

Sorting through the stack of cards that arrived out our house last Christmas, I note that all kinds of symbols have edged their way into the celebration. Overwhelmingly, the landscape scenes render New England towns, buried in snow, usually with the added touch of a horse-drawn sleigh. On other cards, animals frolic: not only reindeer but chipmunks, raccoons, cardinals, and cute gray mice. One card shows an African lion reclining with a foreleg draped affectionately around a lamb. Angels have made a huge comeback in recent years, and Hallmark and American Greetings now feature them prominently, though as demure, cuddly-looking creatures, not the type that would ever need to announce “Fear not!” The explicitly religious cards focus on the holy family, and you can tell at a glance these folks are different. They seem unruffled and serene. Bright gold halos, like crowns from another world, hover just over their heads. Inside, the cards stress words like love, goodwill, cheer, happiness and warmth. It is a fine thing, I suppose, that we honor a sacred holiday with such homey sentiments. And yet when I turn to the gospel accounts of the first Christmas, I hear a very different tone and sense mainly disruption at work. (Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, p.29; Zondervan)

As I read this chapter again, I am reminded by Yancey and my own thoughts about how intrusive God can be and should be in our lives. Most of us like life to move along at our pace, according our plans and our prayers simply ask God to pave the way for our desires. However, the biblical pattern is somewhat different.

Mary’s world was turned upside down in a moment by an angelic visitation announcing that she would soon be pregnant by the Holy Spirit even though she was only promised to Joseph. Joseph, having decided to divorce his “unfaithful fiancé,” had his plans abruptly reversed by an angelic visit of his own. He would share Mary’s “shame” with her. Sleepy shepherds spending another uneventful night in the fields around Bethlehem were jarred awake in a moment and terrified when the heavens exploded with the glory of God and angels sang. Even wise men from the east were shown a star that somehow compelled them to take a long, difficult journey to find this new king and then to sneak quietly out of the country to avoid Herod’s wrath that had been stirred suddenly by the unexpected announcement of the birth of a new king in Herod’s territory.

Most of us are committed to comfort and doing things for God when the doing is convenient. We like to plan our steps and then enlist God to smooth the way. But in my experience, the big things God wants to do in each life usually require an intrusion that challenges us to drop what we are doing, shelve our plans, and go with God – or simply miss our destiny. Think of how intrusive Jesus was. “Come and follow me!” Leave your boats, your career, even your family on a moment’s notice to take up the call on God has placed on your life. That seems to be God’s approach. A burning bush for Moses. A voice in the night for the boy Samuel. A prophet calling David out of the pastures and pouring oil on his head. A staggering light for Saul of Tarsus at midday. Each was unexpected. Each was intrusive. Each was incredibly inconvenient and in some ways made no earthly sense. Each changed a life and the world forever.

The Christmas story is a series of intrusions that often led to hardship before it led to glory. Here is the question Christmas raises for each of us. Are we open to God’s intrusions or do we turn Him down? Would we be willing to let God have his way in our own lives and at a moment’s notice start down a road never contemplated – even if it is just a five-minute journey to pray for a stranger or to tell someone about Jesus? And before we think about God’s inconvenient intrusions into our own lives, think of God’s own intrusion into the peace and order of heaven when suddenly the Word of God laid aside his glory and his deity and became a small and helpless child who parachuted alone into a world of poverty, danger, disease, sin and persecutions for our sake. That intrusion pointed toward a cross. And yet each of these intrusions led not only to moments or days of hardship but also to world changing encounters orchestrated by the Father.

If we have any hunger for greatness or significance in the kingdom of God we must be open to intrusions – sometimes taking a small bite out of our day and at other times changing the entire course of our lives. My dual nature wants to do something great in the kingdom of God for Jesus while at the same time wants comfort, predictability, and security like a hobbit in the Shire. The question for the day is always which part of me will I follow. Will I embrace God’s surprising intrusions or turn them down as I continue on my own agenda. Christmas dares me to go with God.

In studying the baptism of the Spirit, we should remember that God often provides normative processes and principles for how he works in people but he is not bound to formulas. As we move through the book of Acts we recognize that there were normative manifestations when the Spirit fell on or filled believers. The gift of tongues seems to have been imparted on several occasions (Acts 2, 10). Sometimes prophecy broke out. Boldness to declare the name of Jesus was almost always a recorded result as well as a host of miracles that demonstrated the kingdom of God and the reality of the King. Each of these manifestations reflected Christ’s statement to his disciples in Acts 1 that they would be baptized with the Spirit and receive power to be his witnesses.

Many charismatic churches today believe that speaking tongues is the single evidence or experience for having been baptized in the Spirit. Many believe that “the baptism” must manifest in tongues, in “falling out” in the Spirit, laughing uncontrollably, weeping uncontrollably, or feeling power surging through your body like an electric current. In my experience, all of these can be manifestations of the power of the Spirit falling on a person but we should not limit or define how the Spirit manifests himself after imparting power for ministry to a believer.

Most of the churches that want to see extreme manifestations of the Spirit as proof of being filled with the Spirit would say that no one could operate in healing, deliverance, prophecy, words of knowledge, tongues, miracles, etc. without being baptized in the Spirit. I would agree that baptism or empowering must come first but not always with extreme manifestations of the Spirit. Certainly, spiritual gifts are bestowed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. But I know many believers who operate powerfully in these gifts but have never “fallen out” in the Spirit or felt electricity surging through their bodies and not all speak in tongues.

In 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 Paul gives extended teachings on spiritual gifts that include the “power” gifts of tongues, prophecy, healings, knowledge, miracles, interpretations, etc. in the same list as wisdom, mercy, administration, giving, serving, etc. along with teaching, worship, and evangelism and no one would require extreme manifestations of the Spirit before believing that individuals were operating in these gifts. In addition, Paul never suggests that these gifts are given or received in fundamentally different ways.

To be honest, most of us desire an extreme manifestation of the Spirit because it helps us to have faith that the Spirit has truly done something powerful within us for healing or for empowering. However, we must still be willing to live by faith and not by sight even when it comes to receiving from the Spirit. The evidence of the Spirit’s work in us, including baptism, may manifest over time as we recognize an increase in boldness, effectiveness, the ability to hear God, insights into scripture, a hunger for spiritual things, etc. It may also manifest in response to prayers we have offered up year after year for a spiritual gift that we have desired. That gift may begin to manifest in small ways and slowly and then develop as we use the gift rather than exploding on us as tongues did for the believers at Pentecost.

Remember, I do believe that many individuals have those extreme experiences when they receive the baptism of the Spirit but I also believe that the baptism can occur in more subtle forms. In the kingdom, fruit is the best evidence of what we have received and the fruit of new spiritual gifts, an increase in the effectiveness of gifts we already possess, an increase in boldness, or an upgrade in intimacy with the Father is evidence that we have received the baptism or a new filling. Like most things in the kingdom, we receive those things by asking with faith and then being open to how God responds. The gift of tonguesis certainly one evidence of “the baptism” but is not the only evidence. Wherever and however we operate in the power of the Spirit is ultimately evidence that we have received a baptism and, perhaps, subsequent baptisms for fillings.

Again, I believe the baptism of the Spirit is typically used to describe the first time we are infused with power or spiritual gifts but there will be fillings or more immersions in the Spirit to come. I believe we should always hunger for more, pursue more, and ask for more in our lifelong walk with Jesus and in special moments when we need a turbo-charge from the Spirit we may receive an unexpected filling. Be blessed and be baptized. If you want the baptism of the Spirit ask Jesus for it and then receive what he gives you by faith. If you are not satisfied, keep asking.

Acts 2 describes the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that God would pour out his Spirit on all people. We know from the words of Jesus that this “pouring out” is closely associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the power that would be imparted through that baptism. The question is whether that was a one-time event for the early church or whether it is available to believers today. We might also ask whether it is a one-time experience for believers or whether it can be experienced multiple times. Let me list several scriptures that may give us some insights to these questions. Notice the language in the scriptures and the ways in which the Spirit manifested in these believers.

Acts 2:1-8                   

 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them…(emphasis added)

Acts 4:23-24, 29-31

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God…Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (emphasis added)

Acts 10:44-48

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. (emphasis added)

Acts 8:14-18             

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (emphasis added)

Acts 19:1-7                

 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. (emphasis added)

As you look at these verses, several things become apparent. Several phrases seem to be used interchangeably that describe the same experience. In Acts 2, the moment that tongues of fire appeared over the disciples and they began to speak in tongues is obviously the moment that Jesus had pointed them to when they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit and receive power for witnessing. In this text, baptism with the Spirit is described as being filled with the Spirit. The same language is used in Acts 4 when the same people who were filled in Acts 2 seem to be filled again. Both “fillings” resulted in miraculous signs and boldness to declare the word of God. In Acts 10, the Spirit is poured out even on the Gentiles so they are experiencing the same manifestation that the Jews experienced on Pentecost. The result was speaking in tongues and praising God just as the disciples had done on Pentecost as well. This “baptism with the Spirit” is also described as the Spirit coming on those believers and having been received by those believers. The same language is used in Acts 8 when the Samaritans responded to the gospel and again in Acts 19 in Corinth.

It appears that “baptism with the Spirit” is a moment when the Spirit comes upon a believer in abundance and when the believer receives something from the Spirit not previously given. The idea of receiving suggests that the believer is open to the experience and, perhaps, even desires more of the Spirit or more of what the Spirit offers than what he/she has already received. This idea parallels 1 Corinthians 12-14 where Paul discusses spiritual gifts (a form of empowerment by the Holy Spirit) and tells us that the Spirit distributes those gifts as he determines and invites believers to ask for more.

In summary, the baptism with the Spirit seems to be a moment when the Spirit falls on a believer and imparts power for ministry in some form. The fact that Jesus said that those who had faith in him would do what he had done and even more, requires that the baptism of the Spirit (the empowering of the Spirit) is still available today. It is often referred to as being filled with the Spirit or the Spirit coming on us or falling on us and can happen multiple times. It seems that our first experience of being filled is often called “baptism with the Spirit” and, indeed, a level of spiritual power or gifts remain in us from that point forward although the Spirit may add to that or magnify what is in us when circumstances call for it.

So what about tongues and prophecy and other miracles being manifested when the Spirit first empowers us? I will talk about that in my next blog.

The expression of power to destroy the works of the devil is inherent in the kingdom of God and is part of the ministry of the Spirit through us. Baptism with the Spirit is directly related to such power. Bill Johnson says that a gospel without power is no gospel at all. I agree. The New Testament model for preaching the gospel was the declaration that the Kingdom of God had come followed by a demonstration of that truth. Jesus declared, “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Lk.11:20). When John the Baptist began to question whether Jesus was truly the Messiah, Jesus told John’s followers, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.     Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me” (Mt.11:4-6).

It’s interesting that Jesus did not fit the preconceptions of even John the Baptist when it came to the fulfillment of his mission. Some were being tempted to fall away because Jesus was not using the methodology of the world (power and politics) to establish the kingdom of God on the earth. Today, many believers are much more comfortable with the strategies of the world to build churches than the power of the Spirit. Many church leaders are glad to bring on great music, great sound, state of the art media, celebrity testimonies, and global television productions but balk immediately at the thought of healings, deliverance, and raising people from the dead.

John tells us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn.3:8). Those works were unbelief, disease, demonic oppression, death before God’s appointed times, bondage, physical disabilities, etc. We know those are the works of the devil because those are the very things Jesus reversed over and over again in his ministry and then gifted his church to do the same. To destroy those works requires power and authority.

Jesus told his disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they received power when the Spirit came upon them. Having received that power they would then be equipped to be his witnesses throughout the world. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is closely associated with the “pouring out of the Spirit” in Acts 2. Jesus told his disciples to wait. They waited together as they had been instructed. Suddenly the sound of a violent wind was heard, fire appeared above the heads of the believers, they began to speak in languages they had not learned, and boldness entered into their hearts. Peter’s explanation for the event was that Joel’s prophecy had finally been fulfilled. “No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy” (Acts 2:16-18).

In Acts 1:5, Jesus told his disciples that they would be baptized in the Spirit in a few days and that the Spirit would release power in them when they received that baptism. Power was manifested when the Spirit was poured out so the baptism of the Spirit is closely associated with the fulfillment of Joel 2. A close study of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament reveals that the Holy Spirit healed, raised the dead, prophesied, imparted supernatural power, performed miracles, produced dreams, and everything we see him doing in the New Testament. In the O.T., however, the Spirit was reserved for a few prophets, priests, kings, and judges. In the book of Acts that power is poured out in abundance and made available to every believer. In addition, the Holy Spirit takes up residence and goes to work maturing believers so that their character might match the gifts and power God places within them.

I believe this “pouring out of the Spirit on all flesh (all believers)” was the historic moment when the baptism of the Spirit was made available to every believer. Beginning at that moment, every follower of Jesus has the potential to receive great power from the Holy Spirit for boldness and miracles as we bear witness to the reality of Jesus to those around us. (More about that power today in my next blog).

In John 20, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” but then told them a few days later that they should stay in Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Spirit. This suggests that we can receive the Holy Spirit but then have an additional measure of the Spirit available to us at a different time. The best way to understand this this is to associate “Baptism with the Spirit” with power. In the first chapter of Acts, Luke tells us, “On one occasion, while he (Jesus) was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:4-5,8).

In this text Jesus, clearly associates baptism with the Spirit with power for witnessing. We see that demonstration throughout the book of Acts. On the Day of Pentecost, we see it manifested through boldness, preaching, and a miraculous gift of tongues. If those manifestations of the Spirit only came after the Spirit was poured out on Pentecost then what was the Spirit the disciples received in John 20?

I think it helps to understand that the Holy Spirit has two broad functions or ministries in the life of each believer. One is transformation while the other is empowerment for ministry.

When we come to faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within each of us and begins to transform our hearts, our minds, and our character to make us more and more like Jesus. First of all, he gives life to our spirits that have been dead in sin (see Eph.2:4-5).

Secondly, he begins to give us an understanding of spiritual things. “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they can only be discerned through the Spirit” (1 Cor.2:14).

Thirdly, he begins to bear his fruit or character in our lives. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal.5:22-23). For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)” (Eph.5:8-9).

One part of the Christian life is simply to walk in righteousness as Jesus walked in righteousness. We are to become godly people with the character of Jesus reflected in each of us. We are to be salt and light in a world of darkness. We are to care for the poor and the hurting and even love our enemies. All of these things reflect the heart and character of Christ and without his Spirit we cannot overcome the flesh (our fallen nature) to become like him in our heart as well as our actions. But there is more to the Christian life.

Jesus established a pattern for establishing the kingdom of God on this earth. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Mt.9:35). Wherever he went, Jesus preached the kingdom of God and then demonstrated it. He then commanded his followers to do the same. “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Mt.10:7-9).   The expression of power to destroy the works of the devil is inherent in the kingdom of God and is part of the ministry of the Spirit through us. Baptism with the Spirit is directly related to such power. More about that in my next blog.

 For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezek.36:24 -27)

The Old Testament is full of promises regarding an increase in the move and ministry of God’s Spirit such as the one quoted above. Joel also spoke of a great “pouring out of God’s Spirit” that was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts 1-2. As we read the gospels, the promise is moved from the backburner where it has simmered for centuries and placed on the front the burner so that it began to boil. In my last blog, I listed several scriptures that raised some important issues about the “baptism of the Spirit” and which also give us some insights into the biblical meaning of that phrase. Let’s begin to connect some of those dots now.

John the Baptist came to prepare hearts for the coming of Messiah. When asked if he himself were the Messiah he clearly said that he was not. He also clearly pointed them to one greater than himself who would not just baptize with water, as John was doing, but would also baptize with the Holy Spirit. This was such an important mark of the Messiah that it is mentioned in all four gospels (Mt. 3:11; Mk.1:8; Luke 3:16; Jn. 1:33).

The obvious question that every serious Jew had to be asking was when was this “baptism” going to take place and what would it look like? In John 7, Jesus spoke of rivers of living water flowing from within believers. John explained that Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit whom believers were later to receive because Jesus had not yet been glorified and had not yet released the Spirit.

The “promise of the Spirit” then would come only after Jesus was glorified. John is not saying that there was no ministry or work of the Spirit at that time because the Spirit had been evident and working since Genesis 1:2 when he was brooding over the chaos of earth. The Spirit is powerfully evident in the lives of the prophets, the judges, and the great men and women of the Old Testament. He had also landed on Jesus himself at his baptism by John. This “promise of the Spirit” then was not just the coming of the Spirit because he had already come but it would be an unprecedented manifestation of the Spirit called a “baptism.” This “baptism” would occur after the glorification of Jesus.

Another hint is given in John 14:16-17. Jesus, speaking about the Spirit, told his disciples, “the Spirit lives with you and will be in you.” Prepositions are important. Jesus described the Spirit as being with believers at the time but pointed to a time when the Spirit would be in them. This indicates that the Spirit had ministered to and through believers but would soon actually take up residence within believers as a result of Christ’s sacrifice.

Then, in John 20:19-22, an interesting thing takes place. This incident occurs after the resurrection when Jesus is making multiple appearances to his followers. In this section, Jesus appeared to his disciples – a term used for all of his followers and not just his apostles. In this appearance, Jesus commissions them by saying, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” We are then told that Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” Was that the baptism of the Spirit? Apparently, it was not because a short time later in Acts 1:5, Jesus told his followers to stay in Jerusalem where, in a few days, they would then be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So…what did they receive when Jesus breathed on them? We’ll discuss that in my next blog. Until then, be blessed in Him.

We just finished a Sunday morning class that was a mini-course on the Holy Spirit at our church. The last module of the study is always on the “Baptism of the Spirit.” The conversations are always interesting as people from various faith backgrounds talk about their understanding of the topic. Their understanding falls on a continuum that runs from “any talk about the Baptism of the Spirit is definitely from the devil” to “the baptism of the Spirit is when you fall on the ground, shake all over like your being electrocuted, and jump up speaking in tongues.”

Having heard some of those conversations this morning I thought I might discuss “Holy Spirit baptism” in a brief series to see if I can make biblical sense of it for you. It is an important topic that we should all understand because it is something that Jesus purchased for each of us with his blood. Anything that Jesus purchased for us that we leave sitting on the shelf somehow takes away from his amazing sacrifice. As we begin, I want you to notice that this baptism in the Spirit brought almost immediate transformation to the lives of the disciples. One minute they were hiding from the Jews, and in the next minute they were standing in the temple courts preaching Jesus to the very people who had crucified him only fifty days earlier. If we want to experience that kind of transformation, we need to understand this baptism.

Let me begin by listing a few key verses from the gospels and from Acts that will raise some important questions and frame our brief study. I will bold face some important phrases within the texts.

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Mt.3:11

I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Mk.1:8

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jn.7:38-39

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. Jn.14:16-17

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.     Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Jn.20:19-22

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:4-5

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4

No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.Acts 2:16-17

These verses form a sequence that will give us a great deal of insight for a biblical view of baptism with or in the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to spend some time looking at these verses and others related to the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. I believe that by looking at these you will begin to sense some truths about the baptism of the Spirit. Be sure to look at each verse in detail noting verb tenses, prepositions, and so forth. I will begin to discuss these verses in my next blog. You may want to print these verses off for reference as we look at them this week. I n addition, be sure to ask the Holy Spirit for revelation about this baptism. Blessings!

PSALM 100

A Psalm for Thanksgiving.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving  and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.

Americans celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday. My guess is that few really took time away from cooking, early Black Friday shopping, and football to truly give thanks to the Lord for His blessings. This psalm of David reminds us of the power and the promptings for giving thanks. It is written in the context of the tabernacle since the temple had not yet been built in the days of David and may be instructive to us as believers who should make every day a day of thanksgiving.

The tabernacle, and later the temple, was a place where God could dwell among his people without his presence devastating them. Both God and his people knew that he did not dwell in tents or buildings made by man but somehow a part of his presence rested in the Holy of Holies so that representatives of the people could come before him for direction, provision, and spiritual cleansing.

A key verse in Psalm 100 declares that we should enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. This language symbolizes the act of drawing close to the Father. It symbolizes entering the gate of the tabernacle and moving into the courts or open places of the tabernacle as they progressed toward the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Of course, only the high priest could enter that room but the people could move into the courts where they could praise the Lord and seek his blessings.

Notice that “thanksgiving” gained entrance into courts where sacrifices, praise, and prayer could be offered. A thankful heart adjusts our mind so that we can come before the Lord with a perspective that opens the gates of heaven to us. David invites us, as God’s people, to shout joyfully, serve with gladness, and sing with joy before Him. That doesn’t happen unless we recognized the goodness of God and the blessings of God in our lives.

It is the recognition of God’s goodness and presence in our lives that creates a heart of thanksgiving, which then produces joy and gladness. It is the recognition that God is our shepherd and that we are his people that sets our compass toward him. As our shepherd he is committed to protect us, care for us, lead us, and provide for us. We need to constantly sense those things in our lives as expressions of his love for us so that thanksgiving and joy mark our lives.

That is not to say that we never struggle, never experience loss, never wither under the attacks of the enemy, or never wonder where our shepherd is on occasion. We live in enemy territory, we wander away from the flock at times, and we long for a peace and sense of security that will not be fully ours until we are home with Him. And yet, in the midst of these struggles God’s grace and expressions of love are still there if we look for them. In the 23^rd Psalm, David declared that God prepared a table for him in the midst of his enemies. David knew hardship, betrayal, loss, and the constant threat of death – yet he still saw the hand of God caring for him in the midst of all that. He still saw expressions of God’s love and faithfulness while hiding out in caves rather than sitting in a palace.

It is in those moments that we need a heart of thanksgiving more than ever. Thanksgiving opens the door to a closer walk with God and a heavenly perspective that produces more faith and even peace in the chaos of life on a fallen planet. Several years ago, I heard Bill Johnson say that we need to focus on what God has done for us rather than what he has not yet done for us. That thought has really stuck with me and is, I believe, the key to thanksgiving which is the very thing that keeps our hearts navigating toward God. So…if all the celebrations got in the way yesterday, today is just as good a day for some serious thanksgiving. Be blessed and notice your blessings even in the dark moments of life.