A word from His Word…

This is the sermon notes from one of Pastor Tony’s message …..

“Baptized in the Holy Spirit”

John 1:29-34

Two facts:

1. The Baptizer of the Holy Spirit-
2. The Baptized of the Holy Spirit-

The Greek word “baptizo” is used from Acts forward to Galatians 34 times.

• Acts 1:5; 2:38, 42; 8:12,13, 16, 38; 9:18; 10:47,48; 11:16,33; 18:8; 19:3,4,5; 22:16.  Romans 6:3.   1Corinthians 1:13, 14, 15, 16, 17; 10:2; 12:13; 156:29.  Galatians 3:27.
• Used three times in reference to the Holy Spirit
• Used thirty one times in reference to water

Acts 1:4-5 “Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, which He said, you heard from Me; for John baptized (immersed) with water, but you will be baptized (immersed) with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 11:16 “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

All but three times the term baptism in the book of Acts refers to water baptism by immersion.  The other three times refers to an act that would happen to believers in the near future or an act of baptism of the Holy Spirit that has already taken place.

In Acts 2 when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place the Holy Spirit became the gift of God to man.

*** READ Acts 2:1-13 ***

Speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost was actually a known language for the people who were gathered in Jerusalem that day.   If you understand the context of Acts 2 many nations were gathered in Jerusalem and when the Day of Pentecost came the people from those nations heard the gospel in their native language from people who in the natural did not speak their language.  The purpose of tongues at that point was so that the people could hear the gospel and prove that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that was promised was being fulfilled.  God sent His Son to save both the Jew and the Greek.

On page 122 of the book Encountering the Holy Spirit by French Arrington it says; In Acts, those who prayed for the gift of the Holy Spirit were already Christians.  At Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out on 120 servants of the Lord: “my servants, both men and women” (Acts 2:18NIV).  But, if we believe the reason the Holy Spirit was poured out was because the 120 people prayed for the Holy Spirit we are wrong.  The Holy Spirit was poured out on the 120 because God had promised He would, not because He heard their prayers.

We must remember the 120 in the upper room were believer living under the Law up until that point, and no one had received the out pouring of the Holy Spirit under the Old Covenant.   It was not until the New Covenant was established in Christ that God would fulfill His promise.

Acts 1:4 says, “Gathering them together, He (Jesus) commanded them (120) not to leave Jerusalem, but to WAIT (not beg) for what the Father had promised; Which He said, you heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. (This statement was a proclamation to them with no works attached)

Verse 14 says the 120 were praying, like we should all do, but they were not tolling before God to pour out His Spirit, they were preparing themselves for the coming of the promise, seeking God’s will for the disciples and what to do next.   “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”

Several denominations and non-denominational doctrinal statements teach the doctrine of “Second Blessing.” They teach that one must speak in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. This troubles me for two reasons.  The first issue is this doctrine is not ever taught by any of the Prophets, the Apostles, or by Jesus.  Second, because they teach that the gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised must now be authenticated with speaking in tongue which was also never taught by the Prophets, the Apostles, or Jesus.

The term used throughout the Scripture that refers to the Holy Spirit and the believer after salvation and receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the Spiritual Birth is the word “filled.”

• We are never commanded to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, we are told by John the Baptist and Jesus that at Pentecost this would happen to all believers.   Why? Because the Holy Spirit had not yet been pour out.
• The 120 in the upper room were commanded to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit, and we are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
• One may ask why we are never commanded to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.  It is because; the Holy Spirit baptism is a free gift from God that is received at one’s spiritual birth.

Acts 2:38 “Peter said to them, Repent, and each of you be baptized (water) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 9:17 “So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”

• To be baptized with the Holy Spirit is to receive the Holy Spirit and be indwelled by the Holy Spirit as a free gift from God through Jesus Christ at salvation.
• To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be controlled and immersed in the Holy Spirit that already dwells in us.  Not a second blessing, it is a continual blessing within us.
• The evidence of being born of the Spirit is to have the Holy Spirit.
• The evidence of having the Holy Spirit is revealed through our Spiritual life, our Spiritual walk, our Spiritual praying, our Spiritual gifting, which includes the gift of tongues but is not limited to this one gift.
• 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 profoundly clarifies this issue.

The confusion comes when people or denominations try to teach that if a person has not spoken in tongues then they have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  (Where is that in Scripture?)  The Apostles never mention one time in Scripture a doctrine called “second blessing.”

Acts 19:6 “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.”

• Think about it, if someone were to teach tongues as the initial evidence because of this verse, you would also now have to include prophesying as an initial evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit.
• Also, if you want to take this experience farther and make it a doctrinal statement then you would have to include the laying on of hands by an Apostle in order to receive the Holy Spirit.
• Why didn’t Paul say in Acts 19:2 like most people who believe in the second blessing today, “Did you speak in tongues when you believed?”  No he said, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?  And they said no we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”  (Just like all the other believers before Pentecost )
• When do you receive the Holy Spirit today?  When you believe, not when you believe and then speak in tongues.

Even at Paul’s conversion it was never mentioned that he spoke in tongues when he was filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 9:17.

Truth is everyone does not have the gift of tongues, but every person that is born again does have the gift of the Holy Spirit!!!

Proof from God’s Word…

1 Cor 14:13 “Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

15 What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.

16 Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

17 For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified.

18 I thank God; I speak in tongues more than you all;

19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

Listen to this Quote from page 53 of the book “Christian Doctrine” A Pentecostal Perspective volume three

Quote: “At the time of conversion, every believer in Christ is baptized into the body of Christ (the church) of or by the Holy Spirit.  Then, subsequently, the believer in Christ can be baptized with or in the Holy Spirit by Christ.  In the first, in regeneration, the Holy Spirit is the agent.  In the second, the reception of the fullness or gift of the Spirit, Christ is the agent.”

The only Problem with this statement it is not in the Bible.

• Romans 8:9 “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.  But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
• What is the evidence of belonging to Jesus? (The Holy Spirit)
• What is the evidence of being born again according to John 3:1-8 (Being born of the Holy Spirit)
• Matt 3:11 “As for me(John the Baptist), I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals (Jesus); He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
• John 1:33 “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.”
• John 14:15-17 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you (Now O.T. time) and will be in you (Later after the resurrection and Pentecost).”

Peter said this after Pentecost to the ones who had heard the gospel and wanted to be saved in Acts 2:38-39 “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is for you and your children and all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

• Peter commanded them to repent, not be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Folks the Holy Spirit is a gift not a reward for those who are willing to speak in tongues.

The Word of God teaches us that we are Baptized by the One Holy Spirit into the body of Christ through Jesus Christ when we are born again.

Listen to this: The Word of God then instructs us to Pray in the Spirit, Walk in the Spirit, Sing in the Spirit, etc.

• Romans 8:26-27 “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of
  God.”
• Ephesians 6:18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…”
• Jude 20-21 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”

Fact: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift from God according to Jesus.

Fact: Praying in the Holy Spirit is a privilege that only comes through being born of the Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit.  This can be an experience every person born of the Holy Spirit can partake of.

• Speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift given to individuals in the body of Christ as God wills. Not all speak in tongues do they?
• Praying in the Spirit can only be experienced by those who have been born of the Spirit.  We are commanded to do this and we should all desire this experience in our prayer journey.

May God challenge you as He does me on this topic.

A  word from His WORD

Pastor Tony Spencer

——————————–

A few months ago God revealed to me a profound truth from His Word.  As I was seeking the deeper meaning of being filled and led by the Holy Spirit, God unveiled a truth to me that has literally transformed the way I read the encounter Jesus had with Nicodemus.

In John chapter 3 a Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and said in verse 2 “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him.” Jesus told Nicodemus in verse 3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  When Nicodemus was confused by what Jesus said Jesus clarified the meaning by saying this in verses 5-7 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again.”

Now it is easy for any Bible teacher to understand that the context of John 3:1-8 is dealing with one being spiritually born again.  Jesus told Nicodemus just as you have to experience a physical birth to live in the natural, you must experience a spiritual birth in order to live in the spiritual.  The NASB and most other conservative translations translated verse 8 like this; “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (NASB).” However, when I did a word study on verse 8 God revealed to me that the best translation to this passage would read like this: “The Spirit blows where He wishes and you can hear the sound of His voice, but do not know from where He comes from and where He is going, such is everyone who have been born of the Spirit.”  The word in the Greek that most Bibles translate as wind in verse 8, is the same word translated as Spirit in the same verse.  The same Greek word “pneuma” is used throughout the N.T. some 375 out of some 380 times (according to Logos) as spirit or Spirit depending on the context.  It is only translated here wind, in Hebrews 1:7 as winds and in three other places as breath.

Think about it, we can understand the Spirit to move as the wind when we understand Who and how the Spirit ministers in our lives today, but we may not always think of wind as describing the Holy Spirit because it is limited in its meaning.  We may also understand the Spirit to be the breath of God.  However, once again the word breath has a much more limited meaning than the word Spirit.

As I read this passage translated literally, it really helped me to see how we are to live and move and have our being as Spirit-filled believers.  We are called to walk in the Spirit, be filled with the Spirit, to be guided by the Holy Spirit, to be taught by the Holy Spirit, therefore, it only makes sense that we should listen to the voice of the Spirit as we walk with Him, as we are filled with Him, as we are guided by Him, and as we are taught by Him.   I do not believe I have ever heard the audible voice of God, but I have experienced the still small voice of the Holy Spirit within me just as John 3:8 described when I was praying, when I am teaching and preaching, when I am witnessing, and when I am ministering in His Kingdom.

Don’t take my word for this, look up John 3:8 do a word study and see what God shows you.  But, you read these two translations and you ask the Holy Spirit to show you which one is truly a literal translation and which version conveys the true meaning that John received under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when He penned this passage.  AMEN!

NASB version “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Pastor Tony’s literal version “The Spirit blows where He wishes and you can hear the sound of His voice, but do not know from where He comes from and where He is going, such is everyone who have been born of the Spirit.”

Read verses 1-8 from the NASB first, then read verses 1-7 and then put the literally translation for verse 8 in the place of the NASB and let God’s Holy Spirit speak to you.  You will find yourself obedient to His Word as you are “… diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

A word from His Word,

Pastor Tony

More information about The Journey Church

We are a Spirit-Filled, Bible-Driven Church and our services are designed with upbeat, exciting praise and worship music. We are contemporary, yet casual, no tie required.

We have purposed at The Journey Church to offer ministries that are relevant to the entire family and all ages. It is our desire to give Cleveland and the surrounding areas a place to worship God in Spirit and Truth. This is your personal invitation to visit with us at your earliest convenience. If you are new to the area, or searching for a place to belong and the presence of God, you are welcome here at The Journey. ..the joy is in the journey when you are serving Jesus!

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Tony Spencer