The Gift of the Holy Spirit

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit : Bryan & Katie Torwalt

Christmas is a time for gifts.  People run around trying to find the best deal, the best sale, the latest and greatest.  Each year news stories run about what the hottest toy is for kids.  Commercials run about the perfect gift you need for your significant other.  Many people cave into the secular idea of consumerism and that Christmas is really tied to the pagan celebration of the winter solstice.  They easily forget that Jesus should be the center of the celebration.   In all the craziness and the store clerks saying, “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” we lose the reason we celebrate this holiday “Holy Day”.

Jesus' birth at Christmas (Emmanuel: God with us) brought several gifts to humanity...

God gives his Son as the gift of salvation to humanity.

The birth of the Messiah is foretold.

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

The birth of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is fulfilled and humanity is sent a savior.

In Matthew 1:21 (NIV)

21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

Luke 1: 31-33 (NIV)

31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.

Luke 2: 10 – 12 (NIV)

10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

The gift of a relationship with Jesus Christ is there for each of us.  All we need to do is to engage this relationship and call upon Jesus.

Jesus brings the gift of God’s grace to His people.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) speaks to this gift from God.  8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.

This saving through faith is an unconditional gift that all we need to do as the children of God is to accept this gift.  The Holy Spirit grants us salvation freely based only on God’s love for us.

Peace be with you.  The gift of God’s peace is given in John 14:27 (NIV).

27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The gift of purpose is revealed in Jeremiah 29:11.

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The gift of God’s Holy Spirit is one that I do not remember hearing much about in Church at Christmastime.  I heard all about it at Pentecost, but not so much else except for the Holy Spirit coming to Mary to conceive Jesus.

Matthew 1: 20 (NIV)

“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Luke 1: 35 (NIV)

35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

In addition to Mary there are a couple of other places where the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to believers of Jesus Christ.

John 20:22 (NIV)

22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

Acts 2: 1-4 (NIV)

1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 8: 15-17 (NIV)

15When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19:5-6(NIV)

5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

The Holy Spirit is a gift from God and cannot be won, bought, or achieved through deeds or works.

Acts 8: 18-20 (NIV)

18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!

Pope John Paul II said that the marvels of Pentecost have not ceased.  This is the new Pentecost.  The move of the Spirit today is leading an awakening of slumbering faith, changing lives, and engaging a passion to make Jesus Christ known to the world (Peter Herbeck).  Humanity needs to receive the Holy Spirit now more than any other time.  We need the palpable experience of an encounter with God that is through the Holy Spirit.

This past October I attended an “Encounter with God” weekend offered through our Church.  This encounter with God was a spiritual reawakening for me.  It was a starting point where I began to feel led by the Holy Spirit to explore my faith in ways I had never done or been able to before.  I felt God’s presence stir in me a spiritual revival.  My study has become deeper, my prayer life has been multiplied, and I hear God’s voice calling to me.

The gift of a Baptism in the Holy Spirit is one that every believer should pray to receive.  I regularly include receiving the Holy Spirit in my prayers that my hands are to do God’s work.  The gift of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in Luke 24:49.  Jesus’ disciples are led by the Spirit in every aspect of their lives.  John Maxwell writes that leaders (believers) must be empowered before they can empower.  Whenever someone is filled with the Holy Spirit something happens.  Empowered leaders express, reflect, and convey God’s power, by which they empower others.  The mystery of Jesus Christ is revealed through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit permits humanity to respond to what God fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit comes in power, and when received and obeyed will lead to a transformed life in Christ (Peter Herbeck).

Love Take Me Over

Celebrate Difference and Unity

Celebrate Difference and Unity

As secular ideas, devoid of a focus on Jesus Christ, of what is meant by diversity and social justice continue to shape the dialog I fear that we will never achieve true social justice of all people.  We allow secular ideas and feelings to shape the debate rather than turning to Scripture for insight.  The secular plans are tricks by the enemy that will keep divisions among people.  We fail to remember that God knows better than we do.  We forget that creation still continues and that He has a plan.  But when we turn from God and His plans we fail to achieve the plan he has set in motion in creation.  We must allow God to continue to develop us to be the person (people) He needs for us to do what is in His will for the future.  We need to learn how to trust God. Christ calls us to have unity AND diversity in one body.

1 Corinthians 12: 12-31(NIV)

12Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues ? Do all interpret? 31Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

We are all given different gifts from God to perform His work and live in His will.  God’s plan is that we have, embrace, respect, and celebrate the diversity of humanity.

Romans 12: 6-8 (NIV)

6We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

The message He came to share is that ALL people can come to Him.  Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28 (NIV).  Jesus continued that His message is for all by saying, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 (NIV).  His message was not these and not those, some who do this and not those who do that.  His message was that ALL shall be in the Body of Christ. 

We have a mess in our society because we have not obeyed God and so many continue to choose to turn away from God and His word.  So many people continue to try to strip God from every aspect of our society.  Even today a friend had posted on Facebook a story of an elementary school on Long Island who in order to sing “Silent Night” the school winter concert needed to “politically correct” the lyrics of the song.  What?  How do we make Jesus politically correct? The song is based on the birth of Jesus Christ.  This social mess is a continued growth out of entitlement, irresponsibility, lack of accountability, and feelings of being offended. 

As believers in Christ and the Word we do not show to the world anything about Jesus if we lower ourselves to hateful speech and rhetoric when it comes to the differences found in humanity and disrespecting His creation.  We are all made in His image and if we believe God is perfect then we must respect each member of His creation.  Jesus told us to love one another.  It is therefore sinful to hate others who do measure up to our own interpretation of what is right.  We have been told that to hate another is to have murdered them in our heart.  God takes it very personally when you mistreat another person or people.

On the flip side of the dialog is the area of self-pity and playing the victim.  Self-pity is the most worthless emotion.  Self-pity is akin to idolatry.   So many who continue to feel sorry for themselves miss so much about God’s unconditional love and build bitterness for other people rather than relationships.  Stop blaming others, stop feeling sorry for yourself.  Stop being offended.  Start looking for open doors.  Start looking for opportunities.

Joy can only be found in Him.  Joy cannot be found in things of the world.  Trying to use the things of the world in place of His love will fall short of the goal.  We will accomplish more when we celebrate the diversity of God’s creation.  Each person in creation’s story has a role to play in the Body of Christ.  Each member is equally important to completing God’s will… but not identical.  All are necessary.  We are not capable of improving God’s plan.  It is not for us to ever judge the value or worth of a fellow person.  We have to live in His will and abide by His plan for us and for all.  We cannot have social justice apart from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Remember that you are a chosen child of God.  Know who you are in Christ.

In prayer:

Most merciful God, pour out on us Your one and unifying Holy Spirit.  You made all of us in Your perfect image and redeemed us through Your only son, Jesus Christ.  Lead us from self-pity to hope, from fear to trust.  We ask for Your Spirit to move throughout our communities and nation that it may move every heart.  We ask that every barrier dividing humanity is made to crumble and hatred cease.  We declare Lord that with divisions healed that we will leave in peace, unity, and justice.  Strengthen the resolve of all who seek equality and justice for all.  We come to You Lord seeking freedom from the bondage of inequality, oppression, and hatred.  We recognize that in creation you created a wonderful diversity of people, cultures, and language.  Free us from prejudice and fear.  Those who feel that Your message is not for them, move Your Spirit through the lives so that each person will come to know You and that through You all people have a part to play in creation’s story.  We pray this through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  Amen.