Baptism + The Holy Spirit
“For a healthy Christian life, it is indispensable that we should be fully conscious that we have received the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.”
– Andrew Murray, Experiencing the Holy Spirit
Niagara Falls
This summer our family got to go to Niagara Falls. Alisha and I had been there about 15 years ago, but our kids had never been. To get to the Falls from where we were staying was going to be about a four-hour drive. We knew that was a long drive for a 20-minute boat ride. But we also knew it would be worth it!
[slideshowck id=3522]If you wanted to learn more about Niagara Falls it’s not hard to look up some really interesting information. I just took a quick look at the Niagara Falls State Park website and discovered that every second 3,160 tons of water flows over Niagara Falls!
That’s 189,600 tons every minute. Over 11 million tons of water ever hour. Over 273 million tons of water every day!
The amount of electricity that the power plants at Niagara Falls have the capacity to create is close to 4.9 million kilowatts. That’s enough to power 3.8 million homes.
To be honest, learning the facts about Niagara Falls doesn’t do it justice. Even seeing pictures of the Falls or seeing them from the boat doesn’t do it justice.
But when the boat gets right up next to the Falls and turns so you are face to face with Niagara Falls, when the wind created by 3,000 tons of water hitting the river every second hits you in the face and knocks you over, when your soaking wet from head to toe from the sheer mist that it creates, that’s when you know… that’s when you understand the presence, the power, the glory of Niagara Falls that God created!
Knowledge vs. Experience
Sometimes I think we approach church, we approach baptism, and we approach the Holy Spirit the same way we approach Niagara Falls.
We want to learn all we can about it and to know the facts. We want to know how it happens.
But just like you can’t understand, you can’t know, you can’t grasp the power, the glory and the presence of Niagara Falls without going there and experiencing it’s power, it’s presence, and it’s glory… you can’t know the Holy Spirit of God from looking up some facts and verses on Google. The power of the Holy Spirit can’t simply be understood even from reading the pages of your Bible.
You won’t ever be satisfied by just learning all you can about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to be EXPERIENCED.
The Holy Spirit Comes
This is exactly what happened when the Holy Spirit that Jesus Himself had promised His disciples first enters the story and the life of the church in Acts 2.
All the believers in Jesus are gathered together in Jerusalem. It’s been 50 days since His resurrection. It’s been 10 days since His ascension. They are gathered together in Jerusalem because Jesus told them to gather there and wait for His Spirit.
So here they are. Waiting together. Believing together. For the Spirit to come.
All of a sudden, they hear the sound of wind. They see what looks like fire above each person’s head. The Holy Spirit comes upon and fills every believer of Jesus in the room in a visible and audible way. And when this happens they are able to speak about all the wonderful things God has done in and through Jesus in every language you can imagine.
This is important because at that time there were people from all over the world in Jerusalem. And now these disciples of Jesus, these believers in Jesus, are filling the streets and talking about Jesus and everyone there can understand in their own language exactly what they are saying!
This is so important for us for so many reasons, but don’t miss this. The Holy Spirit empowers the people of God for the purpose of God, which is above all else, to tell other people the wonderful things about Jesus!
The Purpose…
The Holy Spirit always comes with purpose. And the purpose of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is to give us the ability to reach as many people as possible by whatever means possible for the sake of Jesus Christ.
If you’re going to be waiting for, believing for, open to and pursuing the Holy Spirit of God, this is exactly what you’re signing up for. To be used by God to bring other people to God! To be filled with the Spirit of Jesus to point other people to Jesus!
And this is a communal experience. This didn’t happen to an isolated person in an isolated place. This happened to believers in Jesus who were waiting on and believing in Jesus together!
Of course, when this happens, when the people of Jerusalem who had heard that same sound, the sound of a mighty wind, when they came out, filled the streets, and then heard people talking about Jesus in their own native languages they were in wonder, awe, and confusion.
What’s going on here?
That’s when Peter steps up to speak up and clarify what they are experiencing in this moment is the fulfillment of a promise from God.
Acts 2.17
‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.’
Up to this point in history, the Holy Spirit was present with the people of Israel collectively but rarely did the Holy Spirit come upon a person individually. Only at special times for a specific purpose had the Spirit of God ever come upon an individual.
But now, all that was changing.
The resurrection and exaltation of Jesus as Lord and Savior ushered in a new Kingdom. A new way of Life. A new way of living. It’s a way of life empowered by the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit both in the community of believers and in each individual who belongs to Christ!
Here’s why these words of Joel are being fulfilled right here, right now. Peter says,
“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. – Acts 2.22-24
Then Peter says,
36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”
37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” – Acts 2.36-37
What should we do?
What should we do… when we realize our sin crucified Jesus, the Son of God?
What should we do… when we realize ALL we have done to separate ourselves from God and ALL God has done to bring us back into relationship with God?
What should you do… when you say, I’ve gone too far, done too much… and God says, You can’t go that far and there’s nothing you could ever do to make me love you less! Even if you kill my one and only Son, I will still love you, still pursue you, still long to be in relationship with you. Even if you choose to sin when you know it will separate us, the truth is nothing can separate you from my love for you!
What should you do… when you believe Jesus is who He says He is and you’re ready to make Him Lord and Savior?
What should you do?
Peter says….
Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. – Acts 2.38
This is where I have to offer a quick word of caution. Be careful here. This is not a formula to follow but a chance to be formed and transformed by the Spirit of the Living God. It’s not a plan of salvation, it’s a path. It’s not a contractual agreement, do this and God will do that. It’s a covenantal relationship.
This is an INVITATION into RELATIONSHIP.
The Story of Charles Bloudin
Charles Bloudin was a daredevil in the 1800’s who decided he would cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He stretched a three inch cable over 1,100 feet just downstream from Niagara Falls.
When he first announced his stunt in a local news paper the story was quickly picked up by other news outlets. On the day when he was ready to perform his stunt thousands showed up. As the story goes, he didn’t use any nets or wear a safety harness. All he used was a balancing pole. And despite the powerful waterfall, despite the wind and the mist and everything that would make something like this so difficult, Bloudin was able to cross Niagara Falls easily.
Of course, this drew more and more attention. And it encouraged Bloudin to repeat the feat. Each time he crossed Niagara Falls on the tight rope he tried to make it harder. He did it on stilts. Then he did it without a balancing pole. He would pause and lie down on the rope. Each time, the crowd would cheer louder!
Then, he decided to cross the tight rope while pushing a wheelbarrow. When he succeeded, the crowd cheered! That’s when Bloudin asked the crowd, “Do you think I could walk the tightrope with this wheelbarrow filled with rocks?”
Of course, the crowd responded by shouting, “YES!”
And he did it! And the crowd cheered even louder.
That’s when Bloudin asked the crowd this question, “Do you think I could cross while pushing a person in the wheelbarrow?”
Of course, the crowd shouted back again, “Yes!”
That’s when Bloudin asked this infamous question, “Who will get in?”
No one did.
The Question for You
That’s really the question for you today… Will you get in? Will you go all in with Jesus? Will you respond to His question? Will you respond to His Son?
There are really only 2 choices. That day, when Peter preached to the thousands gathered in Jerusalem…
1 // Some people walked away.
They didn’t believe. They heard everything Peter had to say. Many of them had seen Jesus crucified. All of them had heard what had happened. Most of them had heard the sound of the wind. They had heard the disciples of Jesus speaking about Jesus in their own language. They were there. They saw and they heard. But they still chose not to believe. And they walked away that day.
2 // But some people walked into the water.
They were baptized. They believed. They received the Holy Spirit. They took on a new name. A new Spirit. A new identity. A new life. A different life. The good life. The abundant life. A life filled by and led by the Spirit of Jesus!
What will you choose?
From the very beginning, the Spirit of the Living God has been active in bringing people to faith, in identifying people of faith, and in leading people to living lives of faith.
When we identify Jesus as the Lord and Savior of our lives the Spirit of God identifies us as His sons and daughters! This is the activity of the Holy Spirit! To lead us into confession, to lead us into obedience, and to lead us into living lives of faith that point others to the only God who saves!
The Holy Spirit wants you to be baptized in the name of Jesus, filled with the Spirit of Jesus, and live a life that points others to Jesus!
What will you do with Jesus?
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