Chapter One
The Plan for God's People—Desire and Reality

The desire of every Christian is to be like Jesus. When we are saved—believe in the Lord Jesus Christ—we seek to be like our example and live as the Lord lived. After entering his earthly ministry, Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:13–17). Therefore, following Jesus' example and in obedience to God's Word, the new Christian is baptized by immersion. And it is becoming more common among religious bodies to follow the example of Jesus revealed in John 13:1–17, wherein the Master washed the disciples' feet. We do not wash feet because someone makes us, but because Jesus did. We want to be like him. All of our lives we are in the process of becoming. While there are specific crisis experiences through which every Christian must pass, it is true that the rest of our lives is spent in discovering God's will as revealed to us in God's Word, the Bible. This booklet can help to build bridges of understanding for you as you study scripture and seek to become more like the Master. Being “born again” (see John 3:3) begins this new life in Christ. Sins are forgiven (see 1 John 1:9) and all things become new (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). We have a new love for God, God's Word, and God's church. Because of the joy of our salvation and our hunger for the Word, we want to be obedient and share this faith with others around us.

In attempting to grow in Christ, to share our faith, and to be faithful in the church, it is not unusual to find ourselves overextended. Our zeal for the Lord and the joy of serving become more of a burden than a blessing.

We want to witness, but our witness is not too winsome. We desire to know more scripture but we are limited in our understanding. We acknowledge that we want to treat people right—to love and accept them as Jesus loves us—but we have emotions and attitudes that seem to hinder our helping others.

Jesus And Pressure

What did Jesus do when he faced pressures like these? Didn't he ever have more than it seemed possible to do? Wasn't he “tempted in every way, just as we are” (Hebrews 4:15)? Yes, and most often we find that at such times Jesus would take time to get away from these pressures to talk to God (Mark 1:35). Jesus depended on God completely, and the intent of this book is to remind you that when the pressures of life begin to pile up, God has made provision through the Holy Spirit for you to have power to be like Jesus.

Two Fundamental Guides

Remember two things as you read, study, and discover God's power:

1. Recognize that no Christian has “arrived.” Even the Apostle Paul said, “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it” (Philippians 3:13). We are always becoming more like Jesus.

2. The Lord has promised you, as a child of God, the power to be what God wants you to be. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. (Acts 1:8)

Governing Questions

Approach this book, this bridge, with faith—faith in God, in God's Word, and in yourself. You can be a spirit-filled believer. Begin by spending time in prayer. Ask God to help you open your heart to the light of truth as you seek to know the Holy Spirit in your life. As you study the scripture, take time to mark the passage, making notes for your own personal journal.

My prayer for you: That God will lead you over this bridge so that you may experience the joy and fulfillment of the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said; “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Because Jesus is the way, he alone is able to lead us to the truth, and thereby experience life abundantly. By obediently following Jesus, we discover the exciting plans God has for our lives. I believe that God has personal plans for your life—your gifts and abilities, your profession or vocation, even such personal plans as education and marriage. These plans become clear as you spend time with Christ in prayer, Bible study, and worship.

God also has more general plans that affect all of the people of God—plans that are important to you regardless of your family background or church connections. This chapter addresses three of these general plans found in scripture.

Bible Study

NOTE: Please complete the Bible Study before reading this chapter; complete the journal as the opportunity is provided. Always begin your study with prayer.

1. The nature of God (Habakkuk 1:1–3) supports God's plan for our perfection (Matthew 5:48). Is this perfection in conduct, in wisdom, or in our yieldedness to the will of God?

2. To be like Jesus is to be victorious over sin. Review Titus 2:11–12 and explain how such victory is possible.

3. As believers we are born of the Spirit, but John 14:16–17 speaks about the Spirit dwelling with us. The Spirit will be the _____________, thereby present to comfort, counsel, and sustain you.

4. The power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) is given to be used as God planned. What is that plan as revealed in the scripture reference?

5. God planned for us to be a part of a “glorious church.” How big does a congregation have to be to be such a church (Matthew 18:20)?

6. To be filled with the Spirit, to be holy as God is holy, is nothing more or less than being like Jesus. If we are to reflect Christlikeness, we must follow Christ's example as set forth in John 17:19. What does “sanctity” mean?

We are Family and we are Growing

Christians are all in the same family, but they are not all alike. Each of us is unique, special in our own particular way. They come in assorted sizes, colors, ages, and gender. Some are highly educated and blessed with spiritual understanding while others are only beginners, just starting out in the development of their faith. The focus point, what draws Christians together, overcoming our differences and making us one, is the center of faith—Jesus Christ. It is this common faith and our desire to be like Jesus that draws us together. The Bible refers to beginners in the faith as “new born babes” who desire “milk” so that they may grow. In a spiritual sense they desire the “sincere milk of the word,” which reaches to us with God's plan for our lives.

If persons knew right now all that God planned for their life, it would probably overwhelm. It is for that reason that we have only glimpses of what God intends for our life. Just a glimpse convinces us that we will need more power than we possess if we are to fulfill what God has planned for us.

Journal: If you had the opportunity to know your future, would you take it?

Why?

Yet, we are able to fulfill God's plan; in fact, God has already made provision for our success.

It is like a friend of mine who watched his son reach for the light switch in his room. Stretching his arm as he stood on tiptoe, the little fellow was about to give up when he turned in desperation to his father and asked him to help him turn on the light.

God wants us to walk in the light as God is in the light, and God has provided the power for us to do so.

A Prayer for this Time

As you work your way through this chapter, ask for the illuminating presence of the Holy Spirit to help you discover God's plan.

Journal: Write your inaugural prayer—Dear God,

God's Plan for your Personal Life—a Personal account

One of the first questions any Christian has to face is, How does God expect me to live? Am I to be like my pastor, who was much wiser and experienced? Am I to be like the older Christians in the church, those who had discovered what discipleship really is?

Journal: How would answer this question? Where do you turn?

Faced by the newness of my faith, the temptations of the world, and my desire to be like Jesus, l began to search the Bible for help.

Beginning with the gospels, I read through the Sermon on the Mount. Here was a word picture from Jesus, helping me to know how to live as he lived. There I found a wonderful and challenging directive—“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

How awesome! How difficult! Could it be that God's plan is for me to be perfect? If so, l was already defeated because I am only human and far from perfect. I knew that I had already made mistakes in judgment and there were many times I did not say the right thing.

Then, through the study of the Word, I discovered that the word “perfect” does not mean that it is impossible to sin or never make a mistake. The word applies to a perfect attitude of a heart that is completely yielded to God's will.

Jesus knows that we are imperfect in judgment, and he gave us another Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to help us with our decision making:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor [Comforter] 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. (John 14:16–17)

Human attempts at perfection always fall far short of what we would like them to be. Only God can make a perfect heart, that is, a heart completely (perfectly) yielded and obedient to God's Word. A perfect heart no longer “strives” for righteousness through good works, but has discovered what it means to be at “rest” with the Lord in complete trust as one launches out to do God's will.

Journal: With this understanding, do you consider yourself to be righteous or unrighteous? Why?

When we “hunger and thirst after righteousness,” we know that we shall be filled. Our desire to be like Jesus, perfectly surrendered to God's will, is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. “The one who calls you [to perfection] is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Journal: What do these passages teach “me” about Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

The Plan of God Fair Public People

Who I am and how I live in my personal life will have an effect upon my public life. This “new life in Christ” is not Pharisaic (Matthew 5:20), an act that we put on when we are out in public. This not a matter of attempting to impress others—far from it.

Journal: According to Romans 8:9, the “norm” of the Christian life is to be more like Jesus, that is, to have the Spirit of Christ. Write out what you believe to be that “spirit” of Christlikeness.

“To be like Jesus” means we are the same at home, in school or at the office. Jesus made every opportunity an opportunity for sharing the Good News. At the wedding in Cana, with the woman at the well of Samaria, or the healing of a demoniac at Gadara—the passion of Jesus' personal life kept spilling over into his public life. If we are to follow that example, we too will find this sharing of our faith to be a natural part of our public witness. Jesus not only demonstrated this, but also commissioned us to be involved in the same ministry. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20).

Journal: Is holiness lived out in my life? Am I measuring up to scriptural standards of beliefs and behavior?

God's plan for our public life is that we become lights that shine in a darkened world. We are to be the “salt” of the earth—sometimes irritating, making things smart; at other times the same “salt” preserves and makes life more palatable, even tasty. Our witness for Christ is vitally important in God's plan.

Journal: Is public witnessing the same as or different from personal soul-winning? If so, please list other ways of public witnessing in your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the world.

Jesus' public ministry began at home, and from that small community, reached around the world. The Holy Spirit ministered through his life. When Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, the Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove. When Jesus stood up publicly in the synagogue to read, the text was from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor” (Luke 4:18).

The presence of the Holy Spirit was not accidental. God planned it that way. The witness in the world is always done in the power of the Spirit. Creation witnessed the Spirit of God, moving upon the face of the deep (see Genesis 1:1–2). Redemption, provided by the death of Christ on the cross, is administered by the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2). For us, the power needed to witness publicly to our faith in Christ is provided by the Holy Spirit who came in fullness on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2).

God's Plan for the Church

As a Christian you have become a member of God's family, a constantly growing band of believers. Coming from various backgrounds as indicated in scripture, the people of God comprise a very diverse group.

Some of us were pagans, knowing nothing of God, the Bible, or the church. Others were at the other extreme, brought up in a Christian home, attending Sunday school and church all their lives, but did not really know Christ personally. Then there were a host of us who were just indifferent, unconcerned—persons who ignored God and the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Now, however, we have confessed our sins, repented of our past, and made restitution for our wrongs. Now we are full-fledged members of the church of God. We did not join the church, nor were we voted in by other members. We were born into the church when we became Christians. That makes us brothers and sisters in Christ, and it is proper to greet one another in those terms as members of the family.

This is the challenge extended in God's plan for the church—as a mighty family together, we should be recognized in the world “A radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27).

Journal: As a child of God, how might I experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit?

There is only one experience that equips us to unite together and make possible this church. That experience is referred to Ephesians 5:25–26: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy (sanctify her, NKJV), cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.”

Sanctify means to set apart for sacred service. Such consecration allows the Holy Spirit to cleanse a life of anything that creates division within the family—pride, envy, jealousy, or any other attitude that would hinder the true fellowship of a family. There is no glory in a feuding, fussing, and frustrated group of people.

God's plan is that the presence of the Holy Spirit within the lives of the members of the family will bring holiness and harmony, producing a glorious church.

Chapter Two
The Promise for God's People

Introduction

What a compliment—God the Creator has a wonderful, personal plan for our life, as individuals and as a church. This God who spoke worlds into existence and created us in his own image has promised that he would provide the power necessary to fulfill that plan for our life. We are not alone. God is with us. As we obediently walk by faith, we will discover that God's promises are dependable.

Journal: This idea makes me feel—

According to scripture: “Not one word … of all the good promises” (1 Kings 8:56) has failed. We can be confident that these promises provide us with the guidance, help, and strength we need to carry out the great commission given to the church. To help in becoming more like Jesus, God has given to us “very great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4). As we step out in obedience to God's call we will become “fully persuaded that God has power to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:21).

Bible Study

NOTE: Please complete the Bible Study before reading this chapter; complete the journal as the opportunity is provided. Always pray as you begin your study.

1. Proof of the promise of God is given in 1 Kings 8:56. What was the promise God had given to Moses?

2. God's promises are sometimes given by angels as in Matthew 1:23. What did the Lord promise for his people?

3. “Exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) are given that we might participate in the “____________” and be like Jesus.

4. Prayer opens the door to the resources of heaven (read 1 John 5:14–15). Do you think this means that God has promised whatever we desire? (See also Philippians 4:19.)

5. Salvation through Christ is promised in Hebrews 7:25, assuring us that Christ is able “to save to the uttermost” (NKJV). Look up in a Bible dictionary the word uttermost, and write down the definition.

6. Waiting is not easy. See Luke 24:49; why do you think that Jesus asked his followers to “stay in the city” for the power of the Holy Spirit?

7. The promise of the power of the Holy Spirit was given so that we might live holy lives. Jesus is the prime example of what it means to be “set apart” for God's plan. What word does the Bible use to mean “set apart?” (See John 17:19–20.)

8. Power is always given for a purpose. The “power” referred to in Acts 1:8 is given for what divine purpose?

Promises Kept

Journal: What difference does it make, personally and universally, if promises are not kept?

Basic to our belief in the Bible as the inspired word of God is our ability to trust the promises revealed there. The will of God is revealed in the Word of God; therefore, if we want to know the will of God, we must get into the Word of God. It is in the Bible that we find the promise of power given to the disciples following the resurrection.

I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city, until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

Fulfillment of God's promises nearly always requires patience—the willingness to “wait on the Lord.” Most of us are not given to patience. We want things now, in the immediate present.

Journal: On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), how patient am I?

Too often our impatience or our tendency to get ahead of God results in spiritual defeat. God's people have always had to learn what it means to “stand still” and behold the salvation of the Lord—to “wait” on the Lord. Jesus spent thirty years in preparation for a very short (however powerful) ministry. When the time came for serving, Jesus said, “The spirit of the Lord is on me” (Luke 4:18). Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again according to God's time schedule.

It is in response to the faithful waiting of those in the Upper Room that God fulfilled the promise of Pentecost. To them God gave the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

While it is not possible to define adequately the experience of Pentecost in one word, power does come close to expressing the blessed infilling of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost provided the finished work of Calvary, making possible the promise of full salvation.

Journal: What do I know about Pentecost? What difference does it make in my life?

Promise to Save us

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

This is God's promise of completion. God saves “completely.” This word speaks of the totality of the experience—the degree to which God is able to save. Conversion is only the beginning. Jesus forgives our sins when we accept his lordship.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

This is present reality for the believer. Immediately God removes our sins “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12) and remembers them against us no more. Once we are “born of the Spirit” (John 3:8), God's plan is to cleanse our hearts for service in and as the body of Christ, the church. God not only breaks the power of sin, God also sets us apart and equips us for ministry.

Journal: What do these words mean to me: “God sets us apart and equips us for ministry”?

Promise to Sanctify us

For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. (John 17:19–20)

Full salvation is both instantaneous and progressive. The Christian life is active, dynamic, living, moving—allowing for the fulfillment of God's promises. From conviction to conversion to consecration—we are led by the Holy Spirit into Christlikeness.

These experiences are often referred to as “crisis” experiences—two works of grace—wherein we are first saved and afterwards sanctified. While correct, this understanding can limit our understanding of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is more than a second work of grace resulting from our total surrender to God's will. Sanctification is not an ending but a beginning of a life of commitment to the Father's plan.

Jesus “sanctified himself”—literally set himself apart for holy use. Now, it is the Christian's responsibility to surrender this life, free from sin, to be fully cleansed and accessible to God. If we are to be like Jesus, sanctification must be experienced.

Promise to Empower us for Service

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)

There is a progression in our study. God's plan and purpose for life is based upon the promise to provide us the power to carry it out. Just as certainly as God is able to save completely, he now expects us to carry this gospel to the “ends the earth.” To do so, the power of the Holy Spirit is necessary not only for theological interpretation and insight but also for practical application.

Sanctification is, first, the power of perfect love that enables us to be like Jesus.

We are able—truly—to “‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (see Luke 10:27).

Sanctification is, second, the power to prioritize. It has been called “the higher power of an expulsive affection.” When God is loved with a totally committed heart, then everything else becomes secondary.

Journal: My current list of my priorities—

Journal: What, I think, God would do with this list—

The nature of the Holy Spirit is love—the divine ennoblement to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (see Matthew 5:43–48). The power of the Holy Spirit allows the beauty of Jesus to be seen in us. Of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, love is the most durable and eternal (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Journal: Linking love with sanctification helps me to realize that

The power to love God as Jesus loved him also effects our behavior. Belief determines behavior. If we really believe in God, love God, and surrender our will to God, it will be seen in the way we walk and talk. Too often we separate belief and behavior, the walk and the talk—but they are bound together like faith and works, ultimately inseparable.

Holiness of life, being “holy because [he is] holy” (1 Peter 1:15–16) applies to our conversation. We are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, of our Christian standards; we are not ashamed of the church that Jesus loved and for which he died. We do not apologize for rejecting profanity, smutty jokes, the telling of lies, and gossip. God has given us the power to control our tongue because God is able to cleanse the heart and will through the Holy Spirit. Conduct is more than the control of our tongue, it also effects our associations with people and our participation in events and activities. The Holy Spirit within our hearts becomes the powerful “counselor” or “guide” that we need daily in making decisions and determining the direction of our lives.

Journal: How holy is my life? What am I going to do about it?

The pastor, Sunday school teacher, and church cannot provide all the answers. There will be times when answers come out of the relationship between the believer and the Holy Spirit. We are not forced to “avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22), but the Spirit will convict, forewarning us of what our actions will do to yourself or others.

To ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit could result in spiritual defeat; therefore the Bible says, “Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19, KJV) and “Grieve not the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30, KJV). To become like Jesus means we will live sanctified lives, seen in holy conversation and conduct, made possible through the power of the Spirit.

Pentecost provided the power for witnessing. Jesus was an effective communicator, and if we are to follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21), then we, too, must share the story of God's love. Notice once again that God promises the power to fulfill this plan for our life. If we will follow the steps of Jesus, this power is available to us.

Be yourself—Jesus did not try to be John the Baptist or one of the prophets. The Holy Spirit enables us to accept ourselves with all of our strengths and weaknesses—“warts and all.” Our witness is enhanced by the uniqueness of our own personality. God desires to use the one he calls. We are not called to be someone else; we are called to be God's people and to speak a godly language that is backed up by godly lives.

When reading the Bible and meeting with church growth groups, it is easy to develop our own church or Bible language—a language unknown to the person in the market place. Jesus always spoke the language common to those with whom he talked. To fishermen he talked about fishing, nets, and boats. To farmers he spoke of seed and soil. To scribes he spoke like a lawyer. To Pharisees he spoke as a rabbi.

On the day of Pentecost when the power to witness was given, “Each one heard them speaking in his own language” (Acts 2:6). Regardless of age, education, or position in life, God promises power to witness. Not all of us will be “personal soul winners” but we are all witnesses through his grace.

Journal: Have I ever witnessed to another? Have I ever lead another to Christ? What does this tell me about my relationship with God?

Power for service also includes courage to do God's will. Many of us need to memorize 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” First John 4:18 also provides a support verse in our witnessing:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.

Yielded to God and filled with the Holy Spirit, the timid are transformed and the weak become courageous and confident witnesses. This doesn't mean we will never again have stage fright; it does mean that we are not alone for God is with us and it is God's message, not ours, that we share. We will also know that there is a powerful support system. In addition to the presence of the Holy Spirit, scripture states that, “Peter stood up with the eleven” (Acts 2:14)—the church stood with him.

Summary

Our heavenly Father has already made provision for us and promised to help us do his will. Every Christian can be a success if we “walk in the light as he is in the light”—claiming by faith the promise he has given.

Chapter Three
The Provision for God's People

Introduction

Bridges do not just happen.

Someone, sometime had to make provision before the bridge became a reality. To cross a river, a stream, a street, or a railroad track, someone has to provide the funds, the material, the building skills to make it all happen. God's Word, the Bible, informs us that because of Adam and Eve's sin a great gulf was fixed between God and humanity—one that is impossible for us on our own to cross. As a result humanity was hopelessly lost until God's infinite love made provision for our full salvation.

The provision is God's Son. Jesus Christ came to defeat sin and provide for our justification (see Romans 5:18) and redemption (see 1 Peter 1:18–19). Such provision includes not only the forgiveness of our sin and redemption through the blood of Christ, but also the power of the Holy Spirit enabling us to live victorious lives. This bridge makes accessible to us the provisions of God's grace.

Bible Study

NOTE: Please complete the Bible Study before reading this chapter; complete the journal as the opportunity is provided in the chapter.

1. Scripture reveals God's provisions for his people. Please write in what provision is referred to in these references.

Colossians 1:14

Mark 6:35–43

Luke 8:43–48

John 14:6

2. Paul states in Ephesians 3:20 that God will do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” What is done will be acording to his “____________ that is at work within us.”

3. Jesus' prayer in John 17:15 asks God to

4. When Paul refers to “jars of clay” in 2 Corinthians 4:7, what do you think he means?

5. Write out the verse in Hebrews 4 that supports the truth that Jesus was human, and tempted as we are tempted?

6. When you become a Christian, what new relationship does the Lord give you? (See Acts 2:47.)

7. Read Galatians 5:22, list the “fruit of the Spirit”:

Amply Provided for

Provision means to supply what is necessary to accomplish a particular task or achieve a particular goal. The Old Testament explains the meaning of provision through the Exodus event after the people of God were released from Egyptian bondage. They obeyed the Lord, and God promised to provide for them. When they were hungry, God gave them manna and quail. When they were thirsty, water came from a rock. For guidance at night there was a pillar of fire; for direction during the daytime, a pillar of cloud. God provided for their every need. He not only was their deliverer, he was also their provider.

Comparable events are found in the New Testament. Jesus provided full salvation; we are saved by his sacrifice (see Colossians 1:14). When the people were hungry, he fed them (see Mark 6:34–44). When they were sick, Jesus healed them (see Luke 8:43–48).

Without hesitancy Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Provision has already been made for us for whatever is needed to be like Jesus. After his conversion and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (Ephesians 3:20, emphasis added)

God wants real people, living in a real world. God did not save us to go to heaven, but to serve God in the world—if we are faithfully obedient then we go to heaven. God does not need a history of martyrs but a reality of witnesses, “living sacrifices” (see Romans 12:1).

There is always the temptation to remain in a controlled climate. In the winter it is warm; in the summer it is cool—exactly whatever we like. But reality is not climate-controlled. We are confronted on a daily basis with the challenges of personal conflicts, the passions of physical appetites, the struggles of our souls as we seek to establish and live out of spiritual values in a materially minded world.

Reality is full of inequities; it is not always just. The truth is that we “have this treasure in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Many times the vessels break, making us totally dependent upon God's provision of power and good.

Jesus was a real person, living victoriously in a real world. How tempting it might have been for him to retreat to the safety and serenity of the “father's home” rather than endure the realities of this world—the false accusations, misunderstandings, and the persecutions. Even before Calvary, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “If it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26:39). Then the trial, scourging, and finally the old rugged cross. It was all real! So real that the writer of Hebrews could say:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. (4:15)

It is important for our faith that we recognize the reality of Jesus' humanness in that real world. Jesus was just like us, but by God's power he lived a victorious life over sin. Now he gives us the assurance of the same provision of grace.

Christians still suffer. Some endure persecution and affliction that others of us know nothing about. As long as we live in this world, we will have to face its realities. However, the assurance of scripture is that provision has been made for us so that through the power of the Holy Spirit we are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:35–39). The really real in our lives is God's power.

Power to Relate to Others!

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22)

You can't be Christian alone—we really do need each other. We begin with first things—we must be rightly related to Christ as Savior and Lord. As this primary relationship is established, we are placed in the church (Acts 2:47) where we relate to the whole family of God.

In the church, with all the “brothers and sisters,” we discover how different we really are. Different cultures, races, economic levels, ages, genders—all accentuate this reality of relationship. Just as in the physical family there are differences of opinions and ideas, so it is within the church. God has made provision to help us relate to someone who goes to another church, worships differently than we do, or may not be a Christian at all? Do we ignore them, reject them or fight with them?

God gave the Holy Spirit to the 120 in the Upper Room (see Acts 1–2). They were of different backgrounds. Some were highly mature; some were egotistical, desiring places of leadership. As they yielded themselves to the power of Pentecost, even the most doubting and troubled became a transformed people. God makes provision for our relationships by giving all spirit-filled believers the “fruit” of the Spirit. Every obedient follower of Christ should be producing the “fruit” of the Spirit. Notice that the “fruit” is like a cluster of grapes; therefore, it is always singular not plural.

All human relationships are improved when we relate rightly to God. God is the source of the love that enables us to experience joy as we live at peace with ourselves and others. A right relationship with God empowers us to relate well with others.

Journal: How well do I get along with other believers? What does this tell me?

Long-suffering, gentleness, goodness—these create an atmosphere that helps others to know that we have been with Jesus. It is a unique kind of relationship with people that cannot be developed through human programs or techniques. It is made possible when the Holy Spirit controls our lives. The fruit of the Spirit goes beyond labels, divisions, and name-calling all the way to unity.

Furthermore, a right relationship with oneself is basic to experiencing God's provision. The Holy Spirit enables us to accept ourselves as we really are. Knowing that God loves us and makes provision for us allows us to experience “faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

It is very personal: God makes the provision; Christ pays the price; we must allow the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our life.

Provision for your Responsibility

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:4)

The Christian community has not always accepted its social responsibility. While general agreement exists about the Holy Spirit's ministry in the cleansing of the heart for holy living and in the fruit of the Spirit as necessary for right relationships in Christian unity, we still need to seek for ways to carry out our social responsibility in ministry in this real world.

Journal: What is my social responsibility in this real world?

While all “gifts” of the Spirit, at least eighteen of them referred to in Pauline writings (see 1 Corinthians 12:4–13; Romans 12:4–8; Ephesians 4:8, 11–12) are given for the edification of the church. They are also indicators of what God wants us to do for the world.

The list of gifts is not exhaustive, but God has provided for all that need. Every Christian who has received the Holy Spirit has at least one gift; some may have more. The gift may be God's use of a natural talent. The gift may be a special impartation of what God wants to bestow miraculously upon a person. We do not limit God at this point; we only report for duty becoming “living sacrifices.”

Gifts are not for personal satisfaction; they are always for serving. They have a purpose.

Journal: Do I know my gift?

At their broadest these gifts make it possible for us to carry out God's plan in the world. The Holy Spirit does not remain housed in the church. Our responsibility is to use the gifts entrusted to us in the helping and healing ministry of Christ. Thus, a social ministry always accompanies a true experience of holiness.

In a day of “charismatic” emphasis we would do well to be acquainted with this word. Taken from the root of the Greek word charis, it relates to “gifts” given to the church.

Therefore, a charismatic church is one in which all of the gifts of the New Testament are allowed. Of course, caution should be exercised in a right understanding of the gifts. They are always exercised under the Spirit's control who always does things decently and in order (see 1 Corinthians 14:40). Further, the beauty of holiness is seen in the harmony of the body, each gift dependent on and respectful of the other gift. At no time is one exalted above the other as at Corinth making it necessary for Paul to address the overemphasis on tongues. God gives all the gifts; we are all accountable to him for how we use these gifts.

It becomes apparent, then, that we are without excuse when we fail to carry out our Christian responsibility. God has made provision for our needs. Through the Holy Spirit, we can live a holy life in a real world. Right relationships can be developed and continued as the fruit of the Spirit abundantly flourishes in our life. And through the gifts of the Spirit, we can fulfill our Christian responsibility to others.

Chapter Four
God's Pattern for Receiving the Holy Spirit

Introduction

God's provision of power through the Holy Spirit is most reassuring. With this provision we are confident that God's plan can be realized as we claim the promise, accept God's provision of grace, and experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit—an experience that is uniquely personal for each one who accepts it. We should be cautious about stereotyping how one receives the Holy Spirit. To help us, one writer has said, “There is certainly no uniform pattern to be found although certain underlying principles are apparent in every instance where the Holy Spirit has come in his sanctifying fullness. But there is no quick and easy formula for the power of God; God cannot be manipulated by psychological technique.” [1. Arlo F. Newell, Receive the Holy Spirit
(Anderson, Ind: Warner Press, 1978), 105.]

In a day of charismatic influence, it may be helpful to stress that ecstatic occurrences that are psychologically produced in religious services are not authentic. We do not, cannot, and should not attempt to control the power of the Holy Spirit. Like the wind, Jesus said, the Holy Spirit moves at God's will, not ours. We are to present our lives to be filled, the filling is at

God's discretion (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Only God knows the task to which a person is called, and God alone is able to equip a person to carry out that ministry. For that reason, scripture is very plain that no “one” gift is elevated as the initial evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is indicated by the spirit of Christ being reproduced in your life (Romans 8:9). You can know that you have been “born of … the Spirit” (John 3:5), but you can also know that you have been “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), that is, sanctified by God's grace and empowered to live a triumphant Christian life.

Journal: Have I been filled by Spirit?

Bible Study

1. If each believer is “born of … the Spirit” as in John 3:5, what takes place when we receive the fullness of the Spirit?

2. How is the Holy Spirit involved in our pre-conversion experience? (See John 16:8–11)?

3. Reference is made to “entire” sanctification, speaking about the wholeness of holiness as that which meets the need of the total person. How does 1 Thessalonians 5:23 apply to this theological teaching?

4. Is it possible for one to sin after having received the infilling of the Holy Spirit? (See 1 John 2:1.)

5. Receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit, as seen and taught in the New Testament church, requires that we first believe in Christ and on his Word; secondly, we must understand that we are no longer “of the world.” Support this by scriptural references in John 17.

6. What is the plain teaching of Luke 11:13 regarding how we are to go about receiving the Holy Spirit? Please explain.

7. In the booklet we have stated that the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit is both instantaneous and progressive—what part of this is referred to

in John 16:13?

in Acts 2:1–4?

8. Do all spirit-filled believers produce the fruit of the Spirit (See Galatians 5:22–25)?

God's Pattern for Receiving

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
(Luke 11:13)

God wants us to be like Jesus. Even before we respond to his love, God made preparation just for us. Paul says that we are “chosen” even “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his [children] through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4–5). We are very special to God who planned for our life and spared no cost in providing all that is necessary for us to be a spiritual success. In scripture we find the promise that the provision has been made. All we have to do is receive the promise as we enter into covenant with God.

It is regrettable that some people are overly concerned about seeking, striving for, and working to receive the Holy Spirit. There is nothing—absolutely nothing—that we can do to earn, merit, or deserve this gift of God. We cannot be like those in the Book of Acts who witnessed the laying on of hands and people being filled with the Holy Spirit, striving to obtain by human means what God has already provided freely. Simon wanted to “buy” (Acts 8:13–21) this power, but Peter rebuked him sternly, emphasizing for us the truth that God's pattern for receiving the Holy Spirit is simple, understandable, accessible, and available for everyone to receive:

To receive the Holy Spirit one must first believe that such an experience is real, that it is taught in scripture, and that God is anxious for all to receive it. It is unnecessary to plead, beg, or attempt to coerce the Lord. A. B. Simpson, early leader in the Christian Missionary Alliance Church used to say, “Being filled with the Spirit is as easy as breathing; you can simply breathe in and breathe out.” That really is God's pattern for receiving. God created the world and made us in God's own image—all we have to do is receive what is already done. God provides salvation for us: God provides the fullness of the Holy Spirit for us. The experience is ours for the asking. God has not changed. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Ask according to God's will, and you will be provided the power of the Holy Spirit—that's a promise!

Respond Obediently to God's Word

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’. (1 Peter 1:13–15)

Since we are called to be faithful and obedient, asking humbly and unashamedly for the infilling of the Holy Spirit is in accordance with the Word of God. When we were not Christians, it was the Word of God that taught us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In obedience to God's Word, believing that we need a savior, we discovered that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). As we obey this plan, we find forgiveness for our sin and release from our guilt and condemnation because in obedience we claimed Romans 8:1:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (KJV, italics added)

Obedience to God's Word delivers us from bondage of sin and opens us to the possibility of victorious life in the Spirit.

Now, as children of God, we should “prepare our minds for action” as Peter admonishes us. The Bible teaches a continuing, growing, and developing faith for the child of God. We are saved to be like Jesus. Therefore, we must be obedient to all that the Word teaches, including the pursuit of holiness. Every believer who receives the Holy Spirit must, in obedience to scripture, “go on to perfection” (Hebrews 6:1, KJV). Perfection results from a definite, decisive, and determinate action in which we yield totally to the Holy Spirit and allow the Spirit temple residence (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). It is an obedience that is not only immediate and decisive but also progressive, disciplinary, and ethical. We will never grow too old, too perfect, or too holy to follow the leadership of Christ in scripture. Christ is forever the “pioneer” of our faith, leading us in a progressive understanding of the life he calls us to live. Obedience in holy living is not possible without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit enabling us to discipline our life and to implement the teachings of Christ in ethical relationships.

Security in Christ is conditional growing out of our continuing obedience to God's Word. The verse so often used to support the false teaching of eternal security, John 10:28, must always be read in context with verse 27, which reads, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (italics added). Christ never leads to deception, division, or defeat. He always leads to submission to the will of God, holiness of life, and sweetness of spirit. We are secure in Christ only so long as we follow in his footsteps. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship” (1 John 1:7). This passage reveals that only so long as we obey Christ's teachings and walk in the highway of holiness are we secure in Christ.

Journal: Do I walk daily with Christ?

Walking daily with Christ, following the example left for us in the Bible, will inevitably lead us to seek the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:19). In this sense, then, believers come to a point of personal surrender in which they ask for God's gift of the Holy Spirit in cleansing and empowering for service. It is the natural desire of the child of God to be “holy as he is holy.”

Receive Experientially the Fullness of the Holy Spirit

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24)

Too often we intellectualize our faith, understanding mentally what God said but then failing to reach out and claim personally the experience taught in the Bible. What is spiritually revealed to us through the serious study of the Word needs to become experiential for us—personally

Journal: Are my faith and my life marked by the same characteristics?

We must be careful to not allow terminology to hinder us in our obedience to the biblical teaching of the fullness of the Spirit. Truth is always more important than terminology. Many have been filled with the Holy Spirit who never knew theologically what to call the experience. Regardless of their understanding of words, when they met the biblical requirement, God granted them the experience and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Consecration of the self precedes the experience of sanctification. This crucifixion of self grows out of such insightful questions as “Why do I desire to be filled with the Spirit?” To seek such a blessing for personal reasons such as prestige, power, or spiritual success—no matter how legitimate our attempt—will only lead to failure. As an obedient child seeks to please the Father, first consecrate all to God's plan for your life. Paul outlines this for us in Romans 12:1–2:

I urge you, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

When we make this personal consecration, allowing the Holy Spirit to cleanse our life of anything that would be contrary to the will of God, God sanctifies the heart. Only God can make a perfect heart. Holiness is not gained by religious habits or through the keeping of traditional liturgies, as important as they might be, but through total surrender to the will of God. God alone is holy, and only the Holy Spirit enables us to live holy lives.

The experience is “entire,” cleansing and filling us through and through so that our whole body, mind, and spirit are set apart fully for ministry. We will have same physical body and the same personal struggles, but we will now have a constant Companion as a counselor and guide for all of our life. God wants to give us the power to be more like Jesus, but we cannot expect this experience to immediately launch us into some meteoric climb to super-sainthood or super-spiritual understanding. All that the Holy Spirit imparts will be in balance, demonstrating an attractive, harmonious Christian witness as we walk with God.

Relate Practically this Life in the Spirit

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
(Galatians 5:25, italics added)

There is a difference between the theoretical and the practical. Theory may never get beyond the “imaginative contemplation of reality.” In other words, we can imagine how nice it would be if we could live holy lives, but we may never move beyond our imagination. The practical may only link up with any approach that appears to be workable.

What is needed is a congruent combination of both: a God-given practicality, growing out of our ability through the Holy Spirit to construe the kingdom now in ways that address what is real as we actually become involved in living out holiness in life.

Journal: Is my life more practical than theoretical, or the opposite? How congruent is my life?

This is what Paul tells us after listing the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22. There is a difference, he points out, between saying, “I live in the Spirit” and actually walking in the Spirit. One difference is found in devotion to Christ—from whom comes our focus and context; the other difference is in the actual discipline exercised through the Holy Spirit as we begin to apply holiness to human relationships. Too often the witness of “holiness” people is hindered because we have preached the theological truth while we are weak in living it out in practical, daily relationships in ministry.

Conclusion

When we first stepped onto this bridge, we outlined from the Bible God's plan for our life and stated that the Holy Spirit is the power promised by God to enable us to fulfill that plan. It is at this point that holiness becomes practical: it helps us in becoming day by day what God really wants us to be. The daily discipline of the holy life is simply stated in three words, prayer, study, and praise. Even for the dedicated saint, however, these can lose their attractiveness. Prayer must always be assisted by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26) for the Spirit goes beyond what we are able to express. It is this dimension of our prayer life that brings a daily awareness that God has heard and will respond to the cry of the children of God.

As stated in John 16:13, our daily Bible study becomes more productive because our teacher, the Holy Spirit, illuminates the passages we read. This does not preclude the use of commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and other helps; it does bring a new dawn of understanding as the light falls upon scripture, helping us to know better how to apply it to our personal living.

Journal: How can I better involve the Holy Spirit in my devotional life?

Perhaps the place where many of us fail is in allowing the Holy Spirit to liberate us in the area of praise. God wants our praise. God wants us to bless his holy name! In our culture we have often been inhibited by patterns of worship that have not allowed us to express the deep joy of the Spirit-filled life. This does not mean that every Spirit-filled Christian will clap hands, dance, or shout, but it does mean that in keeping with our unique personalities, we must find acceptable ways of praising the Lord.

Journal: The reality of praise in my life is

God's plan calls for us to become witnesses in the world. The words, “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world,” become a guide for our witness in the Spirit. We should not wait to receive some special call as Isaiah (6:8) but, remembering the words of Jesus, we should recognize that the fields are already “ripe for harvest” (John 4:35). Already people are in need of our ministry of sharing. This is not a matter of becoming a professional evangelist, teacher, or pastor. It is, rather, a matter of simply allowing the Holy Spirit to use us in sharing our faith. The message is God's, we become only the transmitter, the means, through which that message of forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope is sounded. We become the embodiment of God's message of love as we bring help and healing to those in need of Christ.

Journal: How do I feel about witnessing?

Witnessing, simply a matter of sharing our personal faith, is always accompanied by a social dimension of ministry. Jesus said that his ministry was “to preach good news to the poor … to proclaim freedom for the prisoners … recovery of sight for the blind … to release the oppressed (Luke 4:18–19).

Journal: Is this ministry also my ministry?

It is, of course, possible to spiritualize these words and say that Jesus was talking about people's souls, not their bodies. Yet everywhere Jesus went he addressed both—healing for soul and body. Feeding the hungry, healing the sick, liberating captives—all grow naturally from holy living:

Holiness is the bridge that makes possible the full implementation of scripture in the relational, social, educational, economic, and political areas of life.

Is it practical? Most assuredly, but only through a life truly surrendered to the will of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and disciplined in obedience to the Word of God.

On this bridge, we have walked through some passages of scripture that confront us with the need, opportunity, and privilege of being filled with the Holy Spirit. This continuing experience is God's plan for us as children of God. We are come to the question asked in scripture and asked of all of us. This question is personal, theological, and experiential. We can be Christians and still never fully surrender our will to God. We can believe in the Holy Spirit but never allow the Spirit to fill our life. We have reached that point on the bridge—the opportunity to consecrate all that we are to God and experience personally the reality of what we have learned about the Holy Spirit. Paul said that God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). God promises to give the Holy Spirit to all who ask with courage and sincerity.

Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? (Acts 19:2, KJV)

Journal: What I think about the Holy Spirit, and what I want to do about the Holy Spirit:

[ The End ]