| discipleship
Satisfaction: (n.) fulfillment of one’s
needs, longing or desires
What words would you use to describe your current
experience as a Christian?
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Growing |
|
Empty |
|
| Frustrated |
Discouraged |
| Disappointing |
Duty |
| Fulfilled |
Intimate |
| Forgiven |
Mediocre |
| Stuck |
Painful |
| Struggling |
Dynamic |
| Joyful |
Guilty |
| Defeated |
Vital |
| Exciting |
So-so |
| Up and down |
Others? |
Do you desire more? Jesus said, “If anyone
is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams
of living water will flow from within him.”
(John 7:37-38).
What did Jesus mean? John, the biblical author, went
on to explain, "By this he meant the Spirit,
whom those who believed in him were later to receive.
Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since
Jesus had not yet been glorified" (John 7:39).
Jesus promised that God's Holy Spirit would satisfy
the thirst, or deepest longings, of all who believe
in Jesus Christ. However, many Christians do not understand
the Holy Spirit or how to experience Him in their
daily lives.
The following principles will help you understand
and enjoy God's Holy Spirit.
The Divine Gift
Divine: (adj) given by
God
God has given us His Spirit
so that we can experience intimacy with Him and enjoy
all He has for us.
The Holy Spirit is the source of our deepest satisfaction.
The Holy Spirit is God's
permanent presence with us.
Jesus said, "And I will ask the Father, and
he will give you another Counselor to be with you
forever— the Spirit of truth (John 14:16,17).
The Holy Spirit enables
us to understand and experience all God has given
us.
" We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand
what God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians
2:12).
The Holy Spirit enables us to experience many things:
- A genuine new spiritual life
(John 3:1-8).
- The assurance of being a child of God
(Romans 8:15-16).
- The infinite love of God (Romans
5:5; Ephesians 3:18-19).
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The man
without the Spirit does not accept the things
that come from the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them,
because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians
2:14) |
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The
spiritual man makes judgements about all things,...
We have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)
But those who are controlled
by the Holy Spirit think about things that please
the Spirit. (Romans 8:5, NLT) |
Why are many Christians not
satisfied in their experience with God?
The Present Danger
Danger: (n.) a thing that
may cause injury, loss or pain
We cannot experience intimacy
with God and enjoy all he has for us if we fail to
depend on His Spirit.
People who trust our their own efforts and strength
to live the Christian life will experience failure
and frustration, as will those who live to please
themselves rather than God.
We cannot live the Christian
life in our own strength.
"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the
Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by
human effort? " (Galatians 3:3)
We cannot enjoy all
God desires for us if we live by our self-centered
desires.
" For the sinful nature desires what is contrary
to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to
the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each
other, so that you do not do what you want"
(Galatians 5:17).
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual
but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave
you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready
for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are
still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling
among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting
like mere men? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)
How can we develop a lifestyle of depending
on the Spirit?
The Intimate Journey
Journey: (n.) any course
from one experience to another
By walking in the Spirit,
we increasingly experience intimacy with God and enjoy
all He has for us.
As we walk in the Spirit,
we have the ability to live a life pleasing to God.
" So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will
not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Since
we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with
the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16, 25).
As we walk in the Spirit,
we experience intimacy with God and all he has for
us.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23).
Faith (trust in God and His promises) is the only
way a Christian can live by the Spirit.
Spiritual breathing
is a powerful word picture which can help you experience
moment-by-moment dependence upon the Spirit.
Exhale:
Confess your sin the moment you become aware of
it - agree with God concerning it and thank Him
for His forgiveness, according to 1 John 1:9 and
Hebrews 10:1-25. Confession requires repentance
- a change in attitude and action.
Inhale:
Surrender control of your life to Christ, and rely
upon the Holy Spirit to fill you with His presence
and power by faith, according to His command
(Ephesians 5:18) and promise (1
John 5:14-15).
How does the Holy Spirit fill us with His
power?
The Empowering Presence
Empower: (v.) to give
ability to
We are filled with the
Spirit by faith, enabling us to experience intimacy
with God and enjoy all he has for us.
The essence of the Christian life is what God does
in and through us, not what we do for God. Christ’s
life is reproduced in the believer by the power of
the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is to
be directed and empowered by Him.
By faith, we experience
God’s power through the Spirit.
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he
may strengthen you with power through his Spirit
in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in
your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16,17).
Three important questions to ask yourself:
- Am I ready to surrender control of my life to
our Lord Jesus Christ?
- Am I ready now to confess my sins? (1 John 1:9)
Sin grieves God's Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). But
God in His love has forgiven all of your sins
- past, present, adn future - because Christ died
for you.
- Do I sincerely desire to be directed and empowered
by the Holy Spirit? (John 7:37-39)
By faith claim the fullness of the Spiri according
to His command and promise:
God COMMANDS us to be filled with
the Spirit.
"... be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians
5:18)
God PROMISED He wil always answer
when we pray according to His will.
"This is the confidence we have in approaching
God: that if we ask anything according to his will,
he hears us. And if we know he hears us - whatever
we ask - we know that we have what we ask of him"
(1 John 5:14-15).
How to pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit..
The Turning Point
Turning point: time when
a decisive change occurs
We are filled with the Holy
Spirit by faith alone.
Sincere prayer is one way of expressing our faith.
The following is a suggested prayer:
Dear Father, I need you. I acknowledge that I have
sinned against You by directing my own life. I thank
You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ's
death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to
again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill
me with the Holy Spirit as you commanded
me to be filled, and as You promised
in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith.
I pray this is the name of Jesus. I now thank you
for filling me with the Holy Spirit and directing
my life.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?
If so, you can pray right now and trust God to fill
you with His Holy Spirit.
How to know that you are filled
by the Holy Spirit
- Did you ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit?
- Do you know that you are now filled with hloy
Spirit?
- On what authority? (On the trustworthiness of
God Himself and His Word: Hbrews 11:6; Romans 14:22-23.)
As you contine to depend on God's Spirit moment by
moment you will experience and enjoy intimacy with
God all He has for you - atruly rich and satisfying
life.
An important reminder ...
Do not Depend on Feelings
The promise of God's Word, the Bible
- not our feelings - is our authority. The Christian
lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God
Himself and His Word. Flying a jet can illustrate
the relationship among fact (God and His Word), faith
(our trust in God and His Word), and feeling (The
result of our faith and obedience) (John 14:21).
To be transported by a jet, we must place our faith
in the trustworthiness of the aircraft and the pilot
who flies it. Our feelings of confidence or fear do
not affect the ability of the jet to transport us,
they they do affect how much we enjoy the trip. In
the same way, we as Christians do not depend on feelings
or emotions, but we place our faith (trust) in the
trustworthiness of God and the promises of His Word.
Now That You are Filled With the Holy Spirit
Thank God that the Spirit will enable you:
- To glorify Christ with your life
(John 16:14)
- To grow in your understanding of God and
His Word (1 Corinthians 2:14,15)
- To live a life pleasing to God
(Galatians 5:16-23).
Remember the promise
of Jesus:
"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).
© Copyright 1993, 1998 by Campus Crusade for
Christ, NewLife Publications. All rights reserved.
Used by permission. For information or copies of this
product, check out Campus Crusade’s web site
at www.nlpdirect.com.
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