The Ministry of the Holy Spirit XIII

Ministry_of_Holy-Spirit-albumart

 

Sunday 05/18/14

Topic: Review: The Spirit within / the Spirit upon II

 

Series – The Ministry of the Holy Spirit XIII.mp3

Click here to watch the video.

 

Key Texts:

Mark 1:4-8; Acts 1:1; Acts 8:5-24; James 4; Acts 10:44; Acts 11:7; Acts 19:1-7

The Spirit within / the Spirit upon

The ministry of the Holy Spirit which He began in the life and person of Christ is still going on today through His church.

“I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus BEGAN to do and teach…” ~ Acts 1:1

Though the specifics of Jesus’ calling were unique to Him as Messiah, the work He was doing was teaching and preaching the Kingdom of God. This is the same calling we all have as believers, and the Holy Spirit is the One Who enables us to fulfill the will of our Father in heaven even as He did for Jesus.

Jesus’ primary goal was to be found well pleasing to the Father – to always do those things which please Him. We too are to follow His example! Jesus was obedient even unto death, which is the same obedience we are called to –

“My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”
~ Php 3:10

This is illustrated by Christ at the end of His like. Jesus repeatedly spoke metaphorically about the cup He was going to drink from – indicating the death He was going to have to die in order to fulfill the will of His Father.

“Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him with her sons. She knelt down to ask Him for something. “What do you want?” He asked her. “Promise,” she said to Him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” “We are able,” they said to Him. He told them, “You will indeed drink My cup. But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”  ~ Mat 20:20-23

“Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood that establishes the covenant; it is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.” ~ Mat 26:27-28

And He said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”  ~ Mark 14:36

At that, Jesus said to Peter, “Sheathe your sword! Am I not to drink the cup the Father has given Me?” ~ John 18:11

We spent the greatest portion of our time going over scriptures about the Holy Spirit “falling upon” people.

Most people love the story of the Prodigal Son, and one of the highlights of that story was when the father saw his some from a great distance…ran to him and “fell on him”. The word, “fell” is ἐπιπίπτω (epipiptō) pronounced ep-ee-pip’-to

It means to embrace (with affection) or seize (with more or less violence; literally or figuratively): – fall into (on, upon), lie on, press upon.

A modern term we use which is comparable to this word epipipto is “bear-hug”. Now that is a warm home coming!

I have to believe Jesus’ parable was predictive of the event when the Holy Spirit would be able to “fall on” people subsequent to salvation. It is the exact same word. So every time you see the phrase, “the Holy Spirit fell on them” it means, the Holy Spirit gave them a bear hug – a long, hardy & warm embrace! The reason this is SO important is because God CHOSE to use this word to describe what happens – making it very clear that the Holy Spirit coming upon a person is very, very relational and intimate to it’s core. It is important that we understand the heart of God for us, because it enables us to better co-operate with the Holy Spirit in His workings in and through us.

I hope you will enjoy the rest of this teaching and as a result be better equipped to co-partner with the Spirit in the work of the ministry!


We encourage you…give it a listen!

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!