1. Introduction
· Exodus 19:16-19 The first Pentecost – a visitation of God to His people.
· Thunder, lightening cloud, trumpet, fire, earthquake.
· God met with His people to become engaged to marry them.
· He required that they remember and celebrate this day each year!
· Leviticus 23: 16, 20-22 Pentecost instituted as an annual celebration.
(v16) Come before the host to make an offering and celebrate.
(v21 No work!
(v22) Remember to be generous to the poor.
*Pentecost begins with an encounter with God and ends with generosity to the poor.
*Church needs constant fresh encounters with God and filling with the Holy Spirit.
2. Personal Experience: Be Filled with the Holy Ghost
Acts 2: 1-4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”
(a) Baptism In Holy Spirit is a gateway experience to Supernatural Life.
· God’s intention is for us to experience spiritual reality.
· Baptism in the Holy Spirit opens up realm of Supernatural.
· Further evidence – overflow with new languages of spirit – speaking in tongues.
· This is the language of intimacy with God (1 Corinthians 14:2)
· They received from God an impartation – speaking, joy, drunkenness.
(b) Keys to Ongoing Filling with the Holy Spirit
· Believers need to keep being daily filled with the Holy Spirit. The power to live the Christian life. (Eph. 5:18)
· Trying harder doesn’t change us or make us better, must learn to receive.
· Everything we receive from God comes by believing not trying.
(i) Speaking in Tongues
· When you speak in tongues you activate and energize your spirit man.
· You open up a direct flow with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4)
· You edify or build up your inner man. (1 Corinthians 14:4)
· Speaking in tongues is a powerful way to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
(ii) Yield to the Holy Spirit Within
· We receive from God by believing not trying – striving.
· To receive must first stop trying, striving, struggling
· Yielding is an act of surrender – letting go self effort: letting God.
· Our challenge is to believe what God says is true about us.
· John 6:29 “This is the work of God that you believe….”
(iii) Meditation – Imagining Gods’ Word
· V17 “Dreams and Visions” – both are pictures or imaginings.
· Nothing indicates they are seen with the natural eyes.
· Both are images in the mind, in the imagination.
· They are God inspired pictures in your imagination.
· Take Gods’ truth – practice imagining what it would be like to experience being in this truth. What would it look like? Feel like? Sound like?
Eg: Being in the Temple of God
Entering the Throne of God
Being filled with the love of God
· Stop working, striving to obtain – set imagination to see, embrace, believe.
3. Personal Experience: Flow with the Spirit
Acts 2: 17-18 “I will pour out My Spirit in those says and they will prophesy”
· You are filled with the Spirit for the purpose of mission.
· The overflow of the Spirit of God is seen in life and ministry to needs.
· 1 Corinthians 12:7 “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each man to profit all”
· ‘Given’ – you receive by believing not by striving or struggling.
· ‘Each man’ – Gods design is every believer ministers to others.
4. Practice Generosity (Fruit of the Spirit)
Vs 44-45 “Generosity to those in need were the consequence of being spirit filled.”
· Generosity is evidence of the love of God: can’t love without being generous.
· Pentecost starts with being filled with Holy Spirit and ends with generosity.
· Dt 24:18-22 “Pentecost was a harvest time – here is what God required.”
· World pressure – consumerism, pressure to spend all on yourself.
· God requires intentional generosity to be part of our life.
· Leave margins in your life – compassion for those in need, time, finance, talent, relationships.
· No quantity specified – the issue is gratitude to God and generosity.
· Command – this is a way of life of person filled with the Holy Spirit.
· Generosity to strangers, fatherless, widows.
Questions:
(i) Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?
(ii) Are you flowing with the Holy Spirit?
(iii) Are you practicing generosity?