The Holy Spirit | Acts 8

Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? All right. Hey, good to see you. Glad you made it. If this is your first time ever at Watermark, thanks for trusting us with your Sunday morning. My hope for you is that today would be an important morning where you can take either your first or your next step with Jesus Christ.

Honestly, I hope that for everyone here. What a waste of time it would be to go to all the effort you've gone to to get here just to go through motions and leave here unchanged. We really believe that God is here, that he wants to speak to us, that he has given us his Word. We value the Bible so much. We teach it every Sunday, and when we open it, we can hear from God.

So, I want to give you an opportunity really quickly, before we open up God's Word, just to pray and ask God to speak to you today. So, would you pray that for yourself? Would you just pray in the quietness of your own heart and say, "God, would you speak to me this morning?" Then, would you pray that also for the people around you? Ask God to speak to them as well. Then, would you pray for me and ask God to speak through me to you?

Lord, I want to ask that you would do something defining in this service, not just for a few people but for everyone here. I want to ask and pray that you would do something in our lives right now that would ripple forth into the rest of the week. Holy Spirit, I want to ask you to lead and guide us into all truth.

I pray that you would glorify Christ in our hearts and in our minds today. If there's anyone here today who doesn't know you, then, Holy Spirit, would you allow them, would you help them behold the glory of Christ? We give this time to you. Lord, I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart would be acceptable in your sight, O God, amen.

Well, today we are doing a deep dive on the person of the Holy Spirit. Some of you hear that and get excited. Others of you get concerned. I have talked about the Holy Spirit a lot over the last couple of months, and I've gotten mixed reactions. Some of you have expressed to me your excitement.

The reason you've been excited about more talk about the Holy Spirit is maybe you grew up in a tradition where the Holy Spirit wasn't talked about or maybe you were taught to have skepticism or fear around the Holy Spirit, and God has done something in your life recently or over the past several years where you have experienced more enjoyment of the Holy Spirit, so any more talk about it just gets you excited.

Others of you, when you hear that we're talking about the Holy Spirit, it just sparks concern inside of you. Not for everyone, but for some of you, maybe you grew up in a hyper-charismatic background where, I would say, there was some abuse of the Spirit, where you felt a pressure on you from leadership to speak in tongues or a pressure to prophesy over other people, and your spiritual maturity was really measured by how much you engaged in some of that activity. So, when you hear any focus on the Holy Spirit, there's a hypersensitivity in you to that, just wondering, "Are we about to drive off of a cliff?"

Those mixed reactions don't surprise me. The reason they don't surprise me is because the Holy Spirit is a gift from God to us. The Holy Spirit is God, yet Jesus asked the Father to send the Spirit, so the Spirit is a gift from God, and we have an enemy who seeks to take God's gifts and distort them in our lives. So, it makes sense that the church would end up falling into two camps with a gift from God, either mistreating the gift or leaving the gift unopened, because we have an enemy, and that enemy doesn't want us to fully enjoy the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Our tendency at a church like Watermark will be to leave the gift unopened. So, what can happen in a place like this is that people have a lot of clarity on God the Father. It's like, "Yes, I pray to God the Father. Jesus taught us to pray, 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.'" We have a ton of clarity on God the Son, Jesus Christ. We praise God that he sent Jesus and Jesus faithfully lived the life we couldn't live, died the death we deserve to die, and rose and conquered the grave so that in Christ we have new life.

But when it comes to the Holy Spirit, things kind of shut down. Things get a little fuzzy. We're like, "Yeah, I don't know about that Holy Ghost stuff." It just makes us nervous. So, what happens is we feel safer operating more as a Father/Son/Holy Bible people than a Father/Son/Holy Spirit people.

Here's what can happen. When there's a lack of clarity on the person of the Holy Spirit, two things can happen. First, you just ignore the Holy Spirit. It's like, "I don't get it. I don't know. I'll stick with the Father and the Son." Or you treat the Holy Spirit like that crazy relative you have. You love him because he's family, but you have to put strict boundaries around him before he gets out of control. Some of you are like, "I know that family member." Some of you are that family member.

But the Holy Spirit is not that family member. The Holy Spirit doesn't need us to watch him closely just to make sure he doesn't get out of control. He's a gift to be enjoyed. We don't want to quench the Spirit; we want to enjoy the Spirit. I would just tell you, over the past five years of my life, God has invited me in to experience a greater intimacy in my relationship with the Holy Spirit, and it has honestly been transforming.

I believe I've experienced deeper places of intimacy with God in the past five years than I did in the first 40 years, and it is specifically because God has grown me in my enjoyment of the Holy Spirit. It's like for the first 40 years of my life, I only ate Chick-fil-A, and I thought I had it all. You're like, "Why are you knocking on Chick-fil-A?" I'm not. I love Chick-fil-A. I eat Chick-fil-A often. We've given a lot of money to Chick-fil-A. I'm all about it.

Yet it's like God is saying, "Chick-fil-A is amazing, but have you ever tried a filet? You should totally try filet mignon from some of the finest places." It's like God is inviting me in, saying, "There's more. There's greater joy to experience. There are deeper places of intimacy I want to take you." But it is going to require me to come to a greater understanding of and enjoyment of the person of the Holy Spirit, and I want that for you as well.

So, if you're one of those people who feels fear or concern right now, my hope is to move you to joy. And if you're sitting there, and you're like, "Get 'em, TA!" and part of you is all caught up in emotionalism and, for you, the Spirit is just emotionalism, I want to move you toward biblical enjoyment of the Spirit. So, that's where we're going, and I hope you're ready for it. The way this morning is going to go is, in some ways, I'm going to turn on the fire hose and invite you to take a sip.

If you have a Bible, turn with me to Acts, chapter 8. For the note takers in the room, let me tell you how this talk is going to flow. First, I want to help the people in the room who feel nervousness or concern right now. If you feel concerned or a little bit nervous or a little bit triggered talking about the Spirit, what I want to do is look at a debated passage about the Spirit, and I want to show you how we at Watermark handle the Scriptures to operate biblically in regard to the Spirit. So, that's where we're going to go first.

The way this is going to flow is we're just going to look at this debated passage. I'm going to walk you through how we process it. Then after that, I'm going to answer three questions about the Spirit. So, if you're a note taker, it's coming. Just wait. Just track with me. So, Acts, chapter 8. Let me show you this debated passage. Remember the context. We explored this last week. The gospel has left Jerusalem. It has gone to Samaria, and Samaritans are responding to the gospel. Here's what it says in Acts 8:14-17:

"Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit."

The reason this passage is debated is because you see the Samaritans believe in Jesus, they're baptized in the name of Jesus, but they don't receive the Holy Spirit. It takes the apostles coming from Jerusalem and laying hands on them, and then they receive the Holy Spirit. So, the question that has to be asked of this passage is…Should this story inform our practices in any way regarding the Holy Spirit today in the church? Another way of asking that question is…Is this a repeatable or an unrepeatable event?

Let me just tell you where different people land. If you grew up Catholic or if you're still Catholic, the Catholic church anchors their understanding… Acts, chapter 8, is evidence for the Catholic church for their sacrament of confirmation. If you grew up Catholic, there's a sacrament of baptism, and in the sacrament of baptism, that's when an individual is forgiven, cleansed by the Holy Spirit, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but the sacrament of confirmation happens at a different time.

At that time, an individual receives a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit where certain gifts that are in you are given new power or new life and you have greater power for witness. This fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes when a bishop extends his hands over the participants and prays for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit, and then that bishop anoints each individual with oil. The anointing is very important.

The anointing, the laying on the hands of a bishop to an individual, is important because the Catholic church believes in something called apostolic succession. What that means is that the Catholic church believes the authority the apostles have in Acts, chapter 8, when they lay hands on the Samaritans and receive the Holy Spirit… They believe that authority has been passed down through bishops over time.

Another group of people… You have Pentecostal churches and some charismatic churches who would look at Acts 8 as evidence for a two-stage process with the Holy Spirit. So, they would say that when you see the Samaritans in Acts 8 believe in Jesus and receive the Word, that at that moment, the Samaritans actually received the Holy Spirit.

With verse 16 saying that the Spirit hadn't fallen on them yet, they would say that doesn't mean the Holy Spirit hasn't already come to live inside of them. They've received the Spirit, they've been indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but when the apostles come and lay their hands on them, that is known as baptism in the Spirit.

Baptism in the Spirit in Pentecostal churches and some charismatic churches is a moment where sometimes leaders will lay their hands on someone (sometimes they don't), and a prayer is prayed for someone to be baptized in the Spirit. To be baptized in the Spirit is an experience where you're given more power for witness, and it often results in speaking in tongues. So, that's how two different groups of people treat Acts 8. It's a very important passage for those two groups.

So, how do the elders and I take Acts 8? The reason I'm going through this… I'd be shocked if a good majority of people in the room were like, "I couldn't sleep this week because I just need to know what the elders and you do with Acts 8." Like, even now, I wouldn't be surprised if some of y'all are like, "Just tell me what you think, and let's move on."

The reason I'm going through this is I want you to see how we handle the Bible, because if you have concern or fear, what you need to know is the Bible is our authority. We submit ourselves to what the Word of God says. But it is our responsibility by the power of the Spirit to handle the Word of God accurately, to study it thoroughly. So, let me just tell you how we arrived at where we did.

The first thing I'd tell you is context matters. We have to remember that the book of Acts is church history. It is. It is church history, which means it is descriptive of the initial explosion of the church in the first century. That means there are events in the book of Acts that happen that we should not expect to be repeated, because it's history.

Secondly, it's a good practice to always let Scripture interpret Scripture and to see what the rest of Scripture says about one particular topic. If there's anything in the book of Acts that should be prescriptive for the church today, it will be because it is affirmed by the rest of the New Testament. So, let me show you why the elders and I believe the event in Acts 8 is actually a unique event in history. I'll give you a few reasons.

First, the author signals that it's unique. Let me show you how Luke signals that this is a unique event. I want to keep drawing your attention back to the summary verse of the book of Acts. If you get anything out of the series, just remember Acts 1:8. Acts 1:8 charts the entire book for you. This is Jesus talking. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses [first] in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria…" Those are the surrounding regions. "…and to the end of the earth."

That's the flow of the book of Acts. The first seven chapters is Jerusalem, and then you see Samaria in chapter 8, and then starting in chapter 9, God is preparing for the gospel to go to the end of the earth to the Gentiles. So, with that in mind…Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth…what you need to see is that Luke signals a new stage has begun in the advancement of the gospel by using the words that somebody received the word. Those words are important. Let me show you what I'm talking about.

Acts 2:41: "So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls." That is Luke signaling that the gospel has begun to reach Jerusalem. That's the day of Pentecost. In Acts 8:14, it says, "Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John…" This is Luke signaling the gospel has now left Jerusalem and has done what Jesus said it would do. It has now gone to Samaria.

Now watch Acts 11:1. "Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God." What does that indicate? Luke is signaling that the next stage of the gospel advancing has begun to the Gentiles to the end of the earth. So, the author signals that it's a unique event.

The second reason I would say it's unique is that the deviation from Acts, chapter 2, shows it's unique. Acts, chapter 2, is a very monumental moment in the life of the church. It's when the Holy Spirit comes, and at Pentecost, Peter gives a sermon, and 3,000 people trust Christ. Listen to what Peter says, what he calls people to in Acts 2:38. "And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"

This is very important. Watch what Peter believes. Peter believed that receiving the Holy Spirit, all of the Holy Spirit, happens at the same time as a person receives forgiveness of sins. When does someone receive forgiveness of sins? It happens at the time of repentance and faith. That's what the rest of the New Testament supports. Ephesians 1:13 says, "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…"

So, the rest of the New Testament confirms that when someone believes, they are forgiven, and at that time they receive all of the Holy Spirit. Yet in Acts, chapter 8, what do you see? You see them believe, and you see them baptized even, but the Spirit hasn't come yet. I would say the word only is really important. It says the Spirit hadn't fallen, but only that they had believed and been baptized.

Here's what I would say. To assume that the Samaritans received the Spirit at the moment of belief and that the falling of the Spirit is simply a fresh or greater outpouring of the Spirit is to write something into the text that isn't there. The more natural conclusion is that this is a unique situation where they believed but hadn't received the Spirit.

So, then it begs the question…Why would God do that? If you're still tracking with me, you should hear this, because it's actually a cool reason why God would choose to do this, why God would choose to withhold the Spirit until the apostles would come from Jerusalem, put their hands on the Samaritans, and then they would receive the Holy Spirit. The reason God does this and that this is a unique moment is because this is the first time the gospel is preached outside of Jerusalem, and it's the first time the gospel is preached to the Samaritans.

Who were the Samaritans? The Samaritans were this half-breed people who had taken Judaism and hijacked it, so Jews hated Samaritans. Jews hated Samaritans so much that in the Gospels, when Jesus comes to the Samaritans and the Samaritans don't receive Jesus, do you know what John, the same John that we see in Acts 8…? Do you know what he asked Jesus for permission to do? He wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans. That's what Jews thought about Samaritans.

Yet in this chapter, in this story, you see the guy who wanted to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans come and lay his hands on the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit. Why? Because this is God signaling the gospel is for all people. The gospel is for all nations. And what does the gospel do? The gospel creates a new people in Christ. It unifies spiritually those who have been enemies physically. That's how powerful the gospel is.

So, these apostles come and lay their hands on them as a display that enemies have become brothers and sisters in the faith, and now the stage is set for the gospel to go to the end of the earth, to the Gentiles. That's why this is a unique moment. But what's awesome… Because some of y'all are like, "That was too much time just on that. You could have just said, 'This is a unique event,' and we could have moved on." No, you need to see. It's important to study the Word of God, to understand the Word of God, because when it comes to the Spirit, we want everything biblical…nothing more, but certainly nothing less.

What's amazing, though, is when you're reading Acts 8, right after this unique moment, you get this amazing story that we don't have time to look at today, but you can read it this week in Join the Journey. What you get is this story of Philip being led by the Spirit to a deserted place where the Spirit is drawing this guy to Christ. Philip shares the gospel with him, and then the Spirit teleports Philip to somewhere else. It's a crazy story.

You can't help but read that story and come to the conclusion that having an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit and being led and used by the Spirit is where so much joy is waiting for Christians. So, the rest of the time we have together today, this is where I just want to turn the fire hose on for you. The goal is to invite you into a more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.

I'll position it this way. My wife Kathryn and I… Our relationship went through three different stages. It started out in the acquaintance phase. The acquaintance phase for Kat and me was an interesting one, because we knew about each other, we had spent a little bit of time together, but we didn't have the right perceptions of each other.

We had some friends who had actually warned us about each other. Like, my guy friend was like, "Eh, here's what you need to know about her." Then his now wife, who's one of our best friends, was talking to Kat, like, "Yeah, I don't know about him. You should know this about him." So, Kat and I knew about each other, but we had some misunderstandings or even some skepticism about each other.

Then, when we started dating, we moved into the infatuation stage, which was just full of emotion. It was amazing. There were a bunch of feelings. Then we moved, for the last 20 years, into what I would say is the deep relational intimacy stage, where we know each other. We enjoy life together. There are still feelings. It is amazing. Yet there are times I can sin against her, and there are times that we aren't as connected, but we know each other deeply and we enjoy each other.

So, my question to you is…What stage are you in relationally with the Holy Spirit? I think so many people are trapped in the acquaintance phase, where it's like, "Man, I hear the Holy Spirit talked about. We sing that song, and I still don't know if I want to sing that song about the Holy Spirit. I have some skepticism about the Holy Spirit. There's a lot I don't understand, so I'm just going to stick to the Father and the Son."

Other people are in the infatuation stage, where all emotions and feelings are tied to the Holy Spirit. So, if you feel amazing and there's a lot of emotion in worship, then you feel filled by the Holy Spirit, but if you're not feeling it, then you feel disconnected from the Spirit. Where everyone needs to get, if you're a follower of Jesus Christ…

I think what God wants for all of us is that deep relational intimacy stage where we know the Spirit, we're acquainted with the Spirit, we enjoy walking with the Spirit, and we're led by the Spirit. The Spirit speaks to us, and there's joy. We can sin against the Spirit, we can grieve the Spirit, and we can feel not as connected at times, but there's joy. So, note takers, now I'm going to answer three questions about the Spirit. Here we go.

1. Who is the Holy Spirit? Let's just be clear. The Holy Spirit is, in fact, God. He is one of the three persons of the Godhead, which means he is not an impersonal force. The Holy Spirit is not referred to as an it in Scripture; he is referred to as a he. He can be grieved. He speaks. He guides. He gives. Listen to how Jesus referred to the Spirit in John 14:16. Jesus said, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…"

In the gospel of John, Jesus consistently refers to the Spirit as a parakletos. That word parakletos in Greek can be translated as helper, counselor, advocate, comforter, and friend. Is that who you know the Holy Spirit to be? One of my friends was just sharing that the Spirit has become so much more meaningful to him because he has begun to know the Spirit as counselor and comforter.

That Greek word parakletos carries the idea of one who is called alongside another to encourage, to help, to convict, to challenge, and to support. So, what you need to understand is that the Holy Spirit has been called alongside us to lead us through life. Any runners in the room? Some of you are like, "Man, I don't know. I mean, I jogged around the block yesterday. Does that make me a runner?" Probably not, but good job.

Let me ask you… Is it easier to run 26.2 miles on your own or with someone else? Someone else. Like, if you were to just go outside, 26.2 miles by yourself, no headphones, no AirPods… All you have left to do, for the four-plus hours it's going to take you, is to question, "Why am I doing this? Why did I choose to ever raise my hand and say I'm a runner?" But if you run with other people, you have people who can challenge you and pull you along.

Jesus never intended for us to run the race of the Christian life on our own. Here at Watermark, we hear that, and we're like, "Amen. That's why we have community, because we're never meant to do the Christian race of life alone." And you're right. Yet even more than community, Jesus has intended for the Holy Spirit to be the one to come alongside us for the race of the Christian life. The Spirit of God can use community in our lives, but be careful when you replace the Holy Spirit with your community.

So, I'm just telling you, Jesus has something in his mind when he thinks about the Spirit, so much so that he refers to the Holy Spirit as another parakletos. Who was the other one? He was. Jesus is the one who came alongside us. Jesus even says in John 16, "It's to your advantage that I go away, because if I don't go away, then the Helper won't come." So, Jesus at least envisions there being no lapse in intimacy with God from him leaving. In fact, the Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ. He expects for the Spirit to do everything and to fill that void of intimacy that the disciples thought might exist. The Spirit would do that.

I tell you that just to say, if you have no experience with the Spirit, then you are missing out on what Jesus intended. I encourage you to answer this question: What has the Spirit of God been doing in your life over the past 24 hours? Just think really quickly. Are you aware? Do you even know what to look for? What has the Spirit of God been doing in your life over the past 24 hours? I think so many people are like, "I don't know. I don't know." I want to help you with that.

2. What was the Spirit's role in Jesus' life and ministry? So many people overlook this when they're reading through the Gospels. Then, when people see this, they're like, "I had no clue that the Spirit was that involved." The reason I want to show you this is because if we are to become like Christ and it's the Spirit who makes us more like Christ… Jesus had a very intimate connection with the Spirit during his life and ministry, and so should we.

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where he was tempted. The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus' miracles and messages. Jesus cast out demons by the Holy Spirit. Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit. Jesus offered himself to God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. You might not realize this, but there are approximately 40 verses in which the Holy Spirit appears in Jesus' ministry. The Holy Spirit is important. We should be in tune with who the Holy Spirit is.

3. What role does the Spirit play in the life of a believer? This is where I'm going to give you a long list, and I'm just going to read you a ton of Scripture and let the Scripture do the talking. Let me just show you what the Spirit is doing in your life.

First, the Holy Spirit convicts. John 16:8: "And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…" The only reason you came to understand that you are a sinner who is not right with God is because the Holy Spirit showed you. The Holy Spirit regenerates. This is John 3.

"Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again." The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.'"

What does it mean that the Holy Spirit regenerates? It means the Holy Spirit takes that which is dead and makes it alive. It's the idea of being born again. As Christians, our stories are not that we were bad and now we're better; our stories are that we were dead and now we're alive. The reason that is our story is because the Holy Spirit has taken that which is dead and made it alive.

The Holy Spirit enables. Some of y'all don't even know this is in the Bible. Watch 1 Corinthians 12:3. "Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit." So, you think about Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord…"

Well, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians, that is only possible when the Holy Spirit enables you to know Jesus as Lord and confess him as Lord. So, the reason you came to a point where you claimed and acknowledged Christ as Savior and Lord is the Spirit of the living God worked a miracle in you.

The Holy Spirit justifies. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:11, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Just think about this. This is courtroom terminology. The only reason you stand in God's courtroom before a God who is holy, holy, holy… The only reason you stand before him not guilty is because of the blood of Jesus Christ by the Spirit. You're justified. You stand before God not guilty because Christ died as if he was guilty in your place, and all of that is because the Holy Spirit has made you not guilty before God.

The Holy Spirit adopts. Romans 8:15: "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" The Spirit is the one who brings you into the family of God. Jesus Christ, through his life, death, burial, and resurrection, has made a way for you, and the Spirit is the one who puts you in God's family and puts it in your heart to call out to God as Father. The reason you can operate with safety and security in the Father's love is because the Holy Spirit has adopted you and made you a child of God.

The Holy Spirit indwells. Romans 8:11: "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Isn't this amazing? The God of the universe lives in you, which means you don't have to do one second of the Christian life on your own or in your own power. The Christian life is not "Be disciplined to please God." The Christian life is "Surrender to the Spirit of God who is making you more like Jesus Christ," because God lives inside of you.

The Holy Spirit illuminates. John 16:13: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come." Do you know what this means? Anytime you're reading the Bible and have one of those moments where you're like, "That's awesome. I didn't know it said that. I'm so encouraged by that," that's the Spirit.

Like, there have been times recently where I've read something and I was like, "Has that always been in the Bible? What version is this, because I've read this a lot, and I don't remember seeing that?" Do you know what that is? That's the Spirit. That's the Spirit just lighting you up. Like, "Hey, let me just show you this. You missed it the first hundred times you read it, but I'm going to light it up today."

Anytime you're sitting here at church and you're like, "I've never thought of it that way," that's the Spirit who's like, "Hello!" That's how good God is. It's the Spirit. That's why I pray at the beginning of my message and say, "Holy Spirit, I pray that you would lead and guide us into all truth." I'm praying for us that we would have those moments where it's like, "I never thought of it that way. That's incredible. Jesus is worth it."

The Holy Spirit intercedes. Some of y'all right now are like, "Dude, we get the point. You can move on." No, you don't get it yet. The list just keeps going. The Holy Spirit intercedes. Romans 8:26: "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

Some of y'all know exactly what this means. Some of you have experienced that dark night of the soul, or you've been in the depth of deep pain and heartache because of loss, or something, and you've been in such a place where your soul is so torn, and as you're weeping, you don't have words to even pray to God, yet God meets you in that moment, and you feel his embrace. You feel his closeness. He is ministering to you in a way that you could have never imagined. That is the Spirit in that moment crying out for you to God, drawing God near to you and you to God. That's what the Holy Spirit does for us.

The Holy Spirit leads. Listen to Acts 16. This is awesome. It's surprising. It says, "And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia." Isn't that interesting? The Holy Spirit was like, "Nope. Not right now. It'll come, but not right now." "And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them." They're just being led by the Spirit.

You know, this is the type of relationship the Holy Spirit wants with you every day. He wants all throughout the day to be like, "Go here. Don't go there. Yeah, you should totally say that there. Go ahead and talk to this person. Say this. Encourage this person in this way." The Holy Spirit wants to lead you all throughout the day so that the day just feels like a journey with the Spirit, where it's like, "Spirit, what do you want to do today?" and you get to the end of the day full of God stories.

The Holy Spirit fills. Ephesians 5:18: "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…" He empowers you. He changes the way you speak and the way you act. You know those times where you're in a fight with your roommate or your spouse, and something in you is just like, "Don't say it. Nope. Don't do that. Nope. Take a break. Pause. Go in the other room. Say, 'Time out,' but don't do…" You know that's the Spirit, right? The Spirit is like, "Whoa! Not today. No, that one will hurt you. That's going to cost you two hours you don't have." Some of us are like, "I'll take it from here, Spirit," and we're just like… But the Spirit fills.

The Spirit empowers. Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Those times where you find yourself in a conversation about Jesus and you feel boldness and courage, that's the Spirit who's like, "Let's go. This is why I brought you to this lunch today. You didn't realize it. You thought you were just talking about work. No, I'm talking about my work in this person's life." It's what the Spirit does.

The Spirit sanctifies. Second Corinthians 3:18: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Any good in your life, any change, any ways you're looking more loving, more peace-filled, more joyful…

Any ways that you're looking more like Jesus, it's not because you're so disciplined and you're just reading the Word and doing what it says. No, it's because you're reading the Word and the Spirit of the living God is illuminating your heart and mind to the Word, and then the Spirit is telling you, "This is how this works in your life, and I'm actually going to give you the power to do it." He's making you more like Jesus, sanctifying you.

Watch this. The Holy Spirit speaks. So many people don't believe this. Acts 13:2. Watch the wording. "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said…" The Holy Spirit said. Why? Because the Holy Spirit speaks. "…said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" The Holy Spirit speaks to our minds and our hearts.

The Holy Spirit unifies. Ephesians 4:1-3: "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Do you know how miraculous it is that this group of people can all sit in the same room together? There are opinions in this room that couldn't be farther apart. There are convictions in this room that couldn't be more different. There are people with personalities that are so different from one another. Yet we can all come in here, and we can all be members of the same body. Why? Because of the miraculous unifying work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit cultivates intimacy with God. John 14:23: "Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we…'" Jesus is saying, "We, the Father and I." "…will come to him and make our home with him." How does that happen? Because the Spirit comes and lives inside of you.

For the Spirit to come and live inside you, it's as if the Father and the Son are living with you as well. He cultivates intimacy. If you want to be connected to the triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, you have to understand that it is the Spirit who cultivates intimacy in you with God.

The Spirit glorifies Christ. John 16:14: "He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you." That's why I pray that the Spirit would glorify Christ in our hearts and minds. The Spirit gifts. First Corinthians 12:7: "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." The Holy Spirit has given every Christian at least one gift for the sake of serving the body and experiencing joy in the Lord.

Look. This list is incomplete. This isn't an exhaustive list, but the reason I took the time to go through it is I hope you sit there and have an "aha" moment that this is all the Spirit is doing in your life right now. He's doing so much in your life. So, if the Spirit is doing all of this in your life, don't you think it makes sense for you to be more in tune and more intimate with the Holy Spirit? Don't miss out on the joy that can come from being more in tune with the Holy Spirit.

Look. This message has been directed mostly at your mind. It has been more teaching than preaching. The goal of this message has been to educate you on the Spirit, but it would be such a waste of time for you to hear all of this and go out and do nothing with it. It'd be such a waste. So, let me just give you a few things you can do if you want to take steps toward intimacy in your relationship with the Holy Spirit.

First, I want to encourage you to pray and listen to the Holy Spirit. I want to answer this question…Is it okay to pray to the Holy Spirit? Let me tell you how I answer that question. I believe the answer to that question is "Yes." Let me show you why I think the answer to that question is "Yes."

The most common model in Scripture for praying is to pray to the Father through the Son by the Holy Spirit, yet that's not the only model we see in Scripture. There is prayer that is directed specifically to Jesus. For example, John 14:14. Jesus says, "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." We saw in Acts, chapter 7, Stephen says, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Stephen prays directly to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is God, so we can talk to him. I would encourage you to pray to the Holy Spirit specifically in regard to the roles he fulfills, to the work he does in your life. So, I would encourage you this week to ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you and to illuminate your heart and mind to the truth before you read God's Word this week.

Ask the Holy Spirit if there's any sin you need to confess. Ask the Spirit to fill you when you're worn out from work and still have all of the nightly routines with your kids ahead. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction throughout your day. Ask him for clarity on big decisions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there's anyone he wants you to encourage. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you power as you wage war against sin.

But remember the point was to pray and listen to the Holy Spirit. If you're going to ask, you should give him a chance to respond. I'd encourage you to create space to just sit and listen, to give the Spirit of God an opportunity to speak to your mind and heart, to bring Scripture to mind, and to lead and guide you in the right way.

Secondly, I'd encourage you to witness with the Holy Spirit this week. I'm talking about sharing your faith. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to intersections this week with people he is already preparing to hear the gospel, and then ask him for boldness to share.

Thirdly, serve with the gifting of the Holy Spirit. I already told you that the Holy Spirit has given every person who knows Jesus Christ at least one gift to serve the church. If you're not serving the church right now, I don't say this to shame you. I'm not telling you this because there's some box to check for a requirement here. We do expect every member to serve in some way, but here's why: it's for your joy. The Spirit has gifted you. For you to not serve at all…

Hey, let me be clear. I know there are certain people in our body who are in extenuating circumstances and are physically not able to right now, but I'm talking to the vast majority. For the people here who are like, "Yeah, I don't have time for that right now. I don't want to do that right now," I'm just telling you, you're missing out on joy, because the Spirit gave you a gift. That gift is lying dormant, which means you are missing out. You're missing out.

This is where I just want to encourage you. Look. If you want to grow in your relationship with the Spirit… If you're not doing Join the Journey with us, our daily devotional, you should jump back in. If you've never tried it, you should try it. If you tried it for a few weeks and then said, "This isn't for me," I want to invite you back into it, because every single day or throughout the week, that devotional is guiding you to engage with the Holy Spirit. It has been so helpful. I would commend it to you.

There are a couple more action steps you can take. For some of you in the room, I want to encourage you to get baptized as a testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Baptism, going underwater and coming out… We don't get baptized to become saved; we get baptized as a declaration that we already are saved.

It is a step of obedience that every Christian should take. Nobody should view baptism as optional. Everyone should view it as a step of obedience, because when you go underwater, that symbolizes dying with Christ. When you come out of the water, it symbolizes being raised to new life, and it is the Spirit who has taken that which is dead and made it alive.

Finally, put your faith in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you're here today, and you walked in not knowing Jesus, not having a relationship with Jesus, but over the course of this time together, something in you has burned inside… Something in you is understanding your need for a savior. Something in you realizes that only Jesus can make you right with God, only Jesus Christ can forgive you, and only Jesus Christ can make you new because of his perfect life, his sacrificial death, and his victorious resurrection.

If that's you, do you know what's happening? The Holy Spirit is waking you up to the realities of Jesus, and I would invite you to put your faith in Jesus today. If that's you, I just invite you right now to pray and say, "Lord Jesus, would you come into my life today? Thank you, Jesus, that you died for me. Thank you, Jesus, that you rose from the dead for me. Would you come into my life? Would you forgive me of my sins, and would you lead me in a new life with you as my Savior and King?"

For all of the Christians in the room, I want to invite you right now to take a moment and pray to the Holy Spirit and just say, "Holy Spirit, I want a more intimate relationship with you this week."

Father, I just say "Thank you" that you have sent your Spirit. Holy Spirit, I thank you that you live in every single person in this room who knows Jesus Christ as Lord. I pray, Holy Spirit, that this week you would lead us, you would guide us, you'd speak to us, you'd empower us, you'd make us more like Jesus, and you'd glorify Christ in our hearts and our minds. I pray that we would know the joy of God's presence because of your presence in us. We love you, amen.