Depending on their particular degree of conservatism, they may argue for fresh fillings of the Holy Spirit as something experiential and known to you, the recipient, (check out some ‘Third Wave’ Reformed Charismatics like Wayne Grudem and Sam Storms). Or, they may simply not expect any felt experience of the Spirit whatsoever in the Christian life. You get it all at conversion. No doubt there are many nuanced positions somewhere in between.

Now, the more conservative Reformed tend to be nervous that we might create two classes of Christians if we follow Lloyd-Jones – those who have not been baptised in the Spirit, and those who have. They will go to 1 Cor 12:13 (“For in one Spirit we were all baptised into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit…”) and the basic argument is that, since all the Corinthians had drunk of one Spirit, they had all been baptised in the Spirit at conversion.

I don’t see the logic. Paul is obviously writing to a church he planted (see Acts 18:1ff) and we know it was his practice to pray for all his converts to receive the Spirit (see Acts 19:1-7). So it simply doesn’t make sense to argue that baptism is regeneration based on the fact that all the Corinthians had received the Spirit. The alternative (that some had not received the Spirit) was unthinkable to Paul, since he went out of his way to make sure all believers had received the Spirit (Acts 19:2).

But not only is the case for baptism-in-the-Spirit = regeneration pretty flimsy if built on this verse, the whole drift of the book of Acts points to the doctrine that baptism in the Spirit is something separate to and distinct from conversion.

Take Acts 8 as an example. Philip preaches the gospel in Samaria, and they believe. Later, Peter and John come down and find that they haven’t received the Spirit, so they pray for them and they do. Two things are hugely important and striking from this passage:

1. The Samaritans are called believers in 8:12, and they’ve been baptised in water, but they receive the Spirit later when Peter and John pray for them (8:15, 17). Therefore, being born again does not equate to receiving the Spirit, though the new birth / regeneration is, of course, the work of the Spirit.

2. When they receive the Spirit it is such a remarkable event (details not provided) that Simon Magus, an ex-magician, wants to pay good money to have the gift that Peter and John seem to have of touching people, and those people receiving the Spirit (8:17). If it were an invisible work of God, he would hardly want to part with his cash (8:19-20); that would be a pretty rubbish magic trick.

Simon was clearly wrong in his motive, and Peter tells him so. But we shouldn’t miss the underlying point – receiving the Spirit in the book of Acts was a felt experience, so remarkable and obvious that people knew if they had or had not received the Spirit, and observers could even see it happen.

I’m getting a bit off track with the second point, and so want to get back to underlining the first; receiving the Spirit is not the same thing as being born again. Now, I’ve heard the argument that says that since this was the first time the gospel had gone to Samaria their experience was unique. Like the experience of the disciples in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost, this was a turning point in history. As the gospel went out in successive phases from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, then the ends of the earth, so did the promise of the Spirit. Therefore, it is concluded that the experience of these early believers should not be expected today. No, today it happens differently. Today, regeneration is baptism in the Spirit.

Huh? I’m sorry, but that simply isn’t a Biblical argument. You’ll never find a verse or passage to support the idea that “It was different then”, and it doesn’t make sense anyway. Of course, it fits nicely with church history and the weight of teaching through the centuries, where most of the dead guys we respect did not think there was an experience of the Spirit after conversion. But even so, it’s not Biblical. Dead guys are wrong sometimes.

Conclusion; Every new believer should be prayed for to receive the Spirit as part of the normal Christian birthing process (usually just before or just after baptism) and they should know when it has happened to them.

“When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.”
1 Corinthians 14:26

In the run up to Christmas we often find that our diaries get booked out with parties. Like myself, I am sure when you are invited around to a friend’s house party you might ask “Is there anything I can bring?”, as you want to play your part in making the celebration one to be remembered.

I’m equally sure you’d recognise the usual responses to that question might include “No problem we have everything covered, just bring yourself!” or “Thanks for asking, could you possibly bring….(fill in the blank)”

Likewise, and as Paul exhorts the believers in 1 Cor 14:26, when we gather together each week for the corporate expression of our worship in response to the divine invitation to “Taste and see that the LORD is good” we each have something to bring, an important part to play. This cannot be separated from the very health and life of the church.

With this in mind, I want to stir you with three short thoughts that might help you to prepare to join in the corporate celebration each week and that I believe could see our times of corporate worship come all the more alive with the voice and “suddenly” of God.

Is there anything I can bring?

In the first place I would encourage us to start by always asking God what He wants us to bring. This in itself expresses our dependency upon God, that we are hungry for the life and ministry of the Holy Spirit in our midst and need Him to speak and communicate the very heart of God to save us ‘going through the motions’ of dead religion. You see, God is a speaking God and He is looking for those who are available to be used to express His love, to bless and build up the church family and further to communicate His truth and love to the hurting people of our city. On our part, this is about humbling ourselves, having a heart attitude of making ourselves available and being willing to be used as instruments of God’s grace. How exciting does that sound? Does that put a fresh view on coming to church on Sunday?

As you sincerely ask this question of God I know that you will certainly hear one if not both of the following responses:

Just bring yourself

I truly believe this short phrase is foundational to being authentic in our Christian worship. I believe God asks us always to “just bring yourself”. In that I mean not to come with a mask on, not to act as we think we should or other people might expect us to act. Not to leave our troubles, the realities of life at the door and enter a time of ‘unreality’ as a form of escapism. Rather, I believe God primarily asks that we live out our worship, including these corporate celebrations, in the reality of everything that is going on in our lives. He is seeking those who worship in Spirit and in truth, those who will praise him when all is bright and cheerful and also when there is ‘pain in the offering’, when the storms of life seem overwhelming.

It certainly can be a challenge to come as you are, ‘warts and all’, as it is easy to fear rejection or criticism. Yet if we come with open honest hearts then God can far more easily minister to us and even minister through us to others, often without us realising how. It is difficult to make yourself vulnerable before people, but if we do so the rewards will be great.

If we want to see more breakthrough in our corporate worship, more release of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, I would firstly encourage us to come ‘as we are’ before our God!

The important thing to remember is that even if God’s response is to ask you to bring a gift, it is always implied that you are coming as yourself!

Could you please bring…..

You might find in response to your question that God asks you to bring something for the building up of the church family. From 1 Corinthians 14:26 we find a list of gifts that are often exercised in corporate settings, and I would encourage you to be bold in seeking and asking God to give you gifts that will minister to the body. Further to this list He might ask you to do other things as we gather, maybe to look out for the stranger and make them feel welcome, to see a need and give in faith to meet that need, to bring a personal word of encouragement, to get alongside someone and to affirm them, even to give a warm smile and friendly hug!

So if God asks me to bring something what should I do? It is quite simple really, our part is to be faithful and bring whatever is asked of us, in the same way we would if asked by the hosts of a party.

The challenge to us here is not to limit what we could possibly bring. Maybe you are the person who would be completely fine with being asked to ‘bring a bottle’ but if asked to ‘bring a dessert’ would find yourself in a panic. Maybe you’d be concerned about people comparing your offering with the usual star dessert maker who never fails to create the most wonderful dishes for everyone’s enjoyment.

Is it the same for you with the bringing of spiritual gifts at church? Do thoughts such as ‘Who am I to bring this?’, ‘I can’t do that!’, ‘How will that be a blessing?’ run through your head? Well let me take this opportunity to encourage you that the pressure is off! If we come with love in our hearts and an attitude of true humility, being true to what God is asking us to bring, then we play our part and bring honour to God.

Of course we are all human and can make mistakes by bringing something corporately that is wrongly timed, that we have not fully heard or understood, or may just be way off the mark. However, my personal approach to this is that in the loving and safe environment of the church family, any such mistakes are ultimately an opportunity to learn.

Therefore, I would encourage you with all my heart to press on, and with a holy fear of God in your heart and with an ever increasing love for your brothers and sisters seek to make yourself available to be a channel of blessing to the church.

So let’s celebrate….

So from this time on let’s all be provoked to seek God for His gifts to bless and build up the church, making ourselves fully available and willing to act and share as directed. As we commit to love one another in this way, and in doing so honour God, He alone knows what could happen in our midst!

For a good week and a half I had been driving our car back and forth with the low petrol light on. I was fully aware that the more I drove I would be getting close to empty, and yet I kept driving on. I was feeling the pressure of being busy and needing to be at my next appointment – so I did not make or take the opportunity to get filled up.

On Monday evening the inevitable happened and 5 minutes away from home the engine sputtered a couple of times and then cut out, leaving me stranded and unable to continue on my journey.

What can only be described as foolishness left me stranded in the middle of the road, in a dangerous spot. In something of a panic I got out of the car and starting trying to push it to a safer position – yet it wasn’t possible to move it alone in my own strength.

I eventually had to humble myself and call out the AA to come and fill me up with some fuel so I could make it to the nearest petrol station, as I wasn’t even carrying any reserve fuel in the boot.

I know we have often heard this, but I have once again been reminded that in the same way that I ran on fuel I had put in the tank a few weeks ago, we can so often be running on yesterday’s in-filling of the Holy Spirit. We rely on that filling to carry us through today, and even tomorrow, when it was only really intended for yesterday. There is a fresh empowering and grace available for today and again for tomorrow and the day after.

Even as I had driven back and forth between work and home, so many times I had passed petrol stations and yet had convinced myself each time that I didn’t need to fill up, that I had to be somewhere, that I would do it next time, only to find myself thinking exactly the same thing the very next time…. and then suddenly I ran out and came to a stand still.

In the same way I have increasingly become aware that when I don’t regularly come and have a fresh daily in-filling of the Holy Spirit, that I will end up stopping in the things of the Spirit, and just as with the car, end up getting out and pushing on in my journey relying on my own strength – and it just doesn’t work!

“…be filled with the Spirit.” – Ephesians 5:18

I am sure we have heard many times that as Paul exhorts the Ephesians to “be filled” the meaning of the original Greek means to “keep on being filled constantly and continually”. He is not talking about a one-time experience, of being filled every now and again, of reserving that in-filling for an annual Christian conference or even when your favourite guest preacher visits your church – you know the one who always seems to be accompanied by strong Holy Spirit activity. Paul is talking about today, about now!

In light of my foolish continual decisions to not fill up with fuel, I have this week been strongly reminded once again of the complete dependency I have on God each day. The utmost importance of coming before my Father, by my Saviour, and asking for a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit’s power to live and walk out my faith each day. And I know that as I do this, I will find myself not trying to push ahead and journey on in my strength, but instead will be able to trust that I am being carried along in God’s plans and purposes, guided and empowered by the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

I pray that my foolishness might be a provocation to you to come and drink deeply of all the resources of God that are available to us in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit.