Wellspring Israel

How Important is the Holy Spirit Baptism:  Is it central or peripheral?

The Apostles Creed, 300 AD- It mentions the Father 2 times, Jesus 9 times, and 0 times the Holy Spirit, why?  Because creeds were written to defend something.

How is Jesus introduced in the 4 Gospels?

• He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt. 3:11)
• He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (Mk.1:8)
• He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Lk. 3:16)
• This one who comes after me, He will baptize in the Holy Spirit (Jn.1:33

How central is the 1^st Altar call of the Church Age:

“Repent and be baptize in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38) Note, Peter did not say, “receive eternal life.”

Living by the Spirit IS the Christian’s Lifestyle

• “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25) Memorize!
• We don’t live from our reasoning, our strength, or even from Biblical laws (Pharisees) Not my mind, Biblical laws of “logic” But by Holy Spirit

Most of the Church are like the believers from Ephesus,

• Acts 19:1—7, 19 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” ³ And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” ⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. ⁷ Now the men were about twelve in all.

The New Testament list over 70 things the Holy Spirit does in relationship with us:  We have arranged some of these verses in 5 categories:

1. The Spirit and Salvation

• I must be born again to enter the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:5).
• The Spirit of God dwells in me (1 Cor.3:16).
• I become one Spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17.)

2. The Spirit within me is Power, I rely upon the Spirit to prosper

• It is the Spirit who give life; the flesh prophets nothing (Jn. 6:63).
• If by the Spirit I am putting to death the deeds of the body, I will (Rom. 8:13).
• I fight with the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17).

3. My Worship is in the Spirit

• I worship in the Spirit of God (Phil. 3:3).
• Being led by the Spirit of God means, I am a son of God (Rom. 8:14).
• Christ abides in me through the Holy Spirit (1 Jn. 3:24; 4:13).

4. I hunger for the leading of Holy Spirit

• I am thirsty to hear from the Holy Spirit (Rev. 21:17).
• I never quench the Holy Spirit (Eph. 6:18).
• I pray continuously for a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Eph. 1:17).

5. I am Empowered and Anointed by the Holy Spirit

• I receive thoughts of God through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10-12).
• The Holy Spirit guides and forms my prayers (Eph. 6:18).
• The energy of the Holy Spirit opens doors for me (1 Cor.16:9).

Hebrews 6:1-3: There are Six doctrines Laying a foundation that focus on Releasing the Holy Spirit in my life. 

Six Foundational Pillars: Hebrews 6:1-3

1. Repentance from dead works: a dead work is anything that begins, continues or ends with self-effort. Jesus did only what the Spirit directed (Jn. 5:19,20,30).

2. Faith toward God: I choose to believe and honor the River of the Spirit which flows within me (Jn. 7:37-39)

3. Doctrine of Baptisms: I am baptized in water, in the Holy Spirit, in fire, and by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (Acts 2:1-38; 1 Cor. 12:13).

4. Resurrection from the Dead: I am conscious that I was crucified with Christ. Christ now lives in me by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:11).

5. Laying on of Hands: Like Jesus, I release healing and blessing by the Holy Spirit when I lay hands on people (Mk. 6:5;16:18).

6. Eternal Judgement: I release judging to God (Jn. 8:15; James 4:12).

What God considers foundational is that we live and walk by the Holy Spirit.

How do I activate the flow of the Holy Spirit?

• Faith creates a gate/doorway/portal for God’s supernatural provision to flow.
• We know God can do anything on His own but He has chosen to work through me.
• Through Faith God’s chosen ones can activate His power in their lives.

Exercise and Activation

 Spend time with the Holy Spirit. This is a personal activation. You can set a peaceful and Worshipful atmosphere by dimming the lights and playing instrumental worship music. Settle in a comfortable chair or position, either sitting or lying down, shut your eyes and began to reach out to God through prayer. Relax and allow the Lord to paint pictures and bring vivid images to you as you rest in Him. When you do this exercise, you may actually begin to hear the spirit speak to your heart or impress an idea upon your spirit. Receive the message that God is lovingly bringing to you. Meditate upon these things and ask yourself how you should respond to the Lord’s beckoning. At first, you might only see glimpses or images or discern short messages. Or, you might not see or discern anything at all. Don’t be discouraged. That’s OK. Make time in your schedule to repeat this exercise. The more you practice it, the more you will feel yourself opening up to the spirit. Shalom Shalom! Jim and Debbie Laymon and Wellspring Israel.