You are invited to move beyond fear and into a real relationship with the Holy Spirit today. Surrender your life to Him through prayer, asking for the baptism that empowers you to witness with boldness. Trust by faith, not by feeling, and let His presence transform your walk with God.
Welcome to the Real Church podcast. Our mission is for you to know the love of Jesus and live out your God given purpose. Now join us and listen in to the latest message from pastor David John Phillips.
So today, we're starting a series, discussion titled Holy *Spirit*. We're gonna dive into the bible to answer some common questions. And what we talk about may go against what you've always believed. It may go against what you've always been taught, what you've always heard, what you've always thought, and I'm cool with that. And here's why.
Because my goal is that the result of the day causes us to have a "real encounter" with the Holy Spirit that morphs into a daily relationship that lasts forever. Let's pray. *Father*, I thank you for who you are. And Lord, I ask you to speak. Because if it's just me speaking, my opinions, it might encourage some people, make people feel good, or might turn others off.
But what it won't do, it won't change anybody's lives. But if it's you speaking, Lord, you have the power to change people for eternity, to impact lives, to "break chains", to break boxes, Lord. So break down all of our boxes, break all of our walls so that we can see you clearly for who you are. And as a result of that, know who we are in you and who you are in us. And it impact not only our us, but the world around us every day.
In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. The Holy Spirit is not something to be scared of. He is someone to know.
So let's dive in. Question. Who is the Holy Spirit? And I want you to know the beginning of this message is gonna be fast and hard hitting. Right?
And then towards the middle and the end, we're gonna dive into some of those really, controversial in a lot of arenas, a lot of, places in the global church, some controversial questions. And just look at scripture and see what it says about it. So I'm excited. So first question, who is the Holy Spirit? Many see him as a thing or as an impersonal power, but the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person.
Meaning he has a mind, he has a will, and he has emotions. So when the Bible talks about the Holy Spirit, it uses the personal pronoun he, showing that he is a person. The person of the Holy Spirit is very much involved in what he does. He was personally involved in creation. In Genesis-1:2, it says the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters.
Waters. Right? In Romans-8:2, it says, the Holy Spirit gives life, calling him the spirit of life. *1 Corinthians-12:11*, we see that the Holy Spirit gives out gifts as he determines, showing that the Holy Spirit has a will. In Hebrews-9:14, it calls him the eternal spirit, showing that he is eternal.
He was here before the creation of the world, before time began, and will always be here. Psalms-1:39 7 through 12 show him as omnipresent. He is everywhere. As a matter of fact, he's in the room where you are. The Holy Spirit is there.
In Acts-5:3-4, Peter referred to the Holy Spirit as God. In talking to Ananias, he says that, Ananias, how is it that you have lied to the Holy Spirit? And later he says, you haven't lied just to man, but to God, equating the Holy Spirit to God. The **Holy Spirit is God**. See, in Christianity, you have the Trinity, right, which is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I'm gonna show you a scripture with all 3 in there. Let's go to *Acts-7* and verse 55. It says this, and this is Steven talking right at his death. He says, look, he said, I see heaven open and the son of son of man standing at the right hand of God. Sorry.
That was verse 56. Let's go to 55. It says, but Steven, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. So Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. So question, you see the father, son, and the Holy Spirit there, but how do all 3 work together?
Simple statement to help you with that. It says, it's the will of the father, the voice of the son, and the working of the holy spirit. So the father wills it, the son, Jesus, speaks it, and the Holy Spirit does it on the earth through the body of Christ, us, through the church. The Holy Spirit is a person as scripture makes clear. And as a person, he is to be revered as God, and he serves in perfect unity with the father and the son to lead us in our daily spiritual lives.
In reference to the Holy Spirit, the Bible says, and stick with me because I'm gonna go fast here. It says spirit 96 times, spirit of the Lord 28 times, spirit of God 26 times. Eternal spirit, helper, comforter, holy 1, Lord, "spirit of truth", spirit of Christ, of counsel, of your father, spirit of the fear of the Lord, spirit of glory, of grace, of Jesus Christ, spirit of judgment, of burning, of knowledge, of love, of life, of might, of power, spirit of prophecy, of revelation, of a sound mind, of understanding, spirit of wisdom, of holiness, the spirit of the holy God. And also, says that we're not to grieve the holy spirit in Ephesians-4:30. It says the spirit can be sinned against and allied to, Acts-5:3 and 4.
We're to obey the Holy Spirit, Acts-10:19 through 21. And we're to honor the Holy Spirit, Psalms-51:11. And as I talk about this next part, think relationship. Right? Think person to person relationship.
The Holy Spirit empowered God's people, *Zechariah-4:6*. In Romans-8:14, it says, he leads. So the Holy Spirit leads us For those who are led by the spirit of God are the children of God. So if you're a child of God, whether you know it or not right now, you're led by the spirit of God, by the Holy Spirit, as a person to person relationship. It says, he also, the Holy Spirit, comforts us.
*John-14:26*. In John-6 verse 8, 16 verse 8, it says, he convicts us. He teaches us, John-16:13. And Acts-29 or Acts-8:29 says, he gives commands. So each of these actions of the Holy Spirit involve a person rather than just some kind of force or thing.
So question once again, who is the Holy Spirit? And the answer is he's the most amazing person on the earth. He is God. I wanna take you to a couple of scriptures as we begin to slow down as we we we covered this big broad person of the Holy Spirit. But let's let's slow down and let's really dive in a little bit now.
In John-14:16-17, it says this, and I will ask the father and he will give you another advocate to help you and to be with you forever. He's with us forever and he's our helper. The spirit of truth, verse 17. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him for he lives with you and he will be in you.
You have to understand the context of the situation here. Jesus is talking to his disciples and this is before he poured out the Holy Spirit on all flesh in Acts-2. So he's saying he will he's with you now because he's omnipresent and everywhere, but he's saying he will be in you. Well, we look to after Acts-2. What happened in *2 Corinthians-1*, Paul's writing.
This is after this has happened. What does he say about the Holy Spirit? He says this, Acts I mean, 2 Corinthians-1:21-22. It says, now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us and put his Holy Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.
So see, when Jesus was talking to the disciples before the Holy Spirit was poured out, he said he will be in you his future. But when Paul's writing his letter to the Corinthians, he says the Holy Spirit he has put the Holy Spirit in us, inside of us, God himself in you. The Holy Spirit is not something to be scared of. The Holy Spirit is something to know. He's someone to know.
He's someone to receive, to be led by. So so what does the Holy Spirit in us look like? To really understand what that looks like in a person, let's go to the person of Jesus Christ. Fully God, yet fully man. And on earth, he lived as a man filled with the Holy Spirit.
We can see that clearly in *Acts-10* and verse 38. It says this. Let's read 37 and 38. He says, you know what happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism John preached. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power.
And how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him. So what does it look like to have the Holy Spirit in you? Well, looking at Jesus, Jesus was conceived by the spirit, very important. Jesus depended on the Holy Spirit. Jesus was taught by the Holy Spirit.
*Jesus* didn't do 1 miracle until he was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit. And Jesus only spoke what the Holy Spirit spoke. He only spoke when he heard the spirit speaking. And you you might be saying, well, why does that matter for me?
Well, it matters for you because 1 John-4 says, in this world, we are like Jesus. So to look what it means to be a Christian in this world, to walk in this world as 1 led by the Holy Spirit, baptized in the Holy Spirit, filled with the spirit, all of those things, we look to Jesus. And so what happened in his life? It's it's good to learn by because we are to communicate and interact with God through God, the Holy Spirit in this world as Jesus did. *John-3:5, you can't enter the kingdom of heaven unless you are born again*, born of water and born of spirit.
Like Jesus conceived by the spirit, we have to be conceived by the spirit. *Romans-8:9*, what does it say? You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but in the realm of the spirit if indeed the spirit of God lives in you. If and if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. So the Holy Spirit is not something to be scared of.
It's necessary. He is necessary because without the Holy Spirit, we don't even belong to Jesus. So he is vital. And so there's some parts of the church, of the global church that are don't talk about the Holy Spirit, that don't but he's vital to knowing God. He's vital to being a child of God.
So now we get into some some questions that maybe you might see as controversial. And I just want to to dive into scripture and to look at it because I believe that when you understand these things, I wanna teach you these things because when you understand them, it will help you how to and how to relate to God and how to walk out Christianity in your daily *life* and to know the gift that God has given you. So another question that is commonly asked is, when is it? When does the Holy *Spirit* like, enter into our hearts, enter into our lives? And you may have heard the words sealed.
When does it seal us or fill us or baptize us? Right? And is there some kind of a difference? Well, let's look at the first 1. When does the Holy Spirit, like, enter into us?
When does he seal us? Let's go to *Ephesians-1* and verse 13. It says this, and you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with the seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to his praise and glory. So when did you receive the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit inside of you?
Well, it says you were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, when you believed. When you believed in Jesus. When you said, you know what? You're my Lord and my savior. You are born again.
You were conceived by the Holy Spirit, made new, and the Holy Spirit came in to live inside of you. *Jesus talks about it when he's talking to the woman at the well in John-4:13*. He's talking to this woman at the well. He's talking about the promised Holy Spirit. He says in verse 13, Jesus answered, everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again.
Talking about the physical water. He said, but whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst. Talking about the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a "spring of water" welling up to eternal life. So this is the Holy Spirit entering into you at the moment of salvation when you believe.
Right? Inside the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it's like a spring of water welling up to eternal life. What is eternal life? Jesus prayed in John-17. And he said, eternal life is knowing God.
So how do we know the father? How do we know Jesus? Through God, the Holy Spirit inside of us welling up to eternal life, to knowing him. As soon as you receive Jesus, you have a relationship with the father through the Holy Spirit. You can learn to hear his voice in daily conversational relationship.
It's amazing and it's wonderful. Now, we've talked about the Holy Spirit inside of us. Now, is there a difference? Like, we also hear in many church circles and in different things the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Is there a difference in the indwelling, like inside the seal of the Holy Spirit when we believe and and the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
Does that happen at a different time? Or can it happen at a different time? Let's look into scripture. Let's just look at the answers. Let's look at what the Bible says.
In *Acts-1* verse this is not something to be weirded out by or or, you know, if you already know this, not something are all growing together in this thing. Right? So Acts-1:5, it says, for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. That's amazing. What is it for?
*Acts-1:8*. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and to the ends of the earth. So the baptism of Holy Spirit was was for "power to be" a *witness* in their daily life. And we see in Acts-2, if you read Acts-2, *Jesus* pours out the Holy Spirit. He baptizes them in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And what happens? They immediately have the power to be a witness. Peter preaches the first Christian sermon. And in Acts-2:40-41, he says, with many other words words he warned them and pleaded with him, save yourselves from this corrupt generation. Those who accepted his message, verse 41, were baptized and about 3,000 were added to the number that day.
So the the the baptism of the Holy Spirit produced the power, like Jesus said in Acts-1:8, to be a witness to the world so that the world can receive this the Jesus Jesus through the testimony of our mouth, through the testimony of our lives. That's amazing. I don't know about you, but I want the power to be a witness. I want the power to be a witness to be exemplified in all of my life. See, there's a lot of people who receive Jesus and have a *relationship* with him, but they've never been baptized in the Holy Spirit.
So they have no power to be a witness. And and so there's nobody that they've never really led anyone to Jesus in their daily life. And, it's the great commission, Matthew-28, that your purpose as a believer is to know him and to make him known to those around you. And so being baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit is vital. It's important in order for all of us.
See, just it's not just the pastors who make him known. No. As a believer who's received Jesus, you're commissioned by God to to make disciples, to make Jesus known in your daily life. And being baptized in the Holy Spirit is very important and vital for that to happen. So the next question that a lot of people is very controversial is, well, does this happen automatically when you give your life to Jesus?
Like, doesn't this automatically happen? Well, let's go to scripture and let's look at some examples. In Acts-8:14. And maybe you've always believed that this that you're, you know, you're immediately when you believe and receive Jesus, you're you're you're sealed with the Holy Spirit and baptized in the Holy Spirit's power. Well, if that's if that's what you've always believed, let's look at this scripture.
*Acts-8* verse 14 says, when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. Verse 15, when they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they may receive the Holy *Spirit* because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them. They hadn't been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Since they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
So the believers in Samaria believed in Jesus, which according to Ephesians-1:13, they were sealed by the Holy Spirit inside. They had the water welling up to eternal life knowing God. But it says they had not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit's power. They hadn't received the Holy Spirit's power on them. So what did Peter and John do?
They told him about it, but then they laid hands on them and they were baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit. A clear example. And verse 18, it shows, when Simon saw the spirit was giving at the laying on the apostles hands, he offered them money and said, give me this ability also so that I may lay hands on people so that they can receive the Holy Spirit. Like, what happened? Someone else saw it.
Like, there was a there was a shift. There was a change in the people's lives. That's amazing and wonderful. So it's obvious then that there's a difference between when you believe Jesus and when you're bapt and you receive, like, the Holy Spirit in you welling up to eternal life sealed as it says in Ephesians-1:13. And there's a difference in that and being baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Well, then that begs the question, does it have to happen later? Like, these people had already been baptized in with water. They'd already been baptized, the traditional baptized, baptism in Jesus' name, you know, like we see at churches, baptism ceremonies and stuff. So do you have to be baptized in water before you receive the baptism of Holy Spirit? Does it have to happen, you know, later at some kind of a time after you give your life to Jesus?
Well, let's look to scripture. Let's find the answers. The bible has the answers to life. It's amazing. Acts-10.
We're in Cornelius' house. He's a centurion that God sent Peter to to preach the gospel. And while he's there, he's there preaching the gospel to the people, to Cornelius, the centurion Roman soldier. Right? And to his whole household.
He's there preaching the gospel and it says in Acts-10:44, while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, verse 47, surely no 1 can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.
So these people, as Peter speaking the gospel, they believe in Jesus, receive Jesus, and at the same time, the whole the Holy Spirit baptizes them in power right there on the spot before they were even baptized with water. So you don't have to be baptized with water. You can receive them right at salvation, receive the baptism of Holy Spirit, and you don't necessarily receive it right then. It can be a later thing. Well, so when is it?
I wanna tell you I'm not gonna put the Holy Spirit in a box. I'm not gonna say, well, it has to be this way because I experienced this way or because I was taught this way. I'm gonna go with scripture. I'm gonna say the Holy Spirit's a big boy. He can baptize people in in his power whenever he wants.
Whenever he wants, he can do it. Right? Alright. So then the next question is, well, that's cool for them. Does it matter for me?
Do I need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit? How important is this to be baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit? Let's go to Acts-19. *Acts-19* and verse 1 says this, when Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
They answered, no. We have not even heard that there's a Holy Spirit. So Paul asked, then what baptism did you receive? John's baptism, replied. Paul said John's baptism was a baptism of repentance.
He told the people to believe in the 1 coming after him, that is in Jesus. On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. They were 12 men in all. So how important is it?
Well, Paul, he goes on this long journey, gets to Ephesus, sees some guys down the road. When he first gets up to them, he doesn't say, hey, how was your mama? How's how's your how's your family? You know, how's the church doing? All this stuff.
No. The very first question he asked them on his long journey is, have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Paul thought it was so important that he would ask the believers as soon as he found out they were believers that as the first question. Question. Now, what's interesting is they received the baptism of repentance.
They received. They they turned from their old ways and turned to God, but they didn't know about the Holy Spirit. They didn't believe in the Holy Spirit. And so they hadn't received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And I fear that there's many people that are watching right now that you've turned to God, but you've never received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
You didn't know how important it was. Well, the baptism of Holy Spirit is very vital, very important for your life, and it's important for you to carry out the command of Jesus Christ to make disciples, to share Jesus, to share himself, to have the power to be a witness in your daily life. So the next question then, and finally, is what must we do in order to receive the baptism of Holy Spirit? Well, *Luke-11:13*. It's very important.
Let's start in verse 11. Jesus is talking. He says, which of you fathers, if you if your son asks for a fish, we'll give him a snake instead. Or if he asks for an egg, we'll give him a scorpion. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?
He's saying all you have to do is ask. Just ask, believe, and receive the gift that Jesus has already paid the price for and poured out on all as it says in Acts-2. See, the the requirement, you don't have to do a bunch of things. You don't have to work up enough, you know, goodness and everything. No.
*Jesus* is your goodness. All you have to do is be a son or a daughter of the king and ask and know that your heavenly father will give what he has promised. So there's some of you that are watching. You know, you saw in *John-3:5* where it says, you have to be born of water and born of spirit. Born of water being born of a person, like the water breaks when mamas have a baby, but then also born of spirit.
Maybe you've never received Jesus into your heart. You've never received Jesus in your life right now and you're like, man, that's me. I need to know God. I need a relationship. I need the Holy Spirit in me welling up to eternal life where I can know him in a daily personal relationship.
I've never experienced that. If that's you, the time is now. Now is the time. And if you know that you have a you're just being drawn right now even as I'm speaking. I need to give my life to Jesus.
Why don't you pray this with me? But first, I'm gonna ask you a question. Do you believe that Jesus died for you? Because he did. He died to pay for all of your sin.
Not only that, 3 days later, he rose again, showing that his payment was good enough, but also he rose again so that you could have his *life* and transform your life with his life into the life that God created you to live. Do you believe that? Are you ready to receive his life today? Are you ready to live for him? If that's you, if you've never been born of spirit, been born again, then it's time.
Let's pray today. Won't you pray this with me? Just close your eyes and repeat after me and say, Jesus, I believe. I believe you died for me and rose again and I have been "living for myself". Say it with me.
I've been living for myself. Would you forgive me of my sin? Would you come into my *life* and make me brand new? I receive you right now. Thank you, Jesus.
I believe. Thank you. I give you all of my sin. I give you all of my guilt and all of my shame, and I receive your forgiveness. I receive your love.
I receive your life. Teach me what it means to follow after you. I am yours. Now, I want everybody watching right now, whether you just prayed that prayer for the first time or you've been a Christian for 30 years, confess this with me right now. Say, thank you, Jesus.
I am forgiven. Thank you that I'm new. Thank you that I'm a son or I'm a daughter of a king. Thank you that your presence is in me. Thank you that I can grow in knowing your voice every single day.
Thank you, Jesus. Now, there's many of you that are watching right now that have never received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You don't know what it means to have the power to be a witness in your daily life. Whether you just received Jesus right now or you've been walking with him for 30 years but still don't know the power to be a witness, it's time. That gift of the Holy Spirit is for you.
So why don't you do this? I'm gonna encourage you to raise your hands. Following the Holy Spirit sometimes is uncomfortable. I So don't care if your spouse is beside you, your kids, they think you're crazy with doing this. Do it anyway.
He's your Lord. Raise your hands just like this. It's just saying I'm it's a sign of surrender. I surrender to you, Jesus. And say this, heavenly father, go ahead and say it with me if you want the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
You want the the the the Holy Spirit to baptize you in his power. Heavenly father, I need the Holy Spirit as your son or as your daughter to have the power to be a witness. I ask you to give me the gift of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, I invite you to baptize me in your presence. Right now, I receive you.
Now just begin to thank him. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Teach me what it means to know you and to walk in your power. Teach me what it means to walk outside of my gifts and my talents and to walk in your gifts and talents and abilities.
Teach me what it means. I give you everything. Teach me what it means to share the good news of the gospel in power and in love. I receive you. I receive you.
*Jesus* name. Amen. Amazing. Some of you may have felt something amazing happen in that moment. You may have felt tingles or something else, you know.
You could have spoke boldly and prophesied is what the bible says sometimes. You could have "spoken in tongues". You could have, just feel a boldness come about you. There's the whole plethora. Or you could have felt nothing.
That's okay. You receive it by faith, not by feeling. You receive him, the Holy Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, by faith, not by feeling. It's real. It's not fake.
It's an amazing thing. You're gonna notice a change when you go to tell others about Jesus. Jesus. We're gonna continue in this series, this discussion of the Holy Spirit. We're gonna talk about we just talked about his person.
We're gonna talk about his presence and his power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Sundays to come. I can't wait.
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