Immersed in the Holy Spirit

Jesus told his disciples in Acts Chapter 1 to “wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus’ disciples were believers, committed to Jesus, yet they lacked confidence and power. They had yet to receive and experience The Holy Spirit.

Jesus said they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. To be baptized is to be immersed in something. They had yet to be immersed in the Holy Spirit. That immersion happened 50 days later as they waited in the upper room. It was a dramatic event that changed their lives forever. They were transformed from insecure to confident, from weak to powerful.

Many Christians today have not been immersed in the Holy Spirit. How about you? Have you experienced Him? When you do, you will know it!

Where The Spirit of the Lord Is, There Is Freedom.

Paul told the believers in Corinth that ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom’ (2 Cor. 3:17). The local church was designed to be a place where the Holy Spirit was free to do his work. The local church was designed to express the freedom we have in Christ. If you’re looking for a church where there is freedom in the Holy Spirit; freedom to worship openly and to express your excitement about Jesus, try Crossfire in Centennial, Colorado.

Our ministry reach extends to more than 12 countries through the open doors provided by the Holy Spirit. If you’re tired of seeker-sensitive philosophy and looking for power and freedom, Crossfire is a place for you. We meet every Sunday near South University Boulevard and Arapahoe Road at 10a.m. Get the details on the web at http://www.crossfirechurch.us/. ‘Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.’

Let Him Be In Control

This week I have been speaking to you about the Holy Spirit, that incredibly awesome third Person of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a conduit of power and freedom in our lives. We see clearly in the Book of Acts that the early church functioned in a way never thought possible before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Paul told the believers in Corinth that ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom’ (2 Cor. 3:17). The Holy Spirit brings not only power but freedom. Are you free today? Have you truly experienced Him today? Are there areas of your life where you are still bound up? The Holy Spirit desires to set you free. But you must let him do it!! Stop holding Him at arms length thinking you’ll lose control….yes, you will lose control….let Him be in control…. it’s an awesome thing.

The Holy Spirit Gives a New Dimension of Power

Philip was a great evangelist in the early church. He left Jerusalem after persecution broke out and started preaching about Jesus in Samaria. Many people believed and accepted Jesus as Lord. Peter and John heard about this outpouring and went to visit. They found a bunch of new believers in Samaria. But Philip had not told them about the Holy Spirit. In Acts Chapter 8 we find that ‘Peter and John placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit’. Wow! They experienced not only salvation through Christ but now a new powerful dimension and baptism called the Holy Spirit.

If you have experienced salvation by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you too can receive the Holy Spirit into your life. If you have questions about the Holy Spirit today, come visit our church on Sunday and we’ll pray with you for this incredible gift promised by Jesus.

Jesus Promised the Holy Spirit. Have You Received?

In Acts Chapter 1 Jesus told the disciples there would be a coming baptism of the Holy Spirit. They would receive a dimension of power after He was gone. Fifty days later this occurs in an incredibly powerful way when the believers in Jesus received the Holy Spirit. It was an awesome day! Peter got up before the awestruck crowd and told them this was the fulfillment of what the prophet Joel said that God would pour out His spirit on all people.

From that day forward believers in Jesus could receive the powerful dimension of the Holy Spirit. The incredible events in the lives of believers are recorded throughout the book of Acts and elsewhere confirming the wonders of the Holy Spirit. Do you have that dimension in your life? Have you received the Holy Spirit? Just ask and the Father and He’ll give it to you.

Have You Been Baptized With the Holy Spirit?

This week I’ll be speaking to you about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is clearly the third Person of the Trinity of God. We have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament only a few leaders, hand picked by God the Father, had the Holy Spirit. The average person back then didn’t understand, know, or experience God’s Holy Spirit. However, today we live in the New Testament. Our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior opens us to receiving the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said to his disciples in Acts 1 to “wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is the distinct third Person of the Trinity. Have you been baptized with Him? It is an awesome, powerful thing when you are. Ask Him today and He will do it!

Choose Faith

We’ve been looking at faith for several days during this daily one minute message. Faith is a powerful force in your life. However faith has an opposing force. Its name is fear. Faith and fear compete for the same space in your heart and mind. You can walk by faith in one area of life, and hide in fear in another area of life.

Whenever you are challenged with uncertainty and bad news, you can choose to fill your heart space with fear or faith. Choosing faith will bring hope and peace into your life. Choosing fear will bring anxiety, trepidation, and even panic. Make a conscious choice to focus on Jesus, His unlimited grace, and His all powerful love for you and you will experience faith filling your heart space. You have the choice of what fills your heart space. Choose faith.

Fearing Something Is the Same Thing As Worshiping It

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1 that ‘faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’ Faith requires us to believe something positive we don’t see. In fact, Godly faith even has an element of fear involved. Deuteronomy 6:13 says ‘fear the Lord your God, serve him only.’ However, Jesus quoted that same scripture to the devil in Matt. 4:10 by saying ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only’. Jesus equated the God kind of fear with worshiping God. It is an awesome reverence for God that draws you by faith to Him. You don’t have to be afraid of him.

When you fear anything except God you are actually worshipping the thing you fear. You’re placing the thing you fear higher than God, thereby displacing faith in your life. Who or what are you worshipping today? Is it God or the thing you fear?

Everyone Has Been Given Enough Faith to Be Saved

Faith is the beginning of our salvation. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8 ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.’ Without faith you cannot receive the grace of God. You cannot receive his undeserved gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

All it takes is a little faith. The Bible is very clear that everyone, yes everyone, has enough faith to receive God’s grace. You may think your faith is small, even microscopic, but it’s enough to receive God’s gift of grace. A small amount of faith results in a huge reward in your life. A small amount of faith is enough to be healed of cancer. A small amount of faith is enough to save your marriage. A small amount of faith is enough to make it through that challenge at work. A small amount of faith is enough share it with others. You’ve got enough. Just use it.

Express Your Faith With Action

Our faith is the expression of our salvation. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8 ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.’ Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. How certain are you today that Jesus is your power to get through this day? We express our faith, our certainty, by our actions.

You got into your car this morning, turned the starter, engaged the transmission and left for work. You had faith that the engine would start; the transmission would engage; and the car would move from your garage to the work place. You did all of that by faith, hardly giving a second thought. You were certain there was a starter, an engine and a transmission somewhere hidden from your site. So it is with faith in Jesus. We don’t see him but we are certain that he is there and His power gets us wherever we need to go.

You Are the Tangible Expression of Jesus to Those Who Are Lost

Our faith is the tangible expression of our salvation. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8 ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.’ Your faith is the thing that connected you to God the Father. When you believed that Jesus personally extended the gift of grace to you and you accepted that gift by faith, you became saved. You passed from death to eternal life by a miraculous thing called faith.

We can’t see faith. We can’t feel it. We can’t touch it. We can’t taste it. We can’t hear it. It is not tangible to our five senses. Yet, we live by faith daily believing that Jesus is who He said He was and He lives on the inside of us. It is that daily living by faith that transforms the intangible to the tangible. You are the tangible expression of your faith. The people around you see faith by watching you. You are the tangible expression of Jesus here on earth.

A New Testament View of Father God

This week I’ve been talking about the Father heart of God. Many men have a distorted view of God the father. They view God the Father as a disciplinarian rather than as a devoted Dad. Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the Father. The Bible says that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. How did so many men get their view of the Father distorted? It’s because they have an Old Testament view rather than a New Testament view of Him.

As you celebrate Father’s Day this weekend, celebrate your heavenly Father as a devoted Dad. That’s what He is! If you come to our church this weekend you’ll discover God as the devoted Dad. You’ll experience His acceptance, His love and His power. Our church is Crossfire in Centennial, Colorado. We meet every Sunday near South University Boulevard and Arapahoe Road at 10am. Get the details on the web at www.crossfirechurch.us.

Come Experience The Father's Heart at Crossfire

This week I’ve been talking about the Father heart of God. Many men have a distorted view of God the father. They view God the Father as a disciplinarian rather than as a devoted Dad. Jesus said, "if you have seen Me you have seen the Father." The Bible says that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. How did so many men get their view of the Father distorted? It’s because they have an Old Testament view rather than a New Testament view of Him.

As you celebrate Father’s Day this weekend, celebrate your heavenly Father as a devoted Dad. That’s what He is! If you come to our church this weekend you’ll discover God as the devoted Dad. You’ll experience His acceptance, His love and His power. Our church is Crossfire in Centennial, Colorado. We meet every Sunday near South University Boulevard and Arapahoe Road at 10 a.m. Get the details on the web at http://www.crossfirechurch.us/.

His Father Saw Him And Was Filled With Compassion For Him

The heart of God the father is reflected in the parable of the prodigal son. Luke 15:20 says ‘while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.’ That was an awesome act of grace and mercy after the son had thrown away all his inheritance in another country. In today’s world it would be like a son taking half the family fortune to Las Vegas, spending months gambling it away, then suddenly coming home to Dad.

How many of you Dad’s out there would follow the way of the father in this parable? You may think it’s impossible, but God has placed on the inside of you the power to forgive and to love; the compassion to embrace the son who does not deserve it. If you’re facing this challenge this weekend, ask Jesus to help you forgive and love that son.

The Father of the Prodigal Son

This week I’ll be talking about the Father heart of God. One of the greatest examples of the Father’s heart is found in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. This son demanded his inheritance early in life, squandered it in a wild lifestyle, and came back to his Dad in humility. The real power of this story is not the humility of the son, but the grace of the father. The Father extended grace, undeserved favor, to his long lost son. He greeted the son with gifts of fine clothing and a big celebration. And He did not demand an apology!

How many of us human fathers would have done that? God’s heart is giving and forgiving. The Father offers gifts to us while demanding nothing from us. We can accept His gifts, His grace, His mercy, or we can reject it. When we screw up, He opens his arms and celebrates our return. Both fathers and sons must seek the Father heart of God. It is a pathway to forgiveness and restoration.

Father's Day Can Mean Restoration

This weekend we’ll be celebrating Father’s Day. For many fathers and sons this day will be a challenge because of broken relationships. Broken relationships will stand in the way of true celebration. I want every father and son to know that God can restore a broken relationship.

God’s heart is the heart of the forgiving Father in the story of the prodigal son. It is the heart of humble son who came back to his father after squandering all he owned. The father’s heart is both humble-- like the son-- and forgiving like the father. I encourage every father and son to read Luke Chapter 15 this week to understand how God the Father looks at your relationship. Jesus gave us this parable to bring life and restoration to relationships. If you have Jesus in your heart, you can both forgive and you can be humble.

Embrace Encouragement

Everyone needs encouragement. None of us is immune to the effects of daily circumstances that can discourage and depress. But we often need a spiritual protein bar to get beyond it. As believers in Jesus Christ, we don’t have to live in discouragement. We don’t have to embrace depression. In fact Jesus gave us a divine protein bar through His power, His Spirit, His gifts, and His people that energize us to overcome every discouragement standing before us.

His gifts are like an energy bar. 1st Cor. 14:1-3 says that prophesy is for "strength, encouragement, and comfort." God planned to feed us with the protein of encouragement. He wants you to use those gifts to encourage others. Encouraged people are stronger, more optimistic, and hopeful than those embracing discouragement. Jesus desires to feed you with encouragement today. He is like a protein bar whose energy overcomes every circumstance that you face. Take and eat of Him today.

Sow Encouragement in Other's Lives

The day is off to a hectic start and you’ve got some things on our mind. You may need a little encouragement today. Encouragement is a powerful aspect of the good news of the gospel. The Bible says in Heb. 3:13 we are to “encourage one another daily.” Yes it says ‘daily’!! We need daily encouragement, daily good news to keep on in the faith and face the challenges of the day.

A great way to be encouraged is to encourage someone else. Many people you meet today will need encouragement. Try encouraging them. Sow encouragement into their lives and you will reap encouragement in yours. You see, pessimistic, discouraging people seldom get encouragement from others because they sow discouragement. Ask the Lord for opportunities today to encourage someone else. Help them face their challenges and you will find yourself being encouraged in facing your own challenges!!

You Have Everything You Need

Well, you’re starting off your day wondering if you’ve got what it takes to succeed, or to even survive the challenges you face. You may be looking at your day thinking you need a full dose of God to make it today, but you see your glass as only half full. I want you to know today that your glass is not ½ full, it’s full of Him. If you have Jesus in your heart and have been filled with His Spirit you’re full what you need today.

2nd Peter 1:3 says “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” It’s says everything, everything!! You’ve got everything you need today if you have Jesus on the inside of you. You’ve got His counsel, his comfort, his power, and his love to face the challenges of the day. Be encouraged!! You’ve got it! Take on the day knowing you have everything you need!!

Be Encouraged!

It’s the start of another busy day in your world. You’re headed out today to important meetings, to make critical decisions for family or business, or facing challenges to your faith. It’s another day not much different from yesterday or last week. You need encouragement to take on the day. Encouragement is powerful tool embraced in the gospel of Jesus Christ and most of us are desperate for it!

Paul constantly encouraged the believers to keep on in the faith. There was much opposition to joyfully walking out their faith. In the book of Acts we find the church in Antioch was ‘encouraged and strengthened’ by the message brought by the apostles. The early church needed encouragement. So do we. I want to assure you this morning: there is no problem you’re facing today that God cannot solve. There is no meeting, no decision, no faith challenge for which God has not equipped you. Be encouraged today: His Word says you have all you need this morning in Christ Jesus.