More of You, God!: From Passion to Power
Lead Pastor: Rollan Fisher
God desires his people to grow in the experience of his Holy Spirit - understanding why he is given and how he operates.
Focus: We will experience more of the Holy Spirit when we allow Jesus to expand our minds regarding who he is and how he operates through his Word.
Passion for God
The Power Of God
The Purpose of that Power
Passion for God
Passion for God and the power of God will always lead you to the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Acts 18:24-28
Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
There is always more to learn about God.
Apollos understood and taught about Jesus with great accuracy, boldness and fervency, yet still had more to learn.
Priscilla and Aquila explained the way of God to Apollos more accurately, going beyond John’s baptism of repentance, that Apollos might become even more fruitful.
John 15:1-11
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
What does this mean for us?
We can have great passion for God even whilst God desires to give us more power to testify to the person and work of Jesus Christ.
As we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit, we become more like Christ and are filled with God’s zeal to share the good news of Jesus with others.
Passion for God is fanned through God’s Word and prayer, leading to encounters with the person and power of the Holy Spirit.
When we experience the power of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to take our faith from private to public in love for and service to the world (Acts 2).
And so we become ever more fruitful as God intends.
The Power Of God
God adds power to our passion for him by allowing us to experience the person of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 19:1-7
And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.
*It is not enough that we are satisfied with what we have experienced in God, the exhortation of Scripture is that we pursue all that GOD intended for us in the person and power of the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 3:12-16
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Always remember that Acts 1 was a command from Jesus, not a suggestion.
*According to Paul’s interaction with the disciples in Ephesus, one of the first matters of discipleship is that believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit, to be released in the power of God.
As we look to Jesus as disciples and believe God’s Word, we can all grow in operating in the power of the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit comes on believers, God releases gifts of the Holy Spirit.
We do not earn the power of God.
Galatians 3:1-6
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
God gives his power as a gift and every gift from God is good.
We can trust the Holy Spirit and his gifts just as we trust our benevolent, Heavenly Father.
The problem has come when we have seen people mishandle the “gifts of God” in Christ’s name.
Always remember that the godly response to abuse is not disuse, but proper use.
We find the proper use of God’s power in his Word -
The book of Acts
I Corinthians 12-14
Ephesians 4-5
I Peter 4
God wants to use our lives to glorify his strength, not our own, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Purpose of that Power
God gives us his power to testify to the reality and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 14:1-5
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
God commands us to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
The gifts are all administered in partnership with the Holy Spirit, in submission to God’s word and in the character of love.
All the gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be administered with order, being both tested and affirmed by the Word of God.
The gift of tongues was given to edify the believers.
As they spoke in tongues, the disciples were able to fellowship with and give praise to God by the Holy Spirit, uttering mysteries to God revealed by the Spirit.
In such languages they never cursed, defiled another human being or blasphemed the name of God (James 3:5-12).
It was a pure gift for a pure fellowship.
The gift was given to the believers in Acts to first strengthen them individually, providing a vehicle for fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and as a means of giving praise to God (I Corinthians 14).
Prophecy was given to strengthen, encourage and comfort other believers, as well as make the reality of God known to unbelievers.
1 Corinthians 14:20-25
Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
How do I experience more of God?
You have hands laid upon you in prayer, as in Acts 19
You simply ask in faith in response to the Word of God proclaimed to you (Acts 10)
Luke 11:13
13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
-Jesus
You must live in the shadow of the cross to stay anchored in the purpose of the power of God.
As we continually reflect on Jesus’ substitutionary work at the cross, taking the wrath of God upon himself for our sins, that through repentance from our sins and faith in Christ’s work, we might go free, we live with a daily fear of the Lord.
And so we humbly handle the power of God in the hope of honoring the Lord, crying out daily for more of him, that we might make Jesus known to the world that he loves.
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2021