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JESUS PEOPLE ARE FILLED
The Jesus People – Part 2
Springcreek Church | Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
October 1, 2023
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Being Spirit-filled is one of only four commandments given to us in the New Testament in regard to the Holy Spirit. So it’s vitally important to our spiritual life to understand what that means, how it happens, and why it’s so essential. Join us this Sunday as we delve deeper into our relationship with the Holy Spirit as He makes our life look more and more like Jesus People.
SERIES: The Jesus People
In the late 60s and early 70s, a counter-cultural Christian movement began in California among young people called the Jesus People. It happened at the height of the sexual revolution and drug culture of the time, young people sincerely hungered for the supernatural and were finding it in Jesus even when they couldn't find it in the institutional church. In this series, we want to ask the question, "What does it mean to be the Jesus People today in a world where people seem to have lost their way and find the institutional church irrelevant?"
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Pastor Keith began this message by exploring the connection between what happened in the book of Acts around Pentecost and Israel’s ages-long festival of Shavuot. Sometimes, we miss important connections like these because we’re lacking in our Old Testament knowledge and customs of the Jewish people. Take some time to discuss what were some of the parallels Pastor Keith pointed out between the birth of the church and the birth of the nation of Israel. If you want an excellent resource to do some of this exploration for yourself, check out some of the books by Kenneth E. Bailey (Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes, and others).
2. The New Testament only gives four commands related to the Holy Spirit. Two are positive and two are negative.
Live by the Spirit. Galatians 5.16
Be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5.18
Do not grieve the Spirit. Ephesians 4.30
Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5.19
This message only explored the concept behind the commandment in Ephesians 5.18. What do the other commands mean? Can you give examples of them?
3. Being Spirit-filled is NOT a one-time event. Even the command in Ephesians 5.18 makes that clear since it literally says, “be being filled” with the Spirit. This means, being Spirit-filled is a lifestyle, not a one-time event. The question is always are we yielding to the Spirit’s control and direction today, not did we do that at some point in the past? How do you cooperate with the Holy Spirit? How do you yield to Him? When we grieve or quench the Spirit, we are not choosing to be filled, have you ever grieved or quenched the Holy Spirit? Give an example.
4. Which best describes your life and why?
- A motorboat, a raft, or a sailboat?
- The “L” train in Chicago?
- God has a monopoly on my life?
5. If you’re a child of God, you have the Holy Spirit. The question is, does He have all of you? We have all we need in the resources God has provided and especially in the indwelling Holy Spirit. So why do so many Christians live beneath their privilege? Why do we live like paupers on oil-rich land (like Mr. Yates)? Why do we struggle in life depending exclusively on ourselves and our abilities when we have the power of God in the Holy Spirit? If you ever lived that way or are living that way right now, what do you think is the number one reason why people don’t allow the Holy Spirit to fi