Prayer-filled Life – The Virtuous Life – The Spirit-Empowered Life

Deeper love of God – Greater holiness of Life – Fuller freedom in the Spirit

Whereas Holiness centers on the power to BE
The Charismatic centers on the power to DO

Holiness leads to action in the Spirit

The Spirit-Empowered Life is about Life in and through the Spirit of God.

William Seymour and Azusa Street

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1906, Los Angeles, the Azusa Street Revival

A movement of the Spirit – the birth of modern Pentecostalism

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A movement intent on erasing the color line

Seymour –

• born and raised in the racially segregated south in the late 1800’s
• educated himself
• responded to a call to be a pastor in LA in 1906
• controversy soon started due to Seymour’s emphasis on the Holy Spirit – at one point he was locked out of the church!
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• Prayer meetings at 214 Bonnie Brae Street led to an outpouring of the Spirit
• Moved the meetings to 312 Azusa Street – 3 times a day, for 3 years
• Reporter Frank Bartleman – “The color line was washed away in the blood.”

• Was ultimately pushed away because of his radical commitment to breaking down racial barriers

Seymour was Spirit-empowered, but he knew the heart of what it means to live a Spirit-filled life – LOVE.

Jesus & the Spirit-Empowered Life

The Spirit-empowered life didn’t begin with Seymour or the Azusa Street Revival though.

The Clearing release Jesus’ own ministry was powered by the Spirit.

Acts 10:38 “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.”

Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit as well

• John 14:15-17 – another Counselor, will live with you and be in you
• John 14:25-26 – teach you all things and remind you
• John 15:26-27 – Spirit will testify about Jesus
• John 16:7-15 – to your advantage

The Holy Spirit is with us today to help us live the life that God wants us to live

The HS is with us and in us and empowers us with Spiritual Gifts and power for:

1. Leadership
2. Ecstatic empowerment
3. Community building

Every Christian has the Spirit and has been given Spiritual gifts

There has been much confusion concerning spiritual gifts

4 essential principles for exercising spiritual gifts

1. Take responsibility 1 Corinthians 12:14-16
2. Accept limitation 1 Corinthians 12:17-20
3. Esteem others 1 Corinthians 12:21-24
4. Maintain unity within diversity 1 Corinthians 12:24-26

Love is always at the center of spiritual gifts and the Spirit-empowered life

We must be growing in Love and the fruit of the Spirit – this is what a truly Spirit-empowered life will look like

We cannot separate the gifts from the fruit.

We often put attention on the gifts, but we neglect the fruit.

The Spirit-empowered life is one in which there is both spiritual gifts at work and spiritual fruit being grown

Paul tells us to walk in the Spirit, to keep in step with the Spirit, to live by the Spirit.

The Spirit-empowered life is an everyday life that is immersed in, empowered by, and under the direction of the Spirit of God.

We cannot become enamored with the gifts to the extent that we ignore our daily life with God. What is more spectacular than a life that is being continually transformed over time?!

Practical steps:

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1. Yield to the Spirit
2. Nurture the fruit
3. Discover your spiritual gifts
4. Read Scripture with the Holy Spirit
5. Listen when making decisions

Online Bonus:

Spiritual Gifts Assessment 1

• Beat Street hd

Spiritual Gifts Assessment 2

These teachings are developed further in the book Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith by Richard Foster.