Every now and then someone asks, a little cautiously, whether Arise is "one of those Spirit-filled churches." The honest answer is yes, gladly and without apology. We believe the Holy Spirit is God himself, a Person, not a vague force or an optional add-on, and that the whole Christian life is meant to be lived in his presence and power. This is the first post in a short series on that life in the Spirit, and it starts where the Spirit-filled life actually begins: not with a dramatic experience somewhere down the road, but at the new birth, the day you come to Christ.
You must be born of the Spirit
You cannot organize, strategize, or try your way into new life. Jesus said as much to a religious leader who had tried harder than anyone:
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, "You must be born again."
That is from John 3. Being made new is not self-improvement with a cross on top. It is a birth, and you no more manufacture it than a newborn arranges its own arrival. From the very first breath of faith, the Christian life is the Spirit's work. He is the one who convicts us, draws us to Jesus, and raises us from death to life.
The Spirit given at conversion
Here is what many believers are never quite told out loud: if you belong to Jesus, the Holy Spirit already lives in you. You don't have to wait and hope he turns up someday. Scripture is blunt about it. "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." The moment you trusted Jesus, God saved you "through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit," and you "were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." After the resurrection, Jesus breathed on his followers and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
So being born of the Spirit is not a beginner's version while the real thing is reserved for a spiritual elite. Every believer, the newest and the shakiest included, is born of the Spirit and indwelt by God himself. Your very body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. That is a staggering thing to say about an ordinary person on an ordinary Tuesday, and it is true of every single one of us who belongs to Jesus.
And there is more: Jesus the Baptizer
We don't stop there, and we say this next part without a hint of embarrassment. The same Spirit who gives you birth is the Spirit Jesus wants to fill you with, again and again. One of the great truths we hold dear is that Jesus is not only Savior, he is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. He told his followers to wait for the promise of the Father, and then, "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you." At Pentecost that promise fell, and Peter said plainly it was never meant to be a one-time thing for one generation: "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off."
So we make room for the fullness of the Spirit, the power, the gifts, the boldness, a prayer language, all of it. And we do it the way Scripture asks us to: sane, orderly, and tender, never as hype, never as pressure, never as a badge that makes one Christian look better than another. Bold about the Spirit and gentle with people, both at the same time. That is what we mean by Spirit-filled, and it is who we intend to be.
What this means at Arise
This is why "Spirit-filled" is not decoration on our website; it is our life. Our aim is not a room full of spectators but a people who actually keep in step with the Spirit, following Jesus, becoming like him, and doing what he did in his power. It begins, for every one of us, at the new birth. It grows as we keep being filled. And it is meant for you, exactly where you are today.
So come and be born
If you have never begun, this is the beginning, and it is not complicated. Turn toward Jesus, trust him, and receive the Spirit he gives. You don't have to clean yourself up first or understand everything, any more than a newborn does. Being born of the Spirit is how a life comes awake to God, and it is offered to you as you are.
Next in the series, we'll look at what it means to keep being filled. In the meantime, come and see for yourself. Text Pastor Brian and join us this Sunday.
Pastor Brian