Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
This podcast is a production of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, USA. Watermark exists to be and make more fully devoted followers of Christ, looking to God's Word as our only authority, conscience and guide.
Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? Good to see you. I hope all is well. I know this is a time of year when many people are trying to get into new healthy rhythms. So, if you're visiting for the first time, whether you're spiritually searching, spiritually skeptical, or spiritually strong, we're glad you made it. My hope is you can take either a first or your next step with Jesus Christ today.
We're going to step into studying God's Word, and we hope to hear from him today. I just want to give you a moment to pray and ask God to speak to you. Would you pray that for yourself? Just say, "God, would you speak to me this morning?" Then, would you pray for the people around you and ask God to speak to them as well? Then, would you pray for me and ask God to speak through me to you?
Lord, I pray that this time this morning would be a defining moment for so many people in the room. I'm asking and praying, Lord, that there would be nothing routine about this Sunday. Holy Spirit, would you move and work in our minds and hearts in a way that would ripple forth throughout the rest of this week?
We just come before you, Lord. If there's anyone's heart that is hard toward you right now, would you soften it? If there's anyone in the room who does not have a genuine relationship with you, then, Jesus, would you introduce yourself to them in the kindest way this morning and call them to repentance? For anyone in the room who just needs a fresh touch from you, would you give it to them today? We love you. We're here to meet with you, God. Would you meet with us? In Jesus' name, amen.
Well, I shared with you guys last week that a goal of mine was to preach in a sweater vest with no undershirt, and by 1:15 p.m. last Sunday, I was receiving pictures. Let me just show you what I received. Here's why it's funny. It's funny because it's so far from reality. What's hurtful is that when I've showed this picture to people, no one has paused and been like, "Wait. Is this real?" No one has asked that. Everyone has just laughed because they know it's AI generated. They know it's fake. Why? Because it's so far from reality.
Why do I show that to you this morning? Here's why I show it to you. Last Sunday, we drew a distinction between the normal Christian life and the American Christian life. We drew a distinction between biblical Christianity and American Christianity. As we step into Acts, chapter 19, today, Acts 19 is basically going to generate another image of what the normal Christian life looks like, the life that Jesus Christ went to the cross and conquered the grave to save us into. This is the life the Holy Spirit is seeking to cultivate in us.
The question you need to answer this morning is…_Is the picture of the normal Christian life that we're going to see kind of like the AI sweater vest TA?_ Is it so far from your reality? That's what I want you to answer this morning. Is the picture of the normal Christian life that Scripture generates for us so far from your reality?
Here's the good news. The bad news for me is that the TA in that picture is not possible. It doesn't matter how hard I try. I don't think it's a possibility. But the picture of the normal Christian life we're going to see painted today is possible for you today. You can experience it today. The joy that is waiting for you in Jesus is available to you today. Why? Because the Spirit of the living God is seeking to lead you to fullness of joy and the abundant life that is found in Jesus when we step out of American Christianity and into biblical Christianity.
But in order for us to experience that joy and that life, what is going to have to happen is many of us here today are going to need a defining moment where we truly abandon American Christianity. So, I'm just going to let you know from the top I'm going to speak to three different groups of American Christians today, and it's for your joy.
I'll tell you the three groups. The three groups I want to speak to today from Acts 19… I want to speak to the _almost Christians_ in the room, I want to speak to the _unbaptized Christians_ in the room, and then I want to speak to the _unspiritual Christians_ in the room, those who are not led by the Spirit. I want to speak to those three groups of people, but the ultimate goal is fullness of joy found in the normal Christian life.
So, if you have a Bible, I want to invite you to turn with me to Acts, chapter 19. If you've been journeying through the book of Acts with us, we are now into Paul's third missionary journey, and Paul has landed at Ephesus, which is his major stop on his third missionary journey. Great ministry happens through Paul at Ephesus.
Paul is going to come across a group of about 12 men, and what is true of these 12 men is that they have a deficient understanding of Jesus Christ. They're going to put their trust in Jesus. That's going to allow me to speak to the almost Christians in the room. Once they trust in Christ, they're immediately going to get baptized. That's going to allow me to talk to the unbaptized Christians in the room. Then, immediately following that, what you see is them have unmistakable displays of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and that's going to allow me to talk to the unspiritual Christians in the room.
So, here we go. Acts 19. I want to start by talking to the _almost Christians_ in the room. If I were to ask you, "Who here is an almost Christian?" I don't think anyone would raise their hand, because people are here thinking, "No, I'm a Christian," and others are like, "I'm not. I was dragged here." You're in one of two places, but there's actually a third category. There's the almost Christian. Some of you don't know you're an almost Christian. I'm going to help you realize it so you can move from being an almost Christian to being a Christian. Look at verses 1-4.
**"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.'"**
Alistair Begg refers to these 12 people as _almost Christians_. I like that. I think it's a good label for the 12 men Paul is encountering right now. What we know about them is that they were religious. Luke refers to them as _disciples_, and we know they've been baptized, but we also know their faith stalled out with John the Baptist. If you're not familiar with John the Baptist, John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus. His message was basically, "Repent, because the Messiah is coming."
So, these 12 people have been baptized by John the Baptist. John the Baptist's baptism was a baptism of repentance. Basically, when people got baptized by John the Baptist, they were saying, "Look. I've had a change of mind. I've had a change of heart, and now I'm waiting and ready for God's coming kingdom. I'm waiting for the Messiah to come. I'm ready for God's King to come."
The way we know these 12 men aren't Christians is because of Paul's question and their answer. Paul asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" and their response was, "We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Now, when they say, "We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit," scholars agree what they're not saying is that they've never actually heard of the person of the Holy Spirit.
That's not what they're saying, because the Holy Spirit is talked about all throughout the Old Testament, and John the Baptist would have told them about the Holy Spirit. We know that because in Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist says, **"I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."**
When these people say they have not even heard of the Holy Spirit, what they're saying is they have not heard that the Holy Spirit has already come. They have no clue about Pentecost. That answer tells us that they don't truly understand Jesus. They don't realize that John the Baptist promised that one is coming after him, the Messiah is coming.
These people never made the connection that Jesus Christ was, in fact, the Messiah who has come, and because Jesus Christ has come and conquered death, he has also asked the Father to send the Spirit, and the Spirit has come and gives new life to all who trust in Jesus Christ. These 12 men have never experienced who Jesus is truly, and they've never received him, and thus they've never received the Holy Spirit and the new life that comes with him. They're almost Christians.
After they encounter Paul, they put their trust in Jesus Christ, and they move from being almost Christians to being real Christians. My hope is that that transition might happen for some of you today, but we need to identify what an almost Christian looks like in Dallas, Texas, in 2026. Let me paint a few pictures of almost Christians.
An almost Christian is a _Christian by affiliation_. So, maybe you're a Christian by affiliation. Anytime in your life when you've been asked, "What religion are you?" you've said, "Christian. I'm a Christian," or you've checked the box "Christian," because that's how your family identified. It's the one you can identify with easiest, but Jesus is simply the figurehead of that religion. There's no relationship with Jesus. You just affiliate with Christianity. That's an almost Christian.
Another type of almost Christian is a _Christian by religious activity_. Maybe you were baptized as an infant, or you went through confirmation. Maybe you grew up going to church or mass, and you're a Christian because of religious activity. Here's the way this shows up. I think about recently, when I was talking to someone, I asked them… A question I like to ask people is "Is faith something that's important to you?" How people respond to that gives me a good indication of where they're at with Jesus.
Sometimes when I ask people, "Is faith something that's important to you?" people tell me about their relationship to church instead of their relationship to Jesus. I talked to a guy recently who was like, "Well, you know, I grew up in \[_this_\] church, so sometimes I go to \[_this_\] church. I probably should go more."
They're telling me about their relationship to church, not a relationship with Jesus. Maybe that describes you. If I were to ask you, "Is faith something that's important to you?" what you would tell me about is your history with church, but there's a difference. It's possible to have a relationship with church and not have a relationship with Jesus.
Another type of almost Christian is a _Christian by ticket_. At some point, someone maybe scared you that you're going to hell. "If you pray this prayer, then Jesus will be your ticket, and you don't have to worry about going to hell. You can know you'll go to heaven." So, you prayed the prayer and got your ticket.
The reason I say that this is an almost Christian… This is one where people begin to get nervous, because you think, "Well, are you telling me I'm not saved?" Only God knows who's saved in this room, but here's what I want you to think about. Think about a ticket. A ticket is only useful for one second. It's only useful for the one second that you are being scanned into an arena. That ticket is useless to you before, and it is useless to you after. It is only useful to you for the sake of entrance.
A Christian by ticket is someone who doesn't need Jesus for anything else except getting into heaven and out of hell. The reason that's an almost Christian is that to receive Jesus is to receive all of Jesus. Jesus isn't just a ticket. He _is_ Savior, but he's more than that. He's Savior and King and friend and healer and leader and comforter. To receive Jesus is to receive all of Jesus. To be a Christian by ticket is to just want an aspect of Jesus, but you don't really want Jesus.
The last almost Christian I would identify is a _Christian by spirituality_. Maybe you're a spiritual person, and Christianity has a lot to offer you. Reading the Bible is good for you. Praying to God, praying to Jesus, is good for you. Singing worship songs is good for you. Listening to encouraging sermons is good for you. Coming to church with others is good for you, but you also want to benefit from other lanes of spirituality.
So, maybe it's astrology, divination, tarot cards, crystals, meditation, praying to ancestors, or even to other deities. That's an almost Christian, because you haven't come to realize that to have Jesus is to have everything. It's never Jesus plus anything else. If you have Jesus, you have everything. To not have Jesus is to have nothing.
If you're here today, and you feel like you're realizing that you're an almost Christian, here's what I want to do. I want to help you become a real Christian right now. You might have walked in here an almost Christian; you can leave a real Christian. Biblical Christianity, real Christianity, is about seeing reality clearly.
For those of you who grew up in the 80s and 90s and you're familiar with _The Matrix_, do you remember that moment where Neo is sitting with Morpheus? What does Morpheus do? He offers him two pills. There's a blue pill and a red pill. If he takes the blue pill, what will be true? "You can go back to believing whatever you want to believe." We live in a "blue pill" world where people want to believe whatever they want to believe. It doesn't matter if it's reality.
People want to choose reality, but you don't get to choose reality. Reality is reality. You can ignore reality, but reality is reality. Some people want to take the blue pill and just believe whatever they want to believe. The other option was the red pill. What's the offer of the red pill? Morpheus says, "All I'm offering you is the truth. That's it. You're going to see how deep the rabbit hole really goes."
So, I want to offer you the red pill, reality, the truth. The reality is the world we live in is a broken world. Hopefully we can all agree to that. War, sickness, disease, terrorism… This world is broken. But it's not just the world out _there_ that's broken. Every single one of us is broken. Anger, jealousy, selfishness, lying, telling half-truths, manipulating others, doing things for our own advantage even though it might negatively affect someone else, unforgiveness… All of those are signs that there is something broken.
We're broken because our relationships with God are broken. That's reality. The world is broken, we're broken, and our relationships with God are broken. God is perfect. Heaven is perfect. God's standard is perfection. We are not perfect. So, here's the question…_How do our broken relationships with God get healed?_
Here's the thing. Here's reality. God has created us for relationship, real relationship. God created us to be with him, to know him, to walk with him, to hear from him…real, intimate relationship, closer than a husband and wife. That's what he has made us for. Nothing less. He has made us for relationship.
How does a broken relationship with God get healed? Is it just by saying you're a Christian, checking a box on a form that you identify as Christian? Does that heal a broken relationship? Going through religious motions? Does that heal a relationship? What about by just praying a prayer to get a ticket and then doing whatever you want? Does that heal a broken relationship? What about engaging in forms of spirituality that are actually connecting you to forces that are anti-God? Does that heal a broken relationship? No.
How do our broken relationships with God get healed? Here's how. The only way our broken relationships with God get healed is by us first understanding that our relationships with God are broken. Secondly, because we're imperfect, there's nothing we can do to heal our broken relationships with a perfect God. But the good news is, thirdly, God has done everything. Jesus Christ is God put on flesh. The God of the universe left heaven and came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ.
The reason Jesus Christ died was to die for all of our failures, for all of our brokenness. He lived a perfect life because we couldn't, but on the third day, he rose from the dead as a display that he had conquered our sin, he had conquered our brokenness, and anyone who receives Jesus Christ, turns from their life of sin and brokenness, and turns and embraces Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior… Do you know what happens? God makes you new, and your relationship with the God of the universe, a holy, perfect God, is renewed and restored for all of eternity.
Are you an almost Christian? If you are, do you want to become a real Christian? If so, let's just pray right now. If that's you, you can just say right now… This isn't a magic rabbit's foot prayer. I'm just trying to give you words to articulate what you now believe to be true.
Just say, "Jesus Christ, I'm realizing I've been an almost Christian, and I invite you into my life today. I believe I'm a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank you that you died on the cross for me. Thank you that you rose from the dead for me. Would you forgive me of all of my sins? Would you heal my broken relationship with God, and would you lead me in a new life with you as my Savior and King forevermore? In Jesus' name, amen." If you just prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of God.
The second group of Christians I want to talk to today are the _unbaptized Christians_. Look at what happens. Look at what it says is now true of these men. Verse 5: **"On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."** So, they believed in Jesus and then immediately got baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. So, this is where I want to spend some time unpacking for you the significance and the importance of baptism.
If you're here today and are a follower of Jesus Christ… You've received Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you have never been baptized, or you've _been_ baptized, but it wasn't your decision to get baptized… Maybe you got baptized as an infant or at some point your parents kind of forced you to get baptized, but honestly, it wasn't your decision, and you don't know that you even understood the gospel at the time. If that's you, my hope is that you might take a step toward baptism today.
So, here's what I want to do. I want to answer some very important questions today about baptism. The first question I want to answer is…_What is baptism?_ Let's make sure we're all clear on what baptism truly is. Baptism is a physical expression of our spiritual union with Christ. Romans 6:4 puts it this way: **"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."**
I want you to think about those tubs. I'm going to bring them back one of these days. It's not today. The whole point of the tubs is that you have been united with Christ. The Scriptures paint a picture that we have been united with Christ. We've been united with him in his death. So, when Christ died, through faith in Jesus the old you died. The old you, the you of sin, the you that was living contrary to God…that you died.
You've also been united with Christ in his resurrection. Not only have you died, but you've been raised to new life. You're completely washed clean of sin. You're permanently forgiven, and you have been made new. You have been united with Christ in his death, his burial, and his resurrection. Baptism symbolizes that. When you go under the water, it symbolizes dying with Christ. When you come out of the water, it symbolizes being raised to new life with Christ.
Baptism isn't what saves you. When you go under the water, that's not the moment that you are dying with Christ. When you come out of the water, that's not the moment you're being raised to new life. It has already happened. Baptism is just a physical expression of that already-existing spiritual union. Think about it this way. For the single people in the room, I don't always want to use marriage examples, but in this case, marriage is the closest picture that's helpful, because when you come to Christ, a union has taken place.
So, I want you to think about this. If you're married, think back to your wedding ceremony. Did anyone here light a unity candle? Some people don't want to raise their hand. You're ashamed that you lit the unity candle. It's okay. It's fine. A unity candle… At the beginning of the service, you each go up and light an individual candle, and then at some point, you both take your individual candles, and then you light one candle together, signifying you've become one. Now, are you married because you lit that unity candle? No. It's just an expression of your union.
Did anyone here go crazy at their wedding ceremony and do the unity sand? I know some of y'all did the sand. If you don't know what unity sand is, you have two different vials of sand, different colors, and then you pour the sand together, and it all gets mixed together. And what does it mean? It means you would never go through and pick each individual grain of sand to separate it. It can't be separated. You're one. Are you married because you poured sand into the same bottle? No. It's just an expression of what's already true.
If you're married, hold up your ring finger really quickly. Are you married because you have a ring on your finger? No. It's just a physical, public display. That's what it is. Unity sand and a unity candle are public displays. That's what baptism is. Baptism is a public declaration to your church family that you have been united with Christ. That's what baptism is.
Who should get baptized? Anyone and everyone who has turned from their sin and embraced Jesus as Savior and Lord. Children who know Jesus should get baptized. Teenagers, young adults, middle-aged adults, and elderly adults who have never been baptized or never made their own decision to get baptized, but who have trusted in Christ, should get baptized. Every single Christian should get baptized.
_Why_ should you get baptized? Well, again, it's a public declaration to your church family, but God's Word… This is what we need to get clear on. This is where we need to abandon American Christianity, because American Christianity has created some category where baptism is totally preference. "If you want to, great. If you don't want to, no big deal." Baptism doesn't save you, but the Bible absolutely positions baptism as an act of obedience to God. The Scriptures present baptism as the expectation for every genuine Christian.
Let me show you where I get this from in Scripture. Matthew 28:19, the Great Commission, says this: **"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…"** Jesus is concluding for his friends, "You're going to go out, and you're going to make disciples, and as you're making disciples, you baptize them." Like, belief and baptism. You believe; you get baptized. That's the way it goes. You believe; you get baptized. Baptism is a next step. It's a next step of obedience as a Christian.
We've been in the book of Acts all year, and there are no unbaptized Christians in the book of Acts. Just remember what we've seen. In Acts, chapter 2, Peter gives his first sermon, and here's the result: **"So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls."** They had a baptism service with 3,000 people. They believed and got baptized. Acts 8:12: **"But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."**
Acts 8:35-38. This is Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. **"Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, 'See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?' And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him."** Believe; get baptized.
Acts 16:30-33. This is Paul and Silas in jail. **"Then he** \[the jailer\] **brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.' And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family."** Why should you get baptized? Because it's the next step of obedience. In the New Testament, in the book of Acts, you don't find unbaptized Christians.
_When_ should you get baptized? As soon as you have trusted in Jesus and are ready to declare it publicly to the people of God. I would just encourage you. You should get baptized when you're with the people of God. Baptism isn't meant to be private; it's public. It's how we, as the family of God, celebrate new life. It's how you identify yourself with Jesus and with the people of God.
Some of you here might be waiting to get baptized until you feel worthy to get baptized. If that's you, can I just remind you that baptism is a celebration and declaration of what God has already done for you and in you? Don't wait to get baptized. Let your baptism be a declaration to your church family, "I am so unworthy that Jesus even saved me."
Then, let me say a word to parents. Parents, our tendency is to either rush kids into getting baptized too soon or delaying kids from getting baptized too long. So, let me encourage you. Talk about baptism and the importance of baptism with your kids, but let it be their decision. When they express a desire to be baptized, no matter what their age is, if they have a clear understanding of the gospel and have prayed to receive Christ, then let them get baptized.
If you keep holding out until you see all of the right things that you have decided you need to see, you might be communicating something to your child that is actually tacking on requirements that the Scriptures don't put on baptism.
So, let me say this. If you're a follower of Jesus and have never been baptized, or when you _were_ baptized it wasn't your choice and you hadn't personally put your trust in Jesus yet, I want to give you two options. The first option is to go to [watermark.org/baptism](https://www.watermark.org/baptism) and get signed up to get baptized on a Sunday. This way you can plan ahead. You can invite your family and friends.
The second option is just to go out to the pond after the service today and get baptized. Let's not wait. Just go out to the pond and get baptized, if you don't mind driving home wet. We have towels. You can take that step of obedience today. There will be someone out at the pond. They'll be standing on that big rock out there to meet you, and your church family will love celebrating with you. If you're an unbaptized Christian, abandon American Christianity for the normal Christian life.
The final group I want to talk to this morning is the _unspiritual Christians_. Verse 6 says, **"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."** When you read this, it's so tempting to say, "Okay. What are all of the controversies around tongues and prophecy? Let's just jump to _that_. Let's talk about _that_."
For us to do that, in my opinion, would be such a miss from this passage. Look. If you're interested in the topics of tongues and prophecy, I did a whole talk on tongues and prophecy a couple of years ago during our _Spirit-Led Church_ series. We're going to put a link to it in _The Current_ this week. So, if you want to go back and listen to that and hear our thoughts on tongues and prophecy, you can do that, but I don't want you to miss the point of the passage.
The point is this. Think about it. There's a reason Paul asked these 12 men if they had ever received the Holy Spirit. Why did he ask them that? Because most likely there was something Paul was or wasn't seeing or hearing in the way they talked or acted that caused him to question or doubt if they actually had received the Holy Spirit. When they trust in Christ, they receive the Holy Spirit, and do you know what is true? It becomes obvious that they've received the Holy Spirit. They kind of have their own mini-Pentecost. It's obvious that they've trusted in Jesus.
Look. Here's where I want to land. This is where I want to go in this "unspiritual Christians" category. When you trust in Jesus Christ, yes, you're completely forgiven of all of your sins; yes, your eternity is secured, but let's not forget the reality that God immediately comes and lives inside of you through the presence of his Spirit, and his Spirit's presence is never passive. It should be normal. The normal Christian life is a life where it is evident that the Holy Spirit is at work in you. So, this is where I'm just gently asking. Is the Holy Spirit at work in your life?
Let me remind you what the Holy Spirit does. We talked a lot more about what the Spirit does back in Acts 8, but let me just remind you of a few things for you to evaluate. First, the Spirit _convicts_. The Spirit convicts of sin. Do you have a sensitivity to the Spirit's conviction? When was the last time you were convicted by sin? John 16:8: **"And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…"**
There are times where Christians can get to a point where God's Word is very clear, "God is not for this," yet Christians can read that in the Scriptures and then say, "Well, I don't feel convicted about that." That's an issue. That's an issue when Christians can look at what God has been clear about and say, "I'm not convicted about that." So, I just want you to evaluate. Has your heart grown hardened to the conviction of the Spirit?
Let me remind you of some things Scripture has been clear on: being harsh with your spouse or your kids, having too much to drink, racking up debt, gossiping about others, refusing to forgive, lying, bending the truth, using foul language, being lazy, gluttony, looking at pornography at all, having sex before marriage, and committing adultery.
The Bible has been clear on all of these things explicitly, yet so many Christians read that or hear that… Even right now, you heard that list, and one of those things applies to you, and something in you is like, "I just don't feel convicted about that." Just because you don't _feel_ convicted doesn't mean you _shouldn't_ be convicted.
The issue isn't that the Spirit is giving you a pass; the issue is that your heart has been hardened to the conviction of the Spirit. The Bible says we can resist the Spirit, quench the Spirit, and grieve the Spirit. One of the reasons Christians look no different than unbelievers is because of a lack of sensitivity to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
If you grew up in the 80s and 90s… Here's the experience I've had when I've talked to other parents who have shown their kids the classic movies. I feel like we always have the same conversation. I mean, it's some of the greatest movies. What I hear parents say is "I didn't remember there was that much cussing," or, "Oh man, there's some stuff in there you kind of have to fast-forward through."
Inevitably, there's a kid with a pornographic magazine or a poster on the wall of a girl in a swimsuit. There's some awkward stuff. It's not that you don't remember it; it's that you're seeing things through a different lens now, and it hits you differently. You have a heightened sensitivity to it that you didn't have when you used to see it.
That's how our relationship with the Spirit should be. Small compromises should become bigger deals, because we're seeing life through a different lens. We're seeing life through the lens of the Spirit. When we see things or say things or do things that are contrary to the Scripture, even in the smallest way, we have a sensitivity to the Spirit saying, "Yeah, that's not it. Yeah, that was not right." Is there a sensitivity to the conviction of the Spirit? If not, then ask God to strip the calluses off your heart.
The second thing I want to remind you of is that the Spirit _fills_. Ephesians 5:18: **"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…"** Paul gives us an illustration. He says, "Look. If you want to know what it's like to be Spirit-led, Spirit-filled, think of someone who's inebriated," because when you're drunk, what's true of you? When you're full of alcohol, it impacts the way you think. It impacts the way you see. It impacts the way you feel. It impacts the way you talk. It impacts the way you walk and the way you act.
Paul is saying, "Exactly." When you're full of the Spirit, it affects everything. It changes the way you think, the way you talk, the way you act, the way you treat others, the things you do. It impacts everything. So, think about that. When the Spirit has his way in your life, then you get the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22: **"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…"**
So, I want you to think back over the past week. Can you pinpoint any moments where you were so clearly filled with the Spirit or _not_ filled with the Spirit? I think about in my own life. Last Monday, I was trying to get a title transferred on the car. I had to go to the Dallas County tax office three times in the same day. On the second time, when they were telling me again that more things needed to be done…
You know when you feel that frustration rising, and you're like, "Ohhh…" It was like in a moment in time where I just felt it, like, "This is changing my entire day." I could feel that frustration rising from _here_, and it was about to come out _here_, and the Spirit was like, "Nope." The Spirit was like, "Nope. Just take a deep breath." It was like, in a moment in time, I could feel things inside of me shift to where I was like, _Okay. Yeah, that sounds…_ "Thank you so much for your help today." There was restraint because the Spirit was controlling or restraining.
Then I think about Friday night when I was harsh with a couple of my kids. When I think back on that moment, it was so clear that it was all me and none of the Spirit in that moment. I was saying, "Look. I'm going to do things my own way." Can you look back over the last week and identify times where you've been filled with the Spirit or not? We want to move from unspiritual to spiritual. We want to be Spirit-led.
I want to remind you that the Spirit _empowers us for witness_. Acts 1:8: **"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."** Is fear holding you back from sharing your faith?
Let me encourage you. The Spirit of the living God is in you. This week, the Spirit wants to encourage you to pray for the lost, befriend the lost, invite the lost, and share the gospel with the lost. He wants to use you and empower you. He wants to do the same with me. Let's let go of fear. Christ has saved us and given us his Spirit so we can move forward in power.
Then, finally, let me remind you that the Spirit _gifts_ you. The Spirit has given you at least one gift. First Corinthians 12:7: **"To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."** You've been given the gift of leadership or administration or teaching or knowledge or wisdom or discernment or encouragement or shepherding or faith or evangelism or service or mercy or giving. You've been given at least one of those gifts for the purpose of serving the church, yet so many people have been given a gift they've never unwrapped. It's just sitting on the shelf.
I shared with you months ago about my sous vide journey. Do you remember that? Do you know what the good news is? As I finally opened up that sous vide and started using it, I started using it enough that it actually broke. When it broke, I had to make a decision. "Am I a sous vide guy?" I purchased a new sous vide just like _that_. Why? Because I opened the gift and used the gift, and now it has kind of unlocked some things.
Look. Some of you guys have been given a gift. You're just sitting on the sideline. You're leaving it on the shelf, and you've never unwrapped the gift to serve the church. Some of you heard my call to serving kids last week, and you're like, "Look, I'm not called to kids." Fine. Where are you called to? You're like, "Well, I don't know. I don't know what my gift is." Okay. Well, you can get online and take a spiritual gifts assessment. We have one on our website.
But do you know how you're probably best going to discover your gifts? Just jump in and serve. Jump in and start serving, and God will make it clear. Let me just ask every person who calls this place home. You've been given a gift to serve the church. Don't leave it on the shelf. You're missing out on joy. Go to [watermark.org/serve](https://www.watermark.org/serving-at-watermark) and jump in.
I just think about that AI-generated sweater-vest TA. That's a long shot. It is a long shot at best. It's probably not possible. Let me just say it's not possible. Let me own it in front of you right here. But the normal Christian life is possible today. You don't have to be an almost Christian any longer; you can be a Christian today. You don't have to be an unbaptized Christian any longer; you can be a baptized Christian today.
You don't have to be an unspiritual Christian any longer; you can be a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led Christian today. I'm just telling you, the normal Christian life is the life Jesus came to save us into. It's an abundant life. That's where fullness of joy is found. So, would you take your first or your next step with Jesus Christ today? Let's pray together.
Lord, I'm just asking you to have your way in your people. I ask and pray, if there is anyone here today who doesn't have a saving faith, that right now they would trust in you. Lord, if someone hasn't been baptized, I don't want them to react out of guilt or emotion, but I pray that they would respond in a genuine conviction that it's the right next step of obedience.
Lord, we all have a step to take with your Spirit. Holy Spirit, would you have your way in our lives? We want to be filled by you. We want to be sensitive to you. We want to be empowered by you. We want to serve with your strength and power. So, would you just unleash your church for the sake of the glory of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen.