Wind, water, breath, and fire

In the final message of the All In series, Pastor Juliet Lyons invites the church to be all in on the Holy Spirit. She traces the ways the Spirit is pictured in Scripture: wind in John 3, water in John 7, the breath of life in John 20, and fire in Acts 2. God's heart is for every believer to live with the Spirit's wind in their sails, His water in the parched places of the soul, His breath in their lungs, and His fire in their bones. Just as yesterday's meal will not sustain her today, she cannot live spiritually on yesterday's water, wind, breath, or fire. We need a fresh infilling every day.

Recalibrating who the Holy Spirit is

Pastor Juliet describes growing up in a deeply Nigerian church culture in the UK where people rolling on the floor, speaking in tongues, and shouting were normal. It was good, but it was not the fullness of the Holy Spirit. She asks the church to untether from past experience and learn from the Word who He actually is. Baptism, healing, spiritual gifts, fivefold ministry, and the fruit of the Spirit are all real and good, but they are not the end goal.

The chief aim is the glory of God

Quoting theologian Geoffrey Bromiley, Pastor Juliet explains that all the Spirit's activity leads to the glorification of God. In John 17 Jesus prays, "Glorify your son that the son may glorify you," and in John 16 He promises the Spirit "will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me." The Spirit points to Jesus and Jesus points to the Father in one eternal circle of glory, and believers have been invited into that union. The Spirit's work is to make us look like Jesus, and Jesus came to do one thing: glorify the Father. So the gauge for every area of life, from dating and work to parenting and what we watch, is whether it glorifies God. She tells of a Spirit-filled friend who began a relationship with an unbeliever who tried to isolate and change her; the Christ inside her would not have it, and the relationship ended. The Holy Spirit is not here to make you good but to glorify God, which is why Elan calls itself Spirit-led: not to be disorderly, but to be led into glory. It takes discipline, not feeling, to live that way.

Four disciplines of fire

Pastor Juliet gives four disciplines for keeping the fire of the Spirit burning. First, the discipline of listening and obeying: John 14 says those who obey Jesus' commands are the ones He reveals Himself to, and obedience will be costly in money, time, and service. Second, the discipline of staying close: John 15 repeats "remain in me," and life is a battlefield full of landmines, so we need Him near enough to tell us when to run from immorality, when to rest in His shadow, when to stand, and which fights are worth fighting. Third, the discipline of pressing into conviction: John 16:8 says the Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. His conviction carries no shame and is full of grace, but there is no forgiveness without repentance, and the church must learn to get on its face and say sorry. Fourth, the discipline of learning His voice: like a trusted teacher whose tone you know, the Spirit whispers in intimacy, roars in protection, and sings over us. She shares the rabbinic blessing, "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi."

Something in you belongs to God

From James 4, Pastor Juliet reminds the church that God jealously longs for the Spirit He has caused to dwell in us and gives grace to the humble. We must be all in with humility so He can permeate work, relationships, and decisions, pruning us so we look like Jesus. When we live this way, the enemy can tell, and it gives believers authority to tell him to sit down.

The challenge: keep fighting to stay fresh

Pastor Juliet closes by exhorting the church to keep fighting to stay fresh in the Holy Spirit even when it is hard and nobody else is doing it. Truth comes with discipline: listen and obey His Word, stay close and abide, allow yourself to be convicted, and learn His voice.