Every Person Filled | The Holy Spirit

Every Person Filled: The Holy Spirit

The Foundation: Meeting God at a Young Age

I'm honored to be here tonight. This is actually the only youth event I'm doing all year, and I have to be honest—I'm terrified. But I believe God is going to do something amazing in your life tonight.

I want to share my story with you because I believe it matters. On June 10, 1998, in Del Rio, Texas, I was 15 years old when I gave my life to Jesus. God saved me that day, and I've never looked back. Twenty-seven years later, I don't regret it for a single moment. I look back and think, "Thank you, God, for saving me young and sparing me from so much pain, shame, and sin."

But there's more to the story. In June of 1998, I met Jesus. Then in October of that same year, I had a second encounter with God—I met the Holy Spirit. And that's what I want to talk to you about tonight.

Understanding the Holy Spirit

Many of us understand water baptism. Someone holds you and immerses you in water. Well, in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Jesus himself holds you and immerses you into the person and the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

When that happened to me, everything changed. God gave me a prayer language. I began to speak in tongues. I began to prophesy. Suddenly, the Bible made sense in a way it never had before—it was like 3D. I fell in love with the presence of God. And I believe what God did for me, God will do for you tonight.

Listen to what happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:

On the day of Pentecost, when it had fully come, they were all in one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty rushing wind. And it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared on them divided tongues as of fire. And one sat on each of them.

Notice this: every person in that room got a flame. Everybody got a fire. This wasn't just for the apostles or the preachers. The Holy Spirit is for everyone.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they all began to speak in other tongues.

Every person filled. That's what I want to talk about tonight.

The Problem: A Generation in Fear

Fast forward 2,000 years. In Acts 19, the Apostle Paul visits a church and something feels off. He asks them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they respond, "We did not even know there was a Holy Spirit."

I think many of us are in that same place. We love God. We're Christians. We're going to heaven. But we don't know anything about the Holy Spirit.

Here's what Jesus said about our time. In the last days, there would be a spirit of fear that grabs hold of a generation. Look around. You have more education than any generation before you. More exposure. More talent and gifts. And yet your generation is more medicated, more fearful, more worried, more scared than ever.

You're either going to be exposed to the vastness of this world and become a world changer, or you're going to be intimidated by it and shrink back in fear.

But the Bible tells us this:

God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Fear is a spirit, not an emotion. Fear comes from hell, not from earth. But Jesus promised something different:

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. I'm going to pour it out on the young and the old. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. I'm going to get a hold of your tongue. You're going to start talking different. You're going to start walking different. You're going to start living from a dream and from a vision.

I declare this is a fearless generation. I declare this is a powerful generation. I declare this is a world-changing generation that will not be bound by fear but will be filled with the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the antidote for fear.

Three Things About the Holy Spirit

1. The Holy Spirit Comes Upon Us

You can experience the Holy Spirit. Not by faith alone, but physically. Tangibly. Experientially.

When you read the book of Acts, you see seven different descriptions for the same experience: baptized in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, the Spirit fell upon them, came upon them, rested upon them, people received the Spirit, and the Spirit was poured out. Seven descriptions because we all experience the move of God a little bit differently based on our background and what we've been through.

But here's the thing: many of us think, "I've already received the Holy Spirit because I'm a Christian." That's true, but there's more. In John 20, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." That's conversion—the Spirit living inside you.

But 40 days later, Jesus told them: "Do not leave Jerusalem. Wait for the promise of the Father. You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So they received the Spirit, but then the Spirit came upon them with power.

When I say yes to Jesus, the Spirit of God lives in my spirit. But my flesh still needs to be saved. My soul still needs to be restored. My body still needs to be empowered. So when the Spirit comes upon me, He gives me power to do what I could not do on my own.

Notice in Acts, they were filled in chapter 2, filled again in chapter 4, filled again in chapter 10. There's a continually beautiful baptism of the Spirit where God keeps coming upon them for the work He's calling them to do.

2. The Holy Spirit Empowers Us

In Acts 2:4, "They spoke in tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them the ability." They couldn't do it without the Holy Spirit. There's a part you play and a part the Spirit plays.

Jesus said, "When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power." (Acts 1:8) The Christian life is not hard. The Christian life is impossible.

It's impossible to stay pure as a teenager in this generation without the Spirit of God. It's impossible to be salt and light and fearless without the Spirit. It's impossible to honor your parents and authority without the Spirit. But the Spirit makes it possible.

Think about Peter. A little girl pointed at him and said, "You're one of Jesus' followers." And he denied it—three times. He cursed her out. He was so fearful, so bound by what people thought.

But 50 days later, after the Holy Spirit came upon him, he's preaching to thousands and winning thousands to the Lord. What changed? The Holy Spirit gave him power to do what he could not do on his own.

The Holy Spirit will give you power over sin, over addiction, over generational curses, over fear, over worry, over lust, over shame, over pain. All of that changes with you because the Holy Spirit is going to come upon you and make you a new person.

These disciples were teenagers. Jesus was the first youth pastor, and God raised up 12 teenagers to change the world. What could He do with this room right now if we let the Holy Spirit move?

3. The Holy Spirit Gives Us Gifts

When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, He comes with gifts. He's so generous. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:1 that we should "eagerly desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit."

In Acts 2, they spoke in tongues. Speaking in tongues is a supernatural prayer and praise language given to you by the Holy Spirit for your personal edification and strengthening. It's something God gives you so you can connect directly to Him without distraction.

When you speak in tongues, you "utter mysteries by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 14:2). It's between you and God. Your mind doesn't get in the way saying, "That prayer is too big. That's too bold." You pray directly from your spirit.

As Paul said, "I will pray with my spirit and I will pray with my understanding. I will sing with my spirit and I will sing with my understanding." Both require faith. Just like you pray in English, you pray in tongues.

The Paraclete: Your Divine Helper

Jesus said, "I'm leaving, but I'm sending you the Comforter." In Greek, this is the paracletos—a defense attorney who would stand beside you in court.

Here's what your advocate does:

1. He stands at your right side. He's letting the whole room know he's with you. If they want to get to you, they go through him. You're in covenant together.

2. He gives you wisdom. When you don't know what to say, he steps in.

3. He becomes your voice. Romans 8 tells us that when we don't know what to pray, the Spirit of God prays through us with a language we don't understand—from our spirit, not our head.

4. He is your protection and guide. He leads you and directs you.

What Jesus was to those 12 teenagers, the Holy Spirit is to you. He's your wisdom, your voice, your covenant brother, your trusted friend, your protection.

The Altar Call

Jesus said, "I will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Not a disciple—Jesus himself will hold you and immerse you in the person of the Holy Spirit.

That's what's going to happen tonight. God is going to meet you in a supernatural way, and everything you believed about God is going to get very real.