WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:07.469 Turn with me to Acts chapter 2, and I am, in 00:00:07.469 --> 00:00:10.269 fact, I'm going to modify what I'm preaching 00:00:10.269 --> 00:00:13.089 on this morning. I can preach for hours on the 00:00:13.089 --> 00:00:17.030 Holy Spirit. Today is Pentecost Sunday, but we 00:00:17.030 --> 00:00:20.370 want to pray over you to receive a fresh touch 00:00:20.370 --> 00:00:24.510 from the Holy Spirit this morning. The Holy Spirit 00:00:24.510 --> 00:00:30.039 is our helper. And how many of you need a helper? 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:34.340 How many of you are convinced that you can do 00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:41.340 this Christian life all by yourself? When you 00:00:41.340 --> 00:00:44.520 try to do that, one of two things will happen. 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:49.240 You will either give up and quit, or you will 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:54.219 become a Pharisee, trying to do it on your own. 00:00:55.630 --> 00:00:58.570 And we just freely declare, and it feels so good 00:00:58.570 --> 00:01:03.090 to say, God, I cannot do this on my own. I need 00:01:03.090 --> 00:01:05.750 what you have given me. And God has given you 00:01:05.750 --> 00:01:08.870 what you need for life and godliness, not so 00:01:08.870 --> 00:01:11.049 that you can do it on your own, but he's equipped 00:01:11.049 --> 00:01:15.540 you with tools. We've been given mercy. We've 00:01:15.540 --> 00:01:18.599 been given grace. We've been given all kinds 00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:22.260 of things. One of the things we've been given 00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:26.920 is the precious Holy Spirit, the third person 00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:30.780 of the Godhead. We have been given the Holy Spirit 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:36.140 to help us live this Christian walk. Amen? Now, 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:38.500 there are so many things that the Holy Spirit 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:42.700 does in our lives, things that He equips us with, 00:01:42.859 --> 00:01:46.060 ways that He helps us. God helps us. Tools that 00:01:46.060 --> 00:01:48.700 he gives to us, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:53.219 so powerful, so wonderful. Jesus had told the 00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:57.599 apostles in Acts chapter 1, he had already given 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:00.299 them, he was giving them the great commission, 00:02:00.700 --> 00:02:03.439 go into all the world and preach the gospel, 00:02:03.780 --> 00:02:06.780 and teaching them to obey everything that I have 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:09.439 commanded them, baptizing them in my name. And 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:11.860 then he said, and I will be with you to the end 00:02:11.860 --> 00:02:14.039 of the earth. He had already told them that. 00:02:14.699 --> 00:02:17.960 had the commandment to go into all the world 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:21.039 and preach the gospel. It's why we do missions. 00:02:21.340 --> 00:02:26.939 But then the last thing he said was not go into 00:02:26.939 --> 00:02:33.199 all the world, but wait, stay in Jerusalem. And 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:36.439 he said, because in a couple days, you're going 00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:38.819 to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. It's going 00:02:38.819 --> 00:02:41.919 to be the gift that I talked about from the Father. 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:45.659 You're going to receive the infilling of the 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:49.860 Holy Spirit. Now, Jesus did not tell them. He 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:53.020 did not tell them that we know of. When the Holy 00:02:53.020 --> 00:02:55.979 Spirit comes upon you, you're going to pray in 00:02:55.979 --> 00:02:59.509 tongues. Jesus did not tell them that. When the 00:02:59.509 --> 00:03:01.509 Holy Spirit comes upon you, you're going to be 00:03:01.509 --> 00:03:04.030 able to do miracles on a level you've never been 00:03:04.030 --> 00:03:07.150 able to do before. Jesus did not tell them that. 00:03:07.370 --> 00:03:10.110 There was a whole lot that Jesus did not tell 00:03:10.110 --> 00:03:13.030 them. The one command that he gave to them was 00:03:13.030 --> 00:03:18.889 this, go and wait. And you will know when it 00:03:18.889 --> 00:03:22.099 happens. And so there they were in the upper 00:03:22.099 --> 00:03:26.180 room. It was the first experience of people being 00:03:26.180 --> 00:03:29.300 filled with the Holy Spirit. And we pick it up. 00:03:29.300 --> 00:03:32.740 They had a business meeting in chapter 1. In 00:03:32.740 --> 00:03:35.539 fact, the Bible also says they were in one accord 00:03:35.539 --> 00:03:38.460 in prayer. So they had prayer meetings. They 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:40.939 had a business meeting. They elected a new apostle 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:45.439 to replace Judas. They did several things during 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:48.719 those 10 days. But we pick it up in chapter 2. 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:53.419 Verse 1. When the day of Pentecost had fully 00:03:53.419 --> 00:03:58.479 come, they were all with one accord in one place, 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:03.060 and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as 00:04:03.060 --> 00:04:07.219 of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole 00:04:07.219 --> 00:04:10.219 house where they were sitting. And then there 00:04:10.219 --> 00:04:13.780 appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.600 and one sat upon each of them, and they were 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:20.649 all filled with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit 00:04:20.649 --> 00:04:24.509 and began to speak with other tongues as the 00:04:24.509 --> 00:04:30.610 Spirit gave them utterance. Hallelujah. And so, 00:04:30.610 --> 00:04:39.509 Lord, we ask that your word, which you've given 00:04:39.509 --> 00:04:43.610 to us, God, not just to know how it happened 00:04:43.610 --> 00:04:47.490 in the past, but so that we could know what to 00:04:47.490 --> 00:04:51.720 expect for our lives. I pray that it would come 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:58.379 alive to us today in Jesus' name. And everybody 00:04:58.379 --> 00:05:05.339 said, amen, amen. In Numbers chapter 11, Moses 00:05:05.339 --> 00:05:10.720 was asking God, how am I going to take care of 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:15.240 all of these people? There are too many for me. 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:21.829 And in Numbers chapter 11, God says this in verse 00:05:21.829 --> 00:05:28.149 17. He says, I'm giving you 70 elders of Israel, 00:05:28.350 --> 00:05:32.329 in verse 16, who are known to you as leaders 00:05:32.329 --> 00:05:35.129 and officials among the people. Have them come 00:05:35.129 --> 00:05:37.290 to the tent of meeting that they might stand 00:05:37.290 --> 00:05:41.089 with you there. Verse 17, I will come down and 00:05:41.089 --> 00:05:44.529 speak with you there, and I will take some of 00:05:44.529 --> 00:05:48.370 the power of the Spirit that is on you, and I 00:05:48.370 --> 00:05:52.110 will put it on them. They will share the burden 00:05:52.110 --> 00:05:54.970 of the people with you so that you will not have 00:05:54.970 --> 00:05:58.629 to carry it alone. You see, even then, the Holy 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:03.569 Spirit was a helper. Moses needed the Holy Spirit 00:06:03.569 --> 00:06:08.730 to help. In the days gone by, Moses relied on 00:06:08.730 --> 00:06:11.550 the Holy Spirit to govern and to lead Israel. 00:06:11.870 --> 00:06:15.470 And now God is saying, I'm going to take of the 00:06:15.470 --> 00:06:17.970 same spirit that is on you, which was the Holy 00:06:17.970 --> 00:06:20.870 Spirit, and I'm going to put it on the 70 elders 00:06:20.870 --> 00:06:23.870 so that they can help you. And so we read in 00:06:23.870 --> 00:06:27.209 verse 25, then the Lord came down in the cloud 00:06:27.209 --> 00:06:32.019 and spoke. spoke with Moses, and God took some 00:06:32.019 --> 00:06:34.680 of the power of the Spirit that was on Moses 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:38.560 and put it on the 70 elders. And when the Spirit 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:45.459 rested upon them, they prophesied in the camp. 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:49.620 Well, two of them did not make it out. And a 00:06:49.620 --> 00:06:53.180 young man ran and told Moses, Eldad and Medad 00:06:53.180 --> 00:06:57.100 are prophesying in the camp. And so Joshua, the 00:06:57.100 --> 00:07:00.920 son of Nun, who had been Moses' aid since youth, 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.379 spoke up and said, Moses, my Lord, stop them. 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:09.160 Because back then, the gifts of the Spirit, the 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:11.980 power of the Spirit, were only for certain people. 00:07:12.519 --> 00:07:15.279 And Joshua thought, well, they're acting out 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:19.019 of order. They weren't with the 70. They were 00:07:19.019 --> 00:07:23.439 in the camp. But Moses replied, and this is why 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:27.139 I read this story. Are you jealous for my sake? 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:32.420 I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets 00:07:32.420 --> 00:07:36.920 and that the Lord would put his spirit on them 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:47.000 all. Wow. Moses was looking forward to Acts chapter 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:53.939 2. He was prophetically replying to Joshua whether 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:57.459 he... Fully understood it or not, I doubt. But 00:07:57.459 --> 00:08:01.620 he was looking ahead to the day when not just 00:08:01.620 --> 00:08:04.519 one or two were anointed by the Holy Spirit, 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:09.500 but where everybody could receive of the power 00:08:09.500 --> 00:08:14.449 of the Holy Spirit. Moses' desire. Joshua, I 00:08:14.449 --> 00:08:17.990 want them all to prophesy. I don't want to be 00:08:17.990 --> 00:08:20.649 the only one prophesying. I don't even want just 00:08:20.649 --> 00:08:24.350 these 70 to prophesy. I want the whole nation 00:08:24.350 --> 00:08:29.069 of Israel to prophesy. Hallelujah. Oh, praise 00:08:29.069 --> 00:08:34.809 God. And so Moses is looking ahead to that moment. 00:08:35.009 --> 00:08:38.730 There were others that prophesied what would 00:08:38.730 --> 00:08:43.690 happen. And so we read in Isaiah chapter 44 and 00:08:43.690 --> 00:08:47.809 verse 3. And Isaiah prophesies, for I will pour 00:08:47.809 --> 00:08:52.190 water on him who is thirsty and floods on the 00:08:52.190 --> 00:08:56.929 dry ground. I will pour my spirit on your descendants 00:08:56.929 --> 00:09:01.230 and my blessing. on your offspring. They will 00:09:01.230 --> 00:09:04.629 spring up among the grass like willows on the 00:09:04.629 --> 00:09:07.789 watercourses. I will pour out my spirit, he says, 00:09:07.990 --> 00:09:12.350 on all flesh. Hallelujah. Glory to God. We have 00:09:12.350 --> 00:09:17.590 the word in Ezekiel chapter 39. And he says, 00:09:17.629 --> 00:09:20.610 I will not hide my face from them anymore. The 00:09:20.610 --> 00:09:23.070 time is coming when I will not hide my face from 00:09:23.070 --> 00:09:26.850 them anymore. For I shall have poured out my 00:09:26.850 --> 00:09:32.789 spirit on the whole house of Israel, says the 00:09:32.789 --> 00:09:37.559 Lord God. Praise the Lord. Isn't that good to 00:09:37.559 --> 00:09:40.299 hear? This is Old Testament. And then the one 00:09:40.299 --> 00:09:43.080 that Peter would later preach in Acts chapter 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:46.500 2, Joel chapter 2, and it's probably the most 00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:52.480 strong of the prophetic times. In Joel chapter 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:55.799 2, verse 28, And it shall come to pass afterward 00:09:55.799 --> 00:10:00.580 that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. 00:10:01.549 --> 00:10:04.909 on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall 00:10:04.909 --> 00:10:08.490 prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your 00:10:08.490 --> 00:10:12.210 young men shall see visions. And also on my men 00:10:12.210 --> 00:10:15.629 servants and my maid servants, I will pour out 00:10:15.629 --> 00:10:21.990 my spirit in those days. Glory to God. Hallelujah. 00:10:23.629 --> 00:10:27.669 Now, many of you are like me. I grew up in a 00:10:27.669 --> 00:10:37.519 church that taught Against the Holy Spirit. Well, 00:10:37.620 --> 00:10:41.340 who do you think would want teaching against 00:10:41.340 --> 00:10:48.740 the Holy Spirit? There has been a shroud over 00:10:48.740 --> 00:10:55.360 Christianity for millennium in some cases. That 00:10:55.360 --> 00:11:02.279 has stolen this from the church. Now there have 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:05.080 been pockets of outpouring throughout history. 00:11:05.740 --> 00:11:09.580 I did research as a college student many years 00:11:09.580 --> 00:11:13.019 ago and found evidence of people being baptized 00:11:13.019 --> 00:11:19.700 in the Holy Spirit in almost every century. And 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:22.799 it's pretty awesome. But at the turn of the 20th 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:27.940 century, The outpouring of the Holy Spirit restored 00:11:27.940 --> 00:11:32.960 the gifts of the Spirit to the church in a way 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:36.340 that we have not seen in a long time. And the 00:11:36.340 --> 00:11:42.259 Azusa Street outpouring in 1906 marked a beginning 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:47.139 of a transformation in the church. The Assemblies 00:11:47.139 --> 00:11:51.159 of God, born in 1914 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:55.820 with 300 people that got together and declared, 00:11:56.100 --> 00:12:00.740 we are going to bring the gospel to the ends 00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:04.539 of the earth. And so they were believing for 00:12:04.539 --> 00:12:07.820 one of the greatest missionary movements of all 00:12:07.820 --> 00:12:11.879 time, to bring the gospel to the ends of the 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:18.120 earth. And we are still, 109 years later, 10 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:20.460 years later, I'm not doing my math right, we 00:12:20.460 --> 00:12:25.059 are still committed to bringing the gospel to 00:12:25.059 --> 00:12:27.519 the ends of the earth in the power of the Holy 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:31.580 Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit was restored 00:12:31.580 --> 00:12:37.899 to the church. And here they are in this room, 00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:47.840 and they are... Waiting, waiting, waiting. And 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:51.240 the day of Pentecost, the day of celebration. 00:12:52.620 --> 00:12:58.419 Oh, that's the point that I was making. Is that 00:12:58.419 --> 00:13:02.860 the enemy has turned this thing called the Holy 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:07.600 Spirit in people's minds into something weird. 00:13:10.730 --> 00:13:18.710 Into something unnecessary. Into something optional. 00:13:20.870 --> 00:13:27.049 But the reason I believe that God coupled the 00:13:27.049 --> 00:13:30.690 outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the day of 00:13:30.690 --> 00:13:37.029 Pentecost is because Pentecost was a day of incredible 00:13:37.029 --> 00:13:43.669 celebration. It was a celebration of the ingathering. 00:13:43.669 --> 00:13:48.289 A celebration of the harvest. And they were celebrating 00:13:48.289 --> 00:13:51.149 with everything they had when the Holy Spirit 00:13:51.149 --> 00:13:53.509 came and they had even more reason to celebrate. 00:13:53.629 --> 00:13:57.409 Hallelujah. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is 00:13:57.409 --> 00:14:00.970 not something that God ever intended us to be 00:14:00.970 --> 00:14:04.769 cautious towards. The baptism of the Holy Spirit 00:14:04.769 --> 00:14:09.289 was something that God wanted His people to celebrate. 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:13.860 Hallelujah. And so he coupled it with this day 00:14:13.860 --> 00:14:17.779 of celebration. And they were feasting and they 00:14:17.779 --> 00:14:21.460 were dancing and they were shouting just as Jewish 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:24.679 people. And they were celebrating this festival 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:27.820 together. And they turned and all the people 00:14:27.820 --> 00:14:30.059 in Jerusalem began to hear something. What is 00:14:30.059 --> 00:14:32.659 that? What is that? It sounds like a storm is 00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:35.980 coming. It sounds like a mighty rushing wind. 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:39.639 Now, I've only heard a mighty rushing wind a 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:43.120 couple of times in my life. One of them was with 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:46.879 Pastor Ben in the Boundary Waters. We heard a 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:51.039 mighty rushing wind. And for 20 minutes, we were 00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:55.059 pelted with hailstones. And I was laughing. I 00:14:55.059 --> 00:15:02.759 was laughing. And it was a mighty rushing wind. 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:05.870 We could hear the wind blowing. from afar off, 00:15:05.950 --> 00:15:09.409 and it came like a train, and it hit us. I've 00:15:09.409 --> 00:15:12.549 got it all on video. You've got to see it. And 00:15:12.549 --> 00:15:16.549 they heard that sound all through Jerusalem. 00:15:16.710 --> 00:15:19.970 And all through Jerusalem, they gathered together, 00:15:20.049 --> 00:15:23.129 and they brought eyes to the place they heard 00:15:23.129 --> 00:15:26.049 the sound coming from. It was this upper room, 00:15:26.070 --> 00:15:28.929 and they turned there. And while the disciples 00:15:28.929 --> 00:15:34.500 are inside, tongues of fire. come into the room. 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:37.919 I picture it in this room. The upper room, I'm 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:42.419 sure, didn't look like this. But tongues of fire 00:15:42.419 --> 00:15:50.919 separating. One piece coming to rest on every 00:15:50.919 --> 00:15:57.320 single person as they were filled with the Holy 00:15:57.320 --> 00:16:00.870 Spirit. And as they were filled with the Holy 00:16:00.870 --> 00:16:03.870 Spirit, something happened inside. Something 00:16:03.870 --> 00:16:09.129 broke free inside like a river. And they began 00:16:09.129 --> 00:16:12.950 to pray in language that they'd never learned. 00:16:14.350 --> 00:16:17.649 And in this case, they were actual other human 00:16:17.649 --> 00:16:20.610 languages. All throughout the book of Acts, that 00:16:20.610 --> 00:16:23.110 does not happen. Sometimes they're called heavenly 00:16:23.110 --> 00:16:27.200 languages or the language of angels even. Because 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:30.279 they are not necessarily always human languages. 00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:33.259 Sometimes they're languages that God gives you 00:16:33.259 --> 00:16:37.440 that only He understands. But they begin to break 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:44.259 forth in these languages. And they couldn't stop. 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:47.600 They kept proclaiming whatever it was in their 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:50.779 heart that they were feeling. It was a heart 00:16:50.779 --> 00:16:53.740 feeling kind of thing. And they just broke forth 00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:56.519 in this praise in a language that they did not 00:16:56.519 --> 00:17:00.539 know what they were saying. But boy, did it feel 00:17:00.539 --> 00:17:04.680 good. Hallelujah. Boy, did it feel good. Boy, 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:08.779 did it feel like something is happening in my 00:17:08.779 --> 00:17:12.660 life. Something is changing in my life. Something 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:17.880 is transforming inside of me. Something is happening. 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:22.460 Hallelujah. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem 00:17:22.460 --> 00:17:25.240 devout Jews, devout men from every nation under 00:17:25.240 --> 00:17:27.940 heaven. Why? They had gathered for the celebration 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:33.779 of Pentecost. And when the sound occurred, the 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:41.119 multitude came together and were confused. Why? 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:44.319 Well, we've been standing in our own little groups 00:17:44.319 --> 00:17:46.460 talking with just the people that understand 00:17:46.460 --> 00:17:49.519 our language. And all of a sudden, we hear our 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:56.240 language. And they marveled. And they began to 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:59.019 speak to one another. Look, aren't those speaking? 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:02.349 Aren't they Galileans? Galileans are known to 00:18:02.349 --> 00:18:06.650 be uneducated. They only speak their own language. 00:18:06.730 --> 00:18:10.710 How is it that we hear in our own language where 00:18:10.710 --> 00:18:13.630 we were born, Parthians, Medes, Elamites, those 00:18:13.630 --> 00:18:17.329 dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, 00:18:17.410 --> 00:18:21.450 Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the 00:18:21.450 --> 00:18:24.950 parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from 00:18:24.950 --> 00:18:27.529 Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs. 00:18:27.650 --> 00:18:30.829 We hear them speaking in our own tongue. the 00:18:30.829 --> 00:18:35.349 wonderful works of God and so they are just feeling 00:18:35.349 --> 00:18:37.650 this in their heart praying in this new language 00:18:37.650 --> 00:18:40.390 that they've got but they are they are speaking 00:18:40.390 --> 00:18:45.170 forth the praises and the wonders of God in a 00:18:45.170 --> 00:18:47.309 language that the people around them understand 00:18:47.309 --> 00:18:49.910 how many of you how many of you would would just 00:18:49.910 --> 00:18:52.829 say that that is powerful that is a God kind 00:18:52.829 --> 00:19:01.430 of a thing wow wow I was in I was in Panama, 00:19:01.589 --> 00:19:08.069 and we were praying for people to be filled with 00:19:08.069 --> 00:19:15.369 the Holy Spirit. And one older gentleman, he 00:19:15.369 --> 00:19:19.650 did not speak the Panama language. He only spoke 00:19:19.650 --> 00:19:26.900 his native tongue, an indigenous tongue. And 00:19:26.900 --> 00:19:30.799 he was there being prayed for to be filled with 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:36.099 the Holy Spirit. And he began to speak in perfect 00:19:36.099 --> 00:19:41.380 English. The fire of God is falling in this place. 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.160 He did not know what he was saying. Do you know 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:48.299 what he was doing? He was praying in his prayer 00:19:48.299 --> 00:19:56.450 language. And it was perfect English. seen a 00:19:56.450 --> 00:19:59.589 thing like that before or since, but it's like, 00:19:59.650 --> 00:20:03.349 I felt like what was happening here, the glories 00:20:03.349 --> 00:20:08.730 of God being displayed among them. Friends, this 00:20:08.730 --> 00:20:13.450 thing is real, and it's good, and it's necessary, 00:20:13.869 --> 00:20:18.410 and it is something that God wants to give. And 00:20:18.410 --> 00:20:21.230 later on, see, if it wasn't, it would have just 00:20:21.230 --> 00:20:24.490 stopped here. But in Acts chapter 4, guess what? 00:20:24.549 --> 00:20:28.089 They were filled with the Holy Spirit again. 00:20:28.289 --> 00:20:31.190 Hallelujah. In Acts chapter 7, and Philip went 00:20:31.190 --> 00:20:34.650 down to preach the gospel in Samaria, and many 00:20:34.650 --> 00:20:37.990 of them repented and were healed supernaturally, 00:20:38.150 --> 00:20:41.029 but they had not received the baptism of the 00:20:41.029 --> 00:20:43.690 Holy Spirit, and so they sent for Peter and John, 00:20:43.809 --> 00:20:46.529 and Peter and John came, and they laid hands 00:20:46.529 --> 00:20:49.990 on people, and they received the baptism of the 00:20:49.990 --> 00:20:52.450 Holy Spirit. It happened again in Acts chapter 00:20:52.450 --> 00:20:55.880 10. It happened again in Acts. chapter 19, and 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:59.039 Paul began to ask the question. He just began 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:01.359 to ask Christians everywhere, people that he 00:21:01.359 --> 00:21:03.539 thought were believers. If he thought that they 00:21:03.539 --> 00:21:05.940 were believers, he would just ask them, have 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:08.380 you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:14.359 That was his question to people that he had met 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:18.059 for the very first time, because there was a 00:21:18.059 --> 00:21:22.460 time in Christianity where being baptized in 00:21:22.460 --> 00:21:26.099 the Holy Spirit was a normal part of believing. 00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:31.019 I'm believing for that day to come back, friends. 00:21:31.700 --> 00:21:35.059 I'm believing for the impartation of the Holy 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:38.099 Spirit. We've come up with these things that 00:21:38.099 --> 00:21:42.640 are not biblical. And so we justify it. We say 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:44.880 things that are true like, well, I have the Holy 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:48.309 Spirit as soon as I become a believer. And that 00:21:48.309 --> 00:21:51.470 is true, you do, because without the Holy Spirit, 00:21:51.589 --> 00:21:53.829 you never even would have become a believer. 00:21:54.490 --> 00:21:57.309 And so, yes, you have the Holy Spirit, but there 00:21:57.309 --> 00:22:01.529 is an experience called the baptism of the Holy 00:22:01.529 --> 00:22:05.230 Spirit that is different, that God wants to use. 00:22:05.289 --> 00:22:10.589 He used it in their lives to empower them so 00:22:10.589 --> 00:22:16.210 that they can fulfill their call in Christ. And 00:22:16.210 --> 00:22:19.589 Paul, I think he would go around today and he 00:22:19.589 --> 00:22:22.910 would ask that question. Have you received the 00:22:22.910 --> 00:22:28.769 Holy Spirit since you believed? And their answer 00:22:28.769 --> 00:22:30.750 was, well, we haven't even heard that there was 00:22:30.750 --> 00:22:36.069 a Holy Spirit. And he said, well, I thought, 00:22:36.170 --> 00:22:38.890 I'm paraphrasing here, I thought you were Christians 00:22:38.890 --> 00:22:42.430 already. Weren't you baptized? Yeah, but we were 00:22:42.430 --> 00:22:46.440 only baptized into John's baptism. Well, John's 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:49.539 baptism was a baptism of repentance, but John 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:51.819 came to prepare the way for the one that would 00:22:51.819 --> 00:22:55.640 come after him, Jesus. And so right then and 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:58.960 there, those disciples of John gave their lives 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:05.180 to Jesus. Hallelujah. Now, this was decades after. 00:23:05.960 --> 00:23:08.980 John had died. Jesus ascended the church. This 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:12.980 is decades after. They had only heard about John's 00:23:12.980 --> 00:23:16.200 baptism. And now they were baptized in water. 00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:19.819 And the Bible says that when they came out of 00:23:19.819 --> 00:23:24.160 the water, Paul laid hands on them. And they 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:28.019 received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And 00:23:28.019 --> 00:23:34.140 they began to pray in tongues. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 00:23:35.230 --> 00:23:41.190 Friends, this thing is good. It is good. And 00:23:41.190 --> 00:23:47.690 it is God. It is God. I need the baptism of the 00:23:47.690 --> 00:23:52.329 Holy Spirit to stay effective as a pastor. I 00:23:52.329 --> 00:23:55.490 need a baptism of the Holy Spirit in my life 00:23:55.490 --> 00:23:58.710 to empower me to do the things that He's called 00:23:58.710 --> 00:24:02.750 me to do. I need the Holy Spirit to evangelize. 00:24:03.269 --> 00:24:06.609 Sometimes when God, puts this flutter in my heart, 00:24:06.670 --> 00:24:09.710 like go talk to that stranger, which can I confess 00:24:09.710 --> 00:24:12.549 to you as a pastor, I'm not great at talking 00:24:12.549 --> 00:24:16.710 to strangers. I should be. I'm not great at it. 00:24:17.029 --> 00:24:19.769 But I get this nervousness, but you know what 00:24:19.769 --> 00:24:22.170 I do? I just pray in the Spirit. And you know 00:24:22.170 --> 00:24:26.250 what happens? Boldness comes on me. And then 00:24:26.250 --> 00:24:31.619 I can do what God's called me to do. There are 00:24:31.619 --> 00:24:34.599 elements of the Christian faith that cannot be 00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:39.400 accomplished apart from the baptism of the Holy 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:45.500 Spirit. So you say, Pastor, well, isn't the resurrection 00:24:45.500 --> 00:24:51.920 enough? But did you notice that Peter did not 00:24:51.920 --> 00:25:00.119 preach after the resurrection? Peter believed. 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:08.819 But Peter was still ashamed, carrying guilt. 00:25:10.660 --> 00:25:15.779 Jesus came to Peter and said, do you love me, 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:19.920 Peter? Yes, I love you. Three times. Feed my 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:29.970 sheep. Peter was not even restored then. Encounter 00:25:29.970 --> 00:25:35.809 with Jesus. But you notice what happens? After 00:25:35.809 --> 00:25:42.250 Peter is baptized in the Holy Spirit, he stands 00:25:42.250 --> 00:25:47.650 up with authority and with power that he did 00:25:47.650 --> 00:25:51.769 not have before. And he preaches to thousands. 00:25:52.190 --> 00:25:58.160 God amplifies his voice. And that day, as he's 00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:03.339 preaching the gospel, 3 ,000 people. And some 00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:05.839 say that's only the men. It could have been up 00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:10.180 to 10 ,000 people. But between 3 and 10 ,000 00:26:10.180 --> 00:26:14.019 people were added to the church because Peter 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:18.140 was baptized in the Holy Spirit. I need the infilling 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:21.099 of the Holy Spirit. I need the infilling of the 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:24.579 Holy Spirit. I am dependent upon the infilling 00:26:24.579 --> 00:26:29.099 of the Holy Spirit. We need you, Holy Spirit. 00:26:30.460 --> 00:26:35.559 We need you, Holy Spirit. My whole message this 00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:40.660 morning was about unity. I'm going to save that 00:26:40.660 --> 00:26:46.480 message for another time. The unity of the Spirit. 00:26:52.720 --> 00:27:00.000 God wants to touch you today. Praise the Lord. 00:27:01.079 --> 00:27:03.279 Some of you were baptized in the Holy Spirit 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:08.140 in the altar. When you came down and people laid 00:27:08.140 --> 00:27:11.400 hands on you, that was me. I was 13 years old. 00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:15.579 Came down and laid hands on me and I wept and 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:17.680 cried and spoke in tongues for the very first 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:22.349 time. Changed my life for it. No, I was... Yeah, 00:27:22.349 --> 00:27:30.849 I was 13. Some of you were in the church. Some 00:27:30.849 --> 00:27:33.390 of you were not in the church. Anybody baptized 00:27:33.390 --> 00:27:37.630 in the Holy Spirit at home? Some of you were 00:27:37.630 --> 00:27:41.329 filled with the Holy Spirit at your house by 00:27:41.329 --> 00:27:47.289 yourself. I like Dennis' story. Dennis was on 00:27:47.289 --> 00:27:52.789 his tractor. The Holy Spirit came on him. Filled 00:27:52.789 --> 00:27:56.769 him with the Holy Spirit. Driving on his tractor. 00:27:58.890 --> 00:28:01.750 My brother, after a year of seeking God for the 00:28:01.750 --> 00:28:06.609 baptism of the Holy Spirit, was baptized wondrously, 00:28:06.650 --> 00:28:14.670 all alone, in a field. Baptized in the Holy Spirit. 00:28:16.650 --> 00:28:20.599 What a good thing. Some people think, well, why 00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:23.059 would God fill me with His Spirit? I'm not Moses. 00:28:23.119 --> 00:28:31.500 I'm not Joshua. Because He wants everybody. In 00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:33.460 the Old Testament, it was expressed through a 00:28:33.460 --> 00:28:37.940 few leaders. But in the New Testament, the way 00:28:37.940 --> 00:28:42.799 has been made for every single one of us to receive 00:28:42.799 --> 00:28:48.230 the baptism of the Holy Spirit. My sister received 00:28:48.230 --> 00:28:51.049 the baptism of the Holy Spirit at six years old. 00:28:52.190 --> 00:28:57.049 She began to pray in tongues. She and her husband 00:28:57.049 --> 00:29:02.230 have been pastoring for decades now. She's an 00:29:02.230 --> 00:29:07.230 amazing woman of God. Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 00:29:10.349 --> 00:29:14.509 I want to challenge you, those of you that have 00:29:14.509 --> 00:29:20.319 never received just to begin a journey. That 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:23.200 journey might culminate today. You can be filled 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:25.460 with the Holy Spirit this morning before you 00:29:25.460 --> 00:29:30.880 leave. But some of you need to go through more 00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:36.880 of a journey because you're not sure. And it's 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:44.220 okay to have questions and to ask and to seek 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:49.940 out. There's a wonderful book called They Speak 00:29:49.940 --> 00:29:54.180 With Other Tongues. Who wrote that book, Kathy? 00:29:55.380 --> 00:29:59.599 John Sherrill, the Guidepost author, who was 00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:05.799 an Episcopalian and went on a journey, went to 00:30:05.799 --> 00:30:10.059 meetings like this, sought and sought. It's a 00:30:10.059 --> 00:30:13.980 brutally honest book. Is that just gibberish 00:30:13.980 --> 00:30:19.230 I heard in the Pentecostal churches? But his 00:30:19.230 --> 00:30:21.990 journey culminated in a glorious infilling of 00:30:21.990 --> 00:30:26.730 the Holy Spirit. And it's a wonderful book. You 00:30:26.730 --> 00:30:31.109 can download it and you can read it. Some of 00:30:31.109 --> 00:30:34.609 you need a journey. Because you need to know 00:30:34.609 --> 00:30:37.650 in your own heart that it isn't just emotionalism. 00:30:39.410 --> 00:30:43.670 And it isn't just that hype in that church that 00:30:43.670 --> 00:30:48.359 they do. But that it really is a gift from God. 00:30:50.900 --> 00:30:53.380 And in the book of Acts, in Acts 2, they had 00:30:53.380 --> 00:30:58.539 nobody playing music. They had nobody giving 00:30:58.539 --> 00:31:04.559 an altar call. They were just there. And they 00:31:04.559 --> 00:31:07.359 just said, we're saying, God, we're waiting. 00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:12.259 We don't know what we're waiting for. But we're 00:31:12.259 --> 00:31:19.519 waiting. And when it came, They knew. And when 00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:25.559 he comes on you, you will know. You will know. 00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:32.660 It's God's gift to you. We've watched God baptize 00:31:32.660 --> 00:31:37.619 people from every social structure in his Holy 00:31:37.619 --> 00:31:44.299 Spirit. He's no regarder of men. He doesn't care. 00:31:45.019 --> 00:31:52.519 what flavor of life you choose. He wants to give 00:31:52.519 --> 00:32:01.200 you his Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord. Praise 00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:14.019 the Lord. Come, Holy Spirit, I need you. Come. 00:32:15.559 --> 00:32:26.640 Sweet Spirit, I pray. Come in Thy strength and 00:32:26.640 --> 00:32:39.319 Thy power. Come in Thine own special way. And 00:32:39.319 --> 00:32:44.039 let's sing that song we sang earlier. Melt me. 00:32:45.549 --> 00:33:04.150 Mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living 00:33:04.150 --> 00:33:19.000 God, fall fresh on me. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 00:33:20.400 --> 00:33:24.839 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lord, would you fill 00:33:24.839 --> 00:33:28.400 your sons and your daughters with the Holy Spirit?