Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:00]:

We're continuing our series on kingdom, just about the kingdom of God and and how the kingdom of God was really what Jesus preached about. The kingdom of God was what God, Jesus came to inaugurate and to to launch. And that ever since that time, the kingdom of God, it says, is expanding. Ending. But but, in the process, how does God want us to do it? Like, maybe in some ways, he wants you to live long and prosper. No. But, That might sound familiar, right, for I can see the guys who laugh. It's the tricky people, because that's a that's a Star Trek line.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:00:36]:

You know? Right? This box thing. But if you've ever watched Star Trek, you hear them, make reference to something, periodically, and it's called the prime directive. And and the prime directive is the thing is regardless of everything that's going on, sometimes it's craziness that's happening, around Then sometimes there's battles. Sometimes there's, like, things happening on their ship in the midst of that show, but they hold to the prime directive. And the prime directive in Star Trek is the fact that we don't interfere on the life of other planets and it's in all this kind of a thing. And so, that's what the that's the the overriding principle, the guiding principle that keeps star fleet enlightened and to keep star feet going, in the right direction. And and so this aspect of directives that What it does is it shapes behavior. It it shapes, energy.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:01:29]:

It shapes the way that we engage, and and it's no different than, that what happens in the church, that Jesus has given us some directives. And but with the directives, this. He also gives some provisions. And so this evening, I wanted to take a look, at some of those directives and some of those provisions. And so So one of those things we're gonna do is, we're gonna read a passage which may be, familiar to some, and, it's gonna be found in, Matthew 28 verses 19 to 20, and let's, do me a favor. Would you be kind enough to stand in reverence for God, reverence for his word? And This is sometimes called the great commission. Another way that you could say, it might be the prime directive. Right? So let's read what it says.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:02:15]:

Ready? Begin. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name the father and the son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey All the commands I have given you, and be sure of this that I am with you always even to the end of the age. And probably most of us know this great commission is the call to to share the gospel, right, to to share our faith, to go not just to your neighbor, of course, but it includes your neighbor, includes your family, but it it says go to the ends of the earth. And Jesus said that The this gospel of the kingdom has to be preached to the whole earth before his return. And so in the middle of this that you know that there's this there is this part of it, but sometimes I think there's some things that get ignored in this whole thing, and and that's in verse 20. What does it say in verse 20? Teach these new disciples to obey what? All the commands I've given you. You see that part of the the great commission can never happen unless the followers of Jesus obey his commands.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:03:33]:

Right? And that the directive is not simply to tell people, but it's for us to walk and fulfillment of all god has commanded us. And without that without that, the other part becomes impossible. Right? Without That the the other part becomes, something that that looks farther and farther away. And so we need to understand that God God has given us promises, but he's also given us direction. And that when we receive what he's promised us, part of the Mercy's with us always, right, is that he'll it will allow us to obey him and to step into that. So do me a Favor, would you turn to your neighbor and says, god wants us to learn how to obey, and then you can have a seat. God wants us to learn how to obey. Right.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:04:25]:

He wants us to learn how to obey not just some of the commands, but it says all of the commands. And That, that the one thing though is that what I've known is, that you have to know God's commands in order to obey them. Right? If you don't know the commands that you don't know them. Right? So, I remember we were, driving in, Japan, and I'm not, like, At the 1st time I ever drove in Japan, I was a little nervous. Right? And so I I practice some. I I I, You know, to be honest, there's no test or anything. You just go to if you've ever you can get an international driver's, Permit, if you just go to, like, triple a and all that kind of stuff, you pay your $50, so you get that, and you can drive in Japan. And so the only thing is I thought I knew We think about it, except when I'm driving, we finally go pick up the car, and, and I'm driving, and my wife just says, stop, hon.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:05:22]:

Like and and I just jam on the brakes, and I go, what? What's the problem? She said, you were gonna just run the the stop sign. And I looked, and I didn't realize all this time that The stop sign in Japan is yellow, and it's the triangle, and it has writing in it. Right? But I just thought that was a yield sign for for years years years because I cannot read Japanese. Right? Because that so the thing that I cannot obey is the thing that I don't understand. Right? And the thing that I don't know, I I would have blown through the the stop sign not Not because I wanted to, but because I was ignorant of it. Right? But I didn't have a capacity to understand. And so, you know, God says this for for us that To to obey his commands is you you gotta know what he commands. And so the the real encouragement on that is to understand is to understand the word of God, is to be reading the word of God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:06:26]:

Because if you don't read the word of God, many of us, we're not gonna disobey God because we want to, but because we didn't know any better. Right? But the reality is you can know better. Turn to your neighbor who says you can know better. Right? You can know better. Right? Because the thing is that without being in in the word of God. In some ways, we do have to say we do have to say this, that it's almost the the this Lack of knowledge can become intentional. Right? I don't wanna know because I don't wanna be accountable, but we need the word of God. We need the word of God, for a number of reasons.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:04]:

Sometimes it's to renew our minds. Right? So in in in Romans 12:2, it says, do not conform to the pattern of this world. Right? Don't be shaped. Don't let the world squeeze you into its shape and and follow after its ways. But instead, it says be transformed how? By the renewing of your mind. Right? By the renewing of your mind. And so He says then you'll be able to test what the will of God is, his good pleasing and perfect will. And if you want to know how To renew your mind, you read the word of God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:07:37]:

He says, that's the whole thing. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, And you'll know the word when you know the word of God, you'll know the will of God. You'll know the will of God, but we don't if we don't know the word, we won't know the will. If you don't know the word you don't know the promise. If you don't know the promise, you cannot live the promise. And so being in the word of God, it doesn't doesn't mean that you're gonna know it everything in an instant. Right? It's a it's a process. Right? And and so, like, so many things, growing in Christ growing as a disciple, growing as a follower is a process, but we cannot ignore the process, how we get in the process.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:08:18]:

And and so there is this aspect that you gotta know the will of God in order to know the the where the ways of God, so that you can obey God. Right? But but the other part about it is have you ever been in a place that that you maybe it this happened at work that you had a command. Right? You had some direction at work, but you never felt like you had the resources to do You guys ever been in that place? Right? Oh, yeah. I'm I'm fortunate. I see people laughing because we know that that happens often. Hey. You gotta revamp This department, hey. You gotta complete this project, and then you go like, where's my budget? Right? And we go, oh, where's my resource? Right? Where's my staff.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:02]:

And they said, you know, you guys ever heard this one? You gotta learn to do more with less. Right? You ever heard that like and what does that even mean? Like, you Gotta do more with less. But you what you're not mostly, we do it less? Less. Right? Yeah. We tend to do less with less. Now but here's the thing, that when God calls us and and gives us direction. He wants to give you the resources to do. Right? God is not the bad manager.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:09:29]:

Right? God is not a bad leader, and so one of the ways that God wants you to and and I think many of us that we've probably felt that we've read the direction in the scripture, but we haven't felt like we had the ability to do it. Right? And so if you're ever in that place, you're you're with the rest of us. You're with the rest of humanity. Right? You're not the only person, but what God Wants to do is god wants to first work in you before he generally works through you. Right? That God wants to work in you before he works through you. Because when God ministers to you, you get changed. Right? You when God God ministers to you. You get renewed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:12]:

You get you get filled. You get refreshed. You get healed. You you want to do what God wants you to do. Right? When when you when you encounter this aspect, and and it Reminds me of, like, the food pantry thing. Right? That that reminds me of the food pantry thing. God doesn't want us just to give food to the world. He wants you to be able if you're not eating first, then it's hard for you to work and to serve and to do all those things.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:10:41]:

Maybe it's like this. You guys ever go to a restaurant and then you ask the The the waiter, the waitress, you ask them, hey. What's good? What's good to eat? And they might say, hey. You know, whatever it is, the steak is good. You know, the pasta is good, and then you go, what if you ask them, well, what's your favorite? And what if they said this? I don't really know. I never really eat the food. Like, that would actually make you nervous. Right? Then you're like, wait.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:11]:

You work over here. You tell us what to do, but you never really tasted it. You never really ate it for your self. Right? That would make me nervous. I would probably like, oh, thanks. Excuse me. I gotta go bathroom, hon. Let's go bathroom then.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:11:25]:

Let's you know? Because I I would be nervous because something something would be odd about that, but they because they normally they they they actually feed Wait staff. Right? They they let them taste. They make sure that they know what's good and what's what's going on. But here's the thing. God says this in the same way. You know, my god wants to work in you just because he loves you, and he wants you to experience grace, not just tell other people of about grace. Sometimes when we when we hear about the great commission, we gotta tell everybody we understand there's a directive, But god first wants to work in you first. Let's read what it says, Psalm 30 four eight.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:12:05]:

Ready? Let's read what It says, taste and see that the lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him. I don't ever wanna be a somebody telling somebody about the goodness of God, about the mercies of God, about the joys of God, but I've never experienced it myself or I haven't experienced it in such a long time. Because God wants to work in you, and how he wants to work in you is really by the spirit of God. Right? He will use the word of God, and he will use the spirit of God. You and I, we need to be not just a spirit led church and not just a word centered church. But I believe the scripture talks about that we need both word and spirit. We need both clarity on the word of God because this is the will of God, and we need the move of the spirit because that's where life is present.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:16]:

The word of God renews our mind. The word of God gives us direction. The word of That lays out God's thoughts, God's will, God's ways, but the spirit of God renews your joy. Right? The spirit of God will will fill your heart. Right? The spirit of God that that we he'll give you a sense of overflow. And we wanna have a culture in our church that's that's not just about tell, but part of it is that we want and it to be what we do as well. Right? I I wanna tell what I do. I wanna tell what my experience is.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:13:54]:

I wanna tell about what God has done for me. Because culture isn't just about what is taught. It's about how people live. It's about what we really believe. It's about what we internalize. And so one of those things is we ought to internalize. We ought to be able to say that, man, I'm experiencing the goodness of God. I'm experiencing the goodness of God, and part of that is because God has given me the spirit of God.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:14:23]:

Now, Romans 8 tells us that everybody who calls on the name of Jesus, everybody who belongs to Jesus has the Holy Spirit. Right? So, Turn to your neighbor and says, if you believe in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit. If you believe in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit. Right. Everybody has the Holy Spirit who believes in Jesus, But I would say this, not everybody experiences the the fullness of the her. Not everybody experiences the the empowerment of the spirit. Not everybody experiences the direction of the spirit because the spirit of God. And the spirit of God will help us to look more like Jesus.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:05]:

The spirit of God will help was to look more like Jesus. 2nd Corinthians 318 says it like this. So all of us who have had the veil removed and can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord who is what? The spirit. Right? The Lord is the spirit. He says, what does he do? Makes us more and more like him. Right? More and more like him as we're changed into his glorious image. We or to manifest the fruit of the spirit, love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness in self control that talks about in in Galatians.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:15:45]:

And the the spirit of God then that He gives us gifts. He gives us an empowerment to do stuff, spiritual gifts. Sometimes it says for the common good. Some of it could be, serving. Some of it could be leadership. Some of it could be, help. Some of it could be, speaking forth or teaching or some of it could be, you know, a a a sense of where we come and and serve. It's so many different ways.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:16:14]:

Right? But we're not we talked about spiritual gifts in the past, but but it's given for the common good. And then God's given us everything we need for life and godliness. It talks about in second Peter. But God wants you to experience the presence of the spirit. What does the presence of the spirit feel like? To be honest, I think it feels like love. You guys ever felt love before? I hope so. Right? I hope you felt loved before. And and so one of those things I remember when I first came to know the Lord was It's the 1st time I ever felt as an adult, I guess, really loved, Not for anything I could give them.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:02]:

God didn't like, I just realized, God didn't really need me, but he wanted me. And when I experienced his love, it was like, man, god poured out so much on me, and it's it's not because he needs me. Just because he wants me. And and this is what it says in Romans 5. Can we read that together? He says this. Let's read. And this hope will not lead to disappointment, for we know how dearly God loves us because he has given the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Right? When you experience the love of God, it's because the spirit of God in you to fill you, to fill that part.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:17:58]:

We we had a a a young adults retreat with a few, of the, the young adults. And, you know, one of the things we did was we we we just asked if the people wanted to be filled, and we We we prayed for people, and I just was asking some of the guys, and I was asking them, you know, do Do you feel any different? He says, oh my gosh. He said, I well, 1 person just said, man, I just feel so Love. I just feel the love of God just kinda covering me. And then another person said, I I just felt a joy, in fact, that I wanted to laugh, but I didn't want you guys to feel like, oh, I'm laughing at you. I said, no. No. That's just the joy that God wanted to to bring out.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:18:42]:

That's those are And it's like, we want people. God wants his people to experience this. And so God does say, part of the reason is that he wants you to be filled because, to be honest, if not, you won't even want to do the will of God. Right? Or if you want to do the will of God, you won't have the power to do the will of God because God gives commands, but he also gives the resources us to do it. The resource that to do it isn't just self discipline, although self discipline is, is is helpful. Right? It's it's not Just planning. The planning is helpful. It it's not just, you know, kind of a giving it all you got, although giving it all your for.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:19:30]:

God says this, that you need strength and power that's outside of yourself. That's more than what you have. Have you ever been in a place where you just said, like, even if I gave everything, I couldn't do maybe what God's called me to do. And and that might be true. So god says this, but have you tried everything I can give you? This is what it says in Acts 1 8, that you will receive power. Let's say the word power. Let's say it like we actually or excited about it. Power.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:06]:

Right? Like, so power. No. I have to have power. Or but, like like, power. Right? I wanna I wanna have power. Right? I wanna have strength, capacity. It says when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you'll have the power, and then you'll be my witnesses telling people about me everywhere. He says in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:20:29]:

Now It's not because they planned it. To be honest, the 1st missionary journeys didn't come because it was planned. It came because they were forced. Persecution came. That's where the 1st missionary journey happened. But God still gave them power in the midst of that. And Jesus has sent us by the father to be his witnesses about his kingdom. Right? We're we're his kingdom representatives we talked about, his ambassadors, his sons, his daughters.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:01]:

And so that's part of what God has called us to. But, you know, the thing is in when it comes to talking about the filling of the spirit. Sometimes, I I I see that there's different kinds of people, and part of this, I'm gonna just say this. This portion right here is not I I didn't I didn't study this and pull this out on my own. It's something that that we're using in in an alpha, teaching for some of the young adults. And so in that, this is was was part of that. This is this comes out in part. And I just got when I heard this, I go like, wow.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:21:38]:

I didn't think about this, but it's true. Right? And it says there's different types of people who have received the filling of the Holy Spirit. And and some of them are people who longed for it. In Pentecost, Jesus promised, he Said, hey. Stay in Jerusalem. Don't leave until the gift from the father the father ascending when it comes. So even though he had given them the commission to go out, he said this I've given you the active, but you're not ready to go do it yet until you receive power. And then it says this in on Pentecost 50 days, basically, after, after the, crucifixion.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:22:24]:

50 days after that, it says, Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. And then they looked like flames of tongues, then what looked like flames of tongues of fire appeared and then settled on them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them ability. But they'd longed for it. They were they were waiting for Right? They were they were primed for it. Right? And and some people that that you you desired greatly, you've wanted to be filled with the spirit, for for maybe for a long time. But that's a good thing. You know what? God satisfies, he says, your deepest longings.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:11]:

Right? That he'll he'll satisfy the deepest longings. But then the second one is there's some people who maybe they're Longing for it, but they're just kinda open. They're receptive. Right? They're open. They're receptive. And so we we find that in in Acts 8 in 9. And so in this portion, it says the apostles were were heard that there were some folks in Samaria who had accepted did the Lord's message. And so Peter was and John got sent to that place.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:23:41]:

And when they got there, there were some new believers. Right? And, they wanted to pray for these guys to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and the spirit had not yet come upon any of them, it says, but they had been baptized in the name of Jesus. In other words, they were believers. They believed in Jesus, but they hadn't the spirit of God was inside of them, but he hadn't filled them yet. And so when they laid their hands on these believers, it says, then they received the Holy Spirit. We see this kind of thing happening. Sometimes you don't even Have to be receptive. Sometimes we even see hostile people.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:24:23]:

You ever heard any seen some people that they're not even open? They're not being open. But the apostle Paul, we all Oh, no. Before the apostle Paul became the apostle Paul, he was called Saul of Tarsus, and he was the greatest enemy of the church. He hated Christians. He hated believers. Before he wrote 2 thirds of the New Testament, he he went on mission practices to go and arrest believers even in foreign cities. He says, I'm not just trying to get control in Jerusalem. I'm not just trying to get control in in in Israel.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:03]:

I'm gonna go to other place. I'm gonna go to Turkey. I'm gonna go he's he's saying he's going to next places to get this. But what we find is even though he was hostile and he was the greatest enemy of the gospel. And many people had Right? As a result of his hostility, god knocked him on a donkey off his donkey. Right? Humbled him. He heard the voice of God. And in that moment of blindness, he sends a man named Ananias.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:25:41]:

And Ananias, at first, he doesn't wanna go. How many of you guys would say this? Like, let's just say you guys remember Osama bin Laden? Right? What if what if they said this? You heard the voice of God. The the voice of God came to you and says, Oh, Troy, go pray for Osama bin Laden because he has become a follower of me. And we would Be thinking like, wait. I know who that is. Right? Like, like, How we know for sure he really believes. Right? The and and that's what Ananias experience. He said, we know this guy.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:26:22]:

We are you sure this is you, god? But he goes, it says. And when he went, He called him brother. It says brother Saul, the lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And so he Praise for him. And it says instantly, scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. And then he got up and was baptized. And we see this aspect that it's not just 1 kind of person can respond to it. Right? Even the uninformed.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:04]:

Like I said, that the thing that we cannot know, we cannot be we cannot Obey, but uninformed when they hear about it can respond. We were talking, in our men's group this week, and we talked about This very passage in Acts chapter 9 where the apostle Paul comes upon these believers in Ephesus or come upon these God fearing men. And he asked them, did you receive the Holy Spirit? And he's they basically just said, We don't know what you're talking about. We don't even know what the Holy Spirit is. Right? So if you don't know what is the Holy Spirit, don't worry. You're not the only person. They didn't know what the Holy Spirit is. Then it says and then they asked them, well, what have you been baptized into? He says the baptism of John.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:27:51]:

In other words, they repented of their sin, and they wanted to follow God, but they didn't really even know about Jesus. So what they did was they baptized them in the name of Jesus, like the Christian baptism. Right? And say I I put my faith in Jesus, and then it says as soon as they did that, then they laid their hands on them And the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. They get filled with the spirit. So sometimes the it's not like you know anything until somebody just tells you, and some of it is the most unlikely people. They can they can be filled with the spirit too. You find that in acts 10. Peter has a vision, and he doesn't understand stand this vision because God is telling him in this vision, eat food that is unclean for Jewish people to eat.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:28:44]:

And he says, Lord, I I never ate I never defiled my body. I've never done what you told me not to do in terms of this. And he says he has the same vision over again, and God says in the vision, don't call Unclean what I've made on what I have made clean. This is at that very moment, there's a knock on the door, and there are these people who are non in Jewish people, Gentiles, who've come to call him, to call Peter, to come speak to their, to come speak to their master. His name is Cornelius. He's a a god fearing Roman officer. So this guy, Not just unbeliever, but to be honest, hated normally by Jewish people. They they hated the Romans who dominated them.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:29:37]:

But when he came into the house, he said this. He He said, you know, to be honest, truth be told, I shouldn't even be in your house because you're not Jewish. You guys are it's unclean for me Come in. But you know what god said? I shouldn't call unclean. What god says is clean. And he begins to explain, And he asked some some questions and the people that basically from the other side of the tracks. And he says that as they spoke And they were listening to the message that Jewish believers came with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on Gentiles too. And so we see even the most unlikely, the people that they wouldn't have even dialogue with.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:27]:

But there's a few things that I think can get in the way. There's some barriers to being filled with the Holy Spirit. Let me give you a few. This is not exhaustive, but maybe these might make sense to you. I think the first one is busyness. Busyness. It's not saying that because you have your schedule is too full. That's why you cannot be filled with the spirit.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:30:50]:

That some of us, we get very busy schedules, but you guys are filled with the spirit. Why is that? Well, it's because it's not the outside busyness. It's It's the inside busyness. Right? The fact that, you know, it that's the part that makes it. It's not how loud the noise is on the Outside is how loud the noise is on the inside that's going. Right? And so for some of us, when we take that moment even in the worship time, at the end of the worship, at communion, and we just still ourselves. Maybe sometimes it's that we if you wanna hear the voice of God, sometimes you gotta you gotta just calm yourself down. And it doesn't mean you you stay like that for 1 hour, but give it just give some time.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:31:33]:

Give a give a Few minutes just to be quiet before God. But in some ways, it's the same thing that some of the reasons why we're not filled with the spirit is because we're so busy See. Because we're so busy on the inside. We're so driven on the inside that we don't make space for God. Not saying that we're not saved, but we just end up doing it on our own. And so second thing is this. The second thing is doubt. Second thing is doubt.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:03]:

You know, maybe it's for some people. I don't know if it's for me. You know? I don't think I can. Right? I don't think I'm gonna receive anything. And so sometimes you have doubt. Right? And and the and so to be honest, often the word doubt in the New Testament is the word diarizes, which means this, to be of 2 minds. I want sometimes, but I don't want. Right? And I you know? And we have this like this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:32:36]:

We're and so because that we go back and forth, we vacillate. So sometimes we don't. I can't I'd like to, but I don't know if I can. Right? And for some people, there's fear. There's fear for some. Like, What's gonna happen to me? Am I gonna just, like, get possessed? Like and I gotta say stuff that I don't want? Like, some that's some people's view. No. That's not how works.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:01]:

That's not how it works. Some people do receive a prayer language. Some people don't. You don't That's not the important part. The important part is that God fills you with his spirit, that that you since the love of god. You sense the joy of god. You sense the presence of god. You sense the power of god.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:33:21]:

And for some people For some people, the biggest one is they just feel inadequate. I'm not good enough. Right? I'm just not good enough. Like, if you knew if you knew me, you know, x amount of time ago, Right? That that's you you wouldn't you wouldn't even ask me If I'm okay. But, you know, that's many of these are are are things that some of it is lies. That's a lie that you're you don't you're not inadequate. You don't have to be good enough. Right? And some of those things, the enemy stirs in our hearts.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:06]:

But God says that, you know what? You can everybody can be filled. God desires that All his people are filled with the spirit. I love what it says in Luke 11/13. This is what it says. Can we read that together? Let's read what it says. Let's read. So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who what? Ask.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:37]:

Ask him. He said, wait. I I thought you said I had the Holy Spirit. He you do. You have the Holy Spirit. But to be honest, you may just may not be filled with the spirit. And so even though the spirit of God lives in you, to be honest, so often, we we operate still in our own flesh. It's like for Sometimes I said it's like this.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:34:58]:

If I went in my car and, I put the key in the ignition and turn the key, not To start the car, but so that the wheel lock is open. Right? And then I open the door and I start to try to push the car with the one leg. Right? What would happen if you kept doing that? You would get 1 big left leg. Right? Even in Japan, it would be the it. Right? Like, but, like, you, right, you wouldn't go anywhere. You might know where to go. You might know what to do. You might know where to stop, but you don't have the power to move it forward.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:35:34]:

And it's not because there's not fuel in the car, But if you never turn the ignition and start the car, then the fuel cannot flow. That's all that is. Right? How many of you guys want the fuel to flow? Yeah. That's what it means to be filled with the spirit. Let's just ask God, Lord, I realize I have the key in Jesus. Right? Jesus is the Key. Right? Do you have your favor? Turn to your neighbor. Just say Jesus is the key.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:36:09]:

Jesus is the key. Right? And the thing is that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, and that the father would send another just like him. And so it's really the spirit of Jesus, but we gotta we gotta just turn the key so that the field that is already resident can be effective. And so There is a prayer that is very simple prayer that have been prayed for 1000 of years that so that people might experience God's presence among us so that we could minister in in god's power to the world. It's a very simple prayer. You know what the prayer is? Come, holy spirit. You know, like, on some, great, Relics or or or archaeological finds that they found is that that what They would see his reliefs, carvings of the Christian community likely they normally in in the in the early church. How they were displayed is with their hands raised.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:37:31]:

Right? Just with their hands raised. And they would be open. And the prayer that was so often prayed about, like, in from this guy in the Hippolyte, they just would say, come, holy spirit. And to say, lord, we just wanna receive. And I'm just what I'm gonna ask you then. And you know what? Maybe just to stay seated to stay seated. But maybe just all we need to do is have we asked, and have we been Open. And you don't have to figure everything out and don't worry about, like, it's not you're not gonna be weird, but let's just ask the spirit of god to fill us.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:38:12]:

And as a sign of openness, can we just open our hands as a symbol of our openness to god? Would you do me a favor? Let's let's just bow our heads and or close our eyes. And would you say with your own lips? Come, Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, and fill Me today. And, father, we're praying That as your people just ask, you said. Just like a father that when his children are asking, Dad, would you give me bread? He says that you wouldn't give him a stone. We wouldn't give him a snake or a scorpion. You you would give them what they really asked for. So, father, what we're praying is for those who are just saying, come, Holy Spirit, would you just fill them today? Would they sense your presence? Father, would they sense some change.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:22]:

Father, would they sense, lord, at the filling of your Heart. God, would they sense your love? Would they be filled? Lord, would they be filled with your presence to give them joy and to give them power? And just with our heads bowed, our eyes closed, if you just as you prayed that And you just feel like, oh, man. I don't know. Something feels different today. And if that's you, just raise your hand. Yeah. That's awesome. That's awesome.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:03]:

And we're gonna just ask prayer team guys. If somebody has their hand raised, can you just kinda walk around and just pray? And if you would like You would like for, the team to continue to pray for you and, you know, that there are times it says, I believe that God just hear heard you when you prayed. But sometimes there's a thing when the people of God partner with you, and they just lay their hands on you. It's not like they have hot hands, but it's a partnership. It's just saying this. God, would you move in a fresh way on on our brother or sister. And they just they just wanna pray for you. And if that's what you would like, would you just they're they're gonna be kinda Walking around, but just when you see them, just raise your hand.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:52]:

But we're just gonna ask you guys at home too. Would you just be saying the Same thing. Because even at home even at home, if you're just asking god, come, holy spirit, come fill me today. Guess what he'll do? He'll come and fill you. He knows you. Right? Father, tonight, we're just thankful, And we don't wanna just end up trying to do all the commands in our own power. But, lord, would you fill us with your spirit to give us your presence and your power, your guidance, Lord, your love, your joy, lord, and all that comes with it and all that comes with it, restoration and healing and strengthening, god, so that we can do what you've called us to do. In our flesh, we cannot, but by your spirit.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:47]:

We can do everything you've called us to do, so put your covering over your people. You know, if you're at home too is in or maybe you're whether in your house and at home, you know, if you've never said yes to Jesus, you don't need Need to ask for, like, great miracles. You can ask for miracles, but the biggest thing God wants you to say is the biggest miracle is that you he would transfer you from the kingdom of this world into the kingdom of his light and that his your sins would be forgiven, that you would get your name written in the book of life, you would be destined for heaven, that he would begin a new change. He would turn something in you that was dead on the inside. Your spirit that might have been Darken your spirit that might have been that couldn't connect with god, and god will cause it to be born again. He'll make it alive, but all you gotta do is just ask. All you gotta do is just surrender. Give him your life, and he says, come, Lord, fill me today with your presence.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:42:58]:

Would you forgive me because you died on the cross? And he said he'll do that as well. And if that's you at home or maybe you in the house, We just like to pray that simple prayer. And if you join us along that, would you know that God's gonna respond to you? We're gonna just pray a very simple prayer. Lord, come Because today, I knew need I know I need you. Thank you for dying in my place today. I wanna receive you. Come live inside of me today, and would you lead me and guide me. Thank you for your forgiveness.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:35]:

Thank you that you died in my place. Would you lead me and guide me in a way that I can know your will and your ways? I can know your heart, And I can know your mind. I give you myself. Would you be my lord? Be my leader in Jesus name. Amen. And if you prayed that prayer, god heard you today. Hey. Can we just say congratulations to those folks?