WEBVTT 00:00:01.719 --> 00:00:04.179 Welcome to the Quality Christian Living Podcast. 00:00:04.299 --> 00:00:06.599 Once again, I am your host, David Friend. Today 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:09.980 we're taking on a rather interesting topic entitled, 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:13.099 Full of Faith and the Holy Spirit, based upon 00:00:13.099 --> 00:00:15.640 the story of the life of Stephen, an amazing 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:18.019 man of God, and we'll get into that in just a 00:00:18.019 --> 00:00:20.140 moment, but before we do, let's pray. Heavenly 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:22.160 Father, I invite you to come in and help me, 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:24.760 Holy Spirit, take over. I release my thoughts 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:26.839 and my ideas to you. I pray that you would bless 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:28.760 this podcast and touch those who are listening 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:31.559 in. I thank you for great results. I believe 00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:33.439 that you're gonna do mighty works in the lives 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:35.899 of each and individual listening in today. We 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:38.000 give you praise for it in advance. In Jesus name 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:41.140 I pray, amen. Well, let me say this. What does 00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:43.939 it mean to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit? 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:45.939 We're gonna be dealing with that throughout this 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:48.679 entire podcast. You see, a follower of Jesus, 00:00:48.979 --> 00:00:52.039 known as Stephen, is described as having these 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:55.359 qualities. He was described often that he simply 00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:58.359 has a powerful man of God, full of faith, filled 00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:00.119 with the power of God, and filled with the Holy 00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:03.429 Spirit. So how can we receive this kind of a 00:01:03.429 --> 00:01:06.170 walk with the Lord? We read about what the Bible 00:01:06.170 --> 00:01:09.370 says about an ordinary man, Stephen, who received 00:01:09.370 --> 00:01:12.269 a supernatural anointing from the Holy Spirit. 00:01:12.409 --> 00:01:14.890 Now, those of you who that's what your reason 00:01:14.890 --> 00:01:16.909 for listening in today is to receive something 00:01:16.909 --> 00:01:18.810 special from the Lord, I believe you'll just 00:01:18.810 --> 00:01:21.390 surrender, just yield to him, allow the Holy 00:01:21.390 --> 00:01:24.230 Spirit to work in you and through you, and let's 00:01:24.230 --> 00:01:26.489 just examine now the life of Stephen and see 00:01:26.489 --> 00:01:29.489 how we can learn from that and how we can experience 00:01:29.390 --> 00:01:32.049 how he became such a powerful man of God. Let 00:01:32.049 --> 00:01:35.609 me read about Stephen and as I read how I want 00:01:35.609 --> 00:01:38.230 you to think about how we can be full of faith 00:01:38.230 --> 00:01:40.930 and the power of the Holy Spirit. The book of 00:01:40.930 --> 00:01:44.670 Acts explains the church had a need and the apostles 00:01:44.670 --> 00:01:47.370 needed to select some people, some individuals, 00:01:47.670 --> 00:01:50.510 to minister to the church congregation. So let's 00:01:50.510 --> 00:01:53.269 look at Acts chapter 6 verse 2 in the New Living 00:01:53.269 --> 00:01:56.290 Translation. So the twelve apostles called a 00:01:56.290 --> 00:01:58.010 meeting of all the believers. I can just see 00:01:58.010 --> 00:02:00.579 this happening. They said, we apostles should 00:02:00.579 --> 00:02:03.079 spend our time teaching the Word of God, not 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:06.060 running a food program. Now, that's why I like 00:02:06.060 --> 00:02:07.980 the New Living Translation because that's kind 00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:10.159 of how people would speak today. It's like when 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:12.460 a pastor has a church filled with people and 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:15.659 he's being just completely barraged by activities 00:02:15.659 --> 00:02:17.960 and requests and demands for his time and he's 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:19.919 trying to find time to get into the Word of God 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:21.919 and prepare a sermon for that week. There's no 00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:24.340 difference in that. And so he needs people, people 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:26.939 in the church to help carry out the work of the 00:02:26.939 --> 00:02:28.780 church, the ministries of the church, the care. 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:31.360 needs of the church. Currently my wife and I 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:33.939 are the congregational care pastors at our church, 00:02:34.099 --> 00:02:36.280 Dream City Church in Scottsdale. After spending 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:38.680 nearly 20 years being the senior pastors there, 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:41.240 we felt it was time for us to step aside, allow 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:43.300 someone else to come in, but stay with the church, 00:02:43.419 --> 00:02:45.400 work with the church, and we are just so blessed. 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:47.479 So it's just such a blessing to be a part of 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:49.699 that. So the Apostle said, we just don't want 00:02:49.699 --> 00:02:52.020 to be a bunch of food program people. We need 00:02:52.020 --> 00:02:54.520 to get into the Word of God. In verse 3, it tells 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:57.860 us that they chose seven men who were full of 00:02:57.860 --> 00:03:00.569 the Spirit and of wisdom in verse 5 it tells 00:03:00.569 --> 00:03:03.430 us that Stephen was chosen and it also says right 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:06.030 there It says a man full of faith and the Holy 00:03:06.030 --> 00:03:08.770 Spirit they go together of course verse 8 we 00:03:08.770 --> 00:03:12.849 reads this Stephen was a man full of God's grace 00:03:12.849 --> 00:03:16.409 and power who performed amazing miracles and 00:03:16.409 --> 00:03:19.530 signs among the people now that may seem over 00:03:19.530 --> 00:03:21.680 our heads and it's not because the The power 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:23.800 of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us is the same 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:26.139 power that dwelt in Stephen and the same power 00:03:26.139 --> 00:03:28.240 that dwelt in Jesus when he walked this earth. 00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:31.080 He was filled with the Holy Spirit and his ministry 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:34.379 started. And so we've got to approach this podcast 00:03:34.379 --> 00:03:37.460 thinking that is it possible to be full of faith 00:03:37.460 --> 00:03:39.639 and the Holy Spirit and to be able to work great 00:03:39.639 --> 00:03:43.099 works? Yes, it is. But it all has to do with 00:03:43.099 --> 00:03:45.219 our relationship with the Holy Spirit, the way 00:03:45.219 --> 00:03:47.319 we're committed to God, our obedience to Him, 00:03:47.419 --> 00:03:50.020 and the way we follow the Word of God. And we'll 00:03:50.020 --> 00:03:52.219 get into that. in some detail here in just a 00:03:52.219 --> 00:03:54.340 moment. So, but think about that as we go through 00:03:54.340 --> 00:03:57.439 this. Let's look at Stephen and stop for a moment 00:03:57.439 --> 00:03:59.860 and just simply look at who he was. How did he 00:03:59.860 --> 00:04:02.919 come about having all of that faith and all the 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:05.639 power of the Holy Spirit? Stephen was a servant. 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:09.039 He made himself available to people. This reminds 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:11.800 me of Jesus. You see, Jesus was a servant. In 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:14.539 Mark chapter 10 verse 45 in the New International 00:04:14.539 --> 00:04:16.800 Version it says this, for even the Son of Man, 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:19.639 that was Jesus of course, did not come to be 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:23.009 served but to serve and to give his life as a 00:04:23.009 --> 00:04:25.810 ransom for many. Jesus came here to earth to 00:04:25.810 --> 00:04:28.029 be a servant. The only way that you can be a 00:04:28.029 --> 00:04:30.329 great leader is that you start off by serving. 00:04:30.430 --> 00:04:32.329 The only way I believe you can be a great pastor 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:35.050 is if you lead by serving. The only way you can 00:04:35.050 --> 00:04:37.470 be a great Bible teacher, I believe the only 00:04:37.470 --> 00:04:39.370 way you can have a great marriage is for the 00:04:39.370 --> 00:04:41.470 wife and the husband to serve each other and 00:04:41.470 --> 00:04:44.649 for the children to serve their parents. I mean 00:04:44.649 --> 00:04:47.089 people say, now you're going overboard and kids 00:04:47.089 --> 00:04:49.029 don't serve their parents anymore. Yes, they 00:04:49.029 --> 00:04:51.350 do. If they're raised in the Word of God, if 00:04:51.350 --> 00:04:53.050 they're going to the house of God and getting 00:04:53.050 --> 00:04:55.529 the teachings that they need and to see the power 00:04:55.529 --> 00:04:57.790 of living a peaceful life under the power and 00:04:57.790 --> 00:04:59.089 the anointing of the Holy Spirit, if they're 00:04:59.089 --> 00:05:01.290 taught to honor their mother and their father 00:05:01.290 --> 00:05:03.589 that their life will go well and they'll live 00:05:03.589 --> 00:05:06.430 a good, long, healthy life, kids can grow up 00:05:06.430 --> 00:05:09.050 serving their parents. And yeah, it's possible. 00:05:09.110 --> 00:05:10.730 I know some of you might be kind of laughing 00:05:10.730 --> 00:05:13.889 right now, but bottom line, that was God's intention 00:05:13.889 --> 00:05:17.269 for us to be servants to each other. And that's 00:05:17.269 --> 00:05:19.660 the example we received. even Stephen, to be 00:05:19.660 --> 00:05:22.000 full of faith and the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:05:22.180 --> 00:05:24.379 So now we might want to examine ourselves. Do 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:27.560 we go to church to only be served? The old statement, 00:05:27.620 --> 00:05:29.279 what's in this for me? I tell you the number 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:31.500 of times that I have met people in the church. 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:33.699 I've pastored for 20 years. I've been a member 00:05:33.699 --> 00:05:35.959 of our assembly of God church, you know, for 00:05:35.959 --> 00:05:38.660 that congregation, that denomination for nearly 00:05:38.660 --> 00:05:41.839 50 years. And all that going on, I've found one 00:05:41.839 --> 00:05:43.879 thing that was consistent. People that went to 00:05:43.879 --> 00:05:46.279 church to serve other were happier. They were 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:49.259 more vibrant. They had more life and their activities 00:05:49.259 --> 00:05:52.220 and there was more joy in them, there was just 00:05:52.220 --> 00:05:54.240 more happiness in them. But people who go to 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:57.240 church for what's in this for me never seem to 00:05:57.240 --> 00:05:59.970 receive the blessing. that God wants to give 00:05:59.970 --> 00:06:02.889 them. He won't give us a blessing if we're greedy 00:06:02.889 --> 00:06:05.389 and if we're self -serving and we're not thinking 00:06:05.389 --> 00:06:07.750 of others as being more important than ourselves. 00:06:07.970 --> 00:06:10.310 Now this is getting a little heavy in that area. 00:06:10.430 --> 00:06:11.829 For some people might say, well, you know, that's 00:06:11.829 --> 00:06:13.610 just not possible. I don't have time to help. 00:06:13.709 --> 00:06:16.290 We all have time to help in some capacity or 00:06:16.290 --> 00:06:18.350 another. We all have the same amount of time 00:06:18.350 --> 00:06:20.930 every day, 24 hours in a day. And how we use 00:06:20.930 --> 00:06:23.550 those hours will determine, I believe, our walk 00:06:23.550 --> 00:06:25.430 with God and the relationship that we have with 00:06:25.430 --> 00:06:28.050 the Holy Spirit. So do we go to church to just 00:06:27.850 --> 00:06:30.889 be served? Or do we go to church saying, where 00:06:30.889 --> 00:06:34.069 can I serve? Where can I find a way to serve 00:06:34.069 --> 00:06:36.029 other people in our church? You know, when a 00:06:36.029 --> 00:06:37.910 person comes to church and they sit there for 00:06:37.910 --> 00:06:39.629 a month or two months or six months or three 00:06:39.629 --> 00:06:41.709 months or ten years, whatever it might be, and 00:06:41.709 --> 00:06:44.089 you talk to them and you find out they're not 00:06:44.089 --> 00:06:45.990 involved in activities, they're not using the 00:06:45.990 --> 00:06:48.290 talents God has given them, they're just simply 00:06:48.290 --> 00:06:50.870 coming to church and just kind of being there. 00:06:50.870 --> 00:06:52.629 And that's still great to be in church, that's 00:06:52.629 --> 00:06:54.970 wonderful, but that's not the fullness that God 00:06:54.970 --> 00:06:57.310 wants us to have. That is not the example. we 00:06:57.310 --> 00:07:00.430 see in Stephen as he served others. Servanthood 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:03.529 made Stephen great and full of faith through 00:07:03.529 --> 00:07:05.930 the power of the Holy Spirit. It's the same thing 00:07:05.930 --> 00:07:09.269 for us. Having a attitude of servanthood will 00:07:09.269 --> 00:07:13.389 help us to realize what value we add to the church, 00:07:13.470 --> 00:07:15.850 what value we add to the Christian walk that 00:07:15.850 --> 00:07:18.389 we have and the value that we can bring to other 00:07:18.389 --> 00:07:20.629 people and help them. And we don't do it so that 00:07:20.629 --> 00:07:23.089 we get lifted up and we get praised and we get 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:26.250 exalted, if you will, among people for, look 00:07:26.250 --> 00:07:28.209 at this great person or that great person. We 00:07:28.209 --> 00:07:31.310 do it because out of humility to God. Jesus is 00:07:31.310 --> 00:07:33.350 always looking for humble people. And when he 00:07:33.350 --> 00:07:35.610 finds humble people filled with the power of 00:07:35.610 --> 00:07:37.769 God, the Holy Spirit, then we'll come upon that 00:07:37.769 --> 00:07:40.810 person and give them these gifts that we've talked 00:07:40.810 --> 00:07:42.930 about in prior podcasts. I've gone over all the 00:07:42.930 --> 00:07:44.750 power gifts of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of 00:07:44.750 --> 00:07:47.129 the Spirit, all the various things, and all of 00:07:47.129 --> 00:07:50.170 that has a direct connection with whether we 00:07:50.170 --> 00:07:52.250 are people who serve others or whether we're 00:07:52.250 --> 00:07:54.829 people who want to be served. Those who serve 00:07:54.829 --> 00:07:58.050 are greater than those who only want to be served. 00:07:58.149 --> 00:08:00.269 I'm not sure where all those words came from 00:08:00.269 --> 00:08:01.930 other than the Holy Spirit, so I'm going to repeat 00:08:01.930 --> 00:08:04.850 that one more time. Those who serve... greater 00:08:04.850 --> 00:08:08.110 than those who only want to be served. The story 00:08:08.110 --> 00:08:11.029 of Stephen being full of faith through the Holy 00:08:11.029 --> 00:08:13.870 Spirit is a great example for all Christians. 00:08:14.029 --> 00:08:15.430 We're not going to leave this right now. We're 00:08:15.430 --> 00:08:17.329 going to continue talking about his life and 00:08:17.329 --> 00:08:19.750 talking about how his life can have such a great 00:08:19.750 --> 00:08:22.290 impact on each and every one of us. Listen to 00:08:22.290 --> 00:08:24.889 these statements the Lord gave me. Stephen became 00:08:24.889 --> 00:08:28.089 extraordinary through yielding to the Holy Spirit 00:08:28.089 --> 00:08:30.949 and submitting himself to the leading of the 00:08:30.949 --> 00:08:33.029 Holy Spirit and only doing those things that 00:08:33.029 --> 00:08:35.100 he felt that the Holy Spirit was leading him 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:38.500 to do. Stephen knew God had a plan for his life 00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:41.779 and he served in that plan. Stephen had a desire 00:08:41.779 --> 00:08:44.580 to be a part of God's plan. Now we need to stop 00:08:44.580 --> 00:08:46.340 here for a second because some people say, well, 00:08:46.379 --> 00:08:48.419 I've heard about people having a God having a 00:08:48.419 --> 00:08:50.440 plan for their life. How do I know what my plan 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:53.600 is? What my purpose is? Well, I believe that's 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:56.200 something that we need to find by seeking God 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:58.379 through his word, through prayer, talking to 00:08:58.379 --> 00:09:00.600 other people and seeing if people see qualities 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:02.860 in us that maybe we can't see in ourselves. I 00:09:02.860 --> 00:09:05.039 can remember. We were served at church for like 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:07.320 20 years. And we were so active in the church. 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:09.019 We had a Sunday school class. It was really fun. 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:10.620 It was wonderful. We made a lot of friends. All 00:09:10.620 --> 00:09:12.360 of our dearest friends in the world were the 00:09:12.360 --> 00:09:14.379 people we knew at church. Our kids were in church 00:09:14.379 --> 00:09:16.480 when they were teenagers. I mean, all this was 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:18.539 just a wonderful experience. And then the Holy 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:21.480 Spirit fell upon me. And my wife and I, we chatted 00:09:21.480 --> 00:09:23.440 about it. I said, honey, I believe the Lord wants 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:25.679 us to close our business down and go into full 00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:28.259 -time ministry. And I was 48 years old when that 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:30.279 happened. And usually people think, what, 48? 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:32.100 You're thinking about, OK, things are going well. 00:09:32.139 --> 00:09:34.279 Let's work towards. retirement and in a few years 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:36.200 I'll retire but that's not what the Holy Spirit 00:09:36.200 --> 00:09:38.639 had for me and I went to my pastor and I said 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:41.360 pastor Tommy I just want you to know that the 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:43.240 I believe the Holy Spirit's called us to go into 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:45.299 ministry and we were going to close our company 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:47.679 down shut everything down and go into full -time 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:50.440 ministry and we'll work for free if that's what 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:52.860 you want that's what we'll do and we did and 00:09:52.860 --> 00:09:54.240 I'm not boasting about that I'm just telling 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:56.120 what the Holy Spirit told me and pastor Tommy 00:09:56.120 --> 00:09:58.100 looked at me and he says well it's about time 00:09:58.100 --> 00:10:00.340 and I just was like what what we mean it's about 00:10:00.340 --> 00:10:02.899 time he says I've known that the Lord had his 00:10:02.899 --> 00:10:05.700 touch on you and that he that you would someday 00:10:05.700 --> 00:10:07.740 be involved in ministry on a full -time basis 00:10:07.740 --> 00:10:10.750 and I said wow I didn't know that. See, the reason 00:10:10.750 --> 00:10:13.529 I use that example, that's not to boast, I use 00:10:13.529 --> 00:10:15.570 that example because I mentioned to you earlier, 00:10:15.570 --> 00:10:18.009 how do you know your purpose, your plan, God's 00:10:18.009 --> 00:10:19.889 plan for your life, the reason that God has you 00:10:19.889 --> 00:10:22.070 on this earth. You might want to listen to other 00:10:22.070 --> 00:10:24.850 people that speak into you and listen to them 00:10:24.850 --> 00:10:26.830 when they say things like, you're a person who's 00:10:26.830 --> 00:10:28.570 friendly, or you're a person who's an organizer, 00:10:28.710 --> 00:10:30.929 or you're a person who likes to lead and teach 00:10:30.929 --> 00:10:32.289 the Word of God, or you're a person who likes 00:10:32.289 --> 00:10:34.870 to go pray for people. That's God's call on your 00:10:34.870 --> 00:10:37.009 life. And when that happens, you step into it 00:10:37.009 --> 00:10:39.750 and you go into it full force. Total commitment 00:10:39.750 --> 00:10:43.250 100 % and follow the Holy Spirit and have him 00:10:43.250 --> 00:10:45.429 guide and direct you so that we can have and 00:10:45.429 --> 00:10:48.070 you can have that power of the Holy Spirit and 00:10:48.070 --> 00:10:51.110 be filled with faith by the Holy Spirit. Now 00:10:51.110 --> 00:10:54.029 being filled with the Holy Spirit qualifies us 00:10:54.029 --> 00:10:56.490 to minister to others. Some people say well I 00:10:56.490 --> 00:10:59.370 haven't gone to Bible school, I haven't had theology 00:10:59.370 --> 00:11:01.470 training and all that so I can't minister to 00:11:01.470 --> 00:11:03.970 other people. Oh yes you can. When you have the 00:11:03.970 --> 00:11:06.350 Holy Spirit in your life you are qualified to 00:11:06.350 --> 00:11:08.779 minister to other people as long as as you use 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:11.799 the Word of God as your instruction manual. That's 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:13.919 the manual that you will use the rest of your 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:16.100 life when you are serving other people and helping 00:11:16.100 --> 00:11:19.259 other people. Stephen was full of faith and he 00:11:19.259 --> 00:11:21.720 received that because of his relationship with 00:11:21.720 --> 00:11:23.899 the Holy Spirit. Now I did a podcast here not 00:11:23.899 --> 00:11:26.019 too long ago talking about the power gifts of 00:11:26.019 --> 00:11:28.299 the Holy Spirit and one of them is great faith. 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:30.720 Not just faith, but great faith. And the Holy 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:32.299 Spirit is the one. It's found in the book of 00:11:32.299 --> 00:11:34.139 1 Corinthians, I think it's chapter 12, where 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:36.139 it talks about the gifts of the Spirit that are 00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:39.500 directed and given out by the Holy Spirit that 00:11:39.500 --> 00:11:41.850 he's the one that has a soul decision who he's 00:11:41.850 --> 00:11:44.289 going to give certain gifts to he chose Stephen 00:11:44.289 --> 00:11:48.590 and made him a gift of great faith because because 00:11:48.590 --> 00:11:51.029 Stephen was so filled with the Holy Spirit and 00:11:51.029 --> 00:11:52.929 that's how he led his life he wasn't concerned 00:11:52.929 --> 00:11:55.429 about about what he got of any things he when 00:11:55.429 --> 00:11:57.590 he served others he never lacked for anything 00:11:57.590 --> 00:11:59.970 when he met the needs of other people he never 00:11:59.970 --> 00:12:02.129 lacked for anything so Stephen was full the Holy 00:12:02.129 --> 00:12:04.149 Spirit and we can have that same experience but 00:12:04.149 --> 00:12:06.110 the Holy Spirit's the one who brings it he was 00:12:06.110 --> 00:12:09.659 so full of faith that there was not room, listen 00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:13.159 to this, for doubt, for fear, or anxiety. Wouldn't 00:12:13.159 --> 00:12:15.299 that be wonderful? Just think about that. So 00:12:15.299 --> 00:12:17.539 filled with the Holy Spirit in God's Word, there's 00:12:17.539 --> 00:12:20.179 absolutely no room in our heart and in our mind 00:12:20.179 --> 00:12:23.139 for things like doubt and fear and anxiety. See, 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:25.500 Paul experienced that. Now I'm going to use a 00:12:25.500 --> 00:12:27.259 scripture that I've used many, many times before, 00:12:27.259 --> 00:12:29.399 but it's so powerful. In the book of Philippians, 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:31.340 Paul said that we should be anxious for nothing. 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:33.259 By the way, he wrote this when he was in prison, 00:12:33.299 --> 00:12:35.379 remember? And he says to be anxious for nothing, 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:43.539 but everything through prayers, petitions, Now, 00:12:43.720 --> 00:12:46.320 when Paul said that, he was so full of faith 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:48.879 and so full of the Holy Spirit that there was 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:52.090 no room for anxiety. for fear, for doubt, for 00:12:52.090 --> 00:12:54.470 questioning. He knew that God had this whole 00:12:54.470 --> 00:12:57.450 thing and he was in control, God was in control, 00:12:57.490 --> 00:13:00.149 and Paul surrendered to him. Stephen did the 00:13:00.149 --> 00:13:02.330 same thing. He surrendered to him. As I get down 00:13:02.330 --> 00:13:04.389 later in this podcast, there's a connection between 00:13:04.389 --> 00:13:07.190 Paul and Stephen that's kind of shocking. And 00:13:07.190 --> 00:13:09.529 for years, I didn't know this. And then, I don't 00:13:09.529 --> 00:13:10.950 know, after I'd been a Christian for eight or 00:13:10.950 --> 00:13:12.850 10 years or so, all of a sudden I heard a preacher 00:13:12.850 --> 00:13:15.269 preach about this. There was a relationship between 00:13:15.269 --> 00:13:18.990 Stephen and Paul. So let's move on. Before Paul 00:13:18.990 --> 00:13:20.740 was called into ministry, As a matter of fact, 00:13:21.179 --> 00:13:24.620 Stephen lived above his circumstances. Boy, I 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:26.940 could stop right there, just end the podcast 00:13:26.940 --> 00:13:29.600 and say, if we could just learn how to live without 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:32.120 anxiety, without fear, without doubt, and live 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:35.419 above our circumstances, that would be all that 00:13:35.419 --> 00:13:37.360 we'd all have to receive from this. We could 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:39.759 just get that, just get that. And that's something 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:42.019 that I strive for every day, something that all 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:44.200 of us need to strive for is to learn how to live 00:13:44.200 --> 00:13:46.679 above our circumstances. We can only do that 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:49.340 through the anointing and the power of the Holy 00:13:49.340 --> 00:13:52.259 Spirit. Stephen never thought of being lucky. 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:53.840 You know, if you'd walk up to him, he'd never 00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:55.500 said, yeah, you know, I've been lucky today or 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:57.500 that guy over there is lucky today. That word 00:13:57.500 --> 00:14:01.200 lucky is simply not a word for Christians. Stephen 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:04.500 would have never said or had any ifs in his life. 00:14:04.580 --> 00:14:06.399 He wouldn't say, well, maybe this will happen 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:09.039 or possibly that might happen. No, he was so 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:11.759 filled with faith and so such power of the Holy 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:13.860 Spirit in his life that there were no ifs in 00:14:13.860 --> 00:14:17.000 his life. Stephen could be filled with joy during 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:20.500 great trials. We can all have this type of faith 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:23.539 because we are filled with the same Holy Spirit 00:14:23.539 --> 00:14:26.600 that Stephen was filled with. Now, have you ever 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:29.299 desired to have faith that is unshakable? Faith 00:14:29.299 --> 00:14:32.639 that you can rise above all your current circumstances? 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:34.460 I'm sure that you have. I'm sure that all of 00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:37.360 us have. If our faith weakens, I suggest that 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:39.659 we read about the life of Stephen. Matter of 00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:41.620 fact, I can't think of a better story to give 00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:43.940 you an example than the life of Stephen if we're 00:14:43.940 --> 00:14:45.799 struggling in our faith, are struggling with 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:48.570 our walk with God. His story is found in Acts 00:14:48.570 --> 00:14:51.450 chapter 6. At the end of his life, he was martyred 00:14:51.450 --> 00:14:54.309 by being stoned to death. But before he was stoned, 00:14:54.389 --> 00:14:56.429 listen to this, he looked up to heaven, the Bible 00:14:56.429 --> 00:15:00.549 tells us, and saw Jesus standing at God's right 00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:03.389 hand. See, Stephen was under attack. The people 00:15:03.389 --> 00:15:05.850 hated Stephen because Stephen was serving God. 00:15:05.929 --> 00:15:08.029 He believed in God. He was performing great miracles 00:15:08.029 --> 00:15:10.409 and works. He was supporting the work that Jesus 00:15:10.409 --> 00:15:13.159 taught. His relationship with all the people 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:15.159 that he had, he was known as a man filled with 00:15:15.159 --> 00:15:17.960 faith and power. And the people in those days 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:20.840 that were in power and in authority over the 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:24.080 world had no use for Jesus and had no use for 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:27.559 people who looked to Jesus. So he was being greatly 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:29.879 persecuted, Stephen was. And in the midst of 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:32.580 this persecution, he looked up as his accusers 00:15:32.580 --> 00:15:34.519 were yelling at him and whatever, he looked up 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:37.909 to heaven and saw Jesus standing. Jesus wasn't 00:15:37.909 --> 00:15:40.669 sitting beside the Father, he was standing. That 00:15:40.669 --> 00:15:43.450 tells me that Jesus was deeply touched, that 00:15:43.450 --> 00:15:46.149 he would stand up to be able to look down upon 00:15:46.149 --> 00:15:49.990 Stephen to encourage him. As Jesus was killed, 00:15:50.330 --> 00:15:52.289 he looked to people and he said, what? Lord, 00:15:52.549 --> 00:15:54.929 God, my Father. forgive them for they know not 00:15:54.929 --> 00:15:56.950 what they do because he was so filled with power 00:15:56.950 --> 00:15:59.710 in the Holy Spirit. As Stephen was being stoned, 00:15:59.850 --> 00:16:02.850 he said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. He asked 00:16:02.850 --> 00:16:06.769 Jesus to not charge his accusers with their sins. 00:16:06.929 --> 00:16:09.129 I tell you, that is so powerful to think that 00:16:09.129 --> 00:16:12.009 can actually happen to individuals. Today, the 00:16:12.009 --> 00:16:14.889 Holy Spirit helps us by telling us to pray for 00:16:14.889 --> 00:16:17.549 other people, pray for our accusers, pray for 00:16:17.549 --> 00:16:20.110 those who despitefully use us, pray for people 00:16:20.110 --> 00:16:22.570 who persecute us. And that's what Stephen was 00:16:22.570 --> 00:16:24.649 doing because That's what Jesus did in Matthew 00:16:24.649 --> 00:16:27.370 5 44 in the New International Version says his 00:16:27.370 --> 00:16:30.570 Jesus said this but I tell you Jesus said love 00:16:30.570 --> 00:16:33.330 your enemies and pray for those who persecute 00:16:33.330 --> 00:16:35.929 you Stephen did that he could only do that through 00:16:35.929 --> 00:16:37.549 the power of the Holy Spirit. And I'm going to 00:16:37.549 --> 00:16:39.470 encourage you, if you're struggling with somebody, 00:16:39.509 --> 00:16:41.149 you're having a challenge with somebody in your 00:16:41.149 --> 00:16:43.169 life, I just pray right now that you would turn 00:16:43.169 --> 00:16:45.509 it over to the Lord, that you would ask the Holy 00:16:45.509 --> 00:16:48.029 Spirit to give you peace that passes all understanding, 00:16:48.190 --> 00:16:50.769 that the Holy Spirit would help you to show love 00:16:50.769 --> 00:16:52.850 and compassion to these people, and that they 00:16:52.850 --> 00:16:56.370 would be drawn to Jesus because of your ability 00:16:56.370 --> 00:16:58.929 through the Holy Spirit to overcome the challenges 00:16:58.929 --> 00:17:00.610 that you're faced with them. And I just pray 00:17:00.610 --> 00:17:02.330 that you'll have a breakthrough. Matter of fact, 00:17:02.350 --> 00:17:04.269 let's just pray right now. Heavenly Father, for 00:17:04.269 --> 00:17:06.130 those who are struggling, with relationships 00:17:06.130 --> 00:17:07.869 with other people. It might have been, it might 00:17:07.869 --> 00:17:09.769 be a husband, a wife, it might be children, it 00:17:09.769 --> 00:17:11.769 might be in -laws, brothers and sisters, it might 00:17:11.769 --> 00:17:13.769 be a pastor they had a problem with, it could 00:17:13.769 --> 00:17:15.809 be a business associate, it could be whatever 00:17:15.809 --> 00:17:18.289 it might be, a friend from high school, male 00:17:18.289 --> 00:17:20.609 or female, whatever it might be. Father, I pray 00:17:20.609 --> 00:17:22.450 in the name of Jesus that the power of the Holy 00:17:22.450 --> 00:17:24.410 Spirit would come down upon each and every one 00:17:24.410 --> 00:17:26.829 of us, that we would speak life and hope into 00:17:26.829 --> 00:17:29.170 those who've persecuted us, that we would pray 00:17:29.170 --> 00:17:31.990 for them, that we would seek your blessing on 00:17:31.990 --> 00:17:35.309 their life, and they would see the power of God 00:17:35.309 --> 00:17:37.710 in that relationship, the power of God in that 00:17:37.710 --> 00:17:40.009 forgiveness, in that prayer. And Lord, that they 00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:42.089 would come to you, they would run to you when 00:17:42.089 --> 00:17:44.170 they see someone that they're having a difficult 00:17:44.170 --> 00:17:47.750 time with literally praying for them and believing 00:17:47.750 --> 00:17:50.029 that God will bless them. Use them now, I pray, 00:17:50.170 --> 00:17:52.430 Father, and help them in their challenges, and 00:17:52.430 --> 00:17:54.730 all of us that have these challenges, that you 00:17:54.730 --> 00:17:56.950 would guide us by your Holy Spirit to have that 00:17:56.950 --> 00:17:59.190 compassion that only you can give us. In Jesus' 00:17:59.470 --> 00:18:01.589 name, amen. I think it's important to mention 00:18:01.589 --> 00:18:03.859 here, because I referred to this earlier, about 00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:06.599 Stephen and Paul having a connection somehow. 00:18:06.819 --> 00:18:09.000 I think it's important to understand this that 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:12.779 Paul was originally known as Saul and when Saul, 00:18:13.140 --> 00:18:16.160 soon to be the Apostle Paul, was there when Stephen 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:18.900 was being stoned to death and the Apostle Paul 00:18:18.900 --> 00:18:22.099 was a witness to Stephen's stoning and supported 00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:24.460 it and agreed with it and felt that that's what 00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:26.579 should happen to Stephen is he should be stoned 00:18:26.579 --> 00:18:29.039 to death. Stephen went on to heaven Paul then 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:31.000 went on about his miserable life that he had 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:33.400 for a while, or Saul, I should say, went about 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:35.700 that miserable life he had until the road to 00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:39.279 Damascus. When the man named Saul ran into Jesus, 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:42.480 he became the apostle Paul, who was one of the 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:45.160 greatest Christians ever to live, ever walk on 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:47.920 this earth, and wrote a huge portion of the New 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:50.900 Testament. And there's the connection that is 00:18:50.900 --> 00:18:53.559 amazing to think that God can turn around a person 00:18:53.559 --> 00:18:56.779 with that much hate to have more love than the 00:18:56.779 --> 00:18:58.440 hate that they ever had in him. their life. When 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:01.880 we are led by the Holy Spirit, He presents our 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:04.339 prayers to God. I mean, He takes them directly 00:19:04.339 --> 00:19:07.880 to God. Our God always hears and answers the 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:10.619 prayers of those led by the Holy Spirit. Now 00:19:10.619 --> 00:19:12.420 I need to make a comment here. When I say that 00:19:12.420 --> 00:19:15.039 He always hears and always answers the prayers, 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:18.220 sometimes He answers our prayers with no or with 00:19:18.220 --> 00:19:21.220 not now or not at this time. So God always answers 00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:23.500 in one way or another. What I'm talking about 00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:26.140 is not just reserved for the great Christians, 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:30.029 the big named evangelists or preachers around 00:19:30.029 --> 00:19:32.109 the world that have massive congregations. What 00:19:32.109 --> 00:19:34.410 I'm talking about is for them but it's also for 00:19:34.410 --> 00:19:36.730 every single one of the followers of the Lord 00:19:36.730 --> 00:19:40.309 Jesus Christ. When we understand that the Holy 00:19:40.309 --> 00:19:42.829 Spirit who lives in us is the same Holy Spirit 00:19:42.829 --> 00:19:45.589 that came down upon Jesus when he was baptized 00:19:45.589 --> 00:19:47.849 by John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit who dwells 00:19:47.849 --> 00:19:50.710 in us is the same Holy Spirit that took Stephen 00:19:50.710 --> 00:19:52.890 through all the difficult challenges he had even 00:19:52.890 --> 00:19:55.509 to his being stoned to death. The same Holy Spirit 00:19:55.509 --> 00:19:58.410 that's in the was in the Apostle Paul here on 00:19:58.410 --> 00:20:00.569 earth is the same Holy Spirit that lives and 00:20:00.569 --> 00:20:02.309 dwells inside of each and every one of us. When 00:20:02.309 --> 00:20:05.309 we understand that we will have wisdom, we will 00:20:05.309 --> 00:20:07.809 have peace, we will have joy because we will 00:20:07.809 --> 00:20:10.329 be led by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 00:20:10.329 --> 00:20:13.130 chapter 6 verse 10 in the New International Version 00:20:13.130 --> 00:20:16.609 it says this, it tells us that the power of Stephen 00:20:16.609 --> 00:20:19.869 was so great that his accusers could not stand 00:20:19.869 --> 00:20:22.930 up against the wisdom the Holy Spirit gave him 00:20:22.930 --> 00:20:26.599 as he spoke back to them. Do yourself a huge 00:20:26.599 --> 00:20:29.059 favor and a get -receiver, a great blessing, 00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:32.720 and listen and read to the life of Stephen found 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:35.319 in the book of Acts chapter 6. You'll be blessed, 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:37.400 you'll be glad that you did, and I believe that 00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:39.920 Lord will help you to deal with whatever you're 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:41.460 going through right now. I'm gonna have to close 00:20:41.460 --> 00:20:43.319 again in prayer. I really feel that there's other 00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:46.039 people that just need to allow me to pray over 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:48.920 you. Father, I pray for all those who are listening 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:51.259 in today, myself included, Lord, that we would 00:20:51.259 --> 00:20:54.160 all desire a greater, closer walk with the Holy 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.559 Spirit. that we would understand that we can 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:59.440 walk in power. We can experience the power that 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:01.900 Stephen had to overcome, the power that the Apostle 00:21:01.900 --> 00:21:04.819 Paul had to overcome. When Jesus left this earth, 00:21:04.859 --> 00:21:07.319 he says, greater works will you do than even 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:09.559 he has done, because he knew the power of the 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:11.180 Holy Spirit would be there to help and guide 00:21:11.180 --> 00:21:13.480 us and direct us. And I pray, Lord, in this series 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:15.779 on the Holy Spirit, that people would receive 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:17.599 something special. I know each and every time 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:19.799 I work on this and prepare something, put it 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:21.940 together, the Holy Spirit helps me and draws 00:21:21.940 --> 00:21:23.980 me closer to Him and gives me new thoughts and 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:27.079 ideas about ways that we can draw closer to God 00:21:27.079 --> 00:21:29.920 and then He will in turn draw closer to us. And 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:31.960 we do that through the power of the Holy Spirit 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:34.440 who lives and dwells in each and every one of 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:36.559 us. I pray, Lord, that you would bless each one 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:38.359 who is listening in, that they would prosper 00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:40.220 in all things and be in good health, even as 00:21:40.220 --> 00:21:42.920 their souls prosper, I pray. In Jesus' name, 00:21:42.980 --> 00:21:45.099 amen. Well, I'm going to continue. I hope you 00:21:45.099 --> 00:21:46.940 enjoyed this one. I certainly did. I'm going 00:21:46.940 --> 00:21:50.119 to continue my series on the Holy Spirit, and 00:21:50.119 --> 00:21:52.920 I've got a title that I put together and some 00:21:52.970 --> 00:21:55.690 some notes here that I'll just read here quickly 00:21:55.690 --> 00:21:58.059 about what's coming up next. The next podcast, 00:21:58.140 --> 00:22:00.160 unless the Holy Spirit changes it between now 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.160 and then, is going to be titled, I believe, Life 00:22:03.160 --> 00:22:05.660 With and Without the Holy Spirit. We're going 00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:07.859 to look at what it would be like to be led by 00:22:07.859 --> 00:22:10.740 the Holy Spirit or not to be led by the Holy 00:22:10.740 --> 00:22:13.900 Spirit. And if the Holy Spirit wasn't here, then 00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:16.579 what kind of life would we have? How do we know 00:22:16.579 --> 00:22:19.720 when we are in the Spirit or we are in the flesh? 00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:22.799 And how can we lose our relationship with the 00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:25.519 Holy Spirit? And how do we reconnect with the 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:27.380 Holy Spirit? So these are things that the Lord's 00:22:27.380 --> 00:22:29.079 given me. I don't have anything put together 00:22:29.079 --> 00:22:31.380 yet, but as the Lord is willing, then that will 00:22:31.380 --> 00:22:33.859 be the next podcast that we'll be dealing with. 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:35.460 I hope that you'll let your friends and family 00:22:35.460 --> 00:22:37.880 members know about that. Now as I close this 00:22:37.880 --> 00:22:40.420 up, I want to tell you very quickly about what 00:22:40.420 --> 00:22:42.200 Quality Christian Living is all about. That's 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:44.339 what this entire podcast has been for four and 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:46.779 a half years, and God has blessed it, and I've 00:22:46.779 --> 00:22:49.240 been so honored to be a part of this. And so 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:51.599 I'd like to encourage you to go to my webpage, 00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:54.559 davidcfriendauthor .com, and when you get there 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:57.210 you'll see a link right on the first page to 00:22:57.210 --> 00:22:59.250 all the podcasts that we've done. This has been 00:22:59.250 --> 00:23:03.029 podcast number 374. So obviously there's been 00:23:03.029 --> 00:23:04.630 a lot of topics, a lot of things we've talked 00:23:04.630 --> 00:23:06.970 about. This particular series on the Holy Spirit 00:23:06.970 --> 00:23:09.730 now has lasted a year and will continue until 00:23:09.730 --> 00:23:11.990 the Holy Spirit tells me to change the topics. 00:23:12.029 --> 00:23:14.809 But I've got literally dozens of more topics 00:23:14.809 --> 00:23:17.170 that I could teach on the Holy Spirit. That's 00:23:17.170 --> 00:23:19.349 what He wants me to do and I'm gonna wait and 00:23:19.349 --> 00:23:21.589 pray for that and ask for His direction. And 00:23:21.589 --> 00:23:23.809 if you hit that link though, there'll be other 00:23:23.809 --> 00:23:25.890 topics in there dealing with finances, dealing 00:23:25.890 --> 00:23:28.849 with the gifts of the Spirit, dealing with how 00:23:28.849 --> 00:23:32.049 to have relationships with people the way God 00:23:32.049 --> 00:23:34.349 intended them to be and how to live an overcoming 00:23:34.349 --> 00:23:36.609 life. There are just so many, many podcasts there 00:23:36.609 --> 00:23:38.190 I hope that you'll listen to. As a matter of 00:23:38.190 --> 00:23:40.569 fact, we get more downloads now to the stuff 00:23:40.569 --> 00:23:43.309 we've done in the past. There's so many new people 00:23:43.309 --> 00:23:45.869 that are coming in and going back and listening 00:23:45.869 --> 00:23:47.730 to all these podcasts that were done over the 00:23:47.730 --> 00:23:50.109 last several years. I believe it will be a blessing 00:23:50.109 --> 00:23:52.630 to you and I hear wonderful comments from people 00:23:52.630 --> 00:23:55.059 all the time about how they received a special 00:23:55.059 --> 00:23:57.119 touch from the Lord. And if you'd like to know 00:23:57.119 --> 00:23:59.920 more about the Quality Christian Living podcast, 00:24:00.140 --> 00:24:03.920 you can subscribe to it by going to cpnshows 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:07.000 .com or wherever you listen to your podcasts. 00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:09.079 So I want to thank you so much for listening. 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:11.779 And if you enjoyed this episode, I'd like you 00:24:11.779 --> 00:24:14.519 to just take a moment to rate and review the 00:24:14.519 --> 00:24:16.019 podcast. It would be really nice. It would be 00:24:16.019 --> 00:24:18.660 a blessing and tells other people what you thought 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:20.839 of what you heard today. I hear so many wonderful 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:23.259 comments that way. You can leave a review on 00:24:23.180 --> 00:24:26.440 Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music, or Charisma 00:24:26.440 --> 00:24:28.880 Podcast Network, or just give us a star rating 00:24:28.880 --> 00:24:31.720 on Spotify, however you choose to support it. 00:24:31.819 --> 00:24:33.960 We will certainly appreciate that and thank you 00:24:33.960 --> 00:24:35.940 for being a part of it. Quality Christian Living 00:24:35.940 --> 00:24:38.759 is something that's so important to me, and the 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:40.640 series on the Holy Spirit, of course, is just 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:42.960 such a vibrant part. I think it's the best part 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:45.220 of what we've been doing here on Quality Christian 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:47.779 Living, but to live a quality life, live a life 00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:50.380 that's not just getting by, not a mediocre life. 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:52.839 You know, years ago I would meet people And I'd 00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:54.380 say, well, how long have you been serving the 00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:55.980 Lord? Well, I've been serving the Lord 20 years, 00:24:55.980 --> 00:24:57.819 30 years, 50 years, whatever it might be. Well, 00:24:57.819 --> 00:24:59.619 how are you doing? Well, they'd make a statement 00:24:59.619 --> 00:25:01.920 like, well, I'm still breathing. I'm still above 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:04.099 ground, which means they're not buried. And those 00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:05.900 were kind of statements I'm going, is that all 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:08.619 you have to say about being a Christian? That's 00:25:08.619 --> 00:25:10.079 when I was a new Christian, I would ask that 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:13.200 question. And people would say, well, I'm getting 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:15.660 by, and God's helped me. But I don't really think 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:18.019 that's the kind of life that Jesus wants us to 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:20.759 live. And I've used the scripture, John 10, 10, 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:23.349 many times. Jesus is speaking, he says, the thief, 00:25:23.349 --> 00:25:25.410 that's the devil, comes to kill, to steal and 00:25:25.410 --> 00:25:27.509 destroy. He says, but I've come to give you life 00:25:27.509 --> 00:25:30.690 and give it to you more abundantly. That is quality 00:25:30.690 --> 00:25:33.910 Christian living. Living a life at a level of 00:25:33.910 --> 00:25:36.130 quality that the Holy Spirit wants us to live 00:25:36.130 --> 00:25:39.029 and God, our Father, wants us to live and Jesus, 00:25:39.170 --> 00:25:41.650 our Lord and Savior, wants us to live. So I pray 00:25:41.650 --> 00:25:43.690 that the Quality Christian Living podcast will 00:25:43.690 --> 00:25:45.789 become a part of your life and I would encourage 00:25:45.789 --> 00:25:48.029 you to let other believers know about the series 00:25:48.029 --> 00:25:50.430 on the Holy Spirit because it is by far the most 00:25:50.430 --> 00:25:52.809 popular series that we've done and the one has 00:25:52.809 --> 00:25:55.250 been received by so many people, quite frankly, 00:25:55.309 --> 00:25:57.430 around the world. I just am amazed when I get 00:25:57.430 --> 00:25:59.289 the reports that's told me that we've reached 00:25:59.289 --> 00:26:02.289 out to over 140 countries around the world listening 00:26:02.289 --> 00:26:04.690 to these podcasts. So we give God all the praise 00:26:04.690 --> 00:26:07.230 and glory for it and thank Him for that. So I 00:26:07.230 --> 00:26:08.990 pray that you'll be blessed. So I want to close 00:26:08.990 --> 00:26:10.930 this out right now, but I want to give you a 00:26:10.930 --> 00:26:13.250 blessing before I do that. I pray that the Lord 00:26:13.250 --> 00:26:15.309 will bless you and I pray that He'll keep you 00:26:15.309 --> 00:26:17.529 and that His face will shine upon you and that 00:26:17.529 --> 00:26:19.650 He'll be gracious to you and give you peace. 00:26:20.039 --> 00:26:23.039 I said earlier in this podcast, may you prosper 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:26.140 and be in good health even as your soul prospers. 00:26:26.539 --> 00:26:28.759 So once again, thank you for listening to the 00:26:28.759 --> 00:26:31.059 Quality Christian Living Podcast. I've been your 00:26:31.059 --> 00:26:33.539 host David Friend. I pray that you'll receive 00:26:33.539 --> 00:26:35.680 a closer walk with the Holy Spirit than you've 00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:38.940 ever had before. I pray that all of us will understand 00:26:38.940 --> 00:26:41.220 that the life that Stephen lived is a life that 00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:43.640 we can live here on earth today. And I believe 00:26:43.640 --> 00:26:46.579 that. I pray for power and faith through everyone 00:26:46.579 --> 00:26:48.500 listening in today. We'll give you all the glory 00:26:48.500 --> 00:26:50.660 for it, Father. These things I ask in Jesus' 00:26:50.839 --> 00:26:52.880 name. I once again thank you for listening in. 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:53.539 God bless you.