WEBVTT 00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:15.960 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:19.940 or to give online, please go to hdv .church .connect 00:00:19.940 --> 00:00:24.260 or hdv .church .give. If at any point during 00:00:24.260 --> 00:00:26.760 this message you feel called to make a change 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:31.980 in your life, text CHANGEME to 97000. Now enjoy 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:34.880 the message. Hey, good morning everyone. Sorry 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:38.899 about the parking issues. You can blame that 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:44.219 on me. Actually, you can blame it on God. He 00:00:44.219 --> 00:00:46.460 had something going on during our first gathering. 00:00:46.759 --> 00:00:48.840 Just a couple quick additional announcements. 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:52.500 There is no car wash today because there's thunderstorms 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:55.399 all afternoon. We are going to try to schedule 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:57.619 one for the Youth Missions Trip, maybe next Sunday 00:00:57.619 --> 00:01:01.460 or the following. Also, too, next month, we would 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:03.679 like to launch some summer growth groups. If 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:05.540 you'd like to open your house, invite people 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:09.049 over. have some relationship with them, maybe 00:01:09.049 --> 00:01:12.629 eat together and then discuss Jesus. We have 00:01:12.629 --> 00:01:16.090 everything that can make that work based around 00:01:16.090 --> 00:01:18.170 our series, God's at War. We'll put it in your 00:01:18.170 --> 00:01:21.709 hand. You don't have to prepare anything so that 00:01:21.709 --> 00:01:23.989 that can take place. See Rudy if you'd like to 00:01:23.989 --> 00:01:29.049 start a growth group next month. So last Sunday 00:01:29.049 --> 00:01:31.609 was supposed to be our communion Sunday, but 00:01:31.609 --> 00:01:33.969 I wanted to open our series with some worship 00:01:33.969 --> 00:01:37.060 at the end so that we could just wait. on God. 00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:41.000 And I thought a great way to kick off week two 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:44.000 of our Holy Spirit series is just to open with 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:46.500 communion because this is a great way to just 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:49.500 lay aside any distractions. It's a great way 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:52.120 to get ourself right with God before we launch 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:55.959 into this challenging talk that I've been challenged 00:01:55.959 --> 00:01:58.500 with all week. So if you need an element, put 00:01:58.500 --> 00:02:03.099 one hand up. If you need gluten -free, put two 00:02:03.099 --> 00:02:06.629 hands up. And Rudy and the crew is running around 00:02:06.629 --> 00:02:10.250 now. So as they're getting you your elements, 00:02:10.389 --> 00:02:14.430 please remember here at the Vineyard, we practice 00:02:14.430 --> 00:02:16.770 or share communion together as a community of 00:02:16.770 --> 00:02:19.590 faith once a month. We don't view this as just 00:02:19.590 --> 00:02:24.830 something that we do. This is actually spoken 00:02:24.830 --> 00:02:27.310 to us from Jesus, commanded to us that we do 00:02:27.310 --> 00:02:30.409 this regularly. And why do we do it? Because 00:02:30.409 --> 00:02:34.120 we can have an encounter with God. We come before 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:37.000 God. We bear our heart before him. We have him 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:38.960 search our heart. If there's anything that's 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:42.319 between us and God, I want to challenge you, 00:02:42.360 --> 00:02:45.819 lay it down before we partake so that you can 00:02:45.819 --> 00:02:49.080 be made right and be living an abundant life. 00:02:49.180 --> 00:02:53.659 Amen? So Holy Spirit, come. God, search our hearts. 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:57.620 If there's any sin, if there's any unforgiveness. 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:01.300 If there's any judgment in our hearts, God, reveal 00:03:01.300 --> 00:03:06.360 it now to us so that we can be made right with 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:11.039 you. May we lay it down at your feet. May we 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:14.879 be a people of your presence. On the night he 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:17.939 was betrayed, Jesus took bread. He broke it. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.620 He gave it to his disciples and said, take, eat. 00:03:20.979 --> 00:03:24.560 This is my body, which is broken for you. Do 00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:37.169 it in remembrance of me. Let's eat. Holy Spirit, 00:03:37.229 --> 00:03:40.870 we lay down anything that's between us and you. 00:03:40.949 --> 00:03:42.870 God, we want to be made right with you in this 00:03:42.870 --> 00:03:48.169 instance, in this moment. If there's anything, 00:03:48.509 --> 00:03:50.889 if there's a barrier, if there's sin, if there's 00:03:50.889 --> 00:03:58.129 shame, forgive us. Allow us to be real with you 00:03:58.129 --> 00:04:02.270 this morning. Likewise, after supper, Jesus took 00:04:02.270 --> 00:04:04.530 the wine. He said, this is my blood, which is 00:04:04.530 --> 00:04:07.379 shed. For you and for many, for the forgiveness 00:04:07.379 --> 00:04:10.840 of sins. Drink it often, and when you do, do 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:21.339 it in remembrance of me. Let's drink. God, have 00:04:21.339 --> 00:04:24.199 your way with us this morning. Open our ears, 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:26.680 our minds, more importantly, our hearts to receive 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:30.879 all that you have for us, God. I just pray that 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:33.240 you would silence distractions now in Jesus' 00:04:33.399 --> 00:04:38.620 name. We just silence those distractions in Jesus' 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:41.980 name. And we ask that your Holy Spirit would 00:04:41.980 --> 00:04:45.639 come and have your way. In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:04:49.660 --> 00:04:53.399 So the book of Acts is the original template 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:56.540 for the church. The blueprint, if you will, that 00:04:56.540 --> 00:04:59.939 Jesus himself laid down for all of us to follow. 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:05.490 Today... Many churches move away from this blueprint. 00:05:06.529 --> 00:05:09.870 And remember, this is the church that we read 00:05:09.870 --> 00:05:11.550 about in Acts that changed the world through 00:05:11.550 --> 00:05:15.829 prayer, preaching, and power. But it seems the 00:05:15.829 --> 00:05:17.790 opposite is happening in the church today. You 00:05:17.790 --> 00:05:19.689 look around the United States, there's double 00:05:19.689 --> 00:05:23.029 standards, moral compromise, failure, and little 00:05:23.029 --> 00:05:27.550 to no power. It was said in the early church 00:05:27.550 --> 00:05:30.329 that they turned the world upside down. You can 00:05:30.329 --> 00:05:33.389 read that in Acts 17, 6. And by the way, that 00:05:33.389 --> 00:05:36.290 was a criticism, not a compliment. They were 00:05:36.290 --> 00:05:40.310 frustrated at all that God was doing. The book 00:05:40.310 --> 00:05:42.629 of Acts is the story of a handful of men and 00:05:42.629 --> 00:05:45.569 women who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, didn't 00:05:45.569 --> 00:05:47.449 leave their world the same as they found it. 00:05:47.829 --> 00:05:50.629 They were ordinary people who, again, empowered 00:05:50.629 --> 00:05:52.589 by the Holy Spirit, were able to do extraordinary 00:05:52.589 --> 00:05:56.129 things. It records the beginning of a movement 00:05:56.129 --> 00:05:58.149 that continues to this very day, which we are 00:05:58.149 --> 00:06:02.790 now. a part of. So we are in the middle of our 00:06:02.790 --> 00:06:06.209 June series, Calm Holy Spirit, and last week 00:06:06.209 --> 00:06:08.889 we answered the question, who is the Holy Spirit? 00:06:09.870 --> 00:06:11.889 If you missed that, you can go back to our YouTube 00:06:11.889 --> 00:06:15.529 channel, sign in, check it out, and listen in. 00:06:15.610 --> 00:06:17.389 But we discussed that the Holy Spirit is actually 00:06:17.389 --> 00:06:19.870 the third person in the Trinity. And here at 00:06:19.870 --> 00:06:24.089 HTV, we believe in the person, the power, and 00:06:24.089 --> 00:06:27.490 the presence of the Holy Spirit. Now, one of 00:06:27.490 --> 00:06:29.910 the biggest misconceptions in our culture today 00:06:29.910 --> 00:06:34.290 is that true maturity is independence. I can 00:06:34.290 --> 00:06:38.329 do anything by myself. I don't need anyone to 00:06:38.329 --> 00:06:41.230 help me. See, there's this movement within our 00:06:41.230 --> 00:06:45.670 society that says, just do it. Do you. You are 00:06:45.670 --> 00:06:49.410 powerful. But the reality is, apart from the 00:06:49.410 --> 00:06:51.870 Holy Spirit, whatever we gain in our own power, 00:06:52.050 --> 00:06:56.399 we have to sustain in our own power. So let me 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:59.540 ask you, how's that working in your marriage? 00:07:01.220 --> 00:07:03.740 How about raising those little children in your 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:05.660 house? How's that working in your own power? 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:09.019 What about our work or our school or our finances 00:07:09.019 --> 00:07:12.399 or even our relationships? Whatever we gain in 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:16.639 our own power, we have to sustain in our own 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:19.699 power. And this is why the Holy Spirit is so 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:22.500 important to our lives. He, meaning the person 00:07:22.500 --> 00:07:25.829 of the Holy Spirit, empowers us daily. So we 00:07:25.829 --> 00:07:27.750 don't have to live life in our own strength. 00:07:28.930 --> 00:07:31.470 Randy Clark says it this way. The Holy Spirit 00:07:31.470 --> 00:07:34.050 is not a doctrine to be studied. He is a person 00:07:34.050 --> 00:07:38.170 to be experienced in power. This is the same 00:07:38.170 --> 00:07:41.470 power that filled Jesus as he was led into the 00:07:41.470 --> 00:07:44.540 wilderness in Luke chapter 4 to be tempted. This 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:47.079 is the same power that rose Jesus from the dead. 00:07:47.459 --> 00:07:50.319 Jesus instructed his disciples, don't move. Wait 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:53.420 for the power of the Holy Spirit to fill each 00:07:53.420 --> 00:07:57.839 of you before doing anything else. See, I believe 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:01.579 today God desires to empower all of us. Gathered 00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:04.459 here, even watching online. Thank you for joining 00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:08.620 us online to be empowered by the Spirit, which 00:08:08.620 --> 00:08:11.079 leads us to our first thought. See, the Holy 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:15.779 Spirit empowers. followers of Jesus. Let's first 00:08:15.779 --> 00:08:20.139 define the word empowers. To empower means to 00:08:20.139 --> 00:08:23.879 give someone the authority or power to do something. 00:08:24.519 --> 00:08:27.699 To give someone the authority or the power to 00:08:27.699 --> 00:08:30.339 do something. So I want you to keep that definition 00:08:30.339 --> 00:08:33.159 in mind this morning as we discuss how the Holy 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:35.379 Spirit empowers the church. Remember, the church 00:08:35.379 --> 00:08:38.159 is you and me to turn our community upside down. 00:08:38.590 --> 00:08:41.470 To transform it for God's kingdom. Jesus spoke 00:08:41.470 --> 00:08:44.350 these words to the disciples in Luke 24, 49. 00:08:44.710 --> 00:08:47.750 And now I will send the Holy Spirit just as my 00:08:47.750 --> 00:08:51.210 father promised. But stay here in this city until 00:08:51.210 --> 00:08:53.870 the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with the 00:08:53.870 --> 00:08:57.330 power from heaven. Now notice Jesus says that 00:08:57.330 --> 00:09:02.330 they and we will receive power from heaven. Now, 00:09:02.330 --> 00:09:04.710 these words have been studied and discussed for 00:09:04.710 --> 00:09:07.789 hundreds of years by scholars that are much smarter 00:09:07.789 --> 00:09:11.409 than me, leaving us with two distinctly different 00:09:11.409 --> 00:09:14.529 viewpoints or categories, if you will. The first 00:09:14.529 --> 00:09:17.330 being, although the Holy Spirit's position in 00:09:17.330 --> 00:09:18.929 the Trinity, meaning the Father, Son, and the 00:09:18.929 --> 00:09:23.009 Holy Spirit, has not changed, his power or manifestations 00:09:23.009 --> 00:09:26.429 of his power has ceased with the early church 00:09:26.429 --> 00:09:29.090 that we read about in the book of Acts. This 00:09:29.090 --> 00:09:33.789 viewpoint is called sensationalism. For our community 00:09:33.789 --> 00:09:35.830 of faith and those churches that are part of 00:09:35.830 --> 00:09:38.649 the Vineyard Movement, we believe the Holy Spirit's 00:09:38.649 --> 00:09:40.909 position in the Trinity has continued, meaning 00:09:40.909 --> 00:09:43.769 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the third 00:09:43.769 --> 00:09:46.549 person of the Trinity. But also, his manifest 00:09:46.549 --> 00:09:50.090 power and presence has continued into today. 00:09:50.610 --> 00:09:55.450 This is called continuationism. meaning the miraculous 00:09:55.450 --> 00:09:57.649 signs, wonders, and miracles that we read about 00:09:57.649 --> 00:10:00.210 in the book of Acts are still in operation or 00:10:00.210 --> 00:10:03.269 available today. Again, Jesus' words in Acts 00:10:03.269 --> 00:10:07.389 1, 7 through 8. And please remember, the author 00:10:07.389 --> 00:10:10.830 of the book of Acts is the same author as the 00:10:10.830 --> 00:10:14.629 book of Luke, right? So this is essentially Acts 00:10:14.629 --> 00:10:18.929 2 .0 or the gospel of Jesus 2 .0. And Luke writes 00:10:18.929 --> 00:10:22.110 this. He replied, the Father alone has the authority 00:10:22.110 --> 00:10:24.250 to set those dates and times, and they are not 00:10:24.250 --> 00:10:27.889 for you to know. But you will receive power when 00:10:27.889 --> 00:10:30.730 the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You will be my 00:10:30.730 --> 00:10:32.590 witnesses, telling people about me everywhere 00:10:32.590 --> 00:10:34.529 in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and 00:10:34.529 --> 00:10:37.070 to the ends of the earth. Now notice in both 00:10:37.070 --> 00:10:40.169 of these instances, it is recorded that the disciples 00:10:40.169 --> 00:10:45.710 had to wait. They had to wait to be filled with 00:10:45.710 --> 00:10:48.879 the Holy Spirit. And if we're honest with our 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:51.700 lives, and especially in this culture, we no 00:10:51.700 --> 00:10:55.639 longer understand what it means to wait. We are 00:10:55.639 --> 00:10:59.059 a very impatient people. Simply think about your 00:10:59.059 --> 00:11:03.700 microwave. We can now cook food in a matter of 00:11:03.700 --> 00:11:07.049 minutes. True or false? But for many of us, we 00:11:07.049 --> 00:11:09.649 open that microwave door with at least 10 seconds 00:11:09.649 --> 00:11:12.389 left because we're so impatient. We're hungry. 00:11:12.549 --> 00:11:14.950 We're ready to eat. We can't even let it fully 00:11:14.950 --> 00:11:17.809 cook. We have to grab that food out and start 00:11:17.809 --> 00:11:19.750 eating. And then we burn the top of our mouth 00:11:19.750 --> 00:11:23.330 and the skin flies off of it because we are what? 00:11:23.789 --> 00:11:31.389 We're impatient. Waiting is hard. But here's 00:11:31.389 --> 00:11:33.549 what happens when we don't wait on the Holy Spirit. 00:11:34.590 --> 00:11:36.649 That's when we begin to move in our own strength, 00:11:36.809 --> 00:11:39.830 bringing with it frustration, anger, resentment, 00:11:40.090 --> 00:11:43.070 unforgiveness, and all the opposites of a spirit 00:11:43.070 --> 00:11:46.649 -led life. And like I said earlier, when we move 00:11:46.649 --> 00:11:48.509 in our own strength, then we have to sustain 00:11:48.509 --> 00:11:51.090 on our own strength. And for too long, the church 00:11:51.090 --> 00:11:53.490 has been sustaining life in their own strength, 00:11:53.769 --> 00:11:59.789 and we have been given a bad image. Because that's 00:11:59.789 --> 00:12:02.029 when the relationship with Jesus becomes frustrating. 00:12:02.990 --> 00:12:05.190 When we try to do it in our own strength, we 00:12:05.190 --> 00:12:08.950 quickly become frustrated. Paul writes these 00:12:08.950 --> 00:12:11.470 words to Jesus' followers in Rome, Romans chapter 00:12:11.470 --> 00:12:14.590 8, verses 10 through 11. And Christ lives within 00:12:14.590 --> 00:12:17.330 you. So even though your body will die because 00:12:17.330 --> 00:12:20.529 of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you 00:12:20.529 --> 00:12:23.090 have been made right with God. The Spirit of 00:12:23.090 --> 00:12:25.909 God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in 00:12:25.909 --> 00:12:30.490 you, church. And just as God raised... Christ 00:12:30.490 --> 00:12:32.730 Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your 00:12:32.730 --> 00:12:36.230 mortal bodies by the same spirit living within 00:12:36.230 --> 00:12:41.110 you. So here's the reality. This morning, I believe 00:12:41.110 --> 00:12:43.690 God wants us to have an encounter with him that 00:12:43.690 --> 00:12:47.110 is unexplainable. An encounter that changes the 00:12:47.110 --> 00:12:50.669 very course of our life. And this happens when 00:12:50.669 --> 00:12:54.889 we realize, maybe my view of God is not big enough. 00:12:56.039 --> 00:12:59.159 Maybe I've placed God in a box, in my perfect 00:12:59.159 --> 00:13:01.840 little church box, and I want him to stay there 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:04.480 because I'm afraid what the full picture of what 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:08.840 he wants to do in my life looks like. To that 00:13:08.840 --> 00:13:11.740 I say, there's always more when it comes to our 00:13:11.740 --> 00:13:14.779 relationship with Jesus. We should always be 00:13:14.779 --> 00:13:18.059 desiring more and more and more, which leads 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:20.259 us to our second thought. You see, Jesus followers 00:13:20.259 --> 00:13:22.899 choose to be empowered. Everyone say choose. 00:13:24.649 --> 00:13:27.549 Yes, we're filled with the Spirit when we believe, 00:13:27.629 --> 00:13:33.269 but we choose to be empowered by the Spirit. 00:13:33.409 --> 00:13:36.289 Now, what I'm about to read to you actually happened. 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:41.450 This is an actual account. So as I read these 00:13:41.450 --> 00:13:43.710 words, I want to encourage you, close your eyes, 00:13:43.950 --> 00:13:49.350 silence any distractions. And remember, this 00:13:49.350 --> 00:13:53.909 is 120 people gathered in an upper room and listen. 00:13:54.620 --> 00:13:58.840 As God breaks in. Acts chapter 2 verses 1 through 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:01.779 7. On the day of Pentecost, all the believers 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:04.940 were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, 00:14:04.940 --> 00:14:06.879 there was a sound from heaven like the roaring 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:09.519 of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.039 where they were sitting. Then what looked like 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:14.419 flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:17.399 on each of them. And everyone present was filled 00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:19.779 with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:22.879 languages as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 00:14:23.850 --> 00:14:26.309 At that time, there were devout Jews from every 00:14:26.309 --> 00:14:29.409 nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the 00:14:29.409 --> 00:14:31.730 loud noise, everyone came running and they were 00:14:31.730 --> 00:14:34.590 bewildered to hear their own languages being 00:14:34.590 --> 00:14:37.669 spoken by the believers. They were completely 00:14:37.669 --> 00:14:41.090 amazed. How can this be? They exclaimed. These 00:14:41.090 --> 00:14:44.629 people are all from Galilee. Then verses 12 and 00:14:44.629 --> 00:14:47.970 13, they stood there amazed and perplexed. What 00:14:47.970 --> 00:14:50.720 can this mean? They asked each other. But others 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:52.799 in the crowd ridiculed them, saying they're just 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:58.779 drunk, that's all. See, I believe that was the 00:14:58.779 --> 00:15:02.740 birthplace of supernatural ministry. Those people 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:06.440 gathered around the disciples. Some were amazed. 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:10.860 Some were perplexed. Meaning, some understood 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:13.419 and were in awe of what had just happened. They 00:15:13.419 --> 00:15:16.059 heard the good news being shared in their own 00:15:16.059 --> 00:15:19.559 language, which made no sense. While others were 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:22.320 confused to the point that they began to ridicule, 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:25.440 mock, and judge the disciples. They're just drunk. 00:15:28.039 --> 00:15:30.899 See, when it comes to the Holy Spirit, and particularly 00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:34.299 Holy Spirit encounters, we don't always understand 00:15:34.299 --> 00:15:37.299 what's going to happen. But we have to be open 00:15:37.299 --> 00:15:40.860 to allowing God to move in our life. And the 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:42.980 most important thing we read here is that the 00:15:42.980 --> 00:15:45.539 filling of the Holy Spirit was a personal encounter 00:15:45.539 --> 00:15:49.299 for each of the 120 disciples. Did everyone hear 00:15:49.299 --> 00:15:53.059 that? What looked like flames or tongues of fire 00:15:53.059 --> 00:15:57.960 appeared and settled on each of them. And that 00:15:57.960 --> 00:16:00.580 tells us that the filling of the Holy Spirit 00:16:00.580 --> 00:16:04.940 is a personal encounter for each of the disciples 00:16:04.940 --> 00:16:07.799 and friends. It's a personal encounter available 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:12.970 for us today. But we have to choose to be open 00:16:12.970 --> 00:16:17.690 to that encounter. See, we can choose to live 00:16:17.690 --> 00:16:21.929 our everyday lives without the Holy Spirit. But 00:16:21.929 --> 00:16:24.250 unfortunately, that leads to rules -based religion 00:16:24.250 --> 00:16:28.230 that turns away from God. And more importantly, 00:16:28.309 --> 00:16:30.429 it turns others away from God and makes them 00:16:30.429 --> 00:16:33.009 judge us and not want to be a part of our community 00:16:33.009 --> 00:16:34.889 of faith, especially our young people, especially 00:16:34.889 --> 00:16:39.460 our children. See, Jesus promised this life of 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:42.779 abundance, and we're only going to walk in this 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:44.620 abundance when we choose to be filled with the 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:47.480 Holy Spirit. We can't do it in our own strength 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:52.240 because we're a sinful, broken people. Paul had 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:54.879 this encounter in Acts chapter 19, verses 1 through 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:58.259 6. While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled 00:16:58.259 --> 00:17:00.700 through the interior regions until he reached 00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:02.940 Ephesus on the coast, where he found several 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:06.539 believers. Did you receive the Holy Spirit when 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:09.460 you believed, he asked them. No, they replied, 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:12.259 we haven't even heard there is a Holy Spirit. 00:17:12.759 --> 00:17:15.519 Then what baptism did you experience, he asked, 00:17:15.619 --> 00:17:18.960 and they replied, the baptism of John. Paul said 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:21.380 John's baptism called for repentance from sin, 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:24.440 but John himself told the people to believe in 00:17:24.440 --> 00:17:26.720 the one who would come later, meaning Jesus. 00:17:29.069 --> 00:17:31.309 As soon as they heard this, they were baptized 00:17:31.309 --> 00:17:33.289 in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul 00:17:33.289 --> 00:17:35.789 laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came 00:17:35.789 --> 00:17:38.349 on them and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. 00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:43.029 See, in our culture today, many people believe 00:17:43.029 --> 00:17:46.750 or have this idea that if we don't know it already 00:17:46.750 --> 00:17:49.329 or we haven't read about it, we can't experience 00:17:49.329 --> 00:17:53.329 it. But in this encounter, Paul says to them, 00:17:53.470 --> 00:17:55.849 did you receive the Holy Spirit when you were 00:17:55.849 --> 00:17:59.630 baptized? And notice that simple question within 00:17:59.630 --> 00:18:02.089 it. They were not arguing about the Trinity. 00:18:02.549 --> 00:18:05.109 They were not discussing the theological framework 00:18:05.109 --> 00:18:08.269 for the person of the Holy Spirit. They didn't 00:18:08.269 --> 00:18:11.289 even know there was a Holy Spirit. But God still 00:18:11.289 --> 00:18:15.569 moved in power. See, God is changing the lives 00:18:15.569 --> 00:18:17.950 of people that many of us have counted out long 00:18:17.950 --> 00:18:23.579 ago with our labels and judgments. See, God touches 00:18:23.579 --> 00:18:26.680 people that may not have the right theology, 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:29.480 but they have the right experience with him. 00:18:31.940 --> 00:18:34.900 What does Paul do? Paul shares the good news, 00:18:35.059 --> 00:18:38.420 right? He points them to Jesus. They believe 00:18:38.420 --> 00:18:42.160 and are baptized. Then what does he do? He lays 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:45.700 his hands on them and they receive the Holy Spirit. 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:49.839 In other words, they chose to receive the Holy 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:54.769 Spirit. These believers wanted more. And in so 00:18:54.769 --> 00:18:58.390 doing, they said, yes, I choose. And this morning, 00:18:58.450 --> 00:19:03.869 my question to you is, will you? Will you? Which 00:19:03.869 --> 00:19:06.650 leads us to our final thought this morning. See, 00:19:06.750 --> 00:19:11.109 the Spirit -empowered life is for others. The 00:19:11.109 --> 00:19:15.950 Spirit -empowered life is for others. 1 Thessalonians 00:19:15.950 --> 00:19:18.450 1 .5. For when we brought you the good news, 00:19:18.470 --> 00:19:21.910 this is Paul writing to the church. It was not 00:19:21.910 --> 00:19:26.509 only with words, but also with power. For the 00:19:26.509 --> 00:19:28.490 Holy Spirit gave us full assurance that what 00:19:28.490 --> 00:19:32.990 we said was true. And you know of our concern 00:19:32.990 --> 00:19:34.769 for you for the way we live when we were with 00:19:34.769 --> 00:19:37.849 you. Paul, when sharing the good news with the 00:19:37.849 --> 00:19:40.549 church in Thessalonica, shared it with words 00:19:40.549 --> 00:19:43.450 and power. Meaning, he shared the good news. 00:19:43.690 --> 00:19:46.869 He pointed people to Jesus. Then he moved in 00:19:46.869 --> 00:19:48.349 the power of the spirits and signs, wonders, 00:19:48.450 --> 00:19:52.019 and miracles. See, when a person receives the 00:19:52.019 --> 00:19:55.059 Holy Spirit and is walking in the authority, 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:58.700 they can literally airdrop it into other people. 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:03.559 See, remember, Jesus tells the disciples, freely 00:20:03.559 --> 00:20:08.099 you have received, so freely give to others. 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:11.640 But unfortunately, quite often, this is where 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:14.920 the church gets it wrong. And it's okay if I'm 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:18.079 going to step on some toes, because I will. See, 00:20:18.140 --> 00:20:20.380 many in the church believe that encounters with 00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:23.460 the Holy Spirit are for themselves. And they 00:20:23.460 --> 00:20:25.960 travel all around the country, even all around 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:29.099 the world, for more and more Holy Spirit encounters. 00:20:30.380 --> 00:20:33.220 When in reality, a Spirit -empowered life is 00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:38.339 for others. We're supposed to freely give it 00:20:38.339 --> 00:20:43.549 away. And so many people get frustrated with 00:20:43.549 --> 00:20:45.569 the Spirit and the moving of the Holy Spirit 00:20:45.569 --> 00:20:47.529 because they only see this craziness and they 00:20:47.529 --> 00:20:50.369 don't see it being given away. But think about 00:20:50.369 --> 00:20:52.970 how airdrop works in our phones. It's kind of 00:20:52.970 --> 00:20:55.750 an amazing phenomenon that I don't truly understand, 00:20:56.069 --> 00:20:58.250 just being honest. But you literally can touch 00:20:58.250 --> 00:21:00.690 your phone to another person's phone and you 00:21:00.690 --> 00:21:04.039 can share a contact. You can share. Like a website. 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:07.059 You can share a picture. Whatever it may be. 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:09.039 Just by touching a phone. It happened. I was 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:10.799 doing a wedding two weeks ago. And I was sitting 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:12.500 beside a gentleman. He wanted to know about our 00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:15.720 YouTube channel. He wanted to watch online. I 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:17.339 hope you're watching online. God bless you. Because 00:21:17.339 --> 00:21:20.960 you know who you are. And he goes, just touch 00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:23.799 my phone. So I airdropped it. I touched his phone. 00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:26.720 And sure enough, our YouTube channel went into 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:29.900 his phone. He's like, yeah, I got it. I'm like, 00:21:29.940 --> 00:21:36.970 wow, that's cool. But we also must remember when 00:21:36.970 --> 00:21:39.190 we airdrop something, the other person has to 00:21:39.190 --> 00:21:43.329 accept it. So my question to you, are you accepting 00:21:43.329 --> 00:21:48.170 all that God has for you? See, God wants to airdrop, 00:21:48.170 --> 00:21:51.490 wants to empower you with his presence, with 00:21:51.490 --> 00:21:55.410 his spirit. But quite often we hit cancel because 00:21:55.410 --> 00:21:59.950 we're afraid of all that God has for us. Now, 00:21:59.990 --> 00:22:01.970 it's interesting. I was studying this week Jesus' 00:22:02.190 --> 00:22:05.470 discipleship model for his disciples. If you 00:22:05.470 --> 00:22:08.769 go through the Gospels, you'll quickly realize 00:22:08.769 --> 00:22:11.809 that Jesus' discipleship model is nothing like 00:22:11.809 --> 00:22:16.130 ours. It's not the flower of power. See, Jesus' 00:22:16.349 --> 00:22:20.349 discipleship model for the disciples was, I'm 00:22:20.349 --> 00:22:21.930 just going to release you and your God -given 00:22:21.930 --> 00:22:23.750 talents and abilities and go out and bring heaven 00:22:23.750 --> 00:22:28.009 to earth. When in reality, much of today's discipleship 00:22:28.009 --> 00:22:29.829 in the church is telling people, hey, you're 00:22:29.829 --> 00:22:31.809 doing it wrong and this is how you need to change. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:37.799 accountability has become focused on, hey, you're 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:42.900 doing it wrong. And it's strictly focused. Accountability 00:22:42.900 --> 00:22:45.259 is strictly focused on a person's character. 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:48.279 Now hear me out. I believe character is very 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:51.140 important. Let me say that. We have to live and 00:22:51.140 --> 00:22:53.539 walk out what we believe, but I also believe 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:56.839 that accountability should be about pushing one 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:59.279 another to be filled with the Spirit and to be 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:05.000 on fire with God. But see, it's constantly pointing 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.019 to people, you're not reading the Bible enough. 00:23:07.180 --> 00:23:09.180 You're not praying enough. You're not doing enough 00:23:09.180 --> 00:23:11.680 devotions. You're not, you're not, you're not, 00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:14.859 you're not. No wonder people don't like the church. 00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:21.180 See, the gospel has to be character and power 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:25.000 flowing together. And I believe we have to get 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:27.660 back to that way of leading in the church. Now 00:23:27.660 --> 00:23:30.259 hear me out. Our flower of power is a way for 00:23:30.259 --> 00:23:32.160 you to get involved in our community of faith, 00:23:32.259 --> 00:23:34.740 use your gifts, give back, and ultimately serve 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:38.500 others. Because I believe when you give your 00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:41.200 life to Jesus, you're a new person. So if you're 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:42.859 here this morning and you're in a relationship 00:23:42.859 --> 00:23:45.599 with Jesus, you're online and you're in a relationship 00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:48.960 with Jesus, you're a new creation. You are a 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:52.940 new creation. So since you're a new creation, 00:23:53.180 --> 00:23:56.339 allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what you 00:23:56.339 --> 00:23:59.339 need to change while you're out in the community 00:23:59.339 --> 00:24:03.819 serving the poor. It's both and. How do I know 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:05.880 that? Well, Jesus spoke these words in Mark 16, 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:09.619 15 through 18. And then he told them, go into 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:12.019 all the world and preach the good news to everyone. 00:24:12.619 --> 00:24:15.059 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved, 00:24:15.099 --> 00:24:17.160 but anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:20.440 These miraculous signs will accompany those who 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:23.099 believe. They will cast out demons in my name 00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:25.519 and they will speak in new languages. They will 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:27.460 be able to handle snakes with safety and if they 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:29.440 drink anything poisonous that won't hurt them, 00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:32.000 they will be able to place their hands on the 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:35.420 sick and they will be healed. Now notice, notice 00:24:35.420 --> 00:24:39.420 what Jesus said. He who believes and is baptized 00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:45.839 will be Saved. Did Jesus not say that? All right, 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:47.180 let me say that. Let me ask you the question 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:49.680 again so that you're engaged because I think 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:54.099 you're getting a little off. Notice, did Jesus 00:24:54.099 --> 00:24:57.460 say he who believes and is baptized will be saved? 00:24:59.079 --> 00:25:03.500 There we go. That's salvation. Then in the next 00:25:03.500 --> 00:25:07.579 verse he says, these are the signs that will 00:25:07.579 --> 00:25:11.819 follow those that believe. These are the signs 00:25:11.819 --> 00:25:13.539 that will follow those who believe. That means 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:16.460 those that were believed and baptized are saved. 00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:21.240 Notice what Jesus didn't say. They will argue 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:23.839 and convince people that they are wrong and believe 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:29.180 truth. He didn't say that. Notice Jesus didn't 00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:32.079 say they all have a theology that is perfect. 00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:36.900 Didn't say that. Notice Jesus didn't say they 00:25:36.900 --> 00:25:40.940 will read their Bibles for two hours a day. Did 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:46.259 he say that? These are the signs. They will speak 00:25:46.259 --> 00:25:48.400 in new languages so that they can share the good 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:51.119 news. They will cast out demons. They will lay 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:53.599 their hands on the sick and they will be healed. 00:25:53.740 --> 00:26:02.019 They will have an unstoppable faith. So now, 00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:05.920 ask yourself, are you a follower of Jesus according 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:11.019 to that definition? Because that's a big difference. 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:15.480 Are you walking in the power of the Holy Spirit 00:26:15.480 --> 00:26:17.420 or do you simply have a good philosophy about 00:26:17.420 --> 00:26:21.779 it? See, the goal of the Bible is not that you 00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:24.460 just know the Bible, it's that you know the author 00:26:24.460 --> 00:26:29.339 of the Bible. And the author of the Bible is 00:26:29.339 --> 00:26:33.640 God. Again, Jesus challenges his disciples. You 00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:34.859 ready? You ready? We're going to keep going. 00:26:35.319 --> 00:26:39.890 To move in power, Luke 9 .1. One day, Jesus called 00:26:39.890 --> 00:26:42.089 together his 12 disciples and gave them the power 00:26:42.089 --> 00:26:44.549 and the authority to cast out all demons and 00:26:44.549 --> 00:26:46.750 to heal all diseases. Pause. Please understand, 00:26:46.950 --> 00:26:50.190 these guys are fresh off the boat. What I mean 00:26:50.190 --> 00:26:53.569 was, they were just fishing. He calls them out, 00:26:53.670 --> 00:26:56.710 says, follow me. Now here we are in Luke 9, 1, 00:26:56.809 --> 00:26:59.829 and he says, oh, I'm giving you power and authority 00:26:59.829 --> 00:27:03.609 to cast out demons and heal diseases. Then he 00:27:03.609 --> 00:27:07.079 sent them out. To tell everyone about the kingdom 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:10.839 of God and heal the sick. Now, in just a few 00:27:10.839 --> 00:27:14.039 verses, the disciples return from their assignment 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:17.980 and they're blown away. They're full of excitement. 00:27:17.980 --> 00:27:20.660 They're like, Jesus, we did the stuff and it 00:27:20.660 --> 00:27:28.359 worked. We did what you told us to do. And these 00:27:28.359 --> 00:27:32.359 disciples were not mature believers. Did everyone 00:27:32.359 --> 00:27:36.390 hear that? They're learning to follow Jesus. 00:27:36.690 --> 00:27:38.869 I mean, they're not even saved until he's risen. 00:27:40.789 --> 00:27:43.950 And one of the first things that Jesus does is 00:27:43.950 --> 00:27:46.490 to send them out in pairs, expecting the kingdom 00:27:46.490 --> 00:27:48.250 of God to come to earth and to do the stuff. 00:27:48.750 --> 00:27:52.289 That's what he tells them to do. Fast forward 00:27:52.289 --> 00:27:55.690 to today. So many in the church believe that 00:27:55.690 --> 00:27:58.329 a person has to be discipled, trained, worthy 00:27:58.329 --> 00:28:01.470 of walking in God's power. Are you saved? Have 00:28:01.470 --> 00:28:03.430 you been in the church for a year? Okay, then 00:28:03.430 --> 00:28:08.470 you can pray for someone. Did Jesus do that? 00:28:09.049 --> 00:28:15.650 No. You read all through the gospels. The disciples 00:28:15.650 --> 00:28:19.339 go out. They make all kinds of messes. Then he 00:28:19.339 --> 00:28:22.160 brings them back, he corrects them, he teaches 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:27.519 them, and then he sends them out again. The point. 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:33.599 In the Gospels, in the early church, Jesus' followers 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:35.660 were people who actually walked in the power 00:28:35.660 --> 00:28:38.339 of the Spirit. They were seeing signs and wonders. 00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:42.319 Not just people who understood how to read the 00:28:42.319 --> 00:28:46.589 Bible really well. Or do devotionals. Again, 00:28:46.670 --> 00:28:49.569 are they important? Yes. I'm not shortcoming 00:28:49.569 --> 00:28:53.109 any of those things. But what I'm saying is a 00:28:53.109 --> 00:28:56.410 lot of times we put all these roadblocks in front 00:28:56.410 --> 00:28:58.990 of people to live in the abundance that God has 00:28:58.990 --> 00:29:01.190 for them. Then they get frustrated. They throw 00:29:01.190 --> 00:29:05.529 their Bibles down. They leave the church. Put 00:29:05.529 --> 00:29:09.329 your hand up. Some of you are that way. You're 00:29:09.329 --> 00:29:12.160 like, I'm sick of church. They're trying to tell 00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:13.819 me how to live my life. They're trying to do 00:29:13.819 --> 00:29:17.680 this and that. And Jesus just says, go do it. 00:29:19.880 --> 00:29:22.619 Now, the funny thing is, the funny thing is, 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:25.960 this is how our community of churches, the Vineyard, 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:29.640 began. On Mother's Day, 1980, John Wimber, who's 00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:31.660 the founder and the most influential leader of 00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:34.180 the Vineyard movement, invited Lonnie Frisbee 00:29:34.180 --> 00:29:35.779 to share a message that I'm going to share with 00:29:35.779 --> 00:29:37.460 you right now. Now, please understand, hear me 00:29:37.460 --> 00:29:43.029 out. This is from 1980. Which means that many 00:29:43.029 --> 00:29:47.609 of you weren't even born yet. So, bear with me. 00:29:47.650 --> 00:29:51.089 The audio is not that great. It's crackly. But, 00:29:51.250 --> 00:29:55.549 listen to the story. Are you ready? Alright, 00:29:55.630 --> 00:30:00.230 let's watch. The first time that the Lord Jesus 00:30:00.230 --> 00:30:04.009 Christ sent His Spirit in great power among us, 00:30:04.069 --> 00:30:07.769 I was fit to be tied for days. I was so angry. 00:30:07.829 --> 00:30:10.430 I was so upset. I wanted to get out of a ministry. 00:30:10.589 --> 00:30:13.170 I said, no way am I going to put up with it. 00:30:13.170 --> 00:30:20.329 Why, that's absurd what God did. Of course, I 00:30:20.329 --> 00:30:23.250 wasn't absolutely sure it was God. But even after 00:30:23.250 --> 00:30:25.349 I was convinced it was God, I had difficulty 00:30:25.349 --> 00:30:27.970 with it. And I want you to know that. When God 00:30:27.970 --> 00:30:30.690 began moving among us, this particular night, 00:30:30.809 --> 00:30:33.069 we were having a church service, and in fact, 00:30:33.089 --> 00:30:35.490 that Sunday afternoon, I was coming out of the 00:30:35.490 --> 00:30:38.109 church service. It was Mother's Day of all days, 00:30:38.269 --> 00:30:40.730 Mother's Day. If you think you'd be safe in church 00:30:40.730 --> 00:30:44.109 on Mother's Day, I'm walking out of the church, 00:30:44.130 --> 00:30:47.109 and God says to me, tell that young man to preach 00:30:47.109 --> 00:30:49.430 tonight. Well, I'm not in the habit of just telling 00:30:49.430 --> 00:30:51.640 any old young man. to preach in my church. And 00:30:51.640 --> 00:30:53.640 I said, and particularly that young man, because 00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:55.799 I heard he was a little strange. And I said, 00:30:55.839 --> 00:30:57.559 Lord, do you want me to have him preach? And 00:30:57.559 --> 00:31:00.519 the Lord said very clearly to me, yes. So I went 00:31:00.519 --> 00:31:05.740 up to him and I said, Lonnie, would you like 00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:07.779 to preach tonight in my church? He said, oh, 00:31:07.779 --> 00:31:09.779 yeah. I've been waiting for the chance. I thought, 00:31:09.859 --> 00:31:15.140 oh, no. Lonnie, he's given his testimony and 00:31:15.140 --> 00:31:18.430 his pathos in it. a time you weep a little bit, 00:31:18.569 --> 00:31:22.009 and you salute a couple times, and he's telling 00:31:22.009 --> 00:31:23.690 you some great verses, and you're laughing, and 00:31:23.690 --> 00:31:25.609 just having a wonderful time. I'm thinking, what 00:31:25.609 --> 00:31:27.569 was I worried about? This is great. You know, 00:31:27.589 --> 00:31:30.029 God, you're so good. And then he does the weirdest 00:31:30.029 --> 00:31:35.069 thing I've ever even heard of. Everything's going 00:31:35.069 --> 00:31:36.509 good, you know, and all of a sudden he stops 00:31:36.509 --> 00:31:39.109 and he says, well, that's it. He says, you know, 00:31:39.130 --> 00:31:40.730 the church has been offending the Holy Spirit 00:31:40.730 --> 00:31:42.950 a long time, and he's quenched, but he's getting 00:31:42.950 --> 00:31:44.869 over it, and we're going to invite him to come 00:31:44.869 --> 00:31:52.049 and minister now. Come, Holy Spirit. Whammo! 00:31:52.049 --> 00:31:56.670 The Spirit of God comes. And people start fighting. 00:31:56.769 --> 00:31:59.109 Well, first of all, he says, everybody 25 years 00:31:59.109 --> 00:32:01.250 and under, come forward. Well, in our church, 00:32:01.369 --> 00:32:04.990 that's everybody. You know, they're all coming 00:32:04.990 --> 00:32:07.490 up there. There's hundreds of them up all crowded 00:32:07.490 --> 00:32:09.690 around the stage. And he says, come Holy Spirit. 00:32:09.829 --> 00:32:11.250 And the next thing I know, people are falling 00:32:11.250 --> 00:32:12.930 and bouncing in there. And they're laying on 00:32:12.930 --> 00:32:17.680 the floor and they're talking like turkey. And 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:22.180 one kid, he falls, and the microphone falls with 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:23.440 him. You know, and it's laying right in front 00:32:23.440 --> 00:32:27.180 of his face. And he's speaking in tongues, you 00:32:27.180 --> 00:32:31.660 know. I mean, I'm not talking about two minutes. 00:32:31.720 --> 00:32:34.259 I'm talking about 45 minutes he's talking through 00:32:34.259 --> 00:32:37.400 that microphone. And we're wading through bodies, 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:40.980 you know, trying to get over to him. And we can't 00:32:40.980 --> 00:32:43.240 get the microphone off, and we can't get to him. 00:32:43.299 --> 00:32:45.880 And Lonnie is going like a banshee. You know, 00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:47.880 he's running through the crowd. and raising his 00:32:47.880 --> 00:32:49.500 hands and you know and i'm thinking he's pushing 00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:51.779 people over he's knocking them down but he's 00:32:51.779 --> 00:32:53.779 not even touching them he's walking by and they're 00:32:53.779 --> 00:32:55.980 going wham wham you know and falling everywhere 00:32:55.980 --> 00:32:58.640 and i'm and i'm thinking oh god oh god oh god 00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:05.240 oh god get me out of here well over the next 00:33:05.240 --> 00:33:07.839 few weeks and months the phenomena continued 00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:11.019 to occur often unrehearsed often without any 00:33:11.019 --> 00:33:12.859 kind of bleeding from us it would just happen 00:33:12.859 --> 00:33:16.009 in places our young people began roaming the 00:33:16.009 --> 00:33:18.890 community in packs. We would see them sometimes 00:33:18.890 --> 00:33:21.349 in parking lots and in front of houses, raising 00:33:21.349 --> 00:33:23.250 their hands and praying for people, and wham, 00:33:23.250 --> 00:33:27.210 they would go. That was in May. By September, 00:33:27.349 --> 00:33:31.849 we had baptized over 700 new converts. Evangelism 00:33:31.849 --> 00:33:34.309 was occurring everywhere. Those were the ones 00:33:34.309 --> 00:33:36.750 we baptized. The best we can figure, there may 00:33:36.750 --> 00:33:40.410 have been as many as 1 ,700 new converts in that 00:33:40.410 --> 00:33:42.650 three and a half month period. But the ones that 00:33:42.650 --> 00:33:44.869 we baptized, the ones that came toward us and 00:33:44.869 --> 00:33:48.170 became involved in the fellowship, was approximately 00:33:48.170 --> 00:33:52.490 700. God was on the move. I had never seen evangelism 00:33:52.490 --> 00:33:54.890 like that. I had never known that there was that 00:33:54.890 --> 00:34:02.589 kind of power. Now notice, notice how Wimber 00:34:02.589 --> 00:34:06.750 shares. I was freaked out. I mean, he was honest. 00:34:06.829 --> 00:34:08.329 He was like, I wasn't excited about all this 00:34:08.329 --> 00:34:09.969 happening. I didn't know what was going on. I 00:34:09.969 --> 00:34:12.199 was trying to turn microphones off. Everything 00:34:12.199 --> 00:34:15.880 was out of control. But when God's in control, 00:34:16.059 --> 00:34:21.179 what did it lead to? Incredible growth. Could 00:34:21.179 --> 00:34:25.579 you imagine what would happen? Could you imagine 00:34:25.579 --> 00:34:28.400 what would happen if we saw 1 ,700 people experience 00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:36.940 Jesus over the next three months? Think about 00:34:36.940 --> 00:34:41.639 what would change. Think about... Think about 00:34:41.639 --> 00:34:44.960 how we would respond. Because here's the reality. 00:34:45.099 --> 00:34:47.059 Some of you would leave and not come back because 00:34:47.059 --> 00:34:55.619 you lost your seat. Well, Chris, there's a homeless 00:34:55.619 --> 00:35:09.309 guy sitting in my seat. But dare I say that's 00:35:09.309 --> 00:35:16.889 my desire for our community of faith. I desire 00:35:16.889 --> 00:35:21.590 that each of you walk in your calling in following 00:35:21.590 --> 00:35:23.909 Jesus' mission on this earth. And what was Jesus' 00:35:24.150 --> 00:35:28.210 mission? Luke 14. The Spirit of the Lord is upon 00:35:28.210 --> 00:35:31.369 me. He has anointed me to bring good news to 00:35:31.369 --> 00:35:33.989 the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives 00:35:33.989 --> 00:35:35.929 will be released, the blind will see, the oppressed 00:35:35.929 --> 00:35:38.360 will be set free. And the time of the Lord's 00:35:38.360 --> 00:35:42.119 favor has come. So that means if you're here 00:35:42.119 --> 00:35:43.480 this morning and you're in a relationship with 00:35:43.480 --> 00:35:46.239 Jesus, we are called to share the good news. 00:35:47.059 --> 00:35:50.440 We pray for the sick, the lame, the broken. We 00:35:50.440 --> 00:35:56.380 see them healed. We see them set free. We feed 00:35:56.380 --> 00:36:00.659 the poor. We serve the forgotten. See, church, 00:36:00.699 --> 00:36:03.260 we're going to have a voice and speak into our 00:36:03.260 --> 00:36:06.739 culture when God moves in power. Because when 00:36:06.739 --> 00:36:10.639 those things start happening, culture, our people 00:36:10.639 --> 00:36:12.539 in our community, they start taking notice and 00:36:12.539 --> 00:36:16.500 they think, what is going on there? Because the 00:36:16.500 --> 00:36:20.360 power is not just for here. It's for others. 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:25.199 It's to see God change our community. Leonard 00:36:25.199 --> 00:36:28.519 Ravenhill says it this way. The world is not 00:36:28.519 --> 00:36:32.019 waiting for a new definition of the gospel, but 00:36:32.019 --> 00:36:35.019 for a new demonstration of the power of the gospel. 00:36:36.269 --> 00:36:39.250 And he's inviting all of us to participate in 00:36:39.250 --> 00:36:42.389 my question to you this morning. Will you respond? 00:36:42.469 --> 00:36:44.730 Will you be empowered? Three simple steps. Are 00:36:44.730 --> 00:36:50.949 you ready? First, you have to say yes. The Father 00:36:50.949 --> 00:36:53.170 alone has the authority to set those dates and 00:36:53.170 --> 00:36:55.429 times, and they are not for you to know. But 00:36:55.429 --> 00:36:58.590 you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes 00:36:58.590 --> 00:37:01.510 upon you. You will be my witnesses, telling people 00:37:01.510 --> 00:37:03.170 about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout 00:37:03.170 --> 00:37:04.769 Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 00:37:06.159 --> 00:37:08.960 See, Jesus won't force you to accept an abundant 00:37:08.960 --> 00:37:13.920 life. Jesus won't force his power on you. Jesus 00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:18.420 won't force you to walk in your calling. We always 00:37:18.420 --> 00:37:21.380 have the right to say no, but also remember Jesus 00:37:21.380 --> 00:37:25.800 won't force his blessing on anyone either. See, 00:37:25.860 --> 00:37:27.780 we can daily walk through this life refusing 00:37:27.780 --> 00:37:30.940 the power of the Holy Spirit while pretending 00:37:30.940 --> 00:37:33.820 to say yes to God, but God says there's so much 00:37:33.820 --> 00:37:38.269 more. Get to choose. Which leads us to our next 00:37:38.269 --> 00:37:40.670 step. Once you choose. Once you say yes. You 00:37:40.670 --> 00:37:44.090 receive God's authority and power. These miraculous 00:37:44.090 --> 00:37:45.929 signs will accompany those who believe. They 00:37:45.929 --> 00:37:48.030 will cast out demons in my name. They will speak 00:37:48.030 --> 00:37:49.530 in new languages. They will be able to handle 00:37:49.530 --> 00:37:51.889 snakes with safety. And if they drink anything 00:37:51.889 --> 00:37:53.829 poisonous. It won't hurt them. They will be able 00:37:53.829 --> 00:37:55.849 to place their hands on the sick. And they will 00:37:55.849 --> 00:37:59.929 be healed. See accepting God's authority and 00:37:59.929 --> 00:38:02.030 power. Means that we have this inner freedom. 00:38:02.909 --> 00:38:06.119 Where his power and his guidance. allows us to 00:38:06.119 --> 00:38:08.800 trust in the Holy Spirit. See, he opens our minds 00:38:08.800 --> 00:38:10.980 and our hearts to believe the truth of the Bible. 00:38:11.119 --> 00:38:14.039 He speaks through us the words of life and freedom 00:38:14.039 --> 00:38:17.079 to others. He leads us to serve, to pray for 00:38:17.079 --> 00:38:22.679 the sick in Jesus' name. Will you walk in that 00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:25.659 authority? And finally, our final step, you follow 00:38:25.659 --> 00:38:29.900 the promptings. You say yes. You receive that 00:38:29.900 --> 00:38:32.849 authority. You walk in it. And you follow the 00:38:32.849 --> 00:38:34.429 promptings. For all who are led by the Spirit 00:38:34.429 --> 00:38:36.889 of God are children of God. So you've not received 00:38:36.889 --> 00:38:38.869 the Spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, 00:38:39.010 --> 00:38:41.349 you received God's Spirit when He adopted you 00:38:41.349 --> 00:38:44.449 as His own children. Now we call Him Abba, Father. 00:38:45.650 --> 00:38:47.829 And that means we surrender our right to try 00:38:47.829 --> 00:38:51.070 to be perfect in our own strength. And we only 00:38:51.070 --> 00:38:53.530 operate and invite the Holy Spirit to empower 00:38:53.530 --> 00:38:56.909 us to move forward so that we can release others 00:38:56.909 --> 00:39:01.389 from the bondage that they are trapped in. Amen? 00:39:05.670 --> 00:39:10.929 All right, so listen. I need you guys to make 00:39:10.929 --> 00:39:15.710 me a deal, okay? I don't want to end yet because 00:39:15.710 --> 00:39:19.590 I want to pray. But after we pray, I need you 00:39:19.590 --> 00:39:21.829 to get out of here because the parking lot's 00:39:21.829 --> 00:39:26.610 going to get jammed again, okay? But that's okay 00:39:26.610 --> 00:39:31.650 because I believe this is important, okay? Yesterday, 00:39:31.710 --> 00:39:33.809 I was at a baseball game for about eight hours. 00:39:33.889 --> 00:39:36.760 It was a doubleheader. And it was hot and it 00:39:36.760 --> 00:39:38.719 was sunny and I was texting people and encouraging 00:39:38.719 --> 00:39:40.900 people and studying and reading and doing all 00:39:40.900 --> 00:39:43.519 these things. And my phone got to that point 00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:47.840 where it said, low power. Do you want to switch 00:39:47.840 --> 00:39:51.059 to power safe mode? Or whatever it says. You 00:39:51.059 --> 00:39:52.760 know what I'm talking about? Power safe mode. 00:39:53.519 --> 00:39:55.840 And I said, sure, because I had another two hours 00:39:55.840 --> 00:40:00.880 at the field. And when I hit that button, I felt 00:40:00.880 --> 00:40:03.900 like God said to me. That too many in the church 00:40:03.900 --> 00:40:05.980 have been operating on low power for too long. 00:40:09.940 --> 00:40:17.699 Will you stand with me? So listen. Here's my 00:40:17.699 --> 00:40:23.519 call. If you're 26 or younger. If you're 26 or 00:40:23.519 --> 00:40:25.000 younger, I want you to come up here right now. 00:40:26.619 --> 00:40:33.750 26 or younger. See, I love young people. I mean, 00:40:33.750 --> 00:40:37.670 they like run to the front. Like you old people, 00:40:37.829 --> 00:40:42.929 you'd be like, oh, it's not me. Look at this. 00:40:44.170 --> 00:40:48.429 26 or younger. Fill it. Come on. Come on, guys. 00:40:49.030 --> 00:40:50.909 Get all the way up front. There's a lot of people 00:40:50.909 --> 00:41:00.130 coming. There you go. It's awesome. Yeah, you 00:41:00.130 --> 00:41:01.369 can come over this way, guys. Come over this 00:41:01.369 --> 00:41:02.599 way. There's plenty of room over here.