WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Kingdom and the Spirit 4 - Pentecost Publishing Date: 2025-06-08T06:04:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/kingdom-and-the-spirit-4-pentecost/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:21.400 Okay, guys, we've been on this series called Spirit and the Kingdom. This is part four. 00:00:21.400 --> 00:00:33.300 And on a day like this, it will refer to Pentecost. And so one of the things that we see in Acts 00:00:33.300 --> 00:00:46.860 chapter 1-8 and in Luke 24-49 is the fact that Jesus says in Acts 1-8 that the Holy 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:51.860 Spirit will come upon you with power. And in Luke 24-49 it says, 00:00:51.860 --> 00:00:56.860 "'Wage in Jerusalem till you are clothed with the power of the Spirit.'" 00:00:56.860 --> 00:01:09.860 So both Acts 1-8 and Luke 24-49 talk about extraordinary power. Extraordinary power. 00:01:09.860 --> 00:01:15.860 That's what it's talking about. So it seems kind of sad to say there are two kinds of powers. 00:01:15.860 --> 00:01:21.860 That's not the intent. The Spirit of God convicts me. He brings me into the Kingdom. 00:01:21.860 --> 00:01:28.860 I get born again by the Spirit. But we are talking about an extraordinary power for an extraordinary 00:01:28.860 --> 00:01:39.860 end that God wants to achieve. And it's towards that end that in Acts chapter 1-8 and in Luke 24-49 00:01:39.860 --> 00:01:46.860 before Jesus leaves the earth, he says, listen, go to Jerusalem, wait there, and I'll cloth you with 00:01:46.860 --> 00:01:53.860 power. And in Acts chapter 1-8 it says, and I will again send the Holy Spirit on you with such power 00:01:53.860 --> 00:02:00.860 that you'll be able to witness. So we are talking about extraordinary power. So don't settle for what 00:02:00.860 --> 00:02:08.860 we have. Yeah? What we see in the book of Acts is supposed to increase, not decrease. We can use the 00:02:08.860 --> 00:02:15.860 book of Acts as a reference point that this did happen. That's the minimum we can expect. But we 00:02:15.860 --> 00:02:21.860 don't think like that, and we need to think like that. How many here would happily settle for what 00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:27.860 happened in the book of Acts? I would. I'd like to at least see that because I'm not seeing it yet. 00:02:27.860 --> 00:02:34.860 But if you look at the river that flowed from the throne of God, as it goes further, it increases. It 00:02:34.860 --> 00:02:41.860 starts as a trickle. It then grows up to ankle, knee, waist depth, and then it's impossible to even walk 00:02:41.860 --> 00:02:49.860 in it. You'll have to swim. You'll have to be carried away by the Spirit. So one must live with the 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:56.860 expectation that there is more than the book of Acts, which started with 3,000 a day. It's at 174,000 a 00:02:56.860 --> 00:03:02.860 day. There was not even a method to get to the nations of the world then. Now it takes less than 14 hours 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:10.860 to get to anywhere in the world. Things have changed. Extraordinary power. But why would I need 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:18.860 extraordinary power if my expectations are not extraordinary? So the question is, do you have 00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:28.860 extraordinary expectations? Most of the guys who build anything that is worth anything and that changes 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:37.860 the world have extraordinary expectations. I mean, more than Karl Marx and more than the Beatles, it's the 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:43.860 Apple phone that has been the greatest revolution in the last 50 years. It was an extraordinary 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:52.860 expectation that every person would carry a phone that they could do everything on. So extraordinary 00:03:52.860 --> 00:04:06.860 extraordinary power. So the first point is extraordinary power is not required if I don't have extraordinary 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:24.860 expectations. That's the first point. Extraordinary expectations require extraordinary power. And so the question is, 00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:33.860 what are your extraordinary expectations? If your extraordinary expectations are about you, then God can give you that 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:41.860 without the Spirit of God doing anything. That comes out of the grace of God. If it's more money, if it's a bigger 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:50.860 business, if it's a bigger house, bigger car, a beautiful wife, an ugly dog, God can give you that without the 00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:58.860 Spirit of God being involved. We're talking about extraordinary power for extraordinary ends that are 00:04:58.860 --> 00:05:06.860 kingdom-oriented or king-oriented. And so if I were to ask you, what are your expectations, would you be able to 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:15.860 phrase it in a way that even some of the kids sitting in front would understand? And if you can't phrase it that way, 00:05:15.860 --> 00:05:24.860 then you must then admit that that is not your expectation. We can't come up with stuff like, oh, I want to serve the Lord. 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:35.860 Oh, I want to do big things for God. That doesn't mean anything. Try getting a job like that. How do you phrase it? 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:43.860 What do you want? What are deeply seated that must be expressed and put into words? What is it called? It's called a 00:05:43.860 --> 00:05:50.860 business plan that you present to God. But who starts the business plan? He does. And then what do you do? You present it 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:59.860 back to him. That's the beauty of this. He initiates it. He sustains it. He crafts it. He has you bring it to him. He says, 00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:22.860 great, I'm glad you understood it. Here, have it. Any questions on that? Okay. Second point. This extraordinary power is required 00:06:22.860 --> 00:06:51.860 for bearing witness to who and what Christ does. It's required for raising others that look like him. 00:06:51.860 --> 00:07:14.860 And it's required for his rule advancing to the ends of the earth. These three things cannot be accomplished by sheer brain or strength, 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:25.860 bearing witness to who he is and what he does. It's a hostile environment that witnessing has always been conducted in. It doesn't matter which 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:34.860 era you take. Every time someone had to bear witness to the truth or bear witness to something new, bear witness to Christ and what he does, 00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:44.860 there is always sufficient pushback because there is one who fights for souls, and that's why he's called the enemy. That's why he's called Satan. 00:07:44.860 --> 00:07:52.860 That's why he's called the devil, adversary, accuser, deceiver. And so it's impossible to do this without the Spirit of God. 00:07:52.860 --> 00:08:00.860 Always remember when God tells you to do something and you go and do it and you're rejected, rejection is not a sign of failure. 00:08:01.860 --> 00:08:09.860 Rejection is a free choice that every human being has. Christ was rejected by entire towns. It doesn't mean he was a failure. 00:08:09.860 --> 00:08:19.860 Capernaum and Nazareth wouldn't have him. That doesn't mean that he didn't do what God wanted him to. He still went ahead and did what God told him to, 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:27.860 but just because he went and people didn't accept doesn't mean he got it wrong. We think that when we go and say something to someone and they reject us, 00:08:27.860 --> 00:08:31.860 that we probably heard wrong. No, we heard right, they chose wrong. 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:45.860 These are three really difficult things, to raise people that look like him, as in look like Christ, to witness and to advance his rule, 00:08:45.860 --> 00:08:51.860 as in he's a good king. Can I take his rule and advance it? 00:08:51.860 --> 00:08:59.860 So what do people around Trump do? Or what did people around Biden do? Or what did people around Obama do? 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:04.860 They knew that there was a policy that each of these presidents had and their intent was, 00:09:04.860 --> 00:09:13.860 can we perpetuate or propagate or promote this policy so that the entire United States will now begin to subscribe to this policy? 00:09:13.860 --> 00:09:20.860 It's the same principle. But these are difficult things to do. That's one of the reasons the Spirit of God is given. 00:09:20.860 --> 00:09:29.860 That's the second point. The third point is most things that the Spirit of God does happen suddenly. 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:38.860 In verse 2 of chapter 2, book of Acts, on the day of Pentecost, suddenly. Why this word suddenly? 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:47.860 And it's often used in the Bible, eh, suddenly? Because as much as the Spirit of God loves me and even serves me for Christ's purpose, 00:09:47.860 --> 00:09:53.860 now it sounds odd, eh, God's serving me. But you must understand, God has always been a servant. 00:09:53.860 --> 00:10:02.860 This almost sounds sacrilegious. But when Jesus disrobed and then took a towel and began to wash the feet of his servants, 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:09.860 he wasn't putting on an act. He wasn't doing something he was not. He was doing the most natural thing. 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:23.860 At his essence, God is a servant. And therefore he expects the people that follow him also to be like servants. 00:10:23.860 --> 00:10:35.860 Sounds almost wrong to say God can be servant-like. If he wasn't, he was putting on an act in John 13, 00:10:35.860 --> 00:10:41.860 when he was just being humble. Let me be humble for a second and wash their feet. Not true. 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:46.860 That's part of his makeup. On one hand, he's king, and on the other hand, he's servant. 00:10:46.860 --> 00:10:56.860 There's this old song called Servant King, which is who he was. Isaiah continuously refers to him as a servant king. 00:10:57.860 --> 00:11:02.860 And so as much as the Holy Spirit wants to serve and love me for the cause of Christ, 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:07.860 he's not my rub-the-bottle-and-out-comes-a-dini called the Holy Spirit. 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:18.860 And so one of the reasons he does things suddenly is so that we can't begin to manipulate him, predict him, prefabricate him, 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:22.860 expect him to turn up when we do certain rituals, certain acts. 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:27.860 And today's Christianity, especially the charismatic Christianity kind, is full of this. 00:11:27.860 --> 00:11:33.860 Where if you sing these two songs, and if you do this and if you do that, the Spirit of God must turn up, 00:11:33.860 --> 00:11:35.860 and then just people should start falling over. 00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:49.860 And then when you repeat it again and again, it just gets ugly and sometimes it's mixed up with other spirits than the Spirit of God. 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:56.860 Suddenly the Holy Spirit comes and he'll always do it that way. 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:59.860 So how do you get to this place where he suddenly appears? 00:11:59.860 --> 00:12:07.860 By every day doing what you need to do in terms of walking in his grace, walking in awareness, walking in obedience. 00:12:07.860 --> 00:12:10.860 And then one day suddenly everything happens like that. 00:12:10.860 --> 00:12:15.860 You take any revival on the face of the earth, you'll find that people were doing what they were supposed to do consistently. 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:19.860 They were walking in his grace, walking in obedience and walking in faith. 00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:25.860 And then suddenly you take the Hebrides revival, which we talked about at length over the last three years. 00:12:25.860 --> 00:12:31.860 Two women, Peggy and Christine, 80 year olds, sitting and doing the one thing that they knew how to do, 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:35.860 pray and walk in faith, in obedience and in the grace of the Spirit. 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:39.860 And suddenly took the world by storm. 00:12:39.860 --> 00:12:46.860 The Spirit of God came down on that town and people couldn't walk. 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:51.860 It happened just 70 years ago. It's not ancient history. 00:12:51.860 --> 00:12:55.860 At my age, 70 is not ancient history. 00:12:55.860 --> 00:12:59.860 So suddenly the Holy Spirit, why does he do that? He's not bound by time. 00:12:59.860 --> 00:13:05.860 So whatever we are doing now, wait, wait, because suddenly it happens. 00:13:05.860 --> 00:13:07.860 And one should be expectant of it. 00:13:07.860 --> 00:13:15.860 I don't know if when we come together like this, you're expectant of something happening that has never happened before. 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:25.860 I sometimes open my eyes to just look around and see if God's moving differently, if you're being touched differently. 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:28.860 People are worshipping differently. Why? 00:13:28.860 --> 00:13:33.860 Because there's this continuous expectation that something will give. 00:13:33.860 --> 00:13:37.860 Three and a half years we've been at this. Something will give. 00:13:37.860 --> 00:13:45.860 But the way to go about it is to be consistent in walking in his grace, in obedience to him, in faith. 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:49.860 Next point. 00:13:49.860 --> 00:14:01.860 Revivals happen when extraordinary power, when extraordinary outpourings, 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:11.860 of the activity of the Spirit happen. 00:14:11.860 --> 00:14:16.860 That's what revivals basically are. 00:14:16.860 --> 00:14:24.860 They are times when the Spirit of God suddenly decides that, all right, the time has come to do something unique, distinct, 00:14:24.860 --> 00:14:27.860 that will shift the way the world operates. 00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:30.860 He thinks worldly. It's not a big deal for him. 00:14:30.860 --> 00:14:34.860 For us, it seems like a big deal when we think of the earth. For him, he created the earth. 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:42.860 He hovered over the earth at the beginning as Jesus spoke, the earth was created. He thinks the earth. 00:14:42.860 --> 00:14:48.860 And so whenever revivals break out in any part of the world, his intent is, can I shift the history of the world again? 00:14:48.860 --> 00:14:53.860 Why? Because if I don't, they will not be able to avert disaster. 00:14:53.860 --> 00:15:02.860 Can I raise up a few Billy Graham's? Can I raise up a few Moses's, David's, Adam's, Paul's, Barnabas's? 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:07.860 Can I raise a few of them? Can I avert disaster by bringing things back on track? 00:15:07.860 --> 00:15:12.860 Because here's the thing, God's program will prosper. 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:16.860 The final thing is so written in stone, it cannot be changed. 00:15:16.860 --> 00:15:21.860 At the end of the day, there'll be one kingdom standing and all the other kingdoms will collapse. 00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:26.860 There'll be nothing left. There's just one kingdom that will remain. 00:15:26.860 --> 00:15:35.860 It's guaranteed. Guaranteed. Work towards it. 00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:43.860 Work towards it. Expectant eyes see. 00:15:43.860 --> 00:15:46.860 Expectant. This is critically. What are we expectant of? 00:15:46.860 --> 00:15:53.860 We expectant of God's goodness and the assurance that he will make all things new in every situation that we are engaged in. 00:15:53.860 --> 00:15:57.860 Every situation you're engaged in, he'll make all things new. 00:15:57.860 --> 00:16:01.860 He's continuously working towards that. 00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:05.860 This thing called expectation is huge. What's another word for expectation? 00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:08.860 What's a Christian word? Hope. 00:16:08.860 --> 00:16:11.860 You can't name your daughter expectation, but you can name her hope. 00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:17.860 But it actually means confident expectation. 00:16:17.860 --> 00:16:19.860 That'll be something, eh? 00:16:19.860 --> 00:16:26.860 Expectation. What's your name? Expectation. 00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:31.860 I had this friend, we went to India and there was this girl there and he kept asking the girl, 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:34.860 Hey sweetie, what's your name? And she said, sweetie. 00:16:34.860 --> 00:16:36.860 He said, no, no, no, sweetie, what's your name? Sweetie. 00:16:36.860 --> 00:16:43.860 And I went on for a while before I helped him, but I don't know why I went there. 00:16:43.860 --> 00:16:45.860 It's not important. 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:51.860 Revivals are extraordinary out, and then there is cute Sheldon. 00:16:51.860 --> 00:16:55.860 Revivals are extraordinary outpouring of the spirit. 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:57.860 And who does this happen through? 00:16:57.860 --> 00:16:59.860 What does this happen through? 00:16:59.860 --> 00:17:22.860 It happens through people who do not settle for periodic awareness of presence. 00:17:22.860 --> 00:17:26.860 Who does God outpour what he is doing through? 00:17:26.860 --> 00:17:31.860 He does it through people who do not settle for a periodic awareness of God. 00:17:31.860 --> 00:17:33.860 I've said this before many times. 00:17:33.860 --> 00:17:37.860 The periodic awareness of God was never God's plan for man. 00:17:37.860 --> 00:17:43.860 It was never God's design for man that Jacob be periodically aware of his presence on a Sunday afternoon. 00:17:43.860 --> 00:17:47.860 No, no. He's looking for people who are constantly aware of him. 00:17:47.860 --> 00:17:55.860 And through them, almost inevitably, he ends up pouring out the Spirit of God in extraordinary ways. 00:17:55.860 --> 00:17:59.860 One of the things we want to do in this church is to become highly aware of him 24-7, 00:17:59.860 --> 00:18:04.860 so that whenever he wants, it suddenly can happen. 00:18:04.860 --> 00:18:07.860 The question is, when Dinnah goes to work tomorrow, and it's the end of the month, 00:18:07.860 --> 00:18:15.860 and he has all his accounts to finish, will he be highly aware of the Spirit of God? 00:18:15.860 --> 00:18:20.860 The question is, when Kezia thinks of the fact that she'll be giving birth to in a month, 00:18:20.860 --> 00:18:25.860 and there are 101 things to think of, will she be highly aware of the presence of God? 00:18:25.860 --> 00:18:30.860 It's critical for how this baby comes into the earth. 00:18:41.860 --> 00:18:44.860 When these outpourings of extraordinary power happen, 00:18:44.860 --> 00:18:49.860 and we keep going back to this idea of extraordinary power, which I'm saying to you, we have not seen. 00:18:49.860 --> 00:18:54.860 We may have caught glimpses of it, we may have heard about it, but we haven't seen it. 00:18:54.860 --> 00:19:02.860 And these extraordinary expressions of power can last for a while or can wreak a, 00:19:02.860 --> 00:19:07.860 but once you see it, you enjoy it, you savor it, you let it go. 00:19:07.860 --> 00:19:12.860 One of the things that often happens to people is they have one powerful encounter with God, 00:19:12.860 --> 00:19:15.860 and after that powerful encounter, they talk about it for the rest of their lives. 00:19:16.860 --> 00:19:22.860 You savor it, you love it, you thank God for it, and you let it go because there's more. 00:19:22.860 --> 00:19:27.860 If he is infinite and if he has all power, there's never going to be a limit where he says, 00:19:27.860 --> 00:19:30.860 I've shown you everything I've got. Never. 00:19:35.860 --> 00:19:40.860 To try to capture anything in a bottle that God does is a really bad idea. It rots. 00:19:40.860 --> 00:19:46.860 Manner, eat it, enjoy it, look for it the next day because it's going to be new manner. 00:19:46.860 --> 00:19:50.860 Keep it, and it turns into maggots. 00:19:54.860 --> 00:19:57.860 There must be this expectation, eh? 00:19:59.860 --> 00:20:06.860 One of the things I look forward to when I meet as a church is, okay, today, oh God, what's your, 00:20:06.860 --> 00:20:10.860 what are you going to pull out of the hat? Today, it was, hey, bring your Isaacs, 00:20:10.860 --> 00:20:13.860 lay them on the altar, let me bring them back to life. 00:20:13.860 --> 00:20:22.860 Take these things preciously home because, trust me, nobody knows what's happening out here in front. 00:20:28.860 --> 00:20:33.860 Okay, one of the things that happens when the extraordinary power hits is, 00:20:33.860 --> 00:20:38.860 extraordinary power hits is manifestations, as in, 00:20:42.860 --> 00:20:55.860 you experience things of God that have precedent in the Bible. 00:20:55.860 --> 00:21:03.860 So, there was the, in the Old Testament, there was the pillar of fire and the pillar of, 00:21:03.860 --> 00:21:07.860 and the cloud, the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. 00:21:07.860 --> 00:21:11.860 When Jesus got baptized, the Holy Spirit turned up as a dove. 00:21:11.860 --> 00:21:17.860 When they got together on a day like this in Acts chapter 2, 00:21:17.860 --> 00:21:19.860 the Spirit of God turned up as fire. 00:21:19.860 --> 00:21:24.860 In Acts chapter 6, Stephen's face began to shine like he was an angel. 00:21:24.860 --> 00:21:27.860 It was almost like his face was transfigured. 00:21:27.860 --> 00:21:31.860 In Acts chapter 4, while they were praying, the whole place began to shake. 00:21:31.860 --> 00:21:36.860 In Acts chapter 16, there was an earthquake and Peter was set free. 00:21:36.860 --> 00:21:39.860 These are manifestations. 00:21:39.860 --> 00:21:44.860 And there is precedent in the Bible for different manifestations. 00:21:44.860 --> 00:21:50.860 And there is precedent in the Bible for different manifestations, and they do keep recurring. 00:21:50.860 --> 00:21:55.860 We drove past a house in Stornoway in the Hebrides Island, 00:21:55.860 --> 00:21:58.860 where there was a house where things began to shake so violently, 00:21:58.860 --> 00:22:03.860 when they began to pray that stuff started falling off the shelf. 00:22:03.860 --> 00:22:06.860 It has happened again and again and again. 00:22:06.860 --> 00:22:09.860 But is there an expectation? 00:22:09.860 --> 00:22:13.860 Is there an opening of eyes to check and see how people are doing? 00:22:13.860 --> 00:22:21.860 There must be the expectation, guys. 00:22:21.860 --> 00:22:26.860 Anything that happened in the Bible can happen again. 00:22:26.860 --> 00:22:29.860 And then there are things that will look similar. 00:22:29.860 --> 00:22:31.860 But here's the thing. 00:22:31.860 --> 00:22:34.860 Every manifestation in the Bible is followed by a voice. 00:22:34.860 --> 00:22:41.860 There was never a thing that happened in the Bible where God manifested Himself that wasn't followed by a voice. 00:22:41.860 --> 00:22:49.860 One of the best ways to authenticate a manifestation is to find out if after the manifestation there was this voice that spoke the truth. 00:22:49.860 --> 00:22:56.860 When He put a rainbow in the sky, I'll never destroy the world again with a flood. 00:22:56.860 --> 00:22:59.860 When there was a hand that began writing on the wall, 00:22:59.860 --> 00:23:02.860 mene mene tekelu parsein, there was a voice. 00:23:02.860 --> 00:23:08.860 When the dove came over Jesus' head, behold, my son, in whom I am well pleased. 00:23:09.860 --> 00:23:14.860 Whenever there's a manifestation, there's a voice that authenticates what the Word of God says. 00:23:14.860 --> 00:23:17.860 That's one way to test manifestations. 00:23:17.860 --> 00:23:19.860 But it brings us into the experience of God. 00:23:19.860 --> 00:23:23.860 Our God is a God who must be tasted. 00:23:23.860 --> 00:23:25.860 He must be experienced. 00:23:25.860 --> 00:23:32.860 A God who is not experienced is not the Christian God. 00:23:32.860 --> 00:23:45.860 Crying, laughing, jumping, joy, great sorrow, bursting forth, speaking in tongues, dancing. 00:23:45.860 --> 00:23:49.860 These are but natural to the Christian God. 00:23:49.860 --> 00:23:55.860 And if it is not a part of your natural experience, then the cultural shift is not God's but yours. 00:23:55.860 --> 00:23:57.860 And why can't I do that? 00:23:57.860 --> 00:24:00.860 Because I feel like it's not me. 00:24:00.860 --> 00:24:03.860 It's not me based on how I've been raised. 00:24:03.860 --> 00:24:07.860 But it is me based on how I've been born again. 00:24:07.860 --> 00:24:15.860 And the spirit of me must now rule over the thinking and the way my body is. 00:24:15.860 --> 00:24:19.860 Any questions on that? 00:24:19.860 --> 00:24:28.860 I don't have to copy what you do, but I do have to give expression because our God is one who is experienced. 00:24:28.860 --> 00:24:30.860 Any questions? 00:24:36.860 --> 00:24:37.860 Yeah. 00:24:37.860 --> 00:24:39.860 How do you tie in the presence of God? 00:24:39.860 --> 00:24:41.860 How do you tie in the presence of God? 00:24:41.860 --> 00:24:46.860 How do you tie in the presence of God with manifestations? 00:24:46.860 --> 00:24:47.860 Yeah. 00:24:47.860 --> 00:24:52.860 How do you tie in the presence of God with manifestations? 00:24:52.860 --> 00:25:02.860 In the Old Testament, if God turned up, there was no question of not seeing his glorious presence. 00:25:02.860 --> 00:25:09.860 Now, because he lives in us and is not visiting from outside, we don't necessarily see a display of glory. 00:25:09.860 --> 00:25:14.860 That kind of glory would kill people or they would lie down on the ground and be afraid. 00:25:14.860 --> 00:25:24.860 So today the presence of God is first the spirit and then the truth, then the emotions, then the action. 00:25:24.860 --> 00:25:30.860 And that's why when worship tries to appeal to the flesh first, it's a really bad idea. 00:25:30.860 --> 00:25:34.860 So you get your foot is stomping and your hand is clapping, but inside it's hollow. 00:25:34.860 --> 00:25:35.860 It doesn't work. 00:25:35.860 --> 00:25:36.860 First the spirit. 00:25:36.860 --> 00:25:42.860 I want worshippers to worship me in spirit and truth and then onto emotions. 00:25:42.860 --> 00:25:48.860 Anything that I know in my spirit as being true, I'll begin to feel about. 00:25:48.860 --> 00:25:56.860 And when I begin to feel about, either my mouth will speak or my hands will move or there'll be some expression of it unless I'm dead. 00:25:56.860 --> 00:26:01.860 And so presence and manifestation, in the Old Testament it was very obvious. 00:26:01.860 --> 00:26:06.860 The New Testament doesn't happen too often, but suddenly the Holy Spirit can do something. 00:26:06.860 --> 00:26:13.860 But one of the things we should do in worship is ask God to bless your holy imagination. 00:26:13.860 --> 00:26:21.860 When we sing about the creatures and the elders bowing before him who sits on the throne, what is it that you remember? 00:26:21.860 --> 00:26:23.860 Do you remember the truth of Revelation 4? 00:26:23.860 --> 00:26:25.860 Do you remember the truth of Revelation 5? 00:26:25.860 --> 00:26:27.860 Do you remember the truth of Revelation 20? 00:26:27.860 --> 00:26:29.860 What is the truth that you see? 00:26:29.860 --> 00:26:31.860 Do you remember the truth of Isaiah 6? 00:26:31.860 --> 00:26:37.860 I saw the Lord seated on his throne and the train of his robe filled the temple. 00:26:37.860 --> 00:26:38.860 Is that what you see? 00:26:38.860 --> 00:26:40.860 It should immediately connect you. 00:26:43.860 --> 00:26:50.860 Our experiences find context in the stories of the Bible, which is why it says in spirit and in truth. 00:26:50.860 --> 00:27:00.860 And so the less we know the word, the harder it is to contextualize what is happening and the easier it is to get deceived. 00:27:00.860 --> 00:27:13.860 If I'm not able to put in context my experience within the stories of the Bible, then one, it's harder to understand and two, it is easier to be deceived. 00:27:13.860 --> 00:27:19.860 There are people who say that the Bible is a lie. 00:27:19.860 --> 00:27:22.860 And so one, it's harder to understand and two, it is easier to be deceived. 00:27:29.860 --> 00:27:34.860 There are people who say that the Spirit of God falls upon all flesh and by that they mean this flesh. 00:27:34.860 --> 00:27:38.860 So anything you do when the Spirit of God falls upon you is kosher. 00:27:38.860 --> 00:27:43.860 And I'm saying it contradicts the Bible, which says that the Spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet. 00:27:43.860 --> 00:27:46.860 As in I don't have to react, I never lose control. 00:27:46.860 --> 00:27:47.860 I can yield control. 00:27:47.860 --> 00:27:48.860 I don't lose control. 00:27:48.860 --> 00:27:53.860 The Old Testament, the Spirit of God would come upon people and they would lose control. 00:27:53.860 --> 00:27:56.860 Saul would lie around naked prophesying. 00:27:56.860 --> 00:27:59.860 Thank God that's not the method of prophecy nowadays. 00:27:59.860 --> 00:28:07.860 But I have the ability to yield control to God, but I do not lose control. 00:28:07.860 --> 00:28:15.860 If I jump on the piano and start dancing when Tunis playing, Heidi will have to pay this church a lot of money for that piano. 00:28:15.860 --> 00:28:18.860 And I can't say the Spirit of God made me do it. 00:28:18.860 --> 00:28:20.860 I'm completely in control. 00:28:23.860 --> 00:28:26.860 Or we'll give that piano to Sheldon and he'll trade one in. 00:28:29.860 --> 00:28:30.860 He's not here, right? 00:28:30.860 --> 00:28:32.860 Cute Sheldon. 00:28:35.860 --> 00:28:36.860 Here's the other thing, guys. 00:28:36.860 --> 00:28:39.860 Whenever manifestations happen, there are two reactions. 00:28:39.860 --> 00:28:41.860 One is what in the world is this? 00:28:41.860 --> 00:28:43.860 Let's go check it out. 00:28:43.860 --> 00:28:45.860 Two, these guys must be drunk. 00:28:47.860 --> 00:28:51.860 A church will always be divided once God begins to manifest himself. 00:28:51.860 --> 00:28:54.860 And I'm hoping that that won't happen to us. 00:28:54.860 --> 00:29:01.860 That when the manifestations begin to happen, and they will, we've been patiently waiting and a suddenly will happen. 00:29:01.860 --> 00:29:02.860 I guarantee you. 00:29:02.860 --> 00:29:08.860 A suddenly will happen before guys like Sue and Joan and Ruth leave the earth. 00:29:08.860 --> 00:29:12.860 Not because they are old, but because they've been here waiting for this for years. 00:29:14.860 --> 00:29:19.860 They shall see the glory of the latter days of Acts 29. 00:29:22.860 --> 00:29:28.860 And so when these happen, may not divide the church, because there's usually two reactions. 00:29:28.860 --> 00:29:33.860 Some of them said, as they heard these tongues, what in this world is this? 00:29:33.860 --> 00:29:34.860 They were perplexed. 00:29:34.860 --> 00:29:36.860 And the others said, these guys are drunk. 00:29:37.860 --> 00:29:39.860 Let that divide not happen, eh? 00:29:40.860 --> 00:29:45.860 That's part of the reason we're talking about this, so that a precedent is set when it happens. 00:29:56.860 --> 00:30:00.860 Galatians 3.5, and we'll end with that. Galatians 3.5. 00:30:01.860 --> 00:30:02.860 It says, 00:30:11.860 --> 00:30:12.860 Beautiful. 00:30:12.860 --> 00:30:17.860 Does he who gives you the Spirit... 00:30:21.860 --> 00:30:22.860 How does he do it? 00:30:24.860 --> 00:30:29.860 How does he who gives you miracles and the Spirit... 00:30:31.860 --> 00:30:32.860 Guys, think of this, eh? 00:30:32.860 --> 00:30:41.860 There's a natural expectation in Paul's writing to the guys in Galatia that if the Spirit of God is working amongst you, 00:30:41.860 --> 00:30:44.860 miracles and signs and wonders will also be working amongst you. 00:30:45.860 --> 00:30:47.860 It's just a natural assumption. 00:30:47.860 --> 00:30:49.860 He doesn't even explain it. 00:30:50.860 --> 00:30:53.860 He just naturally assumes that the Spirit of God... 00:30:53.860 --> 00:30:54.860 Who is the Spirit of God? 00:30:54.860 --> 00:30:58.860 The Spirit of God is the personal presence of God in your life. 00:30:58.860 --> 00:30:59.860 Just think of that for a second. 00:30:59.860 --> 00:31:02.860 The God of the universe, who the universe cannot contain. 00:31:03.860 --> 00:31:10.860 The Spirit of God is the personal presence of God right now in me and in you. 00:31:11.860 --> 00:31:14.860 And there is nothing he does that is ordinary. 00:31:20.860 --> 00:31:26.860 Just your physical body is so extraordinarily made that David, who didn't know anything about zoology, 00:31:26.860 --> 00:31:28.860 talks about it in Psalm 139. 00:31:33.860 --> 00:31:39.860 That child in Rachel's womb, in Kezia's womb, wonderfully, complexly made. 00:31:46.860 --> 00:31:48.860 There is nothing he does that's ordinary. 00:31:49.860 --> 00:31:54.860 Is there an expectation in Jane's life, in Matt's life, in Jillian's life, in Priyanka's life 00:31:54.860 --> 00:32:00.860 that I serve a God who is so extraordinary that it must be my expectation, 00:32:00.860 --> 00:32:07.860 regardless of the last ten days I have had, that were worse than ordinary, that were totally blah? 00:32:16.860 --> 00:32:20.860 Does he who gives the Spirit and does he who does miracles among you, 00:32:20.860 --> 00:32:32.860 does he do it by traditions, by rules, or does he do it by the hearing of faith? 00:32:36.860 --> 00:32:39.860 Before we go there, ask yourself this question. 00:32:39.860 --> 00:32:42.860 Why do you want an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life? 00:32:43.860 --> 00:32:48.860 Why do you want, I'm assuming everybody here, thirsts for the Holy Spirit? 00:32:48.860 --> 00:32:58.860 Why do you want, why are you thirsty for more of the Holy Spirit being expressed in your life? 00:32:58.860 --> 00:33:03.860 He lives in you fully. He's not a quantity. You can't pour a little bit of him into a person. 00:33:03.860 --> 00:33:05.860 He lives in his full person in you. 00:33:05.860 --> 00:33:09.860 But why do you long for more of the Holy Spirit? What's your reason? 00:33:19.860 --> 00:33:23.860 Okay. You'll have, her answer is good. 00:33:26.860 --> 00:33:29.860 For transformation. So here are the four main reasons. 00:33:29.860 --> 00:33:36.860 One, that he may be able to change me. So that's the first reason. 00:33:37.860 --> 00:33:40.860 Here are the four reasons why one should be thirsty for the Spirit. 00:33:40.860 --> 00:33:43.860 First one is 2 Corinthians 3.18. 00:33:43.860 --> 00:33:53.860 As I behold him, I'll be transformed into his image. 00:33:53.860 --> 00:33:59.860 These are the reasons. Everything else that comes with the Spirit of God is really good gravy. 00:33:59.860 --> 00:34:03.860 But this is the meat. Second, Corinthians 3.18. 00:34:03.860 --> 00:34:07.860 Next one, Colossians 1.28 and 29. 00:34:07.860 --> 00:34:18.860 Why should we receive the Spirit so that we can raise others into maturity? 00:34:20.860 --> 00:34:26.860 Why else should we thirst for the Spirit? These are the real reasons. 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:33.860 First Corinthians 12.4 to 11. What does it say? 00:34:33.860 --> 00:34:41.860 In a church, there are many different ministries, many different workings, many different activities, many different gifts. 00:34:41.860 --> 00:34:48.860 But it is one Spirit. And he distributes himself as required for the benefit of others. 00:34:48.860 --> 00:34:52.860 To some he gives this, to some he gives that, to some he gives this. 00:34:52.860 --> 00:34:56.860 It's for the entire body. 00:34:56.860 --> 00:35:04.860 And then the last one, Romans 15. 17 to 21. 00:35:04.860 --> 00:35:12.860 And what does that say? That from Illricum to some other place in Rome, 00:35:12.860 --> 00:35:19.860 I blazed a trail with signs, miracles and wonders done by the Holy Spirit, 00:35:19.860 --> 00:35:26.860 as I took the gospel from one place to the other, till there was no nation that I hadn't touched that was given to me. 00:35:26.860 --> 00:35:30.860 This is Paul talking about it. This bearing witness to the ends of the earth. 00:35:30.860 --> 00:35:34.860 These are the four main reasons. If these are not our reasons, 00:35:34.860 --> 00:35:43.860 if our reason is to have a great crusade or to have thousands follow you or get an Instagram public figure thingy, 00:35:43.860 --> 00:35:51.860 or see people fall or see healings done so that you become a big healer or a church becomes a healer church. 00:35:51.860 --> 00:35:55.860 These are all gravy reasons. They are not the meat and potato reasons. 00:35:55.860 --> 00:35:59.860 The meat and potato reasons are these. 00:35:59.860 --> 00:36:07.860 Thirst after this and you get that. Thirst after that and you won't get this nor that. 00:36:07.860 --> 00:36:13.860 See, it's Lewis. Put first things first and you will get the second also. 00:36:13.860 --> 00:36:20.860 Put second things first and you will get neither the first nor the second. 00:36:20.860 --> 00:36:30.860 So, how do we receive things of the Holy Spirit? It's this thing called hearing by faith. 00:36:30.860 --> 00:36:37.860 Touch on that and then hearing by faith. Hearing by faith. 00:36:37.860 --> 00:36:40.860 What does hearing by faith look like? 00:36:40.860 --> 00:36:49.860 One, whenever you hear the word being preached, whenever you hear the word being read, 00:36:49.860 --> 00:36:54.860 whenever you hear the Spirit of God speaking directly to you, whenever you hear a prophetic word, 00:36:54.860 --> 00:36:58.860 whenever you hear anything that God is saying through someone to you, 00:36:58.860 --> 00:37:03.860 whenever you receive a promise of God, whenever you hear anything like that, 00:37:03.860 --> 00:37:18.860 the first step is childlike receiving, childlike receiving and helpless dependence. 00:37:18.860 --> 00:37:24.860 That's the first step. What are we talking about? Hearing with faith. 00:37:24.860 --> 00:37:30.860 Why are we talking about hearing with faith? Because anything that the Spirit wants to do with me or through me 00:37:30.860 --> 00:37:37.860 happens through hearing with faith. 00:37:37.860 --> 00:37:41.860 The Spirit of God is now God walking in your garden. 00:37:41.860 --> 00:37:46.860 In Eden, He used to walk with Adam and Eve. Today, the Spirit of God walks with you. 00:37:46.860 --> 00:37:51.860 He is your presence. He is God's personal presence in your Eden. 00:37:51.860 --> 00:38:01.860 And the first thing for hearing with faith is childlike receiving. Childlike receiving. 00:38:01.860 --> 00:38:07.860 The head gets in the way. Childlike receiving and then helpless dependence. 00:38:07.860 --> 00:38:18.860 As in, now that I've received this, I don't know how to work with this. Dad, can you show me? 00:38:18.860 --> 00:38:23.860 That's the first step. 00:38:23.860 --> 00:38:29.860 Second step. 00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:37.860 Believing, but this kind of believing is characterized, 00:38:37.860 --> 00:38:47.860 by a persistent change in perception and thinking. 00:38:47.860 --> 00:38:52.860 As in, I've received it, I'm helplessly dependent on the new Holy Spirit to show me how this works, 00:38:52.860 --> 00:39:00.860 but I find it so difficult, so I'm going to persist in believing. 00:39:00.860 --> 00:39:05.860 And don't be slow on this. We don't need to be slow on this. 00:39:05.860 --> 00:39:11.860 Ask the question, when the Spirit of God tells you something, why am I slow on it? 00:39:11.860 --> 00:39:16.860 Because it's not because you're slow on it. 00:39:16.860 --> 00:39:21.860 It's because you're not slow on it. 00:39:21.860 --> 00:39:26.860 It's because you're not slow on it. 00:39:26.860 --> 00:39:30.860 When the Spirit of God tells you something, why am I slow on it? 00:39:30.860 --> 00:39:38.860 Different reasons. Fear of change, traditional ways of thinking, 00:39:38.860 --> 00:39:43.860 just the pleasure of continuing in what is normal, 00:39:43.860 --> 00:39:49.860 sheer disobedience, and the cost if I change. 00:39:49.860 --> 00:39:52.860 These are usually the reasons. 00:39:52.860 --> 00:39:59.860 Why slow it down? Are any of those good reasons not to change? 00:39:59.860 --> 00:40:09.860 Would you teach your children to do that? 00:40:09.860 --> 00:40:12.860 This kind of believing is characterized by two things. 00:40:12.860 --> 00:40:16.860 A change in perception, the way I view myself, view what God is showing, 00:40:16.860 --> 00:40:23.860 and the way I think, must persistently be hammered away at. 00:40:23.860 --> 00:40:26.860 Otherwise, it doesn't happen. 00:40:26.860 --> 00:40:32.860 Third one. 00:40:32.860 --> 00:40:40.860 Third one is immediate obedience. 00:40:40.860 --> 00:40:43.860 And you won't like the next word I'm going to use. 00:40:43.860 --> 00:40:44.860 I'm going to explain it. 00:40:44.860 --> 00:40:53.860 Immediate obedience and reckless action. 00:40:53.860 --> 00:40:58.860 If you know something is God, the action has to be reckless. 00:40:58.860 --> 00:41:02.860 After God tells you something, you can't try to reason it out saying, 00:41:02.860 --> 00:41:05.860 but what if? 00:41:05.860 --> 00:41:09.860 That's absurd. 00:41:09.860 --> 00:41:13.860 Immediate obedience and reckless action. 00:41:13.860 --> 00:41:15.860 What choice do you have? 00:41:15.860 --> 00:41:21.860 You're going to reason this out? 00:41:21.860 --> 00:41:24.860 Show me a story in Hebrews chapter 11 that was not reckless action. 00:41:24.860 --> 00:41:28.860 Had any of those guys had any sense, they would have thought it through. 00:41:28.860 --> 00:41:35.860 And of course, there would be one chapter less in Hebrews. 00:41:35.860 --> 00:41:37.860 Immediate obedience and reckless action. 00:41:37.860 --> 00:41:45.860 This is what hearing with faith looks like. 00:41:45.860 --> 00:41:46.860 Any questions? 00:41:46.860 --> 00:41:47.860 Any pushback? 00:41:47.860 --> 00:41:54.860 Go ahead. 00:41:54.860 --> 00:41:57.860 I can't hear you. 00:41:57.860 --> 00:41:58.860 Yeah. 00:41:58.860 --> 00:42:01.860 Is it good to check in with someone before you take action? 00:42:01.860 --> 00:42:03.860 Yes, just to verify that it is God. 00:42:03.860 --> 00:42:07.860 I'm just working on the premise that by now you know it is God. 00:42:07.860 --> 00:42:12.860 But if I'm not sure, great idea to check with somebody else whether it is a God thing. 00:42:12.860 --> 00:42:16.860 Because what if it's something that God is saying that you can't even find the Scripture for, 00:42:16.860 --> 00:42:18.860 but you know it's from the nature of God. 00:42:18.860 --> 00:42:20.860 You know it's the way he's been leading you. 00:42:20.860 --> 00:42:22.860 Not everything can be found in Scripture, eh? 00:42:22.860 --> 00:42:24.860 It's just not true. 00:42:24.860 --> 00:42:26.860 Oh, Scripture has an answer to everything. 00:42:26.860 --> 00:42:27.860 It doesn't. 00:42:27.860 --> 00:42:28.860 It's just 66 books. 00:42:28.860 --> 00:42:32.860 It's not God. 00:42:32.860 --> 00:42:37.860 Can someone call out the question because the fans are on? 00:42:37.860 --> 00:42:43.860 Yeah, we'll get there, Rafael. 00:42:43.860 --> 00:42:45.860 Just give me three minutes. 00:42:45.860 --> 00:42:50.860 Fourth one. 00:42:50.860 --> 00:42:59.860 Change of expressed intent and language. 00:42:59.860 --> 00:43:03.860 One of the guys you see all this working in is Abraham. 00:43:03.860 --> 00:43:05.860 Change of expressed intent and language. 00:43:05.860 --> 00:43:08.860 As in once you know it is God, your words must show it. 00:43:08.860 --> 00:43:11.860 Your way of talking must show it. 00:43:11.860 --> 00:43:13.860 Your attitude must show it. 00:43:13.860 --> 00:43:15.860 Your way of talking must show it. 00:43:15.860 --> 00:43:17.860 Your intent, even if ridiculed, must show it. 00:43:17.860 --> 00:43:19.860 Your language must change. 00:43:19.860 --> 00:43:21.860 No, no, no, no, my name's changed. 00:43:21.860 --> 00:43:22.860 I'm not Abraham. I'm Abraham. 00:43:22.860 --> 00:43:24.860 What do you mean you're Abraham? 00:43:24.860 --> 00:43:26.860 You're 90 and you're impotent and you don't have kids. 00:43:26.860 --> 00:43:32.860 Yeah, yeah, but I'm still Abraham. 00:43:32.860 --> 00:43:39.860 We keep things quiet till it's almost certain that it'll happen and then we speak about it. 00:43:39.860 --> 00:43:46.860 That is not hearing with faith. 00:43:46.860 --> 00:43:48.860 Abraham was a brilliant example of this. 00:43:48.860 --> 00:44:04.860 And the last one, and then we'll deal with Rafael's question, and the last one is expectation of an outcome. 00:44:04.860 --> 00:44:05.860 And it's the last one. 00:44:05.860 --> 00:44:06.860 It's not any of the first ones. 00:44:06.860 --> 00:44:12.860 But any man who does not have an expectation of an outcome is not hearing with faith. 00:44:12.860 --> 00:44:14.860 There must be the expectation of an outcome. 00:44:14.860 --> 00:44:16.860 You know why we don't have an expectation of an outcome? 00:44:16.860 --> 00:44:22.860 Either because we've been disappointed in the past or because we are scared of being disappointed again. 00:44:22.860 --> 00:44:29.860 Hey, ever tried falling in love without being afraid? 00:44:30.860 --> 00:44:31.860 It's the scariest thing. 00:44:31.860 --> 00:44:36.860 What if she says no? 00:44:36.860 --> 00:44:38.860 Oh, that didn't go it. 00:44:38.860 --> 00:44:45.860 You guys look like everyone here had arranged marriages, so I'll move on. 00:44:45.860 --> 00:44:49.860 So expectation of an outcome. 00:44:49.860 --> 00:44:55.860 It's that every time I hope for something, I must expect that it'll happen. 00:44:55.860 --> 00:44:58.860 And I can't hollow out or lower my expectations. 00:44:58.860 --> 00:45:07.860 One of the things Christians have become really good at is they lower their expectations so that if God disappoints, at least it won't sting that much. 00:45:07.860 --> 00:45:10.860 That is so sucky. 00:45:10.860 --> 00:45:16.860 I must have high expectations of a mighty God, especially when he's saying something. 00:45:16.860 --> 00:45:19.860 And then you work towards it. 00:45:19.860 --> 00:45:22.860 To lower my expectations is just wrong. 00:45:22.860 --> 00:45:23.860 It's not faith. 00:45:23.860 --> 00:45:24.860 It's not hearing with faith. 00:45:24.860 --> 00:45:28.860 So those are the five ways we hear with faith. 00:45:28.860 --> 00:45:36.860 And if we don't do this, you usually get left out of the work or the promise of the Spirit. 00:45:36.860 --> 00:45:48.860 If this is not how I operate, I usually get left out of either the works of the Spirit or the promise of the Spirit because he's supplied through the hearing with faith. 00:45:48.860 --> 00:46:03.860 And so anything that I desire for the church, anything that you have for your own life, anything that you have for your family, anything that you have for king and kingdom, anything you have for anything that God has given you as a gift happens only through this hearing with faith. 00:46:03.860 --> 00:46:07.860 So double check on this, eh? 00:46:07.860 --> 00:46:23.860 How do we then deal with the things that come against us? 00:46:23.860 --> 00:46:49.860 Cultivate a violence against the fear of man. 00:46:49.860 --> 00:46:50.860 Cultivate a violence. 00:46:50.860 --> 00:46:52.860 What's violence against? 00:46:52.860 --> 00:46:58.860 What does violence look like? 00:46:58.860 --> 00:47:03.860 Let's assume you... 00:47:03.860 --> 00:47:09.860 Let's assume a person breaks into rashes if you bring a cat near them. 00:47:09.860 --> 00:47:11.860 Yeah? 00:47:11.860 --> 00:47:14.860 Anytime you bring a cat near them, what will you do? 00:47:14.860 --> 00:47:16.860 There's a violent reaction. 00:47:16.860 --> 00:47:23.860 You step away or you throw the cat over the balcony because it has nine lives and you do whatever it takes to prevent that cat from getting to you. 00:47:23.860 --> 00:47:27.860 You do everything in your power to keep the thing away. 00:47:27.860 --> 00:47:30.860 There should be a violence. 00:47:30.860 --> 00:47:31.860 It can't be... 00:47:31.860 --> 00:47:32.860 I've said this before. 00:47:32.860 --> 00:47:36.860 Anything you do not hate, you will tolerate. 00:47:36.860 --> 00:47:39.860 Anything you do not hate, you will tolerate. 00:47:39.860 --> 00:47:45.860 And so when I'm talking about violence, it's what David talks about in Psalm 91 and Psalm 51... 00:47:45.860 --> 00:47:47.860 No, not Psalm 51. 00:47:47.860 --> 00:47:51.860 Psalm 91, he says, oh, God, I have a hatred towards it. 00:47:51.860 --> 00:47:53.860 So here's the question, though. 00:47:53.860 --> 00:47:56.860 Do you have a hatred towards the fear of man? 00:47:56.860 --> 00:48:03.860 Have you realized how many times we've been crippled by it? 00:48:03.860 --> 00:48:04.860 How many... 00:48:04.860 --> 00:48:08.860 Some of our lives are entirely about the fear of man. 00:48:08.860 --> 00:48:12.860 Every response is crafted to please man. 00:48:12.860 --> 00:48:17.860 We are so scared of what someone will think. 00:48:17.860 --> 00:48:27.860 If I don't begin to hate it, I will always tolerate it. 00:48:27.860 --> 00:48:34.860 The Bible calls it a snare, as in a trap you cannot escape out of. 00:48:34.860 --> 00:48:37.860 Cultivate a violence against the fear of man. 00:48:37.860 --> 00:48:48.860 Second, cultivate a violence against the fear of foolishness. 00:48:48.860 --> 00:48:51.860 Cultivate a violence against the fear of foolishness. 00:48:51.860 --> 00:48:55.860 It is not possible to work with the spirit without being foolish. 00:48:55.860 --> 00:49:06.860 Not possible. 00:49:06.860 --> 00:49:17.860 Third, cultivate a violence against the fear of the unknown. 00:49:17.860 --> 00:49:22.860 You can be afraid without becoming fearful. 00:49:22.860 --> 00:49:29.860 You can be afraid without being fearful. 00:49:29.860 --> 00:49:38.860 Sometimes things can make you afraid, but it doesn't have to go into fearfulness. 00:49:38.860 --> 00:49:39.860 A fear of the unknown. 00:49:39.860 --> 00:49:49.860 Our fear of the unknown comes because we no longer have control. 00:49:49.860 --> 00:49:54.860 I was telling Edwin how there are a couple of areas in my life where I plan everything 00:49:54.860 --> 00:50:00.860 because I'm afraid of losing control in those two areas where I've got to know what lies ahead. 00:50:00.860 --> 00:50:04.860 And so in those two areas I don't need God. I just need me. 00:50:04.860 --> 00:50:07.860 I'll go through elaborate planning. 00:50:07.860 --> 00:50:11.860 The problem with planning like that is every time you plan something like this, 00:50:11.860 --> 00:50:17.860 either someone or the devil will touch it and it will really throw you into a tailspin. 00:50:17.860 --> 00:50:20.860 There's not a single person here who doesn't suffer from this disease. 00:50:20.860 --> 00:50:25.860 Some of you more than others. 00:50:25.860 --> 00:50:27.860 And we try to rationalize it. 00:50:27.860 --> 00:50:29.860 Shouldn't we be thinking people? 00:50:29.860 --> 00:50:31.860 Hasn't God given us common sense? 00:50:31.860 --> 00:50:37.860 And all those questions, which we've answered a million times, so please don't ask them. 00:50:37.860 --> 00:50:41.860 Fourth one, the fear of failure. 00:50:41.860 --> 00:50:44.860 A violence against the fear of failure. 00:50:45.860 --> 00:50:50.860 Especially if you're below 30, don't you dare be afraid. 00:50:50.860 --> 00:50:55.860 You've got nothing to lose. You're only blooming 30. 00:50:55.860 --> 00:50:58.860 What do you have to lose? You've got a lifetime ahead of you to try again. 00:50:58.860 --> 00:51:02.860 That's what Dilna told me. 00:51:05.860 --> 00:51:09.860 Anyone below 30, you must risk things now. 00:51:09.860 --> 00:51:13.860 Why? So that you get used to risk. 00:51:14.860 --> 00:51:17.860 The older you get, the harder it gets, guys, 00:51:17.860 --> 00:51:22.860 because there's more stuff in your storeroom that you don't need, that you can't throw away. 00:51:30.860 --> 00:51:33.860 Fifth one, this is a big one, eh? 00:51:33.860 --> 00:51:36.860 Fear of insecurity. 00:51:37.860 --> 00:51:41.860 That if I do this, I will not have a secure life. 00:51:41.860 --> 00:51:45.860 For women, this is sometimes more critical than men. 00:51:48.860 --> 00:51:53.860 And the last one, fear of God not backing me up. 00:52:00.860 --> 00:52:06.860 If these fears exist, do you think there's anything, just look at that list, eh? 00:52:06.860 --> 00:52:11.860 Is there anything that the Spirit of God can tell you that you would try? 00:52:11.860 --> 00:52:14.860 Would you prophesy? No. 00:52:14.860 --> 00:52:18.860 You would prophesy safely. Oh, the Lord has good plans for you. 00:52:18.860 --> 00:52:20.860 That's a safe one. 00:52:20.860 --> 00:52:24.860 Would you go somewhere, if he told you to? 00:52:24.860 --> 00:52:27.860 Would you risk money? Would you risk a job? 00:52:27.860 --> 00:52:31.860 Would you risk anything in your life if those fears exist? 00:52:32.860 --> 00:52:38.860 It is not possible to work with the Spirit of God or have him work through me 00:52:38.860 --> 00:52:44.860 if I don't cultivate a violence against these fears. 00:52:44.860 --> 00:52:47.860 Any questions? Because I'm done. 00:52:47.860 --> 00:52:49.860 Any questions? 00:52:54.860 --> 00:52:57.860 Which one's the greatest in your life? 00:53:02.860 --> 00:53:05.860 I noticed no volunteers, that's okay. 00:53:05.860 --> 00:53:09.860 Farhan? Fear of failure. 00:53:09.860 --> 00:53:13.860 Dennis? Six, fear of God disappointing. 00:53:15.860 --> 00:53:21.860 Sorry? Oh, God not backing me up, yeah. 00:53:21.860 --> 00:53:23.860 Real. 00:53:26.860 --> 00:53:29.860 Two, fear of foolishness. 00:53:30.860 --> 00:53:32.860 Fear of foolishness. 00:53:34.860 --> 00:53:36.860 For me, all six. 00:53:38.860 --> 00:53:40.860 Four and six. 00:53:40.860 --> 00:53:42.860 Yeah. 00:53:42.860 --> 00:53:46.860 Whatever is top on your list, begin to hate that with great hatred, eh? 00:53:46.860 --> 00:53:52.860 You can't work on all six at the time, but write this down, carry it, and change it. 00:53:52.860 --> 00:53:57.860 Men like this who overcome this, women like this who overcome this, gosh. 00:53:57.860 --> 00:53:59.860 Through them, things happen. 00:53:59.860 --> 00:54:02.860 Because now they're not afraid of ridicule. 00:54:06.860 --> 00:54:08.860 Let's pray. 00:54:09.860 --> 00:54:18.860 Father, the thing is we really want to work for you, with you. 00:54:18.860 --> 00:54:23.860 It's our greatest joy. It's some of the most satisfying times we've had. 00:54:23.860 --> 00:54:27.860 But then stuff like this gets in the way, oh God. 00:54:28.860 --> 00:54:36.860 At different times, I can't think of one thing that I haven't gone through in the last three months. 00:54:40.860 --> 00:54:44.860 I feel bad that number six is still active in our lives, in my life. 00:54:44.860 --> 00:54:47.860 That sometimes I think, what if you don't show up? 00:54:47.860 --> 00:54:49.860 What if you have your own sovereign reasons? 00:54:49.860 --> 00:54:53.860 I sometimes hate the word sovereign, because it's like you'll do whatever you want. 00:54:53.860 --> 00:54:56.860 But it's a lack of trust. Jesus didn't have these problems with you. 00:54:56.860 --> 00:54:58.860 How come? 00:55:03.860 --> 00:55:05.860 We need help, Holy Spirit. 00:55:05.860 --> 00:55:07.860 We can't fix this. 00:55:09.860 --> 00:55:11.860 Please help us. 00:55:12.860 --> 00:55:14.860 We are hearing with faith right now. 00:55:15.860 --> 00:55:21.860 And we are coming to you and we are saying, we are coming, receiving this like children. 00:55:21.860 --> 00:55:25.860 Saying, this is real for us. It's a real problem. 00:55:25.860 --> 00:55:29.860 And we come with childlike receiving. 00:55:29.860 --> 00:55:32.860 But then we also come with helpless dependence. 00:55:32.860 --> 00:55:34.860 Each of us will have to solve this differently. 00:55:34.860 --> 00:55:40.860 But I plead to you, not because you are unwilling to give, but because it's desperate. 00:55:40.860 --> 00:55:42.860 I plead with you. 00:55:42.860 --> 00:55:45.860 Please change this in this. 00:55:46.860 --> 00:55:49.860 Give us this Pentecost gift. 00:55:50.860 --> 00:55:53.860 We are not asking for more of you. You live fully in us. 00:55:53.860 --> 00:55:56.860 We are asking for the ability to give you more of us. 00:55:57.860 --> 00:56:00.860 Please, oh God, grant this. Please. 00:56:00.860 --> 00:56:03.860 Let this be your gift to us, this Pentecost. 00:56:04.860 --> 00:56:07.860 This is our cry. Honor it. 00:56:07.860 --> 00:56:10.860 I know you hear us. Honor it. 00:56:10.860 --> 00:56:11.860 Honor it. 00:56:12.860 --> 00:56:15.860 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 00:56:16.860 --> 00:56:18.860 Hey, there's tons of money here. 00:56:18.860 --> 00:56:21.860 Please feel free to come and take what you need. 00:56:24.860 --> 00:56:26.860 What's the principle behind this? 00:56:26.860 --> 00:56:28.860 2 Corinthians 8. 00:56:29.860 --> 00:56:35.860 May your plenty supply my need today, so that my plenty can supply your need. 00:56:35.860 --> 00:56:38.860 So that he who collected much, or he who collected little. 00:56:38.860 --> 00:56:42.860 Neither had too much, neither had too less. Everyone had enough. 00:56:42.860 --> 00:56:44.860 Yeah, that's the principle. 00:56:44.860 --> 00:56:47.860 So I know that there are needs in the church. 00:56:47.860 --> 00:56:54.860 And one of the ways we deal with needs and ban this from within our midst is to do exactly this. 00:56:54.860 --> 00:56:56.860 Yeah, so come and take. 00:56:56.860 --> 00:56:59.860 I have need. I'm going to take. 00:57:00.860 --> 00:57:02.860 So let me just show you the way. 00:57:02.860 --> 00:57:04.860 You can't take what you put. 00:57:04.860 --> 00:57:06.860 You can take more or you can take less. 00:57:06.860 --> 00:57:07.860 You can't take what you put. 00:57:07.860 --> 00:57:09.860 Yeah, that's the only principle. 00:57:09.860 --> 00:57:12.860 Yeah, but make sure the money disappears. 00:57:12.860 --> 00:57:15.860 So just so you, and I'm not doing this to be a great example to you. 00:57:15.860 --> 00:57:17.860 I'm doing this because I have a need. 00:57:17.860 --> 00:57:18.860 Yeah. 00:57:22.860 --> 00:57:23.860 Feel free. 00:57:23.860 --> 00:57:26.860 And if you have anyone who needs prayer, feel free to come up for prayer. 00:57:26.860 --> 00:57:28.860 And they'll pray with you. Cool? 00:57:28.860 --> 00:57:29.860 Okay. 00:57:36.860 --> 00:57:37.860 Yeah.