WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Ruah - Part 2 Publishing Date: 2025-02-10T05:04:44-08:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/ruah-part-2/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:26.440 So, what is it that works against the filling of the Spirit? What works against the filling of the Spirit? 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:30.440 We talked about that yesterday. So, what works against it? 00:00:34.440 --> 00:00:39.440 And these things that work against it, if I don't develop a hatred for it, it will persist. 00:00:39.440 --> 00:00:47.440 What you hate, you don't tolerate. What you don't hate, you tolerate. What you don't hate, you tolerate. 00:00:47.440 --> 00:00:55.440 These things have the ability to work against the filling of the Spirit, as in the Spirit of God baptises us with power, 00:00:55.440 --> 00:01:06.440 which is why we are here for the last four days. He baptises us, immerses us, pours upon us Himself and His power. 00:01:06.440 --> 00:01:13.440 What resists it? What fights against it? What dulls it? What kind of makes us null and void? 00:01:13.440 --> 00:01:23.440 The first one is, we mentioned this briefly yesterday, politically correct, covetous. 00:01:23.440 --> 00:01:40.440 Politically correct, covetous. This is one of those things. And the deeper it takes root, the deeper it roots itself, the greater the hindrance. 00:01:40.440 --> 00:01:44.440 The greater the hindrance to the Spirit. 00:01:47.440 --> 00:01:58.440 I must begin to hate it. Hating it doesn't mean reacting. Hating it meaning having strong dislike for it, 00:01:58.440 --> 00:02:05.440 so that when I'm confronted with it, I have the ability now to respond to it with the wisdom of God. 00:02:06.440 --> 00:02:16.440 But it's important that we talk about this because after all this, when we talk about conviction, self-denying courage and wisdom, 00:02:16.440 --> 00:02:23.440 what is the point if we are allowing this to stand on one side and conviction, courage and wisdom to stand on the other side? 00:02:23.440 --> 00:02:30.440 Why have them clash? Beat this down so that this may increase. Because the Spirit of God is giving us the hammer. 00:02:30.440 --> 00:02:46.440 This politically correct, covetous, is something that is so strong that Christians are either reacting foolishly to it or being cowed down and subdued by it. 00:02:46.440 --> 00:03:07.440 The second one, unquenchable consumption, unquenchable consumption, unquenchable consumption of social media, 00:03:07.440 --> 00:03:21.440 of demands of career and the quest for more stuff. 00:03:21.440 --> 00:03:41.440 Unquenchable consumption of social media which steals time and of the demands of career and the quest for more. 00:03:41.440 --> 00:03:46.440 This is that soil where the seed falls but the cares of the world choke it out. 00:03:46.440 --> 00:03:53.440 This is that Matthew 13 parable of seed that falls on soil but it's choked out because of the cares. 00:03:53.440 --> 00:03:57.440 The cares of the world are the demands of career and the quest for more stuff. 00:03:57.440 --> 00:04:04.440 And whatever robs your time, in our case usually social media. That's in Mark 4.8. 00:04:04.440 --> 00:04:22.440 And because a life devoted to consumption consumes you. 00:04:22.440 --> 00:04:26.440 Whatever you're devoting yourself to consume will consume you. 00:04:26.440 --> 00:04:32.440 Whatever you're devoting yourself to consume will consume you. If it's social media then it will consume you. 00:04:32.440 --> 00:04:39.440 If it's money it will consume you. If it's your work it will consume you. 00:04:39.440 --> 00:04:46.440 And that's true with God because everything else will not satisfy. 00:04:46.440 --> 00:04:53.440 And with God you get satisfied and you long for more. 00:04:53.440 --> 00:05:03.440 And then the third one is acceptable comfort. 00:05:03.440 --> 00:05:11.440 Acceptable comfort. This one is a very subtle one where it creeps in on you. 00:05:11.440 --> 00:05:22.440 It creeps in. Where you begin and I begin to say stuff like, I've earned it. 00:05:22.440 --> 00:05:29.440 I struggle to get here. 00:05:29.440 --> 00:05:34.440 It's the season for it. 00:05:34.440 --> 00:05:39.440 I deserve it. 00:05:39.440 --> 00:05:43.440 It's relative. 00:05:43.440 --> 00:05:53.440 These are the three things that usually resist or counter the filling of the Holy Spirit. 00:05:53.440 --> 00:05:56.440 Pick one that really affects you. 00:05:56.440 --> 00:05:59.440 For me it's the third one. 00:05:59.440 --> 00:06:04.440 Acceptable comfort. 00:06:04.440 --> 00:06:08.440 It's strange. It doesn't matter which country we've come from to Canada. 00:06:08.440 --> 00:06:10.440 Some of you were born here. 00:06:10.440 --> 00:06:16.440 But as you've come from other countries to Canada you suddenly realize that the very things that you could handle before you came here 00:06:16.440 --> 00:06:20.440 you no longer handle because you get to a place where things are comfortable. 00:06:20.440 --> 00:06:26.440 That the cost now is too high. Before traveling 20 kilometers to do something wasn't. 00:06:26.440 --> 00:06:30.440 Through traffic that was so thick that it would take you two hours to cover 20. 00:06:30.440 --> 00:06:34.440 Now if it's more than 20 minutes it bothers you. 00:06:34.440 --> 00:06:40.440 And so what begins to happen is this, I'm only talking about myself, for you it might be different. 00:06:40.440 --> 00:06:42.440 Acceptable comfort. 00:06:42.440 --> 00:06:49.440 It begins to take away from what the Holy Spirit wants to do because there's a level of comfort you won't go beyond. 00:06:49.440 --> 00:06:51.440 What is it to you? 00:06:51.440 --> 00:06:55.440 Can you at least face up to it? 00:06:55.440 --> 00:06:59.440 That's all we're asking. That's all the Holy Spirit is asking us to do. 00:06:59.440 --> 00:07:02.440 What is it that you need to face up to? 00:07:02.440 --> 00:07:10.440 Politically correct cowardice. Unquenchable consumption. Acceptable comfort. 00:07:13.440 --> 00:07:16.440 Any comments? Any thoughts? Anything you want to? 00:07:16.440 --> 00:07:21.440 You know, one of the advantages and disadvantages of telling you what I'm struggling with is 00:07:21.440 --> 00:07:28.440 it makes me not pastoral because pastors are supposed to be a cut above the rest. 00:07:28.440 --> 00:07:33.440 And two, there are people that watch and then say, look, we knew this about this guy. 00:07:33.440 --> 00:07:39.440 I don't care. This is my struggle. What is yours? 00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:49.440 Which one? Yeah, we don't need to take a detour. 00:07:49.440 --> 00:07:52.440 What is it that you find hardest? 00:07:52.440 --> 00:07:59.440 Because it will combat the conviction, the courage. 00:07:59.440 --> 00:08:05.440 It'll combat it. It'll silence you. It'll sap your strength. 00:08:05.440 --> 00:08:09.440 It's like a hole in my bucket dealizer. 00:08:11.440 --> 00:08:14.440 I guess that didn't connect with most people here. 00:08:14.440 --> 00:08:18.440 Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Some of us know that. 00:08:19.440 --> 00:08:25.440 It's not an Adele song, nor is it a Taylor Swift song. It's much older than that. 00:08:25.440 --> 00:08:27.440 Okay. 00:08:31.440 --> 00:08:37.440 Yeah. So if I don't react, but I begin to hate it because it's silencing me. 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:40.440 What Christians do is we react to it and so we steamroll. 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:44.440 And that's almost as obnoxious as cowardice. 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:50.440 But what if somewhere inside me this thing builds that I'm not going to be silenced 00:08:50.440 --> 00:08:56.440 because it is not supposed to be talked about because it ruffles feathers. 00:08:56.440 --> 00:09:01.440 It's a response, not a reaction. It's filled with wisdom. 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:04.440 It's peaceable. It's gentle. It's loving. 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:08.440 But it refuses to be eaten up by the cancer of silence. 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:13.440 Yeah. So these are the three things that you have to pick from. 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:15.440 We'll go a little further. 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:20.440 But this destroys what the Spirit of God is trying to do. 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:27.440 How do you manage acceptable comfort? 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:30.440 By beginning to dislike what it is doing to my life, 00:09:30.440 --> 00:09:35.440 where it has to be sufficiently comfortable before I'll attempt it. 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:41.440 Or if it's too difficult, I'll postpone it till it gets more comfortable or convenient. 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:47.440 It's not like the people that you read of. 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:52.440 I mean, I went to a place called Cherrapunji. 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:57.440 It's the rainiest place on earth. 00:09:57.440 --> 00:09:58.440 The rainiest place on earth. 00:09:58.440 --> 00:09:59.440 I've got a picture of it. 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:02.440 There's a big sign which tells you how much it rains there. 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:04.440 It's the rainiest place on earth. 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:09.440 And I go there and this person takes me to the place where I was born. 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:12.440 I go there and this person takes me to a church. 00:10:12.440 --> 00:10:15.440 It's a Presbyterian church. 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:19.440 And it has four pillars in front and then the rest of the church behind. 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:27.440 On the pillars are the names of about 50 to 60 Scottish missionaries that died there. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:29.440 All the names are carved on these pillars. 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:31.440 And as I read them, I began to weep thinking, 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:35.440 it is hard enough to get to Cherrapunji now. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:39.440 How did they do it 125 years ago, 150 years ago? 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:43.440 How did they get their families, their children? 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:47.440 The names are not of pastors or missionaries, families, little children. 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.440 Families that came to this area. 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:57.440 It's one of the only provinces in India that's strongly Christian besides Nagaland. 00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:03.440 But it is because someone decided that the acceptable levels of comfort must be stretched 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:08.440 even though they were Scottish and they were coming to a place like India where at that time in that area, 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:10.440 there were no roads. 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:15.440 It is just hilly terrain. 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:21.440 So when we talk about DWAG, Dynamic Life, yes, witnessing to Christ, 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:26.440 obedience to mission, which is always accompanied by gifts and miracles, 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:32.440 deep conviction, the self-denying courage to step out 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:35.440 and the wisdom to show the world who he is, 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:39.440 most of it gets shut down because of acceptable levels of comfort, 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:47.440 beyond which the spirit of God cannot push me. 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:54.440 That is terrible. 00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:57.440 Pick your poison. 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:04.440 I understand that the institution we should not opt out because we react to the things that are bad, 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:06.440 like in terms of political correctness, 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:13.440 but sometimes when we are to respond in a particular situation and kind of like think about political correctness, 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:18.440 like how do you understand that this is the situation that the population must respond to? 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:22.440 Or like when we keep our mouth shut or we don't respond, 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:25.440 like how do you tell people to ask them to be more honest? 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:29.440 Yeah, forgive me for answering it this way. 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:37.440 I think for tonight we will have to deal with, I am going to hate it. 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:44.440 And then we will have to spend time talking about how do you deal with it, which we will follow up. 00:12:44.440 --> 00:12:47.440 But tonight we will have to deal with it because it is so elaborate. 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:52.440 It can't be summed up in one sound bite or one line because so many different contexts. 00:12:52.440 --> 00:12:54.440 When do you come under authority? 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:59.440 When do you not come under authority because there is a higher authority and so on? 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:02.440 It is actually a question of authority at the end of the day. 00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:04.440 And so we will have to deal with that separately. 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:13.440 But today we have to deal with which one am I going to hate because it is beginning to poison the flow of the Holy Spirit through me and through this church. 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:17.440 So pick your poison and don't drink it. 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:23.440 What is politically correct cowardice? 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:25.440 Politically correct cowardice. 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:30.440 Cowardice in itself is just not being brave and being subdued, being intimidated. 00:13:30.440 --> 00:13:37.440 Politically correct cowardice is the system that is now prevalent in most places. 00:13:38.440 --> 00:13:43.440 In many non-Western countries it is just very simple. 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:47.440 This is the rule because this is the religion or the philosophy that we believe in. 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:49.440 So you shall be this way or forget it. 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:53.440 Here there are no rules, no ideologies, no philosophies, nothing. 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:59.440 It is this sense of everyone should tolerate everything and accommodate everything. 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:19.440 So that we all are correct in our behavior which is not being managed by the word or by God or by personal integrity or conviction but just managed by what at present may be either majority or the minority. 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:21.440 Yeah, either the majority or the minority. 00:14:21.440 --> 00:14:23.440 Thanks. 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:36.440 Sometimes it's just this constant feeling of I hate the feeling of being bored. 00:14:36.440 --> 00:14:37.440 Yeah. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:45.440 So one of the things about social media is swearing off it for seven months does not help it when the seven months is over. 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:48.440 Like I stayed off social media for seven months. 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:53.440 After the seven months are over I realized that I'm going back to the same habit as it didn't do any good. 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:58.440 It's not like you get healed or anything. 00:14:58.440 --> 00:14:59.440 It has to be. 00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:03.440 I cannot afford to mismanage time like this. 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:04.440 I cannot afford. 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:06.440 Time is precious. 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:08.440 It eats up your time. 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:09.440 It eats up your time. 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:10.440 It devours your time. 00:15:10.440 --> 00:15:12.440 It is like you heard a cookie monster. 00:15:12.440 --> 00:15:14.440 This is time monster. 00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:17.440 It just devours it. 00:15:17.440 --> 00:15:20.440 Devours it and it's just endless. 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:25.440 And then as you go the more mindless you get the loser your morals get. 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:31.440 What you begin to watch now does not have a filter. 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:34.440 It says flee youthful lusts. 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:40.440 I would suggest to you regardless how old you are social media can be youthful lust. 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:43.440 Sometimes you can use the excuse. 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:48.440 Like you said sometimes you can use the excuse. 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:52.440 I'm not arguing. 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:56.440 That's a self-defeating argument. 00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:58.440 Yeah. 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:07.440 Okay. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:09.440 How do we beat this all? 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:11.440 And we'll end with that. 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:12.440 How do we beat this all? 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:16.440 We beat it all with a thing called joy. 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:19.440 You mean all this can be beaten by joy? 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:21.440 Yeah. 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:39.440 Christian joy is the power that can cut these cords. 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:40.440 How? 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:41.440 So here's a question. 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:49.440 There's two questions I want to ask you and then we can go into a time of praying that God takes care of this. 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:57.440 Do I rejoice or find joy whichever word you want to use because we don't use the word rejoice too often. 00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:03.440 Do I find joy? 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:18.440 Do I find joy that it costs me my time, resources, 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:41.440 and even my life to serve God and to serve another's faith? 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:43.440 What a question. 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:50.440 Can you imagine the transformation that could happen here if the Holy Spirit could get your heart on this one? 00:17:50.440 --> 00:17:54.440 Do I find joy? 00:17:54.440 --> 00:18:05.440 Do I find joy that it costs me my time, my resources, and even my life to serve God and serve the faith of another? 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:08.440 Do I find joy in it? 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:11.440 Philippians 2.17. 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:20.440 Paul says, you know, I'm being poured out like a liquid offering on your sacrifice of faith and I take great joy in it. 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:22.440 And I hope you will take joy in it too. 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:29.440 How crazy is that? 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:33.440 What if this can happen in my heart? 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:34.440 And only one person can do it. 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:37.440 Only one person can make this happen. 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:41.440 No amount of discipline, no amount of trying can make this happen. 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:43.440 It is a heart change. 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:46.440 Heart changes are some of the greatest miracles. 00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:49.440 Let me share a quick, very short, I'll shorten it. 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:54.440 There was a person I disliked immensely for no good reason. 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:58.440 And the person just used to, no, let me change it. 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:01.440 This person used to agitate me, irritate me immensely. 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:05.440 Every time I look at the person, irritation and agitation would rise up. 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:08.440 I'd avoid the person. 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:15.440 And I prayed, I read scriptures, I even put an elastic band on my hand to remind me that I shouldn't do it. 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:18.440 I did everything and it wouldn't go away. 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:20.440 And then something happened. 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:25.440 I was sitting by the dikes near the river in Richmond and I was pleading with God, Father, take this away. 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:28.440 I feel so guilty after this. 00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:33.440 Every time the person would come into my presence, the person would feel uninvited. 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:42.440 And then while I'm sitting there, someone calls me and they say to me, trust the work of the Holy Spirit. 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:44.440 And I said, sure. 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:47.440 What do you think I've been doing all this time, trusting the work of the Holy Spirit? 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:53.440 And then I go over the next few days and I meet this person and every time I meet the person, 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:57.440 I'm waiting for the dislike to come, the agitation to come. 00:19:57.440 --> 00:19:58.440 And it's not coming. 00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:01.440 And I don't have faith, so I'm saying, don't worry, it'll be there in two minutes. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:05.440 Like I am so sure that nothing is going to change. 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:09.440 That even though God said trust the work of the Spirit, I'm looking at the person thinking, 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:12.440 no, this is just a temporary hiatus, it'll come. 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:14.440 You'll begin to hate again. 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:16.440 Five minutes is over, one hour is over. 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:21.440 I'm saying, this is one of those days when you're top of your game like holy, it will come. 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:24.440 Two days go by, five days go by, seven days go by. 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:29.440 And I began to weep one day because I realized that it was a miracle. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:38.440 And I actually experienced a miracle, a miracle of a heart that was changed without effort. 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:42.440 It is the strangest, strangest thing. 00:20:42.440 --> 00:20:44.440 Inside, how can something change? 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:48.440 How can you begin to like somebody that you are sure you're going to dislike? 00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:49.440 How? 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:52.440 Something happened inside, man. 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:54.440 Some people ask me, what is the biggest miracle you've seen? 00:20:54.440 --> 00:21:00.440 And I've seen the dead rise, I've seen lame legs grow, I've seen open eyes that are blind open, 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:01.440 I've seen ears that are open. 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:07.440 But this is easily the greatest miracle I know because I know how hard it was. 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:08.440 Why am I sharing this? 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:15.440 Because it is possible for us to have these transformations happen to us internally today 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:17.440 because the Lord wants to close us with power. 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:20.440 Close us with power where outside, for what? 00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:22.440 Inside? Absolutely. Why? 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:26.440 Weak flesh, treasures of, jars of treasure. 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:28.440 Expect this. He is here. 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:31.440 He is active. He is brooding. He is yearning. 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:33.440 He is present. He wants to do this. 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:35.440 He invited us. He'll get his way. 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:38.440 What he says, he will do. What he speaks, he will do. 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:40.440 What he touches, will come back to life. 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:44.440 Change, man. I'm looking forward to this. 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:47.440 I'll tell you a secret later. 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:49.440 That's the cool thing about secrets, huh? 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:52.440 If you know it and you don't know it, it's up to me when I say it. 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:55.440 Here's the second question. 00:21:55.440 --> 00:22:21.440 Am I willing to pay the cost or suffer loss as a direct result 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:39.440 of trying to bring others in on the joy of knowing God? 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:41.440 Okay, first question. 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:46.440 Do I find joy that it costs me my time, resources? 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:55.440 Let's throw in comfort, consumption. 00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:58.440 Cover this. 00:22:58.440 --> 00:23:05.440 Do I find joy that it costs me my comfort, my time, my resources, 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:08.440 my desire for consumption, my fear to speak out, 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:13.440 and even my life to serve God and to serve another's faith? 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:16.440 Do I find joy in it? 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:19.440 And today, if you're willing, God is willing to give me 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:22.440 and give you the joy of this. 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:27.440 When that joy comes, the Spirit of God gets what He wants. 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:29.440 It's all connected, guys. 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:35.440 Dwarf, dynamic life, witnessing to Christ, 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:40.440 obedience to mission, gifts and miracles, 00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:45.440 which will go into effect when we have deep conviction, 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:49.440 when we have self-denying courage, and when we have wisdom, 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:54.440 which will not be subdued by our desire for acceptable comfort, 00:23:54.440 --> 00:24:00.440 our consumption of goods, or politically correct, cover this. 00:24:00.440 --> 00:24:02.440 It will not be subdued by that. 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:06.440 But underlying it all is this joy that you have, 00:24:06.440 --> 00:24:09.440 that all of this is worth laying down, 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:12.440 my time, my resources, my consumption, all of it is worth laying down, 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:18.440 because I am ridiculously joyful over what God wants me to do 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:21.440 and what will happen in Dilna's life if I do it. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:24.440 So any cost is okay. It's the joy of it. 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:27.440 This is exactly what parents do. 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:30.440 This is what parents do. 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:33.440 They give up comfort, they give up consumption, 00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:37.440 and they are super brave. 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:42.440 Every day they do it. 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:46.440 The Spirit of God is looking for it. 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:49.440 Any questions? 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:54.440 Any questions? 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:58.440 Hey, Rivers of Living Water, what do you think it is? Joyful? Not joyful? 00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:03.440 Some of you went for the retreat, the young adults retreat. 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:06.440 We always have to cross a bridge to get to food, 00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:09.440 and there's this river running under. 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:11.440 Doesn't matter whether it's summer or winter, 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:14.440 that river is just like a babbling brook, man. 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:17.440 It's just like a river, and it's just like a river. 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:20.440 It's just like a river, and it's just like a river. 00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:22.440 Doesn't matter whether it's summer or winter, 00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:25.440 that river is just like a babbling brook, man. 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:28.440 Just continuously. 00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:30.440 What we are doing in terms of the Holy Spirit, 00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:35.440 please understand, it is impossible to connect with the Holy Spirit 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:40.440 if joy is not a desire of yours. 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:45.440 The Rivers of Living Water, oi, oi, come. 00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:53.440 Who do you want to go to? 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:56.440 Come here. 00:26:04.440 --> 00:26:07.440 Rivers of Living Water, Holy Spirit, 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:12.440 impossible to connect to if your great desire is not joy. 00:26:12.440 --> 00:26:15.440 Mia, do you want to know the Holy Spirit well? 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:18.440 Just begin to decide, Mia, how old are you? 00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:21.440 Three? Six. 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:26.440 At six, decide that I want to be so joyful in the Holy Spirit, 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:31.440 I'm going to try and learn what it is to be joyful. 00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:34.440 It doesn't matter who you are, this must be a deep desire. 00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:38.440 Pray God that he does it for us today. 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:45.440 Then it will cross the boundaries of worship. 00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:48.440 Joy. 00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:55.440 And once we have that, you'll be surprised at how well he uses us. 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:03.440 Let's just stop there and ask the Lord for a few things. 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:05.440 Here's what we are asking him. 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:13.440 Oh God, I want to get rid of one of these. 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:17.440 Pick one. 00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:21.440 Okay, pick one. 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:29.440 I'm picking three. 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:31.440 I don't know what you'll be picking. 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:36.440 Pick one. 00:27:36.440 --> 00:27:40.440 Second thing. 00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:49.440 He's saying, Oh God, I don't see joy as a high priority in my life, 00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:51.440 but everything you do comes from that. 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:54.440 The ultimate purpose of God in everything he does is joy. 00:27:54.440 --> 00:27:56.440 Please hear me. 00:27:56.440 --> 00:28:02.440 The ultimate purpose of God in everything he does is joy. 00:28:02.440 --> 00:28:05.440 Everything he does, his ultimate purpose is joy. 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:07.440 We've been through this. 00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:12.440 Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into my joy. 00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:15.440 There's a heaven that awaits where there is no crying, there's no tears, 00:28:15.440 --> 00:28:22.440 there's no mourning, there's joy. 00:28:22.440 --> 00:28:28.440 I will anoint you with the oil of gladness and joy. 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:30.440 The kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, 00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:38.440 but it's about the peace and righteousness, peace and joy. 00:28:38.440 --> 00:28:44.440 And so, desire today that, Father, I want this. 00:28:44.440 --> 00:28:48.440 It's what will give you zest, space, light, life. 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:50.440 It will give it substance. 00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:56.440 What is the one thing that's common to zest, space, light, life, obedience? 00:28:56.440 --> 00:29:02.440 What is the one thing that's common to it that makes it explode? 00:29:02.440 --> 00:29:05.440 Joy. 00:29:05.440 --> 00:29:08.440 I can't create it, you can't fabricate it, we can ask for it. 00:29:08.440 --> 00:29:09.440 What does it look like? 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:13.440 Different for different people, because each one is going through different things. 00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:22.440 So we're not standardizing this, but we are asking for it. 00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:26.440 Any questions? 00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:33.440 We begin with a confession that perhaps I am not a joyful person. 00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:37.440 We begin with that confession. 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:42.440 We begin with that confession that perhaps, instead of being a joyful person, 00:29:42.440 --> 00:29:44.440 I am this kind of a person. 00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:48.440 We begin with that confession, because unless I face up to that, 00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:54.440 I'll be putting new wine into an old wineskin. 00:29:54.440 --> 00:29:57.440 Confess to what it is. 00:29:57.440 --> 00:30:00.440 Sometimes there's one issue that is ruining your life, eh? 00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:04.440 Confess it. 00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:06.440 Can we start there and then let the Holy Spirit do? 00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:09.440 We can do very little, so let's begin there. 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:14.440 Pick one of these things. 00:30:14.440 --> 00:30:18.440 We'll start praying and then we'll go to the Joy Bit. 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:21.440 Because I want to...yeah. 00:30:21.440 --> 00:30:29.440 Let's go. 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:30.440 Spirit of God, could you help us? 00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:38.440 I don't want to lead this. 00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:47.440 But I do want to say that the creep of acceptable comfort 00:30:47.440 --> 00:31:02.440 has ruined or hindered your ability to have me at your disposal. 00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:27.440 I want to confess it so that you can change it. 00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:31.440 I want to be just as serious as you are, 00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:36.440 how I just speak in quiet. 00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:40.440 You can change that in my heart. 00:32:06.440 --> 00:32:11.440 Spirit of God, could you give us something that we rarely ask God to give? 00:32:11.440 --> 00:32:13.440 Hate. 00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:15.440 Could you give us a hatred for these things? 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:19.440 Across this room, down this room, this room, that room. 00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:29.440 Could you begin to give us a hatred for this? 00:32:29.440 --> 00:32:37.440 A hatred for it. 00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:56.440 This touches you through me. 00:32:56.440 --> 00:33:00.440 I can press unquenchable consumption into me. 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:05.440 It eats nothing and can just use it to work in my life, to refine my life. 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:09.440 I ask you to help me give it. 00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:23.440 I don't feel that God should be like a stream of water to me. 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:29.440 I'm sick of the places that you've been off to in my life. 00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:43.440 Am I a desperation that I've never had fun to work through the things that I think that aren't beautiful enough? 00:33:44.440 --> 00:33:52.440 I'm giving you a desperation of spirit to see the new things that you've watched in my life. 00:33:52.440 --> 00:33:54.440 Yeah. 00:33:54.440 --> 00:33:56.440 Through what he's going through, Abba. 00:33:56.440 --> 00:33:58.440 Let him see it. 00:33:58.440 --> 00:34:00.440 Then watch as those things fall off too. 00:34:00.440 --> 00:34:02.440 Unstoppable, Abba. 00:34:02.440 --> 00:34:04.440 I'm a full Mark Butler. 00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:06.440 Oh my God. 00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:40.440 Yeah. 00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:51.440 Guys, when someone prays and it speaks to your heart, raise your hand or do something quietly that acknowledges that this is my problem too. 00:34:51.440 --> 00:34:52.440 Yeah. 00:34:52.440 --> 00:35:09.440 All of us may be able to pray, but you hear someone else praying and you know they're speaking your heart. 00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:27.440 Yeah. 00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:39.440 Thank you, Father. 00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:44.440 Spirit of God, we are an average church with average people, nobody too rich. 00:35:44.440 --> 00:35:55.440 But we don't want to avoid the fact that there is a consumption attitude that affects most people everywhere. 00:35:55.440 --> 00:36:05.440 So even though that might not be a strong issue like the other two, do put your finger where in my life there's a desire to have more. 00:36:05.440 --> 00:36:09.440 Sometimes just to have it in the bank or just to have it in the house. 00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:14.440 Where there is that, just put your finger and say this too, Jacob, but we can deal with it later. 00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:32.440 Yeah. 00:36:32.440 --> 00:36:59.440 Yeah. 00:36:59.440 --> 00:37:08.440 Yeah. 00:37:08.440 --> 00:37:30.440 Yeah. 00:37:30.440 --> 00:37:57.440 Yeah. 00:37:57.440 --> 00:38:09.440 Come guys, have the courage to put into words what you need to and then begin to call out for joy too. 00:38:09.440 --> 00:38:15.440 That, oh God, would you, joy has not been a priority. Joy has been difficult. 00:38:15.440 --> 00:38:20.440 Confess your lack of joy quietly. You don't need to talk about that. 00:38:20.440 --> 00:38:27.440 But then begin to call out for it. Call his name, call his name, call his name Jehovah. 00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:32.440 Yeah. Begin to confess why sometimes you're robbed of joy. 00:38:32.440 --> 00:38:36.440 Begin to pick the poisons that have affected you and say no more. 00:38:36.440 --> 00:38:48.440 Our words really matter, guys. We are speaking to him who is brooding, hovering, present, active, desirous. 00:38:48.440 --> 00:39:14.440 Words sometimes have the ability to, yeah, you know. 00:39:14.440 --> 00:39:31.440 Say that again, Pao. 00:39:31.440 --> 00:39:44.440 Father, this might sound boastful, but I want to be the most joyous person on earth. 00:39:44.440 --> 00:39:49.440 You are enough and what you have given me is enough. 00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:52.440 The church is enough. 00:39:52.440 --> 00:40:04.440 There's not enough reason to not be joyful. I want to be the most joyous person on earth. 00:40:22.440 --> 00:40:39.440 Yeah. Yeah. 00:40:39.440 --> 00:40:48.440 Yeah. 00:40:48.440 --> 00:40:54.440 We're going to give us two or three minutes more before we do what the Spirit of God wants next. 00:40:54.440 --> 00:41:01.440 So please take advantage of it. 00:41:01.440 --> 00:41:04.440 I don't want to remember my days. 00:41:04.440 --> 00:41:09.440 I don't want to remember my days that all the time wasted spent on things that were just no good. 00:41:09.440 --> 00:41:26.440 Things that I spent on time. 00:41:26.440 --> 00:41:53.440 Yeah. 00:41:53.440 --> 00:41:57.440 It's crazy, but you were joyful, Jesus, when you chased people out of the temple. 00:41:57.440 --> 00:42:02.440 You were joyful when you were agitated at the lack of faith that the disciples showed in the boat. 00:42:02.440 --> 00:42:07.440 So it's not ha ha ha smiley face, Lord. It's not you're not an emoji. 00:42:07.440 --> 00:42:13.440 You're not asking us to be a smiley emoji. You're just saying this is something you can possess always. 00:42:13.440 --> 00:42:21.440 Even when people are agitating you, even when things are going wrong inside, you refuse to give up on the one thing that I always have been, 00:42:21.440 --> 00:42:25.440 always am, always reward with, always am. 00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:29.440 You are the most joyful person in the universe. 00:42:29.440 --> 00:42:34.440 How we are cut out of the same cloth, have the same DNA, now have the same blood. 00:42:34.440 --> 00:42:39.440 It must flow through my veins, oh God. 00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:45.440 It's your joy that allowed you to endure the cross. It's your joy that it says so in Hebrews 12. 00:42:45.440 --> 00:42:48.440 It's your joy that made you come down to the earth for me. 00:42:48.440 --> 00:42:52.440 Great joy you now have because of what you have done with us. 00:42:52.440 --> 00:42:56.440 And then that joy becomes the reason why we break, Father, cover this. 00:42:56.440 --> 00:43:06.440 Why we break, oh God, this whole idea of comfort because there's something far more joyful. 00:43:06.440 --> 00:43:13.440 We do it for our children, oh God. 00:43:13.440 --> 00:43:17.440 Two more minutes, guys. Put it into words. 00:43:26.440 --> 00:43:28.440 Yeah. 00:43:28.440 --> 00:43:30.440 Yeah. 00:43:47.440 --> 00:43:51.440 Hallelujah. Joy to be my continual feast. 00:43:51.440 --> 00:43:56.440 That scripture. Joy to be my continual feast. 00:44:02.440 --> 00:44:04.440 Hallelujah. 00:44:10.440 --> 00:44:12.440 Yeah. 00:44:12.440 --> 00:44:14.440 Yeah. 00:44:17.440 --> 00:44:21.440 Yeah. I think we're getting it, guys. 00:44:21.440 --> 00:44:23.440 Keep going. 00:44:27.440 --> 00:44:29.440 Yeah. 00:44:36.440 --> 00:44:38.440 Huh. 00:44:38.440 --> 00:44:42.440 That'll be so cool when this whole church begins to experience that. 00:44:47.440 --> 00:44:49.440 Yeah. 00:44:52.440 --> 00:44:54.440 Yeah. 00:45:08.440 --> 00:45:10.440 Yeah. 00:45:18.440 --> 00:45:20.440 Yeah. 00:45:21.440 --> 00:45:23.440 Hallelujah. 00:45:28.440 --> 00:45:30.440 Yeah. 00:45:32.440 --> 00:45:34.440 Yeah. 00:45:34.440 --> 00:45:36.440 Yeah. 00:45:43.440 --> 00:45:45.440 Yes. 00:45:48.440 --> 00:45:56.440 You see, we never connected to being clothed with power from on high to joy, but it is critical. 00:46:00.440 --> 00:46:02.440 Fullness of joy. 00:46:04.440 --> 00:46:06.440 Yeah. 00:46:09.440 --> 00:46:13.440 Let me read you something that God gave us a promise before we started, eh? 00:46:13.440 --> 00:46:15.440 This is the secret. 00:46:20.440 --> 00:46:26.440 I wrote it on the top of the page. That's why I've been going there and singing. 00:46:26.440 --> 00:46:46.440 He said, before we started, one of the things he said was, watch the Father by the power of the Spirit, reveal the Gospel of the Kingdom to the little children of Acts 29, and fill them as they believe. 00:46:46.440 --> 00:46:50.440 And as you watch, rejoice in the Holy Spirit. 00:46:50.440 --> 00:47:04.440 Watch the Father by the power of his Spirit, reveal the Gospel of the Kingdom to the little children of Acts 29, meaning us, and I will fill them as they believe. 00:47:04.440 --> 00:47:09.440 And you, Jacob, can rejoice in the Holy Spirit, for I'll do this. 00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:17.440 So I've been reading that again and again, and what we're doing here is so unmeasurable. How do you measure this? 00:47:17.440 --> 00:47:19.440 Internal change, how do you measure? 00:47:19.440 --> 00:47:24.440 I keep asking Kezia, is it a boy or a girl? But you can't measure that yet. 00:47:27.440 --> 00:47:30.440 Or if you can, she hasn't told me yet. 00:47:33.440 --> 00:47:39.440 But you can't measure this. It's an internal change. It's happening inside, right? It's an internal change. 00:47:39.440 --> 00:47:49.440 Watch the Father by the power of his Spirit. This was something he said to me this afternoon. 00:47:49.440 --> 00:47:54.440 Because, guys, you don't know what a struggle it is preparing for evenings like this. 00:47:54.440 --> 00:48:00.440 Because it's not teaching. It's not to need leading worship. You can't just conclude it and go. 00:48:00.440 --> 00:48:04.440 You've got no idea how to make this happen. It is so blooming frustrating. 00:48:04.440 --> 00:48:08.440 Because I have the skills to teach. But how do you do this? 00:48:09.440 --> 00:48:12.440 How do you measure internal change? 00:48:12.440 --> 00:48:16.440 And so you get scared, and when you get scared, you receive words like this. 00:48:16.440 --> 00:48:18.440 And here's what it says. 00:48:18.440 --> 00:48:29.440 Watch the Father by the power of his Spirit, reveal the gospel of the kingdom to the little children at Acts 29. 00:48:29.440 --> 00:48:32.440 And fill them as they believe. 00:48:32.440 --> 00:48:36.440 And you, Jacob, you just rejoice in the Holy Spirit. 00:48:39.440 --> 00:48:41.440 So...