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Hey everybody, this is Pastor 
John Ewart from Inglewood 

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Baptist Church in Rocky 
Mountain, North Carolina. 

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Thank you so much for tuning 
into our podcast. 

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You're going to hear from God 
today as we share from his word 

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about important issues facing 
your life that can guide you 

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according to the Bible. 
All right, well, I just want to 

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welcome everybody who's here 
with us physically and those who

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are listening online. 
Thank you so much for joining 

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us. 
I appreciate you. 

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I hope that you'll also listen 
to our Walking in Prayer podcast

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as well as the Sunday Morning 
Times that we're doing. 

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We're also going to be starting 
a new podcast series called The 

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Seven Essentials of 
Discipleship, and we'll be 

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inviting some guests outside of 
our church to join us and some 

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of those, so watch for that. 
Our current series here called 

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Core Training is really a 
challenge. 

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I'll just be honest with you to 
the point of I've chosen to 

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expand it a little bit because 
each week when we gather and we 

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walk through some of these 
issues, each one of these could 

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be about a seven week course. 
And I I condense them down into 

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one, which is really almost 
painful at times. 

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So I promise we'll go back and 
we'll flesh out and revisit many

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of these in our times ahead. 
And so even beginning next week,

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we're actually going to switch 
gears, which I'm probably the 

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only one who knows this, but 
we're actually switching gears a

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little bit because based on some
really good questions and some 

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great discussion and and some 
issues that have even arisen 

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here on in our time together. 
I'm going to continue this 

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series and take us through what 
I would just refer to as 

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theology one O 1. 
And what I mean by that, And 

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this is might sound boring, but 
hang in there with me for a 

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minute. 
We need to talk more about the 

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doctrine of God. 
And what I mean by that is, is 

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that we need to spend some time 
talking about the arguments for 

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the existence of God because we 
live in a world that doesn't 

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necessarily believe he exists. 
And so how do we engage 

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apologetically with somebody who
doesn't believe that? 

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There are various arguments that
we would talk about. 

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And then some of the great 
questions. 

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Robert Chadwick had a great 
question and whatnot. 

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We were just talking through one
morning. 

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We were talking through some 
things and, and just kind of the

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interaction within the Trinity. 
The Trinity is a hard thing to 

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understand and often is an 
obstacle to understanding for 

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not only Christians but also in 
an evangelistic encounter. 

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But, but then there are other, 
there are other belief systems 

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in the world that don't believe 
in the Trinity at all. 

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They're they're anti 
Trinitarian. 

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And so how does the Father, how 
did the Father and the Son and 

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the Holy Spirit interact? 
What are their various roles 

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and, and what does that look 
like? 

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So we're going to spend a little
bit of time on that. 

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So what's the Trinity? 
I'm going to explain the Trinity

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to you in an hour and a half or 
something or something. 

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But the application of these 
things are really going to be 

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very practical for you because 
we're going to be trying to 

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answer questions that you'll 
probably find yourself in 

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conversations with out in the 
real world. 

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So we'll do that, and so we'll 
work through some of that 

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because we live in a world that 
may debate with us about even 

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these most basic things that 
we've been studying together. 

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But this world also needs the 
truth, and we need to be ready 

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to share the truth very clearly 
with our world. 

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One of my heroes from church 
history is a person that you may

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have never heard of. 
I don't know you know his 

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travelling companion, but you 
may not know him. 

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Peter Cartwright is one of my 
great heroes from church 

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history. 
He was a 19th century circuit 

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riding Methodist back when the 
Methodists were holding the 

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great revival services during 
the Great Awakening days. 

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He was the travelling companion 
of the Wesley's so John and 

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Charles Wesley. 
And so the, the Methodists were 

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actually the leaders in this 
part of the country and other 

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parts of the country and having 
this huge outdoor evangelistic 

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crusades and, and some of the 
great revivalist movements, 

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church planting and everything 
in the Baptist came along with 

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them later and kind of took over
eventually in a sense for in a 

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lot of that tradition. 
But Peter Cartwright was about 6

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foot four. 
And that day that was even 

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bigger than it would be today. 
And but he was also kind of 

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uncompromising. 
I've talked a little bit about 

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Cartwright one time before where
he, you know, in those days you 

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had these huge outdoor crusades 
where Whitfield and Wesley and 

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people would preach. 
And at one point it, it, it's 

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estimated that almost all the 
people in the 13 colonies heard 

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Whitfield preach, for example. 
So these were huge movements in 

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the early days of this country. 
But anyway, Cartwright, 

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Cartwright came along and and 
there were hecklers in the Group

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One day, and I've shared this 
with some of you before, and 

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they wouldn't stop heckling. 
There were people who'd get 

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drunk and get all kinds of stuff
in these big outdoor settings 

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because people would use these 
outdoor settings as a way to 

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make money. 
And so they were selling all 

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kinds of stuff and doing all 
kinds of crazy. 

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Well, anyway, these two guys 
were heckling Cartwright one day

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and he says you 2 need to desist
so I can show the gospel. 

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And they wouldn't stop. 
And so finally, he says, Brother

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Ira, come and lead us in another
hymn. 

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And Cartwright proceeds to take 
off his coat, lay it on the 

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stage, walk down there and just 
thrash those two guys and throw 

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them out of the meeting. 
Go back up, put his coat back 

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on. 
It says, now we'll hear the 

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gospel. 
But the other story about 

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Cartwright that I always loved 
was later on. 

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Later on, he was really 
uncompromising. 

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One Sunday morning, he was told 
that President Andrew Jackson 

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was in the crowd and he better 
watch his remarks. 

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And he said, I understand that 
Andrew Jackson is here. 

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I've been requested to be 
guarded in my remarks. 

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Andrew Jackson will go to hell 
if he does not repent. 

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The congregation was absolutely 
shocked. 

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But after the service, Jackson 
came up to him and said, Sir, if

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I had a regimen of men like you,
I could whip the world. 

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And so this world needs truth. 
We're going to try to share it 

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in love, in a loving way, but we
need to share it very clearly 

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with them. 
We get and we have to be guided 

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by Scripture, not by feeling, 
not by experience, not by 

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opinion. 
So I have no intentions tonight 

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to belittle other possible 
legitimate scriptural 

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interpretations. 
Now you need to remember I said 

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that out loud later, but I need 
you to listen to everything I'm 

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going to say to you as well 
because we're actually going to 

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hit some subject matters that 
are quite controversial for some

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and maybe for some of you. 
And some of you may not agree 

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with my conclusions. 
I've mentioned to you before 

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also that I once had a 72 
Chevrolet pickup truck with a 

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big 454 engine in it, this huge 
engine, right? 

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And, and I've talked about that 
truck more than once, but one of

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the problems of that truck is 
the gas gauge didn't work. 

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And so, you know, you're talking
about a gas guzzling engine. 

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And so it would show that I had 
a quarter of a tank left of gas 

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and I'd be stranded on the side 
of the road. 

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And no matter how hard I tried 
to turn that engine on, it 

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wasn't going to go anywhere 
because it was empty, had no 

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gas, had no, no go. 
And, and then I, I think I 

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thought recently about that 
truck when I was on a Bush plane

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trip into the largest refugee 
camps in the world in northern 

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Uganda, or I've worked with the 
South Sudanese a lot. 

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And, and we had an earthquake. 
And then we also had a situation

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that for four days we had no 
electricity whatsoever. 

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And so I remember sitting in 
that 100° room with no air 

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movement under a mosquito 
netting, just praying for 

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mourning, you know, but but no 
one, those little plugs in the 

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wall do absolutely nothing when 
there's no power to them. 

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And, and if we're disconnected 
or empty spiritually, the same 

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thing is going to happen. 
And so we really do need to 

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understand in our discipleship 
and our walk with Christ what it

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means to be plugged in. 
What does that mean? 

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How am I really connected to a 
real power? 

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And where does that come from? 
And what do I do when I lack 

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that power? 
So to be the disciples that God 

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uses on his mission, we need to 
be connected. 

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And one of the primary 
connections to the power of God 

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to the dunamis, the that's the 
word, the Greek word dunamis, 

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the power of God is the 
relationship that we have with 

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the Holy Spirit. 
And at times the Holy Spirit 

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might be the most misunderstood 
member of the Trinity, certainly

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perhaps the most abused, the 
most misinterpreted member of 

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the Trinity at times. 
And so people often treat him 

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like a magic genie or as an 
excuse for anything and 

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everything. 
I don't know how many times in 

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my 1400 years of ministry that 
I've had somebody say to me, the

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Spirit told me to and then 
there's just something crazy 

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after that, you know, something 
outlandish, something that the 

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Bible would not support, 
something that doesn't make any 

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sense. 
But because the Spirit told him 

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to do that, it has to be 
legitimate. 

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It has to be real. 
It's like an it's like an 

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excuse. 
It's like a covering of 

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authority that they get to 
self-proclaimed. 

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But that's also throughout 
history led to a lot of heresy 

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and a lot of horrible 
leadership, frankly, and a lot 

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of bad decisions. 
So any suggestion? 

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Now listen to this sentence. 
I worked hard on it. 

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Any suggestion that subjective 
religious or ecstatic experience

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devoid of real transformed 
behavior and discipleship makes 

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you spiritually elite is just 
religious superstition and 

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that's all it is. 
And we don't we don't observe 

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magic. 
We we have biblical faith. 

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So we need to understand what 
the Bible really says. 

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So this teaching is going to 
help me to introduce when I'm 

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going to begin next time. 
So let's just begin discussing 

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very simply the the the issue of
salvation and the Holy Spirit, 

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because even this gets confused,
shouldn't, but it does. 

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So the Holy Spirit first of all,
makes us aware of our need for 

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salvation. 
We won't spend a lot of time 

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there, but the Holy Spirit is 
the one who convicts, the Holy 

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Spirit is the one who reveals. 
The Holy Spirit helps me to know

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that I am a Sinner. 
I need to be saved. 

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The Holy Spirit also, according 
to Scripture, removes spiritual 

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blindness to where all of a 
sudden I can understand this in 

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a better way. 
So it's making sense now because

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the Holy Spirit's at work. 
He's helping me to understand. 

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He's helping me to believe. 
He's helping me and drawing me 

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to salvation. 
Regardless of what your view on 

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Calvinism or the sovereignty of 
God is. 

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Yeah, I hope you believe that 
God saves. 

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And so the. 
And so the one of the ways that 

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God saves is the Holy Spirit's 
work and salvation. 

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Paul wrote to the church at 
Corinth in First Corinthians 

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chapter 2. 
We're going to spend a lot of 

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time in First Corinthians 
tonight. 

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He says these things God has 
revealed to us through the 

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Spirit, for the Spirit searches 
everything, even the depths of 

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God. 
I mean, that's us. 

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I mean, just we could spend a 
week there, For we know a 

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person's thoughts except the 
spirit of that person. 

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For who knows a person's 
thought? 

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I'll get this right. 
For who knows a person's thought

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except the spirit of that 
person, which is in him? 

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So also no one comprehends the 
thoughts of God except the 

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Spirit of God. 
Now we have received not the 

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spirit of the world, but the 
Spirit who is from God, that we 

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might understand the things 
freely given us by God. 

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And we impart this in words not 
taught by human wisdom, but 

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taught by the Spirit, 
interpreting spiritual truths to

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those who are spiritual. 
The natural person, listen to 

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this, does not accept the things
of the Spirit of God, for they 

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are folly to him and he is not 
able to understand them because 

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they are spiritually discerned. 
So one of the things we always 

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have to remember is lost people 
act like a lost people because 

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they're what? 
Correct, And I can get mad at 

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them. 
I can get frustrated with them, 

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but I also have to recognize 
where they really are. 

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They're lost and and being lost 
means I don't know where to go. 

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I don't know where I am and 
that's where they are 

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spiritually. 
They don't they don't understand

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they they have a hard time 
grasping the things of God. 

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But then early in the letter, 
Paul made clear back in chapter 

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1, he says for the word of the 
cross is falling to those who 

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are perishing, but to us who are
being saved, it's the power of 

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God. 
Then verse 23, but we preach 

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Christ crucified, A stumbling 
block to Jews and folly to 

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Gentiles, but to those who are 
called both Jews and Greeks, 

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00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:59,520
Christ, the power of God and the
wisdom of God. 

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00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:04,120
So I've often said and and and 
my friend Ed Stetzer, I think 

237
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,920
coined this first. 
But but whenever we're trying to

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share with a lost world, let's 
make sure that the only 

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stumbling block is the cross, 
because it's a big enough cross.

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We ourselves don't need to be 
the stumbling block. 

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We need to do all that we can. 
And we'll talk about this when 

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we start talking about 
evangelism later this year. 

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How can I actually develop a 
relationship to where I'm not 

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the stumbling block, but the 
because the cross itself, the 

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truth of the gospel, it's a big 
enough stumbling block by 

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itself. 
And so and God's going to work 

247
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that one out. 
So we need the Holy Spirit 

248
00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:38,040
before, during, and after 
salvation in order to discern 

249
00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:41,440
spiritual truth. 
So at the moment of salvation, 

250
00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:45,880
the Holy Spirit comes to live 
inside of us. 

251
00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:48,520
And I'm going to be sharing 
several words and there may be, 

252
00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:52,120
you may not agree with some of 
these words and how I'm using 

253
00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:53,600
them. 
And I understand that depending 

254
00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,280
upon your denominational 
tradition, even there are 

255
00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:01,640
differing interpretations of 
this, but we call this the 

256
00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,120
indwelling of the Holy Spirit, 
right? 

257
00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:07,840
So he comes to indwell us. 
He comes to live in US. 

258
00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:12,360
Now I believe that the Bible 
teaches that the indwelling and 

259
00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,880
the baptism of the Holy Spirit 
both takes place at salvation. 

260
00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:19,800
And the reason I believe that is
because what the Bible says in 

261
00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,240
First Corinthians chapter 12 
verse 13, it says for in one 

262
00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:29,440
spirit we were all baptized into
one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves

263
00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:33,000
or free, and all were made to 
drink of 1 spirit. 

264
00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:37,000
So that the Scripture never 
discusses that there must be 

265
00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,520
some second blessing or a later 
baptism of the Spirit after 

266
00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:44,560
conversion. 
He's already there or you would 

267
00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,720
not be saved. 
You would not be a member of His

268
00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:49,960
body. 
Don't take my word for it. 

269
00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:53,800
Listen to Romans 8-9. 
You, however, are not in the 

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00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:57,960
flesh, but in the Spirit, if in 
fact the Spirit of God dwells in

271
00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,280
you. 
Anyone who does not have the 

272
00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,920
Spirit of Christ does not belong
to Him. 

273
00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:05,880
I can't say it any clearer. 
You're not saved if you don't 

274
00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,840
have the Holy Spirit. 
It's a part of the salvific 

275
00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:12,840
package that goes together. 
So when we receive Christ, we 

276
00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:15,280
receive Him in full, not just in
part. 

277
00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,520
And then as we understand 
Christ's lordship, we'll 

278
00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,880
surrender more to Him and he 
becomes even more evident in our

279
00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:23,160
life. 
Now don't leave me. 

280
00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:27,280
You need to listen to the next 
part because not only do we need

281
00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,480
to talk about salvation in the 
Holy Spirit, we need to talk 

282
00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:34,760
about the filling and the fruit 
of the Holy Spirit because this 

283
00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:36,840
is where a lot of this confusion
comes into play. 

284
00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,000
So you need to understand 
there's a difference between the

285
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:44,520
baptism of the Holy Spirit and 
being filled with the Holy 

286
00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:46,320
Spirit. 
Again, that's not me guessing. 

287
00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,720
That's just what the Bible will 
teach, especially when you see 

288
00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:51,720
it in the original language. 
So we'll see this that this, but

289
00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:53,840
this is often where the 
confusion takes place. 

290
00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:56,920
They are not the same thing 
biblically. 

291
00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:02,200
The Holy Spirit fills us in 
fresh and new ways as we walk 

292
00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,680
with Him and we serve Him. 
And some misinterpret this as 

293
00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:08,320
the baptism, so don't be 
confused. 

294
00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,480
The baptism of the Holy Spirit 
takes place at the moment of 

295
00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:15,000
salvation fully. 
But there may be many fillings 

296
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,760
of the Holy Spirit throughout 
your Christian walk. 

297
00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:19,960
Again, I'll show you this in 
scripture. 

298
00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:22,080
Don't ever take my word for much
of anything. 

299
00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:27,160
I make really good BBQ sauce. 
Besides that, look at the Bible.

300
00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:31,880
So so let's take a moment to 
understand and really examine 

301
00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:34,760
this Ephesians 518. 
It's about as simple as we can 

302
00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:36,480
get. 
And you know this verse, even 

303
00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:40,120
though you may not know what 
Ephesians 518 is, do not be 

304
00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:45,720
drunk with wine, for that is 
debauchery, but what be filled 

305
00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,480
with the Spirit. 
So let's just break this down 

306
00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:51,720
here for a second. 
I want you to see the contrast 

307
00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:56,320
of the two things, OK, and this 
verse is, is really more about 

308
00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:58,240
the Holy Spirit than it is about
alcohol. 

309
00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:02,600
But it's the idea here is, is 
that a person who's filled with 

310
00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:07,480
alcohol is controlled or 
dominated by alcohol. 

311
00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:13,200
It's presence and its power of 
that alcoholic beverage have 

312
00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,680
overridden normal ability and 
action. 

313
00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:18,160
They're not in their normal 
state. 

314
00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:23,319
In fact, when somebody is drunk,
we often would say that they are

315
00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:26,760
under what? 
Under the under the influence. 

316
00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:29,360
See, they're under the influence
of this. 

317
00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:33,280
This, it's basically a drug. 
Alcohol that you drink is 

318
00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,960
actually a chemical relative of 
the old anesthesia ether. 

319
00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:40,560
If you understand that or not, 
it really is. 

320
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:42,160
It's a chemical relative of 
that. 

321
00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,880
So it has the same kind of 
effect that the old anesthesia 

322
00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:50,440
ether has upon you biologically,
but it's the same with the Holy 

323
00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:54,280
Spirit. 
We must be dominated by Him. 

324
00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:58,880
We must be under the influence 
of the Holy Spirit. 

325
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,480
So instead of doing things by 
our own strength or our own 

326
00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,080
ability, He empowers us. 
Instead of only doing what we 

327
00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:09,520
want, He guides us. 
So we must replace our control 

328
00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:12,200
and power with His. 
He must override us, just like 

329
00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,800
the alcohol imagery. 
He must override and control us.

330
00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,000
And then the other side of this 
is also, let's talk about the 

331
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:20,600
word possession for a minute, 
right? 

332
00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,600
Because I've been asked many 
questions over the years about 

333
00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:26,680
being possessed by demons and 
demon possession. 

334
00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,160
That's more common than you 
might ever guess in my life. 

335
00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:37,560
And so as a believer, we are to 
be possessed, see, we're to be 

336
00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:42,160
possessed by this spirit. 
So there's no room for any 

337
00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:46,840
unclean spirits to possess us or
to take control. 

338
00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:51,800
And so to be filled in this 
verse, and this is very 

339
00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:53,600
significant. 
This is a command. 

340
00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:58,320
So first of all, but be filled. 
The way this appears, it's, it's

341
00:18:58,360 --> 00:19:00,920
what's called an imperative in 
the imperative sense. 

342
00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,360
So in the Greek language, it's a
command for all of us. 

343
00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:10,000
And in the original language, it
would say you be continuously 

344
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,720
filled. 
That's the wording. 

345
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:14,280
And that's how it would actually
read. 

346
00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:16,880
So this isn't just a one time 
event. 

347
00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:20,040
This isn't like a bucket. 
This is a continuous. 

348
00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:24,840
So it could literally read this 
way, be filled and keep on being

349
00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:27,000
filled. 
Or it's appropriate to say this 

350
00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:31,680
in Greek be being filled. 
So you keep on be being filled 

351
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,160
continuously. 
That's, that's the, that's the 

352
00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,960
push of this verse and what 
Paul's trying to say. 

353
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:42,840
So we need to seek this. 
We should be filled with the 

354
00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:47,800
Spirit on a continuous basis. 
Anything less is not God's plan.

355
00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:51,640
In fact, there's an old proverb 
that says blessed are to those 

356
00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:54,440
who aim at nothing, for verily 
they shall hit it. 

357
00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,640
And so we've got to actually 
purposely aim for some, but we 

358
00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:03,240
must seek the mind of Christ. 
We must seek the Spirit and live

359
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,240
According to him. 
And this is exactly the point. 

360
00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:08,520
This isn't just an infomercial, 
it's a connection. 

361
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:12,240
This is exactly the point of 
what I'm doing on Sundays with 

362
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,640
the seven essentials of 
discipleship is that we need to 

363
00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:19,120
continuously seek and pursue 
this path of spiritual 

364
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:23,680
discipline, these past, these 
essentials of the Christian life

365
00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,480
in order to be continuously be 
being filled with the Holy 

366
00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,280
Spirit. 
This is the way. 

367
00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:33,480
This is the pathway to 
constantly be being filled with 

368
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,120
the Holy Spirit. 
And so all these things tie 

369
00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:40,440
together. 
Everything I teach you ties 

370
00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:44,440
together, believe it or not, but
we can't do that on our own and 

371
00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:46,760
we can't become that fruit 
producing disciple who makes 

372
00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:49,160
other disciples, who make other 
disciples without the help of 

373
00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,320
the Holy Spirit. 
And Jesus says that so in in 

374
00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:57,640
John 1426, he says, but the 
helper, the whole, the Holy 

375
00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:00,960
Spirit whom the Father will send
in my name, he will teach you 

376
00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:04,480
all things and bring to your 
remembrance all that I have said

377
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,040
to you. 
I mean it, that last part's 

378
00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:10,120
really important. 
How am I going to remember? 

379
00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:12,960
I mean, how are these guys think
about these guys, what they're 

380
00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:15,720
getting ready to go through, 
what they're getting ready to 

381
00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:19,600
experience with the arrest, the 
trial, the crucifixion, the 

382
00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:20,960
rest. 
How are they going to remember 

383
00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,880
anything Jesus said? 
You know, I know people in the 

384
00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:26,680
church, they can't write. 
I know, listen, I know doctoral 

385
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:31,000
students who I can sit there and
say that, you know, this is, 

386
00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:33,840
this is dark Gray, this is dark 
Gray. 

387
00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:36,520
This is dark Gray. 
This is this be a doctoral 

388
00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:39,520
seminar, dark Gray. 
Somebody raises their question. 

389
00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:41,920
What's your question? 
What color is that podium? 

390
00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:46,320
I'm telling you, people don't 
remember anything, which is why 

391
00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:48,560
we need relevancy and redundancy
in the church. 

392
00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:51,840
So how in the world am I going 
to remember any of this stuff? 

393
00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:52,960
How am I going to memorize 
scripture? 

394
00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:55,080
How am I going to retain 
spiritual knowledge? 

395
00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,400
Well, the Holy Spirit is our 
paracletas. 

396
00:21:57,560 --> 00:21:59,800
He is our helper. 
He is the one who walks 

397
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,000
alongside of us. 
He is the paracletas numatas. 

398
00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:07,920
He is the, the, the Spirit who 
walks alongside of us, right. 

399
00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:10,840
And more completely, he is the 
whole hagias. 

400
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:17,280
He is the, the, The Who, Haggi, 
you numatos paracletas, the Holy

401
00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:19,360
Spirit who walks alongside of 
us. 

402
00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:22,200
It's a powerful thing to think 
about. 

403
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:24,080
That's what God provides in 
salvation. 

404
00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:26,400
So it's not just I just, I get 
saved, that's it. 

405
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,160
I get baptized, that's it. 
I join the church, that's it, 

406
00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:30,760
man. 
That's just the beginning of an 

407
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:35,160
existence where suddenly you're 
walking a path with His help. 

408
00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:38,280
So when we're filled with the 
Spirit, it's not a question of 

409
00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:41,840
there being more of him in us, 
as though somehow his work is 

410
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,600
quantitative. 
It's not how much of the Spirit 

411
00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:48,160
of the Spirit we have, it's how 
much the Spirit has of us. 

412
00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:53,640
That's the key. 
I've submitted, I'm controlled 

413
00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,000
by you, I've given you 
everything. 

414
00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,080
And so to live in the fullness 
of the Spirit, we need to seek, 

415
00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:03,160
seek these rivers as Jesus would
describe them, of living water 

416
00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:05,120
filling and flowing through our 
lives. 

417
00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:07,880
So we don't just want drops of 
blessing and power, not just 

418
00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:10,680
some light shower, not like the 
mist that drove me crazy driving

419
00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:14,160
to work this morning, but we 
need rivers of this, which is 

420
00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:18,800
why Jesus says in John 738, 
whoever believes in me, as the 

421
00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:23,120
Scripture has said, out of his 
heart will flow rivers of living

422
00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:24,680
water. 
It's an overflow. 

423
00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:28,560
It's a pouring out. 
And that only happens as we're 

424
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,760
filled because if we're not 
full, there's nothing to 

425
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,520
overflow. 
You just become an empty 

426
00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:37,000
container. 
And that's unfortunately where 

427
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:39,640
the spiritual walk is for people
in some churches. 

428
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,360
Sometimes they're so empty that 
they have nothing to share. 

429
00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:47,920
They have nothing to overflow. 
So your best ministry, your best

430
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:50,480
usefulness for God's going to 
happen in the overflow. 

431
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:54,160
I'm so full of him that it can't
be contained. 

432
00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,440
So listen, I've been, I've been 
on the Amazon River. 

433
00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:00,880
In fact, Dylan and I were 
talking today about some we're, 

434
00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:02,800
we're having a planning meeting 
Tuesday. 

435
00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:05,320
We're talking about some of the 
mission trips for next year and 

436
00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,160
things like that. 
And I have dear friends in 

437
00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:09,560
Brazil and, and I was talking to
him. 

438
00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:14,840
We can do AI have friends who 
have a nice ship that I've done 

439
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:19,040
the hammock on the outside boat 
kind of Amazon thing before with

440
00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,200
I've told you before with 
monkeys waking me up in the 

441
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,400
morning. 
But this is a ship. 

442
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:27,280
This is a nice air conditioned 
cabin ship that they take up and

443
00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:30,000
down the Amazon. 
The Brazilian Baptists do and 

444
00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,200
they do pastors conferences, 
they do medical, they do all 

445
00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:33,840
kinds of stuff. 
So we were talking about what a 

446
00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:36,800
cool trip that might be for the 
near future. 

447
00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:38,360
You know, anybody want to go on 
the Amazon? 

448
00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,760
Well, I've been on the Amazon 
and there are parts of that 

449
00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:43,720
river where you can't see the 
other side. 

450
00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:46,720
You think you're on the ocean. 
It's overwhelming and it's 

451
00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:49,280
power. 
It's overwhelming and it's 

452
00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,560
never, ever ending. 
And that's this kind of imagery.

453
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,920
True revival only occurs when 
God's people truly seek to be 

454
00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:00,640
filled with his spirit. 
In fact, one of the great 

455
00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:03,120
prayers out of the great 
awakenings, out of church 

456
00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:06,280
history, there were massive 
revivals that took place in 

457
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:10,360
Wales of all places. 
So the Welsh revivals are a 

458
00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:13,920
major part of church history and
the Welsh revival is one of the 

459
00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:18,200
one of the prayers was this fill
me, Holy Spirit, fill me more 

460
00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:21,120
than fullness. 
I would know I am smallest of 

461
00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:24,600
thy vessels, yet I much can 
overflow. 

462
00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:28,600
Paul wrote to a church that was 
really struggling with all this.

463
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,280
He wrote to the church at 
Corinth in First Corinthians 

464
00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:35,360
chapter 2. 
And he said in my speech and my 

465
00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:38,760
message, we're not implausible 
words of wisdom, but in 

466
00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:42,800
demonstration of the Spirit and 
of power, so that your faith 

467
00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:46,760
might not rest in the wisdom of 
men, but in the power of God. 

468
00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:49,960
So the Holy Spirit will 
strengthen our faith. 

469
00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:54,240
He'll fill us because he has a 
special task for us to fulfill. 

470
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,120
He's going to give us the 
strength. 

471
00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,440
He's going to give us the 
strength that's commensurate to 

472
00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:02,400
the task or the purpose to which
God has called us. 

473
00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:06,200
When God calls His people to do 
something, He will give them the

474
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:08,560
resource. 
He will give them the power they

475
00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:12,680
need to accomplish that calling.
That's the wonderful thing about

476
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,720
it. 
In fact, in Acts 4, remember, 

477
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,320
remember some of these stories, 
Acts 431. 

478
00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:21,800
And when they had prayed, the 
place in which they were 

479
00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:25,280
gathered together was shaken and
they were all filled with the 

480
00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:28,240
Holy Spirit. 
And what did they do then? 

481
00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:32,160
They they didn't, they didn't do
anything other than they 

482
00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,040
continued to speak the word of 
God with boldness. 

483
00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:38,360
The verse says they were 
proclaiming God's word. 

484
00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:42,200
They needed an extra dose. 
They needed a filling of 

485
00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:45,680
strength so they might glorify 
the Father and the Son. 

486
00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:47,160
And that's what the Holy Spirit 
does. 

487
00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:50,520
The Holy Spirit never glorifies 
himself. 

488
00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,080
The Holy Spirit cease to glorify
the Father and the Son. 

489
00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,320
That's part of his job. 
He seeks no attention of his 

490
00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,280
own. 
It's amazing how much attention 

491
00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:02,480
sometimes he gets. 
But but his attention isn't for 

492
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,040
himself. 
His His goal is to be a witness.

493
00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,320
It's to be a testimony to what 
the Father and the Son are 

494
00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,480
doing. 
Listen to John 16 When the 

495
00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:13,840
Spirit of truth comes, this is 
Jesus talking. 

496
00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,440
He will guide you into all the 
truth. 

497
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:20,040
For He will not speak on His own
authority, but whatever He 

498
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:24,160
hears, he will speak, and he 
will declare to you the things 

499
00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:27,040
that are to come. 
He will glorify me. 

500
00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:31,200
For he will take what is mine 
and declare it to you. 

501
00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,960
So a test of whether it's really
the Holy Spirit working or not 

502
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:43,880
is whether is whether Christ or 
the person is glorified. 

503
00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:48,000
See. 
So no biblical character ever 

504
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:49,840
said I'm filled with the Holy 
Spirit. 

505
00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:53,720
And you think about sometimes 
how maybe you've heard that from

506
00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,680
people. 
No biblical character ever said 

507
00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,960
I'm filled with the Holy Spirit.
It was always said about them. 

508
00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:05,120
It was a description others saw 
in them, not something they 

509
00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:08,480
claimed for themselves. 
And so the power to live this 

510
00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,360
holy life and serve him comes 
from that calling and feeling. 

511
00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,520
But only in that power can we 
live a life that glorifies him. 

512
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,840
And in our strength we will 
fail. 

513
00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:20,040
We always will fail in our own 
strength, but thinking about 

514
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,480
even back in our study in Acts, 
Peter depended upon the Holy 

515
00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:27,560
Spirit to empower his preaching.
In Acts 4/8, he says, then Peter

516
00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:32,320
filled with the Holy Spirit said
to them rulers of the people and

517
00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:33,640
elders, and he shared the 
sermon. 

518
00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:37,680
And the early church was 
commanded in Acts 6 to select 

519
00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,480
men. 
These became the prototype for 

520
00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:43,120
deacons to select a certain 
group of men to serve, to take 

521
00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:46,000
care of some problems they had 
in the church, and they were to 

522
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,320
be spirit filled. 
Listen to Acts 63. 

523
00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:51,280
Therefore, brothers, pick out 
from among you 7 men of good 

524
00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:55,720
repute, full of the Spirit and 
of wisdom, whom we will point to

525
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:59,000
this duty. 
But please understand that this 

526
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:03,200
is, this is a truth for every 
one of us as believers. 

527
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:05,440
This isn't just for special 
people. 

528
00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:09,280
We're all to be filled. 
We all, we all are to be be 

529
00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:13,080
being filled constantly, 
continuously filled. 

530
00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,680
Confuse myself. 
It's not an option, it's a 

531
00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:21,720
command. 
In fact, Billy Graham said. 

532
00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:28,760
I mean, if Billy Graham said it,
Billy once said anyone who's not

533
00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:30,880
spirit filled is a defective 
Christian. 

534
00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:34,800
This is something we're to seek.
This is who we're supposed to 

535
00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:36,560
be. 
But what if the full power of 

536
00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:38,640
the Holy Spirit was unleashed in
this place? 

537
00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:41,560
What if the fruit of the Spirit 
found in Galatians 5 was 

538
00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:43,960
actually the normal 
characteristic of all of our 

539
00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:48,280
lives? 
So we need to understand that 

540
00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:51,120
passage for just a second. 
And, and it's a little lengthy, 

541
00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:57,720
but in Galatians 5, starting in 
verse 16, it says, but I say, 

542
00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:03,160
walk by the Spirit and you will 
not gratify the desires of the 

543
00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,920
flesh. 
Don't see, sometimes we start 

544
00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:09,440
way down here in verse 22. 
Don't start in verse 22. 

545
00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:14,920
Get a little context, but I say 
walk by the Spirit and you will 

546
00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,160
not gratify the desires of the 
flesh. 

547
00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:20,800
For the desires of the flesh are
against the spirit and the 

548
00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:23,480
desires of the spirit are 
against the flesh. 

549
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,840
For these are opposed to each 
other to keep you from doing the

550
00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:29,120
things you want to do. 
And did you just hear that? 

551
00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:34,040
So there's there's this spirit 
of the flesh and it's at war 

552
00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:38,440
with the Spirit of God. 
Our sinful nature wars with the 

553
00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:42,680
Spirit of God and our sinful 
nature tries to stop us from 

554
00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:45,440
doing the things that we should 
and want to do. 

555
00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:50,280
But if you're led by the Spirit,
this is verse 18, you are not 

556
00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:52,520
under the law. 
Now the works of the flesh are 

557
00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:56,320
evident, sexual immorality, 
impurity, sensuality, idolatry, 

558
00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:00,040
sorcery, enmity, strife, 
jealousy, fits of anger, 

559
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:03,760
rivalries, dissensions, 
divisions, envy, drunkenness, 

560
00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:08,000
orgies, and things like these. 
I warn you, as I warned you 

561
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:12,160
before, that those who do such 
things will not inherit the 

562
00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:16,360
Kingdom of God. 
Paul got pretty frustrated with 

563
00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:21,240
the Galatians. 
They were not living at times 

564
00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:27,120
the way they should. 
And so then he says, but that 

565
00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:31,040
big contrast word. 
But the fruit of the Spirit is 

566
00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:38,080
Lovejoy, peace, patience, 
kindness, goodness, 

567
00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:42,200
faithfulness, gentleness, 
self-control. 

568
00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:46,080
Against such things there is no 
law, and those who belong to 

569
00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:49,040
Christ Jesus have crucified the 
flesh with its passions and 

570
00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:51,640
desires. 
If we live by the Spirit, let us

571
00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:53,520
also keep in step with the 
Spirit. 

572
00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:57,040
Let us not become conceited, 
provoking one another in being 

573
00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:00,280
one another. 
Now what a description of the 

574
00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:05,760
Church, what a description of 
Christ filled spirit filled 

575
00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:08,160
people. 
So we submit to the Holy Spirit.

576
00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:10,640
So he fills this and then we 
become this vessel of blessing 

577
00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:14,160
that he can use and, and and our
world could be turned upside 

578
00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:18,440
down like the Roman world was in
the book of Acts. 

579
00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:23,360
But one of the ways to do that, 
and I mean this, one of the best

580
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:27,520
ways to put yourself in the best
position possible to be be being

581
00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:32,280
filled continuously is, is 
seriously to become a real 

582
00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:35,640
disciple and practice things 
like we're talking about on 

583
00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:39,240
Sunday morning, like these 7 
essentials to be that kind of 

584
00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:42,280
disciple that then that then 
part of this. 

585
00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:43,840
And This is why some of you came
tonight. 

586
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:45,920
So all that's introduction. 
Now we'll get to the real thing 

587
00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:51,000
because part of that is that we 
need to discover and we need to 

588
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,920
develop our spiritual 
giftedness. 

589
00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:57,520
So the third part we need to 
talk about are the gifts of the 

590
00:32:57,520 --> 00:32:59,920
Spirit. 
And this is sometimes where some

591
00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:01,560
more controversy will come into 
play. 

592
00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:11,440
Unfortunately, there are 
Christians who do not enjoy or 

593
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,600
take full advantage of the 
resources at their disposal. 

594
00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:22,000
It's always, always interesting 
to me how sometimes people in 

595
00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,760
the church or Christians aren't 
really living the Christian life

596
00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:28,800
to the fullest. 
I could see why you don't 

597
00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,000
necessarily enjoy the Christian 
life when you're not. 

598
00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:33,880
I could see why the Christian 
life could be boring. 

599
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:36,560
I could see why church would be 
boring. 

600
00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:38,960
I could see why it's not 
relevant. 

601
00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:41,760
I could understand why it 
doesn't have any impact in your 

602
00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:45,600
life because because you're not 
actually doing it, you're not 

603
00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:47,400
actually living it to its 
fullest. 

604
00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:51,200
I see that sometimes in people 
and I I want to help them. 

605
00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:53,880
They've been saved. 
They've been indwelled by and 

606
00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:55,960
baptized with the Holy Spirit 
and the Body of Christ, and 

607
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,720
they're going to heaven. 
So my primary issue of going to 

608
00:33:58,720 --> 00:34:02,840
heaven is not the issue here, 
but they're missing so much of 

609
00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:07,560
what God wants them to do and to
be and to have in this life. 

610
00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,080
They're living half full, half 
empty. 

611
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:15,199
They're missing out on what the 
Christian life really is because

612
00:34:15,199 --> 00:34:19,920
the Christian life isn't just 
salvation, it's just part of it.

613
00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:21,719
Going to heaven, it's just part 
of it. 

614
00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,600
It's the relationship and the 
walk you have with God in 

615
00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:28,920
between those times that's 
incredibly special. 

616
00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:33,639
And so their spiritual 
disciplines are inconsistent. 

617
00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:36,000
They have no burden for 
evangelism. 

618
00:34:36,199 --> 00:34:38,560
Their prayer, their prayers are 
tedious. 

619
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:42,760
Their sins remain unconfessed. 
In fact, people who know them 

620
00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:44,960
don't necessarily even know that
they're a believer. 

621
00:34:45,639 --> 00:34:48,679
They, they were baptized, but 
they're not being filled. 

622
00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:52,600
Their spiritual gifts are 
unknown or their spiritual gifts

623
00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:56,679
are unused and there's no 
spiritual fruit in their life, 

624
00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:01,480
right? 
I have students, you know, I 

625
00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:04,600
would teach classes on 
evangelism and missions and I'm 

626
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,840
just about every semester, if 
not every semester, I'd have 

627
00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:10,280
students who would confess later
on because they have to do 

628
00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:12,240
weekly evangelism reports in my 
class. 

629
00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:14,120
I should make everybody do that.
We should all do that. 

630
00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:17,720
And they had to fill out these 
reports every week of who they 

631
00:35:17,720 --> 00:35:19,480
showed the gospel with. 
It didn't mean somebody had to 

632
00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:20,600
be saved. 
We don't control that. 

633
00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:23,120
But they had to make a faith 
effort, a good effort to really 

634
00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,880
share the gospel of a gospel 
conversation with somebody. 

635
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:28,760
Every semester I'd have students
who said it's the first time 

636
00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:32,320
they've ever done that. 
But then I'd have students who'd

637
00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,360
also go and they would do it. 
And that's the semester went on.

638
00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:36,960
They got, they got more used to 
it. 

639
00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:38,840
They got more comfortable in it 
because we're also teaching them

640
00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:41,120
how along the way. 
Here's a, here's a good way to 

641
00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:43,200
approach somebody. 
Here's a good thing to do, 

642
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,160
Here's how to share a testimony.
Here's how to lead a 

643
00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:47,000
conversation to Christ. 
And I'm going to share all that 

644
00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:50,720
stuff with you later this year. 
And I'd have a student come to 

645
00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:52,360
me finally. 
And they say, you know, I went 

646
00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:58,160
home for Thanksgiving and I LED 
my uncle to the Lord and, and 

647
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:00,640
there were semesters where we 
would have, I don't know, 50 

648
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:03,960
different people saved. 
You know, that's our least 

649
00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:08,680
reported fantastic. 
But but then the student would 

650
00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:13,400
say, and my uncle's really mad 
at me and I'd say what, what, 

651
00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:16,520
what's going on? 
And the and their uncle would 

652
00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:22,800
say, so you knew about this all 
along and you didn't tell me 

653
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:26,000
about this yet. 
I mean, think about all the 

654
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:29,920
years I've wasted, 60 years I've
wasted, and now I hear this. 

655
00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:33,200
And you knew about this and you 
knew about this the whole time. 

656
00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:35,480
How come you didn't share this 
with me? 

657
00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:38,800
How come I didn't see this in 
you? 

658
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:46,280
And I had to pick the student up
off the floor, you know, and 

659
00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:51,720
encourage him. 
Do people know who you are? 

660
00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:55,840
Can they see it in you? 
Because Paul says to a church 

661
00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:59,160
that got really messed up about 
this and really confused about 

662
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:03,480
this in Corinth, he says that we
need to know about spiritual 

663
00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:05,920
gifts. 
This church was divided over. 

664
00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:09,560
They were fighting over it. 
And he says in First Corinthians

665
00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:11,720
12/1. 
Now concerning spiritual gifts, 

666
00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:14,280
brothers, I don't want to be 
uninformed. 

667
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:16,800
So we need to know what these 
are. 

668
00:37:16,840 --> 00:37:18,560
We need to talk about this for a
few minutes. 

669
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:23,040
Some of you I know have gone 
through tests and, and, and you 

670
00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:25,720
know, you score out. 
So I know I'm a prophet or I'm 

671
00:37:25,720 --> 00:37:29,160
a, I'm a, I'm a leader or I'm a 
server or whatever you are. 

672
00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:32,000
I'm not belittling that there's 
some of those. 

673
00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:34,600
They're more beneficial than 
others, I think. 

674
00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:40,400
But a spiritual gift is a spirit
given ability to serve God. 

675
00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:45,480
Don't make it harder than that. 
It's a spirit given ability to 

676
00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:50,640
serve God, to join him on his 
mission to be a disciple, right?

677
00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:56,480
And the Bible uses a lot of 
different words to define or 

678
00:37:56,480 --> 00:38:00,280
describe them, but most of them 
are a variation of 2 words. 

679
00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:06,280
Either the word pneuma, which is
the word for spirit, or the word

680
00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:11,880
charis, the word for grace. 
So these words are often 

681
00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:16,200
combined, and they all stress 
that this comes from the Holy 

682
00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:18,760
Spirit and that this is 
absolutely supernatural. 

683
00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:22,120
This is not something you 
create, right? 

684
00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,440
Charismata. 
You know that charismatic 

685
00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:30,000
charismata comes straight from 
this Greek language, this grace 

686
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,440
gift idea. 
And so it's used in First 

687
00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,000
Corinthians 12, Romans 12, where
you'll find descriptions and 

688
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:41,160
lists of some of the gifts. 
You even have a word energymata,

689
00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:42,640
which I thought so was a cool 
word. 

690
00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:46,920
But most of the time this is 
karis or pneuma. 

691
00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:49,880
Sometimes there's a very simple 
word, demata, which just means 

692
00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:51,480
gift. 
That's a very general word for 

693
00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:55,760
gift demata. 
But we know that these are gifts

694
00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:59,280
that are special abilities. 
These are special activities 

695
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,960
given by God. 
These are not your inerrant 

696
00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:05,400
natural talents. 
And sometimes it's hard to 

697
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:09,920
distinguish between a natural 
talent and a spiritual gift. 

698
00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:13,760
In fact, I know Christians who 
sometimes use their natural 

699
00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:17,880
talents and kind of claim it as 
their giftedness, kind of get by

700
00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:22,840
with that, and they're still not
living their fullest right 

701
00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:25,920
because these are not inherent 
human natural talents. 

702
00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:28,040
These are gifts of grace from 
the Holy Spirit. 

703
00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:32,120
Everybody, because we're made in
the image of God, are going to 

704
00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:35,760
possess certain natural talents.
No matter how poorly you think 

705
00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:38,320
of yourself, you have certain 
things about you that are 

706
00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:41,840
special and wonderful and 
God-given, OK? 

707
00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:46,360
And these natural talents help 
every human being, to be honest 

708
00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:47,800
with you, have a unique 
personality. 

709
00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:50,640
It helps us be who we are, 
right? 

710
00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:55,160
Part of our self identity is 
wrapped up in the particular mix

711
00:39:55,160 --> 00:40:00,320
of talents that we possess. 
But even atheists have natural 

712
00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:04,960
talents, but they don't have 
spiritual gifts. 

713
00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:09,080
They're extremely talented 
atheists. 

714
00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:17,200
Very intelligent musical 
artistic authors who don't 

715
00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:21,400
believe in God. 
And so one way you can tell the 

716
00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:24,320
difference is to ask when it was
developed in you and how it is 

717
00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:27,200
used. 
Could you do or feel this 

718
00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:29,920
passionate about something 
before you were saved? 

719
00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:34,680
Can you do this by your own 
power and see results? 

720
00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:38,400
Then at last part's the 
important part, not whether you 

721
00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:41,480
can pull it off and fool 
everybody, but do you actually 

722
00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:45,200
see any results? 
What type of spiritual results 

723
00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:47,280
are you seeing because of your 
life? 

724
00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:49,160
And you can say, man, this is 
foreign to me. 

725
00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:50,240
I don't even know what you're 
talking about. 

726
00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:51,640
But that's part of the problem, 
isn't it? 

727
00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:56,280
I mean, you guys got to 
understand who I am and who I'm 

728
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:58,160
not and who I was and who I'm 
not. 

729
00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:00,840
When I was growing up as a kid, 
I stuttered like everything. 

730
00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:02,000
I've mentioned that to you 
before. 

731
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,000
I could talk to a teacher, I 
couldn't talk to a coach, I 

732
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:06,360
couldn't talk to anybody. 
And if I got nervous, it was 

733
00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:07,840
really bad. 
I went to therapy. 

734
00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:11,640
I'm semi deaf in one ear. 
And I mean, I hear weird. 

735
00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:14,840
I hear with things weirdly. 
Put your hand over your ear. 

736
00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:18,920
That's how I hear everything, 
which is why I'm loud sometimes.

737
00:41:21,720 --> 00:41:28,680
But what a silly thing God has 
done for a kid who stuttered his

738
00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:34,000
face off that I make my living 
shoot my mouth off. 

739
00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:43,360
I mean, I can't talk so pretty. 
So spiritual gifts will reveal 

740
00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:46,560
themselves by the fruit or the 
result of their use. 

741
00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:50,640
So gifts of the Spirit and the 
fruit of the Spirit are not the 

742
00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:52,720
same either that we just read 
about, right? 

743
00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:56,640
I mean, God intends for all of 
his children to be like him and 

744
00:41:56,640 --> 00:41:59,400
to bear his fruit. 
And the fruit of the Spirit is 

745
00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:01,080
the normal. 
I mean, he's got to understand, 

746
00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:04,680
it may seem odd and unusual and 
special, but the fruit of the 

747
00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:08,720
Spirit should be the normal, 
expected outcome of Christian 

748
00:42:08,720 --> 00:42:11,800
maturity. 
We should all be displaying the 

749
00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:16,120
fruit, all of us. 
So being a true disciple of 

750
00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:18,600
Jesus should produce the fruit 
of the Spirit. 

751
00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:22,360
And so we're going to learn more
and more about what that means 

752
00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:25,280
on our Sunday study. 
But the spiritual fruit is not 

753
00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:30,240
discovered as are the gifts. 
It's developed through the 

754
00:42:30,240 --> 00:42:32,800
believers walk with God and 
through discipleship. 

755
00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:37,840
Fruit should develop as we grow 
in the seven essentials. 

756
00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:41,000
But the fruit of the Spirit is 
the both the foundation for 

757
00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:45,120
exercising 1's spiritual 
giftedness as well as the result

758
00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:47,400
of exercising one's spiritual 
giftedness. 

759
00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:48,840
I don't know if you understood 
what I just said. 

760
00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:53,120
It's the beginning point. 
It's the foundation of helping 

761
00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:55,960
us to understand our giftedness.
But it also be ought to be the 

762
00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:58,800
output, the result of us 
practicing our spiritual 

763
00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:03,760
giftedness. 
The fruits eternal, the gifts 

764
00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:07,240
are temporary. 
Fruit of the Spirit will last 

765
00:43:07,240 --> 00:43:11,640
forever. 
So we're all to bear the various

766
00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:13,840
aspects of the fruit. 
But the Holy Spirit does not 

767
00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:17,000
give all the same gifts to 
everybody, which is the magic of

768
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:19,160
the church, The wonderful thing 
of the church. 

769
00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:22,720
We're weird and different and 
yet we work together. 

770
00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:27,760
So God wants us all to be like 
Him in character. 

771
00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:32,480
Think of it this way, fruit, 
character characteristics, but 

772
00:43:32,480 --> 00:43:35,480
not necessarily all the same in 
our abilities. 

773
00:43:36,320 --> 00:43:38,360
He needs us to be able to do 
different things. 

774
00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:39,920
So the church functions like a 
body. 

775
00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:46,080
Paul even states that the fruit 
is more important to this church

776
00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:49,480
because he discusses the part of
the fruit called agape love in 

777
00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:53,000
chapter 13 of First Corinthians 
and he says this is more 

778
00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:56,080
important. 
So let's be clear. 

779
00:43:56,960 --> 00:43:59,120
What are definitions of 
spiritual gifts? 

780
00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:03,280
I give you 3. 
I could give you 30 Doctor Ken 

781
00:44:03,280 --> 00:44:09,040
Hemphill to find spiritual gifts
as individualized endowments of 

782
00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:13,200
grace from God equipping you to 
play a vital role in his plan 

783
00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:17,200
for the redemption of the world.
So this is this is how I fit in 

784
00:44:17,200 --> 00:44:20,000
to the mission. 
This is my shape that goes into 

785
00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:22,480
that jigsaw puzzle of me joining
God's mission. 

786
00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:26,240
Tom Shriner Dr. Shriner Ken 
Hephill was president of a 

787
00:44:26,240 --> 00:44:27,160
seminary. 
He's also. 

788
00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:30,920
I was a pastor for many years. 
He still works in a Christian 

789
00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:33,640
college. 
Tom Shriner is a brilliant, 

790
00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:38,720
genius level theologian who 
works at one of our seminaries. 

791
00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:42,720
He defines them as gifts of 
grace granted by the Holy 

792
00:44:42,720 --> 00:44:45,960
Spirit, which are designed for 
the edification of the church. 

793
00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:48,960
So not only is this the peace 
that fits me into the grand 

794
00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:52,320
mission of God, but this is also
exactly how I help. 

795
00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:55,160
I help build up the church. 
And I don't know if you 

796
00:44:55,160 --> 00:44:57,080
recognize this. 
Every single one of you is 

797
00:44:57,080 --> 00:44:59,680
supposed to be helping to build 
up the church, and you got to do

798
00:44:59,680 --> 00:45:01,320
that with more than just your 
attendance. 

799
00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:05,240
There's something you're 
supposed to be adding to the 

800
00:45:05,240 --> 00:45:08,040
equation. 
And Kenneth Burning, another 

801
00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:11,640
theologian, adds that the gifts 
designate ministry functions and

802
00:45:11,640 --> 00:45:15,400
roles people are to fulfil. 
So it also helps us understand 

803
00:45:15,400 --> 00:45:17,640
who's supposed to be this or 
that. 

804
00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:20,720
Some people are teachers and 
have a gift of teaching, 

805
00:45:20,720 --> 00:45:24,200
etcetera. 
So God distributes giftedness 

806
00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:29,440
throughout the church in order 
to enable the whole church to 

807
00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:35,280
accomplish his mission and to 
bears fruit and the only way the

808
00:45:35,280 --> 00:45:38,520
church will be fully effective 
is is through each believer 

809
00:45:38,520 --> 00:45:42,840
using their abilities and gifts.
The Spirit gives an illustration

810
00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:46,200
that I beat to death with our 
staff is a multi celled selling 

811
00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:49,560
ship. 
And I and I put these images in 

812
00:45:49,560 --> 00:45:53,240
front of our staff. 
Probably too much, but you got 

813
00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:55,480
to think about one of those old 
fashioned sailing ships was all 

814
00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:57,320
the little sails. 
Every sail mattered. 

815
00:45:57,520 --> 00:46:01,480
And, and if and if one of those 
sails is not unfurled and angled

816
00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:04,040
properly, the effectiveness of 
the hole is reduced. 

817
00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:07,680
So every single sail where the 
the giant sail, the little bitty

818
00:46:07,680 --> 00:46:12,080
sail, every one of them has to 
be angled and positioned and and

819
00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:15,760
and full of the wind in order 
for the ship to do what it's 

820
00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:18,680
supposed to do. 
That's the church. 

821
00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:23,080
And don't ever miss the fact 
that the Greek word for wind and

822
00:46:23,080 --> 00:46:27,360
the Greek word for spirit are 
the same word, pneuma. 

823
00:46:29,280 --> 00:46:31,600
So we need the rest of the 
church to be complete and 

824
00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:33,280
positioned. 
You understand that we need the 

825
00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:36,560
you need this. 
You need the rest of us complete

826
00:46:36,560 --> 00:46:39,760
and positioned. 
And we need you to be complete 

827
00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:45,600
and positioned, everyone of us. 
And when one of us doesn't do 

828
00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:49,200
it, the whole suffers. 
And you might think, well, it 

829
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:50,440
doesn't matter if I do anything 
or not. 

830
00:46:50,440 --> 00:46:51,720
I don't matter. 
It doesn't matter at all. 

831
00:46:51,720 --> 00:46:52,920
The big church, that's a big 
church. 

832
00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:56,240
I don't even know I'm here. 
It matters. 

833
00:46:58,160 --> 00:47:00,760
There's somebody ought to be 
sitting right here or right over

834
00:47:00,760 --> 00:47:02,840
there or right back there, or 
somebody who ought to be 

835
00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:05,440
discipled right now. 
And if we all did what we're 

836
00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:08,440
supposed to do together, you'd 
never know what God would do. 

837
00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:17,240
So nobody is supposed to stand 
alone, and we're all supposed to

838
00:47:17,240 --> 00:47:19,520
use our giftedness in and 
through the church to help us 

839
00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:22,960
all bear fruit. 
And so I've been trying to tell 

840
00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:25,040
you how important your 
participation, membership, and 

841
00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:27,400
service in the church. 
I preached sermon after sermon 

842
00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:29,960
of why do we need the church? 
Why do I need to be baptized? 

843
00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:34,160
Why do I need to? 
There's a reason everything ties

844
00:47:34,160 --> 00:47:39,040
together. 
So those who believe they can 

845
00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:42,480
stay away from the church, as 
I've said many times, and I will

846
00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:47,400
say many more times, those who 
are listening right now online 

847
00:47:47,400 --> 00:47:52,200
because the others are here, 
those who believe they can stay 

848
00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:55,640
away from church engagement and 
will still be all God wants them

849
00:47:55,640 --> 00:47:59,120
to be, are simply not studying 
the New Testament. 

850
00:47:59,720 --> 00:48:03,840
There's not, no matter what 
justification they lay on it, 

851
00:48:04,600 --> 00:48:10,480
they're not. 
God wants them to be completely 

852
00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:13,600
positioned, and they are 
incompletely positioned when 

853
00:48:13,600 --> 00:48:17,720
they're not a part of the body. 
So the Holy Spirit gives gifts 

854
00:48:17,720 --> 00:48:20,200
to His mission so His mission 
can be fulfilled. 

855
00:48:20,400 --> 00:48:23,760
We serve to help the church 
fulfill the mission and the 

856
00:48:23,760 --> 00:48:26,560
vision that He's given us to 
bear fruit, to help one another 

857
00:48:26,560 --> 00:48:29,320
become disciples. 
All these pieces tying together.

858
00:48:30,680 --> 00:48:36,400
But to use or brag about your 
giftedness for your own glory is

859
00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:39,320
sin. 
How's that put a period there? 

860
00:48:41,080 --> 00:48:46,320
And and was part of the problem 
that Paul had to address with 

861
00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:50,480
this church in Corinth. 
Humans tend to love competition 

862
00:48:50,800 --> 00:48:54,120
more than they love to 
complement one another. 

863
00:48:55,400 --> 00:48:57,840
And so Paul had to deal with 
this in First Corinthians 3. 

864
00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:00,440
But I, brother, could not 
address you as spiritual people,

865
00:49:01,320 --> 00:49:04,720
but as people of the flesh, as 
infants in Christ. 

866
00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:09,520
I fed you with milk, not solid 
food, for you were not ready for

867
00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:11,600
it. 
And even now you are not ready, 

868
00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:15,640
for you are still of the flesh. 
For while there is jealousy and 

869
00:49:15,640 --> 00:49:19,560
strife among you, are you not of
the flesh, and behaving only in 

870
00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:22,080
a human way? 
And do not ever forget that 

871
00:49:22,080 --> 00:49:26,040
these kinds of passages are 
written to the Church. 

872
00:49:26,760 --> 00:49:30,920
He's not talking to lost people,
He's talking to Christian people

873
00:49:30,920 --> 00:49:32,640
or people are supposed to be 
Christians. 

874
00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:36,520
So Paul diagnosis, their problem
is this massive spiritual 

875
00:49:36,520 --> 00:49:40,680
immaturity, their old fleshly 
nature, except still exercise 

876
00:49:40,680 --> 00:49:42,800
too much dominion. 
It's like that alcohol, too much

877
00:49:42,800 --> 00:49:46,160
control, too much influence on 
their life. 

878
00:49:46,480 --> 00:49:49,520
And their lives were reflecting 
more of the world's power than 

879
00:49:49,520 --> 00:49:51,160
they were of the power of the 
Holy Spirit. 

880
00:49:51,320 --> 00:49:53,520
And so they were arguing in 
their spiritual gift 

881
00:49:53,520 --> 00:49:58,080
competitions. 
So these gifts can be distorted.

882
00:49:58,080 --> 00:50:00,760
They can be confused to work 
against the cause of Christ that

883
00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:02,520
they're actually intended to 
serve in the 1st place. 

884
00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:05,840
And this discussion still causes
division today. 

885
00:50:06,920 --> 00:50:10,840
Denominations and individual 
Christians divide over beliefs 

886
00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:14,240
about spiritual gifts this 
secondary to even tertiary 

887
00:50:14,240 --> 00:50:18,640
issue, right? 
And this division normally falls

888
00:50:18,640 --> 00:50:20,960
into two categories. 
So let me make sure you know 

889
00:50:20,960 --> 00:50:23,360
these words and then you can 
write to see 

890
00:50:23,360 --> 00:50:31,600
taylor@englewoodbaptist.com. 
Just for the record, I feel like

891
00:50:31,600 --> 00:50:34,840
I should confess that's not 
really his e-mail address. 

892
00:50:36,560 --> 00:50:38,600
So you feel free to write to 
that all you want. 

893
00:50:38,600 --> 00:50:40,840
I don't know who's going to get 
it, but it'll be fun to watch. 

894
00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:47,400
So there are two divisions here.
Some people believe that the 

895
00:50:47,400 --> 00:50:53,120
gifts, or at least some of them,
are no longer active or given 

896
00:50:53,280 --> 00:50:54,800
because they're no longer 
needed. 

897
00:50:55,920 --> 00:51:00,560
We don't need that gift anymore.
And that's called cessationism, 

898
00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:03,000
OK? 
They've ceased. 

899
00:51:03,480 --> 00:51:06,000
They no longer exist. 
They were used in a moment in 

900
00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:09,120
history for a specific purpose. 
They're no longer needed. 

901
00:51:09,560 --> 00:51:13,640
We don't need that anymore. 
Others will distinguish between 

902
00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:18,400
what you would call the signed 
gifts and the ministry gifts as 

903
00:51:18,400 --> 00:51:20,480
to whether they are continuing 
today. 

904
00:51:21,760 --> 00:51:25,120
So some gifts continue, but some
don't, right. 

905
00:51:26,600 --> 00:51:31,120
Others would would go on and 
believe that every spiritual 

906
00:51:31,120 --> 00:51:34,640
gift mentioned in Scripture are 
still active today. 

907
00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:41,080
That's called continuationism. 
They continue, you're going to 

908
00:51:41,080 --> 00:51:44,880
fall somewhere in there. 
And like many doctrinal, 

909
00:51:44,880 --> 00:51:46,960
interpretational, 
interpretational issues on 

910
00:51:46,960 --> 00:51:50,400
secondary, tertiary levels, 
there are all kinds of subsets 

911
00:51:50,480 --> 00:51:56,760
of those two primary categories.
I can show you volumes of books 

912
00:51:57,160 --> 00:52:00,440
where great Bible scholars take 
the various positions in this 

913
00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:03,200
discussion. 
I actually reviewed 18 

914
00:52:03,400 --> 00:52:09,840
theological textbooks just for 
tonight, and I could show you 

915
00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:13,320
maybe not 18 different 
perspectives, but several. 

916
00:52:14,720 --> 00:52:17,400
So there are also, let me layer 
this. 

917
00:52:17,400 --> 00:52:20,400
There are also multiple lists of
gifts in the Bible. 

918
00:52:21,520 --> 00:52:23,880
So you find some in First 
Corinthians, you find some in 

919
00:52:23,880 --> 00:52:25,640
Romans, and you find some in 
Ephesians. 

920
00:52:25,640 --> 00:52:28,640
Those three places are the three
primary places most people would

921
00:52:28,640 --> 00:52:30,520
say here are the spiritual 
gifts. 

922
00:52:31,120 --> 00:52:36,080
So another question is, are 
these all the possible gifts or 

923
00:52:36,080 --> 00:52:38,480
are these lists simply 
representative? 

924
00:52:39,400 --> 00:52:43,640
And there are actually many more
gifts as well that God has 

925
00:52:43,640 --> 00:52:46,000
produced for his church, 
especially his times have 

926
00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:47,960
changed and the needs of the 
church have changed. 

927
00:52:47,960 --> 00:52:51,360
He creates new spiritual gifts 
to meet the current demands, so 

928
00:52:51,360 --> 00:52:54,680
to speak. 
Or is it just this list and this

929
00:52:54,680 --> 00:52:57,840
list and there can be nothing 
else other than those gifts. 

930
00:52:58,000 --> 00:53:00,120
And when you take one of the 
spiritual gift surveys, it's 

931
00:53:00,120 --> 00:53:06,680
going to be a locked set usually
of these sets with no other 

932
00:53:06,680 --> 00:53:11,320
possibility. 
Now, Inglewood Baptist Church 

933
00:53:11,320 --> 00:53:14,880
hosts to the Baptist of Faith in
Message 2000, which, as it would

934
00:53:14,880 --> 00:53:17,800
be as inconveniently as 
possible, states no specific 

935
00:53:17,800 --> 00:53:23,240
position. 
It does have strong words about 

936
00:53:23,240 --> 00:53:26,920
the Holy Spirit, but doesn't 
speak specifically about these 

937
00:53:26,920 --> 00:53:29,200
various views of spiritual 
giftedness. 

938
00:53:30,600 --> 00:53:35,600
As I am in eschatology, I am a 
hybrid myself between 

939
00:53:35,800 --> 00:53:38,080
cessationism and 
continuationism. 

940
00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:42,720
I think there are normative 
patterns that God uses and I 

941
00:53:42,720 --> 00:53:46,080
think there are non normative 
patterns that God does not use 

942
00:53:46,080 --> 00:53:51,560
except in extreme situations. 
Today as a missionary on the 

943
00:53:51,560 --> 00:53:55,800
mission field, there are moments
in pioneer areas of missions 

944
00:53:55,800 --> 00:53:59,960
that I see some giftedness 
perhaps used in those kinds of 

945
00:53:59,960 --> 00:54:04,200
contexts that would not normally
be used in a an American 

946
00:54:05,040 --> 00:54:09,640
evangelical church. 
I do know that I believe 

947
00:54:09,640 --> 00:54:12,760
strongly that there is the 
misuse and misinterpretation of 

948
00:54:12,760 --> 00:54:15,360
certain gifts. 
Even if you believe the gift is 

949
00:54:15,360 --> 00:54:18,200
still active today, it's not 
done properly. 

950
00:54:18,320 --> 00:54:21,360
It's not performed biblically 
according to just the Word of 

951
00:54:21,360 --> 00:54:25,160
God. 
And I see that often in some 

952
00:54:25,160 --> 00:54:29,720
situations. 
And so we need to be careful 

953
00:54:29,720 --> 00:54:33,240
because regardless of the 
discussions, gifts must be used 

954
00:54:33,240 --> 00:54:36,600
to bring God great glory and not
for the attention of the 

955
00:54:36,600 --> 00:54:40,560
individual or even for the 
specific church for that matter.

956
00:54:43,160 --> 00:54:47,280
I'll never forget one time and 
regardless of what you believe 

957
00:54:47,280 --> 00:54:51,920
about this or not, Teresa and I 
were in a pastors conference and

958
00:54:52,360 --> 00:54:54,800
it was the last session. 
Last day, Chuck, Chuck Swindoll 

959
00:54:54,800 --> 00:54:58,640
happened to be preaching and a 
man stood up about 3 rows in the

960
00:54:58,640 --> 00:55:00,320
middle and started speaking in 
tongues. 

961
00:55:02,120 --> 00:55:06,640
It disrupted Dr. Swindoll. 
I don't know if you know much 

962
00:55:06,640 --> 00:55:08,440
about Chuck Swindell. 
He's no Marine. 

963
00:55:09,160 --> 00:55:14,240
He doesn't like being disrupted.
And so when the man was done, he

964
00:55:14,240 --> 00:55:17,400
said, are you finished? 
And then the man said, Oh no, 

965
00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:20,000
Doctor Swindell, now I need to 
interpret what God just said 

966
00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:22,960
through me. 
Now, whether you know the Bible 

967
00:55:22,960 --> 00:55:26,920
or not, a, whether somebody 
should speak in tongues at all 

968
00:55:26,920 --> 00:55:30,640
is part of the conversation. 
But the Bible's very clear. 

969
00:55:30,720 --> 00:55:33,120
Even if you do believe you can 
speak in tongues, you can't 

970
00:55:33,120 --> 00:55:37,840
interpret yourself. 
So Swindoll said no, that's not 

971
00:55:37,840 --> 00:55:40,760
right. 
And he actually escorted the man

972
00:55:40,760 --> 00:55:44,600
out and so that they could talk 
to him about what the Bible 

973
00:55:44,600 --> 00:55:47,280
really said. 
It was done in a nice way, but 

974
00:55:49,640 --> 00:55:51,480
Peter says this in First Peter 
4. 

975
00:55:52,800 --> 00:55:57,080
As each has received a gift, use
it to serve one another as good 

976
00:55:57,080 --> 00:56:01,600
stewards of God's very grace. 
Whoever speaks as one who speaks

977
00:56:01,600 --> 00:56:04,920
oracles of God, whoever serves 
as one who serves by the 

978
00:56:04,920 --> 00:56:08,880
strength that God supplies in 
order that in everything God may

979
00:56:08,880 --> 00:56:10,840
be glorified through Jesus 
Christ. 

980
00:56:11,520 --> 00:56:15,640
To him belong glory and 
dominion, forever and ever. 

981
00:56:15,640 --> 00:56:18,440
Amen. 
So the Lordship of Jesus Christ 

982
00:56:18,440 --> 00:56:21,360
must be the criteria. 
This is the criterion by which 

983
00:56:21,360 --> 00:56:23,000
our gifts are going to be 
assessed. 

984
00:56:23,640 --> 00:56:27,400
Our giftedness is intended to 
communicate that Jesus is Lord. 

985
00:56:27,600 --> 00:56:30,520
That's the purpose here, not 
that we are somehow superior, 

986
00:56:30,720 --> 00:56:32,200
which is what the Corinthians 
were doing. 

987
00:56:33,480 --> 00:56:37,800
So someone can can claim to have
certain giftedness and some that

988
00:56:37,800 --> 00:56:42,640
then then even claim to possess 
a a more deep, a more mature 

989
00:56:42,640 --> 00:56:45,960
spirituality because of that. 
We need to be very careful. 

990
00:56:46,680 --> 00:56:49,800
They can even claim amazing 
experiences because of that. 

991
00:56:50,000 --> 00:56:52,520
But if they're not living in 
submission to Jesus Christ, 

992
00:56:52,520 --> 00:56:57,280
they're failing. 
And what's most important, he 

993
00:56:57,280 --> 00:56:59,840
goes on to the Corinthians. 
He says in First Corinthians 12,

994
00:56:59,840 --> 00:57:03,120
he says, you know that when you 
were pagans, you were LED astray

995
00:57:03,120 --> 00:57:05,760
to mute idols. 
However you were led. 

996
00:57:06,880 --> 00:57:09,080
Therefore, I want you to 
understand that no one's 

997
00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:12,200
speaking in the Spirit of God 
ever says Jesus is accursed. 

998
00:57:12,480 --> 00:57:15,640
And no one can say Jesus is Lord
except in the Holy Spirit. 

999
00:57:18,040 --> 00:57:21,120
And as Doctor Shriner points 
out, he says in a world where 

1000
00:57:21,120 --> 00:57:24,680
subjective experience is often 
used as the measure of our 

1001
00:57:24,680 --> 00:57:29,000
spiritual lives, Paul brings us 
back to the objective baseline 

1002
00:57:29,000 --> 00:57:32,280
of Christian experience, the 
Lordship of Jesus. 

1003
00:57:33,800 --> 00:57:36,680
So since Jesus is Lord and the 
Holy Spirit is sovereign, 

1004
00:57:36,680 --> 00:57:40,520
giftedness is given as needed. 
But the Bible never states how 

1005
00:57:40,520 --> 00:57:41,960
many gifts a person's going to 
get. 

1006
00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:43,880
We don't know how many. 
It does never say that. 

1007
00:57:44,560 --> 00:57:47,000
It doesn't say how many gifts a 
person might be given, nor does 

1008
00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:50,280
it say a person will only 
receive 1 gift, and doesn't ever

1009
00:57:50,280 --> 00:57:53,640
say that. 
Romans 12 says For by the grace 

1010
00:57:53,640 --> 00:57:56,640
given to me, I say to everyone 
among you, to not think of 

1011
00:57:56,640 --> 00:57:59,760
himself more highly than he 
ought to think, but to think 

1012
00:57:59,760 --> 00:58:02,200
with sober judgement, each 
according to the measure of 

1013
00:58:02,200 --> 00:58:05,440
faith that God is assigned. 
And both of those phrases at the

1014
00:58:05,440 --> 00:58:08,000
beginning and the end would 
refer to spiritual giftedness, 

1015
00:58:08,280 --> 00:58:11,160
but by the grace given and by 
the measure of faith that God 

1016
00:58:11,160 --> 00:58:14,960
has given in that passage, 
because that passage is also one

1017
00:58:14,960 --> 00:58:16,840
of those places you're going to 
find giftedness. 

1018
00:58:17,560 --> 00:58:20,120
So we need to recognize who God 
intends for us to be. 

1019
00:58:20,920 --> 00:58:22,400
Quit trying to be someone we're 
not. 

1020
00:58:23,440 --> 00:58:26,320
Our Calling from God and our 
giftedness are very closely 

1021
00:58:26,320 --> 00:58:28,800
associated. 
Who does God want us to be and 

1022
00:58:28,800 --> 00:58:30,680
why? 
That's that's why you're going 

1023
00:58:30,680 --> 00:58:34,960
to get the gifts you get or the 
gift you get and He doesn't call

1024
00:58:34,960 --> 00:58:37,240
you to do something that He 
didn't gift you to fulfill it. 

1025
00:58:37,440 --> 00:58:40,200
But one beautiful aspect of 
spiritual giftedness is the way 

1026
00:58:40,200 --> 00:58:43,760
that God has designed each of us
to be individually, the servant 

1027
00:58:44,120 --> 00:58:48,440
He seeks for us to be. 
But we don't long for greatness 

1028
00:58:48,440 --> 00:58:51,680
because of that. 
God doesn't intend for you to 

1029
00:58:51,680 --> 00:58:53,800
achieve or possess some 
greatness. 

1030
00:58:53,800 --> 00:58:56,640
Do not think too high. 
Live yourself, as Paul said, and

1031
00:58:56,760 --> 00:58:59,560
allow God to lead you to be 
somebody you're not. 

1032
00:58:59,680 --> 00:59:02,640
Find that special and perfect 
place, that place of 

1033
00:59:02,640 --> 00:59:06,520
completeness that God has 
created just for you to fill in 

1034
00:59:06,520 --> 00:59:08,680
His body, to help the body as a 
whole. 

1035
00:59:10,720 --> 00:59:12,840
Sometimes other Christians can 
help you understand your 

1036
00:59:12,840 --> 00:59:15,680
giftedness. 
They can be very helpful 

1037
00:59:15,680 --> 00:59:18,640
Christian friends. 
They can help you discern. 

1038
00:59:18,640 --> 00:59:21,240
They can help you confirm 
giftedness in your life. 

1039
00:59:21,480 --> 00:59:23,360
You say, I have no idea what my 
giftedness is. 

1040
00:59:23,560 --> 00:59:25,360
Well, we're going to try to help
you with that. 

1041
00:59:25,360 --> 00:59:29,800
So you need to watch for further
very specific training on 

1042
00:59:29,800 --> 00:59:32,520
spiritual gift discovery and 
then ministry placement. 

1043
00:59:32,520 --> 00:59:35,000
Those two things go together. 
We want you to discover your 

1044
00:59:35,000 --> 00:59:38,640
design and discover your place. 
So how do I serve in the church?

1045
00:59:38,640 --> 00:59:40,840
Well, let's, let's talk about 
what your giftedness is. 

1046
00:59:43,160 --> 00:59:47,960
The two ought to go together. 
So God seeks in his miraculous 

1047
00:59:47,960 --> 00:59:52,000
thing called the church, God 
seeks to build through the unity

1048
00:59:52,000 --> 00:59:55,640
of His Spirit and the diversity 
of our giftedness. 

1049
00:59:55,640 --> 00:59:59,160
It's really quite amazing. 
He goes on in First Corinthians 

1050
00:59:59,160 --> 01:00:01,200
12. 
Now there are a variety of 

1051
01:00:01,200 --> 01:00:04,000
gifts, but the same Spirit, and 
there are a variety of service 

1052
01:00:04,280 --> 01:00:07,400
but the same Lord, and there are
a variety of activities, but 

1053
01:00:07,400 --> 01:00:10,120
it's the same God who empowers 
them all in everyone. 

1054
01:00:10,360 --> 01:00:14,160
To each is given the 
manifestation of the Spirit for 

1055
01:00:14,280 --> 01:00:17,000
the common good, where each 
given it. 

1056
01:00:17,600 --> 01:00:23,280
But it's to be used for all of 
us, so we'll not have the same 

1057
01:00:23,280 --> 01:00:26,640
gifts, but we do share the same 
ultimate goal of bringing God 

1058
01:00:26,640 --> 01:00:28,160
great glory and fulfilling His 
mission. 

1059
01:00:30,080 --> 01:00:33,120
Later on in First Corinthians 
12, he goes on, now you are the 

1060
01:00:33,120 --> 01:00:36,600
body of Christ and individually 
members of it, and God has 

1061
01:00:36,600 --> 01:00:39,200
appointed in the church. 
First apostle, second prophets, 

1062
01:00:39,200 --> 01:00:41,800
third teachers, then miracles, 
then gifts of healing, helping, 

1063
01:00:41,800 --> 01:00:45,120
administration, administrating 
in various kinds of tongues are 

1064
01:00:45,120 --> 01:00:47,440
all apostles are all prophets 
are all teachers? 

1065
01:00:47,440 --> 01:00:49,800
Do all work miracles? 
Do all possessed gifts of 

1066
01:00:49,800 --> 01:00:51,800
healing? 
Do all speak with tongues, do 

1067
01:00:51,800 --> 01:00:57,480
all interpret but earnestly 
desire the higher gifts when 

1068
01:00:57,480 --> 01:01:00,040
Corinthian church was making 
these spiritual gifts a a 

1069
01:01:00,800 --> 01:01:03,480
competition of spiritual 
superiority and one of my 

1070
01:01:04,160 --> 01:01:09,120
dearest old professors who 
dramatically helped me in my 

1071
01:01:09,120 --> 01:01:12,680
personal life, Doctor Jack 
Mcgorman, who's passed away. 

1072
01:01:14,560 --> 01:01:16,800
I'd spend time with Doctor 
Mcgorman in his office. 

1073
01:01:16,800 --> 01:01:19,240
I once took a course on 1st 
Corinthians with him in my 

1074
01:01:19,240 --> 01:01:21,880
Master's degree and I never 
forget. 

1075
01:01:22,280 --> 01:01:26,080
He said spiritual gifts are not 
personal merit badges to be worn

1076
01:01:26,080 --> 01:01:32,000
for our own self glorification. 
Gifts are by their very nature 

1077
01:01:32,000 --> 01:01:35,680
gifts of grace. 
Just like salvation. 

1078
01:01:36,080 --> 01:01:39,840
It's a gift and they prove 
nothing about the possessor 

1079
01:01:40,440 --> 01:01:42,320
they've knew. 
Prove nothing about you. 

1080
01:01:42,800 --> 01:01:44,920
They prove everything about the 
one who gave it to you. 

1081
01:01:48,000 --> 01:01:50,880
So we we need to recognize and 
celebrate one another's 

1082
01:01:50,880 --> 01:01:54,760
uniqueness, one another's unique
giftedness, and and the way it 

1083
01:01:54,760 --> 01:01:58,880
contributes to the common good. 
Again, in First Corinthians 12, 

1084
01:01:58,880 --> 01:02:01,280
for the body does not consist of
1 member, but of many. 

1085
01:02:01,280 --> 01:02:03,760
If the foot should say, because 
I'm not a hand, I do not belong 

1086
01:02:03,760 --> 01:02:06,960
to the body, would that would 
not make it any less a part of 

1087
01:02:06,960 --> 01:02:08,880
the body. 
And if the ear should say, 

1088
01:02:08,880 --> 01:02:11,360
because I'm not an eye, I do not
belong to the body, that would 

1089
01:02:11,360 --> 01:02:13,400
not make it any less a part of 
the body. 

1090
01:02:13,640 --> 01:02:16,240
If the whole body were an eye, 
where would the sense of where 

1091
01:02:16,240 --> 01:02:18,800
would be the sense of hearing? 
If the whole body were an ear, 

1092
01:02:19,080 --> 01:02:20,600
where would be the sense of 
smell? 

1093
01:02:21,000 --> 01:02:23,880
But as it is, God arranged the 
members in the body, each one of

1094
01:02:23,880 --> 01:02:26,960
them as He chose. 
If all were a single member, 

1095
01:02:26,960 --> 01:02:30,200
where would the body be? 
As it is, there are many parts, 

1096
01:02:30,200 --> 01:02:37,280
yet one body, every member. 
Every member counts and must be 

1097
01:02:37,280 --> 01:02:41,080
considered precious and 
absolutely necessary to the 

1098
01:02:41,080 --> 01:02:45,040
health of the whole body. 
Do you see why I find an active 

1099
01:02:45,040 --> 01:02:47,800
church membership such a 
horrible thing? 

1100
01:02:48,800 --> 01:02:52,880
It robs us all of who we're 
supposed to be. 

1101
01:02:54,880 --> 01:02:58,240
We must mourn when one wanders 
or is lost, when one is inactive

1102
01:02:58,240 --> 01:02:59,960
or rebellious in their 
discipleship. 

1103
01:03:00,120 --> 01:03:04,880
We need to reach them, every pun
intended, reach them through our

1104
01:03:04,880 --> 01:03:06,440
connect groups and 
relationships. 

1105
01:03:06,440 --> 01:03:10,640
Let me also just read a couple 
more verses here. 

1106
01:03:10,640 --> 01:03:13,080
In first Corinthians 12, the I 
cannot say to the hand, I have 

1107
01:03:13,080 --> 01:03:16,000
no need of you, nor again the 
head to the feet, I have no need

1108
01:03:16,000 --> 01:03:17,960
of you. 
On the contrary, the parts of 

1109
01:03:17,960 --> 01:03:21,160
the body that seem to be weaker 
are indispensable, and on those 

1110
01:03:21,160 --> 01:03:23,680
parts of the body that we think 
less honorable, we bestow the 

1111
01:03:23,680 --> 01:03:26,520
great, we bestow the greater 
honor, and our unpresentable 

1112
01:03:26,520 --> 01:03:28,280
parts are treated with greater 
modesty. 

1113
01:03:28,440 --> 01:03:32,240
Which which are more, which are 
more presentative parts do not 

1114
01:03:32,240 --> 01:03:34,440
require. 
But God has so composed the 

1115
01:03:34,440 --> 01:03:37,640
body, giving greater honor to 
the part that lacked it, that 

1116
01:03:37,640 --> 01:03:40,240
there may be no division in the 
body, but the members may have 

1117
01:03:40,240 --> 01:03:44,200
the same care for one another. 
If one member suffer, all suffer

1118
01:03:44,200 --> 01:03:46,600
together. 
If one member is honored, I'll 

1119
01:03:46,600 --> 01:03:51,160
rejoice together. 
So different gifts are given to 

1120
01:03:51,160 --> 01:03:56,920
unite us in the sovereign, 
supernatural diversity. 

1121
01:03:58,800 --> 01:04:00,200
It's a wonderful thing to 
church. 

1122
01:04:00,960 --> 01:04:03,760
They're given so that we may 
bear fruit, love one another, as

1123
01:04:03,760 --> 01:04:07,000
we saw in First Corinthians 13. 
Paul makes it plain there that 

1124
01:04:07,000 --> 01:04:09,840
the gifts without love are 
worthless. 

1125
01:04:09,960 --> 01:04:12,040
The gifts without love are 
useless. 

1126
01:04:12,160 --> 01:04:15,760
It's a lot of noise. 
It's clanging cymbals, right? 

1127
01:04:16,760 --> 01:04:19,680
But there's no lasting value. 
In fact, he says in verse two of

1128
01:04:19,680 --> 01:04:22,560
First Corinthians 13. 
And if I have prophetic powers 

1129
01:04:22,560 --> 01:04:25,840
and understand all mysteries and
all knowledge, and if I have all

1130
01:04:25,840 --> 01:04:28,880
faiths so as to remove 
mountains, but have not love, 

1131
01:04:28,880 --> 01:04:35,040
what I am what nothing. 
And he means that. 

1132
01:04:35,040 --> 01:04:37,480
And you know what that word 
means in the original language. 

1133
01:04:37,480 --> 01:04:40,640
I've looked carefully at it. 
You know what it means Nothing 

1134
01:04:44,800 --> 01:04:49,680
agape love. 
A willful decision to love no 

1135
01:04:49,680 --> 01:04:53,440
matter what. 
A willful decision to love is 

1136
01:04:53,440 --> 01:04:58,960
the very character of God, and 
it's superior to any gift 

1137
01:04:58,960 --> 01:05:01,960
competition. 
So a loving church is going to 

1138
01:05:01,960 --> 01:05:04,520
reach maturity, is going to 
reach unity by encouraging, 

1139
01:05:04,520 --> 01:05:06,920
empowering our members to 
discover who they truly are in 

1140
01:05:06,920 --> 01:05:09,440
Christ and what he seeks for 
each of us to do. 

1141
01:05:09,640 --> 01:05:12,880
And the discovery of an use of 
our spiritual giftness can be an

1142
01:05:12,880 --> 01:05:18,080
anchor to that, to the context 
of community, as Doctor Hemphill

1143
01:05:18,080 --> 01:05:20,040
added. 
He says when you find your true 

1144
01:05:20,040 --> 01:05:23,840
gifted identity in Christ, you 
will discover why you were here 

1145
01:05:24,560 --> 01:05:30,360
and how to please your Creator. 
So a truly loving church is 

1146
01:05:30,360 --> 01:05:33,480
going to constantly seek to be 
filled with the Holy Spirit. 

1147
01:05:33,600 --> 01:05:35,720
We're going to BBB and being 
being be filled. 

1148
01:05:35,720 --> 01:05:46,160
We want it to overflow. 
We want out of our heart to flow

1149
01:05:46,160 --> 01:05:51,960
rivers of a living water. 
So we're going to discuss the 

1150
01:05:51,960 --> 01:05:56,040
Holy Spirit a lot more in future
lessons as we we begin to talk 

1151
01:05:56,040 --> 01:05:58,880
through the doctrine of God. 
We've only scratched the surface

1152
01:05:59,000 --> 01:06:05,880
today of his role and his 
activity because he does so much

1153
01:06:05,880 --> 01:06:09,400
more. 
And and we've always got to 

1154
01:06:09,400 --> 01:06:15,840
remember the great doctrine of 
the Ascension that we often 

1155
01:06:15,840 --> 01:06:17,560
neglect. 
We talk a lot about the 

1156
01:06:17,560 --> 01:06:19,320
crucifixion. 
We even talk about the 

1157
01:06:19,320 --> 01:06:21,400
incarnation. 
We'll talk about the crucifixion

1158
01:06:21,400 --> 01:06:22,800
and we talk about the 
resurrection. 

1159
01:06:23,000 --> 01:06:26,960
We also need to talk about the 
ascension because Jesus told us 

1160
01:06:26,960 --> 01:06:31,120
that I got to go. 
I got to go so that he can come.

1161
01:06:32,080 --> 01:06:34,800
And if I don't go, he won't 
come. 

1162
01:06:36,480 --> 01:06:42,120
And so when Jesus, in that 
physical God man incarnation 

1163
01:06:42,120 --> 01:06:47,600
left, the Spirit of God gets 
unleashed so that he can indwell

1164
01:06:47,600 --> 01:06:51,200
all of us. 
He can be everywhere all at once

1165
01:06:52,760 --> 01:06:59,120
and working all of our lives. 
What fruit do you bear? 

1166
01:07:00,280 --> 01:07:05,320
What gift do you possess? 
What commitment do you make to 

1167
01:07:05,320 --> 01:07:09,680
the body as a whole? 
You don't stand alone in 

1168
01:07:09,680 --> 01:07:13,280
Christianity. 
It's never been designed that 

1169
01:07:13,280 --> 01:07:17,320
way. 
We stand together as a family, 

1170
01:07:18,040 --> 01:07:23,840
as a church. 
Father, thank you that you knew 

1171
01:07:23,840 --> 01:07:27,680
we needed each other. 
And that, Father, you've 

1172
01:07:27,680 --> 01:07:31,760
designed us in such a way that 
we're dependent upon one 

1173
01:07:31,760 --> 01:07:35,480
another. 
And Father, thank you that you 

1174
01:07:35,480 --> 01:07:40,200
equip us, You resource us, you 
empower us, you fill us, You 

1175
01:07:40,200 --> 01:07:48,640
indwell us in order to not only 
serve you, but to serve with one

1176
01:07:48,640 --> 01:07:56,080
another, to help one another, to
edify, to build up one another. 

1177
01:07:58,480 --> 01:08:04,320
And Father, I pray that that we 
would be so full of you, that 

1178
01:08:04,320 --> 01:08:06,600
Father, there's no room for 
anything else. 

1179
01:08:09,520 --> 01:08:12,160
That, Father, we're so full of 
what you want. 

1180
01:08:15,400 --> 01:08:17,880
That Father, there's nothing 
else in our focus. 

1181
01:08:17,880 --> 01:08:20,240
There's nothing else to distract
us. 

1182
01:08:21,359 --> 01:08:25,880
How can I serve you, Lord? 
How can I serve your bride? 

1183
01:08:26,720 --> 01:08:28,680
How can I be a part of your 
body? 

1184
01:08:29,240 --> 01:08:31,160
How can I be used in your 
building? 

1185
01:08:32,720 --> 01:08:36,720
How can I be a disciple? 
So, Father, thank you. 

1186
01:08:39,600 --> 01:08:45,200
I'm not sure our small brains 
will every fully comprehend the 

1187
01:08:45,200 --> 01:08:50,080
Trinity, but Father, I look 
forward to talking about it and 

1188
01:08:50,080 --> 01:08:52,000
seeing what you say about it in 
Your Word. 

1189
01:08:53,960 --> 01:09:01,680
But thank you, Father, for 
sending the Spirit that he might

1190
01:09:01,680 --> 01:09:06,920
live in us, that we might become
the temple of the Holy Spirit, 

1191
01:09:06,920 --> 01:09:12,160
the place where not only we meet
with you, but we help others 

1192
01:09:12,279 --> 01:09:16,319
meet you too. 
So, Father, I pray that you will

1193
01:09:16,319 --> 01:09:20,760
fill us and empower us even as 
we go tonight. 

1194
01:09:22,000 --> 01:09:26,560
Bring us back Sunday, Father, so
that we can learn how to engage 

1195
01:09:26,560 --> 01:09:31,359
your Word in a way that will be 
transformative for us and our 

1196
01:09:31,359 --> 01:09:34,439
families. 
Thank you for that opportunity 

1197
01:09:35,080 --> 01:09:38,399
in Christ's name, Amen. 
Good night everybody. 

1198
01:09:38,399 --> 01:09:43,279
Thank you. 
Thank you so much for listening 

1199
01:09:43,279 --> 01:09:44,880
today. 
And I also hope that you'll go 

1200
01:09:44,880 --> 01:09:47,120
to 
ourwebsite@englewoodbaptist.com 

1201
01:09:47,120 --> 01:09:50,160
as well as our app and find many
other resources that will bless 

1202
01:09:50,160 --> 01:09:52,359
you and your families. 
Thank you once again.