1 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:09,680 Please open your Bibles to the book of Acts. 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:18,240 Acts chapter one title of this morning's message is A Change 3 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:25,680 has Come. Let's read from verse one, the 4 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,120 former account I made all Theophilus. 5 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:33,960 Now people, many Bible commentators don't know who 6 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,920 Theophilus is. There's no cement detail about 7 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,840 who Theophilus is. Some say he's just it's just a 8 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:46,120 term to all general readers. Others say no, This is a a 9 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:51,320 fellow who actually was a Gentile who Doctor Luke who 10 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:55,920 wrote the book of Acts served. He was doctor Luke was his 11 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,880 personal physician as wealthy people in those days had their 12 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:05,600 own personal positions and we're not sure it simply means friend 13 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,760 of God. Theophilus, The former account I 14 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:15,400 made of Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach 15 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:18,880 two things until the day in which He was taken up. 16 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:24,040 After He, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments 17 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:28,800 to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom he also 18 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:34,920 presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible 19 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:41,400 proofs, being seen by them during 40 days, and Speaking of 20 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,160 the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. 21 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,440 The background to the book of Acts I've given out and I pray 22 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:54,920 that you're getting them go on our website and you'll get one 23 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,720 each day. But I've been giving out in my 24 00:01:57,720 --> 00:01:59,880 devotion. So I went through the the 25 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:02,240 backgrounds, the timing and the history and everything. 26 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,920 So I'm not going to go over that for the sake of time this 27 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:10,479 morning. And it's I want you to know 28 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:14,120 before we go too much further. He says the former account I 29 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,640 made of Theophilus friend of God of all the things that Jesus 30 00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:21,400 began both to do. Now the book of Acts is the only 31 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:26,000 book in the Bible has no ending doesn't go Amen say say see you 32 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:27,600 later to so and so and so and so. 33 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:33,400 There's no ending because we are you and I are still in the book 34 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,680 of Acts. It's the acts of the Holy Spirit 35 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,960 in the church. The church hasn't finished as 36 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:49,600 yet the church age, then it says down further that Jesus ascended 37 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,320 into heaven. Let's read on and being 38 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,520 assembled together with them. He commanded them not to depart. 39 00:02:55,640 --> 00:03:01,000 Notice that don't leave Jerusalem a command, but to wait 40 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:09,640 for the capital P promise of the Father, which he said you have 41 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:11,960 heard from me. In other words, he's told them 42 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:16,160 about this promise for John truly baptised with water. 43 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:18,840 This is what the promise is. It's about a baptism. 44 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:22,360 But you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit. 45 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:24,720 That's what he's telling them to wait for. 46 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,480 Not many days from now it will happen on the day of Pentecost. 47 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,160 So John baptised with water. We know what baptism of water 48 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:34,480 is. We we have that. 49 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,400 Besides, if you haven't been baptised, we're going to have a 50 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:40,600 baptism service this summer. Please see any of the pastors 51 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:43,080 and we'll get your name down with that too. 52 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,960 The sign up sheet has begun for Israel trip to Israel. 53 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:50,680 It's out out on the information desk as well with the 54 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,360 approximate costs. Therefore, when they had come 55 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,040 together, I asked him saying, Lord, will you at this time 56 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:01,440 restore the Kingdom to Israel because there was a rumour that 57 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,520 the apostle John would not die until the Kingdom of Israel had 58 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:10,280 been restored. Jesus said, and John later on he 59 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:12,880 he rebukes that room, he squashes that, he says that's 60 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,320 that's not going to happen. And Jesus said to him, that's 61 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:20,839 not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put 62 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,480 in his own authority. He says it'll come, let it come 63 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:29,280 on its own time. But back to what I want you to 64 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:32,640 hear about, back to what I want to know. 65 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:39,000 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon 66 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:46,520 you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea and 67 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,720 Samaria. Judea and Samaria, by the way, 68 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:55,120 Gaza, modern Gaza today, it doesn't belong to the 69 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,440 Palestinians. It's, it's God's land. 70 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,680 God gave it to Israel, to Abraham. 71 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,760 And that land, the Gaza Strip, is Judea and Samaria. 72 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:12,240 Now, when he had spoken these things while they watched, he 73 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:17,040 was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight. 74 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:22,200 So Jesus ascends into the cloud. Some say it's the Shekinah 75 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:23,720 glory. It doesn't say much there. 76 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:28,080 It just says clouds because what the Bible says in Matthew 24, 77 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,400 that Jesus will come back. Wow in the clouds. 78 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,480 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he 79 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:39,280 went up, behold, 2 men stood by them in white apparel. 80 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:43,400 These are angels in the appearance of men who also said, 81 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:49,320 Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? 82 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:51,120 Why? Why are you still looking up 83 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:57,440 into the sky? This same Jesus who was taken up 84 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:03,720 from you into heaven will come in like manner as you saw him go 85 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:05,840 into heaven. So in other words, the same 86 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:10,600 Jesus that went up, the same Jesus is coming back in the same 87 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:12,160 body. He's coming back. 88 00:06:18,890 --> 00:06:29,490 Jesus tells us, or Luke tells us that Jesus was seen over 40 days 89 00:06:29,570 --> 00:06:35,680 more than 10 times after his resurrection by the disciples. 90 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:41,480 But a change was coming, massive change for the disciples. 91 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:46,880 Jesus lived out the truth of what he taught. 92 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:50,720 He says He began both to do and to teach. 93 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:57,160 Now the word evangelism, when I mentioned that it often 94 00:06:57,160 --> 00:06:59,640 frightens many people, many people say, well, I could never 95 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,960 I try, you know, I, I and we always have this picture of us a 96 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:08,200 Christian talking to someone who's not a Christian and, and 97 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:10,440 saying, could I talk to you about Jesus? 98 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:11,520 And they go, no, you're an idiot. 99 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,240 Get away from me. And we have this, this, this 100 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,880 appearance, this, this feeling of we don't want to be rejected 101 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,640 or made out of fuel, correct? Yes. 102 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:22,360 That's why most of us don't do it. 103 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:26,600 We're very careful how we will, and I don't want to offend 104 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:28,760 somebody. And the devil has done a really 105 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:31,960 good job on us, hasn't he really set us up? 106 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:33,480 Because what's the opposite of fear? 107 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,280 Faith. But here's the thing really 108 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,680 quickly. The Bible doesn't tell us to be 109 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:44,880 concerned about the feelings someone has when we tell them 110 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:49,200 about Christ, nor does it tell us about the feelings we're to 111 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,200 have when we're sharing with someone about the gospel. 112 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:55,560 That's all to do with God, and that's all to do with that 113 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:59,320 person. You and I are not responsible to 114 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:03,120 react or to respond to how their feelings are. 115 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,600 Whether they reject it, don't like it, I don't care, get away 116 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:08,640 from me, you're an idiot or tell me more about it. 117 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:14,920 That's not our task. Our task is to tell them. 118 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:18,400 And you know when you make it down like that, when you break 119 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:22,040 it down in that way, if someone calls you an idiot, well, that's 120 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:24,480 fine. My task is done. 121 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:29,800 Where we fail and where the devil goes, we don't even tell 122 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,120 them. We don't even mention it. 123 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,720 Someone might say to you on Monday, what'd you do on the 124 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,360 weekend? That's a door by God. 125 00:08:38,799 --> 00:08:40,640 Went to church. You what? 126 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:43,559 Went to church? Actually, it went twice. 127 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,480 Whoa. Twice. 128 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:50,360 Because they have no problems in them. 129 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,800 Oh man, I went to the pub. I don't know where I woke up. 130 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,600 They'll tell you. And they don't care about what 131 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:58,400 you say to them. You're an idiot. 132 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,320 Yeah, I don't care. They're not. 133 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,560 It's not that way. The devil has done a great smoke 134 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:07,040 job, particularly on the Australian culture of 135 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:12,280 Christians, where we are fearful to simply tell people about the 136 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:17,440 Bible, about Christ. That's why less and less and 137 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:22,680 less we have children who attend schools now who have never heard 138 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:28,800 of Jesus Christ, never heard his name except in swearing. 139 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:38,200 Evangelism is giving people the good news of the gospel. 140 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:43,320 It's telling people that God saves us from our sin. 141 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:49,640 So why does this scare so many and make us reticent? 142 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:58,160 As I said before, the fear factor is we're we're concerned 143 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:03,960 about how they'll respond to us. That's not our job. 144 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:13,600 That's not our concern. How they respond is their 145 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:18,960 concern, their situation. Leave it there. 146 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:26,240 Your task is to share the love of Christ, not to share it like 147 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,080 an idiot. And there's a lot of idiots 148 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:33,320 sharing the gospel and man, you don't want them going anywhere 149 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:36,840 near your family, do you? Because they're just going to 150 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:41,560 drive them away. You don't want some crazy, crazy 151 00:10:41,560 --> 00:10:45,760 person just just slamming them in some way that that that 152 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:51,000 drives them further from Christ. We're to be wise as serpents, 153 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:55,560 gentle as doves. How do you share the gospel? 154 00:10:55,880 --> 00:11:00,480 Just read the Gospels. Jesus tells us, and we're going 155 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:05,920 to learn here today. But when we share the gospel, 156 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:13,160 the particularly with people who know us, what backs up the truth 157 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:18,240 about what we share is a life that makes the message 158 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:25,120 believable. Then we're going to work working 159 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,600 for the public health department, working in the 160 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:32,840 health industry and turned up first day in this job site had 161 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:35,280 my Bible read it out lunch and they someone said yeah, and it 162 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:41,040 was just a lunch room for men. Are you what's the Bible? 163 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:44,560 And I said I'm a Christian. We had one of those. 164 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,800 He was the worst. He was the biggest bludger. 165 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:52,320 He took days off, he shirked everything. 166 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,360 He lied about this. So I hope you're not like him. 167 00:11:56,680 --> 00:12:00,920 Great witness, wasn't it? They knew he was a churchgoer 168 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,320 and they then related that to the next one that was going to 169 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:09,600 come along. You see, what we share is only 170 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:13,720 good news if it makes the message believable. 171 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:19,600 How is it made believable by a life that demonstrates God can 172 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:25,600 save a life from sin that he has changed us and that as I share 173 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,720 this with you, it's I'm sharing it with you because I'm no 174 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:32,120 longer the person who I used to be and you can see and watch my 175 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:38,240 life for proof back in Luke 24. Remember the two on the road to 176 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:42,120 a mass heartbroken Jesus is in the term buried. 177 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:45,880 They've heard the news. The women went to the tomb, said 178 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,640 Jesus tomb is empty and they reckon he's alive and we don't 179 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:50,440 know. They're on the road to a Mass 180 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:53,600 and Jesus turns up, says why are you unhappy? 181 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,120 Why are you sad? They tell them the story and 182 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:59,240 then Jesus gives them the greatest Bible study ever. 183 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,400 It says. Then he said to them, These are 184 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,120 the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that 185 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:08,440 all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of 186 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:12,000 Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me. 187 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,840 All the things that happened to Jesus were God's will and he 188 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:21,000 opened their understanding that they might comprehend the 189 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,840 scriptures. You can't just be a an 190 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:25,920 unbeliever and comprehend the scriptures. 191 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,280 You need the Spirit of God for you to be able to comprehend the 192 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,280 scriptures. You don't need the Jehovah 193 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:34,480 Witnesses, Book of Elders, group of elders to tell you what to 194 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,720 learn. Neither do you need a priest to 195 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:42,520 be able to go to God, but you do need the Spirit of God to be 196 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:44,400 able to discern the things of God. 197 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:48,320 Then Jesus said to them, Thus it is written. 198 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:52,080 And thus it was necessary for the for the Christ to suffer 199 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:56,440 rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and 200 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:59,920 remission of sins should be preached in His name. 201 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:06,120 Same deal to all nations beginning at Jerusalem and you 202 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,760 are witnesses. He mentions this word of these 203 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,640 things. Behold, I send the promise of my 204 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:19,040 Father upon you, but wait, tarry in the city of Jerusalem until 205 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:22,920 you are endured with power from on high. 206 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:30,520 That's back in Luke 24. Jesus said go to Jerusalem, 207 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:39,520 wait, don't do anything until you've received the promise of 208 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:44,640 my Father upon you. A change was coming, and this 209 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,520 change is also here and now for you and I. 210 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:52,400 Do you ever struggle with knowing exactly what it is that 211 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,280 God is leading and guiding you in? 212 00:14:55,720 --> 00:15:00,560 Yeah, I do. Don't worry, you're not alone. 213 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,280 The disciples were often in the same boat. 214 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:06,640 They they weren't sure what to do. 215 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:13,760 Back in John chapter 14 the night of Jesus betrayal, Jesus 216 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:18,560 told the disciples of the change that was coming and it was going 217 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:23,480 to be massive to the disciples. John 1412, he said most 218 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:27,920 assuredly, Jesus said, I say to you, he who believes in me, the 219 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:33,680 works that I do, He's going to do also, and greater works than 220 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:40,360 these He will do why? And here's the answer, because I 221 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,840 go to my Father, there's where he's headed for. 222 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:51,160 And whatever you ask in my name, when you pray that I will do 223 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:54,560 that, the Father may be glorified in the Son. 224 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,880 If you ask any anything in my name, I will do it. 225 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:05,560 And then Jesus promised another helper a change was coming. 226 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:11,520 Verse 15 If you love me, keep my commandments and I will pray the 227 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:19,920 Father, and He will give you another helper, that he that is 228 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,560 the helper may abide with you forever. 229 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,880 The spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive. 230 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,400 Why? Because it neither sees him nor 231 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:38,320 knows him, but you know him. Why? 232 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:42,720 For he dwells with you and will be in you. 233 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:49,240 He says, I will not leave you in the new King James, orphans in 234 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:51,760 the old King James. It's comfortless. 235 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:58,560 I will come to you. So the disciples hearing Jesus 236 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:03,000 say this, they're starting to freak out a little bit because 237 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,440 Jesus has been talking about dying, but they haven't really 238 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,920 computed that. And then on this night, the 239 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:13,280 night of his betrayal, the night of the Last Supper, he says to 240 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,400 them because he notices they're getting a bit twitchy. 241 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,920 Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also 242 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,440 in me, in my Father's house and many mansions. 243 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:31,360 If it were not so, I would have told you, I go, I'm going to 244 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:36,200 prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for 245 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:41,360 you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that 246 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:44,080 where I am, there you may be also. 247 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:47,800 So the disciples had been with Jesus three years. 248 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:52,720 I mean, this is a bonding. Peter had said you you're the 249 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:56,720 Christ, you're the son of God. They'd seen miracles, fed 250 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:00,160 thousands and carried the the the piles of food over. 251 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:04,000 We'd walked on water, calm the storms, calm the winds. 252 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:06,520 And now he's talking about leaving. 253 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:12,560 They're afraid because they thought they would be alone, 254 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:15,880 that Jesus was going to abandon them. 255 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:18,560 That was the two on the road to Emmaus. 256 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:23,080 What will we do without Jesus? They feared. 257 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:29,160 Yes, Jesus did tell them he was going away, but he would ask the 258 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:34,600 Father to give them another. I will pray the Father, and He 259 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:39,640 will give you another helper, Capital H, that he may abide 260 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:44,080 with you forever. This Helper, this Comforter will 261 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:48,400 come alongside you. King James, I will not leave you 262 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:53,480 comfortless. The word helper or comforter, 263 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:59,320 many of you know this in the Greek is 2 words para and 264 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:03,840 cletos. Para means alongside parallel 265 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:10,040 lines, parallel bars alongside cletos means called, He's 266 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:12,800 called. The Holy Spirit is called to 267 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:16,120 come alongside you. So you're not on your own. 268 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:20,360 This is great news, and wherever you are, whatever you're going 269 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:22,360 through, you are not on your own. 270 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:30,280 The Holy Spirit is God himself, the third person of the Trinity. 271 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:36,400 He is not merely a force or a power or an essence, as the 272 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,600 Jehovah Witnesses teach blasphemously, but a person. 273 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,800 The Holy Spirit can speak to you. 274 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,240 The Holy Spirit will allow you to speak to him. 275 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:53,280 The Holy Spirit can guide you. Paul, come here. 276 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:55,320 Don't go there. Go over here. 277 00:19:55,320 --> 00:20:01,600 The Holy Spirit can help you. The Holy Spirit can strengthen 278 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,880 you, and the Holy Spirit can teach you the truth of God. 279 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:08,080 You're reading through the word. You read a passage. 280 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,640 You read a passage and all of a sudden you go, huh. 281 00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:14,840 Yeah, I I know that. I've read that how many times. 282 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,960 That I know what that means. It's speaking to me right now. 283 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,080 That's the Holy Spirit speaking to you. 284 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:26,520 Jesus said that this massive change that is coming and in 285 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:30,800 Acts it does come. Jesus said this is a new way. 286 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:36,560 I want to add a clause to that. It's a new way, but it's not a 287 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:40,760 foreign way. Another comforter. 288 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:45,360 It's important I was sent he was sent another comforter. 289 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:53,960 The word another is the Greek word alos ALLOS and it means of 290 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:59,400 the same kind or equal quality. When Jesus stepped down out of 291 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:03,920 heaven, he thought it not what robbery to be equal with God. 292 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:11,040 The Holy Spirit is equal with God, and so it's not that Jesus 293 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,880 going away and what we're getting is something inferior, 294 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,520 something foreign. We're getting God, but we're 295 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:21,640 getting the Holy Spirit of God. The third part of the Trinity. 296 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:28,080 This is God's promise to his disciples after Jesus ascends, 297 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:32,680 but the promise and this is what I what I want you to grasp is 298 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:37,280 also wonderfully at the promise to each of you and I here this 299 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:45,440 morning, 2026 today because the church today has gone missing 300 00:21:48,360 --> 00:21:55,440 and the Holy Spirit like in the Book of Revelation, the Church 301 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:59,600 of Laodicea. We don't need God, man. 302 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,560 We got the best band, we got the best auditorium, we got the best 303 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:05,400 music, we got the best light show. 304 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:10,480 We got the best programmes Where was God didn't need him. 305 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:13,920 Jesus said, you think you're pretty good, don't you? 306 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:19,480 But in actual fact, you're poor, you're blind and you're naked. 307 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:27,000 And that's often when most of us, we're living in a Church of 308 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:31,600 Laodicea and God's outside our house, outside our marriage, 309 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:36,280 outside of our lives knocking. Gee, I'd love to come in and be 310 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:42,360 part of your life. Verse 4 Being assembled together 311 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:46,960 with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to 312 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,240 wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, you have 313 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:52,920 heard from me. Jesus would have read to them. 314 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:58,320 Joel chapter 2, verse 2829. Then in the coming days, visions 315 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,200 would come, the moving of the Holy Spirit would come. 316 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,600 For John truly baptised with water. 317 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:05,640 What was the baptism of water about? 318 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:09,480 It's about repentance. But now we're moving on from the 319 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:12,800 baptism of repentance. But you shall be baptised with 320 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,920 the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 321 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,120 John called it the baptism of fire. 322 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:22,520 But why wait? Why couldn't they? 323 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:24,880 Well, he's descended, they've been out before. 324 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:26,720 Why can't they just go off and do their thing? 325 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:33,280 Was this a command from Jesus? The command or statement was 326 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:37,240 don't do anything until the power of the Holy Spirit baptise 327 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:40,200 you. Why is this so important, you 328 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:44,840 ask? Why did Jesus say wait, stop? 329 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:52,120 Because Jesus knew you and I would achieve nothing that our 330 00:23:52,120 --> 00:23:56,200 living would be powerless, Paul says in Romans 7. 331 00:23:56,440 --> 00:24:02,840 He says in me that is in my flesh what dwells no good thing, 332 00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:10,360 man as a becoming a a husband, then becoming a father. 333 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,760 I tried, I tried doing those things in my own strength. 334 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,840 Dead set failure. Dead set failure. 335 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:28,520 Ask Helen, She'll tell you. It's sad when we try and do and 336 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:34,840 live the things that God wants us to live without him. 337 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:42,520 It's a mess and the more we touch it, the messier it gets. 338 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:48,640 Jesus said, but you shall receive power. 339 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:54,480 Greek word is dynamis, where we get our word dynamic, Dynamo, 340 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,200 dynamite. It's that sort of power. 341 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:02,080 When the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be 342 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:07,280 witnesses to me in Jerusalem days from now. 343 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:13,120 It's the power to live as a Christian. 344 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:22,360 It's a power that God places on you, that you and I need to 345 00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:25,160 reflect Christ. Otherwise we're a sham. 346 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:31,280 We reflect religiosity. We reflect that guy who went 347 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,840 there before me. He, he had the words and the 348 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:37,240 names, but he was a he was wrong. 349 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:41,760 It was a bad showing, a bad witness. 350 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:47,240 The word dynamis in the Greek means and refers to 1's ability 351 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:50,400 or capacity. He's a dynamic person. 352 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:54,480 It means being able. It means being capable of 353 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,720 something. If the task is to lift the great 354 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:03,480 weights, the ability that's needed is strength. 355 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:08,960 If the task is to defeat an army, the capacity is that of a 356 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:15,360 seasoned general. The Lord promises that the 357 00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:19,000 dynamic power of the Holy Spirit is indefinite. 358 00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:24,600 It is to help you in every area of your life. 359 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,880 We're asked at Bible college, what's the best gift? 360 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:32,520 You know what the best gift is. It's the gift you need at the 361 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:35,560 time. If your car's broken down and a 362 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:39,360 brick layer turns up and he looks in the bonnet, I know what 363 00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:40,440 I'm looking at. I'm a bricklayer. 364 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:42,640 That's not the best gift. I can build you out. 365 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:44,000 I don't need you to build me house. 366 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,680 I need you to get the car going. It's the best gift. 367 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:51,640 And this is where in our lives, in our everyday lives, in our 368 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:55,720 relationships and our parenting and our going about our work, we 369 00:26:55,720 --> 00:27:00,960 need God to give us the gifting at that every time and turn in 370 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:03,800 our in the moments of our lives when we go into a meeting. 371 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:07,960 God help me to keep my mouth shut, ears going. 372 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:12,600 Help me be to to be wise. When I used to have to knock on 373 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:16,200 doors as a chaplain with the police and my job was when 374 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:20,520 someone died was to go to the door of the house, knock on the 375 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:24,520 door and tell them the person they're trying to ring the 376 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,160 person they know is not around is they're dead. 377 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:32,360 There's no, there's no, there's no I'm here to just talk about, 378 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,360 you know, just sort of drop by you. 379 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:39,080 You have to get the words out. And each time we prayed, we came 380 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:43,200 up upon different people from different backgrounds, different 381 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:45,320 cultures. We didn't know what they were 382 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,640 going to do. Some people ran and screamed 383 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,920 down the street. Some people tried to assault us. 384 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:56,000 Some people just fainted. Some people just said no, no, I 385 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:56,560 can't. I'm not. 386 00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:58,480 I'm not believing. I ran away and ran away and did. 387 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:02,520 Some people screamed as we, we as we're walking up to the door. 388 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:07,040 And so each time as we're driving now, I'd say God give us 389 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:13,040 the wisdom to share with these people the worst news of their 390 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:14,800 life. Then to stay with them. 391 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:20,800 You need the power of the Holy Spirit to live in this world. 392 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:25,840 You need the power of the Holy Spirit to be a mother, a father, 393 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:29,960 a husband, a wife, a son, a daughter. 394 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:38,400 The command was to stay, but the statement was for this, and you 395 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:43,560 shall be witnesses. It's a statement of fact, not so 396 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:49,440 much a command. You shall be witnesses of me. 397 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:55,000 Jesus was not recommending that they become witnesses. 398 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:01,240 No, He said they would be witnesses. 399 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,080 Notice Jesus did not say you were witness. 400 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:10,960 Now he said you'll be witnesses, but if you want to be witnesses, 401 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:14,120 we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. 402 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:18,240 Far greater important than the best seminary course on 403 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:21,080 evangelism is the filling of the Holy Spirit. 404 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:25,080 The word baptised, by the way, in the Greek is the word 405 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,600 baptizo. It means to dip repeatedly. 406 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:34,040 It means to immerse, it means to submerge, it means when a ship 407 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:37,480 has sunken. For a good demonstration of what 408 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:41,760 baptism really is, when you get a garment and you diet, you get 409 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:45,320 the dye in a bowl and you dip the garment completely in the 410 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:49,960 dye. So the disciples understood the 411 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:54,520 word baptism, and so they understood how the Holy Spirit 412 00:29:54,520 --> 00:30:00,880 was to envelope every air of their life, immerse every area 413 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:04,200 of their life, Jesus referring back to John the Baptist fully 414 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,760 immersing people in the waters of the Jordan. 415 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:11,320 So the disciples were to be immersed in the Holy Spirit 416 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,920 completely, all of them, every part of them but six. 417 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:18,440 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked saying, 418 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:21,160 Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel? 419 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:24,680 And he said to them, it's not for you to know times or seasons 420 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:28,080 which the Father has put in his own authority, but you shall 421 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:32,840 receive power. You see, God's timing is with 422 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:37,400 the Father on the end times. Now you and I, we've studied 423 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:40,360 through the end times recently, and we know by the book of 424 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:43,640 Daniel, the book of Zechariah, the Book of Revelation, the 425 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:45,640 timing. We're living in the last days. 426 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:48,760 I'm waiting to see what's going to happen in world events. 427 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:52,960 There are warships everywhere. Iran. 428 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:57,040 What are they going to do? You watch. 429 00:30:57,960 --> 00:30:59,720 They're not going to take people protesting. 430 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:06,400 Trump has said. You go too, too crazy. 431 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:12,200 We're on Europe, meanwhile, are gone. 432 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:14,040 What do we do? What do we do? 433 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:18,040 Russia's there, America's there. China's over there. 434 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:20,240 Thailand, what do we do? What do we do? 435 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:23,840 They do nothing because they're scared of starting World War 436 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:27,560 Three in Europe. It's already bubbling away in 437 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:35,600 between Ukraine and Russia 2023. The birth pangs are happening, 438 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:39,200 wars and rumours of war, they're getting closer and more 439 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:44,120 repeated. Jesus said you shall be 440 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:47,840 witnesses to me. This is God's will for your 441 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:49,600 life. This is God's will for you. 442 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:53,920 In 2026 we had to take this witness where? 443 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,400 To the world. The book of Acts is the account 444 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:01,080 of the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the church. 445 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:05,240 It was to witness to the world of Jesus Christ. 446 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:10,640 It was to reveal and display a new way of righteous living in 447 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:15,320 the power of the Holy Spirit, never seen before, not being 448 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:19,080 pulled by the ways and the gods and the appetites of the world 449 00:32:19,480 --> 00:32:24,120 under Satan's influence. And so they were to continue on 450 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:27,560 all that Jesus began to do and teach. 451 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:32,240 The power of the Church of believers in the Body of Christ 452 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:37,480 comes from the Holy Spirit and not from mankind, not from 453 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:40,880 humanity, not from the great preachers and people who have 454 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,920 these great ministries and things that they want to, you 455 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:48,880 know, elevate themselves. No, the power of the church is 456 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:50,280 through the power of the Holy Spirit. 457 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:54,840 The Bible tells us that Zechariah, chapter 4, verse 6, 458 00:32:55,320 --> 00:33:04,800 this is the word of the Lord God says, not by might nor by power, 459 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:08,720 but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 460 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,720 That's how it works. The Holy Spirit working 461 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:18,200 throughout our lives gives each of us repeated feelings. 462 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:21,920 Oh, I was filled with the Spirit back in the 1936 revival. 463 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:23,640 Yeah. And you're still back in the 464 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:27,040 1936 revival and you're still a grumpy old man. 465 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:34,440 No, you need to be filled during the day, every day, every 466 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,040 moment, every new turn, every new twist, when something comes, 467 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:41,040 when someone cuts you off on the freeway and you're about to 468 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:43,640 erupt and drive after them. You know, God help me. 469 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:46,000 Please refresh me. Bring me. 470 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:52,120 Oh, you need that. The Holy Spirit in the body of 471 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:58,120 Christ enables, empowers ordinary people to be able to do 472 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:02,720 extraordinary things because the Holy Spirit is at work in their 473 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:06,240 lives. We will face new opportunities 474 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:10,560 and new obstacles. The Holy Spirit is not a luxury. 475 00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:12,679 Well, that's just for the Pentecostal churches. 476 00:34:13,199 --> 00:34:16,719 Charismatics. Nah, it's for the disciples. 477 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:21,880 It's for every believer. The Holy Spirit is an absolute 478 00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:26,360 necessity for every man, woman. And here's the other thing, your 479 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:30,679 kids, it's not like I'll wait till they get a hold. 480 00:34:30,679 --> 00:34:35,719 I'll tell them no. Your kids, your kids need the 481 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:40,159 work of the Holy Spirit in their lives now, whether they're 6 or 482 00:34:40,159 --> 00:34:45,600 16. What does that actually mean? 483 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:49,560 Witness. The word is found 29 times as a 484 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:51,920 verb or a noun in the book of Acts. 485 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:55,480 But what is a witness? It is someone who tells the 486 00:34:55,480 --> 00:35:01,240 truth of what he or she has seen and heard and knows. 487 00:35:02,160 --> 00:35:05,800 Peter and John were brought before the religious leaders 488 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:11,280 after Jesus has ascended. Later in Acts chapter 4, they're 489 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:13,120 threatened with physical punishment. 490 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:16,640 You got to shut up about talking about Jesus. 491 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:21,680 No, no, no, more of this. And their response is whether 492 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:25,080 it's right on the side of God to listen to you more than God you 493 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,720 judge. For we cannot but speak the 494 00:35:28,720 --> 00:35:32,840 things which we have seen and heard. 495 00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:36,480 They just tell them what they've seen and heard. 496 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:39,440 We're witnesses. We witness these things. 497 00:35:39,960 --> 00:35:43,720 If you ever find yourself in a court of war as a witness, the 498 00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:48,640 judge or magistrate is not interested in your ideas, not 499 00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:52,680 interested in your opinion. The judge only wants to hear, 500 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:57,880 Tell me what you saw, tell me what you heard. 501 00:35:58,400 --> 00:35:59,480 Don't tell me about anything else. 502 00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:00,880 Tell me what you saw or what you heard. 503 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:06,200 Our English word martyr comes from the Greek word translated 504 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:08,640 witness. Actually, if you were called out 505 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:12,040 to be a witness in the old days, you are a martyr. 506 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:14,600 You're a martyr. Yeah, I've been called up. 507 00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:18,960 Got to go to court. It means witness now. 508 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:24,360 So many Christians, however, have sealed their witness to 509 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:29,720 Christ with their blood, their death, that they their blood has 510 00:36:29,720 --> 00:36:33,760 become the seed of the church as many were drawn to faith in 511 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:39,160 Christ by observing how calmly and joyously Christians, 512 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:44,800 particularly under the Roman rule, met their death refusing 513 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,800 to obey the Lord. Just got to sprinkle that little 514 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:50,600 bit of incense to say Caesar's Lord, I can't do that. 515 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:53,080 Just got to you just got to sprinkle that just that's all 516 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:55,600 and go about your business. What if we just do it in in the 517 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:57,480 quiet? If I just you just sprinkle out. 518 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,800 I can't do that. It's all that you'll die and all 519 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:03,600 your kids will die. How would you go with that? 520 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:09,640 Today the police turned up you Christian. 521 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:15,120 Well, it's against the law. If you just sprinkle the thing 522 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:19,240 and say you know, you'll honour the new country of Australia and 523 00:37:19,240 --> 00:37:22,200 sprinkle the incense, you're good, We'll we'll walk away. 524 00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:24,920 But you got to deny Christ. What would you do? 525 00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:33,680 You see in the book Revelation, during the Tribulation period, 526 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:38,640 the Antichrist will demand worship, demand you receive the 527 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:40,800 mark on your hand or up on your forehead. 528 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,000 And many millions of people will come to Christ during the 529 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,400 Tribulation period. Revelation 12/11 And they 530 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:51,760 overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their 531 00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:55,200 testimony, witness. And they did not love their 532 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:57,440 lives to the death. They died. 533 00:37:57,680 --> 00:37:58,960 They're going to die for their faith. 534 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:05,040 As we read Acts 1/8, it is here. Many churchgoers then switch off 535 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:08,440 about witnessing, listen carefully about soul winning. 536 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:12,360 We hear much about it, and it is a good thing to have a solid 537 00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:15,520 emphasis on winning souls to Christ by witnessing. 538 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:21,000 Yes, but while some gods of God's people, he has called to 539 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:26,160 the very ministry of evangelism, in particular Visions 411 and he 540 00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:28,440 himself gave Son to the apostles, some prophets, some 541 00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:32,480 evangelists, some pastors and teachers, all of God's people. 542 00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:36,760 So we're not out of it. Each one of us are expected to 543 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:42,960 be witnesses by how we live each day and tell the lost about our 544 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:46,640 Saviour Jesus, who desires to be their Saviour too. 545 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:51,560 Proverbs 1425. A true witness delivers souls. 546 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:57,200 We are all witnesses, a matter we did not choose, but we are 547 00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:00,440 all men. That's all we all are. 548 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:04,680 And the only question is how effective is my witness? 549 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:07,520 How many have you been at work? It's happened to me and someone 550 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:09,480 says you know something, Oh, I'm a Christian too. 551 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:14,120 And I went really been working with them for like 10 years. 552 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,800 No iota. Oh, I am a Christian. 553 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:24,720 Oh, it's news to me because they have no witness. 554 00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:29,960 John 316 For God so loved the world that he gave his only 555 00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:33,000 begotten Son, that whoever believes him should not perish, 556 00:39:33,240 --> 00:39:37,240 but have everlasting life. Now not every Christian can 557 00:39:37,240 --> 00:39:39,440 bring a Sinner to the place of faith. 558 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:43,440 We desire to see them make a decision for Christ. 559 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:45,760 But we could all do more, couldn't we? 560 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:53,480 But every Christian Christian can be a faithful witness to our 561 00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:58,600 Saviour Jesus Christ. Acts 18 gives us the geography 562 00:39:59,720 --> 00:40:03,920 laid out for the spreading of the gospel, Jerusalem, Judea, 563 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:06,560 Samaria, uttermost parts of the world. 564 00:40:07,720 --> 00:40:13,520 No matter who we are or where we live as Christians, and this is 565 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:19,200 important because I've seen this so skewed at many places, we are 566 00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:26,920 to begin our witness where home. Too often, and particularly in 567 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:30,680 the Australian culture, we've kept our mess at home and we've 568 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:34,240 gone off to church. We've served in church, we've 569 00:40:34,240 --> 00:40:37,360 done this, we've done that. Meanwhile, back at home, we have 570 00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:41,840 a mission field that is in disarray, unattended, not being 571 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:48,120 cared for by us. It happens often. 572 00:40:49,840 --> 00:40:54,280 So the church in a family and a marriage becomes, oh, she's off 573 00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:56,840 the church again. He's off the church again. 574 00:40:57,320 --> 00:41:00,880 And it becomes a divisive thing. You go, well, say, well, how do 575 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:03,920 we fix that? Well, if your husband or your 576 00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:07,040 wife isn't going to church and you are, when you come home from 577 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:14,720 church, love him more, love her more, be more gracious so that 578 00:41:14,720 --> 00:41:18,200 every time she or he comes home from church, I love it. 579 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:20,120 You know what? Because she cooks favourite 580 00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:23,640 meal, man, when she I love it when she comes home from church. 581 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:27,360 She's amazing. He's so kind. 582 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:31,200 He, he, he, he goes out of his way out, go to church more. 583 00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:36,400 But what happens is it's it's usually the opposite. 584 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:40,520 We check out when we walk out. Here we go again. 585 00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:41,600 Yeah, yeah. What do you want? 586 00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:48,680 And, and we, our witnesses shot the pieces and we wonder why we 587 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:53,640 aren't winning people to Christ. Your witness begins at home. 588 00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:55,760 Don't look off in the far off land. 589 00:41:55,760 --> 00:41:57,600 Don't look to the outermost parts of the earth. 590 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:05,480 Yet Doctor J Oswald Smith says the light that shines the 591 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:08,880 furthest will shine the brightest at home. 592 00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:14,520 The power Jesus spoke of is the power to live in such a way that 593 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:17,560 your life becomes a reflection of him. 594 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:19,400 I am the light, you're the light. 595 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:25,000 This is what it means to be a witness in Antioch. 596 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:29,480 The first believers to be called Christians by others was there 597 00:42:29,480 --> 00:42:34,320 because they were like Jesus. They did not place this term 598 00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:38,880 upon themselves as we do today, but they earn this label of 599 00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:42,440 identification because people said they're like that Rabbi 600 00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:45,920 Christ, They're little Christs, they're Christians. 601 00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:52,440 It was a term of derision. God's desires that our lives, 602 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:56,040 yours and mine, will reflect his Son, Jesus Christ. 603 00:42:56,800 --> 00:43:01,480 But we can't do this in our own ability or power, try as you 604 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:04,120 may. And we all have, and we have all 605 00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:08,640 failed in our flesh. Apart from the power of the Holy 606 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:14,440 Spirit, we cannot forgive. I mean, dads and mums, how often 607 00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:17,640 we've heard terrible Father stories and terrible abuse at 608 00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:19,040 home. You go, well, I can never 609 00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:20,400 forgive. No, you can't. 610 00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:28,200 I understand that. But the Holy Spirit can give you 611 00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:30,480 the power to do something that you can't do. 612 00:43:31,200 --> 00:43:35,400 When Jesus was being crucified on the cross, he said, Father 613 00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:42,040 forgive them. That's Christ like we cannot 614 00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:45,040 love you say Oh well, I know I do. 615 00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:46,120 I love my husband, I love my kid. 616 00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:55,120 Love as one Corinthians 13 where it says you expect nothing in 617 00:43:55,120 --> 00:43:57,400 return. Well, I'll love you when you and 618 00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:04,160 I'll be when you No, no, no. Christ died for us while we were 619 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:08,480 what, sinners, while we didn't care about him. 620 00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:18,520 I remember we were driving along Rockingham Rd. 621 00:44:19,160 --> 00:44:23,640 This motorcyclist came past hell and I flipped out. 622 00:44:23,640 --> 00:44:28,320 Revision mirror took off his tunnel 8090 miles an hour. 623 00:44:28,320 --> 00:44:31,200 He's drunk, coming out of the pub, screaming down the road, 624 00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:34,920 going faster and faster. And then he got to the corner of 625 00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:40,240 the lights of Rockingham Rd and I think it's Carrington St and 626 00:44:40,240 --> 00:44:42,560 he's not slowing down and the lights have changed and he's 627 00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:46,000 going, he's doing 100. And while now, next minute speed 628 00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:49,640 wobble comes up, over and over and over and over he goes. 629 00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:53,560 We're the first there. He's on the ground, he's 630 00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:58,640 unconscious, he's bleeding profusely from his head. 631 00:44:59,960 --> 00:45:04,600 What does Helen do? Gets out, goes to him, a drunk 632 00:45:05,040 --> 00:45:09,200 bikey done this to himself. Picks up his head, cradles his 633 00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:13,160 head, stays there with him until the ambulance comes. 634 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:23,680 I couldn't do that. But God in Helen did that. 635 00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:30,120 Covered in blood this guy deserved did he? 636 00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:33,560 It's his own fault. Drunk driving fast. 637 00:45:34,280 --> 00:45:38,560 Come on, you see, Christ comes to those who don't deserve it. 638 00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:42,880 And that's where the power of the church is. 639 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:54,440 Five outlets of Christ's power. One, your life when you're 640 00:45:54,440 --> 00:45:58,760 walking in the Spirit, walking with the Lord as John, as John 641 00:45:58,760 --> 00:46:01,600 the Apostle said, he says 1 John 17. 642 00:46:01,600 --> 00:46:05,320 If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship 643 00:46:05,320 --> 00:46:09,080 with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses 644 00:46:09,080 --> 00:46:13,160 us from all sin. You may not even be conscious of 645 00:46:13,160 --> 00:46:17,800 it, but people recognise that there's a difference between you 646 00:46:17,800 --> 00:46:19,960 and the worldly person. You haven't opened your mouth, 647 00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:22,640 haven't said a word. You've been in a restaurant. 648 00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:24,680 So I says you're, you're a Christian. 649 00:46:27,160 --> 00:46:30,400 Are you a believer? It's your very presence. 650 00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:34,160 Secondly, your words. The Holy Spirit can use your 651 00:46:34,160 --> 00:46:37,240 words to minister comfort, hope and encouragement, healing and 652 00:46:37,240 --> 00:46:41,280 strength like nobody else. When your words are anointed by 653 00:46:41,280 --> 00:46:46,560 the Holy Spirit, you can speak powerful, tenderly, you can 654 00:46:46,560 --> 00:46:51,680 touch the hearts of around you. You can say to someone, would 655 00:46:51,680 --> 00:46:57,000 you like me to pray for you? And they hear the genuineness of 656 00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:00,960 God. Your service. 657 00:47:02,200 --> 00:47:05,880 We're saved to serve, led by the Holy Spirit. 658 00:47:05,880 --> 00:47:09,040 What you do for the Lord can have such an impact on the lives 659 00:47:09,040 --> 00:47:11,760 of others. Jesus said you'll receive a 660 00:47:11,760 --> 00:47:17,120 reward for anything from your hospitality to a prophet to 661 00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:19,520 giving a cup of water in the name of the Lord. 662 00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:25,000 As you serve the Lord, it becomes an outlet of spiritual 663 00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:29,680 power to minister to others your money. 664 00:47:30,960 --> 00:47:35,040 Money is the closest thing to omnipotence, having power that 665 00:47:35,040 --> 00:47:40,080 you can possess, but it is also the most impotent thing you can 666 00:47:40,080 --> 00:47:44,000 spend on yourself. The money you release for the 667 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:47,920 purpose of God can become an outlet of spiritual power. 668 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:52,480 When Paul wrote to the Church of Philippi, which had personally 669 00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:56,120 supported Paul's ministry, he said, Not that I seek the gift, 670 00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:59,760 but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 671 00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:05,880 Lastly, your prayer, by far the greatest outlet of spiritual 672 00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:08,600 power is prayer. Why? 673 00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:11,720 Because it is done in the spiritual realm. 674 00:48:11,920 --> 00:48:15,160 We can't all go into any intensive care room, can we? 675 00:48:17,080 --> 00:48:19,800 We can't all go in and hold that person's hand during the 676 00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:25,960 surgery. But you see, we're not limited 677 00:48:27,080 --> 00:48:30,200 when you pray. By the power of the Holy Spirit, 678 00:48:31,720 --> 00:48:36,960 we can do more than pray after we've prayed, but we cannot do 679 00:48:36,960 --> 00:48:40,120 any more than pray until we have prayed. 680 00:48:41,520 --> 00:48:46,400 So Jesus ascended into heaven. As we close this off and as the 681 00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:53,440 disciples were looking up, the Angel said, hey, come on. 682 00:48:56,280 --> 00:49:00,840 The word looking or gazing in the Greek is a long gaze, as if 683 00:49:00,840 --> 00:49:05,480 losing someone you know, they look till the last moment. 684 00:49:07,840 --> 00:49:10,360 The disciples are mildly rebuked here. 685 00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:17,960 They weren't losing Jesus as they feared in Zechariah 14 for 686 00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:25,880 the place where Jesus ascended. We go there in Israel is the 687 00:49:25,880 --> 00:49:29,360 place where his feet are going to come back because in 688 00:49:29,360 --> 00:49:32,680 Zechariah 14 four and in that day his feet will stand on the 689 00:49:32,680 --> 00:49:38,080 Mount of Olives which faces Jerusalem on the east and the 690 00:49:38,080 --> 00:49:40,080 Mount of Olives shall split in two. 691 00:49:40,640 --> 00:49:44,360 So why did Jesus ascend this very public manner? 692 00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:46,520 You know what, why did, what was it? 693 00:49:46,560 --> 00:49:48,920 Did they have the music going on and all that was an effect. 694 00:49:49,880 --> 00:49:54,080 Why didn't he just vanish into the Father's presence, just in a 695 00:49:54,080 --> 00:49:56,800 private secret manner. Just I'm not here anymore going 696 00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:02,520 to show them. One, he was going away for good, 697 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:07,320 but two, he's coming back the same way. 698 00:50:08,920 --> 00:50:14,720 And one, to tell them change has come. 699 00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:21,360 I'm leaving, but he's coming. It is to your advantage, John 700 00:50:21,360 --> 00:50:26,240 16, that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not 701 00:50:26,240 --> 00:50:28,960 come to you. But if I depart, I will send him 702 00:50:28,960 --> 00:50:35,160 to you. Change has come. 703 00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:40,480 I want to ask some questions as we close. 704 00:50:41,760 --> 00:50:45,920 Has that change come to your life or are you still struggling 705 00:50:46,120 --> 00:50:50,280 yourself? This is where grace comes into 706 00:50:50,280 --> 00:50:51,240 it. Grace and peace. 707 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:54,240 See, if you're struggling, you don't have the grace and peace 708 00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:56,160 because you're doing it yourself. 709 00:50:56,160 --> 00:50:59,400 You're working hard and grace is getting what you don't deserve. 710 00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:01,120 And peace comes with the grace you go. 711 00:51:01,560 --> 00:51:02,960 I know well, the Lord will sort it out. 712 00:51:03,720 --> 00:51:07,920 I've surrendered God. Does your daily life reflect 713 00:51:07,920 --> 00:51:12,240 Jesus Christ? Does the power of the Holy 714 00:51:12,240 --> 00:51:17,680 Spirit control you? There are too many powerless 715 00:51:17,680 --> 00:51:23,360 believers coming and going to church, their life dull, robotic 716 00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:26,320 and impacting no one and nothing. 717 00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:33,680 Their marriage is a struggle. Their kids are confused and have 718 00:51:33,680 --> 00:51:36,080 no purpose or direction for their lives. 719 00:51:37,960 --> 00:51:40,920 Today. God says change can come. 720 00:51:42,080 --> 00:51:54,000 How today, right now, how? Ask God to fill you, Ask God to 721 00:51:54,000 --> 00:52:00,280 fill you with his power. Ask God, God, I surrender. 722 00:52:01,560 --> 00:52:09,200 Flood my soul with your love and your grace. 723 00:52:10,440 --> 00:52:13,600 When Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness 724 00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:18,080 to face Satan, I pray this morning that the Holy Spirit 725 00:52:18,920 --> 00:52:23,400 will drive you to him, that you'll be driven from today to 726 00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:25,960 spend time with God. You want to spend time with God. 727 00:52:27,280 --> 00:52:31,200 That you'll be driven by a hunger and a passion, not have 728 00:52:31,200 --> 00:52:33,680 to read the word. You want to read the Bible. 729 00:52:33,680 --> 00:52:35,280 You know you want God to speak to you. 730 00:52:35,280 --> 00:52:37,800 God, I need help. Give me a give me a scripture. 731 00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:42,400 Guide me. Speak to me, help me, give me, 732 00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:45,680 help me in this situation, give me a word that I can live and I 733 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:49,480 can I can share with this in this dramatic situation. 734 00:52:49,680 --> 00:52:55,880 I need a word from you and to drive you to live righteously, 735 00:52:57,160 --> 00:53:07,360 powerfully, to be his witness. It's not biotherapy, it's simply 736 00:53:08,280 --> 00:53:13,080 asking. Let's pray, Father, right now 737 00:53:14,320 --> 00:53:23,240 where we're seated, fill each person here today. 738 00:53:24,600 --> 00:53:30,560 Fill them with your Holy Spirit as they ask for it in those 739 00:53:30,560 --> 00:53:36,880 areas, in those relationships, in those situations, for the 740 00:53:36,880 --> 00:53:39,960 problem that they're facing, the things that they're going 741 00:53:39,960 --> 00:53:45,720 through, ask them. Fill them now, Lord, drive them 742 00:53:45,720 --> 00:53:47,240 to your word. Drive them. 743 00:53:48,360 --> 00:53:55,720 Oh, to you, Lord. Lord, fill their lives today so 744 00:53:55,720 --> 00:53:57,720 that their marriage can be blessed. 745 00:53:58,880 --> 00:54:02,240 Fill them with your Holy Spirit afresh right now so that they 746 00:54:02,240 --> 00:54:04,480 can be a better father, a better mother. 747 00:54:06,520 --> 00:54:11,560 Oh Lord, and fill each and every one of us that we may be the 748 00:54:11,560 --> 00:54:19,200 witness that reflects the true Jesus Christ, the Son of God who 749 00:54:19,200 --> 00:54:24,040 came to save the world. Lord, we ask and pray these 750 00:54:24,040 --> 00:54:28,200 things now believing your word that you'll answer them and this 751 00:54:28,200 --> 00:54:31,440 we pray in Jesus name and everyone said Amen. 752 00:54:33,240 --> 00:54:36,360 Here's the tricky bit. Tricky for here. 753 00:54:40,160 --> 00:54:47,240 Ask Believe. This isn't a school. 754 00:54:47,240 --> 00:54:51,360 This isn't an education process. This isn't a system. 755 00:54:52,240 --> 00:54:59,720 It's God ministering to you personally that which you need. 756 00:55:00,200 --> 00:55:04,120 Believe he does. It's miraculous. 757 00:55:05,160 --> 00:55:06,600 It's miraculous power.