1. Love GOD 2. Love your Neighbor!

1. Love GOD
2. Love your Neighbor!
Jesus is the Reason
for the Season!
Merry CHRISTmas from http://www.GOD-N-you.co/

May your Hearts be filled with JOY
J = Jesus (1st)
O = Others (2nd)
Y = Yourself (Last)

When you truly know LOVE
you will be changed

Lakeland CHRISTmas Parade

Did you hear the news?
The city of Lakeland is having their CHRISTmas Celebration Parade tonight in downtown Lakeland. Come Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men!
Honk for Jesus

For GOD so Loved the World

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Did you Know?

Come, Follow Me

Matthew 4:17-20 AMP

From that time Jesus began to preach, crying out, Repent (change your mind for the better, heartily amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. As He was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, throwing a dragnet into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them, Come after Me [as disciples–letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men! At once they left their nets and became His disciples [sided with His party and followed Him].

Do you Know? Are you sure?

Daniel provided multiple Scripture passages as evidence of our security in Jesus Christ.

    John 3:16
John 3:16
New King James Version (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
    Ephesians 1:13-14
Ephesians 1:13-14
Amplified Bible (AMP)
13 In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit.
14 That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.
    Romans 8:38-39
Romans 8:38-39
I AMplified Bible (AMP)
38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things [a]impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    Philippians 1:6
Philippians 1:6
Amplified Bible (AMP)
6 And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.
    1 Peter 1:3-5
1 Peter 1:3-5
New King James Version (NKJV)
A Heavenly Inheritance

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
    Hebrews 7:25
Hebrews 7:25
Amplified Bible (AMP)
25 Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them.
    Hebrews 13:5
Hebrews 13:5
Amplified Bible (AMP)
5 Let your [a]character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] [b]Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor [c]give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [d][I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor [e]let [you] down ([f]relax My hold on you)! [[g]Assuredly not!]
    Jude 1
Jude 1
New King James Version (NKJV)
Greeting to the Called

1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,

To those who are called, sanctified[a] by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Contend for the Faith

3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God[b] and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Old and New Apostates

5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

Apostates Depraved and Doomed

12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about[c] by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Apostates Predicted

16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

Maintain Your Life with God

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction;[d] 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire,[e] hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Glory to God

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you[f] from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior,[g]
Who alone is wise,[h]
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,[i]
Both now and forever.
Amen.
    Hebrews 12:23
Hebrews 12:23
Amplified Bible (AMP)
23 And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect,
    1 John 3:19-21
1 John 3:19-21
Amplified Bible (AMP)
19 By this we shall come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we are of the Truth, and can reassure (quiet, conciliate, and pacify) our hearts in His presence,
20 Whenever our hearts in [[a]tormenting] self-accusation make us feel guilty and condemn us. [For [b]we are in God’s hands.] For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows (perceives and understands) everything [nothing is hidden from Him].
21 And, beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us [if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us], we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God,


John 10:27-28 ~ "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand . . . . "

How confident are you of your eternal security?

A Great night of Evangelizing!

Wow what a great night it was on the streets tonight as we Spread the WORD at the corner of Daughtery Road and US 98 North from around 5:45 to 7:30. Again I spoke of LOVE for it is the Key and LOVE will bring you Victory! It's All about LOVE! Several people stopped to ask questions and say hello and some even bough us nice cold bottles of water. The best thing was a little girl and her mom I met several months ago at a Perry Stone conference at Victory Church Lakeland Florida. They were the ones that brought us bottles of water although a good friend from First Baptist Church at the Mall - Wingman stopped by first and asked if we needed anything to drink and I told him we had just started and weren't that thirsty yet. There was a lady came up to me and asked a great question "What if your neighbor is Muslim, would you Love them?", and I said yes! However I did add that I would try to convert them to Christianity Because they need to know Jesus as a Savior and his Love for them instead of just being a Prophet. There are many Prophets and a lot of them are False! There are people who do have a Gift of Prophecy from GOD just like Salvation is a gift and we are Saved by Grace not of works, but I do believe what it says in the Holy Bible, Faith without works is dead and I don't want to be dead do you? Jesus is the ONLY Way, Truth and Life no one Comes to the Father except through acceptance of Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior. When I'm out on the streets one of my scriptures I quote is John 3:16 which reads "For GOD so Loved the World He Gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever BELIEVES will not Perish but have Everlasting Life! That's right all you have to do is call upon the LORD and you Shall Be SAVED as stated in Romans 10:13 ! ! !
The key to Life is Love and what is in your heart right now!

If you believe right now that Jesus is your LORD and Savior call out to him and be set Free!
That's it you are a Child of the One True King,
Your saved!
Congratulations and welcome to the Family of GOD!

For more details visit my website:
http://www.GOD-N-YOU.co

Blessings and may Peace Be with You!

God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood

Never Forget #911 9/11/01

To China with LOVE!

To China with LOVE!

Hello Russia with LOVE!

To Russia with LOVE!

Russian Gospel Soul Winning Script

Russian Gospel Soul Winning Script

 

Clearwater Beach Florida

I'm praying for the City of Clearwater, Florida this morning after a very unusual day yesterday evangelizing at Clearwater Beach Florida were I spoke in LOVE as normal I told the people to do two things 1 LOVE GOD & 2 LOVE their Neighbor! It's ALL about LOVE and I asked them what's in their heart today? I met some very nice people such as Angela and Shane and got confirmation and appreciation as we walked on the water edge down at the beach and even at the Roundabout where we spent most of the day. I'm praying that people would come forth and be a witness to the Hit and Run of a bicycle built for 2 around 9 am on route 60 and I would pray that people drive slower in that area and car stereos with mega-watts shall not blare vulgar noise when we can't use a small 20-40 watt personal PA system to enhance the WORD of GOD ! People need the LORD and more so they need to hear the WORD of GOD .

Jesus Christ came not to Kill, Steal and Destroy but so that you would have Life More Abundantly.

Jesus Christ came to show us how to Live and LOVE! Not condemning us of SIN.

#GOD #LOVE #CLEARWATER #WORD #LOVE #HITANDRUN  #CLEARWATERBEACH #bicycle

http://www.GOD-N-YOU.co
& http://www.GOD-N-YOU.com

English Gospel Soul Winning Script

English Gospel Soul Winning Script

German Soul Winning Script

Weisst Du, dass Gott dich liebt, und dass er einen wunderbaren Plan für Dein Leben hat? Ich habe eine ganz kurze, aber wichtige Frage für Dich: Wenn Du in diesem Augenblick sterben würdest, wüsstest Du hundertprozentig,- ohne irgendeinen Zweifel, dass Du in den Himmel gehen würdest ?
[Wenn „Ja“ – „Großartig, warum bist Du Dir so sicher?“ (Wenn sie mit etwas anderem antworten als „Ich habe Jesus in meinem Herzen“ oder etwas ähnlichem, dann FAHRE MIT DEN ERFRISCHENDEN NACHRICHTEN FORT), oder „Nein“ oder „ich hoffe es“, FAHRE MIT DEN ERFRISCHENDEN NACHRICHTEN FORT].
Ich will Dir kurz vorlesen, was die Bibel dazu sagt: “Denn alle haben gesündigt und verfehlen die Herrlichkeit, die sie bei Gott haben sollten“. - „Denn der Lohn der Sünde ist der Tod; aber die Gnadengabe Gottes ist das ewige Leben in Christus Jesus, unserem Herrn“. Die Bibel sagt auch, „Darum, jeder, der den Namen des Herrn anruft, wird errettet werden“. Und das schliesst auch Dich mit ein - nicht wahr? Das gilt für uns alle!
Ich werde jetzt kurz für Dich beten: Herr, segne (nenne den Namen) und seine/ihre Familie mit langem und gesundem Leben, Jesus, mach Du Dich Selbst real in Seinem/Ihrem Leben und tue es schnell. Wenn (nenne den Namen), Jesus Christus noch nicht als seinen/ihren Herrn und Retter angenommen hat, bete ich, dass er/sie es jetzt tut (nenne dem Namen).
Wenn Du das Geschenk annehmen möchtest, das Gott heute für Dich hat, dann sprech mir dieses Gebet von Herzen laut nach:
Lieber Herr Jesus, komm in mein Herz. Vergib mir all meine Sünden. Wasche mich und reinige mich. Mache mich frei. Jesus, danke, dass Du am Kreuz für mich gestorben bist. Ich glaube, dass Du von den Toten auferstanden bist und dass du wieder zurückkommst. Fülle mich mit dem Heiligen Geist. Gib mir eine Leidenschaft für die Verlorenen, einen Hunger für die Dinge Gottes und eine heilige Kühnheit, um das Evangelium von Jesus Christus weiterzugeben. Ich bin gerettet, ich bin wiedergeboren, meine Sünden sind mir vergeben und ich bin auf dem Weg zum Himmel, weil ich Jesus in meinem Herzen habe.
Als ein Botschafter des Evangeliums von Jesus Christus sage ich Dir, dass Dir heute alle Deine Sünden vergeben worden sind. Denk immer daran, zu Gott und nicht von Ihm weg zu laufen, weil Er Dich liebt und einen großartigen Plan für Dein Leben hat.
(Lade Ihn/Sie zu Deiner Kirche ein und notiere folgende Infos: Name, Adresse, und Telefonnr.)
Revival Ministries International
P.O. Box 292888 • Tampa, FL 33687
(813) 971-9999
www. revival. com

German Soul Winning Script

Weisst Du, dass Gott dich liebt, und dass er einen wunderbaren Plan für Dein Leben hat? Ich habe eine ganz kurze, aber wichtige Frage für Dich: Wenn Du in diesem Augenblick sterben würdest, wüsstest Du hundertprozentig,- ohne irgendeinen Zweifel, dass Du in den Himmel gehen würdest ?
[Wenn „Ja“ – „Großartig, warum bist Du Dir so sicher?“ (Wenn sie mit etwas anderem antworten als „Ich habe Jesus in meinem Herzen“ oder etwas ähnlichem, dann FAHRE MIT DEN ERFRISCHENDEN NACHRICHTEN FORT), oder „Nein“ oder „ich hoffe es“, FAHRE MIT DEN ERFRISCHENDEN NACHRICHTEN FORT].
Ich will Dir kurz vorlesen, was die Bibel dazu sagt: “Denn alle haben gesündigt und verfehlen die Herrlichkeit, die sie bei Gott haben sollten“. - „Denn der Lohn der Sünde ist der Tod; aber die Gnadengabe Gottes ist das ewige Leben in Christus Jesus, unserem Herrn“. Die Bibel sagt auch, „Darum, jeder, der den Namen des Herrn anruft, wird errettet werden“. Und das schliesst auch Dich mit ein - nicht wahr? Das gilt für uns alle!

Ich werde jetzt kurz für Dich beten: Herr, segne (nenne den Namen) und seine/ihre Familie mit langem und gesundem Leben, Jesus, mach Du Dich Selbst real in Seinem/Ihrem Leben und tue es schnell. Wenn (nenne den Namen), Jesus Christus noch nicht als seinen/ihren Herrn und Retter angenommen hat, bete ich, dass er/sie es jetzt tut (nenne dem Namen).
Wenn Du das Geschenk annehmen möchtest, das Gott heute für Dich hat, dann sprech mir dieses Gebet von Herzen laut nach:
Lieber Herr Jesus, komm in mein Herz. Vergib mir all meine Sünden. Wasche mich und reinige mich. Mache mich frei. Jesus, danke, dass Du am Kreuz für mich gestorben bist. Ich glaube, dass Du von den Toten auferstanden bist und dass du wieder zurückkommst. Fülle mich mit dem Heiligen Geist. Gib mir eine Leidenschaft für die Verlorenen, einen Hunger für die Dinge Gottes und eine heilige Kühnheit, um das Evangelium von Jesus Christus weiterzugeben. Ich bin gerettet, ich bin wiedergeboren, meine Sünden sind mir vergeben und ich bin auf dem Weg zum Himmel, weil ich Jesus in meinem Herzen habe.
Als ein Botschafter des Evangeliums von Jesus Christus sage ich Dir, dass Dir heute alle Deine Sünden vergeben worden sind. Denk immer daran, zu Gott und nicht von Ihm weg zu laufen, weil Er Dich liebt und einen großartigen Plan für Dein Leben hat.
(Lade Ihn/Sie zu Deiner Kirche ein und notiere folgende Infos: Name, Adresse, und Telefonnr.)

Revival Ministries International
P.O. Box 292888 • Tampa, FL 33687
(813) 971-9999
www. revival. com

Hobby Lobby Honk for JESUS

I took the WORD to the Streets yesterday in support of Hobby Lobby a CHRISTian business standing up for their beliefs. I personally Am Pro-Life for several reasons some you may not know but have been revealed to me and the biggest reason is no where in the Holy Bible does it support abortion. There are other issues involved in this topic such as when did it become the responsibility of everyone in the World to pay for unneeded abortions.

GOD LOVES YOU, and He has a Great Plan for your Life, the price has been Paid, Go Ye into all the World and Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ

"And he said unto them,
Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel
to every creature."
Mark 16:15 KJV
JESUS DELIVERS • JESUS SAVES • JESUS HEALS •
SOUL WINNING -
— SCRIPT—
Has anyone ever told you that
God loves you and that
He has a wonderful plan
for your life?
I have a real quick,
but important question to ask you.
If you were to die this very second,
do you know for sure,
beyond a shadow of a doubt,
that you would go to Heaven?
[If "Yes"—
Great, why would you say "Yes"?
(If they respond with anything but
"I have Jesus in my heart" or something similar to that,
PROCEED WITH SCRIPT)
or "No" or "I hope so" PROCEED
WITH SCRIPT.]
Let me quickly share with you what the Holy Bible reads.
It reads
"for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" and
"for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord".
The Bible also reads,
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved".
And you’re a "whosoever" right?
Of course you are; all of us are.
continued on reverse side —
JESUS DELIVERS • JESUS SAVES • JESUS HEALS
I'm going to say a quick prayer for you. Lord, bless
( FILL IN NAME )
and his/her family with long
and healthy lives.
Jesus, make Yourself real to him/her and do a quick work in his /her heart.
If
( FILL IN NAME )
has not received Jesus Christ as his /her Lord and Savior,
I pray he/she will do so now.
( FILL IN NAME ),
if you would like to receive the gift that God has for you today,
say this after me with your heart and lips out loud.
Dear Lord Jesus,
come into my heart.
Forgive me of my sin.
Wash me and cleanse me.
Set me free. Jesus,
thank You that You died for me.
I believe that You are risen from the dead and that You’re coming back again for me.
Fill me with the Holy Spirit.
Give me a passion for the lost,
a hunger for the things of God and a holy boldness to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I’m saved; I’m born again,
I’m forgiven and
I’m on my way to Heaven
because I have Jesus in my heart. As a minister of the
gospel of Jesus Christ,
I tell you today that all of your sins are forgiven. Always remember to run to God and not from God because He loves you and has a great plan for your life.
[Invite them to your church and get follow up info: name, address, & phone number.]
Revival Ministries International P.O. Box 292888 • Tampa, FL 33687
(813)971-8888 revival.com
JESUS DELIVERS • JESUS SAVES • JESUS HEALS
I have attached the first image which is in Urdu for my friends in Pakistan

Chinese SOUL WINNING SCRIPT

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature."
Mark 16:15 KJV

JESUS DELIVERS • JESUS SAVES • JESUS HEALS •

SOUL WINNING -
— SCRIPT—
Has anyone ever told you that God loves you and that He has a wonderful plan for your life? I have a real quick, but important question to ask you. If you were to die this very second, do you know for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you would go to Heaven?
[If "Yes"—
Great, why would you say "Yes"?
(If they respond with anything but
"I have Jesus in my heart" or something similar to that,
PROCEED WITH SCRIPT)
or "No" or "I hope so" PROCEED
WITH SCRIPT.]
Let me quickly share with you what the Holy Bible reads. It reads "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" and "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". The Bible also reads, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". And you’re a "whosoever" right? Of course you are; all of us are.
continued on reverse side —
JESUS DELIVERS • JESUS SAVES • JESUS HEALS
I'm going to say a quick prayer for you. Lord, bless
( FILL IN NAME )
and his/her family with long and healthy lives.
Jesus, make Yourself real to him/her and do a quick work in his /her heart. If
( FILL IN NAME )
has not received Jesus Christ as his /her Lord and Savior,
I pray he/she will do so now.
( FILL IN NAME ),
if you would like to receive the gift that God has for
you today, say this after me with your heart and lips out loud.
Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. Wash me and cleanse me. Set me free. Jesus, thank You that You died for me. I believe that You are risen from the dead and that You’re coming back again for me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit.
Give me a passion for the lost, a hunger for the things of God and a holy boldness to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m saved; I’m born again, I’m forgiven and I’m on
my way to Heaven because I have Jesus in my heart. As a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I tell you today that all of your sins are forgiven. Always remember to run to God and not from God because He loves you and has a great plan for your life.
[Invite them to your church and get follow up info: name, address, & phone number.]
Revival Ministries International P.O. Box 292888 • Tampa, FL 33687
(813)971-8888 revival.com
JESUS DELIVERS • JESUS SAVES • JESUS HEALS
I have attached the first image which is in Chinese for my friends in China

Hindi Soul Winning Script Jesus

Acts chapter 2 and Good Friday

Have you ever seen the POWER of GOD?
Ever seen a SIGN or WONDER?

I would like to share an incident that happened on Good Friday a few years ago.
A friend of mine, which I refer to him as Saint, and I went to a small to nearby for a Cross-Walk where there was Worship, Prayer, and Scripture reading. There are several churches that participate in this event annually and I decided to join in if possible so I met all the churches in the center of town with my Cross. The event started as planned and it was a bright sunny morning that day and as the Pastor that was leading the event called everyone into the center of the park and got a few minutes into his reading there was a Cross that was placed in the center of the crowd and it happened to be about 10 feet right in front of me. Well all of a sudden the sky grew very dark with big dark clouds and it began to sprinkle rain. I thought of one particle saying that Jesus Said when the men were out in the boat and the Storm came upon them, "Peace Be Still" was what I was thinking! Well out of no where came a mighty rushing wind and the Cross in front of me was blown over right in front of me with the tip of the cross only about a foot or two from my feet. Amazed at what had just happened I looked up at the sky and said "Peace Be Still" and it stopped sprinkling rain and the clouds began to drift away as a couple men from the church picked up the Cross and stood it back up from where it had been placed originally in it's stand.

The Service continued on as we sand songs, read the Holy Bible and Rejoiced in the Holy Spirit! With this story on my mind I thought I might share an account from the Holy Bible that describes a similar account that happened approximately 2,000 years ago.

Acts 2
New King James Version (NKJV)
Coming of the Holy Spirit

2 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord[a] in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Crowd’s Response

5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”

Peter’s Sermon

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
21 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.’[b]
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken[c] by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:

‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.
27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’[d]
29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,[e] 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’[f]
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

A Vital Church Grows

40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly[g] received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church[h] daily those who were being saved.

Jesus Loves you so Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature."
Mark 16:15 KJV 

JESUS DELIVERS • JESUS SAVES • JESUS HEALS •

SOUL WINNING -
— SCRIPT—

Has anyone ever told you that God loves you and that He has a wonderful plan for your life? I have a real quick, but important question to ask you. If you were to die this very second, do you know for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you would go to Heaven?

[If "Yes"—
Great, why would you say "Yes"?
(If they respond with anything but
"I have Jesus in my heart" or something similar to that,

PROCEED WITH SCRIPT)
or "No" or "I hope so" PROCEED
WITH SCRIPT.]

Let me quickly share with you what the Holy Bible reads. It reads "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" and "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". The Bible also reads, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". And you’re a "whosoever" right? Of course you are; all of us are.

continued on reverse side —

JESUS DELIVERS • JESUS SAVES • JESUS HEALS

I'm going to say a quick prayer for you. Lord, bless
( FILL IN NAME )
and his/her family with long and healthy lives.
Jesus, make Yourself real to him/her and do a quick work in his /her heart. If
( FILL IN NAME )
has not received Jesus Christ as his /her Lord and Savior,
I pray he/she will do so now.
( FILL IN NAME ),
if you would like to receive the gift that God has for
you today, say this after me with your heart and lips out loud.
Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. Wash me and cleanse me. Set me free. Jesus, thank You that You died for me. I believe that You are risen from the dead and that You’re coming back again for me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit.
Give me a passion for the lost, a hunger for the things of God and a holy boldness to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m saved; I’m born again, I’m forgiven and I’m on
my way to Heaven because I have Jesus in my heart. As a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I tell you today that all of your sins are forgiven. Always remember to run to God and not from God because He loves you and has a great plan for your life.
[Invite them to your church and get follow up info: name, address, & phone number.]
Revival Ministries International P.O. Box 292888 • Tampa, FL 33687
(813)971-8888 revival.com

JESUS DELIVERS • JESUS SAVES • JESUS HEALS

I have attached the first image which is in TelEgu for my friends in India

The Holy Spirit

I recently went to a Revival Campmeeting and found it very exciting and informative. The #1 topic was The Holy Spirit and there was also a Radio show going on at the same time.
So my question is as Christians what are we supposed to be doing?

I personally think we need a revival in our lives and church and there is a wealth of scripture to support that I say we ALL need to be Filled with The Holy Spirit! Why you might say? Well The Holy Spirit is who leads us for one thing and He is our healer and comforter as well.

Here is the first of a 10 lesson teaching on the Holy Spirit.

Naming the Holy Spirit;
What would happen if the Holy Spirit had His way among us? What would happen if the Holy Spirit were definitely alive here at the Moody Church? We know that he is alive because we do experience transformations, but what if we experienced many more? I can imagine that what would happen is couples with irreconcilable differences who are headed for divorce would be reconciled, and would be reconciled permanently if the Spirit has His way. Yes, there would be confession of sin. There would be issues that need to be dealt with, but no issue is insurmountable if the Spirit had His way.

What would happen to us personally among the Moody Church if those with long-standing addictions were delivered? Unconquered sin would be triumphed over, if I can put it that way, so that people can walk free in the joy of the Lord. I don’t expect that it would happen in just one swoosh. Yes, there are struggles because the Bible says the flesh and the spirit are at war, and too often we give in to the flesh, but there is spiritual power available for the most bound sinner, bound by his own chains. There is help and there is hope for deliverance, forgiveness and restoration when the Spirit has His way.

What would happen at the Moody Church corporately if the Spirit were to have His way? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we never had to ask for volunteers because each Sunday there would be those lining up asking to be volunteers because they would be so anxious to be able to help, so thrilled to have some small part in the Kingdom that they’d be willing to even extend themselves and sacrifice, if you please. Sacrifice their time! Some of the things that they give their time to would no longer be that important. Even sports would take second place to God and to His Word and to His people, as it was even in the book of Acts when the Church spontaneously gave itself to the Spirit and to one another.

Could you imagine a time here at the Moody Church when we have to move prayer meeting into a larger room on Wednesday evening, because there would be so many answers to prayer? People would see God’s hand in their finances. They’d see sons and daughters that were prodigals restored back to God and there would be so many answers to prayer that people would be excited to go to prayer meeting, and we’d have to have it in a larger room all the time because people would actually believe that God answers prayer. And if you believe that God answers prayer, I tell you, you will pray and you’ll want to pray together. Imagine that!

Imagine what would happen if all of the work of the Spirit were to spill over into our community and into our city, and people would see these strange people who love one another, who are sometimes very hard to love, by the way, and yet they love one another and they love others and they care about other people. And while they live holy lives that repel many people in the world, at the same time there’s a quality of love and acceptance that draws them. That’s what happened in the early Church. The holiness of the Church repelled people. People said, “We don’t want to have anything to do with these people that have such high standards and believe that God’s morality is really important. We don’t want to have anything to do with them.” And yet they were drawn to their love and to their acceptance. Can you imagine that?

And then we can only visualize what would happen if the Spirit had His way and the Holy Spirit began to work mightily in this nation, in the churches of this nation, and then among our politicians. And the whole nation would recognize its need for God and its need for the word of God. And our national sins would suddenly become important and be addressed. Imagine if the Spirit had His way.

Teaching on the Holy Spirit of God is oftentimes risky some people believe because we have in our minds all the extremes. If you watch any television you know that there are those who supposedly touch others and they fall under the power of the Spirit, and you’ve had some very bizarre things happening throughout the ages, especially in the last 30 or 40 years. And so people say, “If that’s the power of the Spirit, I don’t want it.” And the fact is that the Holy Spirit of God has been given to the Church and there is a wing of evangelicalism that avoids the Spirit because of these extremes that are doing things that are unbiblical.

But what we’re going to do in this series of messages, of course, is to concentrate on those issues that the Holy Spirit of God revealed in His Word that He’d like to do among us, and He is available. What makes us think that the Spirit of God who has done some wondrous things in the past can’t do wondrous things now? Of course He can because He is the same, just like Jesus, yesterday, today and forever.

Today’s message introduces us to the Holy Spirit of God. I am going to be using many different passages. We won’t look them all up. I will ask you near the end of the message to turn to one passage only because I want us to be able to grasp the full scriptural teaching of the Holy Spirit.

First of all, the Holy Spirit is a person. I was shocked to discover that according to one opinion poll, even evangelicals thought of Him only as being some kind of an influence. They thought He was something impersonal, something like electricity – some influence. No, no, no, He’s a person just as much as you are a person. The Holy Spirit has all the attributes of personality. For example, He has intellect. You know the Bible says that the Spirit of God knows the things of God. The Spirit of God has emotions. One whole message in this series will be devoted to the fact that we can grieve the Spirit. There are those who blaspheme the Spirit. We can insult the Spirit the New Testament says because He’s a person and He has feelings. He not only has feelings and has an intellect, but also the blessed Holy Spirit of God has a will. One of the messages later is going to be on how spiritual gifts are distributed, the Bible says, by the Spirit as He wills. You have the gifts that you have today because the Spirit of God willed it. He is a person.

Whatever you do, don’t miss the second message in this series because I am going to speak about the companionship of the Spirit. I want you to develop a friendship with the Spirit. I want you to recognize that He is in you and He is beside you as a helper. And I want you to develop a relationship with this friend that Jesus said is given to those who believe in His name. I want you to come to know the Spirit, to enjoy the Spirit of God, this person whom God has given to us.

He is, of course, also God. Need I even mention that? If you look at the Bible He has all the attributes of deity – omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence. All of those attributes belong to the Spirit. Why? It’s because the Spirit is God. One of the best verses (and we must hurry on here) is the great commission. The great commission says, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name (singular - not the names, but the name - singular) of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” because the Spirit is a part of what we call the Trinity. There’s only one God to be sure, but one God in three persons – blessed Trinity.

So the Holy Spirit is God. You have God inside of you. The Scripture makes that very clear. If you are a believer in Jesus, God resides within you and with you. Are you aware of that, or are all of the pressures of life so overwhelming that you’ve forgotten that God is in you and with you? That’s why the subtitle of these messages is “Recapturing the Wonder of God Within Us.”

Now when you look at the Spirit you also notice that He is the Holy Spirit. This message is called “Naming the Spirit,” and if there would be a name that we would give the Spirit, it would be the name Holy. And Holy isn’t merely, you know, separate. Of course He’s separate because He is distinct as God is, but rather it has that moral quality of purity, of holiness, complete absence of darkness. The Bible says regarding God there is no darkness in Him at all. Now I have to warn you (because this will separate some of you) that as you get to know the Spirit, one of the things that the Holy Spirit of God will work on in your life, as He does in mine, is the matter of purity and holiness. You can’t experience the companionship of the Spirit unless you deal with issues in your life. Some of you have a conscience that troubles you because of things in your past, and God may have forgiven you if you have received Christ as Savior, and maybe you’ve dealt with it, but maybe somebody needs to know about it. There have to be all kinds of things. What the Holy Spirit of God will do, and I’ll just lay this out for you, is He’ll go into every closet of our life and He’ll open those closets. And, you see, unless there is some willingness of deep repentance and facing of issues, the Spirit will be stifled. But the result of deep repentance, I can promise you, will be such joy that you won’t be able to contain it.

I remember during a time of great revival in Canada when the Holy Spirit was working mightily one woman said, “I was so filled with joy I said, ‘Oh God, turn off the joy so that I can get some sleep.’” How long has it been since you asked God to turn off the joy so that you could get some sleep. That’s the result of the Spirit. One of the messages is going to be on the fruit of the spirit – love, joy – because that’s what happens, you see, but it can’t happen with all of these issues, and all of these sins that we have so confidently tucked in the secret part of our lives that we aren’t willing to expose to God.

So the Holy Spirit is holy. He is going to birth holiness in us, He’s going to move us toward holiness, and our lives are going to be changed because we’ll be on a different trajectory.

Now when you look at the Bible the Holy Spirit of God has different figures of speech in the Scripture. For example, oil; it talks about the anointing of the Spirit. In the Old Testament the priests were anointed for ministry and that represents then the anointing that all of us now have. I just looked up the verse this morning and it’s in First John where it says, “You also have an anointing.” Imagine that! You’ve married a Christian. Good for you. He or she has an anointing from God because you’ve received the gift of the Spirit, so there is an anointing.

But there’s another reason I think why oil represents the Spirit and that is that in the Tabernacle there was this oil lamp, and it was lighted, and it gave light in worship, and the Holy Spirit of God always gives light and shines a spotlight on Jesus. Wherever the Holy Spirit of God is, Jesus is going to be exalted because the Spirit does not speak of Himself but He keeps pointing us to Jesus and gives us the light to do so.

Another figure of speech is water – cleansing. Old Testament references – “I will pour clean water on you and you shall be cleansed from your iniquity.” It’s a figure of speech but you do get the point. I remember a young woman involved in immorality told me, “As I look into my life and in my heart, it’s like a sewer.” You know when you have rain and the sewer backs up you know how awful that can be, and then after the rain subsides and the water goes down, what do you do? You take a hose, right? And you go out into the street and you hose it down, and you cleanse it. That’s what the Spirit of God does. He is like water to cleanse the heart. You know, it’s one blessed thing to be forgiven, but I know Christians who are forgiven but they are not cleansed, so they are hounded by their conscience, even over sins that they have confessed because they don’t understand the cleansing of the Spirit.

And then there are two other figures of speech, and for this I am going to invite you to take your Bibles and turn to Acts 2 where you have the birth of the Church. And I’m going to read and then I am going to comment on the two other figures of speech that are used here in the famous chapter of Acts 2. It’s famous because it is the beginning of the Church, and it’s the descent of the Holy Spirit.

You’ll notice Acts 2:1 says, “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” Just that far! Notice the two figures of speech that are here. The first is, of course, the figure of speech of wind. Now it doesn’t say that a wind blew in the upper room here. A wind didn’t blow, but it was a sound like wind. It doesn’t say that there was fire. It says that tongues as of fire (and you know that when you have a flame that is sort of forked, these forked flames, as it were) rested upon each person symbolically speaking because there wasn’t fire. It looked like fire.

But nonetheless in the Scriptures these are two other figures of speech that are used here for the Holy Spirit. The first is wind. Yesterday I was trying to put some potted plants at the back of our house, and it wasn’t supposed to be windy there, and yet gusts came and blew them over. And I wondered about that. I thought to myself, “Why is wind gusty? Why doesn’t it just go at the same speed all the time?” You know, Jesus said, “The wind blows wherever it wishes, and you see it, but you don’t know exactly where it’s coming from or where it’s going. Maybe the meteorologist, Tom Skilling, does but you and I don’t know too much about it and it goes kind of wherever it wants. And I look at this and I say, “You know, this means that there’s a great deal of mystery connected with God and the Holy Spirit,” and there really is.

I don’t understand why God saves some people. In a minute they are saved. They get rid of drugs and all the other things that never touch them again. And others are saved and struggle with it. I don’t know why it is that some people, who seem to live rather self-centered lives, pray to God and get a rather miraculous answer, and then there are others who pray the same prayer, and nothing happens. I don’t know. There’s a great deal of mystery connected with the Holy Spirit, and we should embrace that mystery and not pretend that we know everything about the Spirit.

This series of messages is not intended to teach you everything about the Spirit. It’s intended to get you acquainted with the Spirit, to get you excited by the Spirit, and to walk in the Spirit as the Bible says we are supposed to be doing, and so that’s the intention. But wind also has a tremendous amount of power, doesn’t it? I mean, you think of it being unpredictable. It is powerful. Boy if you get a windstorm we know what hurricanes can do, and the like.

But there is another figure of speech, and that is fire. Fire frequently represents the Holy Spirit in Scripture, and the reason for that is fire sometimes has various meanings. Sometimes it represents the very presence of God, and people are brought into the presence of God. In fact, it says in the book of Hebrews, now speaking of fire as a judgment, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, for our God is a consuming fire.” Wow!

I say to those of you who are listening to this message, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God unprepared because God is a consuming fire. I personally would want to make sure that I am shielded from that fire, and the only shield is Jesus Christ and His work on our behalf.

But now we see that fire represents the presence of God, but sometimes it represents the approval of God. In the case, for example, of Elijah on Mount Carmel, it was the fire that represented God’s approval. Mostly though, in the Scripture, fire often represents the purifying effect of God. We all know what happens when there is wind and fire together, don’t we? We think of what happened in Colorado where you had so many homes that were destroyed, and you can go through those areas and all that you’ll find is a chimney and a basement and a few other things that survived the fire. That’s a good way to look at a purifying fire.

If the Holy Spirit of God had His way here at Moody Church what He would do symbolically speaking is go through the congregation - my life, everybody’s life - and He would want to consume everything that isn’t holy. He’d want to consume and to burn out all of our sins and our rationalizations that we bring to ourselves and we tell ourselves and all of the things, and what He would do is to purify, to purify, and to purify. The Spirit always purifies, and a symbol of that purification is fire.

Now it says here that after this (verse 4), “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” I have to take out a few moments and comment on this, and wish I had more time, but it will have to be done in another message actually. But there are many dear people who say that we should speak in tongues today as a sign of either the filling or the baptism of the Holy Spirit, so I must comment.

I believe that Pentecost was an event that need never, and will never, be repeated. Just like the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem was a one-time event and Jesus doesn’t have to be born again in Bethlehem, in the very same way, we don’t have to gather in a room somewhere and wait for the coming of the Spirit. The Spirit came at Pentecost. Now He came at Pentecost, and He came among His people as Jesus explained, and this will become a little clearer in the next message. But the point is what about this tongues speaking? You know, suddenly people are able to speak languages they never learned, and by the way, they are languages, and I believe all through the New Testament where it refers to tongues, it’s talking about actual dialects. I think there are about 13 different nations represented here, and the question is, do we have to speak in tongues today as a sign of the Spirit? Let me tell you why I think the answer is no.

What’s happening here on the Day of Pentecost is God is dramatically showing that the good news of the Gospel, the wonderful works of God, will no longer be confined just to one area of the world, namely the land that we call Israel and the Jewish people. But now the Gospel of Jesus Christ is going to go out to the whole world in all the different languages of the world. The wonderful works of the Gospel will be proclaimed. You see, Isaiah predicted this in chapter 28, verse 11. God says the day is going to come when I am going to speak to this people, namely the Jews, in the stammering lips of Gentile languages. And Paul quotes it in First Corinthians 14 as having been fulfilled at Pentecost or through the gift of tongues.

So, you see, what God is saying here is that this is a dramatic way of saying from now on in all the areas of the world, to the ends of the earth, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is going to be proclaimed, not just in the beautiful language of Hebrew, but in all the Gentile languages that there are. And so every place where tongues is spoken of in the book of Acts, and there are least two other places where it occurs, the Gospel is going to a new ethnic and racial group. And as it spreads out, God says, “This is the sign that the Gospel is going throughout the whole world to all the different districts of the world, to all the different people of the world.

Now I could give you more Scriptural support for that but we must hurry on, except to say this. I don’t believe that tongues is a sign today of filling of the Spirit, or even the baptism of the Spirit, as we shall see in subsequent messages.

I have a sister who worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators, and she and her husband were in Southern Mexico, 250 miles south of Mexico City, for about 25 years, taking an Indian language and breaking it down and translating the New Testament into their language. How they longed for the gift of tongues, but God didn’t give it to them. And if he does it today miraculously – if somebody stands up and speaks Chinese because Chinese are present - certainly God can do those miracles. But it is interesting that the gift of tongues died out very early in the Church after the first century because it no longer was relevant to what God was trying to demonstrate. But the effects of the Spirit, the transformation of lives that we find in the book of Acts, that response of the Spirit is still very relevant today. Notice for example the Scripture says, “First of all they opened their mouths.” It says in verse 11, “Both Jews and proselytes – Cretians and Arabians (You’ll notice all the different language groups were there – not all of them but many) – we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

Do you know what would happen if the Spirit of God had his own way at Moody Church? Businessmen who work with other businessmen, who have never witnessed to their faith, would suddenly spill over with the joy of the Lord and tell others about the wonderful works of God, namely the redemptive plan that we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord. That’s what would happen if the Spirit had His way. We would be talking about the things of God, and we’d be glad to do so because we’d have a testimony of what God did in our own hearts. And we can’t help but share good news with others. So that’s what would happen.

Generosity! We’ll look at this later in a message, but you know that they sold everything and they said, “Apostles, you take care of it.” This is not normative for the Church. This would not possibly work today and nowhere in the New Testament is it prescribed. But they were so filled with joy they said, “Who cares about owning anything. Let’s sell it and let’s give the money to the Apostles and let them distribute it.” Could you imagine a church in which people were not asking how much should I give but rather asking a different kind of a question, namely, “How much am I really willing to sacrifice to give?” This happened in the book of Acts and remember the Spirit of God has not changed. He changes people’s values. He changes their hearts. He brings about transformation that you and I can scarcely understand when the Spirit has His way.

As I conclude this message today, I want to make a couple of comments. First of all, do you pick up on the fact that when the Spirit has His way, as I’ve mentioned, the real transformation is an inner transformation? This is not behavior modification. This is not a situation in which you try to structure people or talk them out of one set of desires and to have another (You can’t do that, by the way) but rather that the Spirit of God changes our desires. Now when you trust Christ as your Savior, one of the first desires that He changes is you begin to love God. You can’t wake up in the morning and say to yourself, “Well, today I am going to love God because that’s the first commandment.” That ability must be supernaturally given and it is given by the Spirit. The desire of reconciliation, the desire to give up bitterness and anger which grieves the Spirit and stands in the way of His intentions and His agenda for us, all of that, you see, is all Spirit directed and Spirit given. That’s why before I come to the pulpit here I pray and I always pray, “Oh God, open my eyes, and open the hearts and the eyes of all who listen,” because if the Spirit doesn’t do it we are totally helpless. I can’t change your desire. I can’t make you into a God lover. I can’t make you into somebody who loves righteousness and hates iniquity. That is impossible, but the Spirit of God can because the Spirit can do the impossible in your life (applause).

So the Spirit transforms us, but we also have to seek God and seek the Spirit. You say, “Well, you know as you develop this idea of companionship of the Spirit (which I’m going to do next week), should we pray to the Spirit because He is God?” It’s not wrong necessarily to pray to the Spirit, because the Spirit is God, but prayer should be offered to the Father in the name of Jesus, but by the power and the direction of the Spirit. That’s what Paul means when he says, “praying at all times in the Spirit.” So you see, the whole Trinity is involved in our praying, but the Spirit is there to help us.

Oh, I get so excited about next week’s lesson (sermon) I might give it to you now. (laughter) So the fact is that the Spirit of God must be sought. We have to be serious because I’ve already told you that there are issues that we need to deal with in all honesty if we want to experience the fullness of the Spirit, because the Spirit does not enter closed doors.

Some of you have never trusted Christ as Savior, by the way, and you are asking the question, “How do I get the Spirit that you are talking about?” Well, the good news is that when Jesus died on the cross His death was a sacrifice for sinners just like you and like me. And if we trust Him and transfer our trust to Him, and recognize that we are helpless apart from His grace and mercy and substitution, we then receive the Spirit of God when we receive Jesus. But if you’ve never trusted Christ as Savior you may have a different spirit but you don’t have the Holy Spirit. The Bible is very clear that the world cannot receive the Spirit, and those who do not have the Spirit of Christ do not belong to Him. It is one of the many gifts that God gives to those who believe on His blessed Son. So even today as you listen, no matter which way you are listening to this, whether by radio, CD, or the Internet, you can say right here today, “I want and desire this Holy Spirit. I receive Christ as my Savior. I believe He died for me, and today He is mine.” That’s the way you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and other gifts such as the earnest of the Spirit, the sealing of the Spirit, all of which we hope to explain in subsequent messages.

When I was in college, which is getting further and further away in terms of years, I remember reading a story that I still remember the essence of it. There was a woman who lived in great poverty and squalor. Her husband was killed in the war and she had basically no money. And somebody said to her, “Doesn’t the government help you?” She said, “No, I’ve not received anything from the government, but the government does send me a letter every week with a few things on it and a strange looking piece of paper, but that’s all. I’ve not received any money.” So the person said, “Show me one of those,” and he discovered that it was a check – a whole stack of them uncashed.

I wonder if you and I sometimes say to God, “God, what have you done for me recently?” Maybe you are out of work. Maybe a relationship has gone sour. You’re going through some trial and you feel as if you are going through it all alone, and you are saying, “God, what have you done for me recently?” Do you know what God says to you? “I have given you the Spirit, and you have not opened my gift. I’ve given you the blessed Holy Spirit of God who is there through your trials, who is there amid your tears, who walks with you in the difficult times of life. I have given you a companion who is going to abide with you forever, and you have never entered into it. The letter still is sealed and you are acting as if I have left you alone. But I have not.” “I have not left you orphans,” Jesus said. “Oh no, no, I come to you,” as we’ll explain next week.

Are you willing to be open to the Spirit to let Him have His way? There’s a cost involved. Oh, receiving the Spirit is a gift that is free but there’s a cost to walk in the Spirit, and that is to get serious. I hope that you read the Scripture that we’ve outlined, you’ve memorized the text and each time you open the Bible you pray Psalm 119:18, “Oh Lord, open thou my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

The Spirit has been given not just to be resident, but also to be president and lead us all the way to our heavenly home. Will you join me as we pray together? And even as we bow our heads in prayer I do have to ask the question, “What is it you need to talk to God about right now? What has He revealed to you that is very clear?” Why don’t we just take a moment of silence and you talk to the Lord. Some of you have never received Christ as Savior. You could reach out right now and say, “Jesus, I receive you as Savior.” Others of you say, “I’ve been living in such defeat for so long, Lord. I am open to the instruction of the Spirit, to finally walk away free.” Whatever it is that God has talked to you about you pray about it right now.

And of course, as I speak to the congregation, you can’t deal with all these issues in 30 seconds of prayer. This is only the beginning.

Father, meet with us we pray. Come to transform us. Don’t leave us as You found us, but may Your Holy Spirit have His way regardless of the personal cost. We long for the work of the Spirit, for the power of the Spirit, for the gift that you have given to us. In the Spirit we thank you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.