The Effects of the Holy Spirit

SPEAKER B Jesus promised his disciples in Acts One eight, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all here and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Welcome to. You shall receive power. And here are your hosts, Ettienne McClintock and Colin Hone. SPEAKER C Dear listener, greetings and a warm welcome. Thank you for joining Colin and myself on the program today. As always it is a delight for us to have your company and just as we start we just want to pray and ask God to bless our time together. Dear Father in heaven, what a privilege to have an audience with you through your Word. Your word is living and powerful and able to transform and change our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Give your Holy Spirit to those listening Father and give it to Colin and myself as well today that you can speak through us and bless us in our studies, our prayer in Jesus name, amen. Now Colin, this is really part two of what we started last week where we asked some questions and these are interesting questions we want to answer. It says, our problems are they solvable and so far we've had a lot of encouragement from what we looked at in our previous program. But today we want to look at the effects of the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER D That's right. And I just want to just clarify two things. The Holy Spirit is about having an intimate relationship with Jesus and we give ourselves to him through surrender. And by asking for the Holy Spirit, what we're doing is inviting him into our hearts. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D And among some of the Bible verses we can look up is one John chapter three, verse 24. And we can also look up with John chapter 14, verses 17 and 23, some of them where we can talk about where Jesus lives in us through the Holy Spirit. So first John chapter three, verse 24. SPEAKER C Says now he who keeps his commandments abides in Him and he in him. And by this we know that he abides in us by the Spirit whom he has given to us. SPEAKER D So how does Jesus abide in us? SPEAKER C Through the through the Holy Spirit which God has given to us. SPEAKER D That's right. And it gives a prerequisite where it says there that if we keep his commandments right? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D He will abide in us and we will abide in him. And so we can also see in John chapter 14, verses 17 and also verse 23 jesus says the spirit of. SPEAKER C Truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him, for he dwells with you and shall be in you. SPEAKER D That's right. So he's talking about the Holy Spirit was with them, so he was dwelling with them and will be in them. And he's talking about pentecost here. SPEAKER C And then you wanted verse 23 as well? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Then he gives 23 as well. SPEAKER C Says Jesus answered and said to Him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love Him and we will come to Him and make our home with Him. SPEAKER D Wow. So what Jesus is saying here is the creator of the whole universe, His Father, and he created everything was created by Jesus through Him and for Him. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D He says that God wants to come and dwell in us, the Father also Jesus and the Father through the Holy Spirit will come to make our home with Him. And I love what it says in Christ's object Lessons, page 61, where Ellen White says these words she says about Jesus living in us. She says, in our divine life we shall be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. We shall no longer live the common life of selfishness, but Christ will live in us. His character will be reproduced in our nature. His character will be reproduced in our nature. SPEAKER C That is nothing short of a miracle. SPEAKER D Wow. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER C That is incredible. SPEAKER D That's amazing. And so we see that the Father and the Son dwell in us through the Holy Spirit. And we know that, we know if he buys in us by the Spirit who has given us. So we want to look at what are the effects of the Holy Spirit. So when the Holy Spirit is in me, what happens? Well, when the Holy Spirit is in us, according to Romans, chapter eight two. Right. It says that what he accomplishes in me what Christ achieved. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER C And it says there, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. SPEAKER D Wow. We can explain the law of the Spirit as the manner in which the Holy Spirit works in the heart, completely surrendered to God. Only the Holy Spirit can bring to life in me what Christ achieved. And I love what Ellen White says about the Holy Spirit and connects it with Jesus. She explains it really well. The Spirit was given as a regenerating agent and without this, the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. SPEAKER E Wow. SPEAKER D Right. So what you're saying it's a spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world's redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure through the Spirit. The believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Just let that sink in a bit. We become partakers of the divine nature. The power of God awaits the demand and reception. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D And that is taken from Desire of. SPEAKER C Ages, page 671 and 672. SPEAKER D Wow. So there's a great author called Thomas A. Davis and he describes this process about the Spirit given as a regenerating agent. And without this, the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. So let's just read what he says about this, okay? SPEAKER C He says this means that even the effectiveness of Christ's work for people is dependent on the Holy Ghost. Without him. Everything Jesus did on this earth in Gethsemane on the Cross, the resurrection and his high priestly ministry in heaven would be unsuccessful. The outcome of Christ's work wouldn't be much more useful than that of some big world religion or ethical leader. But although Christ was much more than these, he couldn't save humanity alone through his example and teachings. To change people, it was necessary to work in them. This work is done by the Holy Ghost, who was sent to do this in people's hearts, which Jesus has made possible. SPEAKER D Wow. And that's from how to Be a Victorious Christian and by Thomas A. Davis. Wonderful book. Isn't this alone one reason enough to see that if you are filled with the Holy Ghost, that we need to be filled with the Holy Ghost? And remember, in John chapter 14, verse twelve, Jesus says this he says most surely I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also. And greater works than these he will do because I go to my Father, when you continue reading on it says that he's going to send another helper, another comforter. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D And John 416, he says, it's to your advantage. In John chapter 16, verse seven, he says, I tell the truth. It's to your advantage that I go away. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D For if I do not go away, the helper, the Holy Spirit, will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D So it's to our advantage that Jesus went back to heaven after he lived a life of example, lived out his life, his perfect life, and he gives that life as a creditor to our life. Amazing grace. SPEAKER E It is amazing. SPEAKER D So Jesus says to our advantage. And so we also read from Spirit of Prophecy in the Desire of Ages, page 173. This wonderful words says, when the Spirit. SPEAKER C Of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced. Love, humility and peace take the place of anger, envy and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven. SPEAKER E Wow. SPEAKER D So it's saying when the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart. Right. So what's the first step? Spirit of God take possession of a heart. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D It transforms your life. And then what happens? The result of that is sinful thoughts are put away. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D Evil deeds are renounced. And what happens is you receive the fruit of the spirit of love, humility and peace take the place of the flesh, which Galatian talks about, of anger, envy and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven. SPEAKER E Yes. Wow. SPEAKER D That's amazing. Powerful and so there are many other valuable results from the life with the Holy Spirit, but there's also great deficiency and losses without him. And the difference between a life with and without the Holy Spirit will be dealt with more as we explore this. So the question we want to ask ourselves today is and we want you to listeners to ask yourself am I filled with the Holy Spirit? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER C So we need to ask ourselves the following questions about being filled with the Holy Spirit. So what kind of questions, Colin, would we be able to ask ourselves? And I'm just thinking, we read there in John, you're referring to John chapter 14, john, chapter 15 and 16 and those beautiful chapters where Jesus explains the work of the Holy Spirit and how is expedient or to the advantage that he would go away. In John chapter 15, verse 16, we read jesus says you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he would give you. So there would be a noticeable effect of the Holy Spirit in your life in that case, Colin, yes there is. SPEAKER D So for example, he's made Jesus real and great to you. Is he real? John, chapter 15, verse 16. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER C As we've just read, yes. SPEAKER D Am I starting to hear and understand the inner voice of the Holy Spirit? Can he lead me in the bigger little decisions in my life? Are you asking the Holy Spirit to lead me in the decisions in my life? And that's in Romans chapter eight, verse 14 has a new kind of love for my fellow man arisen in me? I mean, are you loving your enemies? That's a big one, isn't it? SPEAKER E That's right, yes. SPEAKER D Because it's easy to love the people that you love in a family. But do you love your enemies or do you love those that are unlovable? Does the Holy Spirit give you compassion and profound concern for people who you wouldn't normally choose as your friends? And Galatians 522, it talks about the fruits of the Spirit. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D And we also look at James chapter two and verse eight to nine, we talk about concerning for people. And again, do I experience again, again how the Holy Spirit helps me to deal with my fellow men? Does he give me the right words to reach a person's heart who has worries and cares? Are you in tune? Abiding in Jesus and Jesus abiding in you as you feel the Holy Spirit, he'll give you the words to reach a person's heart. Does the Holy Spirit give me strength to share about Jesus and lead others to him? Do you have a desire, for example, to lead other people to Jesus? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Or to share about Jesus? When you're filled with the Holy Spirit, jesus says you'll do the same works as Jesus. Jesus cared about other people, no matter what walk of life they came from. SPEAKER C The love of God poured out in your hearts will give you a desire to want to benefit others, especially not just in the temporary life, because that will be part of it. But in eternal life. You want them to receive eternal life through Jesus Christ. SPEAKER D Remember Jesus, he spoke to the Pharisees, even Nicodemus, where he would speak to a Samaritan woman or a demonic man. There was nobody that he didn't love. SPEAKER C Yeah, he was known as a friend of sinners. And some of the religious leaders who were a little bit self righteous, dare I say it, didn't like the fact that he was mixing with absolutely everybody. There was no one he wasn't prepared to wrangle with and reach out to and to save. SPEAKER D That's right. Whether it's a tax collector, a prostitute, or a pharisee or a Samaritan or a man possessed, a demoniac, it didn't matter. Or fishermen or even rulers and kings, he reached out to everybody. SPEAKER C That is such an encouragement to me, and I hope it is to you as well, dear listener, because I think. SPEAKER D What Jesus did is he looked past people's faults and saw their know. And I think we need to do the same if we're filled with the Holy Spirit. Are we looking past people's faults and seeing their need, or we are reacting to their know? SPEAKER C Well, by nature, we'll probably react, but if we have the Spirit of God, we will actually look. SPEAKER D We will learn to look past people's faults and see their need. And so does the Holy Spirit give me strength to share about Jesus and lead others to Him. Now, do I experience how he helps me in my prayer life and helps me to express the deeper feelings of my heart to the Holy Spirit, says it groans and even brings out of your heart what to say? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Okay, so when we think about these questions, we see that what a great need we have to grow in the Holy Spirit. It's a growing process. We can't rely on what we just had when we were baptized or when we were converted. We need to daily be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to daily have Jesus live out his life in and through us and abide in Him, and he abide in us. And so we need to grow in the Holy Ghost, and we need to get to know Him better and to love Him more. I love what a brother wrote once. He says, My father and I have become reconciled. After studying the Steps to personal revival and the 40 Days book One and Two by Dennis Smith, I had the wonderful experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Oh, wonderful. SPEAKER D It was especially exciting for me to experience how the Holy Ghost works and wants to work in every area of my life and he goes on to talk about his reconciliation between himself and his father. He said his relationship with his father was always somewhat complicated. My wishes and prayers during my childhood and youth were always that I would have a better relationship with my father. But it got progressively worse. Another six to seven years went by. God filled the great emptiness in my heart. While studying and praying for the Holy Spirit, my wife and I had a lot of big experiences with God. We prayed for our family and especially for my father. During this time, I received new power to love my father. I was able to forgive him for everything that he hadn't gone well in our relationship since my childhood. So the Holy Spirit was able to give him the forgiveness of Jesus through. SPEAKER C Him brought about the reconciliation between father and son. SPEAKER D He goes on and says, my father and I are now friends. He also started to become more spiritual and also started telling other people about Jesus or about God. Now, two years later, the relation to my father is still very good, and I thank God for this experience. I used to feel so powerless and often alone. But since I have started to pray daily for the Holy Spirit, I'm experiencing new and wonderful type of life and relationship with God. What an incredible, what a great testimony. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D And there's many testimonies. I could tell you similar, that for people who have begun abiding in Jesus daily and asking Jesus to abide in them through the Holy Spirit, things change in your life. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER C That text there in two Corinthians, chapter five, says that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself and giving to us the ministry of reconciliation. So that work, when the Holy Spirit takes possession of us, just like it had possession of Jesus, we will also be working on reconciliation between those relationships that have broken down, especially those important family relationships. Now, reconciling us to God is actually the work that the Elijah message used to do, which is the last day work, isn't it? SPEAKER D That's right. And there's this wonderful prayer that you can pray this prayer right now if you want with us. And the prayer goes like this lord Jesus, I thank you that you want to remain in me through the Holy Ghost. I thank you that through the daily surrender, our trust and love relationship is growing. Lord, help me to get to know the Holy Spirit and his work better. I long to know what he wants to do for me, my family and my church, and how we can have the assurance that we can receive the Holy Spirit when we daily ask, thank you for this in Jesus name so you can pray that prayer and ask Him. Now, we want to talk about Ephesians, chapter five, verse 18. And we've already spoken a little bit about this, about being filled with the Holy spirit. And we can see that in the English text, in Ephesians chapter five, verse 18, that this appeal is made in the imperative. Further, we can see that this command is directed to everyone. So this is command directed to everyone when he says, do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D And we can also see that is our duty to seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit. He's saying we want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D But the original Greek text makes it even clearer. What does Johanne Mega say on this. SPEAKER C Eddie and says, in the New Testament letters, there is only one passage which speaks directly about being filled with the Holy Ghost. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians, chapter five. And verse 18 in the Book of Acts, we find being imbued with the Holy Spirit is a gift which is used to act in a powerful way in specific situations. However, Paul states being filled with the Holy Ghost as a commandment which is independent from situations in life and applied to all Jesus followers. This short but important command is comprised of four crucial aspects. SPEAKER E Wow. SPEAKER D So what he's saying in there is that yes, jesus says, Wait and you shall know. Receive the power of the Holy Spirit. And the power was so that they could witness. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D That the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts chapter one, verse eight, you shall receive power. SPEAKER C And how powerful was he witnessed? 3000 baptized in one day. SPEAKER D That's right. And that continued on until it went through right. Through the Roman Empire over a number of years. And so let's look at it. The verb phil is plerarien or P-L-E-R-E-I-N plerane. It's used in the imperative form. Paul does not make a recommendation here or give a friendly piece of advice. He's not making a suggestion that a person can accept or reject. He commands as an empowered apostle. A command always appeals to a person's will. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D What he's saying? If a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit, then it depends to a large degree on himself. SPEAKER E Okay. SPEAKER D Christians are subject to the command to strive and or to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Okay. SPEAKER C So we have a part to play in regards to the exercise of our will. I'm glad you're unpacking this, because, I mean, the understanding of Ephesians, chapter five with 18 didn't come to me until we started doing these programs. And I heard you unpack that a little bit. So you're going to elaborate on that a little bit more again today. SPEAKER D That's right. SPEAKER C Awesome. SPEAKER D So it's our responsibility as people to be filled the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D In Luke chapter eleven, Jesus says ask and he says it a few times. SPEAKER C That's right. Six times? SPEAKER A Yes. SPEAKER D Ask for the Holy Spirit. How much does your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, ask. And he says it's a continuous action as well. Keep on asking. Ask for the Holy Spirit. We need bread daily. All right? And he connects to getting the bread for your neighbors in the parable, to the asking for the Holy Spirit in Luke chapter eleven. So we need to ask for the Holy Spirit continually asking for the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D That way, it's a work of dependence on God. So the call applies to everyone who belongs to the church. It's not just through a privileged few or favored few. And the verb is a plural form, by the way, as well. SPEAKER C Okay, so that verb, plarin, that is a plural form. Okay, I get it. SPEAKER D So the command isn't directed at a single person at church who has specific special duties being filled the Holy it's not just for the pastors or the evangelists. It's for everyone. The call applies to everyone who belongs to the church, always and everywhere. There are no exceptions. For Paul, it was normal that all Christians should be filled with the Holy Spirit. This was normal. All Christians should be filled with the Holy Spirit and asking daily for the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C So it wasn't an exception where in our times, maybe people will consider it's an exception. And it's something that's not commonly available, but what we're saying here, it's available. SPEAKER D To all that's right, and we're to ask for it. And the verb is in the passive tense. It doesn't say fill yourselves with the Holy Spirit. It doesn't say fill yourselves with the Holy Spirit, but rather be filled with the Spirit. SPEAKER E Wow. SPEAKER D No person can fill themselves with the Holy Spirit. This is exclusively the work of the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Herein lies his sovereignty. But the individual should create the condition so the Holy Spirit can fill him. Without his active will, the Holy Spirit won't work in him. And I love what it says in the Greek. Here in the Greek, the imperative is in the present tense. This imperative present tense describes an event that is constantly repeated, in contrast to the imperative or aortis tense, which describes a one time action. In other words, it's a continuous it's a noun, but also a continuous verb action. Yes, we have to continue doing this. So it's not a one time action, it isn't a one time experience, but rather a recurrent and progressive process. A Christian isn't like a vessel that is filled once for all time, but rather has to be constantly filled. And so the sentence could be expressed in this way let yourselves be consistently and repeatedly filled anew with this Holy Spirit. So being filled with the Holy Ghost, which was given to us a baptism provided it was a baptism water and spirit with complete surrender. So that's the condition of it. Yes, you don't see so you're filled with the Holy Spirit, which was given to us a baptism that's provided right. It was baptism in water and spirit with complete surrender? That's a good question asking it. Was your baptism one of complete surrender? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER C Well, I know mine. My baptism at the age of 15 was one that I thought I was converted, but I didn't really understand the concepts of being dead to self, taking up my cross and following Jesus. I didn't know this concept. So I was actually buried alive in the watery grave when I came back out from the water, I didn't actually raise to newness of life, it was still the old life. And really I have to admit that I was a carnal Christian. SPEAKER D That's right. This can be lost. When the fullness was given us isn't retained as well. We've got to retain this. If it isn't lost, it can be gotten again. SPEAKER C So if it's lost, thank you Lord. SPEAKER D You can have it back again. Being filled the spirit must be repeated so that the Holy Ghost can occupy all areas of our life and our spiritual life doesn't wilt feebly. Being filled the Spirit doesn't mean that we quantitatively have more of him, but rather the Spirit has more and more of us. SPEAKER C Okay, so that's not how we can use the Holy Spirit, but how the Holy Spirit can use us. SPEAKER D That's right. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D That's why Paul commanded all the believers to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a normal condition for a Christian. One baptism. I like this way. One baptism but many fillings. One baptism, but many fillings. And I love these words. The Lord Himself has given the command let yourselves be consistently and repeatedly filled anew with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D And that's what this is all about, it's being daily filled the Holy Spirit. And I promise you, according to God's word, that if you ask your Heavenly Father for the Holy Spirit every day in the morning and throughout the day, keep filling with the Holy Spirit. If you daily surrender your lives to Jesus and ask to continually be filled with the Holy Spirit, jesus promised you that you'll do the same works as Jesus, because it will be Jesus who dwells in your heart through the Holy Spirit. And when you have Jesus living in us, jesus will seek to do the same works as he did when he was on earth. He will seek to save the lost. He will seek to go and heal. Know God has given the church the health message and the health message. And people, even scientists are realizing today that if you adhere to the health message, that you can be healthy and your body can even heal itself. That's right, even heal itself by applying God's health message of living. For example, living a plant based diet, fresh air, water, sunlight, all the health principles, if we live by those things, the body will even heal itself. And then the 8th principle is trust in divine power. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Trust in God. To heal you as well. SPEAKER C It's incredible. I mean, athletes who are not necessarily spiritual people, I'm not saying they can't be, but they're not necessarily spiritual people when they pursue their goals and objectives in a physical sense. So they go into the Olympics, whatever it is, they will discipline their bodies, they will eat healthy and all that. They'll have a healthy mind and they will be blessed because they follow natural law. So we can also, through natural law, make ourselves more healthy by getting enough sleep, getting enough fresh air and sunlight and water and all those sorts of things. But at the same time, it has a spiritual benefit because our minds are clearer and we're able to discern spiritual things more effectively and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit as it speaks to us through God's word. Dear listener, we're just going to take a short break here. Stay tuned and we'll be right back after this short break. SPEAKER F I don't think anyone could ever forget that disastrous earthquake that devastated part of Japan a few years ago. Pictures of the tsunami inundating towns and sweeping away cars and buildings and people amazed us at the time of the disaster. One journalist said that Japan was, and I quote, perhaps the best equipped to deal with the challenges presented by an earthquake. I get the intent, but it became clear that sometimes, no matter how well you prepare, you can't really prepare. When Jesus comes back, a lot of people are going to call to the mountains and rocks to fall on them, saying the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? Revelation 617, which is just so unnecessary, because the second coming of Jesus is something you can prepare for. Live with eternity in mind. Keep close to God today and be surrendered to Him always. I'm John Bradshaw, for it is written, let's live today by every word. SPEAKER C Dear listener, welcome back to You Shall Receive Power with Colin Hone and Etienne McClintock. And we are looking at answering these questions. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, what differences can you expect? What advantage would we have with a life filled with the Holy Spirit? And then also in the opposite side of that is, what do we lose when we don't pray for the Holy Spirit on a daily basis? So these are important questions, Colin, that we'd like to answer. And it'll be good to make a comparison between carnal Christianity and spiritual Christianity because I believe that there are consequences to carnal Christianity that we've already started looking at but being partially listed for the individual person. Some of the consequences express themselves in the following manner, and one of those is that the person is not saved in this condition. And I'm going to read from Romans chapter eight, and I want to read verse six to eight. It says, for to be carnally. Minded is death. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Now, I want to connect that with Revelation, chapter three, the message to the latest scenes. Revelation, chapter three, verse 16, where Jesus says to his church, his last day church. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. SPEAKER D Wow. So what is the God? The words God is saying is a carnal Christian, right? Is not saved in that condition. SPEAKER C That's true, because there's no full surrender to the Lord. SPEAKER D Because it says the carnal Christian is what can't do the God's will. SPEAKER C Yeah, he's at variance with God's will. SPEAKER D And also we know that in Matthew, chapter seven that Jesus says, I don't know you. SPEAKER C And these are people that say, lord, Lord, didn't we do this? SPEAKER D Didn't we prophesy claiming to be Christians? And so also he says it to the wise and foolish virgins claiming to be Christians. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D Not sufficiently filled with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C The foolish virgins. SPEAKER D That's right. Ellen White actually connected the foolish virgins to the Laodicean condition. And Laodicean the people are what they're spewed out, aren't they? They're not saved. So we know that God's love, the agape love, isn't in the person. And Romans, chapter five, verse five. And Galatians 522 says that love, God's love, is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And that love is the fruit of the Spirit. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER C It says now hope does not disappoint because the love of God, that's the agape love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. SPEAKER D Right. So what they're saying is they are completely dependent on their human love. Lust of the flesh isn't broken as in Galatians 516. It says, I say, then walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Then he talks about the lust of the flesh, those who continue in these things, right? Yes, he talks about the works of the flesh are evident which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, selfish, ambitions, dissensions. And heresies list goes on envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and of like, which I'll tell you beforehand, just as I told you in the past time. So Paul said this a few times. He's saying, yes, that those who practice things will not inherit the kingdom of God. It's a pretty clear cut. I know that cuts across some people what they might believe. But this is what the Word says. SPEAKER C Well, you can't argue with that. It's very clear. SPEAKER D And he says, if you walk in the Spirit, you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. So what we're looking at is we don't have to remain in this condition. That's good news. SPEAKER C That is the good news, yes. SPEAKER D Because Revelation, chapter three in Revelation, talking about the later seeing Lukewarm Christians is Jesus says, hey, let me in. He's knocking at the door. Let me in. And how do we let Jesus in? Well, according to John 14 and other verses that we've studied together, we let Jesus in or abide in us through the Holy Spirit. And that's a daily connection with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D And we also look at in Ephesians, chapter three, verse 16 to 17. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER C It says that he would grant you according to the riches of his Spirit, to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in agape love. SPEAKER D That's right. So a person hasn't been strengthened with power through his Holy Spirit if he's a carnal Christian. And one John 324 says that Christ doesn't live in that person if you're not filled with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C That's right. It says, now, he who keeps his commandments abides in him. Now, we know the commandments. And Paul says that love, agape love, is the fulfilling of the commandments. So he who keeps his commandments, those commandments of love abides in Him, and he in him by this, we know that he abides in us by the Spirit who has been given to us. SPEAKER D Right. We also look at Acts, chapter one, verse eight, that a person hasn't received the power to witness of Christ. SPEAKER C And our program, of course, is named after that you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. SPEAKER D That's right. And a person we can see this happening in churches, acts in a human way in one Corinthians, chapter three, verse three, that can easily cause rivalry and tensions in the church. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D Acting in human ways that cause rivalry and tensions. SPEAKER C It says, for you are still carnal, for where there are envy, strife and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? SPEAKER D And what does Paul say about Carnal, Christians and Galatians? That they won't inherit the kingdom of God. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D This is really serious business here we're talking about, and it mightn't be what you want to hear. It mightn't be. I know I was living in a later scene condition where I thought I was saved, yet my life, I was walking as a carnal Christian. I was fulfilling the lust of the flesh because I wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D I wasn't asking to be filled daily with the Holy Spirit. The problem with the latest end condition or the Foolish Virgins is they thought they were sufficiently filled with the Holy Spirit when they were converted, and they hadn't had refillings along the way. And so this is what Paul's trying to point out to the Corinthian Christians who he was saying, you're carnal Christians. SPEAKER C So what we're basically saying and what the Bible is teaching, though we can't say that you're once saved, always saved, it is a continuous relationship with the Lord that continues to develop. And we can receive the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, but we have to deny self on a daily basis. SPEAKER D As well, continually, to stay in a saved relationship, in a saved relationship. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D And it's hard for a person to accept these things from Paul, from God's word or spiritual prophecy. People don't want to hear it. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D And so they react and rise up against it when you say these things from God's word, hey, I'm okay. I mean, that was a late decision. I'm okay, I'm rich. I'm increased with goods. Hey, I was baptized, I was filled, the Holy Spirit at baptism, I'm okay. SPEAKER C Well, the fact. SPEAKER D This is Jesus speaking, what does he say to the people who say that? SPEAKER C Yeah, well, depart from me, I never knew you or I will spew you out of my mouth because it is not okay. And the thing is, though, regardless of where we find ourselves and what relationship we are to the Lord, he loves us and he's accepted us all in the beloved, but we have to receive the beloved by faith to receive the benefits of it. SPEAKER D That's right. And you'll find that also your prayer life might be inadequate. And the person only this is talking about Carnal Christian. The person only has human abilities to forgive and not to bear a grudge. They're human abilities. And the carnal Christian acts at times like a natural man. Paul says, Are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? In one Corinthians, chapter three, verse three, when he's talking about the corinthian believers. SPEAKER C Yeah, that's right. SPEAKER D Other times, his actions are like those of a spiritual person, although he lives by his own powers and abilities. So everything he's doing is just from natural abilities and powers. Now, the spiritual Christian experiences the fullness of God according to Ephesians, chapter three, verse 16 to 21. Do you want to read that for us? SPEAKER C Sure. It says that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him that is, to God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, to all generations, forever and ever. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D I love that part. To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God that's. SPEAKER C Possible for every single person to be filled with the fullness of God, to. SPEAKER D Be partakers of his nature. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D Well, isn't that amazing? SPEAKER C What a privilege and what a great. SPEAKER D You know, what are the effects of carnal Christianity? And I love what Pastor Helmut Hawbell says when he lays it out and I think we can all relate to him when he says these. He says I'm sorry for the losses in my family, in my churches where I worked as a pastor as a result of my lack of the Holy Spirit. I look back on my life and you might look back on your life, Etienne and others and know I'm sorry for the effects of my life on my family, my inner family, my extended family and my churches that we've been involved in and your life. That's true because of the lack of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And it's also true in this area that we can lead no one further than we are ourselves. SPEAKER E Yeah, that is true. SPEAKER D We also need to realize that a personal deficient of the Holy Spirit in individual persons in the family and church adds up or multiplies in the church and the family. What about children and youth? What about children and youth? We wonder why 65% of our children are leaving the church. Could it be that our churches are full of carnal Christians? SPEAKER C I think so. I mean, I've been a carnal Christian and a big part of my life, I have to say I was a carnal Christian. And you can't do the work of the Lord if the Spirit of God has not been able to work through you because you're actually a hindrance. But I wasn't aware of at the time, I was ignorant of it because that message to ladies see is you do not know that you're wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. SPEAKER D And they see two extremes in the church. They see full conservatism in the fact that legalism of conservatism. Sure, there's nothing to having wrong with having conservative beliefs in God's word. I mean, God's word is God's word. SPEAKER C But stern formalism without the love of God in the heart is actually a big deterrent to many people who want to experience the love of God. SPEAKER D That's right. And even the Bible says that in I think it's in Timothy. It says in the last days they have the form of Godliness but denying the power of it's like this formality of doing things. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER D And our young people are seeing this formality in this legalism, this just rituals and they're seeing carnal Christians and they're not seeing authentic spiritual Christians and I believe they're leading and it can also carnal Christian. It can also be a breeding ground for liberal Christian life. SPEAKER C Yeah, of course. SPEAKER D People ignorantly try with good intentions to do what they can't do and then search for a way out. I can't live like that. I can't do that. So we look for a way out. And it's this reason we are losing so many of our youth, I believe. Have we in ignorance for other reasons, set an example for our children, our young people of carnal Christianity and as a result, did they become carnal Christians and hence have to struggle with discouragement? Yes, they see us and then the word says we can do it, but they don't know how. SPEAKER C If we talk about God and we talk about his creation and his power to create in that, but they do not see in us the power of God working in our lives. We're really actually counterproductive. We're not a sermon in shoes, we only preach a sermon. But people would rather see a sermon than hear one. And it's obviously fantastic when the Spirit of God not only speaks through us, but also demonstrates the righteous of Christ in our lives. SPEAKER D That's right. I've spoke to many people of why and someone said to me once they're not converted, that's why they leave. And the temptations of the world lure them on. They're not converted. And what they're seeing in the church is they're not seeing converted and remaining converted by being daily filled. The Holy Spirit. Spiritual Christians. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER C And that of course is the trap as well. When we take our eyes of Jesus and we look and measure ourselves amongst ourselves, we go well, I'm just as good as you and this is as good as it gets with Christianity. But God has got so much more that he has offering us, I mean, that we can be filled with the fullness of God. What incredible opportunity for each person. SPEAKER D And I think maybe this is the reason why many don't take it very seriously, the mission of the church or don't come to church anymore, or have left the know. Not long ago, Helmut tells a story about an older brother told his church there is a reason for the problems we have today in our own lives and the lives of our youth. The older generation has failed to understand the workings of the Holy Ghost and to be filled by he. I think he has nailed it there. Yes, he's got it right. He says the reason, the problems we have today in our own lives and in the lives of our youth. The older generation has failed to understand the workings of the Holy Spirit and to be filled by Him. And Helmet goes on to remind us of the consequences of Lukewarmness which is not complete surrender to Jesus. He said half hearted Christians are worse than non believers for the deceptive words and non communal position lead many astray the natural man or non believers show his true colors. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D The Lukewarm Christian Deceives. Both parties. He is neither a good worldling nor a good Christian. Satan uses him to do a work that no one else can do. Wow. However, if we live spiritually, we can show our children the weight with God's help. And I love what Ellen White says about this amazing promise about with our children. SPEAKER E Okay? SPEAKER D This is about the Holy Spirit and our children. This is what she says we should be teaching our children right from the beginning. SPEAKER E Okay. SPEAKER C This is from the book Child Guidance, page 69. It says, Teach your children that it is their privilege to receive every day the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So even the children yes. Let Christ find you his helping hand to carry out his purposes. By prayer, you may gain an experience that will make your ministry to your children a perfect success. SPEAKER A Wow. SPEAKER D She's saying, Teach your children that it's their privilege to receive every day the baptism or the infilling of Jesus. They can be partakers of the divine nature by praying and asking God to fill them with the Holy Spirit. And she says, if you do this, your ministry for children will be a perfect success. I love know like Helmet says, and I know myself, we taught our sons to pray and our children to pray. But did we teach them to pray daily for the Holy Spirit, or didn't we even know it for ourselves? And Helmet says, at that time, my wife and I didn't know it, and I believe I didn't know it for many years. I didn't know we had to pray or needed to pray for the Holy Spirit. Just wasn't taught. SPEAKER E That's true. Yeah. SPEAKER D I didn't know I needed to receive daily the baptism of the Holy Spirit to be filled the Spirit. And we need to pray and ask for that according to God's word. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D And his promise that he'll give it. And he and Helmut goes on to say, I'm thankful that God overlooked this time when we lack knowledge. But as a consequence, how much loss has occurred because of that? SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D How many people have left the church, our children over the years and years of our neglect for us asking for the Holy Spirit to be spirit filled and not encouraging them to pray and be filled? The Holy Spirit, because that's where the power is. To accomplish what God's word has promised or accomplish what God has said in his word. SPEAKER C A Carnal Christian misrepresents God because they are using the only strength that they have, which is their own natural strength to try and represent Him. It's a misrepresentation because God has got so much more to offer. And I look back in my life and I have some things that I have to confess, and I've had to confess to people. For example, I know that a friend of mine became converted, fell in love with the Lord, was baptized. I was still a carnal Christian, and unfortunately, through my influence, I actually had an effect on the person where they lost that first love with the Lord. Wow, that's a terrible thing. I mean, it wasn't on my intention. It's just I was worldly minded. I was in the church, but I was a worldly minded Christian. SPEAKER D Know that you needed to pray daily for the baptism, the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C Yeah, but I unfortunately impacted their relationship in a negative way. And this is what carnal Christianity does. SPEAKER D And the good news is this is that we don't have to remain and. SPEAKER C Be carnal Christian and thank the Lord. He can forgive us even for those sins as well. SPEAKER D That's right. We can repent of our sins, and he will forgive our sins. And we can now start a journey of daily asking God to fill us with the Holy Spirit and even the children. SPEAKER C That is just such a great know. Someone just sent this to me during the week where Alan White was encouraging people to teach the children about surrendering to the Lord and to cultivate a loving Christ like spirit through the Holy Spirit. And she says that their minds can be directed, that they will love the service of God and that they would actually take more pleasure in going to the house of worship than to places of amusement. That was just a real revelation to me that through the Holy Spirit, they would love to go to church rather than go to, I don't know, watch a movie or go to a spacey parlor, you know, where you play those. SPEAKER D Spacey games, those computer games about a game center. SPEAKER C Game center. I'm probably using old language now. SPEAKER D Obviously you haven't been for a while. SPEAKER C Well, that's true. SPEAKER D All right. And so the atmosphere, divine love or only being nice to each other? Is it just like we pretend to be nice to each other? Or is it divine love? What differences there is in the atmosphere, in marriages and families, church and fellowship with carnal or spiritual Christians? If the power of God is missing for a disciplined life, if God's love is missing and the power of sin isn't broken, or if these things aren't present through God's grace, what's the result? Yes, conservative carnal Christians tend to criticize that's true. And this isn't good. And although we have to talk about God's good directives, we should at the same time realize that essential change will only happen when the change comes from within. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D But the power comes from above. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D To change, we need to be born. SPEAKER C From above, as Jesus said to Nicodemus. SPEAKER D And liberals tend to not take things seriously and adapt to worldly methods, and God can't bless this either. Either way, it doesn't work. And God cannot bless these methods. And liberals are trying to do something and adapt to worldly methods, and they bring these into the church, but they don't work. God can't bless that. SPEAKER E No. SPEAKER C Because that's really converting the church to the world. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D Instead of the world to the church. SPEAKER E Yes, that's right. SPEAKER D And I love what Joseph Kidder discovered through the following general condition of the Church today. What does he? SPEAKER C He says, lethargy superficiality, worldliness lack of generosity, ministers are burnt out, teenagers are leaving the church weak self discipline plans without any real background or result, a chronic lack of strong and dedicated men. SPEAKER D Wow. So the cause of our problem is the lack of our connection with Jesus. Remember, we read in John, chapter 15, verse one to five, where it says. SPEAKER C That Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, and we are to be connected to Him. And if we're not connected in Him, we will not produce any fruit. SPEAKER D That's right. SPEAKER C And those branches that are there and don't produce fruit, of course they are taken away. SPEAKER D Without Him, you cannot do anything. And remember, Jesus says, myself, I can do nothing. He did everything by the power of the Holy Spirit the Father gave him. SPEAKER C That's how he could be our example. SPEAKER D He says, oh myself, I can do nothing. And we put too much trust into human efforts. We do as Zechariah, chapter four, verse six, says. And KIDDA also sees the solution in life fill the Holy Ghost, as we pointed out. Acts, chapter one eight. SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D You too shall be received, power of the Holy Ghost. And I love what Jesus says. In John, chapter 13, verses 34 to 35. SPEAKER C Okay, it says, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. SPEAKER D Now, this is not just talking about friendship, love, or being nice to each other. It's talking about agape love, which only can come from God through His Holy Spirit being poured out in our hearts. And that's why when you're praying daily for the Holy Spirit, you're praying for God's love to be poured out in your hearts. You're praying daily for Him to write his laws, his commandments on your mind and hearts. You're asking daily to live. So it's not I that live, but that Christ lives in me. And when Christ lives in you and Christ lives in me, you will see this agape love in your small groups, in your church and or in your families. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER C Now, I like what Ellen White says there in Acts of the Apostles, page 551. She says, supreme love for God and unselfish love for one another. This is the best gift that our Heavenly Father can bestow. This love is not an impulse, but a divine principle, a permanent power, the unconsecrated heart, so that's everyone who isn't filled with the Holy Spirit cannot originate or produce it. Only in the heart where Jesus reigns, is it found. SPEAKER D So you can't originate it and you can't produce it. You can't manufacture this. This is power from above. Yes, it's God's garpe love. And to love as Jesus does means to love with divine love, with a gape love. We can only do this when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER D I mean, if we're not asking for it, we're not receiving it. We're just trying to do things through our natural abilities and our natural ways. I think there's a difference if we are only nice to each other or if we go beyond that and love with God's love. And I love what Ellen White says again here, and gives a significant clue. SPEAKER C Says by putting on the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 99 out of 100 of the troubles which so terribly embitter life might be saved. SPEAKER D That's pretty good. ODS, Etienne. 99 out of 100 troubles which so terribly embitter life might be saved. And what do we need to do? Put on the almond of a meek and quiet spirit. SPEAKER E Yeah. SPEAKER D And we know that only comes through the Holy Spirit. That's the fruit of the Spirit, isn't it? SPEAKER E That's right. SPEAKER D Humility, isn't it? And I love what God's word says. In first thessalonians chapter four, verses three to eight, about marital life, it says. SPEAKER C For this is the will of God, your sanctification that you should abstain from sexual immorality that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust like the Gentiles, who do not know God. That one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter because the Lord is the avenger of all. Such as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness. Therefore, he who rejects this word does not reject man, but God who has also given us his Holy Spirit. SPEAKER D So he's talking about marital life. He's also talking about other things in the verse, speaking about living in sanctification and respectability within the marriage. It is contrasted to the passionate lust of the Gentiles, since it mentions a life of sanctification three times and also having the Holy Ghost. So he connects the sanctification on having the Holy Ghost. And sanctification means being set aside for holy purposes, being made holy. We realize that a life with the Holy Ghost can only can and should change our marriage relationships as well. True God meant for us to have great joy and fulfillment in our marital life. Doesn't this show us that God wants to help us deal with a loving tenderness rather than with lust? SPEAKER E That is true. SPEAKER D And I love what Jesus in John, chapter 17, verses 21, where Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples, it. SPEAKER C Says that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. SPEAKER D That's an awesome promise, isn't it? SPEAKER C Beautiful promise. Well, dear listener, we have come to the end of part two of our program. We're just going to share our contact details with you. And we'll be right back, just with some closing remarks. Stay tuned. Thank you for joining us on You Shall Receive Power. If you would like more information about today's program or if you have any questions, please contact 3ABN Australia Radio by Phoning 024-973-3456. Or you can send an email to [email protected]. You can also contact us on our 3ABN Australia radio Facebook page. We look forward to hearing from you SPEAKER C Dear listener, welcome back to You Shall Receive Power. And as we wrap up this program, we just want to review what we have discussed so far. SPEAKER D Colin right, and we just talked about Jesus when he prayed for unity of his disciples. And he said that they all may be one as you Father, and I in me and I in you. See, Jesus was abiding in the Father, and the Father was abiding in Jesus through the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Yes. SPEAKER D Okay. And because he says, jesus says, I of myself can do nothing. And he says that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And so he's asking for that we can be in them. And Jesus talks about abiding in us, and us abiding in Him. And there was a great quote I heard once where it says, when God's people are one in the unity of Spirit, of all Phariseeism, of all self righteousness, which was the sin of the Jewish nation, will be expelled from all know. And Jesus is in us when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Spiritual, Christianity contributes to having our prayers answered by the Lord. And I love what Ellen White says. When God's people are one in unity of the Spirit, all of Pharisee, all of self righteousness, which was the sin of the Jewish nation, will be expelled from all hearts. God will make known the mystery which has been hidden for ages. He will make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery amongst the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And this is the last work that Jesus is going to do. In Revelation, the book of Revelation, it says, the last work of Jesus before the 7th trumpet blows, before the second coming of Jesus will be the mystery of God will be revealed. SPEAKER E Yes, it will be completed. SPEAKER D And the mystery of God is Christ in us, the hope of glory. And the way we have Jesus living in us to fulfill this mystery is being daily baptized with the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER E Amen. SPEAKER C Dear listener, Christ wants to have you experience this mystery which reveals the riches of his glory. And this is the mystery that's been given to us, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We pray that you will experience this mystery in your lives today. As you surrender to him. We look forward to catching up with you next time. Until then, dear listener, god be with you. SPEAKER D You'Ve been listening to a production of three ABN Australia radio.