Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Living in the Miraculous Pt.4

Amen! Let's turn to the Book of Acts. We want to continue along with the study that we started out of the Book of Revelation. We're trying to identify who we are as the church of Jesus Christ. Identifying ourselves as a local fellowship, but more importantly, ourselves as individuals because the local fellowship is what we are corporately as we come together. What we are (and this may seem to be an overly simple statement), but what we are is what you are. Each one of us, then, has to be admonished through the Word of God and by the Spirit to examine our own hearts. We need to determine the Christlikeness that is identifiable in our lives, that which isn't identifiable at this time, and what we have to do to become more like Him.

The one thing we were addressing, I think very importantly in this day, is the fact that there is not a twenty-first century church that we hold up and say, "You know, the first century church believed this and did this." There is only one church, amen? "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). The reason that there is so much weakness in the church today is because it sees itself as a twenty-first century church: an educated church, an enlightened church, a sophisticated church. Because of that, we have economic resources, we have political influence, and we have all of the different things at our disposal from the sciences. We've come into microbiology, and all of the different things that we have spoken of, and we think we're a church that is different because of our enlightenment. We have lost the simplicity of faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, the integrity of the Word of God, and have come to trust in the arm of the flesh more than in the living God and the Spirit of God that tabernacles among us.

Now, some churches are blatant in expressing that. Then, there are others that say, "No, we believe this," but live contrary to what they say they believe. Who are we? Well, we know that we're not the church that says, "God no longer heals. God no longer fills with the Spirit." We know that we're not the church whose doctrine says that there are no longer miracles in our day. We know that we're not the church that tolerates immoral living and teaches an ultra-Calvinistic approach to the gospels that once you're saved you're always saved and you can live any way you want. We know that we're not an ultra-Armenian church that teaches if you make one mistake you're lost and that we're in favor with God based upon our works. We know that it's by grace that we are saved through faith, and not of ourselves, it's the gift of God lest any man should boast. There's no boasting in our righteousness or the things that we happen to do right.

As I've shared so many times, anything I do right I realize is God's grace working in me. And, anything that is going on in my life that is wrong, that's me in charge. Because in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing. So, we know what our doctrine is, and that our doctrine is sound. What about our lives? What dominates your mind when the hard decisions are being faced? We're a people that are coming into a time of history when we are going to face stark reality. We've lived in a nation that has allowed us to be prosperous and live in ease, that we founded upon Judeo-Christian ethics, and that is becoming a thing of the past. To believe like we believe is a strange thing anymore in this country, sadly. And tragically, much of the professed church believes more now in the nation that was founded by these principles than in the principles themselves.

So, in this environment we have to ask ourselves, "Have we been vexed? Have we been seduced? Who are we? What do we believe? In whom do we trust?" Our money says, "In God we trust." Tragically, most people trust in the money. So, we go back to the Book of Acts and we say, "Okay, let's see who we, the church, are supposed to be." I'd like you to take a look--we're going to go back to Acts, Chapter 1. We're going to do little bit of expositional work through the Book of Acts. But, before we do, in Acts, Chapter 4, verse 33, there is a statement made. Then we're going to work from this and go back to Acts 1 and do a little bit of exposition. But, I want this to be a verse that you get very clearly in your understanding. "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:33). "With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus."

You see, that's our message. That's the gospel. The Jesus who knew no sin was made sin with our sin that we might be made the righteousness of Christ in Him. We were made righteous with His righteousness as He took our sin upon Himself. That was the only way that men could be freed. Jesus died, was buried, and raised again on the third day, and Paul said, "If he be not risen then our faith is in vain and we of all men are most miserable." Religion isn't any good. What we believe is worthless if Jesus isn't risen. And, if Jesus is risen He is Lord, amen? If He is Lord, then that means He controls your life, not you. It is that simple. Life is that simple for those of us who are professed believers. It was that simple for the first century believers. What's happened in this day in which we live? "Great grace was upon them." So, we want to talk about power and we want to talk about the grace of God.

Let's go back to Chapter 1 of Acts. We're going to work our way up through these chapters. Hopefully, if things go along as I think they will, we're going to at least go through the first fourteen chapters of Acts over the next couple of weeks and get a glimpse of reality. What the Christian is supposed to be and the preparation of ourselves for this day that we're in.

We've talked about, tragically, the Disneyland that we've lived in and how so many of our generations, the generation beginning with me and younger, have not really faced what "The Great Generation" faced. Now, we've talked about the great generation of America, which I believe were my parents; the ones that went through the Depression and fought World War II. You go to the founding fathers, each has his own merits. But, I think the great generation that you and I see that made this country great was that generation. I believe there was a great generation in the Kingdom of God, and I believe it was the first century church. We need to learn from these people who established this kingdom through their obedience and through their faithfulness. Those who were the building blocks that Peter talked about, the living stones where Jesus Christ Himself is the chief cornerstone.

How do we fit? As the Master Builder is building this church, what does it look like today? I believe that a lot of the church has lost its order and its strength and has become abstract, just like our art. Abstract building, any way you want. In our education system, abstract English. You don't have to spell correctly. I would have been a great student in today's system! "They know what you mean. It doesn't matter whether your grammar is correct, or you spelling is correct. You just need to express yourself!" How about doing it correctly?!! So, we're living in a time when there is no discipline. There are no rules, there's no order, and there's no death to self. But, all individuals see themselves as equals, and we are not. I had a man tell me yesterday as I was witnessing to him, he said, "Do you believe that Jesus is seated at God's right hand?" I said, "Yes." He said, "So, who's at His left hand, the Holy Ghost?" I said, "The Bible doesn't say who's at the left hand so why would we presuppose to guess? I don't say anything that the Bible doesn't say. I do know that an ambitious lady said one time, 'Would that my son could sit on your right hand or on your left.' And the Lord said, 'That's not for anybody to determine but the Father.'" He said, "Well, I'd like to be at the Lord's left hand." I said, "You won't be. But the Bible does say that the Lord places us in the body as it pleases Him. Why don't you just be pleased with where God puts you? Why can't you boast in where God has placed you and not what your ambition says you might want to obtain? How would you even think that you would deserve to sit at the left hand of the Lord?" This guy didn't have a clue what he was talking about anyway, but I was trying to encourage him along the way. But, a time and a generation that thinks way too highly of itself and hasn't accomplished anything. We talked about this in our last session. We need to come back to reality. We're dealing with generations that have lived off TV and movies, and projected ourselves into movie stars. [We] talk about people, these celebrities, as though they are real. They're playing a character! "Oh, so-and-so looked so great, and how they were dressed..." Those clothes were given to them. A stylist did their hair. If you saw them the next day they'd look like a bunch of junk like most of us. Can you see yourself that way? "Not me, I want to be glamorous." No, you're just clay drain tiles.

How do you see yourself? Once we to come into that position of humility, God can begin to use us. Once we begin to see and think that we're not special, God can begin to use us. Even the current doctrine of the day, "You are special. You are the great representative of the Kingdom of God." Of course we are, in our humility, and in our obedience to where God has placed us. But, we're not all going to influence the world for the kingdom but we can influence our neighbor. We're not all going to be on television but we can tell a friend. What I want you to do in this study is to see how God uses the common man and shows Himself mighty. He can choose those who are available to exalt Himself in great power and grace. Yes, even little fishermen, common men. You will see in one of the passages here very soon, it says, "They marveled, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Common men. "How is it that they can move in such power and speak with such authority? They're just fishermen!" And they took note that they had been with Jesus. Where are we going to draw our strength? From the philosophers, the psychologists, the historians, the key business people, the motivational speakers, the Napoleon Hills, Think and Grow Rich and all of these different things? Who are you going to draw your strength from?

In our study in Daniel we saw that the young Hebrew men said, "No, we will not partake of the Kings methods. Just let us--none the filet mignon, none of the Alaskan King Crab, the lobster [Man, I'm getting hungry!]--Just let us eat what is common to us, just this mush." And the guy said, "There's no way! If you eat that and you start losing your strength and you can't sit in class and learn, I'm the one who is going to pay." They said, "Just try it out and see what happens." They left them to their God and to the wisdom of their God. The Bible says that they became ten times wiser than anybody else in the system. They were elevated to positions of authority in the nation.

Who are you going to trust in today? Are you going to do it man's way or God's way? So, we start the Book of Acts. Jesus has risen from the dead. He's shown Himself to the disciples in a great way. The Scripture says in the first chapter, verse 3. "To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, [I like that phrase, don't you?] being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise." Now, we've talked about this on numerous occasions. The day of Pentecost; wait for the promise, the promise of the Father.

Acts 1:8 goes on and says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me." The promise is the enabling, the empowering, to properly represent the Lord. One of the greatest benefits of being filled with the Holy Spirit is that it insulates you from the world's wisdom and system. Because the Bible makes it very clear; Jesus said, "The Holy Spirit will come and will not speak of himself, but he will bring to your remembrance all things that I have said" (John 14:26). The one thing that I trust in, the one thing that I draw on in my life: I trust in the Holy Spirit's enabling. Whenever I'm ready to make a decision I know that the Spirit is going to cause me to hear the words of Jesus. The first thing that is going to come to my thought process is "What would Jesus do here? What would he say about this?" My mind doesn't go to some academic solution, philosophical, sociological. "What would Jesus say here? What would Jesus do?" "And you shall receive power to live like me, to represent me, to be ambassadors of my kingdom after the Holy Ghost has come upon you."

Now, what I want to address a little bit this morning is that there are still some of us here that are not Spirit-filled. Why? "Well, I'm seeking." To what degree are you seeking? To what degree do you desire this gift? "Oh, it would be nice. I'd like to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I'd like some extra power. I'd like to be able to speak in other tongues and enhance my prayer language and be able to edify myself." What does it mean to you? What about when there's the passion that is there for the new car, the clothes, the spouse? You're head over heels in love and preparing to get married. You can hardly stand to be away from the person for two or three seconds. Where is that type of desire for the infilling of the Holy Spirit, to become an ambassador of God, to be able to pray supernaturally beyond your own ability with groanings that cannot be uttered, as Romans says? When we don't know and are not able to pray, the Spirit prays through us with words that cannot be uttered, the Scripture says.

He said, "Go wait and tarry for the promise. You'll receive power. It will make you a new man. It will cause you to more properly represent me." Is that your heart's desire today, to be that representative? Then I'd turn it up a little bit in your pursuit, because He said those that ask shall receive. Amen? "Well, I've asked, and I've prayed, and nothing happened." So you assume that it is not going to happen? "Well, I thought about that new pair of shoes and I didn't buy them." And you never thought about them again? Some of you could hardly sleep and wait until the morning came. The sale was the next day. For a pair of shoes that has a half an ounce of leather in it and you pay a hundred bucks for. (What is this with women's shoes? You should pay by the volume. We get like a whole shoe for the same price and you guys get little straps.) Do you go to sleep with it burning in your heart? "Tonight is the night! Tomorrow is the day. God is going to fill me with His Spirit." You see, when they were baptized with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost they hadn't left that place for days and nights. What kind of an effort are we putting in to walk in the supernatural, to live in the spirit?

He said, "Go and tarry and you will receive power and be witnesses unto me," verse 9 says. "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). Then, there's a phrase here that is so beautiful, "This same Jesus." Not another one like Him. He's not going to send a representative down, not an angel, but this same Jesus. Hallelujah! He's coming back for us! The Scripture says in John, "When He comes we're going to see Him as He is and we're going to be like Him."

We sang that chorus this morning, "If I could just see His face." Is that what you're living for? You know, through the hard times, so many times, that chorus would come to me. "Lord, if I could just see Your face!' I can handle anything if I know you're here. Just show me Your presence. Let me know Your presence. I have the promise of Your Word. I'm so thankful for that, and I stand on it, but Lord, just let me sense Your presence.

We're going to see Him and we're going to be like Him, the Scripture says. "This same Jesus shall come in like manner." Isn't that what we're living for today? To prepare ourselves for that moment? "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1). [We're in] a day when there seems to be so much promotion of culture and wanting to turn to traditional roots; the great emphasis on genetics, the discovery of the DNA. Do you understand that when we were born again by the Spirit of God, infused with the blood of Jesus Christ, that we'd taken on new DNA? We belong to Him! We don't belong to our natural families. We don't belong to any national allegiance. We are the sons of God, heirs and joint heirs of Christ Jesus. Amen? That's where our allegiance is, that's who my family is. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifeth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:1-3). The process of purifying ourselves; all that means is emptying self out, emptying the world out, and being filled more with the wisdom of God and the mind of Christ. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" the Scripture says (Philippians 2:5).

They see Him taken up and the promise was "He'll return in like manner. Now, go and tarry, and wait for the promise." So, the Scripture says that as they are there and tarrying [Chapter 1, verse 25]--it is talking about the fulfilling now of the promise concerning Judas. The placement has been made, the foundation is sure. The twelve stones are laid, the church is intact, orderly, and now it needs to be empowered. The structure is in place, now there needs to be life. It's like the dry bones. Shall these bones live? "The thigh bone is connected to the knee bone, the knee bone's connected to"--right? But, there had to be an infilling of the Holy Spirit, there had to be a coming, the miracle of the putting together of these dry bones. Shall these bones live? Not without the Holy Spirit.

God made Adam from the clay of the ground and formed this man. He was a creature that looked just like you and me. I don't know all of the intricacies of it, because the Bible doesn't say. I don't know if we were built one molecule at a time. I don't know how God structured all of the DNA. We do know that He formed man. So much of creation was spoken. God put out his hand and formed a man. I don't know how detailed it was; the DNA, the vessels, the muscles, sinew, or whatever it is. But, there he was, a creature laying there without life. God had to breathe into him the rûwach, of God, the Spirit of God. The trouble today is that we have a structure, we have a body, we have something that looks like the church, but it is not full of the Spirit. Whether we know it or not, many of us are being influenced by the acceptance of form without power and life. The fastest growing churches in this nation are just circuses that meet for the purpose of entertaining people and telling them how great they are. The fastest selling Christian books are self-help books, and twelve-step programs. [These things are] promoting much of the social order and very little about holy living, living by faith, moving in the power of the Holy Spirit, memorizing the Word of God, being bold witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, standing up, as we're going to see in just a moment in this next chapter, and saying, "You, your sin, your embracing of the world, is what crucified Jesus and what sent Him to the cross."

How much talk is there about sin today in the world, in the churches? How much talk is there about the opening of the Book of Acts, "This same Jesus shall come back in like manner"? When is the last time you heard a Christian talking about Jesus coming back to receive His church, and it wasn't one of you? Now, this is the day that we're living in. What are we doing to prepare ourselves to continue and not be vexed like righteous Lot? The Bible called Lot righteous, but he was vexed. He wasn't thinking straight.

We're looking at our own lives. Are you righteous and vexed? What comes to your mind first when you're faced with decisions in life? The glory of God, what would Jesus do, what will bring the most glory to God? That is how we examine ourselves. So, we see that they are tarrying and waiting for the promise from on high. The church is now structurally sound. You see, that twelfth man had to be back in place. So, we have a twelfth man in place and now there needs to be the infusing of the life of God. "And when the day of Pentecost [Chapter 2] was fully come, they were all with [say the next phrase with me] one accord in one place." You see, that is how you get stuff done in the Kingdom. Not everybody is doing their own thing: in one accord, one place, one vision, one purpose, and you can move in the power of God. That is something that we have tried to live by and affect. Then, the Scripture says suddenly there was a rushing mighty wind that came into the place and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

Now, there is a lot of debate today. I will not take a lot of time on this, but first of all, many of our fundamentalist brothers and sisters don't believe in the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. The reason they don't is because they don't. "If I don't it can't be true, because we have the corner on the market of all wisdom and knowledge. Only we can be right." This is inherited from generations. Now, if you sit down with anybody who is honest, that loves God, that reverences the Word of God, (and most of these people do), and you can get them to speak honestly, and you ask them, "Show me in the Scripture where anything has changed." They will say, "Well, you can't, except maybe this one obscure verse, 'When that which is perfect is come then that which is in part.'" Turn over to Corinthians real quick. I don't want to bog us down, but I want you to see. This will help us because as you're sharing your faith and trying to encourage others to be ready for the coming of the Lord, you are going to get into this because those that love God are going to want to hear and be ready.

In the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians--first of all, it is very important to understand where 1 Corinthians 13 is. It's right between 12 and 14. If you're going to interpret the Scriptures properly, if it's going to be a truthful exegesis, then you have got to give place to context. You can't take Scripture out of its context. You have got to let it say what it is saying to those that it was written to. Don't try to interpret Scripture from a twenty-first century perspective. Interpret Scripture by who it was spoken to and then apply it to a twenty-first century circumstance. Don't interpret it in reverse. These words were spoken to specific people for specific purposes with phraseology and with illustrations that were applicable to their minds. They knew exactly what was being said. So, hear what was being said to them, watch how they responded to it, and then place it into our situation and you will probably be accurate.

So, in the context here, the thirteenth chapter is right between chapters 12 and 14. It's talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the order of the church, and how these things are to be done orderly for the purpose, not of personal edification, but corporate edification. So, in the midst of that he says, "You have got to understand. It can't be done without love. The gifts of the Spirit will not operate properly without love. It is not an ego thing; it is not just a power trip. It is to edify others and not just yourself." That is the reason for this thirteenth chapter that Paul, by the Holy Spirit, brings us.

Now tragically, tens of thousands for a century now or more have just parroted what somebody else said about this. If I know anything about human nature, and I do know a little bit, I know that some of the reason that this was said was because "I didn't experience this personally so it can't be real because all truth revolves around me." Now, that's natural man. Let's let the Bible speak for itself and not somebody's experience. So, somebody somewhere down the road, whether it was Calvin or somebody else, interpreted it this way. Look at verse 8 of the thirteenth chapter of Corinthians. " [Love] never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophecy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away [with]. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: [Then, when? When that which is perfect is come]. Now I know in part; but then [When? When I see face to face] shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity these three; but the greatest of these is [say it: love]" (1 Corinthians 13: 8-13).

So, here is their interpretation, verse 10, "When that which is perfect is come, the Bible." When the Bible was done, the canon was finished, and all of these other things ceased. So, they say that people stopped speaking in tongues when the final book of the Bible was written because it was no longer necessary. Where did Jesus say in His initial command to go tarry for the promise, that it had anything to do with establishing the canon? The purpose of the infilling of the Holy Spirit was to make us what? Witnesses. "You shall receive power to be [say it] witnesses." The Scripture goes on and Peter gives more enlightenment to this promise as he is preaching on the day of Pentecost. He said, "This is the promise of Joel that your sons and your daughters would prophesy. Your old men would dream dreams. This is that spoken by the prophet Joel. It is the promise to you, to your children, to all that are afar off. [Next phrase?] Even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

Now, where do you see an end to that anywhere? How many of you would rather let Paul and the Holy Spirit set doctrine than some Calvinist? So, if you are going to be truthful it is very easy to understand. Plus, if you are going to interpret the Bible correctly you have to be honest. You can't just try to promote your doctrine or what you think. Now, the interesting thing about these people who say that tongues passed away; these are the people that insist that if you're going to stand in the pulpit you have to have a theological doctorate. In that theological doctorate is, of course, as we are going through school, just like any others we have to go through those of us who have been through Bible Schools and seminaries, you still have to take all of the other secular courses. You have to take sociology, psychology, and all of the different things.

So, my question would be to these people, verse 8. "Tongues shall cease" and--say the next phrase with me, ["Knowledge shall vanish away."] (We're back in Chapter 13, verse 8). These are the same guys today that just absolutely promote, insist upon higher education, more knowledge. Well, if the Bible says one shall cease and the other shall vanish away--how can you say that one doesn't work and this one is still for us today? Who is making that call? Now, the reason I took all that time is not to try to convince you. The majority of you here already understand and know. I am trying to show you how irrational the thought processes are. [Even from] those who call themselves Christians, and say they believe in the infallibility of the Scriptures, and yet will not allow the Scriptures to be the final authority. They will quote this passage to you but give you the wrong interpretation. "Well how do you know, Pastor, that your interpretation is correct?" I didn't interpret anything, I just read it. I am not interpreting that, I am letting it say what it says. "To all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." That's pretty conclusive to me. Now, if you can find another Scripture that says "These things shall cease after the establishing of the canon, after the death of the apostles," then I will buy it.

So, as the Scripture speaks for itself and we allow that authority to be the final authority, we're going to know who the church is. Now remember, a lot of these people that are parroting this--don't be quick to cut them off and say, "Oh they're not part of the body. They don't believe God, and they don't believe the Word." That is not necessarily the case. In fact, it is probably the case in very few situations. They haven't really thought about it. They haven't studied. They are just saying what they have been told. That is why we have always encouraged you. Don't just go out of here and parrot what we say, "Study to show yourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." What have you done to study out the Scriptures and know in your own heart that this is the truth of God? Secure yourself in your knowledge of God and His Word.

So, we go back to this second chapter of Acts and we see that the place was filled. It is interesting. The Scripture says that the Holy Spirit came as a rushing, mighty wind. Now, what is that all about? Well, we've already given you two occasions: of the dry bones, of the creation of Adam, the Holy Spirit, the rûwach of God. The Hebrew word rûwach means the wind or the breath. The rûwach of God is the breath of God, the wind, this rushing, mighty wind. It is talking about--and never before referred to in that way--the abundance, the fullness, the power of the presence. He came in fullness, a rushing, mighty wind that came and filled every person in the room.

Beloved, I want you to understand, it is for everybody. "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Be filled with the Spirit. "I would that you all spake with tongues," Paul said. "I thank my God that I speak with tongues more than all of you put together," he said. The purpose of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to be witnesses, to bring us to remembrance of all things that Jesus spoke. The purpose of being filled with the Spirit is not speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is for the purpose of fulfilling the purpose of being a witness. He that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God and gives thanks well; a witness in our praise, our worship, our thanksgiving to God.

"He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifies himself," the Scripture says. You build yourself up. We pray with groanings which cannot be uttered. We pray according to the will of God, Acts 8 says. So, the purpose of speaking in other tongues is to bring the things to remembrance, to speak the will of God, to edify ourselves, and to give thanks well. I'd say it is pretty important. And if, in fact, when I am praying in the Spirit I am praying according to the will of God, Jesus said, "If you ask anything according to my will I will do it." Amen? Guaranteed answer. I pray a lot of prayers that are not the will of God, so God can't answer them because it would be destructive. But when I am praying in the Spirit, He will answer because it is the will of God.

That is why I pray--if any of you have been around--I pray 90 percent of the time in the Spirit. I'll pray with my understanding. I will give thanks with my understanding because the Scripture says to. But, I pray almost every prayer in my understanding and conclude it like this, "Father, if this is what you really want. Here is what I perceive, what I think should happen. Here is what I believe we need, Lord. I am asking You to heal this person. I'm asking You to give us wisdom in this situation. I am asking You to be glorified in this if it is Your will, if it is what will bring the most glory to You." Then, I will pray in the Spirit and be at peace so that when I have left His presence I have prayed according to His will. Then you are at rest. You don't have any more to deal with at the time. It's a done deal.

So, the Scripture says they were all filled, all of them, all of them. That's you. You are one of "all." As we finish for this morning's session, we see that verse eleven says that there were those from all of the surrounding nations. They were amazed that each of them heard them speak the wonderful works of God. They were all amazed, and were in doubt saying to one another, "What meaneth this?"

(Carl Brumbach wrote a great book on the history of the Assemblies of God [AG], "What Meaneth This?" Some of you met Carl when we had him here years ago, just a great brother. He's one of the real intellectuals, probably one of the great experts on the Biblical creation verses evolution, great teaching on creationism.)

They heard them speaking the wonderful works of God, "giving thanks well." I don't want to get into the different miracles of how at times tongues can be heard in a specific language. But, tongues is not the supernatural enabling to speak a foreign language to go out and be a missionary. There is no indication in the history book, the Book of Acts, of that ever being done. Yet, we know from this particular incident that God could do it if it was chosen, whether it is the speaking, or the hearing, that doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is I can be articulating something that I haven't learned, and whatever it is that I am articulating can be perceived by another individual with understanding. That miracle we see. How God would choose to use it, I don't pretend to know. I do know of some incidents that I could share testimonies with you, and they are kind of amazing. Paul Bruton was telling me about when they had a thing going down in Mexico one time, (He was the head of the AG youth in Southern California), how one girl began to speak. She spoke in fluent Spanish and declared the wonderful works of God. It smote the hearts of some people who were near by and they were born again. They came up and started telling her, "We've never heard God magnified this way. We have never heard the gospel with such clarity." They are talking to her and she can't understand a thing they are saying. They are speaking in Spanish and she can't speak or understand Spanish. Yet, she was speaking in fluent Spanish. They heard the wonderful works of God, they were called, and their hearts were smitten. I can tell you a lot of stories like that that have happened. It does happen, but it is not the norm. It is not what God chose as the method of propagating the gospel, but it is part of the supernatural.

My friend, John Garlock, as I have shared with you--some of you have read his book, "Before We Kill and Eat You." I love that title, don't you? John was a missionary in Africa. He was one of the first white men ever seen in certain regions, back in a region where they still practiced cannibalism. They were going to kill and eat him. He began to praise God and pray in the Spirit. They heard the declaration of the wonderful works of God and it came out in their dialect. "These are the men of the most high God who have come to show you the way of salvation." I tell you what! If you thought it was going to keep you out of that pot, some of you would be filled with the Spirit! God's wisdom and His great power expressing itself in our midst. How do you know when you're going to need that? We need it every day to pray the wisdom of God, to edify ourselves.

"And they were all filled." Why aren't you? Now, don't get all bummed out and say, "Well, I guess I'm just no good. I'm a second rate citizen." No. But where is your zeal? Where is your appetite? They were there for a purpose, to be filled with the promise. You don't need an angelic admonition, because we have already been told that it is to as many as the Lord our God shall call. Every time you come you ought to believe. Every time you go into prayer in your prayer closet; when you go home this afternoon and you are praying and preparing yourself for this evening's service, you ought to be believing God to be filled with the Spirit if you are not. When you come into this service you ought to be believing God to be filled with the Spirit. It can happen just like that [finger snap].

That's how I was filled. In the Book of Acts--I won't go there right now, but while Peter was speaking at Cornelius' house it says "While he yet spoke they were filled with the Spirit," while he was teaching. The guy who was teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit came to that part, (I was a young man), recited that and I said, "That's for me, bless God!" The night before I had been praying and seeking God at the altar. I wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit, wanted it, and worked hard trying to seek God, trying to believe. Next service he's teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit again and he gets to that verse and I said, "Praise God, that's it!" While I was sitting in my chair as he was continuing to speak, the Holy Spirit filled me. I began to pray in other tongues. I received a new heart, a new boldness, a new understanding of the Scripture, a new ability to praise and to worship. Do you have trouble worshipping? Do you have trouble praising out loud? Do you have trouble raising your hands spontaneously, not mechanically? "Let's-all-raise-our-hands." [Pastor illustrates, with sound effects, a slow, creaky, mechanical raising of the hands.] The first thing that happens is your heart, and your hands, and your mouth are all hooked as one; all of your instruments to glorify God. That's just part of the package. "And they were all filled," the Scripture says, "and all began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." We will pick up here tonight.

Father, we thank You for the Word of God as we spend this time in the first chapters of this history book, the Book of Acts. It is more unique than any other history book because it is still being written. It is still alive. It has not been concluded. We have all the history but it speaks of the future, it addresses the contemporary. We're living this today. We are in the Book of Acts. The Acts of the Apostles. What is today's chapter recording and how are we bringing glory to Your name as Your witnesses? Help us to be consciously aware of the fact that we represent You. Be glorified in our lives and in our midst we ask, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord. As Gary plays for us, we'll take just a moment and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us with great power and great grace. Be glorified in our midst, Lord; help us to honor You. Let's sing it together and just worship Him this morning. "I love you, Lord..." We do love you. Sing it one more time, "I love you, Lord." Oh, thank You, Jesus. "Oh, my soul rejoice." Yes, Lord. Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Just help us, Father, to draw in the breath of God. Breathe into our nostrils and make us living beings empowered to represent You. We'll be careful to give You all the praise for it, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen, amen.

For those that are visiting with us for the first time, if you'd like, some of our deacons will be back at the bookstore. They would be happy to talk with you, answer any questions that you might have. Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "Be filled with the Spirit." Amen. Go in peace, God's love go with you.

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