The filling (control) of the Holy Spirit is not exclusively an individual experience; it can be a corporate one that transforms an entire community of believers. When a church is filled with the Spirit, its members are moved to act with collective boldness, great faith, and radical generosity, holding all things in common. This is not a political system forced upon people, but a voluntary outpouring of love prompted by God’s control. We ought to pray that God would revive His church again, that His Spirit might take over and produce the same unity, power, and witness that characterised the early church.

Automatically Generated Transcript

[00:00:00] This morning we were looking at a topic about the Holy Spirit, which is at the moment a theme that’s caught my attention in the Church and my desire to bring out from the Scriptures an understanding for us all to have about how the Holy Spirit works. And particularly there are a number of references to how the Holy Spirit moves on us and different words is used and there’s a fair degree of puzzlement as to actually how those descriptions go together and how much those words use to describe the Holy Spirit coming to us as being the same idea but with different wording or with different experiences in mind by the Scriptures. And this morning one of the things that I was sharing was perhaps a fairly recent insight

[00:00:58] inside of mind that these words and they’re things like receiving the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit, being anointed of the Spirit or the fruit of the Spirit, all such terms such as those. And something that has come to my attention is that all of these terms are certainly referring to how the Holy Spirit works with us as people that belong to God. But on the other hand, there are some differences in what their meanings carry and there is some overlap in terms of some of them have the same meanings as others but slightly differently. So we started going through the Book of Acts this morning just for the purpose of looking at each reference that was coming up as we read through the Book of Acts and to see what information we could put together

[00:01:51] as to how to understand these terms about the Holy Spirit. And in the morning, I’ll just tell you which two we particularly emphasised on without repeating too much. One is the idea of receiving the Spirit, which is often mentioned with becoming a Christian. And the other one is being filled with the Spirit, which sometimes goes in the same sort of passages where people are becoming Christians and it also says they’re filled with the Spirit. and sometimes it is mentioned in a person that had already been filled previously with the spirit and so it might be giving perhaps a hint that you can be filled at one time but may need to be filled again later. So there’s a bit of mystery about these terms and so we’re coming now to this passage where it tells about the time where the people,

[00:02:45] the Jewish leaders were opposing the early Christian witness of the Apostles and in their opposition they had put several of their number in prison and there’d been prayer that went up for or by the Christians because they’d been threatened that they had to stop preaching in the name of Jesus and so this is the record in verse 23 they’re telling the people what has been said to them by the chief priests and so these people gathered together, these Christians these first ones after the day of Pentecost the Christian church being founded at the day of Pentecost by the giving of the Holy Spirit according to it being the fulfillment of an Old Testament promise that God would make a new covenant with the people of Israel and this is the moment that happened and Peter finished that sermon on that day

[00:03:40] by calling on the crowd to repent of their sins to be baptised in the name of Jesus, which is definitely a further step than just being a part of the people of God because you’re in the Jewish nation. And that if a person would so do that if they were baptised into the name of Jesus they would be forgiven of their sins, they’d have the forgiveness of sins and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The only thing is that first mention of that event that occurred where that announcement was made had the statement about all the disciples the ones who were the apostles and a few others with them were gathered together and it’s in the upper room and they had had the Holy Spirit come on them and had filled them so two statements already made the Holy Spirit had come on them sat on them in fact

[00:04:32] is the description and then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit these are the apostles who all went outside and began to preach to the crowds and many of those people then heard Peter’s sermon that asked them to repent, to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ and they would receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit. So here’s those terminologies of receiving the Spirit, the gift of the Spirit, and what we discovered was that they were also described as being filled with the Spirit. So certainly in that initial occasion, there’s a great overlap about those words because they’re all being associated with that first time of the Spirit coming at the day of Pentecost and what is normal Baptist belief, the formation of the Christian church as different from the era in the Old Testament

[00:05:25] where the Jewish nation were the people of God. Now here we have a development because as these Christian people prayed about the fact that they’d been threatened not to speak in the name of Jesus, they pray and at the end of the prayer, and you can read it there in the inverted comma, Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David your servant said by the Holy Spirit, we’ll keep going to the next bit, why do the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot in vain, the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed. For truly in this city they were gathered together against your holy child, Jesus, servant Jesus,

[00:06:14] whom you appointed both Herod and it goes on to say about this opposition that came. And so what they pray is, we’re down in verse 30, while they’re praying in verse 29 now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness. While you stretch out your hand to heal and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant, Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Now, notice the fact that it says they were all filled, a whole lot of them praying. So immediately we have here an extra piece of information to take into account,

[00:07:07] that there can be times when the Holy Spirit comes to the whole group of people and they’re all filled. Even though Peter has just announced, immediately after this effect, that even before this effect, he’d announced the gospel, the first time the gospel was given after the day of Pentecost had come, he’d announced that any individual who’d repent of their sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And all those who then qualified to be in that category are filled. And so the filling of the Spirit can be something, not only a personal experience that a person has, but it can be something that is a group experience. What does that word filled mean? it means that the spirit takes over and he takes over the group. And it’s one of the features,

[00:08:09] well, I asked for God to give them as a group to be able to continue to speak the word of God with boldness. It’s one of the features of the first church that previously they’d been coward really, they were gathered together because they were scared. But in answer to that prayer, God fills them as a group of people so that they’re able to go out and speak the message with boldness and not be scared away from it. This idea that there is the possibility of filling of the Spirit can be something that happens to a group of people is what I’m then wanting to pick up. And so we’ll go to another passage and see where we go from here. The next verse, I think it is. Is that right? Let me see. No. So we’ll go to Acts 6, 3 to 8. Sorry, I’m jumping around. Acts 6, or you’re there before I am.

[00:09:07] Therefore, brothers, now this is the passage where the people who are leading the church, which are the apostles, recognise the fact that what they’re doing, which is largely proclaiming Christ and going to those who are lost, they’re asking that there be organised a bit more action in the church. And because there are a number of needs being found happening amongst the people of the church, they have a solution. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom. Notice, we actually have here a dual qualification. Later on, you’re going to discover another one where there’s a triple. So this is about duets and triplets. We were having a triplet in the singing, weren’t we, before? Anyway, sorry. Anyway, pick out among you seven men of good repute,

[00:10:08] full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we’ll appoint to this duty, but we’ll devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. That’s preaching the Word. And what they said pleased the whole congregation, and they chose Stephen. Now look at this. Look at the descriptions. A man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Again, it’s a double qualification. Someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit, but also full of faith. What I’ve been saying in the apologetics slash theology club last Thursday night is the meaning of the word filled. When we picture, when we hear folks say that in our language, we usually fill of something filled to overflow. So if you have a jug of water and you fill it up and it runs out the top, it’s been filled. The way that they pictured the Holy Spirit’s filling

[00:11:16] was that there was so much the influence of the Holy Spirit that everything that was then seen was due to the Holy Spirit. It’s like the water is flowing out because it’s just overflowed. The idea of the overflow is not a bad picture. And so the meaning of the word filled has to do with the idea of control. And in particular, in the case of the qualifications of people who became the first deacons, it’s said, was that they would be so filled with the Spirit as to cause them to also be filled with faith. One of the problems in church life is we have churches and people are in charge and they may be equipped as far as their minds are concerned or their characters are concerned or equipped as far as their ability to administrate is concerned to be able to make decisions

[00:12:09] but there’s really terrible difficulty in a church if the people who are going to be making decisions don’t have enough faith. one of the wonderful things about our church is the faith of the people who are making those decisions about money our treasurer is someone now I’m going to tell you I’ve been in lots of different churches and my father was in the ministry from early days and he had several pastorates and has told me many stories and I’ve discovered it so myself that there are plenty of churches who have capable people who are in the positions of being deacons and making decisions but it’s always very difficult if they don’t have enough faith in fact there are some styles of treasurers that you get and praise the Lord Cameron’s not like this who see their role to see if you can spend the least

[00:13:10] in order to preserve the funds of the church they do what probably is a good business thing see if you can get it to run without over spending. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the lessons people learn in business life as to how to put your business into a place of making a profit by cutting back your spending where you can. But when you’re dealing with the business of the church, you not only have the task of seeing that the money is well spent and that you spend the least that you can to get the amount of things that you need to happen happening but you also need to believe that God will bring in the money for what he gives the lead to do. And so one of the needs in church life and particularly Baptist churches which are often run more democratically I think than other denominational styles

[00:14:09] you call that Baptist polity is the way they’re generally administered is that you need to have people in those roles who have faith to believe God will bring the money in just as much as them taking care that it’s well spent. There’s a balance needed. And there’s many a church that’s had a difficulty of not having enough faith to know how to spend the funds and believe God for the rest. The same is actually true I’m sure Heather will know from already having been in mission work in different places that there are times when you feel God is calling you and you don’t have the money to take that stand or to take that direction. What do you do? Do you do nothing? Say to the Lord until you provide the funds I’m not budging? There are some people for whom that’s how they run their lives

[00:15:05] with the Lord but I want to tell you that to be someone who will help out the scene that was greeting the first disciples was to have people organising who not only can trust that the money’s well spent but also trust that God will provide the money necessary to spend it on the things he’s leading you to. Can you feel the tension of that? Well, in the case of the ones that were chosen here they said they’re meant to be people filled with the spirit and wisdom and then it mentions someone, Stephen there in verse 5 a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. So this is another dual qualification. And Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch these were set before the apostles. And the word of God continued to increase

[00:16:05] and so it has been partly what I’ve been saying across the morning services because it would be a wonderful thing if we had a vision of believing God that he might give a revival. And the way I’ve worded that is that we’re believing him for what he can do but we’re not telling him he has to we’re asking that he might and believing that he can. And if we pray to God that he does that he may lead us to do things which require a step of faith beyond our means. it’s actually the same in our personal lives where there come moments when we recognise that we would like to be more useful to God than what we presently have been and we wonder how that can be brought about there are times when you have to take a step of faith even though you don’t have the funds there are times when you have to take a step

[00:16:59] to do what is not what your personality is geared up to be able to well do and Michelle sometimes tells me off for saying the same illustration many times over and I think I’m going to a third time Michelle if you were listening at home and that is that there’s a fellow in Chicago who wrote a book called Just Step Across the Room and he described how he needed to learn to take a risk socially when he saw someone on the other side of the room that he didn’t know and didn’t feel that easy about striking a conversation he’d just make himself take a step across the room and my hearing of that from him really helped me get over what had been a bit of a blockage in my personality in terms of being good at outreaching to people and it was to learn to take a risk and that’s that faith element

[00:17:53] and so they appointed these seven people and all of that added to the handling of the church because they began to do the things that the disciples didn’t have time to do and they were looking after issues that the apostles hadn’t managed to do and then it says verse 7 look at verse 7 and the word of God which is how the book of Acts talks about the spread of the gospel the word of God continued to increase. I remember hearing this verse as a young man of the word of God continuing to increase. In my mind, always sometimes thinking up funny pictures to go with a thought. I’ve had this picture of Bibles getting in the corner and all expanding and jumping and more Bibles sort of falling out of the corner because the word of God continued to increase.

[00:18:47] I’d only heard the term word of God to apply to the Scripture. But actually, as you read through the Gospels, the Word of God is the message that God has sent. Jesus is called the Word because he’s whom Jesus sent. And when it says the Word of God continued to increase, it is that sense that this powerful message, inspired of heaven, empowered by the Holy Spirit, can grow in the sense of getting everywhere and impacting people. And when they prayed for boldness and they had got the boldness and they then chose people who would have faith and be filled with the Spirit. And here we have the result is that the Word of God increases. The amount of action of this message, the Gospel, getting to go everywhere and causing people getting converted and increasing the company.

[00:19:43] And it’s one of the things that happens in a live church if you have people who are filled with the Spirit. And particularly if the case of the church itself as a group is one that is controlled by the Spirit. And the Word of God will increase. The number of the disciples multiply greatly into Jerusalem. And as a little aside, the text tells us a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. I love that clause as well. A great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. And then finally, a comment on Stephen, who’s one of those seven chosen to be the first deacons. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. And God is able to produce signs. Now, by the way, be a bit wary of signs and power and whatever.

[00:20:39] If you think that that’s something we have to put on, we don’t have to produce the signs. But rather, Stephen, full of grace and power. See, the Spirit produces things in people, sometimes different things, but they’re his work. And he was doing great wonders and signs among the people. I just have to say the truth here. I am a person theologically conservative. I always have been, never has been, someone who wanted to be showy or whatever. And certainly in the early days of the charismatic movement, considered it was unusual and I didn’t understand it or wasn’t in it. But when I went overseas to the United States, I went to a conservative church over there. And I was at a conservative seminary, Dallas Theological Seminary. The strangest thing happened. I got, there was an Indian student there.

[00:21:45] I’ve told some of you this before, I know. But he got going a prayer meeting in the rented house he had that was near the seminary and other students could come. And we had a prayer meeting at 6.30 every morning. And something happened in the other students. And there’s thousands of students that go to that place, 2,000 odd students. They heard something had happened in the prayer meeting. Most of us who were there were internationals. And some of the Americans all came with sticky beaking, having a look to see. And something happened and the word spread out amongst the seminary that revival had happened in the prayer meeting. Now, actually, I don’t know whether to call it a revival or not because one of the students who was a very extroverted fellow, he’d come along and while we’re praying,

[00:22:35] he’d get down on his knees in front of the chair and he used to pray and beat the chair as he cried out to God. So if you just saw him, you might think some revival had happened, but that was actually his character. He was a very extroverted prayer. So I don’t know whether that was a real revival but it certainly was a movement of the spirit and the word got out. So then we got other students coming to look and see what’s this going on and then later on I finished my Master’s degree and went on up to Wheaton College and did more study up there. Later on went back to Dallas Seminary and did a doctoral program and at the entrance to the doctoral program they had a committee that meets you and they said, because they sort of moved me on because they, the leaders, thought that I was too charismatic for them.

[00:23:21] But when I came back and asked the second time, they said, oh, Jim, we want you to know that we don’t mind having charismatics amongst us. And in Australia, I was known as a conservative, certainly not a charismatic. But from that particular place, anybody who’s… Well, because of the rumours that came out of the prayer meeting, you know, there’s people beating chairs or whatever, they thought I must be some drastic charismatic. But I have to today say that in terms of using that label, I have retreated from being a non-charismatic because I think we all should be charismatic. In fact, the very word charisma is used in the scriptures about eternal life. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And the way it’s described, it’s described as a grace gift.

[00:24:20] And the charismata are the gifts that come by grace. The actual word itself means come by grace. And if you’re a real Christian, you are a biblical charismatic. Maybe I should word that. But you should be a biblical charismatic. It doesn’t mean that you want to swing from the rafters or that you want to do wild things. It means that you have at the centre of your Christian experience the fact that the Holy Spirit you receive to make you a Christian sometimes takes over and controls you. And the word filling of the Spirit means when the Holy Spirit takes control. It’s not that you’re always that way. And sometimes, as we’re going to see in the next little passage, there’s a need for you to have another filling. So let’s go to the next passage, please. And Ephesians… Okay, so I’d like to put another one in

[00:25:20] if this is not going to be too difficult for you. And it is… Okay, let’s see if I can find it. Acts 6. Let’s see what Acts 6, 3 to 8 is. Or is it 5 to 8? 3 to 8. Acts 6, 3 to 8. 3 to 8. Okay, we’ve already had that. We’ve already had that one. Do you have another… What other Acts 1 have you got there? All right, let’s read this one anyway. It’s a continuation of Acts 3, verse 32. Now the full number of those who believe were of one heart and one soul. This is that sense of God doing something amongst a group. Not just an individual. And no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own. But they had everything in common. And with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. You know the word grace means gift.

[00:26:39] Grace is something undeserved. Great grace was upon them all. Now this is… Now putting it very clearly in front of us that this idea of being filled with the Spirit and great grace means it’s not a little tippet piece of grace. It’s great grace was upon them all. And there was not a needy person among them. For as many as were owners of lands and houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the feet of the apostles. Laid it at the apostles’ feet. This has sometimes been called a revival. In fact, it’s not so much a revival. It’s the original. The original coming of the Holy Spirit upon the church in revivals is when God decides to bring back the original conditions by His Spirit coming and taking over. One of the features of revival is there may be individuals

[00:27:36] like Jonathan Edwards who was the father of revivals in America or people like the evangelist George Whitefield or John Wesley who could be said to have started movements of the spirit. But revivals are things that sometimes come on areas. So in certain cases after the Great Awakening in America under the ministry of Jonathan Edwards which went like wildfire across the Americas, North America but people would be riding horses into a new district and came into a district where revival had come to the district and as they rode the horse in came under conviction of sin and would seek out the leaders or the preachers and find how they could become right with God and revival came to areas. It can come to groups of people but it can come to areas where the spirit works and if we had a revival in Australia

[00:28:41] that came and started in Queensland it would spread right across Australia. That’s one reason why a good thing to do for us as a church is to have as a name to pray to God would he please give us a revival. Start with us. Why not? Now I don’t think that you ever demand things of God unless he’s already promised them. You can demand him to do what he’s already said he’ll do so you’re not bossing God around but he’s already spoken. I think you’ve got to be careful of how you pray to God that you don’t see yourself as the one who’s calling the tune but there’s a place for us to say to God Oh God please if it be your purpose if it be your will would you not revive us again that your people might rejoice in you? I slipped into quoting a Bible verse there. Would you not revive us again

[00:29:32] that your people might rejoice in you? and who knows what God would do well here’s a case where the first Christianity was what people later on have called a revival actually it never was a revival in the first place because it was the original life that we would want to have revived and so Joseph, by the way look at his name his name, one name is Joseph but another one is Barnabas and Moku’s husband Barnabas died while he was praying and he was someone who was just so steady in Christ and the name Barnabas it means son of encouragement well this particular bloke was a Levite, one of the Jewish groups a man who was involved in the running of the temple a native of Cyprus verse 37 says he sold the field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet I thought about this sermon

[00:30:38] I started it in the morning and I thought I could give it a rather catchy name how close to being a communist should we be how do you like that name how close to being a communist should we be The one difference, of course, that we’re not communists is we don’t believe by political manipulation that you make people surrender all their money and have common property. But the Holy Spirit can do that, people, so they do it voluntarily. And so in terms of if you had have been back there making a report for the news about the first Christian community in Jerusalem, you would be almost forgiven if you surprised the hearing audience that communism had broken out in Jerusalem because they’re all sharing everything. That’s part of what the word of communion or having a group of people that share everything

[00:31:43] where the name communism comes from. But the only difference is that it’s not done by having a political revolt or by taking over control and making people do it. But here it is where the Holy Spirit fills people. And here is where our definition of what being it is to be filled with the Spirit causes something to happen that is not communism but it is God taking over control where what he does in all the hearts makes this movement something that’s a group thing. now the next incident that happens I won’t bother with us reading the actual scriptures but the next chapter has the story of Ananias and Sapphira who have property and sell it but they don’t give all the money to the apostles they pretend they are and they get called in by Peter who says you’ve been lying to God

[00:32:35] and because they’re sinning in a moment of revival which often causes the same sort of response by the way that if there’s a revival period don’t be someone who sins badly pretending you’re in it when you’re not or bad things happen the judgement’s worse in a revival time and they both, Ananias and his wife Sapphira died at the feet of Peter he didn’t kill them but God killed them because in revival times the spirit comes on the group but for you pretend that you’re in it but keep it so you see they had the possibility of keeping it and give a lie that you’re giving a lot when you’re not then it produces the judgement of God and that’s one of the features that happens it’s a dangerous thing to be in a period of time where the spirit is filling the group and in holding out. And even where there are people,

[00:33:43] and for the history of this church, I can say from that which I’ve seen, and I knew the church even in my younger days, that where the Spirit moved and people held out, that generally speaking, you’ve found them drifted off. And if you went to look them up today, they would not be with Christ. And it’s one of the features of evangelistic series of meetings that sometimes you get people who come to the Saviours as they come. And then suddenly you also have people who recognise they’ve been away from the Lord, they haven’t been made to die like Ananias and Sapphira, but they know they’re spiritually been withering, and they then come back to God. And when Peter had a time of being up in Mackay, and he whistled for me to come and help. We had one meeting, I think it was the first meeting

[00:34:43] or the last meeting of the church, when the invitation was given, amongst the people that came was an old man. And he ran down the front. When you see an old man running, you know that he might have some powerful reason for running. He ran down the front and he told us later he’d come to Christ as a young man and then lived, got away from God and lived without him all his life. And now in his old age, he found himself with an opportunity to come back and he ran down the front. That’s someone who’s coming while the grace is still being offered. I don’t know how you’d fit that into your theology, but I want to tell you that man was very glad that he came and he found himself walking with Christ again. The only lament that he had was that he’d wasted his life in between.

[00:35:42] Well, here we have a time of a group working and because the next chapter tells us that not all the people in the group actually lived it out and they suffered the consequence, nonetheless, it is a good example of the fact that the term filling of the Spirit can apply to groups. Let’s go to another passage and I’m maybe jumping with you. We’ll go to Ephesians now in chapter 5. Did I give you that verse? Oh, you’re so quick. That’s good. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise. There is a wisdom in recognising that the way you engage the filling of the Spirit or not needs wisdom and will affect your walk. making best use of the opportunity or the time. Why? Because the days are evil and when God is on the move and working, you’re getting in on the ground floor but these are evil days, Paul says,

[00:36:54] actually all the time from Jesus forming the church through to when he finally comes. It could be called evil days but particularly in the days of Jesus when they put him on the cross. They were evil days. So be wise about the time that you’re in. Making best use of the time. Depending on what translation you look up, some of the older versions say redeeming the time. Indeed, the original Greek uses the word that means redeem, buy back out of the marketplace. Redeeming the time. It’s translation in our ESV which tries to be accurate but also in good choice of English words to portray the meaning. Making best use of the time. Buying back the time. Don’t waste the time. Do you not know that there are lots and lots of people who do come to Christ and are truly Christians but don’t really use the opportunity.

[00:37:57] When we get to glory and you say to the Lord or is he going to say to you what have you been doing? Not that he doesn’t know. When he puts you on the spot for how you spent your opportunities when that day for you to stand before God and you know the Christians have their special time of being judged not to have any doubt that they’ll go to be with him in glory but as to whether they’ll be rewarded for how they walk with him now, whether they redeemed the time, whether they took opportunity and lived for God while a chance was here. I got really impacted by one minister who was involved with helping my father to run the college when I went through Baptist College. And he became the chairman of one of the committees and there were some difficulties in the college that he was chairing, looking after

[00:39:00] and we students all got to get interviewed about the difficulties. But he made a statement. He said that he, when he was young, was called to be a missionary but he wanted to have the best for his family and he stayed in Australia and never went. And to hear the report from his heart, how he missed making use of the opportunity. God still used him. He wasn’t discarded but he missed an opportunity. Listening to Heather and she’s one who’s been at places to serve the Lord and when that has come to a close, she’s found another opportunity. Heather, you’re a lucky girl. The very best things in life that bring the fulfilment is when you follow Jesus and he gives you something that’s on his heart and he helps you. You become caught up in his purpose. Jesus is the one who wants to go to Peru.

[00:40:15] Well, he’s already there, I guess. But he’s the one that wants to get to those people. And when you see someone going as a missionary, I’ve got some advice for the rest of you because we’ve heard her testimony. Don’t pity her going somewhere where it’ll be difficult walking in those difficult places and not necessarily having all the niceties of life. Don’t pity her. Be jealous of her opportunity. Admire her willingness to follow no matter what it costs. Pray for her. Bring her to the Lord and recognise that the invitation she’s actually given to us and to you and to me to partner, as how it’s been worded, that we can share in the going. There’s something wonderful about people who discover a closeness with Christ and then feel moved to join in with those who led them to the Lord or those who represent them

[00:41:27] as missionaries do. I had a crusade in Upper Mount Gravatt Baptist Church and I got in the door to do it because a good friend of mine was the youth leader and he recommended me and the deacon said no way sort of thing when I had him. You know, I was sort of a scallywag that they didn’t respect. But he, the next Wednesday was the business meeting of the church and he brought up the same idea at the business meeting that the people overruled the deacons and so I was told by the church to come and visit with the deacons and get it organised and we had a terrific crusade and the Lord was present in it. It actually was the start of my discovering a model of evangelism I call the extended crusade when you go for three or four months in the church and you have a teaching thing. I’m doing the teaching thing

[00:42:19] with you if you want to know the truth. but I’ve been doing that in all sorts of different places but one of the joys was when I’d finished that time in Upper Magravat was when I went overseas to do study and went at first to Dallas Seminary and then to Wheaton College but I got letters from some of people in the Upper Magravat church and one young person riding in a bus wrote a letter and the letter read the Holy Spirit or the Lord had just told her to send me some funds I got over there by the strength of my bank card and I ran out of money lots of different times or different amounts of pressure times but suddenly at the time of need a letter like that came and there was no problem I’ve had people in America who sent me money and I don’t even know who lives in the city it came from who was the person

[00:43:23] how did they get my name but when it came I was in that moment of actually needing what Michelle was there were people who were joining in that wonderful experience that’s represented by the people that go on on your behalf and we have a chance to join in so when you get home pray about what you think the Lord wants you to do because if he leads you to do something if your heart leads you to do something you’re giving an opportunity to join in one of the most wonderful things it is to do with your life be filled with the Spirit now this is a passage actually I should be exegeting it for you verse 18 do not get drunk with wine wherein is excess or debauchery or rottenness is basically what it’s saying now mind you this is a passage to people who are going to be addressed to be filled with the Spirit

[00:44:28] so be aware of the fact that filling with the Spirit although it’s God’s doing it and sometimes when he does it you get a surprise that he does but nonetheless it’s possible to go the opposite direction otherwise why would it tell you don’t get drunk with wine for that leads to debauchery is what it means but be filled with the spirit and then it goes on and says this is some of the outcome if you’re filled with the spirit addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody to the Lord with all your hearts giving thanks always for everything notice these participles they’re half verbs they’re not full verbs addressing one another that’s mutual ministry spiritual songs is because there’s something of the Holy Spirit in it and some places they think that means that you start singing

[00:45:20] and don’t know what the next note’s going to be I don’t think it has to be that random but I think there’s times when you sing and you know that in your singing there’s something of the Spirit involved, the Holy Spirit causes people to sing and if you’ve got some favourite songs if you want to know how to really spice up your prayer life Try taking your place of praying to somewhere where you can sing out loud and not be embarrassed. Go somewhere on your own. When I lived at Brookfield in the college, I used to walk up the track towards Mount Coother. I had a little spot there where no one else could hear you sing. And I used to sing. I used to take Bible verses and learn them off by heart out loud. Sing. And let the Spirit fill you. There’s something that blesses you when the Spirit takes over.

[00:46:15] And if you’re in a group addressing one another, let the Spirit lead you to address others in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then finally, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. That ability to submit to people who may have stolen the lead and got in ahead of you, but submit out of your reverence for Christ to join with them. And when there is a movement of the Spirit, it will join us together and we will do things together under the Holy Spirit. Okay, we won’t go on to verses 22 and following because I use that a lot in marriage counselling and I’ll tell the people how it connects with the previous verses when that happens.

[00:47:18] Well, enough to say that there are passages in the New Testament where filling with the Spirit’s a definite experience and it has an effect on other people and it causes behaviours like the ones you saw with the participles happening there and finishes up with your being able to submit in occasions where there’s other Christians. And these are all times where the filling of the Spirit is more than just an individual thing, but it’s something which is enabling you to have fellowship, which is the heart of what was the fellowship when Christ first formed the church. In our case, revival, because it’s reviving something that we haven’t kept up with. In their case, it was how the original church was described. Let’s close in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the scriptures.

[00:48:16] We thank you for the experience possible of the Holy Spirit taking over control and things happening that we couldn’t have authored. Things happening that sometimes, Father, we should have authored and haven’t been able. But the Holy Spirit, you’re able to bring about the grace of God amongst us, corporately as well as individually. That’s an interesting thing to learn. May that be the story of our church. I ask for you to do it, Lord. Lord, I ask and we ask, Lord, that you might cause the Holy Spirit’s movement to happen in this church and your will be done. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.