This Sunday we had our very own Doug Burke bringing a message to us as we continue our 21 days of prayer and fasting on “The Power of the Holy Spirit”.
How great to be back home at Thornton Little Theatre, it’s like the spiritual home of Light and Life. A scripture Doug was reading this week felt appropriate for today.
Exodus 20:24b “Wherever I cause My Name to be honoured, I will come to you and bless you.”
When Pastor Jonny asked Doug to choose which week and message he would like to bring, Doug chose The Power of the Holy Spirit, he saw it as a challenge that would do him good to delve into. When he realised afterwards that maybe he’d chosen wrong and it was too late, he worried it would need to be some sort of David Copperfield, flash, bang, magic show. But is that how the Holy Spirit works? No. How does the Holy Spirit work?
Doug was asked to preach once at an old parish church, he said that he was given a subject to speak on that he was not happy about. He didn’t know what he should say. The choir (all dressed in robes) sang their songs and then it was Doug’s turn. Doug got up to speak, put his bible down and noticed a scrap bit of paper that said on it, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus”. John 12:21. Now that’s is how the Holy Spirit works. The Holy Spirit will always point you towards Jesus, in everything. Always.
When you feel like you’re struggling and you tell God, the Holy Spirit will guide you to look at the cross. Look at what Jesus has done for you. Jesus will always point up to the Father. When you see what the Father has done, sending His only Son as a rescue plan so that where He is, we can be also. All you can do is lift your hands in praise because of what He has done for us.
Jesus says in John 14:6
“I Am the Way, I Am the Truth, I am the Life. No-one comes to the Father, except through Me”
There is no other way to Father God except through Jesus Christ and understanding the cross and His resurrection.
We pray that through it all, through the power of the Holy Spirit we would see Jesus.
John 3:3-8 “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old? Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying ‘You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Doug highlighted the word wind. We often hear the word wind of God, breath of God, pneuma is the Greek word, for air or breath. Ruach is the Greek word for Spirit, because the New Testament was originally written in Greek and Aramaic.
Doug was once staying in a hotel in Darlington, Doug was watching a film while his friend who was also there picked up a Gideon’s bible. While his friend was flicking through and asking questions, Doug was half listening and half answering the questions. After about half an hour, he shut the bible and said “Let’s just call it a night” and Doug said then they heard the sound of a rushing wind, very directional, came at the right hand side window, and Doug felt something come into the room. After that Doug said something changed and life was never the same, he was the one that would now be asking questions. The power of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of Jesus Christ operates in so many different ways, He is a multi-faceted God, it’s like looking at a giant diamond and so we’re just going to look at some of those facets. A.W.Tozer says “you don’t become Christian by hanging around church people, or doing religious practices. You become Christian by an invasion of the Holy Spirit into your life, giving you a new birth, by becoming another person.”
Doug then began to speak about John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a wild man, a messenger, he’s in the gospels. He baptised people in the river Jordan and told people to get themselves ready because the Messiah that was foretold in the Old Testament, was coming. Why was he called John the Baptist? Because he baptised with water, his was a baptism of repentance.
Luke 3:15 - 16 “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptise you with water. But One Who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of Whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Can you see the difference there? Two baptisms.
There’s a King up in his palace, dressed his royal robes, he sees this beautiful lady going about her business. She’s dressed in rags. So he says what shall I do? How can I win her heart? If I go see her like this, it’d be too much. She’d be overwhelmed. So he comes down dressed in rags, taking on the form of a servant and he wants to win her heart that way. Over time the lady says “Who actually are you?”
2000 years ago Jesus Christ came down, God’s Son, He took on the name Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter, the eldest of 7 children (likely more) at the age of 30 He put His trade aside and started His ministry, teaching people about God. He was so charasmatic, He did so many miracles He drew in the crowds, and people were asking “Who actually are you?”
Jesus made scripture come true
John 15:25 “But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
People still do today, they hate Him without reason. He was nailed to the cross. But Jesus believed He was taking on the sins of the world. Was He telling us the truth? He died on the cross and then He was buried for 3 days.
Acts 1:4 “On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father has promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”
verse 8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
It’s the same power that lifted Jesus Christ out of the grave is the same power that’s available to us. It’s not a reduced power, it’s not a lesser power, it’s the same power.
John 3:34 “For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.”
As Christians really, we don’t always pray the big prayers. But do, dream big, expect to see the miracles, expect to live in that style, pray the big prayers and expect it.
Acts 2:36 “Therefor let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus Whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Imagine someone talking to you about the fact that you have crucified Jesus the Son of God. But we all have by the things that we do.
Verse 37-38
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The gift of the Holy Spirit, did you notice that? The fruit of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. Galatians 5:22. Think of it like fruit on a tree and it’s growing.
The gift of the Spirit is different. Like a Christmas bauble hanging on a tree that is for you. God says I want you to have this gift that comes with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. What good is a gift though if you don’t use it? If we don’t unbox it.
So what are the gifts of the Spirit? Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, proclamation, discernment, interpreting tongues. Paul says ask for the gift of interpretation.
Those gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. Love sits in the middle 1 Corinthians 13 which shows us that these gifts are to be used in love. They’re made to build up the church, not selfish gifts.
Also in Romans 12. Romans 12 lists them as well. It says we have different gifts according to the grace given to us.
Romans 12:4-8 “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith, if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, the give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
This applies to secular life too. With gifts you work with them and they build up.
Hebrews 13 tells us to encourage daily.
We need to test it. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes series. He was also a practical joker. To 12 of his friends he wrote a letter “Make a run for it, all has been discovered.” 10 of them left the country. We need to test everything against God.
When God speaks to us, it cuts deep to the heart. Only God knows us in that way. Scripture is flawless, the complete works of God, does it hold up to that?
Sometimes we can go into a place and speak something that we’ve seen with our own eyes and say that it’s from God, but the person will know when that’s not from God, if they know things that we don’t. Test everything against scripture. Do they add up?
Acts 19:1-6 “While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after Him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptised in the Name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands of them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”
There was a gift that Doug wanted selfishly he says. He was determined to make it the first prayer of his day every day. He prayed it for over a year and then saw a seminar at the other end of the country about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. So he went. He was nervous to go up for prayer but he’d gone a long way, so he went to the stage. He saw people manifesting the Holy Spirit, speaking in strange tongues, laughing, he audibly heard wind going in and out of people. He fought it though and decided he wasn’t going over and he didn’t want to react that way. Nothing happened.
God is a gentleman, He won’t force Himself where He isn’t wanted. It’s why so many churches are closing all over the country. Another preacher was on the next day at the conference Doug had gone to, and Doug decided to engage, to ask for the more important gifts like Paul’s advice. When Doug made that choice and got himself in line with scripture, he then felt God do something and he knew God had given him a gift.
There were people who wanted the gift of healing, they were prayed for, then they were told to pray for the people who need healing and Doug saw people healed with his own eyes.
Doug gave an analogy of a time he had to order food because he was working late and his boss was scrutinising what they all ordered as they were to claim it back. One of Doug’s colleagues ordered more than others and he explained that you can’t run an engine without fuel.
We as Christians sometimes forget to ask the Holy Spirit to help us, to refill us, so our cup is overflowing and we’re able to move in the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t finish reading this today and not ask the Holy Spirit to refill you. Less of us and more of Him. We need to be poured out and refilled with the Holy Spirit.
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