The Coming of the Spirit — Jim Cymbala

We're reading through the New Testament one chapter a day in a Bible which is a little different. It's just the New Testament, but it's in a revised order. It's exactly the verses of the New Testament, but it starts with Luke and then goes to Acts.

And last Sunday, we finished Luke, didn't we? And we went last Sunday to Acts one, which means today is the reading will be Acts eight. And I've been trying by God's help to preach from one of the passages or some truth that's found in the verses that we read that past week.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

And today is an all-important transition. Last year, I did a long, long series on the book of Acts, but now we're going through it a chapter a day, so we'll be out of it in just a couple weeks. But I do wanna talk about this important subject, the coming of the Spirit, because this, if you don't understand this, you're not gonna understand Christianity.

You'll have some mixed-up idea about what Christianity is, which unfortunately, a lot of Christians have. I did growing up. Nobody ever told me the difference between the gospel era and the era that we now come into, which is called the New Testament era of the church.

Let's look at some verses. I'm gonna do something a little different today. I'm gonna take a little bite out of chapter one, and then we're gonna move on to another chapter that I wanna stay in, but I want you to notice this, okay?

Acts chapter one. In my former book, Theophilus, this is Luke talking, who wrote Luke, the story of Christ's life, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. By the way, they were so convincing that those guys died rather than deny that Christ was alive. So people who say Jesus never rose from the dead, that's very odd to me that people then would die and give up their lives for a lie.

I believe humans can lie about anything, but to give up your life for something you made up which lost you your job, which made you be persecuted, and now you're gonna die, and all you have to do to get out is say, hey, yo, we never saw him.

He never came back, but praise God, he did come back, didn't he? He's alive today. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command, do not leave Jerusalem, which is where he was killed, capital of Israel, do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift.

It's a gift, you can't earn it, but wait for it, that my father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

The Church Is Born Through the Spirit

Now we jump ahead to chapter four, which is the time of the first persecution of the Christian church. What had happened was the spirit was poured out in chapter two, and the church was born. This is an unknown concept, really, in the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

It wasn't the church era, it was physical Jesus with disciples, with people who would follow him and try to put into practice his teachings, and who believed in him. But then he died for the sins of the world, and then he rose again from the dead.

Then after 40 days, he ascended back to the Father. In the third chapter of Acts, Peter and John perform a healing on a man who is at the temple gate. It causes a disturbance and a persecution by the religious leaders who thought they had stamped out this religion by crucifying Jesus, but now these religious leaders have to deal with these disciples, apostles.

So they haul Peter and John in front of them, and Peter and John says this. Then Peter, notice, filled with the Holy Spirit, controlled and now animated by the spirit, he said to them, rulers and elders of the people, if we're being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who is lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel, it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, notice the boldness to say that, but whom God raised from the dead that this man stands before you healed.

They knew they couldn't refute him. Jesus is the stone that you builders rejected, he's quoting now from the Old Testament, that's why it's in quotes, which has become the cornerstone. Salvation is found in no one else, there's no other name, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

This is the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. This is the narrowness of our religion, which we didn't make up, it's just given to us in the word of God. There's no other way, find your own way. Everybody will end up in heaven, they gotta just find different ways, Buddhist way, Islam way, this way, that way.

No, the scriptures tell us there's no other name given by God under heaven by which we must be saved. When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, these were untrained guys, these were fishermen, very important to remember that, these were fishermen.

Ordinary men, no special skills, no special talents. They were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Now, after they gave them a beating or warned them, the men went back to the other disciples and they had a prayer meeting, so let's pick it up later on.

The Early Church Prays for Boldness

On the release, Peter and John went back to their own people, I love that phrase, I've always thought about that phrase for the last 10 years, their own people. What own people? Not Jewish people, not Italian people, not black people, not Dutch people, what people?

Their family, their Christians. I wonder if someone could look at your life, who are your people? Are your people Christians? Is that who you identify with or is it some cultural thing or some family thing or some political thing or some union or some black thing or white thing?

No, their people were the believers because that's who we're gonna spend eternity with, amen? We better start loving each other now, we're gonna be together for a long time, right? They went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them, a threat.

They had given them a threat and warned them, don't speak anymore in that name of Jesus. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. Now, that's interesting right there because it shows how the early church prayed.

They were not afraid to all lift their voice to God. No, pastor, I didn't grow up that way. When you pray, everyone's supposed to be quiet and then just one person leads in prayer, no? That's not the way you have to pray.

You can pray, the early church lifted their voices up to God together. Well, then how would God be able to hear everyone's prayer? How many know God can hear every prayer around the world all at the same time?

So they were really burdened by this threat, this intimidation, the first one of the Christian church. They were in the city where Jesus had been crucified. The implication of the threat was what we did to him, we can do to you.

So what did they do, protest, call Congress, call the White House? No, they had no leverage that way. They prayed and they prayed fervently. They lifted their voices together and let's hear what they said.

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. Maybe someone was leading out, but all the voices could be heard. And as they're praying, they say, now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

Say that verse with me. Now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word. One more time. Now Lord, consider their, and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

This is not just the apostles, this is everybody. This is all the believers together. And then how did God answer? A couple of verses later, after they prayed. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, that didn't happen, but one of the time that we know of.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Say that verse with me. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

The Holy Spirit as the Presence of Christ

So what we have now here, very important to understand, is the transition, not just from the Old Testament to Jesus coming, that's in the book of Luke, but now we have Jesus accomplishing his work and now leaving.

Well, I mean, if the religion is Jesus on earth and disciples who follow him, what's gonna happen now? And Jesus said, no, I'm not gonna leave you alone. In fact, it's better for you that I go. Because when I go, the Father sent me, but when I go, I'm gonna send the Holy Spirit who is co-equal with the Father and the Son in a mystery that we call the Godhead.

Three people all in one person. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Let's say those three words. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The difference between the Son and the Holy Spirit is that the Son was visible and he is now seated at the right hand of God.

He's in heaven, but he's coming back. That's a promise he made. How many believe it? Say amen, he's coming back. Until he comes back, we live in the era, the time span of the Holy Spirit. The day we live in now is the era of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is not here. But wait a minute, Pastor. Jesus said where two or three are gathered, I'll be there. How is he there? He's there through the Holy Spirit who is sometimes called the Spirit of Christ.

The Lord is in heaven. That's why it says to be in the body is to be absent from the Lord. When you're alive, you're not with the Lord. The Lord's in heaven. But in another way, the Lord never leaves us or forsakes us.

How? Through the ministry and the person of this invisible Holy Spirit. And because he's invisible, there is very little understanding about him among a lot of us because we only know what we can see.

Jesus was walking on water. Whoa, Jesus did this. Jesus, I see it. And now Jesus said there's another day gonna come. I'm gonna be working, but it'll be my spirit working. But instead of my body being the body that's gonna work, it's gonna be your bodies that the Holy Spirit is gonna live in and work through.

The Church as Christ’s Witness

Here's how the Christian religion will work out. I was on earth. I did my task. I accomplished at Calvary the sacrifice for your sins. Now I'm leaving, but you see that I'm risen from the dead. Now I'm gonna pour out my spirit upon you, and now you're gonna be my witnesses, and I'll be working through the Spirit through you.

No more Jesus on earth, but the body of Christ, his people. This is God's plan, that his people would replicate his work through the Holy Spirit living and working through them. That's what Christianity is about.

This is the era of the Christian church where we gather like this and pray together and study together and encourage each other so that the Spirit will more and more work in us and through us so that the message of Jesus will get out, the beauty of Jesus will be seen in us, but it's never us.

It's the Spirit working in and through us. That's why Paul said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, that he meant the Spirit of Christ working in me invisibly. So notice that now Christianity is not Jesus in a body in Jerusalem or Galilee.

Now Christianity is the church of Jesus Christ found everywhere in the world, China, Africa, South America, Bolivia, everywhere, Ecuador, everywhere. And we are now the temple where the Holy Spirit lives so that God can use us to spread the message of Jesus Christ.

Notice that the residence of the Spirit is not in a building any longer. It's in our hearts. The Spirit lives in your heart. Just if you would sit in a chair one day and just take 15 minutes and ponder this with all my faults, with all my shortcomings, and yours too, God Almighty, the Holy Spirit lives inside of me.

The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me. Oh, how little we know of his power. Oh, how little we know of what he wants to do. But he's there because the Bible says if anyone doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not a Christian, he doesn't belong to Jesus.

No, but I go to the tab. You can go to three tabs. You can go to any place you want. You're not a Christian by coming in a church. No, but I read the Bible. Reading the Bible doesn't make you a Christian.

New Birth and the Gift of the Spirit

What makes you a Christian? Putting your faith in Christ, having your sins forgiven, and then that miracle of being born again where the Spirit lives inside of you. Anybody in the building listening to me today, please don't leave this building without knowing that you're born again, that you put your faith in Christ.

It's a gift. Forgiveness of sin is a gift. The Spirit coming you is a gift. You don't earn it, you don't live good. How are you gonna live good? The only way you're gonna live good is when the Spirit comes inside of you.

He produces his fruit. So how many are with me so far? Say amen. Amen. So that's the difference now between Old Testament and even the Gospel era of Christ because that wasn't the Christian era yet. It was Jesus prior to the cross and his resurrection.

And now that we're in Acts and we're gonna read all through these epistles of Paul, now we're gonna see constant references to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

Why? Because that's the era we live in. We live in the era of the Holy Spirit. Christianity is hopeless without the Holy Spirit. Christian churches will not do their work without the Holy Spirit. Caleb cannot write a good song that will glorify Christ, nor Freddie, nor my wife, nor anyone, unless the Holy Spirit is working in them.

God Uses Ordinary and Flawed People

Now the proof of that, let's just pass and get to my main point so I can close. The proof of that is all the glory is guaranteed to God this way because the Spirit works in people who are very ordinary and sometimes less than ordinary.

But they do things you can't explain and when you ask why, they can point and say, it's my faith in Jesus and his Spirit that lives inside of me is doing that work. That's why I'm not depressed anymore.

Why? Because there's a different power inside of me. There's a different person controlling me from the inside. All attempts by the law to change people from the outside are totally fruitless. They're a waste of time.

All psyching yourself up to be different is a total, absolute waste of time. All studying the commands of God and God said don't do that, God said do that. Ooh, I gotta do it now. It's totally, totally, totally a waste of time.

It's the Spirit that gives life. It's the Spirit that causes us to be like Christ. Isn't that what the promise was in the new covenant? The days are coming, the Lord says, when I will make a new covenant, I will put a new spirit within people.

Something not known in the Old Testament. I will put a new spirit within them and I'll write my laws in their heart. How does he write his laws? Not on stone anymore. I'm gonna write my laws on people's hearts.

How does he do that? Through the Spirit. The Spirit, as it were, gives me a new direction, new yearnings, new desires. For it's God who works in you both to will and to do according to his good will, right?

According to his desires. So haven't you ever noticed, haven't anybody here ever had a longing to worship God or give God a praise? How many have ever felt a prompting, like I just gotta thank God? Just lift your hand if you ever had that.

Or how many have ever had a hunger to come to church or and be with Christians? Haven't you ever wanted to pick up the Bible and pray and pick up the Bible and read it? If that's ever happened, lift your hand.

Who put that desire in you? It's not Jim Cymbala, he would never have that desire. He's hopeless. Jim Cymbala is gone, forget it. He's done for, he's nothing, he's corrupt. Christianity is not about improving Jim Cymbala, it's about a new Jim Cymbala with Christ in me, through the Spirit, living out his life.

Are you getting it? If you do, put your hands together. Let's clap if you get it. This is all important. This is all important. Everything depends on the Spirit. I wrote in the Bible I had back 30 years ago, I read a quote that has stood with me.

I want you to understand it. The first word is a little harder to focus on. It said this, all merit is in the Son. Say that, all merit, what does that mean? That means all acceptance by God, all me coming near him, all me going to heaven, all merit is never in me, it's in Jesus.

He is my righteousness. If you look inward, you're going to get in condemnation. If you look inward, you're going to have doubts because we all have a faulty track record, am I right or wrong? But Jesus is my righteousness.

All Merit Is in Christ, All Power Is in the Spirit

All merit to be accepted by God is in the Son. This is what God's grace is about. Then the next sentence, all power is in the Spirit. Say that, all power is in the Spirit. So let's put them together. Ready, one, two, three.

All merit is in the Son. All power is in the Spirit. Say it again now with me. All merit is in the Son. All power. So when the devil condemns you and says that, look what you are, you think you're going to go to church, you think God will hear your prayer?

Get out of here, I rebuke you, Satan. All merit is in the Son. Jesus is my righteousness. I have access to God, I'm going to heaven not because I've been good, because Christ is my Savior. He's made a way for me.

Somebody say amen to that. And now, every struggle in life, every challenge in life, it's not grit and try harder, it's all power is in the Spirit. He sent his Spirit. This is lastly seen, and I'll move on, by the disciples' change.

Jesus lived with them for three and a half years. Was he a good teacher? Yes. Did he model a good life in front of them? Yep. Did he hang with them and spend a lot of time with them? Yep. Did he? Okay, what did he produce on the night that he was betrayed?

They all got out of town. They all fled. And Peter denied them how many times? So where's your discipleship? Jesus, what's going on here? You spend three and a half years, this is what you produce? When do we see a different disciple?

When do we see a different Peter? Do you realize it hurt me when I read it last week or whenever we read through the Last Supper and Luke? Did you know after he gave the Last Supper, they started arguing about who was the greatest?

After watching Jesus for three and a half years, they're arguing, no, I'm better than you. I have more power than you. I'm a better preacher than you. They didn't get it. But when the Spirit comes, whew, different Peter, different James, different John.

James and John, before the Spirit came, remember, they went to one village to prepare the way for Jesus? And the village said, we don't want them to come. They went back, what did they say to Jesus? Jesus, they don't want you to come.

Can we call down fire and just toast all of them and just wipe them all out? And what did Jesus say? You don't know what spirit you're speaking from, but they were his disciples. So this is all important.

Bold Witness Under Persecution

The heart of Christianity is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, producing Jesus' characteristics, fruit. Now, as they went about and did this work, I just want you to notice that when they were persecuted for the first time, we find another interesting thing, which is gonna follow all the way through our reading of Acts and through into the epistles.

So the religious authorities, the Sanhedrin, 70 men called Peter and John in front of them and said, didn't we tell you not to speak in his name? Don't you know all the trouble this guy caused? And you saw what happened to him at the end.

So let it go because you're trying to make the people think we're guilty of his blood, which they were. They plotted it. So Peter and John stand right back up. No more coward. No more coward. No more running and hiding.

No more denying. They go, look, you'll have to choose whether we should obey God or you guys. That takes courage. That takes wisdom. So listen, we did a good work on a person. That person couldn't walk and now they can walk.

What's your problem with that? But we want you to know it's Jesus and the power that's in his name and the faith that we have in him and what he led us to do and showed us to do. That's why this man is.

It's not about us. It's about Jesus. And that's the only name whereby you must be saved. Well, I don't believe that, pastor. Well, I'm just telling you what the Bible said. That's my job is to tell you that there's no other way to be saved except through faith in Jesus Christ.

He died for the sins of the world. And if you and I want to be free of that guilt and that condemnation, it's only through Christ. So now the Bible says that after they stood up to the religious leaders, they looked at them and here's what puzzled them.

These guys are nothing. How do they get this wisdom? How do they get this boldness? They're unschooled. We got all these rabbinical universities and colleges. They haven't been to one. How do they know how to answer?

How do they know scriptures? Why are they quoting the Old Testament? How do they know all this stuff? They're unschooled. They're untutored. Secondly, they're ordinary. These guys don't have high IQs.

These guys are not special, brilliant people. These are a bunch of losers compared to what we count as important. What is this? How many are happy for that verse? If you're like me, you're very happy for that verse.

How many are happy that God uses ordinary people? Come on. Aren't we happy? Otherwise, who could God use? Just a few elite people. No, God uses ordinary people. But why? Because it's not who you are. It's who's living inside of you that does the work.

So this is what they couldn't figure out. All religious leaders were well-schooled and were brilliant. That's how they got to the top. And here were some fishermen. You guys used to fish. How in the world could you be standing up to us?

Oh, I love that about God, that he uses not only people who are ordinary, but less than three months before, those men had denied Christ and fled and played the coward. And yet now through God's grace and the spirit inside of them, they're standing up and representing Jesus.

I'm so happy that God entrusted world evangelism to spread the message of Jesus to people who were not only ordinary and untrained, but were recent failures, because that shows me that God's grace is greater than all of our mess-ups.

How many say a loud amen to that? Whatever our mess-up was, whatever how ordinary we are, I just talked to a minister who's doing a great work for God, former drug addict, dropped out of school in the fourth grade.

God's using him mightily in this other part of the country. And it's just that way. Unfortunately, the church today is school, school, school, training, training, and training has its place, and school, reading and studying is great.

But we think unless you have a PhD, unless you have this kind of degree, God can't use you. That's nowhere found in the Bible. In fact, that sometimes works against trusting the power of the Holy Spirit.

How many understand? You work against that by saying, no, you're not ready yet. You gotta get two more years of school. And then what happens is ministers go out educated, but strangers to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer for Loyalty, Witness, and Courage

So now, let's close. What was the threat? What did they pray for? And how did God answer? That's it, we're done. What was the threat? The threat was this. The warning was this. The pressure was this. You better do what we say, and not this crazy thing about being led by God and obeying God.

You better do what we say, or you're gonna be in the soup. Number two, obey man rather than God, or obey your instincts of fear, or other instincts that we have that make us disobey God. Number two, shut up.

I don't like to use that word, but I wanna say it now, because that's what it was. You be quiet now and stop talking. This is what gets us irritated. You keep preaching every time a crowd gathers. You stop talking about God.

You stop talking about Jesus. And remember what happened to him. So the package comes, you better not obey what God told you to do. Number two, you better keep your mouth closed and stop speaking about Jesus, or else you better live in fear.

You better live in fear. Fear of us and what we can do. They get that warning and they go back to a prayer meeting. Oh, thank God we can always gather to pray. This Tuesday, just come with whatever your problem is and we'll pray together.

And the same God who helped them is gonna help us, amen? So they go back to this prayer meeting, and notice they got it down pat. They know exactly what to ask God for. Listen to what they say. They say, God, see the threats that we're getting, and enable your servants.

In other words, we belong to you, Jesus. We're your servants. We're not gonna obey these guys. We're gonna obey you. But you gotta enable us to keep being your servants. Now, that thing could have been, Lord, don't let us cave in to their threats.

It could be, Lord, don't let me cave in to my old habit of gossip or immorality. Don't let me cave in to my old habits of racial prejudice. Don't let me, my anger, my rage, my deception, my lying. Lord, don't let me obey those old impulses.

I wanna keep obeying you. That's what they knew was at stake. We're gonna obey God, or we're gonna give in to someone else or something else. Number two, God, grant your servants boldness that we might speak your word.

God, don't let them shut us up. God, do not let them shut us up. You're the one who said, go in and share in the whole world the gospel. Don't let us be quiet. Help us to talk. Help us to talk. Help us to obey you, not be disobedient, not turn our back on you.

But number two, God, give us the boldness, no matter what pressure they put. We're gonna keep talking about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, you better be quiet. Jesus, Jesus, you know what? We're never gonna talk to you again.

You're a fool. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Help us to speak your word. What word? The word of Jesus, the word of the gospel. Don't let us give in. So what did they want? They wanted to be loyal. They wanted to keep their mouth moving and talking about Jesus.

And they said, don't let us give in to fear. And those are three battles we all fight and you fight. You'll fight it this week. Whether you should obey God and yield to the Holy Spirit or whether you should give in to some other impulse.

That's the battle we all fight. It can be intimidation on the job. It could be, if you're living in China, a whole other thing. You know, the church in China is growing so much now that there's new pressure against the church.

They're starting to close up and burn churches, tearing crosses down from buildings. I just got a report. The government is like, hey, we're hearing now that this is the fastest growing nation for Christian and now the test is gonna be for those brave brothers and sisters who we love so much, who I love so much, that they're gonna keep strong.

I don't care what you do. See, we're not used to that. Hey, you be quiet or you go to jail. I can't be quiet. So if you catch me, you'll send me to jail. But I'm gonna keep talking about Jesus. I'm gonna keep talking about Jesus.

I'm gonna obey God rather than man. I'm gonna keep using my mouth to share that message of Jesus. Notice, when you testify, don't just say God. Don't say the Lord. Say Jesus when you talk to people because God and Lord have other connotations.

There's Hare Krishna is Lord. There's God could mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. But what stirs up the trouble but also has the power is the name of Jesus. Can we say amen to that? Jesus.

Don't just say Lord, God, God help me. I always believed in God. No, it's Jesus. All the glory goes to Jesus. And we gotta keep saying that name. And lastly, God don't let me be fearful. Now we don't face death here yet or ever.

But we face intimidation. We face ridicule, don't we? Just be in a business meeting and someone said, what are you doing lately? I've been enjoying Jesus, really. Just see how the reaction is. There'll be a tightening and length.

Now you can tell me anything else. Tell me you smoked some good weed over the weekend. That won't bother me. But why do you have to mention? How many know that is absolutely true? Come on, lift up your hand.

You can say anything to anybody. They'll accept it. Just mention Jesus. Bling, alarm goes off. And Jesus knew it 2 ,000 years ago. If he's not the son of God, how would he know to say this? And you'll be hated by all men for my sake.

How would he know that? How would he know that Jesus is the name that stirs up so much trouble? So they prayed. We're gonna be loyal, God. We wanna be loyal. Enable your servants to be loyal. Enable your servants to keep talking and not be shut up and quieted.

And thirdly, give us boldness because these guys are, these guys, they're threatening. They're trying to be intimidating. What was God's answer? It's his answer every time to whatever the problem is. I don't care what Esther goes through.

God has the same answer for her as you, as you, as me. I don't care what the problem is. Whatever we go through, God's answer is one thing. And the place where they prayed was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

Repeated Filling and Refreshment by the Spirit

Why were they now brave and speaking the word of God with boldness? Because they were all filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. That's God's answer to everything. I'm struggling to go back to drink.

Oh God, more of the Holy Spirit because you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Power to say no to alcohol. Power to say no to hate. Power to say yes to forgiveness. Power, we all need power.

How many need power? Say amen. You're saying, Pastor Cymbal, you're simplifying it. I am because that's what the Bible said. God heard their prayer and said, oh, you want to be loyal? You want to be brave and you want to keep talking?

I know what you need. I'm sending more of the Holy Spirit. Now what's interesting here, last word, is that these same men, most of them, had been filled with the Spirit in Acts chapter two. In Acts chapter two, it says the place was shaken.

They heard a sound of a mighty rushing wind and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Now why are they being filled again? Because we need many, many, many, many, many, many fillings. We need many.

Someone asked D .L. Moody, he said, why do you keep saying we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit when we've been filled with the Holy Spirit? He says, yeah, but a lot of us leak. A lot of us have a great experience with God and then what happens?

Come on, how many have felt so strong in the Lord and been strong and had a great experience with the Lord and then for whatever reason, you find yourself just weak and dry and arid? Am I correct? And what is God's answer?

The Holy Spirit. You know how he wants to come on us today as I close? I believe he doesn't want to come like fire or a rushing wind. There's another image of him in the Old Testament that he will be like the dew upon the grass.

You know the moisture that's found in the morning on the grass? Did you know it comes at night when things are still? But it brings refreshing. If you're here today and you're struggling with being loyal to Jesus, I have the answer, the Holy Spirit.

Invitation to Receive Strength and Boldness

Are you intimidated and you don't talk like you should about Jesus? I have the answer, the Holy Spirit, God's answer. Are you put in a corner sometimes and you get fearful about the future, what people might think and instead of boldness, you live with anxiety and fear?

I'm telling you what the answer is, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, that's why right now there's a movement in Christian churches across the nation, as best I can see, against the Holy Spirit, against anything supernatural.

No, no, no, no, let the pastor control by teaching. He will make the people strong. I can make nobody strong in the Lord. The Spirit makes us strong in the Lord. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.