A Manual for Prayer - Part 1 — William MacDonald

The Book of Acts and the Foundation of Revolutionary Christianity

In our morning sessions together, I would like to take a fresh look at the Book of Acts with you. Somehow or other, it seems easy to feel that that's just exactly the life that we're living today, the life that the Christians lived in the first century of the Church.

I think it would be profitable if we could just spend a few hours going through the Book of Acts, picking out some of the main subjects and looking at them together. And perhaps in the evening meetings, we could concentrate more on evangelism.

Tonight, first of all, I thought I'd like to talk about the foundation that these people operated on, and I'd like to remind our hearts tonight that there's another side to the subject that our brother Walden was speaking on, rebellion, the sin of witchcraft, and yet we as Christians in a sense should be rebels, not rebels against God, but rebels against many of the things that bind us now.

I'd like to remind our hearts tonight that Christianity is really a revolutionary movement in a good sense, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and I say this reverently, was the greatest revolutionary of them all.

And when the disciples, when the apostles went forth, and the early Christians, they were really disturbers of the peace. They were really fanatics for Jesus. And it got to the point that their enemies had to cry with tears of rage in their eyes.

These men have turned the world upside down. Are we turning the world upside down tonight? Well, I believe that we've lost the impact of New Testament Christianity, and we've lulled ourselves into thinking that we're really following the pattern.

And if so, it's certainly a pattern without power, isn't it? I long to know more of the power of God by the Spirit of God poured out in our midst. I believe God's looking for revolutionaries today. I don't want to use the word rebel, because Mr. Walden has used it in the bad sense, correctly.

And I certainly agree with what he said. I just wish he had added one name to the name of Dr. Spock, that's the name of John Dewey, and his undermining philosophy that he taught at Columbia University.

I thought there was kind of an even-handed justice recently, and the rebellion that took place at Columbia looked to me as if some chickens were coming home to roost, and God was having the last word.

It's absolutely true. This permissive spirit that's been taught has been one of the greatest causes of the difficulty that we're having in the United States today. And yet we want to be rebels too, and I believe God's raising up a generation of rebels among us today.

Young people and people who want to rebel against living self-centered lives. That's an awful bondage, you know? And praise God, as I read the Book of Acts, I find that people who were not self-centered, they were Christ-centered.

And you know, you don't read about all the nervous and emotional troubles in the Book of Acts. They just didn't seem to have them. Do you ever think about that? Why? Well, they were so engrossed in Christ, and in the service of Christ, they didn't have time to be introspective.

I really believe that. They were weary of living self-centered lives, and they wanted to be Christ all the way from now on. I think we want to see a generation arising who realize that we're here for bigger business than to make money.

That's one of the worst bondages that is holding us down today. And it's reflected all through our lives, in the way we talk, in our conversation, in the ideals we hold out for our young people, and in the way we measure their success.

How much money they're making. But I say again, God has put us down here for bigger business than to make money. If we're stooping too low, then that's the end of our existence. And I think God wants some revolutionaries in the day in which we live to rebel against the terrible snare of materialism, against the terrible delusion that happiness is the possession of things.

What a lie. There never was a more affluent society than the one we're living in tonight. And there was never one more torn apart by frustration and unhappiness than all the rest. Over and over again in these days, the words of Hudson Taylor danced in my mind.

He said that he enjoyed the luxury of having few things to care for. And it really is a luxury. A woman said to me recently, I spent the first 25 years of my married life accumulating things and spending the second 25 getting rid of them.

And she was much happier. Materialism is a snare. Materialism is a bondage. God's looking for men and women, and young men and women who will see through it and rebel against it and set out for him. God's looking for people tonight who will look in the Book of Acts, the Gospels and in the Book of Acts and see that there's a great gulf between that kind of Christianity and the kind of Christianity we see about us in the world today.

He wants people who will turn away from the tyranny of the passion parade. It's really kind of empty, isn't it? When you stop to think, imagine, engrossed in the things of fascism. People who will turn away from the amusement parade, turn away from the parade of beauty culture, if you will, and even from the food parade.

I believe God's looking tonight for revolutionaries who are determined to find reality in life someone to live for and, if necessary, someone to die for. Now, the Lord Jesus laid the foundation, doctrinally, for what we find in the Book of Acts.

And I really believe with all my heart that his teaching is the most revolutionary teaching in the world. I really believe that the teaching of the Lord Jesus, for instance, makes the revolutionary teaching of communism look sick.

The heartache today is that oftentimes you find more reality in the average communist than you do in the average Christian. Well, now, the Lord Jesus laid the platform by the teachings he gave his disciples.

And I'd like to go over with you tonight, just very quietly and briefly, some of his... And all I would ask is that we try to capture the fact tonight that there's enough dynamite in any one of these teachings to blow the church out of its complacency, to reach out with the gospel that hasn't gone out for centuries.

Jesus' Revolutionary Standard of Living

First of all, I'd like to suggest to you that the Lord Jesus taught a revolutionary standard of living. A revolutionary standard of living. He taught it in the Gospels, and we're going to be seeing that as we go along.

But he also teaches it in the epistles through the Apostle Paul. And I'd like you to turn with me to a verse in 1 Timothy, chapter 6, verses 6, 7, and 8. In 1 Timothy, chapter 6, verses 6, 7, and 8, it says,.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be there with contentment. Now, that's the last verse I have particularly in mind.

Having food and raiment, let us be there with contentment. Now, I'd like to tell you, that's really different, isn't it? Have you heard any messages on that verse lately? Have you heard any all your life on it?

How many Christians do you know who believe it? It says, having food and raiment, to be content. Incidentally, that word raiment, the word literally translated means covering. And it's the same word that would be used to describe the roof over your head or the clothes that you wear.

Interesting, isn't it? The Lord Jesus says, look, you came into the world empty-handed. You're going out empty-handed. Be content with food and clothing and the roof over your head. Now, I think as we go to the book of Acts, we're going to see a people who didn't bother to think up 60 theological explanations why these verses don't mean what they say.

They just were naive enough to believe that the Lord and the Holy Spirit knew what they were talking about. And they thought, well, this must be it. And so they went forth and they lived on that faith.

Of course, the idea is that everything above that went into the work of the Lord. That's the way they lived. Well, that's very uncomfortable, isn't it? And immediately, when we read a verse like that, the word prudent comes to our mind.

And we say, well, that isn't prudent. Isn't that right? Maybe you have to think of your future. It's a livedom. All I'm trying to say to you tonight is that the Lord really was a revolutionist. And he was a disturber of the peace.

And I believe the Holy Spirit still is a disturber of the peace. And he wants to disturb my peace. And he wants to disturb yours as well. A revolutionary standard of living. So then the Lord Jesus also taught a revolutionary social life.

Jesus' Revolutionary Social Life

Luke chapter 14, verses 12 and 13. Luke chapter 14, verses 12 and 13. Then said he also to him that dared him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, Call not thy friends nor thy brethren, Neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors,.

Lest they also bid thee again, And a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast,. Call the poor, the lame, the blind,. That thou shalt be blessed,. For they cannot recompense thee,. But thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Now it's wonderful, you know, how these verses can be in our Bibles, And we can put the Bible on the table beside our bed, And sleep comfortably beside it. But really, really, if you read those verses, Think of what they say, And realize this is what the Lord is calling us to do.

It's really upsetting, isn't it? What it really means is that going back from the conference, We would break up these little social cliques that we have, Even in the local assembly, And instead of inviting those people who have sweet disposition like ourselves, And are generally the same intellectual and social level, And good conversationalists, and all the rest, And we'd make a determined effort to go out And reach people who have no way of repaying us, And speak to witness to them for the Lord Jesus.

Picture the average Christian home next Thanksgiving or Christmas, If we actually took the Lord Jesus at his word. And it really involved going down to Paschal Kidwell, Bringing out some folks with just the single purpose, Telling them about the Lord Jesus.

Maybe going and getting some foreign students, Maybe some students from the Muslim world, And bringing them into the homes that they might know, Just what a Christian home is like. Giving thanks for the food, And reading the word of God after the meal.

And that's what Jesus said. Don't call those who can repay you. Have a revolutionary home. In the social outcast. The story about Jack Wurtzen. I've always admired Jack Wurtzen's Word of Life. I've always loved him more since I heard this story.

He has this Word of Life camp up in Spoon Lake, New York. The folks were there, and they told me that there was a dear brother there, A brother in Christ, and he was very horribly deformed. And oftentimes he would go into the dining room, And it was not unusual for him to be the only person sitting at his table.

Because, I mean, everybody had their own friends, And their own social circle, and all the rest. And more often than not, he was sitting alone. And it often happened that Jack Wurtzen would come into the dining room late, And whenever he came to the door, the folks there would see him coming, And they'd all wave to him to come over to their table, you know, and sit with them.

And every time, Jack would go over and sit with that brother who was alone. Certainly the spirit of what the Lord was teaching here, wasn't it? I praise God for the experience I had in Turkey with those dear young people.

Some of you know Steve Richards and Diane. Other young people there. I see them going out to the universities, out in the streets, And contacting young people, bringing them back to their apartments, Sitting down with them, serving them a supper, And then speaking to them about the Lord Jesus.

And I thought, well, here it is, it works. A revolutionary social life set forth in the Word of God for the day in which we live. And the Lord Jesus also taught a revolutionary view of earthly relationships In verses 25 and 26 of this same chapter, Luke chapter 14, verses 25 and 26.

There went great multitudes with him, and he turned and said unto them, If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children, Brethren and sisters, yea, in his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

And that's revolutionary, isn't it? What it says is that Jesus Christ must be first, That peers, family relationships, nothing of the sort, Must be allowed to come between Christ and the individual. Everything else must be subordinated to him.

And really, this was the spirit of those early Christians as they went forth. Their attitude was, well, it isn't true, it doesn't matter, But it is true, nothing else matters. They turned the world upside down.

Christ First in Occupation and Security

A revolutionary view of earthly relationships, And incidentally, of one's relationship to himself, too. I often think of that at the end of the verse, yea, in his own life also. And then, of course, the Lord Jesus taught a revolutionary view Concerning our occupation in life.

Matthew chapter 6 and verse 33, familiar verse, Which we need to recall to our hearts over and over again. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, That all these things shall be added unto you.

I have underlined two words in that verse. The word first has been the word God. First, again here, we're reminded that our vocation in life, The purpose of our being here, Is to serve the interests of the Lord Christ.

And that the job is not the important thing. The job is secondary. The purpose of the job is simply to make expenses And have the wherewithal to help in the work of the Lord. And yet, no matter how much you say this, Or no matter how much you might realize it intellectually, The fact remains today that secular occupation, for many of us, Is the principal thing in life.

And the work of the Lord takes the fag end. Is that true? And business today is making increasing demands, Increasing pressures. Standards of living are rising. And it's so hard to miss the balance that the Lord Jesus taught.

Isn't it amazing that he would come into the world And give this revolutionary view of occupation. And yet, if you really sit down and think it over, You have to realize it's true. If you think of the most glorious secular occupation That there might be in the world today, And then think of it a hundred years from today, And the glory fades, doesn't it?

The glory fades. What will count a hundred years from today? Only the life that's lived for God. My heart aches when I see our Christian young people Being encouraged down the road To making a name for themselves in the world.

When you see the sands of time running out, You think of their potential for God. If they could only keep the vision. I think of the strong social pressures, The strong parental pressures that are on our young people today.

I long to see more Christian parents Who will encourage their young people to give their best to the Lord. Be satisfied with a more modest standard of living In order that men and women might not perish For want of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I think the Lord Jesus taught a revolutionary view of security. Matthew 6, 25. Security. That's a great word today. He says here, Take no thought for your life what ye shall eat, Or what ye shall drink, Nor yet for your body what ye shall put on.

Is not the life more than meat, And the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, For they sow not, neither do they reap. Nor gather into barns, Yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, How they grow, they toil not, Neither do they spin. Yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory Was not a ray like one of these.

Perhaps you'll be walking around Yosemite here To see some wild flowers. Just remember, as you look down on them, They're saying something to you. They're saying, Don't worry. You don't have to worry about the future.

Put Christ first and foremost. You'll take care of the details. That's where the light of faith comes in. Wonderful to think of the flowers Preaching a message to us Day by day. And yet that's what the Lord said, Wherefore if God so clothes the grass of the field, Which today is, Tomorrow is cast into the oven, Shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

As I see it, the Lord Jesus knew That if I had to worry about my future, Then I'd never have time to get to Him. That's true too. Because if I have to worry about the unknown future, I'll never know how much is enough.

And so the Lord says, Look, I want to make an agreement with you. You speak first the kingdom of God in His righteousness And leave the future to me. And I'll take care of it. Isn't that what it says?

All these things shall be added unto you. Revolutionary view of security. My, how brainwashed we've become. It's in our vocabulary. So clever. You've got a few stocks and bonds. They're known as securities.

Are they secure? There's an awful lot of Christians Biting their fingernails lately. We talk about land and buildings. We call it real estate. Isn't that clever? It's real. You can touch it. You can walk on it.

You can handle it. And therefore, it's secure. Do you really think it's secure? There is no security in this world. It's the only security we have. And I want to tell you, The more we try to find security in material things, The more worries, the more distresses, The more difficulties, the more problems, We're going to get.

In my own life, I can see the Lord Day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, Just trying to knock out the props. Really. Trying to get me to get rid of the cushions, Clutches, Nothing but himself.

Who is sufficient. Revolutionary views of security. Just think of those early Christians. If their future was their concern, They never could have accomplished what they did. Never could have. The Lord says, Look, you can't by thinking add a cubit to your stature.

I really don't know what that means. A cubit is supposed to be 18 inches. And the word stature there can also mean age. And so frankly, it leaves me with a problem. But take it either way. You can't by thinking, Add an inch to your height, Or a day to your age.

And then the Lord says, And I really think this is beautiful. He says, You can't do that which is least. Oh, but that's nothing at all. You can't do that which is least. How do you think you can control your future?

And that's the truth. The future belongs to the Lord, And he's promised to take care of it. And then the Lord taught a revolutionary attitude Towards other people. Matthew chapter 19 and verse 19. Just the latter part of the verse, Honored thy father and thy mother, And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

And I want to tell you that I, I think that's one of the most revolutionary statements That was ever spoken. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Just put yourself in your own neighborhood. Think of all the quarrels and bickering and strife That there is in the average American neighborhood today.

Think of the Lord planting a Christian family In that neighborhood who isn't going to react The way the rest of the people do. Who, when they're abused, show kindness And who are out for the souls of men and women And will do anything to get them.

And thou shalt love thy neighbor. For whither is greater he that sitteth at meat Or he that serveth Is not he that sitteth at meat But I am among you As he that serveth. Now that's revolutionary. I think there's a trace of humor there in verse 25.

He pictures the rulers of this world. Sometimes they're pretty tyrannical. Sometimes they take advantage of the people. And in spite of all their imperfections, Yet they're called benefactors. Now he said, human ideas of greatness are fallacious.

In my kingdom it's not going to be so. As he that serveth, let him that is greatest among you Let him be as the younger, and he that is chief As he that doth serve. It's marvelous, isn't it? To think of the Lord of life and glory Coming down into this world And living this out before us Taking the apron of a slave And girding himself with it And getting down And washing the disciple's feet It breaks my heart.

You live this life And you'll find a revolution in your home You'll find a revolution in your local assembly You'll find a revolution in your neighborhood As well. And then finally I like to think that the Lord Jesus Has taught a revolutionary view of social reform.

The New Birth as Christ's Answer to Social Reform

You know, we live in a world that's sick. We live in a country that's plagued with problems. And everybody has his own idea As to the solution of this problem. But as far as I know, the Lord Jesus Is the only one that had the right solutions.

We Christians today are being criticized That we have lost any sense of social consciousness. We should be activists. We should be participating in all of these movements That are going on today. This is what we hear on every hand.

Especially evangelical Christians are taking a terrible beating today In this connection. Why aren't we out there in the vanguard Fighting for social reform And all the rest Alleviating human needs And raising the level of the people.

So the Lord Jesus really taught A most revolutionary view of social reform And you get it, of course, in John chapter 3 Where he said to Nicodemus in verse 3 Verily, verily, I say unto thee Except a man be born again He cannot see the kingdom of God.

Verse 5 Verily, verily, I say unto thee Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

Marvel not that I say unto thee Ye must be born again. The Lord Jesus began with the individual He struck at the very root of the problem Which is sin. And he gives the only remedy for sin Cleansing through his own most precious blood.

Education is put forth as a problem today. It doesn't solve the problem. It hasn't solved the problem. Politics. Politics is no better than the men who control it. Philosophy Psychology Psychiatry Varying forms of government And all the rest They all leave a man still in his sin And on the way to hell.

The Lord Jesus has the only answer. The only answer for this old world tonight Is the revolutionary gospel Of the grace of God That reaches down to where a man is In his sin Provides cleansing for those in sin Gives him new life in Christ Starts him on the road to heaven And teaches him these revolutionary principles Of the word.

The difficulty is with us tonight As I see it And I speak for myself today Which is bound by tradition. And we look at Christians about us And we say, well, I don't see them living that life. I don't see people around me tonight living that life.

And as far as the totem pole is concerned I seem to be higher than many of the others. And so in a very real sense We succumb to the chill of our environment And it's pretty chilly. And I believe what God wants us to do Is go back to the word And realize afresh That Christianity is really a world-shaking doctrine A revolutionary movement.

And he wants us to really think his thoughts after him. And just say, well, this is what the Lord sees within What he taught. And whether people around me are doing it or not By the grace of God, I want to By the grace of God, our family is going to start living.

Pentecost and the Centrality of the Holy Spirit

Turn your Bibles to Acts chapter 1, please. First chapter of Acts. We mentioned that we were going to take up some studies In the book of Acts during these morning sessions. Acts chapter 1, verse 6. When they therefore were come together They asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time Restore again the kingdom to Israel?

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know The times or the seasons Which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power. After that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. And ye shall be witnesses unto me Both in Jerusalem and in all Judea And in Samaria And unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Chapter 2. When the day of Pentecost was fully come They were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven As of a rushing mighty wind And it filled all the house where they were sitting.

There appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire And it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. Began to speak with other tongues As the Spirit gave them utterance.

Then in Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5 Verse 17. But understanding what the will of the Lord is And be not drunk with wine wherein it except But be filled with the Spirit. Speaking to yourselves in psalms And hymns and spiritual songs.

Singing and making melody in your heart To the Lord Giving thanks always for all things Unto God and the Father In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting yourselves one to another In the fear of God.

I think that the central fact In the book of Acts Is the coming and filling Of the Holy Spirit of God. That really explains everything That happened after that. Before Pentecost The people were sort of a bland Insipid type of people.

But then the Holy Spirit came. And these people were supercharged With power and with boldness For the Lord. Somebody said that they became radioactive With the Holy Spirit. And everywhere they went People felt the sparks.

And that's thrillingly true. And as I read the book of Acts And as I see these men and women Going forth Little nobodies As far as the world is concerned But taken over By the Holy Spirit of God. As I see the souls that were being saved All the time.

As I see the New Testament churches That were being planted As I see the impact that was made On the community. As I see a church so powerful That people were afraid To join themselves lightly to it. They realized that God was working And working in a mighty power.

As I read this in the book of Acts I feel this is what it must be. We must have the filling of the Holy Spirit. This is the grand imperative. How can we have it? The answer we turn over to Ephesians chapter 5 And verses 17, 18, 19.

Shall we turn back to that passage once again Be filled with the Spirit. The scripture says Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess But be filled with the Spirit. Now the first thing I notice in this passage of Scripture That there are certain similarities To being filled with the Spirit And being drunk with wine.

That's rather a shocking thing When you first come to it. And yet not so shocking When you begin to realize it. Similarities to being drunk with wine. A. In both cases The person is under an outside control.

In both cases A person is under a control Outside of himself. The case of a man who's drunk with wine He's under the control Of alcoholic beverages Sometimes called spirits. Kind of interesting, isn't it?

Interesting thing that the word spirits Would ever be used Of intoxicating liquor. And yet that's what it's called. In the case of a man who's filled With the Spirit of God He's under the control of the Spirit.

And when you stop to think of that You'll realize that this is the ideal To be under the control of the Spirit To turn our lives over to Him So that He can work through us Ungrieved, unquenched, and unhindered.

A second similarity is that in both cases The person is fervent. There's that word again, Mr. Waldo. The people, the persons are fervent In both cases. When I think of fervent I have to think of the word boiling.

I have to think of the idea of fire. And when a person is drunk Well, he's fervent. He's boiling, as it were. He's effervescent. He might have a personality like a Mr. Milk Toast normally. But he gets a few drinks in him.

And his whole personality has been changed. As you know, it's true of the man Who's filled with the Spirit of God, too. Something happens in the life of that man. And you can tell it. And I think one of the greatest curses Of the day in which we live Is that we have a Christianity Without the Holy Spirit.

And oftentimes you'd like to ask the question That Paul asked in the 19th chapter of Acts When he came to some of John's disciples. And he met these people. And these people had a thin veneer Of religion about them.

And yet he thought, well, there's something Missing in these people's lives. What is it? And he said to them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit When you believed? And you know, that's a very piercing And a very discerning question.

And sometimes we'd like to ask that today. Even in the circles in which we meet Did you receive the Holy Spirit? People who say they're saints. People who have all the right answers. People who, as far as their orthodoxy Is concerned, you can't question it.

And yet, there's no fervency. There are no rivers of living water. And Jesus said, He that believeth in me Out of his inward parts Shall flow rivers of living water. Jesus said, when Christ comes in The waters are going to flow.

Where are the rivers of living water? In both cases, the person is fervent. And that's why it's rather interesting there In the day of Pentecost When the great miracle had taken place. And when the Holy Spirit had been given.

And when the people were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Natural men standing by said These men are drunk with new wine. Wasn't that an interesting thing? That Spirit-filled people. There was something about them That gave other people the impression That they were drunk with new wine.

You know, if Spirit-filled men Come into your assembly sometime. They're apt to make you feel uncomfortable. That's a strange thing to say. But it's absolutely true. They're apt to make you feel uncomfortable.

They'll be so fervent That you'll wish perhaps they'd quietened down. Well, that's the way it was At the day of Pentecost certainly. Then a third similarity is that in both cases Both speech and song are effective.

Both speech and song are effective. Almost every time that you ever have. The filling of the Holy Spirit mentioned In the New Testament. A person's speech is immediately affected by it. And usually when he opens his mouth He starts talking about the Lord Jesus.

Do you have the Spirit of God? Are you filled with the Spirit of God? When you open your mouth, what comes out? It's an amazing thing That the filling of the Spirit of God Is invariably connected with witness.

For the Christ of God. And it also affects a person's song. It's interesting that the man when he gets drunk. Well, you go by those houses. And you hear, I don't know if you'd call it song. But you hear something coming out of the tavern.

From the bars and all the rest. Isn't that an interesting thing? The man gets loosened up. Shall we say he loses his inhibitions. And he bursts forth into song. Well, it's true of the man who's filled with the Spirit of God too.

In making melody in your hearts to the Lord. And then finally, letter D. The man's walk is affected. The man who's under the influence of intoxicating liquors. He staggers along the street. The sidewalk has been in the same place for 50 years.

But all of a sudden it's rolling like waves of a sea. And he's trying to navigate along the sidewalk. You can tell it by the way he walks. It's true of the child of God too. The man who's filled with the Spirit of God.

It affects his walk. It affects where he goes. It affects the kind of a life he lives. It's absolutely vain to be talking about The filling of the Spirit of God. If there's been no change in our lives.

If we're undiscernable from the unsaved people about us. But there are two contrasts between drunkenness And the filling of the Spirit. And we want to see these very clearly. And first is this. That with the filling of the Spirit.

There is no riot. Drunk with wine wherein is excess. And you never get that with the Spirit of God's fillings. He, there, things are done deeply related to that. With the filling of the Holy Spirit. There is no self-control.