8.30am | Church online with Hillsong South Africa

[Music] standing here in your presence in a grace so relentless [Music] is yours [Music] all your love [Music] shelter captivated by the splendor of your [Music] face [Music] is [Music] oh your love your love so deep is washing over me your face is jesus christ you are my one desire lord hear my only cry [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] oh your love [Music] here stand before you now as honestly as i know how broken by the day's gone by [Music] spirit held my soul to rise [Music] i try my best but still i feel and even [Music] regardless of the things i've done all my hope is [Music] [Applause] is [Music] leads us to repentance unto the heart of god your heart oh god [Music] impossible [Music] my beloved one you're oh [Music] leads us [Music] is [Music] [Applause] oh to jesus [Music] and trust [Music] oh all to him [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] in her eyes lord your kindness us to repentance into the heart of god your heart of god this [Applause] [Music] doesn't is along with you [Music] can you help with that the reason that i asked i've seen far too many friends [Music] [Music] i wanna love [Music] my first this [Music] that my is one day come back can you help with that [Music] if it ends right here with me [Music] [Applause] [Music] set me i'll place my first love first again still [Applause] [Music] again [Music] so set me [Music] and all of my days [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] again [Music] you are the only one [Music] my strength [Music] you are the only one when you speak [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] well a big hello to you hillsong church it's so good to be with you today come on we're going to enter god's presence with praise so why don't you join us from wherever you are and sing with [Music] you us [Music] [Music] room as he walks into the room where people pray where we hear praises [Music] [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] sing his praise [Music] sing his praise [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is is [Music] sing his grace [Music] [Music] there's a grace [Music] standing next to me [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] wishing all my days [Music] i thank you jesus [Music] [Music] is [Music] there is set me free there is a grave that holds nobody now the power [Music] oh [Music] [Music] nothing stands between us nothing stands between there is no other name but the name that [Music] is [Applause] [Music] cause i know [Music] i know [Music] [Music] i [Music] the ground [Music] nothing stands between us [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] well how beautiful is it when we sing these songs which are so uplifting and so encouraging you know it doesn't matter what's going on in your world you may feel like you're in a fire right now but god is there you are not alone in whatever you're dealing with hey we are so glad to be with you for church today and uh whether you are joining us online whether you're at one of our locations man we just really pray that you feel right at home uh that you feel welcomed and that we believe that god has something special to share with you today and that you open your heart to that so hey it's me me can you believe it and we are believing for miracles this month in may isn't that right absolutely and church we're heading into our miracle month of may now we've been doing this for the last few years but i need to say to our church you can't go into miracle month of may saying oh we always do this because i really contemplated should we do a miracle month of may this year because everyone might just be familiar with it but i really felt i felt the holy spirit say no do miracle month of may again and tell the church yeah tell the church not to grow familiar with this but we're believing that this month may is going to be a month of absolute miracles and church i'm believing with all of my heart i read a scripture actually just the other week in my quiet time and i want to read it to you today and it says this is psalm 81 and it says a simple two two lines it says open your mouth wide and i will fill it with good things what an amazing thought open up your mouth wide and i will fill it with good things you think about that for a moment church you only open up your mouth if you're hungry you open up your mouth if you're expecting something to be to fill your mouth and you open up your mouth big and wide when you want to receive what has been given to you and i want to speak something out or to speak something out absolutely and i want to say to our church today let's head into the miracle month of may with um hunger with expectation with anticipation for all that god is going to do because church i'm believing with all of my heart i wrote this down i am believing that if you um are full of fear i'm believing in me it's going to become faith i'm believing if there's restlessness there's going to become rest i'm believing if there's chaos it's going to become calmness i'm believing if there's barrenness it's going to become fruitfulness and i'm believing if there's sickness that is actually going to become health and so i want to encourage our church with all your hunger with all your expectation with all your anticipation open up your mouth wide because you um because i believe as you do that god is going to fill us with very very very good things this may amen and here's what we're doing guys to make this really practical we have these beautiful uh miracle cards and they are on your seat at every location if you're joining us online uh then there's information telling you how you can get one of these and what we'd love you to do is to write down what you're believing for this month you know when we put uh action to our faith there's something powerful about that and by writing things down writing down with words this is what i'm believing for you are taking another step of faith towards that miracle so i encourage everyone wherever you are at one of our locations grab this card take some time write it down then put it somewhere prominent around your house around where you live somewhere where you can refer back to it and just kind of pray over and say thank you god i'm believing for this miracle and we're looking forward to hearing the great reports so hey when a miracle happens send in the in send it to us let us know we want to celebrate these praise reports and i think you have a few yeah i do great reports already i when i got given these praise reports i couldn't wait to read this one so i don't know wherever you are but you should just go a little bit crazy when i read this because this is absolutely amazing it says in december 2020 i asked for prayer for my brother-in-law who was diagnosed with eye cancer and they're saying thank you jesus that he is completely cancer-free at his last checkup so that is absolutely amazing church and i was going crazy when i read that because if that was you you'd be going crazy and so we are rejoicing with you then someone in our mitchell's plane location is saying god has answered our prayers for employment two of my family members have been able to find jobs and got able to find employment god is so good at this time they said thank you to everyone for your prayers then someone in pretoria is saying that they pass their exams with flying colors so that is absolutely awesome and then someone else is saying earlier this year i was nominated for a national award voting results came in um came out today and god pulled through and i came i came first i came first that's one of our great uh church members so well done guys absolutely amazing and today we are going to hear from pastor robert ferguson one of our all-time favorites he's going to be bringing a word that is just going to be so good so get ready for that and just before we receive communion together hey we're going to pray because we know there are many people with prayer requests right now the communion moment is a powerful moment reminding us of all jesus has done for us so let's hold on to that moment in faith but right now we want to pray for all the various prayer needs and prayer requests amen so come on wherever you are let's trust and believe god together father i thank you today i thank you father that we're embarking on our miracle month of may i thank you father in anticipation and expectation for all that is to come and lord whatever people's needs are today you see that you know what's going on you know every detail of every life and father you hear our cries lord you hear our cries to you you hear our needs today father and lord i pray that you would respond to every person i pray today will be the beginning of absolute miracles signs and wonders father i pray let your presence lord be felt and knowing let that reassuring sense of who you are be no one in every life have your way father lord you've begun something so awesome in us and i pray that you'd complete it bless your church today lord bless your people and may every prayer request become a praise report in jesus name we pray and everybody said together amen we love you church [Music] [Music] is [Music] when you call i won't breathe each new day again there is no one else for me none but jesus crucified to set me [Music] [Applause] still in the moment of my weakness you give me grace [Music] [Music] this one [Music] jesus crucified me [Music] i live to bring you [Music] his name is jesus is [Music] forevermore [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] there is no one else [Music] crucified to send me free now i live to bring you prayer well hello church we're about to step into a communion moment together whether you're online wherever you find yourself today we're going to share in communion together and you know whether this is possibly the first time you've ever done communion or whether it's something that you partake in daily can i remind us today that it is a beautiful and special and sacred moment where we could take a moment to remember what jesus sacrifice on the cross did for us reconciling us with our father in heaven and you know i think that communion is so much more than just um the death and resurrection of jesus for me it's the possibly the most magnificent love story that's ever been told and so you know god says that all the word of god says that god so loved and so greatly loved the world the world is you and the world is me he so greatly loved the world that he gave his one and only son as a sacrifice and as we partake today together in communion in the piece of bread that represents jesus's body and that little cup of juice that represents jesus's blood that was shed for us as we partake in that together can we be reminded that jesus loved you and me so much that his body was broken and jesus loved you and me so much that his blood was shed on a cross and so as we take together communion today can we remember that so father we thank you for your body was that was broken for us let's eat together and jesus we thank you for your blood that was shed on that cross for us let's drink together let's pray church father i thank you for your son jesus i thank you that this love story that is released across the world touches every heart we thank you that you loved us so much that your body was broken and your blood was shed for us we pray that we walk in that remembrance every day knowing your love for us as humanity in jesus name amen church why don't we take a moment together in your own time to thank jesus [Music] amen [Music] there is [Music] now [Music] [Music] is is is none but jesus what a beautiful declaration and reminder of what christ has done on our behalf a big hello again to you church and uh buanasifiwe if you are in nairobi i'm so glad that i could be able to come and encourage us around our giving it's a massive honor and privilege and if you'd like to give them many ways you can give whether it's online or if you are in a service right now there would be someone there that will be able to guide you in a way that you can give in person i want to encourage us around a scripture in matthew chapter 6 verse 25 and 33 and it's jesus speaking to his followers and this is what he says he says this is why i tell you don't worry about your life what you will eat or what you will drink or about your body what you will wear is it life more than food and the body more than clothing then it goes on to say in verse 33 says this but seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and all these things will be provided for you wow so jesus is pointing to this moment in the season that is pretty much part of the human experience no matter who you are these moments where we feel as though we have reason to be anxious and to worry because maybe of some uncertainties or the fear of lack and he says this to those who follow me to those who have a relationship with me to those who are part of the body of christ the church that for us we are not to worry uh we are not to be anxious but rather we are to prioritize our partnership with him in what he's doing in the world and then trust that every need that we have will be met by him it sounds so simple right and yet we all know i know it can be really difficult or it's not easy it takes us making a decision making a commitment having a conviction in us that we will be that i will be a sikh first the kingdom kind of person that i will be the kind of person who chooses to partner with god in what is doing around me and to trust him with my very needs and so in this moment i want to encourage all of us that as we take this moment to give to understand that as we do that that god will take care of us amen amen we're going to take a moment i'm going to pray for our giving and i believe that as we do that god's gonna do something significant in your life and through your life let's pray father we thank you for who you are we thank you that even in uncertain times that we are certain that you are faithful so as we come today father to honor your word and to be obedient lord to you in our giving we trust father you for each and every one of our needs we trust you for each and every one of our lord anything in our lives in this moment father that we would need father we know that you are faithful and it is in jesus name we pray and believe amen amen amen and right now we're gonna hear a powerful message from one of our key team in australia the pastor robert ferguson and uh really really believing for a wonderful and powerful time together so let's all stand because we honor the word and the person bringing the word be blessed well hello you good people in hillsong africa it is my huge honor and privilege to speak to you in this miracle month of may i'm believing that wherever you are or whatever your circumstances or whatever 2020 has been like for you that this year is going to be a year of blessing a year of fruitfulness a year of restoration a year of miracles well i usually over the last few years have had the opportunity of coming to south africa and speaking to you in person every may or every june for the last 10 years but obviously 2020 and 2021 i'm unable to do that but i can do it through technology so i'm speaking right into your home and tonight i'm going to talk about the holy spirit and i'm expecting that god is going to fill you full of the holy spirit even as i am speaking i'm believing that wherever you are god is going to get to you even if you've been filled in the past this is going to be an infilling a new feeling if you've never been filled with the holy spirit this is going to be a baptism the first time a baptism from above maybe you've never spoken in tongues this is the message for you so don't go off and get a cup of coffee at this point this is the moment where you choose tonight today i'm going to receive the holy spirit he's going to change my life so let's pray to that end and then we're going to just unpack a few thoughts that are going to help you receive the power of the holy spirit right now father god thank you for these wonderful people i pray father that you will break into their circumstance their situation their story and fill them full of the grace that they need fill them full of the power that they need touch them whatever their circumstance whatever their situation turn it around for good in the name of jesus and everybody in all your various settings said amen well if you don't know something of my story i was brought up in england and i became a christian at the age of 19 in 1974 so that makes me 67 right now and uh i was brought up in a traditional church so to be honest i had never heard of the power of the holy spirit even though when i became a christian i was born again of the spirit i was changed by the holy spirit i didn't know you could have a relationship with him i didn't know you could get to know him i didn't know him as a person so imagine my shock when the first time the holy spirit ever spoke to me i was a brand new christian and i was at a party drinking a gin and tonic now this this isn't a gin and tonic i just want to explain that it's just water but i had a glass in my hand and the holy spirit who would to live with me because i was a christian spoke to me now not audibly but in my spirit it was as real as me speaking to you and i've got this gin and tonic in my hand i had a bit of a problem with alcohol to be honest and i cranked way too much and got way too drunk most of the time and as i'm lifting it to my lips the holy spirit speaks to me and says that's the last one of those you're drinking and i immediately unfinished put the glass down and i haven't touched gin or tonic or spirits since but here's the question why did god tell me that's the last one of those you're drinking as the first thing that he'd ever said to me by the spirit what was he trying to get across well i believe that he saw my destiny he saw my future and he knew that i couldn't be ruining my life by getting drunk so he saw my future and he sees your future and hence this message but i think there's something way more important than that he was teaching me about a fundamental principle a choice between two sources of life let me explain in ephesians chapter 5 and verse 18 it says this do not get drunk that was my problem do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery instead be filled with the spirit in other words reject the bad source of life the stagnant water the the gin and tonic and accept the living source of life the holy spirit reject drunkenness except the spirit here is uh an old testament version of the same thing jeremiah chapter 2 verse 13 my people have committed two sins they have forsaken the spring of living water and have dug their own wells their own systems that cannot hold water so the passage in ephesians says reject drunkenness and accept the spirit the passage in jeremiah says reject the wells that you have uh dug for yourself what you can do and accept god the savior the spring of living water i believe every day you and i have a choice deuteronomy and puts it like this every day i present to you a choice between life and death life and death choose life that day in the party god was saying this is going to be the death of you put it down and choose life choose to be filled with the holy spirit don't commit those two sins of rejecting the living water and accepting stagnant water this same idea was played out in a story in john chapter 4. now let me just explain the story jesus is on his way through the nation and he stops by jacob's well a spring of natural water and at the well a lady is there called the samaritan woman and this is what he says he says give me a drink and he says how do you ask me for a drink and he said i've come to offer you living water this is what it says john 4 13 jesus answered everyone who drinks this water that is natural water everyone who drinks natural water will be thirsty again but whoever drinks the water i give them will never first indeed the water i give them will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life so the ephesian scripture says there are choices drunkenness or the spirit the jeremiah uh scripture says we can either dig our own well do our own thing live our own life or choose the way god wants us to live and hear the story at the well the samaritan woman was presented with the same choice you can either keep coming back to a historical well or you can drink from me the living water the source of living water and we know that is speaking of the spirit of god because he goes on to explain in john 7 38 whoever believes in me as the scripture has said rivers of living water will flow from within him by this he meant the spirit can i just encourage you every day you've got a choice either go down your own path or go down god's path either choose death or choose life either choose your own way of doing things or the way of god doing things natural or supernatural can i just encourage you as the bible does choose life choose the spirit now jesus when he came on earth and if you want a title to this message you can call it jesus and the holy spirit showed us how we can be related or how we can know the holy spirit in the book of luke at the end of chapter three and the beginning of chapter four it talks about four things that happened to jesus and i'm just going to go through them one by one luke 3 22 the holy spirit descended on him and a voice came from heaven and said you are my son whom i love and i with whom i am well pleased so here's jesus at the beginning of his ministry and the holy spirit supports him endorses him comes on him and enables him to hear the word from god well can i just encourage you god wants to endorse you he wants to empower you he wants to support you he wants to help you and god the holy spirit has come to give you the same support as he gave jesus and then we read a couple of verses later luke chapter 4 and verse 1 jesus full of the spirit left the jordan and went into the wilderness full of the spirit jesus is supported by the spirit but now he is full of the spirit and god wants you to be equally full of the holy spirit overflowing with life you see the well was just a dead source but living water wells up into eternal life it's a constant never-ending source of water pouring through your life that's what the relationship the holy spirit should be so jesus was endorsed by the holy spirit he was filled with the holy spirit same verse luke 4 verse 1 he was led by the holy spirit here's jesus jesus on earth being led guided by the holy spirit into the wilderness the holy spirit wants to lead you as well and finally he was empowered by the holy spirit luke 4 14 he returned in the power of the spirit and then luke 4 18 the spirit of the sovereign lord is on me see if jesus needed the holy spirit don't you think that you and i in 2021 need that kind of relationship with the holy spirit not just a distant power but a personal real relationship with the holy spirit who wants to endorse you who wants to fill you who wants to lead you who wants to empower you to fulfill your destiny i reckon that's what i want jesus modeled it i want to receive it so if jesus which he is is in your room giving you advice about the holy spirit what would he say from what i have just said these four ideas his endorsement his filling his leading and his empowering what would jesus say about the holy spirit here are the four things number one acknowledge your need acknowledge your need if you want the holy spirit in your life you've got to believe that you need him the bible says that you and i are weak we don't know how to pray look at this romans 8 26 in the same way the spirit helps us in our weaknesses we don't know how we ought to pray but the spirit within us prays and intercedes with the in accordance with the will of god we need daily help i need daily help many years ago when i was praying for someone in poland i had absolutely no idea how to pray but i've got the holy spirit and i said to the holy spirit could you tell me what to pray and i had a vision i saw this woman that i was praying for as a little girl standing in front of a burning house and she was terrified and i stopped the prayer and i said to this woman when you were a little girl you were terrified because you saw your house burning of course i didn't know this i knew it by the spirit and she burst into tears and then all the family that were there burst into tears apparently it was a family secret their uncle used to burn their houses down and get the insurance money and it had traumatized the whole family nobody but them knew except the holy spirit who was in me and helping me to pray can i just suggest you're praying for your business you're praying for your mother you're praying for your friend you don't know how to pray but the holy spirit is here to give you daily help so acknowledge your need but here's another one maintain your thirst maintain your thirst he wants to fill you here's jesus again john 7 37 on the last and greatest day of the festival jesus stood up and said in a loud voice it let anyone who is thirsty let him come to me and drink whoever believes in me rivers of life-giving water will flow from him jesus as i say wants to fill you he wants to give you daily life daily blessing daily provision daily bread many years ago when i was brought up in england we had a pump in the backyard one of those old-fashioned pumps uh that you just pump water below the ground was a well of water and we would pump the water but of course it would go dry and you couldn't get any water but we would put a bucket next to the pump and we would prime the pump pour the bucket into the pump and it would create a vacuum and the pump would work and the water would flow it's a wonderful image for our life because every day every day i read my bible every day i speak in tongues every day i draw strength from jesus every day i choose life i choose not to get drunk but i choose to be filled with the holy spirit and at the end of my prayer at the end of my devotions i have a bucket full of blessing and then the next morning the pump is not working so i take yesterday's bucket of blessing and i pour it into the pump and the pump starts working again see if you receive his daily provision every day you'll always have something to prime the pump but if you leave the bucket to slowly evaporate until there's nothing left in the bucket you can't access the pump and the well as you should can i just encourage you every day make a choice i'm going to maintain my thirst i'm going to stay hungry i've been doing this a long time 45 years i'm still reading my bible i'm still praying i'm still speaking in tongues why because every day i prime the pump and i access not a natural well but the living waters of god all right so two bits of advice acknowledge your need maintain your thirst here's the other one trust your guide remember he was led by the holy spirit paul the apostle it says in acts 16 and verse 6 paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of phrygia and galatia listen to this having been kept by the holy spirit from preaching the word in the province of asia when they came to the border of messiah they tried to enter bithynia but the spirit of jesus wouldn't allow them you're gonna have to trust your guide sometimes as he did with jesus he led him into the wilderness into a tough spot but in this case he stopped paul going where he thought he should go you've got to trust him sometimes i've been just uh listening uh or really minding my own business and the holy spirit just stopped me doing something i remember walking uh doing my shopping one day and as i stepped out into the road the holy spirit within me spoke to me and said stop why would you stop and just as i stopped a car went the wrong way up a one-way street and would have killed me had i not listened to the holy spirit i need him but on another occasion i refuse to listen in sydney we've got some of the worst spiders in the world they kill you they are considered to be the most poisonous or most venomous spiders in the world and one day i was in my house and it with bare feet and the holy spirit said to me don't walk through that door and i ignored him and as i walked through the door my foot went straight through the spider's web and just next to my foot was one of these deadly spiders thankfully it didn't bite me but i remembered that day i'm gonna choose the holy spirit i need his daily help i need his daily provision i need his daily guidance he wants to stop you doing the right thing so you can find there stop you doing the wrong thing so you can find the right thing all right final piece of advice jesus in this passage would say acknowledge your need maintain your thirst trust your guide and number four and finally recognize your purpose recognize your purpose why did god give the holy spirit to jesus he says the spirit of god is on me because he's anointed me to preach good news your job my job is to witness for jesus in your workplace in your family be a witness maybe you're a plumber maybe you're a doctor maybe you are a driver whatever it is that you do be a witness and you say i can't i'm not a preacher you don't have to be a preacher acts chapter 1 verse 8 but you will receive power when the holy spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in jerusalem in judea in samaria and in cape town and in johannesburg and in pretoria and in kenya and in wherever you are from in somerset west in stellenbosch jesus wants to give you his spirit so he you are empowered look at this daily help daily provision daily guidance daily power and you're thinking well i i need the spirit i need the spirit this message makes me no i need the spirit i want him to speak to me well why don't you receive him right now look at what the bible says luke 11 11 which of you fathers if your son asks for a fish will give him a snake instead or if he asks for an egg give him a scorpion if you then though you were evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your father in heaven give the holy spirit to those who ask him we're going to ask him and he's going to give you the holy spirit but first let me pose a question do you know the lord jesus christ because if we're going to receive the spirit and his fullness we first need to be born again of the spirit just like i was before i could hear the spirit guide me and speak to me and stop me and empower me i had to be born again have you been born again because if you haven't you can be born again right now in your room with your family on your own or with friends all you've got to do is to pray a prayer and ask jesus to come in and then we're going to pray for you to be filled with the holy spirit so why don't you pray this prayer with me first and foremost say with me o lord jesus christ come on say it with me o lord jesus christ today i choose you i realize i need you please come into my life change me forgive me turn my life around from now on with your help i will follow you fantastic amen amen congratulations what a great prayer now before we pray for the holy spirit i want you after we pray to write in the chat i prayed that prayer and hillsong africa will do everything in their power to help you but now that you've asked jesus in even if you don't feel different he's in your life because you asked him why don't we ask for the holy spirit why don't you wherever you are just put your hands in the air it may not be your tradition don't doesn't matter put your hands in the air if you're already filled with the spirit start praising god start speaking in tongues if you're not this is your moment all right let's pray father god you see these people in their homes in their settings you promised that when we pray for the holy spirit you won't give us what we don't need you will give us the holy spirit now pour your spirit into every life every family every circumstance pour out your spirit like living water into those people may the spirit of god flow from within them like living water in the name of jesus now we praise your name we speak in tongues we glorify you thank you jesus for the holy spirit amen amen now listen if you prayed that first prayer put in the chat i prayed that prayer but if you prayed the second prayer don't stop there that's your daily choice your daily choice every day raise your hands and get refilled full of the holy spirit and he can be your daily help your daily support your daily guidance your daily blessing your daily provision i'm believing that i'm going to hear stories of numerous people who've been filled with the spirit in this message well i hope that helped god bless you god bless you god bless you thank you so much robert ferguson for that amazing message and what a great way what a powerful way to start off our miracle month of may and uh if you made that decision a huge congratulations to you we would love to walk that journey with you so there on the website you'd be able to find a jesus button and if you click it you'll be able to get this wonderful good news guide it's a gift from us to you that just walks you through day by day uh the steps uh that for the decision that you just made we really trust that it's gonna be blessing to you it's there in all different kinds of languages one of them being swahili which is awesome really really incredible so go ahead and grab that good news guide and um next week it's going to be amazing it's going to be incredible we're celebrating mother's day so it's going to be awesome join us next week as we continue with miracle month of may have a wonderful rest of your day be blessed see you next sunday [Music] i heard my [Music] a new horizon a silver lining [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Music] please [Music] to say [Music] [Music] me [Music] oh [Music] took my place only jesus only grace what compares what comes close where you call me i will go you're indescribable in every way [Music] [Music] me you

Channel: Hillsong Africa

Views: 2,948

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Church, hillsong church, Jesus, Africa, Hillsong Africa, Love Jesus, Prayer, Hillsong Worship

Id: I85oTFu88oQ

Length: 78min 15sec (4695 seconds)

Published: Sat May 01 2021