Garland, Texas - The Work of the Holy Spirit by J. Edwin Orr

Oh ago I met the lady who wrote that Sakura under him did you know she was blind she was blind she wrote turn your eyes upon Jesus there are so many young people here tonight I thought I would take just a few moments to share with them especially because I was a teenager when I was baptized it meant a lot to me I wanted to do something for the Lord so I started to go to Christian Endeavor meetings first one day I went to a friend of mine Jim Wilkinson it was his name as a Jim can you preach he said no can you well I said I've read a paper in the Christian Endeavor he's I've read a paper - but who would ask us to preach oh I said we can take care of that let's start in the open air I'll invite you then you can invite me he's harder to get a crowd how do we get a crowd all right did you know that my career began as a musician I played a ukulele just a tiny little ukulele but my friend wilkinson couldn't sing in tune he would always sing an octave Loran edge flat we never struck the same note together but we always gathered a crowd of Irish music lovers and then I stood on the edge of the sidewalk and preached you say I can never preach before how could you preach I'll give this as a word of advice to any aspiring young preacher never try to preach beyond your experience my mother led me to Christ when I was just 9 the verse he used was he was wounded for our transgressions from Isaiah so I preached on that it meant something to me then we had another musical number with the ukulele and the pastor profundo and some moved on and others joined the crowd then Jim took his turn to preach we got such a blessing out of it we decided to form a band of 20 four young men do this kind of work once a week we decided not to let any girls join our group we didn't want to be driven to distraction so we started that way well I remember I was still a teenager when one of the fellas as we always had prayer before we started out and we're having prayer in my home when one of the fellas said does God really answer prayer or is it just coincidence as well why don't we try and find out is how would you find out just let's keep a record so I got a notebook and I opened it and read I'm aligned in one side of the page we wrote the date and the thing for which we prayed we left a space for the answer and a date on the other page this was a real practical test I still remember the first request I said fellas they're twenty four of us now and my ukuleles no good I just strike a chord and nobody hears after that is so quiet let's pray for a banjo mandolin or a piano accordion or something like that so we wrote that done three days later I had a phone call fella said this is Bert Bradley I said do I know you he's I've just come to the city from the country he's I'm a bank clerk I'm a friend of Sidney Murray he told me you're having open-air meetings could I help well ice can you do anything there's no good taking along extra baggage you know well he said tell you the truth he said I'm not much good at public speaking is I can't even give him my testimony without getting mixed up but he said I play a banjo mandolin if that'll help you I'll help you in your music there was our answer to prayer we kept a record like that for a year and I discovered that God had answered not always yes Manju I remember once we pray that it wouldn't rain it came down and sheets of rain but we were forced to take shelter in a little Presbyterian Church where they had a struggling midweek service and for at least 20 young fellas to come in and help take over that pastor was really encouraged so we were glad it rained that night it was all in the Lord's purpose the head of a big organization in London heard of what I was doing now I'd been six years in business I worked in the office of a large bakery concerned my heart was in the preaching ministry but my stomach was in the bakery of course but this man heard of what I was doing and offered me a salary to do this kind of work under the auspices of their organization all over the world I was delighted just think of somebody paying me for what I wanted to do he told me he'd give me enough money to support my mother I was the only support of the home my mother was a widow I told you my father's dead my brother was dead my sister was ill and I was only supportive the home so I'm it straight back to my home city and told mother and told others that I was going to leave home to do this kind of work they all congratulated me one man said God has opened a door for you but the day after I gave up my job my friend in London wrote me a letter to say he had to go to India and China and Japan right around the world for missionary conferences he was going to be away for about a year his committee wouldn't be responsible for me while he was away so he told me to go back to work again I could have gotten my job back it was much easier to give me back my jobs and trained somebody else for it but the more I prayed about the more I felt God was calling me to this work so I told my friends that I was going to start out by faith thanks for we could dare do this was during the Depression no you youngsters don't know what was like during the Depression people were starving there was no social security no unemployment insurance there were soup kitchens breadlines this was during the Depression they all told me I was crazy I still remember one man who was the exception I remember him with gratitude his name was Sidney Murray he said he didn't know whether I was crazy or not all the others thought I was mother said what's going to happen to us in the meantime I said mother I'll send you the usual amount of money each week she's I know you'll try but crow will you get it now I wasn't an evangelist traveling around holding weeks of meetings had never held a week of meetings in my life I was just a youth speaker you know speaking at young people's meetings occasionally so I started that I gave money all all the money I possessed to my mother and I started that I arrived in Liverpool with two shillings and eight pence which in those days was 65 cents now of course money went further in those days than now but even so 65 cents wouldn't take you very far I had a bicycle change of clothes in a Bible the only friend I had within 150 miles of Liverpool was a Roman Catholic Scoutmaster whom I had met at a jamboree I was a senior scout so I went to see him he said where you going to sleep at night I sit in bed he's very funny where are you going to get your next meal I don't know where I'll get it but I know where I put it I wasn't feeling quite as cheerful as that it was like whistling in the dark you know keeping up a brave front as it were there I was in a strange country England I'd never been in England except once for a short vacation but what are you going to do as I'm going to do evangelism he's a Watson evangelist you see in the Roman Catholic Church there are only four evangelists Matthew Mark Luke and John they talk of Matthew the Evangelist and Mark the Evangelist and so on well I see an evangelist is one who travels with the God but he said in the Catholic Church when a man has a vocation for the priesthood we sent him to a theological college I thought Protestants did the same I saw they do then he's why are you doing it differently I feel called he offered to lend me enough money to go home in the next ship to Ireland I said Frank I don't want to borrow your money as the scripture says my God shall supply all your need if that's true I can depend upon it but it's not true the sooner I find out the better so I started on my bicycle on a journey that was to take me all around the world when I reached Chester an old English city with a wall around it it began to rain heavily so I prayed that it might reach Shrewsbury about 40 miles south without getting wet now you'll agree that you couldn't cycle 40 miles marine and not get wet I was very thin in those days but even so I couldn't do that but I got to Shrewsbury without getting wet and yet it rained all the way now most American kids say did you hitchhike hitchhiking was unknown over there it wasn't till the GIS went over during the war and showed the limeys how to do it that they knew what hitchhiking was in 1933 if you'd stood in a road in England with your thumb at like that they would have thought you too sore thumb so I didn't hitchhike for this lorry driver truck driver they call them lorries over there this truck driver shot hello da in such a friendly way I knew he must have made a mistake English people don't speak to strangers I used to think they were snooty but they're not they're reserved they're shy they just don't speak to strangers so I wheeled my bicycle over I said did you mistake me for summon hey I say said I I thought your friend of mine called Bert kook I said that's funny I have a friend called burn cook - he's but you're not English I said no I'm from Ireland he's I knew you're a foreigner it says you open Jim us then he said you wouldn't know the bird cook that I know because he was English I said I was England once before just for the short holiday and as I met this bird cook Herbert J cook was his name in Northampton he was studying for the Methodist ministry he looked at me in amazement he said blimey mate it's the same bloke he said where you had before I said London he said not tonight I snow take me three days on a bicycle how'd you like to ride with me are you going to London no no he's I'm going down the other way to Cardiff but he stocker take as far as Wellington so I said where's Wellington he's actually a Shrewsbury I was praying that I might get to Shrewsbury life getting wet I still remember - superbly yesterday the narrow winding roads they do have motorways now but until then narrow winding roads and he was driving this big truck around the bends and I was witnessing to him about Christ finally said web mister or little more formal over there they give you your title you know well mr. Rory said if I were to be converted right now he said how do I go about it like you pray and I explained the way of salvation drove around an olive and he said if I pray right now am I supposed to close my eyes I said keep your eyes open and the Lord will understand he got converted with his eyes opening I arrived in Shrewsbury it was 11 o'clock at night I had nowhere to stay however the Salvation Army over there those days had working men's hostels where you get a bed for a dime something like six pence of us I thought that'd be something in my line I'd much less than 65 cents now so I stopped a policeman you can picture an English Bobby I stopped him and I said could you tell me where I could get cheap accommodation for the night he looked me up and down he said what do you do for a living now I knew exactly what was in his mind during the Depression they arrested people out of work as vagrants because they were tempted to steal and so forth they've make them work in some kind of work house or something like that and then let them go again what do you do for a living knock what could I say I couldn't say I was a clergyman had not been ordained I'd been a bookkeeper but I wasn't a travelling bookkeeper so I said I'm I'm an evangelist you don't look like an evangelist to me Eliza what's an evangelist supposed to look like when I of course everyone tries to look like Billy Graham but in those days we didn't have a pattern so as a what what's an advantage of sport well you're very young I said I'm 21 what is that young for an evangelist how long have you been an evangelist that's just little while he said well how long have been an evangelist I said not very long he said I have reasons for asking how long have you been in the Evangelist well I said sir if you must be technical I started at 8 o'clock this morning he said you have anything to show that you're genuine now I had 6 letters of introduction with me when my friends heard of going away although they thought I was crazy they thought well we'll do anything we can to help I had a letter written by an Episcopal rector a Presbyterian minister a Baptist minister a Methodist ministry the last one of the six was written by an obscure friend of mine who worked in what was we've called in Dallas at a storefront mission he wasn't well known I didn't ask him for a letter he volunteered it I want to leave it behind then I thought if he was nice enough to write a letter imagine I'll take it with me it was a nicest and most enthusiastic letter of all I thought this policeman in the middle of England wouldn't know anyone around anyway so I showed him the letter written by my obscure friend he read it through and then he shook hands warmly he was a converted policeman he was a deacon in the Shrewsbury Baptist Church and he was a close friend of the William Philip that wrote that letter in Ireland he took me home that night I slept in a feather bed next morning had two eggs for breakfast Frank Nelson my Roman Catholic friend said where are you going to sleep at night where are you going to get your next meal that was my first night something clicked if God can take care of me one day he can take care of me tomorrow if Lord takes care of me this week he can take care of me next week this month next month you see when the disciples went to the Lord and said Lord increase our faith he didn't say very well then I'll give you a great big ready-made faith you can put it up in a shelf and admire it and anytime you need some reach for it no no he looked for the smallest thing he could find a grain of mustard seed and he said if your faith this size you can move mountains I learned that lesson in other words you use the little faith that you have and God's way of measuring isn't like ours you've got only a pint of faith use it you find you've got a gallon you only got a gallon of faith use it you find you've got a tank full that's what it works and so like oh I roughed it I slept under a haystack sometimes I was telling the pastor that when I came to Texas first I slept all night in the car and Lubbock but at least I had a car and those days in England had only a bicycle but you can put a bicycle under a haystack - I was cycling in Kent near London when my old bicycle broke down I have discovered a need of you handlebars a new front fork new back wheel new front wheel you three speed gear new crank new pedals new tires new tubes and several new parts so I decided to pray for a new bicycle or the money to buy one I had the wheel that bicycle ten miles have you ever wiggled the bicycle for ten miles you could all twist it to one side and then you'll walk on the other side I was asked to spend the Christmas vacation with an Englishman at a place called Gravesend the time I got there walking wheeling I was late for supper they'd gone out to a meeting but the left the back door unlatched when I let myself in there was a note on the table make yourself at home and there was some food under a nice little cloth now I was praying for a new bicycle and the answer to prayer came so unexpectedly a Baptist Church the Baptist pastor on the other side of the River Thames in Essex have suddenly taken ill his Deacons were in desperation trying to get another preacher to take us place two days before Christmas most people have made their arrangements for Christmas and events they called this one that listed sorry with other arrangements I don't know how they got my name I certainly don't know how they got my address but they called me long distance and asked me if I'd come and preach the Christmas sermons in that church I told the deacon on the phone but you don't know anything about me he said mister or don't be offended but we are so hard up we take anybody I preached in that church nobody knew that I needed to do bicycle but another man came up to me after the meeting to make a long story short he wanted to know if I would be offended if he offered me a Christmas present a bicycle that he had custom-built and Carvin trade the best bicycle built in the world at that time it was hand ball-bearings beautiful machine of course I I said what makes you offer it to me I had no intention of refusing it I just so unusual you know I wonder how many times pastor McDonald has been offered a bicycle after a meeting sighs what makes you offered to me but he flushed he was embarrassed English people are much more sensitive you know there is a difference in national temperament an Englishman's always afraid of making a fool of myself so he's very careful what he says an Irishman doesn't care well he makes a fool of himself or not so he doesn't care what he says an American an American doesn't realize when he's making a fool of himself so he got red in the face and he explained that his father had died and left him some money he bought a car couldn't be bothered with a bicycle anymore what was the best bicycle in the country hung it up in the shed but he said if if you'll accept it I'd be glad to give it to you and he put on new tires I really enjoyed riding that bicycle it was a super centaurum I remember once you may find this hard to believe that in mr. Hartford char I had come down a hill and had worked up speed and I passed a car and the man speeded up and shouted to me you were doing 35 well I don't want to take all evening tell you that was just my first few weeks of adventures maybe I'll tell you one more story I was on my way to Soviet Russia someone up and I wrote my first book said it's easy for things like that to happen in a Christian country like England where people are kind hearted I thought well if I were to go to Russia where it's not a Christian country that would shut them up so I traveled all the way to Moscow and Leningrad and back again but I was in Copenhagen and Denmark I arrived there was just one dollar five Danish kroner five crimes I didn't know anyone in the whole of Denmark but someone had told me there was a fine Lutheran layman a businessman who knew all the Lutheran churches and the free churches get in touch with him if he takes a bike into he'll arrange meetings for you I looked him up in the phone book his name was Sir Anson and to my dismay I discovered that certain was a communist Danish name just like Smith in english-speaking countries I used to wonder by the way where all the Smiths came from but I find out in Toronto by the way I was talking to dr. Paul Smith of the people's church in Toronto this afternoon but his father was osawa Smith and I was preaching Burroughs Will Smith and I discovered where all the Smiths came from down near the Union Depot on Front Street it was a big sign that said the Smith manufacturing company there must have been a service manufacturing company in Copenhagen because there were pages of Smith's for columns to a page now could you imagine someone from say Bolivia arriving and Dallas and and speaking to a policeman saying I'm looking for a man called Smith or but the policeman say you've said before initials well I don't know the initials well the policeman say I give up I mean you look in the telephone directories all the Smiths so I find pages of Sorensen's that night can't I remember anything else about Oh came back to me you know the wake when you think a little bit that comes back his name was nils n ILS so I went back to the phone book there were only five male Sorensen's I thought well I couldn't I'm not gonna phone at only a dollar if you've only $1 you're not going to waste a nickel on the phone so I thought well now this is the first of all day nothing to do and nowhere to go and eat just a dollar on me but I walked to the first address to climb scanner to little Street apartment block went upstairs find the name Sorensen rang the bell lady came to the door I began in my very best Danish versus Neil or her CERN's in her if you please is mr. Sorenson here she replied in Danish but her Danish was quite different to my Danish now don't be too severe on me I'd only been there two or three hours and didn't speak the language very loudly so I asked for the second time I made a little variation I said it's mr. Sorenson at home she just repeated the same thing over again I was going to close the door on her I was going to ask her the third time but you closed the door on me now you know it's useless to argue with a lady she always gets the last word but if you don't underlap understand the last word is humiliating I don't know what she was saying she may have been saying I've told you already and just close the door I went down the stairs and suddenly Nidoran called me back she went into the house and came out again with a red-covered book in her hand it was my first book published in England only three weeks before published in English which she couldn't understand she said photographic didi I replied and faultless Danish Yaya Yaya she talked to me in Danish I couldn't understand her I talked to an English and she couldn't understand me so she telephoned her husband he spoke business English he's a mr. ordell sons incredible I said what does he's miss Anna Kristensen one of our Danish lady missionaries in the China Inland Mission sent me your book just last week and told us to pray that you would come to Denmark he's I read your book I enjoyed it I thought it'd be wonderful if you come and stir up our young people he's I pray that you would come but I did not expect you it come so quickly and now you telephoned me from my own house let me talk to my bike again so I called her over and she talked and Danish she laughed a lot I didn't know what she was laughing about but and she gave me the phone he said that my wife has asked you if you will stay for supper but he said you don't seem to understand stay for lunch it was so I stay for lunch and then came back for supper I was hoping that put me up for the night as well but they were a married couple without children they had a utility apartment right downtown and so they didn't ask me to stay however they took me along to a meeting in the Technical Institute ballroom I preached to five hundred people remembered as if it were yesterday ten after ten the meeting was over I stepped outside it was bitterly cold it was below zero a surgeon said well brother that was splendid now I want you to do me a favor I said what is that he's I want you to change your hotel I said what for I should have said what with well he said down by the City Hall there's an excellent Christian hotel run by Christian management and they give special discounts to preachers so he's I will go with you to the hotel where you're staying to apologize for you I said you better wait here I'll get my own baggage I'd left my suitcase in the little candy store well he said you weren't long I said no no trouble I said no you mean they weren't disappointed you did not sleep there for tonight that's apparently not he said let me carry your bag he said of course you understand while you're in Denmark you'll be my guest that was good news because I didn't have the money to pay for the hotel he introduced me the booking clerk and he said now good night mister or I come for you tomorrow morning 10 o'clock I must open my mail at the office first the clerk in the meantime went down the list of rooms then he said I'm sorry mr. Ark we don't have a single room at the house I was back to square one oh is it doing this understand we have double rooms we have family apartments we have Suites of rooms but the they're more expensive he said but servants and such a good friend of ours will be glad to let you have the more expensive room for the cheaper price come upstairs I followed him along the corridor he open the door switched on the light there was a big family apartment now I'd been praying for a bed but there was a grand piano and a reading desk and a writing lamp a writing desk a reading lamp in ER a sofa and four chairs and four beds he said to me you can sleep in them turn apart if you like we charge same price he thought that was a joke but I didn't I slept in all four beds at night that's the way it went all the way into Soviet Russia but I could take a week of me used to tell you about adventures in other countries that all happened during the Depression and I found those little books of mine were a great encouragement of people who were really hard up wondering if God did answer prayer yes he answers prayer well I didn't mean to take all that time but when I saw that youth choir and heard them sing so well I thought I'd share this with him and now I want to talk to you very briefly my last message in the series on living the Christian life our Lord Jesus himself told his disciples nevertheless I'm telling you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away for if I do not go away the counselor will not come to you but if I go I will send him to you and when he comes he will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment of sin because they do not believe in me of righteousness because I go to my father and you will see me no more of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged I want to talk to you about the counselor the comforter that's a strange word the comforter it doesn't mean what we mean today it's a Latin word come with Fort strength the strengthener the Greek words Paraclete those one who stands alongside to help I'll give you a really good illustration a co-pilot if you if I don't go away the copilot cannot come to you but if I go away I'll send him to you and when he has come he will convince the world of sin he'll guide you into all truth and he will glorify me so there we have the work of the Holy Spirit now I have to hurry through every true believer is born again by the Spirit of God this seems to be very clear John chapter 3 we're born of the Spirit this experience they talked about today it's a popular phrase in America being born again the talk about born again listen born again that and sometimes when a man goes to jail they say he's a born again convict or something like that but what does it mean to be born again it means that our whole nature is regenerated by the Spirit of God let me say something further every true believer is in dwelled by the Spirit of God Paul said to the Corinthians don't you know that your bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit and that God's Spirit dwells within you and then the word of warning you do despite to the temple of God your body God will deal with you I say that strongly to young people today your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit if you're a believer and don't you ever think of disgracing him in that particular respect every true believer is in dwelled by the Spirit of God there's an old Scottish lady was asked harshing you was truly a Christian she said it's better felt than tilt that Scottish dialect better felt than tilt and the teaching of the Epistle of the Romans is that every true believer is assured by the Spirit of God the spirit bears witness with our spirit that we're children of God you know in your soul he tells you I remember when one of my boys was a tiny little fellow he was born in Oxford and I remember he came running in playing with some other children outside he was upset about something he said to his mother mama Billy says that I'm not your little boy my wife's have such nonsense he says Billy says that you you and daddy find me in a garbage pail my wife's he's just teasing it take no notice I was typing in the front room she was in the kitchen talking to him then he says mama how do you know I'm your little boy and I thought this is interesting I stopped typing and my wife said I was there when you were born that satisfied him the Holy Spirit regenerated you if you're born of the Spirit he knows that you're his child and he tells you every true Christian is sealed by the Spirit of God I don't know if and your hymn books do you have this hymn book belongs to First Baptist Church Garland or something like that generally there's a seal as a mark of ownership God puts a mark on you every true Christian is guaranteed by the Spirit of God in the King James Version is called an earnest that's an old banking term it's a down payment the Holy Spirit is given to you as a down payment of what's laid up for you in heaven then we come to a controversial term every true believer is baptized by the spirit into the body of Christ now the verse of scripture I want to quote is of course from Corinthians for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body every true believer has been baptized into the body of Christ just as a bricklayer takes a brick surrounds it with mortar and places it in a wall and it becomes part of a wall which is part of a house it's still a brick but now it's part of a house the same way the Holy Spirit takes each believer and baptizes him into the body of Christ he's now a member of the body of Christ and that of course is composed of all true believers not only members of the general convention of Texas every believer is part of the body of Christ now when I said this is controversial some people use the term baptism of the Spirit to denote the endowment of power that believers may receive in their service for God's the endowment of power from on high sometimes someone comes to you and say have you received the baptism of the Spirit I don't quarrel with that use of the term but I prefer to use the term the filling of the Holy Spirit the initial filling of the Holy Spirit it may be renewed time and time again you might say well why do you make that preference well I'll put it this way any time the Holy Spirit in the book of the Acts describes a believer having an experience of power the term used is a term filled or full all the disciples were filled with the spirit Stephen a man full of the Holy Ghost and full of faith the term used is full or filled the second thing is is nowhere in the scripture does it exhort us to be baptized in the spirit you'll find the term is be filled with the spirit now I recognize that it's quite legitimate to describe the Welsh revival as a mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all believers and I know also that people may have a real endowment of power and if you want to use the term baptism I don't mind but the term that the Holy Spirit uses both in the narrative of the Acts and in the epistles is the term filled then there's a third reason the term baptism of the Spirit is used quite differently by some believers for instance in the Salvation Army when they talk of the baptism of the Spirit they're referring to the endearment of power the same thing is true the Christian Missionary Alliance the same thing is true of the Assemblies of God the same thing is true of the charismatic movement where they use the term baptism of the Spirit for the experience of being endued with power from from God on the other hand some people say no no the baptism the Spirit is a baptism the believer into the body of Christ I'd like to point out to you that in the nineteenth century nearly everyone used the term baptism of the spirit including the L Moody and Rueben Terry and Charles Spurgeon and others like that but it's my preference to use a term that they all understand I have spoken in Springfield Missouri to the First Assembly of God the Mother Church of that denomination a nice book of the initial filling of the Holy Spirit they all knew what I meant and yet when I would be speaking I was speaking on Thursday was it in Dallas Theological Seminary I spoke on the filling of the Holy Spirit and there were some who said amen they knew what I meant too so that's my preference but as I say I don't quarrel with people who use the term baptism I'm more concerned with the experience that people may receive power from on high but the last term yet notice I said every true believer is born of the Spirit indwells by the Spirit is assured by the spirit sealed by the spirit guaranteed by the spirit and baptized by the spirit into the body of Christ but he may or may not be filled with the Holy Spirit because there his necks were taken but be filled with the spirit if everyone were filled with the spirit as everyone is in dwelled by the spirit I mean every believer then the Apostle Paul wouldn't exhort us to be filled now when I came to the states first and I traveled through the South I find many Baptist churches they were actually afraid of any teaching about the Holy Spirit they were scared I remember visiting a Baptist Seminary I'll not mention where it was but they treated me with courtesy but they didn't give me an opportunity to speak to the students I wondered why they put me up in the VIP the quarters and said anything we can do for you but they wouldn't let me meet with the students I find that some poor fellow about three years before had jumped out of a window said he was filled with the spirit and jumped out of a wind and broke both legs poor fellow and so the president of that seminary when I heard that I was in it was in the ministry of the Holy Spirit he thought filled with the Holy Spirit you jump out windows some people were actually scared of any reference to the work of the Holy Spirit well that's not true today more people in the Ministry of the Holy Spirit than ever before well I want to tell you what it means this is the key when a man is converted remember it doesn't say Oh God convert me it says repent and be converted that's something for a man to do to turn the word convert needs to turn that's something for us to do but what does God do when a man repents and is converted he regenerates him he's born of the Spirit of God now on Friday I spoke on commitment from Romans 12:1 present your body a living sacrifice give everything you have to God every department of your life that's something for man to do it doesn't say Oh God present me no no it says present your body a living sacrifice but what does God do with the believer who says Lord you're gonna hold me he fills them with the Holy Spirit here's the promise of the Lord Jesus you can't do better than this he who believes in me as the scripture has said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water that's King James English 300 years old and the use or other obsolete term there so most pastors when they read the King James Version to make a little change they say he who believes in me out of his inmost being shall flow rivers of living water out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water I studied Greek under Professor Julius Montaigne they still use the Dana and Mantic Greek grammar he was a brilliant student of Greek he studied under 80 Robertson of Louisville and he was professor of Greek when I was studying I went to him and I said what is this word here that's translated belly or heart our inmost being well he said it's a Greek collective singular he said the word means the vital organs you see a man may lose an eye and survive he may lose a leg and survive but he can't lose his heart and survive he can't lose his liver and survive now we have transplants let's call them the transplant organs because they are essential to life these are the vital organs I said well then could you translate it he who believes in me as a scripture said out of his vitals shall flow rivers of living water he said exactly that's the word not belly not heart but out of his vitals I said then could you say out of his vitality shall flow rivers of living water is that's better still because it's a figure of speech now have you ever met anyone and you could say there's someone who has rivers of living water flowing from his vitality I mention one person it was my privilege to introduce her in many parts of the world have you ever heard of Corrie ten Boom let's see how many people here ever heard Corrie ten Boom did you get a blessing Portia did I never knew anyone that wasn't blessed through meeting Corrie ten Boom those of you who never never met her did you see the film the hiding place what a touching thing my Corrie was a dedicated Christian I knew her so well she was a member of our team for three years and I could say everywhere she went she was a blessing and you do meet people like that you don't have to agree with them about everything for instance take Miss Bertha Smith sometimes a controversial figure but everywhere she goes she challenges people she has spiritual power it's no doubt about it and I meet people at Gretta I was New Orleans recently and I heard Jack Taylor used to be in Castle Hills Dinah San Antonio what a blessing who was he I consider myself a sort of experienced person but he brought a real blessing to me every time I've heard Jack Taylor I've appreciated what he had to say so there are people like that everywhere they go they have rivers of living water this is the promise you say well it says he who believes in me then every believer has this oh no just this church would you say that everyone in the church has rivers of living water flowing from his life no there's some that are pretty dry there are some who have some water but they need to get sort of banked up again as it were and get in the go from conference to conference hoping to get a little bit more power you know this is the privilege of every believer this is the prerogative the option of every believer to have power and this is tied in with the exhortation of Paul the Apostle do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery but be filled with the spirit and the verb there isn't the continued tense be filled and be filled again don't get drunk with wine I was preaching in India when a man belonging to some way out group came to me and said you know nothing about this ministry he said if you were filled with the Holy Spirit you act like a man who was drunk that's why do you say that well on the day of Pentecost they thought the disciples were drunk I said look I was a chaplain for four years and I've put many a men many an officer or men to bed drunk rather than seeing laia Ron get hurt but I've noticed there are four stages of drunkenness the first stage is the very happy stage when a man is first intoxicated full of good will he says buddy old buddy is there anything I can do for you that's the time to ask him for a loan when people get intoxicated the first stage is a happy stage it was not the next stage the next stage is the belligerent stage he wants to fight he says you insulted him you say I didn't say a word you insulted me by not saying a word he's prepared it's trying to provoke you to fight the third stage is exhibitionism he becomes disgusting he loses inhibitions the fourth stage of him I use the colloquial he's out cold he's unconscious I said to the Indian how do you think the Apostles behaved in the day of Pentecost were they are called unconscious were they disgusting no were they belligerent trying to pick a fight no they were just like people who had been celebrating at a wedding they were just full of joy so it says don't get drunk with wine that success but be filled with the spirit your whole life may be filled with the Holy Spirit and what's the purpose of all this well I would say for witnessing for suffering for preaching for service every time you find the word filled or full of the Spirit you find some strong active herb they were filled to do something you learn a lot by studying the men who were Philip the Apostle Peter was filled with the spirit he stood up before those people remember he had denied Christ with OHS and curses but he stood up before those people who could have torn him apart and he told him you're murderers he preached so powerfully at 3,000 of them were converted the Apostle Paul was converted on the road to Damascus but he was told to go into Damascus to the house of Ananias who prayed for him that he might be filled with the Holy Spirit and he was Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit that prepared him for martyrdom Philip the Evangelist was filled with the Holy Spirit what about you may say well that mister maybe only for their crosses there's so many people say it's not for today oh yes it is for today because if you think of any man who is really used of God you find he has a testimony being filled with the Holy Spirit John Wesley William Booth Charles Finney DL moody Hudson Taylor a B Simpson yes and I will add a word Billy Graham because I remember talking to Billy for an hour after midnight on the 1st of September 1949 and we light into the woods to pray he came back and said he had met God in a new way you say yes you've mentioned outstanding people you've mentioned the great heroes of the faith they are possible from these great evangelists and missionaries maybe it's only meant for the great servants of God no no how many believers were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost 120 no no not hundred and twenty it says about a hundred and twenty that's what it says about a hundred and twenty how many names do you know supposing I said take a piece of paper and write down the names of those who you think were pretty and you think we're present well you could write the eleven disciples Judas was dead it committed suicide you could write down the names of the two candidates for Judas's place you could write down the names of the four half-brothers of Jesus you could write down Mary and Martha Mary Magdalene and Susanna you would have to say about twenty if you subtract about twenty from about a hundred and twenty that means there were a hundred anonymous people who were filled with the Holy Spirit you never hear of them again it's not only for famous people I remember preaching in a big state Church in Norway in the city of Volda it was a great privilege for a Baptist preacher to get in an official state Church Lutheran state church I really enjoyed preaching the gospel there at the end of the meeting the rector of the church called on a lady who was visiting her hometown for the first time in 50 years to give a word and she spoke so powerfully in Norwegian that woman had gone up to Africa and had preached to the Zulus long before any missionary got to them I have met all sorts of people who've been in that part of South Africa and they said oh she was a saint I knew her she was my wife's mother most men make fun of their mothers in law but my wife's mother was a saint I remember in New Zealand I met an old Plymouth Brethren doctor and he said or have you ever thought of getting married boys I've thought about it but I'm only a week at a time in a place I think it takes more than a week's acquaintance well he said let me give you a word of advice before you take the birds have a look at the nest and I like to tease my wife by saying I met her mother first this old doctor in New Zealand said many a godly woman will have a flighty daughter but she'll turn out all right she's followed followed by mother's prayers but very seldom does a flighty mother have a godly daughter you know about whom I was speaking it only ignore name her name is Marta Carlsen yet she was a woman filled with the Spirit of God now you say what was the what's the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit it's very simple jesus said you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you that's the primary evidence the power but what's the abiding evidence some people think that it's one of the gifts of the Spirit but I'm much more inclined to say that the abiding evidence is the fruit of the Spirit the love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness meekness moderation all nine if you're one you have all nine don't think of it as a an apple a pair of peach a pomegranate think of a cluster of grapes if you're one you've all nine if your hearts full of love it's full of joy if your hearts full of joy it's full of peace love joy peace you couldn't imagine someone come back for a countenance say oh I had such a blessing there my heart's full of joy and I'm just worried sick you couldn't be worried sick of your heart's full of joy love joy peace the fruit of the Spirit towards God but the next three love joy peace patience kindness goodness they're not towards God could you imagine for instance even when you're in trouble saying now God I've been very patient with you you can't be patient with God you can't say I've been kind of God God doesn't need you you can't be good to God you can't do him a favor he's the Almighty but you can be patient kind and good to your neighbor that's man word but the last three gifts love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness it says in some translations of faith with the words fidelity faithfulness meekness and moderation if you are filled with the holy spirit you are not a fanatic because the Holy Spirit is a spirit of moderation you may be dedicated some people may not understand you I know some Christians who are thought to be eccentric but Meriden that I think they're really Christ centered but the world doesn't understand that but if you are filled with the Holy Spirit you're filled with moderation you're filled with meekness I've met some Christians who are arrogant they can't claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit and if you're filled with the Holy Spirit you're faithful these are the marks have been filled with the Holy Spirit now you might say well what about the gifts of the Spirit well first of all let's mention the gifts wisdom knowledge faith healing power prophecy discernment tongues interpretation of tongues there are two other gifts mentioned that's helps and governments and then there's a gift of a pastor a gift of an evangelist a gift of a teacher a gift of a church planter the gift of a prophet I know at least 16 gifts but most people think of the list wisdom knowledge faith healing power prophecy discernment tongues interpretation of tongues and some people think that the only evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is the speaking in tongues well I feel that these gifts are more like weapons given to us for service not like the fruit which is abiding you see the Russian communists might put some Christian in jail and Russia can't do anything can't exec Sir sizes gift of evangelism if they won't let him out of the cell but he can be filled with love joy peace patience kindness goodness and the rest he got the fruit of the Spirit but he can't always exercise his gift the gifts are more like weapons that God gives us for service but when it comes to this question of being evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit I was preaching in a big Church in Duluth Minnesota the Assembly of God pastor Kim every night and he said to me I knew you'd use different words to us but I'm really enjoying your talks could go to lunch with me tomorrow so we had lunch together and while we're having lunch I asked him this question have you ever known of anyone who spoke in tongues to your satisfaction you felt it was the real thing but then got out of God's will seriously but still spoke in tongues well he said we don't like to talk about this outside the denomination it's one of our problems he said he's I put a man out of our Assembly last winter he said the fellow was engaged in a life exchange and he said when they sorted themselves out he came back and wanted to take part in our meetings he's I went to my said if you open your mouth I'll expose you is he left in a rage I said did he join some other Assembly of God all no he said we we have some discipline he joined another Pentecostal group wise didn't you feel that you ought to talk to the pastor he's I called up the minister you just cut me off there's always two sides to a story brother and he just ran off now the point is this you ask anyone who emphasizes a gift of tongues have you ever known of anyone who had a gift that you were satisfied about and then got out of God's will and still spoken tongues nearly everyone will say I could tell you cases like that that shows that it's not the abiding evidence these gifts are gifts for service wisdom knowledge power wisdom knowledge faith healing power healing power prophecy discernment tongues interpretation of tongues these are the nine gifts that are listed but you know that when people discover something and this becomes their distinctive then they go overboard often about it because they have to defend themselves but I've always been open in that way I don't deny these things but I'm more concerned about this these people who manipulate gifts [Music] Prince's I regard the prosperity cult as a heresy somebody wrote to me he said they discovered exactly how much God blesses you when you give to him it's three times so they said if you were to send us $25 we guarantee that you will receive $75 from the turn I responded you've got it all wrong if you believe this you should send me $25 and then you'll get $75 I have sometimes heard some people say something that turned out to be prophetic seem to be like a gift of prophecy but I've known of people to manipulate it friend of mine was at a big rally in Minneapolis and somebody thought he needed straightening out because he didn't go along with them decided to do it in the word of prophecy got up and said behold I the LORD thy God him speaking in the midst of thee and behold my servant Patrick has done many wonderful things for which he will receive his reward but he is yet many things to learn if he will only learn to listen that was really taking him off who was doing this supposedly the holy spirit that was a word of prophecy I said to my friend were you much impressed these are not at all for us with your background he said if the Holy Spirit were talking to me he would know that my name is not Patrick that's my nickname not Patrick then it struck me imagine someone so arrogant as to pretend to be the Holy Spirit that's what I call manipulation of gifts yet I have heard people say things that were fulfilled the only test of prophecy is a fulfillment now I don't want to get into controversy and divert your attention but I've said that the abiding evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit is our love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness meatless moderation but God does give gifts for instance directly after Billy Graham's experience at poorest home he became the most powerful world evangelist the anointing on Billy Graham is for drawing people to Christ that's his gift but I'm going to ask one other question is this an emotional experience well it could be and it couldn't be one or the other I was speaking at Forrest home at that very conference I told you about for Billy Graham's another speaker now I'm an extremely unemotional person when someone tells a funny story at our table and everyone roars with laughter and I don't laugh my wife immediately says my husband is much amused she apologizes for me she doesn't want the person to think of it I was mad at them or something I've been along with Roger McDonald and John cramp and others back and forth and we've had many a humorous story to exchange but you haven't heard me love it's just not my nature I don't cry easily either I'm not emotional but the night that I gave my life completely the God seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit I wept like a child I told this to a thousand students at the forest home conference but I didn't want them to think that they had to weep like a child so I looked around there was Henrietta Mears the great Sunday school teacher sitting there she's dead and gone ah wonderful woman of God I said Miss Maier's come and tell us your experience and it struck me when I said come and tell us your experience I didn't know what her experience was but I felt that of God to do it she could up what you said I was a Sunday school teacher in Minneapolis in First Baptist Church should I wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit she said I used to go to conference Bible Conference to evangelistic campaigns to all sorts of meetings I went to hear all sorts of speakers but although I prayed Lord I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit's serve be better it just didn't get anywhere she one Friday night I was on my knees praying Friday nights an important night for a schoolteacher she was a schoolteacher in Minneapolis high school in those days we had only one high school in Minneapolis she was a chemistry teacher she nope no work on Saturday so she was kneeling on Friday nights at Lourdes I've asked you so many times to fill me with the Holy Spirit but maybe I've been looking for signs instead of exercising my faith so she said tonight Lord in simple faith I ask thee to fill me with the Holy Spirit and then she said thank you for doing it but she didn't feel anything she thought now I'll have a great surge of joy no no she didn't feel a thing she went to bed she thought maybe in the morning I'll wake up with a feeling no feeling but she just kept on saying well she quoted a B Simpson I take the promised Holy Ghost I take the power of Pentecost to fill me to the uttermost I take he undertakes I'll say that again I take the promised Holy Ghost I take the power of Pentecost to fill me to the uttermost I take he undertakes she says thank you lord she went to teach a class of unruly girls in Sunday school and more than half of them were converted she had the power she had that far until the day she died one of the greatest soul winners I've ever met a sunny schoolteacher founder of what in the 1950s was the world's largest sunny school now here's a strange thing when I spoke I said I'm unemotional but I cried like a child when I sought this experience from God Miss Mears two three blessing without any emotion but she was crying while she was telling about it she kept crying while she was telling about it and it struck me if you're the emotional type the Lord may say just a moment if you think this is an emotional experience you'll always be looking for something emotional you've just got to take it by faith but if you're the unemotional type the Lord may take away your emotional control all right then let's wrap it up just after the Lord gave what we call the Lord's Prayer to his disciples when you pray say our Father which art in heaven he said supposing one of you as a friend and he comes at midnight and says could you lend us some bread some friends have come to stay with us and we don't have a thing in the house I'm telling you he will say don't bother me the door shut the whole family's in bed I can't get up to give you anything the Lord said now listen to me although he will not get up to give him what he asks just because he's his friend yet because of his importunity that means because he keeps on asking you get up and finally give him everything at once can you picture the man in bed and the man the door keeps on knocking said Oh have our heart any finding out I'm gonna get no sleep he gets up and gives him all he wants now when I heard that first I thought does that mean that we have to beg and plead from God that God's reluctant to give it to us no no the opprotunities not for ours for his sake but for our sake you see a young man in this meeting may say well I would love to be greatly used of God but maybe the Lord is saying you were playing lazy remember fella coming to mean Kimberly in the diamond fields said I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit I said what are you doing for God but examine Christian as you teach Sunday School no I said what do you do well he's I attend Sunday school but I said why should the Lord give you his mighty power whenever you're not doing anything for him he never calls the unemployed have you ever noticed that in Scripture he never calls the unemployed then the young man gets busy he says now Lord I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the Lord says you're impure you have allowed impure habits to come into your life and he repents of that and he said now Lord I want to be filled that's the lesson of in portunity and here's what it says and I'm telling you the Lord Jesus says ask by the way the Greek is keep on asking and it will be given you keep on seeking and you will find keep on knocking and will be opened unto you the illustration he gives us supposing one of you fathers and your son asks for fish would you give them instead of snake if he asks for an egg would you give them a scorpion if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask surely you'll agree that almost everyone Christian or non-christian likes to give presents to his children Christmas time birthdays well if that's the way you feel how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask you say but that might be being born again no no he was speaking to his disciples this is the part for service he's more eager to give you than you are to receive so this is my last message to you I spoke of total commitment present your body a living sacrifice holy acceptable God your reasonable service don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds and if you do that then in simple faith ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit I suppose I could give an invitation I suppose if I ask some people to come up with of someone to come up and stand here but I think what you need to do is to make an appointment with God and pray the prayer I will not let thee go except thou bless me that's your need and that's Anita I'm going to leave with you I would like to seen a real break of blessing in the morning service remember my first Sunday in Brazil and 103 people out of 310 were converted in a single meeting but I think the Lord's wanting to work with this church he wants to bring you to a place of total commitment that he may pour out the Holy Spirit upon you that's revival that's no waiting and I'd rather see the results in the regular ministry of the pastor's of this church and all those who are engaged in serving him shall we stand for the benediction search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts see if there be any grieving way and me lead me in the way everlasting O God I was promised I will pour water upon him that is thirsty floods on the dry ground Lord we yearn for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this congregation help us each one to get right with thee that thou mayest fill an empty and cleansed vessel for Jesus sake now may grace mercy and peace and Father Son and spirit be our portion now and forevermore amen good night god bless you you

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Keywords: J., Edwin, Orr, Revival, Repent, God, Sermons, Jesus, SermonIndex

Id: QshkksEdd3A

Length: 78min 54sec (4734 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 15 2009