The Power & Benefit of Spiritual Language

[Music] he wants to show you great and mighty things as his desire to take you I [Music] [Applause] [Music] this message is brought to you by ven moody and the worship center Christian Church where we are committed to honoring God unifying communities and building people we hope you enjoyed this message and thank you for supporting our ministry first corinthians chapter 14 and verse 2 from the New King James Version of God's holy words says for he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God that's the key for he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God for no one understands him however in the spirit he speaks mysteries hallelujah you may be seated for the sake of our guests we've been in a series entitled beyond the power and the presence and the promise of the Holy Spirit and today in this installment of this series we want to discuss the power and the benefit of spiritual language the power and the benefit of spiritual language now I want to make sure that we're on the same page at the onset of this teaching and that is that as believers we are called and we should be people of the book what I mean by that is that the Bible should be our first and our final priority and authority on all things as a matter of fact this is part of the reason why I share the Word of God the way that I do often if you've been around the ministry for some time you know that I'm gonna give you Scripture after scripture when you come to our Bible studies you know that we give you outlines and you have scripture references that are on the screen and I do all of that for a reason one of the reasons is because if I ever make an assertion or if I ever share something with you that cannot be backed up by Scripture then you shouldn't accept it as truth as a matter of fact in the in the Gospels Pilate Pontius Pilate he's trying to figure out what to do with Jesus the Jews say crucify him and give us Barabbas but Pilate is a little bit concerned that he even asked Jesus a question he said what is truth this is what is truth and Jesus had answered that question in John 17 and the high priestly prayer because then as he prays here's what he says to God in John 17 and 17 he says Lord your word is truth are you following me it's important that you understand that in this world and so if I ever make an assertion that cannot be backed up by Scripture then you shouldn't accept it as truth but at the same time if I teach you and point you to the truth of Scripture you shouldn't dismiss it even if it runs contrary to your culture your long-held beliefs the things you've been exposed to and even if it runs counter to some of the assumptions that you've held on to for a very long time I want you to get this because this subject of tongues this subject of speaking in tongues and that the language of prayer which I'm going to teach you today has been a significant area of confusion controversy and assumptions for a lot of people and unfortunately much of what people believe about this topic comes from a number of different places except scripture there's a lot of confusion around this subject it's kind of like the story that many of you probably heard about the woman that was used to cutting off part of her hand when she would cook it and her husband came there and said why do you always cut the part of the ham off when you cook it and she said you don't know what you're talking about my mother always cut the ham off and cooked it that way he said but that's just not you wasting a lot of ham I don't understand she said just just let me do what I what I do cuz because my mother's been cutting the ham off it and we've been cooking it that way and so one day after her husband had continued to ask her why she ended up asking her mother she said mom why don't you always cut the ham off and then cook it that way and she said why I don't really know I just grew up watching your grandmother do it my mother used to do it and she had an opportunity to to ask her grandmother's said grandma why do you always cut the hand my mom said she got that from you and she said baby well I've never had a pan that was big enough she said so I had to cut it off to fit the pan that I had the point that I want you to understand what this story is that unfortunately there are a number of things that we do that we have not had proper understanding about particularly as it relates to the gifts of the Spirit and speaking in tongues now a lot of this controversy I don't have time to take you through the historical journey but but I do want you to understand that a lot of the confusion and a lot of the controversy on this subject really started when the baptism with the Holy Spirit returned to the church in the early 1900s in the early 1900's there was a revival that broke out in Europe and then it crossed the Atlantic Ocean and it came over into America and many of you may have heard of the Azusa Street movement there were a few believers that were praying they'd heard about just the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Europe and signs and miracles and wonders and there were a few believers that began to pray that God would move that way and the Azusa movement broke out and thousands upon thousands of individuals encountered the power of God one of the most well actually one of we talked about Planet shakers Planet shakers is a part of a denomination called the Assemblies of God that is really a growing denomination around the world it's a Pentecostal denomination and the Assemblies of God actually came out of the Asuza movement and so it was a tremendous thing but what many of us don't understand is that because there were a number of people who it was really like an acts kind of Pentecostal experience with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit but when that began to happen and people were healed and there were a number of signs and wonders a number of individuals that were part of this new move with the Holy Spirit came under attack they came under sharp criticism and subsequently some of those individuals began to elevate the gift of tongues beyond the place that the holy spirit intended and so you know when you are attacked and you're trying to defend what's happening what we do often is that we elevate who we are beyond the place that really got even purposed for us and so what began to happen for them and then it spread to their children and their children's children is that this notion of tongues I want you to follow me became a demand instead of a desire so for many individuals tongues became an award are you following me instead of a gift humbly received this is where this language of evidence comes in if you've ever been a part of any charismatic even Pentecostal churches or backgrounds then a lot of people use the language of have you been baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues some of you know what I'm talking about this notion of the evidence that's where it came from because they historically because the things that happened in the early 1900's elevated this gift of speaking in tongues beyond the place where it ever should have been and so first of all I want to say something to those of you that have experienced Pentecostalism in that regard or have previous experience with charismatic churches that have positioned this gift that way I want to first of all apologize to you I'm sorry because friendship with the Holy Spirit is not that hard and it should never be presented to anyone that way so I shared with you on last week from first Corinthians chapter 14 that there is the gift of tongues I spent the last two weeks teaching you about the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit do you remember there are the discerning gifts anybody remember what the discerning gifts are word of wisdom word of knowledge the discerning of spirits then there are the declarative gifts what are the declarative gifts prophecy tongues interpretation of tongues then there are the dynamic gifts they're what faith-healing working of miracles now if you remember that as I was teaching about the declarative gifts I'll taught you that there is the gift there is the gift of tongues this is a part of the declarative gifts and I share it with you on last week that there is the gift of tongues there's a prophecy there is the interpretation of tongues these are in the declarative gifts I share with you that there is the gift of tongues which points to the public gift of tongues in a worship service but also share it with you last week that there is something also called the grace of tongues the grace of tongues is that when any individual has received the baptism with or in the Holy Spirit every believer that experiences that receives a prayer language whether they realize it or not and whether they activate it or not and I share it with you a little bit of my story in my journey so today I want to really spend time unpacking not the gift of tongues because we've spent a lot of time talking about that last week that whenever there is a public worship gathering like we're worshiping this morning and someone receives a tongue that they should stand but they should also pray according to Paul in 1st Corinthians 14 that there is interpretation and if there is no interpretation then they shouldn't share it that's the gift but what I want to spend time walking you through and teaching you about today is the grace of tongues the prayer language that every believer receives when they have received the baptism with or in the Holy Spirit whether they realize it or not and whether they activate it or not and I want you to have a real biblical understanding of this because this gift this grace is so powerful and so beneficial and it will revolutionize your private time with the Lord so number one here's what you need to write down in your notes tongues are number 1 the language of Prayer number 1 the language of Prayer let's go back to 1st Corinthians 14 and verse 2 the Apostle Paul says for he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God for no one him however in the spirit he speaks what mysteries I want you to take note of that phrase in the spirit underlying that if you don't mind underlining it in your Bible in the spirit because Paul is pointing us to the spiritual realm not the physical or the natural realm are you following me Paul when he's talking and teaching on this subject he's pointing us to the spiritual realm not the physical and not the natural now for some people that's really hard to even conceptualize because most people spend their life believing that the only things that are real are the things that they can perceive with their five senses meaning if they can't see it if they can't touch it if they can't smell it if they can't feel it if they can't hear it then many people believe that it is not real and so many people believe that the only things that are real are the things that they can perceive in the natural or the physical realm but the Word of God teaches us that that's not true that there's more to life than the physical or the natural realm in Luke chapter 17 and verse 20 I want you to see this because there were some Pharisees who asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come and notice what Jesus says he says God's kingdom isn't something that you can see God's kingdom is real but Jesus says it's not something that you can see we get 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 18 2nd Corinthians 4 and verse 18 says while we do not look at the things which are what seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are what but the things that are not seen are eternal the Bible says here's what you need to understand the things that are seen are just temporary but what is much more real much more significant and eternal are the things that are not seen in 2nd Kings chapter 6 the servant of the man of God Elijah gets up one morning and I guess I assumed that if I could picture it in my mind he was having his cup of coffee and getting ready to have a cup of coffee perhaps and he goes outside and he's startled because he finds that the army of the our means are surrounding him and he runs in and he tells the man of God we're in trouble and Elisha I should just calmly why it was asleep out of his eyes and he prays for his servant he says very simple prayer he says Lord hope in his eyes and he tells his servant he says those that are with us are more than those that it was him he's trying to say you're freaking out because you're only looking at the physical and the natural but but I'm praying that the Lord will open your eyes because I want you to see that there's something much more real in the unseen than that which you can see are you following me so in in 2nd 1st Corinthians 14 and verse 2 here's what I want you to understand the Apostle Paul is teaching us a whole bunch about tongues but one of the most important things that you have to get first is he is teaching that when someone is speaking in tongues they are not speaking to people in the natural realm they are speaking to God in the spiritual realm are you following me now what do we normally call what do we normally call it when somebody talks to God or speaks to God what do we normally call it we normally call it prayer so what I want you to understand in your notes if you take a notes that tongues is a language of Prayer tongues is the language of prayer now drop down the first Corinthians 14 but drop down to verse 14 first thing I need you to understand tongues is the language of prayer so once this the Apostle Paul says for if I pray in a tongue my spirit prays but my understanding is unfruitful now in that one verse there are three important truths that the Word of God is teaching us he says number one if I pray in a tongue stop right there once again the Bible is teaching us that tongues is a language of what prayer posture ball says if I pray in a tongue tongues are language of Prayer the second major point is he says my spirit prays ah so when an individual speaking in tongues they're praying but particularly their spirit is praying I taught you in the series on Ruth as we were journeying through that series reference first Thessalonians 5:23 several times first Thessalonians 5:23 teaches us that we are three parts that God made a spirit soul and body I talked to you about that so why is that important because often we function with our body and with our soul which is the place of your mind that your will and your emotions but often what we don't engage is our spirit but the Bible teaches us that when an individual speaks in tongues praise that their spirit is praying here's the third point he says my understanding is unfruitful my understanding is it fruitful if I pray in a tongue Paul says my spirit prays but my understanding and by understanding what he means is my mind is unfruitful what does this mean we are bypassing our minds when we pray in tongues now why is that significant because the majority of the time that we pray how do we pray we pray with our minds meaning we think of something that we want to talk to the Lord about and that's that's how we pray but when an individual prays in tongues your mind is unfruitful you bypass your mind because this is not your mind saying Lord I really need some help here this is your spirit praying are you following me so then the Apostle Paul raises a rhetorical question because he's making a point he says so then what's the conclusion and if you look at verse 15 of 1st Corinthians 14 notice what he says he says here's the conclusion I will pray with the spirit and I will also pray with understanding I will sing with the spirit and I will also sing with what understanding the Apostle Paul says the conclusion is we ought to do both did you ought to pray in the spirit and you ought to pray with your mind your honor you want to sing with your spirit you also ought to sing with your mind this is why I shared this with you on last week but I want you to see it again this is why in 1st Corinthians 14 and verse 5 the Apostle Paul says I wish that that all of you spoke with tongues and I shared with you on last week that once again in this verse he is distinguishing between the public gift and the private grace as it relates to a worship format like a Sunday morning he's saying here's how you oughta handle the public gift if someone has a tongue that operated there's interpretation is not they ought to hold it but he says as it relates to the private grace your devotion time with the Lord he says that I wish that you all spoke in tongues are you following me so the first thing I want you to understand is that tongues it's the language of prayer number one it's the language of prayer but then number two here's the other thing I need you to understand it's the language that builds you up this is the big one it's the language that builds you up now let's go back to 1st Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 4 1st Corinthians 14 and verse 4 it says he who speaks in a tongue what edifies himself but he who prophesies edifies the church the word edify means to build up to strengthen and to improve the word edify means to build up to strengthen and improve so when you pray in tongues you are building yourself up and you pray in tongues you on proving yourself when you pray in tongues you you are literally strengthening yourself personally this is also part of the reason why the public gift if it's done the right way it is it is great for the church the public gift because when when we're in public worship if there his tongues and if there is interpretation of tongues guess what's happening the church is being built up the church is being strengthened the church is being improved but but but as relates to your private grace when you're spending time with the Lord when you when you pray in tongues you are building yourself up you're strengthening yourself you are improving are you following me and all of us need this if we aren't going to be productive citizens of the kingdom of God the church also needs to be built up this is why the gifts of the Holy Spirit are so important because the church needs to be built up but not only does the church need to be built up you and I need to be built up and here's the point before you and I can help build up the church we first got to make sure that we are built up ourselves and I want you to get this because there are so many individuals in the body of Christ that have a Martha disposition that they spend so much time doing stuff and it's so busy that they end up being burned out because they never make a priority of building themselves up my wife are on the TWC News reference 201 is happening this afternoon and and I pray that all of you go through growth track and at the end of growth track it's for one where after you've discovered your god-given gifts we want you to utilize those gifts as a dream team member you will never fully be fulfilled until you're doing the thing that God called you to do on a team but one of the things that we teach you in 401 and some people don't like it but we we hold to it for a reason is that we want you to worship in one service and serve in the other worship one serve one why because if you serve all day and if that's your focus you will never be built up you need to be built up are you following me now go to Ephesians chapter 6 what Ephesians chapter 6 now many believers are familiar in some way with the armor of God but I want to show you how we miss a very very very important part of it Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10 finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and then the power of his might put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places therefore take up the whole somebody say whole the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand we know that it goes on to say stand therefore but stop for a second I want you to get this this entire passage in this section of Ephesians is about how to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might now why is this important because the Apostle Paul goes on to tell us and we're gonna see this in a moment that every single day the enemy is taking shots at us are you still with me I hope I'm not putting you to sleep I'm telling you I wish I would have gotten a teaching that I'm giving you in this series years ago the Apostle Paul says that you have to understand how to be strong in the Lord and stand in the power of his might because whether you know it or not every single day the enemy is taking shots at you he's taking shots at your marriage he's taking shots at your dreams he can't touch it he really can't do anything about it but he can take shots at it so that you become so tired and so worn out and so frustrated that you ultimately give up and walk away from him and so everyday the enemy is taking shots at you are you following me so then Paul goes on in verse 14 to teach us how to stand he says yeah you are up under attack but let me show you how to stand pick me up at Ephesians 6 and verse 14 he says stand therefore having girded your waist with truth having put on the breastplate of righteousness having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace and above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery dots I told the enemy's taking shots at you and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God now normally this is where we stop are you following me normally this is where we stop go back to verse 14 I want you to see this so Paul says here's how you stand you got to have your waist Gert with truth you know your your belt is what holds it all together your pants and your blouse on your shirt and he says what's got to hold your whole garment together your whole outfit is the truth the truth of scripture hallelujah that's what holds it together he says that you gotta have the breastplate of righteousness what ought to be covering your heart is that you are righteous I taught you early in this series that righteousness it is not about right living it's about right standing that regardless of your past regardless of your mistakes then when you become a believer you you are saved that you are in right standing with God your slate is wiped clean he says that oughta guard your heart that ought to cover your heart are you following me having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace what you ought to stand on the gospel Amen that Jesus came and defeated the enemy on Calvary that that's that's the good news that oughta that ought to be what you stand on are you following me Finney says you got to have the shield of faith because the enemy's taking shots at you the only thing that's gonna block all the lies of the enemy and the lies of the world is faith amen we operate by faith as believers are you following me he says then you gotta take the helmet of salvation then Woodall cover your head your mind is that you are saved hallelujah but then he says your offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God now this is where most of us stop and the first thing he says is the whole army remember I asked you to say whole if you got all of that here's what you need to understand you don't have the whole armor you got part of it why because drop down to verse 18 the very next verse he says praying always this is Ephesians 6 in verse 18 do you see it he says praying always with all prayer and supplication we're in the spirit being watchful to this in with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints he says dude you got to do all of that he got put on the whole armor he says but you ought to be praying always in the spirit you ought to be praying always in the spirit I love the NIV translation of if he six and verse 16 the NIV says and pray what in the spirit on all occasions so much of prayer language the the NLT I think it is says in another way it says pray in the spirit at all times and on every occasion see because some of us have never really been taught the truth about your prayer language we've been walking around for much of our life thinking we got the whole armor and all we have a parts of it see the truth is many of us are saved but we're weak because we don't build ourselves up and I know you don't build yourself up because you don't have friend language you haven't read language because the the world is lied to you or you see some things in the church and the devil has made you afraid and you like whatever that is I don't want it sometimes it's Church people that have taken things so far out of context and they've led so many people astray and the end result is that believers are not built up part of the reason that I do my best to try to stay in shape and work out it's not only because I want to be around a long time and in order to be healthy bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit all that that's really nice and so you know I don't watch what I eat and you know I worked out and all that but I'll tell you another reason I want to I want to work out and stay in shape is because I want to fit my clothes I'm just being honest with you I mean you know I want to fit my clothes I refuse to have to go buy more clothes because I can't fit them and so I workout because I want to fit my clothes because when you work out you build muscle and muscle burns fat and and then when you burn fat it keeps you lean and in shape watch out now the Bible says but hold on the Bible says that when we pray in our prayer language we build ourselves up now we got clothes we got the helmet of salvation we got the breastplate of righteousness week we got the belt of truth but but I wonder if we can't fit our clothes [Music] because we never build ourselves up we never work out with our prayer language are you following me go to Jude chapter 1 and verse 20 Jude is the the last book right before the book of Revelation Jude chapter 1 and verse 20 says but you dear friends must do you see that build each other up in your most holy faith pray in the one pray in the power of the Holy Spirit Jude says that what you and I ought to ought to be doing is we ought to be building building ourselves up building each other up how do we do that by praying in the power of the Holy Spirit so what have you learned so far you've learned number one that tongues that private grace is the language of prayer you learn secondly that it's the language that that builds you up but then thirdly and finally here's what I want you to get it's the language of faith tongues is the language of faith it's a language of faith number three see one of our biggest misunderstandings about a prayer language is that once you are open to receiving your prayer language once you've received the baptism with the Holy Spirit one of the most common misconceptions is that we believe that once we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit that we're just gonna open our mouths and our prayer language is going to come gushing out and that's not true no there are some people that believe that when they receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit that they're gonna fall into some kind of trance that the body is gonna start convulsing and then and then out of their mouth is going to come their prayer language that's not true I'm taking my time to teach us because I want you to get it nothing about the gifts of the Holy Spirit work that way you have to understand that operating in all spiritual gifts is an act of faith go back to verse 15 of 1st Corinthians 14 first Corinthians 14 verse 15 and here's what I want you to notice notice how many the Apostle Paul says I will he says what is the conclusion then I will pray with the spirit and I will also pray with understanding I will sing with the spirit and I will also sing was understanding four times he says I will I will I will I will I will this is something that he's doing why because I want you to understand that your prayer language requires faith honestly just like regular prayer requires faith if you're in a room by yourself and you're praying to God with your mind it takes faith somebody could walk by you and your cubicle praying somebody could walk by and see you ain't talking to nobody that they can see and a letter could say what's wrong with you it takes faith for you to believe that even when you pray with your mind that your prayers are getting above the ceiling that God is hearing your prayers it takes faith are you following me so just like it takes faith to pray with your mind it takes faith to activate your prayer language are you following me so you got to move in faith and here's another reason you have to move in faith as it relates to your prayer language because for most people when you receive your prayer language you don't receive a fully formed vocabulary this is why the Bible says that when you come to Christ and I taught you about the three baptisms all right salvation water baptism and baptism with the Holy Spirit what does the Bible call that the Bible says we are being born a what born a again we're being born again when a baby is born a baby does that come out of the womb with a fully formed vocabulary are you following me so just like in the natural it is in the spirit majority of you if you don't have a prayer language when you receive your prayer language you won't have a fully form vocabulary it's why you have to pray in faith my niece one of the things we love about Christmas is for Christmas everybody comes to Birmingham and so my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and all of my family coming to Birmingham and I love my niece and nephew my nephew incidentally was actually born on my birthday but my niece his sister her name is Evangeline and the honor they were praying for a name and the Lord had given me Evangeline and they loved it so it's interesting how my nephew's born on my birthday and then they allowed me the honor of naming their daughter so Evangeline is her name but we call her Evie okay and Evie's just a couple of years old and so we love it but she's the terror you know Evie is take over and so you know we had a great time over the Christmas holidays and Evie was just toddling around the house and there was one particular time I was sitting at the kitchen table and we were sitting around just talking and Evie said Bob about that I said I said I said what you want Evie she said Baba that and her mother said oh okay you want some water and I'm thinking how did you get water out about how about but her mother knew exactly what she was asking for Romans 8 says that the spirit makes intercession for the Mon and the groans see see sometimes you know you like Evie what are you saying it doesn't make sense but mom knew I need you to understand that it's gonna require faith because you're not gonna have a fully formed vocabulary but the Holy Spirit knows why because it is your spirit that is praying not your mind and here's another big thing this is why it's a language of faith because because for us you know we are we are degreed we are we are elite we are we got it going on we're erudite we you know we we run so and so business that when you don't have a fully formed vocabulary your mind will try to make you feel like something's wrong but this is not a language of Prayer from the mind this is the language of prayer from the spirit are you following me I need you to understand the Holy Spirit is not going to take control of your vocal cords it's not gonna take control of your mouth and speak for you you have to step out in faith and begin to talk in a language that may sound strange and funky to you can I tell you something the Bible also talks about the gift of giving and you know what a check is not just gonna fly out of your wallet it's not oh my goodness no you have to take out your wallet and write the check the same is the case for your prayer language you've got to open your mouth and speak by faith in an unknown in an unknown language and the Holy Spirit will assist but he won't do it for you so two things that I want to give you as I get ready to close I need you to understand this it requires faith because you have to trust God write this in your notes it requires faith because you have to trust God there are a number of people this is why I'm teaching us this way there are a number of people who approach the Holy Spirit with so much fear I don't want to lose control I don't want to give control over to the Holy Spirit so so there are a lot of people that approach the Holy Spirit was so much fear a lot of people have been led to believe the Holy Spirit is spooky and this is why I've been teaching this if you missed any week of this series go to the bookstore immediately and get this series because there's so many individuals that have been lied to this is why the enemy has been causing so much confusion in the body of Christ because the enemy is afraid that if this new generation has a fully formed relationship with the Holy Spirit the enemy won't have any control I taught you that Holy Spirit empowers us but but but you have to approach the Holy Spirit and even your prayer language with faith but because so many people they have this fear fear what is it in you know what I don't want to give over control and you know I don't I don't want to be in a store and my body just starts jerking like I'm possessed and no no no let me show you something to Luke 11 and verse 11 that's that's not the heart of God Luke 11 and verse 11 Jesus says if a son asked for bread from any father among you will he give him a stone or if he asked for fish will he give him a serpent instead of a fish or if he asks for an egg will he offer him a scorpion if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him it's a good gift it's a good gift it's nothing spooky about it it's a good gift so you gotta trust God though you absolutely have to let me tell you something else as I get ready to close it's faith more than feelings when I received the baptism with the Holy Spirit because I came out of a denominational stronghold Baptist traditional religion I thought that it was going to be a feeling yeah just I really did I thought that you know is just gonna be some euphoric unexplainable feeling and then after I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit I didn't really know if I had it because I didn't feel the way I thought I was gonna feel are you following me but then the Lord taught me you know when you tithe you don't feel any different when you tithe I feel the exact same when I tithe we automate the important comes right out of our bank account an offering comes out every week you know I don't feel any different but I know that I'm doing what God has asked me to do and I begin to operate in that are you following me and so so for some of you next week I'm going to be praying for those of you that want to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit and for some of you I want you to understand you're not gonna feel any different okay but you're gonna have power you're gonna have gifts that are available to you there are a number of things that I've been teaching you throughout this whole series that will be available to you because you received the baptism with the Holy Spirit it's faith more than feelings the story is told of a man in the early 1900's who desired to come to America and he and his family they were very poor but they wanted to come to America because they wanted the opportunity to start afresh in the new world and so he's scrimped and scraped and did everything he could to afford the fare to take the 21-day journey by boat to get to America and because they were so poor he can only scrimp and scrape and put together the money for one ticket and what he determined was that he would go he would leave his wife and children behind he would get into America and seize an opportunity and then earn enough money to send for them to come to America and so that's what he did he scrimped and scraped him and scraped and put enough money together to get one ticket and because that's all he had and he just had a few few few dollars left after the ticket was purchased and he knew that he was going to have to use that money to establish himself in America and get a job and find a place to to live what he decided to do was instead of trying to eat on the ship what he decided to do was all he could afford was to buy a big wheel of cheese and some crackers and so he boarded the ship for the 21-day journey back then it was 21 days to get from ports of Europe to America and and every time for breakfast lunch and dinner when when everybody else on the ship when they would go into the dining halls to eat he would pull away and he pull out that that will the cheese and take off a piece then eat it with a cracker or two and after 20 19 20 days that come by they were coming to Ellis Island where the Statue of Liberty is and it was a lot of excitement because the journey was almost over and he had come above deck to see the Statue of Liberty and he was so excited that he was close to getting to America but he was also excited that the trip was almost over because two days ago he had just eaten the last of that will of cheese that after 1918 days have become moldy and old and stale and so everybody was at the top of the deck looking at Ellis Island the Statue of Liberty and everybody was overwhelmed with excitement about making it to the new world and it just so happened that he was standing next to one of the ship's crew and the ship's crew member asked him sir are you excited about making it to America he said absolutely I am and and I'm really excited about the opportunity and I'm really excited because I haven't really eaten the last two days and he said yeah I noticed that every time breakfast lunch and dinner that we was set a place out for you but she wouldn't come and he said oh yes sir he said you know I just could barely get enough money to get the ticket and so I just I just had a will of cheese and some crackers and I wouldn't nibble on over the last 18 and 19 days and the the crew member said sir I'm so sorry he said you mean to tell me nobody told you he said told me what he said nobody told you that meals were included with the price of your ticket said I'm so sorry that this whole journey all you've decided to eat with cheese and crackers I tell you that story because there are many believers just like this man we live a cheese-and-cracker Christianity we scrape by with no power with no real intimacy with the Lord because we grew up on religion and religion has only given us cheese and crackers some of you you you have been wrestling with strongholds for far too long you've been living a defeated life for far too long and you have settled to think that your life will always be that way it's cheese and crackers because it's moldy is old and it's stale and the reason that I have been teaching this series the way that I'm teaching in and we're gonna conclude it on next Sunday it's because I really want you to know that the Holy Spirit is included in the price of your ticket the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to you would you stand with me I was ministering had to preach in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday night then I had to get on a plane at 6:00 in the morning or fly to Los Angeles and I flew back late last night from LA to Atlanta drove two hours from Atlanta to Birmingham but the whole time I was praying for you and the Lord said to me that before we extend the invitation I'm gonna run and get to the other services but before we extend the invitation the Lord told me that some of you are going to begin to ask today I'm gonna pray next week but the Lord told me that some of you are going to begin to ask today to have a relationship with the Holy Spirit so before our ministers come I wanna I want to praise ministry too just to just lead us in just a moment of worship because I really believe that some of you right now you're gonna begin to just lift your hands and just ask the Lord father I'm asking for your Holy Spirit Jesus says if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask all you have to do is ask father I want your Holy Spirit I want to be empowered with your Holy Spirit I received my prayer Lang was not because somebody laid their hands on me in a moment of worship once I was able to turn my mind off and begin that moving faith my prayer language came I believe that some of that may happen for some of you this morning [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we hope you enjoyed this message for more resources visit the warships NRC Seaborg and been moody horn you will also find Van moody on all social media platforms again we thank you for your support [Music]

Channel: The Worship Center with Van Moody

Views: 266

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: worship, faith, word of God, HUB, community, unify, build people, salvation, resurrection, van moody, Pastor Van, The Worship Center, TWC, Jesus

Id: ox8ALs5hYds

Length: 48min 0sec (2880 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 31 2018