Participants: Pr. John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000141A
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00:22 Hello, friends.
00:23 Welcome to another 00:24 Wednesday night Bible study here 00:26 at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:27 We thank you for taking the time to tune in 00:30 as we continue our study in 00:33 how to know the truth about the Holy Spirit. 00:37 We thank you for pausing and getting your Bibles 00:40 and sitting down 00:41 that we can walk through the Bible together 00:43 and study the Word of God. 00:45 And in just a few minutes I'll tell you 00:46 how you can get a copy of the lesson, 00:48 and how you can access all of the lessons 00:51 we've done to this point 00:53 so that you can be up-to-date 00:55 and be fully informed about what 3ABN 00:58 does have to offer you. 01:00 Now, this program is called a Sharper Focus 01:01 because we do believe 01:03 that whenever a topic is not fully understood, 01:05 as you continue to study it, it's like a camera lens, 01:08 it comes into a sharper focus. 01:11 Now, before we sing our theme song, 01:13 we're gonna go ahead and have a word of prayer, 01:16 ask for the Lord's blessing to be with us, 01:18 and then we're gonna get into our lesson for tonight. 01:21 Let's bow our heads together. 01:22 Loving Father in heaven, 01:24 thank You for the opportunity that You present to us 01:27 every occasion to open Your Word is a chance 01:30 for the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts, 01:33 for our minds to be impressed 01:36 and for our understanding to be increased, 01:39 but also our hearts to gain a desire 01:41 to be more dedicated. 01:43 And so tonight, Lord, 01:44 we pray that You'll join with... 01:45 You'll come and unite those who are watching and listening 01:48 to the program with those of us 01:49 who are here studying together 01:51 and may You receive the praise 01:52 and the glory and the honor, in Jesus' name we pray. 01:55 Amen. 01:57 We're gonna sing our theme song, 01:59 tonight it's called victory in Jesus. 02:00 If you know about it... 02:02 By the way before I go to that, 02:04 if you like a copy of the lesson tonight 02:06 which is called The Truth about the Holy Spirit, 02:08 go to this following website, asf.3abn.org, 02:14 download lesson number 34. 02:16 Now, if you have already downloaded number 34, 02:19 you might know by now 02:21 if you are a regular viewer that I added another page, 02:24 so you should have three total pages. 02:27 And tonight, if you have page one and two, 02:29 we're going to begin from lesson... 02:31 from question number 16 in just a moment. 02:33 But you should have three pages. 02:35 And I made some updates, 02:36 so go to that website and download 02:38 the most recent information. 02:40 Now, let's sing our theme song together. 02:42 Our theme song is entitled, what together? 02:45 "Victory in Jesus". Let's sing this song together. 02:55 I heard an old, old story 02:59 How the Savior came from glory 03:03 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:06 To save a wretch like me 03:10 I heard about His groaning 03:14 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:18 Then I repented of my sin 03:22 And won the victory 03:25 Oh, victory in Jesus 03:29 My Savior forever 03:33 He sought me and bought me 03:37 With His redeeming blood 03:40 He loved me 'ere I knew him 03:44 And all my love is due Him 03:48 He plunged me to victory 03:52 Beneath the cleansing blood 03:56 I heard about a mansion 04:00 He has built for me in glory 04:03 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:07 Beyond the crystal sea 04:11 About the angels singing 04:15 And the old redemption story 04:18 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:22 The song of victory 04:25 Key change. 04:26 Oh, victory in Jesus 04:30 My Savior forever 04:33 He sought me and bought me 04:37 With His redeeming blood 04:41 He loved me 'ere I knew Him 04:45 And all my love is due Him 04:49 He plunged me to victory 04:52 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:56 He plunged me to victory 05:00 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:06 Amen? 05:08 Amen? 05:10 We're not a lot in number but hey, 05:13 the Spirit of God is here tonight 05:14 to study with us. 05:16 And thank you for joining us. 05:17 Now the topic of the Holy Spirit tonight, 05:20 we're gonna take it into another area 05:23 because there are some things that are taught about 05:25 the Holy Spirit that are not true. 05:28 There are methods and means, many people today say that, 05:32 "We need the Holy Spirit," 05:35 or, "The Holy Spirit filled us." 05:37 Or, "What you just heard was from the Holy Spirit," 05:39 or, "The work that was done was by the Holy Spirit." 05:42 We want to make it very, very clear 05:44 as the Bible refers and gives us the understanding, 05:48 we want to make it very clear 05:50 about the work of the Spirit of God. 05:52 And so tonight what we're gonna do 05:54 is we're gonna dive into the study early 05:56 without laying a lot of foundation 05:58 because we have a lot to cover. 05:59 And if we can, 06:01 I'd like to see if I could possibly get 06:03 from question 16 to 30. 06:05 That's a marathon 06:06 but let's go ahead and make an attempt. 06:08 So if you have your lessons tonight, lesson number 34. 06:11 Let's begin by looking at question number 16. 06:15 Question number 16, and here it is. 06:18 The question is, 06:19 in what way do we grow 06:22 in our understanding of God's Word? 06:25 We'll begin with that question, go to John 14:26. 06:30 In what way do we grow 06:32 in our understanding of God's Word? 06:35 John 14:26. 06:38 I'm gonna turn there. 06:41 Even though, you know, 06:43 if you've been a regular viewer, 06:44 you know the text appear on the screen 06:45 but it's good to have it in the Word of God. 06:47 John 14:26 06:49 and let's look at that together. 06:51 Since it's our first text, let's all read it together. 06:53 Are you ready? Let's look at the screen. 06:55 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father 06:59 will send in my name, He will," what? 07:03 "Teach you all things 07:05 and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." 07:10 Now notice the two things, He will first teach you, 07:13 how many things? All things. 07:15 And then what else He will do? He will bring to your, what? 07:18 Remembrance. 07:19 If any of you have a laptop, 07:21 computer or maybe a cell phone or an iPad 07:24 or whatever the case may be, 07:26 whatever digital device you have, 07:28 you know that when you put something on it, 07:31 you can easily recall it. 07:33 But if it's not there, you can't recall it. 07:36 Now the promise to bring things 07:37 to your remembrance is conditional, meaning, 07:40 if it's been put there by study, 07:43 you can recall it. 07:44 Like a bank deposit, 07:46 if there's money in your account, 07:47 you can go to the bank and say, 07:48 "I'd like to take out X amount of dollars," 07:50 and if it's there, 07:51 the Spirit of God will bring it back. 07:53 But if it's not there, he can't bring it back. 07:56 The second thing that he will do 07:59 is he will teach you all things. 08:01 Now go with me to 2 Peter. 08:04 Go with me to 2 Peter, 08:05 this is the reason why 08:06 it's important to pray for guidance 08:08 from the Holy Spirit. 08:10 Look at 2 Peter. 08:11 Oftentimes people say that, 08:16 you know, the Bible was written by men. 08:20 Well, that's true but the Bible wasn't written by common men 08:23 because someone was involved 08:25 in the process 08:27 to make the Bible anything but common. 08:29 You know, people talk about, 08:30 well, the Bible is common, anybody, 08:33 you know, God chose anybody to write the Bible. 08:35 That's not the case. 08:37 Look at 2 Peter 1 08:40 and we're gonna begin with verse 19. 08:42 We're going to begin with verse 19. 08:45 And it says, 08:46 "We also have a prophetic word made more sure 08:52 which you do well to heed as a light that shines in," 08:56 what kind of a place? 08:58 "A dark place until the day dawns 09:01 and the morning star rises in your heart." 09:04 What that means is, 09:06 the more you study God's Word, 09:07 the brighter your understanding is going to get. 09:09 Do you experience that before? 09:11 A lot of times people say, 09:12 "I didn't understand it until I studied it out." 09:15 Or, "I heard about it 09:16 but when I began to study God's word, 09:18 then all of a sudden it became a lot clearer." 09:20 That's the morning star rising. 09:23 I'm a flashlight person, 09:25 I know that when the batteries are low, 09:27 there's not gonna be any light. 09:28 In the very same way, 09:30 when the Spirit of God is not present, 09:31 your understanding is not gonna be fruitful. 09:34 You're not gonna learn very much 09:35 because the power is down. 09:37 The Spirit of God is the power 09:39 that the Lord poured out 09:40 on His disciples on the day of Pentecost. 09:42 Acts 1:8, "You shall receive," what did he say? 09:45 "Power." 09:47 So with that power 09:48 it also turns on our understanding. 09:49 But look at the reasons why. It goes on further. 09:52 Verse 20, "Knowing this first 09:56 that no prophecy of scripture is of any," what kind? 10:00 "Private interpretation." 10:02 Meaning, people cannot make up things. 10:04 Now, they do make up things 10:05 but it has to align with the Bible. 10:08 And here's the major reason why we have to pray 10:10 for the Spirit's guidance. 10:12 Verse 21, "For prophecy never came 10:14 by the will of man but," what kind of men? 10:18 "Holy men of God spoke 10:21 as they were moved 10:23 by the Holy Spirit." 10:28 Some people say, "Now, how did that happen? 10:30 Well, let's use some forces in nature for an example. 10:34 Hurricanes move things, tornadoes move things, 10:40 typhoons move things and tsunamis move things. 10:46 Now tsunami is the force of water. 10:48 The Bible often uses the water and the wind and the oil 10:54 as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. 10:56 You may not be able to see the wind 10:58 but you know that things move 11:00 because of the force of the wind. 11:02 Now the Holy Spirit is not a wind, 11:04 don't get that, don't add that in. 11:06 But the Bible says you don't see 11:08 where the wind comes from but you see the impact of it. 11:11 We don't see the impact of the breath that we breathe, 11:13 if you take a breath right now, 11:15 you don't see where it's coming from 11:17 but it's right here, it's in our presence. 11:19 But when you inhale, 11:21 you'll know that the benefit that your body gets 11:23 is because ever present is the breath 11:26 that God has made available for us to stay alive. 11:29 In the very same way, 11:31 the thing that we need to be spiritually alive 11:32 is the... 11:34 is the... 11:36 Say it again? The Holy Spirit. 11:37 The Holy Spirit. 11:39 We need that to be spiritually alive. 11:41 He will lead us, He will guide us. 11:44 Not a force but He will. So put that down. 11:47 In what way do we grow 11:49 in our understanding of God's Word? 11:52 How? 11:53 Through the Helper, through the Comforter. 11:58 The word comforter has a different connotation 12:00 but the word helper means, you can't do it by yourself. 12:03 You put the word helper down, 12:05 I think that's more appropriate to the question and the answer. 12:09 We need help in order to study and understand God's Word, 12:12 ain't that right? 12:14 Number 17, let's go there. 12:16 Number 17. 12:17 Let's look at that together. 12:19 How does the church rely 12:22 on the Holy Spirit for ministry? 12:25 How does the church 12:26 rely on the Holy Spirit for ministry? 12:29 Go to 1 Corinthians 12. 12:31 By the way, if you didn't know this, 12:33 let me to share with you as you turn there. 12:36 1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14 12:41 deal with the work of the Spirit. 12:44 Chapter 13, how important it is 12:47 to have the Spirit of God in our lives 12:49 through the power of God's love. 12:51 And Chapter 14 talks about the right exercise 12:55 and the right use of the gifts that God makes available 12:58 through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. 13:02 Now 1 Corinthians 12. 13:05 Let me see before I ask the guys 13:07 to bring up the text on the screen. 13:11 I want to begin with verse 4 13:13 and then we're gonna go ahead and go to verse 7. 13:17 Let's begin with verse 4 and then we're gonna go... 13:20 Well, let's begin with verse 1. Can we do that? 13:23 Verse 1. 13:24 Here it is. 13:26 "Now concerning," what kinds of gifts? 13:29 "Spiritual gifts brethren I do not want you to be ignorant." 13:32 You know, one of the ways 13:33 I know that the Apostle Paul wrote these books, 13:36 he uses the word ignorant quite a bit, 13:38 meaning he was a very learned man, 13:41 but he doesn't want the Christian to be unaware 13:43 or uninformed about how God's gifts work. 13:46 Verse 2, 13:48 "He said you know that you were Gentiles 13:50 carried away to these dumb idols, 13:54 however you were led." 13:56 Amen to being led. 13:58 "Therefore I make known to you 14:00 that no one speaking by the Spirit of God 14:05 cause Jesus a curse or anathema." 14:09 And he goes on to say, 14:10 "And no one can say 14:12 that Jesus is the Lord except by the," what? 14:15 "Holy Spirit." 14:17 Now you would think 14:18 that that was something in ancient times, 14:19 but I was surprised 14:21 I had a phone call a few days ago 14:22 and somebody said, somebody told me, 14:26 I have to be very vague here 14:28 that they know of a Christian 14:30 who said, "Well, there's no way 14:32 that Jesus could be the Messiah." 14:33 And I thought to myself, 14:35 a Christian would actually say that there is no way 14:38 that Jesus could be the Messiah? 14:41 Now let me ask you based on what you just read, 14:43 what's missing in that person's life? 14:45 Someone tell me. Say it again. 14:47 The Holy Spirit because the Bible says, 14:48 "No one can say that Jesus is Lord 14:51 except by the Holy Spirit." 14:54 But it goes on, verse 4, 14:56 "Now there are diversities of gifts 14:59 but the," what? 15:01 "Same spirit." 15:02 So the question is, how does the church rely 15:04 on the Holy Spirit for ministry? 15:05 Look at verse 7 now. 15:08 Verse 7, "But the manifestation of the Spirit 15:12 is given to each one of us for the profit of all." 15:16 Here's the scripture on the screen, 15:18 "For the manifestation of the Spirit 15:21 is given to each one for the profit of." 15:24 how many of us? "For the profit of all of us." 15:27 In other words, as you saw verse 7 there, 15:30 the gift that's given by the Spirit 15:32 is it for our personal benefit. 15:34 Yes or no? 15:38 How many say yes? How many say no? 15:41 I don't usually take surveys 15:42 but I didn't get any hands raised on either one of those. 15:44 Just to kind of give you... 15:46 Is for the benefit of every one of us. 15:48 It is for the benefit or the profit of how many? 15:51 All. 15:52 That means the profit of you and I, 15:55 we all benefit from the work of the Holy Spirit. 15:57 Everyone benefits. 15:59 Do you think you benefit, Bryan? 16:00 We do benefit. Johnny, do we benefit? 16:02 Of course, we benefit because the Spirit works on us, 16:05 in us and then through us. 16:07 But what is being said here is the gift that you receive, 16:11 for example the gift of music or the gift of preaching. 16:14 The gift, because there are different gifts, 16:16 you know, there are some pastors, teachers. 16:18 Matter of fact, 16:19 go with me to the Book of Ephesians 4, all right? 16:22 Keep this in mind. 16:24 But answer to the question, 16:25 "But the manifestation of the Spirit 16:27 is given to each one for the profit of all." 16:29 So let's answer the question as you go to Ephesians 4. 16:33 How does the church rely on 16:37 the Holy Spirit for ministry? 16:40 How does the Holy Spirit...? 16:42 How does the church rely 16:43 on the Holy Spirit for ministry? 16:44 Somebody give me the answer. 16:46 How does the church rely on the Holy Spirit? 16:49 Right. 16:50 He gives us the gift that benefits everyone of us. 16:54 You could put that in your own wording, 16:56 He equips us 16:58 with what will be a benefit for every one of us. 17:01 Now let's go to Ephesians. All right. 17:03 I'm going there now. 17:05 Ephesians 4, Ephesians 4. All right. 17:11 Let's look at some of these... 17:12 Look at some of the things that He gives to us. 17:14 Look at some of the ways that we are equipped, 17:17 some of the equipment the church has. 17:19 And when you read 1 Corinthians 12, 17:20 you discover these are not just skills 17:24 but these are gifts. 17:25 Let me give you an example. 17:27 There are people that sing for the world 17:28 that could sing very well, 17:30 but when you give your voice to the Lord, 17:33 the Spirit of God is the one that's responsible 17:36 for the impact on someone's life. 17:38 Somebody might sing a secular song 17:40 and you say, "That moves me." 17:41 When that same person or one another person 17:43 sings a spiritual song that moves you, 17:46 conviction comes in and that person is drawn 17:49 into a closer relationship with Jesus. 17:50 That's the difference between a gift and a skill. 17:54 Some people have good skills 17:55 but the Lord wants to gift us for the benefit 17:58 of not only the church 17:59 but for the benefit of His kingdom. 18:01 Look at Ephesians 4:12... 18:04 Well, verse 11, verse 11, all right? 18:08 It says, "And He Himself gave," 18:10 Ephesians 4:11. 18:12 "And He Himself gave some to be," 18:14 let's say them together. 18:15 Some to be what? 18:16 "Apostles some," what else? 18:18 "Prophets, some evangelists 18:20 and some pastors and some teachers." 18:23 In verse 12, "For the," what? 18:26 "Equipping of the saints for the work of ministry 18:30 for the edifying of the Body of Christ." 18:34 So when the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:7, 18:38 "The manifestation of the Spirit is given 18:40 so that everybody profits from it." 18:43 The treasurer is not the treasurer 18:45 for the treasures sake 18:47 but the treasurer is a steward 18:50 for the sake of the strength 18:51 of the financial strength of the church. 18:53 But everybody gives what they give 18:55 and somebody is an overseer in that particular category. 18:59 But to be a treasurer, 19:00 to be in the gift of administration, 19:02 when you look at Ephesians, 19:03 when you look at 1 Corinthians 12, 19:06 when you look at Romans 11 and 12, 19:07 you discover that there are so many types of gifts 19:10 but everybody benefits 19:12 from the working of those gifts. 19:14 Let's go to the very next question. 19:16 The very next questions. 19:17 The very next question is number 18. 19:19 So what question, 19:20 what answer did you put down on number 17? 19:23 He equips us. 19:25 He equips us, all right? Number 18. 19:30 Now this is important. 19:31 We're gonna be diving into a different area now. 19:36 Why can't we ask the Holy Spirit 19:42 to give us certain gifts? 19:45 You're in 1 Corinthians 12, stay there. 19:48 Why can't we ask? 19:51 Let me also put it in a different way. 19:54 Sometimes, and some families do it differently, 19:56 this is not a blanket statement because some people say, 19:59 "What do you want for Christmas?" 20:01 Or some people say, 20:02 "What do you want for your birthday?" 20:03 Those that we ask, 20:05 we are asked by our parents 20:06 or sometimes we ask our friends, 20:08 "Could you give me a laptop for my birthday?" 20:11 And you know, that's how humans do it. 20:14 But the reason why we don't... 20:16 We can't ask the Spirit for the gifts that we want, 20:22 the answer is given right here 20:23 in verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 12. 20:25 Why can't we ask the Holy Spirit 20:27 to give us certain gifts? 20:29 Let's look at this verse together. 20:32 "But one and the same spirit works 20:38 all these things distributing to each one individually," 20:43 what's the next three words? 20:45 "As He wills." As He wills. 20:49 In other words, the Holy Spirit says, 20:53 "I'm gonna give that person that gift. 20:56 I'm gonna give that person that gift. 20:59 I'm gonna give that person that gift. 21:02 I'm gonna give her that gift, him that gift, him that gift." 21:06 We don't say, "I want this gift." 21:09 He says, "No, I decide who gets what gift." 21:12 Can you say amen to that? 21:13 Now this is really important because today 21:16 you're seeing us transition now. 21:18 So write the answer down very quickly. 21:20 Why can't we ask 21:22 the Holy Spirit to give us certain gifts? 21:24 Put this down, He decides, He decides as He wills. 21:30 Let me say it another way. 21:31 When Jesus was confronted with the cross, 21:34 He said, "Not my will but Your will be done." 21:37 In the very same way, when it comes to gifts, 21:40 we say, "I know what I'd like but Holy Spirit, 21:42 not what I want but what you will that I have." 21:46 And you'll discover the Holy Spirit gives us gifts 21:49 that will always be in harmony. 21:52 And here's the thing that's amazing about it. 21:54 He knows what gift will best be in our possession. 22:00 He knows what gift will be best used 22:03 by the way that God has equipped us. 22:06 We are equipped in our learning, 22:08 in our study of the Word of God 22:09 but when it comes to choosing the gifts, 22:13 the Spirit of God decides. 22:14 Now let me ask you a question, 22:16 very carefully ponder this for a moment. 22:18 Can we ask the Holy Spirit what fruit to give us? 22:22 Yes or no? 22:29 How many fruits does He give us? 22:35 You said, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, 22:38 meekness, patience, right? 22:39 How many gifts of that? How many fruits of that? 22:42 Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, 22:44 meekness, patience, how many is that? 22:49 That's one fruit. 22:52 That's one fruit. 22:54 Now, I just threw that in there just for a brief... 22:56 That's only one fruit. The fruit of the Spirit. 23:01 Not the fruits of the Spirit but the fruit. 23:05 Now, when the Bible says, 23:06 "By their fruits you will know them," 23:08 that's a different, 23:09 that's a different than the fruit of the Spirit. 23:12 Because somebody doesn't say, 23:13 "Well, you know, I'm longsuffering 23:15 but I am not gentle." 23:18 See? 23:19 You can't be a longsuffering Christian 23:21 and not be gentle. 23:22 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. 23:27 Now you can't say, 23:28 "I have joy but I don't have peace," 23:31 because if the fruit is in your life, 23:33 you'll have what? 23:35 Together, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, 23:41 meekness, patience. 23:43 That's all in the fruit just like vitamin A, vitamin C, 23:46 vitamin D, riboflavin. 23:48 That's all within one single fruit. 23:50 It's all there. 23:52 Now how many fruits did Eve eat to fall into sin? 23:58 Come on, together, one. 24:00 So it takes one to get us in, one to get us, what? 24:03 Out. 24:04 And when you're out, 24:05 when you respond to the voice of God, 24:07 the Spirit of God begins to be manifested in your life. 24:10 So if you say to somebody, somebody said, 24:13 "Well, I'm working on that fruit." 24:14 "No, you can't work on a fruit," 24:16 because when you become a Christian, 24:17 the fruit, the singular fruit with all those vitamins, 24:21 vitamin love, vitamin joy, vitamin peace, 24:24 vitamin longsuffering, 24:25 vitamin gentleness, meekness, patience, 24:27 all those vitamins are in that one fruit. 24:30 Can you all amen to that? 24:32 Now we might have to grow in grace, 24:34 that maybe what people mean, that may mean the Lord says, 24:38 "Okay, I'm giving you the gift of patience." 24:40 And you're saying, 24:41 "Lord, give me room to grow to be more patient." 24:45 Or, "Give me room to grow to be more loving." 24:49 Or, "Give me room to grow to be more," what? 24:51 "Longsuffering." 24:53 How many of you believe that you have a greater... 24:58 Well, let me phrase this well because I chose longsuffering 25:00 because longsuffering is where people often... 25:03 You hear people say, 25:05 "Man, they're really testing my nerves. 25:08 They're really testing my faith." 25:10 How many of you believe that you're more patient now 25:12 than you used to be? 25:16 Dee, I don't see your hand. 25:18 Are you more patient now than you used to be? 25:20 I'm messing with my treasurer. 25:24 More patient. 25:25 I can tell you, I've been here 13 years 25:27 and Dee has more patient now than she used to be. 25:30 Now she still moves at 150 miles an hour 25:33 when she's walking through 3ABN 25:34 but she is more patient now than she used to be. 25:38 But each one of us grows, ain't that right? 25:41 We grow in grace but when we get the gift, 25:44 we have to give the Lord room to develop those gifts in us. 25:48 We give the Lord room for that fruit 25:50 to begin to permeate all the things 25:52 that were blocking our growth in the past. 25:55 But the spirit is the one that decides 25:57 who gets what. 25:59 Now let's go to the very next question. 26:01 Number 19. Number 19. 26:04 What gift did the Holy Spirit 26:08 give to the apostles at Pentecost? 26:13 Let's go to Acts 2. Let's go to Acts 2. 26:16 We're transitioning now 26:18 into probably one of the most... 26:21 I could use the word most, 26:23 one of the very misunderstood operations of the Holy Spirit, 26:27 the area that we're going into right now. 26:29 Acts 2, we'll begin with verse 1 26:34 and then we'll work our way down to verse 4 26:36 and then you can bring the text up on the screen. 26:38 We're talking about 26:40 the day of Pentecost and the question is, 26:42 what gift did the Holy Spirit give 26:44 to the apostles at Pentecost? 26:47 Here it is. 26:48 Verse 1, "Now when the day of Pentecost had fully come, 26:53 they were all with one accord in," 26:55 how many places? "One place. 26:58 And suddenly there came a sound 27:01 from heaven as of a rushing mighty," 27:05 notice that word again, "Wind." 27:07 That's how the Spirit comes filled. 27:10 "And it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 27:15 Then there appeared to them divided or cloven tongues," 27:19 as the King James Version says, "As a fire. 27:23 And one sat upon each of them." 27:26 Now I'll bring the text up for our viewing audience. 27:29 "And they were all," what? 27:31 "Filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with," what? 27:37 "Other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." 27:42 So write this down to question number 19, 27:45 what gift did the Holy Spirit give 27:49 to the apostles at Pentecost? 27:52 And the answer is, what? 27:53 Who can tell me? 27:55 Other tongues. Other tongues. 28:00 Not just tongues because they were Galileans, 28:03 they were already speaking in a language. 28:06 They already had a native tongue. 28:09 The Spirit of God 28:10 instead of buying them the program, 28:14 what's that program that teaches you languages? 28:17 Rosetta Stone. 28:20 It's the worst thing on planet earth, 28:21 somebody said. 28:23 Whatever program you use 28:26 to teach you how to speak another language, 28:28 there are lots of programs. 28:29 But in this particular instance the Lord said, 28:32 "I need to get the gospel to the rest of the world 28:35 and I want to get it there quickly. 28:37 I want it to happen pronto." 28:40 So instead of sending the disciples, 28:43 some learned, some unlearned, 28:45 instead of sending them to a four year college 28:49 to learn to begin with beginning group... 28:52 And you'll see in a moment, 28:53 all the languages they had to learn 28:55 would have taken 20 years. 28:57 If the Lord said, "Go to school," 28:59 All these languages they would have had to learn 29:01 would take them 20 plus years to begin to communicate 29:04 in all these different languages. 29:06 So let's begin with the simple answer. 29:08 What did the Spirit give to them on that day? 29:11 Other tongues. 29:12 Now let's go to the very next one. 29:14 Let's go to the very next one. 29:16 The Spirit of God gave them 29:18 that instant ability to do something 29:19 that they did not have the natural ability to do. 29:24 The Spirit of God gave them that instant ability 29:26 that they did not have the natural ability to do, 29:29 all right? 29:30 Look at the question number 20. 29:34 Why did the Holy Spirit give 29:37 the gift of tongues to the Galilean Apostles? 29:42 Why did the Holy Spirit give the gift of tongues 29:44 to the Galilean Apostles? 29:48 We're gonna look at verse 5, 6 and then verse 11. 29:52 Let's go, matter of fact, 29:53 what we'll do is we'll read down to verse 11 29:56 but the screen will bring up verse 5, 6 and 11. 29:59 Let's go to verse 5. 30:01 You can bring that up now as we give the answer. 30:02 Here it is. 30:04 "And there were two dwelling in Jerusalem," 30:06 together with me, 30:08 "Jews, devout men from," together, 30:12 "Every nation under heaven. 30:15 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, 30:20 and were confused, 30:23 because everyone heard them speaking in," what? 30:26 "His own language." 30:29 Let's go to verse 11 now and I'll come back 30:31 and fill in what languages 30:33 did these Galilean Apostles speak in instantly 30:36 without 25 years of languages in colleges. 30:39 What did they speak? 30:41 And look at verse 11, it says, "Cretins and Arabs," 30:45 bring up the text. 30:47 "Cretins and Arabs, 30:48 we hear them speaking in our tongues the," what? 30:54 "Wonderful works of God." 30:57 So get this. What nations were there? 31:00 Let's look at them together. 31:01 I'm gonna go down and walk through some of them 31:03 since we did not read verse 7, 8 and 9 and 10, 31:08 let's go and walk through that together. 31:10 Verse 7, it says, 31:12 "Then they were all amazed 31:13 and marveled saying one to another, look, 31:17 are not all these who speak Galileans? 31:21 And how is it that we hear each one in our," what? 31:25 "Own language in which we were born..." 31:29 Let's pause for a brief moment at verse 8. 31:32 In other words, Galileans 31:34 that spoke the language of Galilee, 31:36 all of a sudden was now able to communicate 31:41 so that the people from other parts of the world 31:45 that came to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, 31:48 and by the way, it was the most attended service, 31:50 you know why? 31:51 Because the weather was the best during Pentecost. 31:54 So look at the nations that came, 31:56 they said, "When we hear these Galilean speak, 32:00 how is it that these guys that have one language, 32:05 we could hear them in the language 32:06 of our place of birth." 32:08 So let's go ahead right away. 32:10 If they're hearing them in the language 32:12 from the place that they were born, 32:15 were these known or unknown languages? 32:18 Talk to me. 32:20 There were known languages, 32:21 but now were these languages known 32:24 to the Galileans? 32:26 Yes or no? 32:27 No, they were unknown to the Galileans 32:30 but known to the people of these following countries. 32:32 Look at the countries in verse 9, 32:35 "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, 32:39 those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, 32:44 Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, 32:48 Egypt and parts of Libya, joining Cyrene, 32:52 visitors from Rome, both the Jews and proselytes," 32:57 and verse 11 again, "Cretins and Arabs, 33:01 we hear them speaking in our own tongues together 33:05 the wonderful works of God." 33:08 So now just pause for a brief moment 33:09 before we go... 33:11 Before we run past these very powerful verses. 33:13 This is the first time in the work of the apostles 33:18 that tongues was ever used. 33:21 Now to show you that this was not the first time, 33:24 earlier in the ministry of Jesus, 33:26 before the cross, 33:28 He breathed on the disciples and He said to them, 33:30 "Receive thee the Holy Spirit." 33:33 By the way you cannot do the work of God 33:34 without the Holy Spirit leading you and guiding you. 33:37 But He did not yet give them the gifts, 33:41 these other languages, these other abilities 33:43 because they were just ministering 33:46 in the regions of Galilee. 33:47 And everybody there had the same language. 33:50 They did not need 33:51 to be able to talk in languages of people 33:54 in different regions 33:55 because the gospel 33:57 had not yet been commissioned to go 33:58 to the rest of the world. 34:00 Now go with me to Matthew 28. Go with me to Matthew 28. 34:06 Let's look at this. Matthew 28. 34:10 I think you know where I'm going, 34:12 but I'm going anyway. Matthew 28. 34:17 What I want to make very clear tonight 34:18 because we live in a society today 34:20 that many people are told, 34:22 many sincere Christians are told 34:24 and I think by some sincere clergy 34:26 because they were also taught that, 34:28 some people are told 34:29 that unless you speak in tongues 34:31 you don't have the Holy Spirit but that's not the case, 34:35 because the disciples had the Spirit of God 34:38 working in their lives before the day of Pentecost. 34:40 But what happened on the day of Pentecost? 34:42 Now follow me carefully, 34:43 there's a reason I talked about fruit and gifts. 34:47 Fruit and gifts are separate 34:50 but you get the fruit first then the gifts after. 34:54 When Jesus breathed on His disciples 34:58 and said receive the Holy Spirit, 35:00 the fruit began to show up in their lives. 35:03 But when He began to equip them 35:04 to go beyond their local place of work, 35:08 they needed something more than what they naturally possessed 35:11 and that's the ability to speak in the languages. 35:14 Now we have different languages in our room here. 35:16 But let's just say for example, I think of our church. 35:18 We have people that speak in Tagalog, Russian, Spanish, 35:25 Romanian... 35:29 French. 35:30 We have a number of languages here 35:32 in our church. 35:33 Now this is Southern Illinois, 35:35 this is not New York where there's so many more. 35:36 But we have a good number of languages here. 35:38 And when Sabbath comes, 35:40 when I'm speaking usually the person 35:42 that's gonna be translating into Spanish says, 35:44 "Pastor, can I get a copy of your sermon 35:47 because I want to be able... 35:48 I don't want the Spanish people to hear ten thousand words 35:52 that they don't understand. 35:54 It's better that you said just a few words 35:55 like feliz sabado which is, what? 35:58 Happy Sabbath. 35:59 If you say that, they could understand that. 36:01 But if you try to preach a whole sermon in English 36:05 and they're Spanish and there's nobody to make sure 36:07 that they understand, 36:09 either one of two things have to happen. 36:11 They either have to have the gift of interpretation 36:14 or you have to have the gift of tongues." 36:18 Did you get that? 36:19 I would either have to speak in their language 36:21 or they would have to understand 36:23 in my language. 36:24 And so what happened on the day of Pentecost 36:26 is when the Spirit of God was poured out, 36:29 they were two gifts given, 36:31 the gift to communicate the language 36:34 and the gift to hear it in their language. 36:37 Because we hear this in our language, 36:39 the gift of interpretation as well as the gift of tongues. 36:42 But now, notice why they needed this. 36:44 Matthew 28. 36:46 Look at the commission that Jesus gave 36:49 which was which was enacted upon the resurrection. 36:55 Matthew 28:18, Jesus said... 37:00 Matter of fact, verse 16. 37:01 Let's go to verse 16 because we often leave 37:03 that wonderful verse out. 37:06 "Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee 37:09 to the mountain 37:10 which Jesus had appointed for them. 37:13 And when they saw Him 37:15 they worshiped Him but some doubted." 37:19 Can you tell me which one doubted? 37:22 Thomas. 37:24 But look at verse 18, 37:26 "Then Jesus came and spoke to them 37:28 saying all authority, 37:30 all power has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 37:35 Go therefore and make disciples, 37:37 or teach all nations," how many nations? 37:41 "All nations." 37:43 And so for these Galilean men some of them fishermen, 37:46 some of them very unlearned, 37:48 some of them very learned 37:49 but still not the ability 37:50 to speak in all these languages, 37:52 the Lord says, 37:53 "You need something you don't right now have. 37:56 I'm gonna teach you, I'm gonna empower you," 38:00 Let me think of it this way. 38:01 When I installed Rosetta Stone, the master disk in my computer, 38:06 you know, you have the master disk 38:08 and you have all the other DVDs, 38:09 you have to install the master disk 38:11 one into your computer 38:12 so that when you bring the other ones in, 38:15 they instantly recognize the language. 38:19 But if you don't have the master disk, 38:20 those languages are unrecognized. 38:22 The Lord inserted into the disciples 38:25 through the Holy Spirit the Master's will 38:28 and the Holy Spirit says, "Okay, 38:30 now here are all the languages you guys are gonna speak, 38:33 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, 38:34 the Cretes and Arabs, from Pamphylia, 38:37 from all over the then known world 38:39 that came to the day of Pentecost." 38:41 These men came and they heard the gospel for the first time, 38:46 the resurrected gospel. 38:48 But look at why, 38:50 "Go to all nations baptizing them 38:54 in the name of the Father 38:55 and of the Son and of the," what else? 38:57 "Holy Spirit. 38:58 Teaching them," verse 22, 39:00 "Observe all things that I command you 39:01 and lo I am with you always 39:03 even to the end of the age or to the end of the world," 39:07 depending on the translation. 39:09 So now let's go back to this before we go further 39:11 because some people 39:12 that have been taught about the gift of tongues 39:15 have inevitably been taught 39:19 that unless you can do this, 39:23 you don't have the Holy Spirit. 39:24 If you can't speak in tongues, then some of been taught that, 39:28 well, this is a language the devil doesn't understand 39:32 or this is your prayer language. 39:34 You've been exalted to a higher place now 39:36 that you can make this sound that is not understood. 39:40 But if you follow carefully now, 39:42 we just read the first account, the what account? 39:46 The first account on the day of Pentecost, 39:48 that's where you get the whole idea 39:50 of the Pentecostal movement 39:51 is based on the outpouring of the Spirit of God. 39:54 But what is happening 39:55 in the Pentecostal movement today largely 39:59 is not languages but jibberish, 40:03 exactly what happened at the Tower of Babel. 40:06 And I'm saying this clearly 40:07 but I would have to be open and respectful. 40:09 At the Tower of Babel Jesus came down 40:12 and He confused the languages. 40:15 So somebody said, "Give me a break," 40:18 they gave him a shovel. 40:19 Somebody said, "Give me straw," they gave him a broom. 40:22 They could not communicate. 40:24 Babylon, that's what happens in Babylon. 40:27 It's confusion. 40:29 But when the Spirit of God comes in, 40:31 what does He removed? 40:33 He removes the, what? 40:35 Confusion. 40:37 He brings in clarity. 40:38 And here's the point, 40:40 if you've been told that you have to speak in tongues 40:42 and you don't even know what you're saying, 40:44 you're more connected to what happened 40:45 in the Tower of Babel 40:47 than the work of the Holy Spirit 40:49 because the Holy Spirit doesn't bring in confusion, 40:51 he brings in clarity. 40:53 Amen someone? 40:55 So let's look at the answer to number 19. 40:58 What gift did the Spirit give to the apostles at Pentecost? 41:02 Other tongues. And number 20. 41:05 What did the Holy Spirit give the gifts of tongues 41:08 to the Galileans for, why did He give it? 41:10 Why did He give it? 41:12 To spread the gospel to everyone 41:15 that did not speak their language, 41:17 to spread the gospel to all nations. 41:20 And when you read Acts 2, 41:22 they gathered out of every nation under heaven, 41:25 the Bible says, gathered there that day. 41:29 Now we know... 41:30 It didn't say Russia but the gospel gradually, 41:33 it started from the epicenter in Jerusalem 41:35 and it began to filter out, 41:37 like a pebble that's dropped in a pond. 41:39 You drop the pebble there and the ripples go out. 41:43 When they receive the... 41:44 When they receive the outpouring 41:46 on the day of Pentecost, the Lord said, 41:48 "Begin at Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, 41:52 then the uttermost parts of the earth." 41:56 So now let's go to question number 21. 41:59 Question number 21. We got to get this. 42:01 I think I gave you the answer just now 42:02 but let's go ahead and go to Acts anyway. 42:04 Question number 21. 42:06 What territory did Jesus intend for the gospel to cover? 42:12 What territory did Jesus intend for the gospel to cover? 42:17 I just gave you the answer. 42:19 So let me go and bring it up on the screen. 42:21 Acts 1:8, let's look at this together. 42:23 And the Bible says, "But you shall receive," what? 42:27 "Power," that's Holy Spirit's power. 42:29 "When the Holy Spirit has come upon you," 42:33 that means, fills you, empowers your life. 42:36 "And you shall be," what's the next word? 42:38 "Witnesses to me in," together, 42:41 "Jerusalem and in all Judea and," 42:44 what else? 42:45 "Samaria and to the end of the earth." 42:49 That mean, is there any place that the gospel won't go? 42:53 Yes or no? No. 42:56 The gospel, by the power of the Spirit of God, 42:59 the gospel went to the then known world 43:01 according to historians in only 34 years. 43:05 The entire world was knowledgeable 43:07 of the gospel in only 34 years, 43:09 and Jesus said that would happen. 43:11 So let's go put the answer now. 43:13 What territory did Jesus intend for the gospel to cover? 43:18 The whole earth, to the end of the earth. 43:22 Wherever they began 43:23 it will continue as a rippling effect 43:25 until that covers the entire world, 43:28 until that covers the entire world, all right? 43:34 Now I kind of went ahead of myself here a little bit 43:38 but we're gonna go ahead and fill some answers in. 43:40 All right? 43:42 The entire world. Let's go to question number 22. 43:45 I'm excited about the pace I'm moving at tonight, 43:47 I might possibly get to 30. 43:51 Just follow along. I might get there. 43:55 You just keep following me. 43:56 Question number 22, here it is. 43:58 Question number 22, all right? 44:02 What ability would the disciples need 44:05 in order to minister to the world? 44:09 What ability would the disciples need 44:11 in order to minister to the world? 44:13 What would they need? 44:15 I gave you the answer here 44:16 so we could fill this in very quickly. 44:18 I think many of you already know the answer. 44:20 But for the benefit of our viewers, 44:21 we're gonna bring this up on the screen. 44:23 What ability would the disciples need 44:25 in order to minister to the world? 44:27 Let's look at the answer together. 44:30 "There appeared on them divided tongues as of," 44:36 what, "Fire and one sat upon each of them 44:41 and they were all together filled with the Holy Spirit 44:47 and began to speak with," what? 44:50 "Other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." 44:53 Now I want to make this very, very clear. 44:57 It was not just the spirit giving them the ability 45:02 but it was the Spirit working through them. 45:07 Get this. 45:08 It was not just the Spirit installing batteries 45:10 because it had power, 45:11 but the Spirit of God was working 45:13 through them to do 45:14 what they could not naturally do. 45:16 Think about that for a moment. 45:19 It was the Spirit working through them to do 45:21 what they could not naturally do. 45:23 Let me give you an illustration, 45:24 if I remembered 45:26 I would have brought one with me. 45:27 You might own a glove. 45:30 There are expensive gloves, there are inexpensive gloves. 45:33 No matter how much you pay for gloves, they can't move. 45:37 Have you seen a glove move before? 45:39 Help me out. 45:41 Have you seen a glove move before? 45:43 No, no, somebody said yes. What makes the glove move? 45:49 Something on the inside of it makes it move. 45:51 You could buy a $5,000 pair of lambskin leather gloves 45:55 made by some strange unusual designer 45:58 is just as immobile as a $2 pair from Wal-Mart. 46:02 Am I right? 46:04 So it's not the value of the exterior 46:06 but the power on the inside. 46:08 The Spirit of God didn't say to the disciples, 46:10 "Here, you've got the Holy Spirit, 46:11 go work now." 46:13 No. 46:14 The Bible says, "For it is God who works in us both to will 46:18 and to do of His good pleasure." 46:20 He gave them the gift but He was still working. 46:23 He didn't say, "I'm gone." No. 46:26 The Bible says, "The Spirit of God 46:27 who will abide with you always, 46:30 I will never leave you nor forsake you." 46:32 So the Spirit was abiding in them, 46:35 working on them and working through them 46:37 because some of them 46:38 were gonna yet grow in their spiritual walk. 46:41 They had conflicts 46:42 that still needed to be ironed out. 46:44 But the Spirit of God came and said to them, 46:46 "You could do something and I'm giving you 46:48 the power to do it 46:50 but I'm gonna be your tutor from this day on." 46:52 And every time this gift is exercise don't think 46:55 you're doing it 46:56 because it is God 46:58 who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. 47:02 You know how I know? 47:05 Have you heard of the phrase, 47:07 "If you don't use it, you," what? 47:09 "Lose it." Okay. That's true. 47:11 If the Lord gives you a gift and you don't use it, 47:14 what happens? 47:15 You're gonna lose it. 47:16 The man that was given the talents... 47:20 There are those that have talents 47:21 that they hide and the Spirit of God says, 47:24 "I can't bless that talent because you're hiding it." 47:30 Some people have natural abilities 47:32 that the Lord wants to empower 47:34 and make it a powerful spiritual gift 47:35 in their lives. 47:37 But some people take that gift 47:38 and that talent and then they hide it. 47:41 But if you don't hide it, the Lord can increase it. 47:44 He can double it, He can triple it. 47:45 He can benefit so many by the gift 47:47 that He has given to you 47:49 if you allow that talent to be used by the Lord. 47:51 So write the answer down. 47:53 What ability were the disciples need 47:54 in order to minister to the world? 47:57 They would need, what? 47:59 And they would need something else. 48:02 That's right. 48:03 They would need the Holy Spirit, 48:05 they would need that power. 48:07 They would need to speak with other languages 48:09 and they would need that power. 48:12 Now question number 23 takes us 48:15 to another place 48:16 in the understanding of this study. 48:18 Let's go to 1 Corinthians. 48:20 1 Corinthians 12. 48:22 We're toggling back and forth. 48:23 You know we're gonna be in a lot of 1 Corinthians 48:26 and I think almost all the questions from here 48:28 on out are 1 Corinthians 48:31 because 1 Corinthians is a book that deals with the gifts 48:34 more than the Book of Acts does. 48:36 All right, let's go to the very next question. 48:38 The next question is number 23. Now look at this. 48:43 I want to see if you have your helmets on. 48:46 Is speaking in tongues a mandatory gift? 48:52 Question number 23. 48:53 Is speaking in tongues a mandatory gift 48:57 from the Holy Spirit? 49:00 All right. 49:02 Now, how many say yes? 49:06 How many say no? Okay. 49:08 We've got more nos than yeses. 49:10 Let's go to 1 Corinthians 12. Let's look at this. 49:12 And the word mandatory means, you get it no matter what, 49:15 that's what mandatory means. 49:17 Let's look at 1 Corinthians 12 49:20 and we're gonna look together at verse 29 and 30. 49:22 Now the reason I'm dealing with this topic 49:24 is because the program 49:26 that you're watching is called A Sharper Focus. 49:29 I want this understanding 49:32 that's out of focus to be cleared up 49:35 because it's so, 49:36 you know, you have people that are talking... 49:38 I've seen so many sermons sometimes 49:39 and in the midst of the sermon somebody go... 49:45 And you wonder, what? What happened? 49:48 And they say, "The Holy Spirit just came upon me." 49:50 You say, "Oh, he must be filled with the Holy Spirit." 49:53 And they get this kind of idea 49:54 that, wow, they're in a realm, now that you're not in yet. 49:58 And they go... 50:00 I'm trying to be, I'm not laughing. 50:02 I'm not belittling this 50:04 but that's the exercise in so many places. 50:05 Look at the television programs, 50:07 look at some of these sermons it's gone on YouTube, 50:09 and look at what people term 50:10 the work of the Holy Spirit and you tell me 50:12 whether it's in order or it's more confusion. 50:16 God is not the author of confusion. 50:18 There's something that happens here 50:20 that when you are told 50:21 that you have to have this particular gift 50:24 in order for proof that you have the Holy Spirit, 50:27 that's not scriptural. 50:28 Look at the answer. 50:30 Is speaking in tongues a mandatory gift 50:33 from the Holy Spirit? 50:34 Look at verse 29 and 30. 50:36 It'll appear on the screen and it starts with questions. 50:39 Are all apostles? 50:41 What's the answer together, what? 50:42 No. Are all prophets, what? 50:45 No. Are all teachers together? No. 50:47 Are all workers of miracles? The answer, no. 50:51 Do all have the gift of healings? 50:54 No. 50:55 Do all speak with tongues, what? 50:57 No. 50:58 Do all interpret? What's the answer? 51:01 No. 51:02 So what's the answer, yes or no? 51:03 No. 51:05 The answer is no because not all are apostles, 51:08 not all are prophets, not all are teachers, 51:10 not everyone can work a miracle. 51:13 Do all have the gift of healings? 51:15 No. 51:16 Do all have the... 51:17 Do all speak with tongues? No. 51:20 Now, you might say, 51:22 well, so then there are those who need the gift of tongues. 51:27 Yes, there are those who need a gift of tongues. 51:31 But does an English person... 51:32 Well, I'll answer the question coming up. 51:35 Let's write it down for, 51:36 is speaking in terms a mandatory gift 51:38 of the Holy Spirit, 51:39 from the Holy Spirit, yes or no? 51:41 Okay, no, great. 51:42 Now look at this on your next question, 51:44 we're going to go 51:45 through a number of screens here 51:47 and I want the guys to keep up with me, 51:48 if it's a young lady I apologize 51:50 who ever is on the graphics keep up with me 51:51 because we're going to go 51:53 from one to the next very, very quickly. 51:54 On your paper that you downloaded 51:56 you'll know on question 24 there's A, B, C, D, E, F, G. 52:02 You see that? 52:03 Let's walk through that together. 52:05 Okay, here we go. Let's begin the exercise. 52:07 It says, "Answer the following six questions. 52:11 Question number one, let's bring it together. 52:13 Question A, do it, 52:15 does an Italian need to speak in another tongue 52:19 to witness to an Italian? 52:20 Check one, yes or no? No. Okay, got that one. 52:25 Let's go to B. Let's go to B. 52:27 Does a German need to speak in another tongue 52:30 to witness to a German? 52:33 Check, yes or no? No. 52:35 Okay, we're going pretty good. 52:36 Let's go to numbers, the C, letter C. 52:39 Does a Nigerian need to speak in another tongue 52:42 to witness to a Nigerian? 52:44 What do we say? 52:45 No, because a Nigerian understands Nigerian. 52:49 Let's go to D now. 52:52 Does an Italian need to speak in another tongue 52:55 to witness to a Nigerian? 52:56 Yes or no? 52:58 Yes, what language does the Italian need to speak in 53:01 to witness to a Nigerian? 53:03 What is that? 53:04 Nigerian, and if he doesn't have 53:06 that ability in class, 53:07 if an Italian missionary is in Nigeria, 53:13 and the Lord wants him to communicate 53:15 to this Nigerian, God's prerogative will be, 53:19 he needs the gift of that tongue 53:21 right at this moment. 53:23 God decides that. Let's look to the next one. 53:25 Point E, let's go to that one. 53:28 Does a Nigerian need to speak in another tongue to witness 53:32 to a German? 53:33 Yes or no? 53:34 Yes, the Nigerian needs 53:36 to be able to speak in German. 53:38 So if he is a missionary in Germany 53:41 and there is no one around to help them 53:43 to communicate, 53:44 God says you are in a position 53:46 where you need the gift of tongues 53:49 to communicate to a German. 53:50 Am I making that point clear? 53:52 Let's go to the next one, F. Let's go to the next one. 53:55 Does a German need to speak 53:59 in another tongue to witness to an Italian? 54:01 Yes or no. 54:02 Yes, the German needs to be able 54:04 to speak Italian to witness to the Italian. 54:08 And if the German is confronted in a very isolated place 54:13 and there's no one around to be their interpreter, 54:16 God says you need the gift of tongues. 54:19 That's why when we read a moment ago 54:21 in 1 Corinthians 12. 54:25 Do all have the gift of tongues? 54:26 The answer is no 54:28 because you're not in the position 54:29 that you necessarily need it. 54:30 Now bring up the last one, G. Bring up the last one, G. 54:35 Do English speaking people need another tongue 54:39 for English speaking people? 54:41 Together, no. So why? 54:46 So why in America are we telling people, 54:50 you can take the graphic away. 54:51 So why in America are we telling Christians 54:55 that are in English congregations 54:58 that they need the gift of tongues 55:00 to communicate with English people? 55:04 Help me out. 55:06 That is not in harmony with scripture. 55:09 There's no special hidden language 55:13 that you now have that exalts you to a higher place 55:16 because nobody is higher than anybody else. 55:19 The Bible says, not of works lest 55:20 any man should boast. 55:23 You don't have anything 55:24 that your brother or sister doesn't have. 55:26 Nobody rises to a higher plane of communication 55:31 than anybody else 55:32 because the Spirit of God is the one working in all of us 55:35 so that everybody around us will benefit from that gift. 55:41 I hope that's clear. 55:43 If you're in an English congregation, 55:45 you don't need the gift of tongues 55:47 to speak to English people, 55:50 but it's going to get even deeper than that. 55:52 Let's try to get one more before our time is up, 55:55 before our time is up. 55:57 Did the Apostle Paul 55:59 have the ability to speak with tongues? 56:01 Question number 25. 56:03 Did the Apostle Paul 56:04 have the ability to speak with tongues? 56:07 Let's go to 1 Corinthians 14:18. 56:10 1 Corinthians 14:18. 56:13 I know somebody right now might be in the spin cycle. 56:16 Might be saying, did he just say 56:17 I don't need the gift of tongues 56:19 in an English church. 56:20 I did say that. 56:22 If you speak English 56:23 and the people around you are English, 56:24 you don't need the gift of tongues 56:26 because they understand you, 56:28 so there is no, Lord come into my life 56:30 or now all of a sudden he comes in and you just, 56:33 and all of sudden you starting to do stuff 56:35 and rolling on the floor 56:36 and speaking in an unknown language 56:38 and doing things that nobody understands 56:40 and then they termed that the Holy Spirit. 56:42 Friends, we have been duped. 56:44 So many people have been 56:45 put in the position 56:47 and I'll tell you where it comes from 56:49 on the next program, 56:50 I'm going to hold the cliffhanger up. 56:51 On the next program I'll tell you 56:53 where that came from, 56:55 but it's not the work of the Spirit of God. 56:57 Let's answer the question 56:58 to number 14 to number 25 right here. 57:00 1 Corinthians 14:18, let's look at it together. 57:03 Here it is, bring up the last scripture. 57:05 Paul says, "I think my God I speak with tongues 57:09 more than you all." 57:11 In other words, Paul says, Paul was highly educated. 57:16 Paul was a very well learned man 57:18 and he says, I could speak in so many different languages. 57:22 I could speak in so many more languages 57:24 than you people at Corinth. 57:27 I've got the ability to talk in all these other languages. 57:32 But you have no record in the Bible of Paul 57:35 having to speak another language to anybody. 57:38 You have no record of that but he had that ability, 57:41 because he was very well learned. 57:42 You see the point is clear. 57:44 We want the Word of God to be clear. 57:45 Can we all say amen to that? 57:47 And so, friends, right now you might be in a place 57:49 where you're trying to figure this out. 57:51 We'll continue in the next topic 57:52 to make it even clearer, but here's my point. 57:55 Whenever something in the Word of God 57:57 doesn't make sense, we want you to keep studying, 57:59 keep studying because one day we know 58:01 it will come into A Sharper Focus. 58:04 God bless you. |
Revised 2017-11-20