Sermon
Quench not the spirit
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Welcome to NECF sermons.
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Each message here is designed to uplift and strengthen you in your walk with God.
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Let's dive right in.
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Hallelujah.
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We thank God for this great opportunity to be able to come together to share God's Word
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with us again.
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We don't take it for granted, we take it with utmost importance and seriousness when we
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are called upon to share the Word of God because in sharing the Word of God, lives are impacted.
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If you share the wrong doctrine, then you will also be impacting lives but you will
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be affecting them in the wrong way.
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Are we together?
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So we thank God for the opportunity to be able to share and we take it very seriously.
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Thank you, lead pastor, pastor Frederick and the associate pastors for this opportunity.
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Today I want to teach on something, I don't know, it's going to be a teaching and a charge
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at the end of it.
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Something that we probably have heard about before, right?
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Something we have heard about before, probably a language you have used before, right?
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A language you have used before, a statement that you have made before, however you really
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don't know the meaning, maybe, or you have not done sufficient study on that topic.
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So today I want to open our eyes to something that will help us also in our conduct as believers,
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right?
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In our conduct as believers.
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You know, in every field, let me put it this way, in every field there is a language of
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every field, right?
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In every field, if you are in engineering, there is a language they use.
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One day I was sharing, I think we were talking about it in pastor, and I said, if someone
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in engineering uses the word power and the person is talking to international relations
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students or scholars, you will be meaning something different in their ears.
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Because every field has its own language and what those concepts, let me call it concepts,
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what those concepts mean.
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So if you talk to an engineer about power, you are probably talking about something related
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to electricity, right?
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Something related to energy or something related to other areas.
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But if you are talking about power within the context of politics, right?
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You are actually talking about something totally different, not something visible.
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You are talking about influence, right?
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Political influence, you are talking about the ability to make someone do something they
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probably wouldn't want to do.
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That's actually power.
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So in church, in the body of Christ, in the scripture, right?
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We cannot also transpose out of context the concept that we found somewhere and use it
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in the scripture.
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So also in the scripture when you say the Spirit of God is strengthening you, is empowering
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you, right?
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That you'll be filled with power.
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It's not talking about electricity.
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It's not talking about influence.
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It's not talking about any manipulation politically, you know?
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It's talking about something that comes from the Holy Ghost, hallelujah.
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So today we'll talk about something that will help us to understand much more about the
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concept of fire.
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But the title of this sermon is not fire, right?
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The title of the sermon is not fire, but the title of the sermon will lead us to understand
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what fire is, right?
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What fire is, right?
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So the title of the sermon is Quench Not the Spirit.
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You can write it down.
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Quench not the Spirit.
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Quench not the Spirit.
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First Thessalonians 5, 12 to 28.
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That's our key scripture for today.
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Quench not the Spirit.
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First Thessalonians 5, 12 to 28.
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So growing up, what we learned or what we understood about quench not the Spirit, it's
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like you are holding the Holy Spirit down from walking, hallelujah.
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So most of the time we've understood this to mean that you can actually block the Holy
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Spirit from walking.
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And when we say block, we are envisaging the person of the Holy Spirit, like you are hindering
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the Holy Spirit from walking.
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As much that could be true, right, we need to explain it.
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We need to give an explanation to what quench not the Spirit means.
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So Paschini was just closing the prayer and he said something.
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And he said that if you worry, right, there are some expressions in the Spirit that you
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cannot manifest.
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That when worry comes into your mind, you worry about many things, it hinders your manifestation
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of the Spirit.
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And it really hits so well because it comes close to what I want to teach you today.
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So quench not the Spirit.
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The first thing we need to understand when studying quench not the Spirit is to look
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at the context in which it is used.
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Okay?
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Quench not the Spirit.
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Why did Paul make that statement?
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What was he saying before he made that statement?
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And what did he say after he made that statement?
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So we will understand what it means by what, quench not the Spirit.
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So we need to check the context.
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First is Ezekiel 5, 12.
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Yes.
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And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the
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Lord and admonish you.
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So here he's talking about pastors, right, people who lead you.
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The next, please.
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And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake, be at peace among yourselves.
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Now we exhort you, brethren, want those who are unruly, comfort the fainted hearts, uphold
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the weak, but patient with all.
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See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for both yourselves
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and for all.
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Always, always.
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Pray without season.
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In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
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Then the word, the phrase, quench not the Spirit.
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Do not quench the Spirit.
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The next one.
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The next verse, please.
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Do not despise to prophesy.
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Test all things, all first, what is good.
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We're going to 28, abstain from every form of evil.
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Now may the God of peace, right, now the God of peace himself, sanctify you completely
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and your whole spirit and soul embody the preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord
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Jesus Christ.
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Let's stop here.
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Now if you observe from verse 12, right, we are in school, we are learning.
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If you observe from verse 12, what you will observe is that he's explaining the conduct
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of a believer to their pastors, right?
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Is that what it says?
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It says, esteem those who label among you words highly.
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It's saying honor your pastors, right?
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That is what it's saying.
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Hold them with high regard.
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Those who teach will label, yes my NIV says, all them in the highest regard in love because
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of their work.
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That is the conduct of a believer, right?
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It's an activity of a believer.
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Good.
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The next one says, live in peace with one another.
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Is that a conduct of a believer as well?
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Good.
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All right, live in peace with one another.
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And we urge you brothers and sisters, one, those who are idle and disruptive.
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So they are people who are not engaged in doing anything.
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They are just idle, right, disruptive.
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So they are idle, disruptive.
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Their job, right, the activities they are engaging in is disruption, right, disrupting
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what is happening in church.
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So it's just talking about words, the conduct of a believer.
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So let's see.
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It said encourage the disheartened, right?
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Is that a conduct?
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Yes.
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Can you encourage your brother?
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Yes.
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Help the weak.
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That's a conduct as well.
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Be patient with everyone.
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So we see that those are conduct, those are actions, right, that a believer performs,
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right, a believer performs.
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Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good.
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So we see that in the context of all that is saying, the foundation of it is that it's
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talking about what the believer should do, what a believer should do, right?
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Is an activity that a believer should engage in.
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Verse 16 says rejoice always, the conduct of a believer, and pray continually giving
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thanks.
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Then in a reverse statement, right, it says do not quench the spirit.
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To put it in the way, in the pattern of Paul's writing that he has started, we can say that
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continue in the spirit.
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Can we say that?
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If you want to turn it and put it in a positive direction, right, rather than saying do not
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quench the spirit, we can say continue in the spirit.
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Good.
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So what we see here is that the foundation of the statement quench not the spirit is
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actually talking about the conduct of a believer.
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In surrounding it is talking about the activities of the believer.
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Activities of the believer.
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So that is the context.
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So now let's check the word quench.
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Let's check the word quench because quench will help us understand what should not be
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done to the spirit, right?
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Quench, we need to understand quench and we need to understand what the spirit is.
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So let's check the word quench.
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The word quench in Greek is spenemi.
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I'm going to spell it.
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The word quench in the Greek, right, is spenemi, S-B-E, S-B-E-N-N-Y-M-I.
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S-B-E-N-N-Y, then MI.
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S-B-E-N-N-Y-M-I.
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It simply means to extinguish or to suppress, right?
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It means to extinguish or to suppress, to suppress something.
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The word quench means to extinguish or to suppress something.
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So it means to suppress not, I mean to mean not to suppress the spirit.
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It will mean not to suppress the spirit, not to extinguish the spirit.
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So you know that you can actually not extinguish the Holy Ghost.
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That is the first thing you must note.
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That although when we explain this quench, it says that do not extinguish the spirit,
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right?
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But we know that you cannot put out the Holy Spirit, right?
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As a person, that's God.
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So you can extinguish God.
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So it will also mean that the word spirit there needs to be explained.
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Extinguish not the spirit.
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And I said that spirit is not talking about God because man cannot extinguish God.
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So the spirit needs to be explained.
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And I've said quench, which is extinguish, means to suppress.
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So let's look at the context in which quench is also used in other part of the scriptures.
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Can we check Matthew 12 20?
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Matthew 12 verse 20, a bruised reed it will not break and smoking flax it will not quench
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till it sends forth justice to do what?
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To victory.
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So we are saying quench used in the context of a smoking flax.
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That is in relation to what?
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Fire.
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What we see here that it says a smoking flax it will not quench is using quench in relation
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to fire.
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Okay.
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Mark 9 44 and 46.
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Mark 9.
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So we want to see how quench is used so that we can know what is, what can be quenched.
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What is being quenched?
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What is Paul telling us not to quench?
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Because we already said that cannot be God.
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The worm does not die and the fire is not what?
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Quenched.
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Quenched.
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Fire again, right?
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Fire again consistently we see the context that Mark 9 is telling us the fire is not
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quenched.
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The word quench used in relation to what?
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To fire.
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All right.
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Ephesians 6.
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Can you give me verse 14 of this Mark 9 44?
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Again, so just a repetition.
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Their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched.
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Again used repeatedly in this place.
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Actually this quotation is an Old Testament quotation from Isaiah 66 verse 24.
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Can we go there?
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Mark 9 44 and 48 is a quotation from Isaiah 66 verse 24.
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It says, and they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed
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against me.
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For their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched.
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They shall be an aberrant to whole flesh.
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So from the Old Testament brought into the New Testament we see that it is used in context
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of fire.
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Fire can be quenched.
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Ephesians 6.
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16.
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Let's go to Ephesians now.
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Overall taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fairy deaths
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of the wicked one.
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Right?
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Quench all the fairy deaths of the wicked one.
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So we shall also use it right?
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Relating to fire.
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Hebrews 11.
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34.
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The last scripture.
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Quench the violence of fire.
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You see that?
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Quench the violence of fire.
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Escape the urge of sword out of weaknesses.
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We are made strong, became valiant in battle, torn to flight the armies of the aliens.
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So from all the scriptures what we can observe is that quench is regularly used in relation
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towards fire.
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Good.
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All right.
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So now let's now check what is fire.
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Because first of all I'm explaining that quench not the spirit, that spirit is not God because
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you can't quench God.
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Now we can confidently replace it with quench not the fire.
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Right?
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Quench not the fire.
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So from that you should already know.
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I don't need to even finish this.
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You should already know that fire is not what the Holy Spirit is.
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Because by this explanation we have already settled that fire is not the Holy Spirit.
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So fire needs to be what's explained.
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We'll be explaining everything.
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All right.
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Good.
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So the text shows that the word spenemi is used in relation to fire.
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Right.
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So we can say quench not the fire.
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Now because I grew up in a Yoruba church and I actually knew this scripture by heart.
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In the Yoruba version of the scripture it is explained as emashepa ino emi.
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It means do not quench the fire of the spirit.
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I think that's a better rendition.
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Right.
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That's a better rendition.
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Yes.
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So I had to go back to that to check it and I saw that that was what was there.
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So it means that there is something called the fire of the spirit.
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Glory to God.
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All right.
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So let's check.
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We need to check from the scriptures what is the fire of the spirit.
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So Paul is telling us not to quench the fire of the spirit.
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So what is the fire of the spirit?
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So we can say that Paul took an illustration from the Old Testament.
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Right.
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He is referring to the fact that there's a fire that must not be quenched.
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There's a fire that must not be quenched.
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So let's see how fire has been used in the Old Testament.
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Right.
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Let's see how fire has been.
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Genesis 8 20.
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Genesis 8 verse 20.
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He said, I now built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every
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clean bread and offered burnt offerings on what? on the altar.
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Right.
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He offered what?
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Burnt offering.
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So it means that the offering was burnt.
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It was lit up.
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Right.
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I mean, can somebody come to me burnt without fire?
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No.
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So it was lit up.
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It set up the offering that it was given to the Lord.
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Good.
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So we see he's using the context of what?
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An offering.
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He's using the context of an offering.
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Genesis 22 verse 7 quickly.
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Genesis 22 verse 7.
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He said, but Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, my father, he said, here I am my
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son.
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Then he said, look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for what?
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For the burnt offering.
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Right.
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Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?
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So we're going to see fire right first as something in relation to what?
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Offering.
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Okay.
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Fire is used in relation to offering.
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Now let's go to where fire is mostly regularly used in the Leviticus era.
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So first of all, we can establish that fire is used as part of an element for offering.
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We can say that fire is used as part of the elements for offering.
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For offering, at least from these two verses, we can establish that.
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So let's go to Leviticus 1.17.
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Let's go to Leviticus 1.17.
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Then he shall split it at his wings, but shall not divide it completely.
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The priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire.
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It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.
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A sweet aroma to what?
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To the Lord.
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So an offering made by what?
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Fire.
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Again, right, offering made by fire.
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Leviticus 2 verse 3.
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Leviticus 2 verse 3 quickly.
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The rest of the grains offering shall be errands and a son.
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It is most holy of the offering to the Lord made by fire.
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Made by fire again, right?
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Leviticus 3.11.
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Let's just write the scriptures down.
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Leviticus 3.11.
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All right.
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And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
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Now I'm not going to read the remaining scriptures.
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I'm just going to list them out.
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Then you can go home and read them.
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Now the other scripture is Leviticus 4.35.
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Leviticus 4.35.
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Leviticus 5 verse 12.
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Leviticus 5 verse 12.
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Leviticus 6 verse 10.
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I just took one from each chapter up until 6.
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Leviticus 6 verse 10.
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Now media team, can you give me 6 verse 10?
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Can you give me 6 verse 10?
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Leviticus 6 verse 10.
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It said, and the priest shall put on his linen garment and his linen trousers, he shall put
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on his body and take out the ashes of the burnt offering which he has consumed on the
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altar and shall put them beside the altar.
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The next verse.
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Then he shall take off his garment and put on the garment and carry the ashes out of
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the camp to clean the place.
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Verse 12.
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And the fire of the altar shall be kept what's burning on it shall not be what's put out.
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Can you see that?
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So we can say that Paul was writing something related to this section of the scriptures.
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Did you see where something about quenching has been talked about?
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Right?
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It shall not be quenched, it shall not be put out.
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And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning and lay the burnt offering in order
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on it.
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And he shall burn it on the fat, shall burn it the fat of the piece offering.
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Now we can see from the scriptures that fire is actually used in the service of the priesthood.
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Fire is used when the priest is offering something.
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That is one.
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Fire is used when the priest is making an offering.
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You can also put it down.
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That putting up fire is the responsibility of the priest.
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Putting on fire is the rest.
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You can say the instruction is going to Aaron and his sons.
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Aaron and his sons.
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So putting up fire is the responsibility of the priest.
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Fire is used when the priest is making an offering.
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You can also write down that fire is part of the authorized.
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You can say the fire, sorry, you can put it this way.
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Fire is authorized for offering.
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Yes.
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You can write it that way too.
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That fire is authorized for offering.
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So we can say therefore in the priesthood service, fire is authorized for offering.
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So we can say the fire is actually the activities, it's part of the activities that is granted
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to the priesthood to carry out.
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In all what they do, fire is part of the activities of the priesthood.
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It's part of the activities of the priesthood.
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Now in another context, you will see the priests use fire to burn an incense.
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Leviticus 10 verse 1.
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You can write that down.
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In this context, he uses fire to burn an incense so that the smell would go up.
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The smell of the incense would go up.
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So fire is therefore what is part of the activities of the priesthood.
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Now there are other contexts where fire is used.
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Just like I said, you can juxtapose one concept and use it all across the scripture.
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So I'm just going to give you two other scriptures where fire is used differently.
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Different from an offering.
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Different from being, yes, different from an offering.
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So you can write it down in brackets.
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Just put it in brackets.
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Other use of fire in the scriptures.
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So just write it down.
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Other use of fire in the scriptures.
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Other use of fire in the scriptures.
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Leviticus 10 verse 2.
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Media team, you have to give me this one so that I can show you, right?
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You have to put this up.
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Leviticus 10 verse 2.
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So that when you use the fire, even in songs or you use it in your day-to-day life as a
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believer, you know what it means.
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So fire went out from the Lord.
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Give me from verse 1.
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Then, Nara ben Abi, the sons of Aaron, each took a censer and put fire in it, right?
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Put incense on it and offered a profane fire before the Lord, which he had not what commanded
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them, right?
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So there's an instruction at which fire should be used in the offering, right?
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And in this context, they use fire in a way that it was not authorized.
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Now let's see.
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Here's what it says, so the fire went from the Lord and devoured them and they died before
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the Lord.
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Now, what you should see here first is that this is used in the context of judgment, okay?
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Is used in the context of judgment and whether it came from the Lord or is not from the Lord,
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we are going to discuss that in subsequent teachings, right?
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Especially in the interpretation of the New Testament, Old Testament.
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What we see here is that fire became what judged them, right?
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Okay, so you can put Jude 1 to Jude verse 23 as another use of fire as judgment, right?
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As another use of fire as judgment.
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Jude 23 immediately, please.
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Jude 23, it talks about delivering people from fire.
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It said, and others save with fear, pulling them out of fire, hating even the garments
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defiled by the flesh.
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So it's talking about pulling people out of fire, right?
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Pulling people out of judgment, pulling people out of condemnation.
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So these are the two other contexts.
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So what we can see is that fire is used as offering, right?
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Is used as offering and in this context is used as judgment, but we're not focusing on
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this context.
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Lastly, can we check 1 Samuel 2, 23, 28.
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1 Samuel 2, 28.
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Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my
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altar, to burn incense, to wear the effort before me?
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And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel
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made by fire?
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1 Samuel 3, 3.
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Can you go to 1 Samuel 3, verse 3?
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And the lamp, and before the lamp of the gold went out in the Tabernacle of the Lord, we
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had the act of gold wars.
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And while Samuel was lying, can I come from verse 1?
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Come from verse 1, please, of this chapter.
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Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was read
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in those days.
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There was no widespread revelation.
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And it came to pass at that time while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his
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eyes had gone, had begun to grow so deep that he could not see.
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And before the lamp of God went out in the Tabernacle of the Lord, where the act of gold
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wars.
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Now stop on this verse.
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Now fire also symbolizes, symbolizes the presence.
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Okay?
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Symbolizes the presence.
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So in the Old Testament, fire must keep burning in the temple.
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Okay?
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It symbolizes the presence.
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It must keep burning.
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Fire must keep burning.
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So the fire must not go out.
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The fire must keep burning.
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Right?
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It must keep burning.
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It must keep burning.
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So it's an offering, and it's also seen as symbolism of the presence of God, which is,
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which shows that it must keep burning.
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And we see that in the context of, in the context of the Leviticus era.
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So we can conclude and say that fire is actually an activities by those of the Old Testament.
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Right?
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It's an activities by those who believe in God in the Old Testament.
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So fire, reading from Genesis to Leviticus, is an activity.
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They engage with fire when it comes to their offering and sacrifice and worship of God.
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So let's come to the New Testament and see what fire is in the New Testament and see
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how that applies to you.
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Acts chapter two, Acts chapter two, Acts chapter two, from verse one.
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Just Acts chapter two from verse one.
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All right.
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When the day of Pentecost has fully come, they were all in one, they were all with one
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accord in one place.
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And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a Russian mighty wind and it filled the
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whole house where they were sitting.
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And there appeared to them divided tongues as a fire and one sat upon each of them.
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And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak with other tongues
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and the spirit, as the spirit did what gave them all trends.
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So here again, we can see that verse three, can you go to verse three?
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It said something appeared to them as divided tongues as a fire, something.
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Then verse four says that they were now filled, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
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So therefore what appeared to them is not the Holy Spirit.
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Now we have to explain these because if you have been attending some meetings, you should
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know the explanation of this, that this part is not the Holy Spirit coming upon them.
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I mean, it's not the first time they are receiving the Holy Spirit.
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Do we get it?
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So this has been taught regularly as the time that the Holy Ghost began its operation on
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earth.
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And that was the first time the Holy Ghost was launched into earth and every believer
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received it.
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Actually that is not because that is what makes us equate the fire.
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Right?
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So the spirits in verse four.
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Do we get it?
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So this is not the first time, this is not a time the believers, right?
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The disciples received the Holy Spirit.
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So you can write John 14 down as the scripture to explain that the believers had the Holy
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Spirit before the day of Pentecost.
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So John 14, verse 20, verse 28 and 29.
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John 14 verse 20 verse 28 and 29.
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We'll really just write it down first.
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Write it down.
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Luke 24 verse 25.
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I think we've been dealing with this.
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And thank God for that teaching that I said the foundation.
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24, 25, Luke, then verse 44 as well and verse 51.
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So just put that in brackets, right?
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And right, this is the explanation for how the believer received the Holy Ghost.
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Just keep it there and I'll just quickly explain that.
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So when Jesus said that I am in the Father and the Father in me in John, can you go to
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John 14, 20 for me?
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I'll just be on one verse.
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Me that's in, please can you quickly help me?
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John 14 verse 20.
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He said, and that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.
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Are you seeing something here?
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Jesus is saying that there is a day that the disciples will realize that they are in union
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with Christ.
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Okay?
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There is a day that they will realize that they are in union with Christ.
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That is the day they received the Holy Spirit.
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The day the believers, the disciples realized that they are one in union with Christ, they
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understood that and believe it.
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That is the day they received the Holy Ghost.
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And that day is in Luke 24 verse 44.
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Okay?
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So Luke 24 verse 44 now.
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And he said to them, these are the words which I spoke to you while I was with you, that
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all the things must be fulfilled which are written the Lord of Moses and the law of Moses
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and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me.
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Next verse.
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And he opened their understanding and that they might do what?
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Comprehend the scriptures.
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So it means that what Jesus told them in John is taking place here.
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In this day, they understood after Jesus explained to them.
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Verse 44 verse 46.
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And he said to them, thus it is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer
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to rise from the dead and the third day.
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To rise from the dead and the third day.
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The next.
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And that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in his name to all nations beginning
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at Jerusalem.
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Next.
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And you are witness of these things.
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Next.
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Behold, I send the promise of the Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until
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you are endured with power from an eye.
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Which is referring to Acts chapter 2.
Acts 2 chapter mention
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Hallelujah.
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So we can say that when the believers believe in Luke 24, they receive the Holy Ghost.
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Right?
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Therefore, in Acts 2, it is not that they are receiving the Holy Ghost for the first
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time.
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So that now brings us to explaining what is tongues of fire.
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Right?
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As of the tongues of fire.
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Okay.
-
This time is running too fast.
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But we'll move.
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So three things happened on the day of Pentecost.
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Please write it down.
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Three things happened.
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They heard, they saw, and they spoke.
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On the day of Pentecost, they heard, they saw, and they spoke.
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They heard, they saw, and they spoke.
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They heard, they saw, and they spoke.
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So therefore, these are activities that is touching in the believers, in the new creation.
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So this is an empowerment of activities that were in the new creation, in the believer
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that have believed.
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They saw, they spoke.
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They heard the voice.
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And this is the first time this is happening.
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This empowerment.
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Are we together?
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So we've never seen them speak in tongues before.
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We've never seen them interpret the tongues before.
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We've never seen them see as a fire, write a tongue.
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So we can say that what happened on the day of Pentecost is that the believers began an
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activity through empowerment of the Holy Ghost.
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The believers, the disciples of Christ, they started an activity, or I don't understand
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what you're talking about, activities of the Spirit through what?
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The empowerment of the Holy Ghost.
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The believers started an activity from the Holy Ghost that is within them.
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They began to speak in tongues, interpreting tongues, preaching with boldness, and the
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Church increased.
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So the tongue of fire as seen, right?
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It's only a symbol of the activities that they have begun.
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The tongue of fire is what?
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Is a symbol of the activities.
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It refers to the activities that these disciples started doing.
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The spiritual activities that the disciples are engaging in from that moment.
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Now let me just explain again that the tongue of fire is not the Holy Spirit as well.
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Acts chapter 10, let me show you somewhere.
Acts 10 chapter mention
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Acts chapter 10.
Acts 10 chapter mention
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Acts chapter 10.
Acts 10 chapter mention
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We can't have the whole reading, but can you go to verse 34?
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When Peter opened his mouth in truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality.
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Now before that, verse 44.
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Go to verse 44.
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Acts 10 verse 44.
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He said, while Peter was still speaking, this word, the Holy Ghost fell upon those who
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heard the words, the word of God, right?
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The Holy Ghost fell upon those who did what, who heard.
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In this place, there is no tongue of fire.
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You realize there is no seen as anything as the tongue of fire, but the Holy Ghost was
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what was in operation, fell upon them.
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It means they received the Holy Ghost.
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They are believing for the first time, right?
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They are believing for the first time and therefore they received the Holy Ghost.
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These ones are receiving here.
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The disciples receiving Luke 24.
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And their activities is in Acts chapter two.
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Do we get it?
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Good.
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So therefore the Holy Ghost is not tongue of fire.
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Again, the Holy Ghost is not tongue of fire.
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The Holy Ghost is not tongue of fire, but the activities through the Holy Ghost is fire.
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The activities through the Holy Ghost can be referred to as fire.
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So let's go back to 1 Thessalonians 5.
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Then you will do the work here.
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First Thessalonians 5 verse 18.
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Or go to verse 19.
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Okay.
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All right, everybody.
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If you have been following, now you should be able to interpret this correctly.
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So do not quench, replace the spirit.
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How would you replace the spirit with activities of what?
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Of the spirit.
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Glory to God.
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That is it.
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So Paul was saying that don't quench the activities of the spirit.
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So it brings us to some things that we need to tell ourselves.
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A believer can quench the activity of the spirit.
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A believer can be on fire and can also be so cool and lackadaisical about the things
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of the spirit.
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Okay?
-
So you must know that you are a new creation.
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You have the identity of Christ.
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You have the Holy Ghost in you, but you can be as cold as ice.
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Okay?
-
The believer can extinguish it.
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It means that the believer can stop the activities.
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Can say, it's okay.
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Don't prophesy.
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We don't want the believer to say, it's okay.
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Don't speak in tongues.
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Yeah, we will do that.
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So in this case, the activity of the spirits with empathy that Paul was talking about was
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prophesying.
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Go to the next verse, verse 20.
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Verses 520.
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He said, do not despise what prophesying.
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Don't despise prophesying.
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Don't despise prophesying.
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Don't despise prophesies.
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Does it make sense now?
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So when we combine the two together, do not stop the activities of the spirit.
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Don't stop prophesying.
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Don't despise prophesies.
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When you go to Acts chapter 2, what happened there is that they spoke in tongues and they
Acts 2 chapter mention
-
explained what they said.
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And that is prophecy.
-
Acts chapter 2, you can put it there.
Acts 2 chapter mention
-
Acts chapter 2, they spoke in tongues and they explained what they said.
Acts 2 chapter mention
-
So let's go to Acts chapter 2.
Acts 2 chapter mention
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Acts chapter 2, from verse 7.
Acts 2 chapter mention
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He said, utterly amazed, okay, from verse 7, yes.
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They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, look, are not all these who
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speak Galileans?
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And how is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born?
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Patients and maids and the elements and those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
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Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya, Adjoining Cyrene,
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visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Christians and Arabs, we hear them speaking
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in our own tongues, the wonderful works of God.
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The next.
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So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, whatever could this mean?
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As Morkin say, they are full of wine.
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Stop.
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So on the day of Pentecost, when the believers began to operate in the activities of the
-
spirit, we find them speaking in tongues and interpreting and the people understood it,
-
right?
-
And we also find those who do what?
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Who despise prophecy.
-
That is what I say.
-
Or as Morkin said, they were full with what?
-
They are full with wine.
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They are full with wine.
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So first, to quench the spirit is to extinguish the activities of the spirit, because you
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cannot extinguish the spirit himself, he's a person.
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So you extinguish the activities of the spirit.
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Now, let me come back to the illustration of Aaron and his sons, right?
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When Aaron and his sons were serving in the priesthood, right?
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They were serving in the priesthood.
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They were using fire as part of the offering, right?
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As part of the offering.
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And that offering is for service to what?
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To the people of Israel, right?
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The offering is for service for the people of Israel.
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The burnt offering for himself and his son, right?
-
The incense for himself and the people of Israel, right?
-
So fire was used as part of what is being used to serve people, right?
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Therefore we can see that the activities of the spirit, it is used to serve the church.
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The activities of the spirit is used to serve the church.
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Who are the priesthoods today?
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The believer.
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The believer is the priesthood that can participate in the activities of the spirits for the edification
-
of the church.
-
We are the priesthood that can participate in the activities of the spirits for the building
-
up of the church.
-
We are the priesthood.
-
We can also write this down.
-
The activities of the spirit, it is authorized to believers.
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Just the way the fire was authorized, right?
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The priesthood was authorized to Aaron to offer.
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Then you can offer.
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If you offer, if you are not in the priesthood, you have a problem.
-
Maybe a fire will just come out from the midst of the fire.
-
But today we are part of that priesthood.
-
Glory to God.
-
We are part of that priesthood that can participate in the activities of the spirit of God for
-
the edification, for the building up of the body of Christ.
-
So we can say that when we prophesy, we are serving each other, right?
-
When we speak in tongues, we are serving each other, right?
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So therefore I said that a believer can actually quench it.
-
It simply means to extinguish it, to stop it, to interrupt it, to make more create of
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it.
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So when you make more create of the things of the spirit, actually, you are quenching
-
it.
-
You are quenching the fire.
-
When you make more create of the, someone is speaking in tongues, you are listening
-
to the sound of the songs, the tongues.
-
You are not serious.
-
You are supposed to be praying.
-
Or you are wondering, someone is speaking in tongues and interpreting, you are saying,
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I don't believe anybody in this church should do that because you have been taught well.
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But when you see people do that, they are quenching.
-
Or another one, when you say it is over, it doesn't exist again.
-
You are quenching the spirit.
-
When you say the activities of the spirit, like prophecy and tongues, don't exist, it's
-
ended with the apostles.
-
If you hear such a thing, in such places, they are quenching the spirit, right?
-
They are quenching the activities.
-
They are stopping it from operating.
-
It means that the church cannot benefit from the things that come from those activities.
-
You can benefit from it.
-
Right?
-
You cannot benefit from it because you say it's over.
-
Now let me show you another word.
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First is aloneness.
-
Go back to first is aloneness please.
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Despise not prophesying.
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Let's check the word despise.
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What it means to despise.
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What does it mean to despise?
-
To not despise prophecies.
-
So to despise, the word despise means to not take serious.
-
To take with content, like treat something with content.
-
To not take serious is the word exaltanil.
-
Despise means to not take something serious, to treat with content.
-
Exaltanil, exou, exou, the, exou, the, neo.
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Exou, the, neo.
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To make fun of something, you're making fun of it.
-
To say they are drunk, those that are participating in it.
-
So please, as a believer, another way you can actually quench the spirit is when you
-
see people making fun of it and you join.
-
When you see people making fun of the things of the spirit and it does not shake you, it
-
does not get you angry, it does not make you look, why are they doing this?
-
You are participating in quenching the activities of the spirit.
-
So whether it's online, whether it's online, people are on chat, or you're in a group chat,
-
or you're anywhere, the moment you realize that the miracles of God and the prophecies
-
and the speaking in tongues are being used for a joke, do not participate in it.
-
Hallelujah.
-
Are we with me?
-
So the activities of God, you don't join them in making fun of it.
-
Right?
-
You don't join them.
-
You don't use tongues for comedy.
-
You don't use prophets for comedy.
-
They are for the edification of the church.
-
I know today everybody online just doesn't do anything they want, but as a believer you
-
must have a caution.
-
You must have a caution.
-
It is what makes people not to take it seriously.
-
Right?
-
They don't take it seriously because it's being made fun of.
-
So to despise me, not to take it seriously, to make fun of something.
-
Therefore a believer can be on fire, right?
-
Coming to fire now, a believer can be on fire, which means that you are full of the activities
-
of the spirit.
-
Okay?
-
So when we say a believer is on fire, we mean that the believer is full of the activities
-
of the spirit.
-
You can perceive that this person is full of the activities of the spirit.
-
This person gives himself to speaking in tongues and prophecy.
-
When you come to a place and they are praying and you are seeing the word, that is fire.
-
It is not the Holy Ghost.
-
It is the activities of the spirit.
-
So therefore, fire also represents your engagements with the things of the spirit.
-
Your engagement with the things of the spirit.
-
Your engagement with the things of the spirit.
-
Your engagement.
-
So as a believer you need to engage the things of the spirit regularly.
-
If you want to be on fire, it is not a one moment thing.
-
Ah, that's another thing I must say.
-
That fire is not a one moment thing.
-
He said the fire must continue to burn on the altar.
-
The fire must continue to burn on the altar.
-
It's not a one moment thing.
-
Fire is not only in catharsismos.
-
Fire is not only in our third Sunday service, which is prayer service.
-
Fire is not only when you are in believers meeting.
-
Fire is not a one moment thing.
-
It's a continuous thing that must continue in the life of a believer.
-
Fire is not a one moment.
-
It must continue.
-
It must participate in prophesying.
-
Now we can also say, right, we can also say that fire means your walk in the spirit.
-
Galatians 5.
-
Galatians 5.
-
Your walk in the spirit.
-
Galatians 5 verse 16.
-
Can you put that up?
-
Galatians 5 verse 16.
-
I said, and walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
-
So a believer can choose not to walk in the spirit.
-
You can choose not to participate in the activities of the spirit.
-
You can choose to neglect it.
-
You know, Paul would tell Timothy, said, neglect not what's the gifts that is given to you
-
by the laying of hands of the Presbyterian.
-
That's first Timothy 4 verse 14.
-
You can put second Timothy 1 verse 6 as well.
-
To stir up the flame that is in you.
-
Stir up something.
-
So you can write it down.
-
First Timothy 4 verse 14.
-
Second Timothy 1 verse 6.
-
So fire can be seen as the walk in the spirit, right?
-
It can also be seen, walk in the spirit, we'll put Galatians 5.16.
-
It can also be seen as walking in love.
-
Ephesians 5 verse 1 to 2.
-
Spirit of the spirit can be seen as a walk in the spirit, can be seen as walking in love.
-
Walking in love is Ephesians 5, 1 to 2, then verse 15 and 20.
-
Verse 15 and 20.
-
Can we just read out verse 15 and 20 and we'll close?
-
We'll read verse 15 and 20 and we'll close.
-
And we'll practice a little bit.
-
We'll continue on Wednesday.
-
We still have a few things to say.
-
So see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.
-
Redeeming the time because the days are evil.
-
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit.
-
What do we do now?
-
Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
-
in your hearts to the Lord.
-
Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
-
Can you see that this is an activity, right?
-
It's an activity of the spirit.
-
The last thing I'll say is that it is your responsibility to be on fire for God.
-
It is not God's responsibility.
-
To be on fire for God is your responsibility and you can choose not to.
-
But I encourage you to.
-
To be on fire for God is your responsibility.
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We appreciate you being here today.
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We hope you carry this word with you throughout your week.
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Don't forget to check the show notes for additional insights.
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Stay connected with us through our website or follow us on social media.
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If you were encouraged, share this message with someone you care about.
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Until next time, stay blessed.