Empowering Spirit - Gifts

Great to see everybody here this morning.

It's good to be here.

I want to start this morning this message in a way that's a little bit different than normal.

I want to start with silence.

I just want to I encourage you towards silence last week.

I'm sure you've all practiced it faithfully for hours a day.

But I thought we'd do it again right now, that we would just uh take a few moments in silence to settle ourselves in the presence of God and to be present to God so that God Himself can have the first word this morning.

So let's just be quiet.

Holy Spirit, thank you for your presence.

We wait in your presence.

Amen.

I don't mean this as a joke.

Uh some of you heard from God as you were silent.

The Lord just spoke something, it was uh something that came spontaneously to the mind, and you realize that's God's word.

Hold that, take that, write it down.

You're actually free to dwell on that uh for the next 23 or four minutes as I'm speaking, because it's God's word that we came to hear, not the words of a man, but the words of God Himself.

Uh quick recap where we are in uh we're ending a series called Paraclete.

We've been talking about uh who the Holy Spirit is, what the Holy Spirit does, and how we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the redemption of the world, which is why Jesus came.

So um we talked about two roles, talking about two roles of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit forming us into the image of Jesus for the sake of the world.

We talked about that last week.

And this week, how the Holy Spirit empowers us to demonstrate the love and the power of God to the world.

It's our mission statement.

We want to encounter the love and power of God, and then we want to give the love and power of God away to the world.

And I probably don't need to remind you, the world needs the love and the power of God.

As much as you know that you need it, the world needs it.

And so we get to encounter it and give it away.

And so we're talking about two different ways that the Lord empowers us: the formation and the power of the gifts, the fruit of the spirit and the gifts of the spirit.

So gradually, because of the Holy Spirit, we're becoming more and more like Jesus in our character, the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, and so forth.

And the Spirit's empowering release the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so we become more like Jesus in action.

It's not just an inner work, it's an external work.

And so the gifts of the Holy Spirit allow us to do actually what Jesus did.

To not just be like him in character, but also walk like him in action.

That's the good news of the gospel.

When Jesus came and proclaimed the kingdom, Mark chapter 1, he says, the time is now.

Mark 1 · chapter mention

Um uh the kingdom of God is here.

Repent and believe the good news.

Stop thinking the way you're thinking, like you're all by yourself.

Turn to me, Messiah, and believe the good news that the kingdom is here.

The rule and the reign of Jesus is now on earth because Jesus has come.

It's here in part in part right now.

And so we see the work of God, miracles, signs, and wonders because the kingdom is here.

But the kingdom isn't fully here, right?

The kingdom came with Jesus incarnation.

When Jesus comes back again, the kingdom will come in its entirety.

And we live between those times.

And so we are praying and seeking and loving the world and experiencing the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that the kingdom will fully come and Jesus comes back, and man, is that good news, right?

When Jesus comes back, you go, all is well.

The peace of God has descended upon earth.

It's not an either-or thing.

We're not just formation inner work people, we're not just gifts of the Holy Spirit, outer work people.

We're both.

We're formed by Jesus to be like him, and we're empowered by Jesus, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to live and to walk like him.

We think both are important because both are a part of the kingdom.

And that's and Jesus exemplified both.

I reminded you last week because it's so important, uh, not just to me, but I think through the entirety of Scripture, we see that the forming work of God, the Holy Spirit forming us into the image of Jesus, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the empowering, they have their source, their means, and their goal in love.

So everything that we experience as God changes us on the inside, and everything that we experience when God releases his power on the outside, the source of all that is the love of God.

The means of all that is the love of God, and the ultimate goal of all of that is the love of God.

I I mentioned uh Melissa, Melissa, will you raise your hand?

You probably are embarrassed.

Good for you.

Melissa wrote a little book about the Holy Spirit.

She handed to me a couple of weeks ago, and I just thought it was uh was beautifully written.

So simple, clear, and challenging.

And one of the illustrations that she gave in there was talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit like a gift sandwich.

She said in 1 Corinthians 12, you see Paul talking about the gifts of prophecy and tongues, how those work, etc.

And um, I don't know which gifts it is there.

No, in 12, prophecy, faith, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership, mercy.

And then in verse, in chapter 14, you see prophecy and tongues.

So Paul talks about all these gifts and all these gifts, and what's in the middle between 12 and 14, second graders?

13 bingo, stars for everyone.

And what's 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter of love?

So I love that image of the gift sandwich.

We got gifts here, we get gifts here, but the meat of the sandwich, the meat of the kingdom is love.

And so that without love, the gifts of the Spirit, in any way that we see them, are not nourishing.

Paul's just so clear about it.

Without love, these are all nothing.

Just useless.

That is so hard to fathom, isn't it?

That we could actually experience gifts of the Holy Spirit, and if not based in love personally in us, they're of no impact.

It's the challenge for, I think, the Western Church for sure, to elevate power over character.

To say this is what's most important.

The amazing, the ecstatic, the big and the powerful.

And God is in the big and the powerful.

Don't get that wrong.

But if we forget love as the source, the means, and the goal, then we've lost it.

And we're not, we're no longer looking at the person of Jesus, we're just looking at a person.

And we don't want to be any part of that.

That's not the kingdom.

In fact, I'm just gonna press this one because I can, because I'm standing up here.

I'm sitting up here.

Every single passage that speaks specifically about the gifts of the Holy Spirit are bordered by an exhortation to love.

Every single one.

So Romans 12, those gifts of the Holy Spirit I listed are there, followed immediately by this love must be sincere.

Be devoted to one another in love, honor one another above yourselves.

Ephesians 4, we see those gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the church, apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher.

And what comes right after that?

Speak the truth in love.

1 Peter 4, where Peter just kind of separates the gifts into two things loving gifts, uh speaking gifts and serving gifts, right before that, above all, love each other deeply.

The gifts without love are useless.

And so we focus on love, and when we focus on love, what comes out?

Gifts.

Every time.

So last week we talked about the character of Jesus and the inner work, and today we talk about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, continuing the ministry of Jesus.

Before we did a little rehab in here, um, we had the six values of our vineyard church on the walls.

And they're being worked on right now by the arts group, and those values are coming back.

But just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean that they're gone.

And the the first value is uh we value the presence of God.

And I won't go through all of them.

But the fourth value is this we continue the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

That's a value of this vineyard church.

We're not just inner people, we're not just teachy people, we're practice people.

We actually continue the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, what was the ministry of Jesus?

What was the mission of Jesus?

Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God, and then immediately after preaching it, he demonstrated the kingdom of God.

He saved sinners, he destroyed the works of the devil, and he reconciled the world to God.

So practically, what did that look like?

Those are sort of big theological things, right?

What did that look like practically?

Healing, forgiveness, radical welcome, leadership, loving the poor, prophetic encouragement, feeding the hungry, casting out demons, teaching, performing miracles, works and words of mercy, compassion, service, faith, and eventually the ultimate surrender, he gave his life for the world.

That's what the ministry of Jesus looked like.

And the ministry of Jesus hasn't ended.

Because that ministry happens through every one of us in the church.

Isn't that the ministry of the church?

Aren't those the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

I mean, there they are.

They're right there.

So we continue the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1 8.

Jesus says this right before he ascends to heaven.

He says, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

We can continue the ministry of Jesus.

Why?

Because we're brilliant?

Because we have great technology?

No, because we have the power of the Holy Spirit.

The literal power that raised Jesus from the dead is resident in the room right now.

That's why we sometimes just need to be quiet to become aware that God's here.

That power of the Holy Spirit is resident within us, every one of us who's called on the name of Jesus.

I know that's hard to imagine sometimes.

When you wake up after two hours of sleep in a night and you go, man, I could use some Holy Spirit power right now.

I'll start with coffee.

We have the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes the power of the Holy Spirit is the power to endure through a day after a sleepless night, or to forgive or to love radically.

I've said this before, I'll say it again.

It sounds scandalous.

I promise it's not heresy.

Like 98% certain it's not heresy.

Jesus did not do the works that he did because he was the Son of God.

He was the Son of God.

He was the living, incarnate Son of God, fully God, fully man.

But that's not how he did his works.

He did his works because he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

So it's after the baptism of Jesus when the Spirit of God descends and the voice of God speaks his identity, that then what happens?

Then, filled with the Holy Spirit.

Well, actually, the first thing into the desert to be tempted.

But this is not a message about that.

Coming out of the desert, encouraged by God, ministered to by angels, what happens?

The power of God goes through him because he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus doesn't teach us what it looks like to be God on earth.

Jesus looks like teaches us what it looks like to be men and women rightly related to God on earth, filled with the power power of the Holy Spirit, so it goes out of us.

And we all get to do it.

Every single one of us has that Spirit's power.

If there's one sort of phrase that would characterize the vineyard movement in these last 50 or whatever years, it's probably in terms of philosophy of ministry, it's probably this phrase.

Everyone gets to play.

I hate it when preachers do this, so do this.

Say after me, everyone gets to play.

Everyone gets to play.

Everyone gets to play.

You come and you meet Jesus right here in ten minutes when I give you an opportunity.

The Holy Spirit is within you, and guess what?

You get to play in the kingdom.

You have the power of the Holy Spirit.

You can preach the gospel, you can heal the sick, you can love radically, you can forgive, you can feed the poor and the hungry, you can give away the compassion and the mercy of God because everybody gets to play.

The gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit are for normal Christians.

They're for us.

Here's how I define us you and me.

That's us.

Everyone gets to play.

So that means that the Holy Spirit, being God and all, can give any gift to any person at any time for any reason.

So you may think to yourself, Well, I have the gift of service or helps, and that's what I do.

And guess what?

The Holy Spirit can give any gift to any person at any time for any reason.

I experience, I hope, the gift of teaching more than the gifts of casting out demons or prophetic utterances or discerning of spirits or healing, and yet I've done all of them.

Yes, I teach, and also I've cast demons out of people and seen them freed.

I've prayed for the sick and they've gotten healed.

I've discerned spirits and recognized here's what God's doing, here's what the bad guy's doing.

Let's pray.

God come, kick the bad guy out.

And he goes.

We all get to play.

I uh I saw this uh a couple of weeks ago, as Adam said, we're showing these John Wimber videos um Sunday afternoons at four o'clock, because you're canceling your plans to be there today, Sunday afternoon at four o'clock, and we're gathering over here.

And so a couple of weeks ago we were gathering, and the video was ended, and so I stood up and I said, Okay, let's just see what God wants to do.

And so we prayed the vineyard prayer, come, Holy Spirit, and we waited, and it was quiet for a few moments.

And then right here, so the Lord started to touch someone, and they just started to sort of you could see that the presence of God was on this person, and they were kind of shaking, and then they started to cry, and some words of repentance began to come out.

And then someone in the back needed some prayer, they raised their hand and we began to pray for them.

And so we're just resting in God's presence, and we're just waiting.

And then this really crazy thought comes to my mind.

Because I know that sometimes when I think small groups of believers, believers gather, that sometimes God gives this gift of tongues.

Sometimes God will give a spiritual gift of the ability to speak in another language, an unknown language, and then God will give a person the interpretation of that language, and in this strange and miraculous way, speak a word of encouragement or exhortation to the church.

I've done this maybe one other time in 25 years of ministry, but it pops into my head, and I said, You know, I wonder if anyone has a tongue.

If anyone is feeling that's just this welling up within them, or you feel it right here on your lips, that you think God wants you to speak in a tongue for our encouragement.

And we waited like awkward two or three hours, also known as 10 seconds.

And a woman who has never done this before stands up and speaks in a tongue, clearly not English, no language recognizable, for about 20 seconds.

Silence again.

Everyone a little nervous, most of all the guy in front.

So I said, What you have to say as a pastor at that point, because the Bible says it.

Does anybody have an interpretation for this tongue?

And immediately, someone sitting right there, immediately.

No preamble, just this, like that.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow you all of the days of your life, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Silence again.

Because everyone could just feel like that.

That was the literal word of God.

It was the word of God.

It came in this miraculous way, so everyone was attuned to it, right?

Amazing.

While we were waiting in one of those awkward silences, I had this thought.

Sorry, this is a long story.

I had this thought.

Years ago, I mean, maybe 15 years ago, we were in the old building, so more than that.

We're in a church service, there's 150 people there or something, and all of a sudden, this guy behind me stands up and he belts out this loud tongue, scared the bejeebers out of me.

I was the pastor.

I mean, it just shook me.

I was so I mean, I didn't know what to do.

And so I say the thing, anybody have an interpretation?

Actually, there was an interpretation, and uh I don't remember it right now.

I just remember going to him afterwards and saying, Jim, here's how we do it in the vineyard, you know?

It's appropriate.

Let's like a prophetic word, we discern it.

Okay, so I did that.

Should be believers, all that stuff.

Jim was in the church for many years after that, always kind of just in that charismatic sense, very vocal in lots of ways, though he played by the rules.

Um I'm thinking when I said that, does anyone have a tongue?

I just went back.

Boy, Jim would be really proud of me.

Jim would be so proud of me.

So all of that happens.

Two days later, I get a text from someone in the church.

Hey, I don't know if you knew it.

Jim is in the hospital.

I haven't thought of him in years.

I haven't seen him or spoken to him in years.

Jim is in the hospital.

I thought, I gotta go.

So I go over to Community North.

Um, he had gone into the hospital two weeks before, test, et cetera, stage four cancer.

And when I got there, I stood outside because they were talking to palliative care and then hospice, so he could go home and go be with the Lord.

So I walk into the room and I'm talking to Jim and his wife, and I mean, we're just having that time that you have.

Jim, characteristically, weak but smile on his face, gives me a prophetic word, declares the good news of Jesus to me, and I receive it like I always have.

His wife is crying, as she would be, and um we have we talk a little bit more, and then um I said, Well, I need to go.

Jim, can I pray for you?

And so I lay my hand on him, and then it just, it just I just realized, oh man.

I said, Jim, you know, I thought of you two days ago.

We were right here, and I explained the whole thing, everything I just told you.

And then I said, and so here was the interpretation, and it just came out of me.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow you all of the days of your life, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Silence.

Because he realizes I've just given him the word of the Lord.

He's gonna be with the Lord in weeks.

And because of this person's obedience and this person's obedience, and the power of the Holy Spirit, and the reality that the Holy Spirit can give any gift to any person at any time, for any reason, and because Because everyone gets to play, that man heard the good news of Jesus.

Goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life, and you'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I walked out zinging, tingling, joyfully crying, thinking, God, only you.

Only you can do that.

That's the power of the Holy Spirit.

That's the power of the Holy Spirit in normal people who are just willing to say, God, what are you doing right now so that I can join in and then take a risk and exhibit some faith.

We all get to play, even times when it's confusing and we don't know how to play.

Many of you have heard of the horrible, almost like apocalyptic event that happened last Thursday in Nepal and on the border of Tibetan China, right?

I mean, it's just my father-in-law was showing us some of the videos that we hadn't seen.

It's it's jarring.

You just don't know what to do with it, right?

And for some of us, probably the first question, even though we love God and believe He's sovereign, is God, why?

Like, what is this about?

And I'm just going to encourage you, because I don't know the answer to that first question.

Maybe a better question is, God, what are you doing and what can I do?

What are you doing and how can I partner?

And so what God is doing, I don't know the why, but I know that God is turning people to Jesus.

God is caring for the poor and the sick and the needy.

God is loving families who've lost people.

God is rebuilding communities.

God is empowering the church in that area to be a witness for Jesus in the midst of disaster.

And so what can we do?

We can pray.

So we'll do it.

Let me just pray.

God, we don't understand, but we know that you're sovereign and that you're good.

Your promise is that you teach us how to pray.

So as best as we can, we ask now, Lord, empower the rescuers to find, to seek, and to save the lost and bring them back to life.

God, minister now by the Holy Spirit to the families who are grieving, the families who are waiting because they don't know if their loved ones are alive or not.

Grant them your mercy.

Let them know your love.

God, empower the church to be the hands and the feet of Jesus using every gift and all power to minister the good news of Jesus in that setting.

And God, would you empower this church and the church in wealthy nations and the church in every nation to give and to serve and to love?

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Yes.

Bill, say it loudly.

Wow.

Can we get hold on, just if we're gonna get a word from God, let's hear it.

This is my friend Bill.

Well, Pastor Noel Isaacs sent word out.

One of the congregations, we have several vineyard congregations in the Himalaya region.

Uh initially 17 members of one of the church close to where it had disappeared.

Uh they've uh since uh found seven of them alive.

And there are ten of them remaining lost.

The congregation is grieving, they're suffering, but they are serving.

Uh our own brothers and sisters are actively doing all the things that Randy did.

We just prayed for.

But I want to pray specifically for those Himalayan vineyard churches that God would empower them to be what they need to be among this disaster, if that's correct.

Let's pray.

I pray for Pastor Isaac and his people.

Lord, you've placed them there for a purpose.

And we ask that you would, by the Holy Spirit, activate them to be uh comforters, encouragers, and and miracle workers, even, and and faith speakers and hope, because you are the hope of all the earth.

And we pray for them and we thank you for those lives that were spared, and we fast for comfort, and we grieve with those who are grieving.

Be present through your church who have connected to us in faith in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Thanks, Bill.

I have some more notes that I'm not going to go through.

Uh so they're on the website as always.

I want to just mention one more scripture and then we'll just go into a time of ministry.

If everyone gets to play as the philosophy of the men uh of the vineyard, then the scripture tagline of the vineyard is John 5.19, where Jesus says, I can only do what I see the Father doing.

So that's why as believers, as followers of Jesus, we look and we listen and we want to know, Father, what are you doing today?

What are you doing in the church of Nepal in the Himalayas?

What are you doing in my life?

What are you doing in my family?

What are you doing in this challenging relationship?

What are you doing in my toxic workplace?

What are you doing in my ninth grade class?

What are you doing in my neighborhood?

What are you doing at the checkout line and admire?

What are you doing?

We want to know what the Father's doing.

We want to see it, and then we want to take the risk to take action and to say the famous six vineyard words, can I pray for you now?

That's what Jesus did.

He asked people, what do you want?

He asked people, you know, the the the most frequent question of Jesus in the New Testament, what do you want?

As if the Son of God didn't know?

And can't we do that when we see the Father moving?

Jack, what do you want?

Can I pray for you now?

Alan, what do you want?

Can I pray for you now?

Sarah, what do you want?

Can I pray for you now?

It's how God works through average normal people because he releases the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit for the sake of the world.

Just want to take a moment in silence here at the end for you to consider some things, some questions.

So I'm just going to take the last four or five minutes and I'm just going to ask a few questions.

And I'd ask you, if you're comfortable, close your eyes or bow your head or whatever you want to do, and just listen to the Holy Spirit as I ask a couple of questions.

Holy Spirit, come and speak your words to us as we ask these questions to you.

Holy Spirit, how do you want your love and your power to inform my gifts in the world?

Do I really want to know what the Father is doing?

Realizing that this becomes my invitation to be a part of it.

Am I truly open to you giving me any gift of the Holy Spirit at any time for any reason that you deem good?

Jesus, you said to your disciples, and you say to us, as the Father has sent me, I'm sending you.

And so, Spirit of God, would you show us, is there anything within us that resists or rejects your commission?

Any fear?

Any inadequacy?

Any unbelief, any false humility.

Lord, we want to know the truth because we know that the truth will set us free.

I think it's quite possible that there is actually somebody here this morning who doesn't have a relationship with God through Christ.

You may have come to church for a long time.

You may know a lot about God, but you've literally never given your life to Jesus.

And I want to say to you, I think the Father is inviting you into relationship with Him today.

So as we close with a time of ministry, if that's you, I would encourage you, you can walk right up to me or anyone on the ministry team and just say, I want to know Jesus.

There's some of you in that last couple of minutes, as I ask those questions, you realize, no, I'm not open, but I want to be open.

Yes, I do resist the work of God, but I don't want to resist anymore.

I want to surrender.

God, I I am actually afraid of what it might look like for me to receive a powerful gift of the Holy Spirit and actually let it out of me in the world.

And I'm hungry and I'm thirsty and I'm desperate and I want it.

So let's stand.

If any of those things uh resonate with you, it touches you in the spirit, or you're feeling a fluttering in your chest, like, oh no, I think that's me, obey that and come forward and let somebody pray for you.

Or let someone next to you pray for you.

If you've got a physical issue, if you've got something that's hampering your life physically, um it's not just a guess that God is present, God is present and God heals.

Come forward and let's ask the Lord to heal you.

So as I'm praying, please, any of those things, come forward and let us pray.

God, as we come forward, we are saying we trust you.

We're saying we're expressing our faith.

Lord, as we stand, we're saying as best we can, we really do want you.

We really do long for the Holy Spirit to be poured out in great measure upon us individually, upon us as a church, upon the church in Indianapolis to continue the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, come.

We trust you to do so in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

If you'd like someone to pray, priest, please come forward.