Guest Pastor Barry Clark - Have You Recieved Since You Believed?

Good morning, good morning. I I can't tell you how much I've

been looking. Forward to being here with you

this morning and as my computer boots up I'm going to get a sip

of water real quick. To kind of ducktail on what,

John? Michael was talking about

unplugging. I work at the federal courthouse

in downtown Richmond and I work with a bunch of retired cops and

that in itself is an adventure every day.

Sorry I am having an issue here so I am.

That's what I'm saying. I'm I'm semi retired.

It's always entertaining with the group I work with and if you

ever want an opinion on anything, ask a cop or a

retirement. Amen.

But I'm I am excited to be here this.

Morning and. I'm particularly excited when I

look out and see all the, all the faces and it's more faces

and more faces and it's exciting.

And I, I told, I told my wife, I said if I live nearby.

I would be in this church. Because you you have something

that you don't see. In a lot of churches.

Today and you can feel and see the.

Love that the body has for one another and.

That may. Sound.

Well, that's not really odd that odd.

In this world, it really is don't lose this because you're

going to grow and you already are and you're not going to

always be in this building, but don't lose the love.

How how does? How does the word say will will

know by the? Love they have one.

For the other and don't ever lose that that it's it's.

Critical it is so. Critical.

That's good. Today I'm going to be talking

about a topic. That in in some.

Circles is controversial. But it really shouldn't be.

And the title of my message, and I encourage you this morning if

you're not a. Note taker.

I'm going to encourage you to take notes.

You can do it on your phone. You can.

Follow along like that. Or you can do the old scribe

thing. Either way it's fine.

But the this this message, I believe is one of the most

important messages that the body of Christ or pastors.

I just say across the. World have ignored.

And I think it's it's high time that we get back to what the

word actually says. And the title.

Of my message is, have you received since you believed?

And I'm trying to get my cursor right on that arrow.

And now if you're taking notes, Acts 19, we're going to read

verses one through 7. And it happened that while

Apollo's was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland

country. And came to Ephesus.

He found some disciples and he said to to them, did you receive

the Holy Spirit when you believed?

And they said, No, we have not heard that there even heard that

there is a Holy Spirit. And then he said, into what then

were you baptized? And they said unto John's

baptism, And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of

repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to

come after him, that is Jesus. And on hearing this, they were

baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Amen. And I'm sorry, my computer.

Just with you this morning wants to jump around.

And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on

them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

And there were 12. Men in all and as I said at the

out at the beginning of the message, I believe this is a

message and I remember years ago Jimmy Swaggart said this and I

can't. I couldn't agree with anymore.

This is a message. The baptism in the Holy Ghost is

a message that Satan fights more than any message in the word

other than salvation. That's right.

And I and I and I, I, I wholeheartedly agree because he

knows that once somebody is still with the Holy Ghost, they

are empowered. They are empowered to be a

witness. And I said be a witness, not act

a fool, because we've all seen things in churches that you're

like. Oh my gosh.

What are they doing? We're talking about the

infilling of the Holy Ghost. And when I say the baptism in

the Holy Ghost and I've told people at our church, I've said

you're not seeking tongues, you're seeking the infilling of

God himself to overflowing in you.

Perhaps sometimes in your life you were in the church service.

And I can identify with this because I was I had an uncle who

was at Church of God, Cleveland, TN pastor.

If you anybody's been in the church.

Of God, you know what I'm talking about.

And then I was a little kid, probably Hudson's age, and I saw

people doing things in church and it was just pandemonium.

And I'm like, Lord if. I'm sitting like, where's where?

My wife is now if you Get Me Out of this service, I will never go

back to a service like this. But little did I know that

people can have a real experience with God and then the

display of what God did in them is just totally flesh.

It doesn't need to be that way. Each person though might respond

to the spirit differently. Some might be excited.

I I really think it depends on how how deep in sin they were.

I think the I think the more you were in sin, the more you're

going to be full bore towards the Lord.

That's just what I've seen in life.

Jesus and then others are receive and it's very quiet and

there's no right or wrong wrong answer to that, but it should be

and we're going to get into this in the word.

It should be to build the church when when there's a when you're

filled overflowing. Jesus said in Acts 1/4 he

ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the

promise of the Father, which he said, you've heard of me, John

baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy

Spirit not many days from now. Now if you go over to add to 1st

Corinthians 15, Paul is taught his writing here to the

Corinthian church. In verses 4 through 7 he says to

Speaking of Jesus that he was buried, that he was raised on

the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he

appeared on the Cephas, then the to the 12.

Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most

of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep, some of

them had died. Then he appeared to James and to

all the apostles. And then Acts 115 Peter stood up

in, in, in, in the midst of the brethren, in the company of

persons. Is there selecting somebody to

replace Judas? And then and they obey the Lord.

And then Acts 2. When the day of Pentecost

arrived, they were all in one place.

And suddenly there came from heaven like the sound of a

rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were

sitting. And they they were seated now

and they were all everybody say all filled with the Holy Spirit

and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance.

I just want you to think about this.

Jesus was seen by over 500 other people besides the 1:20 or only

120 showed up and stayed in Jerusalem like he said to do.

Now, I am not by any means a. Math major when you put letters

and in. Front of numbers, I just go

bonkers, but I can do simple math.

Yeah, that's about 23 to 24% of the of the believers of that day

obey the Lord and stayed in Jerusalem.

And since then today it's estimated that the in the world

today 27% of believers characterize themselves as

spirit filled charismatic or Pentecostal.

So we've gained about 3% in 2000 years.

I say we're not doing too well because I don't think that's

what God wanted because the promise point number one is to

all disciples. In Acts 2 to Acts 10,

approximately 7 to 10 years have passed and Peter is at

Cornelius's house. Well before he gets there, he

sees a vision and unclean, what he consider unclean food was

dropped down and God said Peter rise, kill and eat.

He said, no, this isn't kosher, never had anything not kosher

and I can't do that. It's unclean.

And God said, What don't you call what I call?

Clean. Unclean.

And, and, and then the men come and say an Angel came to

Cornelius and he's waiting to hear words from you.

You need to come to his house. And in Acts 1044.

And this is 7 to 10 years after Pentecost.

And, and the reason I'm saying this is I'm building a timeline

so we understand that the Holy Ghost didn't stop on the day of

Pentecost. It wasn't just for those early

disciples only. It's for everyone.

Hallelujah and those that were the circumcision were were

amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even

on the Gentiles. How do how do they know they

were poured out? Verse 46 for they heard them

speaking in tongues and extolling God.

Hallelujah that excites me. How did they know the gift was

poured out? They heard them speaking in

tongues just like they did on the day of Pentecost.

Now we're going to Fast forward a few more years to to from Acts

2 to Acts 19 at Ephesus, which was our, our, our text. 22 to 27

years had passed. Now the Spirit baptism wasn't

just limited to the early followers of Jesus.

Paul was preaching at Ephesus. They were baptized and he said

they baptized the name of Lord Jesus.

And then Paul laid his hands on them and they began speaking in

tongues, 12 men and all. So the argument or an argument

is made today. Well, if this is true, why don't

why ain't everybody speaking in tongues?

Well, let me ask you this. Does everybody get saved when

they hear the gospel? No, no, some people don't have

faith to believe for it. The enemy has confused the

church for for for I'm sure thousands of years now.

Some quote First Corinthians 12/28 is proof that this isn't

for today and God has. Appointed in the church.

First apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles,

then gifts of healing, helping, administrating in various kinds

of tongues. Verse 29 are all are all

apostles, Are all prophets? Do all work miracles?

Do all possess gifts? Gifts of healing, not gift of

healing, gifts of healing. Do all speak with tongues?

Do all interpret, interpret. And every one of these questions

begs a negative answer? No, they do not.

But if you keep it within the context of the word, Paul was

talking about church order. He wasn't talking about your

private prayer life. He was talking about in church

and he goes on to say if there's a message in tongues, it should

be by two or three and there should be an interpreter.

If there's no interpreter, he should be silent in the church

unless he's prophesied because the whole point of it is to

build up the body. Hallelujah.

And then they quote First Corinthians 1419.

I'd rather speak 5 words in my mind in other order to instruct

others than 10,000 words in a tongue.

My second point is this promise includes 2 baptisms.

Acts 15. Jesus said John baptized with

water, but you're going to be baptized with the Holy Spirit

not many days from from from. Hence the Holy Spirit baptizes

us into the body of Christ. Didn't Jesus say unless the

Spirit draws, you can't come in? First Corinthians 12134 In one

spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews and Greeks, slave

and free. Aren't you glad you're not a

slave? And all were made to drink of 1

spirit, drinking of that one spirit.

But Jesus is the baptized in the Holy Ghost in John 133.

John the Baptist said, I myself did not know him, but he who

sent me to baptize with water, said, he on whom you see the

Spirit descend and remain, it is he who baptizes with the Holy

Spirit. And I have seen and borne

witness that this is the Son of God.

So he identified Christ as a baptizer in the Holy Ghost right

there. Salvation, my friends, is God's

gift to the world. For God so loved the world that

he, He is only begotten, that whosoever believes in Him but

have eternal life. But the baptism in the Holy

Ghost is God's gift to the church.

The world cannot receive this gift in John 14.

I didn't say they couldn't receive salvation.

I said they can't receive this gift.

In John 1416 through 17, Jesus said, and I will ask the Father,

He will give you another helper to be with you forever, because

Jesus physically couldn't be with everybody at the same time,

even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because

it neither sees Him or knows Him.

You know Him and He is in for He dwells with you and will be in

you. The world can receive Christ,

but this is a separate experience.

My Third Point, the promise comes with an outward sign, and

this is where the rubber meets the road.

So we've gone to Acts 2, Acts 10, Acts 19, when you pray in

other tongues, when you're filled with the Holy Ghost. 1st

Corinthians 14 two says for he who speaks in a in a tongue

speaks not to men, but to God, for no one understands him, for

he utters mysteries in the Spirit.

Mysteries are hidden truths, secret counsels of God, matters

revealed by the Spirit rather than being something solvable.

Jeremiah 33 Three. But I know that that word verse.

Call it to me and I will show you great and mighty things that

thou knowest not. And that word mighty there means

things that are fenced in that are in inaccessible.

But all of a sudden when I start praying in the spirit, the

things that are inaccessible, God begins to open the fence.

He opens the gate and he starts to show it attitudes of my heart

that aren't right. He begins to correct things.

I might say to my wife in, in, in being a little terse at

times, you shouldn't have spoke. That was harsh.

The Holy Spirit is gentle. There's things he begins to show

you. And that's like John said a

minute ago, it's not all sin, but it's not good.

And I don't want just good. I want what's best.

Hallelujah, Paul says at 1st Corinthians 14.

He said, for I pray. If I pray in a tongue, my spirit

prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

What am I going to do? I'm going to pray with my spirit

and I'm going to pray with my mind also.

I will sing praise with my spirit and I will sing with my

mind also. It's not either or, it's either

or. And Hallelujah, who does the

praying You do. God's not going to pray for you.

That's. Right.

If you're just having good thoughts towards God, that's all

you're having is good thoughts towards God.

And I'm not saying don't have good thoughts towards God, but

you need to articulate John Wesley said years, hundreds of

years ago, it seems that the God has chosen not to move unless

somebody prays. Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

And let me tell you, when you set your heart to seek God and

you see set your heart to to focus and then I mean press in

the enemy will give you all kind of reasons today why you can't

do it. You know, you got your car, you

need to change that oil. You need to do those 3 loads of

laundry. You need to fix the meal and oh,

tomorrow is this is going on. He will give you as many excuses

as you want not to do it, but I'm telling you, do it.

Hallelujah. Acts 1115, Peter said.

Peter reported to the apostles As I begin to speak.

The Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did at the beginning.

I'm telling you, God is consistent.

What he did in Acts 2, Acts 10, Acts 19, and, and even in Acts

8, and we'll talk about that right now, he is continually

doing. Once faith is activated, he

completes the regenerative work and makes our spirits alive.

But the baptism in the Holy Ghost is a secondary experience

to salvation. And Acts chapter 8, if you

Acts 8 · chapter mention

remember the story, it's Simon the sorcerer.

And he was listening to Philip preach.

So this wasn't one of the apostles.

This is Philip and he's hearing him preach and the word says he

heard and started following, following Philip and and then

here comes Peter in town. Peter laid his hands on them and

they received the Holy Spirit. Now, I'm telling you right here,

it doesn't say that they spoke in tongues, but I know they did

because there was something so dramatic happened that Simon

went to Peter and said, here's $500, give me that power so that

when I lay my hands on people, they'll receive too.

So there was something manifested.

That's what I'm trying to get you to see.

There was something that was manifested in that moment that

made him go because he was a magician and he had duped people

for years. Silent the sorcerer, it's like

going to a fortune teller. They can tell you certain

things. You know why they're trafficking

with demons. And they've been watching.

Demons have been observing you your whole life.

So they know some stuff. And if they're trafficking with

these kind of individuals, he knew some stuff.

So he was ripping people off, charging them.

Oh, he has the great power. He didn't have the great power.

The great power showed up and he recognized it and he wanted it.

But his mistake was he thought he could buy it.

Peter said your money perish with you.

Oh, that's good though. The secondary experience, yes,

work on that salvation then. Yes, because because salvation

is 1st and I'm I'm going to, I'm going to.

I'm going to cover that. It's good.

Amen. They all got the Spirit Baptist,

all of them. All of them got saved and had

the Spirit at when they when they were.

Were saved. They were got saved, but they

didn't get the baptism in the Holy Ghost until Peter laid

their hands on them. And let me tell you this,

salvation is never imparted that I've read in the Word by the

laying on of hands. Salvation comes when you confess

with your mouth the Lord Jesus that you believe God raised him

from the dead, and you confess that with your mouth.

That's the Word. So the the laying on of hands.

People say, well, you know, he he just imparted salvation.

No, he didn't. That's not how salvation comes.

The word is nigh. Your mouth is in you.

You believe and then you speak and let me tell you something.

It's the same with the baptism and the Holy Ghost.

You believe and then you speak Hallelujah.

Who's going to do speaking? You are, you are, say I am, I

am. You're the one who's got to do

the talking. Paul said I thank God that I

speak in tongues more than you All in First Corinthians 1418.

Think of this. This is a man who wrote 2/3

about New, 2/3 of the New Testament and he said I speak in

tongues more than all of you. You think he would have gotten

the revelation he got had he not prayed in the Spirit?

I don't think he would have. I think he had to be in tune

with God, but for God to use him now.

He was educated. He was a Pharisee.

Among Pharisees is when it came to the law.

He was faultless. He knew the Jewish history.

I mean, you talk about pedigree. He was a blue blood.

But God knocked him. Off his high horse.

And he said, I'm Jesus whom you are persecuting.

And even Paul, when Ananias came and prayed for him, it said

scales fell off his eyes. And then when he got knocked off

the horse, he said, who are you? Who are you, Lord?

He knew this is God. I'm blind now.

And when the scales fell, fell off and Ananias prayed for him,

and then he received the Spirit. And then we know he prayed in

tongues because he said, so I pray in tongues more than all of

you. So we we see consistency in the

word and we shouldn't, we should not treat the gifts of the

spirit with contempt. First Corinthians 12/8 through

11 For the one is through the Spirit is given the Spirit

wisdom, another knowledge and other faith, gifts of healing,

working of miracles, prophecy, distinguishing the spirits,

various kinds of tongues and interpretation empowered by the

one same Spirit who are portions to each individual as he wills.

Now this is this is church order.

This isn't you, you and your prayer life.

So what are the benefits of being filled with the Spirit?

1st Corinthians 14 four The first part of the verse says he

that speaks an unknown tongue edifies himself.

So what I don't know about you, I'm a, I'm more of a morning

person. I was up at 5:00 this morning.

I was out on my patio about 5:45 or so and I was praying in the

spirit out and you. Know because I'm not waking

everybody else. Up in the house, it's just

easier to do that Jude chapter Jude verse 20 says, but you

beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and

praying in the Holy Spirit. Yes, that's praying in in

tongues. Yes, praying in the spirit

builds you up. Remember Paul said, I'll pray

with my spirit. I'll pray with my and you, when

you pray with your spirit, you bypass your head.

That's right. That's right.

Oh, that's a good word. You.

Bypass your brain because your brain does not always know what

to pray for, as it should. The word says that, but you when

you pray out of your spirit, you're beginning to pray

mysteries, that of things that God wants to reveal to you and

about you and move you forward in life.

I'm I'm going to tell you there's a worship leader in here

right now somewhere. I don't know who you are.

I was sensing it when we were worshipping, but you're, you're

in here and you need to step up. All right, I'm just.

Going to move on. But you bypass your brain when

God begins to speak. Romans 8/26/27 For we do not

know what to pray for as we ought.

Why do we act like we do? But the Spirit himself

intercedes like a rescue operation, with groanings for

us, so deep that we can't comprehend.

But he intercedes with the Saints according to the will of

God. So when I pray in tongues, when

I'm praying in the Spirit, I'm praying according to the will of

God, because if I pray in my head, I'm praying.

God bless my wife, take care of her.

She's traveling to Anthony's, he's at school.

You know John, Michael, Natalie, the grandkids, you know, the

whole Clark clan. Hallelujah.

Well, that's really good. But what about the rest of the

world? It's not just about us.

Second Timothy, verse one. I'm going to read verse 7. 1st

and I'm going to go back to verse 6, you know, 6-7 I'm gonna

go 76. Anthony Bout drove us crazy a

couple. Years ago with that.

For for God and and and you've heard this, you've you've read

this first. You've even quoted it to people,

you know when they're dealing with fear.

For God has not given us the spirit of but of and love and a

sound. OK, let's look at verse 6.

The context of this is Paul's writing Timothy.

And he goes, look, I'm, I'm, I'm writing you to encourage you

about the faith that is in you because it was first in your

grandmother and then it was in your mother.

And I am convinced right now it is in you as well.

And then you go to verse 6. He said, and I remind you, fan

into flame, the gift of God, which is in you by the laying on

of my hands. Hallelujah.

And I'm telling you, there are mornings when I'm going to work

and I'm praying in the Spirit and I'm on 64 going to Richmond

and somebody's cutting me off in the construction zone and I'm

praying in tongues and my flesh goes, it's not working.

It's not working. And I'm like, I don't care.

I'm going to keep on speaking because it is working.

He's working in me. And it doesn't matter if I get

the goosey bumps or the warm fuzzies.

That's good. That's irrelevant because I know

the Word is true. I know God cannot lie.

Philippians 2 verse 12. The latter part of that verse

Philippians 2:12

says and I don't know. About you but I've.

I've seemed to have struggled in my life with this verse.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is

God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good

pleasure. Work out your own salvation.

I believe one way I can do that is praying in the Spirit because

I don't have the I don't have the intelligence to know what I

should be praying about at times and.

Working out my. Own salvation with fear and

trembling. But if I fear the Lord, I'm

going to honor his word. How do we receive?

It says in Acts 2 they tarried. Guess what?

I got good news. Everybody look at your neighbor

and say he's got good news. You don't have to tarry because

the Holy Ghost, because that Holy Ghost is here right now.

You don't have to work, you don't have to beg, you don't

have to get get out like a 2 year old and stomp your feet and

flail. He's here.

I said this earlier, Romans 10/9 and 10 believe and speak.

Start praying in time. If you're filled with the Holy

Ghost, praise God. If you're not, if you're not

praying the Spirit every day, shame on you.

Start. That's right.

I'm not mad at you. Our pastor challenged us and a

while back and he said start praying 15 minutes a day, 15

minutes, that's not a lot out of your day.

Change your life and what you're going to do.

You're going to start getting impressions at your work, people

that rub you the wrong way, and we all have them.

And you're going maybe. They're going through something,

maybe, maybe I'm, you know. You know they're, they're still,

you know, whatever you want to. Think but they still got issues.

But you know what I don't know? I don't know their life story

and I don't you know you. I know sometimes when I'm as

people, you know, get nasty and give you the.

California, how they drive and they think you could.

Cut them off or whatever, and you're like, what is wrong with

that person? Then you start formulating with,

you know, what's going on in that person's world.

Well, they're just a jerk. I don't know that maybe they

just found out a loved one passed away, you know, maybe

they found out that they're getting sued.

I don't know what's going on in their life.

And I don't need to, I don't need to imagine in my head, you

know, and I'm totally wrong. And God's going, why don't you

just stay in your lane? And when I'm praying in his

spirit, that's what he does. He keeps me in my lane.

And when I get off the lane, I hit the rumble strips and I'm

like, oh, I better get back in the road or I'm going to crash.

If you'll if you'll begin to to pray in the Spirit, you'll start

seeing and this. Is what I'm excited about.

And I believe this is one of the reasons God gave the gift of the

Holy Ghost. You'll start seeing the fruit.

Of the Spirit manifest. Because I cannot manifest fruit.

Trying to live a Christian life through the flesh.

That's. Right, I can put on a good show

and I can make you think I am just super, super good, but in

reality I'm miserable because it's a work oriented thing I'm

trying to do. But if I flow with the Spirit,

it's life and peace. There you go.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Praying in the Spirit will keep

you from scrolling on social media when the preachers

preaching. It will keep you from from binge

watching TV because once you start praying in the spirit on a

regular schedule, you'll be like I don't have time for that

phone. It is just not that important

anymore. And I don't know about you.

I think this is a word we all need to hear and it will.

And it will also keep us from being prayer less because we get

frustrated when we try to work it out in our own noggin.

And I'm going to give you an opportunity this morning.

If you have not received the Holy Spirit, I'm going to ask

you to come forward and we're going to pray and we're going to

believe God for you to be filled.

And if you are filled, I want you to be praying in the Spirit

right now. You said, were you going to pray

for people to get through with the Spirit?

Yeah. What?

What if some of them doing what, like a friend of mine, he's in

heaven now, used to say Dallas Fleming said, well, what do some

of them do? As I said before, do all get, do

all get saved? When you preach the messages,

all the sinners come up in every service.

No, because people are at different phases of their lives.

And you know, I, I have learned through my life that God,

there's a lot more patience with people than I am.

Thank you, Lord, that you're patient.

Hey, thank you. Oh, ladies, Lord, you're good.

You are so good. In a minute.

I'm going to ask you to come forward if you want prayer to

receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and you're.

Going to and you're going to. Speak in other tongues because

that's the biblical pattern that's going to happen.

I don't want to just tell you the Holy Spirit will not speak

for you when you come up. Come up with faith, believing

He's going to fill you. And then open your mouth and

make a sound, not English. Just make a sound and he will

work with you and he will feel you, Jesus said in John 737.

Out of your innermost being will flow rivers of the living water.

The woman at the well, he said. If you drink the water I give

you, you'll never thirst again. Somebody here, you're in a dry

place. The day's your day.

to ask. Everybody to stand.

This. Is cooperation time now?

This is where your heart you decide.

I want all that God has for me. And I want to.

I want. To pray correctly and and I want

to overcome habits that just and sins that easily beset and I'm

I'm going to tell you something. There's not anybody in this room

that doesn't have. Or hasn't had some of those.

And there's not anybody in this room that's not struggling with

something because they're human. And we have two natures now.

We still have the old sin nature and we and now we have the

Spirit of God. You say, well, who wins?

The one you feed the most. Amen.

Hallelujah. So if you want to be filled this

morning, you've never been filled or you want to be

refilled, yes, that's good. Come forward, we're going.

To pray with you and believe. God, it's not spooky, it's not

weird, it's God's plan for your life.

If you want to be a greater witness for Him, today's your

day. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, you're.

Good Lord, Hallelujah.