Full transcript
0:00That fullness of the spirit on you is to
0:02bring freedom to them. And that person
0:04that becomes free, they are going to
0:06become stable. And as they become
0:08stable, they will become the rebuilders.
0:12But it all starts with somebody saying,
0:14"Holy Spirit, come.
0:15Baptize me anew. Baptize me afresh. Fill
0:19me with your spirit."
0:23I want you to look at Acts chapter 2.
0:28Verse 1. "And when the day of Pentecost
0:31had fully come,
0:33they were all with one accord in one
0:35place. And suddenly there came a sound
0:38from heaven
0:42as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
0:44filled the house." All right.
0:48A sound came from where?
0:52Heaven. And it came to where?
0:55To a house.
0:58It came from one world,
1:02and it filled another world.
1:04Yes?
1:10A sound came from heaven as of a rushing
1:14mighty wind,
1:16and they filled the whole house where
1:18they were sitting.
1:20And there appeared to them divided
1:22tongues
1:24as of fire,
1:26and one sat upon each of them.
1:29Interesting. What are the two elements
1:32that you see in these two verses, the
1:34two natural elements? What are they?
1:37What are they?
1:38Wind and fire.
1:47And of the angels he says, "Who makes
1:49his
1:51ministers wind,
1:54his angels wind, and his ministers a
1:57flame of fire.
2:07Hebrews 1 quoting a passage from the Old
2:09Testament.
2:11From Psalms 104.
2:13So here in this upper room is 120 people
2:17there.
2:18There's a sound that comes from another
2:19world.
2:22Came and filled the house where they
2:24were.
2:25And there are tongues of fire.
2:29And Hebrews 1 quotes Psalms 104 speaking
2:33of the angels who remember on the house
2:35of God ascend and descend.
2:38Because it's a gate
2:41between worlds.
2:44This is weird, I know.
2:47I'm just I'm just trying to describe to
2:49you what to expect.
3:04A wind
3:07I've studied some of the words here in
3:09this chapter and they're they're
3:10fascinating. And And one of the words
3:13for this a sound comes from heaven. The
3:15word sound there is a roar.
3:20It's this roar of heaven.
3:23It's this thunderous roar
3:26that is released from one world to fill
3:29a room of 120 people in another world.
3:45And they began to speak with other
3:46tongues
3:48as the Spirit gave them utterance.
3:52Verse 5, there were dwelling in
3:53Jerusalem devout men of every nation
3:55under heaven.
3:57When the sound occurred,
4:00a multitude came together.
4:03Let me read these verses for you. They
4:05were confused.
4:07Verse 7 says they were amazed and
4:09marveled.
4:10Verse 22 says they were amazed and
4:12perplexed.
4:14Verse 13 says they were mocking.
4:16So, that sounds like a revival to me.
4:20That sounds
4:22Anybody who expects to get a revival
4:24without those manifestations, you're
4:27dreaming.
4:28You're dreaming. You want Disneyland.
4:30You don't want revival.
4:40Here's what fascinates me, and I'll I'll
4:41try to wrap this up in the next few
4:42minutes here.
4:46It says when the sound occurred, when
4:49the sound occurred. Where did it come
4:51from?
4:53Another world, heaven.
4:55When the sound occurred,
4:58a multitude came together.
5:01Now, I've heard people say um the
5:04multitude came because they heard people
5:05speaking in tongues. No.
5:07No. No. An international city doesn't
5:10gather around those speaking in their
5:12language.
5:15Redding Let's be honest, Redding is not
5:19Actually, it has become an international
5:21city because of our school. We now have
5:2370, 80 nations here at a time.
5:26But, I can tell you as as
5:28as new as this international thing is
5:31for Redding,
5:33if you take
5:35some Portuguese students down to the
5:37mall and they stand there and have
5:39conversation in Portuguese, people are
5:41not going to drop their merchandise in
5:43the store and run into the center of the
5:45mall and stare at them as they speak in
5:48Portuguese. This is not a natural
5:51phenomenon of people being wild by
5:54foreign languages.
5:55This is different.
5:58This is different. This is
6:00the roar
6:02of another world.
6:05And because
6:08Pentecost is often called the the day
6:11where the church was born.
6:14birth
6:16created
6:18So, if this then is the house of God and
6:20a sound comes through, not just an upper
6:23room, but actually 120 people who are
6:25now born again, filled with the Holy
6:27Spirit, a sound was released
6:30that actually
6:33summoned
6:34a city
6:37to their rightful place.
6:40They didn't come hungry for God. They
6:41didn't come saying, "Teach us the word
6:43of the Lord." They came mocking.
6:45They came confused, but they came.
6:49They came and as they measured the
6:51evidence, they realized something holy
6:54was happening. Something powerful was
6:55happening. It was at that point they
6:58finally said, "What must we do?"
7:00But back up in the story, they were
7:02being called or summoned to this place.
7:05I like to I like to describe this I love
7:09a real good saxophone.
7:14And the breath of that
7:16>> Yes.
7:17>> musician
7:18who so artfully just releases that
7:21breath across the reed and plays that
7:23sound of the breath that's released into
7:25that flute
7:26or the horns whatever.
7:29That breath that is released, the sound
7:31is so unique, so distinct. I remember
7:34working years ago, fresh out of high
7:36school, up in the mountains
7:38way up in the mountains
7:40and uh back in the middle of nowhere and
7:42we're on a survey crew, and I remember
7:45there were people that were buying
7:46property back there with these little
7:48cabins and stuff. And and then one day I
7:50heard this guy play a saxophone miles
7:53away, and it just echoed through the
7:55canyons. It was It was like encountering
7:58God in the in the It was just the most
8:00amazing sound as it just traveled
8:03through the canyons and the echo just
8:05the one the breath of one artist across
8:08that saxophone.
8:10If if if he would have been, you know, 2
8:13300 yd away where we could see him, our
8:15crew would have gone to him because
8:18of the sound was so unique. It was
8:19compelling,
8:21inviting.
8:23So, here's the sound
8:25across 120
8:28different saxophones.
8:32And it already says they were in one
8:33accord, so they weren't in conflict in
8:36their harmonies.
8:40They were already not in tune with each
8:43other.
8:45They were in tune to him.
8:47If you take an orchestra and they tune
8:49to each other, they can be completely
8:50out of tune but harmonious together.
8:54They're unified. They're just not right.
8:57There's a lot of people that are unified
8:59and they're wrong.
9:02They're unified in stupidity.
9:06Don't push my buttons.
9:09As far as I'm going I'm right there.
9:12Oh, yeah, you're No, I better stop.
9:14You're unified in
9:16All right.
9:17But this is different. In an orchestra,
9:20there'll be one tuning fork or there'll
9:22be one note all the instruments tuned to
9:24that. So, here we have 120
9:27that were in that upper room, and for 10
9:30days they had to sort through their
9:31stuff.
9:32We don't know how it happened. We just
9:34know they came to to where they were one
9:36accord.
9:37You know, they just had experienced the
9:38greatest disappointment of their life.
9:40The one they've been following died.
9:43And then he rose again, and they don't
9:44know what to do with that. They were
9:45just told to go to this room and and
9:47pray, and so they're there. What are we
9:49looking for? We don't know.
9:52You'll just know it when you see it.
9:53Well, thanks a lot. That's a lot of
9:54help.
9:56And then and then he comes. And and the
9:59the the prophet the apostle stands up,
10:01says, "This is that."
10:04What is this? It's that.
10:08This is This is that.
10:13But what happened was this sound
10:17of God, if you will, this breath of God
10:19was released across the yielded hearts
10:22that were in tune to him
10:24and created a sound over a city
10:28that caused thousands of people
10:32to drop their tools,
10:34the kids their toys,
10:37the dishes, the all the stuff that you
10:39got going on at 9:00 in the morning, all
10:42the activities that are going on
10:43preparing for the day, the business
10:45deals, whatever. Everybody drops stuff,
10:48and they come by the thousands.
10:51Thousands.
10:53Thousands don't gather to help hear
10:55people speak in Spanish.
10:58Thousands because there's something else
11:00going on.
11:02There is a sound that was from one world
11:05that came through a gate into this
11:08world, and I've got to find out why I'm
11:11being drawn to this location. I don't
11:14even know that it was a sound they could
11:15audibly hear. All I know is they became
11:18unusually aware that they shouldn't be
11:21here, and they needed to go there. And
11:24they went there, and they found
11:26themselves in a place of mocking, of
11:28questioning, of admiring, not knowing
11:30what's going on, bewildered. Peter
11:32stands up to preach and suddenly things
11:34become clear and they say, "What must I
11:37do to be saved?"
11:42A gate
11:44with an open heaven.
11:46The big deal for us, the invitation, if
11:48you will, for us
11:50is tune our hearts with his heart
11:53and we'll find ourselves tuned
11:56with one another.
11:58To be that people
12:01that would actually attract that
12:03roar
12:05of heaven.
12:08I've seen it for years. I wish I saw it
12:10every day, but
12:11I don't.
12:13But I've seen it for years where
12:15there's there's no explanation for
12:20somebody who just suddenly
12:23wants to get right with God.
12:25There's no explanation.
12:27I've stood up here during worship and
12:30somebody comes, taps me on the shoulder
12:31and says, "Are you going to be doing
12:33that thing today?" I go, "What thing is
12:35that? We're out in the middle of
12:36worship." You know, where you have
12:38people surrender their life to Jesus to
12:40get born again. I say, "Yeah, we'll be
12:41doing that." He says, "Well, I have
12:42friends that want to do it right now."
12:46Just they're just jumping in the boat.
12:49There's There's no explanation. I hadn't
12:50even cast the line out yet. They're just
12:53jumping in the boat.
12:55Sometimes there's just no explanation.
12:57You know, where somebody that you walk
12:59up to, put your hand on their shoulder
13:01and you just kind of acknowledging
13:03they're there and you bless them and and
13:05then you find out a week later they were
13:06healed.
13:0810 years of afflicting migraines and
13:10they're gone and they ended just with an
13:14affectionate touch. It was In other
13:15words, it's not what wasn't great faith,
13:17it wasn't great anything. It was just
13:19something happens
13:21when you live conscious of him.
13:23What he's saying,
13:25what he's doing. More stuff happens by
13:27accident than ever used to happen on
13:29purpose.
13:31Just being available for the spirit of
13:33God to move.
13:35And that's what I want us to do right
13:37now.
13:38I want you just to put your hands before
13:39the Lord.
13:43And just in your words. I'd like for you
13:45to say it out loud actually, but I'd
13:46like for you to invite God.
13:50I want to be a part of the gate.
13:52I want to be the people upon whom angels
13:55ascend and descend.
13:57You know, it's foolish to worship
13:58angels, but it's equally foolish to
14:00ignore them.
14:01So, we want to just be
14:03in the place where God can release what
14:05he wants to do into the earth.
14:08Where shadows heal again.
14:11The affectionate touch restores.
14:14Clothing is used to bring deliverance.
14:19The miracles of God are released in the
14:20earth.
14:22Jesus is exalted.
14:25Father, I just pray with
14:28what Chris prayed earlier this courage,
14:30this boldness
14:32would come upon us, but Lord, I'm
14:34praying
14:35that you, Holy Spirit, would come
14:38crashing into this place.
14:43Even now.
14:47When the scripture says
14:49that God
14:52intends to do abundantly above, beyond
14:56all that we could ask or think.
14:59Ephesians 3:20.
15:02That God
15:04longs to do abundantly above and beyond
15:06all that we ask or think according to
15:08the power that works within us.
15:11Is not talking about what he plans to do
15:13in heaven.
15:15It's actually a right now promise.
15:18It's a right now promise. It's a promise
15:20where God would draw us into his
15:22purposes and plans that are beyond our
15:24wildest dream.
15:26When he says beyond all you could ask,
15:28that's the depth and the reach of your
15:30prayer life.
15:31Beyond all you could think, that's the
15:33reach of your imagination.
15:35God functions outside the reach of
15:37imagination, outside the reach
15:40of my prayer life.
15:42But he does so according to the power
15:44that works in me.
15:47I don't know if this is making sense to
15:48you,
15:49that he will he will work beyond the
15:51reach of your prayer life
15:53in the measure his power is at work in
15:55you.
15:57He will work beyond the reach of your
15:59imagination in the measure that his
16:01power is at work in you.
16:03In other words, it's the yieldingness to
16:05the Holy Spirit. Come and do as you
16:07please.
16:09My biggest problem is when I think I
16:11know what he pleases.
16:13And then I invite him and try to direct
16:16his hand because I know I know exactly
16:19what revival looks like.
16:24That's when it doesn't work out so good.
16:27Because we end up with copies and clones
16:30of what God is saying, what God is
16:31doing.
16:33And when in fact he's trying to raise up
16:35a people that will trust him with
16:36something new.
16:38Something that's not been done before.
16:41It'll always have traces of previous
16:42moves of God, but it'll also have a new
16:45expression.
16:46It'll also have something very profound
16:48and powerful that is to be released into
16:50the earth.
16:52And he looks for a people that he can
16:53trust. You know, why why does God seem
16:56to always move
16:58in places where they don't know what
17:00they're doing?
17:02I mean I'm serious I'm serious.
17:05I'm serious. You You look at You look at
17:07the great places of the outpouring of
17:09the Spirit of God. They didn't know what
17:10they were doing.
17:11And I think that's what qualified them.
17:14Really, cuz they wouldn't mess it up.
17:17They wouldn't mess it up.
17:18You got this little group, you know,
17:21meeting in this church and they just
17:22praying God shows up. They don't know
17:24enough
17:25to mess it up.
17:35What's the one meeting
17:37that nobody knew enough to mess up?
17:41There was one meeting nobody knew enough
17:44to mess it up.
17:46It was Acts chapter 2.
17:49Nobody knew enough.
17:51Uh Acts chapter 3, they knew a little
17:53bit, but Acts chapter 2, they didn't
17:54know anything.
17:57And suddenly there's a sound.
17:59Suddenly a sound came from heaven.
18:03Suddenly there was a sound.
18:05No one was expecting it.
18:08They didn't know what to expect.
18:11Suddenly there was a sound.
18:14There appeared to them divided tongues
18:16as a fire.
18:18There's wind swirling around the room.
18:22Wind and fire.
18:24Where have we heard that before?
18:27Hebrews 1 talks about the angels as
18:29ministers of wind and ministers of fire.
18:32There's this angelic presence that seems
18:34to just fill this room. Nobody knows
18:36what they're doing.
18:39They were all filled with the Holy
18:40Spirit began to speak with other tongues
18:42as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance.
18:44And then it goes on and says, "When the
18:46sound occurred, the multitude came
18:48together and were confused."
18:51You want to know what the signs of
18:52revival are? I'm going to give it to you
18:54right now.
18:56They were confused. I'm serious, they
18:57were confused.
18:59They were confused.
19:02People say, "Well, you can't speak in
19:04unknown tongues in front of
19:05unbelievers." Well, you should have told
19:07the Holy Spirit that.
19:16>> He He didn't read that interpretation.
19:21They said they were confused cuz they
19:22heard them speak in their own language.
19:23Then they were all amazed and they
19:24marveled.
19:26It goes on to say they were amazed and
19:27perplexed. And finally it says others
19:29were mocking.
19:31Those are the signs of revival.
19:33Mocking, confusion,
19:36perplexity.
19:39That's just a good move of God right
19:40there.
19:42And they didn't know enough to direct
19:44God.
19:47They didn't know you can't speak in
19:48tongues in front of unbelievers. They
19:50didn't realize that.
20:06So what are you here for?
20:12Something happened. Jesus set the
20:14standard for us that is really quite
20:16remarkable.
20:19When he was baptized in water,
20:22he came up out of the water.
20:25And the Holy Spirit came, rested upon
20:27him in the form of a dove and remained.
20:41Doves are very
20:42skittish
20:44birds.
20:47And if you actually have one on your
20:48shoulder,
20:50you've got to move around pretty
20:51carefully
20:53so you don't frighten them,
20:55send them away.
20:58I ask people all the time. I say, "What
21:00if I have a dove sitting on my shoulder,
21:02how am I going to walk around this
21:04room?"
21:06Every step will be with the dove in
21:08mind.
21:11Every movement will be to protect that
21:13which I value most, which is presence.
21:17This idea of an open heaven
21:24Jesus lived in it continuously.
21:27And he was the prototype for your life
21:29and mine.
21:34The Bible says that the Father is
21:36jealous for the spirit who lives in you.
21:38What demonic power can block the
21:40fellowship of the Holy Spirit in you and
21:42the Father in heaven?
21:43There is none.
21:47For me to think that I live under a
21:49closed heaven when in fact the Father is
21:52jealous for the spirit in me and there
21:54is no demonic power that can block that.
21:57For me to live thinking of that I'm
22:00living under these closed heavens
22:02is to live is is to actually entertain a
22:05lie and empower the lie. When you
22:08believe a lie, you empower the liar.
22:12The Lord I believe would teach us
22:14through the presence of the Holy Spirit
22:16on our lives teach us what it is to live
22:19in this open heaven.
22:22It it's not there's
22:24there's there's such a thinness between
22:27this world and that one.
22:29There's such a
22:31it's it's I don't know, it feels like
22:33it's getting thinner.
22:36There's there's such a merging of these
22:38of these worlds.
22:41I'm sorry. So abstract, but there's just
22:44there's this this this consciousness of
22:46the spirit of God
22:49who was released from heaven through an
22:51open heaven.
22:53The heavens opened and the dove came
22:55upon Jesus. He came through an open
22:58heaven. And when the spirit of God comes
22:59into your life, he comes through an open
23:01heaven.
23:03There is no war between God and the
23:05devil.
23:07That wouldn't be a contest.
23:09It would be no contest, the infinite one
23:12against the finite one.
23:14No, it's always been against the powers
23:16of darkness and those made in his image.
23:21Jesus became a man
23:24and defeated the powers of darkness on
23:25our behalf so we could step into his his
23:28grace and his victory.
23:31All right. The Holy Spirit lives in me
23:36for my sake.
23:38He comes upon me
23:40for yours.
23:43The Holy Spirit lives in you for your
23:45sake.
23:46But he comes upon you
23:48for the sake of the people around you.
23:51The point is is to be a person that he
23:53would rest upon
23:56qualifies us to live in a realm of the
23:58impossible
24:00that we could learn no other way.
24:08For our For our lives, there's natural
24:10and supernatural. For God, there's only
24:12natural.
24:18That That was a really good point
24:19yesterday.
24:20It's It's too late. You missed your
24:22chance. It's It's too late.
24:25There's There's only natural. There's
24:26There's only one realm for him. It's all
24:28his natural.
24:31He doesn't have to crank it up to do a
24:32miracle.
24:35He doesn't have to believe extra hard.
24:37He speaks, things are created.
24:41So, learning to be a people that that
24:44host him, that give place to this open
24:46heaven. I My prayer for you and for me
24:48we we've titled this open heavens
24:50because we love the theme.
24:55But it's pointless if we don't increase
24:57our awareness
24:59of what God has actually given us.
25:02Literally, an open heaven.
25:07It may be closed over there, but it's
25:08not right here.
25:13Your Your neighbor may have issues.
25:18But, not at your house.
25:21Not at your house.
25:25And I I just have the sense that the
25:27Lord would increase our awareness.
25:32All progress in the kingdom happens
25:34through surrender.
25:36There's no progress apart from
25:37surrender.
25:41Faith doesn't grow through striving.
25:44It grows through surrender.
25:48It's yieldedness.
25:52Many people stop short of a divine
25:54encounter because they they reach where
25:57they wanted to reach theologically.
25:59And they stop short of a divine
26:01encounter.
26:09Power
26:11is infectious.
26:14One of the most profound examples that
26:15you can find in life is the Apostle Paul
26:19when he is looking for Christians to
26:22kill.
26:23And Jesus shows up, knocks him off his
26:26horse,
26:27reveals himself,
26:29asks him why he's persecuting him,
26:32and calls him into an apostolic
26:35lifestyle
26:37where he will live with great power, and
26:39he will suffer great opposition.
26:42And he says, "Yes."
26:43Something took place in this encounter.
26:46Took several days. But, a several day
26:48encounter reacts to his blind for a
26:50period of time until hands were laid on
26:52him, scales fell off of his eyes, but he
26:55was filled with the spirit of God.
26:58There's no other explanation
27:01for how a person can go from an opponent
27:03of the gospel
27:05breathing threats, rejoicing at the
27:08persecution, and even the death, the
27:11killing of believers
27:13to have within a few day period of time
27:16have him be willing to die himself for
27:19that same name that he once persecuted.
27:22It's not because he was talked into a
27:25creed, and because he was talked into a
27:28new religion, because he was talked into
27:30a new system of beliefs. There is no
27:33explanation except that one day he was
27:36completely lost, the next day he was
27:38completely full of the Holy Spirit, and
27:41suddenly nothing else mattered except
27:44representing the Lord well,
27:46demonstrating him well, illustrating
27:49what he is like, confronting realms of
27:51darkness, and tell individuals,
27:53families, and entire cities become free.
27:56Something he became obsessed with
27:58something.
28:00We see it in the life of the Apostle
28:02Peter
28:03who denied Christ only days later to
28:05have that same experience, and to have
28:08this man who denied that he knew the
28:10Lord in front of a servant girl only
28:13days later stands in front of a crowd,
28:16preaches this gospel where 3,000 people
28:18are saved. The greatest harvest of souls
28:21ever in history up to that point was in
28:23this one moment with this man who denied
28:26Jesus one day, few days later gets
28:29touched by God, and now he's fearless,
28:32absolutely fearless.
28:34It's not something you can stir up.
28:36It's not something you can
28:38self-motivate. It is not something you
28:40can quote yourself into. You can't quote
28:42enough scripture to get yourself ready
28:45for that kind of opposition, the only
28:47possible answer
28:50is to be full of the spirit of God. The
28:52only possible answer.
28:56I did a study throughout the prophets
28:59many years ago
29:01and I tried to find
29:03actually what I did is I tried to find
29:05every reference I could find for water.
29:09Rivers, rain, pools, any kind of
29:12reference for water.
29:14And I found that the prophets would
29:15often use water
29:18to symbolize something. They would say,
29:20for example, when there was famine or
29:22there was a curse on the land, they
29:24would the prophets would begin to
29:25prophesy that God would cause a great
29:28outpouring of rain, that there would be
29:30pools in the desert, etc.
29:32And it was like
29:33famine, the answer is rain.
29:36And then there'd be another occasion
29:38where they would be Israel would be
29:39threatened by their surrounding armies.
29:42Their morality had collapsed, had
29:44fallen. They were had become prey to
29:47these enemy nations and the Lord would
29:49speak to them through the prophets that
29:51he was going to cause rivers to come
29:53down from the heights and he was going
29:55to cause great outpouring of of of water
29:59uh on on his people and on his land.
30:01There would be pools in the desert.
30:03There would be rivers in high places.
30:05Just the strangest language. And I
30:08finally started to realize that when
30:10there's political crisis, when there was
30:12moral crisis, integrity issues, when
30:15there was famines, when there was war,
30:18all this stuff, he had the same answer
30:20for everything. It was water.
30:24And I came to realize there really is a
30:26cure-all.
30:29He is the rain of outpouring.
30:33He says in Hosea, "I will come to you
30:36like rain.
30:38I will come to you like rain."
30:41And he is the personification
30:43of rain, of outpouring. And he is
30:46announcing to us that listen, it doesn't
30:48get complicated. Regardless of the
30:50issues in life, the real answer is more
30:53of him. It is a divine encounter. It is
30:56the outpouring of presence, the
30:58outpouring of power, not that which we
31:00can control for our own ministry sake.
31:03Not that that which we can control for
31:06our own reputation sake. But instead, we
31:08become vulnerable to that presence and
31:11to that power. We become impacted by his
31:14purposes and his will. It's not so much
31:17my passion to have my dreams fulfilled
31:20as it's my passion to fulfill his
31:22dreams.
31:23Something happens in the heart, in the
31:26burning heart of someone who starts
31:28tasting of the one who dreams impossible
31:31things, who who has who has hopes and
31:33visions for planet Earth that are beyond
31:36anything that you and I could ever think
31:37of. You and I could ever dream up on our
31:39best day.
31:41That's what he thinks about constantly.
31:44And he just looks for people that he can
31:46truly possess.
31:49I shared this with you before. I'm going
31:50to actually end with this thought cuz I
31:52don't want to go long.
31:55There's a great prayer in the Bible by
31:57John the Baptist.
32:00He prayed,
32:04"I must decrease,
32:06he must increase."
32:09It's a great prayer in that it
32:12represents truly a humble heart.
32:15The what we're wanting is we're wanting
32:17all of him.
32:23But technically, it's not a legal prayer
32:25for you.
32:28When John the Baptist prayed, none of
32:30him,
32:32none of himself, but all of God,
32:36is when there was the turning
32:38of the page of a new chapter.
32:40We'd be going from law
32:42to grace. It'd be shifting from the
32:46prophets that warned of contamination of
32:49sin to the New Testament where Jesus
32:51prophesied the contamination of
32:53righteousness.
32:55In the Old Testament, you touch the
32:57leper, you become unclean. In the new,
32:59you touch the leper, the leper becomes
33:01clean. Everything shifts in this moment.
33:04And there was the turning of the page.
33:06There was the turning of a chapter.
33:07There was a a shift in the seasons.
33:10And because John the Baptist was the
33:12greatest of all Old Testament prophets,
33:14yet he prophesied the least in the
33:17kingdom, the least in this coming season
33:20were greater than he was.
33:23And because he prayed this kind of a
33:25prayer,
33:26he was able to say, I have to just
33:28decrease and disappear from the scene.
33:31He must increase. But when Jesus came,
33:34he was not looking for you to decrease.
33:38He came as the light of the world and
33:40before he left, he said, you're the
33:41light of the world. It's not time for
33:43you to decrease.
33:45I'm I'm I'm not talking about
33:47emphasizing or exaggerating human talent
33:50or, you know, selfish ambition, any of
33:53that stuff. I hate that stuff. But what
33:55I'm saying is he's not looking for none
33:58of you in all of him. He's looking for
34:00all of you
34:02to be immersed in all of him.
34:05He's looking for people who are
34:07completely possessed with the presence
34:10and the spirit of God so that every
34:12living breath is not hyped, it's not
34:15forced, it is the most natural offering
34:18of pleasure to God that we seek to bring
34:22him pleasure, demonstrate his presence,
34:24his power, his kingdom, and watch
34:27nations of the world finally turn to
34:29Christ, be saved in a day, and nations
34:32transformed by the presence and power of
34:34the Lord. It comes by a people that are
34:36truly possessed by the spirit of God.
34:42Verse four, rebuilding cities.
34:45That was the target God began with when
34:48he began to fill people with the spirit.
34:52It was the target.
34:54He was saying, "All right.
34:56All right, so you've never dealt with
34:57addiction, but guess what?
34:58I'm going to put the spirit of God upon
35:00you in such a profound way. I'm going to
35:02have you talk with somebody who's bound
35:03by addiction.
35:05You're going to bring freedom.
35:06That fullness of the spirit on you is to
35:08bring freedom to them. And that person
35:11that becomes free, they are going to
35:12become stable. And as they become
35:15stable, they will become the rebuilders
35:18of broken cities. But it all starts with
35:20somebody saying, 'Holy Spirit, come.
35:23Baptize me anew. Baptize me afresh. Fill
35:27me with your spirit.'
35:30Many people
35:32stop short of a divine encounter because
35:34they're satisfied with good theology.
35:37They're happy with meeting whatever
35:39qualifications they may have for being
35:41filled with the spirit.
35:43Well, I pray in tongues. Well, I do
35:45this. I do that. Listen, the point is
35:47is there power coming forth from your
35:49life that sets captives free?
35:52That's the issue.
35:53It's the issue. The Holy Spirit's in you
35:55to comfort you, to bring peace to you,
35:57to give you insight, all that stuff.
35:59That's for you. But this spirit of God
36:01who comes upon us, that is for us to
36:03bring about transformation in the events
36:05and and stuff around us. That's the
36:07purpose. It's measurable. The fullness
36:09of the spirit is measured by impact.
36:14In Acts chapter 2,
36:16we know that they were filled with the
36:18Holy Spirit. It's a
36:19extraordinary chapter. It's a
36:22Pentecostal's
36:24favorite chapter.
36:26It's where there's this outpouring of
36:27the spirit. It's extraordinary.
36:30But, in chapter 4, it happens again.
36:34And it's anywhere from
36:35some will say two to maybe
36:38as many as 5 years after the day of
36:40Pentecost.
36:43And so, we've got some of the same
36:44people that are in Acts 2 that are
36:45rocked, where thousands are added daily.
36:50They're in the same experience
36:53a couple years later. What's the point?
36:55As you're a broken vessel, you leak.
36:59Old-timers used to put it this way. They
37:00say, "Stay under the spout where the
37:02glory comes out." You know, that's
37:04that's how That's the whole deal. It's
37:05just you just stay under in that place
37:08where the spirit of God comes upon you
37:09continuously.
37:12My testimony yesterday is wonderful,
37:15but it is no excuse for the absence of
37:17hunger today.
37:19Anytime yesterday's experience erases my
37:21hunger for today,
37:24I've cho- I've chosen where to level
37:26off.
37:28When in fact, the Lord has invited us
37:30into
37:31this relationship
37:33of being filled with the Holy Spirit,
37:35ongoing
37:37filling of the Holy Spirit
37:40actually becomes necessary
37:42for us to demonstrate who the Father is.
37:48I don't think it's possible.
37:50In fact, I'm confident
37:51it's not possible
37:53to adequately display the love of God
37:55without power.
38:01I I love the practical stuff. I mean, I
38:03do. I I I love I I mean, and I do mean I
38:05really love. I love
38:07giving the sandwich to somebody that's
38:09hungry and giving the coat and the shoes
38:11and the stuff that the people in need.
38:13This is what we love to do. This I love
38:14this.
38:18But, without power, they're still bound.
38:21Their belly may be full, which is
38:23important.
38:24But the addiction that's that got them
38:26to that place of brokenness has got to
38:28be broken.
38:29Somebody's got to come in
38:32filled with the spirit of God that
38:33breaks that thing off and knows how to
38:35end this cycle of maybe it's five
38:37generations of poverty. Just break it
38:40off. God has given the ability to make
38:42wealth to every individual. Anyone who
38:44will just turn their hearts to him and
38:45say yes.
38:46He gives the ability and then he reveals
38:48the purpose for wealth, for prosperity,
38:50for blessing.
38:52It's unto something.
38:53It's never about accumulation. This This
38:55kingdom that we live in is so different.
38:58So different. You You You
39:01You're exalted by going low. You become
39:04filled by becoming empty. You
39:07It's just It's just a different kingdom.
39:10It's just a different kingdom, but he
39:11welcomes us into this kingdom where
39:14there is conflict and understanding that
39:17enables us to understand.
39:19It's a It's a It's the strangest thing.
39:22You realize
39:23abundance is measured by what you've
39:25given away, not by what you have.
39:28Fullness. Give me those two water
39:31bottles down there.
39:32Thanks, sir.
39:34So we've got two water one water bottle
39:36that's full, the one that's almost full.
39:39This is legal to sell cuz it's full.
39:43This one
39:44has been tampered with.
39:50This is legal to sell. It's full, but
39:52it's not really full. In fact, it's not
39:53full until it overflows.
39:56It's overflow. That's That's what
39:58reveals its fullness.
39:59The fullness of Holy Spirit is never
40:01measured by what you have. It's measured
40:02by what overflows you.
40:04It's what It's measured by what
40:06overflows.
40:08See, this kingdom is a different
40:09kingdom. It It completely functions
40:11differently.
40:13It's not by what I contain. It's not by
40:15what I keep. It's what I release.
40:17It's what I give away.
40:21Because we've been summoned and called
40:25to do greater things than Jesus.
40:27It If it If it wasn't in the Bible,
40:31that would be the worst thing you could
40:32possibly say.
40:34To do greater things than Jesus. But
40:36Jesus himself announced it. Greater
40:39things than these shall you do.
40:42You can't do greater till you've done
40:43the same.
40:50There are many believers who
40:53in in this day and age have
40:55a greater faith for the return of Christ
40:58than they do in the power of the gospel.
41:01And what I mean by that is the return of
41:04Christ is
41:05beyond glorious. So, I never want to say
41:08or do anything
41:09to dumb that down.
41:12But what is a frustration to me
41:15is that many people have a faith for the
41:17return of Christ because they believe
41:19that the only thing that can fix this
41:21world is not the power of the gospel we
41:23preach, but the return of a military
41:25invasion of God to set things in order.
41:28In other words, the confidence isn't in
41:30the message we've been given.
41:36Can an individual life that is
41:39absolutely in utter ruin, can it be
41:42saved?
41:43Not just forgiven. Can it be restored?
41:47Restored.
41:48Place of sanity. Addictions broken off.
41:52Have a healthy family. Have a healthy
41:55lifestyle.
41:56Can it happen to one?
41:58Then can it happen to his family?
42:01Can it happen to his family line?
42:03What about his neighborhood?
42:05City?
42:06You see the point. The point is is the
42:09power of the gospel
42:11is what is needed to re-embrace
42:15tuning our tuning fork to the one sound,
42:19the original sound that said,
42:23"Do what I taught you to do.
42:25Teach everyone under you to do the same.
42:27Have them to teach those that they raise
42:29up to do the same. Don't change the
42:31standard. Get the tape measure out again
42:34and do it the way you were instructed to
42:35do it. Lay hands on the sick. Don't
42:38worry about how good you do. Don't worry
42:39about how bad you do. Just obey what he
42:42said to do. I don't have the right. I
42:45don't have the luxury to change the
42:47assignment to what I know how to do
42:48well.
42:51Most people's ministries are defined by
42:54what they do well.
43:03Most people when they try to figure out
43:05their ministry is, they just try to
43:06figure out what they're good at.
43:09Not what they're called to do.
43:12Now, I'm good with you doing what you're
43:13good at.
43:15But don't do it at the expense of what
43:17you're called to do.
43:19Well, I pray for the sick, nothing
43:21nothing happens.
43:22Find out why.
43:24Just don't change the assignment.
43:29Well, I pray and I don't seem to get
43:30breakthrough.
43:32Pray longer.
43:35Get up earlier.
43:37Go to bed later.
43:39Skip a meal. You won't die.
43:45I shared this a concept quite a few
43:48years ago
43:49and I've kind of had this
43:52this dream
43:56of you and me coming together in this
43:58room
44:00and we've got our teams that are
44:02so gifted and anointed to lead us
44:05and we worship.
44:08And love
44:09the instruments and I love the
44:11vocals. I love all that part.
44:16But in reality
44:19I won't worship here
44:21beyond what I worship outside of here.
44:25And there's a sound.
44:28There's a sound that we carry into our
44:30city.
44:31It's a sound of a yes. It's the sound
44:34can I say of a melody
44:36of a of a yes to Jesus
44:39that is seen in your countenance. It's
44:42It's heard not because you sing over the
44:44fence to your neighbor, but it's because
44:46of your kindness. There's a sound
44:48released. It's because the way that you
44:50attend to that person that's in need. It
44:53It There's a sound released. There's
44:55something that happens in a city when
44:58this many people multiplied by all the
45:01other houses of faith in our city, when
45:03that wind of God begins to blow, it
45:05blows across the wee the reed of that
45:09saxophone and it releases a distinct
45:11sound that causes people to stand that
45:15never would have asked the question.
45:17They stand and they say,
45:20"What must I do to be saved?"
45:23How did they get there?
45:25I don't know. There was a sound.
45:28There was a sound. There was There was a
45:29yes with 120 that somehow became public
45:33and it changed the atmosphere of an
45:35entire city.
45:37And I believe that God is creating a
45:39sound over Redding.
45:42It's a unique sound. And all of the
45:43cities that you're from
45:45every yes in private becomes a yes in
45:48public.