Empowered by the Holy Spirit in Trials

1. "I've come to believe, over the years, that most people don't really pay attention to our lives and our witness as Christians when we're going through good times. When you got a good job and a new house and driving a new truck and you're running around and you get to take vacations and your life is glorious, doesn't seem like a lot of folks pay attention as you witness for Jesus. But here's what I do know. When you're going through difficulty, when one of your teenagers goes crazy, and it seems like they all do, when your family's in a time of struggle, when you've lost your job, when things are getting difficult at home, when you're in a situation where you're home, can I tell you, the people around you, that's when they're watching to see, is Jesus really real in your life?" [55:33] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "The persecution you're going through may be the very means of the Holy Spirit moving through your life and the needs around you. See, I've come to believe, over the years, that most people don't really pay attention to our lives and our witness as Christians when we're going through good times. When you got a good job and a new house and driving a new truck and you're running around and you get to take vacations and your life is glorious, doesn't seem like a lot of folks pay attention as you witness for Jesus. But here's what I do know. When you're going through difficulty, when one of your teenagers goes crazy, and it seems like they all do, when your family's in a time of struggle, when you've lost your job, when things are getting difficult at home, when you're in a situation where you're home, can I tell you, the people around you, that's when they're watching to see, is Jesus really real in your life?" [55:33] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "The whole book of Acts is about what the Holy Spirit of God can do through us as the church when we allow him to. So I'm grateful for the singers while ago and the voices and the ability to play an instrument because I can't play a kazoo. But here's what I do know. It's not the voices and the instrument that make the difference. It's the spirit of God, the anointing of God that's on them and moves through the church. It's still the spirit of God that makes the difference today. And even in times of difficulty and persecution, it's the spirit of God that makes the difference in those moments in our lives." [01:01:04] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "You don't know where God's going to use you. You think God's put you in some place that's dry and a desert and it's the sun's out and it's hard and it's a difficult place to live for Jesus. You don't know where God could use you. You're not standing beside a dirt road in the Middle East somewhere, but wherever you are, listen to me. I don't care who you are. If you're a believer, God can use you where you are. You may say, well, I've been through some difficulty. My family's died. Somebody here's gone. This is, I've lost my job. God can use you where you are." [01:12:55] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "The amazing conversion ought to lead to amazing life and ministry. In your life this morning, the amazing, can you remember when you got saved? Can I just ask you a point blank question? I don't know. You don't have to answer me out loud, but look around in your heart. Cause there was a time when I'd have sat where you sat and the preacher asked this question. I would have been the one going, Hmm, I got to think about that for a minute. Do you know for certain that you've trusted Jesus Christ as your savior? Do you know for certain that you're saved?" [01:20:04] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "If you're a believer, God can use you where you are. Will anybody say amen? That's you. That's not you. Oh, I know God could use Philip because he's in the New Testament. So are you. I believe we still live in the days of the book of Acts. It may be, chapter 3,492, but we better be in where the Holy Spirit's working still in the New Testament church. At least that's where I want to be. I want to be in a New Testament church where the Spirit of God, where the Word of God reigns supreme and everything is directed by the Holy Spirit of God and God still uses us to see people saved and discipled and ready for heaven one day." [01:14:32] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "You can be a missionary in the school system. You may not be able to go and preach Jesus out, but boy, you can present Jesus in such a way that you can do use that as a mission field to present Jesus through the way you live and the conversations you have. You can cause those conversations to happen. A lot of folks in the healthcare industry, you can cause those conversations to happen. You can go to Harvard Clinic or Atrium or Advent or wherever you're at in independent dot box. You can go there and you can be a missionary for Jesus where you are." [01:24:29] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "The whole reason you're sitting here this morning, hearing this sermon is Jesus is trying to speak to you. The Holy Spirit's trying to speak to you to say, God wants to do something in your life. It's not for me to preach a sermon. It's for you to hear the spirit of God say, I want to do something in you. And you say, well, I'm too young. No, you're not. David was probably a teenager when he killed Goliath. Well, I'm too old. Moses was 80 when he led the children out of Egypt into the promised land. You ain't too young. You ain't too old. You're not male or female. Cannot stop you from serving God. If you give yourself to God, he will do incredible things through you." [01:18:58] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "The persecution you're going through may be the very means of the Holy Spirit moving through your life and the needs around you. See, I've come to believe, over the years, that most people don't really pay attention to our lives and our witness as Christians when we're going through good times. When you got a good job and a new house and driving a new truck and you're running around and you get to take vacations and your life is glorious, doesn't seem like a lot of folks pay attention as you witness for Jesus. But here's what I do know. When you're going through difficulty, when one of your teenagers goes crazy, and it seems like they all do, when your family's in a time of struggle, when you've lost your job, when things are getting difficult at home, when you're in a situation where you're home, can I tell you, the people around you, that's when they're watching to see, is Jesus really real in your life?" [55:33] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


10. "The whole book of Acts is about what the Holy Spirit of God can do through us as the church when we allow him to. So I'm grateful for the singers while ago and the voices and the ability to play an instrument because I can't play a kazoo. But here's what I do know. It's not the voices and the instrument that make the difference. It's the spirit of God, the anointing of God that's on them and moves through the church. It's still the spirit of God that makes the difference today. And even in times of difficulty and persecution, it's the spirit of God that makes the difference in those moments in our lives." [01:01:04] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)