Empowered by the Spirit: Living Boldly for Christ

"Here's why you are saved once you're saved you have the Holy Spirit but now the spirit has to be given some amount of leeway in your heart to do what he wants to do like I've explained many times I won't go to details when I got saved at an early age early teenager 12 or so 13 um God didn't have all of my life." [00:01:08]

"Boldness boldness it means outspoken and unreserved in utterance the freedom of speech with frankness and Candor and courage but there's another word too the Bible when it looking up the definition also cheerful so see that's the that's really if you think you're bold but you're kind of mean your boldness might need a little fixing your boldness might needs might need a little finetuning because boldness is not going to come from an arrogant angry like let me show them." [00:07:43]

"Then Peter then Peter what verse 8 through 12 but wasn't Peter already filled yes he was isn't that interesting he was in the upper room he was already filled the Holy Spirit made that crystal clear tongues as of fire on them and and spoke out with boldness so why why are they why are they repeating that again I mean what's the point there well there's got to be a point and that's why Paul said be filled with the spirit in other words submit to the working of the Holy Spirit." [00:12:11]

"Boldness for the truth fills you isn't that interesting so you're filled with the spirit and you're supposed to be bold and when you are bold for the truth even when you don't feel like it that's going to fill you there are some ways you can fill this spiritual gas tank we'll get into in just a minute but you have to have boldness for the truth." [00:22:07]

"Turn from sin and pursue Holiness turn from sin and pursue Holiness did you know the first mention of worship in the Bible actually the first two has to do with obedience Abel offered his sacrifice he worshiped God he offered Abraham worship God by providing his sacrifice his son we because we think of worship what do we think of what we just did and that's a form of worship but when a person worships God it's really their lifestyle obedience obeying God pursuing Holiness." [00:40:09]

"Prayer and worship fills the reservoir of the heart prayer and worship they they fill the gas tank think of your gas tank in your car prayer and worship let me add fasting in there absolutely because it's hard to pray and worship if we're always feeding feeding on King's stomach we have to take a break of that appetite sometimes and just pray and worship." [00:44:11]

"Ask ask for the fullness of the spirit ask for that Luke 11 9-13 he talked about how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask now commentators on are divided on exactly what this means there could be a few different views but the bottom line is he's saying ask about the Holy Spirit there's got to be a an asking there ask for the fullness ask for the fullness like many have before many Christians throughout the centuries have asked for the fullness have sought the fullness have wanted the boldness and they they pursued God if you don't seek it you might not find it and you definit won't receive it." [00:27:21]

"Desire to do God's Will and pursue humility desire to do God's will because he's not going to fill you if you're going to do your own will and that was my problem in the 20s like here's what I'm going to do and I would pray now and then I would give maybe a little bit you know I go to church Christmas Easter maybe maybe a couple other times please my mom I'm quenching and grieving the spirit here's what I'm going to do here's where I'm going to work I'm going to retire at this age here's how I'm going to live my life like Lord come and bless this it doesn't work he says first let me break you and then I can bless you because now you want to go my direction instead of asking me to go in your direction he will not do that God will not change course." [00:31:59]

"Holiness shakes the foundation of evil it is what God wants us to do to pursue Holiness to pursue righteousness oh I won't get a lot of amens you might not like what I say but you'll know what I meant you need to get your life holy and set apart for God not perfect get back up and fight again nobody walks in here perfect today but there's a difference between those who walk in broken and those who walk in filled with pride the Holiness doesn't Holiness Shake everything it shakes up the religious system True Churches from fake churches it shakes up the governmental system it shakes up everything in your life wholly pursued of God and then you twoo can cry out like Isaiah my my eyes have seen the king of glory the fullness of the spirit praise God repentance turns you in the right direction and Holiness keeps you in the right direction that's how they work together." [00:44:11]

"Boldness can be harsh uh anybody use sandpaper well thank God for all of those things we need them because what do they do they smooth out they remove things they they wake thing people up and that's that's the point of boldness and it is hard it it's it's hard to be bold and find that balance between boldness and love so you have to ask maybe this morning you need to ask say Lord I want the fullness of your spirit I want more of you and less of me I I I want to be bold with my friends or my workplace or maybe if you don't want to be bold pray that you have some boldness." [00:29:15]

"Boldness is not going to come from an arrogant angry like let me show them it's going to come from a heart that's been broken before God spending time with God and I and as we look and that's what I think a lot of the boldness comes from at least from this church is the more time we're in God's word the more time we we we we we we focus on that we worship out of that reservoir of what's been building comes the boldness comes the boldness to confront our culture and whatever Administration is in office doesn't matter we we have the boldness to confront." [00:08:31]

"Peter filled with the Holy Spirit John P Hill is a commentator he said the the verb used the verb used filled the word filled is only used for special moments of inspiration Luke is therefore presenting Peter as giving a prophetic speech like Isaiah or Jeremiah directly to the leadership of the Jewish people calling even the high priest you guys know I know how how this is so I mean we're bold but this is like yeah going before uh North Korea or China the the presidents and and telling them that they're and it cost Peter's life eventually but he called even the high priest to repent of his sin of killing the Messiah the high priest who would go into the holies of holies and represent the people and bring in the blood of the the the sacrifice and Jesus is the Fulfillment of that that high priest he's calling to repentance because you don't truly know the Messiah and that's why fullness equals boldness fullness of the spirit equals boldness we are filled to be bold." [00:22:07]