Empowered Preaching: The Necessity of the Holy Spirit

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I want to suggest to you that what we do need is Gospel preaching but we need that preaching to be done in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now I don't know what Peter was thinking uh as he was writing this but I'm sure immediately lots of thoughts flooded his mind when he even mentioned that having preached the gospel to you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. [00:02:57]

Peter had the privilege of preaching the gospel to his own countrymen to a great crowd that were gathered on the day of Pentecost and he preached with unusual power a holy spirit Power, so much so that the results were quite tremendous 3 000 people converted in a single day. Now I don't know about you, but I I don't know how Peter slept that night. [00:03:13]

I remember two holy women who used to come to my meetings. It was delightful to see them in the congregation when I began to preach I could tell by the expression on their faces that they were praying for me. At the close of the Sunday evening service they would say to me we've been praying for you. I said why don't you pray for the people there was pray for souls to get saved. [00:05:10]

I need power I said to myself why I thought I had power. I had a large Sunday school and the largest congregation in Chicago there were some conversions at this time I was in a sense satisfied but right along these two Godly women kept praying for me and their Earnest talk about being anointed for special service set me thinking. [00:06:14]

I asked them to come and talk with me and we got down on our knees they poured out their hearts that I might receive the anointing from the Holy Spirit and there came a great hunger into my soul. I didn't I didn't know what it was I began to pray as I never did before I really felt that I did not want to live if I could not have this power for service. [00:07:51]

I went to preaching again, the sermons were not different, I did not present any new truths and yet hundreds were converted. I would not now be placed back where I was before that blessed experience if you gave me all Glasgow, it would be as the small dust of the balance. Now that's Mr Moody's testimony. [00:09:41]

The first thing I want to stress is the value of the prayers of Godly sisters. We're we're glad that we've got this group of men praying together but Brethren we've got to get the sisters praying we really need it desperately it seems to me that that the Hannas have always been there when Revival is needed most. [00:10:43]

Often sisters can discern what we cannot discern in our busyness for the Lord, that is that we're often powerless. You see we're working, messages are being preached and yes occasionally very occasionally souls are being saved and we can be smugly satisfied, because as men were activity driven and if we're busy and if we're working we feel like we're doing what we should be doing. [00:11:36]

We need to yearn for the fullness of the holy spirit in our lives so much so that we cannot bear the thought of going on as we are. Moody called it a hunger in his soul. Lord give us that hunger in our souls for divine power Upon Our Lives in service that's what he had he had this hunger and he he couldn't just get go back to the way it was. [00:12:22]

Many a preacher has had similar encounters. Lloyd Jones very used of God in London twice in his ministry he had those encounters where he felt like the presence of God was so real he had to ask him to stay his hand and he preached with unusual power as a result of these things men like Jacques troop from Scotland Douglas Brown from London. [00:13:43]

It seems to be Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 19 realized in an individual life remember he prayed for the Christians at Ephesus that they might be filled with all the fullness of God and it seems to me that these crisis moments these men experience a the fullness of God like they've never known before and it changes their preaching. [00:14:13]

I believe that that is the difference and so as we pray together this evening it's the eve of the Lord's Day some of us are going to have the responsibility to preach kind of preaching is it going to be is it just filling a busy schedule is it another meeting in a full calendar is it a meeting where maybe Discerning sisters will will see there's great business but there's no power. [00:13:26]

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