Wow! Thank you! What? Wasn't that a great song? Come alive! Step out of that grave this morning, whatever it is.
Hey, we want to pray this morning, and man, I'm just so thankful that you're here. Get ready, God's got some amazing things. We had 12 people baptized in the last service.
Listen to this: one man woke up this morning, hadn't been to church for years, said, "I heard God say, you need to go to church today." He said, "So I googled. I didn't know where to go to church. Didn't know where to come." Raised his hand, gave his heart to the Lord, in his street clothes was baptized in water, giving God glory.
You can't script those things, guys. That's God, and he's here. He's here in such a wonderful way. And I know some of you are here today and you're carrying a heavy burden. Maybe you're not feeling well. You know, there's crazy stuff going on, and I know some people are watching online, not feeling well. Or maybe you got a bad report this week.
But I really felt like early this morning, and I just keep hearing that again. There's somebody here or somebody that's watching online, and you just have had the feeling all week long, "I'm just inadequate." I mean, there's something you want to do. There's a person you want to be, and you feel like you're down here, and you're just feeling inadequate.
Would you allow Holy Spirit to touch you today and wrap his arms around you and tell you that you're more than enough? You need to cease your struggle and forget those words that somebody has said to you in the past and just say, "You know, in Jesus, I'm okay."
Say it with me: "In Jesus, I'm okay." Look at your neighbor and say, "You're okay." And that's just not a trite thing. I really felt like you needed to hear that.
But also, we want to acknowledge if we have a prayer need. Maybe you're sick or you've had a bad financial report. Maybe you've had a bad financial report this week or maybe you just had a relationship crisis, maybe in your marriage, maybe with your kids.
I can just feel, I can sense when people are carrying burdens. And sometimes it just really weighs me down heavily. And I felt that all day today that people have come. In between services, I just felt like calling someone who I hadn't talked to for years, and neither had been saying, "You need to call." And just as I called, she said, "Wow, what a time for you to call because my husband now is in the hospital. I said, hospice, and we're just waiting for him to go home. If there's ever a time I needed you, it was now."
And I just thank God because I feel that same way this morning that maybe you're here and you say, "You know, I just need somebody to help me pray about this because I can't do it alone."
So if you have a need, here's what I'm going to ask you to do. I'm not going to embarrass you. You're not going to have to say anything. If you have a need, just raise your hand and hold it high. Whatever prayer need it is, just keep it up. Don't be ashamed. Don't feel bad.
Now, if you see a hand up, would you go by that person and lay your hand on their shoulder, on their arm, and would you just pray for them? We're going to pray one for another right now.
Father God, we come to you and we pray. Lord, I pray for the hands that are raised here, and I pray for those that are watching online that might have a need right now. God, we just pray that no one should have to carry a burden. No one should have to carry whatever we're carrying in our heart alone today.
So I just pray, Holy Spirit, that you'd come near and you would touch. This is not just a fill-in. We're not just going through religious motion, but right now, Holy Spirit, you're working a work in people's hearts.
We thank you for what you've done. We thank you for who you are. We thank you for your presence. We thank you for resurrection power, that no matter where we feel like we're dead, we can walk out of that deadness this morning, and we can be alive, and we can kick whatever's in our way to the side path and say, "Yep, we're going to keep walking for Jesus, walking for Jesus, walking for Jesus."
Wow. Man, I just sense his presence in such a special way. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
Well, if you believe that the Lord hears prayers and answers prayers, would you give the Lord a hand clap? You may be seated for just a moment.
We're going to pray for and honor this morning someone that's been very dear to us. So, Lacey, would you come on up and Anita and our pastors? And I'd like to ask anyone who is active or retired law enforcement, I'd like for you to come and join me on stage too. Active or retired law enforcement, whatever agency that is from down here to federal or whatever, just come on up. We want to pray.
This is Lacey. She's just now a deputy for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Would you give her a hand?
Not supposed to tell things like that. Well, you know, it's not easy for a single mom to go through all that she's gone through to be to this place. And I just knew that you would want to join me today in praying for her and honoring her.
And I'm thankful. Lacey Turner, look, these are law enforcement people that I want you to see their face because there'll come a time when you might need them. And even standing behind you, right? Retired from the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Wow. Who would have known, right?
And we just rejoice. So Pastor Ben, would you take the mic and would you pray for her as we lay hands on Lacey and pray for her right now?
Oh, yeah, you got a mic. I forgot to. Pastor Tim. Pastor Tim. Amen. Let's give Lacey a hand. Ushers, pass the bucket. Watch this video.
Well, thank you, sweetie. I don't know if I need that or not, but we'll see. How to pray for the lost. That's really good. I don't want to lose that.
Hey, if we haven't told you, Anita and I just love to tell you how much that we love you, how much that we don't just say that lightly, but we consider it an honor that you're joining us on this journey called Living for Jesus, right?
Well, I love that, Tim. Just want to yell the name of Jesus. That would really be good.
Hey, let me just mention a couple of things. I'm going to say a couple of things before we jump into the word. First of all, I want to say thank you for all the birthday gifts and the cat cards that I received. That just really, and I saved a lot of those. I love to save the funny ones for when I have a bad day to reach down there. And I got a couple I might share. I mean, they're borderline funny. And so we'll see. And I got some inspirational ones I shared. They're great.
Hey, look around, first service was jam-packed. This service is probably three-fourths full. Easter's coming, and you know what it's like. So again, this year, we're gonna have three Easter services. We will give out tickets. You'll need a ticket for the Easter service, and we'll have three. That way, you can also use it as an invite to someone to say, "Hey, I saved you a seat. I've got you a seat for Easter."
And today, of course, is baptism at the end of the service. If you've never been baptized, we'd love to baptize you. And if you were baptized the other day in the mass baptismal, almost 50 people, and the certificates are out front at Ask Me out there, and life groups sign up today, okay? Is that awesome?
Wow. Colossians 1 and 11, let's jump in today. Colossians 1 and 11, that's our theme verse we've been looking at. Pastor Kevin will be with us next week, and he'll tie everything up together, and we're looking forward to that.
Colossians 1 and 11, do you read it out loud with me? In fact, if you read it out loud with me, if you're not too tired, would you stand in honoring the word and just read it? And his word is to be honored.
Let's read it together: "May you be energized with his explosive power from the realm of his magnificent glory, filling you with great hope."
As you're standing, let's pray.
Father, we love you. Man, we just sense your presence. Thank you today for the 12 that were baptized, for those that gave their heart to you. Thank you, Lord, in this service, for everyone you woke up and brought today. They made an investment in this day. Some have been working six days. Some will have to go to work this afternoon. And Lord, we just, they wanted to put you first and honor you with this day.
So Lord, when I teach this word today, I take that in account, and their sacrifice, and Lord, what you've sacrificed for us. So Lord, please teach us today from your word. Holy Spirit, empower me to say what you want me to say. Don't let me say anything I shouldn't say. And at the end of today, more than anything else, God, we want you to be glorified. We want your saints to be built up and edified, and we want the enemy to be terrified in the name of Jesus.
Well, you may be seated. Thank you so much.
Well, we know that, just to review real quick for what we've been doing this month, that God is a generous giver. He delights in giving his children gifts. He delighted in sending his son Jesus to us, and then after that, he's sending us gifts.
We said God the Father gave us motivational gifts found in Romans chapter 12 that are our basic serving gifts, the reason why we do certain things. And then God the Son gave us ministry gifts in Ephesians chapter 4. Jesus gave the Apostle, the Prophet, the evangelist, the pastor, the teacher for the equipping of the Saints for the work of ministry.
And then we've been looking all this month that God the Holy Spirit with manifestation gifts, Romans chapter 12, and our theme passage is 1st Corinthians chapter 12, verses 7 through 11. You can follow along with me, and your notes are on the screen.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. To one is given the word of wisdom through the spirit, to another word of knowledge through the same spirit, to another faith by the same spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same spirit, to another working of miracles. Boy, don't you love these gifts?
And to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and we'll come back to that this morning. That's where we're going to really talk about. And to another the interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same spirit works all of these together, distributing to each one individually as he wills.
Before I jump in to talk about the interpretation of tongues, I want you to know that I'm talking about the beauty of your prayer language, heavenly language, whatever you call that.
Today, I just want to talk first of all that discerning of spirits is really a gift that we need to allow Holy Spirit to manifest in our life. Discerning of spirits helps us to know the root cause of something or to know what's really working in somebody's life, whether that's the spirit of God or that's just their own natural spirit or whether it might be some sort of demonic spirit behind that.
So in light of that, let me just say right now that it's very important for you and for us to acknowledge that gift. We're a fairly large church and we're growing every week. We're growing and more and more people are coming. And as that happens, I just want you to know the pastors and myself can't control everything.
And maybe sometimes people come in and they've got a new venture they want you to be part of. A new multi-level marketing, a new business, the newest and the best thing that you need to try. And we've got good givers in this house. And some of you have the gift of giving. And some of you are successful businessmen and successful businesswomen.
And I've been around long enough to know that you can become a target to some people. And also, sometimes people use my... and say, "You know, Pastor Terry said" or "Pastor Terry uses this" or whatever there is.
Let me say, we haven't given anybody permission to ask you. This is a safe place. As I said, this is a safe place for the gifts. We want church to be a safe place where you're not... where you don't feel pressured or guilted into something or somebody doesn't spiritualize something to you, like "God told me to ask you for."
Look, here's what I know. Time out. Time out. If God spoke to them to speak to you, then guess who else God spoke to? Me, right?
So, let me teach you a word that it's all right to say, "No, not interested." No.
Now, we do that because we want you to... I want you to obey what the Lord has for you. But sometimes, there may be a good cause, like saving stray kittens. And somebody said, "I want you to join our cause."
Well, it might be a good cause, but when you discern the spirit, maybe it's not good soil of the individual to sow into. Do you understand what I'm saying?
So, I didn't know how important this was until a lady came to me between services and she's crying. Said, "Thank you for making this a safe place. A safe place."
So, here's what the pastors and I have prayed about. That if somebody does you that way, feels like they're guilting you, putting pressure on you, please come and talk to one of our pastors. And we'll call those people in with the elders. And we'll sit down with them. And we'll say, "You can't do that here at the Father's house. This is a safe place."
People don't need to be bombarded by the newest thing. And if they persist, then we will kindly ask them to leave the church and not come back. Is that okay? We want that to be a safe place.
If you love me and that's okay, say amen. If you don't, just be quiet.
All right. Let's jump into our session. And look, we got these books that are out there on tongues, speaking in tongues. The Language of Heaven. Crucial Questions About Heaven. That's a super great book. And then Jack Hayford, probably one of the best ones, The Beauty of a Spiritual Language. And I'd like you to use those, get those, because they'll really help you.
So, let's talk today about this gift, various kinds or different kinds of tongues.
Number one. We need to understand the gift of tongues. The word tongues there is the word glossolalia, which simply means to speak. If you want to write that down, it just simply means to speak another language.
And personally, praying in the spirit, praying in my prayer language, praying in tongues, however you would like to describe that, has been a real source of power in my life. And look, I've been around long enough. This is not my first rodeo.
That I know some of us, whew, my chair's lost its power. I haven't gained any weight, I lost, okay?
So, some of you have come from backgrounds in which you've seen an abuse of Holy Spirit gifts. You've seen an abuse of tongues. You've seen sensationalism. Some of you come from a background where you were taught that it's no longer a matter of words.
Some of you have come from a background where you were taught that it's no longer for us, that it's not of God. And so what we're going to do today is that we're just going to look into the scripture, not what Uncle Billy Bob said, not what somebody else said, not what some cessationist said that the gifts of the spirit no longer work, but we're going to look at the scriptures that are still alive today.
So let's break this down. Tongues is, in your notes there, is the spirit-energized ability to look this pray. Who doesn't want to pray more? Worship? Who doesn't want to know how to worship God more? Give thanks and speak in the language you've not learned?
So let's examine Paul's instruction on tongues. First of all, he desires that all of us speak in tongues. Nowhere in the Bible does it say, "Speak in tongues." Nowhere in the Bible does Paul denigrate the gift of tongues, but he brings clarity to the church at Corinth that simply say, "Hey, you're doing well, but you need to be careful in your public worship service how that it's just really disrupting and it's not really fulfilling what it should be."
Look at 1 Corinthians 14:5. Paul says, "I wish you all," how many? So he's saying, "I wish you all." Somebody said, "Well, I don't know that it's for me." Paul says, "I wish you all."
And so either Paul has lost it here, or he's saying something that maybe we need to relook at again. He says, "I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied. For he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks in tongue, unless he interprets that the church might receive edification." Edification.
Second of all, tongues, Paul says, edifies the believer. Say edifies. That means, okio domio here means to build up, to construct, to strengthen. Who doesn't want to be built up?
And he said, Jude says that we're built up in our most holy faith by praying in the spirit. Some of you, I know, you know those days that you've had tough days and you're praying. All of a sudden you begin to pray in your prayer language, and then the Lord just keeps building you up and building you up.
And you're like, "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know." And at the end of that, you say, "Whew, you know, I can kick anything out of the way." Has that ever happened to anybody? Has the Holy Spirit ever built you up? If so, give the Lord a hand clap and praise and say, "Yea, God."
Look, he says, "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself." He's talking about personally. It's a personal edification. But he said in church, "He who prophesies edifies the church."
So he's saying in a church service like this, it's better to speak those words that everybody knows than to just stand up and to speak in tongues, unless there's an interpretation.
And then he says, Paul used it in his own prayer life. He said in 1 Corinthians 14:18, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than you all."
So in his personal life, this is scripture, folks. This is not outdated. Evidently, in his devotional life, he was praying, singing, and praising in tongues. He said, "That's where I am."
And then he warned against forbidding it. I've known of churches that said, "No, we will not let that happen," even in you and your personal life.
Now, there's a difference if it happens corporately. We've had to stop very rare, probably two occasions in the last 28, nine years of someone who comes and just excited about the Lord.
And then he said, "No, we will not let that happen," even in you and your... and we stand up in the middle of a corporate service. Sometimes when it gets real quiet and they just start speaking in tongues, well, I'll make my way to the stage or one of the pastors and we'll wait till they finish.
And we'll say, "Okay, according to 1 Corinthians 14, if you prophesy, if you speak in tongues in a public corporate service like this, it's okay at home, but in a service like this, there needs to be an interpretation."
So do you have the interpretation? And if they don't have the interpretation, somebody else might have the interpretation. So they're not the interpretation. And they're not the interpretation.
And if they don't, we have to just say, "You know what? According to Paul, I love you, I care for you, I think about the excitement that you have, but you're really out of order," and we ask you not to do that again unless you have interpretation.
You say people get mad? We've had one person get mad and leave, and we have another say, "Thank you for bringing me knowledge, for bringing me wisdom."
Because listen, I don't want to quench the fire of the Holy Spirit working in your life. Do you catch that? You understand what I'm saying?
But again, this is a safe place. We're going to do it according to the word. So Paul said, "Don't want anybody forbidding." 1 Corinthians 14:39, "Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy."
And then he says, "Look, and don't forbid to speak with tongues." Is he saying don't forbid? Okay, that's what we say.
Number two, recognize there are different kinds of tongues. I want to bring some help today. I've talked about Holy Spirit a lot, a lot, a lot, and I prayed, and for the last, well, six months as we've been planning this, I've really been praying, "Lord, help me to bring this topic down in such a way that we can put a handle on it and grab it."
Because sometimes when you read it and you've heard that, you've heard people preach, look, Paul said, "You know, don't do that," and then Paul says, "Well, I pray more than you all," and then, "But is it for everybody?"
And Paul said, "No, not everybody speaks in a tongue." He's talking about in the public service, so it kind of gets misconstrued. So I just really meant, because I'm kind of a simple guy, I'm not a real brainy guy. I have to work at anything I memorized when I was in school. I had to really study hard.
Anita, you know, she's the person that makes me mad. She never read a book and got an A and aced everything through, but I have to work hard. Even what I teach you, I have to work hard. I have to try to get that in my memory, have to hold that.
So I know what that's like. But as I was getting back in ready for this, I said, "Lord, give me a simple way to maybe bring some clarity."
And I feel like the Lord told me that there are really three types of languages or three types of tongues. Let me say it like that, and different species. He says there are different categories: human languages, angelic dialects, heavenly languages.
I mean, he says in 1 Corinthians 13:1, he talks about the tongues of angels. They speak. Well, I wonder what language they speak. I'm sure it's not English or Spanish. I don't know. Maybe I think that they have probably a language of their own.
So sometimes when you're praying in your prayer language, you kicked into maybe angelic dialects in which all of heaven rejoices and prays with you.
So I really feel like that there are three types of tongues here, three categories, species. There may be more, so don't hold me responsible if there's more. But I want to talk about three that I see that jumps out here.
And listen, I'm saying to you this morning, if this is new to some of you and you say, "Well, I've never heard that and I've never studied that," I'm just going to ask you to be a Berean. Take the scriptures I give you, take them home, get the books, study those.
I'm not asking you immediately today to believe everything. You understand what I'm saying? And I may not have everything down to pat the way it is, and I'm a learner. I'm still learning myself.
So I just want you to know it's okay to be you. It's okay to be where you are. But if this is going to bring power into your life, then I want you to experience this the way that I've experienced this.
So there are three basic categories, I believe. The first one is called the proof tongue. Say proof. Proof tongue. It happened once on the day of Pentecost. 1 Corinthians 14:22 says that tongues, like proof tongues spoken on the day of Pentecost, were assigned to unbelievers.
So Jesus, it was proof. When you say proof tongue, it was proof that Jesus accomplished what he said. He said, "I go away and I'm going to send you the comforter," right? We're all on the same level there. I'll send you the comforter.
So on the day of Pentecost, he sent the comforter, Holy Spirit. Let's read about that: Acts 2:1-4. "And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all in one accord in one honda in one place." Is this proof tongue picture or proof tongue? It's a good picture.
You never read that in your Bible? That's in the princess, not. "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting."
Notice they were sitting. They weren't striving. They weren't... they were just sitting. They were just sitting.
"Then there appeared to them divided tongues as a fire, one set on each of them." When I get to heaven, right? When I get to heaven, I want to see this video. I believe the Lord has archived everything on the video, and I want to see what that day was like.
"They were all, all, all, all," say all, "filled with Holy Spirit, and they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them the utterance."
Now, contrary to what cessationists say, cessationists are from the background that some of you came from a church that said the spiritual gifts are no longer for today. They have ceased, and so therefore they're called cessationists.
They teach that this was actually people in their own language preaching the gospel. Well, it was people speaking in the language of people that were there because there were all kinds of dialects.
But nowhere do you see any evidence of them preaching the gospel. If they were preaching because you see some people say, "Well, when you receive the Holy Spirit, it gives you the power to be a witness." That's what it was here, a witness. Yes, it gives you power to be a witness, but so much more than that.
But here, everyone heard them speak in their dialects, but they weren't preaching the gospel. Here's what it says: Acts 2:11 and verse 12, "We hear them speaking God's mighty wonders in our own dialects, and they were all dumbfounded and astonished." Wow.
So Paul says, so if you're going to exercise a public gift, which would be in a corporate meeting like this, that it must be, that's the next fill-in there, it must be intelligent, it must be there.
Where am I? I'm on the back page right here. It must be intelligible to the body of Christ. There must be an interpretation.
And not everyone has this public gift, just like not everyone who prophesies. That's where people pull that out and they say, "Well, Paul said, do all speak in tongues? Do all prophesy?" And he says, "No."
But he's talking about a corporate. He's talking about the use of the tongues in public. He says, "Does everybody get up and prophesy? No. Does everybody have the gift of faith? No. Does everybody have these? No." In that setting.
Because remember, he said earlier, "I wish you all did," but in a public setting, he says, "Not everybody flows in this gift."
So there's proof, there's public, but then I want to talk about personal. That's what I want to spend most of my time today, talking about the power of the personal tongue. Public, proof, and personal.
1 Corinthians 14:2. "For he who speaks in a tongue, speaks in a spiritual language, speaks in a prayer language, they're speaking to God."
What is speaking to God? Prayer.
So he says, "They are praying, they are praising, they're requesting of God." So in my private time of praying in my prayer language, praying in tongues, it's a time of worship. It's a time of extolling God's greatness with a heart full of thanks.
Paul said, "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful." He says, "When I'm praying, I don't know everything I'm saying because I'm speaking to God, and the Holy Spirit has empowered me."
But I know that I'm speaking to God. So I don't know what I'm saying, but I know he understands that. I know that the heavenlies understand that.
So he says, "Then what's the conclusion?" Just shut your mouth if you don't know what you're saying, right?
I mean, wouldn't that be, if somebody said, "I don't know what I'm saying," wouldn't you say, "Well, then you should shut your mouth?"
No, every operation that God has for us is operated by faith, and speaking in tongues in our prayer language is an operation of faith.
He says, "So when I pray in the Holy Spirit, in my prayer language, in my spiritual language, in my heavenly dialects, I don't understand what I'm saying."
So what's the conclusion? "I will pray with the Spirit, and I'll also pray with understanding. But I'll also sing with the Spirit, sing in tongues, and I'll also sing with understanding."
Wow. Let me just tell you how it works in my life. Most of the time, not always, as I begin to pray, I have a prayer list. I have prayer needs, and some of you, I pray for you.
And in the midst of all of that, sometimes I just come to the end of words to say, like the little twin Colson that is in intensive care. You know, man, I just pray and pray, and I run out of words.
And I just pray, "Well, Lord, you said in Romans 8, when I don't know. I don't know what to pray as I ought." He, the Holy Spirit, can join me, even if it's with groanings.
And sometimes it's the same way in praising God. I mean, isn't God good? I told Pastor Tim, between services, we stand there, and I looked at you guys coming in, and I looked at the service that just left, and I said to him, "You know, I just feel like I'd just like to go somewhere and just spend the rest of the day and just be in the presence of the Lord and crying, giving Him thanks, praising Him."
Because I know what I'm looking at here is a miracle. I know the people, the guy that gave his heart to the Lord and was baptized, that's a miracle.
So sometimes in my prayer, I begin, I just begin thinking how that God has brought me through so much. And I just, "Lord, you are Jehovah Sid Canu, my righteousness, holy is your name. You're Jehovah Makedesh, who sanctifies, holy is your name. You're Jehovah Jireh, who provides, holy is your name. You're Jehovah Rapha, who heals and gives health, holy is your name. You're Jehovah Roi, my shepherd, holy is your name. You're Jehovah Shammah, the God that is already there, holy is your name. You're my peace. You're my shalom."
And you, and you, and you, and I run out of words. And the Holy Spirit then, who knows the attributes of God, who knows how glorious He is.
And I'll just begin worshiping the Lord in my prayer language. Just worshiping Him, not knowing what I'm saying, but I know that the Holy Spirit is empowering me because He's seen God, He knows God, He's in His presence.
And it's just such a refreshing. And there are times, there are times when I think, "You know, this is nonsensical, really. How could this really be real? I'm just making this up."
How many of you ever felt that before? "I'm just making this up." As soon as I feel that, I know that I'm on target with God.
See, tongues is infinite. It's energizing. It's just wonderful. And this afternoon at 5:30, we're going to have a service of activating spiritual language.
Doors will open at 5. The doors will lock at 5:30. So if you're one of those people who always come late, sorry, you'll miss this afternoon. We will lock the doors at 5:30.
We're not going to video it or anything like that. And I'm not asking everybody to come. If you're borderline and you say, "Well, I've got to study about this thing," you know, then I would really rather for you not to come because I'm not going to spend time in convincing someone.
But I want to spend time this afternoon in just trying to help activate what's already in you, if you're a believer. And we're just going to take time, 45 minutes or so, and I'll probably do the laying on of hands.
And we're just going to wait on God, see what he'll do. And I believe it's going to be very beneficial. But I don't want you to come unless you feel like you really, maybe it's been a while since you've really had a release of your prayer language.
But again, it's not trying to convince him. This is an activation service. I wanted it to be in a more small setting in which people are here that really want to be here. Is that okay?
All right, number three: how to receive and grow in the gift of tongues. Let me give these to you really quick. First of all, ask in faith. Just ask in faith.
If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give, look at this, read it out loud with me, "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."
Read it again: "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask." Okay, it's not on the screen, but you know that verse. Okay, my bad, it's there. Luke 11:13 if you want to check it.
All right, how did you receive your prayer language? I just ask, "Father, I know that you sent Holy Spirit. I know he lives in me at conversion, so I'm praying right now, would you activate this heavenly language because I feel like there's more for me?"
Ask. Second of all, you just yield. Yield to Holy Spirit. Acts 2:4 says, "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them the utterance."
The Holy Spirit is not going to grab your tongue and move it up and down. No. And we're not going to give you phrases to say that will prime the pump.
Anybody been there? Yeah. But you got to yield. There's utterances, phrases. People say, "Well, you know, I know I received my prayer language. Somebody prayed for me, and I said a few phrases, but I didn't really understand."
Hello? Yes, I don't understand, and I haven't really developed it any farther. Well, you develop it farther by speaking and spending time.
But people say, "Well, I just keep saying the same words over and over when I pray." Let me ask you this: how many words does it take to simply say, "I love you, God?"
So relax. Listen, please hear me. If you don't hear anything else, hear this: people who have their prayer language, who've activated and released that, they are not more spiritually mature than if you don't.
Do you understand what I'm saying? I've seen people who speak in tongues that I wish would get sanctified.
So I want you to hear my heart. We're not pushing something that makes you a better Christian. We're pushing something that will help you to live the Christian life in the fullness of God.
I mean, if I said to you, "Here's a bicycle for your transportation if you'd like it, or here's a new Maserati with the latest and the fastest engine and loud pipes. Take your pick."
I'm going to take the Maserati because wherever I'm going, I'm going to take a Maserati and ride it. I'm going to get there quicker. Bicycles have a place, but not if I want to get somewhere quick.
In this world, this dark world we're living in, we need help. Some of you are single parents. Some of you are going through divorce. Some of you are going through pain and sickness, and you don't want to be there alone.
You don't want to be there alone. So ask in faith, yield to Holy Spirit, step out in boldness. Jesus said to Peter, "Come," and he stepped out in the water.
He wants to share with his sons and daughters. You have to give voice to what he says.
And number four, stay filled and refreshed. Be you continually being filled.
How many of you today know without a shadow of a doubt that you are a believer and the Holy Spirit dwells within you?
I want to pray today that what is in you would be activated. You know, like when you get a gift card, people give you an activation for that gift card.
The gift card has what you want, but it has to be activated. You ever got to a store and gave them the gift card, and they said, "I'm sorry, but there's nothing on this?"
Somebody didn't activate the gift card. So what I'm going to pray today is that what's already in you can be activated.
And one of the experiences of that, not the only one, we don't teach here that the only evidence of being Spirit-filled is speaking in tongues. There's a whole plethora of evidences.
But we do teach that one of the gifts, one of the signs, is that we have this new heavenly language.
You've already put within us can be activated. And nobody has to wait until this afternoon. You can activate even today or even right at home.
But, Lord, we're a church that's just hungry for you. Hungry for more of your power, that we can stand strong and be witnesses.
That we have power in our families, in our marriage, that when we pray, makes a difference.
So, Lord, I pray for every believer today that you would help them to walk in. And those that maybe this is all kind of new and different, maybe even kind of scary, maybe even weird at times, and that's okay. That's who you are.
I mean, it's kind of weird that you took spit and put it on somebody's eyes. That's really kind of weird. It's weird the way that you've healed some.
So, Lord, we don't rule out just because something's weird. It's not of you.
So, I pray that you would activate in your people today. But as you continue to pray today, I want to pray for anyone that may be here or watching online.
You say, "Wow, Lord, that sounds good." But the first step in seeing these gifts activated is that you've got to receive the best gift of all.
The best gift of all is Jesus Christ. For God so loved this world, he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life.
So, today, if you're here or you're watching online, and you've never received Jesus as your Savior, you've never surrendered, I want to pray for you. I'd love to pray for you today.
Would you just pray this prayer with me? I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand. I'm not going to ask you to walk the aisle. But I'm going to ask you to pray this prayer with me.
And after you pray this prayer, you might want to follow the Lord into water baptism. Scripture said, "Repent and be baptized."
Or also, you want to be sure you go to the first step on each side because we've got a Bible and some gifts that I want to give to you.
Would you pray this prayer together with me?
Father God, thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to die for my sins. I admit I'm a sinner in need of a Savior. I confess with my mouth, and I believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord.
Thank you for saving me. Fill me with your Spirit. I want to follow you, Jesus, all the days of my life.
Here's what we're going to do, church. We're going to go ahead and take the top off of this burial tomb right here. And we're going to bury you in water. And we're going to raise you to new life.
Those of you that are baptismal candidates, hurry. Come on down. Get ready here. Pastor Ben, the other team are going to come.
And if you gave your heart to the Lord today and you haven't been baptized, we'd love to baptize you. Wow, 12 in the first service. Looks like we're going to have a good group in this service.
Come on. Let's rejoice in the Lord, all right?
on Feb 16, 2025
