Let Us Pray - 4
Subject – The Supernatural Aspect of Being Equipped for Ministry
by Rick Welborne
Matthew 7:24-27 (NKJV)
24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
--Today, as we look at the Parade of Ministry, we must ask ourselves how can we be the most effective as we do the ministries God has placed us in. It is more than just showing up.
--Volunteering in God’s army takes commitment and it takes a willingness to give of yourselves to make a difference in other people’s lives. But it takes even more than that.
--The church is only as strong as the core group who are serving God and serving people from a sincere heart.
--Last week we looked at those who were filled with Holy Spirit power on the Day of Pentecost. The immediate result of this experience is that they began to do something they could not normally do.
--God, by Holy Spirit, enabled ordinary men and women to do and say things beyond their natural abilities. They became supernaturally empowered. No human explanation for their transformation.
--I hope you can see the connection of being involved in Life Church Ministries and being equipped to do those ministries in a more powerful way through Holy Spirit baptism and fire.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
--We Spirit-filled people have heard this verse quoted so much that we have come to the conclusion that the only reason God gave us Holy Spirit power was so we could witness for Christ.
--Let me be the first to tell you I believe that is the main reason but definitely not the only reason. Yes, the Spirit was given to help fulfill the Great Commission but we were also told to go and make disciples of all…
--Almost any story you hear of someone being used by God in some great way began by the fire of God consuming them and then they went and changed their world.
--Holy Spirit has the power to lift us above ourselves. In the disciples the same tongues who were arguing about who was the greatest and tongues denying Christ were baptized and, then, declaring the wonders of God.
--Holy Spirit is greater than all of our “I can’ts) and our failures. He can make up the difference of our lack of intelligence, talent, and upbringing. When we are available and willing…Holy Spirit comes.
--God in His wisdom has purposely chosen people who could not accomplish what He was asking them to do without His power and blessings. Why? So He would receive the glory. Spirit not flesh.
--D.L. Moody never had formal credentials to be ordained. That was why he was called Mr. Moody. He was short, stocky, and not so good looking. He mispronounced words and his grammar was horrible.
--Yet he addressed more people and brought them to Christ more than anyone else in the 19th Century. How did that happen? Moody said that the turning point was something that happened to him just across the East River.
--He was in Brooklyn on Wall Street and in 1871, just a few weeks after the great Chicago fire, 34 year-old Moody had come east to raise money to rebuild the buildings he had lost.
Moody – My heart was not in the work of begging. I could not appeal. I was crying all the time that God would fill me with His Spirit. Well, one day, in the city of New York—oh, what a day! I cannot describe it. I seldom refer to it; it is almost too sacred an experience to name. I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand. 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 should give me all the world.
--Oh, that all of us might receive, like Mr. Moody, something fresh from the Holy Spirit that revolutionizes our spiritual lives. Notice he was saved but needed more.
--Today is the day we celebrate and recognize the ministries of Life Church and it is the day we honestly try to get recruits to help in these areas.
--Start the rotation of the ministries that are working well. See all these ministries that are doing well.
--Take the list out of your bulletin and start now praying over it…fill it out. Do not mark a ministry you are already involved in…Just new ones you may be interested in.
--In a little while you will be able to sign up with these ministries…please just sign up and the department heads will call you and follow up. We are encouraging the Department Heads to make sure you are called
--What I want you to recognize about Mr. Moody was, he understood to do what needed to be done in and for his ministry he needed supernatural power. He was crying to be filled with Holy Spirit.
--A qualification we have for pastors and board members is, according to the scriptures, they must be men filled with Holy Spirit power and wisdom. Verse please:
Acts 6:3-5 (NKJV)
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit...
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit...
--Some have tried to make this into something that it is too much to require but I believe (according to the Word) I believe it is absolutely necessary.
--Since we claim to be a Spirit-filled church, I believe everyone who serves, teaches, leads, or whatever your capacity is, you should be filled with Holy Spirit.
--If you are not filled with Holy Spirit you should be asking God every day, several times a day to fill you, and if you are filled with Holy Spirit power you should be asking for more…for Him to refill you again.
--Back to Mr. Moody, he needed God to help him with his ministry and he did not have it in him to beg or to accomplish what he wanted to without supernatural help. So what did he do?
--First of all, he was crying all the time to God but for what? He was crying for God to fill him with what or really with whom? Remember Holy Spirit is not an it but He is God. To be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:14-18 (NKJV)
14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
--Mr. Moody understood that it was the will of God for him to be filled with Holy Spirit power even though I don’t think he fully understood what he was asking God to do.
--I want to share a part of my testimony that I have not shared that much. My main encounter and conversion before God was when I was 19 but when I was 16 or 17 I had an amazing meeting with God.
--My cousins were good Baptist so when I would stay with them, they took me to church. One of my cousins was a Baptist evangelist. He was trying to help me out by sharing Christ with me. I prayed.
--My cousin asked me to go with him to a youth camp and help him with setting up his equipment and any other duty that he needed help with. I told him I could help counsel with the young people. He said Right!
--I asked him how should I pray to get ready for the youth camp. I am sure he did not even know (like Moody) what he was telling me to pray for…He said, “Just ask God to fill you with power!” That’s it! Yep!
--Every day several times a day I would just pray a very simple but sincere prayer…God fill me with power! God fill me with power! Remember Acts 1:8 You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
--I was asking for Holy Spirit baptism without knowing it. About two weeks into this praying I walked into my house and went to my bedroom praying…God fill me with power! Like Mr. Moody, something happened.
--I began to pray in a language I did not know…My mother knocks on the door…Ricky, are you alright! Yes, Mom, I have been praying so long that I can’t pray in English anymore. I shut the door.
--She knocks again…Ricky, have you lost your mind? Mom, you know I never had one. Sadly, I had no one who could explain what happened to me so there was no follow through. Went downhill from there.
--I love Mr. Moody’s description of what happened to him that day and what a beautiful description of being baptized in the Spirit…
--“I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand.” How could it not be awesome when you are filled with God Himself?
Ephesians 3:16-19 (NKJV)
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
--Mr. Moody said that his sermons were not different and he was not presenting new truths but something happened supernatural…Hundreds were converted. He had received power to be a witness.
--Pastor, are you saying if I am baptized in the Spirit that all of a sudden I will be leading hundreds to the Lord? That could be possible, if you are witnessing to hundreds.
--What I am saying is that you will be more effective and more powerful to do whatever it is God has called you or assigned for you to do. Holy Spirit comes with His gifts and His fruit.
--You will have access to power, to healing, to discernment, to wisdom, to miracles, to faith, to supernatural manifestations of Holy Spirit power.
Mark 16:15-18 (NKJV)
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
--If we will be in a ministry in the church especially anything dealing with people we definitely need Holy Spirit to allow the Fruit of the Spirit to flow through us.
Galatians 5:22-25 (NKJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
--I don’t care how loud you speak in tongues or how you claim to be filled with the Spirit if this fruit (not fruits) is not evident in your life when you deal with people.
--Those who will be the most effective in the church are not those who log the most hours but did it with a bad attitude but those who walked in the Spirit letting people see their love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
--One of the most beautiful words used when it comes to Holy Spirit baptism is the word all. Some try to tell us praying in the Spirit or the baptism in the Spirit should be a quiet or private thing.
Acts 2:4 (NKJV)
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 4:31 (NKJV)
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Acts 10:44 (NKJV)
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
Acts 19:6-7 (NIV)
6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
7 There were about twelve men in all.
6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
7 There were about twelve men in all.
--Altar call.
Put up the slides for three ministries needing help. These three ministries could really use your help. You can sign up wherever you like but these three areas need people now.
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