In John 7 a ritual with water was being observed during the last day of a great feast when Jesus spoke up;

John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,  “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Jesus issues the invitation; “if you’re thirsty, if your bone dry, if you’re dehydrated, if there is a craving inside of you that needs to be satisfied, come to me and drink.

And when we drink not only would we be satisfied but there would be more than enough flowing out of us to others.

Jesus followers are the people of the living water.

Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you withwater for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you withthe Holy Spirit and fire.

Jesus wasn’t bringing a new tradition.

Jesus wasn’t bringing a new ritual.

Jesus wasn’t going to be just the new teacher with the new thing.

Jesus wasn’t going to start a church that would fight over buildings and carpets and paint on the walls and music.

Jesus wasn’t going to build a new kind of Noah’s ark to keep us all safe from the bad bad world.

No. He was coming to baptize people with the holy spirit and with fire. A Baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire; it would be the essential and primary thing that Jesus would do in us. It would be the mark on our lives.

Jesus talked a lot about the Holy Spirit. The great word that describes the Holy Spirit is the word “helper.” John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth…

The Holy Spirit is going to take on the role of doing at least six things in your life.

He connects you to the regenerating power of the cross and the resurrection.

He is a revealer. The Holy Spirit teaches you in the ways of God.

He empowers you to reach a lost world. Acts 1:8

He gives us gifts to serve his people - his church.

The Holy Spirit satisfies us.

In a sense the Holy Spirit is the emotion of God.

Here is a well-traveled belief that blunts this reality of Holy Spirit baptism – that you have been saved mainly so that you can go to heaven. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a ticket to heaven.

If I could put the baptism of the spirit in a sentence, it might be like this; it is the extraordinary power and presence of Jesus filling you for Jesus exalting, living and serving.

Out of you, Jesus follower, shall flow rivers of living water.

With Acts 2:37“Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Believe, and identify with Jesus and you too will be filled with the spirit.

Last week we started the series by talking about the revival at Asbury seminary in Kentucky and other revivals. The one common thread was this; God comes where he is wanted.

The outpouring of the Spirit breaks and smashes and pulverizes in a minute years of blindness and unbelief and sin.

Couldn’t have God picked out a better place than Kentucky for a revival? Shouldn’t this have happened at a strict Baptist college? Or conservative fundamentalist church? Or a mega church?

But it didn’t. It happened at Asbury when after a chapel service people lingered - and prayed - and the spirit fell. God comes where he is wanted.

Today’s big thought; the outpouring of God’s spirit is a roof raising, Jesus lifting, awe-inspiring, Devil defeating, community shaking, and kingdom building movement birthed and carried out by God’s hand.

Acts 19:1  And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inlandcountry and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized inthe name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

So, the story starts in the humblest of ways; Paul shows up and he finds a few believers, but these believers were followers of John the Baptist. They hadn’t even really heard of Jesus. Paul baptizes them again, but this time he baptizes them in the name of Jesus. These disciples are now identifying as Jesus followers.

Paul now goes to his next strategy which is going into synagogues and telling the Jews about Jesus Christ.

Acts 19:8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Paul goes from rejoicing to resistance.

Acts 19:11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

Acts 19:13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered allof them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.

This weird little incident gets the attention of the whole city. It is on the front pages of the paper. Everybody’s talking about the seven naked men who met a demon.

And what results? The name of Jesus is lifted up.

Acts 19:18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to in

FIRST – First Step - Trust

What is your plan to seek the king first this year?

What is you plan for leading your family?

What is your plan for the first day of the week?

What is your plan to experience God thru your giving this year?

To wrap up the series I want to talk to you about the first step that we must take if we are going to have any kind of experience with God; the step of trust.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him,    and he will make straight your paths.

The what of this verse is trust.

The who is the Lord.

The how is with all our heart.

The depth is don’t lean on your understanding.

The path is acknowledge him in your ways.

The reward is that your path will be God inhabited.

Trust is the connection to the involvement of God inhabiting and intervening in the path of your life. 

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him,    and he will make straight your paths.

But the key to God’s supernatural involvement in communicating to you – and intervening for you – and interceding for you – and inter-acting is this key commodity called trust.

What is trust exactly?

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him,    and he will make straight your paths.

This verse defines the kind of trust that God is looking for in three different ways. 

First, it is an “all your heart” thing.

2 illustrations of “all your heart” trust…

Second definition is – trust… And don’t lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him,    and he will make straight your paths.

Leaning and depending on our own understanding is one of the greatest competitors when it comes to trusting in the Lord with all our heart.

Trust is acknowledging God in all my ways. Not some of my ways.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him,    and he will make straight your paths.

There is only one part of this verse that is not connected yet. It is the object of our trust; the LORD.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him,    and he will make straight your paths.

Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped inblood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rulethem with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

 

You can trust him.

This first month this series of talks are called “first.” We are talking about priorities; things we should put first in our lives.

 

What is your plan to seek the king first this year?

What is you plan for leading your family?

What is your plan for the first day of the week?

 

Today we are going to talk about the first 10.

 

Giving stats in USA. When it comes to giving away 10% of ones finances - only 2.7% of all the people in America even do this.

 

Only 5% of church members give regularly. And households that make more than $75,000 are the least charitable.

 

The average Christian gives 2.5% of their income away.

 

Where we give as a church.

Part of our church budget goes to choices and saving babies from being aborted.

We support a program for autistic children who use our building every Thursday night.

We support a homeschooling organization that uses our building every Monday.

We support a ministry in Germany called pink door that is rehabilitating women who have been trafficked.

We are supporting state, national and international people and programs who are spreading the gospel.

We are supporting the 516 project who are helping people with little finances fix their houses.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifullywill also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiencyin all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

 

These are not my concepts.

These are not my ideas.

This is not my interpretation.

This is not my creation.

I didn’t come up with the analogy that he uses.

I’m not the one who comes up with the illustration that demonstrates giving.

I didn’t write this.

 

Let’s first start by looking at the generosity of God. Let’s pick out all the generosity words in this Scripture.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifullywill also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiencyin all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

 

Verse 8 is the key… 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiencyin all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

 

God is able to make all grace abound.

God’s grace encapsulates everything that you may ever need.

 

Let’s consider something else in this passage; the sheer practicality and normalcy of giving but with a supernatural twist.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifullywill also reap bountifully…10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

 

When you plant seeds in

Here we are the 3rd Sunday of 2023. This first month this series of talks are called “first.” We are talking about priorities; things we should put first in our lives.

 

Today I want to talk to you about giving God the first day of your week.

 

We live in an exhausting world. There are constant demands on us, expectations of us and endless responsibilities. Do you know that God cares so much about this exhaustion issue in your life that he took time to address it?

 

So what did God say? He first addressed this issue in the 10 Commandments. Maybe you’ve never looked at the 10 Commandments closely, but the first four commandments talk about our relationship vertically with God. The next six commandments talk about our relationships horizontally with other people.

 

Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods beforeme. This is a command number 1.

 

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth… This is command number 2.

 

And then we have number 3.    7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

 

And then we come to the fourth commandment.

 

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

 

And there is God’s answer for the mind numbing busyness and exhaustion we face; remember the Sabbath day, set it apart, stop working, disconnect, walk away from other things, and rest. And on that Sabbath day connect with your creator. Connect with Jesus. Connect with your family. Connect with other believers. Do this one day a week.

 

The Sabbath day is the day that we get to walk away from everything else and say to those things, “you don’t run my life!”

 

 Mark 2:27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

 

The Sabbath was made for man.

It was a gift from God for our benefit.

It was to be a day of worship.

 

Understand that the Sabbath for the Jewish people was always sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. But something happens in the New Testament era. The believers begin to meet on Sunday, the first day of the week. It was the day of the resurrection and was eventually called “the Lord’s day.” So, in a sense, Sunday became the Sabbath for the Christian.

 

My challenge to you today is to give God back the first day of the week. To start your week with God. To get back to the concept of the Sabbath.

 

But let’s go one step deeper into this.

 

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

Do not neglect meeting together. Do not neglect the gathering of Jesus followers. Do not neglect being together with the saints. Make the gathering a priority. Come to the gathering ready; ready to stir, ready to love and ready to do these things more more.

 

The gathering of God’s people has always been important. In the very early church in the book of Acts we see Jesus followers gathering together. Why? Because we are in this together. We are the community of the king. We are the light in the darkness. We are hope in despair. We are the move of God in this world.

 

Our gathering is a witness to the world. It’s a testimony that there is a group of people who are centering their lives around Jesus Christ. Maybe they

This first month this series of talks are called “first.” We are talking about priorities, things that we should put first.

 

Last week the question to you was; what is your plan to get closer to God this year? The Scripture was Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

Today the challenge is; what is your plan for passing on the things that are above to our families?

 

Today lets focus on intentionally leading those in your family to Jesus.

 

Family is the first human institution that God put together. It was before there was a church, or a country, or government. The first thing was the family and the home. And the family became the key foundation in his creation.

 

Genesis 2:23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones    and flesh of my flesh;she shall be called Woman,    because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

 

This is the simple description of God’s plan. A man and a woman who leave behind their other primary relationships to begin a new relationship, a new family where there will be a joining together on a level that will never be shared with anyone else.

 

The family is the first structure that God created and it’s a highly important structure. Your family is not on loan to you from the state.

And your family is not your little kingdom.

But your family is something very special that you need to protect diligently because it is the first basic unit where people live their life - mess that up and you get a lot of messed up people.

 

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

 

Tell me about your vision of what you want your family to look like?

Tell me what you want their faith to look like.

Tell me about the people that you’re going to put forward as heroes.

Tell me about the stories that you’re going to tell them.

 

Parents are always the spiritual leaders of their family whether intentional or not.

 

 

It one of the great Old Testament passages we have Moses addressing the priority of leading the family spiritually.

 

Deuteronomy 6:1 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

 

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

 

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

 

What is being passed down in the family is the greatest thing that you will ever pass down as a parent or a grandparent. We are passing down the greatest story, the greatest news, the greatest heritage, the greatest knowledge, the greatest relationship, the key to all blessing, the key to all knowledge, the key to all living, the key to the abundant life, we are passing down the good news of Jesus Christ.

 

And notice in these verses that the passing down of the knowledge of God is important;

We are to talk about it when we are in the house.

We are to talk about it wh