Thank you. The same series continues. We have been diving into the Holy Spirit and how He's the best, right? And how He's the greatest gift that God has given to us other than salvation through Jesus and relationship.
He gave us this gift. And we get to have relationship with the Holy Spirit. He's a really great personality. We talked about that the first week.
And He also gives us supernatural power. And last week we talked about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And people responded at the end of the service and got baptized in the Holy Spirit. And there are so many testimonies of people experiencing manifestations of the Spirit.
When I say manifestation, I'm talking about physical experience of His power. And so people were praying in tongues for the first time. There's people that are going, man, I can actually, I'm having dreams and visions. I'm experiencing Him.
I'm hearing His voice more clearly. This is wild. And then there's also people that left experiencing none of that. And there's, and I think the tendency is, let's just celebrate all the good stuff, but then not actually address, but there's people that left discouraged on Sunday night.
What I want to focus in, I really feel like tonight is a hinge moment for us as a community. As we look back on last week and the week before and we go, okay, yeah, Holy Spirit is such a great gift and we're stepping out and we want baptized in power so that we can share the gospel. And that's amazing. I didn't experience something or I did experience something what I was hoping for.
And we have to sit in the tension of that. But then I want us all to know whether you responded last week or not, you are going to sit in tension in the next couple months. Because as a community, we're going to continue to dive deeper into the things of Holy Spirit. So we're going to go after the prophetic, we're going to go after healing, signs and wonders, miracles.
We actually want to dive deep into these things and we don't want to just hear about them. We actually want to step into them. But when you step into them, there's failure. How many of you have ever prayed for someone?
Raise your hand and then they don't get healed. Raise your hand. Man, what's your deal? Listen, no, we have to get anchored in something that's not based in circumstances, right?
Whether you hit up against a wall or whether you saw the manifestation, whether you're on cloud nine and you're going, man, I saw this healing. I saw this dead person raised from the dead. It's like, wow, that's amazing. Come on, that's awesome.
Or then the 99 people that you prayed for next didn't get healed. You could be right on the clouds and then crash and burn really fast if you're not anchored on something. If you're not anchored in something that's stable or you could stay just in the valley. You're discouraged.
I didn't see what I was hoping for. I'm feeling sad, upset, disqualified, whatever it is. And you just stay there. And then you just try to forget about it.
Those are the two ditches that is that's in front of us on this topic. Can we see the manifestation or we don't? So the question is, how do we anchor ourselves? Turn to 1 Thessalonians 5.
1 Thessalonians 5. What I want to propose tonight is that manifestation or not, we get to have the same reaction. And that is Thanksgiving for truth. Thanksgiving for truth.
What that means is I didn't see the manifestation. Somebody didn't get healed. Somebody I stepped out delivered a word. It was totally off.
There's been probably hundreds of times where I stepped out in faith and tried to deliver a word of knowledge and it was totally off. That's my story. We take steps of faith, get hit in the face. And then or, man, I just totally read that person's mail.
They're weeping on the floor of caribou. Like this is awesome. And either way, I leave and I go, man, I thank you that this is what's true about me through what Jesus has done. That is what we get to react to.
All of our circumstances, I'm giving you the punch line. The punch line is you get to be thankful in all of the circumstances of either you're seeing it or you're not seeing it. And you're not thanking him for the lack of manifestation. You're thanking him for the truth that dictates your life, even when you don't see it.
First Thessalonians 5, we're going to pick up here. We're going to pick up here. Where do I want to start? Verse 14.
Paul is writing to the church of Thessalonica. He got kicked out of Thessalonica because all the Jews didn't like him that were religious. And so he sent his son Timothy, his spiritual son Timothy to do the dirty work here in Thessalonica. And he's writing to the church.
And he says this, I urge you brothers, admonish the idol, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Look at this. Verse 16.
Rejoice, as many of us have heard this before. Rejoice always pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances. And look at what he says about these things.
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for who? For you. But I just want to make sure that I don't miss his will because I don't want to mess it up. And I want to make sure my calling is fulfilling my calling because if I mess up my calling that I'm not in his will and then if I don't marry the right person, I'm not in his will and it's all going to be messed up and my kids are going to be ugly.
And we're so consumed with I've got to get his will right. And then Paul says this is the will of God for every single one of us in Christ Jesus. You rejoice always. You pray without ceasing and you're thankful in all circumstances.
But what about when I, man, I think that was the fifth time that I've wanted to experience an activation of tongues and I've stepped out again and I didn't experience it again. But what about the circumstance where I prayed for my family member and they didn't get healed and then I prayed again and they didn't get healed and then they started throwing up some more. But in that circumstance, so you're telling me I should be thankful in that circumstance? I think that we, as we sit in the tension, we have to look at this and go, I read it, but man, that's hard.
And we just look at that for real, okay? Before we dive into what about the people that aren't seeing the manifestation, all of us, I want to talk to the people really quickly if you did see a manifestation this last week. Let's say you started seeing signs and wonders this week. We haven't even talked about healing.
You're like healing the sick, like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, be healed. You're like walking into hospitals. You're like shh, the ER, like nurses are like, what? I guess I'll take a break, you know, right?
If you saw a manifestation last week, what do you do now? What do you do with that? Okay, you start praying in tongues for the very first time. Now you're going, okay, what do I do?
What's next? The first thing that you do is you rejoice always. You rejoice and joy usually is verbalized. So what I want to encourage you to do is actually multiply your story through vocalizing and sharing your story.
Far too often as the people of God, we take our testimony of breakthrough and we kind of keep it to ourselves and be like, man, that was really cool. And then we never share it. I want to encourage you, share your story with your community, your family, your friends. You have to share your story because in your story, it's going to get multiplied because that's what the word testimony means.
It'll actually get multiplied in the Greek. That's what it means. It has the potential to get multiplied when you share a testimony. And so it's important that you share your testimony.
Why? Well, you share your testimony at community and then there's the acquaintance that you can never remember their name, right? And they keep on showing up the community and you're like, shoot. I've asked them their name four times and I still can't remember it, right?
But you go, I'm going to share my testimony even though I can't remember their name and half of people's names. I'm just going to share what God's doing, right? And you share the testimony, then that acquaintance will call her Jenny. Jenny gospel seed, right?
See that? Jenny listens to it and she's like, man, I've never experienced anything like that before. That's really cool. And Jenny calls Joni, her older sister, and they grew up in Houston, Texas.
And so she calls up her older sister and is like, yeah, it was crazy. There's this wild story. This person actually started praying in tongues. I know that we didn't, you know, that seems kind of weird to us because we didn't grow up like that.
But yeah, like I know a person that prays in tongues. Isn't that crazy? And then Joni is like, wait, what? And then she starts reading her Bible in first Corinthians in Houston.
And then she starts reading and she's like, oh my gosh, wow, I wonder if this really is real. Lord, if this is really real for me, I want to experience it. Lord baptize me in the Holy Spirit. She gets baptized in the Holy Spirit, starts praying in tongues.
She starts diving into healing and stepping out in power. She walks into downtown Houston where she works and she starts going to work. Oh my gosh, there's my coworker. What happened?
Don't he's like, what happened to your arm? He's like, yeah, you know, they share the story. Okay. She's like, can I pray for it?
The cast, they cut the cast off. The person gets healed, meets Jesus, gives their life to Jesus in downtown Houston in a skyscraper. And then they start sharing the gospel with their family. And they start telling their wife and kids and their mom and dad about Jesus.
And it all started because some person that forgot Jenny's name actually shared the testimony of praying in tongues last week. Your testimony is so important and so valuable. But oftentimes what happens is we're so compassionate, right? As the people of God, we're like, oh my goodness, the person next to me just shared that they're having a hard time and they believe for something and then it didn't happen.
And I don't want to discourage them by sharing my testimony that I have and then we'll just kind of tamper it down and not share it. I want to encourage us as a community that we're mature enough to rejoice with those who rejoice even when we're not seeing the breakthrough and we're mature enough to hold our breakthrough and then sit in the tension of somebody else's process with them as a community because that's what family does. Okay? Can we do that?
It's okay to celebrate and then it's okay to weep with those who weep and be in grieving with people. So I want to encourage you as someone that's experienced some type of breakthrough, you get to rejoice with those who rejoice. Secondly, what you get to do is you get to pray more and pray for people more. Pray without ceasing.
Start talking to the Lord more. I want to encourage you, pray in tongues every day. If you speak in tongues, if you pray in tongues, pray in tongues every single day. It's really good for you.
Remember we talked about the body's soul spirit that has positive impact on all three. God's given it to us as a gift. So we should use the gift. Can you imagine how many times as parents you give your child a gift and then they never play with it and they never use it?
It's like, wow, I just spent so much money on that gift. That was like a $300 gift and it's sitting there. And the father's going like, actually that costed God blood to give that little gift to my kids and they're just kind of going, yeah, whatever. Yeah, it's kind of, it's kind of weird.
And then we forget about it for months at a time and the Lord's going, I've given this to you as a strengthening mechanism in daily life. So I encourage you, pray more and pray in the spirit more and then pray for people to get baptized in the Holy Spirit just like you got baptized in the Holy Spirit. Next be thankful in all circumstances and anchor yourself on when I'm not seeing the breakthrough. I'm just going to believe the truth.
Okay? So turn to James one with me really quickly. James one, I want to look at verse five. This is a continuation for the people that saw breakthrough.
Are we okay? This is really important. James one verse five, I'm going to start reading it. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to him.
But let him ask in faith with what? No doubting. For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that's driven and tossed by the wind. For that person, but not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.
He is double minded and unstable in all his ways. Whoa, that is like, all right, James, it's a little intense. As he's writing this, I picture James remembering the story of Peter walking on the water. Do you remember that?
Peter is walking on the water and he starts out kind of like, okay. And then he's like, hey, Jesus, right? And he just kind of like starts marching. And then he actually gets to Jesus.
It says that Peter got to Jesus. And so then Peter and Jesus are walking together. Now if you remember, the wind was blowing. There was a lot of wind happening before Peter even walked out of the boat.
And so the wind never stopped. But then Jesus is walking with Peter, Peter is walking with Jesus. And Peter changes his focus and he starts looking at the wind and the waves. And it captures his attention and it seeds doubt and fear.
And Jesus addresses the doubt that he's experienced in the moment. And Jesus is going, you literally just walked on water. What just happened? Why are you giving yourself to little faith and doubting when you literally just walked on water and we were walking together?
And you changed your perspective and looked at what you bought the lie that was in the garden. Did you remember the lie that Satan fed Adam and Eve in the garden? Did God really say? And I have a concern for us.
Maybe we saw him in a fast station. Maybe you started praying in tongues for the first time this last week. And the enemy's strategy is to seed. Did that, was that really God?
The same lie from the garden of Eden that it started all of what we're living in in terms of the brokenness of the world. Did God really say that? Was that really God or was that something that you just fabricated? We actually have to anchor ourselves in.
No, this is what it says. This is my anchor of truth, the anchor for my soul. This is what Jesus did. That's the anchor for your soul.
Jesus going into the holy of holies pouring out God blood, applying it to the mercy seat, washing you clean, going into heaven, giving a gift. The Father sends down a gift to you. This is the anchor for your soul. You have to say no matter the manifestation, I'm anchored in reminding myself of what's true.
Okay. We're not going to be those that are driven and tossed by the wind and we're going to continue to stand. Okay. What about those people that?
Okay. Yeah. I didn't think so. Thank you for giving in all circumstances.
But hello. I didn't expect. What am I supposed to be thankful for? I didn't experience it.
And then there's certain circles in the body of Christ that go, um, you didn't experience it because you're the power of life and death and you're not speaking enough life. So stop being discouraged and start pushing that discouragement down. And just kind of like stuff it. Stuff the discouragement, be speaking life, because that's how you're going to see breakthrough.
And what happens is we start whitewashing discouragement. polishing the discouragement with I'm just gonna speak life I'm just gonna white knuckle it and the Lord is going um That's not how this works Do you guys remember that the message of mustard seed faith from a couple months ago? And I highlighted how David was the man after God's own heart and what did he do most of his life? He just vomited everywhere emotionally He's literally like God why have you forsaken me over and over like chapter after chapter, right?
And then you look at the heroes of heaven and Hebrews 11 and all of the inductees their lives were just messes Is that true? Man like actually looked at every single one of them and they were all Jack up. Is that right? But the Lord is saying here.
This is the strategy be like David and be honest and authentic. How many of us are tired of religion? I'm good. I'm happy.
I'm doing great, and we're tired. We're tired of it. All we want is something real So you be real before him stop putting on an axe stop trying to have it all together Just be real and authentic and honest if you're discouraged and be discouraged with him If you're depressed and be depressed with him see what happens is if you start turning to the Lord In your brokenness. Oh, there's something special that happens Can you imagine the enemy watching?
Okay? I got him this time. They just smack right up against a wall Oh, yeah, I'm gonna put this mountain in front of them This is gonna be impossible for them to get through and then in your discouragement instead of growing offended you turn to him. Oh Man, that's offensive and violent.
That is violent spiritually. I'm feeling discouraged Who do I turn to when I feel discouraged? Oh the one who gets me? God and you start turning to the safe one that knows you and is known you since the beginning That is spiritually violent that even in your brokenness.
It creates more connection and more intimacy in the pain So we throw up the pain or the discouragement. So if you didn't experience something, it's okay to be wrong honest and real Go Lord what the heck I want I want experience everything that you have for me I just desire this and I'm just it's discouraging that I didn't experience it Yeah, talk to him about it be honest and real Next what you do is you lift up your chin, right? We've talked about this before you lift up your chin and you look up and you lock eyes with him And this is what happens when you look up at him and you lock eyes you start realizing that he's worthy of worship You start realizing that the whole purpose of why you even wanted to experience gifts Why you wanted to experience the supernatural is because he's worthy You start realizing that it's not about you you start realizing it's about the first and second commandment you lock eyes with him and you go Now I remember it's not about me and when I gave you my life. I actually got crucified with Christ It's no longer I who live but I actually died to self-focus self-righteousness self-religion self-pity I died to all of that see I was forgetting and making all of the gifts and everything all about me and now I'm remembering that it has nothing to do with me and it has everything to do with you being made much of and famous and Me loving you and loving and receiving your love and then loving people and having you made known to the world We got to take our eyes off of our I feel bad.
I wanted it and The immaturity we're gonna mature past the feeling sorry for ourselves and go this I'm reminded that this is all about love because I know that lovers out last workers every time Lovers out last those that are obligated and out work those that are workers all the time be a lover first and Don't get so distracted with the things of God that you forget the main thing which is him right and then you get up James one we're going back there James one. Let's look at verse two. Oh, man. This is a doozy James one two Count it all joy My brothers when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that that listen to this testing of your what?
faith Testing of your faith maybe some of you guys feel like your faith is getting tested because you're not seeing something manifest and You're going I'm not seeing what I'm believing for Okay, let's read on know that the testing of your faith Produces steadfastness. I really like that word. I like what? Steadfastness That's uncommon in America in 2020 Verse four and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete lacking in what nothing?
Whoa This is great now every time that you don't see a breakthrough. It's gonna build your steadfastness in faith You want to know what dangerous faith is the steadfast kind? The most dangerous type of faith is the faith that just doesn't stop the most dangerous type of faith is the is the faith That gets knocked down and gets back up again. How many of you have seen how many of you have seen like the three or four year old kid and And they're running full speed and they slam right up against the wall They just slam into the wall face plant right into the wall and then hit the deck boom Okay, and the adults are watching they're like oh my gosh And then the kid looks over at the dad and then the dad looks over the kid and the dad is like nods out I'm like yeah, you're okay, and then the kid goes like Right, how many have you seen that?
Have you seen that before? I? Think we need to look back up at the father and go am I okay? Are we okay?
I believe that there's a people that are that are rising up that are bounce back kids I believe there's a people that are mustard see faith people the ones that are going man. I'm not gonna take no for an answer I'm gonna persevere. I'm gonna actually be steadfast. I'm not gonna let up off the gas I get hit I get back up again I am the one that keeps on going over and over and over and over again I have steadfastness as a part of just who I am this is just me.
I always get back up I always have fight I always have grit. It's just what I am It's just who he made me to be when I look at the hills and I see the boulders. I go man That's my call. I just move mountains.
Yeah, the seat is small, but it's strong Yeah, the seat is small, but it just keeps on going it doesn't let up I see it in all of you. You are the perseveres. You are the ones that never let up you never give up in faith You always anchor yourself in the middle of the waves. You go.
Oh wait. Yeah, there's some wind but I'm anchored on truth Yeah, oh man, I hit up against the wall, but I always get back up again. It's just who I am God's calling us out as a family that doesn't quit That are like the persistent widow that we just keep on coming now. We're wearing this stuff out I don't know if you if any of you have kids, but there's those kids where they're like I want to cookie and I will not be denied and It takes a strong person to hold your ground because they just wear you out I'm getting worn out this week, right?
Because there's this desire. There's this longing There's an earnestness and I believe that all of us. This is our portion all of us You have it inside of you. You have the hunger for more You have the I'm never letting up fight All of my a's are in the house you have the fire in the grip and the strength inside of you Maybe you don't feel it, but I promise you it's in there You are capable of far more than you know You're capable of going through the most hellish things and coming up on the other side leaning and in love I've seen it again and again and again lovers Always outlast workers You're rising up you're lifting your chin if you don't see the healing you get back up again, and you're not as much focused on Oh, I feel bad.
I feel sorry Why didn't I see this and you're focusing on all of what you haven't seen what you're focusing on is I see in the Bible That you poured out God blood and that as you poured out God blood as you were on the whipping post and there was stripes Going across your back and the skin getting ripped out of your back for healing for people in my city I have an indignation for the injustice of sickness in my city because this is the ground that you already purchased for me I have an indignation that it's not okay that I'm not hearing you clearly as a son or daughter of God because I'm a sheep And I know my shepherd's voice and I know that there's people that are experiencing accusation day and night night and day getting kicked While they're down over and over and over again since they were little demons lying to them again and again and again They wake up look in the mirror lie after lie after lie. I need to know his voice I want to know his voice so I can articulate it to the person that's getting accusation and kicked while they're down Who's gonna be the voice it's gonna speak hope and identity and truth over those that are the hopeless and the weak and the frail And the beaten up in our city. It's only the ones that are hungry that say I'm not taking note for an answer that I'm gonna be persistent Because it's not about me. It's not about me having some experience at the altar.
I love that's amazing. We love you God That's awesome. No, it's about them and it's about him because he's worthy. Oh, you took those whips and the nails You took it all You purchased men for God You are worthy of the highest praise and honor You are the one that deserves adoration from those That we're getting kicked year after year after year and you deserve them standing by your throne and Looking up with love in their eyes and saying thank you for saving me Thank you for setting me free from the slavery that I was in.
Thank you for setting me free from the slave master of my past we We were always destined to be bounced back kids to get back up again to not beat the night. I Since I Sense in this room that there is a grit and a hunger That's not selfish That's actually founded in the love of God that goes far beyond you having good Experiences in God There's real people in all of our lives and we pursue God and we love him with all of our hearts and even the obedience that doesn't seem Sexy or flashy your obedience actually means something your hunger actually means something not just before the Lord But it also means something up for them and I want us to I just felt in worship tonight There's no more time to pay in the play in the pig slop of Luke warmness we have we have to Rise out of Self-pity we just have to rise out of it. Throw it up lift up your chin. This is more.
This is This is not about you, but man, he loves you, right? It's this do it's this thing where he's like oh, it's all about you and I love you and you're the best and he's the father that delights in you But I believe it's it's my call tonight to go, but there's more. I don't care whatever season or stage your hand Let's all stand we're gonna just respond to the Lord tonight