The Spirit is left to us . The same Holy Spirit power that brought about creation , the same Holy Spirit power that empowered the Old Testament prophets , the same Holy Spirit power that helped Jesus fulfill his mission is now with the Church , with his people , still doing the same work that he's been doing for all of eternity , which is bringing beauty out of chaos .
Emeal ZwayneMark Spence and I recently traveled to the lovely Dominican Republic . I actually sat next to Mark , which I try to avoid .
Oscar NavarroSorry about that .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , I concur . Look , I've been mocked many , many , many times on this morning podcast this morning , and constantly for my many idiosyncrasies and I admit I have many , many idiosyncrasies . But today it's my turn to mock , mark . Let's talk about your travel junk , my travel junk . Yeah , mark , your paraphernalia that you load your backpack with . What do you got ? Tell them . Tell them , mark , about the thing that you hook your head to .
Mark SpenceNo , so I'll see Listen .
Emeal ZwayneI tell them about the 500 pound Ike that you have and the thing that goes around your neck , do you have the ?
Oscar NavarroIke the thera thing .
Mark SpenceYes , I'm a seasoned traveler . I've been traveling with Ray for many years . Tell them about your paper soap .
Emeal ZwayneI do have paper soaps .
Ray ComfortEasy . The Ike covers because you're there . Thank you , Ray .
Emeal ZwayneI'm sure it didn't help , mark , seriously , I mean , what do you want to know ?
Mark SpenceWhat are the ?
Oscar Navarrotop three travel accessories that you recommend to any and everybody .
Emeal ZwayneWell , the thing is is you should have seen the glee with which he displayed all this paraphernalia . I mean , it's like you remember , felix , the bag of tricks .
Oscar NavarroI feel like over the last couple of episodes Mark and I have been bonding over similarities because I'm actually with him .
Emeal ZwayneOh yeah , I think travel accessories are a necessity . Anyone who's a winner snits all over .
Mark SpenceI have these little paper soaps . So when you go into different areas because we travel overseas quite a bit and they just don't have soap , well , I want to wash my hands so I can use a little paper soap , and then it turns into Makes perfect sense to me . Good soap and then I have an eye covering . That is absolutely amazing because Thomas and Christina Pertell recommended it and I say well , this is amazing .
Oscar NavarroI could not sleep on airplanes until I got the eye cover . I call it an eye patch . Look , you have nice little eye covers , this thing it's like what they put on Saddam Hussein before his execution .
Emeal ZwayneThis thing was like . It is so comfortable .
Mark SpenceWhat was it , Mark ? It's like a pillow on your face .
Oscar NavarroYes , is that a cooling mechanism ?
Mark SpenceIt's not but it is . It is absolutely amazing . I found it on .
Emeal ZwayneAmazon . And then he has these noise canceling things , but he's putting earplugs in inside those .
Mark SpenceYeah , so I'll put earplugs in and then I put on noise canceling headphones , that's for easy also it is , he doesn't do any of that when he's not sitting next to you .
Emeal ZwayneOkay , but , mark , the best of all is that thing that you put your neck on .
Ray ComfortOh , that's so you can sleep .
Mark SpenceYeah , so you can sleep . So it wraps around my chair and then it keeps my head upright because Easy refuses to allow us to travel in comfort . So we have to be in the very , very back of the plane , in the lavatory , in the bathroom , in the bathroom .
Oscar NavarroYeah , he's got us booked downstairs with all the luggage .
Emeal ZwayneI tried to get you on the wing Mark . They wouldn't let it happen . But then there's . Is that the same thing as the one that like ?
Mark SpenceThat's a different one , In case the other one fails , you just got to travel two neck pillows . Yeah , he's got backups to his backups I do . It's for other people in case they need something .
Oscar NavarroHave you seen the pillow where it's like this giant box and you stick your hands in it and then you like , stick your hands in it while you sleep .
Emeal ZwayneOh yeah , you can flay it , right , yeah ?
Ray ComfortNow just develop a double chin , You'll be fine yeah it cannot be like Easy . I have a conviction with working out , so but hang on , talk about throwing stones at people in glass houses . The first time I travel with you Easy in New Zealand , you took everything His books , you took A library . A library . You took Matthew Henry's commentary .
Emeal ZwayneYou took the British library ? Yes , a righteous man takes righteous things . It's crazy , not silly stuff with which he hangs himself .
Ray ComfortBut hang on , you don't do that now . You don't do that now .
Emeal ZwayneI don't . Now we have electronics . Yeah , no grande barraguido que papos , whatever that means .
Oscar NavarroHe does show up , though , like five and a half hours before the plane is loading .
Emeal ZwayneThat is so true .
Oscar NavarroPoor .
Emeal ZwayneBart . I was flying with him .
Oscar NavarroBart came early , I was flying with him one time and I was meeting him at the airport and our flight was like at 7 pm and he texted me at like 5 am . Hey , where are you ? I'm here .
Mark SpenceThe previous day . I'm in bed , gotta keep your lid .
Emeal ZwayneA righteous man keeps his lid . Ray , is this giving you like trauma flashbacks ?
Ray ComfortNo , I thought if that sleeping on planes worked , I might start traveling again . Because that's my big enigma it's not being able to sleep on long flights .
Emeal ZwayneRay , if you could go on a plane that has a bed where you could fully lie down , sleep , walk around , no seats .
Ray ComfortThat's a good bit . He's getting excited . Walk around a bit . Yeah , I'd think about traveling again , but it's not . It's just like sheep you pushed into this barnyard , it's a glorified bus .
Emeal ZwayneIt's horrible . Yeah , I don't know who was it . Someone just did a 17 . Oh , it was me 17 hours .
Oscar NavarroIt was like the second or third longest direct flight in the world .
Mark SpenceWow , wait 17 hours 17 hours direct flight Direct flight no layovers .
Emeal ZwayneMark , we had a long one in the Philippines . That was about 12 .
Mark SpenceNo , I can't beat what he just did no 17 is great .
Oscar NavarroWhen we went to London together and we landed , it was 10 hours and the first thing I thought was seven more hours Wow .
Emeal ZwayneYeah Well , but you know , if you can , I actually enjoy long flights just because I can sleep and read oh boy , see , as soon as we get on the plane , easy's off Mouth open eyes closed . So do I , and my only fear is I'm snoring and people can hear it .
Ray ComfortIt's all right . It's not too many people complain when you travel with me .
Oscar NavarroIt was fun 17 hours , the girl next to me would not stop flirting with me .
Ray ComfortThat's your wife , she is my wife , yeah .
Emeal ZwayneThat's going to get cut off and used as a as is never . Along with the Illuminati .
Ray ComfortI fought her off for 17 hours 17 hours .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , but hey , the Dominican Republic , mark , how awesome was that ? Seriously , those dear saints over there that are teaching expository , they're impacting all of Latin America 100% , yeah , yeah .
Mark SpenceWell , I think God for Brother Luis , who does all the organization , the prep for an event like that . Right , but listen . God has his remnant not just here in sunny Southern California but around the world , and I'm continually amazed at the people who desire to honor God and have proper evangelism skills and invite us out to teach and to train . And people come up to us and they say I listen to your podcast , I watch your YouTube channel , I watch the television program .
Mark SpenceOur reach is far and wide by the grace of God , to the glory of God , and I'm very appreciative of that . One thing that I love .
Oscar NavarroTraveling is to be able to witness the different cultural context in which the same historic Christian faith lives itself out , and it reminds me it's a great , humble reminder that the center of what God is doing is not here in the United States of America .
Ray ComfortBecause I think that we tend to think we're the Mecca .
Oscar NavarroBut truly , when you travel , god is doing such amazing , faithful things , and to your point . So many of our listeners are overseas , so thank you to all of you . We're always thinking about you , I'm always praying for you and thank you for listening to us .
Ray ComfortAnd when you mentioned Luis , he's in charge of our Spanish division .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , he's a director of Living Waters of Spenuel and Miguel did a phenomenal job laying the foundation of that ministry for many years before he became our VP of outreach and operations . But , yeah , luis is doing a phenomenal job . And yeah , the connection with these brethren I was so excited because Pastor Suhail , who's a pastor of the church , is an Arab who grew up in the Dominican Republic . He was born and raised in the Dominican Republic , but he's of Arab descent and what a great brother . I mean , that church is thriving and they're reaching and it's great . There are 400,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel , so we have lots of people at the conference , but I think over 30,000 views came for all the sessions all together .
Mark SpenceYeah , I was surprised when I looked over and Miguel was teaching . I went on their YouTube channel and there were 600 people watching that live , live .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , A lot of thousands ended up watching it later when it was crazy . So it was great . And , friends , make sure to check out the Living Waters of Spenuel YouTube channel . It's coming up on 350,000 subscribers , which is just amazing . It's funny listening to you speak Spanish . Don't , don't , why , why ?
Oscar NavarroFor those of you who obviously realized that is not actually Spanish .
Emeal ZwayneOscar speaks Spanish for us . No , no puedo . Sí , yo sé , pero no ni no , que es banda y alguien no es burrito .
Mark SpenceOkay , friends , I understood the taco part .
Emeal ZwayneIt was burrito you got to end it with burritos . All right , friends . Here's a comment . They said a moising A-M-O-I-Z-I-N-G . That means like wow .
Ray ComfortA moising . It sounds like pop A moising . The hop between amazing and annoying .
Oscar NavarroThat's accurate , that's us , that's what it is .
Emeal ZwayneSummarize I first heard this podcast because I saw Ray on YouTube and the blessings continued from there . This podcast is theologically sound and is funny . I have only one request Can you do an episode on the different ways to open when telling someone about God and things that have helped you when doing so ? That's good , god bless .
Oscar NavarroDo we have a book Springboards ?
Ray ComfortDo we still ?
Oscar Navarrohave it .
Ray ComfortNo , that got incorporated into the evidence bible .
Emeal ZwayneOh , okay , that's a good book . That's the first book I read of yours .
Ray ComfortI read it too .
Mark SpenceI want to read one one of these
days .
Emeal ZwayneYes , this podcast is brought to you by the Ten Commandments . Don't laugh at yourself .
Ray ComfortI'll see how creative .
Emeal ZwayneI can get Ten Commandments scroll pan , one of my absolute favorite resources at Living Waters Bar . Nun , I love this .
Ray ComfortWhose idea was it Bar Bar McCurdy ?
Emeal ZwayneChristians don't go to bars .
Ray ComfortA's Living Waters Bar , that's all right .
Emeal ZwayneWe should do it . Yeah , different kind of waters with flavor Scroll pen . Was that Daniel's idea ? Whose idea was that ? Ah ?
Ray Comfortthe humble man that's too humble to say it was me .
Emeal ZwayneDid you see the humble gesture he did with his head ? That was great . Anyway , friends , check it out . It really is cool . The Ten Commandments are done in cartoon style and they're mnemonic devices that help you memorize them .
Ray ComfortDo you want mnemonic ?
Emeal ZwayneMnemonic , and don't forget to have an Insati Bible and the Living Waters podcast Mug at LivingWaterscom . Thank you , that was Oscar . All right friends . Today we are dealing with a topic of great significance who is the Holy Spirit and what does he do Now ? Why do I emphasize he ? This is a good place to start . Of all the three persons within the Triune Godhead , I believe the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood and the most misaddressed , if I can put it that way . Oftentimes when people talk about the Holy Spirit , you do hear it used in describing him , and I think that's indicative of the fact that believers unfortunately don't really fully grasp that the Holy Spirit is God , that he is a second person of the Triune Godhead , the Spirit . The Spirit Is that what .
Emeal ZwayneI said Did I say what I said ? You said second I'm sorry that would be Jesus . Listen , a meme is identifying today the third person of the Triune , godhead the Holy Spirit , father , son , holy Spirit . We can just beep it out like a castle or something oh boy , this is key , it's essential , it's important and we want today to explore who is the Holy Spirit and what is his function in the life of the believer . Let's start out .
Mark SpenceWhat about ?
Emeal Zwaynethe non-believer . Can we deal with that as well ? Yeah , yes , of course . What is the role of the Holy Spirit Period ? But let's start with the fact that the Spirit is God .
Oscar NavarroAmen . What's next ?
Ray ComfortNo , you know what I ?
Oscar Navarrothink . I think it's helpful to to consider a biblical narrative of the Holy Spirit to see how he works from Old Testament to new . And so the question of like , where do we start ? What's incredible about God and the Holy Spirit is that we start on page one of the Bible . Not just page one , but chapter one . Not just chapter one , but verse one . In the beginning , god created the heavens and the earth . The earth was without form and void and darkness Was over the face of the deep . In the spirit of God , there it is was hovering over the face of the waters . And so we start by seeing that when creation was dark , in a chaotic place , there was the spirit of God at work and there , within that context , the Holy Spirit goes to work to bring about beauty and goodness and order out of chaos .
Oscar NavarroAnd then , throughout all the Old Testament , we see the biblical authors reference the Holy Spirit as the very presence of God . He is holding all of creation together . He is moving within creation to bring about his will . His will is Reconciling the world to himself . And then in the Old Testament we see him pay for the first time Special attention and give special power to people , the first person he does that too is Joseph , when he helps them interpret dreams . The second person is a creative Individual . He empowers him to make beautiful things for the tabernacle . And then he we see him empower the prophets . And what he does with the prophets is he gives them God's perspective on what's happening in the world , and so they see the sin , this order , the chaos that's coming about because of the things that Miner is doing in the prophets , in the midst of that , say that the Holy Spirit is going to do something . It's gonna take that chaos and turn it into beauty again , just like it did in Genesis 1 , but then it kind of goes silent .
Oscar NavarroMany years pass and it doesn't happen . And then , at the beginning of Jesus's mission , jesus is baptized and in his baptism we see the Holy Spirit come and rest upon him , and that is a representation that the Spirit is at work with Jesus to reconcile the world to himself , to bring beauty out of chaos . And what's amazing again to close out the biblical narrative of the Holy Spirit what's really amazing is that we see the Holy Spirit work in Jesus's life . He heals people , he forgives sin , he creates life out of death , and then Jesus dies . The Spirit brings him back . And at the end of it all , at Pentecost , something amazing happens the Spirit is left to us , the same Holy Spirit power to brought about creation , the same Holy Spirit power that empowered the Old Testament Prophets , the same Holy Spirit power that helped Jesus fulfill his mission , is now with the church , with his people , still doing the same work that he's been doing for all of eternity , which is bringing beauty out of chaos .
Emeal ZwayneHmm , that's good . That's a good overview , oscar . Yeah , we have to remember . And in regards to the Spirit being God , and Hebrews 9 , 14 , it says how much more shall the blood of Christ who , through the eternal Spirit , offered himself without spot to God ? So we see the Spirit is referred to as eternal . We know only God himself is eternal . And when we look at the grand scope of scripture , we see the Spirit constantly referred to in connection , especially obviously within the pages of the New Testament , in connection with the father and the son , and so , mark , how important is it for believers to know and understand the person of the spirit ? What's the significance of that for our lives ?
Mark SpenceWell , if you get it wrong , if you get wrong who the father is , or the son is , or the spirit , then you have God wrong , right ? I mean that that's how important it is . You're going to be worshiping someone who is not true , right ? So so we must get this right . That this is , this is very , very important , you know . And there , and there's a fine line of I mean , how much do we have to understand in order to be saved ? Yeah , I got God , save us .
Mark SpenceBut as we begin to mature and grow and learn , as we read scriptures , we have to get this right . If we do not get this right , well , then we are going to lead others astray , not not just ourselves . And you know the famous text that we use , that of Acts , chapter 5 , with ananias and sapphira , where it says but Peter said ananias , why has Satan failed your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land ? Then he goes on to say for you have not , for you have lied to God . You have not lied to men , but you've lied to God , right , and then that's the , that's the idea that when we lie , we are lying against the triune Godhead when we sin in any capacity , right . It is against the triune Godhead . So we have to get that right , because we enter into a place of heresy and then it becomes an excusable and damnable it's . It's very dangerous .
Ray ComfortWell , I understand the Holy Spirit helps us . Some Get a fear of God in our hearts because the Holy Spirit is called the Holy Spirit and you can see where Mike Martin just mentioned . Ananias and sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit and they were struck dead right now . And then Jesus exalts the Holy Spirit with . Blasphemy against the Son of man should be forgiven , but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven .
Oscar NavarroSo there's something incredible going on there with the Holy Spirit when we sin against him all of these texts that you guys are referencing to our illusions to the Trinity , because , listen , psalm 51 against you and you only have a sinning when done what is evil against God . Why is it you saying that we have blasphemed the Holy Spirit ? Why is it saying that we have lied against the Holy Spirit ? Because we've lied against God himself . And so there in lies the importance of a doctrine of the Trinity .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , absolutely . And again we see . We see it in scripture Matthew 28 , 18 to 19 . Of course . In the Great Commission , jesus came and spoke to them saying all authorities have been given to me and have it on earth . Go , therefore , and make disciples of all the nations , baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit , in the name and that's singular and it's indicative again of the Trinity Mark 1 , 10 to 11 . And immediately coming up from the water , he saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove . Then a voice came from heaven you are my beloved son and who I'm all .
Ray ComfortPlease Illuminate me here . Was that like a dove , or was the Holy Spirit like a dove ? Well , I've seen a movie where they had Jesus being baptized and a dove walking on his head . It just seems to be lacking something .
Emeal ZwayneIf you know what ?
Ray ComfortI'm saying I just often wonder what that looked like , the Holy Spirit descending on him in the form of a dove .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , I mean it appears that that it was a dove . That's the typical understanding of it . But yeah , There've been some funny things done on Christian movies .
Mark SpenceWell .
Emeal ZwayneJohn the Baptist in that one , the big afro . That was so fun .
Oscar NavarroThere's also two representations of the dove throughout the Old Testament , because , remember , any time we come across these words in the New Testament , they are intended to be a symbolic representation of something greater than just the literal interpretation of the Word of God . And the only way for us to understand the deeper meaning of it , beyond the literal , is to be able to know our Old Testament Bibles . And you think about what happens when a dove or a bird shows up . What happens when it shows up in Noah and the Ark is that it's a representation of peace . It's a representation that there's some sort of new era coming about . And so when we see the dove , the spirit , descending like a dove to your point , that doesn't mean a dove is sitting on its head Like a dove , meaning there's something new happening , a new covenant is beginning , chaos becoming beauty , just like the waters receding in the land coming about . So like that moment is a representation of an inauguration of who Jesus was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , and then in that text again that I just read , in Mark 1 , 10 to 11 , again we see the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit . The Father spoke , the Spirit descended and obviously it was upon Christ that the dove descended . 2 Corinthians , 13 , 14 , the grace of the Lord , jesus Christ , and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all , amen . And then Mark , what you referenced in Acts , spot on . I mean there Peter references lying to the Spirit , and then he said you haven't lied to men but to God . That's key , it's hugely important .
Emeal ZwayneAnd then we see the Holy Spirit doing things that are only in keeping with personhood . And the reason why I emphasize this is again because a lot of people drift into the error of , like the Jehovah's Witnesses , who see the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force . Right , I mean people drift into error without even recognizing what it's associated with or what the really ancient heresies are . I mean they do the same with the Trinity and they approach God as though he was modalistic , meaning that he manifests himself in three different forms , like he changes roles , like putting on a mask versus three distinct persons within the one Triune , godhead , and so it's important to recognize . He's not an impersonal force . He is God , the third person of the Trinity , and the things that he does , you know .
Emeal ZwayneI mean this is Acts 16-6 . Now , when they had gone through Fyrigia and the region of Galatia , they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia . We look at other portions within Acts . As a minister to the Lord and fasted , the Holy Spirit said now separate to me , barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them . So that's foundational . We're talking about God and we've done an episode before where we've talked about the Holy Spirit here on the podcast , but today we want to really again hone in on what he does , in association also , obviously , with who he is . Go ahead , mark .
Mark SpenceWell , I'd like to start us off by talking about what the role is of the Holy Spirit in the life of the non-believer . Let's do that as we see in John , chapter 16 . It says nevertheless , I tell you the truth , it is to your advantage that I go away , for if I do not go away , the helper will not come to you . But if I depart , I will send him to you and when he has come , he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment Of sin because they do not believe in me . Righteousness , because I go to my father and you see me no more . And of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged . So this is very important when it comes to evangelism .
When we engage into a conversation with a non-believer , remember it is the role of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin , righteousness and judgment . So now , how does he do that ? Right , because how will they hear ? Unless a preacher is sent ? We must go through the commandments , the law of God , to bring the knowledge of sin . So the Spirit will convict the non-believer of missing the mark of transgressing his law when we go through the commandments . This is why how many lies have you told ? Have you ever stolen anything ? Have you ever used God's name in vain ? This will bring a weight of the law upon the conscience of the individual . You will be now judged because you've broken God's law . This now begins to make sense . This is if you watch our YouTube channel from our main channel to raise second channel just witnessing . You see heads of people nodding in agreement .
Mark SpenceThat judgment makes sense as Ray begins to go through the commandments . You will be judged and you do not have the righteousness required of the law to stand before Holy God . Does this make sense ? And people nod in agreement . Now they may not get born again , but the law is written on their hearts . So when we pull out the commandments , yes , I've broken God's law . If I'm weighed in the balances , I'll be found wanting . I do not have the righteousness required of the law to stand before God . I will therefore be judged , and we see Paul do this in the book of Acts with Felix .
Mark SpenceIt says that he reasoned with him concerning self-control , which was the sin in Felix's life . Whatever that was , whatever that meant . It says self-control , righteousness and judgment . That is how Paul reasoned with Felix and that is what we do when we are out on the streets we're witnessing . We're not just a gatling gun trying to go through all the commandments . We are looking as we go through the commandments . What is that sin in that person's life that is holding them back , that is so dear to them that they're willing to hold on to like a big old block and sink down into the pit of hell ? And once we figure out what that is , we drive it home with all kinds of illustrations and stories and scriptures that illustrate that point and tell they say what must I do to be saved ? Or stop . And that's the importance and that is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the nonbeliever , the convict of sin , judgment and righteousness .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , you know , ray . You often talk about how the law is our ally with the sinner and the conscience is our ally with the sinner , and in combination with that we also have the ally of the law , which the conscience taps into as we give the law . But also the Holy Spirit would also be our ally in the proclamation of the gospel , both our ally in his empowerment of us and proclaiming the gospel and our ally in convicting of sin , righteousness and judgment . Wouldn't you say that ?
Ray ComfortAbsolutely . I often think of that verse where Jesus said without me you can do nothing . And we try to evangelize without the Holy Spirit , bringing conviction of sin , which is transgression of the law , judgment , which is by the law , and righteousness , which is of the law . It's going to be dead later . It'll just won't hit the mark . So I plead with God please help me draw people , grant them repentance , acknowledging the truth . And some people say the Holy Spirit's job is to convict the world of sin , righteousness and judgment to come . What have we got to do ? Well then we don't preach the gospel , we just stay at home . If it's the job of the Holy Spirit to do all that . Now we work with the Holy Spirit . He's our helper . You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses . So he is our power and without Him we can do nothing .
Emeal ZwayneThat's so key , ray , that you quoted that verse from Acts , because the significance of it is the fact that this was Christ's kind of final words to the Apostles before he ascended to the Father , and it was in connection with what he was calling them to do .
Ray ComfortWell , you can see the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of Peter . He was a whinging coward who denied Jesus three times into the cock crew and he came to his senses . But on the day of Pentecost he received the power from the Holy Spirit and he was bold in the face of those that were murderous . He called them murderers those that crucified Christ and often empathize with Peter when he denied the Lord . And by that I mean he was aware what happens , I'm sure , when a Roman crucifies someone yeah , the whaling like a wounded animal as they hold his hands to nail him to a cross and hold his feet to nail him to a cross , and the terror of it and hearing a human being scream . He probably felt the power of the fear of man . And I understand . Without the Holy Spirit we've got no defense against the fear of man . But once we've received that power we've got no excuse because God is with us .
Emeal ZwayneI'm so glad you highlighted that , ray . That's so important because , oscar , there's been this perception , I think , by insightful believers over the ages , that the church is in big danger when it begins to function In a way where it wouldn't even be noticeable if the spirit departed , which means that we're doing it in the arm of the flesh .
Oscar NavarroI mean Iqabah . The glory is departed .
Emeal ZwayneSo Oscar speak to that . I mean the indispensable . I mean it sounds there's some things I say and it's like how stupid is it to say that ? Right Like . It's like saying , oh , people need to continue to drink water to stay alive , I mean , but Ray goes for his mug as he drinks his water for the first time in three days .
Emeal ZwayneThe indispensable presence of the spirit within the church . Again , we talked about how the inauguration of the call to go out and preach the gospel was hey , when the spirit comes upon you , you will receive power and you'll be my witnesses .
Oscar NavarroThat's great . Well , you know what the things that are made here . The first error is to excuse your lack of wisdom and discernment and planning and preparation and just say , well , you know , the Holy Spirit will take care of it . Right , like you'll think to yourself , you'll receive all of the wisdom from faithful believers , say , hey , that's not a good idea . Oh , well , you know , I'm going to trust the Spirit with the results , right . So there's
that end of it .
Oscar NavarroAnd then there's the spectrum that you're talking about , which is that we try to do things by our own will and power , that we plan and prepare and we don't take into account that nothing can be done for the kingdom of God aside from the Holy Spirit .
Oscar NavarroAnd I heard a great metaphor once that stuck with me , probably because I sail , and so sailing is the great metaphor . Right , like when I get out on the water , I have my own volition , my own planning and preparation , my own work , right , which is that I check where I want to go , I check the compass on the direction and the heading that I want to go in , and then I have to work diligently in preparation , with knowledge , to lift up my sails and point them in the right direction and use my letter to go in the direction that I want to go in , but guess what ? I will not get there if the wind is not blowing . And so , in that sense , yes , prepare , plan , listen to wisdom , heed , counsel , but also do not forget that you cannot do a thing for the kingdom of God without the power of the Holy Spirit moving you , feeling your sails with power , propelling you towards the end goal , which is the glorification of God .
Ray ComfortDo you have a spear outward motor in case ?
Emeal Zwaynewe do yeah , just back up .
Ray ComfortI haven't seen Oscar for two weeks it's been windless .
Emeal ZwayneIt's important for us to recognize how the Spirit works in the life of the church , in the life of this people , and what he does . And Mark mentioned got questions on our last podcast and they are such a great resource for our listeners . They're very thorough and they're very accurate and I find that Would you say they got answers .
Oscar NavarroThey got answers , you see , do you ?
Ray Comfortknow who they are . I just tried to find it the other day . They're all very humble and anonymous , but they're very solid .
Oscar NavarroYeah , it's me , thank you . They're in Colorado , oscar is the puppeteer .
Ray ComfortThat's all I know .
Emeal ZwayneThey're in Colorado . They're solid . I'd love to connect with them . So if anyone knows our dear friends from Got Questions , connect us .
Ray ComfortWe're like answers , yeah , and so we have to hook up Got Questions with Answers in Genesis .
Emeal ZwayneGot questions . We got answers in Genesis . So , yeah , so the Spirit is referenced and they give a great list on all of the different titles and roles of the Spirit . So , author of Scripture . First and foremost , we know that Scripture calls the Word of God the sword of the Spirit . The Spirit was involved in the assembling of Scripture as he moved upon the writers of Scripture , we know . Second , peter 1 talks about how the holy man of God were moved by the Spirit . Scripture is God breathed and obviously that's in connection with the Holy Spirit , and so it's important for us to remember that . And it's not only that the Holy Spirit gives us God's Word , but , as John 16 , 13 says , he leads us into all truth . Right , I mean , scripture makes it clear . Your Word is truth . So mark the connection there between the Spirit authoring the Word and then the Spirit guiding us into all truth and illuminating us to the Word .
Mark SpenceYeah , well , that's the role of the Holy Spirit . You know for the believer that he indwells inside of us . I like this thing that I found earlier . It says the indwelling presence is often referred to as the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of God , and the presence of the Holy Spirit within believers is seen as a source of guidance , strength and empowerment in the Christian journey . So our Spirit can bear witness , with his Spirit , that we're a child of God . And as we read through the Word of God , our Spirit bears witness with what we're reading as being accurate . Even so , the more we engulf ourselves inside the Word , the more we're going to understand error when it comes our way or when we see truth when it's presented .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , that's good , yeah . And then the Spirit is referred to as a Comforter , the Counselor , the Advocate . You could look at verses like Isaiah 1 , 11 , 12 , john 14 , 16 , 15 , 26 , 16 , 7 . Ray knows them all . Yeah , the Paracletos Paracletes , that's another name for the Spirit . So , ray , the Holy Spirit as Comfort , comfort .
Ray ComfortYeah , I think I mentioned before that a gentleman years ago said to me he saw a picture of James the First holding a sword and plunging the sword into the back of his troops , and underneath it had James the First comforting his troops . And he wasn't saying there , there , it's okay . It's okay , there's a cat on your lap in front of a fireplace . He was saying get into battle . He's encouraging , putting courage in them . And that's the role of the Holy Spirit not just to sort of cuddle us but to say get into the labor , get to the front lines , be bold . You will see the Holy Spirit , the power of the Holy Spirit , when it comes upon you . Acts 1 , 8 . Yeah , yeah .
Emeal ZwayneCan I just ?
Ray Comfortsay something here . Ji Packer said something amazing . A lot of things , jeppe , go ahead . No , I just thought I'd say that . No , I've got the quote . The Holy Spirit is God , the Evangelist . Nice , that's good , isn't that good ? It's short . Pretty good again , right JI Packer said the Holy Spirit is God the Evangelist . That's good . I love that . It's short but deep . Yeah , like me .
Emeal ZwayneI love this quote by Jonathan Edwards . He says dull . I find my experience that he said what . What did he start ? Dull Like dull D-U-L-L , dull oh .
Ray ComfortDull , I'm just saying D-O-L-L .
Emeal ZwayneDull , hey , dull , dull . I find by experience that let me make resolutions and do what I will , with never so many inventions , it is all nothing and to no purpose at all without the Spirit of God . For if the Spirit of God should be as much withdrawn from me always as for the weak past , notwithstanding all I do , I should not grow but should languish and miserably fade away . I perceive if God should withdraw his Spirit a little more , I should not hesitate to break my resolutions and should soon arrive at my old state . There is no dependence on myself and , mark , that really is the key , isn't it ? Dependence on the Spirit , a demonstration that he must animate us , he must energize us , he must strengthen us , he must empower us in order for us to do what's impossible to do . I love it when this kind of quote is used in different forms , where someone says the Christian life is not hard , it's impossible , it's impossible . You know , people are waiting for someone like no , it's easy . No , no , it's not that it's it's not hard , it's impossible .
Mark SpenceYeah , it's not difficult , it's impossible . Therefore , you need a Miracle , and only God can do what God can do . What people need to realize is that we need God more than our lungs need Oxygen , more than our veins need blood . And when you come to that realization , then we will live Continually with the mindset that God is here , that we need to meditate through God's word day and night , that when a temptation comes our way , it's the Lord rebuke you right . That , the way we see in Jude , I believe it is with Michael the Archangel . We need to come to that realization that without God , we are no match . Little , not just for the enemy , but for ourselves . We cannot handle anything that comes our way . Yeah , so there is an absolute , utter Dependence upon the Lord .
Oscar NavarroAbsolutely an accordance to that dependence . Another thing that the Holy Spirit is that he is a seal , a promise of the new covenant that we have in Christ , through his blood , that he will be with us forever . That is the promise both here and in heaven . He is the one that Sustains our salvation . That is key , because I think that we have a theological weakness in regards to salvation . We understand what gets us saved , but we don't realize what keeps us saved . What keeps us save is not our work , it's not our faithfulness . It is the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit . It is our promise , seal that our salvation is here and forever .
Emeal ZwayneAmen , oscar , that was actually the next thing on the list here from God questions . He is the deposit , the seal and the earnest of the believer . And Ephesians 1 , 13 , the 14 you can't go to the word earnest without explaining .
Ray ComfortIt's almost a cake .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , well , I mean it's . It's almost synonymous with Well . Guarantee is the best way to put it . He's our guarantee . Yeah , and you know , in Ephesians 1 , right like I said , you've been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise , who's a guarantee , the earnest of our inheritance , until until the redemption of the purchased possession . Oh man , like seriously . How many times I've had that memorized first along . But the power of that , the purchased Possession , you're not your own , you were Purchased with a price .
Oscar NavarroYeah , you're quoting first Peter , but also so that , and first Peter is referencing Jose and Gomer , in which Gomer sells herself into prostitution and Hosea is not done with his wife . He goes into the marketplace and he buys her back , and the scriptures tell us that he buys her back with pennies on the dollar , of course . When you talk about our purchased possession , how does that reference Jesus ? Because it is Jesus who goes into the marketplace and buys us back , but he doesn't pay pennies on the dollar . He pays with his blood , his whole life . We are the Gomer's , we are the ones who are Jesus's purchased possession .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , and he gave us the Holy Spirit as the seal to that . He's gonna redeem us , he's gonna buy us back and you know on that day and take what he's purchased , right yeah the earnest , the spirit .
Ray ComfortGoing back to that for a minute as a guarantee of that would just come Father's to say to you , I'm gonna give you guys a million dollars and half an hour and I gave you half a million or a hundred thousand right now . That would be a guarantee I'm gonna keep my word . Yeah , and the . The Bible says the Holy Spirit is the earnest of the guarantee , the down payment and and the transform life . I mean I look back on Ray , comfort BC and totally different person people say how can you know ? You know what you're saying is true . I know because I've been transformed by the power of God to a point . 52 years later , my mouth is still open like a road to shock at what God did to me . Hmm , brand new person on the inside .
Emeal ZwayneAmen Ray comfort BC . I want to be Ray comfort for British Columbia . I .
Ray ComfortBe there why I went to Kelowna once in BC , beautiful place .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , so , ray , that was really well put .
The Spirit is also our guide . John 1613 . He guides us , he helps us to discern and understand truth , he indwells us , he's our intercessor man . Mark . Romans 8 , 26 right , you intercedes for us with groans that are too deep .
Mark SpenceYeah , I mean , how many times have we had prayers before God where we cannot put into words ? Perhaps we're so afflicted , the weight of what we're going through , what our friend is going through is so much for us to handle that we cannot put into words . Where we just end up beside ourselves Growning and just thinking about that situation and our mind cannot even fully grasp all that is going through . Where we end up Just groaning before the Lord or maybe repeating something over and over again because we are utterly beside ourselves . Hmm , that is exactly where the Spirit interrupts , intercedes and brings before the request . You know , I've often said that God does not Speak English . We know that he does , but God's ear is attentive to our hearts . Right that he speaks , heart , ish . Therefore , we don't need to have our words be many , they can be few . That his ear is Right up against our heart , or the groaning , if you would , and he's able to decipher what exactly we are trying to get at when we go before him .
Ray ComfortYou know , I'm so pleased to hear you say that , mark , I am . I am not a good prayer , I'm a pathetic prayer , and often I'm so repetitious and pathetic and I love it when the scripture says that we don't know how we ought to pray . Yeah , and like Mark was just saying , we pray with groanings that cannot be uttered . And I saw this wonderful quote by Oswald chambers . He said if we rely on the Holy Spirit , we shall find that our prayers become more and more Inarticulate . Who and when they are inarticulate , reverence grows deeper and deeper . Inarticulate means unable to express oneself distinctly or speak clearly , and that is that groaning . And often I just find that with prayers Just right in the middle of my chest .
Ray ComfortI don't know what to say , it's just oh .
Emeal ZwayneOh God , you've got to do something . And the consolation that the Spirit is interceding for us you know , I love that scripture reminds us that God knows our frame .
Emeal ZwayneHe remembers that we are but dust . Yes , and I've often said , you know , we need to be careful of talking about the power of prayer . We need to talk about the power of God to answer prayer because if I'm thinking there's some kind of power in my prayer and I'm Unable to articulate or I'm feeling weak or I'm no , no , it's God's power to answer prayer , my feeble prayers , with his Holy Spirit Interceding for me , with those groans that are too deep to utter .
Ray ComfortYou made me think of Something from many years ago , our living waters Jesus paper that we produced back in 1974 . I also cartoon us to do a biker Show up on a bike and he was huge , just huge , big shoulders . And then you took his jacket off and his other jacket under that and then a shirt under that . And this tiny skinny guy standing next to us motorbike and says he knows our frame , that we're but dust .
Emeal ZwayneThat's so good . Yeah , it's good , ray , was that you yeah ?
Ray Comfortthat is me . I wear big jackets .
Emeal ZwayneIt was Mike , yeah , so again the Spirit is referenced to refer to as a revealer . The Spirit of truth , spirit of God , the Lord , the Spirit of life , our teacher with the witness . So many different things and and honestly , we don't have enough time to go as deep as I'd like to . But let me wrap it up with this quote by John MacArthur Said . I remind you what the true ministry of the Holy Spirit looks like . It's not chaotic , flashy and flamboyant like a circus . It's usually concealed and inconspicuous the way fruit develops .
Emeal ZwayneWe cannot be reminded too often that the Holy Spirit's primary role is to exalt Christ , especially to elicit praise for Christ from his people . The Spirit does this in a uniquely Personal way , first of all by reproving and convicting us , showing us our sin , opening our eyes to what true righteousness is and making us sense deeply our accountability to God , the rightful judge of all . The Holy Spirit and dwells believers , empowering us to serve and glorify Christ . He leads us and gives us assurance of our salvation . He prays for us with groanings too deep for words . He seals us , keeping us secure in Christ . The Spirit's daily presence is the source and the secret of our Sanctification , as he conforms us to the image of Christ .
Emeal ZwayneOh man , seriously , friends , don't don't be Like a machine that is unplugged . Don't be someone who is Disconnected from , not an impersonal force , but from God himself , who has revealed himself to us in scripture as the Spirit of God . God the Spirit , and Make sure that your life is wholly dependent on him , that he does animate you , he does empower you , he does energize you , and that you remain sensitive to him . Especially , remember Ephesians 4 , 30 through 32 and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God , by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption , that all bitterness , wrath , anger , clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice , and be kind to one another , tenderhearted , forgiving one another just as God and Christ forgave you , walking in the spirit and not grieving . The spirit should manifest itself , and how we love one another as his Disciples , that's how the world will know that we are his . That's it , friends . Man , I feel stirred up now , so make sure to check out .
Oscar NavarroI need the spirits .
Emeal ZwayneDot com , not dot org . That's what it is . Make sure , friends , to check out the tank of mammon scroll pen , the evidence study Bible and living waters podcast mug , all living waters Dot com . Don't forget Podcasts of living waters dot com with your thoughts and comments and all that good stuff . And remember to give us comments on our platforms . We'll read them as you've been seeing us do , maybe no guarantees and remember to give us a rating and come back again . Thank you for joining us , friends . We'll see you here next time on the Living Waters podcast . The ultimate source ? No , no , I already know the ultimate cure for insomnia .
Mark SpenceMaybe we need a new tagline .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , it's time . It's time we need a new host . Yeah ,