WEBVTT 00:00:32.779 --> 00:00:37.099 Well, are you guys ready to jump into a brand new series around the Holy Spirit? 00:00:37.259 --> 00:00:39.579 Um living with the Spirit. 00:00:39.820 --> 00:00:40.140 Okay. 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:45.899 So if you want to follow along the Bible plan of this, already a bunch of people in our church have followed along. 00:00:46.059 --> 00:00:47.259 You can see that here. 00:00:47.339 --> 00:00:53.019 Um if you want to grab your phone, you can if you are not part of that yet, you can take a take a photo of that. 00:00:53.099 --> 00:00:55.179 Um it's also all of our socials as well. 00:00:55.339 --> 00:00:55.739 Thank you. 00:00:55.819 --> 00:00:57.339 Yeah, feel free to get your phones out. 00:00:57.500 --> 00:00:58.459 You can read along. 00:00:58.539 --> 00:01:04.060 So the same scriptures that we're using in the services will be part of the devotionals in the day. 00:01:04.219 --> 00:01:05.419 Um, you can take notes. 00:01:05.659 --> 00:01:14.299 Already, I saw some people this morning already taking notes and then sharing it on the on the app so you can read other people's notes what they're getting out of it. 00:01:14.379 --> 00:01:16.140 Um, this is the first time actually. 00:01:16.219 --> 00:01:22.299 We're one of the first churches in Australia to have a plan up there, and um, so that's been a fair bit of work in the background. 00:01:22.460 --> 00:01:24.140 So let's take advantage of that. 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:26.859 And um this will be the first of many to come. 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:28.620 All right, are we ready to jump in? 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:31.819 Okay, Genesis begins. 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:34.219 I called this message this first message. 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:36.699 This is breath and promise. 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:38.699 A breath and a promise. 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:46.859 Now, Genesis chapter one starts with the earth being void and dark and full of chaos. 00:01:47.020 --> 00:01:51.900 And then the Bible says that the Spirit of God is hovering over the deep. 00:01:51.979 --> 00:01:57.579 It's brooding, and that word hovering is almost like it's actually the same word as breath. 00:01:57.740 --> 00:01:59.900 So it's breathing over the deep. 00:02:00.139 --> 00:02:06.060 God's breath, his spirit, his breath, is breathing over the earth. 00:02:06.219 --> 00:02:15.259 And Genesis 2 7 says, the Lord formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:21.180 This is that same word, breath, and the man became a living being. 00:02:21.419 --> 00:02:23.500 This is our origin story. 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:27.579 It's dust until God comes and breathes. 00:02:27.659 --> 00:02:31.659 And God's breath turns the dust into life. 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:36.300 A life that is full of, he is the source of that life. 00:02:36.539 --> 00:02:40.620 The source of my breathing today is the breath of God. 00:02:40.860 --> 00:02:45.659 It's the miracle of the breath of God breathing into my life. 00:02:45.819 --> 00:02:47.659 This is our origin story. 00:02:47.980 --> 00:02:54.460 If you can imagine, even today, as we even as we breathe in today, breathing in the life of God. 00:02:55.259 --> 00:02:56.300 It's pretty powerful. 00:02:56.460 --> 00:02:57.900 So, this is the first breath. 00:02:57.980 --> 00:02:59.659 It's the word ruach. 00:03:00.140 --> 00:03:05.099 Um, it means breath, wind, or spirit, but it's not just about air. 00:03:05.580 --> 00:03:11.099 Um, it is about God's spirit filling Adam's lungs. 00:03:11.259 --> 00:03:19.500 That same spirit of God that orders and fills all of creation is now filling my life. 00:03:20.140 --> 00:03:21.740 Filling my lungs. 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:32.140 So we see from the very first page of the Bible, God shows us that life is not self-empowered, but life is borrowed breath from God. 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:39.819 Dust becomes human because the ruach, God's breath, fills it. 00:03:40.060 --> 00:03:42.140 That's how it becomes life. 00:03:42.539 --> 00:03:45.980 Then we see we're going to go through a little bit of a tour through the Bible, okay? 00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:47.740 And then we're going to land on some things. 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:51.420 The next time we see this is in Ezekiel chapter 37. 00:03:51.580 --> 00:04:00.140 Some of you may have heard this story before, but it's this incredible story about these dry bones, his vision of dry bones becoming full of life again. 00:04:00.379 --> 00:04:03.259 If you've read this story, it's a it's an amazing chapter. 00:04:03.580 --> 00:04:04.539 Fast forward. 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:12.379 Now, um, Israel is in exile, which means they're they're in basically in slavery, and they have this promise from God. 00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:14.460 There's this valley of dry bones. 00:04:14.539 --> 00:04:19.339 There's a the prophet Ezekiel has his vision of dry bones in a valley. 00:04:19.819 --> 00:04:23.579 There's no temple, there's no land they don't have, they don't have any hope. 00:04:23.659 --> 00:04:25.500 They're living in a wasteland. 00:04:25.659 --> 00:04:28.139 It's a very difficult situation. 00:04:29.740 --> 00:04:45.420 And then it says in verse 10 of chapter 37, so I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath, that's that word ruach, entered them, and they came to life and stood up on their feet, a vast army. 00:04:45.659 --> 00:04:54.300 The same breath that animated Adam is now not just creating, but he's recreating, he's restoring back to life. 00:04:54.540 --> 00:05:01.259 He even, this breath of God, the Spirit of God even brings dead things back to life. 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:03.740 This is the Spirit of God. 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:10.139 So this is not just a national restoration for the Israelite people. 00:05:10.220 --> 00:05:18.379 It's a it's a it's a uh it's a promise of all of creation that will be filled with the Spirit of God, starting with us. 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:26.540 We get to John chapter 20, and this is where Jesus continues this same theme. 00:05:27.980 --> 00:05:34.300 On resurrection day, Jesus does something pretty strange in in John chapter 20, verse 22. 00:05:34.540 --> 00:05:40.300 I don't even think I'm I'm using one single verse from Luke today, so I just yeah, just throwing that out. 00:05:40.459 --> 00:05:46.459 Um John chapter 20, verse 22, it says, and with that he breathed on them. 00:05:46.620 --> 00:05:54.939 This is after Jesus has resurrected from the dead, he's first meeting with his disciples, and he says, Receive the Holy Spirit. 00:05:55.180 --> 00:05:58.459 This is that Greek word now, it's the same concept. 00:05:58.620 --> 00:06:05.180 Now the Greek word pneuma, which again means breath, spirit, wind. 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:10.780 It's the same thing that's happening in action in Genesis chapter 2. 00:06:12.540 --> 00:06:15.500 God breathing into Adam and him receiving life. 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:21.420 Now Jesus is doing to his disciples, breathing in new life, new creation. 00:06:21.660 --> 00:06:24.379 This is the beginning of new creation. 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:30.139 This is the beginning of God restoring the world, Jesus breathing into them in the same way. 00:06:30.220 --> 00:06:33.660 And get this that John's really making this clear. 00:06:33.819 --> 00:06:39.660 In the same way that God breathes life into the world, Jesus is breathing life into these disciples. 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:42.060 He's really saying Jesus is God. 00:06:42.780 --> 00:06:47.259 That same source of life is Jesus. 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:48.939 It's the same breath. 00:06:49.019 --> 00:06:50.459 That's what he's saying. 00:06:50.860 --> 00:06:53.740 So he's he's this new creation is happening. 00:06:53.980 --> 00:06:56.379 And then we get to Acts chapter 2. 00:06:56.620 --> 00:06:57.660 Acts chapter 2. 00:06:57.819 --> 00:07:01.500 Beautiful, amazing, kind of wild story. 00:07:01.899 --> 00:07:05.100 This breath becomes wind and fire. 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:06.939 Acts chapter 2, verse 2. 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:14.699 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the house as they are praying. 00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:19.579 This word is, this word wind literally means breath. 00:07:20.540 --> 00:07:28.780 So God's breath comes like a rushing storm, and verse 4 says that all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:07:28.939 --> 00:07:45.579 All of them were filled with the word again, the pneuma, the same spirit from Genesis 2, from Ezekiel 37, from John chapter 20, now in Acts chapter 2, it's all the same breath of God that is filling these people. 00:07:46.220 --> 00:07:48.540 Peter explains it like this. 00:07:48.699 --> 00:07:53.740 He says, um, he's quoting Joel in his famous message after Acts chapter 2. 00:07:53.899 --> 00:07:58.780 He says, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. 00:07:59.100 --> 00:08:06.780 And this is a big deal because up until this point, God had filled people with his spirit. 00:08:06.939 --> 00:08:17.019 Um, certain people, Adam, um, the prophets, some of the kings, that there were certain people at certain times that were filled with God's Spirit to do amazing things. 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:19.500 Stay with me because it's going to get practical in a minute. 00:08:19.660 --> 00:08:22.220 I'm just trying to lay a bit of a foundation here. 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:31.100 That same spirit is now available to every single person who puts their faith in Jesus. 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:34.860 Every person who wants it gets it. 00:08:35.579 --> 00:08:37.100 Every single one. 00:08:37.259 --> 00:08:38.620 This is a new day. 00:08:38.860 --> 00:08:42.539 This is now welcome to our moment where we live today. 00:08:42.779 --> 00:08:46.860 The Holy Spirit is available to you today. 00:08:47.179 --> 00:08:54.620 The moment that I say yes to the life of God, that spirit comes and fills my life. 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:56.459 That's new life. 00:08:56.860 --> 00:09:12.299 That's what the Bible sometimes calls being born again, or being transformed, or being made new, or Jesus wouldn't say new creation is being birthed inside of us at that very moment where the spirit comes and fills us. 00:09:12.860 --> 00:09:14.060 Does this make sense? 00:09:14.379 --> 00:09:23.419 That same spirit is the one who tells you you're a child of God, you are forgiven, you belong to the family of God. 00:09:23.500 --> 00:09:24.940 It's that same spirit. 00:09:25.179 --> 00:09:27.580 And if you have that, you know that. 00:09:29.179 --> 00:09:36.860 And yet, for many of us, the spirit sometimes feels like more of a rumor than it does a reality. 00:09:37.340 --> 00:09:54.940 In the familiar, stranger, um Tyler Staten put it like this: he said, Spiritual health is closing the gap between biblical rumor and actual life as narrowly as possible. 00:09:55.100 --> 00:10:03.980 The Holy Spirit is the experimental agent, sorry, experiential agent of the Trinitarian God. 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:07.500 He is how you experience God. 00:10:09.580 --> 00:10:14.299 In in 2022, there was a survey done in America. 00:10:14.460 --> 00:10:26.460 I know this would not be in Australia, of course, but in America, um 60% of people believed that the Holy Spirit was a force rather than a person. 00:10:28.299 --> 00:10:30.700 That's not the Bible, that's Star Wars. 00:10:33.659 --> 00:10:39.740 The Holy Spirit is not a force to control, the Holy Spirit is a person to know. 00:10:40.779 --> 00:10:44.220 You can know God in your life through the Spirit. 00:10:44.460 --> 00:10:55.259 In John chapter 16, verse 7, it says, It is for your good that I'm going away, because unless I go, the advocate will not come to you. 00:10:55.419 --> 00:10:57.019 That's the Holy Spirit. 00:10:57.500 --> 00:11:12.460 I'm sure that was a confusing statement for them because to me, like if you if we were to think about this here today, if you would rather, would you rather have the Holy Spirit or would you rather sit down across the table from Jesus and have a conversation? 00:11:12.779 --> 00:11:14.139 I mean, I'm I don't know. 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:16.539 I'm probably I'm picking Jesus. 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:23.100 And he's saying though, that it is better that Jesus go and that the Holy Spirit come. 00:11:23.259 --> 00:11:23.740 Why? 00:11:24.060 --> 00:11:34.220 Because, of course, it was great to sit across the room from Jesus, but the Holy Spirit was going to be available, it was going to be a pouring out of his spirit to the whole world. 00:11:34.460 --> 00:11:53.100 That at one time, right now, as Christians around the world, hundreds of millions of people right now, at this very moment, are sitting in rooms just like we are today, receiving the word of God, putting their faith in him, and being filled once again with the Spirit of God. 00:11:53.419 --> 00:11:55.820 That is what we are part of currently. 00:11:56.060 --> 00:11:57.899 What a day to be alive. 00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:11.659 So I think for some of us, what I what I just want to name and notice is that some people, some Christians, get a little bit nervous when we talk about the Holy Spirit. 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:13.740 Is that okay? 00:12:14.460 --> 00:12:18.539 So I think we're comfortable with Heavenly Father. 00:12:19.259 --> 00:12:21.100 Some of us are comfortable with that. 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:23.340 Like that's wonderful. 00:12:23.740 --> 00:12:25.820 Loving, caring, amazing. 00:12:26.060 --> 00:12:31.340 Jesus, even, because Jesus you can touch and you can read and you can really get a clear picture. 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:38.379 The Bible says that Jesus is the perfect representation of God, meaning if you want to know who God is, look at Jesus. 00:12:38.860 --> 00:12:40.940 That's exactly what God is like. 00:12:41.820 --> 00:12:47.419 But the Holy Spirit is a little seems a little bit like, okay, now that's where the weird stuff happens. 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:59.019 Especially if you've been around all different kinds of experiences with the Spirit, and some of them have been maybe a little bit strange. 00:13:00.139 --> 00:13:03.259 Um and I I totally want to appreciate that. 00:13:03.500 --> 00:13:14.060 And I I want to I want to say that where wherever you come from in your experience of the Spirit, I think we need all need to agree that we're all gonna come back to the Scripture. 00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:22.700 Our the Scripture is our foundation of what it means to work with the Spirit. 00:13:22.860 --> 00:13:29.100 So some of us maybe have swung towards, or I'm just I just want the I'm gonna be a Bible person. 00:13:29.659 --> 00:13:35.100 I'm not I'm not like a spirit person, I'm like a Bible person, and that's gonna be my thing, right? 00:13:35.259 --> 00:13:36.779 We're gonna be Bible people. 00:13:37.659 --> 00:13:47.580 And that's maybe even a fear of the spirit has moved us to I'm just gonna be a Bible person and that's gonna be my thing. 00:13:47.899 --> 00:13:53.740 Like as if we had to make a choice between the scripture and the spirit. 00:13:54.379 --> 00:13:57.100 That's you never see that in the scripture. 00:13:57.659 --> 00:14:06.779 Maybe um maybe what God's invitation to us as a church is, I believe it is, is that we become scripture people and Holy Spirit people. 00:14:07.340 --> 00:14:09.100 That's what we're trying to build here. 00:14:09.419 --> 00:14:20.379 We're people who are grounded deeply in the scripture, but also have a love and a confidence, a humble confidence in the work of the Spirit in our lives. 00:14:21.580 --> 00:14:24.539 Um thinking and feeling. 00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:28.139 Well, I'm gonna be a I'm a thinking church. 00:14:28.299 --> 00:14:31.580 Or I'm a I'm experiential, I'm a feeling church. 00:14:31.899 --> 00:14:34.700 Well, actually, we want to be a both church. 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:39.980 I want to think about and understand God, but I also want to experience God. 00:14:40.539 --> 00:14:51.659 I don't want to go to the to the the restaurant and read the menu and say, I can fully understand this menu, and then walk out and never taste the food. 00:14:52.700 --> 00:15:02.220 If we talk about theology as the rules of the game, about spirituality as the game, it is the experience of what I'm understanding. 00:15:02.379 --> 00:15:11.259 And for many of us, maybe most of us, we're experiencing first and then we're understanding what we experienced. 00:15:11.580 --> 00:15:13.659 How many of you came to God like that? 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:22.379 You were experiencing things you could not understand and did not have words for, and then your theology catches up with your experience. 00:15:22.700 --> 00:15:27.419 And this has been many, many times the experience of my life. 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:29.340 I'm gonna come back to that in a moment. 00:15:29.580 --> 00:15:41.100 Because here's what I've seen is watching the next generation right now, I think it's more, it's moved away from like in my generation, millennials, we're like, convince me then. 00:15:41.500 --> 00:15:45.580 Get the apologetics out and convince me, and then I'll believe. 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:56.620 That has graduated or moved to show me, show me, let me see it, let me experience it, and then I'll believe it. 00:15:56.940 --> 00:16:05.340 And I think that is that is a mental frame of mind that we need to make an adjustment with in the church reaching the next generation. 00:16:05.899 --> 00:16:10.299 The next generation are very open to experiencing God. 00:16:11.980 --> 00:16:13.659 And I feel like that's a great thing. 00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:15.259 That's a wonderful thing. 00:16:15.340 --> 00:16:21.980 They don't have some of the hang-ups from the 80s and 90s that we that some of some of us went through. 00:16:22.139 --> 00:16:26.620 They literally are just wanting to experience God, and it's a wonderful thing. 00:16:27.899 --> 00:16:40.940 Um when my family um came to faith, it was it was a very different experience than um studying their way to knowing God. 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:46.779 Okay, so my father was um basically an alcoholic. 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:50.700 That's my dad, on the left when he was about that age. 00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:53.419 This is the time when he became a Christian. 00:16:54.060 --> 00:16:56.060 He was an alcoholic. 00:16:56.460 --> 00:17:02.139 My mom at that time found a Bible and started just she was reading it one day. 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:05.259 And then she prayed a very simple prayer. 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:07.579 God, save this idiot. 00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:08.859 Something like that. 00:17:09.419 --> 00:17:10.299 Help me. 00:17:10.619 --> 00:17:13.339 Some kind of very honest prayer like that. 00:17:13.659 --> 00:17:14.619 God help him. 00:17:14.779 --> 00:17:16.299 He's a blipity bit. 00:17:16.940 --> 00:17:21.259 They were about to, they were, my mum was pregnant with me at that time. 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:26.299 They were, they were, they weren't sure what they're doing, it was a big mess. 00:17:26.619 --> 00:17:38.539 But my father was in the car going to the pub, sitting outside of the pub in the car, he heard a voice speak to him, and he says it was an audible voice that he could hear. 00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:44.139 And and the voice said to him, Don't go into the pub, you're not gonna need it anymore. 00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:47.739 And he freaked out because he didn't know what it was. 00:17:48.699 --> 00:17:55.899 And then he tried to go in again and he heard the voice go again, stop, don't go into the pub, you won't need that again. 00:17:56.459 --> 00:18:00.859 And he got so scared that he got back into the car and he began to cry. 00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:05.500 He didn't know why he was crying, but he was crying and crying. 00:18:05.739 --> 00:18:15.500 He's this big guy with the tattoos, big muscles, and he's crying, and he and he had to stop the car on the way home because he was crying so much, but he didn't know why. 00:18:15.739 --> 00:18:18.779 He gets home and he tells my mom, something has happened to me. 00:18:18.939 --> 00:18:24.699 I can't explain it, I don't know what's happened, and she said, I was just praying that God would do something in your. 00:18:25.579 --> 00:18:29.659 Maybe this is God answering our prayers. 00:18:30.299 --> 00:18:37.419 That day, they both, without any help from anyone else, they put their faith in Jesus, but they don't know what to do about it. 00:18:37.659 --> 00:18:46.379 They go down to the local church, knock on the door, asking the local Presbyterian, I think it was, pastor, what just happened to us? 00:18:46.539 --> 00:18:48.139 I think we just met God. 00:18:49.419 --> 00:18:57.259 He's trying to explain to them in theological terms, they're catching up with their experience of God. 00:18:58.379 --> 00:19:03.899 And they decide, and he tells them, Well, you better get married, you're about to have a baby, like let's get your life together. 00:19:04.059 --> 00:19:11.259 So they get married, my mom's pregnant, and not to maybe a couple of months after this, I am born. 00:19:11.500 --> 00:19:13.979 Now, what was the result of that? 00:19:14.139 --> 00:19:18.219 What was the result of their um their experience with the spirit? 00:19:18.379 --> 00:19:23.099 My my father started to devour the Bible, loved the Bible, started reading the Bible. 00:19:23.339 --> 00:19:30.139 He didn't have anyone to disciple him, no one helped them, but they just had this experience of the spirit and they had the Bible. 00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:39.579 I was born with a very rare blood disease, and the and the doctors told my parents that I would die to not expect me to live. 00:19:39.819 --> 00:19:47.899 But if some by some miracle that I would live, then I would be blind and deaf because it had affected my brain. 00:19:48.139 --> 00:19:55.739 And I also had a uh my hip bone wasn't formed properly, so my leg was just swinging around. 00:19:56.219 --> 00:20:04.059 And the doctors told me that I would never walk, I would be blind and deaf if I lived, and they did not expect me to live. 00:20:04.139 --> 00:20:13.019 Now I'm in the in the ambulance going to John Hunter Hospital in in Newcastle, and and my mum is in there and she's reading the book of Luke. 00:20:13.179 --> 00:20:14.379 I'm telling you, it's good. 00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:27.419 She's reading the book of Luke, and she hears about Jesus healing the children, and she doesn't know what to do, but she says, Jesus, could you heal this one like you did that one? 00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:33.179 Well, I get to the hospital, they redo all the tests, and I'm completely healed. 00:20:34.379 --> 00:20:35.979 That's the power of God. 00:20:36.139 --> 00:20:37.659 That's a miracle. 00:20:38.379 --> 00:20:42.299 I'm totally fine, except my hip is just swinging, right? 00:20:42.699 --> 00:20:51.179 So my father's there now, he's meets her at the hospital, he's now had an experience with God, he's reading the scripture, no help, just that. 00:20:51.899 --> 00:20:58.619 And he says to the he gets very angry at the doctor and kicks the doctor out of the room because the doctor says he'll never walk. 00:20:59.019 --> 00:21:04.139 And he holds me up and says, Jesus, one more time. 00:21:04.459 --> 00:21:06.139 Would you do it one more time? 00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:09.739 Grabs my leg, swings it around a little bit. 00:21:09.899 --> 00:21:14.539 The doctor comes back into the room, and my my hip is completely healed. 00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:18.139 This is the testimony of all of my family. 00:21:18.299 --> 00:21:19.819 They were all there and saw it. 00:21:20.459 --> 00:21:24.779 My now now my body is completely healed, my hip is completely healed. 00:21:24.859 --> 00:21:27.979 I still have a little bit of, I still walk a little funny, maybe. 00:21:28.459 --> 00:21:30.859 But I I walked out of there. 00:21:32.219 --> 00:21:33.579 They walked out of there holding me. 00:21:33.659 --> 00:21:34.539 I didn't walk out. 00:21:34.779 --> 00:21:39.819 They they they walked out of holding me, a perfectly healed baby. 00:21:40.299 --> 00:21:41.739 That was the beginning. 00:21:41.979 --> 00:21:45.579 Now there was many ups and downs after that, plenty of drama. 00:21:45.899 --> 00:21:52.779 But that was the beginning of what changed of a generational change in my family. 00:21:54.619 --> 00:22:00.059 So my encouragement to ask today is have you experienced God? 00:22:00.539 --> 00:22:02.299 Or do you just know about God? 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:12.299 Are you comfortable or happy just hearing stories about God or maybe studying about God like He's something that you can master? 00:22:13.179 --> 00:22:18.059 Or are you hungrier to experience God for yourself? 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:31.179 I I remember growing up in in, and then I became a Christian at 14, and I was hearing all of these other stories of people hearing having miracle stories with God, and I got so sick of hearing it. 00:22:31.419 --> 00:22:32.379 I was so I remember. 00:22:32.619 --> 00:22:36.539 I remember saying to God, I'm so sick of hearing other people's stories. 00:22:36.779 --> 00:22:38.299 I want a story. 00:22:38.619 --> 00:22:40.219 I want to know you, God. 00:22:40.379 --> 00:22:42.539 I want a story in my life. 00:22:42.779 --> 00:22:44.699 I want to experience God. 00:22:45.739 --> 00:22:56.859 And I pray that over this next six weeks and Into Shape Week, that we would have a growing hunger in our church to experience God, not just know about Him. 00:22:57.419 --> 00:23:01.819 And it's going to be deeply rooted and grounded in Scripture. 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:09.339 We're going to create a safe place, an orderly space, because everything that God does, He brings order out of chaos. 00:23:09.500 --> 00:23:11.099 That's what God does. 00:23:11.500 --> 00:23:25.579 But I pray that as a community, we would throw off some of our fear or some of our wanting to look good in front of other people or wanting to keep our, you know, the equilibrium of the room. 00:23:25.739 --> 00:23:28.779 And we would develop a hunger for God. 00:23:29.099 --> 00:23:30.699 I want to experience God. 00:23:30.859 --> 00:23:35.179 If you've maybe you've been comfortable being sick for a very long time. 00:23:35.419 --> 00:23:41.339 Maybe you've been comfortable being dry or empty on the inside, but not knowing why. 00:23:42.379 --> 00:23:45.259 I feel like it's time for our church to change that. 00:23:45.500 --> 00:23:47.259 We've got to get after God. 00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:53.419 And I guarantee you, the enemy does not want you to go deeper with God like that. 00:23:54.219 --> 00:23:58.859 So do what you can to be here for this next six weeks. 00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:00.859 Don't miss what God's doing. 00:24:01.019 --> 00:24:02.939 Be a part of the reading plans. 00:24:03.179 --> 00:24:04.619 Be a part of prayer. 00:24:04.939 --> 00:24:06.939 Ask somebody to pray for you. 00:24:07.099 --> 00:24:11.500 Be a part of what God is doing right now because I think it's special. 00:24:12.379 --> 00:24:13.419 Are you with me? 00:24:14.059 --> 00:24:14.699 Yeah? 00:24:15.419 --> 00:24:20.459 And I pray that that that that would um yeah, that would stir in our hearts. 00:24:22.059 --> 00:24:38.619 And amazingly, as we read through Acts, the Holy Spirit was the result of the Holy Spirit filling these people was they were seeing miracles, they were praying for sick people, they were being healed, they were prophesying, they were encouraging, they were seeing visions, but also they failed. 00:24:38.859 --> 00:24:41.979 They sinned, they argued, they grieved. 00:24:42.459 --> 00:24:43.979 It doesn't mean you're perfect. 00:24:44.219 --> 00:24:47.099 To be filled with the Spirit does not mean you're perfect. 00:24:48.459 --> 00:24:53.339 We are normal people filled with the Spirit of God. 00:24:53.500 --> 00:25:00.699 So here's my invitation for us as we pray right now to invite the Spirit to come and fill our lives. 00:25:02.139 --> 00:25:05.819 To come and touch those parts of our lives that we need God desperately in. 00:25:08.539 --> 00:25:13.979 So I'm gonna, there's a there's a very famous prayer that's been prayed for a couple thousand years now. 00:25:14.059 --> 00:25:17.819 That's been a wonderful prayer that I'd like to teach us. 00:25:17.979 --> 00:25:20.219 It's probably the most simple prayer. 00:25:20.459 --> 00:25:24.379 It's just the it's just the prayer, come, Holy Spirit. 00:25:25.659 --> 00:25:31.419 That simple, beautiful prayer has been prayed by Christians for a couple thousand years now. 00:25:31.739 --> 00:25:35.979 And it's an invitation and a heart posture towards God of God, I want you. 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:37.339 God, I want you. 00:25:37.579 --> 00:25:40.859 Please come, come, Holy Spirit. 00:25:41.259 --> 00:25:42.779 So I'm gonna lead us now, okay? 00:25:42.939 --> 00:25:43.899 Would you join me? 00:25:44.299 --> 00:25:45.259 Thank you, God. 00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:52.379 Come, Holy Spirit, fill our lives. 00:25:54.779 --> 00:26:00.939 That ruach, that pneuma, breath of God would come and fill each person here today. 00:26:02.139 --> 00:26:04.379 Come and do what only you can do. 00:26:06.139 --> 00:26:08.459 We need you, we want you, God. 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:17.339 I pray for those people here today that feel apathetic towards you, that feel like they're going through the motions. 00:26:17.419 --> 00:26:21.019 I pray, God, that you would stir their hearts. 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:23.500 You would stir a hunger for you. 00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:32.379 Help them to clear away the clutter in their life so that they can see you. 00:26:35.899 --> 00:26:49.500 And they even have this picture as I was preparing, like this mouse trap, and you know, there's uh there's a there's a mouse, he wants that cheese so much, but he's so worried about being snapped, snapped down on. 00:26:49.659 --> 00:26:51.099 Maybe I get it wrong. 00:26:51.259 --> 00:26:53.259 What if it what if something bad happens? 00:26:53.419 --> 00:27:01.979 What if I and I just I just really felt like the Holy Spirit wanted to come and say to you, give those fears to him. 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:11.339 You can trust God that you're safe in the hands of God. 00:27:12.459 --> 00:27:28.619 So, God, as we go on this journey to experiencing you, I pray you come and fill our lives, remove our fears, God, and give us courage to follow you in Jesus' name. 00:27:29.419 --> 00:27:30.059 Amen. 00:27:30.299 --> 00:27:30.699 Amen.