This sermon addresses the balance between cessationism and the belief in the active gifts and power of the Holy Spirit. It emphasizes the need for discernment, genuine fruit of the Spirit, and the importance of emotions as a vehicle for expression but not a gauge for truth. The speaker challenges both sides to seek God, be open but cautious, and desire the fullness of the Spirit-filled life.

Some of you might you know are gonna sit through here and go well, what's he talking about? Well, let me get through some of it and hopefully it'll start to make sense, but I went to a conference this week And the title of that conference was strange fire and many of you know, it's John MacArthur down in Los Angeles and I left there actually very disheartened very You know just kind of the wind knocked out of my system and just just the motivation and just I just left there very disheartened And this message really isn't a a rebuke of any sort I'm not in a position to rebuke anybody like that or a conference like that This is more of of a plea a plea to find the balance When I'm talking about the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit Now, let me bring some clarification in real quick here. What I mean by that is There is in the body of Christ. There is a separation There is one side that would say that the gifts the power the anointing of the Holy Spirit has ceased Sensationism it's ceased with the apostolic age It's ceased with the canonization of Scripture And then there's this side of it that believes that the gifts the power of the Holy Spirit are is active today It's referred to often as charismatic or Pentecostal and this side would be probably considered Reformed Calvinistic and that's where these terms come from and there are polar opposites and at many times they're at war with each other But guess who's caught in the crossfires? many of us Many of us possibly Christ too. I'm not got I haven't got there yet but many of us are caught in the crossfire and what I mean by that is my heart aches on this topic because They were using some very strong words at this conference You know almost being that if you're if you're charismatic or believe in the power of the Spirit the spirit-filled life That you're somehow being influenced by demonic Influences you're open for too much deception and and all these things and that's why my heart ached and I know that the words that I'm Speaking tonight are actually going to outlive me probably with the age of the Internet the media CDs So but this is actually something that's been on my heart for many many months and something I've been wanting to talk to the church about obviously this message goes out a lot on the internet and the radio and there's a lot of different people and I know this isn't going to hit the leaders of This conference or of this movement say a John MacArthur RC Sproul It's not and it's not going to reach them. What I want to do is a plea for the middle ground I want to reach those people who are kind of caught in the middle and not sure what's going on And what's going on is a lot of times when you turn on television and you see What is that Going on. I mean just the I mean look at this new reality shows preachers of Los Angeles What yeah, go google it. It's it's it's yeah, we're not it's uh Let me get to the Bottom the main point of this whole message is everybody is lumped into this weird side So if if it's odd, it's God these weird things on TV guys Leaving his wife meeting somebody else, you know, all these weird manifestations of what they call the Holy Spirit They throw all of us into this side If you say yeah, I believe that the gifts and the power of the anointing the unction Those are words you can't really use or you're being weird Anybody that believes that is cast into this side So there were some scathing words for this side where the scathing words should have been for those guys There's a lot of us here in the middle. This is a plea for balance With there we can find the middle ground and I'm quoting here what John MacArthur said and again it this guy's he's he's forgotten more information Than I'll ever even know when it comes to theology. I've got his books. I've got his his study Bible You know, this is sound doctrine. I love a lot of these guys, but the words that they said Were alarming some of the things that I took from there if the charismatic movement was big was being produced by the Holy Spirit Which it's not they say the glory of Christ would prevail everywhere It would be Christ dominated and everyone in the movement would be bowing to the knee of the true Jesus Christ The people would be humble. They would be joyful. They would be sacrificial. They would be confessional They would be declaring Jesus as Lord and themselves as slaves They would be denying themselves taking up the cross and following him wherever he led and I want to say hello Yes, that's right That's right right here right here. I'm not don't shoot me. I agree with this Absolutely. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater but there's a big debate and you'll see go Google this strange fire and and and Sensationism versus charisma and Pentecostal and that's why I you'll notice I avoid terms anything with ism on the end of it Calvin ism Armenian ism Pentecostal ism Charismatic ism, you know, that's what we're you know, all these just because they want to label you Oh, you're with that weird guy over there You're with all that weird stuff going on the the gold dust falling from the ceilings and the gold fillings in their teeth and barking Like dogs and acting like animals you're part of that group. No. No, I'm probably more part of your group. I Don't agree with that whatsoever. I Read the John MacArthur study Bible not the Benny Hinn study Bible And I'm not poking fun at names tonight, but there comes a time and a place when you've got to set boundaries I love John Piper not Creflo dollar. I'm drawn to Francis Chen not charlatans I mean, we're on the same page. You're shooting brothers are shooting brothers We love sound doctrine. We teach sound doctrine. We preach sound doctrine. We live by sound doctrine But These guys are fighting each other and we're caught in the crosshairs So we're labeled and we're put in this weird camp that does not belong the Holy Spirit's not a spirit of weirdness He's a spirit of power of truth of glorifying Christ of pointing people to the scriptures of discernment So I want to go through this and I hope it's going to be helpful I'm just going to talk about three points and I really wish I could have fully exhausted this and taught more about the gifts of the Spirit the fruit of the Spirit all these things But this whole fight hinges on three things The gifts and the miraculous are not for today is what they would say number two What a lot of this hinges on is the fruit that is produced by this movement is not godly fruit And number three, it's sheer emotionalism It's just emotionalism this music and as you guys are sheer emotionalism. I Mean how they know when we just sung that last song spirit fall afresh on me This see people would have just whoa, you can't talk about that in the Holy Spirit with biblical Fill me please with your spirit Lord. I give you everything fill me afresh. I read Jesus had returned to your first love I need to be filled afresh because as do Moody said I'm a leaky vessel and I need to sit underneath the fountain of life all the time Because I'm leaky So that's what this big battle is and I sit there and it's okay to be humble and disagree But when you're out saying guided by Satan charlatans all this Spirit led stuff. It's almost like wait a minute. Hold on there. Let's put on the brakes. Let's talk about this now I have exhausted this topic in different areas If you're interested, you can go online and get the Holy Spirit and fire I talked about that and then I talked about how to be filled the Spirit of God Now keep in mind that this controversy is not new. It's gonna help a lot of people. Trust me. I'm going somewhere George Watson, I believe I wrote this I'm guessing about a hundred years ago the true saints of God Who have clear heads and a pure warm heart and all generations have had to walk between the two extremes of Cold formality on the one side and wild ranting fanaticism on the other Dead formality and the false fire of fanaticism are both Satan's counterfeits and he does not care into which extreme the soul Plunges as long as it plunges and this is where you'll often hear me say you can be you can be as straight as a gun barrel Theologically, but be just as empty Why because the letter kills the Spirit gives life the truth of God and the Spirit of God are married And that's where the power comes from the power of the pulpit the power of Victoria's Christian living the power of everything is the two Are married that's why you'll see Satan go after truth and he'll go after power He doesn't care about Doctrine by itself, but when you marry that with the spiritual power now, you're gonna wreck havoc on his kingdom Now you're gonna be dangerous That's what this whole thing is about Now, here's the key the friendly fire When you're caught in the middle of friendly fire, do you know what that is on the battlefield? It's like oh we accidentally just shot our own guys and that's what's happening Because there's been so many great men and women of God that have came before us that embrace the Spirit's power When you think of a W toes or Leonard Ravenhill the late D. Martin Lloyd-Jones Contemporary such as John Piper CJ Mahaney to Francis Chan Mark Driscoll for some of the younger crowd, you know These guys and there's women too as well. They embrace so we're shoot It's like you can't just throw everybody into this weird camp just because you see what's going on in TV So I want to kind of expose that and what they're going after and what I've seen before I've played some of the video clips At some of these events, you'll see people running around as if they're on fire Barking like dogs laughing like out of control just rolling around just cackling It sounds like a demonic conference going on there and all these things are happening. Now. Can God work in there? Well, sure. He can work in jails. He can work on the backside of the desert He can work inside of a Mormon building if a person's so let's not be careful and say God's working and that excuses everything now granted as a student of revivals and loving revivals and Reading a lot about Whitfield and Wesley and the Great Awakening is a Welsh revivals People were dramatically changed by the power of God. Sometimes it was messy It's not necessarily pretty when God's wrecking a life or restoring it or breaking one that things happen when he's honored there And that's a little bit about my background for those interested. That's I do I read people like MacArthur and the Puritans and and and You know John Calvin's systematic theology, and I love that deep theological understanding. You've got to have that But you can't dismiss the power of the Spirit Those are those have to go together Now, here's the dilemma both sides say or I would say they would say we all love truth We're all looking to truth, right? So where's the dilemma? Where's the problem here? Why is there such a problem? Everything hinges upon this fact Did the gifts and the power the anointing the unction all these things that happen in the New Testament? Did that stop or did it not? So they would say it's stopped So if you look weird like that or you do anything has to do with the Holy Spirit or you're you're it must be demonic influence It's not good. You're not going to godly direction. It's not producing godly fruit. That's what the quote I just read said it would be Christ glorifying that you know You would you would bow the knee to the true gospel and all these things So let's talk about this those three things real quick the gifts the miraculous are they or are they not for today now granted? I would have you turn to 1st Corinthians 12 13 and 14 We'd fully exhaust this and and go through it, but I'm not looking at the different gifts and what they mean I just want to talk about this point Here's that here's basically the the scripture that this group would hang their hat on When that which is perfect comes that which is in part will be done away with Now we can all agree That we will not need that gifts of the power of the Spirit at some point when we die, right? So we all agree that when that which is perfect comes Then that which is in part will be done away with we all agree that something perfect is coming The problem is what is that perfect thing? Those who believe that the Holy Spirit Power the miraculous a gift have stopped they believe because we now have this So you don't need the other now let's talk about that for a minute and At this conference this gentleman, I believe the name was Steve Lawson great speaker I love him as well, but he said so he did some things that were a little disheveling to me He quoted John Calvin for 30 minutes on why the gifts and the miraculous doesn't happen today Well, what I would rather go to the biblical text versus Calvin Because what they forgot to do is on this text. He never quoted what John Calvin said about this text John Calvin says when that which is perfect comes does not have to do with this It has to do with when we die and we're face to face with Christ It's his commentaries on first Corinthians 12, but we don't want to quote that Also Calvin was coming out against a lot of the miraculous and people being you know out there and demonically impressed and all this But we have to remember the context and with Calvin was writing who is John Calvin a reformer? What were they reforming the Roman Catholic Church the papacy? So a lot of what he was saying Was against these Mary visions or the miracle or all the things that were happening in the corrupt Roman Catholic Church Oh, I'm gonna upset some more people now But look at history look at history. You can't buy the power. You can't buy the spiritual power so he was coming against the Roman Catholic Church and the indulgence and Purgatory and all these things that aren't biblical. That was the whole point of the Reformation Martin Luther came along and said hello Let me let me tap these 95 pieces on the church doors in Wittenberg Germany in 1517 and let me challenge the church on all these things that are not biblical So we're taking Calvin sometimes out of context So that you can't quote him you have to look to the Bible and that maybe not isn't for some of you But that'll be some for some of those of us listening later Now here's the thing with with the gifts that the spouse that's the the spiritual power Here's the key if it was biblical and encouraged if it was biblical and encouraged in the New Testament Which it was right? I mean Paul wasn't some weird loose, you know canon If it was encouraged and biblical in the New Testament, why is it of the devil today? Well, let's let's just think this through here. That's what I had to do Actually, I already had my sermon planned until yesterday afternoon and then I had this one God was just tugging on my heart You will never see what God creates good and now it's bad And in some of your minds you're going. Well, wait a minute here Well, I've been thinking about this all day. You will see what God created is good. The enemy will come and pervert Marriage good perverts it food good perverts it You go down the list. So this is wonderful the gifts the power the anointing of the Spirit operating in the day of the the early church the Disciples weren't waited in an upper room and they could feel tongues of fire coming down and they spoke an utterance They spoke in this language the people said you're drunk. You're out of your mind Peter says hold on This is that which the Prophet Joel spoke of that in the last days I will pour out my spirit on all flesh your sons and your daughters will prophesy Your young men will dream dreams your old men see visions and on my men servants and on my maid servants I will pour out my spirit on that flesh in those days Peter saying this is that that Joel spoke of This is all good But now it's of the devil It doesn't make any sense but it does make sense that the devil will take these things the giftings of the Spirit and pervert them and If you look at some of the things that some of the hyper Pentecostal weird stuff was happening. It does look like some type of pagan worship services and Pagan, you know, there's there's there's utterances and different things so there they can mimic these things But if it was wonderful in the biblical in the New Testament Paul wrote entire chapters of the Bible on how to handle the gifts Do we just go and cherish this 1213 chapter 13? I mean do we just tear these out and as D. Martin Lloyd-Jones reminds us who was actually a Calvinist But he talked about the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the last chapter of his book on preaching and preachers And then his publisher said because they're part of this camp. We're not gonna publish your work anymore He said that living children need rules Dead children don't that'll sink in if you get upset at that. I didn't say I'm quoting D Martin Lloyd-Jones Living vibrant children of God need rules Dead children don't dead to the things of the Spirit. They don't need any rules. There's no regulations there now granted again I would gravitate theologically Conservatively To this side. I love these guys. This is this is this is I like I love them I don't read again Benny Hinn's. I don't know if he's even written a commentary. I don't read I don't listen to it. I don't know the weird stuff that's happening You've got to be careful because a lot of those guys on TV are saying just send us $1,000 We'll send you this oil with it. We're coming a gallon out against that We say that that's blasphemy that they the signs and wonders gospel. The prosperity gospel is not the real gospel Seek Christ the gift-giver not the gifts These guys at million-dollar homes driving jets and Rolls-Royces and walking around as if God's a butler in heaven. This is wrong We denounce it. We're not with them. Hello But just because we believe and embrace the Spirit's power Don't shoot me. I'm just going off New Testament New Testament says it's wonderful. It's a gifts of God. They should be sought but now you can't because it's of the devil and The whole thing is contingent upon one of the things is that verse when that which is perfect comes That which is in part shall be done away with Now granted the book of Acts and here's what else some will say the book of Acts is not necessarily written for doctrinal direction Okay, it's not necessarily a book of doctrine, but it can be used for experiential Verification Does my experience with the Holy Spirit line up with scripture? Yes, it does If it doesn't that's why all this weird stuff like yeah, you got to be careful here I mean, I've been to some things recently just people, you know be healed in that stomach and they kick them in the stomach What can you see the gold dust falling down and stuff and no I can't I'm Spend a lot of time in prayer myself, too And I just you know, so we just got to be careful. We don't want to get thrown into it once I know On that let me let me just back up a little bit Jesus also said and these signs Shall follow them that believe in my name. They will cast out devils They will speak with new tongues and such and such they will do miraculous things Well, if he's saying well, he should have said and these signs shall follow them that believe For about the next 60 years Thinking it's 30 AD the book of Revelation probably complete in 80 90. There's some debate about that so so Contextually that doesn't jive Theologically if you look at hermeneutic approaches to biblical studies You can't take from this and these signs shall follow them that believe But not not later not later just right now this room in my name They will know he's saying that those who believe on my name will have the power of the Spirit residing in them Now a point of clarification here healing services things like that a lot of those things. I don't really agree with I know it's gonna shock a lot of people but you can't announce when God is gonna heal any more than you can announce when God is gonna save You can't acknowledge let's everybody's gonna get healed and what we do is we whip them up in a frenzy we whip them up in a frenzy and God and we do all these things However, I believe that we should say Lord. I'm a humble broken vessel Would you use me to heal people tonight if there's somebody needing the healing or touching Lord use me? I'm that vessel. I'm that broken vessel Lord at your disposal and That's how we see it working. And I remember at this conference, you know, many of you have heard of a Joni or Johnny Erickson Tata and she gave her testimony that she was at a at a Katherine Kuhlman a Event a healing event and many years ago gosh by 50 years ago, and there's a whole bunch of people lined up in wheelchairs She never went to any of them Not nothing. They all had to be willed out go out the back. So nobody sees up the elevator. We're talking dozens of wheelchairs And that's what the thing about gift of healing people don't realize it's not like It's like God use me and he prompts us and he uses us as vessels for healing for deliverance for all these things So we have to be careful with that Now let's talk. I'm almost done with this when that which is perfect comes that which is in part will be done away with Paul goes on to say but let me put this in context of this whole verse 1st Corinthians 12 13 14 You should read it's where Paul's talking about love You can speak with the tongues of angels you can you know have the faith that would move a mountain you can have all these things Burn your body, you know have it be burned at the stake give all your things to the poor But if you have not love it profits you nothing So that the terminology today would be you can preach as well as Whitefield and Spurgeon and MacArthur But if you have not love it profits you nothing you can have a PhD in theology But if you have not love it profits you nothing and then he goes on to say love is patient. Love is kind It doesn't envy it doesn't boast. It's not rude. It's not proud It's not self-seeking love will never fail and then he says but where there are prophecies Where there are tongues? they will be done away with but not love and Then that which when that which is perfect comes that which is in part will be done away with So they say well, obviously All these things have been done away with when that which is perfect comes But we have to keep reading Paul says when I was a child. I spoke as a child I understood as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things and then he says for now we see through a glass darkly but then Face to face now. I know in part, but then I shall I Shall know even as I also am known and in other words Paul saying we look through a mirror dimly right now We don't we're in our sinful natures. We can't really see things, you know perfectly But when that which is perfect comes we can So if that which is perfect means this Then now we all see better than Paul That'll sink in later to think about Paul saying for now We see through a glass darkly, but when that which is perfect comes You will be able to see perfectly So everybody in this room all Christians now can see better than Paul and James and Peter that doesn't make sense Contextually, it doesn't work But what happens is because I don't like this doctrine. I'm gonna try to make things fit to prove it If the Bible taught sensationism where the gifts of the Spirit have ceased I'd be the first to embrace it Absolutely. Hello right here But that's that's the whole thing on the gifts now. Let's talk. Let's turn to the next one The fruit that is produced is ungodly The fruit that is produced is ungodly and I will be honest the much of much of what I see and in hyper Pentecostal charismatic movement some of that Much of what I see is embarrassing It's embarrassing milking the people acting a certain way Leave their wife and then they'll get married six months later to somebody else and all these things were saying it's bad. It's not good It's embarrassing But let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater again the fruit that it's produced is ungodly Now what I want to do on this, I'm gonna reread the quote from MacArthur at the beginning that I gave About if the charismatic movement was truly being produced by the Holy Spirit the glory of Christ would prevail everywhere It would be Christ dominated and everyone in the movement would be bowing to the true Christ in belief of the true gospel Remember I wrote that read that Well, let's just reword it and say if Christianity was true if Christianity was true and an atheist would be saying this then the glory of Christ would be prevailing everywhere It would be Christ dominated and everyone in Christianity would be bowing to the knee of the true Christ in belief of the true gospel The people would be humble. They would be joyful. They'd be sacrificial. They would be confessional They would be declaring Jesus as Lord and they themselves as slaves. Well, obviously this isn't happening So Christianity must be wrong No Obviously probably 90% of the people professing faith in Christ either don't truly know him or they're not filled mightly with the Spirit of God So you can't you can't fall that just because a few people spoil it doesn't mean that the message isn't true That's on this whole point of the fruit that is produced Is ungodly now on this point this is where I'd share a little bit about if I had especially if I had more time, but on my own my own personal testimony and when when Experiencing and I've talked about before the power of the Spirit of my own life and and how it radically changed everything now The Bible came alive now worship came alive now. I couldn't get more of God now I'm just worshiping God and and he's working through me and and and and I come out a better husband I'm loving my wife instead of hitting her I'm loving my children said I'm yelling at them. I come out of this the spirit for life a better person There's godly fruit there. You cannot worship Christ and worship Satan at the same time. It's not possible and They that's why they challenge a lot of contemporary music Because it's too emotional Well, God help us if we can't sit here and sing worthy is the lamb worthy is the lamb Slain before the foundation of the world blessed Redeemer cry out and then come out of that worship better people. That's godly fruit So one of the things they challenge is this this fruit that's produced is not godly However, you're just looking at a few individuals and we all know what Jesus said in Luke 11 18 if Satan is divided against himself How can his kingdom stand how can we worship Christ all morning long and then somehow now we're worshiping Satan for those who Speak in tongues or those who have words of wisdom or words of prophetic words and all these things and we don't need to be scared of these things for example When Paul talks about somebody who's been given a word of knowledge or a prophetic word would be something like this Let's say it's been on my heart for all week in it and things like this have happened It's just pressing pressing and just go to somebody say listen Peter Take it for what it's worth but are you cheating on your wife and The guy breaks down and starts weeping why? Why? Because God led the person to confront them That's what people don't understand. It's not we live on prophetic words week by week and what there was What do we just we just allow God to use us and sometimes he allows us to speak into people's lives But they would say but we have all this we have all this. Yes, we do. But that guy need to hear this God's a sovereign God we have this for all life and godliness. This is all we need But that guy need to be confronted or somebody else needs to be built up The problem is we take prophetic words and we throw it into this side and everybody has to get a word every week What are the prophets saying? What are the words? What are what we're giving work? Do you have something for me today and we live off of something? That's a lot of times not right it's not correct because the flesh gets in the way and It is dangerous because Deuteronomy says if somebody says thus say if the Lord it does not come true stone them So we hold that very if you're gonna say the Lord's that's why usually I'd say listen This is impressed upon my heart and we challenge that's what a word of that's what a prophetic word would be Is your is your something that God has revealed to your heart you've prayed about you petition and you approach someone. I Told different people Morgan will remember this in 2003 I Went to I guess to look and see if I wrote down I went to actually kind of make fun of a healing service You know, it's kind of this guy, you know, and I go there, you know, it wasn't too bad But the week prior to was right 2002. I don't remember but God is dealing in my heart big like I mean We're talking about a career changes It's like Lord, I'm feeling this word rise up in me and when I if I preach what you're giving me This is gonna come across arrogant. This is gonna come across bold This is gonna come across and I told Morgan that sure it's a I God's because what I was doing is I was traveling around speaking in health and fitness Conferences and I want to say stop worrying about what you look like Are you right with God and all this stuff was rising up? I mean, I'm like I is he calling me the ministry Well, the Bible doesn't say what chapter and verse to turn to it doesn't tell me anything about just I just meeting and reading it Meditating upon looking to the Word of God and I was it's so I mean we must have been in turmoil for a week Or am I gonna quit my what is he doing in my heart? I can't say this to people They're gonna think I'm some arrogant Guy just knelling him Lord. What are you doing? And then we we just talked about this So I go to this this thing. I'm just sitting there and the guy goes young man. Would you stand up? That's okay, and he started just right into it. God is calling you. It's not arrogance It's boldness and men of God have started to start it got to start being bold and speaking out for Christ God is stirring it up in you to call you that ministry to call you to lead people back and God's gonna do it and I'm like coincidence Wow But I lived off that for ten years. I Didn't go around what's it? I just I'm just open Lord What do you want to speak to me and does it line up with Scripture? See that's what we forget We're not saying go live your life based on prophetic words We're saying if you get a word somehow go look it up line it up with Scripture seek God with all your heart See if it comes to pass Don't live off of it. It's more of encouragement or sometimes in that case a rebuke That's the whole point of these things is God and that's what people don't understand. Yes. This is all we need We these things don't supersede the Bible. They're not equal to the Bible They're not new revelations that supersede and and all these things all they are is if you can use the word Supplemental in addition to that God uses to speak to his people If that guy would have said listen, you need to quit your career. You married the wrong woman Hello, I mean this this stuff is very but what happens is we know we can get people worked up in a frenzy What are the profit? What are you saying? Like a good coming? What's gonna get a word? Yes, you're gonna be you're gonna be ahead not to tell you're gonna make it financially You're gonna be good and we look for all these things and that's not how God works They forget that the famous reformer John Knox who said give me Scotland for the cause of Christ or I shall die used to have Prophetic dreams and he used to warn the king about certain things that did eventually happen. Why don't we talk about those things? So we have to make sure that the fruit that is produced is ungodly from what you see on TV But in my life, it's I should be buried in a cemetery right now Like I said before I should be hungover today. I should be or checked in and rehab That's where I should be. So the power of the Spirit operating in my life Changing me the fruits is produced. Give me more fruit if that's bad Bring it on bring it on because I want more of God. I want to be full more filled more of God and This whole issue of tongues that people are worried about is when you're sometimes Praising God and and God brings the prodigal son home and you're worshiping God and you just start speaking in the what is this? I don't this prayer language and you're praising God to say that's demonic when you're saying worthy is the Lamb in your heart and your Hearts breaking and being drawn to Christ to say that's demonic is Hermeneutically incorrect. No, it's on the border of blasphemy in the Holy Spirit You've got to be careful here folks what you say It's not the Father the Son and the Holy Word You'll get that one later to the Father the Holy the Father the Son the Holy Spirit that try you nature The very thing the very thing we are afraid of is the very thing we need AW Tozer said many years ago if the Lord's people Were only half as eager to prove that they can be filled the Spirit of God to prove that they can't be filled The churches would be crowded lives to be radically changed Do not be afraid of the Spirit's power because what you're doing you're lining up truth With experiencing God in a mighty powerful way the gifts the power of the Spirit They don't even want to mention the word anointing or unction or baptism. No, no, no Do what you feel me spirit? You better have it. I don't care what you call it All right, or he said a hundred years ago At least a hundred years ago I'd rather be I'd rather miss the theological term and have the power of the Spirit Then get the term just right and miss the power Now again Clarification here because the bloggers will just chew that sentence apart. I love sound doctrine. Do you understand that? hermeneutics homiletics Soteriology Pneumatology love it. Got it got books on it. Love to read you're gonna read tomorrow morning We're drawn to the truth. Everything is anchored in the truth But if I'm worshiping God and I'm anchored in the truth house, how am I worshiping Satan? You can't The truth God's Word is truth. Our lives are anchored to this truth This is the truth, but God would you guide me according to your truth? Would you allow the Holy Spirit who by the way is? Leading and directing and guiding and convicting that's what the Holy Spirit does and As a matter of fact, sometimes we get it wrong when that word and I will send you a comforter When the comforter comes he's not a comforter like we're thinking my mom holds me when I'm hurt little boys We use the as what we used to take words from the Latin Koum forte, what is his forte? What is his strength with strength? So Christ is saying not comforters We think koum forte when I leave the one with strength will come and empower you to witness Judea Samaria Jerusalem all the other parts of the world without the spirit-filled life I'm trying to witness now on a daily basis wherever I go and it's not me Shane Eidelman just wants to sit down and do something lazy But the spirit inside of me crying all the father says I must witness I must witness boldly and if somebody begins to speak in Tongues, well, it's not a say no. It's of God trying to move the heart. It's okay Does everything line up in Scripture? It was fine in the New Testament. It's wonderful in the New Testament Paul actually says I wish that you would all speak as Tongues as I do but now no way it's of the devil. Where's that disconnect there? Be careful now the problem is What comes across is super spiritual hyper spiritual Well the gift I'm so more spiritual you don't understand. I Need him. I need him as much as I did back then. I need him now in my daily lives I need him now in my marriage. I need him now in my parenting. I need him He is he is an ever-present help in time of struggle. I need him. It's not because it's better. It's because I'm worse probably Probably it's because I'm worse. I know the enemy within I need the Holy Spirit there to anchor me I'm not afraid of that term. We should use that term. We don't worship some image or some force We worship the try you nature of God Father Son and Holy Spirit Calling his children the Father in creed a creation the Son and redemption the Holy Spirit regeneration They're all focusing as one three distinct persons Unless you don't throw me into the modalism camp Everybody says certain people are modalist. They don't believe in the Trinity. No, I'm coming back coming back to the middle. Yes, we do Yes, we do. We believe in the Trinity to try you nature of God and three distinct persons and Again, Satan always perverts what is good noble and truth true. He's gonna go after this and he's gonna go after power How does he go after this? Well, how do you think most cults form? Well, I think this and I think this and let's just take this and let's pervert the truth lose its power lost souls But somebody has the truth the enemy sure doesn't want him have the power Do you realize that in many cases the devil doesn't care if you're a Christian you just go home Blop on the TV or the radio read your Bible now and then you're no harm to his kingdom. God's already got you He's not too concerned. He's not concerned with our prayerless studies and our prayerless activity and our prayerless services He's scared of power. He's scared of those who are going to storm the gates of hell That's why he's got a target on me And he's got a target on most of you if I could just take them out if I could line up the 30-06 Right on his head pull the trigger of doubt and despair remove the spirit's power. I can take that man out That's what this that's why the spiritual power is so important Now if I haven't agitated yet this last point might it's sheer Emotionalism, it's sheer Emotionalism and I want to say sometimes Good Good good good. I need some emotions. I need to fill God in a powerful way tonight Do you realize that emotions are neutral? Emotions are neutral They shouldn't be the engine of the train. They're definitely the caboose. They don't determine truth, but sometimes they're a reflected of truth Want a perfect example How did you feel when you had your first child? Thank God for emotions Wedding day Some of you when you finally the last day of work and you're retired now Some of those people win the lottery emotions Emotion why it's not like we walk around like robots and you know, here's your little baby girl. Thank you. I'll go home and sleep now You're married today. I do I take this wife. Thank you, you know How that's God's given us emotions to feel many times many of you are stirred at the service because I'm stirred I know I'm stirring some people and that that's stirring that emotions good Why because it makes us drop to our feet and praise and worship the one true and living God if it was just a stagnant dead Cemetery nothing would happen We come in we hear the Word of God in a dead tone a lifeless tone The spirit is absent and we leave here no different than when we arrived That's why you can have the cemetery and the circus environment and we try to find the middle We don't want the circus and we don't want the cemetery Can I have the middle and maybe I poke fun too much at either side? I don't know but this side I do have some serious concerns Because I've been at places where people get weird and they say the Holy Spirit's doing this and they don't even talk about Christ the rest of the week They're still getting drunk. They're still yelling at their wife. They're still cussing at work Like what was that all about? Because it can be a false fire Strange false false emotionalism if it's not conforming us to the image of Christ in our character Here's the key emotions are primarily a vehicle for expression not a gauge for truth Let me repeat that your emotions. My emotions are a vehicle for expressing ourselves, but they are not a gauge for truth We do not minimize. I mean, let me repeat this here loudly clearly We do not seek to minimize the need for discernment We love discernment bring it on Jesus said John or John said test every spirit tested. Is it be of God? is it of God a Discerning persons can hear it here. It is a discerning person considers the supernatural Experiences in the light of God's Word nature and character. They ask is there genuine fruit? Does the experience align with God's Word is the Holy Spirit there being is the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5? Present is a true genuine because a true genuine experience with the Holy Spirit will produce godly fruit And D. Martin Lloyd-jones says we should not interpret Scripture in the light of our feelings We should interpret our feelings in light of Scripture So this whole thing it's pure emotionalism. No, it's not. I'll check my emotions at the door I'll check my emotions when they line up with Scripture, but when worships breaking my heart, I'm crying out to God if that's wrong Bring it on Because we have to forget that there are different ways to worship in every generation the old hymns used to be the new hymns Martin Luther would get in trouble because he would take bar tunes and make them into worship songs and The generation God moves differently in every generation. I'm gonna say something here again I don't mean to upset anybody I'm trying to just try to hear my heart through this whole thing And I'm not questioning styles of worship But when I went to the conference and you just stand up and read a hymnal With an organ and sit down and do it one more it does I don't feel I I got a lot of stuff in me I need to worship God for a long time. I need to I need to press in now. Are they worshiping God? Well sure They are a lot of them are older than me and when that organ hits and the old him knows it probably brings them back to That that old rugged cross in that point of history and all those old hymns just come back Thank God for it, but don't challenge me because I can't I can't I can't quite get this isn't working. I'm trying. I'm trying I remember I spoke at the American Baptist Conference many years ago before they divided and I would go to different Baptist churches 150 years old big organs, you know in the hymnals, and I just I'm like I It's not working for me. I Must be quenching grieving the Spirit of God. I must be led by a demonic influence. No No, I just sometimes need heal song for 40 minutes and just sit and worship God So we have to be careful not just because it because well the charismatic movement the contemporary movement the contemporary music people come out against it Now is there do we need to be doctrinally sound of course, but let the next generation, right? Let them right Ronnie Chelsea guys want to write a song write a song. What's God putting on your heart? I'm pretty sure it's gonna line up with Scripture not too worried about it and there are times though that that other people don't like the music that we do and They just I just need a more we had a lady email me recently said she needs to go find a more traditional service She's neck one doesn't quite work for her Am I gonna say? Oh, you're not worshiping. I must be more spiritual. Of course not. I got it. I got it It works better for you somewhere else, but please don't throw the baby out with the bathwater with contemporary music either Because people are genuinely worshiping God. They're being changed and transformed and I and I did this at this point. I need to remind Everybody the words of Jonathan Edwards who's who witnessed the first great awakening in America He said that a true work of the Holy Spirit would be evident here you go, it will elevate the truth It will exalt Christ it will oppose Satan It will point people to the scriptures and it will result in a love for God and others. So when people Experience the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives and all these things are happening You might want to consider that a valid act of God. Let me just say this in closing No matter what side of the fence you are on I'm sure I'm upsetting some over here and I'm pretty sure I've got some Benny Hinn fans. I'm gonna be upsetting over here and Creflo dollar a lot of those guys. I can't stand to watch I'm just being honest with you the way they talk about God's Word and money the way they go after it is not I don't see That biblical at all and it's okay to say these things in love If I was off track somebody needs to say hey listen wake up But let me ask you this is your belief if who you're following is your stance Again, is it is it leading to is it leading to love joy peace? contentment long-suffering gentleness kindness That's why I ask even this side Your event your vindiction and your your words towards me Your actions here is it producing the fruit of the Spirit Are you truly filled with love and joy and peace because I didn't see it. I didn't hear it And this side what would I say to this side? is all the stuff leading to love and joy and peace and long-suffering and gentleness and kindness and a devotion to Christ and Fruit of the Spirit self-control It's not a bad thing. It's a very good thing discern this discern these things That would be my challenge to each group is if those believe like me we need to get rid of the foolishness We need to bury our face in the Word of God we need holiness not hysteria and we cannot do anything in the name of the Lord as if it's no big deal if it's Odd, it's God anything goes No You can be very you walk the fine line of quenching and grieving the Spirit of God and being blasphemous in your worship and in Your lifestyle. This is a call back to that side to stop the silly games Stop the milking of people say get bury your face in the Word of God and come back to the center and my only closing thought to this I would be Would you would you just take it to God and seek him and say Lord? I don't understand this guy He seems a little radical But Lord show me what you should because the God says if you seek me with all of your heart you will find me If they because one side's true either the gifts are ceased Everything I'm saying is either wrong or it's right. There's no middle ground So I would I would encourage this side to seek God and ask him Lord you show me show me I want to be open but cautious That's what I have people. I'm open. I'm very open, but I'm very cautious We don't see these things happening here Maybe to my chagrin, maybe I'll get up in heaven say well Shane you were a little too conservative. That's all right I'd rather be a little too conservative than a little too circus environment. That's just me. That's how he's made me you see And that's why people could come that prefer that Again let me quote Tozer if the Lord's people were only half as eager to be filled the spirit as they are to prove that they cannot be filled The churches would be crowded out and remove the excuses many people are afraid of what they've never experienced Is it not we're afraid of what we never experienced or This group might be mad at this group because they think it's spiritual pride. I'm better than you and again I'm not I need him it has nothing to do with spiritual pride it actually has everything to do with humility and meeting the fullness of God the fullness of the power or Many people have been hurt by this movement and they retract I think I spoke in tongues when I was younger or I think this but I got hurt and I get so they just pull Her opposite to this side. All this is phony. All this is fake Don't allow excuses to stop a mighty work of God that's within your heart Be open but cautious Desire all that God has for you. If you say Lord, I desire everything you have for me the spirit filled life It's not a bad term Paul said BB being filled in the Greek which original language would say that be being filled It's a continual filling of the Holy Spirit. That's not a bad word that's a good word and then when you live your life you live your life with unction and Power and the anointing of God upon your life because you're because the Holy Spirit's work. That's a good thing It's a very good thing Let me just close in prayer and the worship team you guys can come up on praying Lord, I just pray that you would Touch people here tonight in a mighty way Lord. Let them be open for your miraculous healing power Lord heal people tonight Lord in your way how you do it heal people Whatever the anxiety and depression Lord of ailments of sickness Lord, whatever it is we know you can heal strongholds of disease and all these things of Psychological disorders that we run to the pill closet for instead of the power of the Spirit Lord I ask that you would heal people tonight as they're worshiping you even later at home Lord begin to move in this place Lord we love you. We love your word. We want to honor you and I'm even open to Lord if we don't have hundred percent theology if there's anything incorrect that I said tonight Lord show me Show me Lord. We just want to serve you. We just want to submit to you We ask this in Jesus name. Amen