Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:06 This morning we're starting a new theme and the theme comes with a warning because we're going to, in the months ahead, look at the Book of Acts. You cannot read the book of Acts properly and not catch fire.
Speaker 1 00:00:26 It's impossible. The Boggle backs is one of the most daring, dangerous, hazardous books that you could ever set your eyes upon. And if we read it and we don't catch fire, we haven't read it properly. So highly flammable is the theme. The Book of Acts is the subject matter that we're looking at. And the spirit of God, I pray, is gonna open our hearts to what the Lord wants to say. If you've got a Bible, will you either open it or switch it on to Acts chapter one. This book was written by Luke, the very same Luke who wrote the Gospel of Luke. It's like a part two from Luke. And the very beginning of this chapter gives us a little bit of a summary of the summary at the end of Luke's gospel. Let me read it to you just a few verses. Initially I that being Luke wrote the first narrative, Theopolis Theopolis is an influential person, probably a person of note that this letter was written to.
Speaker 1 00:01:39 It was written to an individual, not because other people weren't meant to see it, but it was written to an individual. Because in those days, and young people, you're not gonna believe this, they didn't have email or text messaging. And the only way they could get the message out was to send it to someone of note, an influence who would then recommend it to others. So that's why this was written to Theopolis. I wrote the first narrative theopolis about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen after he had suffered. He also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs appearing to them over a period of 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 40 days is quite a key part of the scripture.
Speaker 1 00:02:31 Whenever you see 40 days, there's always something significant happening. You remember Jesus before he announced his public ministry. He spent 40 days in the wilderness. Then when he came out the wilderness, there was that baptism and the spirit of God. He said He come out full of power of the Spirit. Amen. From the wilderness full of the Spirit. And we read here that there's 40 days he's spent with the disciples and that they're about to be filled with the Spirit. It's a nice parallel there that we see that this is the launch of the ministry of the church. But Jesus, it said that he had suffered. We know that there's more torical evidence that Jesus died on the cross than the is of the battle of Hastings took place. Jesus suffered and he died the most horrific of deaths. And he also after his death, listen this after his death, presented himself to people after his death because he is alive.
Speaker 1 00:03:31 Amen. He was dead, but he's dead. No longer he is risen. Amen. And in the culture, many of the people reading this would've been people scattered around the world. This was written in Greek. And the Greeks would've had an understanding that sometimes people can see things apparitions. There are things that maybe their imagination paints impressions or understanding. They can get a vision that's an apparition in some way. This could not be an apparition because the risen Jesus didn't just appear to people privately in their rooms that could be mistaken as an apparition. Jesus appeared to people in groups. He walked with them, he ate with them, he talked with them. This was no apparition. This was the resurrected king of all glory present. And he gave them many convincing proofs appearing to them over a period of 40 days. And speaking about what? What was he speaking about?
Speaker 1 00:04:43 The same thing that he spoke about. In much of the narratives of the gospel, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God. Every king has a kingdom. Every kingdom has a people. There are other things that kingdoms have as well. Kingdoms have security nations spent billions of pounds in infrastructure and armies in order to secure the safety of its residence of its subjects. A kingdom usually have territory, a place that the boundaries are clearly demarcated that this is, this is what belongs to this kingdom. And just over the line is what belongs to another kingdom. Those boundaries and borders, of course, fights over many, many years. Kingdoms have economies provision things that they need to sustain themselves, to feed themselves, to care for themselves, to look after themselves. Kingdoms have authority, power somehow within that infrastructure of the kingdom, there is some authority structure about how decisions are made, who makes them, what the remits are.
Speaker 1 00:06:18 And also a kingdom has education so that people can be schooled and developed on how they can contribute to that kingdom. Jesus came announcing the news and he's speaking to the disciples over these 40 days about the kingdom of God. This kingdom, it's territory is not a geographical location. It's territory are the hearts of its people. It's security is not based on an armed force, but it's based upon God. If God is for us, who can be against us, this is his kingdom. It's not like the kingdoms of this world, the economy of this kingdom works on that. He is the owner of a cattle on a thousand hills. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it.
Speaker 1 00:07:16 And we see that wherever there is a kingdom that seeks to exert itself, that there is often a clash of kingdoms. And the Book of Acts is a book about a clash of kingdoms. We read that where light is shining, darkness is screaming, darkness is shaking, darkness is fighting back. And we know that the darkness cannot overcome the light, but it certainly tries. And in this season where I believe the Lord is turning up the brightness of his glory among us, you might think, oh, this is going to be heavenly bliss and wonder and joy. I want you to know it's gonna be fight. Yeah. There's gonna be contention. Yeah. There's gonna be times where on one hand you receive an incredible portion of God's blessing. On the other hand, it feels like all hell is broken loose. Yes. Because you and I, we are brought into a kingdom. But there is a clash. That's right. Because darkness does not take light lying down. That's right. And this book is a book about a clash of kingdoms.
Speaker 1 00:08:38 In 1215, there was something in the constitution of this nation, and we call them Magna Carter. This has obviously been a very significant weekend. We've just had the coronation of King Charles the third yesterday, king Charles the third. We saw all the regal displays of the majestic position that he has taken up. We see all of that wealth and opulence and we see all of that grandeur that's relevant to the office that he holds. But in 1215 in the Magna Carta, there were some key things that happened. And one of them was this, that the king no longer was able to wield power. The king became part of something called the constitutional monarchy. That means if Charles wakes up today and decides that he doesn't like the southwest, he can do nothing really about it because the power sits with the parliament. The power does not sit at Buckingham palace.
Speaker 1 00:09:49 There may be influence, there may be grandeur, there may be um, opulence, there may be some level of, um, understanding about a place in the world. But the king or the queen is unable to make any material decisions that affect your life or my life that was put in place because there had been some kings, some queens that had used their authority in negative ways. They were temperamental people. And of course, wherever there's power, there's the possibility of power being abused or utilized for the advantage of the person who wields the power. And the nation rose up and said, we don't want a king to be able to wake up in a bad mood one day and annihilate his people. So a change was made. That power is now in the hands of parliament delegated. And it no longer sits at Buckingham Palace. As I was thinking about that, I thought about how believers can so easily today have Jesus as their constitutional king.
Speaker 1 00:11:19 We know that as much of that ceremony yesterday reflected just how embedded in our society, no matter how secular society becomes embedded into the very framework of this nation, there is a Christian understanding. That moment when the Bible was handed to the newly and throne king and it was said, we are giving you the most precious, the most precious thing in the whole world. In a moment we will give you a crown that will have priceless jewels. But that is nothing in comparison to this word of God. Amen. That's enshrined in our laws in this land. As much as people try to reject it and kick against it, that's enshrined. I pray that our king reads that word. Amen. And falls in love with those precious jewels that are in God's word. Takes nothing away, adds nothing to it, but lives his life in surrender. I also pray by the way that our Vics and our bishops do the same. That we recognize that the word of God is our ultimate authority. Yes. But it's so easy to have a constitutional king. We turn up and we worship and we say, there is no one like you. You're so beautiful. You're so wonderful. You're so majestic, you're so powerful.
Speaker 1 00:12:49 And then when Jesus says, I'd like you to do this. Do you think you are telling me to do that? Jesus, I'll worship you, but don't interfere with my life. That's against my human rights. Jesus is not a constitutional king. Some of the words of the end of Matthews gospel, Jesus said these words, all authority has been given me. Amen. There is nothing or no one bows or there is nothing or no one that Jesus needs to bow down in front of. And he is the only person in the universe that can handle that power. We saw those vows yesterday, many of us. And if those vows can be kept, those vows based on Christian principles, then there will be many good things that will come from it. But they're gonna have to be fought for and contended. But Jesus doesn't have to contend and fight to do those things.
Speaker 1 00:14:04 He doesn't have to fight to be faithful because he is faithful. He doesn't have to contend and say, stop being so selfish and I'm gonna be compassionate today. He is compassion. Amen. He's all loving. He's all kind. He's full of grace, full of truth. That's my savior. That's my king. Come on. And I pray that the church will move from the shallow ends of a constitutional monarch to the deep end of a surrendered life. Yes. Where we give him our all. We lay our crowns before him. We don't wait for eternity to do that. But we cast our crowns before him today. In all those crowns, those things that say that you are a mini God, that in some way you've got value and dignity, of course you have, you're made in his image. Amen. But those crowns, they're giving you to surrender, to be in surrender and submission to the king of all glory.
Speaker 1 00:15:08 Amen. And there is a shallow end and there is a deep end to our faith. And in this season, it's time to stop swimming in the shallows. Let me tell you some of the shallow things. And it doesn't, there's nothing wrong with the shallow end. It's just, and this is profound. The shallow end isn't as deep as the deep end <laugh>. Nothing wrong with the shallow. I'd rather us be in the shallow than be at the side of the pool criticizing those in the water. But the deep end, see the shallow end? I, I read a lot. I listen to Christine radio and so on and and, and sometimes in our services, it feels like God exists to fix our headaches or to make us feel better about ourselves, to lift our oppression. Now he does. He's kind. He's gracious. He's a shepherd. As we were reminded a few weeks ago, of course he's a good father.
Speaker 1 00:16:08 We love to give his children good gifts. But that's shallow end stuff because there are nations to change. Yes, there are communities to be transformed. And if you are just spending the next 30 years praying about your fear, praying about your headache, praying about your provision, what about all this stuff over here? It's time for the church to really put their goggles on. Come on and get in the deep end. Come on. There are nations to change. The Book of Acts is not a book that says, oh, I'm gonna stroke your hair. I'm glad about that. It's not a book that says, you know, oh, let's make you feel good about your life. You know, I wanna bless you. I wanna prosper you. We know that's in the heart of God. He's a good father. But we've got stuck there. And God is saying, I'm looking for an army that will kick the hell out of this nation that will transform communities.
Speaker 1 00:17:11 Come on. That will grab a hold of the fire of God. Wesley said famously, if you get on fire for God, people will come to see you burn this book of Acts. I, many of us have been looking at a chapter a day for the last 28 days, which finished this morning. I've for some time now felt called to read this book once a week. And I've been doing that faithfully for a while now and just allowing the fire of God. I almost feel like I need a fire hydrant next to me these days when I'm reading this. Because the fire of God is all in this book. It's not just about the day of Pentecost. There's a fire that causes people to get into the deep ends of the things of God. Church, it's time to rise. Come on. It's time to be the people of the kingdom. The kingdom and the kingdom has doesn't have a territory, it has a people, it has provision, it has security and education. Let me tell you something that's changing in the church. For years, we've sub doubt the bringing up of our children in the faith to Sunday schools and youth clubs. Do you know, I had a parent come to me a few years ago and say, we're really disappointed in this church because our young teenager doesn't want to come any longer. What are you gonna do about it?
Speaker 1 00:18:54 What are you gonna fix? I'm sure there were reasons, but that mother came to gathered church services about once every other month in all grace, in all sincerity, in all of a desire to get us into the deep end. The bringing up of our children in the faith is the responsibility of parents. Yes. Amen.
Speaker 2 00:19:26 Amen.
Speaker 1 00:19:30 That was an awkward clap on it. <laugh>, Nita and I are affecting that day. We don't think we've done a very good job of this over the years. We feel in some ways that we've just almost relied on them growing up by osmosis, picking up from the atmosphere. And I think they, they do pick up a lot of things from the atmosphere. They pick up the unspoken things they, they pick up seeing the apologies that happen when you have a fight. Not that nito. Now I've ever had an argument about anything, but I just read about it in a book somewhere. They pick it up in the atmosphere.
Speaker 1 00:20:08 But can you imagine if the rest of society functioned on the need for people to pick things up from the atmosphere? We'd have no scientists, we'd have no medical help, we'd have no teachers. Cuz we expect teachers to grow just from the atmosphere of our homes and our schools <laugh>. And yet we expect people to grow up as spiritual champions just because of the atmosphere. An hour a week at Kids' club, something needs to change. Amen. We need to get outta the showers into the deep. Yes. It's with a friend this week and he's telling me he's teaching his church that when he goes to their home and sometimes they sit down for a meal as a guest in someone's home and often the host will say, pastor, will you pray for us? And he goes, no, you are the pastor of this home. You pray. You are the priest in this home. This is your authority, this is your spiritual authority. In Jewish culture, it was always the men in the home that were responsible to bring up their kids, to school them in the ways of God. Joseph did a very good job with Jesus.
Speaker 1 00:21:15 That's the call of families. Yes. And I, you know, I suspect that it's actually really difficult recruiting kids workers and youth workers and churches, not just here but around the country. We've got great team here, really blessed the provision of God, but around the country is getting really difficult to recruit them. They're like golders to get old of 'em. And I wonder whether God is actually doing something new and speaking something new and saying, church, I want families to capture the purposes of God. I want families, not just youth workers. And we'd always need those, we'd always give thanks to God for them. But it's all of us. You see, you can't read this book and get off lightly. You can't read this book without the fire of God touching our hearts and our minds in some way and challenging us and burning us. And he came speaking about the kingdom of God.
Speaker 1 00:22:10 Then verse four, while he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the Father's promise, which he said, you have heard me speak about for Bo, for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time? Just go back and look at the order of that, the previous verse for John baptized with water, but you'll be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. So when they come together, they asked him, Lord, are you gonna restore the kingdom to Israel at this time? Doesn't that feel a little bit outta sync with Jesus' previous statement? And then that sandwich in the middle of then Jesus replying to them, it's not for you to know the times or periods of Father is set by his own authority, but you'll receive power when the Holy Spirits can't you, you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judas Samian to the ends of the earth.
Speaker 1 00:23:09 So their question, the disciples question, after spending years with Jesus, 40 days with him after his resurrection, their question, are you gonna restore Israel? It's an interesting question. I get it. Because there were Romans everywhere and prior to the Romans, there were the Greeks and there were all of those years of history of being oppressed and overtaken by other nations, by the Babylonians. There was all of those years of pain of them not really leading their own country. And that pain has existed for thousands of years for our Jews, our Jewish descendants of the promise of God.
Speaker 1 00:23:54 Somebody who's a, an under a very sort of insightful historian said these words that antisemitism has been described as the longest hatred in world history. Yesterday in the coronation there were five Jews who actively participated in the ceremony. Let me tell you how historic that is. Back in 1189, there were some Jews who tried to get into the coronation of the king of the day. Not only were they removed, but they were beaten up just because they were Jews. The Jewish persecution didn't just happen at the Second World war and the great atrocities took place. It's taking place for thousands of years. We've got a number of Jews in the room this morning and we love you. God loves you. God's chosen people. That the promise of God has been revealed through the purposes of God have been demonstrated through. And this tiny nation, relatively tiny nation of Israel is like a a compass. It's like the north point in the world that history points to it, eschatology points to it. It's all there. The purposes of God.
Speaker 1 00:25:20 We read in Jeremiah, let's look at it together, Jeremiah 24, this is a promise that the disciples would've been aware of. All of the people that were schooled in the Jewish faith would've known these prophecies, been aware of them and been longing for their revival. Jeremiah 24 6, I will keep my eyes on them for their good and I will return them to this land. I will build them up and not demolish them. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord and they will be my people and I will be their God because they will return to me with all of their hearts.
Speaker 1 00:26:11 So when the disciples said, are you gonna restore the kingdom of Israel? That would've been in their sights. There are others. Let me give you one more example. Ezekiel 36 verse 24 onwards. It says, for I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the nations and countries and I will bring you to your own land. I will also sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances. You will live in the land that I will give your fathers and you will be my people and I will be your God.
Speaker 1 00:26:55 I will save you from all your UNC cleanliness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful. I will not bring famine on you. I will also make the fruit of the trees on the produce of the field plentiful so that you will no longer experience reproach among the nations on account of famine. Those words would've been known by the disciples. And so here it is their resurrected king of kings and Lord of lords, the one who had defeated sin, death and hell. And he's here with them promising the power of the spirit. And they're thinking, when are we back? When is this nation back? When are the Romans gone? When are we in charge again? So it's no wonder they asked the question. It's amazing actually the thousands of years of of Jews holding onto those prophetic words and promises that it wasn't until the last century, 1948, that the nation of Israel was reborn again after all those atrocities of the second world war. And the nation was reborn and it's a nation again. And we see Jews from all over the world scattered throughout the world now coming back to that nation. And it's not without its trials and its troubles, but it's something incredible is happening.
Speaker 1 00:28:14 Is that what Jesus is talking of here? Well Israel continues to be a very important part of the plan and the purposes of God. But Jesus had something else to say to his disciples here. He said, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses. Don't think about bringing people in. Think about sending them out. You'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem in all Dear Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Throughout this book of acts, we are gonna see there being the clash of kingdoms, the clash of paradigms, the clash of understanding, the clash of heritage. We're gonna see lots of clashes and the fire of God is what enables them to walk through that. There was no script, there were no conferences to attend. No one had been this way before and yet the fire of God led them. And it's the fire of God that will lead you. We have the word of God in one hand and the spirit of God in the other. And together we're able to step into the purposes of God. But Jesus was saying, Hey listen, this is not about me, just about me carrying on doing miracles. This now is over to you. Jesus was taking them behind a screen and was anointing them with oil and saying, as he said at the end of the gospels, all authority has been given to me. Therefore you go and make disciples.
Speaker 1 00:29:56 I was saying to someone this week, churches are guilty of being like schools when no one ever graduates where we just, if if it's a successful school or a successful church, more and more people come along. That's the interpretation, the understanding of that. More people wanna be part of it cuz that's got good school, it's got a good offstead inspection. You know it's outstanding. We love what we get there, but they never leave. The only time they leave is when they get sick of the school dinners. And God never designed the Ecclesia or the church to be that. He designed us to go on adventure filled with a fire of God. Jesus as commissioned us to extend his kingdom by claiming the hearts of others. Before we conclude with a few more verses, can we just take a moment to pray for Israel and pray for the Jews?
Speaker 1 00:31:03 Let's pray. The scripture says, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Yes, there is lots of turmoil taking place and that nation's been some of the most turbulent months for a while. Let's pray for the peace of that nation. Let's pray that God will take hearts of stone and turn 'em into hearts of flesh. Let's pray that they will see their messiah, their king of glory. Let's pray. Their hearts will be turned towards him. Come on, let's pray together. Jesus Messiah, king of all glory, we pray the you, the people that you said, I will be their God and they will be my people. Lord, we pray for the peace of that nation. Lord, we pray that as Jews from around the world continue to gather in that land, that land of promise. Lord, we pray that you will protect them, guard them Lord. And we pray that surrounded by people who would have their annihilation, that you would strengthen them. But Lord we pray that you will take their hearts and you will melt their hearts and that they would just as pawed it on the road to Damascus that their eyes would be opened to Jesus. Amen. Lord, we pray that there will be a movement of millions upon millions of Jews coming to knowledge, saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Jesus. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Amen.
Speaker 1 00:32:41 Just finally, I'm gonna change the analogy from fire for a moment to water because in our home, one of our showers is for a few months being the most feeble excuse of a shower you could ever imagine. Like it'd start off enthusiastic, it would like, whoa. And then quickly it'd go shy <laugh> and just this little dribble of water would come out if I was washing my hair in that I'd have trouble <laugh> and we tried a few things. I'd replace the entire shower,
Speaker 1 00:33:23 Very expectantly, turned it on and the enthusiasm whoa was there. And then little dribbles of water. I can't believe that. And then I followed the pipe in and I found that there was a device fitted that is what's called I think a water limiter. And this water limiter came outta the hot water pipe from the boiler and it's meant to reduce the pressure. So a high pressure comes in and then you can control the dial so that a pressure comes out that's not gonna harm the equipment. Basically the pressure was so high on one side they didn't need to be reduced down. And that reducer had broken that which was meant to help but broken. And it meant that this high pressure was gonna put the shower on. It'd send the message, the boiler say send our water now. And the whole and the boiler would send the whole water enthusiastically. He'd come rushing through the pipes. Yeah, yeah. We got a day out in the shower guys. And then he'd get to this limit and go, you, you shall not pass
Speaker 2 00:34:32 <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:34:36 So we thought, well we think that's the way it is. So we replaced the limiter party time, shower time. We got water coming through that shower that actually washes you. Now it's amazing the church has got a limit problem. There's no shortage of heavenly resource and power for his people. But there are things in our lives that are limiting us neither. And I have for some time now felt the stirring of God to do in our lives, to take away the distractions, to take away the things that would cause us to seek to limit what God is doing. My relationship to a whole range of things has changed. Do you know I catch up with the news once a day Now briefly do doom and gloom. I think I've got enough of a handle to know what's going on around the world. I think I read widely enough about world news to have some understanding of what's taking place. But I don't have to keep going back and visiting it. I'd much rather go back to see what God's up to. Come on.
Speaker 2 00:35:52 Hallelujah.
Speaker 1 00:35:54 You know we don't follow any soaps. We used to love light entertainment tv. I'm a Christian, get me out here. Sorry I'm a celebrity. Get me out here. <laugh>, we used to love those things. Just a bit of light entertainment. There's nothing wrong. Don't hear me say that it's wrong unless of course it's wrong. In which case hear that it's wrong. But I'm not saying that that's for you to decide cuz we don't put our revelation on other people. Yeah. But the revelation I want to put on you is if there's something limited in the work of the spirit in your life, it will continue to be limited until you deal with what it is that's limiting you. Yeah. And if that limitation is a distraction, if that's your social media on your phone, you've got a choice. Do you carry on being limited or do you take it off?
Speaker 1 00:36:43 If your limitation are your friendship circles, you carry on being limited as long as those things are in your life and you got a choice, you can be a shallow and believer. You can have a a constitutional king in Jesus and you can just carry on living and will you get to eternity? Yes, probably. Cuz God's kind and gracious and cuz we saved by grace alone, not by works that anyone should boast. But you get there and And the prize given ceremonies going out and why have they got a mansion? And I've got a tent
Speaker 2 00:37:19 <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:37:22 Well you remember I spoke to you about some of those things you were limiting me on in your life. You remember when I asked you to do something and you said, Jesus, butt out, this is my life. It's time to get. The limit is out if something is stopping you from flowing in the power and the presence of the spirit of God. This is not written to pastors alone or church leaders. This is to God's people.
Speaker 1 00:37:56 Verse nine to 11. We close of this after he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching and a cloud took him out of their sight. That means his final words were, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. After he'd said it, then he was taken and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going, they were gazing into heaven. What a scene that must have been probably a little bit of a flashback to the Elijah Elisha story. And we know what happened with Elisha. We've seen a double anointing and there was this promise that Jesus said, you will do even greater things than me. That's the call, that's the empowerment, that's the truth for the church today. You shall do even greater things than those which you read about me. Do it. And they're there gazing into heaven. And suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them and they said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven in the same way, return in the same way.
Speaker 1 00:39:14 Jesus talking about the kingdom, his final words about being filled with the spirit and now he's gone and the angels say He's coming back. He's coming back. You have a job to do to extend my kingdom. You have an empowerment to do it, but time is limited. I'm returning.
Speaker 1 00:39:34 Jesus is the coming king. He will return, has his feet left the Mount of Olives, they'll come back on the Mount of olives and we'll re and we'll see. You know it says every eye will see him. Let's look together. Revelation chapter one, verse seven and eight. Look, he has come in with the clouds and every eye will see him. Even those who pierced him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. So it is to be. Amen. I am the alpha and omega that would make a good song, wouldn't it? Says the Lord God, the one who is, who was and who is to come. The Almighty just finally looks like a one. Thessalonians chapter four verses 16 to 17. That's a great ringtone is it says for the Lord himself will descend from heaven.
Speaker 2 00:40:47 <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:40:51 It's okay. No one noticed for the Lord himself will descend from heaven
Speaker 2 00:41:06 <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:41:12 For those of you watching online who can't hear that the Lord bless you, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with with a shout.
Speaker 4 00:41:38 Hallelujah.
Speaker 1 00:41:39 There's a sound. And the whole earth will shake the magnificence of his glory and the sound of his voice with the arc angel's voice and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first hall. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words. That's a great encouragement at the end of the service, isn't it? Amen. Jesus will return. But he hasn't because there's a job to do. There's a fight that spread. There's a kingdom to extend. There's a people he's raising up. So I pray that as we continue in the one months ahead to look at acts, I pray that my heart will set a light with the flammable power of the Spirit. I pray that your hearts will be ignited with the glory of the Lord. I pray the will stop playing with our inflatables in the shallow end and we'll dive into the depths and we will forever be changed. Let's pray together. Fire of God.
Speaker 1 00:43:33 Fire of God. Come on, let's stand together. In our final moments, Sonita and I, a few years ago, popped in spontaneously to see the building where the Walsh revival, there's rumor to have spilled out from in 1904. Couldn't get in. It was locked. And so we prayed outside and after about 10 50 minutes of praying outside, the door was open. We thought someone must have crept past this odd praying couple. So we walked in. Hello, hello. There's no one in there. It's empty. So we think, okay, we're in. Didn't quite think about the ethics of it, but we are in need to lay on the pulpit at the top. But it had a curtain all the way around. So she was just laid flat on the floor praying, God, you've done it before. Do it again. I'm sat at the piano this little out to tune piano and I begin to play this song, spirit breakout, break our walls down. God, you've done it before. You can do it again.
Speaker 5 00:45:15 Yes.
Speaker 1 00:45:17 And the presence of God ignited something in our hearts.
Speaker 1 00:45:21 God, you can break out in the nation. You are the king of all glory. You can do whatever you say you want to do, but you do it through your people. So Lord, I pray against all limitations in our life. All of those things strangle in the work of the spirit, in us, all of that faithfulness, Lord, all of that sin, all of that distraction. Lord, purify, purifiers, cleanses. Philips, we pray. I believe an angel opened the door for us to be there that day. And I believe we're all around this church. There are angels seeking ministry and spirits to open our hearts to the presence of God.
Speaker 5 00:46:03 Will
Speaker 1 00:46:04 We open? Will we step in? Come on, let's sing this King Jesus, you are the name we're lifting on King Jesus.
Speaker 6 00:46:18 You are the
Speaker 1 00:46:19 Name
Speaker 6 00:46:19 We're lift
Speaker 5 00:46:23 Glory
Speaker 6 00:46:33 Your
Speaker 1 00:46:40 Jesus.
Speaker 6 00:46:43 Jesus
Speaker 5 00:46:50 Glory.
Speaker 6 00:46:59 We
Speaker 5 00:48:29 Spirit breakout.
Speaker 1 00:48:31 Spirit breakout. Come on. Let your prayer
Speaker 5 00:48:33 Spirit breakout.
Speaker 1 00:48:36 In our hearts, in our minds, in our desires of God, all those paradigms that have held us back, break out or gone.
Speaker 5 00:48:47 Spirit, heaven,
Speaker 1 00:49:02 Spirit out the of Your presence. Holy Spirit, just encourage you. Will you just lift your hands to heaven? And if your heart is God, I want to be in the deep end of the things of the Lord, the deep end. Reach out and tell him now. Cuz this is not gonna be resolved just here in one service. It's gonna involve you, reorder it and changing some stuff in your life. You've got used to the shallow end and the Lord is inviting you to a deeper place. It's gonna take some changes. As a church community, we're committed to following the leading of the spirit to seek after his presence, to go deeper in him. Lord, I pray that your oil of your presence will just touch every heart. Now, every life come Holy Spirit, come and set our hearts. A light with a power and the presence and the splendor and the wonder of our magnificent king of glory. You are the king of kings and the Lord of lords. We honor you King Jesus. We honor you. We honor you King Jesus. We honor you. We honor you. We honor you. You're not a constitutional, you're a king of all glory.
Speaker 1 00:50:56 We say yes to you. Whatever you ask, we say yes. Halle, Halle, so king of kings. Not just the ruler of the nations, but the king of our hearts. Every king has a kingdom. And your kingdom has a people. And we are your people. Thank you for your kingdom authority. And I pray that every obstacle in our lives that sets itself up against the knowledge of the Lord will be broken. Every high thing will come down, every stronghold will be broken. Every fear will. No deliveries in the name of Jesus. And this week, oh God, help us to orientate our lives in light of your glory. Hallelujah.
