Acts Chapter 2:38-41

I don't see good scriptural evidence. This is just that God no longer engages in miracle that God no longer wants to empower us over flow was or fill us with the Holy Spirit to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you should ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit cuts a gym. I've heard stories about knocking people down and paralyze them down.

I can do whatever he wants. Three. Certainly got Paul's attention on the road to Damascus but God wants us to feel willingly and asked for him to fill us with the Holy Spirit welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee.

David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. While there is been a lot of confusion about the Holy Spirit. The truth is that we should desire to be filled spirit today we have in the studio with his DA, Brown, one of David McGee's associate pastors welcome to the program today brother Bob is great to be here had a thought Bob about his teaching. Perhaps I spent some time recently, going to the store picking out a gift for you. Bob felt good to me, prayed about it saved up for went and bought it wrapped it up and put your name on I know you'd be excited to get that gift on the same way Bob God has some gifts for everyone listening today.

Stay tuned because you're about to be blessed.

That sounds good, brother.

Let's listen as David McGee teaches you will receive power when you're in acts chapter 2 very important theological chapter, we saw Jesus promised that they would receive the fullness of the spirit we see that in John chapter 21 Jesus 20 Jesus breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit. So if they receive the Holy Spirit there. What just happened in acts chapter 2 well I think it's a question of volume and will get into this is week look at this because notice the symbolism Jesus blue on them in the Gospel of John here.

It's a mighty rushing wind so I think it's a question of volume and look into this because depending on your background, your religious background or denominational background you may have been taught some things that were necessarily scriptural and what we want to do as we look at the Holy Spirit as all doctrines want to be sure that that doctrine is based upon the Bible in the Bible alone, so Scripture is what they began to say in the Reformation and that means the Bible alone. Only the Bible so last week we got into chapter 2, verse 38, but less. Let's start there. Then Peter said to them, repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now we talked about baptism of a little bit last week when we mention this again. I believe you should be baptized.

If you're here this morning and you've asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and you been baptized in.

I encourage you to be baptized because Jesus said we should be baptized so you don't want to be in disobedience to the one that you say that you follow, but at the same time we need to understand that if somebody comes forward on a Sunday morning and asked the Lord to forgive them of their sins, and then something happens before their baptized. We serve adjusting anything a look at that man or woman go well you know you're just you didn't make it into the water. What can I say, in many places in the Scriptures when it talks about being saved and talks about going to heaven.

It completely leaves out anything about baptism Romans chapter 10 verses nine, 10 and 13 is one place and in and also realize the heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11, none of them were baptized. So far none of them going to happen. So this important thing to get questions about that. Feel free to email us or call us but it's important doctrine to understand baptism should be baptized, but your forgiveness does not depend upon your baptism now this is a heavy versatile stuff in your we talked about repentance last week what repentance is and what repentance is not, but he mentions the gift of the Holy Spirit. Mrs. the second time he's mentioned the gift of the Holy Spirit or the promise of the Holy Spirit. Why is it that Peter was talking about. Well, there is an experience.

The Bible teaches that is subsequent to salvation, called the infilling of the Holy Spirit. There is a lot of debate, a lot of discourse about this, but the Bible is fairly clear about this.

Now again it's a question of volume and working to get into this and it's going to get you Navy if you're really into theology are going to enjoy it and in you know it you may get more than you bargained for this morning but that's that's a good thing you need to understand what the Bible teaches about these things. If you've been taught that the moment you get saved you get the Holy Spirit that is correct, but you don't get all of him understand that she that's why Jesus said if you ask for bread.

I'm not gonna give you a stone. And what was he talking about that passage, he tells us in that passage uses. How much more will your heavenly father give you the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

He qualified that we need to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit and you got a couple passages if you still believe that if you still believe that you get all the Holy Spirit the moment you get saved, then you got a problem with a couple scriptures. One of them is acts chapter 19 verse two Paul speaking to them and he said under them. Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believe since you believed what I thought you got all of the Holy Spirit.

When you believe what this is a cutting question and they said on him we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost referring to the Holy Spirit, then in acts chapter 8 verse 14.

This is now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Crazy yet he had fallen upon none of them they'd only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they receive the Holy Spirit.

So again we see that subsequent to that salvation experience was an experience for the Holy Spirit and we see that in the Bible so we have to ask yourself some questions now when I can get in depth into the spiritual gifts you can look into first Corinthians chapter 12 there's a list of the spiritual gifts their first Corinthians 14 talks about their operation in the church. It's interesting that those two chapters prescriptions 12. List the spiritual gifts verse 1914 talks about their operation in the church and what is in the middle of those two chapters 1st Corinthians 13 the chapter about love. God is such a good plan or any and it's interesting because see part of what happens with the Holy Spirit is you are filled with the Holy Spirit you are filled with love filled with a lot of your baptized him up and I've had people that told me that they were filled with the spirit that were just the most cynical, bitter people and I had to wonder what exactly did you get filled with if you're new here let me meet really glad you're here this morning.

This is is a difficult theological chapter that last passage talked about laying hands on somebody. Let me tell you what that is and what that's not what we do here because some people get really nervous when it comes to the laying on of hands, the laying on of hands is simply touching somebody put your hand on their shoulder. Maybe therefore had touching them you notice what I touching you notice I didn't say smacking them.

Notice I didn't say pushing them down are pushing them over, you'll see that the Bible you see a lot in Christianity today, but you don't see it in this book we don't see in this book is what were not doing when it talks about the operation of the gifts in first Corinthians 14 there's an interesting verse in first Corinthians 1440 says let all things be done decently and in order and this is referring back to the spiritual gifts so from that verse we see these two things. Number one let these things be done. Number two. Let them be decently and in order now this is where it seemed like a lot of fellowship, go to one side or the other from this passage we know that the spiritual gifts are supposed to be in operation a lot of places the spiritual gifts are in operation but not in operation. In a decent and orderly way. So we have to from this verse understand that the gifts are in operation, but they need to be done decently and in order now. On the flipside there's a lot of people say oh, none and and and and and and were not doing that when I had were not having any of that stuff while it says let these things be done. Let these things be done in many of us use our bad experiences in regard to the Holy Spirit to reject anything to do with the Holy Spirit because we've seen something weird on television or seen some God doing something weird or some lady doing something weird but love when you know what there's people that don't get saved for that exact same reason they look at Christianity and they know one weird person or several where people may think you know what, I'm not going to receive the truth of Jesus Christ because I know one weird person.

You can't do that in regards to the Holy Spirit.

See oftentimes in a church something weird starts to happen is afraid to say anything all say anything that ladies run around the room screaming don't say anything and thereby thinking some I should really say so won't let me assure you, you know, if somebody runs around the room screaming here.

I will say some I will say some I will address it. But here's the thing getting saved and getting sealed. I want to do what Peter did.

Peter says this is a good thing. I want Jesus as I need this to be powerful and in my witness, I want I don't want to go. Who would ever happen once about 22 years ago. I don't want that. I want what Jesus wants to give me the focus in all this needs to stay bone Jesus. But as we look at this.

If the Bible encourages me to be filled which it very plainly does want to be filled.

I want to be filled to overflowing your listening to Pastor David McGee on cross the bridge will be right back with more just a moment, but I want to remind you of the free resources available to you on cross the bridge.com there's a team of hundreds of people that will pray for somebody to be saved. You have a loved one that needs to know Jesus as Savior. You need people to pray for them. You need someone to present God's word to them every day representing God's word to them here on cross the bridge with Pastor David McGee. We can pray for them as well. Just by simply going to cross the bridge.com and click on the pray for the lost button. All you need to do is put in the first names of the people you love, that need to know Jesus as Savior.

Click on submit and immediately hundreds of people begin praying for your lost loved ones.

What an awesome way to bring your love ones to Jesus. Here's a word from associate pastor DA Brown want to take just a couple minutes to pray for some cities in our listening audience.

Specifically, Williston, North Dakota and Hamlet are Perrysburg and Toledo, Ohio and Clinton elk city in Carnegie Oklahoma will we thank you for everyone who lives in the cities. We pray that you would draw them to Jesus. Even right now or I pray that you would fill them with the faith that they need to say yes to what you want to do in their life over. Pray for the leaders in the cities that you give them wisdom and discernment helped in the put their trust in you, hoping to turn your Bible for answers I got.

We pray that the church is to be full of people wanting to get to know you to be taught and to use her gifts to be a blessing to people in their community. In Jesus name, amen, amen.

Thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse. Let's move to verse 39 is this is going to deal with what I know some of you been taught. Verse 39 for the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off as many as the Lord our God will call.

I know that some of you have been tall that the Holy Spirit no longer feels people that God no longer does the miraculous. Now is a walking miracle. I cannot find that whole thing a little humorous when people is there a God doesn't do miracles anymore. Yes, he does he does them every day. He does them every day and and in the Bible tells us to pray for the sick. Now, if God still doesn't heal people. Why do we pray for this mean in there and it's interesting because in some churches they don't believe in healing that God heals people anymore, and yet they pray for this, it makes me wonder what the my God is a healing. He still engaged in healing now listless. Talk about those three words was three Greek words that we need to understand in regards to our relationship with the Holy Spirit when I can overdose on theology here this morning, but there's an important concept in our relation para in an empty now. Para means alongside her beside before conversion. He will be with you.

In other words your relationship with the Holy Spirit before your save is that he's coming alongside of you and he's convincing you are convicting you of your sin. See if you're here this morning you've asked Jesus to forgive you every since you didn't come up with that you weren't sitting there one day and thought all you know I think I'll say that prayer pressure it was known as we need to say all the time. I think I'll go ahead and do that. What happens is the Holy Spirit lose you comes alongside of you immortalizing this really forgiven you. You need to be forgiven. You need Jesus you such a beautiful job and then the relationship changes.

He's no longer para he's in EN are we now have you in the English and that's in our Inuit conversion shall be in you.

So when you asked the Lord to forgive you of your sends the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you, and he begins to cannot convince you or convict you of sin, so that you can become more like Jesus. Then we have a different word that's used in that word is happy over flowing, which is the word it's talking about when it says you shall receive power now these words, the two of them are used at the same time. In John 1416 Jesus is speaking to the disciples and he says and I will pray the father and he will give you another helper, that he may abide with you forever. The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know I'm for he dwells with the Greek word para there. He dwells with you and will be in Greek word EN you I will not leave you orphans.

I will come to you so that describes part of our relationship with the Holy Spirit and ask comes on and says okay you're going to be filled to overflowing, when you asked to be filled with the spirit now. Again, there's a teaching in the church today that says all this stopped at the age of the apostles. Once the first generation of apostles died off these things cease to exist and and we cease to have access to this power a lot of denominations teach this now. Certainly, certainly they have great scriptural evidence to come to this conclusion that the miracles in the gifts and the empowerment all stopped.

Surely there is a strong strong basis and in Scripture that none of this is available anymore.

First Corinthians 13 is the evidence that years reads like this. Love never fails whether there are prophecies, they will fail, whether there are tongues, they will cease whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, than that which is in part will be done away know most of you sooner going to misdirect the wrong verse because that doesn't have didn't say anything about the miracle CCing her the power not being available or anything like that, guys, this is the verse that you actually all over the Internet to try to find another verse that could be tortured into confessing. And then I couldn't fly. He couldn't find this this is, again, not wanting bore you with the details, but I mean it is so explicit in the Greek that this is talking about when Jesus comes back, but what they say it is talking about the Bible that when the Bible is finished. When the Bible is completed, then these gifts will no longer be in operation, the empowerment will no longer be available in God will never engage in miracles. See, I had to explain that to you before you got that from that passage, but somebody has to explain a passage for you to get the meaning from it. There's a problem, especially third base and a good deal of your theology on that one verse I have to say you know what I don't see good scriptural evidence to suggest that God no longer engages in miracle that God no longer wants to empower us over flow us or fill us with the Holy Spirit can't get there in inapt guys I have for years examined the scriptural evidence and and had conversations with people. Here we have the believers wanting to be filled with the spirit and I think we should be desiring to be filled with the spirit. I do not see scriptural evidence that we should run that we should hot from this if you want to you can toss this verse around and think about it and pray about it but in your you just can't get there from here.

The life lesson here is we should desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We should desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you should ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit cuts a gentleman. I've heard stories about God and knocking people down and paralyze them at Downham I can do whatever he wants.

Three. Certainly got Paul's attention on the road to Damascus but God wants us to yield willingly and ask for him to fill us with Holy Spirit verse 40 and with many other words he testified and exhorted them sent be saved from this perverse generation, the work traverses is scoliosis or where we get our word scoliosis. It's it's it's crooked away from this crooked generation, now is he talking to the Jewish leadership very religious and very devout man and he speaking to him and he says the same from this perverse generation that's interesting to me because these men had been warped by what religion they been warped by religion. Take a look at the landscape today warped by religion your standards. There's churches all over the tribe this morning that people that don't know Jesus will go in and they will not hear about how to be forgiven. How to follow Jesus and they will leave and they may think God is at least impressed with my attendance that at some point in heaven.

He has a big role or something. And you know to where you in church that's first question is the first question you can ask questions. Do you know and so you and let me share something with wheat you know contemporary worship here in and asked I love doing the hands but we mix it up. I actually love the pipework.

I will love the pipework and to be honest I like responsive readings. I think some of the formalities and the stained glass in the sink.

I can appreciate those things, and in fact I'm even ministered to by some of those things. It problem is those things have been used to drive people away from God because people think they can approach God unless they approach him in that way we have got show up in the parking lot one morning ask one of the parking lot. Helpers said cannot come in there looking like this in a T-shirt and jeans custody batch, I love that I said okay I'll commit but see I was down the street another place in I went to go in and they stop me at the door and they said if you're going to come to this church.

You need to dress more respectfully wheezing Jesus thinks about that we ever see him in Scripture, dressing people about ties or lack a test I how I can appreciate it. Talk at times I have suits. I wear my weddings and funerals. But you know if you want to where Tahir think that's great that's awesome. If you don't want to wear a tiger, that's great.

That's one. It's not the point is not the point. And yet it's become the point because it's good we cotton into this religious stuff I don't want long faced religion, one of living, vibrant relationship with Jesus.

That's 10 and some this other stuff can contribute people. Verse 41, then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that they about 3000 souls were added to them noticed something in verse 41 it says they gladly received his word. If you remember, if you were here last week.

What was the word that Peter gave him Peter said look, Jesus was the son of God need a skilled that's the short version predict that that's what he said to them, yet look what this verse says they gladly received his word that Peter was not like namby-pamby and I mean he was telling the truth. The life lesson here the word of God, pastors and people sometimes tell us things we don't want to hear the need to hear.

You know, in my years of being a Christian offered some things are really tough to hear the news from God our that's solid not only to address.

Sometimes it's hard to like it's not.

But sometimes it's May the Lord continue to soften her heart as we hear these things, print, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now only Legion a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now.

Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I can have a new life not done wrong things I have sinned, and I'm sorry.

Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you. All of my days in Jesus name, amen friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible. You've been forgiven you've been born again, congratulations bring you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you. You can visit cross the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Or you can write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12, 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working your life you're the Bible tells us that the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

But it does cost for us to come and bring that message to you and to others in your neighborhood through radio through the Internet and through the mobile technologies that God has gifted us to be able to use so if you'd like to support this ministry.

Please go to cross the bridge.com. Click on the donate button and ask God how much he would have you give either on a one-time basis or continuing basis each month to help ensure that the teaching of God's word continues to go out through cross the bridge. Thank you so much ODA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day. You can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider daily reading plan enough thought to meditate on throughout your day. From the heart. The David McGee those are terrific and it's easy and it's free so folks sign up today@crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time. As David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the book of acts