I've been praying that God would show us
what He wants to show us because going
through this message on spiritual gifts, in case
you haven't been coming, we've been talking about
spiritual gifts, a gift of healing, a gift
of prophecy, a word of wisdom, and tonight
we actually find ourselves on this gift of
tongues that is in the Bible.
We all know what people think of this,
don't we?
Those weird charismatics and that's not for today
and different things and I'm just hoping somehow
it can penetrate us at a deep level
and we can leave here with just a
deeper appreciation for the gifts of the Holy
Spirit and maybe even, are you ready for
this, ask for the Holy Spirit to give
us gifts, to give us a gift of
wisdom or discernment or understanding or this gift
or different gifts.
I just don't find in the Bible where
the gifts that we find in 1 Corinthians
14 are over, have ceased, we don't see
that, I can't personally come up with that.
So the message tonight is tongues, what does
the Bible say?
What does the Bible say about the gift
of tongues?
And you could spend a couple hours on
this, if not more, but what I decide
to do is let the Bible speak for
itself and I think a lot of people
will be watching this later wanting clarification on
this gift of the Holy Spirit, what does
it mean?
There's opinions out there, people would say it's
of the devil today, right, if somebody just
speaks an unknown language it's of the devil.
Other people say it's very vital to the
Christian experience but what does the Bible say?
I think that's a good place to start,
right?
So here's what you have to keep in
mind, 1 Corinthians chapter 14, if you want
to follow along we'll have it up on
the screen as well, 1 Corinthians chapter 14,
here's what you have to ask yourself, does
this whole chapter not apply anymore?
Because basically that's what we're saying, right, when
we say that the gifts of the Holy
Spirit are no longer valid is that we
don't need this chapter.
But Paul seems to think that we do
and also living children need rules, you've heard
me talk about that before, if a child
is living they need rules, Paul would also
give rules or boundaries to the early church
in which to operate in the gifts of
the Holy Spirit.
So 1 Corinthians 14, Paul says pursue love
and desire spiritual gifts, so we see right
there that our goal is love and that
doesn't come naturally, does it?
Does it come naturally for you or does
it come supernaturally?
We have to desire, we have to pursue
love, that has to be the goal of
our lives and then we have to desire
spiritual gifts.
What are spiritual gifts?
Well it's everything we talked about so far.
So Paul says, and I believe that it's
for today, that you should desire spiritual gifts.
Do you desire that this evening?
I don't know, are you apprehensive?
Are you nervous?
Are you uncertain?
I would just encourage you to desire whatever
God has for you.
But Paul says, but especially that you may
prophesy, we talked about that two weeks ago,
for he who speaks in a tongue does
not speak to men but to God, for
no one understands him, however in the Spirit
he speaks mysteries.
So regardless of where your thought is on
this, what Paul is talking about is that
when a person spoke in tongues, when Paul
spoke in tongues, it wasn't a message from
God to men.
That's why you'll often hear maybe in the
past some churches where somebody would speak in
tongues, someone would have an interpreter, well it
would be a message to people and sometimes
that's the case I guess, but what we
see here is that tongues is not speaking
to men but it's speaking to God.
No one speaking in tongues, it's not clear
to men, so verse 3, but he who
prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to
men.
So he's laying out two different gifts here,
the gift of tongues, which man does not
understand, or the gift of prophecy, which is
speaking God's word boldly, truthfully, sometimes the Holy
Spirit brings something to mind that somebody needs
to speak to somebody else, that edifies, that
builds you up.
So if Paul was here speaking in tongues,
it wouldn't edify you, would it?
Not a bit, according to Paul.
But if Paul were to prophesy, speak God's
word, it would benefit you.
And then he goes on to say, he
who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but
he who prophesies edifies the church.
So what do we get from this?
First we see that you should desire the
gifts, and that tongues is speaking to God.
Now this is interesting that many people don't
note, especially those who say that tongues aren't
for today because we don't need them, Paul
says it edifies the believer.
Edifies means it builds up and encourages the
believer.
The reason is, we'll get to this in
a minute, the Holy Spirit is speaking, that's
what tongues is, the Holy Spirit is speaking
through a person to God, and the person
is built up and edified because of it.
So the question is, do we still need
this today?
That's up to you.
No we don't, or yes we do.
I would lean towards the yes we do
side of that.
I need to be built up by the
Holy Spirit, I need to be encouraged by
the Holy Spirit.
So Paul says in verse 5, I wish
that you all spoke with tongues.
But even more that you prophesied, for he
who prophesies is greater than he who speaks
in tongues.
Now that's good to note because many times
Pentecostal charismatic churches think somebody is really spiritual
if they speak in tongues.
Paul says it's actually not the case, that
prophecy is greater, why?
Because you bless other people by it.
The tongues is one of the only gifts
that really the believer is being edified themselves.
It's really a gift for them to be
edified and then go and build up others,
edify others.
For he who prophesies is greater than he
who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets
that the church may receive edification.
But now brethren, if I come to you
speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you
unless I speak to you either by revelation
or by knowledge or by prophecy or by
teaching?
So again, Paul is clarifying here, I wish
you all spoke with tongues, but I wish
more that you would prophesy, why?
Because that's more beneficial.
It's more beneficial to speak from God's word
and to build up and to encourage, that's
why it's greater.
Tongues is no benefit other than to the
person who is doing it or if there's
interpretation.
In other words, you have to know that
a person has been gifted with the gift
of interpretation to interpret what is going on
when a person speaks in tongues.
Now I will just let you off the
hook to let you know that this is
kind of odd for me as well to
read this because it's an odd thing.
It's not normal.
It's not the normative.
Tongues is an odd thing.
It doesn't discredit it though, it just means
that it's odd.
It's like, oh wow, I don't know.
Now here's what's interesting, if you've experienced this
before, it's not odd.
If you've experienced this, you know it lines
up with scripture.
It's very edifying.
It's very beneficial.
But if you haven't, that's where sometimes a
person can think it's odd and they can
think that, well, I don't know, it seems
a little weird because I haven't experienced it.
But if you experience it, then you understand
what Paul is saying and it becomes very
beneficial to you.
So Paul desired that all people speak with
tongues.
It's a good gift.
And it's not the greatest gift, especially if
it's not understood.
In other words, there's no benefit.
So that's the context Paul is setting up
here.
It's not a benefit to other people if
it doesn't relate to them, if they can't
understand it.
Then he goes on in verse 7, even
things without life, whether flute or harp, when
they make a sound, unless they make a
distinction in the sound, how will it be
known what is piped in or played?
In other words, I was going to have
Brant do it, but I won't bother having
him come up.
But if he just hit a few chords
on the piano, it wouldn't sound that great,
right?
It's like, oh, that's not in harmony, I
don't know.
Or if I just come up and blow
a flute.
Do you blow flutes?
Or play flutes?
Blow a horn, trumpet, right?
If I just, you would close your ears,
that doesn't sound good.
Don't do that to me.
Because that's what he's saying here.
Even the flute or harp, when they make
a sound, they have to make a sound
that is unified, that is beautiful, that is
good for the hearer.
So with tongues, if a person doesn't understand
it, it's going to sound like me playing
the flute, or the drums, or the piano.
You wouldn't want to hear that.
It's not going to benefit you at all.
So see, that's what happens when somebody speaks
in tongues in church, and it's out of
order, it's not in harmony with, and it
rubs people the wrong way.
It doesn't edify, it doesn't build up.
And people often say, well, I just couldn't
control myself.
Well, the fruit of the Spirit is self
-control.
And I believe that the gift can be
exercised under self-control.
I don't believe a person says, well, I
just lost myself, I was so full of
the Holy Spirit, I know I disrupted the
whole service, but I don't know, I don't
get that in here, in the reading of
Scripture.
So Paul goes on to say, verse 9,
so likewise you, unless you utter by tongue
words easy to understand, how will it be
known what is spoken?
For you will be speaking into the air.
That's why I said harmony is key.
Also it benefits others when it's understood.
And then we're going to switch to verse
10.
Again, I'm just going through the Bible.
We're trying to get through 1 Corinthians 14.
There's a lot here, but I think Paul's
making a case for tongues.
Verse 10, there are, it may be so
many kinds of languages in the world, and
none of them is without significance.
Therefore, if I do not know the meaning
of the language, I shall be a foreigner
to him who speaks.
And he who speaks will be a foreigner
to me.
Even so, since you are zealous for spiritual
gifts, let it be for the edification of
the church that you seek to excel.
So basically he's saying, does it edify?
Does it build up?
If what are we doing?
What are we doing to the church?
Does it edify?
Does it build up the church?
Then verse 13, therefore, let him who speaks
in a tongue pray that he may interpret.
For if I pray in a tongue, my
spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
Is that interesting?
So Paul says if he prays in a
tongue, the spirit is praying.
The Holy Spirit is praying.
Can you imagine that?
I don't know about you, but that's who
I want praying.
I want the Holy Spirit praying for my
life, praying for my family, praying for my
kids.
And some people link this up with Romans
when Paul says, we don't know what to
pray for, but the spirit prays for us
with groaning so deep it cannot be uttered.
Now that might not be in relation to
tongues.
We don't know exactly.
It could just be the Holy Spirit is
groaning for righteousness, is groaning for holiness, is
groaning for joy, and is groaning for these
things.
But we see here that the Holy Spirit
is praying for a believer when he is
exercising or she is exercising the gift of
tongues.
So he says my understanding is unfruitful.
In other words, I don't understand what I'm
praying for.
That's why it's weird to many people.
So people pray in tongues, their understanding is,
I don't know what I'm praying for.
My natural man doesn't understand it.
But the spiritual side is being built up
and being encouraged.
Verse 15.
Oh, no.
Yeah, verse 15.
Verse 15.
What is the conclusion then?
I will pray with the spirit and I
will pray with understanding.
So he's saying I will pray in tongues.
I will also pray in the normal prayer
of understanding that I know what I'm saying.
I will pray in both of those areas.
Also I will sing in the spirit and
I will also sing in understanding.
So he's encouraging singing in the Holy Spirit
and then singing normally.
Now again, if you haven't experienced it, it
doesn't make sense.
If you have, it makes perfect sense.
So I would encourage you to pray to
God and say, Lord, I want all that
you have for me.
I want to experience the gifts of the
Holy Spirit.
And let me, I should probably interject here.
This can be beneficial for other, for believers
or unbelievers.
If God prompts somebody, there are testimonies where
people have spoken in tongues and that person
understood that language and was built up, was
encouraged.
They were convicted.
They heard their own language, the glorious, the
glorious, the glories of God and of Jesus
Christ.
Like we see in the book of Acts,
that they're all filled with the Holy Spirit
and they were, they were speaking in tongues
and the people understood.
So that does happen.
I don't believe that tongues is always just
to be silent in your own prayer time.
There are times where you can utilize that
gift and God will bless that gift.
And then verse 16, otherwise, if you bless
with the spirit, how will he who occupies
the place of the uninformed say amen at
your giving of thanks?
In other words, how we, if I say
something you don't understand, you're not going to
say amen, brother.
You're gonna be like, what, what did he
say?
But if I, if I, that's why he's
saying about tongues, putting them in the proper
context and not being out of order for
indeed you give thanks well, but the other
is not edified.
Again, it's all about edification.
That's why there's churches where tongues just go
crazy and not everybody's edified.
They're not built up.
It goes against order sometimes.
So the key from here is to pray
for interpretation, pray for interpretation.
My personal belief is that it is, is
that tongues is a different language.
That can be used to witness to others
like an ax, but it also can be
used to edify us because it's the spirit
praying through us.
So that's my, that's my personal belief.
I believe that tongues, when a person speaks
in tongues, it is a known language somewhere.
I don't know if it's angelic language that,
that, that, you know, some, some language of
the angels.
I believe it's a language known somewhere that
the Holy Spirit gives a believer to, for
the book of Acts if, as a, as
an example, as a testimony, but it's also
for edification.
I don't think anybody can take away from
this that it's not edifying according to Paul,
correct?
He just, we just opened with edification.
We, it was edification throughout.
Now he's saying here that the Holy Spirit,
that would, that would get me a little
motivated about wanting this gift.
Holy Spirit, would you, you'll pray for me?
You'll, because what happens is it's not like
you just give up your mind, you give
up your, the Holy Spirit, it begins to,
when you give over to this gift, you're,
you're speaking.
The Holy Spirit is prompting you.
The Holy Spirit, it's a language you don't
understand.
So it's, it's, it's kind of like you're
just, you're the vessel being used by the
Holy Spirit, being, speaking in tongues through the
Holy Spirit.
Now it is a controversial topic because there
have been people who have left this church
because of this view.
And there will be people who leave this
church again because of this view.
But if you can give me a good
case why this is not for today, I
will listen.
But I'll tell you up front, I've heard
them all.
One of them is found in 1 Corinthians,
actually before this, where Paul says, when that
which is perfect comes, that which is in
part will be done away with.
Love, love will never cease, but tongues will
cease and prophecy will cease.
The problem is, I don't believe that which
is perfect has came yet.
He's still on his way here.
Even John Calvin said that in his commentaries,
as do many other commentators.
They will also say that the, the revel,
the revelatory gifts, that the church doesn't need
those anymore because we have the Bible now.
Well, just go on the mission field for
a week and you'll quickly realize that we
still need the power of the Holy Spirit,
the gifts of the Holy Spirit operating through
believers.
So I just can't, I just can't find
where that vanished once we had the Bible.
Now the Bible is, nothing supersedes the Bible.
That is our, that is our plumb line,
that is our definition of truth, that is
our set of plans.
We go by that and that alone.
That is, but other things, the gift of
prophecy is supplemental.
The gift of tongues is supplemental.
The gift of, all the other gifts we
talked, talked about are supplemental.
They come in and they complement each other.
For example, remember I talked about prophecy.
If God gives somebody a prophetic word or
he gives them a word to tell somebody,
it has to line up with Scripture, does
it not?
It has to, okay, this is confirmed by
Scripture.
This is confirmed by what I'm already sensing
in my spirit.
Word of wisdom.
He gives somebody a word of wisdom.
Hey, I, I, this has been on my
heart.
You might not want to get on that
plane, right?
Word of wisdom.
Does it line up with Scripture?
Well, kind of.
I mean, if you're sensing something and, so
I think the Holy Spirit directs us through
these supplemental gifts.
In my life, I've noticed that the gifts
such as the word of wisdom or the
prophetic word or different things, they never supersede
Scripture.
They always come underneath the Scriptural authority.
They never tell you to do something that
the Bible condemns.
It always lines up.
And as I've said before, sometimes we need
direction that the Holy Spirit, I mean, that
the Bible doesn't always give us answers for.
Remember, I talked about when I did, when
I felt God was calling me to be
a pastor.
It didn't say in John 3, 18, oh,
become a pastor at the age of 40.
Oh, that's when, but I believe certain Scriptures
will speak to you.
They will come alive.
They will jump out.
They will resonate with you.
When you read that, you say, amen, and
you take that to the bank.
You say, God, I'm going to hold you
to that promise.
I believe that is for me.
So I believe it can still speak to
us today.
So I believe all these gifts are supplementary
to what the Bible teaches us as well.
So it's a spirit praying.
Paul says, I will do both.
I will speak in tongues, and I will
pray normal prayers.
I will sing in the Spirit, and I
also will sing in understanding.
He again reinforces the need for people to
understand what is taking place.
And then he moves right into verse 18.
I thank my God that I speak with
tongues more than you all.
And I often wonder, would people who think
that tongues aren't for today, would they be
embarrassed about Paul?
Would they want to be friends with Paul?
Oh, that tongue talker Paul.
He speaks in tongues.
Oh, that Paul, that poor guy, hopefully gets
really spiritual at some point and doesn't have
to rely on this.
I thank my God I speak with tongues
more than you all.
So Paul was given this incredible gift to
speak in tongues.
He met the risen Lord on the road
to Damascus.
He fasted for three days.
This man prayed for him.
I believe it was Ananias prayed for him.
And he was filled with the Spirit.
I believe he was given this gift at
that point.
He was able to just begin praising God.
And if you've experienced this before, you know
if you haven't, it's a time where you're
praising God, you're worshiping God, and worship is
coming alive, and you're just speaking and praising
the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, even though
your mind, the natural man, doesn't understand what
is happening.
It's something that is God-given.
Yet in the church, Paul said, yet in
the church, I would rather speak five words
with my understanding that I may teach others
than 10,000 words in a tongue.
So I don't know what some of these
churches do that just tongues all the time.
It's out of order.
It doesn't make sense.
Paul is being crystal clear.
I'd rather speak just five words than 10
,000 in a tongue.
Why?
Because it doesn't build up others.
Brethren, do not be like children in understanding.
He actually says, do be like children.
I'm sorry.
Do not be like children in understanding.
My eyes are playing tricks on me.
So he's saying, understand.
Understand what I'm saying to you.
However, in malice, which is being mean, be
babes.
Don't be mean.
Don't lash out.
But in understanding, be mature.
And then verse 21, in the law it
is written, with men of other tongues and
other lips, I will speak to this people.
Here's another verse that churches use that say
the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased
because it was just a sign gift for
a sign at a certain time.
Well, let's read it.
With men of other tongues and other lips,
I will speak to this people.
And yet, for all that, they will not
hear me, says the Lord.
Therefore, tongues are for a sign.
In this case, not to those who believe,
but to unbelievers.
But prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for
those who believe.
So it's almost like he switches gears, but
he really doesn't.
He's saying that prophecy benefits believers.
When you're speaking God's word, it benefits those
who are believers.
But tongues can be a sign to unbelievers,
just like we saw in the book of
Acts.
Now, this scripture, in context, Paul is talking
about the nation of Israel being judged by
thorn invaders who did not speak Hebrew.
They spoke in another language that the Jews
did not understand, and they were judged by
a nation speaking of other tongues.
So to me, this scripture doesn't have anything
to do, in context, with this gift not
being available anymore.
And then, verse 23, therefore, if the whole
church comes together in one place and all
speak with tongues, and there comes into the
room someone who is uninformed or an unbeliever,
they will say, will they not say that
you are out of your mind?
Well, that's pretty clear.
So Paul's saying, when you come together, don't
do this.
Don't speak in tongues, because an unbeliever or
someone who's uninformed is what?
They're going to think that you are out
of your mind, and that's exactly what is
giving this gift a bad name.
This is exactly why tongues has a bad
name, because they're just crazy.
They're just out of their mind.
However, he will go on to say, if
there's an interpreter, if somebody's there that can
interpret, then it can be allowed, and we'll
read that in a minute.
But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or
an uninformed person comes in, he is convicted
by all, and he is convinced by all,
and thus, the secrets of his heart are
revealed.
And so falling down on his face, he
will worship God and report that God is
truly among you.
So he's saying, if an unbeliever is here,
and the preaching of God's word goes out,
it convicts the person, and they come to
know the Lord, and they say, truly, God
is in this place.
But had I just, you know, let me
speak Spanish.
Padre Nuestro, de casa en cielo, santificado sea
tu hombre, venga en nuestro reino, hagase tu
voluntad, hacia la tierra, como en cielo.
Padre Nuestro, de cada día, de nuestro, perdonanos,
no es este, en el Padre del hijo
del Espíritu Santo.
Right?
See, now you know what it is.
But see, if I, you just, what was
that all about?
What was that?
No benefit.
This guy's out of his mind.
Tortugas, turtles.
Mis padres son las tortugas.
Y nadar muy bueno.
My parents are turtles and they swim very
well.
See, it wouldn't work.
Same thing with tongues.
It's the same thing that happens.
You have to understand.
Oh, gosh, where did that come from?
But that's what he's saying.
Let's get back on track, you guys.
You got me off track here.
So that's what Paul's saying.
He's saying that it must be done in
decency and in order and consider the atmosphere
of what's going on.
I think that's important, too, to know the
atmosphere, to gauge what God is doing.
We've actually had, I think it was one
or two couples left a Bible study because
the lady prayed in tongues and they weren't
comfortable with that.
There was no interpretation.
And they're like, what is that, Shane?
And they felt uncomfortable with that.
So you have to gauge your atmosphere.
And I believe that done decently in order
is a good goal.
Paul is passionate about order and impression.
Why?
Because I think we should give people a
good impression of the gospel.
You give people a good impression of what
a Christ follower looks like.
A good name is to be chosen above
good riches.
And our character, how we treat people.
And then verse 26, how is it then,
brethren, Paul says, whenever you come together, each
of you has a psalm, has a teaching,
has a tongue, and has a revelation.
You have an interpretation as well.
Let all things be done for edification.
So it looks like the church is coming
together.
Everyone has a psalm.
Everyone wants to teach.
Everyone wants to speak in tongues.
Everyone has a prophetic word.
Everyone wants to interpret.
And it's just this chaotic environment, at least
what I'm getting from it.
So Paul said, no, let all things be
done for edification, to build people up.
If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there
be only two or at the most three,
and each in a turn, and let one
interpret what is being said.
But if there is no interpreter, let him
keep silent in the church and let him
speak to himself and to God.
The important thing about interpretation is this.
This is why tongues could be good if
there was interpretation.
Because if I say, Padre Nuestro, De Casta
in Cielo, Santificado Seatumbre Venga Nostra Eno, the
interpreters say, Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
And they'll quote the Lord's Prayer.
And the people say, ah, oh, that pierces
my heart.
Because you're interpreting what is being said.
That's why the interpretation is so important.
Without that, it's confusion.
It's chaos.
It's disorder.
It doesn't make sense.
So he said that.
But if there is no interpreter, let him
keep silent in the church and let him
speak to himself and to God.
So if someone is speaking in tongues, let
them speak to themselves and to God.
So I guess tongues, in this case, could
be a message.
If there's an interpreter, the person speaking in
tongues could really speak to that person there.
But again, it's done decently and in order.
And then he says, let two or three
prophets speak.
Oh, Lord.
Where are we going with this one?
See, in a healthy church, you can have
people that operate in the gifts of prophetic
wisdom, knowledge.
Agapis spoke to Paul and gave him a
prophetic word.
And this can go back and forth.
People are divided on this.
Someone with a prophetic gifting, God can be
speaking to them.
And Paul said, then let others judge.
Let two or three people speak and let
others judge.
Now, the question might come up, why don't
we do this more often?
Well, you can do it in smaller settings.
I believe that these were house churches.
I believe these were small gatherings of the
eight, nine, 10, 12, 15, 20 people.
They knew each other.
And they would allow people to speak prophetically
into the lives of that congregation.
So, he said, only let two or three
speak and others judge.
But if anything is revealed to another who
sits by, let the first keep silent.
So, in other words, if someone is going
to speak, but God reveals something to somebody,
let that person speak and not the other
person who is going to speak for God.
I know this honestly would take like an
hour on each section to break it down
the right way and to give you an
illustration of what's happening.
Basically, you would have three people who were
gifted in this area.
And this person was going to give a
gift or give a word that he felt
was from the Lord.
But this other person has, Shane, I feel
this is impressed on my heart.
I feel that God wants to give this
to the people.
So, the person next to them would just
be quiet because this person now, God is
infusing them, energizing them with a prophetic word
that's for that group right then.
So, that way they didn't break the two
or three rule criteria there.
He would allow someone else to speak prophetically.
And that might be as simple as, you
know, I believe that God is, you know,
wanting us to repent tonight.
And I believe there's sin in this camp
and we've got to repent.
We've got to get right with God.
And he's speaking prophetically to the group of
people.
It's going to minister to them.
So, even here we see that the words
are to be judged.
Verse 30, but if anything is revealed, and
the other sits by, let the first keep
silent.
Verse 31, for who can all prophesy one
by one?
For you can all prophesy one by one
that all may learn and all may be
encouraged.
And the spirits of the prophets are subject
to the prophets.
It means whatever a person says, that is
subject to the word of God.
That is subject to mature believers.
So, if somebody says something, you are able
to judge that.
You know, those people say, don't touch God's
anointed.
Don't challenge me.
I'm God's man.
Thus saith the Lord.
No, no, no.
You have to come under, your words have
to come under the spirit of the prophets.
Meaning, it comes under God's word.
If there's three or four mature believers saying,
ah, that doesn't sound right.
Your word does not go forth.
Because you're not coming underneath that.
And it's happened before.
People have said something.
And we say, no, that doesn't sound right.
We don't agree with that.
That's not good.
You have to come underneath the subject.
You're subject under the leadership of church.
Under the leadership of mature believers.
So, if all of you, let's say you're
at a private Bible study.
There's eight of you.
And somebody says something.
What they say has to come under the
authority and covering of that Bible study group.
Of the mature believers there.
If other believers are saying, ah, you know
what, I don't think we can, that's edifying
for the group.
I don't think that is God's heart.
You can be challenged in that area.
Because your word has to have some type
of siphon.
Some type of filter.
You can't just be God's chosen man or
God's chosen woman and nobody can challenge you.
You have to sit underneath the authority of
others.
For example, what I'm saying on Sunday mornings
and even now has to come under authority,
doesn't it?
If all the elders afterwards come and say,
Shane, that was not, that's not going to
fly.
What you said is not biblical.
Then my words have to come underneath that.
What you just said is not biblical.
Let me give you an example.
I have to teach on a very hard
topic Sunday.
It's on hell.
Because it's where we find ourselves in systematic
theology.
And it's been a very tough week thinking
about it, trying to, because we don't like
that concept, do we?
It doesn't make a lot of sense.
Eternally, you know, separated from God.
Punishment and different things.
And if I were to come up and
say, you know what?
I believe the Spirit of God has revealed
to me that we've got this area wrong.
There is no hell.
I'm God's man.
We've misread a lot of the Scriptures.
Those words have to come underneath the church
leadership.
And those words would have to be tossed
out and rebuked.
So see, there's accountability, there's mutual accountability.
And that actually did happen.
You can watch a movie on Netflix.
I usually don't promote movies, but it's called,
I think, Come Sunday.
About a pastor in the Pentecostal church's 1990s,
he believed that God told him that there
is no hell.
Everybody will be saved.
And it cost him greatly.
And he's still around.
Now he's got a great following of all
the people who agree with him.
You know, isn't that funny?
Oh, I knew there was no hell.
Thank you for telling me.
Well, not what he says.
What does the Bible say?
And it is a hard concept.
So I'm hoping you guys can make it
Sunday.
Be praying for this weekend.
We've got people, they'll probably be there who
aren't believers.
And they need to hear about the reality
of what God's Word says on this topic.
So anyway, that's what that means.
What I say, what anybody says, comes under
the authority of Scripture.
And that includes the Roman church, the papacy.
That's one big difference between us and Roman
Catholicism.
Is what the Pope says is elevated.
Even more so than the Bible.
No, no, he has to come underneath the
authority.
And it's funny, people get upset at me
about talking about this topic.
And I'll tell them, do you know that
they believe that Mary is co-redeemer?
Oh, no, we don't.
Oh, yeah, you do.
It was in the 1600s.
It's in some of your councils.
I can show you where they said that.
That Mary is co-redeemer.
She is co-matrix.
She is to pray to the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
That she is without sin.
Immaculate conception.
Conceived without sin.
Perpetual virginity of Mary.
That she was always a virgin.
The Bible says she wasn't.
She had kids.
But see, they can't understand how Jesus could
be free of sin.
So they have to make up these things.
And so the papacy will come out with
things that do not sit well with Scripture.
That's why part of the Reformation was sola
scriptura.
Scripture only.
Only Scripture as our final authority.
Through grace alone, through faith alone, through Christ
alone.
Not through good works and different things.
So, see, what all of us have to
say has to come under the authority of
Scripture.
Including the papacy.
And I don't know where that group's at.
I'll tell you what.
There are so many inconsistencies of Scripture.
I would be very concerned to be part
of that denomination.
Whatever you want to call that.
I don't know what you want to call
it.
It's not in a good, healthy direction.
And I just firmly believe that.
And I feel many people come out of
that religion.
As I did.
I was an altar boy.
I don't know why I'm going on a
rabbit trail.
But I was actually an altar boy.
And went to Pericleet High School.
And it is very methodical.
It's a religion.
It's void of relationship.
It's void of the power of the Spirit.
The priesthood is absolutely incorrect biblically.
There's so many different doctrines that are wrong.
So I think we should be able to
say, hey, look.
This is wrong.
And I told you I visited a Catholic
church.
4,000 member Catholic church.
The priest.
I sat down with an hour and a
half with him.
And I think I wrote the article.
It's on our website.
But I explained to him that we don't
need purgatory.
And he says, yeah, we do, Shane.
How do we deal with our shame and
guilt?
A priest of a 4,000 church is
telling me we need purgatory.
We need to be purified.
How do we deal with our shame and
guilt?
I said, what was the cross for?
That's how you deal with your shame and
guilt.
See, I have a love for these people.
It makes me wonder if they have a
relationship with Christ.
Because you don't go to purgatory and be
purged of your sins for a certain season.
That's not biblical.
That paid it all.
When He said, it is finished, He paid
it all.
It's all done.
You don't go through a priest.
You go straight to Christ.
You don't go spend some time in hell
or purgatory to be punished.
He paid it all.
See, to me, these are blasphemous, dangerous doctrines.
I mean, we're not talking about what translation
of the Bible is best, my Lord.
You're talking about Jesus didn't fulfill everything.
And then they would actually, to build the
cathedrals, they would have you put money in
a coffer in order to spring your relatives
from purgatory before their time.
That's blasphemous.
That is wrong.
And so I have to be quiet because
I might offend people?
Well, it's time we start offending people.
In love.
And tell them the truth.
This is wrong.
Come out from that false system.
Now, I believe there are good people caught
in wrong systems.
I've talked to Mormons before.
The Mormon church doesn't believe that.
Oh, yes, it does.
But they don't know that.
They just believe in Jesus.
And they're going to church like good people
do.
So many people don't know the hierarchy.
But if you study it and look to
it, look at what they teach.
Look at the councils.
The Council of Trent.
Look at the council.
The different councils and what they allowed.
It's just incredible.
So let me get back on track here.
Verse 34.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I like verse 33.
For God is not the author of confusion,
but of peace, as in all the churches
of the saints.
So he's saying how you're conducting yourself, the
spirit of the prophets, the words that we
speak come underneath the authority of Scripture.
You're going to do things indecently, in order.
You're spirit-filled believers.
Why?
Because God is not the author of confusion.
What if somebody started rolling down the steps?
Somebody else started speaking in tongues.
Somebody else started standing on their head over
there.
Somebody would be like, what's going on?
You think we'd be a good of the
outreach?
You think newcomers would be back?
Why is this so confusing?
What's going on?
I believe that a true move of God
is not confusing.
Now, I've been in prayer meetings, where it
sounds like a birthing room.
And you hear tongues and a beautiful language.
And people are petitioning God and broken before
God.
They're on the floor.
It's not confusion.
See, we get in our mind what we
think confusion is.
That's not confusion.
Confusion is disrupting what God is doing.
It's confusing.
It's disrupting.
But those types of free-flowing, where the
Holy Spirit is working, although those might seem
confusing to some people, those are actually God
working.
What does it look like when God radically
visits you?
If you could hear the rushing wind right
now, do you think we'd keep thumbing through
our bulletin?
Do you think we'd look at our phones?
If you hear the rushing wind of God's
Spirit, His power, and His presence, it comes
upon this place, and you feel broken before
God, you actually see your Savior on the
cross, dying for your sins.
Your sins become so real, and you cry
out to God, God, I'm a man of
unclean lips.
Oh God, you think that looks normal?
Oh, I'll tell you what, it doesn't look
normal at all.
It looks anything but normal.
So you have to understand what the word
confusing means here.
It's out of order.
It's not beneficial.
Because people use this for emotional worship.
Oh, you guys are getting too emotional.
You're up at the altar.
God says, oh no, that's beautiful.
That's beautiful.
That's not confusing.
It's confusing to you because your hard heart
is wrong.
So this word confusion, you can look up
in the Greek and do a long study
on it in different contexts of different Scriptures
of when it was used, and how many
times, and law first mentioned, and all that
good stuff.
But at the end of the day, He's
saying the church service should not be confusing
by fleshly, carnal means.
But when the power of God is there,
it's not going to look normal.
Did Acts look normal?
I often wonder what these poor Christians at
conservative churches would say if they were in
that upper room.
They wouldn't be part of the 120.
They'd be part of the frozen chosen.
They'd be part of the critique group.
Now look at those guys.
Oh my Lord.
They're just so emotional.
No, that was the church.
Because remember about emotions.
Emotions can be good and God given.
When you say, I do.
When you hold your baby.
When you retire.
Right?
Emotions.
When your favorite team wins.
Why can't we be emotional about God?
That's my question.
Actually, we should be the most emotional should
be on the things of God.
Crying at the hospital homes.
Praying for people.
Crying over the condition of our lost and
dying society.
And passionate.
And having tons of emotions of lost people.
Or when a person comes to know the
Lord.
And so much emotion floods in.
That is good and God given.
And then verse 36.
Or did the word of God come originally
from you?
Or was it to you only that it
reached?
If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet
or spiritual, let him acknowledge the things which
I write to you are the commandments of
the Lord.
Boy, I love this.
Paul's saying if anybody calls himself a prophet
or says they're spiritual, they will confirm everything
I just said.
If they do not, then they are a
false prophet.
They are drawing attention to themselves.
And be careful.
Be very careful of those who say, I
am a prophet.
Those guys that always have their titles on
their business card.
I'm prophet such and such.
Listen, if you operate in that, the people
will say you're a prophet.
You shouldn't go around tooting your own horn.
As a matter of fact, I'm worried about
those people that do that.
Did you know I'm a prophet?
I'm a man of God.
Run.
Because a person truly called by God should
be humble and broken and very apprehensive about
taking on titles.
Very apprehensive about showboating and taking on things.
Because it's humility.
People say, you know what, he's got a
prophetic voice.
That's what people, that's, I feel, part of
my calling.
I explained it two weeks ago.
I feel that God has partially called me
to be that prophetic voice.
That John the Baptist, that voice crying in
the wilderness.
There's not gray areas.
There's black and white.
It's spirit-filled and preaching.
Preaching from that prophetic type of voice.
But I don't go around telling people that.
They'll figure it out.
And people email me, do you realize you
have a prophetic voice for our culture right
now?
Yeah, I believe God's called me to.
But I don't need to put that anywhere.
On the website.
Prophetic.
You don't have to do that.
But it's just what God's gifting, what God
has called.
And it's actually not an easy gift.
Take Morgan out to lunch for an hour,
and you find out how easy this calling
is.
Not giving out addresses much.
Living with threats.
Living with people not liking us.
The big thing is people misjudge.
They'll use terms.
John the Baptist is not a popular calling.
Because Pharisees don't like you, and lukewarm Christians
sure don't like you.
So he says here, if anyone thinks himself
to be a prophet or spiritual, you will
acknowledge everything I just said.
But if anyone is ignorant, let him be
ignorant.
Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy.
I believe Paul is telling us this as
well.
Desire earnestly to prophesy.
He's saying desire to speak God's Word with
boldness.
That's what we need today.
If we took a show of hands, I
bet there's a lot of timid people in
this room.
Are there not?
Guess what?
So am I.
Me up here is probably the funniest thing
I've ever heard of.
Because my mom asked me, I was Mr.
Peacemaker.
Don't stir the pot.
Don't say anything wrong.
Because I came from an angry home with
my dad, and walking on eggshells, and I
just want the peace.
I don't want to upset anybody.
I just want to motivate.
I don't want to be involved in controversial
things.
But God says, but when I fill you
with My Spirit, watch out.
Because all hell is going to break loose.
When you're filled with the fire of God,
you're going to set things on fire.
When you're filled with the boldness, you're going
to be bold.
But you have to have so much love
and humility.
And I'm still working on this until the
day I die.
But the more boldness, the more humility.
When you turn up the volume, you've got
to turn on the air conditioning as well
with humility and brokenness and gentleness.
Because when you bring it, you've also got
to bring it to your heart and be
humble before God.
So He says here, earnestly desire to prophesy.
Desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Desire.
Verse 39.
Check this out.
Here we go.
Desire to speak God's Word boldly, to allow
God to work through you, but do not
forbid to speak with tongues.
So I kind of cringe sometimes when I
hear these churches that are conservative that blast
people like me and you.
That say it's of the devil, that say
we're misled, say we're immature.
They are forbidding speaking in tongues.
And when you tell somebody, I've had people
say, hey, I want to speak in tongues,
I want to give a prophetic word.
I say, I don't even know you.
That's not going to happen.
Well, you're forbidding.
No, I'm forbidding you.
I'm not forbidding speaking in tongues.
I'm all for that.
I'm not against that.
But it has to be done decently and
in order and according to God's Word, according
to His structure.
But He says, I do not forbid to
speak with tongues.
So I believe even back then, people were
saying, no, don't do that.
It's not of God.
And the reason I believe this, what we
talked about, I think a few weeks ago,
when Paul said, if anybody's speaking through the
Spirit, will not call Jesus accursed.
So you're not going to say the wrong
things when you're a Spirit-filled believer speaking
in tongues.
It's because it's the Holy Spirit speaking through
you.
So that's my call to you tonight.
Desire spiritual gifts.
Desire.
Don't be scared of it.
And I'm convinced that many people don't receive
more from God because they're worried or afraid.
Like, I don't want that.
I don't want that.
I don't want to be able to, word
of wisdom or word of knowledge, I don't
want that.
That's kind of weird.
God says, okay.
Okay.
But He's saying here, desire.
And there's nothing wrong with saying, Lord, I
want all of you.
However you're going to work.
I mean, there's people I know that have
a discerning of spirits.
That they can discern what's going on.
Or they see things.
Like, I saw this person, they were hurt,
and they were swimming, or something happened, and
it helps them in a swimming pool accident
with their children.
Different things God gives gifts to different believers
to edify and to build up each other.
It's not for you.
That's what I realized.
What He's called me to do is not
for me.
It helps.
I thank God for it.
It's not what I'm built up to, but
it's to go and encourage others and build
them up.
It's funny, the Bakersfield message I gave Sunday
evening on God can still use you despite
your past.
I didn't even think twice about it much.
But now there's emails coming in from I
was on alcohol or crystal meth and that
God really used that.
I feel on fire again.
I'm not going back to that again.
I'm sending it to my brother who's in
a rehab right now.
He's on heroin.
God's getting this message out to encourage people
to get back up and fight again.
That's the whole message of tonight.
We could actually switch gears for a minute.
Get up and fight again.
Christian, get up and fight.
You have to fight with your warfare.
You need a word of wisdom.
You need to be able to give somebody
a prophetic word or a word of wisdom.
I don't know.
I'm always leery of sharing my experience sometimes.
But I used to make fun of this,
of Pentecostals and charismatics.
I just would make fun of, oh, it's
ridiculous.
And then when God finally broke me, Uncle,
okay Lord, everything's yours.
My plan didn't work.
My plan B, C, D, and E didn't
work.
Lord, I'm all yours.
I'm all in.
I'm all in, whatever that means.
And then I just was flooded with the
Holy Spirit.
Flooded with the Holy Spirit of God.
I don't know.
I'll share this.
I don't know if we'll keep it in
the video.
But what happened, it was 1999.
And I remember the floor.
I remember the couch.
I remember, and I was just weeping and
weeping and weeping.
And God, and then that's when tongues came
alive in me.
I began to worship and just worship God
in this language in worship and worship and
worship.
And worship, and I was broken.
I was weeping.
I was crying.
And I just couldn't get enough of God.
And that's why on a subject like this,
that when people say, oh, that's of the
devil, you've got to be kidding me.
That's just emotionalism.
No, it's the last thing.
I'm back bench pressing a lot of weight.
I was taking steroids.
I was a man's man, beating fights, drinking
beer.
And now I'm doing this?
That's not emotionalism.
So God just poured into me, and it
was just this beautiful experience with God.
And it's a gift.
He knows how to give good gifts.
He knows how to give good gifts to
his children.
He knows how to do that.
And to be honest with you, that's why
I haven't, I don't think I've ever shared
this from the pulpit in 18 years, what
you just heard.
Have I?
I don't think I have.
Never.
Why?
Because mainly I'm embarrassed of what people would
think.
Right?
Because, oh, here we go.
But that's what happened to me.
So all these things that I'm reading about,
teaching about, I've experienced it.
And what do you do when you're just
on fire for God, and you snot come
out of your nose, right?
And there's just eyes, eyes, and just, oh,
God.
And I'm just on fire for God.
The Bible, now I just love the Bible.
Love the Bible.
And I'm praying, like, what is going on?
I'm just praising God and praising God.
And, oh, God, Abba Father, I love you.
And I'm just broken before Him, crying out
to God.
Next thing I know, two, three hours have
gone by.
And those are experiences I long for God
to more, to have that intimate life, to
have that spirit for life.
So I go from mocking it, and God
says, okay, hotshot, let me show you what's
going to happen.
And then I go from mocking it to
experiencing it.
And that's why I say it often, that
the people who don't like it or say
it's of the devil have never experienced it.
That's the bottom line.
And we're scared of what we've never experienced.
And we think we're not spiritual if we've
never experienced it.
Let me tell you something else.
I guess I might as well, opening up,
might as well just keep going.
I still struggled with alcohol after this experience.
I would go months, boom.
Six months, boom.
1999, 2000, on fire for God, gifts of
the Holy Spirit, total a truck.
See, so it has nothing to do all
the time with maturity.
Because we think, oh, 20 years from now.
No, I was given these gifts, some of
these gifts right then.
Baby Christian, didn't know anything about anything.
Oh, yeah, I can go witness to my
friend.
See, I know he's witnessing to me, and
I'm drinking again.
It took me a while to learn, oh,
okay, I see.
This isn't going to work right now.
I can't talk to you right now because
you keep pulling me back down.
So, see, we judge people.
Oh, look, they fell back into sin.
And it was a struggle.
Life is a struggle.
People need to be encouraged.
They need to be told you don't just
always get up and walk the straight and
narrow.
I've never messed up.
I've never cussed.
I've never seen pornography.
I've never drank a beer.
I've never even smelled marijuana.
I've never got upset.
You just think there's this perfect life that
you walk down.
That's not Christianity.
And I don't know how many pastors aren't
helping people because they act as if they've
never sinned.
They've never fallen into some glorified position.
And people need to be encouraged.
I hope I don't come to regret this
later.
No, but people need to know that, right?
We need to know.
We need to be built up.
We need to be encouraged in our walk.
And we struggle with the same thing.
So that was what I was trying to
say.
I was filled.
Oh, my Lord.
I still remember the time, 430 in the
morning.
I remember the experience.
I remember the couch.
I remember my house is in Quartz Hill
on Avenue M14.
I built the house.
I had to sell it.
And then I would, oh, so full of
God.
But then weeks would go by.
Boom, back to the bar.
I'd get up so depressed.
I'm never doing that again.
Six months later, boom.
Boom.
And God would show me, hey, listen, hotshot,
you're not mature enough yet.
You know, huh, Dave?
You can't go back to that group sometimes
until you get older.
Now I'm witnessing to all, what, four of
those guys still trying to that drew me
back.
Now I'm in a position where I can
call the shots.
You know, but it takes time.
You have to know.
And you have to disconnect Facebook.
You have to let those friendships go that
are pulling you back down.
So anyway, I had this wonderful experience with
the Holy Spirit.
Now the Bible is coming alive.
Now I want to write books.
Now I'm preaching.
I'm speaking at weight loss conferences.
I'm helping people lose weight.
And the fire of the Holy Spirit is
starting to just, like, oh, I feel like
preaching to these people.
What's going on here?
Because it's a work of the Holy Spirit.
God is doing.
So that's why I love emotional worship.
That's why I love emotional times with God.
And this is coming from somebody who's not
emotional.
Remember I told you my dad said, boy,
you don't cry.
We don't cry.
Very cold, very callous, very hard.
We don't get emotional.
We don't show our emotions.
But after God broke me and filled me
with the Spirit, I was very emotional.
And there will be seasons of times where
I'll be preaching or before I'll preach and
just get really emotional, thinking of the goodness
of God.
Maybe I don't know if this happened to
you, but I've seen sometimes I can see
Christ on the cross.
And he's beaten.
He's dying.
There's blood below him.
And just that was for me.
That was for you.
And, yeah, you get a little emotional.
And you think of, I should have been
dead.
I don't know about you, but I should
have been dead.
I really see myself.
I could see myself on the curb and
gutter out there in Lancaster.
Do they still call it a curb and
gutter?
And you're laying in the curb, hung over,
can't get back on track.
If it wasn't for the grace of God
reaching down and pulling me up out of
that gutter and saying, I've called you to
do this.
Now go and do it.
See, I get emotional about that.
I might get a little loud.
I might get a little passionate.
When you see the prodigal son on his
way to hell, you might get a little
loud.
You might feel like preaching.
You might feel like warning.
You might feel like saying, Hey, stop.
Come back to a loving father.
You might want to stop that addiction.
You might want to stop that lifestyle.
And it's so funny.
Now we've had to defriend people and stuff,
but many years ago on Facebook, I would
post something about how you might want to
avoid alcohol.
And then you'd have all these Christians who
love alcohol.
Oh, you're legalistic.
You're this.
You're that.
That's your own conviction.
Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah.
No, you're just a drunk, and you like
to live that lifestyle.
But see, they don't want that conviction.
They don't want this conviction.
So that's what I meant earlier by it's
hard, this type of calling.
It's hard because you're going to offend people.
If you don't want to offend anybody, don't
say anything, don't do anything, don't be anything.
But when you start to preach what God's
Word says, you will offend people because that's
the point.
It offends, doesn't it?
It cuts to the heart.
It cuts to where we're living.
And even when I talk to people about
all different kinds of areas, you know, Hey,
you might want to work on this area
of nicotine or your health or caffeine or
this or alcohol.
Oh, leave me alone.
But it's just a concern.
It's a love for people.
So that was a long rabbit trail.
But anyway, I guess maybe that's what I
was struggling with is sharing some of that
with you because people have always asked me,
people will email me.
They'll ask me, Well, have you, have you,
have you, have you?
I think I've told Linda I told you
recently when we went to visit somebody with
cancer.
And so I have.
I have experienced the Holy Spirit.
I have experienced this gift in a very
meaningful, powerful way still to this day.
But I've had people, one lady came last
Wednesday and she said, Would you pray for
me in tongues?
I said, No, I will not do that.
I'm not, you can't just, you know, tell
me to do something like that.
I suppose you don't know you.
I don't open up that way.
I'm very conservative.
And nor, this is funny for the first
year or two was, you know, it was
normal in the book of Acts.
But once you listen to conservative churches, once
you hear other Christians put you down, you
begin to close up.
Don't you?
That's why I don't talk because I don't
want the opinions of others.
I've got a lot of friends that subscribe
to John MacArthur.
If they hear this, Oh Lord.
But it's in the Bible.
Paul experienced it.
I experienced it.
It radically changed my life.
And I'm not going to be ashamed of
the things God has done in my heart
and in my life.
Because I don't think we should be ashamed
of that.
Woo, glad that one's over.
I've been dreading this message for a while.
Because I knew I'd have to let people
know that I have experienced that.
And I have, I do on a continual
basis.
I feel much better.
This morning when I was up in the
mountains, I was praying.
And just speaking, you know, like what we
talked about in tongues.
And just built up and edified and encouraged.
And all the worries you had are gone.
All the struggles you had are gone.
And I'm well aware if I talk about
things like this, people will leave.
You know, it's okay.
I'm a big boy.
I've had them leave over other things.
Many things, by the way.
So, but I just want to encourage you
in telling you that.
That you can go from mocking to believing.
You can go from doubting to experiencing.
If it's a good gift and it's from
God, it shouldn't be something that is, that
is, what?
Oh, something.
You know, it shouldn't be something we push
away.
It should be a good gift.
And I think, I'm actually real, I'm sensitive
to others in this area.
In conservative churches.
But I would not want to be them
saying that this is not from God anymore.
I mean, that's a pretty dangerous statement.
That's a pretty bold statement.
And I've told people this.
You have to actually prove, you have more
to prove by trying to prove that this
doesn't exist anymore than I do by proving
it does exist.
You actually have a lot more to prove.
How do you jockey scripture?
How do you move things around?
How do you delete this but not this?
How do you do that?
And what about if it is for today?
Because part of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
is accounting to Satan the works of God.
The true form of blasphemy of the Holy
Spirit is denying that Christ is the Lord
and you're blaspheming the conviction of the Holy
Spirit.
But what if, what if when the Holy
Spirit is working and you say that's not
the Holy Spirit, that's the devil.
You're attributing the works of God to the
works of Satan.
That's why I think people need to be
a little bit more careful in this area.
More cautious in their, are you sure tongues
aren't for today?
Are you sure gifts aren't for today?
Are you sure?
Because you better be, you better be really
sure that that is the case.
If not, you could be offending God.
I'd rather err on the side that I'm
on.
I'd rather say, well, you know, your words
are crystal clear.
Boy, Paul sure got a lot out of
it.
There was 120 people in an upper room
who sure set the church on fire when
they were filled with the Spirit and speaking
with tongues.
And other people recognize that.
I, gosh, I guess it's wrong now.
Okay, I must have misread somewhere.
See, I can't do that.
I can't err on that side.
There's just, it's absolutely impossible.
Anybody who just looks at Scripture for Scripture
would not come to that conclusion.
If you're stuck on an island and all
you have is a Bible, I don't think
you're going to leave there and go, you
know what?
I don't think any of this happens today.
Here's what you see in many third world
countries, many underground churches in China.
We have missionaries from Africa, right?
You will see when new believers are reading
the Bible, they're hungry for all of this.
They don't start to debate Calvinism and say
that the gifts aren't for today and cessationism.
You don't see them debating all these silly
things.
You see them taking the Bible for what
it says.
When you believe on me, as the Scriptures
say, out of your belly will flow rivers
of living water.
You might actually cast out a demon.
You might actually heal the sick.
You might actually tell a dead boy at
five years old to get up.
You might go like Jesus did to this
young girl, Talitha Kumai.
I say a little girl, a pawn, get
up and rise.
That's the same power of Christ that is
in you.
That's what the Bible teaches.
So when you come out on fire for
God, when you read the Scriptures, you just
read the Scriptures.
You want to do so much for God.
And then you get the conservative churches who
say that doesn't happen anymore.
How dare you pray for somebody who's dead?
How dare you?
And you get God in this little box
and all you have is narrow Christianity with
just the Bible and you're dead and you're
a cemetery.
There's no spiritual life in you at all
because you are putting God in a box.