Some Christians are like a radio with batteries gone dead.

Steve Brown:
Some Christians are like a radio with the batteries gone dead. Let’s talk about it, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
That was Steve Brown. He doesn’t want to be your guru, and he’s not trying to be your mother. He just opens the Bible and gives you the simple truth that will make you free. Steve’s a lifelong broadcaster, author, seminary professor, and our teacher on Key Life.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. We are studying the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and I’m going to bring up another subject. We’re doing this different than we do most of the time on Key Life. Generally on Key Life, I pick a book of the Bible and teach it line upon line, verse upon verse, precept upon precept. But when you’re looking at a particular doctrine in Scripture, And what the entire Bible has to say about that particular doctrine, then you teach it differently. And so, I’d give you a book, but I’m going to be looking at different passages in different places as we go through this study. Now, we spent two or three weeks talking about the connection between truth and the Holy Spirit, and this is a study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Now, I want to show you something about the connection between power and the Holy Spirit. A lot of Christians, and I must say mine too sometimes, a lot of Christians lives are like radios with the batteries gone dead. We’ve been so intimidated into silence. We’ve been so taught by rationalistic twits. We have been so told that God isn’t acting anymore in the way he did that we’ve come to believe it and we’ve lost the power that God would have us have. So, during this week and next week and maybe another week, we’re going to talk about the Holy Spirit and power. I think I told you about the black bishop who told a gathering of Christians one time. And if I could remember his name, I would tell you, but I forget. But I’ll never forget what he said.

I have a message from the Lord and the Lord said for me to tell you that if you Christians get over your fear, you’re going to be dangerous.

Well, as we talk about the Holy Spirit and power, it is designed by God to make us dangerous. Okay, let’s check some Scripture. In John 14:12 through 15, John writes, that Jesus said.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will I do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

No accident that these words are juxtaposed with what follows.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will send you another Helper,

That would be the Holy Spirit.

to be with you forever.”

And then in Acts 1:7 through 8, Luke writes.

He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.

Here it comes.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and then all Judea and Samaria. And to the end of the earth.”

Now, let me give you some phrases. They’re from the book of Acts. It’s titled The Acts of the Apostles, that book. But it probably should be read The Acts of the Holy Spirit, sometimes through the apostles.

And the Spirit gave them utterance.

2:4

Then the Spirit said to Philip.

Acts 8:29

The Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away.

Acts 8:39

The Spirit said to him.

Acts 10:19

Then the Spirit told me to go with them.

Acts 11:12

But the Spirit did not permit them.

Acts 16:7

Paul was constrained by the Spirit.

Acts 18:5

Paul purposed in the Spirit.

19:21

Compelled by the Spirit.

Acts 20, 22

They told Paul through the Spirit.

Acts 21:4

And there are a lot more, if I took the time just to find out about it.

Now, before we turn directly to the subject of the Holy Spirit and power, let me go down one side road, and it’s the form of a question. Steve, what do you think about the supernatural gifts that are being taught in Pentecostal and Charismatic circles and about tongues in particular? First, I’m not a secessionist. Say what? That means those who believe that the gifts in general and the gift, the supernatural gifts in particular have come to an end. There’s nothing in the Bible that would justify that particular viewpoint. Now, I’ve held it in the past, but I held it because of some people I respected who believe that, and I still respect them. But when I went to the Scriptures and I began to check, I thought, that’s not true. God does as He pleases, and He does it right well. And if He had stopped intervening in our lives in supernatural ways, then he would have told us that that was what he was doing. And he never did that. And no, I’m not Pentecostal or Charismatic. Let me ask you something. If you’re really, really sick, do you want a Calvinist or a Charismatic to pray for you? I mean, I don’t care whether the theology is right, if I’m really sick or somebody I love is sick. I want somebody who knows God, who has a contact point, who can pray and see something happen in my life. Well, I may have told you this story, Jim Kennedy was a close friend of mine and I still miss him and he adds a great attraction to heaven. He taught me how to share my faith and because of his teaching in Evangelism Explosion and at Coral Ridge, over the years, I have been privileged to lead a bunch of people to the throne of grace, and Jim Kennedy had a lot to do with that. Now, let me tell you the first time we ever met. Somebody, a friend of both of us, had set up a lunch and said, you guys ought to meet. And so, we met for lunch, and during lunch, and Jim was not big on tongues, in fact he was one who believed they had stopped in the first century. And he was irritated by Pentecostals and Charismatics. And so, I decided to see what he would say. And I said, Jim, do you know what the Charismatics are praying to happen to you? And he said, he was eating soup, and he put his spoon down, and he said, no, what? I said, they’re praying that you speak in tongues. And he said, well, that’s not going to happen. And he reached for the spoon to get some soup. And I said, you know what else they’re praying? And he put the spoon down and he said, no, what? I said, they’re praying that you speak in tongues at your 11 o’clock service on national television. And Jim said, that’s not going to happen. So, he picked up his spoon again and I said, you know what else? And by this time, he looked kind of irritated, and he put the spoon back down, and he said, What else? I said, I’m praying the same thing they’re praying. And if you start feeling funny on a Sunday morning, do call me, and I’m going to drive up to Fort Lauderdale so I can watch. And I thought, If he laughs, we’re going to be friends. If he doesn’t, this is going to be a hard lunch to get through. And one of the things that a lot of people didn’t know about Jim Kennedy was his wonderful sense of humor. We were one time at a conference together and we were in one of our hotel rooms and we started telling jokes and we started laughing like little girls. And disturbed the people on the floor and they had to send somebody up to tell us to be quiet. That always surprises people because Jim seemed always so serious. But at that particular lunch, after my kidding him about speaking in tongues, he waited for a moment and I thought it’s going to go either way and he just roared with laughter. And when he did, that’s when we decided we were going to be friends. No, I don’t believe anything stopped. And I’m running out of time, so I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow. But God is God. And God, if he’s going to stop something, he’ll tell us. If he’s not, he won’t. And he has not, so you think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
The Holy Spirit still brings power. Thank you Steve for that encouraging reminder. We are in the middle of an excellent series on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and I sure hope you’ll continue along with us tomorrow. Well, I’ve mentioned this a few times. Steve has written a dynamite book on the Holy Spirit, it’s called Follow the Wind. Well, we took excerpts from that book to create a special booklet. Actually, it’s most of the last chapter of the book. We would love to send you that booklet for free, and getting your copy is super easy. Just call us right now at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that booklet. Or to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U.S. and Canada. Again, just ask for your free copy of the booklet about the Holy Spirit. And finally, if you value the work of Key Life, would you join us in that work through your financial support? You can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or you can now give safely and securely through text. Just pick up your phone right now and text Key Life to 28950 that’s Key Life, one word or two, doesn’t matter. Text that to 28950 and then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. Both of those organizations assure financial accountability and we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.