Bill Johnson teaches on the power of the Gospel and the Great Commission. The “go” of the Gospel is essential whether it be through missions abroad or in your own hometown, but Jesus’ instruction to the disciples was to first wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power. Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and walking in His power is available to every believer and is vital as we follow in Jesus’ footsteps, representing Him well and extending His Kingdom through the power of the Gospel. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:23 The Great Commission (Jan 28 2024 Sermon) 13:04 It Is Better for You That I Go 27:26 Wait Until You Receive the Holy Spirit 42:29 Walking In the Power of the Gospel Subscribe for weekly videos: https://bit.ly/bjmYoutube
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Bill Johnson is a fifth-generation pastor with a rich heritage in the Holy Spirit. He is senior leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and is passionate about seeing Revival and God’s Kingdom established and revealed in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations. Bill’s teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven, hosting the Presence, and the renewed mind has helped thousands around the world to step into their true identity in Christ, God given purpose, and walk in a supernatural lifestyle displaying both purity and power. #BillJohnson #BethelChurch #Power #Gospel
most Believers have greater faith in the
return of Christ than they do in the
power of the gospel and the concept
behind that statement is the fact that
we know Jesus is coming back and when he
does he’ll fix everything instead of us
believing that the power of the Gospel
that’s been given to us is what fixes
[Music]
everything good so good we’re so blessed
Jonathan and Cindy is part of our part
of our house bless so these guys are
amazing they they know what it is to
really lay their life down and go into
tough places so we’re we’re just so
privileged thanks thanks for what you’re
putting together for us um I’ve got just
a few minutes left and and uh got a
couple thoughts to uh to share with you
um open your bibles if you would to
Matthew 28 even if you can quote the
passage look at it anyway and uh Matthew
28 and then Acts chapter 1 so we’re
going to look at two portions of
scripture
and I’m going to read uh while you’re
turning uh in your Bibles I’m going to
read um a favorite uh Psalm of
mine Psalm 22 is considered the me a
Messianic Psalm it’s about the death of
Christ and it ends with these
words all the ends of the Earth shall
remember and turn to the Lord that’s an
extraordinary statement all all the ends
of the Earth shall remember and turn to
the Lord and all the families of the
Nations shall worship before you for the
kingdom is the Lords and he rules over
the Nations all the prosperous of the
Earth shall eat and worship and it goes
on promises like this are not simply to
be read and uh applauded there’re to be
they’re invitations you know they’re
invitations they can either stay there
on the page or they can become an active
part part of our prayer life uh
something uh one of the one of the most
amazing uh here’s the hard part of
praying for Nations and praying for uh
unreached people groups Etc is you don’t
get daily feedback to keep you
encouraged you have to do it because of
the call of God and who you are in
Christ if you need the constant daily
motivation you know praying for the sick
is easy because you see breakthroughs it
keeps you motivated but uh but on this
on the bigger scale you have to be
motivated out of an identity issue a
call of God and uh missions groups uh a
number of years ago I don’t remember now
I I’ve heard before but I I think it’s
like back in the 80s maybe 70s but
certain missions groups around the world
started targeting What’s called the 1040
window it’s a it’s uh uh we saw the map
earlier the 1040 window is a a uh
geographical section of planet Earth
where a large part of the unreached
people groups live as you saw on on the
on the map but what happened is Prayer
Ministry groups started targeting they
started realizing that’s where the most
of the people are so we need to pray for
them so if you can imagine now 10 20 30
years later of these groups constantly
praying into that we have Story upon
Story upon story of of people who live
in that area who have never heard the
gospel they have a man in white show up
in their dreams they’ll have a a vision
they’ll have an encounter with what they
call the man in white and it has become
so
common um it’s not to replace the going
because they still have to hear the
gospel but they have these encounters uh
with the man in whites become so common
that I know of a guy who goes in front
of a mosque and he just stands there and
when people come in he says have you
seen the man in white if they say yes he
saids stand over here and I’ll tell you
who he is and then if they if they
haven’t seen the man in white they
actually they they just go into the
mosque so after everybody showed up and
they got a pile of folks here that have
seen the man of white he then goes over
and shares the gospel tells them who who
the man of white is it’s amazing but how
does that happen the the atmosphere over
these parts of the world are shifting
because of long-term prayer long-term
prayer it’s not just the you know the
the the Casual prayer on a mission
Sunday which is important but it’s it’s
the long-term Focus to say you know what
we want him to get his full reward we
want psalms 22: 27 that I rich moments
ago to be fulfilled where all the
families of the earth bow before him
were all the nations all the ethnos all
the people groups of the earth not just
uh the 200 Nations that exist all the
different people groups and so this is
who we are as a church family
um here let’s read these two passages
and then I’ll try to I’ll I’ll do I’ll
do more next week and uh hopefully it’ll
make more sense then but let me plant
the seeds for it right now in Matthew 28
we have have what we refer to as the
Great Commission starts in verse
18 Jesus came and spoke to them saying
all authority has been given to me in
heaven and on Earth go therefore Make
Disciples of all the nations baptizing
them in the name of the Father the Son
and the Holy Spirit teaching them them
to observe all things that I have
commanded you and I remind you he
commanded them heal the sick raise the
Dead cast out Devils it was never
supposed to end
that’s right that’s
right is this mic
[Music]
on it was never supposed to end it was
never supposed to end it’s a part of the
Gospel he said this gospel will be
preached All Nations not 200 Nations but
the ethnos the people
groups and when the gospel of the
kingdom is preached in the gospels is
followed with miracles signs and wonders
so the prophecy that this gospel will be
preached in all the world and then the
end shall come is a gospel that is
demonstrated with power it’s a gospel
that illustrates the resurrection of
Jesus teaching then to observe all that
I have commanded you and lo I Am With
You Always even to the end of the age I
love that last phrase one preacher said
he don’t fly for that reason because
Jesus said Lo I’m with you
always that’s that’s a corny joke but it
wasn’t mine I’m just I’m just the
messenger Acts chapter uh 1 Acts chapter
1 verse uh 8 but you shall receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you
you shall be witnesses to me in
Jerusalem in all Judea Samaria to the
end of the Earth all right so here’s the
deal we are required to walk in
authority and and power it’s what Jesus
did it’s what he Illustrated he
commissioned his disciples Luke 1:9 he
gave them Authority and power but then
when he ascended to Heaven they had to
get their own they were under his
deputized anointing if you will and so
uh in Matthew 28 he shows up and he
announces all Authority’s been given to
me he passes that Authority on and it is
in everybody’s life in this room in the
measure we’ve said yes to his mission
Authority comes in the commission but
power comes in the
encounter Authority comes in the
commission power comes in the encounter
and so Jesus received power when the
spirit of God Came Upon him at his water
baptism very next chapter we see him
functioning in miracles signs and
wonders there’s a connection
there Matthew 28 all authority has been
given to me go therefore Luke’s version
adds this part don’t leave Jerusalem to
are you clothed with
power Luke wrote Luke go figure and acts
put the two together you see a seamless
story
yes here’s my
point Authority and power are both
essential to living and demonstrating
the gospel but in the two Champion
verses that deal with these subjects
they are both tied to our influence on
the Nations
come on Matthew 28 disciple Nations
because of authority Acts chapter 1
you’ll receive power be Witnesses in all
the Earth all the nations the whole
point is Authority and power is what
qualifies us to influence
Nations and the the bottom line is and I
I’ll I’ll tell you more personal stuff
uh probably next week but the the
missions thing has been a huge part of
my life as long as I can remember I was
I was you know weaned on it so to speak
and so we just we always had
missionaries in our home it was always a
huge part of our life just Benny and I
we we gave pretty extreme before we even
married and we brought the two uh to
together the commit commitment to World
missions it’s who we
are and and it’s it’s it’s not optional
you know how we do it is different you
you you everyone can pray most everyone
can send that’s giving and some get to
go yeah well actually everybody gets to
go CU this is a nation that needs
discipling so when when we dismiss you
in a couple minutes you’re going to go
into all the world and preach the gospel
of the Kingdom but this is this is who
we are and recognizing that it is
actually in our DNA that he wrote in in
his word the promises where entire
nations people groups would be brought
to him that
that is coursing through his own veins
that’s his own prayer life if you will
is to intercede and to pray for us and
to pray for the Nations that’s our
privilege so what I’m hoping that all of
us get to do is up our upgrade our first
of all our sense of identity and
responsibility for
Nations you know maybe the Lord
highlights a nation to you or a
missionary or
both and then just on a regular basis
throughout the week you just start
praying maybe pick up a newspaper but
you pick up a
newspaper sorry I manifested for a
moment I I think I’m okay
now and you see an article about that
nation that gives you Insight on how to
pray it’s it’s it’s a very significant
thing so all right go and
stand
yes
Lord you know um we’re going to I’m
going to close in prayer here in just a
second so hold on if you wouldn’t
mind but you know the the the big deal
is that there there obviously could be
people in this room right now that have
have
never have never given your life to
Christ have never received his
forgiveness don’t know what it is to
be Bible calls it born again it’s where
we change from the inside out and if
there’s anybody in this room before we
pray for also has
a a crowd of
missionaries um I I want to give this
opportunity if there’s anyone here that
would just say Bill I don’t want to
leave the room I don’t want to leave the
property until I know what it is to know
God to be forgiven to be adopted into
his family if there’s anyone in that
place just quickly put your hand up
right now and just by do doing that
you’re saying bill I don’t want to leave
till I know I have found peace with God
what it is to be forgiven do so real
quickly I’m I’ll wait just just a moment
I just want to make sure everyone has
the opportunity for this we also have so
many people
online uh that have been healed this
week the Randy clar conference was
outrageously wonderful and so many
people got healed online and and it it
may be that some of you uh who are
online would say I don’t know Jesus and
I want to just write in the in the chat
box and there’ll be a pastor there to
help you all right let’s just pray
father I ask that You’ impart a Grace
for Missions um even those who have
never even given it a second thought
that you would just teach us what you
think and that you would help us in this
this radical adjustment for this hour to
embrace the Nations coming to Christ and
to celebrate everything we hear we honor
you for the testimonies today wow wow
wow wow
resurrections amazing we honor you for
it everybody said
amen now you remember when Jesus chose
the 12 he met with them and it says he
gave them power and authority do you
remember that it’s in Luke 9 he gave
them power and
authority I’d like to describe it this
way Jesus came commissioned from the
father
so he had all
authority when he was baptized in water
he came up out of the water and was
clothed with the spirit of God the Holy
Spirit rested upon him in the form of a
dove and remained so I like this I like
to put it this way Jesus came to
Earth having been commissioned from the
father to come take our place in
death and be the sacrifice he came with
authority I don’t think he came with
with power now as God obviously he’s got
all power but the point is is he chose
self-imposed restrictions to live with
the limitations of a human being
although he has access to everything as
God make sense kind of all right so he
came with what Authority how do we know
because the authority comes in your The
Authority you walk in is equal to the
your submission to the
commission
Authority is directly connected to the
commission I think Chris valon is the
one who put it this way first he said
commissioned you have to be in
submission to the primary Mission that’s
how you’re co-
missioned all right does that make sense
so he came to Earth with authority
because he was commissioned by the
father but he still needed to be clothed
with power and so he comes to John for
water baptism John says I’m not worthy
to untie your shoes Jesus says permit it
he baptized him in water the spirit of
God comes upon him in the form of a dove
and remains so there he receives power
if you read in Luke Chapter the end of
chapter 3 the beginning of chapter 4 it
was after that water baptism where the
spirit of God Came Upon him it was after
that power was displayed but not until
then all right now fast forward Jes
Jesus is at the end of his life he’s
already commissioned the 12 there’s 11
left he’s already given them power and
authority but what does he do after he
dies he resurrects he appears to them
and in Matthew 28 Jesus came and spoke
to them Verse 18 saying all authority
has been given to me in heaven and on
Earth therefore Go Make Disciples of all
the nations baptizing them in the name
of the Father the Son and the Holy
Spirit teaching them to observe all
things that I’ve commanded you you what
are some of the things he commanded heal
the sick raise the Dead cast out Devils
here in the Great Commission he’s saying
Teach Your disciples what I commanded
you which includes healing and
deliverance and all all the other
things
yeah I with you always even to the End
of the Age so the point I want to make
is even though all 12 of his disciples
11 remaining even though they had
already been given power and authority
when Jesus was was on Earth I like to
put it this way they were deputized
under his mantle of anointing of call of
anointing his power and authority so
they function Under the Umbrella of his
gift I’ve seen it happen so I I we don’t
have I I could take time but I’d end up
killing all of you
so but but i’ I’ve seen it where where
you work with someone in their gift and
and their anointing actually affects you
and as long as you’re with them you
function like them and you think you’ve
got it and then you try to do it on your
own it doesn’t work well it’s it’s it’s
it’s it’s it’s like a wakeup call oh so
so that anointing wasn’t mine yeah yeah
you yeah it’s it
just you have you just you just pay a
price for those things that’s all and uh
so anyway um so here’s Jesus he comes
back and he the first thing he does is
he tells them they have
authority well I thought they already
had Authority yeah they were deputized
under his but now they’ve got to have
their
own so what does he do first thing he
does is he appears to them he says all
authority has been given to me therefore
go what is he doing he’s imparting
Authority Authority for the
mission the great co-
Mission and then he says don’t leave
Jerusalem till you’re clothed with
power I thought they already had power
yep they were deputized now they have to
get their
own now they have to get their
own
you remember Jesus told his disciples
it’s better for you that I go I doubt
there was one disciple that believe
that because they’ve got him right there
I me they’ve got him right there they
can ask him anything he corrects them
it’s you know it’s the only time they
were embarrassed and felt good about it
you know it’s like Jesus just adjusted
stuff in their lives and it was disc
continuous and he said it’s better that
I go and then he made this Jesus made
this statement in John I think 14 he
says the Holy Spirit who is who is with
you will be in
you the spirit of God who is with you
will be in you and that’s what he was
announcing so in John 20 he breathed on
them they received the Holy Spirit and
then he said but we’re not
done don’t leave Jerusalem till you’ve
been clothed with
power
one of the kind of bizarre stories in
scriptures of
Gideon I want to have you turn to this
one it’s in chapter 7 or8 I think it’s
chapter 8 it’s on the right hand side of
the page but it’s right at the top First
Column and it says in my translation new
new King James says and the spirit of
God Came Upon Gideon and it was an
extraordinary feat that was accomplished
but in the footnote it says
literally it
means the Holy Spirit clothed himself
with
Gideon I said I wasn’t going to turn
there but some of you don’t believe me
so I’m going
to the spirit of the Lord Came Upon
Gideon he blew the
trumpet soldiers gathered to him Etc it
says the spirit of the Lord clothed
himself with
Gideon if an Old Testament concept of
the Holy Spirit clothing U it was
Michael Thompson who told us this 20
probably 7 28 years ago he said said the
Holy Spirit In this passage put Gideon
on like a
glove that’s what we
need is for the spirit of God to put us
on like a
glove it’s got to fit
well that glove can’t have a mind of its
own that glove can’t have a preconceived
idea this is what it needs to look like
it’s actually it’s got to be Supple
tender very
flexible so as the Holy Spirit puts you
on puts me on he does what he
wants so he tells them in Luke 24 don’t
leave Jerusalem till you’ve been closed
with power now let’s go to Acts chapter
one and I’ll start I’ll start wrapping
this up
now remember we started uh this thing
tonight by just this one concept this
most difficult to comprehend concept of
God wanting to fill us with his
fullness I can’t think about that very
long because it’ll hurt my head
so acts chap 1 verse 2 until the day in
which he was taken up after he through
the Holy Spirit was given had given
Commandments to the apostles whom he had
chosen to whom he also presented himself
alive after suffering by uh many
infallible proofs being seen by them
during 40 days and speaking of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God
so what’s the point after his
resurrection he kept appearing and
reappearing to the 11 disciples and
others outside of the original group he
would appear to them over a period of 40
days Pentecost means 50 so from the
death of Christ to the day of Pentecost
is 50 days but he spent 40 hanging out
with the guys which means there was 10
days that they had a prayer
meeting so he says don’t leave Jerusalem
till you’re clothed with
power
[Applause]
wow I wonder what they did in those 10
days 10 days is a long prayer
meeting they
already have been competing with each
other thinking they’re better than the
other so they got 10 it probably took
them 10 days to get this stuff kind of
fixed just throw him in a prayer room
and don’t leave don’t let him get out
you
know and uh Peter you know he already
said I love I love you more than all
these and so Jesus showed up said do you
love me more than these and so they had
few things to kind of work out in this
prayer
meeting it’s interesting Jesus actually
appeared the scripture says to over 500
people announcing what was to happen
we don’t know how long how many people
were in the room when the prayer meeting
started but we know 10 days later there
was
120 what were they what did Jesus talk
to his disciples about during the 40-day
period the kingdom of God that’s the
message being assembled together with
them verse four he commanded them not to
to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for
the promise of the Father which he said
you’ve heard of from me for John
baptized with water but you shall be
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many
days from
now when they had come together they
asked him saying Lord will you at this
time restore the kingdom to
Israel he said it’s not for you to know
the times are season which the father
has put in his own authority but you
shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon
you
twice the disciples brought up
conversation and asked questions and
twice Jesus turned the subject to the
kingdom of God and the outpouring of the
Holy
Spirit there’s a tremendous book um I we
have copies somewhere I’m going to
promote one of these days it’s called
The Cure of all
ills and you know I did this study years
ago on um on
water uh uh Rivers uh pools uh Lakes
rain those kinds of
things and it the conclusion I came to
is all through the Old
Testament Israel would have a problem
with an enemy army they would have a
problem with moral breakdown in their
own culture they would have a problem
with following after other gods it
didn’t matter what the problem was God’s
answer was rain rivers
pools which in that context is always
the outpouring of the holy spirit so
it’s like it it’s like it doesn’t matter
what problem you have what you need is
God it’s SEC Cure All In other words
there there actually is a simple answer
to every problem you need an immersion
in the spirit of God it doesn’t mean you
don’t need counsel it doesn’t mean you
don’t need this you don’t need that but
what you need most of all what we need
what I need is an immersion in the
presence because everything
becomes settled everything becomes
settled in the
[Music]
presence verse 8 he says you shall
receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you you shall be witnesses to
me in Jerusalem in Judea Samaria to the
end of the
[Music]
Earth many people think that Jesus’s
final words to the church was go into
all the world preach the gospel disciple
Nations it wasn’t his last words his
last words were wait in Jerusalem until
you receive the promise of the father
wait in Jerusalem until you’re clothed
with power from on high the go is is
essential the wait prepares us for the
going and the whole point of the waiting
is there is something more than what
you’ve seen to this point there is
something more that God has in store for
you imagine yourself one of the 11
remaining disciples and Jesus appears to
them one of the moments he appeared to
them is in John 20 where they were
hiding in a room thinking they were
going to be killed next if you can
imagine the host ility of the hour they
are literally afraid for their lives as
they hide out in this room Jesus always
knows where we are and so he just
appeared walking through the wall
however he got there they were that
didn’t help the fear issue at all when
somebody just appears and they didn’t
know it was Jesus so you got to keep
that in mind Jesus just appears in this
room they Their Fear just got com
compounded and they are terrified and
Jesus says peace to you that didn’t help
because they were they’re in way too
much fear to receive any kind of peace
and so Jesus showed him the scars in his
hands his side his feet when they saw
that they recognized this is Jesus we
saw him
crucify as soon as they realized that
they they began to experience the peace
that Jesus Promised and he said again to
them again to you I say peace to you
this is important to realize in this
moment of ab some times we’re so filled
with fear and Terror that that we can’t
find peace and yet it’s it’s here it’s
here there has to be a turning and what
happened in the hearts of the disciples
there was a turning they recognized oh
it’s Jesus he is with us and when he
spoke peace the second time he breathed
on them the Holy Spirit came upon them
and they received true peace all right
here’s here’s the
deal Jesus gave them in that decree
going into all the world preach the
gospel he gave them a commission what
else did he give them in the commission
our response our yes to the commission
of God is what connects us to the
authority of God they were given
Authority in that moment but then he
said wait in Jerusalem why because we
need both Authority and power that is
how Jesus ministered it’s how the
disciples ministered when they were
deputized under Jes Jesus’s anointing
they were deputized if you remember in
Luke 9 Jesus gave his disciples power
and authority he gave them both to
function in while he was on the Earth
but when he left and went to the right
hand of the father they had to find once
again this place of authority and this
place of power because now they were
going to do it without Jesus being at
their side I remind you of something
that I think is is so critical so
important one of the comments that Jesus
made to his
disciples that I’m sure was about the
most difficult thing to comprehend
they’ve ever heard him say he said it is
better for you that I go now imagine
that they’ve spent three and a half
years with
Jesus they can ask him anything they are
constantly impacted by his actions his
words they learn from his behavior
everything is an overwhelming three and
A2 year tool of
discipleship and in this moment of of
absolute adoration they want to sit at
his right hand at his left they want to
be there as he takes a dominion over the
kingdoms of the world and they’re all
positioning themselves to be a support
to this Messiah and then he says it’s
better that I go I can’t imagine hearing
anything in their position that would be
more opposite of what they would
normally feel he said it’s better that I
go because if I don’t go
I can’t send the Holy Spirit to you
here’s the deal picture this you’re one
of the 11 Jesus is at your side at any
moment you can reach out and touch him
you can ask him a question you can
receive instruction he is there just
guiding you with his eyes even the way
he does life there’s a constant lesson
of what it is to know God to follow God
he’s right here and yet that one who is
right here said it’s going to be better
if I go because they send the Holy
Spirit so here’s the
challenge is your relationship with the
Holy Spirit better than if Jesus were
standing at your side if it’s not better
then we’re not utilizing what God
actually provided for us by giving us
the indwelling presence of the Holy
Spirit and the power of the holy spirit
that rests upon us this is what we were
assigned to we were assigned to this the
gospel of the kingdom of God Paul says
is not in word only it is in power there
must be the demonstration of power power
in our personal life to overcome uh sin
Temptation those kinds of issues but
it’s power for the miraculous it’s power
to confront the impossibilities of life
this is what we are assigned to live in
to walk in is to walk in the absolute
power of God to demonstrate the
resurrection of Jesus every time you and
I pray for someone and there’s a miracle
it’s a demonstration
that the resurrection of Jesus is
real if I pray for you and you
experience a miracle you’ve just seen
what God can do if I pray for you and
nothing
happens you’ve just seen what I can
do it’s the absolute clothing with power
that makes it possible for us to
demonstrate the reality of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ when we get
to Acts chapter 1 we see twice in the
first few
verses him talking about the kingdom of
God all of you parents know that when
you’re about to leave the house and your
your kids are in the house you have
final words of instruction maybe they
are staying with their grandparents
maybe they’re staying with a babysitter
but you have final words of instruction
the final words are your most important
words that’s what they you want them to
remember before you leave for the
evening or for a week whatever it might
be Jesus’s final words to his disciples
was instruction in the context of wait
was instruction about the kingdom of God
it says in verse three the last part he
says he spent 40 days speaking to them
of things pertaining the kingdom of God
the very next words out of his mouth um
excuse me the very next thing out of his
mouth as he says John baptized with
water you will be baptized in the Holy
Spirit now not many days from now so the
disciples then say hey I got a question
when are you going to restore the
kingdom uh when are you going to restore
the kingdom to Israel and Jesus says
it’s not for you to know the
times
but excuse me but you shall receive
power verse 8 when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you and you shall be Witnesses
what’s the point I want to make twice in
chapter
one is the conversation about the
kingdom of God once it was in his
instruction second time it was their
question when are you restoring the
kingdom to Israel both times the very
first subject he turns to
after talking about the kingdom of God
was the baptism in the Holy Spirit I I’d
just like to suggest use this as kind of
a springboard I’d just like to suggest
that the introduction to the realities
of the kingdom of God is the baptism in
the Holy Spirit it immerses us into a
reality and this is available for
everyone this is not has and has not I I
I I don’t like that that that whole
argument that whole concept this is
available for everyone who confesses
Christ that the spirit of God would come
upon us he’ll manifest differently but
the point is Jesus is represented well
that’s what we’re looking for that Jesus
is represented accurately for who he
really is I want you to move fast
forward now to verse ver
14 verse 14 says these all continued
with one Accord in prayer and
supplication with the women and Mary the
mother of Jesus and his brothers now
this is an interesting verse we know
from the rest of the chapter there’s
around 120 people so let’s just say 120
people which is interesting to me
because Jesus elsewhere in scripture
says after his death he appeared to over
500
people but there was only 120 in the
prayer
meeting I don’t know where the 380 went
I’m sure they got it later I just don’t
want to miss when he shows up I don’t
want to miss so here they are it says
they continued in one Accord in prayer
it’s established that the prayer uh out
of unity had been taking place in this
chapter this is extremely significant
look who attended the meeting of course
we have here Mary the mother of Jesus uh
some of the women that were supporters
and his brothers why is that important
because one of the last times we read
about his brothers they didn’t believe
he was the Messiah and they tried to
trick him into going into a public place
to receive ridicule and opposition so
something has happened during this
journey where they’ve come to the
realization they’ve spent all this time
growing up with the Son of God in the
house imagine that realization you’ve
also got the 11 uh disciples who spent
their time three and 1 half years
succeeded in Ministry for sure
but they were also
caught comparing themselves with one
another thinking they are better than
the other arguing as to who was the
greatest so we’ve got this accumulation
of 120 people who have many issues
throughout their life together and yet
this 10 days of prayer I don’t know if
they settled the issues before before
they started the 10-day prayer meeting
or if they got ironed out in the prayer
meeting do you remember when Peter
denied Jesus and Jesus shows up
afterwards and he says to Peter do you
love me more than these I think he was
asking Peter do you love me more than
the other remaining
10 do you do you do do you really think
you love me more than everybody else
because there was this this arrogance
this superiority this this thing that
rose up in him to think everybody else
is going to blow but not me I’m I’m the
most secure one here and Jesus
confronted that in him and it was in
that repentance that he was fully
restored so let’s get back to the story
here they continued in one Accord in
prayer my translation adds the word and
supplication let me talk to you for just
a moment about the issue of prayer our
prayer
life
reveals how conscious we are of the God
who is with
us you can’t have someone as glorious
and significant as the spirit of God
resting upon a person and have that
person not talk to
him the depth of our prayer life reveals
the level of awareness we have to the
spirit of God in our lives I’m not
talking theologically all of us as
Believers can say we know that the Holy
Spirit lives in us we know that the Holy
Spirit walks with us he guides us he
teaches I get that I know that I’m
talking about the daily ongoing
consciousness of the holy spirit of
God David said in the Old Testament he
said I daily set the Lord before me it’s
not that we can position God where we
want he’s he’s he’s not under our
Command we are under his but David was
saying he’s everywhere so I turn my
attention to God being with me and that
consciousness of God in his life is what
in many ways enabled him to be the
greatest King Israel ever had so let’s
get back to the subject the second thing
I want to challenge you in for most
people our prayer life are times where
we’re pursuing Comfort pursuing peace uh
the pleasure of the Lord now Comfort
pleasure let’s just take those two words
those are biblical
Concepts God is the one who designed
pleasure he is the one who designed
Comfort he is the one who who made us to
be able to rest in him I’m accepted in
the Beloved he Delights in me I’m his
treasure I’m the the apple of his eye
all those things are absolutely 100%
true but what happens when we distort
our pursuit of comfort we
sacrifice having a lifestyle of
impacting
prayer there are prayers of fellowship
with Lord which is re refreshing
reassuring Building Hope building faith
but the apostle Paul taught at one point
about prayer being likened unto giving
birth he actually said and I am in
labor for you until Christ is formed in
you and he was uh the context there was
prayer so think about this this is an
awkward uh subject but it’s it’s it’s
the intensity of prayer and for those
who only pursue a relationship with God
of comfort and pleasure will never know
the kind of prayer that moves
mountains you have to be able to
feel the grief of the
Lord the pain of a
situation as parents we know what that
is to be in a a a painful situation with
our children but here’s the vital thing
is we come before the Lord and we pray
un until it is lifted until there is
that sense of breakthrough
most Believers have greater faith in the
return of Christ than they do in the
power of the
gospel and the concept behind that
statement is the fact that we know Jesus
is coming back and when he does he’ll
fix
everything instead of us believing that
the power of the Gospel that’s been
given to us is what fixes
everything instead of him returning to
fixed stuff maybe he’s coming
to pick up what is
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fixed so to the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ and
then he uses this phrase a mature man a
perfect
man now I don’t know this is
mindboggling this is uh this is
troubling he actually has put us on a
course that says this is where you’re
going to end up you the people of God
and the world gets a bigger mess and the
church gets more divided and he still
hasn’t changed his
plan he still hasn’t said ah too much
work never mind I’ll just come back and
fix it myself he he he just didn’t do
that he just didn’t do
that
I’m fascinated by well by Everything
Jesus did but a story that stands out to
me in this moment is the fact that
Jesus the disciples had come to him
saying the crowds the crowd needs to go
home we have no food they’re starving s
away and Jesus said you feed
them which is just a classic moment
because you got to imagine the disciples
are waiting for him to laugh and hit him
on the shoulder and say just kidding you
know after after he gives this command
but he doesn’t he doesn’t he doesn’t
break into laughter he says you feed
them and and they’re nervously trying to
figure out how in the world can we do
that if we had the food we we couldn’t
do
that and so Jesus all he
does is
he he gives them
he gives them something to do he says
have the people sit down in goups of 50
and
100
okay anybody have food here yeah there’s
a kid with lunch all right so Jesus
could have created of nothing but he
usually creates with
something it’s fascinating that he he
easily could have just from nothing but
these Miracles that we see in scripture
actually started he had something to
work with and so in John’s gospel when
he talks about this
situation it said when he broke the
bread when he gave
thanks he distributed to the disciples
and it it became more than enough but
when he gave thanks what did he give
thanks
for he gave thanks for not
enough
he gave thanks when it was way
insufficient see when you take what
isn’t enough and you baptize it in
thankfulness it becomes supernaturally
positioned to be more than
enough it’s the power of Thanksgiving
it’s the power of a thankful heart
wow an unthankful heart is is imprisoned
by numbers and limitations and
restrictions a thankful heart is
positioned to see
increase in John’s gospel it says there
are 5,000 men besides women and children
this happened at two different
times this the multiplying of through at
least twice that we know
of and it’s says there are 5,000 men not
counting women and
children where did the Loaves and Fishes
come
from from a child someone who didn’t
count you heard it in the video tonight
with the Beth Global Response
where Ukrainian people are saying we we
we thought the world forgot us we
thought even God forgot us and he said
the world maybe has but God hasn’t
forgotten there’s there’s something
there’s
something profoundly significant by
recognizing the value of an
individual and here Jesus honors a
child I don’t know if there were other
lunches that were there wasn’t important
it was the one that was given to him was
from a child and Jesus
Took and he didn’t throw it in the air
and go
Shazam I mean let’s let’s face it crowd
control you don’t you don’t create a
mountain of food in front of a thousands
of hungry people instead what he did is
he divided it into 12
baskets and the disciples
distributed how much was in a basket I
don’t know that much I don’t know
but 12 baskets is not enough to feed
5,000 men besides women and children can
we say 15,000
people 12 baskets isn’t near
enough unless it multiplies as you’re
giving it
out so when Jesus said you feed them he
didn’t change his mind when they
said we have no
food he didn’t change his mind when they
were puzzled by The Challenge he didn’t
change his mind all he did was enable
them to do simple actions that he would
bless and cause food to multiply in
other words there’s a point of
obedience most Miracles are connected to
a point of obedience and we usually wait
for something to happen to us when often
times we’re supposed to take Faith and
put it into an action yes
the blind man go wash in the pool of
silom that’s a cruel assignment for a
guy who’s blind you’ve got to go to
another geographical location and
washing a specific
pool but there was something in his
makeup that needed confronting is too
strong of a word it needed to be there’s
something that needed to be exercised in
him in his
obedience
so many times we see actions we see
blind bmus take off his Beggar’s robe
there’s a a profound action it’s what
qualified him as a legal beggar in that
culture people would see that garment to
know he was legitimately blind and
needed help so when he took that off
extraordinary Act of Faith but actions
have to take place I I I remember
Through The Years so often I would I
would have people do something um not uh
you know if you’ve got a broken ankle I
wouldn’t say stand up here on the stage
and jump off to test and see if it’s
healed Gabe might
but I I I wouldn’t do that unless he
told me to I wouldn’t do it out of the
principle of Faith please listen to this
carefully
I will not put anybody at risk out of
the principle of
faith I at times will have to put myself
at risk out of the principle of Faith
because I’m not getting a
breakthrough but I can’t I have no right
to put you at
risk let me illustrate
it is it true that the Widow gave her
last meal to the prophet and that was
the key to her economic breakthrough for
the next season is it
true read your Bibles because it’s in
there it’s a really good story so it’s a
it’s an it’s it’s a principle of Faith
she emptied her own resources and gave
to the
prophet I’m grieved at how often I hear
people in this position use that to tell
people that’s what they need to do you
never put somebody else at risk
unless he says
so and the most terrifying thing I think
for that Prophet was for him to bring a
word to a widow who was down to her last
meal and he’s got to tell her that the
key to her breakthrough is you feed me
first some would automatically think
that’s arrogance I think it’s the
absolute greatest demonstration of
humility because it’s obeying to a point
you make yourself look
foolish I want you to look uh with me at
uh John chapter
3 and I I’ve talked about this so many
times I feel a little bit embarrassed
doing it again but I it just actually at
the end of worship I felt like I felt
like I should talk to you about this
and I’ll I’ll try to hurry through the
parts I’ve done so many
times so when Jesus told his disciples
you feed
them and they were clueless as to what
to
do they knew they didn’t have
enough he didn’t change the assignment
he just Ena them through simple
step-by-step instruction enabled them to
do what was actually
impossible when Jesus says to you and to
me go into all the world preach the
gospel disciple
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Nations you may be like me going wait a
minute all we’ve got is a kids
lunch and if we’ll listen further he
gives a
stepbystep approach cuz he’s not
changing his plan he’s not going to
change his mind he’s not going to
say all right it’s a little rough making
you like me I’ll tell you what I’ll try
to make you like
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John or Fred you know
whoever it doesn’t change his plan he’s
got he’s got an assignment for you and
and for me