Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit Workshop for The young www.drnjpaul.com

His functions • Teaches • Guides • Comforts • Cleanses • Convicts • Pleads • Protects www.drnjpaul.com

THE BONFIRE On the fourteenth day of the first month of each year the Hindus observe it as a day of Bonfire and purging. In front of each house one could find heaps of ashes of Bonfire of old things and wares. The bigger the heap, the affluent is the family who could dispose off a lot of things as discard. Such things are considerd as rubbish not worth giving even to the poor. The exciting part is that they have to buy many new things as replacement So it is a festival of rejecting and replenishing Paul rightly said “old things have passed away all have become new.” www.drnjpaul.com

Passover Strangely the Jewish people also have on the fifteenth day of the first month, a festival called the feast of unleavened bread. In all their living area, not a drop of leaven should be found. They break all the mud pots and bury the metallic vessels in the ground for three days to make sure that leaven does not find its way somewhere somehow. It is a purging process and all leaven is to be burnt off. This festival is to commemorate the night when three million Israelite slaves walked out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Passover from slavery to freedom. Thereafter they started worshipping Jehovah instead of serving Pharaoh.. www.drnjpaul.com

Forest fire Almost during the last quarter of every year there would be great forest fires occur somewhere in Southern Australia or in California . Ignited by the brambles and bushes of thorns it spreads faster to tall, trees until and all area is set ablaze. Recently we had it in Greece Italy Turkey Indonesia and many parts of the world. Foresters say that it is Natural Periodic Purging Reviving Purging because all the bushes and the bramble and unwanted should go away. After the clouds of smoke gone up in the sky whole thing becomes hot and the wild animals cry for water. Then comes showers of rain with thunders . It is a period of revival www.drnjpaul.com

The garden In the garden God created man in his own image and set him as the ruler over all things. After the days work, God would visit him and then restore him and renew him with strength and assignments for the next day. He wanted the man to enjoy, keep guard and be in authority but accountable But some thing went wrong when man messed up with God’s programmers and set of rules. The net result was that he lost the authority and the rights, and the work that should be delightful became a curse and unproductive and a burden See why? Later… www.drnjpaul.com

The summary of 4 scenes Something in common with what we are going to see here after A natural process* Periodical ** Purging Reviving In all these fire was the purifying agent which eradicates something once and forever Receiving the Holy Spirit is most natural and why do people thing it as extra ordinary and that they can’t receive it? www.drnjpaul.com

The upper room There were a hundred and twenty people waiting without knowing what is going to happen but waiting in prayer because Jesus told them so. Tongues of flames rested on their heads and they spoke in tongues. Before that there was a gust of wind that blew the windows and shutters. Why tongues of fire and not something else? And they all spoke in tongues which the outsiders could understand it as praises to God. The 120 of them received – all of them with no exception And they did nothing on their part Just received. It is God’s gift as Peter said later. Why do people now complain they don’t receive? www.drnjpaul.com

Messed up Programme Jesus told them in Acts1:5 wait in Jerusalem They asked when will you give us the kingdom 1:6 Again Jesus said, Wait and you will get power from above Did it answer their question? No. Possibly they did not understand. They asked for a kingdom and Jesus promised power. But they dare not ask again but preferred to obey They wanted power on earth –earthly power. But Jesus gave them authority both of heaven and earth Was it true? Look at history www.drnjpaul.com

Records from History after Pentecost Disciples who were shut up for fear of the Jews came out A.D 33 Peter spoke to a crowd of three thousand and then to a crowd of 5000 AD 33 Peter made a lame man to walk AD 33 Peter was locked up miraculously released by angel AD 35 Paul was seen by Jesus and baptized AD 35 Philip goes to Samaria doing signs and wonders AD43 Peter goes to Joppa and baptizes the heathen AD 53 Paul did great miracles in Syria and Turkey AD 53 Paul did great miracles in Ephesus that Diana worship was uprooted and magicians burnt their books and the very shadow of Paul could help sick to be healed AD 53 Paul thrown in prison but converted the jailor and his whole family got baptized Did Pentecost stop and without power? www.drnjpaul.com

What type of power Before Pentecost the disciple were shut up in the house for Fear of the Jews. Doubt: if they continue ministry or should go back to fishing Worry : as to what will happen to their future or safety These are the three things that bother the young generation Did Pentecost offer a solution? What could have messed up the whole programme? God had in mind a design for them They did not want to wait and went back to fishing a couple of weeks after resurrection. Jesus met Peter and his colleagues at that time on the shores of Galilee. Did it change their life pattern? Did they worry about their future or families after pentecost? Did they bow down before their enemies? www.drnjpaul.com

Message for the young Fifty years ago just after world war II there was famine all over the world. People stood in long queues for rations of rice kerosene or sugar There were no gadgets like washing machines, microwave no not even gas cookers People had to light fire wood stoves or ovens All these took long time People went to work early and came back home late in the evening. Yet they had more time with family and fun at the dining table and above all there were family prayers and time for bed time stories and bible reading Church attendance was great and church was a happy place of meeting The best part was there were no television no not even radios or computers No super markets to buy food stuff. Yet people still remember them as great days. www.drnjpaul.com

Should life style be better or worse It is a simple straight forward question With all modern gadgets should life style be easier or not.? If not why? In olden days- Dad did not carry home work from office Dad did not get a heavy pay packet Dad did not get holiday benefits Dad did not have perks. Dad did not have a car or a bike but went to office by cycle or walking There were not many buses or commuters Yet life was simple and a lot happier Do people now carry home their laptops and the home works and take late into night to finish work and so even the students Does mum find difficult to cope up and ask for food from joints We have 24 hour super markets yet stock things at home and in the Fridges We serve frozen food heated by microwave We hardly have a happy family meal except in restaurants www.drnjpaul.com

Could life be better? Do we draw some parallels between the garden scene and ours When and where did things go wrong? Since when the happy evening of restoration was lost And God became a distant far and confined to Sunday worship? Do we think we can handle our matters and God is not needed Then why we talk of blessings Do we head for a Godless situation Why does work turn unproductive inspite of long hours of toiling? www.drnjpaul.com

What can holy spirit offer? • Joy we miss • Rest we need • fears that are unreal to fade • Health and happiness we miss • Worry about future and instability to vanish • Doubt if God is still with us to melt www.drnjpaul.com

His functions • Teaches • Guides • Comforts • Cleanses • Convicts • Pleads • Protects www.drnjpaul.com

Why people don’t receive? • People who fear • Who criticize • Who feel He will control • They don’t need • They don’t know what He does • They don’t deserve • Who want to show off • Who don’t want to obey www.drnjpaul.com

How do we know we receive • The manifestation of the fruits • The desire for word • The hatred for old life • The fear to go back into sin • The joy and peace world cannot give • The desire to serve God • The benefit of prayer life • The confidence we are protected or taken care of www.drnjpaul.com

How did people receive? • When peter preached and warned them and pleaded they were baptized and when they laid hands they recd. • In Samaria when Philip preached and Peter came and laid hands on them • Paul when Ananias prayed and baptized and laid hand recd with healing • In Joppa at hose of Cornelius when they preached they received and then they were baptized • In Iconium when the saw the persecutions and joy and received the word with faith they recd, • In Philipi the jailor heard their singing at midnight an dafter the earth quake ran inside was baptized and recd • In Ephesus they were baptized unto John and the were baptized again and recd with tongues www.drnjpaul.com

Why gift are needed? • For personal edification • For easy access to God • For over coming fear worry and doubt • For the benefit of church • To confirm the word • To show others the presence of a living God • To know and fight the battles of enemy • To grow continuously www.drnjpaul.com

What He expects • Giver expects something from us also • Thankfulness • Unworthiness • Humility • Brokenness • Obedience • Patience • Love • Faith/ trust in Him www.drnjpaul.com

What are fruits? • The proof of a tree or vegetation in good health is the fruit or out come or yield- good or bad • To propagate • To fulfill the plan/ expectations of the gardener • To benefit the other order of creation • Not for self benefit • To be attractive and generous • Unmindful of abuse www.drnjpaul.com

Nine gifts- three types • Revelation- visions& prophecy, interpretation and discernment • Utterance; Tongues, word of wisdom, word of knowledge • Power; faith, miracles, healing www.drnjpaul.com

Revelation • Prophecy-Agabus for famine • Revelation: John the Baptist about Jesus,Simeon at temple, Samuel about Saul, Jonah for Nineveh, Paul of Corinth • Visions: Paul of Jesus, Joseph of future, Daniel of end times, Pharaoh for famine, Darius for destruction, • Interpretation of tongues- Daniel www.drnjpaul.com

Utterance-speak • What is the difference- authority and without meaning or knowledge • In the old days the word ‘mutterance’ was used. Whisper or murmur • Tongues unknown language- not different- strange things- glorifying God • Word of wisdom- timely without thinking for edification admonishing and correction- encourage • Word of knowledge- scriptural based for teaching and growing www.drnjpaul.com

Faith- a gift? • Faith to receive healing miracles help from God • Why people don’t receive- because they do not understand the meaning of gift. • They do not understand the trouble is with them or there is too much trouble with them. • They think God is not willing to give or something is not ready in them to receive or God gives only to some people • They should see more miracle or read of it until their faith builds up for themselves. www.drnjpaul.com

Receiving and giving • People want eminence but do not want to contribute or do anything • Why people don’t contribute because they have nothing to or • They do not know what they have or • They are not thankful what they have or • They do not know to whom they serve • In the wilderness they bountifully gave because they saw the shekinah before which every thing became insignificant and as dust www.drnjpaul.com

They are the same every where • If they are unproductive or dissatisfied in the church they will be • In their homes • In their offices • In their societies • In their family • In their town • In their country • And where God takes them to live or work www.drnjpaul.com

Art of giving • Finding out what is the best for others • Trying to give it away for God • Understanding that you got it freely • Believing it will be more useful there • Hoping that you will receive bountifully • Having the joy that it serves the Master to whom you owe everything in life. • Feeling happy that He accepts even silly things from us. www.drnjpaul.com

The art of giving • The more I have received make me feel God is trusting me more and more • The more I give God is happy that I still hold the Giver as more important • The freely I give I am lays ready for eternity. • The more I give my dependence on things are tending to zero • The more I give my love is liberated www.drnjpaul.com