Our Absolute Need of the Holy Spirit - Bill Johnson Sermon | Bethel Church

0:00 The greatest harvest of souls ever in history up to that point was in this one moment where this man who denied Jesus one day, few days later, gets touched by God, and now he's absolutely fearless. It's not something you can stir up. You can't quote enough scripture to get yourself ready. The only possible answer is to be full of the Spirit of God. Years ago, one of our elders said the only reason we brought watches to church was to see if the date changed. So if you brought a watch for any other reason, just leave it at home or sit in the back.

0:49 We're not here to get out by a certain time. But I tell you what, the Lord's really been touching people in a really wonderful, profound way. And I don't think he's done. How many pastors do we have here that are visiting with us tonight? you're visiting. I know we have friends down here from Malaysia. I know we have right up from India over here and over here. Back over here some more. You know, I want any of the visiting pastors, any staff members that you brought or family members, just come stand up here because we're going to pray for you. Just come on up. These guys are down here because I invited them. But just scoot back a little bit because we'll need your space and then you can have it back shortly.

1:42 But yeah, oh my goodness. More people are coming than raise their hands. It's a miracle of multiplication. We see it whenever we have people come to the front. I want my staff to come. I want us to pray that there would be a mighty, mighty outpouring of the Spirit. I want everybody in the room, I want you to pray. We need nations to be rocked with the presence and the power of the Lord. We don't need a token visitation. We don't need nice meetings. We don't need a nice conference. We need a holy invitation, a holy invasion of the presence and power of God. In fact, you've been standing a long time, so sit as long as you want. But some of you, I can tell, can't stand it sitting. So you go ahead and stand and start praying with us for these folks, because we're going to pray for an absolute mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God.

2:37 Just extend your hands, pray in the Spirit. Let's just pray for a mighty, mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God here. Mighty, mighty outpouring. I want to hear you praying. we're praying for nations to be changed we're praying for nations to be changed I need some guys to come and stand in back here some of the men come back stand behind them come quickly some of the guys come yes we just pray outpouring of the spirit of God right now in Jesus mighty mighty name that presence and power rest here in a way that shakes nations nations nations nations not their nation only but nations of the world nations of the world nations of the world nations of the world let the power and presence of the Lord come powerfully here God rest on these men on these women let power come touch deeply and profoundly Lord come Lord God increase increase the measure of presence the measure of power your demonstration upon these we pray in Jesus mighty name increase increase

4:05 give them enough for a nation start praying that folks start praying that God, give them enough for a nation. Give them enough for a nation. Give them enough for a nation, Lord. Give them enough for a nation. increase increase the mantle for breakthrough give them enough for a nation Lord increase this Lord let it rain let it rain let it rain let it rain father we ask that you would surpass their expectations that you would surpass their hunger surpass the awareness of need go above and beyond all they could ever ask for. We pray for this mighty, mighty possessing of the Spirit of God in every single heart, every single life. Just let this be an extension of the prayers we've had in the last hour.

5:06 There would be just mighty, mighty outpouring here. Just a little bit longer. Don't quit. A little bit longer. Just push into it a little bit longer. Overwhelm. Overwhelm. Overflow. Flood our hearts, God. Flood our hearts, Lord God. Yeah, I pray that this would just go right through the TV, right into people's homes, into cell groups that are meeting, into churches that are gathering right now. there'd be a mighty outpouring of the Spirit, that this would not be just in specific cities, like there's holy places, God, it would just spread everywhere.

6:03 That in the same way that you're no respecter of persons, we ask that you'd be no respecter of churches, no respecter of cities, no respecter of nations, that place after place would experience this holy invasion of God in Jesus' mighty name. Increase, increase, increase this Lord. Wonderful God. Wonderful God. that's good you guys just keep praying for them we just want to serve them well yeah we bless you we bless you we bless you in the mighty name of jesus mighty mighty name of jesus you know some of you out there need some of this too so you might as well inhale Have a drink for yourself.

7:02 You know, just take just a moment longer. The Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. What He has done in one period of time, He'll do in another. So we give you thanks, Lord. We give you thanks, Lord. Thanks so much. we bless you in the name of the Lord we pray for a mighty mighty outpouring of the spirit of God on everyone that you minister to every place that you go that literally you'd walk into the room there'd be this invasion the holy presence of God that your shadow would heal that people would be set free standing near you brought liberty the people would hunger for God that never hungered for God before but just being close to you seeing your countenance of joy and delight in God would cause people to hunger that you would have a gift to making people hungry and then satisfying that hunger God we pray for that real mantle of breakthrough let's just pray one last thing over these folks just pray God let there be a mantle of breakthrough over every single individual.

8:33 A mantle of breakthrough. A mantle of breakthrough. A mantle of breakthrough. A mantle of breakthrough. Great, great anointing for breakthrough. Yeah, thank you, Lord God. Thank you, Lord. All right. alright if you guys did good you guys can stay up here as long as you want makes no difference to me if you want to sit down, if you want to stand if you want to kneel, makes no difference if you want to go back to your seat you're welcome to do that as well and staff, team, thanks for serving these folks we're always so honored to have guests come and spend some time with us and we don't always do this in fact I haven't done this for a long time we usually pray for you in your seats but tonight I felt like I just wanted to bring you up front.

9:31 Bam, bam. All right. We're going to read several passages of Scripture. I don't think I'm going to talk long because we're actually going to pray again, if you can believe it. we'll start in Romans chapter 15 if you'd open your Bibles I'm going to resist the temptation to give you a context. because I've got three or four verses books to read from we'd be here all night if we do that Romans 15 verse 18 I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me in word and deed.

10:37 You might want to make note throughout the scripture whenever the word and the action were the same because in our culture they're oftentimes different. Many speak of power but don't demonstrate any. in word and deed to make the Gentiles obedient.

10:57 How did he do this in word and deed? Verse 19, in mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit so that from Jerusalem round about to Lycraeum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Verse 19 again, in mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God I have fully preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want you to see it again. In mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

11:39 I want you to go to 1 Corinthians 2. Paul is referring to his first visit to Corinth, the city of Corinth, when he brought the gospel to a city that was without the good news. verse 4 chapter 2 1 Corinthians 2 verse 4 and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the spirit and of power that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God my speech my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit, the presence and of power, that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

12:50 Chapter 4 of 1 Corinthians. Paul has an issue here with teachers and fathers. Teachers have become people of word but no action. lots of talk he says verse 19 but I will come to you shortly if the Lord wills and I will know not the word of those who are puffed up but the power for the kingdom of God is not in word it is in power 1 Thessalonians. Chapter 1, page 1826.

13:47 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake Thank you. The power of God upon a person's life is for two basic functions, two basic reasons. One is to demonstrate nothing's impossible, but number two, to give a supernatural ability for endurance.

14:47 The endurance may be the duration from the time you pray until there's a breakthrough. The endurance may be the enduring persecution or opposition. But as you read through the book of Acts, as you read through and examine the Apostle Paul's life, you'll find that the demonstration of power was to confront and bring impossibilities, the breakthrough of a yielding of impossibilities into people's lives, the miracles, the deliverances, the transformations of complete cities, places that have been occult centers that would be transformed into habitations of great presence and power. It happened because the power of God was present. But the power was also what enabled them to endure opposition, difficulty, and persecution. The reason it's important to recognize that is that you can tell how full of the Holy Spirit person is by what it takes to distract them or discourage them.

15:46 You can tell how full a person is of the Holy Spirit by what it takes to discourage them or to distract them. I've been working on a book, so my mind is buzzing around a theme.

16:28 And this book is called Defining Moments. And it's basically a study of about, I think it's 13 or 14 people in history who were just normal people until they had a divine encounter and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. And from that point on, they shaped the course of history.

16:51 And the reason that I have felt honestly compelled to do this book and to bring this subject up on somewhat of a frequent basis here is it's essential that we don't satisfy our theological curiosities about being full of the Spirit.

17:11 we satisfy our experiential need of the fullness of the Spirit. Many people stop short of a divine encounter because they reach where they wanted to reach theologically, and they stop short of a divine encounter. power is infectious one of the most profound examples that you can find in life is the apostle Paul when he is looking for Christians to kill and Jesus shows up knocks him off his horse reveals himself asks him why he's persecuting him and calls him into an apostolic lifestyle where he will live with great power and he will suffer great opposition.

18:06 And he says, yes. Something took place in this encounter. It took several days. But a several-day encounter reacts to his blind for a period of time until hands were laid on him. Scales fell off of his eyes. But he was filled with the Spirit of God. There's no other explanation for how a person can go from an opponent of the gospel, breathing threats, rejoicing at the persecution, and even the death, the killing of believers, to have within a few day period of time have him be willing to die himself for that same name that he once persecuted. It's not because he was talked into a creed, because he was talked into a new religion, because he was talked into a new system of beliefs. There is no explanation except that one day he was completely lost. The next day he was completely full of the Holy Spirit.

19:05 And suddenly nothing else mattered except representing the Lord well, demonstrating him well, illustrating what he is like, confronting realms of darkness until individuals, families, and entire cities become free. Something, he became obsessed with something. We see it in the life of the apostle Peter who denied Christ only days later to have that same experience. And to have this man who denied that he knew the Lord in front of a servant girl only days later stands in front of a crowd, preaches this gospel where 3,000 people are saved. The greatest harvest of souls ever in history up to that point was in this one moment with this man who denied Jesus one day. a few days later gets touched by God, and now he's fearless, absolutely fearless. It's not something you can stir up. It's not something you can self-motivate. It is not something you can quote yourself into. You can't quote enough scripture to get yourself ready for that kind of opposition. The only possible answer is to be full of the Spirit of God. The only possible answer. I did a study throughout the prophets many years ago, and I tried to find, actually what I did is I tried to find every reference I could find for water.

20:33 Rivers, rain, pools, any kind of reference for water. And I found that the prophets would often use water to symbolize something. They would say, for example, when there was famine, or there was a curse on the land. The prophets would begin to prophesy that God would cause a great outpouring of rain, that there would be pools in the desert, et cetera. And it was like famine, the answer is rain. And then there'd be another occasion where Israel would be threatened by their surrounding armies. Their morality had collapsed and fallen. They had become prey to these enemy nations, and the Lord would speak to them through the prophets that he was going to cause rivers to come down from the heights. And he was going to cause great outpourings of water on his people and on his land. There would be pools in the desert. There would be rivers in high places, just the strangest language. And I finally started to realize that when there's political crisis, when there was moral crisis, integrity issues, when there was famines, when there was war, all this stuff, he had the same answer for everything. It was water.

21:48 And I came to realize there really is a cure-all. He is the rain of outpouring. He says in Hosea, I will come to you like rain. I will come to you like rain. And he is the personification of rain, of outpouring. And he is announcing to us that, listen, it doesn't get complicated. Regardless of the issues in life, the real answer is more of him. It is a divine encounter. It is the outpouring of presence, the outpouring of power, not that which we can control for our own ministry's sake, not that which we can control for our own reputation's sake. But instead, we become vulnerable to that presence and to that power. We become impacted by his purposes and his will. It's not so much my passion to have my dreams fulfilled as it's my passion to fulfill his dreams.

22:47 Something happens in the heart, in the burning heart of someone who starts tasting of the one who dreams impossible things, who has hopes and visions for planet Earth that are beyond anything that you and I could ever think of. You and I could ever dream up on our best day. That's what he thinks about constantly. And he just looks for people that he can truly possess.

23:13 I shared this with you before. I'm gonna actually end with this thought because I don't wanna go long. There's a great prayer in the Bible by John the Baptist. He prayed. I must decrease, he must increase. It's a great prayer in that it represents truly a humble heart. That what we're wanting is we're wanting all of him. but technically it's not a legal prayer for you. when John the Baptist prayed, none of him, none of himself, but all of God, is when there was the turning of the page of a new chapter. It would be going from law to grace. It would be shifting from the prophets that warned of contamination of sin to the New Testament where Jesus prophesied the contamination of righteousness.

24:18 In the Old Testament, you touch the leper, you become unclean. In the new, you touch the leper, the leper becomes clean. Everything shifts in this moment. And there was the turning of the page. There was the turning of a chapter. There was a shift in the seasons. And because John the Baptist was the greatest of all Old Testament prophets, yet he prophesied the least in the kingdom, the least in this coming season were greater than he was. And because he prayed this kind of a prayer, he was able to say, I have to decrease and disappear from the scene. He must increase. But when Jesus came, he was not looking for you to decrease.

25:01 He came as the light of the world, and before he left, he said, you're the light of the world. It's not time for you to decrease. I'm not talking about emphasizing or exaggerating human talent or selfish ambition, any of this. I hate that stuff. But what I'm saying is he's not looking for none of you in all of him. He's looking for all of you to be immersed in all of him. He's looking for people who are completely possessed with the presence and the spirit of God so that every living breath is not hyped. It's not forced. It is the most natural offering of pleasure to God, that we seek to bring him pleasure, demonstrate his presence, his power, his kingdom, and watch nations of the world finally turn to Christ, be saved in a day, and nations transformed by the presence and power of the Lord.

25:57 It comes by a people that are truly possessed by the Spirit of God. and the Lord gives this invitation and we've had it already tonight but it's just an invitation for more and what I want to do tonight is I don't want to do something that will end tonight I want to do something that will mess you up tomorrow. I'm not interested in you going home happy tonight. I'm interested in you having a hard time sleeping.

26:38 I'm serious. I've had the fire of God rest on me in ways that I couldn't sleep, but I refused to ask him to lift his hand. I've had that presence rest on me where it's almost you're agitated. but I know that he's working and I don't want him to stop. I'm not looking for something outside of him. I was reading in the book I'm writing, actually co-authoring. and I I read D.L. Moody's account again messed me up he said he was walking down the street in New York he'd been calling out to God for more and as he was walking down the streets in New York the presence came on him and he heard and tried to find a friend's house and he found a friend's house and he said can I use bedroom. And he said, sure. I ushered him into the room. He went in for hours.

27:46 Hours. Prayers that don't move us don't move him. Hours. and he became so overwhelmed with joy that he actually thought he would die of joy. Very serious. He actually asked the Lord to lift his hand. He thought he would die of joy. There's a problem. There's a problem. Some people think they'll die if they get joy. I want you to stand. Charles Finney described his encounter with the Lord being overwhelmed with the liquid love of God the liquid love of God he had to stick his head into a fireplace and bellow out the uncontainable joy because he thought he was just going to blow up.

28:56 I'm not saying anyone has to have the same experience. I'm just saying if he touches you, you'll know it. I honestly I'm so thankful for every subtle touch in my life but what I'm looking for tonight is I'm not looking for any manifestation I'm not looking for any kind of a prayer because I'm going to pray it over you you showed up tonight as far as I'm concerned you're fair game You don't even have to want this. I figure God set you up. And so I have the legal right to pray this. I feel like I have the authority to release the hound dogs of heaven into every household, into every home. I'm not sure if hound dogs is biblical, but work with me. Work with me.

29:57 We're going to pray. And this time, I'm going to ask you to pray. And I'm going to ask you to let your voice be heard for what you want for him to do in and through you. And then in a few minutes, I'm going to pray. but right now I just want you to pray I want you to pray for the visitation of God in your life here's what happened to me I started praying a prayer in about February of 1995 it increased through the months until I actually would wake myself up praying I didn't wake up to pray I would wake up praying the scripture that says though I sleep yet my heart is awake the spirit never sleeps and what I found was in the middle of the night, I would be crying out to God, not even knowing it. And my cries would wake me up.

30:53 And that went until October of that year. And then he came. somebody asked Moody have you received your second touch that second blessing from God he said second blessing I'm going for ten thousands of touches from God ten thousands of touches I'm not trying to fill a theological quota I'm trying to be possessed by God to represent him well that's it however that looks, however that works sign me up alright pray be as raw and honest as you've ever been in your life pray It's the more.

31:57 Just lift your voices. Everyone pray at least to where you can hear yourself pray. You don't need to yell, but I want you to be able to hear your own voice. Timid prayers get timid responses. Thank you. nav

32:33 and and and and and That's right, don't stop. Increase this, Lord God. increase this Lord God It's the best way I know to destroy the fear of man is to be overwhelmed by God. Suddenly nothing else matters. Increase this Lord. Increase this Lord.

33:32 Increase. Father, I ask for the release of presence and power tonight over every single individual, that there would be breakthrough for every person tonight, but it would be something that would only increase in the days ahead. I ask that there would be an avalanche type increase, a hunger that increases, that it's beyond what we've ever known before. I pray for fulfillment tonight, but I ask that you would enlarge our hearts, increase our capacity for you. Let this expand tonight in us as a passionate, hungry people. I pray this all across the nation, all across the nations of the world, that the passion for the fullness of the Spirit of God would be something that would truly drive us as a people. Help us to not be satisfied with the status quo, not to be satisfied with just a token touch, God. We cry out for you the fullness of presence, the fullness of power, the fullness of your heart, the fullness of your heartbeat, the fullness of your love, to possess us as a people.

34:56 Just keep praying. Just keep praying. I want to ask some of my staff and some of the ministry team, start laying hands on people. Just start laying hands on people. Start praying for the absolute fullness of the Spirit of God to come on people. Some of the ministry team that can help with this. I just want you to walk up and down aisles. Start laying hands on people. Start praying for folks right now. increase, increase, increase. Increase this, Lord God.

35:38 Increase this, Lord. Even now, increase. If you see the Lord even touching somebody real powerfully next to you, just join with them, because sometimes literally their breakthrough will spread. Just feel free to turn to pray for somebody next to you. Say, God, let's increase this here on this person. Increase this, Lord, right here, right now. Increase this, God. you're welcome to find a place to pray up here as well. That is totally kosher.

36:26 We just pray for increase. We pray for increase. We pray for more. How many of you want your shadow to heal the sick? It doesn't happen because you're a nice person. It doesn't happen because we're nice people. It doesn't even happen because we're people of integrity, as valuable as that is. It happens because we're overshadowed by presence, overshadowed by a person. We pray for this Lord to increase and to spread throughout this room, throughout this city. We pray for the more. We pray for the more. We pray for the more. Yes, Lord. Evan Roberts would pray, bend me, Lord.

37:35 Bend me and save the world. Bend the church and save the world. Bend us, God. Bend us. Mold us. Shape us. Bend us. We're not satisfied with a successful life.

38:00 We're not satisfied with just a secure life. We're only satisfied with the demonstration of the power of the King and His kingdom. transformation of lives transformation of lives transformation of families of cities Thank you, Lord God. Increase, increase, increase. more than we can handle. We've handled it long enough. Bless the Lord. Every household, every household represented. We want outpourings of the Spirit on every household that spreads throughout neighborhoods, spreads throughout neighborhoods, that your neighbors would be visited by God because of what's happening in your household.

39:00 There would be wave after wave after wave of the presence of God coming forth from your household to your surrounding area. Neighbors would be visited by God because of what's happening in your household. Expect to hear from neighbors about dreams, about encounters. You will be needed to pray for them, to serve them, to explain, counsel them. Wave after wave of presence and power that flows literally through neighborhoods. Through neighborhoods. workplaces, workplaces, workplaces. People coming to you asking what's happened.

39:49 Increase this, Lord. Father, I pray that this week cancer would be destroyed in people's bodies as this team of people prays. That all through the city, all through the region, cancer would be destroyed. Deaf ears would be opened this week throughout the city. That depression would be broken in Jesus' name. The cycle of depression, the lifestyle of depression would be broken because joy-filled people take the presence and power into the community. God, we pray that that mantle of breakthrough would increase over every household, every workplace, every school environment, every neighborhood.

40:45 Some of you almost feel like you're handcuffed to a specific need of breakthrough. There's a certain kind of breakthrough that you need, and you almost feel crippled or handcuffed by it. And we're going to pray that this would be a week of breakthrough. If that's you, just put a hand up. We just pray right now in Jesus' mighty name that breakthrough would come. Breakthrough would come. Promotions would come. Visitations would come. Prophecies would be released. Deliverances would take place. That favor would come. Open doors. Open doors. open doors, that favor would come, that the hearts of people in power, their hearts would turn toward these who need favor. We pray for this to be released this week in Jesus' name, that impossible situations would yield to the name Jesus this week. Impossible economic situations would be reversed this week. Where money was stolen, it would be returned. Where there was loss, there would be gain. Where there was humiliation, there would be stepping into fullness of life. God, we pray for the full-on vindication of the Lord, releasing breakthrough over the house of God this week. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name.

42:28 In Jesus' name. When I was first touched by the Lord in 1971, At that time we'd ask for the keys to the church so that about six, eight of us, ten of us could come and just pray all night at the church. It wasn't organized prayer meetings. It was just the passion to get along with God.

43:09 I remember we went down to one of the markets downtown where drugs would be dealt openly. And we would just take 25, 30 people and we'd just go pray. Two o'clock in the morning, we'd stand there in the parking lot praying. They'd call the police. the police would drive up at 2 in the morning with about 25 young people praying police would come up and they said what are you doing and our leader would say we're praying for you he said keep it up, drive off but after that night a place where drugs had been dealt openly for a long time it literally stopped that night it stopped that night because just some young people went to pray All I'm trying to tell you is what needs to happen cannot be orchestrated.

44:04 It cannot be scheduled. It has to happen because you'll blow up if you don't do it. It has to happen because there's a passion birthed inside of you that needs to find expression. It means you call a friend and you pray for more. It means that you visit another friend and you pray for breakthrough. it. It means that you do something. You guys are used to this on your own. Anyway, this is the lifestyle we leave, but I believe the Lord's taken it up about 10 notches, about 10 notches.

44:37 And I feel like some of you, you're going to pray for friends that need to be baptized in the spirit. The power of God is going to fall right in your living room, right in your home. We've been seeing this happen, but I'm telling you what, I believe it's going to multiply. it's just supposed to multiply the Lord's going to bring increase of these things There's a day coming when you will no longer worry about how good your faith is. You'll only be worried about whether or not you have enough time. Did anyone just hear me? You will not be concerned about how strong your faith is. You will only be concerned about how much time you have.