You, Unleashed | Max Lucado | Help Is Here | Oak Hills Church

49:11 we want to offer a prayer at this time. And it could be that you know personally or have some kind of connection with someone who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our country. And you would like to stand on behalf of that person. You won't be asked to say anything or do anything. But as we pray, if you want to stand on behalf of somebody, please do so. And this prayer is a silent prayer. And so we'll just get it started. And you talk to your heavenly Father. Thank him. Respond to him as he leads. Okay?

49:53 Gracious Father, now we honor those who were so willing to give soul. much.

50:21 Through Christ we pray and all God's people said Amen. You can be seated. You know what I wish? I wish that everyone understood what we are doing here today is infinitely more important than what the Spurs will do tonight. Just saying. I love the Spurs. I'll be watching the game. But long after that game is over, what we do here will continue. The worship, the praise, the setting of our hearts toward heaven that will continue into realms of glory.

51:18 you know what else I wish I would hope that we would come to an understanding that this is what we're doing today this is not a spectator sport I know it feels like it you're sitting in a comfortable chair you got a screen up here a really handsome person in front of you And you're expecting somebody to show up with popcorn at any moment. It has all the trappings of, okay, I'm at a movie or I'm at a game. I'm a spectator. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a locker room. We're here to map out a plan, and then we're all going out on the field.

52:16 Okay? it's not a spectator sport oh how I pray we can learn that and then one more how I pray that we would understand that the church is the only supernatural organization on the planet supernatural meaning Thank you. schools i love schools are not supernatural they're not built to be supernatural a civic organizations if you're in our organization law and order and systems i get that i get it but the church coming of the holy spirit through ordinary unschooled to talk about the work of the Holy Spirit.

53:13 Toward that end, today, we want the giver of gifts. Let's pray, and then we'll get greater understanding of our favorite person. Holy Spirit. We thank you, Lord. Through Christ we pray. The Holy Spirit equips. Equally. The Holy Spirit equips. Equips. The Holy Spirit is the gift giver. The Holy Spirit does this through the distribution of spiritual gifts. this through the distribution of spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And whenever you see a word highlight, chapter 12. And whenever you see a word highlight, blah, blah, blah, blah.

54:07 Now to each one, the gifts are the work of one and the same spirit. Church has abilities that would encourage you. Then others. Others were jealous gifts. This is kind of a long reading. It's 1 Corinthians Thank you. Starting your question about special abilities, the spirit of them all, there are different kinds of... God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. Wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, one in the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one What we just read is a gift list.

55:13 A gift list. There are, including this one, five such lists in the New Testament. Several observations about these gift listings should be made. First, no gift list is complete. and that is because certain lists include gifts that aren't mentioned in other lists include gifts that aren't mentioned in other lists and so these are samplings these are indicative of the kind of work not exhaustive of what the Holy Spirit does also not all gifts are given at the moment of conversion. Yes, when you say yes to Christ, your name is written in the book of life. You are forever saved. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit. The devil cannot touch your salvation. He can bring temptation, but he cannot touch your salvation that is in the hands of God. But something else happens. The Holy Spirit comes, and you become a vessel in which the Holy Spirit dwells, the temple of the Holy Spirit. And he brings gifts. Some of those gifts are given to you the moment you say yes to Christ. Some of those gifts come later in life. We believe that because the apostle encourages us to eagerly, eagerly pursue or desire the gifts of the Spirit.

56:42 And he says that to Christians. And so as you grow in your faith, it's right to say, Lord, is there another gift you want to give me? Or can you gift me and help me face this challenge? He will equip you with what you need. Here's another important point. Spiritual gift. They're gifts. You didn't earn it. You don't buy it. Particular ability. And so the holy indulgence of sin. That's what was happening. It's to advance the cause of Christ.

57:16 It's to bless the church. To help the needy. Now what happens often is the church to help the needy. Now what happens often. the apostle Paul was Saul before he became people, before you were a Christian, odds are that the Holy Spirit will take those natural talents and turn them into spiritual gifts. That's why conversations like this are so important. When the apostle Paul was trying to help the Corinthian church, he gave this list, discerning gifts, the discerning, discerning gifts. Look again in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 8 gifts. Look again in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 8 and then skip to verse 10. To one is given the word of wisdom, experience. Wisdom is a spiritual gift. A word of wisdom is a message of appropriate counsel, rightly suited for the appeal of burden in my heart to say something about and encourage the missionaries. There were probably six. After one of the messages, we all went into an area to eat, and we sat at different tables. The table I sat at eating with us.

58:40 And consequently, I want to he could barely keep his eyes open. I mean, just heard. He said, don't sacrifice your families. He had a word of wisdom. To this day, I remember it. I found that message. Speak when God calls you to speak. That's a word of wisdom. There's the Holy Spirit spoke to that person. When Jesus was near the well in Samaria and he spoke to this, it's a bit of knowledge. Included in this grouping, Paul says, is the discerning of spirits. The discerning. in a city called Philippi when owners of a city stopped and turned and said in the name of Jesus we kept going I've not been there since but I sure wouldn't invest any money in that place some of you have this ability and others of us look at you and think how did they know that it's the Holy Spirit it's the Holy Spirit In addition to these discerning gifts, Paul gives us the dynamic gifts.

1:00:00 He writes, to another... faith of healings by the same spirit to another the working of miracles faith the gift of faith is this robust contagious belief that God is always in control boy don't we love people like to the presence of problems, but they have this supernatural gift. It's a beautiful gift, a treasured gift. Thank you, Lord, for people who have this gift. Gifts of healing include the children of the person. We have people in our congregation. That's a spiritual gift. That person who restored or the hard heart is softened. Our God is a miracle-working God. Amen?

1:00:51 to another different kinds of tongues and to another the interpretation of tongues. We know exactly edification and exhortation and comfort. Sometimes there's a connotation. It's one who does this, edifies, exhorts, and comforts. A person who has this supernatural different impact because the Holy Spirit is speaking through them. That's their gift. That's the branch of your body. This is what a prophet does. into a difficult situation. Did you know the apostle calls this the most important gift? Extraordinary, delightful, yet often abused and controversial gifts. So let's spend a little more time on these gifts. The Bible describes two types of tongues.

1:01:48 had fallen upon them and they began to speak and people listened. Reminds us that God has a white hot passion. ...writers of God in their native language. about this, about this type of gift. He was a God type of gift. He was a God. Well, in Acts chapter two, what were they? But what Paul is describing is a tongue, a language that is intended to go directly to God, to God. For no one understands him. So again, this is something different. He utters mysteries in the Spirit. This is a language that is understood by God, but if you and I listen to that person speaking or praying in this tongue, we would not be able to understand it unless there was the presence of someone who had the gift to interpret that particular tongue.

1:03:01 Would it surprise you to know that the Apostle Paul had this gift? he wrote a paragraph about it. 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verses 13 through 16. Now, I changed Bible translations on you because this one makes it a little easier to understand. I'm reading from the message. Okay, this is Paul. Paul said, so when you pray in your private prayer language, that means tongue. in your spiritual tongue when you pray in your private prayer language don't hoard the experience for yourself pray for the insight and the ability to bring others into that intimacy if i pray in tongues my spirit prays but my mind lies fallow in other words i'm not using my brain to do this. My spirit is doing that. It's kind of like my brain is being circumvented.

1:04:08 And all that intelligence is wasted. So what's the solution? The answer is simple enough. Do both. I should be spiritually free and expressive as I pray, but I should also be thoughtful and mindful as I pray. So the apostle enjoyed two types of prayer, praying with the spirit and praying with the mind. Both were valuable.

1:04:40 He prayed in his private prayer language so much that in verse 18 he says, I pray in tongues more than any of you. so he practiced or used this gift often yet in public worship look what he said that he would rather speak five words with understanding rather than 10,000 words in a tongue because the purpose of spiritual gifts is to edify the church and Paul knew if he was speaking a language or praying in a language no one understood, that's not edification. So he chose, when in public, to pray with the mind and not the spiritual tongue. What he did not do was instruct the church to engage in only one form of prayer.

1:05:39 he never denigrated he simply sought to regulate the practice of a heavenly language boy you know what i'd love to do right now besides have a drink of water. I'd love to know what you're thinking.

1:06:02 Boy, I wish this was like a small group in a living room. I'd say, tell me what's on your mind. I have a hunch there would be some of you who are saying, Locato, I've never heard anything like this before. Or, you know, Locato, I was a part of a group that did this, and it was a mess. They abused it. And there might be someone who said, you know, this all sounds so supernatural.

1:06:36 And to you, I would say, bingo. The church is the supernatural expression of God on earth. and to each of us, he gives, as he chooses, spiritual gifts and abilities that are for the purpose of encouraging the church and reaching the world. Do you know your spiritual gift? I believe that one of the great tragedies of the last century, of about the last 100 years, has been a division in the church universal, not a division in Oak Hills, but a division in the universal church over the existence of some of these especially more dynamic spiritual gifts like healing or prophecy or tongues.

1:07:39 There was a seed of thought that began several generations ago that said that the spiritual gifts that are more demonstrative discontinued when the church began. That once the church was launched, once the apostles were appointed, and once the scriptures were written, than these more demonstrative gifts like healing and tongues and prophecy. Those stopped. I was taught that. And maybe some of you are thinking, why have I never heard this? I attended a church back so... And it could very well be that you come out of a tradition that taught that. I was taught that. And I taught that for a time. But not for long.

1:08:31 not for long why well first I had an encounter with the Holy Spirit early in my ministry and then second the very gifts that I was at one time discounting the Holy Spirit gave to me crazy huh healing I have prayed for people and they were healed I wish all of them were healed I believe they'll all be healed on the other side of the grave. But I've seen people healed in our church. I can't tell you how many women who longed to be mothers but couldn't get pregnant. They would come and I'd pray for them. And then 9, 10, 12 months later, I'd get a picture of a baby in the mail. I think I have a pregnancy ministry.

1:09:23 The very gifts that I was discounting, the Holy Spirit, in a bit of ironic humor, said, okay, Lakato, put it to use. most I think I would say most but very significant to me is a gift that came to me just a few years ago I was 64 years old it was in the middle of the summer it was during COVID early in the morning the sun had yet to rise I was sitting out on our veranda and I was praying I was praying a prayer that I'm praying that you will take as your homework assignment Lord do you have any other gifts that you would like to give to me and he gave me a personal prayer language out of within me came staccato like syllables that seemed to bypass my brain I wasn't making it up I couldn't deny it it was worship it was a delight it was a gift I can start it whenever I want I can stop it whenever I want but every day I enjoy this gift multiple times a day I enjoy this gift I don't use it in public unless it's appropriate and then only if the person gives me permission Like Paul said, I'd rather have 10,000 words that a person could understand than five that only God could understand.

1:11:07 But it's a gift. I so long for Oak Hills to be a place where the Holy Spirit has free reign, where he can bring gifts to us. Here's my last thought. I don't think we have what it takes to change the world. I don't. I don't think human gumption, human intellect. I think we can build buildings. I do. I think maybe we can raise money. I think we could build a staff. I think we could, you know, have nice gatherings. But we couldn't change the world. no it's going to take a mighty work of God to do that we live in a day in which the suicide rates the highest it's been since world war two depression is off the charts the age of much know how and very little know why you know what we need we need the Holy Spirit we need the blessed mysterious wind of God to blow afresh across our land.

1:12:19 Amen. We need the Holy Spirit. And I would give all of this, I would give staff, budget, buildings, I'd give it all up for one drop of the Holy Spirit to fall upon our city in an undiluted, undeniable, powerful fashion that would leave us saying what they said on the day of Pentecost. How is it? how is it that we can hear the voice of God in our own language? May that day come. And may you eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit. Let's pray. Gracious Lord, we open our hearts and hands asking that you please give us the gifts that you have ordained for us to have and help us to use them in a way that honors you. honors you.

1:13:13 Forgive us for ever using our gifts to honor ourselves. Let them be in abundance to honor you. Through Christ we pray and all God's people said amen. Thank you for being so attended. We want to offer a prayer of salvation because this message brings no benefit to you if you've never said yes to Christ, if you've never invited Christ into your heart, the Holy Spirit's not in your heart. And so would you do that? If there's any doubt in your mind as to whether or not you're saved, if you're going to heaven or not, today is the day. You don't have any guarantee of tomorrow. But right now is the hour for you to say yes to Christ. So I'm going to offer a prayer, and I'd ask you to repeat this prayer out loud with me, all of us.

1:14:06 Please remain in your seats, if you don't mind, during this prayer. this is so important somebody right now is making a decision about whether or not they're going to follow Christ and so we don't want anybody to be distracted please pray with me and then if you say yes to Christ we'll ask you to stand up Jesus I'm not perfect for I have sinned but I believe in you