Let Me Tell You Who Jesus Is | Associate Pastor Chad Erickson

remain standing and turn with me to Acts chapter 17 thank you worship team for leading Us in worship tonight amen and isn't it good to be in the house of the Lord I said isn't it good to be in the house of the Lord you know we're not promised to be here next week and we're not promised to be here next month but I'm so glad to say that I'm in the house of the Lord tonight and I'm so thankful so thankful to be here amen give you honor tonight give senior pastor for lady honor love you all so much so appreciative to to both our senior pastor and our general superintendent and the leadership that they are and The Visionaries that they are Amen to our student pastor and his wife to what what a great team of workers and ministers we have in this church I look around and I see ministers all around that are daily working whether it's a school teacher a daycare teacher I look over and see brother bodre my friend brother bodre walking down and he's teaching Bible studies daily and I'm so thankful for all of the work that goes on in this place amen a missions giving church I'm thankful to have brother Brian Krauss here he's upstairs in our production room I see you brother Brian all the way from Germany AR we glad to have brother Brian with us tonight so thankful he is here in the United States for just for this a short period of time and we support brother Krauss and his family there in Augsburg Germany and it's so good to have him with us uh Acts chapter 17 I might take this a little bit more monitor is sounding good but just a little bit more my voice uh my voice is a little weak tonight Bible says in verse 23 for as I passed by and beheld your devotions I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God whom therefore ye ignorantly worship here's what Paul's saying he says him declare I unto you him declare I unto you listen I've come to declare that God is a god of Salvation I've come to declare tonight that God this this unknown God in this world and this religious system into the superstitious we're going to read about it in a moment I've come to declare that his name is Jesus I'm so glad we know who we worship tonight you're going to have to help me just a little bit in this place I I come to declare a God who might be ignorantly worshiped on the outside but in this place tonight we know exactly who we worship and we know what he's looking for we know the father is seeking such to worship Him in spirit and in truth and tonight can somebody just lift up your hands and lift up your voice and begin to so worship him tonight we are in Truth uh and we have the spirit of God within us father we love you we bless you I declare Jesus unto this world tonight uh I declare Jesus unto the online audience tonight I'm excited to preach about a god who's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask and or think uh somebody clap your hands for the name of Jesus I want to preach tonight in your hearing let me tell you who Jesus is let me tell you who Jesus is you may be seated in Jesus name I believe it's time church I I believe that it's time because the world is getting darker which means the church has got to get brighter I'll say it again the world is getting darker and so the church has to get brighter we've got a pandemic on our hands and it won't seem to go away and it's causing fear it's causing uncertainty it's causing the world to stop and take inventory on exactly what they believe and I believe it's the Church of the Living God we ought to see listen tonight we ought to see this as an opportunity like never before to make sure that everyone knows the name of Jesus if there's going to be fear let let it not be in the church I'll say it again if there's going to be fear let it not be in the church for the church is here to bring hope the church is here to say we have a God who you can trust in who you can believe in who's been faithful who will never fail does anybody serve that kind of God in this place tonight let me hear you make some noise if you serve that kind of God in this place tonight let me just to make just a set of quick Foundation our text finds us with Apostle Paul in Greece Greece is a very brilliant Highly Educated Society but they're people who are very superstitious there are people who are very religious and uh it's they steeped in philosophy I I remember I I remember learning about Greek mythology in high school y'all remember that if you went to public school you learned about Greek mythology you you learn about the many gods of the Grecian Society you you remember learning about Zeus and Hermes Hades and Atlas and Aries and Apollo and Athena and Aphrodite you remember you remember these names thank you brother thank you you remember these names uh you remember the philosophers what about Socrates and Plato and Aristotle you remember those names this was the time where Paul was living when Paul visited Athens when he came to Greece these were the names these were the people who were influencing Society in this world of my mythology and in philosophy is what Greece was made up of see see when Paul came to Athens he was up against a lot of the same things were up against it was a very co-existent Society kind of like how uh our society wants to kind of make us mold into where we just accept everybody their views and their beliefs every belief system uh we're just learning you you've seen the bumper sticker that says coexist it has it has everything from the from the Christian symbol it has it has the the symbol for the Jews it it it has all these different symbols and what it's simply saying is we are going to just love each other live together and listen I I'm all about peace I'm all about making sure we don't want to step on anybody I'm not here I'm not I'm not here to preach hate rhetoric I'm just here to say we cannot be coexistent with this world and Paul realized that he he began to walk through the streets and he began to see shrines and altars and people were were burning incense and people were worshiping all kinds of gods and and their mindset their Paradigm their philosophy was so messed up if you've read read through Socrates and pl know if you've read through some of these philosophers and and the way they thought and the way they were trying to influence you understand that Paul I believe when he got there he had to feel something I remember we were overseas with with with a missions group uh with our youth Department with the Crusaders I I remember taking an ayc trip overseas and I remember Landing in a certain country and all the students at one time they they they got this weird look and and they felt something remember that man we had to tell them what they're doing is they were calling their parents and they were texting their parents and their parents were calling us and saying where have you got our kids at we had to tell them stop texting your your parents you are scaring your parents to death this is just what it feels like when you're in a society that's not godly you're used to being in a country you're used to being a in a country that was founded on God and we're not in a country right here that cares anything about our God God and there's spirits that you feel there's there's spirits that that that disrupt the atmosphere that that you're that you're absolutely in and I believe that Paul felt this and as he's walking through and as he's seeing all these different shrine set up to this God and that God and and this this uh cluster of gods and he begins to think to himself oh my word these people are so superstitious they're so religious and they don't even even know what they're worshiping and so he comes along to a shrine and Paul finds this altar that says to the unknown God and what you got to realize about Paul is is if you read back a little further back in the passage you're going to realize that Paul has already been chased out of some synagogues for preaching Jesus that's right he's already been been been run out of some countries and remember the the disciple uh Jason you remember what they said about him they said he and those that are with him are turning this world this city upside down you remember that statement that came right before Paul comes to Athens when when Paul lands on Athens he's already the the the magistrates and the city officials have already pulled Jason into jail and they pulled all the Believers into jail and somehow Paul got out of there I believe it was a God thing he got out of there and he ends up in Greece he ends up in Athens and he finds the first synagogue he can come to and he begins to preach Jesus which mind you is rejected because they didn't want to believe in a Jesus and they they surely didn't want to believe in a Jesus who had died was buried and resurrected from the dead and so they rejected him so he goes out into the marketplace and he begins to preach Jesus in the marketplace and begins to tell of this Jesus and and in the marketplace there was a man who who heard his teaching and he brings them to a place called Mars Hill it's a meeting place where a committee of men would vote and decide they would discuss whether a new God would be added to the Greek collection of gods so you got to kind of in your mind picture this it's a it's almost like a round table and and they would bring somebody before them and they would begin to talk about their God from their land their country and and the Greeks would would listen and and if they agreed and if they thought well this is we'll coexist with you we'll add your we'll build a shrine for your God and we'll put him over here on First Street and and you can worship put an altar there and you can worship that God and and we'll include him in our little collection of gods but but here's where we are when we pick up in verse 22 of Acts chapter 17 because now they have Paul in front of this Committee of men and it says then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill in said ye men of Athens I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious or or too religious for as I passed by we read this and beheld your devotions I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God whom ye therefore ignorantly worship Him declare I unto you and you got to see picture this in your mind because here Paul the Apostle Paul the missionary the Evangelist the preacher he begins to preach and he says God that made the world and all things therein seeing that he is Lord of Heaven and Earth dwelleth not in temples made with hands neither is worshiped with men's hands as though he needed anything seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things and Paul preaches that this unknown this God that you you don't even know you don't even have a name he doesn't need your form he doesn't need silver or gold he doesn't need a stone to be carved out in a a figure this unknown God that you pray inly to doesn't need a hand out and he doesn't need a hand up he made the world Paul was just trying to make it make it clear you've got a bunch of gods you pray to and he was not talking against those Gods he was simply introducing them to the unknown God all right well well I'm going to preach about this just for a moment H I know I know it seemed uh that you've already heard this because you have because Pastor preach about this this morning but I already had it in my notse so I just felt Pastor like I was just going to keep on rolling with it because obviously somebody needs to hear this tonight but the most brilliant thinkers and Scholars in the world were seated with Paul and Mars Hill and not one of them knew the one true Living God that's right brings us to to Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:22 Pastor read this this morning the Highly Educated even the great philosopher doesn't automatically discover Truth for the Jew requires a sign and the Greek seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified this is Paul unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks uh Christ the power of God in the wisdom of God because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men for ye see for ye see your calling Brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God ha chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God have chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are Mighty and I'm not here to preach against education my God I believe you should get all you can and can all you get go to school get educated but education does not equal Revelation I don't care how many degrees your college professor has there's a country preacher in lower Alabama that probably doesn't hardly have a fifth grade education who has more knowledge and understanding of the word of God than your college professor who's been decorated with all kinds of awards and degrees my God I'm so thankful for Revelation it's not just to the wise it's not to the philosopher it's not to the Greek who are looking for wisdom but it's unto us who are willing to receive the word of God Paul I'm sure in the eyes and I know he was educated but in the eyes of those on Mars Hill he probably looked like some poor ignorant soul but I want you to notice something something I've learned from this text in church family let me preach from my heart today Paul never cut down the other gods in the other shrines he didn't cut down the other altars Paul instead introduced them to the god you're going to have to help me in this place today because there's a lot of people getting on social media and they like to cut other things down and our God does not need any help all you got to do is present him we don't have to put anybody else down or anything else down we don't have to get on social media and cut others oh all we got to do is declare the one and true God and he speaks for himself there are times if I get my monitors back just a little bit there are times when I totally despise social media I'm I'm loving that we have hundreds of people watching online on Facebook on YouTube thank god listen I I'm not putting social media down I see where it's needed but there are other times when I despise it there have been so many people that have been offended they've been hurt come on think about it they've been slandered they've been misled on social media more than any other media platform ever invented newspaper radio television I know there's all kinds of stuff going out over there but man nothing like social media I've seen some of the dumbest things posted on social media we so far from the truth and people are liking it and commenting on it and loving this and loving that and then people will put other things on on social media and people will start condemning and people start talking bad about you I don't I I don't comment I just I just do my best not to even comment on social media I'm not just I'm not just referring there either I'm also referring to our brothers and our sisters in the church I don't know I don't know how many might have saw the media clip this week that went out and I'm sure it went viral on social media a clip of a of of a Church of God Pastor in Chattanooga who called it out for what it is he began to say you can recognize a Spirit by what the spirit causes by the outcome of the spirit I'm just going to paraphrase I don't remember exactly what he said but this is this is kind of what he was saying he was saying if if a spirit comes into the church or comes into the world and and the world lets it come into the church you can kind of see what's going on if it creates Unity or if it creates Division if it brings people together or it pulls people apart I'm still preaching about Paul because I'm still preaching about there's a there's a man named Paul who came to a place where he could have cut down every Shrine he could have cut down every altar he could have went in there and told them the what for on who they're worshiping and how they're worshiping but that's not what he did and there's a spirit that can come into the church if we let it and it starts in the world the whites have problems with the blacks and the blacks have problems with the whites and the Republicans have problems with the Democrats and the Democrats have public problems with the Republicans it don't not be like that in the church I don't know what the world's going to do I don't they can do whatever they want to do but that can't seep into the church these people are supporting the police and these people want to defund the police and everybody's at ass we we we we see that Spirit as it comes through and you know where it comes through on social media just cranking people making come making the worst the dumbest comments people saying stuff that doesn't even make sense and people are liking it and people are encouraging it and I'm looking and thinking to myself all this is doing is bringing a spirit of division but then this this this pastor he he said on this clip he said but I'm going to tell you the new one where the spirit of division is coming in and it's called the covid-19 vaccine and what it's causing it's causing some people to say well if you are really my brother you would get the vaccine because you would love me enough not to spread a disease or spread a virus to me and then the next person is saying but if you had faith in God you wouldn't get the vaccine and if we're not careful that same Spirit of division that's in the world I'm calling it for what it is this pastor called it what it is all it is is a spirit of division it's your opinion I believe the pastor said just shut up and do it or don't do it but stop condemning one another stop judging one another stop allowing this Spirit to get in the church we got to be unified we got to come together come on somebody Paul he could have walked in there and said this one's wrong and that one's wrong you're crazy for worshiping her you're crazy for worshiping him why are you bowing down that person's that's just an idol it's not even alive there's no blood there's no flesh there's no breath in his body but he didn't say that he said I'm just going to present to you I'm going to declare to you the unknown God and he began to preach Jesus he began to preach Jesus as the Creator he began to preach Jesus as the universe Creator he put all things into orbit he put the the grass and the fields the trees the dry land he put the water the ocean he filled it with sea fish he filled all the things that he created in order to show that he was the most powerful being and the only God there is that's right every God oh my God every small G God that was represented there at Mars was made from the very things that our God created Stone and gold and silver bronze they had to take what our God created and try to make and mold something into existence let me tell you something God does not need us to be his defense lawyer the world is going to be worldly we got to stop being surprised every time there's breaking news on the Fox network the Supreme Court's going to keep on voting crazy stuff into law we got to stop being surprised and get off social come on every time we see something we can't get on social media oh my goodness I can't believe this and horrible people and this is all we're doing is we're creating division Exodus 20 and3 says Thou shalt have no other gods before me Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images that's Idols or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the Earth it's as if there's such a need a hunger in America to idolize no longer idols and images Made of Stone and silver and gold but now people have become idols and an idol is anything or anyone that takes the place of God in your life it gives you identity meaning value purpose love significance security those are all things that God wants to give us and when we look to others listen I I hope you know I'm not I'm not preaching against anything I'm just saying we better be careful what we allow to dominate our minds I love I love the sports team and I love them just as much as y'all do I enjoy F them and see who beat who on Friday night High School football I enjoy Saturday football college I I just enjoy it but I listen tell me tell you something there's no Idol there for me because none of them are my identity they don't give me meaning of life they don't give me value of Life they don't give me purpose they sure don't love me they don't give me significance and they do not give me security but in every person there's a deep inner need to worship something you know the story even when Moses was acquiring The Ten Commandments from God himself the people down in the valley were hungry to Worship in his absence just give us something to worship remember you remember that story just give us something we want to worship something golden calf that's fine we'll worship the calf we just need to worship something in America has such a hunger to worship America is looking for anything it can idolize you see the Greeks and Paul's day hungered for the newest craze like that's what they were doing they wanted the newest God to worship they they wanted some experience something else but America is the same way America's always looking for the newest beon the newest Katie Perry the newest Lady Gaga who who's the newest Taylor Swift the Rihanna the Will Smith what about Matt Damon and Brad pitton and Johnny Depp and Leonard Leonardo Dicaprio and and where what about David Beckham and LeBron James and in Tiger Woods they're always trying to find the newest the greatest the latest and I'm quite positive there's a whole lot on a list that I have never heard about who have come out in the last 5 years or so even American Idol in its 20th season this year is just one of hundreds of shows that all they just trying to get America to worship another Idol our society right here in America is such an idol worshiping Society just like Paul discovered in Athens they had shrines on every corner we have shrines on every channel we have shrines on every billboard every newspaper every radio station just like in Athens our Idols are rusting our Idols are decaying just like in Athens America's Idols are decaying watch the news I read an article yesterday I read it online that listed 176 movie stars in famous recording artist that have taken their own lives in the last 30 years the last three decades I began to look and it had their picture their famous Hollywood pose or or their Nashville pose and there they were and it gave their name and it just gave a short little bio and then it told us it told you how they took their own life and I let me tell you something something came over me a spirit almost of fear came over me me when I thought to myself America can idolize somebody so much who has no business being idolized and when somebody's idolized it has no business being idolized it goes to their brain and when it goes to their brain it messes them up people like Whitney Houston and and Michael Jackson and Robin Williams and Chris Farley weren't even on this list of 176 people I thought to myself every Idol America sets up before its viewers will one day fall and crumble but that's the world that's a mirica what about the church what about the church I don't want this place to be just another altar to an unknown God I want you to think about this religion defined let me Define religion for you is when the worship is more important to the worshipper than it is to the one being worshiped I'm going to say that again religion defined is when worship is more important to the people that are worshiping then the god that's being worshiped becomes religion because there's no relationship it's just Creeds we go to church every week and we follow the same we F we go through these same steps I'm not talking about here I'm just talking about in the Christian world religion has overtaken our society because just like in Paul's day we've got to worship something and so on Sunday we can go in and we can play the part of a worshipper and religious people Pride themselves in how they worship and not who they worship I want you to think about this listen I don't ever want to be a part of an Apostolic culture where everything is about who we are and how we do it and how we look listen I'm just preaching where where I feel we're living tonight I feel we can we can make this beautiful culture and I thank God for screens I thank God for lights I thank God for sound I love technology I'm thankful to God for technology but if we're not careful it's about what we're doing and not how we're worshiping we could go we could get so into a mindset of the way our choir does it how big our choir is we have two services on Sunday we we still have a midweek service and and we have this and we have this many Ministries and that many Ministries and and this many programs and and we can get into this whole uh Paradigm way of thinking that all church is is a program God help us God help us when we come into this place that God isn't in some little altar in the corner where it says to the unknown God where God is just simply saying I wish I had a marry in the house there's a lot of marthas that are working there's a lot of marthas who have come here to make sure everything looks good and sounds good but I just wish there was a Mary who wouldn't care to sit at my feet and have a little relationship with me listen maybe this is something that I face maybe this is something that I face as an administrative Pastor maybe this is something that I face that I I always want to make sure that everything's perfect I always want to make sure the sound the lighting the video I want to make sure the music and the choir I want to make sure The Sopranos are singing soprano the elders are singing elto and the teners are singing tenor and I can get so CAU up in that Martha mentality that in the Next Room Jesus is wondering will I wonder when Martha is GNA come and worship the god of the universe the Creator the soon to be savior was sitting on Martha's couch and Mary had just enough revelation of who he was to say I know I don't belong in the presence of men who are seated in talking I know I should be helping my sister prepare a meal because that's how Middle Eastern culture is but Mary thought this might be my only opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus and so I'm going to get out of society I'm going to get out of culture and I'm going to get at the feet of Jesus and I'm going to listen to every word he has to say y'all it's called relationship religion is all about service religion is just all about doing a daytoday ritual but whoa but relationship is all about getting in the presence of Jesus and listening to the very voice of God again I want to go back to acts 17 because this plays such a big role when where Paul was when he was at Mars Hill says for as I passed by and beheld your devotions I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God and this is where I want to focus whom therefore ye ignorantly worship ignorant worship takes place when the god being worshiped is not known do you understand what they were doing they were going to that Shrine they were going to that Altar and they were worshiping a god they didn't even know the name of they were just doing whatever they did at all the other altars I don't know if they were bowing and if they were if they were continually bowing I don't know if they were humming something Middle Eastern and Grecian uh worship is so much different than ours I I don't know exactly how they were worshiping but Paul said you are worshiping ignorantly because there's no relationship with the god that you're trying to worship it takes more than just knowing the name of God the revelation of who God is does not put us in the relationship with him I'm going to say that again the revelation of who God is I believe that the vast majority of this church and probably the vast majority of you watching online tonight you understand who God is but that does not automatically put us in a relationship with him proof proof is with the sons of ska in Acts chapter 19 attempting to cast out a demon by calling the same name that Paul called out and when Paul called the name he found success and so these sons of ska they heard the name Jesus and so they thought we're going to start trying to cast out demons in this same name but oh they couldn't cast out that demon and matter of fact that demon the Bible said began to mock them acts 19:15 said the demon said Jesus I know and Paul I know Paul but who are you come on somebody they knew the name Jesus but that did not give them the power that they needed to cast out demons in the name of Jesus because there was no relationship there and the man in whom the evil spirit leaped upon them and overcame them and prevailed against them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded I don't want you to try to imagine that but it was ugly when one man with a demon inside of him took all them Sons on and not only took them on tore and ripped off their clothes and sent them out wounded sent them out bleeding sent them out broken let me tell you something I declare unto you Jesus let me tell you who Jesus is it's more listen to me somebody it's more than just a name it's more I love the name of Jesus we sing songs about the beauty of the name and no other name like his name but it's not just the sound of his name it's the power and understanding that Jesus Jesus is the God we serve Jesus is the God we serve let me tell you who Jesus is it's said in theory that these that lived in Athens knew who the unknown God was they understood it was the god of the Jews all right follow this with me so they they they understood it wasn't that it wasn't just a uh a shrine or an altar to to someone they didn't know they just didn't know his name let me declare to you the name come on somebody if you're an Apostolic Pentecostal and God has revealed his name to you why don't just lift up your hands right now I want the Holy Ghost to minister to somebody here today that doesn't understand that the name of God is Jesus because Jesus is the Incarnation of the one true God in all his fullness the name of Jesus is a supreme revelation of God today the fullness of God's character the full fullness of God's power the fullness of God's Authority and presence is invested in the name Jesus for in him Jesus dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily Philippians 2 and9 wherefore God hath also highly exalted him speaking of Jesus and giving him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father Jesus is the name given which is above every other name oh his name is high his name is lifted up hey his name is high his name is lifted up you may be see to the Greeks that Paul was addressing on Mars Hill they didn't know the name of the Jewish God because throughout all time the Hebrews had names for their God that were relational names you know these names Jehovah Rah the Lord my shepherd that's a relational name Jehovah Rafa the Lord that heals when they needed their healer they called out to Jehovah Rafa when they needed when they needed a provider they would call out to Jehovah Gyra when they needed peace in their life they would cry out to Jehovah Shalom but these Greeks did not have that relationship so they didn't have a name for the Jewish God but Paul was not declaring a relationship or a relational Jehovah of the Old Testament he was preaching Jesus the son of man and the Son of God he was preaching the New Testament Emmanuel which being interpreted is god with us so I read this again in Philippians 2:9 wherefore God hath highly exalted him and giv him a name uh which is above every name I declare unto you tonight at First Apostolic church I declare the name of Jesus because when you call on the name of Jesus you get much more than just a relational God you get peace you get healing you get righteousness you get a Shepherd you get sanctification oh and all you have to do is call the name of Jesus because the name of Jesus includes all of the above when we call the name Jesus there's no other need to call upon another name if you're here tonight and you've been worshiping you've been worshiping God the best you know how but you just haven't figured out so many times I was just given a Bible study not long ago and so many times people get so confused and they get titles messed up with a name they make comments like I just don't know I'll start praying to the father but then I get to feel him bad so then I I'll start praying to the son but then I prayed to the son for a while but then I feel I got to give some time to the Holy Ghost because I sure would want the Holy Ghost to feel like I I don't love he as much as I do the father in the son but once you understand the name of the unknown God once you want oh my god when you get the Revelation that Jesus is the name of the father we know Jesus is the name of the son and Jesus is the name of the Holy Ghost and all these three are one let me tell you let me tell you you begin to pray in a whole different way no more confusion Paul was trying to to help those grecians he was trying to say I'm trying to help you out no longer do you have to be confused when you worship the god of the Hebrews Jesus will fill every void in the soul athletes movie stars models pop music Idols they will feel a temporary voice listen to me strong tower students nobody can feel the void except for Jesus he's not temporary when you get the Holy Ghost on the inside when you get the power and the working of a Great and Mighty God begin to do Great and Mighty things on the inside it FS the hole that's in your soul he fills you completely come on I just want to know tonight do you know him do you know him do you have a relationship with him let me tell you something here we are over 2,000 years later and the spirit of Mars Hill is still in the world today they've heard of Jesus but they still don't know Jesus listen to me saints of God I'm about I'm about through I personally want to know him more than I've ever known him before I want to just let you in on a prayer that I pray every day I pray this in my daily prayer I say God I want to know you more God I want a deeper revelation of Who You Are God I want to know what your plans are for my world because I want to get right in the middle of your plan God I want to be under the spout where the glory comes out uh God reveal to me Lord your wishes reveal to me the vision you have for your church I want to be right in the middle of it and I've got to know you more in order to be in the place I want to be if you're here tonight maybe you're here for the first time I not only declare Jesus unto you I declare unto you the Holy Ghost and that's not another person in the godhead but the spirit The Same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead wants to live inside of you the very same Spirit the very same power listen Romans 8:11 says but if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also Quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you listen when we were baptized we took on the name of Jesus we were given the name of God and when we are filled with the Holy Ghost uh we are given the spirit of God uh we have both the name and the spirit the name is the authority that we have over every devil in hell and I'm telling you right now the spirit that's within us gives us power I want you to stand your feet and I just wants you to lift your hands in this place I feel the holy go ghost want them do something wantan to move in this place but you're going to have to respond to the word tonight listen you're going to have to respond I know this place is not packed out like it normally is I know there might be people here that have family members that you're worried about and things are on your mind but come on somebody we got to show and declare Jesus to this world we got to be like Paul we got to be say I don't care what the rest of the world thinks I'm going to declare the only one that can save the only one that can heal the only one that can deliver I'm going to declare that his spirit is still in the church today and whatever you have need of his spirit is wanting to work that's what the Holy Ghost is it's just the spirit of God doing a great work in the church today it's not another person it's just the very work of the spirit of God oh let me tell you who Jesus is let me tell you who Jesus is that's what Paul was saying Paul he wasn't there when Jesus was crucified Paul wasn't there when Jesus was buried Paul wasn't there when Jesus came back to life again but what Paul had was a testimony of what that Jesus did for him and we may not have been there we may not have seen it take place uh but we can all say I know Jesus is Alive and Well because he's still doing wondrous things in my life he's still making a way where there seems to be no way the Holy Ghost is still ministering today I want to I want to make a call to this Altar for anyone who is never received God's spirit within them and I tell you it's very simple the Bible makes it very clear that when you receive the spirit of God it's called the Holy Ghost when you receive the Holy Ghost you'll be able you'll be you'll be able to speak in another tongue another language will to start coming and flowing from your mouth if that's never happened to you we don't seek after tongues we don't we don't follow after signs we just seek for the spirit of God to live inside of us if that's you tonight if you're seeking for the Holy Ghost you you know you know you need God you know you need God but you just never had a relationship with him you've never felt the power inside of you welling up inside of you in giving you power I first want to make a plea to you tonight please please walk down this aisle please make your way saints of God I wish You' begin to pray and help me I can't do this by myself I'm too weak I can't do it by myself but come on saints of God I wish we begin to pray for every person in this room who understands I've got to have the Holy Ghost living inside of me in order in order to be caught up in order in order to be caught up the spirit of God the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead has got to be quickened inside of me I wish you would make your way to this Altar and say God fill me with your spirit come on I'm not going to get in a hurry I refuse to feel awkwardness I I I don't care I just want to see somebody receive the gift of the Holy Ghost tonight I want to see somebody respond to the word of God oh Jesus wants to live inside of you Jesus wants to take resonance within your body he wants to do great things for you he wants to lead you and guide you into all truth he wants to reveal things that you have never seen before but the Holy Ghost has got to be inside of you you've got to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost Peter preached on the day of Pentecost repent turn from your sin turn away from the things that don't please God and after you repent you got to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins you got to have those sins removed the very sins that you're turning away from they're still clinging to you but you got to have them washed away it's a baptism it's a it's a place of death it's a place of burial where the old man must die but I'm so glad that when we're raised again when we come up out of that water just is Jesus raised up from the grave we're given a power it's called the Holy Ghost the power will begin to fill you Peter said and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for the promise is unto you it's under your children it's unto as many as far off even as many as the Lord Our God shall go it's for us today I pray somebody will see their need to have that kind of relationship with the unknown God and then what about the saints of God that attend this church Faithfully is there anybody here that just says I I want more of God I want to create a relationship God I want you to forgive me oh God I pray this prayer I pray this prayer saints of God constantly continually I say God forgive me for being so being so all about the details in the service uh being all about the details Lord God that I can leave a service uh and begin to question myself and ask myself and say did I even really worship God tonight did I see his face uh when my eyes were closed when I was singing about a beautiful Jesus did I even see his face in my mind or was I too worried that my mic didn't sound like I thought it should sound was I too worried that somebody was saying the wrong part God help me to be in your house and to have a relationship with you that I can worship you and take everything else out of my mind I put every other thought out of my mind come on saints of God I want you right now to put every other thought out of your mind every person that you're concerned about oh my God right now just put all of your concentration on a God who loves you on a God who you know what what his name is you've got the power of His Spirit living inside of you come on begin to pray to that God I want you to visualize him in your mind what does he look like I don't know it's whatever you can visualize in your mind but I want you to be there with arms lifted and just say God I love you God I worship you God I honor you today to know you is to love you and to love you is to know you to know you is to love you you and to love you is to know you God I pray right now that not only would you be known in my life but Lord I want to be known by you oh my God I want to be looked at as a friend of God I want to be looked at as a friend of God come on Holy Ghost move in this place right here come on I believe I've got a church full of volunteers uh a church full of good people we got teachers h oh my God we got workers oh come on somebody we can't get so so into our job and into our work that we forget why we are doing what we do I love you Jesus hey I don't want to ignorantly worship my God I want to worship Him in spirit and in truth yes yes yes yes come on let the praise rise let the praise rise let the praise rise rise let the praise rise come on come on come on come on I want to exort you just a little bit come on I want to lead you just a little bit I don't want us just to go home and pray a little a little now I lay me down to down to sleep type prayer but come on somebody cry out in your heart and say that I might know him that I might know him I want that relationship I want that relationship I want to know you come on come on come on the story ends I got bad news and good news the bad news is those those men the philosophers those that were looking for another God to worship they laughed at Paul when he began to mention Resurrection from the dead but there where a few the Bible says that followed Paul out of nors Hill and said I want to know your God I want a relationship with your god oh this world may reject uh the very god of the universe uh but I I want to be like those few that said Paul teach me Paul disciple me Paul introduced me to your God I want to know Jesus more than I've ever known him before four come on let's just spend a little time before they even sing let's just spend a little time in worship I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you Jesus oh come on let's not be worried about what song's going to be sang put that out of your mind come on just love him come on I wish every singer every choir member would just love him I hear you Sanctuary choir I hear you I wish a spirit of intercession would break out in this place uh a spirit of going to God maybe even speaking a tongue a tongue of Heaven a tongue of angels that just says oh God oh God to know you more my desire is to know you come on his presence is in this place the healer is in the house the way maker is in the house come on the Redeemer is in the house come on the unic said we've got water what do hinder me from being baptized I wish somebody in this place would say there's water in the Baptist tree why can't I get baptized we'll baptize you in the name name of Jesus for the remission of your sins uh for the removal of your sins no longer do you have to have sins uh clinging onto you no longer do you have to keep a burden upon your back but Jesus wants to set you free oh yes Lord yes Lord yes Lord yes yes yes yes yes yes come on now pray this prayer with me say God give me a holy boldness upon my workplace give me a holy boldness oh God at the school that I attend at the University that I attend at the high school that I attend God give me a holy boldness that Paul had that I could walk in and not cut down what everybody else is doing not put down what everybody else is doing but instead just present to them declare to them the Healer declare to them the peacegiver declare to them a God who loves who cares come on be that person say God give me Lord give me the confidence that Paul had going from City to City from country to Country God I want that kind of confidence I want your spirit to Lead Me Oh God let me find the hungry let me find those who are searching oh God I don't care how educated they are or uneducated they are I don't care how rich they are or how poor they are Lord God I will not be a respector of persons because every man has the right to hear about you every woman has the right to hear about you let your name be famous to every child every teen oh in Jesus name in Jesus name they're going to begin to sing I just want us to lift our hands right here come on and let's just love our God come on let's love the God we know come on let's love the God we worship Jesus oh there's power Jesus come on just say that name Jesus there is power jesuso I feel the power I feel the power I feel the power Jesus Jesus break Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every break break every come on come on come on there is power power come on do you feel that power I feel it I feel it there is power come on there's a beautiful spirit of the Lord in this place tonight I hope you feel it by way of internet I feel I pray your feel it right where you are in the hospital room in your home in your living room in your bedroom I pray that you feel the same power bre come on it's going to break chains in our lives break come on sing sing like you mean it come on sing like you mean it yeah come on sing it like you mean it lift up your voice and sing there's an army Rising oh yes there's an army there's an army rising to break every chain to Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every there's an army rising up there's an army of people who know the god they serve they have a relationship with the god they serve they know the name of the god they serve we're going to break chain through the power of the Holy Ghost through the name of Jesus Break Every CH Break Every Chain Break Every train I hear the chains falling I hear chains falling I hear in the spiritual realm I hear very chains there holding people bondage falling the hear the CH I hear the change I hear the change falling down in Jesus name I the I hear the changeful to Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every bre every bre every break every power in the name of Jesus there is power in the in the name of Jesus there is power there is is power in the name of Jesus Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every Chain there's an army rising up there's an army RIS to Break Every Chain break break every CH break every bre break every break every oh break every CH break break every CH break every Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every pring I hear the changeful I hear the changeful oh yeah I the I he the CH for the down Jesus I hear the I hear the chain I hear the falling I hear the CH I hear the CH I hear the Ching down in Jesus name I hear the CH I hear the CH I hear the Chas I hear the CH that falling down I hear the CH to break every chain to break every chain break every CH break every break every CH break every CH break every break every break break every oh yeah break bre every break every break break everything bre break everything break everything in the name of Jesus there is power in the name of Jes is in the Break Every Chain Break Every CH break every CH Break Every Chain Break Every Chain Break Every ch I want to run over I want to run over me up SL fill me up till I overflow till I overflow I want to run over I want to R