[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word.
[0:14] All right, Brother Trent, what about a question? When are we going to start our building wall? Hey, we finally got good internet. It's only been seven years and we got it this week.
[0:27] And so when are we going to start? February the 11th, Lord willing. Correct, Robert? On February the 11th, Lord willing, we are working through issues. The architect is dealing with the county and inspectors and all of that sort of thing.
[0:45] And they always need re-approval on things they've already approved. And so it looks like if everything goes well, on February the 11th, they should start. And within two or three weeks, they'll knock out most of it, I hope.
[0:58] Right, Robert? Okay. I like all this. I'm getting this. You know that means no, don't you? You know that means no. But anyway, that's the best I know. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament church?
[1:13] Acts 2 seems to me to be the first reason of the Holy Spirit working in the church. I'm not really positive. That's absolutely the first time because when the Lord was talking to the disciples, he said, receive the Spirit.
[1:30] And that was before he had actually left. But definitely by Acts chapter 1 and verse 8, he's saying, wait, and I'm coming on you on power. In Luke chapter 24, I guess it is, the last chapter, like the last verse, like 57, somewhere right at the very end of it.
[1:47] He talks about you are to tarry in Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost has come upon you. It is 24, 49. And so he says that, he says that, Patrick's back there.
[1:59] Uh-huh. And he says, he says, Terry and the Holy Spirit will come on you. And he comes on them in great power. And the question is, what's the work of the Holy Spirit? You know, the honest truth is, the honest truth is the Lord Jesus was on the earth and the ministry was limited to his corporal presence.
[2:19] Wherever his physical body was, that's where he was. And so if he was working in Samaria, you weren't going to get his blessings in Jerusalem. And so he told them in John 14, and he works through like John 14, 15, 16.
[2:31] He says, I'm leaving, but I will send you another comforter just like me. Someone just like me, he will come alongside and he will work with you and he'll work in you and he'll work through you. So the truth is, the church is the body of Christ.
[2:45] Jesus is the head of the church, but the Holy Spirit does all the work. He is the one that fills our Sunday school teachers and fills our preachers as they preach. He is the one that empowers the word of God.
[2:55] He's the one that convicts people of their sin. He's the one that draws people. And you're going to say, I'm very likely somebody's going to say, well, why don't we talk more about him? Because in the Bible, he's kind of like the, he's kind of like the behind the scenes agent.
[3:10] He always works and he always points to Jesus. And whenever the Holy Spirit is truly working, he's basically saying, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And so you might go to a church where it's the Holy Spirit, everything.
[3:21] And all they talk about is the Holy Spirit, but that's something wrong because in the Bible, Holy Spirit keeps pointing to Jesus. But it is in Acts chapter two, he comes on them in power. They're able to speak in tongues. And when they speak in tongues, 17 languages at least understand.
[3:36] So everybody in the room is understanding the language in their own native tongue. Even though they may have spoken the trade language they were understanding and the language they were born in. That's a really interesting thing. While I was in Burkina Faso just a couple of weeks ago, I was in Burkina Faso.
[3:51] And in that church is probably, well, in the country, there are 66 languages. 66 languages in the church. In the church there, the night I did this, I think there were seven or eight languages present at the same time.
[4:04] And so, in fact, there's one guy, Mamadou, I think speaks six languages. Five well in the six languages he's not real good at. And I thought I speak two and I'm not good at either one.
[4:15] And so it's a tremendous thing. And so what happened was they spoke and everybody was hearing it in their original language. They were hearing it in Moray or they were hearing it in Lele or they were hearing it in English or Arabic.
[4:27] They were hearing it. And so the Holy Spirit came on them. And then he empowers them all through the scriptures to do the work in everything we do today that's of any value at Vision Baptist Church. It's the Holy Spirit of God doing it in and through us.
[4:39] Not one message is preached that is of any value that isn't because he comes on us in power and uses us. But here's the difference. Don't, you know, I don't float in the air.
[4:50] I don't see visions. And I don't have goosebumps every time I preach. And I don't speak in tongues except when I talk in Spanish. And I can't work miracles.
[5:01] But it is not me that draws people. I can speak to your ear. And I can maybe speak to your mind and help your mind. Sometimes I can be good enough to get to your heart. But the one that's going to get to the Spirit and convict you down in the very depths of your being that you are a sinner and you need to be saved is the Holy Spirit.
[5:20] And the one that's going to make a Christian grow is the Holy Spirit. And if there's anything that's been wrong with many of our churches and our movement is we've applied too much external pressure when what we needed was the internal pressure of the Holy Spirit.
[5:34] And we apply external because the Holy Spirit doesn't seem to be doing what we want him to do quick enough. And sometimes we need to back off and let him run it. So the church and every ministry we have operates is operated under the Holy Spirit.
[5:47] His guidance and his direction and his power. Where'd you go? What is it? Couldn't answer that question.
[5:58] I can answer. Let me answer Austin's stance on spiritual gifts. How about that? I could answer. Basically, you can get it in the doctrinal statement. But let me explain. I would tell you this.
[6:13] God has gifted you to be able to serve him. I don't know what my spiritual gift is. So I'll just tell you up front. I have never known. I have taken every spiritual gifts test that I have ever seen.
[6:25] And I get different answers every time. And the reason, I think, is twofold. Number one, the Bible never explains most of that. The Bible never explains that. So Bill Gothard writes one.
[6:37] And he says, you'll get this. And Rick Warren writes one. And he says, you'll get this. And Joe Blow writes another. And they all come up with what they think these things must mean. And I think they're probably pretty good.
[6:47] Believe me, they're smarter than I am. It doesn't take much to be there. But you don't have. Here's what I think probably you ought to consider. That God's gifted you. You have talents and abilities that he put in you.
[6:58] Everything about you is a gift from God. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father above. James chapter 1. And so the Lord's working in us. And so he's gifted you.
[7:09] And he's given you abilities. And you should just say, hey, you know, this is what God's put in me. This is what I can do. And you ought to step forward and do the work. So what's the stance? Well, there are certain gifts, since you ask.
[7:20] There are certain gifts that I believe no longer exist. For example, I would be called a cessationist. A cessationist believes that certain gifts ceased. At the end of the time of the apostles, they ceased.
[7:32] So I personally do not believe that there is a gift of healing on the planet at all, anywhere, by anybody. I do not believe anybody has the gift of speaking tongues anymore. I do not believe anybody has the gift of working miracles.
[7:45] I don't believe anybody has the gift of discerning spirits. Or any of those things. It was on apostolic times. And those things were done away. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, long about verse 8.
[7:57] It's going to say something to the effect. It says something to the effect that when the perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. It's going to say, but there's one thing that stands. And that's love and love, hope and what is it?
[8:08] The love. Good night, Patrick. You're not doing good. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Second level of the Holy Spirit. No, but that when that which is perfect, it's come.
[8:19] That which is in part shall be done away. What's the next verse say? Nope. Go the one above it then. Above it, above, above. Charity failed where there should be knowledge. Okay. Just find it.
[8:30] Find the one where it says, but these, this stays. Faith, hope and love. Who said that? Thank you there, brother David. You come on up. All right. Come on down. It's your time. And so faith, hope and love stay.
[8:42] And so I don't believe those gifts exist. Let me tell you why. You have this book. This is the greatest gift God ever gave you. After salvation and after the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, this is his book.
[8:54] And he gave it to you. So you don't need any of those other gifts. And so today, today, somebody, many people would say our church would be very dull and dry.
[9:06] We don't have a lot of yelling. Y'all certainly don't say amen. You know, a while ago he said, y'all had a good pastor, not one peep. I was over there going, could somebody at least agree with him?
[9:17] He goes, y'all have a good pastor. No, y'all went. And, you know, so, so, you know, you could say we don't have the Holy Spirit, but that's not the truth. He is using you, man.
[9:28] You're teaching Sunday school. You're bringing visitors. You're leading people to Christ. You're discipling people. You're giving missionaries. You're being sent out. Other people are growing. So the Holy Spirit is at work here.
[9:39] So don't ever judge a church by that. Judge your church by this. Do they preach truth? Do they open the book and they preach the truth? And so the actually, I'm pretty sure Chuck had a friend that visited not long ago.
[9:55] I think it was Chuck who said that his friend said it was really refreshing to go to a church where they open the Bible. And, you know, he really preached right out of the box. He right where he was talking. And she thought that was astonishing.
[10:06] And she goes to a mega church here close by. Is that not true? Wouldn't it you, brother Chuck? And so that's how you would judge. So the stance that I would take on spiritual gifts is that there are the spiritual gifts don't exist for you today like that.
[10:20] But God has gifted you with the ability to help and to teach and to work. And you should just go to work. Watch this. Don't sit around worried about your spiritual gift. Get in and get busy and you'll figure it out.
[10:33] You know what? You see, you see a lot of people are sitting around and saying, well, what has God gifted me to do? Who cares? You'll figure it out. Get up and do something. You know, you don't have to wait for God to put up.
[10:45] That's like when God was calling me to preach. I was feeling like I wanted to be a preacher. I really felt like God wanted me to preach. But I kept saying, God, you need to tell me somehow. And I kept waiting for him to shoot me with a lightning bolt or do something to me.
[10:58] And so I just launched forward and started doing what I knew God could. I wanted. I mean, I just loved it. I love the Bible. I love preaching. I love teaching. And I launched out in it. And finally, I just announced.
[11:08] I said, man, I just believe God wants me to be a preacher. And so don't be waiting on your spiritual gift. Next question. Why do we have to say anything to pray at the end of prayer and word?
[11:19] You don't. That's a good question. I don't know who asked that. You don't. That phrase is not important. Are you ready for this? The Bible, when it says pray in Jesus name, it's not some magical incantation.
[11:34] You should. God kill my enemy in Jesus name. I ask. And you got to do it because I said in Jesus name, I said the magic words. You got to do it. What is that? What? Abacadabra. You think that's an abacadabra that you add on end of a prayer.
[11:47] You can say anything you want as long as you throw in Jesus name on there. What in Jesus name means is, you know, David Gates is Bill Gates son, right? That millionaire he was talking about. That's why he could talk so freely about it.
[11:58] But, you know, if I go to the bank in David Gates name, I better go to the right bank. And I better have some piece of paper signed by him. And I better have his approval.
[12:09] And that's what in Jesus name means. In Jesus name means this. I'm coming based on scriptural grounds and scriptural truth about what you want.
[12:21] And I'm asking you on the authority of your name. So I do say in Jesus name a lot. One of our missionaries, I can't remember which one.
[12:32] He got in trouble at a church because he didn't pray in Jesus name. And he ended his prayer and he didn't say in Jesus name. He just said, amen. And so they, I mean, they got, did they write us an email? Did they write him an email? I can't remember how that went.
[12:43] Dumbest thing I ever heard. It was like, you didn't say in Jesus, you forgot the magic words. That's like, you know, when I pray, when I pray, I'll talk to the father and I'll talk to the Holy spirit and I'll talk to, to, I'll talk to Jesus.
[12:55] And somebody said, well, you can only talk to the father. I said, I like talking to the whole family. That's okay with me. And so just, uh, just, uh, in Jesus name, just remember, think of it this way. It is, I'm coming in the authority of Jesus.
[13:07] I'm coming to something he wants. And so when you pray, you want to say, is this something that would please God? Is this Bible? Is this God pleasing? If it's not, you can't pray in Jesus name.
[13:18] So why do we have to say in Jesus name at the end of the prayer? Jesus said, whenever you pray, you, you pray in my name and I'll answer the prayer. He wasn't saying abracadabra gets it done.
[13:29] What he was saying was you come under my authority, under what I've already approved and what I say. And you can say that in my name and I will hear your prayers. And so, by the way, that doesn't mean, you know, when, um, when I, when I, when I got cancer, brother Jeff, uh, he called TBN, asked them to pray for me joke.
[13:52] He called TBN as he said, he came up to me. He said, Hey preacher, I want you to know I called TBN. That's going to pray for you. And, uh, I said, okay. And he said, I'll tell you why. He said, you tell them Baptist. They'll say God, whatever your will is.
[14:03] He said, that's not how they pray over TBN. They just go ahead and tell God what they want. He said, so I didn't want to, I wanted God to go ahead and do the thing. So I just told TBN to pray because they'll tell God exactly what to do.
[14:14] So when you're praying, you're not telling God what to do. You can't tell God what to do. You need to get ahold of something. You're like little bitty, itsy bitsy. You're smaller than the smallest ant compared to the largest skyscraper on the planet.
[14:29] That's who you are. So you can talk to God. And when you come, you got to walk in and say, God, I'm coming to you. I know I have no merit. I have no right. And I have no standing. I'm here in Jesus name. By the way, you guess how you're going to get to heaven in Jesus name.
[14:42] Guess how you're going to be holy in Jesus name. Guess how everything's going to happen in your life in Jesus name. It is Jesus name. So it's not a magical incantation. You come to him in Jesus name.
[14:53] Yes, sir. Next question. You know what? Somebody ought to come to church when I get to chapter four. How about that? I will give you a brief answer to that right now.
[15:08] You know, we don't know and we don't understand. A lot of things are going on in the Bible. We don't fully see. And we can only assume this. But Cain is going to bring a product of his own effort and his work. And he's not going to bring what would be a picture of Jesus down on the cross.
[15:21] When Adam and Eve sinned, the blood was brought. The blood was shed so an animal could die and skins could cover their sin. And so when Cain brings his, it's his sweat and it's digging out of the earth and it's his hard work.
[15:35] And when Abel comes, he brings a, he brings an animal and he brings the skins of that animal. And God's pleased with that because of that. And he's displeased with Cain's because you don't come to God with what you think would be a good offering. You come to God with what he says would be a good offering.
[15:47] There's only one offering for sin. Blood. Hebrews chapter nine and verse 22 says something like, uh, uh, uh, thank you. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood and without the shedding of blood is no remission.
[16:02] And so that was what's going on back there. And that's why, but if you'll come, I'll give you much more detail. Next question. My goodness. I got five minutes.
[16:13] Uh, uh, I don't have time to show you tonight, but let me just say in Job, they're mentioned in Job, they're mentioned. Uh, let me just tell you, nothing surprises God, you know, and he did create dinosaurs.
[16:24] And that didn't happen in some evolutionary life before we came along. Uh, uh, Job and the people in the book of Job saw them. There's an animal in there that can drink rivers of water. There's an animal in there you can shoot with bows and arrows and spears and you can't pierce him because he's got armor on him.
[16:39] Uh, and there's all, all sorts of descriptions of what is probably a land animal and they're great monsters in the sea. And so the, what the Bible, it doesn't really say about them. It just talks about, it just describes what they were like.
[16:51] Uh, if I'm, am I remembering right? His legs were like cedars. Somebody tell me his legs are like cedars. I mean, what in the world is that? This guy's got legs. It's got, it's an animal with legs like trees.
[17:02] What is that? It's certainly not describing, uh, something normal. And so, uh, the Bible just would, uh, would, uh, uh, would, uh, kids good, ain't he?
[17:13] Uh, uh, the, the Bible would just, uh, affirm that they existed and our God is the creator. He is the creator God and dinosaurs are a part of his creation.
[17:24] I got time. I got four and a half minutes. Probably don't.
[17:37] Um, you know, I would not argue with anybody about God or the Bible. I wouldn't try to convince him.
[17:47] Here's what I would, if somebody from another denomination were to ask, uh, I would simply share with them what the Bible says, something very similar to what you would hear when I preach and you don't need to argue with them.
[17:58] Um, if you're talking to somebody and you believe they're not born again, to give them the exact same thing you would give to a prostitute or a drunkard, tell them the gospel, tell them that the Bible says we've all sinned and walk them through the plan of salvation.
[18:11] But here's a big mistake we make. We walk around trying to kind of argue and fuss about our denomination. Like we're Baptist or we're independent Baptist. And definitely don't you go to them and say, well, at our church, bless God, we got rules.
[18:24] Or don't you go to them and say, well, at our church, we don't. It's not about what we don't. It's about what we do. And what we do is we believe in Jesus. And so if they ask, I would simply tell them, uh, when they asked me, I just tell them I'm a Bible teacher and a Bible preacher.
[18:38] And they say, well, what's different about your church? Well, I don't want you to come and see. Here's what we basically do. We sing a few songs and then we got a lot of just open the Bible and read straight out of the Bible and see what it says. And you don't have to go into some big, long discussion or argument with them.
[18:54] I think that hurts the cause, hurts the cause of Christ. I'm not trying to get other people from another denomination. I'm not trying to argue with them. I, uh, I, we'd rather win lost people to Christ, but what you ought to do is just talk positively about Jesus, positively about the Holy spirit, the Bible, and don't get in arguments.
[19:11] So they say, well, do y'all speak in tongues? You don't have to go. We don't believe in that junk. Don't do that. You don't win any friends doing it. Don't go. We don't believe in that junk. Simply say something like, uh, simply say something.
[19:24] We believe exactly what the Bible says about tongues. And yes, we believe in tongues as the Bible says them. And in the Bible, they did have tongues. And you could even say fact is in Acts chapter two, they spoke in tongues and 17 different nations understood the language in their own tongue.
[19:36] We believe it's a fantastic thing that God did in the day of the Holy, in the day of Pentecost on the Holy spirit came and worked through their lives. If they, if they keep wanting to argue, see, the best thing is like, don't, don't argue.
[19:47] Don't get in long discussions. You, you, you just, both of you wasting time is going to be an enemy for it's sober. It's just like this. I ain't going to argue with you about politics either. And if I, if you want to know about Jesus, I'll tell you about Jesus.
[19:59] But if you want me to try to convince you that an independent Baptist is better than somebody else, not on my agenda. Father, thank you so much for what you've done in our church. Thank you for these wonderful people. I pray you'd continue to bless them.
[20:11] Thank you for their faithfulness. Thank you for how they are here tonight and how they love you. And I just thank you for all you're doing. God, thank you for the ones that couldn't come or didn't come because I know they do love you too. And I praise you for them in Jesus name.
[20:22] Amen. Brother Tripp. You have been listening to Austin Gardner, pastor of Vision Baptist Church. For contact information, location, service times, or more audio and video recordings, log on to www.visionbaptist.com.