S1: Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. We're learning how
S1: to stay filled with the spirit.
S2: Worship is the place that gets our heart ready to
S2: receive the word. And so when you skip worship you, you,
S2: you make the word harder to get into your heart
S2: and your soul. When we worship, the spirit comes down
S2: upon the praises of his people and starts doing His word.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe. Mark is
S1: the senior pastor of New Life Community Church and president
S1: of Moody Bible Institute here in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Well,
S1: not many of us would consider taking a long road
S1: trip without there being gas in the tank. So why
S1: do we sometimes live our lives without getting spiritually recharged?
S1: That's the question mark we'll address today on our program.
S1: This message is part of our series when you Believe
S1: Everything Changes. And if you missed any of the lessons
S1: so far, you can catch up online at Bold Steps.
S1: But first, let's get started. Mark's going to be showing
S1: us how we can stay filled with the spirit.
S2: Real Christianity is about having a living spirit, the Spirit
S2: of God living inside of you, where God begins to
S2: change you from the inside out, where the voice of
S2: the spirit begins to convict you, guide you, lead you,
S2: empower you. Where God has such an influence on you
S2: that you begin to talk different, walk different, live different,
S2: think different because you are being influenced by God, not
S2: trying to live up to some standards of perfection, but
S2: because God is in you, changing you from the inside out.
S2: That is Christianity. That is God inside of you, the
S2: hope of glory. Too many people try religion and fail.
S2: Because the letter leads to death. Spirit leads to life.
S2: If you've ever tried to live up to standards that
S2: are too high that you cannot achieve, you will end
S2: up being discouraged and feel like a failure. And who
S2: wants to feel like a failure all of the time?
S2: You'll end up giving up and then you'll say, I
S2: tried church. It didn't work for me. No, you tried
S2: religion and it didn't work for you because Jesus always works.
S2: He's living alive inside of you, the spirit. And what
S2: he says here, he says instead, you need to be
S2: filled with the spirit. Now, what is the spirit? Is
S2: it a substance? Is it a liquid? Is it a power?
S2: Is it a wind? What is the spirit? Well, you
S2: need to understand that the spirit he's speaking of is
S2: referred to as the Holy Spirit. It's the third person
S2: of the Triune God. There is God the Father, God
S2: the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Holy
S2: Spirit is God Himself, the person of God that comes
S2: and lives inside of you. Once he's invited to live
S2: inside of you, as you yield your life to God
S2: and as you say, come inside of me, change me,
S2: make me new. I acknowledge Jesus as my Lord. I
S2: cannot live my life and control my life anymore. I
S2: want you to take possession and control of my life,
S2: and you invite the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through
S2: the washing and regeneration of the blood of Jesus Christ.
S2: Then you have the spirit inside of you. Now the
S2: spirit lives where you live. Someone says, where? Where is
S2: God's address here on earth? Is it the cathedrals in Europe? No.
S2: Is it the fancy churches with the stained glass windows? No.
S2: Is it the building on 51st and Keeler? No no
S2: no no no no, that's just the place where we meet. Where?
S2: What is God's address here on earth? God's address here
S2: on earth is you. Wherever you are. The Spirit of
S2: God dwells because His Spirit dwells inside of you. So
S2: if you're it's like a moving GPS. If you're on
S2: 26th and Cal, the Spirit's there on 26th and Cal,
S2: if you're downtown and go to the loop, the spirit's
S2: there at the loop. If you go to the Sox game,
S2: he's at the Sox game. If you go to the
S2: Cubs game, yeah, he's even there. Um, so the spirit
S2: is hey, the spirit is wherever you go. Now you
S2: grieve the spirit. Of course, when you go to the
S2: Cubs game. Nah. Just kidding. I'm just. I'm messing with you.
S2: I'm messing with you. I know we have some Cubs
S2: fans here. Um, yeah. Okay. They made their way to
S2: the South Side. And what Paul is telling us is
S2: the problem is that we get filled with the spirit,
S2: and then we get emptied of the spirit. We get
S2: filled with the spirit and emptied with the spirit. So
S2: Paul is telling us that we need to learn what
S2: it means to stay full of the spirit. Now, I
S2: don't I don't try to get too technical with, with
S2: with Bible verses and go to the Greek, but sometimes
S2: you need to go to the Greek. The the New
S2: Testament was written in the Greek language, not the Greek
S2: language that's spoken in Athens today, but it was written
S2: in ancient Greek. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew
S2: and Aramaic, and the New Testament was written in Greek.
S2: Greek was the English sort of the equivalent to the
S2: English commercial language of the day. It's what people spoke
S2: when they did trade. It was written in the Greek
S2: because most people in those days spoke or at least
S2: understood Greek. And so it was the common language that
S2: people most commonly used in different places of the, of
S2: the empire of that time. If you look at this
S2: phrase in the Greek, where it says instead be filled
S2: with the spirit, you will realize that this verb tense
S2: is not just referring to a one time feeling like, hey,
S2: be filled and then it's over. You don't have to
S2: be filled ever again in your life. Literally, the translation
S2: of that would be better rendered if it said, keep
S2: being filled over and over and over and over again
S2: with the spirit. It's in the progressive form, continuous form.
S2: That means this is not a one time action. It's
S2: something that has to be done over and over and
S2: over and over and over again. Just like you have
S2: to keep filling your car up with gas. It's not like, hey,
S2: did you fill the car up with gas? Yeah, last
S2: July I did. Well, hey, it's not going to last
S2: you very long. I mean, I mean, you're going to
S2: run out of gas. You got to keep filling it
S2: up because the gas runs out, so you fill it up.
S2: And in the same way we get filled with the spirit.
S2: But if we don't keep filling ourselves with the spirit,
S2: what happens is we start operating in the flesh, we
S2: start in the spirit, and then with time, we go
S2: to the flesh. And so many of us find ourselves
S2: living and walking in the flesh when we need to
S2: be filled with the spirit over and over again. So
S2: the Apostle Paul is saying, I want you to learn
S2: to be filled over and over with the Spirit of God.
S2: The spirit is not a liquid. It's not a power,
S2: it's the person. So when I'm filled with the person
S2: of God, it means that God is influencing my life.
S2: I'm yielding to God, and he's influencing my life so
S2: that when I'm filled with the spirit, I talk different,
S2: I walk different, I operate different. How many of you
S2: know when you're filled with the spirit and when you're not?
S2: You can feel it. Have you ever said, man, I
S2: was in the flesh as your wife ever said, man,
S2: you were in the flesh. When you're in the flesh,
S2: it means you do what you would do in the
S2: old days. You operate your way. When you're in the spirit,
S2: it alters the way you operate. That's not how. That's
S2: the old you. But when you're walking in the spirit,
S2: you operate under the new you. You respond different. You
S2: react different. You do things different. Why? Because you're full
S2: of God. Now, this is not just this high spiritual experience.
S2: What Paul is saying. This is how your normal life
S2: should be. You should learn to live day by day,
S2: full of the spirit. By the way, this is a command,
S2: not a suggestion. It's in the imperative form, which means
S2: this is a command be filled with the spirit. Now
S2: you say, well, pastor, how does that happen? How do
S2: we stay filled with the spirit? Well, he explains to
S2: us in the next verses how to continue to refuel ourselves.
S2: Verse 19 through 21 speak to one another in psalms
S2: and hymns and spiritual songs. Number two sing and make
S2: music in your heart to the Lord. Number three always
S2: give thanks to God the Father for everything in the
S2: name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, I'm about to
S2: give you here. This is really, really important. I'm about
S2: to give you three very practical steps to stay refueled
S2: in the spirit when you when you keep getting emptied.
S2: Number one, it says, speak to one another in psalms
S2: and hymns and spiritual songs. What is a psalm? Well,
S2: it's found in the Book of Psalms. David wrote the Psalms.
S2: It's scripture. I love scriptures. I love the Psalms. The
S2: Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. That's one
S2: of the Psalms. There are tons of psalms that are prayers,
S2: and we sing those Psalms to God sometimes. So Psalms
S2: are Scripture that we sing. Then there's hymns. Hymns are
S2: other people's songs. We just sung a bunch of songs
S2: today that other people had written that we sing to God.
S2: And then spiritual songs, I believe, are songs that you
S2: make up yourself to God. As you're worshiping God, your
S2: own words start coming out to God. Now let me
S2: just pause for a second and say, some of you
S2: view Sunday morning and you come in late because you think, well,
S2: all they're doing is karaoke. And so I'm coming just
S2: for the teaching time. You know, they're singing. I'm not
S2: a real singer. So I wait till the singing is
S2: over and I come for the word. Okay. Hold on,
S2: hold on, hold on. Pause. We're not doing karaoke. We're
S2: doing worship. You say? Well, I've never been a singer. Well,
S2: let me tell you something. You're a Christian. You better
S2: start learning to sing, because part of worshiping God involves
S2: expressing ourself through music and worship and singing. And what
S2: happens is, when we come to a place like this, listen,
S2: the reason that we worship first was song and singing
S2: is that there's something that happens when we are worshiping
S2: God and expressing our devotion to God, and it's spirit
S2: filled worship. It begins to soften our heart. It begins
S2: to open up our spirit. It begins to prepare us
S2: to receive the seed of the word planted in our soul.
S2: And yeah, some of you skip the worship. Drive into
S2: the parking lot. You're all hurried, yelling at your wife.
S2: You sit down, you get in here just for the word.
S2: The word is preaching. You said I didn't get anything
S2: out of it today. I wonder why you walking in
S2: the flesh? You're just starting to loosen up. Starting to
S2: get ready to receive something by the end. What would
S2: happen if, first of all, you softened your heart and worshiped?
S2: You said, here I am, God, empty me. Speak to me, God,
S2: make my heart fertile for the word. Whatever you have,
S2: I want to hear it. What would happen if you
S2: let the Holy Spirit speak to you during worship? What
S2: would happen if you allowed the spirit to fill you?
S2: And then as soon as the word came, man, you're
S2: like all over the word. It's planting in. The seeds
S2: are falling. Listen, before the seed can hit the ground,
S2: you gotta soften up the ground. Worship is the place
S2: that our heart is softened up towards God. Worship is
S2: the place that gets our heart ready to receive the word.
S2: And so when you worship you, you, you make the
S2: word harder to get into your heart and your soul.
S2: You need worship because it softens you for the word.
S2: And God inhabits the praises of his people. When we worship,
S2: the spirit comes down upon the praises of his people
S2: and starts doing his word.
S1: You're listening to Mark Jobe right here on Bold Steps,
S1: and we're pausing today's program, staying filled with the spirit
S1: to let you know that we have a number of
S1: resources and tools available to help you stay recharged and
S1: reconnected to God. To learn what's available, just go to
S1: Bold Steps. Org. Now, I'd like to extend a special
S1: invitation on behalf of Bold Steps to join our growing
S1: international ministry by becoming a bold partner through monthly support. Remember,
S1: it's not about how large your gift is, but your
S1: commitment to give faithfully each month. So these messages and
S1: resources can reach as many people as possible across the radio,
S1: the internet, and mark our social media platforms as well.
S2: Yeah. Wayne. That's exactly right. You know, we are expanding
S2: to many different countries. Many of those countries really can't
S2: help us economically, but yet our reach is just incredible
S2: in terms of growing into the millions. And so I
S2: thank you for giving on behalf of those that can't give.
S2: And by the way, just, uh, I'm always so encouraged
S2: by people around the country like Linda from Bloomington who
S2: gave online, Adela, who's a first time giver out of
S2: Long Beach, Jessica, who's a first time giver out of
S2: La Puente, California. Helen, who's a first time giver out
S2: of Illinois. Also Helen and Gray's Lake James in Florida
S2: gave over the internet. Angela kin Wanda, who's in San Diego,
S2: gave as well. Lori in Chicago. Regina. She's a monthly giver.
S2: Thank you, Regina, for signing up for that. By the way,
S2: the monthly gifts are really helping us out because they're
S2: much more consistent. And so all over the country, people
S2: are giving Tennessee. Charlie, thank you from Hixton. So there's
S2: a sometimes one time givers you can give over online.
S2: you can give over the phone. But like I've said often,
S2: monthly giving really helps us out. So thank you.
S1: Yeah, these are great friends, aren't they? Thank you to all.
S1: And thank you to those of you who are responding
S1: by becoming a bold partner today. Sign up online at
S1: npr.org or call us at (800) 800-3566 639. Now let's get
S1: back to your message, mark, and address us on how
S1: our attitudes can make all the difference.
S2: You get filled with the spirit by worshiping with other people. Secondly,
S2: you get filled with the spirit when you sing and
S2: make music in your heart to the Lord. Now why
S2: does it say in your heart? Well, because we can't
S2: always go around singing out loud. People are going to
S2: think you're kooky. Have you ever had a melody in
S2: your heart? You know what I'm talking about, right? Sometimes
S2: you don't even want it there. It's a commercial melody.
S2: Some silly jingle that you heard in your walk throughout
S2: the day, and you start humming the little melody and
S2: someone says, what's that? I don't know, I can't get
S2: it out of my mind. When you sing and you
S2: start making melody in your heart, it means that you
S2: are worshiping. There's this undercurrent of worship that's happening throughout
S2: the day. Oh, you may not be there at work going, Hallelujah,
S2: thank you Jesus, but in your heart you're like, Hallelujah!
S2: Thank you Jesus, because you are good. Blessed be the
S2: name of the Lord because he he he is good.
S2: Praise be to the name of God. And it's kind
S2: of it's kind of in there. It's kind of in there.
S2: And once in a while it just kind of pops
S2: out a little bit. Yeah. Thank you Lord, you, I
S2: bless you. Then you get back to work and then
S2: as soon as it surfaces, you're walking down the hallway.
S2: Jesus is good. Praise his name for you. It just
S2: kind of comes out of you. Why? Because you are
S2: singing this melody in your heart. You are worshiping God. Now,
S2: now you're still a good worker and you're not sitting
S2: behind your computer saying, Celebrate Jesus, celebrate. No, no, no, no,
S2: you're not singing out loud because I don't think your
S2: boss would like it. And if you have a voice
S2: like me, your co-workers wouldn't like it either. But, but,
S2: but it's in there. You're worshiping God. You have this
S2: God consciousness, this God presence throughout the day because your
S2: heart is there. You're being filled with the Spirit of God.
S2: And then he says, the third thing is listen. He says,
S2: verse 20, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.
S2: You're trying to tell me I get a flat tire?
S2: You want me to thank God for it? Well, yeah.
S2: I mean, you're not saying. Wow, praise God I got
S2: a nail in my tire. But while you're changing the
S2: tire or calling up the triple A, you're saying thank you, Lord,
S2: that you're good. Because listen, here's what the Bible says.
S2: All things work together for the good of those that
S2: are called according to his name. So God can even
S2: take the bad and turn it into good. Listen, you
S2: know that when bad thing is happening, that good things
S2: are being squeezed out of it. It means you maintain
S2: an attitude of thanksgiving and praise throughout every aspect of
S2: the day. Because, listen, it's really easy to start getting critical, negative,
S2: pessimistic in life, isn't it? It's really easy to start
S2: thinking the worst. It's really easy to get that, start
S2: becoming a nitpicker about things. It's really easy for our
S2: spirit to get polluted. But listen, it's hard to complain
S2: and be negative when you're being thankful. It's hard to
S2: be critical when you're saying, bless you, Jesus. Thank you,
S2: I pray. I thank you, God. Thank you for my husband.
S2: He's not always the He's gotta work on his encouragement skills.
S2: But thank you that he's there, Lord. I bless you
S2: and thank you for this car. I know it's rusted.
S2: I can't open this door, but thank you. I can
S2: still get in the other door, Lord. And I know, Lord,
S2: this window doesn't go down. But praise God that that
S2: window does go down. And thank God it's paid for.
S2: I know I paid 500 for it, but thank God
S2: it's paid for. Praise God, you know. You begin to
S2: find things to bless God over and listen when you start.
S2: Here's here's how it works. There is a connection between
S2: the spirit and joy. The Bible tells us. For example,
S2: in acts chapter 13, verse 52, it said the disciples
S2: were full of joy and the Holy Spirit. In Nehemiah
S2: chapter eight verse ten, it says, the joy of the
S2: Lord is your strength. There's a connection. The kingdom of
S2: God is made of righteousness, peace, and joy in the
S2: Holy Spirit. There's a connection. Let me tell you what
S2: the connection is. You cannot be filled with the spirit
S2: without being filled with joy. You cannot be filled with
S2: joy without having energy in God to accomplish the purposes
S2: that God has called you for. Listen, if you have
S2: if you're not filled with the spirit, then you won't
S2: be filled with joy. And if you have no joy,
S2: you will have no energy. And if you have no energy,
S2: you will not be able to accomplish the things that
S2: God has called you to accomplish. And some of us,
S2: because we're not filled with the spirit, we have no joy.
S2: And since we have no joy, we have no energy.
S2: And since we have no energy, we drag ourselves through
S2: life moaning and complaining about how tough life is. And
S2: then when we try to tell people about Jesus, are
S2: you surprised they don't want your Jesus? Yeah. Why don't
S2: you come to church with me? Life is so tough
S2: and tough. Yeah. Come on. I think you really enjoy it. Really?
S2: And you say. I don't understand why they don't come.
S2: They must be really dark and lost. No, no, no,
S2: they're not dark and lost. They look at you and say,
S2: I don't want to be like them. Listen, when you
S2: don't have joy, it's hard to drag yourself out of bed.
S2: It's hard to face the problems that you have because
S2: you feel like, man, I'm just surviving. When you don't
S2: have joy, it seems like one other thing just tips
S2: you over the top. It's like I just can't handle it.
S2: When you don't have joy, then you start just getting
S2: into survival mode. You don't touch anybody, help anybody, empower
S2: anybody because you just become real self focused. Because you could.
S2: All you could do is manage to survive yourself. No joy,
S2: no energy, no energy, no opportunities, no opportunities, no impact,
S2: no impact, no significant work for the Kingdom of God. Oh,
S2: you may you may say, well, I just need a
S2: vitamin B6 pill. Maybe you do take multivitamins, but you know,
S2: the body, soul and spirit are connected, and maybe it's
S2: more than just a multivitamin. Maybe part of your problem
S2: is that you have you're not filled with the spirit
S2: because you're worried and negative in thinking about this. You're
S2: not inviting God into it. You're not filled with him,
S2: so you have no joy. Listen, the kingdom of God
S2: is made up of joy. There's something about the joy
S2: of God that gives you power to overcome any trial.
S2: Or I'm not saying that you don't have problems because
S2: you can. You'll have the same problems even when you
S2: have joy. But there's something about joy that just kind
S2: of pushes you over that problem. Like it can become overcome.
S2: This is not the end of the world. God is
S2: in control. He's still on the throne. He will give
S2: you the power. What happens is, when you're filled with
S2: the spirit, you're filled with the fruit of the spirit. Love.
S2: Joy is the second fruit of the spirit. And there's
S2: something about joy that gives you hope in the future
S2: and gives you power to be able to move on.
S2: I believe that we need a church that's full of
S2: the spirit, because a church full of the spirit is
S2: full of joy, and a church full of joy is
S2: full of power.
S1: You're listening to Bold Steps, the Bible teaching of Mark Jobe,
S1: encouraging and equipping you to maintain an attitude of thanksgiving
S1: so that you can share that with others in your life.
S1: That's what we're all about here. So let me ask
S1: you right now, how full is your spiritual tank right now?
S1: Do you need to put some more gas in the engine.
S1: If you could use a top off or recharge, let
S1: me invite you to go online to our website at.
S1: You can explore all the resources and tools we have
S1: available for you, like our latest Bold Step Gift, a
S1: special book by pastor Mike Fabares titled envy. If you're
S1: feeling spiritually drained but can't figure out why, perhaps the
S1: hidden sin of envy is stealing your joy. In his
S1: compelling book, pastor Mike reveals how resentment toward others blessings
S1: becomes a corrosive force in our hearts. This bold step
S1: gift offers practical, biblical wisdom for finding contentment in Christ
S1: regardless of your circumstances. And we'll send you a copy
S1: today when you give a donation of any amount. So
S1: ask for the book when you call 800 Moody. That's
S1: (800) 356-6639 or give online at Bold Steps. And you can
S1: also send a one time gift to the mail. Just
S1: address your envelope to bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago,
S1: Illinois 606 ten. Well, tomorrow, Mark, we'll be continuing this
S1: series when you believe everything changes and will be taking
S1: a look at Ephesians chapter six.
S2: Yeah, in chapter six is very practical. It talks about
S2: parenting and you know, and I know that children don't
S2: come with a manual attached to them.
S1: Oh, that they would, oh.
S3: That they would. And so I think every parent struggles
S3: through this. But, you know, the Bible has a lot
S3: of concrete, very practical instructions for both children and parents.
S3: And this is a powerful passage.
S1: Well, we look forward to that message, Mark. Thanks. But
S1: right now, that's all the time we have for today.
S1: Thanks for joining us. Come back Wednesday to hear more
S1: bold steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production
S1: of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.