MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(PowerPoints used with this message are available at no charge. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request #385.)
THE HOLY SPIRIT AT WORK!
TEXT: Romans 8:38-39; Acts 2:2-4, 36-43, 4:19-20, 8:1, 31-39, 9:3-5, 18:8, 22:10-16
(All the passages from the book or Acts are from The Inspirational Study Bible,
New Century Version, published by Word Publishing, 1995)
Melvin: Over the years I have been amazed at some of the ways that the Holy Spirit gets our attention. On Thursday evening of the Area Revival in the Kansas Park, our own Casey Marsh preached. And in his message he told how the Holy Spirit finally got through to him. And I would like for you to hear his story too.
MY STORY by CASEY MARSH
Casey: Let me tell you my story. Before I came to Christ I was 33 years old & I had a failed marriage. I had gotten kicked out of the military. I had 2 kids from 2 different relationships & had no communication with either of them at all.
In fact, I had no communication with anyone for about 4 months or so prior to my coming to Christ. Drinking, drugs, smoking, sex, not paying my bills, couldn’t hold down a job & I didn’t want to even hear someone mention God.
I had gotten caught up in all this conspiracy theory stuff. I had studied for years all these senseless things - hours upon hours, day after day, week after week. The reason though, ironically, was that I wanted the truth. I was desperate for it!
I would find some article or some blog that would pique my interest & spend inconceivable amounts of time just going deeper down these rabbit holes of nothingness.
I’d try to piece together anything I could, just hoping something would click. Nothing ever did, of course. So I would make up these theories in my head to fill in the blank spots. Essentially I was lying to myself rather than admit there was no hope in finding solid truth in any of it.
Eventually, after years of this, I’d decided I’d finally had enough. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was lost without hope, & I looked back on my life at the trail of destruction I’d left in my wake. Just a big ole ball of hatred, burning every bridge I’d ever crossed with nothing but a pile of ashes to show for it. I was done.
So out of desperation I cried, literally cried out to Jesus to save me. I had nothing else to hope for. I had tried everything else I could think of. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting anything to happen after all the failed attempts I’d had trying everything else I could think of to get myself out of the mess I was in.
But to my surprise & my relief something did happen, something I didn’t expect. I felt this shiver go down my right side, cross over my legs & shoot back up my left side. Something was inside of me! I had no idea what it was.
I still don’t know to this day what it was but I remember it like it was yesterday. Folks, I kid you not. And this may be a little gross but it’s the truth, the next morning I went to go to the bathroom & out it came. But whatever it was, it was out of me & after that things started changing.
I was more aware of things. I was focused on things other than myself for once. I started reading my Bible & things started to make sense. In short, I was blind but now I could see. I started seeing truth, the real truth.
I looked back at moments in my life where I realized that what God said would happen happened. He had been guiding my life all along & I didn’t realize it, & Satan had been doing everything he could to cloud my judgment.
Now it wasn’t all smooth sailing either. There was a lot I struggled to overcome. There still is, but the Holy Spirit just kept pushing me & compelling me to get better & better. I struggled for a while to accept this change until this one thing happened that I have to share with you.
This red bird with the lungs of an elephant, it seemed, was always outside my front door every morning just singing his head off. I mean he was singing so loud it would rattle your ear drums, & he..was..bold. He would hardly move unless you came within 3 feet or so of him.
Anyway, I’m sitting out in my front lawn one day & as if I was talking directly to God, I looked up at this bird who was at this time sitting on the telephone wire above my house, & I said rather mockingly, “Yeah, well if you are God trying to get my attention why don’t you just come down here & tell me that?”
This red bird leapt off the telephone wire & came straight at my head & dive-bombed me. I mean he came within inches of me – so close I could hear the flapping of his wings right next to my head.
Needless to say, God got my attention that day, & He’s had it ever since. It wasn’t long after that when I started attending Ridge Chapel & I was baptized soon after.
And I have since reconnected with both my sons. I stopped doing drugs. I stopped smoking. And I’ve held a job for over a year & a half now. God helping me,
I told you that story to tell you this: That experience is the main motivating factor in my life. Every time Satan comes & knocks me down it is this experience that is the motivation of my faith.
As crazy as it may seem, this experience made me aware that there is more to life than what we see & feel & touch. And of course, we couldn’t understand it all if we tried. But if we knew everything already we wouldn’t be living by faith.
I’m convinced that God is sovereign, & that the Holy Spirit will use whatever He needs to use in order to glorify God, & to cause our hearts to know & accept God’s love, too.
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) says, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present , nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God.” I believe that, & I pray that you do too!
Melvin: Thank you, Casey, for telling us what led you to your decision to accept Jesus as your Savior & Lord. And I’m thankful also that the Holy Spirit used that red bird to get your attention in such a dramatic way.
Seventy years ago I was a Junior at Dallas Christian College, & I went to a revival being held in a country church near McKinney, TX. During the invitation time we were singing, when suddenly the preacher shouted, “What in Hell is holding you back?” That certainly got my attention. I had never heard a preacher say anything like that before!
Then he quickly said, “There’s no one in heaven who wants to hold you back from accepting Christ & being a part of His church here. God, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit are urging you to make that decision. And the angels are gathering to rejoice when you come.”
He went on to say, “I don’t know of anyone here who wants to hold you back. Your family, your friends who know & love you have been praying for you, & we’ll all rejoice with you when you come.
“Then it has to be someone in Hell. The Bible says that the Devil is like a roaring lion prowling about seeking someone to devour. He wants to control you, both now & for all eternity. He will do everything he can to keep you from deciding for Jesus.
“He’ll lie to you. He’ll try to take your eyes off of Jesus & on to something or somebody else – anyone or anything but Jesus. And he’ll assure you that there is no hurry, you have plenty of time before you have to decide.
Now why have I told you about that preacher shouting, “What in Hell is holding you back?” Because I have never forgotten it. I have forgotten a lot of things over the years, but not that question. And I don’t want you to forget it either. Especially if that question applies to you.
Day of Pentecost: Do you realize that the Holy Spirit has used a lot of attention grabbers? On Pentecost, the very day when the Church was first established the apostles were all together & (Acts 2:2-4) “Suddenly a noise like a strong blowing wind came from heaven & filled the whole house where they were sitting.
“They saw something like flames of fire that were separated & stood over each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, & they began to speak different languages by the power the Holy Spirit was giving them.”
The Bible goes on to say that there were Jews there from all over the world & a large crowd was drawn by the sound of the great wind, & they were amazed to hear the Apostles speaking in all these different languages.
Then Peter began speaking to the crowd, saying that the prophets of old had said this would happen. He then told them that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
And he said to them, (Acts 2:22) “God clearly showed this to you by the miracles, wonders, & signs He did through Jesus. You all know this, because it happened right here among you.”
After speaking some more about Jesus, Peter said, (Acts 2:36-38) ‘God has made Jesus – the man you nailed to the cross – both Lord & Christ.’ When the people heard this, they felt guilty & asked Peter & the other apostles, ‘What shall we do?’
“Peter said to them. ‘Change your hearts & lives (in other words ‘Repent’) & be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Vs. 41 tells us, “Then those people who accepted what Peter said were baptized. About 3,000 people were added to the number of believers that day.” The Holy Spirit certainly got their attention. And the results were dramatic!
Then within a few weeks the Bible speaks of 5,000 men being believers, & of “multitudes being added to them day by day.” Acts 2:43 says, “The Apostles were doing many miracles & signs, & everyone felt great respect for God.”
Peter & John arrested: But it wasn’t all sweetness & light in Jerusalem. The Jewish religious leaders who were responsible for crucifying Jesus were determined to put a stop to what was happening. They arrested Peter & John & ordered them to quit speaking about Jesus.
(Acts 4:19-20) “But Peter & John answered them, ‘You decide what God would want. Should we obey you or God? We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen & heard.”
It wasn’t long until a mob of Jews, incited by Jewish leaders, seized a believer named Stephen, & stoned him to death. And a very devout Jew, a student of Gamaliel (who is known today as one of the 3 greatest Rabbis in Jewish history) was prominent in the killing of Stephen. His name was Saul.
Saul (Paul) enters the scene: Soon Saul became the leader of the persecution of believers in Jerusalem. Acts 8:2 says, “Saul was trying to destroy the church, going from house to house, dragging out men & women & putting them in jail.”
And the Bible says, (Acts 8:1) “…all the believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea & Samaria.” Yet wherever they went, they told about their new faith in Jesus, & soon there were groups of believers in other cities too.
After jailing & scattering so many from Jerusalem, the Jewish authorities authorized Saul to go to Damascus & begin arresting believers there.
But as Saul & his companions neared Damascus (Acts 9:3-5), “…a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. Saul fell to the ground & heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’ Saul said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ..”
And Saul tells us, (Acts 22:10-11) “I answered, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘Get up & go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things I have planned for you to do.’
‘I could not see, because the bright light had made me blind. So my companions led me into Damascus.”
(Acts 9:9) “For 3 days Saul could not see & did not eat or drink.” He was praying. Then God sent Ananias to speak to Saul, to open his eyes, & to say, (Acts 22:14-15) “The God of our ancestors chose you long ago to know His plan, to see the Righteous One & to hear words from Him. You will be His witness to all people, telling them about what you have seen & heard.”
(Acts 22:16) “Now, why wait any longer? Get up, be baptized, & wash your sins away, trusting in Him to save you.” Saul did exactly what Jesus told him to do, & we now know him as the apostle Paul, one of the most dedicated Christians who ever lived.
Looking at these 3 stories: Casey’s story, the 3,000 on the Day of Pentecost, & Saul, you might think that God has to do something dramatic in your life before you can become a Christian - such as hitting you over the head with a baseball bat to get your attention.
Philip & the Ethiopian Official: But that’s not necessarily true. For example, in the 8th chapter of Acts we learn of an Ethiopian official who was sitting in his chariot reading from the book of Isaiah. Philip, a deacon from the church in Jerusalem, asked him if he understood what he was reading.
The Ethiopian answered, (Acts 8:31) “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?” Then he invited Philip to climb in & sit with him. …
(Acts 8:35) “Philip began to speak, & starting with this same scripture (the passage which the Ethiopian had been reading), he told the man the Good News about Jesus.”
(Acts 8:36) “While they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The officer said, ‘Look, here is water. What is stopping me from being baptized?’
(Acts 8:38-39) “Then the officer commanded the chariot to stop. Both Philip & the officer went down into the water, & Philip baptized him. … And the officer continued on his way home, full of joy.”
Did you notice? There was no hitting the officer over the head with a bat. It was just explaining the scriptures & telling him about Jesus, & he was ready to accept Jesus as his Savior, & to be baptized. And he went on his way full of joy.
Paul in Corinth: And again, when Paul was in Corinth Acts 18:8 says, “Crispus was the leader of that synagogue, & he & all the people living in his house believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also listened to Paul & believed & were baptized.”
INVITATION: Now today, let me ask you who are listening to me. Are you someone like Casey or Saul, who had been fighting against hearing about Jesus & need to have the Holy Spirit hit you with a bat, or something else to get your attention?
Or are you more like the Ethiopian officer & the people in Corinth who just needed to hear about Jesus & His love, & His invitation? I beg of you, consider seriously who is wanting to hold you back.
O, please reject his excuses & delaying tactics. Come to accept Jesus into your heart & life, to follow His command & example in baptism. OR, having done that already somewhere else, but you are now living here, to unite your life & witness with us in this congregation.
Will you do that today so that we here, & all of heaven may rejoice with you? Whatever your need, will you come?
