The Call of Jesus
Welcome to lesson five in this series called "The Call of Jesus"
where I'm talking out from my book by the same name "The Call of Jesus".
I want to do one video for every chapter in the book.
Now we've come to chapter five and it's called "The Leading of the Holy Spirit".
I just want to say, I love being led by the Holy Spirit.
I love it. I am excited about being led by the Holy Spirit.
I think it's so important for all of us, as believers, that we understand
what the Holy Spirit wants to do.
We are not called to do this alone.
We are called to be led by the Holy Spirit.
I want to talk about that in this chapter.
I want to start with reading something from the chapter:
"The Holy Spirit wants to be as big a part of our everyday lives
as He was in the lives of the first disciples.
He wants to guide us, work through us,
and to make it so that there are no difference between our lives
and the lives of the first disciples we read about in the Book of Acts."
And I want to say this. I really, really, really believe that the Book of Acts in the Bible
should be the normal Christian life.
And what they experienced there is the same you and me should experience today.
We should not build on our church traditions.
We should build on the Bible and the Bible alone.
And the Holy Spirit is here to guide us.
He is here to help us. He is here to lead us to the truth.
He is here to remind us of every word Jesus has spoken.
When we look at Luke 10, as we are going to go through in this book,
verse by verse by verse, we start reading this:
"After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also,
and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place
where He Himself was about to go."
So, here we read that after Jesus appointed them two and two,
He sent them into every city and place where He Himself wanted to go.
When Jesus walked on earth He was led by the Spirit of God
and He walked here on earth physically
and He wanted to go to different cities and places,
because He knew that the harvest was great
and there were people who were waiting for Him in that city, and that city,
and that place, and that place.
So, when Jesus walked on earth physically, He wanted to go to different places.
For example, the woman in Samaria, the woman at the well He went to.
But now, Jesus is not here physically anymore.
Now He is in Heaven.
But, He did not leave us alone.
When He left to Heaven, He sent His Spirit down here.
And now, we are Christ's body and He is the head.
And like Jesus wanted to go to specific cities and places at that time,
because there were people there who were the persons of peace,
who were seeking God,
the same way He wants now us, as His body,
by the Holy Spirit in us,
to go to those places.
And I truly believe that what we read in the Book of Acts,
when we read about being led by the Holy Spirit
and what Jesus commanded to do,
is the same today.
The Book of Acts is not just like the book of... What is that?
Is it a book of the apostles
or is it a book about the work of the Holy Spirit?
Because the Book of Acts really shows what the Holy Spirit can do
in a person who follows Christ.
And I want to read something here from this chapter of my book:
"All the way through the book of Acts, we read how the Holy Spirit worked
through the first disciples.
He was a big part of their life, as it was He who was leading them.
In the book of Acts, we read things like, 'It seems good to the Holy Spirit, and us.'
(Acts, 15:28), 'So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit' (Acts 13:4),
and 'they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit' (Acts 16:6)."
I truly believe it should be like that today in our lives.
But where do we ever in the churches hear something like that today?
Where do we ever hear somebody talk like that,
saying like: Hey, it seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us.
Or, being sent out by the Spirit, or being forbidden by the Spirit
to go there and there.
We don't hear a talk like that today, but this should be how it is.
Why? Because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever,
and the Holy Spirit is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Let's keep reading my book.
"We see this even more clearly if we look at the disciple Philip in Acts 8:26-40.
One day in Philip's life, he experienced an angel of the Lord speaking to him,
telling him where to go.
When he arrived there where the angel said he should go,
he saw a chariot, and then the Holy Spirit spoke to him
saying that he should run over to the chariot and speak with the man there.
When he obeyed and went there, he met the 'person of peace'
(I will come back to this later).
The man there was ready, seeking God. Philip then shared the gospel
with the eunuch, and he repented.
As soon as the eunuch saw water, he was immediately baptized.
Just after the baptism, Philip experienced something amazing.
The Holy Spirit suddenly took him away to another place.
It is really amazing when we read how God worked in Philip's life.
God was a part of the early church, just like He wants
to be a part of your life and my life today."
Hallelujah! The call Jesus has given us is not impossible.
He would never call us to do something He would not empower us to do.
And He has given us the Holy Spirit and by the Holy Spirit
we can experience crazy things.
Who does Jesus want to visit today?
Who does Jesus want you to go to and speak to?
Like Philip was led by the Holy Spirit, we today can be led by the Holy Spirit
to that person who is ready to receive.
I have many strong examples where I've seen how the Holy Spirit
has led me, and I think it should be like that in all of our lives.
One funny example. It looks a little like Philip in the book of Acts 8,
we've just read.
Some years ago I was out walking.
I've been walking, I've been out on the street evangelizing.
I was walking on the way home and suddenly I heard God said: Stop.
And I was like: What? Go back.
I turned around. When I turned around I saw a man behind me.
I thought I should go to him.
He was standing with his back towards me, so I didn't want to come
from his behind, so I walked around him, and then I stood there
like I was looking at the shop, and then I turned to look at his face.
And then he was suddenly gone. And I was like...
I stood there, in front of the shop now, and I thought: God, I thought You said:
Stop. Go back. And now the man is gone.
And then I looked at the shop.
It was a hairdresser, and it was funny because I don't use that anymore.
And it seemed weird, because I was on my way home,
God said: Stop and go back. And now I was standing in front
of a hairdresser shop.
And then somebody came from my behind and said:
Excuse me, you are blocking the door. I turned around. Sorry!
When I turned around and looked at that person who said: Sorry,
I was so excited. Because when I saw him I knew he was the person of peace.
It made sense why God said: Go back and stand right there.
Because that young man had one arm under the jacket like this.
So I said: Hey, stop, stop. Can I ask you something?
Do you believe in God?
And he said: It is so interesting you ask me.
Because my grandmother died two weeks ago and she had a Bible.
And I inherited her Bible and the last two weeks I've been reading the Bible every day.
But I don't understand what I read.
And this morning I said: God, if You are real, send somebody to explain what I'm reading.
It was so amazing. I said: I'm a Christian. I want to explain it. Let me pray for your arm.
What happened? And he had internal bleeding in his arm.
I prayed for him and he got completely healed right away,
and he was a person of peace, and I could share the gospel with him.
I love examples like this. Almost like the Book of Acts.
He was a person of peace ready to receive,
and the Holy Spirit spoke: Go back, stand there in front of the window almost,
so that guy came and could not enter in.
We need to have experiences like this, where the Holy Spirit is leading us.
I have many experiences like that.
I believe there is a reason for that. I want to share that with you.
A main reason I think is the balance between listening to the Spirit and doing it.
I believe we need to listen to the Spirit,
but I also believe we need to do. We just need to obey.
I don't wait for the Holy Spirit to speak to me,
in that way that... There are some people who are over-spiritual.
Don't be over-spiritual.
I met people who are over-spiritual, so they never leave their homes
unless they get a very, very clear word that God says: Go.
No, I don't need the Holy Spirit to say: Go. Why?
Because Jesus has already said: Go.
He has already said: Go.
So, why wait for another "Go" when He has already said: "Go"?
So, I don't wait for that "Go".
I go because Jesus has already said it.
I obey it because it's already written in His Word.
But, while I am obeying, I'm listening.
And I think that is important.
Also, that man I've just told about, when God said: Stop and go back,
I was not sitting home on my couch and doing nothing.
No, I was actually out there obeying,
and out there obeying - God spoke.
Let me read something from this chapter in my book.
"I believe it is important that we have the attitude of doing whatever Jesus said to do,
no matter if we feel like it or not, or if we experience God speaking directly to us or not.
It is important that when you go out on His Word,
you are praying, listening, and asking the Holy Spirit
if there is anything He wants to say to you today.
This is when things start to happen.
For example, if you look at a car, you can sit behind the wheel
and turn the wheel as much as you want, but no matter how much you turn the wheel,
nothing will happen when the car is not moving.
Because the car is not moving, it actually is more difficult to turn the wheel,
but when the car starts to move, it is both easier to turn the wheel
and also to move the car where you want it to go.
This is the same with God and being led by the Holy Spirit.
We can sit in our church and pray to God, and wait for the Holy Spirit to lead us.
We can pray and fast, but nothing will happen because we are doing nothing.
But when we start to obey and go out on the Word of God by faith,
while having a strong life with God of praying and fasting,
we will then experience that it is so much easier to be led by the Holy Spirit."
I want to say, what I just read here, I really believe in this with a car.
We need to not just sit and move the wheel.
We need the car running first.
We need to get car started. We, you need to start to obey.
Why? Because Jesus said it.
Don't wait. He has said it. Obey His word.
I've met so many people: Oh, I don't know what the will of God is
for my life, I don't know what to do...
Here. Take the Word, read it, obey it. This is the God's will for your life.
Go with it. Do it.
But then, while you do it - listen.
While you do it - be open for the Holy Spirit.
And there, I think, it's so important to spend time in prayer and fasting.
And fasting is very, very important. I talk about that more in my book.
I really encourage you to get if you can.
So, what I want to say with this lesson is that I want to encourage you to go.
Don't wait.
Yes, if you have not received the Holy Spirit, then don't go.
If you have not received the Holy Spirit, find somebody near you,
go to www.TLRmap.com, find somebody near you who can pray for you
to receive the Holy Spirit.
That was the only time Jesus said: Wait.
That was when people were waiting for the Holy Spirit.
But after they got the Holy Spirit He did not say: Wait. He said: Go.
Go, go, go, go, go.
And I encourage you to what we read here in Jesus' call, in Luke 10,
is not for us to only pray about and meditate about.
It's for us to obey.
It's for us to go and do.
But, while you are going and doing, I will talk more about that later,
when we put it altogether and come with a lot of testimonies,
you need to open your ears and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you.
The Holy Spirit doesn't speak often through a big, audible voice.
The Holy Spirit speaks through small, small thoughts.
When you are out on the street, when you go and speak to somebody,
you often see a multitude of people, but then you pray and say: God...
Who do you want me to speak to? Who do you send me to?
And then often you see one person you are somehow drawn to.
You don't know why. You just get your eyes on that person
in a way... Why that person?
The Holy Spirit is leading you.
Or, you are like: God, who do You want me to go to today?
And then maybe it is a person you know,
maybe it's a person from your family, people around you,
that person just comes to your mind.
This is often how the Holy Spirit is speaking.
God puts somebody into your mind and the Holy Spirit guides us.
Like me, that time I was walking I was on my way home,
and it was just like my thoughts suddenly: Stop. Go back. What?
But I'm on the way home. Go back. Okay.
It was a thought that came into my mind, and this is how God often speaks to us.
So, ask Him who does He want you to be sent to.
And then, go in faith. Go and talk with them.
In next lessons in this video series and in the book
I will come with many, many, many more details,
next many times, of what you do when you go out there.
What you do when you then go and find that person of peace.
How you share the gospel, how you heal the sick,
how you cast out demons, how you stay in their house,
how you build communities like we read in Acts 10, Acts 16, Acts 19.
How you see with Jesus and the woman at the well,
or Paul, or Lydia, or some of the other examples in the Bible.
I hope you are ready for it.
Time is short. We are living in the end times. Jesus is coming back soon.
And make sure that when He comes back He finds you working in His harvest.
The harvest is great, the workers are few.
And we need you out there.
It's not about being a super evangliest.
It's about obeying Him.
Don't say: Lord, Lord, if you don't do what Jesus says.
Let's read Jesus' words, let's look at the call He has given all of us,
and as I said in the beginning,
maybe you feel a call to be a worship leader, even you don't see that in the Bible,
or be a businessman, even you don't see that.
I think that's okay that people have different callings,
things they feel God has called them to, but...
that call should not precede the call of Jesus.
You can have talents, things you want to do,
but it, actually, comes down to obeying Him and doing His will.
Because when we say "yes" to Jesus we say "no" to ourselves.
And we say "yes" to denying ourselves and taking up His cross and follow Him.
And that is an exciting life.
Until next time, share this video, get the book on Amazon, if you can,
or on the www.TheLastReformation.com.
Read the book together with this series.
Share it, and let's see the church comes back to what Jesus has called us to.
See you next time! God bless you! Bye-bye!
The Call of Jesus