Power Point - May 16, 2005
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
--Ephesians 5:17
Did you know that you are a gifted child of God? When the Spirit of the Lord gave you a new birth into the Christ-centered life, He didn’t come in empty-handed. He came bearing birthday gifts—spiritual gifts to be exercised in the body of Christ for the glory of God!
I’m talking specifically about what God has given every Christian today for His glory—not charisma, fanaticism, and excesses. Over the next two weeks, I’m going to begin talking to you about some of the gifts in the New Testament that were given for a specific apostolic period of time in order to confirm and affirm the message of Christ. And those same gifts remain today for spiritual service and ministry.
Spiritual service is always in conjunction with the will of God. So what is the will of God? God has promised a wonderful, abundant, and victorious life for every Christian. The answer for this kind of life is not education, activity, emotionalism, or a list of dos and don’ts that provides some kind of instant spirituality. The secret to life is walking in and being filled with the Spirit of God.
It is God’s will that every Christian be filled with the Spirit of God, not just the super saints, preachers, or missionaries. As a child of God, it is also your right and privilege to experience this kind of life. If you are not filled with the Holy Spirit continually, then you are disobeying Christ because He commanded each of us to be full of His Spirit.
I’m told that it’s not polite to ask personal questions, but let me ask you this. Wherever you’re at in life right now, are you filled with the Spirit of God? If you don’t know, then you need to know. Ask God to fill you with His Spirit, so you can fulfill His will for your life. If you don’t know what it is to be a child of God, then it is time to ask Jesus Christ forgive you of your sins and become the Savior or your life.
THE SPIRIT OF GOD ALWAYS POINTS PEOPLE TO JESUS
AND MAKES THEM MORE LIKE HIM.
