The Holy Spirit's Work: Sunday Night at Ablaze UK
On Sunday night the service started with the Word of God as Ps David Wade read from the Scriptures before we entered into a time of praise and worship.
Ps David Olphert brought prophetical ministry on the theme of God's forgiveness. The Lord doesn't just want us to know about His forgiveness, but to live in His forgiveness.
The preacher for Sunday evening was Ps Josh Cordray (Maidstone assembly) who reminded us that 'the plan comes from God' and that 'God called the Apostolic Church into being and God is not finished with it.'
In order to advance, we cannot start out from having an integrity problem, yet we lack integrity if we claim to be baptised in the Holy Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit, but if we aren't willing to do the work of the Holy Spirit. And what is the work of the Holy Spirit? 'The work of the Holy Spirit is to preach the gospel.'
Josh took as his text John 16:8-11 where Jesus talks about the work of the Spirit.
The work of the Holy Spirit begins in each of our lives with conviction. So that means that, in our evangelism, if we try to avoid talking about sin, then we're tying to cut out the beginnings of the Holy Spirit's work. If conviction of sin is left out of the equation, then our attempts at evangelism turn into the effort of trying to convince people who don't think they need salvation.
The gospel isn't come to Jesus and He'll make you happy; 'people don't need Jesus because they're unhappy. They need Jesus because otherwise they're going to die in their sins and go to hell.'
The rejection of Christ is the most basic sin of all (John 3:18). 'Our society has rejected the light of Christ and worships the darkness of sin.'
The Holy Spirit wants to work through you to convict people of sin as you tell them that Jesus is real.
Conviction of judgement isn't talking about the final judgement but about the end of Satan's rule in this world. And that's what's offered in the gospel - Jesus is Victor!
So tell people that Jesus is real, Jesus is good, and Jesus is Victor. The challenge of God is to do the work of the Holy Spirit; and the work of the Holy Spirit is to preach the gospel.
Ps David Olphert brought prophetical ministry on the theme of God's forgiveness. The Lord doesn't just want us to know about His forgiveness, but to live in His forgiveness.
The preacher for Sunday evening was Ps Josh Cordray (Maidstone assembly) who reminded us that 'the plan comes from God' and that 'God called the Apostolic Church into being and God is not finished with it.'
In order to advance, we cannot start out from having an integrity problem, yet we lack integrity if we claim to be baptised in the Holy Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit, but if we aren't willing to do the work of the Holy Spirit. And what is the work of the Holy Spirit? 'The work of the Holy Spirit is to preach the gospel.'
Josh took as his text John 16:8-11 where Jesus talks about the work of the Spirit.
The work of the Holy Spirit begins in each of our lives with conviction. So that means that, in our evangelism, if we try to avoid talking about sin, then we're tying to cut out the beginnings of the Holy Spirit's work. If conviction of sin is left out of the equation, then our attempts at evangelism turn into the effort of trying to convince people who don't think they need salvation.
The gospel isn't come to Jesus and He'll make you happy; 'people don't need Jesus because they're unhappy. They need Jesus because otherwise they're going to die in their sins and go to hell.'
The rejection of Christ is the most basic sin of all (John 3:18). 'Our society has rejected the light of Christ and worships the darkness of sin.'
The Holy Spirit wants to work through you to convict people of sin as you tell them that Jesus is real.
Conviction of judgement isn't talking about the final judgement but about the end of Satan's rule in this world. And that's what's offered in the gospel - Jesus is Victor!
So tell people that Jesus is real, Jesus is good, and Jesus is Victor. The challenge of God is to do the work of the Holy Spirit; and the work of the Holy Spirit is to preach the gospel.