The Holy Spirit is in you, don't waste it. Use it.
Dr. Roberto Miranda(Audio: Español)
RESUMEN:
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:18 calls for believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit instead of wasting their lives on things that do not lead to spiritual prosperity. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a fundamental component of the Christian life, and Paul repeatedly spoke of the power of the Holy Spirit in his letters. Being filled with the Holy Spirit requires continuous cultivation and surrender to the Lord, including reading the word, adoring the Lord, confessing God's good intentions, gathering together, sanctifying ourselves, giving to the Lord, and keeping our mind focused on the things of God. The power of the Holy Spirit is not mysterious or exotic, but rather reflects dedication, spiritual health, consecration, vitality, seriousness, and holiness. The Christian life is 24/7 and requires continuous exercise, surrender, and sacrifice. We must always be prepared for every good work at any time, as God may need to use us at any moment.
The passage discusses how God spoke to Philip to go to Ethiopia and preach the Gospel. It emphasizes the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit to hear and understand God's messages, as demonstrated through a dream the speaker had. The dream involved cutting a snake to reach its head, which symbolized spiritual warfare and opposition. The speaker encourages listeners to cultivate their relationship with the Holy Spirit and not become complacent in their faith. He emphasizes that receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is only the beginning and that it must be continually nurtured to keep the fire of faith burning.
The Christian life is like a car that needs tuning up regularly. Churches can lose their energy over time due to gossip, fights, mistakes of leaders, familiarity, and inertia. The fire of the gift of God needs to be rekindled. The author shares his own experience of seeking the filling of the Holy Spirit and how he finally received it. He encourages people not to get burdened with the idea that they have to fall to the ground, cry, or have an extraordinary experience. They should actively receive the infilling of the Spirit into their lives and settle it. The author shares how his church went from being a Baptist church to being more Holy Spirit-filled. He had no experience in the Pentecostal movement and had to reinvent the world in the light of the Holy Spirit. They started adding different music and launched themselves in the name of the Lord. The author encourages people to walk in the spirit and not let fear dominate their actions and decisions in ministry. Many decisions are made out of obedience to what the author believes is a call from the Lord.
The speaker talks about their journey to becoming a Pentecostal church and how it was through obedience to God's call. They share how God provided resources and people to help them, and how they began to see manifestations of the Holy Spirit, including gifts and demonstrations. The speaker emphasizes the importance of using the gifts and not wasting them, as one day we will be accountable for what we did with them. They encourage the congregation to prepare for a time of seeking the filling of the Holy Spirit and to pray for a visitation from God.
The speaker is asking the congregation to pray and fast for a visitation from the Holy Spirit during upcoming sermons. They ask for God to remove anything impure or not of Him from the church, to purify and sanctify them, and to bring to light any hidden sins or wrongdoings. They emphasize the seriousness of this prayer and ask for God's mercy and guidance.I want to invite you to go with me to the Letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5, verse 18. And there is only one verse that I want to share with you. The Apostle Paul tells his congregation in Ephesus: “Do not get drunk with wine – now as it is with wine you can use rum, whiskey, that is not what he meant. With alcohol, period, because I know that those who don't run fly here sometimes. You have to be very clear. – in which there is dissolution… – Dissolution means disorder, conflicts, fights, etc. – … but rather be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Say Holy Spirit. Amen, it is a call from the Lord to us. Instead of wasting our lives with things that do not lead to anything good, instead of filling ourselves with things that are not nutritious for the spirit, for life, we are going to use and employ our energies to fill ourselves with something that is truly essential for our prosperity in the spirit.