In Season and Out of Season

Guest (Male): This is In Season and Out of Season, a Bible teaching ministry with Father Tom DiLorenzo.

Father Tom DiLorenzo: Good day, good day, good day. It's Father Tom today and I'm not reading, but I'm quoting from the Acts of the Apostles today, Acts 1:8: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all the ends of the earth." Where is this power? Where is this power? We have sacramental power, and I believe in that. I believe that at the altar, the Holy Spirit makes present the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. I believe that, and I know it to be true.

But where is this power that the early church had? We've compromised. We've compromised. We've kind of got comfortable. I'm going to tell you, if you are a person living in the power of the Holy Spirit, you're never going to be comfortable, never, never, never. You want to know why? Because there are always people that God wants to bring to himself, save them through you and through me. You see, we do not have the realization that people go to hell and that hell is forever. We don't have that realization. We've kind of put that in the back of our minds, way back in our minds.

But the reality is, people die today, many of them going to hell. And you want to know why? Because no one came to them with prayer and with faith, with prayer and with faith. And that's the job of Christ's people, the Christians, the Catholic Christians. Unfortunately, many people go into eternal hell because we do not care about people enough to save them from that destructive thing.

When's the last time you told somebody, that maybe you don't even like the person, that she's loved by God? When's the last time you said that? Well, I don't want to come on too strong. I'm going to tell you the devil comes on very strong. His patriots don't ever say, "I don't want to come on too strong." They come on very strong. Oh, their destination is hell, and their plan is to get people to go to hell. And there's only one person who saves us from hell, and his name is Jesus.

He is our salvation. Oh, that salvation came to me through the proclamation in the church. That salvation came to me through baptism. That salvation came to me as I received the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That salvation came to me when I became an adult Christian and received confirmation. But most Catholics don't even know who they are. They don't know who they are. They don't know that God wants to use them in a powerful way. They don't know that. That's Father's job.

I'm going to tell you, you know what Father says? That's a religious person's job. You know what the religious person says? That's the monk's job. You know what the monk says? We can't do it. That's our job, your job, my job to proclaim and to love people, love people into the kingdom, telling them about the love of God in Christ Jesus. That's your job. Don't want to come on too strong. I tell you, the devil comes on very strong.

There are people in your group that you don't know. Many people today, not only are they not Christian—oh, they were baptized as babies, but they've not given their life to Jesus—and they're desperate. And their desperation calls out to you and to me that we could give them something to take their desperation away. And what do we give them? We give them the Gospel. We give them the Lord Jesus Christ. We give them the word of God. "No one who comes to me will I ever reject, for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And it is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of what he has given me, but that I should raise it up on the last day."

I'm talking to one person right now. You were not destined to go to hell. No, you were not destined to go to hell. You were destined not only to go to heaven, but to have the grace-life living in you, not when you die, but today. You were destined because of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and the sending of the Spirit. You were not destined for hell. You're not even destined for purgatory. You were destined to be with Christ Jesus at the right hand of the Lord Jesus himself.

You were destined. How do I know? Because of the blood that he shed. Oh, the blood that he shed. That precious, precious blood was shed for you so that you or I would not go to hell, but that we would have salvation in the person of Jesus. And I tell you, I tell you, most people don't know who Jesus is. Oh yes, they remember him at Christmas. Oh yeah, maybe at Easter, but they have no idea about Easter, that there's power in the resurrection. Not bunny rabbits, but resurrection power.

Who talks about resurrection power? I don't know who talks about it. It's available for us, resurrection power in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said it. I believe Jesus, and he said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." Another word for power is *dynamis*, dynamite. You'll have a dynamite witness to tell people how the Lord Jesus changed your life. Start using your witness for heaven's sake. If you've got a witness, use it.

Don't be afraid to tell people. If you've got a witness, use it and let people know that what God did for you, he could do for them. That God's no respecter of persons. That what he did for me, he can do for you. It is the will of God, and not many people say this, it is the will of God to change us, you and I, to change us by the grace of the Holy Spirit. But if there's no Holy Spirit involved, nothing happens.

Jesus said, "It's better for you that I go away, for if I do not go away, I will not send the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, he will testify to me and to all truth. And he will do greater things through you than I did on the earth." That's what Jesus said, that the Holy Spirit would do greater things in us than what happened in his ministry. That's what he said. I believe him. Maybe we don't start there, but we start by praying for people, that they get better, that they be healed.

That's where we start, but that's not where we finish. Maria Vadia was preaching the word of God one day, I don't know if it was in Florida or wherever. And what happened? A woman dies in the congregation. She dies. Oh, they called the firemen and all these people. Maria went up there and started, "In the name of Jesus Christ, you have no power to be dead. Wake up in the name of the Lord." And guess what happened? She woke up.

And you want to know what? Her children didn't like it because they wanted the money that she had and that it would come to them. Imagine. They didn't have happiness that their mother died and didn't stay dead. How sick is that? How sick is that? They were upset. Jesus gives us new life. Without the new life, we have nothing. That new life is the life of grace. And I'm going to tell you, grace changes things. Grace changes.

Somebody just snapped on the radio today and said, "Who is this loud man? Who is this guy? What's he talking about?" I'm talking about Jesus, and that's the only person I'll talk about because in Christ Jesus is salvation. In Christ Jesus is healing of the body. In Christ Jesus is the truth. In Christ Jesus is all that we have and need. But are you in Christ Jesus? That's the issue. Have you given him your life? Have you given him your life? Not your hour at church. He doesn't need that. Have you given him your life?

When you give Jesus your life, things begin to happen. Things bigger than yourself begin to happen. Nothing happened before, but now things begin to happen. People come call me. I'll never forget, I wasn't a priest. It was Labor Day many years ago and I was sitting on the steps of my house. And I heard the ambulance come. I knew they were coming very close to the house, so I followed it. It was around the corner.

There was a lady, a big lady, who was on the ground and she had no consciousness. I was there. No one knew what I was doing. I just placed my hand upon her and I said, "Jesus, heal her. Just heal this woman." What happened? She was taken to the hospital. Couldn't find anything wrong with her. I tell you, that day, sitting on the stoop of my house, God gave me the grace to be a blessing to somebody. That's what he wants to give you today: the grace to be a blessing to somebody.

Because when you're a blessing to somebody, you get a double blessing back. You get a double blessing back when you're a blessing to people. That means we've got to forget about ourselves, and that's a big thing. We are so concerned with self. When you forget about yourself and concentrate on him and give him the right to come into your life and do whatever he wants to do, things begin to happen. Things begin to happen.

I saw that in my own life. I always went to church. Oh, I did, and during Lent I'd go every single day. I believed in the power of the Eucharist. I knew it to be true. But it wasn't until I made a retreat. I made a retreat called Antioch. Antioch retreat. It was a retreat for young people. And on that retreat, the power of God was displayed. Things began to happen. I was looking at people and their faces were starting to shine. Each one was trying to be blessed, and I knew by their faces starting to shine.

But my face wasn't shining. So I went up to the Blessed Sacrament and I said to Jesus, "I've come here looking for you. All these people are being blessed. Nothing's happening to me. Nothing is happening to me." And I was about to leave the chapel when God interrupted my silence. He said, "Rest." You know what I did? I got on the rug and I rested. I don't know how long I was there, makes no difference. When I got up, I saw something that you could only see in the power of the Spirit.

I saw the wildflowers in front of the Blessed Sacrament giving glory to God. I not only saw wildflowers, I saw what they were doing and he spoke to me, the Lord himself. He said, "Do you see these wildflowers, how much glory they give me?" I said, "Yes, Lord." He said, "How much more glory can you give me? You're a human being." I said, "Much, Lord." And with that, I said, "You can have my life." And he took it. Have you given him your life?

Not only your sins, but your life. Have you given him your life? Because when he has your life, things begin to happen that don't happen to other people and don't happen to church people either, unless they have given their life to Jesus. We, the church, is empowered with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Greater is the power of God, the Holy Spirit, in you than he that is in the world. Who's in the world? The old devil.

We've got one greater than the old devil. We've got the Heavenly Father, the wonderful Son, and the glorious Holy Spirit living in us until he comes back again. But do we give ourselves to this wonderful Trinity? Are we expecting anything to happen? I tell you a beatitude that's not in the Bible. Oh, the Bible talks about "Blessed is the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." Well, I'm going to give you a beatitude: Blessed is the person who expects nothing from God, they shall not be disappointed.

He's not going to get disappointed because they expect nothing. And they'll get nothing. That's what they get. They get what they expect. Blessed is the person who believes that a mustard seed of faith can not only change my life but the lives of people around me in Christ Jesus. Blessed are those people that take God's word and believe it. My. There should be a revolution of change if the Gospel is being proclaimed. A revolution of change.

But you see, we just get satisfied, satisfied with nothing. "Oh, I received the Holy Eucharist every single Sunday." That's wonderful. But when you receive him the next time, tell him, "I surrender. Give me your Holy Spirit more than I've ever experienced." When you receive the body and blood of the Lord Jesus on Sunday, tell him, "I surrender. Give me the Holy Spirit to do miracles, signs, and wonders." Things will happen. It all started with me many years ago in 1968 in Methuen when the Lord showed himself to me.

And what happens now? Now I'm an older person. Do I see Jesus? Not often. But I know him. No one can tell me I don't know him. No one can tell me I don't know the Lord. I know him by grace. And I know that he loves you. And I know that he's got a plan for your life. But you've got to respond. You've got to respond. And you only respond in faith. Without faith, it's impossible to please God.

And I think that's the problem of the United States Church today, Catholic Church. We have a faith problem. We don't believe and expect a move of God. And blessed are those who don't believe and expect a move of God; they shall not be disappointed. Nothing will happen. When we take God at his word, things begin to happen. When we take God at his word: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You shall be my witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to all the ends of the earth." You, not only me.

It's real. God wants to change people through you. But before he changes people through you, you've got to be changed. And you don't change yourself. The change comes by surrendering our life to the Lord Jesus. That's what happens. "I surrender my life to you, Lord Jesus. Come into my life, Lord Jesus. Be for me the savior. Be for me the Lord. Be for me the healer. I surrender my life." Why? Because without you, I'm desperate.

No one who comes to me, the word of God says in John 6, "No one who comes to me will I ever reject, for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And it is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of what he has given me, but that I should raise it up on the last day." That's God's will. It's not God's will for you to sit in the corner and not have an influence on people.

It is God's will for you to have an influence on people, bringing them into Christ and into the kingdom of God. And where do you start? You start with yourself. You make sure that he's your Lord. You give him your life. You tell him, "I don't want my life anymore to be mine. I give it to you. I surrender. I stand under the cross and I ask the blood that was shed at Calvary would wash away all my sins. Would wash away all my sins. I'm desperate for you, God." Those that are desperate for God and turn to him, they are never disappointed.

The Church in the United States is a church of comfort, a church of comfort. No, we were never called to be comfortable. We were called to be people who not only love God but who proclaim his love to other people. You see, when you've got something good, you've got to share it. Many years ago, I used to go to the Hilltop Steakhouse. There were crowds and crowds and crowds of people. And I would tell people, "Oh, you can go to the Hilltop and have a steak for $4.95. And oh, after that, you can have a wonderful dessert and a big, big salad."

It was good news. We would tell people that. The best news is Jesus. And who tells people about Jesus? Who tells people? The best news is you don't have to go to hell. You have the forgiveness of your sins in Christ Jesus. I come to give you blessing today, healing today. My love is for you today. Take it, receive it, allow that love to change you. You can't change yourself. I can't change me. Only the love of God can change me.

How does it come? "Here I am, Lord, I'm surrendering. I need you more than I need the breath that I breathe right now. Come dwell within my heart by faith. I need you. I am desperate for you. If you retreat from me, nothing will ever happen. Come, Lord Jesus, and do for me what you did when you walked the earth because you still walk the earth through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not forgotten."

He said these words, Jesus: "It is better for you that I go away. For if I go away, I will send you the Holy Spirit. Oh, come, Holy Spirit. Come, wonderful Holy Spirit. Enflame our hearts with the love of Jesus. Enflame our hearts with a witness that tells other people about you, Lord Jesus. Enflame our hearts to step out and not be a closet Christian, but be a Catholic Christian that people know that if they're in trouble, they can call you."

I tell you, people that thought I was a nuts, when they were in trouble, they called the nutty person so that the nutty person would pray with them. That's real. That's real. I don't care what people think. God wants to do something for you. Let him. And the only way you let him is by saying words like this: "I'm yours. I surrender. Free me from sin. I'm yours. I surrender. God bless you."

Guest (Male): This has been In Season and Out of Season with Father Tom DiLorenzo. And remember that this ministry is supported only by the donations of listeners. So please help as the Lord leads you. Father Tom DiLorenzo, PO Box 602, East Boston, Mass, 02128. In Season and Out of Season.