PowerPoint

Host (Male): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. If you are an ordinary person and think that God uses other people, but He can't use me, I want to show you in God's word today how God can use you mightily, powerfully in the world.

Guest (Female): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how ordinary you can do extraordinary things. Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message, Transformed.

Host (Male): Take your Bibles and turn with me to Acts, the second chapter. Two centuries ago, a group of believers led by 12 men, armed with nothing but a simple yet powerful message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, changed the world. It was a small group of 120 people who began meeting in an upstairs room and praying and waiting on the promise that God had given them, the promise of the Father.

They had no human advantage. They had no physical advantage. There was no media. There was no satellite technology, certainly not computers, the Worldwide Web, there were no published materials or books, there were no financial resources, they had no magnificent facilities. And yet these Christians not only survived, but they thrived, facing impossible odds, even extreme persecution and opposition.

And yet they delivered on the message of Christ and fulfilled the mission of Jesus. Now, unless you think, well, these people were supercharged, they were super saints, and they aren't like me. Well, I beg to differ. Those 12 disciples and others who joined them were ordinarily ordinary. But something happened that engaged them with God and with the Gospel and with going into all the world. Something happened to them. Something changed these ordinary men who had failed.

You know, they fled at the cross. They ran for their lives. Between the cross and the resurrection, they were hiding in the shadows, fearful of their lives. Even after the resurrection, when they saw Christ and certainly believed, yet they wondered about their own future. They were living with some regrets because of their failures. Simon Peter was a perfect example of that. There was confusion, lack of clarity, but Jesus gathered them before His ascension.

And His last words to them was to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. But He said, I will not leave you abandoned or orphaned. I will be with you and My very Spirit, the Holy Spirit will empower you as you engage the world. Someone said that the Savior went up. The Spirit came down. The church went out and the lost came in. And that's what happened on the day of Pentecost.

In Acts chapter 2, that day, a day that makes a difference in our lives to this very day, takes place. And we're going to look at just the first portion of Acts chapter 2. When it says, the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place, and suddenly there came from Heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind. And it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

And they were all, mark this, filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. If you are an ordinary person, and most of us are, and think that God uses other people, but He can't use me, I want to show you in God's word today how God can use you mightily, forcibly, powerfully in the world. And this is normal Christian living.

It is to live in obedience to Christ and His call, His commands upon our lives. Now, when you think about it, from a human perspective, this whole thing about spreading the Gospel at the outset didn't make much sense. He had gathered these fishermen and tax collectors, and He had given them. He had placed in their hands the future of the Christian faith. The future of the church was in the hands of these men.

There was no plan B. He had no second team backup squad if these men failed. No, He gave them the charge. He issued the call and they responded when the Holy Spirit fell. They were transformed. Now, maybe you're wondering, okay, what does it mean to be transformed? Well, that's what we see in the verses that we just read a moment ago. How we are transformed. Number one, from emptiness to fullness.

These early believers had been with Christ and Christ had been with them. God was with us in the presence, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. But spiritually they were empty, and they needed His presence to go forward with their lives and the future of the mission. You know, Jesus, the Incarnation was God with us. Calvary was God for us. But at the day of Pentecost, we now have God in us.

Because on that day with accompanying signs and symbols and miracles and powerful manifestations, the Spirit of God, the promise of the Father was delivered. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, of course, when you read this passage, the subject of the baptism of the Spirit and the filling of the Spirit comes up. Perhaps someone has asked you in the past, do you have the baptism of the Spirit?

Have you been baptized with the Spirit? Well, what is the baptism of the Spirit? The word baptism means to immerse. And so, when you speak of the baptism of the Spirit, it means that we are now immersed. When we are baptized in water, we are identified with Christ. His death, His burial, His resurrection. And so when the baptism of the Spirit takes place, we are now identified with Christ.

You say, when does this take place? Is this some activity? Is this some action that takes place subsequent to salvation? Not at all. As a matter of fact, the baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place simultaneously, instantaneously, automatically when we are saved, when we come to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. For example, in this same chapter 2 of Acts, look at verse 38. When many who heard the message of Christ came running up and wanting to know what to do in response, Peter said to them, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin, literally translated because of the forgiveness of your sins.

And notice this phrase, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In other words, when you repent and you respond in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ, you come to know Him as your Lord and Savior, then you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Notice this is not gifts of the Spirit, but the gift of the Spirit. In other words, God's Spirit now indwells us. God's Spirit comes to live in us.

And every Christian has received the Holy Spirit. Because of what happened on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God arrived, now every believer is baptized by the Holy Spirit when we receive Christ. You say, how so? Well, listen to 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13. You may want to mark this as a reference. Chapter 12, verse 13 of 1 Corinthians, for in one Spirit we are all baptized, all baptized into one body, Jews and Greeks, slaves or free, and were all made to drink of one Spirit.

So again, I say, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is something that God does for us. God gives to us when we come to know Christ. Did you know that if you don't have the Holy Spirit, you're not a believer? That's what Romans chapter 8 verse 9 says. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. It's impossible to say Jesus is Lord without the convincing, convicting work and witness of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said in John chapter 16 that the Holy Spirit has come into the world to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. And so He convicts us and He convinces us that Jesus is Lord. And we respond because of the work of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Spirit means that Christ is now in us. His Spirit is living in us. We are no longer empty. We are no longer powerless to live a victorious life, a successful Christian life.

We now have the power of His presence. This is the supernatural, sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. It's the singular work of the Holy Spirit. Never to be repeated work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He indwells us personally. He indwells us permanently. He witnesses within, the witness of the Holy Spirit, assuring us that when we open God's word and we read God's word and we respond to the Gospel, assuring us within that we belong to Him.

This is the witness, the testimony of the Spirit. So when the Spirit came that day, they were transformed from emptiness to fullness.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message Transformed. Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It's a study of God's word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate to the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVOTION to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham's devotional every day. Again, text DEVOTION to 59789.

We want to tell you about an exciting opportunity available this month. Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God's word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible. As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, The Lord Is My Shepherd.

Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789. Now, let's get back to today's message, Transformed.

Host (Male): But there's something else that took place that day. They were transformed from fear to courage. I mean, you can't even believe that men like Simon Peter and these others who ran at the cross are then the same people who are standing and praising God and proclaiming Christ in the city streets. What happened? What made the difference? What changed these Christians from cowardly to courageous? Hiding in the shadows to running into the streets and proclaiming the Gospel.

There's only one explanation: the arrival and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Now, when the Holy Spirit came, there were powerful demonstrations of His power and His presence. For example, there was a mighty rushing wind. Then an explosive ball of fire, according to the verses we just read. Then separating and lighting upon the heads of believers. They became as human candles. It says as of fire. They were now fired up, propelled.

And the baptism of the Spirit as they received that that witness and that work of the Spirit that day, they spoke languages that they have never learned. Now, the purpose of this message is not to discuss the gift of tongues or of languages, but I can tell you for sure when you read this passage of scripture, you don't have to be, you don't have to wonder about this. There is one thing for sure when you read this passage, when the the Holy Spirit came and baptized them with fire and they spoke with with other tongues, they spoke with languages that they had never learned, genuine languages, authentic languages that were was heard and understood by the people who had gathered at the day of Pentecost.

This great Jewish feast from all over the world. And so the miracle of Pentecost was a miracle of sound. There was the sound of the mighty rushing wind. There was the miracle of sight. It appeared upon them as divided tongues of fire. And there was the miracle of speech as now these are proclaiming with praises to God, the Lord Jesus Christ. All of these symbols of what takes place in our lives as well.

The sound of the mighty rushing wind. The word for wind here is the same word from which we when we read our Bibles for breath. The New Testament word for the Spirit is breath. In the Hebrew language, it is Ruach. It is breath. God breathed on Adam and Eve and they became living souls. Thou they have been breathed upon with life and power. When Ezekiel the prophet saw a vision of the valley of dry bones.

These skeletons had been slain in battle and nothing was left but bone a bone here and a bone there. But then the sinews came together and the bones were connected. But they were still lifeless and powerless. And then God breathed into these skeletons, into these bodies and they became alive. And that's the picture of what happens when we were dead in our trespasses or sins and now we're made alive in Christ.

And now the Spirit of God lives in us and breathes in us. And of course, the wind is invisible. You can't see it, you can only feel it. Some people wonder about faith, about the Christian life and can you believe in faith and can you believe that your faith is real? Can you believe in the God by faith? Because you can't see faith and you can't see God. Jesus said, it's like the wind that blows where it will.

You can't see it but you can see the impact and the influence of the wind. And then of course, fire is a symbol of God and His presence. When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, he said, I am the great I am. Our God is a consuming fire. And the fire of God's presence is now within us. Fire cleanses, fire consumes. And these men and women are now consumed by the work of the Holy Spirit.

And now they are communicating the word of God. This is what happens when the Spirit of Christ comes to live in us. We are now emboldened and emblazoned to stand up for Christ, to share Christ, to shine his lights in the world. So, what happened when they were transformed? They moved from emptiness to fullness. The Spirit of God is now living in them. They moved from failure and fear to courage.

And they moved to boldness and confidence in that faith. Acts chapter 2 verse 40. And with many other words, he bore witness and continued to exhort them saying, save yourselves from this crooked generation. Now, who is this speaking? This is Simon Peter. The same Peter who denied Jesus. But now renewed by Christ Himself, restored in the love of God. He is now filled with the Holy Spirit and he is confidently, courageously sharing Christ.

Chapter 4 of Acts verse 13. Later when Peter and John were arrested and beaten within an inch of their lives for sharing their faith, they were told never to speak the name of Jesus again. But those who watched them, those who observed them said, even though they were uneducated and common men, they were astonished when they saw the boldness of Peter and John.

Now how can you be courageous today? The biggest problem we have for the most part in living for Christ and certainly in sharing our faith is fear. The fear of rejection, the fear of mocking, the fear of laughter, the fear that someone is going to call you a religious freak, a Jesus freak, a fanatic, whatever the fear. We're all filled with fear of various kinds and at various levels. We're recalcitrant and reluctant to go public with our faith.

So, how are we going to be courageous? By adding a theological degree or going to the next latest and greatest conference on evangelism or by some emotional, esoteric experience in which we get zapped and all of a sudden start speaking the word of God? Not at all. But rather when we are filled with the Spirit of God, can we live in obedience to His commands? And the boldness that God gives us is real.

The Holy Spirit helps us and enables us and empowers us. Jesus said, I will give you a helper and He will be with you, even the Spirit of truth. And just as the Father sent Jesus, He has now sent the Spirit to live within us. So I ask you today, are you living a transformed life? Have you moved from fear to courage, from failure and defeat to victory and success in your Christian life?

Have you moved from being a weakling and a wimp as far as your public faith goes to being a warrior for God, a witness for Christ? In other words, are you transformed? Should I ask your wife or your husband, or your kids? Should I ask the people you work with? Are you transformed? For you see, while every believer possesses the Spirit, not every Christian is full and possessed by the Spirit.

The Spirit, you have all the Spirit there is. You don't get the Spirit in liquid portions or parts. But the question is, does the Holy Spirit have you? The Spirit of God resides in you, but does He preside in you? He is resident. Is He president? I heard someone say a long time ago that many Christians have been to Calvary for pardon, but they've never been to Pentecost for power.

While we could never repeat this day, this historical day of Pentecost, this was a once and for all powerful event in history, Christian history, that inaugurated the birth of the church and baptized believers into His family forever. Why we don't attempt to to pray for another Pentecost? I mean, we wouldn't pray for another Pentecost anymore than we would pray for another Calvary or another Bethlehem. These are historical acts of God.

But some of us need to pray for a personal Pentecost in the sense that we ask the Spirit of the living God in us to fill us. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And while there is one baptism of the Spirit, there are many fillings. And did you know this is a command of the word of God to be filled with the Holy Spirit? We'll talk about that in another message and what that means, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit means that you're controlled by the Spirit of God who is living in you.

That means you will be transformed. Some have the Spirit of God, but you don't understand who you have and what you have. And therefore you're trying to do everything that you do. Trying to pray, trying to witness, trying to worship, trying to be a good husband, trying to be a good father, trying to be a good person. You're trying to do all of this in the strength of your humanity and it doesn't work that way. God has given us power.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Christ is living in you. And the greatest spiritual lesson I ever learned since the day I came to know faith in Jesus Christ was the salvation that is in Christ that we are not only saved by His death, but we are saved by His life in us. And His Spirit now indwells us and infuses us with spiritual power. So that we can win life's greatest battles, so that we can overcome temptation, so that we can defeat the enemy, knowing that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

We can overcome opposition against all odds. Even though we don't have every advantage. We know that the message of Jesus Christ can change the world through us. Imagine what could happen if on that day 120 were engaged by the Spirit of God and went out and turned the world upside down. Imagine what could happen if believers today were all filled with the Spirit of God and went out as flaming on fire witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just imagine what could happen. So maybe you need to pray today for a personal Pentecost. In that the Spirit of God would fill you and use you to take the message of His love and His grace that you would so shine that the world would know Jesus.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message Transformed. Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God's word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible. As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, The Lord Is My Shepherd.

Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789. Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It's a study of God's word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVOTION to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham's devotional every day. Again, text DEVOTION to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Host (Male): Well, let's just take a moment to talk about our lives and maybe some words that so often, unfortunately, describe our lives. Try the word empty or what about the word defeated or even the word fearful? Are these the kinds of words that describe your life? Or do the words fulfilled, faithful, courageous describe you? Only a life that's being transformed by the Spirit of God can be described as fulfilled, faithful and courageous.

And if you're like me, I know you want your life to be described in these ways. And yet so often we get hung up on our past, how we failed God, how we've sinned. But think about those first Christians. One denied Jesus three times the night before the Lord was crucified. Another had a huge anger problem. And all but one deserted Jesus when it came time for Him to die on the cross. They all had reasons to beat themselves up and even disqualify themselves from God's service.

But wait a minute, that's not how God operates. God renewed, restored and used those early disciples. Because He filled them with His Spirit, they could be restored and again used mightily of God. In our remaining moments together today, let me ask you, is there something in your past that is keeping you on the bench spiritually? Now just think about this for a moment. You have disqualified yourself and you're out of the game right now because you think God no longer can use you.

Maybe it's more than one thing that you've done. Maybe it's many things that you have done. Let me assure you as a child of God of what the scripture says to you in Romans 8:1. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. Satan wants you to believe the exact opposite. And oh how easy it is to listen to his lies. But remember this, as a follower of Jesus, you are not to live in condemnation over your sins, no matter how many or how bad they may be.

Trust in Him. Turn from your sins. Repent and receive His forgiveness and the fullness of His Spirit. And God will use you in amazing ways if you will just be prepared to be used.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, The Lord Is My Shepherd. Just text SEPTEMBER to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can boldly share the only message that can transform the world. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.