Stand Alone Sermon

You can’t live for Jesus without being empowered by the Spirit!  It’s just not possible!! But what does it mean to “live by the Spirit”? How do you “get” the Holy Spirit and how do you learn to “use” the Spirit’s power?  These may sound like questions without answers, and you may not realize how much you NEED the answers, but without them you may be like so many who try to “live the Christian life” by your own power, only to discover that you feel powerless to overcome the flesh. Some churches claim to be “full gospel” churches, believing that much of the church is missing biblical teaching on the work of the Spirit today. They believe the Spirit continues to work today as He did in the early Church, particularly with the “charismatic” or “sign” gifts like speaking in tongues, healing and miracles. Without question, the Holy Spirit is at work in Christ’s Body today, for no one comes to faith in Jesus Christ apart from being born again by the Holy Spirit! But what does that mean for believers as we live in this world as followers of Jesus Christ? Knowing that the Spirit of God lives within every true believer, how do you access the Spirit’s power? People talk about spiritual warfare, but can anyone really WIN that war? If the Gospel is really “good news,” is it just for the future, when you leave this world behind … or is there more to be experienced NOW, in THIS life, as you live in this world for Jesus Christ? God has the answers we need in His Word. Pray that the Spirit who inspired the writers to write God’s Word will give you wisdom to understand it and to obey it, for in doing so you will experience “the FULL Gospel!”