The Communication Gifts | Empowered (Part 4)

[00:00:03] You're listening to the Travis Rutland Podcast. Travis Rutland is a spirit filled pastor and ministry leader who has been featured on International Christian Television. He serves as lead pastor of Liberty Square Church in Cartersville, Georgia and as president of Global Servants. His sermons focus on clear biblical teaching, practical truth and encouragement for everyday life. Each message is designed to strengthen your faith and draw you deeper into God's word. This podcast is brought to you to you by Global Servants. For more information about Global servants, please visit globalservants.org now here's Travis Rutland. [00:00:42] We've been talking about empowered and the gifts of the Spirit. We've moved through it. We did an introductory kind of message and then we've talked about the list of the nine gifts of the Spirit that are found in 1 Corinthians, chapter 12. And we've moved through them, talking about three sets of three. Today is the final set of three, three. And that is what I'm terming the communication gifts. We've talked about the intuitive gifts. We've talked about the power gifts. And now this morning we want to talk about the communication gifts. So we're going to begin by reading that list as we have the last couple of weeks. So turn if you will to 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 7, 1 Corinthians 12 and 7. [00:01:21] Paul is writing and he says, but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the spirit to another the word of knowledge through the same spirit to another faith by the same spirit to another gifts of healings by the same spirit to another, the working of miracles to another prophecy to another discerning of spirits to another, different kinds of tongues to another, the interpretation of tongues. Let's pray. [00:01:53] God, we ask in the next few moments that you will speak to us, all of us, each of us. We want to hear everything that you have for us this morning. Morning we have worshiped, we have, we have just lingered in your presence. And now we just ask that you continue to move among us through the spoken word. Lord, speak to us. We long to hear from you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. [00:02:14] In movies and TV shows and things like that, you'll often have this moment where nuclear missiles are, have to be launched or some, you know, thing is about to happen and there's all these steps that they have to go through. You have to have this, you have to have the nuclear codes, right? You put them in and then two different people, you've seen This, I have no idea if this is how they launch nuclear missiles or not. Hopefully we never find out. But you've seen this, right? Then each person has a key, and they both insert the keys at the same time. And the keys are far enough away where one person can't do it at the same time. So they look at each other. 1, 2, 3. They insert the key. 1, 2, 3, they turn. Then they lift the button on the red 1, 2, 3. And they push the button. And there's this long, complicated process because they know that the end result is this thing that brings all this destruction and everything like that. So it's there, but they never see it. They never talk about. They never deal with it. They just know that that big red button that launches nuclear warheads is there. The same thing is true in our relationships and how we deal with each other. The same thing is true. Everybody's got the nuclear passcode for the other person in any given marriage. [00:03:27] Everybody knows what that button is. [00:03:30] You can push it at any time, but you know that destruction immediately follows. You know what I'm saying? We had. Actually, there was a. There was a phrase during the Cold War called mad, mad, which was mutually agreed destruction, mad. So the Russians knew that if they pushed that button, they knew we would push our button and it would be mutually agreed, mutually happening, destruction. [00:04:02] The same thing is true for every relationship and every person. It's different, right? You know what it is for your spouse. [00:04:09] I know you know, it's, it's. And it can be anything. But you, you know, you can win the argument, but you also know that when you push the button, she pushes hers, right? [00:04:23] So there's that thing that's there. We know about it, we're aware of it, but we kind of tiptoe around it. We don't really talk about it. We pretend like we. We have other language, we do other things, but we never talk about this thing. What we might say is the elephant in the room. [00:04:44] So when it comes to the gifts of the spirit, in particular this list of nine, we have all these different ways to approach all of these different things. [00:04:54] So what happens is in other denominations, in other places, other types of churches, they have the idea that because there are certain gifts that they don't want to deal with, probably the communication gifts, because there are different gifts they don't want to deal with. What we're going to do is say that none of them are for today, that none of them are for now, that all of them went out with the death of the last apostle, that everything is no longer happening. So there's no, there's none of these things. There's no healing, there's no miracles, there's no tongues, there's no interpretation of tongues. There's no prophecy. But the problem being, my feeling is they're not opposed to all of them, but they are radically opposed to some of them. And because they are so radically opposed to some of them, we throw all of them away. [00:05:45] Now there's other whole denominations in churches that approach it differently. [00:05:49] They believe in certain ones. Yes, we believe in the idea of healing. [00:05:54] Yes, we believe in miracles. [00:05:56] It's like, yeah, but what about different kinds of tongues? And they're like, don't push that button. [00:06:04] Right? [00:06:05] So they have this whole conversation about the gifts of the spirit, but they tiptoe around certain elements of it. Yes, we believe in healing. Yes, we believe in miracles. Yes. Well, we kind of believe in this one. And somebody in the back goes, what about tongues? I go, shut up. We're not doing right. We're not put, don't push that button. [00:06:25] So that becomes the thing. But here's the deal. [00:06:29] I know we got all kinds of backgrounds in here, myself included. I did not grow up as a classical Pentecostal. I'm not a fifth generation Pentecostal. I grew up in a Methodist church, a Spirit filled Methodist church. Both of my parents spirit filled Methodists, but all of us come from different places. But here's what I want to challenge you with. Because I've heard people say this before. I don't, I don't know if I believe in the gifts of the spirit, but if I can give you a thought, if you have ever prayed for healing, if you have ever prayed for someone that you love to be healed, or if you've ever prayed for healing, then I got news for you. Read the other eight. [00:07:06] Because if you believe in that one, then you've got to believe in all of them. You see, we don't get to pick and choose what we do or don't believe in when it comes to holy Scripture. [00:07:17] So it says to us, healing, miracles, word of wisdom, word of knowledge. Yes, yes, yes. Faith, yes. Everybody's there on faith. No matter what your denomination is, we're there on faith. But then it comes to tongues, interpretation of tongues and prophecy. We just kind of push that one to the side, right? There's all denominations built around that idea. But listen, all nine of them are for us. All nine of them are for today. None of them have stopped, none of them have ceased. And if you are desperately pray for a miracle or a healing, I want to encourage you that the other gifts you should be praying for are just as available and just as accessible. They're all there. I also want to challenge us. I said this in the opening message, but I feel like I need to deal with it again on this Sunday. [00:08:05] We as Pentecostals cannot become embarrassed about the things that we have built our doctrine and our beliefs on. I refuse to be ashamed of things. I believe in the gift of tongues. If I haven't said it, I'll say it. I believe in different kinds of tongues. I believe in the interpretation of those tongues. I believe in the word of prophecy. I believe in wisdom. I believe in knowledge. I believe in faith. I believe in miracles and healings. If you need to be healed, you want somebody to pray with you that believes in being healed. [00:08:41] I'm. When I'm sick in the hospital, I don't want somebody that believes in healing on some vague theoretical level. [00:08:48] I want somebody to get in there and dig down with me and pray for me to be healed. [00:08:54] In the same way, tongues is for us. Tongues is for now. Tongues is for today. Don't be embarrassed about it. Don't be ashamed of it. Don't. Don't be. [00:09:05] Well, you know, yes, we go to the Church of God, but we're not like that. [00:09:11] Now, listen to me. We're like that. [00:09:15] We're like that. [00:09:16] We are. That is who we are. That is what we're about. [00:09:20] You there. There needs to be some stuff in your life that God gives you that doesn't always make sense, that you can't explain, that you can't quantify, that you don't fully understand. I said it before, if you fully understand it, it's not from God. He's a creator of the universe. He's mysterious. He's supernatural in a way that our tiny little brains can't understand. He does stuff. Things happen. [00:09:46] The supernatural, the spiritual is out there. Tongues is real. It's for today and it is for us. [00:09:54] I feel like I have to say that before we move forward. [00:09:57] So having said that, what we're not going to do is be embarrassed of that or tiptoe around that. Instead, let's dig into it and let's talk about it. So turn, if you will, to Acts, chapter 2 and verse 4. [00:10:14] Acts 2 and 4. This is the day of Pentecost. [00:10:20] 120 in the upper room. The day of Pentecost comes. There's a mighty rushing wind. [00:10:26] There's tongues of Fire. And then Acts 2 and 4. [00:10:31] And they were all filled, all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues. And as the Spirit gave them utterance, they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now, I want you to go back and look again. We read it, but look again at verse 10 of sorry of 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 12:10 to another. [00:10:57] Different kinds of tongues. [00:11:00] Different kinds of tongues. So let's talk about this for a second. [00:11:04] Now, here's what happens is there are. There are different kinds of tongues. And what happens is that in other denominations, other organizations, denominations, churches that believe different things, what they will say in order to back up what their belief system is, what they will say is that other tongues. That was in day of Pentecost, and when it's mentioned here in 1 Corinthians 12, different kinds of tongues means only a human earthly language that you do not speak. [00:11:44] So that if you receive tongues, tongues has to be an earthly language. So we're. Most of us are Americans. Most of us speak only one language, English. So one day, if you're praying and you start praying in Portuguese, they would say, okay, that is the gift of tongues. [00:12:02] It is a type of tongues. Now, the reason that they put that caveat on tongues is because they believe that that never happens. And therefore, if that never happens, it means that tongues doesn't happen today. But there have been numerous documented accounts of people receiving an earthly language which they do not speak, have never spoken, and it is given to them instantaneously. [00:12:28] So that means then that's a type of tongues. [00:12:33] Let me give you a perfect example. [00:12:35] In the late 1970s, my dad was on a mission trip to Mexico. [00:12:40] They went with a group of people to a mission trip to northern Mexico. My dad used to go to Mexico a couple of times a year for a long time. Mom and us kids, we would meet him in Mexico. We spent summers in Mexico. We would drive down. Dad would be coming from somewhere else, and mom would put all three of us kids in a van, and we would leave Atlanta, Georgia, and drive all the way way to. To somewhere where we cross like McAllen or Brownsville or somewhere like that, all the way through to Texas and meet dad at the border, and then we'd go into Mexico. But this is before we did this. This is the initial couple of visits. My dad went on a trip with some other people to a church, and they to a missionary trip in northern Mexico. And one day, one night, they drove out to a Remote village church in northern Mexico, and they were going to do a revival service. [00:13:26] When they got there, they realized that the interpreter was coming from somewhere else, and the interpreter didn't show up. And so they were talking about what to do before the service. Nobody else in the church, including the pastor, nobody else spoke English. Nobody on the team spoke Spanish. And so they said, we'll just. [00:13:43] Here's what we'll do. My dad said, here's what I'll do. I'll just get up and bring greetings in Spanish. My dad had learned two or three phrases in Spanish. He said, I'll just get up and bring greetings in Spanish, and then I'll turn it over to the local pastor and he can just speak in Spanish, and we'll just sit here and listen to the message. Everybody said, great. So they did that. They had some songs. And then my dad got up and brought his greetings. You know, he knew how to say, good evening, my name is. [00:14:11] He said the two or three phrases in Spanish that he knew. And then all of a sudden, another phrase came in his mind, Spanish. And he knew what that phrase meant, and he said that phrase, and then he said that phrase, and then he said that phrase. And my dad preached in Spanish for 30 minutes that night. [00:14:33] Now, here's the thing. [00:14:34] He is able to speak Spanish to this day. [00:14:40] To this day. So what happens then? You say, well, the gift of tongues doesn't apply for now unless God gives you an earthly language. [00:14:48] Okay, then explain that. [00:14:51] If that happened, then that means the gift of tongues is for us, is for today. [00:14:56] My dad still speaks Spanish. Now, he'll be the first to tell you it's not perfect Spanish, but he says it's not that the gift is imperfect. It is that the receiver is imperfect. [00:15:07] So he'll tell you that all time. But more than 40 years later, my dad still speaks Spanish. [00:15:14] When I was little, my dad would speak to us in Spanish a lot. [00:15:17] Often he would say little phrases to us. And I never. When I was a little kid, you know, everything that your parents does embarrasses you. I just thought, what is my dad trying to do? Is he trying to trick people into thinking we're Hispanic? Look at me. I am not Hispanic, okay? I never understood what the point of that was. He would say things to us. He would speak to us in Spanish. He would do that. If you've ever heard my dad preach very often, almost always at some point or another, my dad will pray in Spanish. [00:15:46] I never really got what it was until just a Couple of weeks ago. About a month ago, dad and I went to Honduras on a mission trip, just the two of us. We went to Honduras and we went to a church one night, and my dad got up to preach. And eventually he used an interpreter because he said, it's just too hard to try and preach in Spanish. He could do it, but he used an interpreter. But before he used an interpreter, he just got up and began to speak to the people in Spanish. [00:16:11] And I watched his face and I watched his countenance. And I understood why he always did that when we were kids. It's because it reminds him of how God used him in that moment. It reminds him of that gift. It reminds him of who the Holy Spirit is. It reminds him that the gifts are still operational. It's a reminder to him that he was used as imperfect a vessel as he is. He was used for that. The gifts of the Spirit are for now. [00:16:39] Now, here's the thing. Why did that happen? I have no idea. I can't explain it. When I was in high school, struggling through Spanish, too, I was like, anytime God, right? I was like, just right. I just. But why? Why? How? For what? I don't know. [00:16:56] It's the gifts he gives to each one as he pleases for the benefit of all. But it does happen. So for people to say it has to be an actual language. [00:17:06] That story is my response. [00:17:09] Now, the second way that tongues manifest itself. Remember, different kinds of tongues. [00:17:14] The second one is heavenly languages. [00:17:18] Heavenly languages. Look, if you will, at 1 Corinthians 13 and 1, we're just going to read the first part of that verse. It's the next chapter. [00:17:24] Paul says, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels. [00:17:30] So Paul makes it clear there that it is not just earthly languages that it is. [00:17:37] It is heavenly languages that the tongues that we would be more familiar with, the tongues that we as Pentecostals have heard people pray in and pray for and give a word in and be interpreted most of the time. That tongues is not an earthly language. It is a heavenly language. But Paul says he prays in the tongues of men and angels also. Now, if you will go back to Acts, chapter two, we're going to spend a lot of time in Scripture today, more of a teaching look at Acts, chapter two and verse five. Look what happens. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred. What's the sound? It's 120, speaking in tongues. Okay. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came Together and were confused because everyone heard them speak, and in his own language. Then they all marveled, were amazed and marveled, saying to one another, look, are not all these who speak Galileans, how is it. How is it that we hear each in our own language? [00:18:43] Okay, they weren't. [00:18:47] I don't believe for a second that they were speaking in actual earthly languages. There's a list of all the languages there. I don't believe they were speaking in those languages. [00:18:57] I believe it says, how is it that each of us heard in our own language? [00:19:02] All right, so 120 people. Now, I want you to imagine this. I would say that there's probably maybe 120 people in these two sections right here. So we're going to do something this morning. And when I say go in just a minute, I want everybody in this section and the section behind these two, Everybody else, just listen. I want these two sections to tell me what you did since you woke up this morning. Did you eat breakfast, brush your teeth, you got dressed, whatever it is, you're not going to shout, you're not going to scream. You're just going to speak in a low, normal, regular voice. When I say go, I just want you to tell me what you did since you woke up this morning. One, two, three, go. [00:19:45] Good. Stop, stop. Thank you very much. All right, now, Matthew, you're sitting right over there. Could you hear them talking? You heard them? Yes. Okay, Matthew's over here. Greg's on the other end. Greg, did you speak. Did you say what you did? Were you speaking English? [00:20:00] Matthew, do you speak English? He understands it. All right, Matthew, tell me what Greg said. [00:20:11] Matthew said he woke up and that was it. Did you. Weren't you listening? You were listening, right? You were talking? Right? [00:20:18] We all speak English, and yet Matthew couldn't pick out one word of the individual thing that Greg was speaking, because I believe they were all speaking in heavenly languages. And then the Holy Spirit worked in the hearers. It says, how is it that we all hear in our own language? It doesn't say that they were speaking, you know, Edomite and Parthenon and all the rest of these ones that are listed here, Mesopotamia and Judah, Pamphilia. They didn't. They heard it. Heavenly. [00:20:50] Heavenly tongues. So we have actual earthly languages, but then we also have heavenly languages because it is different kinds of tongues. [00:21:01] The final one when it comes to tongues is private prayer language. [00:21:07] So you have actual earthly languages, you have heavenly languages, and then you have private prayer languages. [00:21:14] I will say tongues as a private prayer is different than the gift of tongues. It is described in 1 Corinthians. The gift of tongues described in 1 Corinthians is a public utterance of tongues that then requires interpretation. I said this on the first. I said this on the first time that we spoke this. The gifts are unique. They all manifest themselves differently depending on what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us. [00:21:39] So having said that, I said it, and I'll say it again. I have never, ever felt that the gift of public utterance of tongues ever was given to me. I've never given a public utterance of tongues, and I've never, ever sitting in a service where someone else gives a public utterance of tongues. I've never, ever felt like I had the interpretation. [00:21:58] Having said that, I've prayed in tongues in a private prayer language that is different. And I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that more of us could and should access that private prayer language. [00:22:15] It's. It's vital for you. It's important. Let me give you a scripture here on this. Look at Ephesians 6 and 18. [00:22:23] Ephesians 6 and 18. [00:22:25] Paul says, Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit. [00:22:35] I. [00:22:37] When I was filled with the Holy Spirit, When I was filled with the Holy spirit in my 20s. I've told the story before. Sitting in the back of a sanctuary, I didn't even come to the front. My dad was preaching. I didn't come to the front. Nobody laid their hands on me. Nobody prayed for me. [00:22:50] I just had this moment where I was tired. I was tired of the compromise. I was tired of the sin. I was tired of the way that my life was going. [00:22:58] And I remember I just prayed, God, I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And I was filled. I mean, it was. It was transformational. [00:23:10] And no one told me to. No one said, now, do this or say that. I just began to pray. And all of a sudden, I realized that I was praying in tongues, sitting in the back of that sanctuary on the back row. Nobody talked to me. Nobody put hands on me. Nobody laid hands on me. Nobody prayed over me. I just began to pray, to pray, and I realized I was praying in tongues. [00:23:35] It's powerful. It is available. [00:23:38] I think that maybe not as much in a Pentecostal church, but I think that a lot of us, some of us, maybe not a lot, some of us may struggle with the idea of praying in tongues, right? Because it feels. Is it real? [00:23:53] Is it just me saying stuff? Is it genuine? Is it not Begging you. [00:24:00] Just take your hands off of it and just open your mouth and pray and just praise him. Let it come out of you, you say, but I don't want it to be fake. If you don't want it to be fake, it won't be fake. I promise you that. If you're, if you're worried about blaspheming the Holy Spirit, that means it's going to be genuine. But we can access that. We can pray with the prayer, the language of angels. We can pray in the Spirit. It's available. You can do it. You can have it. It's accessible that. That tongues, different kinds of tongues, actual languages, heavenly languages, and then a private prayer life is not what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 12, but it is still there and available for us. [00:24:45] Now, the second one that he mentions is interpretation of tongues. Look, if you will, at Acts 19 and Verse 6, Acts 19:6. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them. They spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now, here's the thing with interpretation of tongues. This is only talking about public utterances. So you may have a private prayer life where you pray in tongues and you may not understand all that you are praying, but it's a way for you to enter in. It's a way for you to get closer to God. It's a way for you to pray in the Spirit, all of those things, but with a public utterance of tongues. I think again, we've added stuff to the Scripture that may or may not be there in order to bring, to try and bring order to tongues and interpretation of tongues. So I want you to look at what Paul himself gives us about interpretation of tongues. Look back now, 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 26, 1 Corinthians 14 and 26. [00:25:48] How is it then, brethren, whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two, or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. All right, so the interpretation of tongues in. [00:26:11] In the public giving of tongues, in order for us to understand that it is genuine and authentic, there must be an interpretation. There has to be an interpretation. Paul says it. There must. Somebody needs to interpret when there's a public giving of tongues. [00:26:26] Second look, if you will, at 1 Corinthians 14 and 13. Now 1 Corinthians 14 and 13. [00:26:33] Therefore, let him who speaks in a Tongue, pray that he may interpret. [00:26:39] For if I pray in a tongue, my Spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the Spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the Spirit and also will also sing with the understanding. Looking in at 13. Let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. [00:26:56] Sometimes we have teaching that says, okay for a word, for a word of tongues to be genuine. The person who gave the tongues cannot give the interpretation of tongues. But there is nowhere in the Bible where it says that. There just isn't anywhere in the Bible where it says that. And I'm. That I'm real nervous teaching doctrine that isn't in the Bible. Okay, so. So there is no reason why the same person that gives tongues cannot also give the interpretation. Paul says it, if you speak with a tongue, pray that you may interpret. So there's no reason that it would be inauthentic or ungenuine or not true. If the person who gives a word in tongues also interprets it, that's okay. That's all right. The final thing with interpretation, look at 1 Corinthians 14 and 33. 1 Corinthians 14 and 33. [00:27:46] For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Now skip down to verse 39. Therefore, brethren desire earnestly to prophesy and do not forbid to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order. [00:28:06] The final thing is public tongues in the interpretation must be done in order. [00:28:11] In order for it to be genuine. It must be. It must be orderly in a public service for it to be genuine. There are moments where it's not the time for a word of tongues. [00:28:24] And that's just how it works. There's places, there's moments where God gives it. If I'm in the midst of. And I've seen it in other services, I've seen it in places in churches I've attended, in churches I've been on staff at, where the pastor is preaching. And then somebody just gives up and gets up and wants to give a word of tongues. [00:28:45] The Bible says, let all things be done decently and in order. [00:28:49] I am not saying that my word is more important than that word. What I'm saying is that's not the orderly way to do it. And the Bible tells us that's not how it's supposed to happen. [00:29:00] Tongues requires an interpretation. The interpretation in the tongues can be given by the same person and it must be done in an orderly and decent way. [00:29:10] That this is. I know this feels like more of a teaching, and it is because I'm trying to kind of walk us through stuff that is a little bit more complicated. All right. But the final one is prophecy. So we've talked about different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues. Now look at prophecy. And I want to spend a little bit more time with this one. [00:29:29] Look at Acts chapter 20 and verse 22, Acts 20 and 22. Paul is headed back to Jerusalem. [00:29:38] He says he meets a group, some elders from the church at Ephesus. And he says this, and see, now I go bound in the Spirit. He's not under arrest, but he knows that bad things are going to happen in Jerusalem. And he says, I am already bound. I'm already arrested in the Spirit to Jerusalem. So I go in, bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happened to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulation await me. But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. [00:30:21] So the final thing is prophecy. Paul says in every city he goes every church, as he makes his way back to Jerusalem. There's a prophecy in every church, and it says, you're going to be arrested Jerusalem. Bad things are going to happen in Jerusalem. You're going to get in trouble in Jerusalem over and over and over again. So this group comes from Ephesus and begs him not to go back to Jerusalem. And he says, I've already heard from God. I am already bound in my spirit as I go to Jerusalem, because I know what waits for me there. But God has called me there. [00:30:50] Now, here's the deal with prophecy. Look now, if you will, at 1 Corinthians 14, 1 Corinthians 14:1. Paul says this. [00:31:00] Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy, verse 3. And he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. So Paul says, prophecy is important. You need to desire it, you need to ask for it. But here's the deal with prophecy. We have to say exactly what the prophecy, prophecy that is given to us. We can't leave anything out, we can't add anything to it. And we also are not allowed to draw our own conclusions about what the prophecy means. [00:31:37] We're just supposed to give the prophecy to the person and let them figure it out between them and God. So what happens after Paul says this to these leaders from Ephesus that he's going bound in spirit to Jerusalem? He goes to two more churches and two different things happen, both around prophecy. I want you to see it very quickly. Look at Acts chapter 21, Acts chapter 21 and verse 3. [00:32:03] When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre. For there the ship was to unload her cargo and finding disciples. We stayed there seven days. And they told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. [00:32:20] So someone had received the gift of prophecy that Paul was going to be arrested in Jerusalem. And they begged with him not to go to Jerusalem. Except Paul knew that God had called him to Jerusalem. So what does the prophetic mean then? It means the prophet, the prophecy was correct, but they were wrong in their conclusion. [00:32:42] We don't get to decide what the prophecy means. [00:32:47] So somebody received a word. I'm getting a prophecy that Paul is going to be arrested in Jerusalem. So what do they do? They told Paul not to go to Jerusalem. If somebody that you love, something bad is going to happen to them in this place. And you get a prophetic utterance that something bad is going to happen. What are you going to do? You're going to beg them not to go to that place. But that was not God's will for Paul's life and ministry. [00:33:11] He was just telling him, you're going to be arrested in Jerusalem. God was not telling Paul not to go. So when we receive a prophecy, we are not allowed to draw our own conclusions about what's supposed to happen. [00:33:25] Do you see that? That's why this is. This is complicated. The gifts of the Spirit are complicated because we don't get to put our hands on it. God gives you a prophecy for someone. Give them the prophecy, give them the word, give them exactly what they told you. Don't add anything to it, don't take anything away from it. And above, tell them what they're supposed to think about it. [00:33:48] You say, this is what God has given me. I give it to you. What you do with it is between you and God. [00:33:54] That is the pain of the prophet. Because we think we know, but we don't. Paul's going to be arrested in Jerusalem obviously means Paul shouldn't go to Jerusalem. [00:34:04] But he didn't mean that. It just meant Paul was receiving prophetic utterance, that he wasn't going to be disappointed or discouraged and he wasn't going to Believe that he was outside of the will of God when he's arrested in Jerusalem. Do you see this? This is actually an encouragement to Paul. So Paul might think if he got to Jerusalem and got arrested, he might think he had done something wrong. The prophecy was being given so that Paul knew that when the arrest comes, he is in the center of God's will. [00:34:34] We don't get to make the conclusion about the prophecy now he goes to another church. Back to Acts chapter 21. Look at verse 10. [00:34:43] They go to Caesarea, Acts 21 and 10. And we stayed many days. A certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and says, thus says the Holy Spirit, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. [00:35:07] Now when we heard these. Excuse me. And bind the. The man, yes. And now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. [00:35:21] So what happens here now? They're not jumping the last one. They jump to conclusions that he shouldn't go. Now it is clear. Agabus says he is going to be arrested. This is going to happen. He's going to be handed over to the hands of the Romans. [00:35:37] The prophecy is correct, but the person giving the prophecy is unwilling to trust God. [00:35:44] That's even worse. [00:35:46] They received the correct prophecy. The prophecy never says, don't go to Jerusalem. The prophecy says, you're going to be arrested and delivered over to the Romans. And they all plead with Paul not to go to Jerusalem. But the prophecy is correct. [00:36:02] But they are unwilling to trust God in the moment. [00:36:06] The prophecy may be difficult. The prophecy may be hard. The prophecy may be complicated. The word that you get from God for someone else you may not like, you may not want it, but we have to be willing that the same God who can speak through imperfect vessels to give prophecy is the same God who will provide and sustain us in the journey that we are prophesying about. [00:36:31] They are unwilling to trust that God's will can be done in Jerusalem when Paul is arrested. And so, knowing the prophecy that they've received, they then argue with the will of God. [00:36:41] God never says, don't go to Jerusalem. He just says, you're going to be arrested and turned over to the Romans. And they say, don't go. That's not God's will for your life, but it was God's will for Paul's life. In that moment. [00:36:54] So prophecy, don't allow it to be wrong in our conclusion. [00:36:58] And above all, we must be willing to trust God once we have received a prophecy that may not be so great. [00:37:06] So I know this is a little bit different from the other ones that I've done, because tongues, interpretation of tongues and prophecy is probably the ones that we, I don't know, disagree about. Maybe disagree is too strong of a word. Probably within this building, within this body, we don't disagree. But within the body of Christ, let's be very transparent. These are the three that the body of Christ disagree on. [00:37:32] So I wanted this to be more of a teaching. [00:37:36] But let me close with this. [00:37:41] The gifts are not designed to divide us. [00:37:46] The gifts are not designed to divide us. [00:37:50] They are. [00:37:52] The gifts are one for power, but they're also to point people towards Jesus. [00:38:00] Because those who have not been saved, those who have not been filled with the Holy Spirit, those who have not received gifts of the Holy Spirit. [00:38:10] The gift of the Holy Spirit is a physical manifestation of a spiritual reality. And the idea is you shall receive power, power of the Holy Spirit so that you can go into all the world and preach the gospel. And those who might not believe seeing the gifts of the Spirit manifested in our lives, believe. [00:38:33] So what does that look like? [00:38:37] I was. [00:38:38] I was much closer, both in physical proximity and also emotionally closer to my grandparents on my dad's side, my Rutland grandparents. We lived closer to them. [00:38:54] We saw them more frequently, all of those things. [00:38:57] My mom's parents I was not as close to, particularly my mom's mom, unfortunately passed away when I was a little baby. I have no memory of my mom's mom. [00:39:11] Well, my mom's dad then. He was a widower for the last 25 or 30 years of his life. [00:39:19] And he was an interesting, odd, eccentric guy. I was not particularly close. We called him Grandpa John. [00:39:28] I was not super, super close to Grandpa John, but my life is better because he was in it. [00:39:36] I don't know if you have those eccentric relatives. They make life exciting, if nothing else. You know what I'm saying? They make life interesting, if nothing else. My grandfather got all into health food before it was popular. He'd show up at the house in the early 80s, I'm a little boy, and he'd have seaweed with him that he's eating. And I'm like, right. He was just. He was an odd guy. [00:39:59] I loved my Grandpa John, but he was just a different guy. [00:40:03] So in the late 1970s, my grandfather, my Grandpa John, was not a Christian, not saved. In the late 1970s, my. My grandmother had passed away. My grandfather was all into education. He had been a principal. He had been a professor. He was a professor at FSU for a long time. He was an academic. He had lots of degrees and schooling, but. But no relationship with Jesus, no Christianity, no church attendance. My mom didn't attend church when she was a little girl. None of that. [00:40:34] In the late 1970s, my dad had been on numerous mission trips to Mexico. [00:40:40] And he called my grandfather Grandpa John. He called my grandfather and asked him to go on this mission trip to Mexico. [00:40:47] And John said, well, I don't want to go. [00:40:50] I don't want to go on a mission trip. He said, no, no, you should come and see what Mexico is, and it'll help you learn more about the socioeconomic plight of Mexico and how you can help people. So my grandfather was going as an academic, as education. [00:41:07] He didn't participate in the services. He didn't speak. He sat in the back. [00:41:11] One night on that trip, they drove out to a church in rural Mexico. [00:41:17] They got there, and they realized that there was no interpreter for that service. [00:41:22] So my dad said, well, I'll get up and say a few words in Spanish, and then we'll turn it over to the local pastor and he can preach. [00:41:29] My dad said a few words that he knew in Spanish. [00:41:33] And then another phrase came in his mind, and another phrase and another phrase. [00:41:39] And my dad began to preach in Spanish. [00:41:42] And about eight minutes into it, my grandfather on the back row of the church, leapt to his feet and said, mark, what are you doing in the middle of service? [00:41:52] My dad said, john, I'm not sure, but something's going on here. [00:41:56] My dad said, the Mexicans were just looking at him, looking at my grandfather. They're yelling at each other from the pulpit and from the back of the church. They're screaming at each other. My grandfather says, I don't understand what's happening. My dad said, I don't either, John, but this is the gifts of the spirit. I. I'm speaking in Spanish. I know what I'm saying. God's given me this. [00:42:17] My grandfather said, how is this possible? [00:42:20] My dad said, I don't know, John, but it's the power of the Holy Spirit. [00:42:25] My grandfather sat back down. [00:42:28] My dad preached for another 20 or 30 minutes in Spanish, all in Spanish, not in English. [00:42:35] And he gave an altar call for salvation in Spanish. [00:42:39] And the first person to come to the front was my grandfather. [00:42:44] The first person, my grandpa John was saved. Kneeling down on a Bare concrete floor in a cinder block church in North Mexico. [00:42:58] Because he could no longer deny the power of the Holy Spirit. [00:43:07] He. He could no longer explain it away. [00:43:11] He could no longer, you know, say, well, that's not true. It's not real. It's not happening. [00:43:18] The gifts of the Spirit are not to divide us. The gifts of the Spirit are not to make us angry with each other. The gifts of the Spirit are not for us to disagree and fight over. The gifts of the Spirit are so that we can show the world around us the power of the Holy Spirit. [00:43:36] That's what we're supposed to be about. [00:43:38] It's not about us the vessels. It's not about us the receivers. It's about the gift being operational inside of us. And what. When they see it, they cannot deny it. [00:43:50] They cannot deny it. [00:43:53] A number of people, a lot of people know that story about my father receiving Spanish. [00:44:00] Hardly anybody knows what happened with my grandfather. [00:44:05] That is the gifts of the Spirit. [00:44:08] When God uses you for a word of wisdom, it's to speak wisdom into the lives of people. [00:44:16] The wisdom is Jesus. [00:44:19] When he gives you tongues, it's tongues to tell others about Jesus. [00:44:26] When the interpretation is given, it's an interpretation which points people to Jesus. [00:44:32] When you are given the gift of faith, it's faith to believe and to show people to believe in Jesus. [00:44:41] I. [00:44:42] I don't want to fight with anybody about the gifts of the Spirit. [00:44:47] On the other hand, I'm holding the line on this truth. [00:44:54] They are for us. [00:44:56] They are for now. [00:44:58] They are operational. [00:45:00] They are for the church in this moment. If we have never needed the gifts of the Spirit before, we need them today like never before. [00:45:09] They are for us. [00:45:12] But the gifts of the Spirit are not so that we can pretend to be spiritually superior to the people that don't have them. [00:45:20] It is that we can be used to show others Jesus. That's why the gifts are manifested. You shall receive power. Power to preach the gospel around the world. [00:45:33] What is that telling people about Jesus? [00:45:38] We're going to close as we have closed this entire series. [00:45:41] Just a moment. I'm going to pray Matthew and the band is going to return. Chris and the prayer team is going to be at the front. [00:45:49] If you've sat and listened and listened and you've been reticent or unsure, listen. [00:46:00] All I would say is take the gifts out of it for a second. [00:46:07] Do you have power? [00:46:10] Do you have power? [00:46:12] Do you have power? [00:46:14] Power to overcome. Power to make it through. Power to believe. [00:46:19] The gifts are great, but the gifts don't come until we've been filled with the Holy Spirit. [00:46:25] I just. [00:46:28] I want more of the gifts in my life. [00:46:31] I want to see them operate more in my life. [00:46:35] I'm going to ask God for a fresh touch of the Holy Spirit. [00:46:38] I encourage you to do that. [00:46:40] If you haven't seen a gift operational in your life in a while, come to the front, receive a fresh touch. If you've never been filled with the Holy Spirit and you've been holding back and you've been nervous and all the rest of the it, I'm begging you, come to the front and receive the. The gifts of the Spirit are to point us and others to Jesus. [00:47:02] That's the point of the whole thing. [00:47:05] If we then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will the heaven will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask? [00:47:17] Take the gifts out of it for a minute. [00:47:20] Do you have power? [00:47:22] If there are areas in your life that are lacking power, come to the front this morning and receive. [00:47:29] You shall receive power. [00:47:32] The gifts are amazing and magnificent and wonderful. [00:47:37] But in order to manifest those, we have to be filled with the spirit of the gifts. [00:47:43] That's what we want above all things is the Holy Spirit. [00:47:47] Let's pray. [00:47:48] God asks that you would finish this message in the hearts of every person here as we prepare ourselves. [00:47:57] God, finish, finish this message. Those that maybe have been fighting, those that have been struggling. Well, I don't know about the gifts or I was brought up to believe this, or I thought this is what God asked, that you would allow them to put all that aside and just access your Holy Spirit. For those of us that believe in the Holy Spirit and believe in the gifts, but life is beating us down. We need a fresh touch. We need a new indwelling, a new filling, new levels of power and life and liberty. [00:48:31] When I say amen to this prayer, the prayer team, the elders are going to be here at the front staff. [00:48:36] If he wants to pray with you, we will. If you want to pray by yourself, great. [00:48:41] Matthew's going to sing. [00:48:43] All you have to do is ask. [00:48:46] You shall receive power, power for the first time. [00:48:51] Power for a new filling, power for gifts, power for ministry, power for calling, power for destiny. It's all out there prayer. Just ask him and he will pour out the Holy Spirit. [00:49:08] All we have to do is ask. [00:49:10] When I say amen to this prayer, I beg you receive the power of the Holy Spirit. [00:49:17] In Jesus name we pray. Amen. [00:49:22] Thank you for listening to the Travis Rutland Podcast if you enjoyed this message and you're in the Cartersville, Georgia area, we invite you to join us at Liberty Square Church. You can also watch online and connect with us on Facebook and YouTube. We'll see you next week for another message from Travis Rutland.