Faith Under Pressure

Welcome to Tribe's podcast. Hey, we just wanna say thank you for making this message a part of your week. Our prayer is that these messages will inspire you to make the name of Jesus famous in your life and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. If you're ever in Jackson Hole, we'd love for you to visit our Tribe fam in person. To learn more about us, you can find us online or at Facebook by searching tribejh.com.

Welcome to Tribe's podcast. Hey, we just wanna say thank you for making this message a part of your week. Our prayer is that these messages will inspire you to make the name of Jesus famous in your life and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. If you're ever in Jackson Hole, we'd love for you to visit our tribe fam in person. To learn more about us, you can find us online or at Facebook by searching tribejh.com.

Well, good morning. Good morning. So glad that you guys are here. Lysa left us with a little little something something at the end of worship about Mary going to the tomb. Do not preach two sermons, Brian.

Just having a conversation with myself really quick but just listen. Just listen to the first sentence. If you want to turn there, go ahead. John chapter 20. Early Sunday morning while it was still dark, that's pretty early.

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter we see, you know, they both run to the tomb. It's a sprint race and then verse 11, Mary was standing outside the tomb crying and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been laying. Dear woman, why are you crying?

The angels asked her. Because they have taken away my lord, she replied, and I don't know where they have put him. She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus but she didn't recognize him. Dear woman, why are you crying, Jesus?

Asked her, Who are you looking for? That rascal. Remember when he's on the road to Emmaus and he's talking with the believers that had just left and he's like, he's like, what news in Jerusalem? That guy. He's so funny.

She thought he was a gardener. Sir, she said, if you've taken him away, tell me where you've put him and I will go and get him and then just one word, Mary, She turned to him and cried out, Raboni, which is Hebrew for teacher. What an amazing moment. Okay. That was just the completely unrelated to what we're going to talk about today but it's so beautiful and great to meditate on.

If you have your Bible that's already open to the gospel of John, let's just hang a right and go to the book of Acts. Uh-huh. And this is where we were last week and we're it's there's just so much good stuff to get out of Acts that I was ready to move on and the lord said, let's just talk about it a little bit more. Okay, boss. Acts chapter one and last week, we talked about how Jesus is really alive and after the resurrection, he appeared to his disciples and spent forty days and the Bible says, he appeared to them from time to time and talked to them about the kingdom and so, we're going to read Acts chapter one verse one through 11 again and then we're going to look at a different aspect of this passage.

So, it's the same passage that we read last week but we're going to we're going to come at it from a little bit different angle and just like always here when we're at the TMC, I love for this to be a conversation and so as we read together, let's get into the word together. Let's have a discussion together and let's learn and grow together. So, Acts chapter one, oh and Amanda has the mic and she's probably going to go ahead and read for us. Acts chapter one, if you would read verses one through 11 for us.

The former account I made, oh, Theo oh, let me say it again. Theophilus.

Echo.

Of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach until the day in which he was taken up. After he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles who he had chosen to whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. This is New King James. Verse four, and being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the father, which he said, you have heard from me. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the holy spirit not many days from now.

What were they thinking? Yeah. What's that? Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? And he said to them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons of which the father has put in his own authority.

But you shall receive the power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Verse nine. Now when he had spoken these things while he watched, he was taken up. Well, again, what was that like? Mhmm.

And a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward the heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into the heaven? The same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will also come down in a like manner as you saw him go into heaven.

Wow. Thank you. If you're taking notes this morning, you can write at the top of your notes the title of the conversation that we're going to have today, faithful under pressure. Faithful under pressure. That's what we're going to talk about today and where we're going with our conversation.

So, there's last week, we kind of opened it up to, hey, what are some observations that you see versus one through eleven and and there's there's so much rich things that you pulled out at the 9AM service and then again, at the 11AM service, you guys really should just double dip, go to two services so you can hear all of the amazing things that are said at the 11:00. Sometimes, they're exactly parallel. I feel like as you guys were passing, the nine was leaving. Make sure to say this at the eleven but then other times.

Hear the answers.

You hear the answers to the teacher's quiz. Other times, you just come up with such completely different unique insights. It's wonderful and so, last week, we had a lot of great conversation about Jesus and talking about the fact that he's actually alive today. What I would like to do this morning is for us to focus on verse eight and I believe I have it to put up on the screen here. Yep.

Acts one verse eight, Jesus is talking and he says, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. When we just for some quick geographical reference, what is interesting or significant about Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Just just tell me if you know. I'm trying to go somewhere with this but what's interesting about that geographically? There you go.

Yes. Yes. Jerusalem, one city, Judea, a region, Samaria, and expanded and then to the uttermost bounds of the earth and so, the this is not like, it would be the same as saying the town square, the city of Jackson, Teton County, and all the way past Rock Springs. We we get that. As far as you could walk, I mean, could you walk to Rock Springs?

I guess eventually. So, this is so when you read this, he's not just like like making random city names but he's talking about an ever increasing, ever expanding zone of influence telling people that Jesus is alive. So, in verse eight, I would love to hear from you. What are some of the other things that you notice about this verse? Without going to Blue Letter Bible this morning and looks like Amanda's going to be the volunteer mic runner.

What do you see? Oh, okay. Avery, what have you got? And the reason why we have the mic, I know you know this, but so that all of our livestream families can hear your incredible contributions.

Question.

Oh, great.

When they heard this, like, you received the power when the holy spirit comes upon you. You feel like I understand our perception of the holy spirit but what did they, what do think their perception was? Like, what the holy spirit mean to them?

I love that question because our default way of reading, interpreting, and understanding the Bible is from a very skewed perspective. We know Acts chapter two is coming. They don't and their mindset is very different than us and so, I think that that is a very intelligent question to ask that we should always ask whenever we dive into god's word is here's how I'm understanding this. How would they have understood it? So, number one, that's a great question.

Number two, what do you think they thought when Jesus said those words? The Holy Spirit. I think it's worthy to have a little bit of conversation about that. Joy, what are your thoughts? When Jesus said, but wait in Jerusalem and you will receive power.

The name for the Holy Spirit in their native language, right, is the the breath of God?

The yes.

Is that right? Like, a kind of like a tran direct translation. Yes. So I wonder if instead of thinking, like, spirit ghost kind of thing, like we would associate it, maybe they were thinking more of that breath of God coming in and bringing them to life. Because they they had they had the they had the Torah.

They had, you know, the god hovering over the waters and then the life that he was giving through his spoken word as well and breathing life into Adam. So, maybe something along that line.

I like it. So, when Jesus says the Holy Spirit, he didn't say Holy Spirit. He said it either in Hebrew and Aramaic that phrase was not was not brand new to Hebrew understanding. It is brand new to this new movement of Jesus followers that Jesus is starting right now. The the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that's very new but they had some frame of reference.

The the Holy Spirit hovering over the waters and we also have instances in the Old Testament that these guys had some familiarity with of the Holy Spirit coming on a person and so they're like, I wonder if it's at for example, if I said like, hey, go to bed early tonight because you never know who could be coming down the chimney. Where does your mind automatically go to? Santa. Santa Claus. Yes.

And so in a similar way, when Jesus said this phrase, they were like, I wonder. So, they had some clue. Chris, what were you going to say?

My mind goes to the illustrations that the chosen shares about the apostles expecting the overthrow of Rome, and and safe to say at this point, he shattered their expectations of earthly power at this point. So they're kinda, like, moving away from that expectation of the the power that they would have on an earthly way and expecting for something different than what the whole cult Jewish culture had been looking forward to.

Yeah, what if one of their minds hyperlinks to Samson? Doesn't the Holy Spirit come on Samson to do all kinds of awesome things? So, were they like, oh, here we go. We're going to get muscles.

My hair is going to grow back.

So, so, I think that there was a sense of wonder and they had some frame of reference but what we know to be different between the Old Testament expression of the Holy Spirit interacting with somebody that was selected compared to the interaction of the Holy Spirit with what in the New Testament under the New Covenant we call a believer. I almost said believer but they they what did they they believed in god and his future coming promise but they didn't believe in Jesus because he obviously wasn't on the scene yet and so, in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come on a person maybe like Bezalel to who is a really skilled artisan in making the Tabernacle, the Bible says, or some of the judges, Samson and and others but in the New Testament, he does something different. Instead of working from the outside in, in the New Testament, we see that the Holy Spirit starts on the inside and works his way out. Cory, what do you got?

This was actually just because Clay called out the men from last week to speak up. So, Clay. Hey. Taking the microphone and honoring you here.

There we go.

Old Testament, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of the lord came on for a temporary time and then in the New Testament dwells within and occupies life with inside of you once you receive the Holy Spirit.

Yes. He takes up residence within our heart and we know from other passages in the New Testament that he's the seal or the deposit or the guarantee or like the engagement ring that a young woman receives because with the engagement ring, there follows a wedding and so, if we look at verse eight, Jesus says, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. This would be considered although it's not blatantly on the first page of our website. Tribe would be considered a charismatic charism means gifts, church, our theology reflects the person and ministry and involvement of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer as demonstrated and laid out in the New Testament and if you've come from a charismatic church or down in the South, they used to say full gospel. Are you full gospel, brother?

I I I have all four in my Bible. But churches, pastors, and for great wonderful reasons. They love to focus on the first part of verse eight but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And there have been lots and lots of teachings on that, lots of sermons, lots of books, and as I just said, entire denominations built upon that and for good reason. I like what you pointed out, Avery.

You will receive power and the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You may have your thoughts and questions about that but what you vocalized a moment ago was, I wonder what they thought which is very insightful. So, this first part of the verse, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Great, wonderful, has its place. And if you're new to god's stuff or if you're new to Holy Spirit stuff, I can understand how that sentence right there could seem a little bit disconcerning.

Or cause you to maybe like take a pause or maybe even have some reservation. Why? What's the what word really stands out to you that makes if you are unfamiliar with the person in ministry of the Holy Spirit? What word in that sentence stands out to you as like, wait, I'm going need a little more information about this. Oh, power.

Okay, that's not the word that I was thinking of and but that's a great one. What do you mean power? Like, He Man, like I turned into He Man or like actual muscles or like electricity or like what kind of power are we talking about here? So, that is a good word. My brain usually goes to do you receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

I can remember being a kid growing up in a different denomination church and thinking comes upon you almost to me sounds like pounce. Like like the Holy Spirit's going to jump down out of a tree like in not Nacho Libre and like like attack you and take all your chips. And then you're left changed and different. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Oh, yeah.

Win. Alright. Tell us, yeah, tell us a little bit more about the word win.

So, I feel like it it gives them an opportunity to test their faith. So, you're faithfully waiting for this power to come. And those on the outside looking in are, you know, a day goes by, maybe a week, and they're like, where is he? Where's your power?

Yeah.

When's it coming? And then that you start to wonder, well, when is it coming? And gives you an opportunity to test your faith and.

Test your faith.

And wait.

Oh, I love that. I love that. You don't need to raise your hand. But if you answer in the affirmative to the question that I'm about to ask you, congratulations. It makes you human but have you ever gotten saved, invited Jesus into your heart, made him the leader of your life even if it was something as recent as, oh, I don't know, Easter and then, sometime later, doubted your salvation like, like, I mean, I know that I met Jesus but like, maybe, I really saved or maybe he feels so far and distant from you or maybe you've messed up so bad that you're like, well, that that's it.

He just took the eraser and scratched out my knee like that's it. I'm done. If you ever have, that just means that you're human. So, the word win, win, there's a gap between receive the power and the Holy Spirit comes upon you. We happen to know because we we've got the whole story here.

How long those disciples waited? How long did they wait? Well played. One chapter. How many days?

Think. Think. If you know if you know the answer, be like, I got it. How many days? We are told how many days.

You got it? Hint Acts chapter two literally one, two, three, four words into Acts chapter two. Tell me when you got it. Okay, everybody's getting it now. On the day of Pentecost, Penta means five, fifty, fifty days after Passover is always the feast of Pentecost.

So, on the day of Pentecost, if Jesus was crucified on Passover, fifty days later is the feast of Pentecost and that's when the Holy Spirit comes upon them that they would receive power, right guys? Y'all knew that, right? No, I didn't. Oh, well, there you go. Now, you know.

So, without lingering any too much longer on the first part of that sentence that so much has been said about. Today, I want to look at the second sentence and you will be my witness telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. So, from the second sentence, here's what we can see and and and and the big in my mind, the big spotlight that glares on the second sentence that often gets overshadowed by the first sentence is that where you will be my witness. So, in legal terms, what is a witness? How would you describe or define a witness?

What's a witness? You will be my witness. What does that mean?

Somebody who saw what happened.

Somebody who saw what happened and how would that be different than some other type of let's say evidence or testimony

Somebody who heard what happened.

Somebody who heard what happened or even we can get a little more removed. I talked to somebody that was there. So, second hand, you will be my witness. My, if I had a brother, my brother saw Jesus alive. I mean, it's powerful.

But I didn't witness it. My brother did. So, a witness, I put this down in my notes. A witness is someone who has the ability to give a first hand account enough of an event. A witness is someone with the ability to give a first hand account of an event.

And so, when a person receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit one of the effects, one of the byproducts is you will be my witness. Now, could they have been a witness before the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Yes, of course. They saw with their own eyes but the keyword that you guys pointed out is that word power. You will receive power to be my witness.

The power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer has so many wonderful attributes and this is why we love to focus on the Holy Spirit at Tribe. Listen to this. Let's let's go on a little journey together. First Corinthians chapter two verse 10 through 14. I'll put it up on the screen here.

Listen to the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer that Paul is talking about. First Corinthians chapter two verses 10 through 14, but it was to us that god revealed these things by his spirit. For his spirit searches out everything and shows us god's deep secrets. Alright, what does the Holy Spirit do? Shows us, searches out, and shows us god's deep secrets.

Have you ever asked god why? Have you ever asked god when? Have you ever asked god what are you up to? Have you ever asked god anything? It is the Holy Spirit that searches out these things and reveals them to our hearts.

No one can know a person's thought except that person's own spirit and no one can know god's thoughts except god's own spirit and we have received god's spirit, not the world's spirit. So, we can know the wonderful things he has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the spirit. So, not only does he give us insights about god but he gives us spiritual words.

Have you ever sat under a a sermon or read a book or been at coffee with somebody and they're sharing god's word or they're sharing god's wisdom or counsel and you're just like, oh, it's so good. Like, it it just it just cuts right through whatever it is that you're going through or dealing with or excuses that you have and it just cuts you right to the heart. That is spiritual words. Using the spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from god's spirit.

It all sounds foolish to them. By foolish, you can replace the word with confusing or hard to understand or difficult or I don't know and if you've ever thought that about reading god's word, it's okay. It's okay but do you ever stop and say, holy spirit, will you help me to understand what I'm reading? Or do you just flumble, lumble through it and be like, well, it's a hard book to understand and you just keep going. Stop.

I mean, don't stop reading but stop fumbling your way through it and trying to grab a hold of these things with your natural mind. It'll be foolish. You just say, holy spirit, help me. When I open up your word, help me to understand the great truths within. It's all sound foolish to them and they can't understand it.

For only those who are spiritual can understand what the spirit means and when he says, only those who are spiritual, he's not talking about somebody that runs around, you know, anointing everything with oil and waving prayer flags and banners and you know, there's a demon behind like, that's not what he's saying. You are spiritual if you've invited Jesus into your heart because the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. That makes you spiritual. So, you can understand what the spirit means. So, listen.

To sum up these verse, you can write this in your notes. The Holy Spirit empowers us to receive truth. The Holy Spirit empowers us to receive truth. Alright, let's just keep going. I got a few more here.

Turn over to John chapter 14 verse 26. You can write it down in your notes and I will put it up here on the screen. Jesus is speaking. These are the red letters of your Bible and he says this, but when the father sends the advocate as my representative, that is the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you. So, here's the takeaway.

John fourteen twenty six, is that am I right? Yes? Okay. I saw a scrunchy eyebrow but maybe that was something else. John fourteen twenty six, here's the takeaway.

The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to our hearts. If you want to get to know Jesus, cultivate a relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, will you help me? Show me Jesus. Take the words of Jesus.

Have you ever read in one of the gospels, the words of Jesus and he says or does something that sounds out of character with what you know of him? You're like, oh, I, why he do that? Why did he say it that way? Why couldn't he have just been like a little more patient or man, he seems abrupt or gruff or why? That that's tough.

And what you read could pet the fur of your cat the wrong way. So, what you do is you say, Holy Spirit, help me turn my cat around.

Yeah.

That was a good series. Still see the image. Ephesians, here's another one. Ephesians chapter one verse seventeen and eighteen, one of Paul's great apostolic prayers. It's up here on the screen.

Paul is speaking and he says, asking god, this is in the middle of one of his prayers. The glorious father of our lord Jesus Christ to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of god. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are who are his rich and glorious inheritance. When we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, receive power. When he takes up residence in our life, and we cultivate a relationship with him.

It is the Holy Spirit that floods our heart with light. I don't know how more I'm not I I don't mean this insulting but I don't know how much more basic and plain and straightforward to be. If you want to get to know Jesus, if you want to understand god's word, if you want to know what god is up to, the secret sauce is cultivating a relationship with the Holy Spirit and if you're like, yeah, but I mean, all through church growing up, it was Jesus and god in the Bible and that was it. And that's probably why, if I could be honest with you, that's probably why the Bible was so dull and lifeless to you in a confusing book and Jesus seemed distant and far away and like, if you want to get to know Jesus, cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit. What is trivia question?

What is the Holy Spirit's favorite topic to talk about? Jesus. And now you've got, now the two of you have something in common. The Holy Spirit didn't die on the cross for your sins. Jesus did.

Jesus resurrected. Jesus is the healer, the redeemer, our savior. He is our best friend and he's also the Holy Spirit's best friend and so when the two of you get together, good historians. Jesus? When you get together with the Holy Spirit to talk about Jesus Oh, boy.

You ever get together with that one friend that is into that one thing as much as you are and the two of you, even though you might not have a lot of other things in common, you start talking about that one thing and then like for example, a a random example that this is the first example that popped into my mind. Lanisha Pickens who's on our leadership team leads our tribe kids. There's a lot of things that we don't have in common but when she and I start talking about that cartoon avatar, like, off we go or when I talk with Gretchen about the office or you've like like any number of things like, if you want to get to know Jesus, cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Okay, go back to verse Acts chapter one verse eight. We had it up there on the screen a moment ago.

So, there's lots to talk about power and there people go from this verse in the Acts chapter two verse one, the Holy Spirit comes upon them. The the holy wind of god, the Ruach which means wind and Kadosh which means holy separate set apart. The holy wind of god, it manifest and shows up in the upper room. Woo hoo power but look what Jesus says. What do we have power to do?

To read our Bible? Power to knock down temples with our bare hands like Samson. What is it? What is the power enable us to do? Yes, to be his witness.

We talked about our definition of the word witness a moment ago but listen to this. It's one thing to have seen him. With our eyeballs. And believed. It's a whole another thing.

When the Holy Spirit puts his super on our natural. Yes, we are witness. But when we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, our witness becomes a faithful witness regardless of the pressure. Come what may. I cannot deny him.

I have met with him. I have encountered him. He saved me. He set me free. Maybe for some of you, when you got saved, bondages and chains broke off.

He healed you. Maybe from sickness, maybe from something going on in your mind, in your heart. I remember when after I got saved, I got set free from some stuff and that next morning, it looked as though I could see the world in color for the first time. And that caused me to be a witness of him that nobody can rob me of or take away from me. You know how I like words.

Let's look at that word witness. What's that? Anybody know what the Greek word for witness is? How fast are your little blue letter Bible fingers? What is the Greek word for witness?

It's a word that we use in English today from time to time. Witness. I give you a second. Two Bible students are looking it up. Who will find it first?

What? Helper. So, that would be paraclete which is another word for Holy Spirit. Jesus, we actually read that when the advocate or the helper comes, a paraclete, come alongside helper. But this word witness, what does that word mean in the Greek?

Good, fast fingers. It's a word that we use in English. Marty's. Marty's. It's where we get our word martyr from.

To be a witness means to be a martyr.

Have

you experienced and encountered Jesus to such an extent that you cannot deny him. Even if it means that you would forfeit your life. Without going down a rabbit trail that I really want to of the increasing hostility towards the gospel in the generation of the lord's return where there will be an exponential increase in martyrs which we are seeing just not being touched by here in our safe enclave of The United States but around the world. People through the power of the Holy Spirit have encountered Jesus in such that. Going life, you will not to deny the first hand as we said earlier, the first hand witness experience and encounter that you had.

I cannot deny him. We have seen throughout history for two thousand years, martyrs, people who have been a witness to the real living resurrected Jesus. There was a great book put out by DC Talk. Or was it no audio adrenaline? They are kind of in my mind.

DC stuff and it like called martyrs and these in. Yeah. Oh, Jacob's on it. It's called and it's just, it's so good. It's all of these stories but listen to just a couple of these quotes.

I don't have it up here on the screen but this was said by Martin Luther when the Catholic Church tried to force him to recant, he said this, unless I am convinced by scripture and plain reason, I cannot and will not recant anything. Here I stand I can do no other thing. God help me. Amen. Jesus freaks.

Jesus freaks. Yes. That book. Great song. Also a great song.

Which maybe our outro song today. Here I stand, I can do no other. When we've met with Jesus, it doesn't matter what others may say to us or about us. It doesn't matter what our bosses or what we come up against in our jobs. It doesn't matter.

Listen, this is probably the most significant. What that old dirty devil would try to convince us of as he works to to erode our faith in our mind. I don't know what else to tell you. Here I stand. I can do nothing else.

Martin Luther was murdered for his faith. Listen to this. This is polycarp. Some people believe that, well, it is historically believed that he was a disciple of John who wrote the gospel of John who also wrote the book of Revelation. A disciple of John.

He was murdered for his faith. He was arrested in during Roman persecution and he said this, 86, I have served him, meaning Jesus and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me? Before he was, before he lost his head, the invitation was just, you don't even like, Jesus, you can believe in Jesus. You can believe that he was a guy.

Just say Caesar is lord. And you can escape all of this. Polycarp's like, can't do it John Huss in the year 1415 Before he was taken to be burned at the stake for trying to bring expose corruption in in a religious church and draw people back to authentic relationship with Jesus before he was executed. He said this, what I taught with my lips, I now seal with my blood. I'll I'll say that one again.

What I taught with my lips, I now seal with my blood and he was burned at the stake. A young woman by the name of Perpetua in the year 02/2003 being dangled over the wall of the coliseum where other Christians had been thrown into, where they were ravaged by gladiators and torn apart by wild animals who was recently married and had started a family with a young baby whose father pleaded with her just just be quiet about the whole Jesus thing. Before being thrown to lions, she said, I cannot be called anything other than what I am, a Christian. A Jesus follower. When we invite the person of the Holy Spirit into our relationship with Jesus, help me to understand Jesus.

Help me to get to know Jesus. We have this in common. You and me, Holy Spirit, we both love Jesus. He loves to reveal Jesus to our hearts. So that we can be a witness.

Last one. Last one. Last one. This is in the year 1555, a man named Hugh Latimer as the flames were being lit while he was to be burned at the stake, he and the the man that discipled him could not and would not recount their faith and he said this, be of good comfort, master Riley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle by god's grace in England as I trust shall never be put out.

Here's the here's the takeaway. Here's the bottom line and put it up here on the screen. The spirit doesn't make you bold. He just makes Jesus undeniable in your life. Maybe one of us in this room are like, I I want to I want to give my head for the gospel.

I want to I'll be burned at this state. I want, I want to be a firebrand. I I you know, go big. It's great, wonderful, amazing. If you were to interview all of these people and you meet them in heaven and ask them like, so were you trying to go big?

They were like, no. No. I just couldn't deny Jesus. And I think that's our land of plane here for today. God's spirit doesn't make you bold.

I love the power. I love the gifts of the spirit. But I just want to be his witness having met him that I could not deny him. So, here's the invitation for today. Point for you to consider as we land the plane.

I don't think that any of you are under any kind of criminal investigation for your faith. You're not in prison because of your faith because you're here. I don't know that any of you are having your jobs threatened by your faith? Maybe, maybe, maybe get some heat from time to time because of your faith or you feel like like what your job is asking you to do could rub up with conviction of faith, okay? Alright.

But maybe there's an area in the secret place of your heart today. That is under intense pressure and scrutiny. Just recant. Just deny this area of your faith. In in your heart, attack from the enemy is what we call that.

All you have to do is just ask the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, I need your power reveal Jesus to me. Not so that I can be bold but so that Jesus in me is undeniable. Holy Spirit, would you just speak to our hearts for a moment? Finish your little note and then let's just close our Bibles and our our notebooks and invite the person of the Holy Spirit to just speak to us for just a moment.

Help us,

I picture the disciples in that upper room when he says, now don't go. I'm gonna send you another. That their heart's cry was, I don't wanna go till I have that power to walk this thing out. Even Jesus said, don't go. Don't go without it.

What would've happened if they had gone out before they received that power from the Holy Spirit. Lord, we know what it's like to operate in our own flesh. It's icky. It's vapid and it's empty. But when you're in it, it doesn't matter if the entire world turns against us.

Just say that. You. I don't wanna go if you don't go. I don't wanna stay if you don't stay. I just wanna be with you.

I just wanna

As we close the service today, just remain in this attitude of worship just a moment more. Every time we come together, we are a family like Brian says, it's like Olive Garden. When you're here, you're family. We really should put breadsticks with our donuts.

Next week. If somebody wants to do that and some gluten free ones as well.

So when you're here, you're family. And as a family, every week, we bring our tithe and our offering to the Lord. Not because tribe needs your money, not because Brian needs a new car. Like and I just these things are things that people have said, not necessarily at tribe, but there's a lot a lot of church hurt with the tithe and with money because money can just have a grip on us. It's just its nature.

Money is neutral. Right? And it can be used for good or bad. So when we bring our tithe, just to reemphasize, when we bring our tithe, it's an act of worship to the lord. Do it at your local church, tribe or otherwise.

It is an act of worship and surrender to say, god, I just want to be a good steward of what you've given me. Money, relationships, time, I want to be a good steward. So, it's between you and the Lord. The local church is just the outlet you use. Philanthropy is good.

Give to stuff. Give to stuff. But there's something supernatural about giving to your local church because it's what the Bible says, and we're bringing our tithe. It's an active worship. So, that's how we wanna see it here when you when you're a tribe or your church.

So, let's pray and then tell you ways to give. Get you guys out of here. Lord Jesus, we just love you so much. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the Holy Spirit and how he reveals things in our life like only he can do.

Thank you so much for just that picture of light flooding into our lives, into our heart, and that being your holy spirit. That is such a real thing. And people in here who have experienced that, they know people if they have not experienced but want it so bad. Lord, I just join my faith with theirs for them to just see you in a new way as we read, as we read our Bible, as we pray, as we worship, as we do our natural part to connect with you. You are so faithful to meet us where we're at.

Thank you, lord, for just tenderizing our hearts to things of you and as we bring our tithe, whether it's today or another time, whatever our rhythm is, lord, you just meet us where we're at and we just say thank you. Help us to be good stewards of the things and the resources and the people that you put into our care. We love you for who you are, for who you've always been, and will continue to be. In Jesus name, amen. You can give physically if you have a cash or check.

There's a wooden box here at the door. There's also a black lockbox right outside the door outside. You can stop by. All of us drive here on Broadway every day. Do you guys always look at the tribe bus even though you've seen it a million times?

I do too. I'm like, oh, it's still there. It's never not there. And, yeah, it's like our logo up in the window. But when you drive by sorry.

That was a derail. You can

drop your money in there. Or, Hux, if you'll put that up, if you have a smartphone, you can just text, like, you have a new friend, type in the number tribe tithe or whatever you want, and it's 8333697847. You just type the word give in the message line, the dollar sign, and what you wanna give or online anytime. Oh, one more thing then, Brian, would you pray us out? Whether you've been to tribe from the very beginning or this is your very first time, oop, these are our connect cards.

You can write your name on there if you want to get text every now and again on what's going on but on the back is really important. If you have something that you want prayer for and we'll Cory and I will be over here in this smaller room after service if you want prayer in person but on Mondays, tribe staff takes these so seriously. We just take time to pray over these and join our faith with you. Nothing is too big or small to write down if you're going through something or just want extra spiritual muscle. We're here for you.

Fill those out, and you can put it in the drop either drop box where you put the cash.

Thank you, Amanda. Let's stand up together. Would that be all right if I prayed for you? Jesus, thank you. Thank you that you didn't leave it up to our own intellect to apprehend and grab a hold of you, Jesus.

But that we can receive the power of the Holy Spirit that causes us to have an encounter with you that would make you to be so real that we would be your witness. That we would be and remain faithful under pressure. I pray for our tribe fam here this morning. Give us a great week. I command a blessing over each and every person here and for all of the teachers in the room, hang in there.

Hang in there, summer's coming. We're past spring break, summer's coming, hang in there. Pray these things in Jesus name. Everybody said, amen. I love you so very much.

I want you to have a great week and remember, you got this.