Being Filled with the Holy Spirit [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright.

Every person is infinitely valuable, and that God is no respecter of color, background, or gender, and that He loves every person infinitely, and He wants to wash every person clean by His grace, and He wants to abide in every person forever. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series Unlimited, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I'm going to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.

As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org. Or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Now, more on this later in the program, but right now, let's get started with today's teaching. Here is Alan Wright. For 23 years, the first face other than my wife's that I've seen on Easter day for the last 23 years is the glowing face of Pastor J.C. Hash. When Ann and I began to spend some time with J.C. and his wife Joy, we just considered it a high honor, and we fell in love with them. They are deeply spiritual, and they're just fun to be around. As our nation is reeling from the George Floyd killing, I asked Bishop Hash if he would sit down with me for a conversation on camera that might shed some light and some love.

I want you to see our conversation, and it's part of my message today, and I hope that it will help you understand more than you do now, and regardless of the color of your skin, to take next steps in letting go of any form of prejudice, and so I want you to enjoy this conversation at this very important moment in the history of our nation, and when we come back from the conversation, I want to show you from Acts 2 some beautiful truths about the infilling of the Holy Spirit and how anyone, anyone can be filled with the Spirit. What's your son's name? Bennett. Bennett, no. I know how you love Bennett.

What if that was Bennett laying down on the ground there? You can't even, I can't even... That's the only way you can get the feel of it. You have to put yourself in those shoes. What if it was your son or your, you know, whatever they're in four black offices doing it to tell you. See, that's the only way you can feel it.

That's the only way you can really get the feel. When you see it, it touches your heart. It hurts your heart to see something like that happen, but to really get the feel of what that family's going through, you don't, it's not like until you experience it yourself, and I think as a result of you and I talking because we're close friends and everything, hopefully that we can say something that will quicken people, everyone, to take a look at their heart. Yes. You know, me, my family, you, your family, I think everyone need to take a serious look at their heart.

Yes. When it comes to the opposite race, whether it's black, white, Hispanic, Asian, you name it, we're all here for one purpose. JC, we've talked about the gospel. We talked about how the presence of the Holy Spirit makes all the difference, and I think that there are probably a lot of pastors in my position that are wanting to speak now more clearly than ever before. Even if you haven't felt in your heart, as best you know your own heart, you haven't felt racist thoughts. It's a whole different level to have conversations like this, to even if you don't do it the right way, try to talk to somebody, try to listen, as you said, and to speak, to really speak. I think for the sake of our nation, for the sake of humanity, I think we all have to take a look and sit down and see how can I better the situation, and it starts at home. Yes.

It starts within. I take a serious look at me and see am I different towards a Caucasian person, a Hispanic person, or an Asian person? Do I see them different?

Do I see someone of my own race? I shouldn't, but sometimes we all can be gifted through ignorance. Exactly.

Exactly. Well, I could talk to you all day, always could, because, and I hope that everybody watching, if you're new to ever understand or seeing or participate in the ministry of Bishop J.C. Hash, I think you probably already experienced what I experienced. What I'm around you is my faith is built, the love of Christ is shed abroad in my heart, and I know that Anne and I just want to say again to you, to Joy, we love you. We love all of our friends at St. Peter's, and we're wanting to learn and grow during this time because we're hurting. But if you are a Christian, you want to grow. If you are a Christian, you want to improve people's lives. Before we dismiss, I want something here that I would ask you to read.

I've read it, and I was so impressed with it. A pastor, you ever heard of Larry Stockstare? Yes.

His son, Jonathan Stockstare, is passing the church there now. I want you to read that out loud. Could you read that out loud? Starting here with what you mentioned from President George W. Bush, Floyd's death means it's time... Am I starting at the right place? No, you're right. Just the front page.

The front page. Floyd's death means it's time to listen, not lecture what COVID and racism have in common. People don't believe they exist if they haven't affected them personally.

That's right. Racism is generational. It's hidden in slight comments and subtle attitudes. It is passed on when certain neighborhoods are avoided, social scenarios are preferred, and friend circles never diversify. It happens in homes around the dinner table and in living rooms.

It happens in small, condescending jokes and comments that stereotype young minds are listening, observing, learning. Racism is a heart thing. Legislation alone will never erase racism. It must be dealt with in the homes and hearts of everyone in America.

That's why I believe one of the strongest actions we can take is to talk loud about it. People need to stop denying its existence and start searching their hearts for deep stereotypes, preferences, and judgments. Racism is preferring one race over another. It is the inward feeling that your race, whichever it is, is superior.

Think about that. When you prefer and exalt your race above others, you are by definition a racist. That's strong, but that's true. That's a strong statement, but it's a true statement. That's a true statement.

When I read that, I told my wife, Joyce, I would love to read that because I believe I know you stand for what's right, I stand for what's right, and what we want to do is bring healing to our people, healing to our society. Let's read that line again. When you prefer and exalt your race above others, you are by definition a racist. That's true. It's a true statement. That's a true statement.

It goes on. This makes many people of many shades by definition racist. I've heard both white and black people share the exact sentiments I've just defined, and it runs deep. I encourage you to dialogue with your family about it, as I'm sure you already are. I encourage you to make intentional changes to diversify your world. I encourage you to think of ways to honor someone of a different race than your own. We can't change everyone, but we can change ourselves and allow that light to shine brightly.

We can change everyone, but we can... We can change ourselves. Yes. Well, I sure do love that man, and J.C. Hash and his wife, Joy, two of the most spirit-filled people that you could ever know, and that's what I want to talk to you about is what do we really mean by being spirit-filled? When I was a senior in college at North Carolina, I was taking an unusual course. It was called Religious Movements. My favorite professor, Grant Wacker, was teaching it, and ironically, the two religious movements we were studying were Mormonism and Pentecostalism. Looking back on it, I thought that's an odd combination, but Dr. Wacker was something of an expert on the history of Pentecostalism, and we were reading all about it, and at the same time, I was in an InterVarsity small group that was doing a study on the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. I had never learned much about the Holy Spirit, and it so happened that during this semester that one of the fellowships on campus was hosting an evangelist who was coming who was going to have, they proposed going to have healing ministry and miracles and all this, and my Bible study, who had never experienced anything like that, never been in a meeting like that, decided that they were, we're all going to go. So I even told Professor Wacker, I said, we're going to this meeting. He said, great, it'll be like a field trip.

You come back and tell us what you experience, and we went to the meeting. I'd never seen such exuberant worship. All of my worship had been more low key than that, and there was a lot of joy.

There's a lot of clapping. Those people were really singing in this pretty large meeting with this evangelist, and he talked for a while, and they prayed for people. At that time, I wasn't comfortable in that kind of meeting, and then he came to this point and had everybody's head bowed and every eye closed, and he said, who wants to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Well, looking back on that day and that question, I now think that it's a very silly question to ask. Who wants to be filled with the Holy Spirit is sort of like asking who wants to be a millionaire. I mean, if you know anything about who the Holy Spirit is, you wouldn't ask that question.

The real question you would ask is who wouldn't want to be filled with the Holy Spirit? After all, the Holy Spirit is, the Scripture says in Acts 16, 7, the Spirit of Jesus. That's who he is, the Spirit of Jesus, and Paul writing to the Philippians said the same thing in Philippians 1, 19.

I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. So the Holy Spirit is very simply the Spirit of Jesus himself. So to say who wants to be filled with the Holy Spirit is like saying who wants to be filled with Jesus? And the Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher in the world. Jesus said this in John 14, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he'll teach you all things.

He's the greatest teacher. And when you have the fullness of the Holy Spirit, you have fruit that just happens as a product, a byproduct of him being in your life. This fruit of the Spirit in Galatians is love and joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. As Pastor Alan explains in his new book, The Power to Bless, which releases February 2nd and is available from Amazon for pre-order now, blessing is a biblically based faith vision over your life.

God blessed Adam and Eve and then told them to be fruitful and multiply. Blessing isn't the reward for your productivity, it's the fuel for it. The 2021 blessing wall calendar gives you space to write down all your important appointments and make plans for a wonderful new year. And most importantly, each time you see the beautiful image for the month, your heart will be strengthened by the empowering blessing statement from Pastor Alan. This year, don't just organize your life, bless your life with the 2021 blessing calendar. It is our gift to you when you make a donation this month to Allen Wright Ministries. Contact us today and start your year out right by the power of blessing. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Today's teaching now continues.

Here once again is Allen Wright. The fact that the Holy Spirit abides in every Christian proves that every person is infinitely valuable and that God is no respecter of color, background, or gender, and that he loves every person infinitely, and he wants to wash every person clean by his grace, and he wants to abide in every person forever. So when the Holy Spirit comes upon us as believers together, the unity of that, this solidarity, the supernatural oneness that we experience, it gets highlighted. And I experience this every time I worship. When I worship, I'm so thankful that God has saved me, and I'm so grateful for the grace of God.

I know I'd be lost forever. I'm like every other person. I'm like every other person.

Regardless of religious background or color of skin or how righteous they seem to be, I'm just like every other person. I was just a sinner in need of the grace of God. And when I worship God, I just think about that. I just think about his goodness. I just think about where I would be if he hadn't shown me his love. I just think about his grace, and I know I'm not deserving of it.

I know I don't deserve it, and I know therefore I'm the same as every other person. But I also know that by the grace of God, that same grace that saved me, I've been filled with the Holy Spirit, the abiding presence of the Spirit of Jesus. And ever since that time that I prayed when I was a senior in college, I've begun to experience and continue to experience various ways the Spirit comes upon me. Sometimes it's in preaching. Sometimes it's in praying for somebody. Sometimes it's in an act of mercy. Sometimes it's to have wisdom for a particular situation. But the Spirit of God has been continuing to come upon me, and the joy of the Lord has never left me.

I have times I'm very sad. I have times in which I battle all of the kind of darkness that every other person battles. But I've known the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and when I worship with others, when I worship with other believers, I feel in common with them that we are all people who, other than the grace of God, are lost, and that we all have the one and the same Spirit. So what happened at Pentecost? Well, something very unusual and powerful, and it happened in an unprecedented way, a particular manifestation of the Spirit coming upon these believers.

Now look at this, Acts chapter 2 and verse 5. There were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven, and at this sound the multitude came together. So what a statement, devout men from every nation, saying like anywhere that we can think of in the world, there were people gathered for this pilgrimage to come to the holy convocation of the feast of Pentecost. And at the sound of the multitude, at the sound of the multitude came together when they heard this rushing wind, and they were bewildered because here's what was happening. Each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

It's an extraordinary moment. If you look at a map of all of the places, we won't read the list again that we read earlier, but all of these places from everywhere as far as Rome and parts of Asia and Crete and people that were coming from Parthia and Mesopotamia, all over the known world, people were gathered. Acts 2 11 says it was both Jews and proselytes, meaning people that had not been born Jewish but had converted to Judaism. They were all there, and they were hearing about the mighty works of God in their own language. This is an extraordinary manifestation of the Holy Spirit. We'll talk more about the infilling of Holy Spirit and coming messages, and we'll have more to say about the gifts of the Spirit.

But for now, just know that this is distinct. This where everyone is speaking, hearing the gospel in their own language, this is what we might call a message in in tongues, a gift of tongues for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel in a known language. But Paul later speaks of speaking in tongues is as a gift of prayer and praise that he calls a heavenly language or tongues of angels. It's something between you and God and sometimes is shared in a public meeting where there is someone who is spiritually interpreting it. But at Pentecost, what was happening? What was happening was the gospel was going forth through a miracle that everyone could understand.

People of different languages understanding together. It is a picture of the unity of the Holy Spirit. In many ways is a reversal of an odd thing that we read about in Genesis chapter 11 verse one and through verse nine. The whole earth after the flood had one language in the same words and as people migrated from the east, they found a plane in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. And they had a brick for stone and by two men for mortar. And then they said, come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with his top in the heavens and let us make a name for ourselves.

It's a picture of pride. You see this going on, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, behold, they are one people and they all have one language. And this is the only beginning of what they'll do.

And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down there and confuse their language so that they may not understand one another speech. So the Lord's dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth and they left off building the city. Therefore, its name was called Babel because the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there, the Lord dispersed them over the face of the earth. So at Babel, human pride, I don't need God, I'll make my own way to heaven, brought about confusion and disunity and the languages were scattered and the people were scattered and then they were all assembled on Pentecost.

And what happened when the Holy Spirit came was a reversal of Babel. Instead of being separated with no understanding of one another, by the Spirit, people began to understand one another. They began to be together. They began to love one another.

They began to know one another. And what we're going to see in the unfolding of the story of the book of Acts is the ever increasing astonishment that those Jewish believers had that the gospel and the Holy Spirit was not for this one little race of people, but for everybody. And the Holy Spirit, therefore, is the one who brings people together.

What the world that is so broken and what this nation with our cities that are burning, literally and in rage, what we need, beloved, to awaken us out of our racism and to carry us to the dawning of a new day is we need a fresh Pentecost. Everyone needs the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Who wants to be filled with the Holy Spirit is really a silly question. The question is who wouldn't want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Anyone can be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

And that's the gospel. God has from Amazon for pre-order now, Blessing is a biblically-based faith vision over your life. God blessed Adam and Eve and then told them to be fruitful and multiply. Blessing isn't the reward for your productivity, it's the fuel for it. The 2021 Blessing Wall Calendar gives you space to write down all your important appointments and make plans for a wonderful new year. And most importantly, each time you see the beautiful image for the month, your heart will be strengthened by the empowering blessing statement from Pastor Alan. This year, don't just organize your life, bless your life with the 2021 Blessing Calendar. It is our gift to you when you make a donation this month to Allen Wright Ministries. Contact us today and start your year out right by the power of blessing. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Back here now with Pastor Alan in the studio and what a unique teaching.

I think this is so, so good. As any pastor that, you know, develop a sermon series and ready to teach it, and then you don't know what life's gonna throw your way. And certainly in the middle of this teaching, major racial injustice that came to a head at that time. And so in the middle of this teaching of Acts, Pastor Alan, you sat down with your friend, Bishop J.C. Hash of 25 years to have a very frank, honest, and I think a healing conversation.

And so we heard part of that today as well. Well, you know, these conversations, there's no one conversation that suddenly cures racism or heals all the hurt or anything like that. But I do think that honest dialogue where you love and appreciate people that don't look like you goes a long way. And we just put it, Daniel, in the context, in the center of a sermon that is all about being filled with the Holy Spirit. Because I think that it was no coincidence for the preaching in the book of Acts as all this was happening, and that you see in the book of Acts how the Holy Spirit fills people who don't look like each other, who aren't from the same nations and tribes, and yet everybody experiences the same thing in the Spirit. So it's both a message about honest conversation about racism, but it is a message that is about how we're filled with the Holy Spirit. And I hope that our listeners have gained clarity because in the end, you really understand how good God's Spirit is. Who wouldn't want to be filled with the Holy Spirit? So ask Him.

There's no technique or formula, certainly no magic to it. You come to God and you seek Him with all your heart and say, Lord, I want everything you have for me. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. And I believe that as you reach out to Him that way, you'll experience God in fresh new ways. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.