The Comforter – Part 1.

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When the Lord gives me a mandate to encourage, how do I connect people with Biblical reality?

  • They love God, but their expectations are not necessarily what the God says?

How do I reach out to those who see themselves as bigger than God’s Word?

  • Yesterday, when I forwarded the strip of batman slapping Robin with Bible verses, someone genuinely replied “True. But people use this verse to their advantage. As a getaway pass to be cold and nasty.”
    • That is their experience, but here is the thing.
    • It is nothing compared to mine, at least I think so.
  • Jesus said in Matt 11 Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.
  • Jesus also warned us to forgive just like He has forgiven us.
    • Do they walk by faith in what God said or by circumstance that we experiece?

How do I encourage those who make turn what God has commanded into a choice to make, an option to be considered?

  • Are we not doing as Eve did when she sinned?

True there are some who misuse the Word of God, but as for me, I only allow the joy of the Lord be my strength.

  • My hope is only on Christ, as I deal with the fallen World.
  • In other words, I overcome by keeping my eyes on the things above, knowing that though I am in the world, I am not of this world.
  • I have to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

  • Is He often misunderstood even by those who love Jesus?

What is His role in the plan of God?

  • His role becomes clear as we understand Jesus Christ better.

Jesus did what He did because He was empowered by the same holy Spirit whose temple we are.

—

Jesus was a source of comfort for the disciples.

  • He is still a source of comfort, but the role has changed after resurrection.

John 14:16 KJV And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:26 KJV But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

We all agree that the Apostles loved Jesus.

That they and those who were taught by them all believed in the fullness of the Gospel.

  • Salvation for the Soul
  • Healing for the body
  • A Born-Again Spirit

Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Yet out of all the Apostles,

  • One betrayed Jesus Christ
  • All the rest were killed, martyred for their faith in Christ,
  • Witness = Martyr – Part 2
  • One died of old age, but he was imprisoned betrayed.

Psalm 127:1 1 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lordguards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

Out of the 7 deacons in Acts of the Apostles

  • All except one were martyred.
  • One betrayed the church, according to tradition, and became a heretic.
  • Prochorus was John’s scribe in Patmos where in the book of Revelation, Jesus warns about Nicolas and his teaching.

Add to that the challenge of showing people who love God that the Bible is not some relic/object set apart in a bygone era with no connection with reality, with who we are today?

We all love Jesus Christ but it does not guarantee human disagreements,

  • There must be a change in our worldview.
  • Paul and Barnabas.
  • the apostle Paul instructs believers to Renew our mind to change our worldview.

When that does not happen, if humans don’t repent, mindful of things of men:

  • Then the Church, Jesus’ body, will split.

Major splits

  1. Fifth Century – Non-Chalcedonian Churches. Malankara – Oriental Orthodox
  2. Towards the end of the first millennium, the church splits “great schism” into East and West.
  3. The western branch, the Roman Catholics, headed by the Pope in Rome splits again, this time into splinters we now call Denominations.
  4. The eastern branch, known as the Orthodox Church, mainly all together, but different based on nationality and language,

How did Jesus make Himself authentic?

  • How do I make Jesus real?
  • How do I let Him build His Church?

Jesus did what He did because He was empowered by the same holy Spirit whose temple we are.

  • The Holy Spirit was the bridge.

Ever since the formation of the Church, there has been splits because too often men see themselves as bigger than God’s Church.

2 Corinthians 5:16 NKJV Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

  • Encouragement only if we filled with the Holy Spirit.
  • Encouragement only if we are spiritual.

1 Corinthians 2:10–14 (NKJV)  10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Only if we are filled with the Holy Spirit are we able to walk with God.

  • God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God
  • no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
  • the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God
  • Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
  • If so, how can any truth in the Bible encourage the natural man, the flesh?

Check your life, see if you are guided by emotions, offense, if they are really your God?

  • If they supplant God, are we not doing as Eve did when she sinned?
  • Do we trust God or our circumstances?
  • From the beginning, it has been about the loyalty of our heart.

Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

  • Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
  • Every sacrifice must be seasoned with salt. (Mark 9)
  • Who is the Holy Spirit?

1 Thessalonians 4:18 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Hallelujah!

When the Lord gives me a mandate to encourage how do I connect people with Biblical reality? These people, I’m talking about you. You love God,(…) but your expectations are not necessary what God in the Bible says.(…) How do I reach out to those who see themselves as bigger than God’s word? Let me explain. Yesterday, for example, I forward the strip of Batman slapping Robin with Bible verses,

and someone genuinely replied,(…) “This is true,” meaning the scripture is true, but people use these words to their advantage as a getaway pass to be cold and nasty.

This is their experience, but here’s the thing. When they said that, I was thinking to myself what they went through, maybe a creed in their eyes but it’s nothing compared to mine.(…) What I went through, at least I think that way in the flesh.(…) Then we get into comparing competition.

My misery is more miserable than yours, but that is not what Jesus wants us to do. Jesus said in Matthew 11, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of me.” That is when John the Baptist sent his disciples to find out whether he is the Messiah or should we look for another one? John the Baptist knew Jesus was anointed.(…) As a baby, he leapt in his mother’s womb. During the baptism of Jesus, he saw the Holy Spirit, yet he wanted to know why because he was offended,(…) because he had his own plans and his own agenda. This is what I mean. They see themselves as bigger than God’s word or God’s plan.

And they get offended. How do I reach out to those people?

Jesus also wanted us to forgive just like he had forgiven us. So I’m thinking, do they walk by faith in what God has said already or by circumstances that we experience? For we walk by faith and not by sight.(…) So how do I encourage those who turn what God has commanded into a choice to make an option to be considered? Oh God has said this, but it’s not quite convenient for me. Therefore I will follow my emotions. This is an option. Are we not doing exactly what Eve did when she sinned? True, there are some who misuse the word of God.

But as for me,(…) and this is what I told that person, I only love the joy of the Lord to be my strength.(…) I decide not another person.

I decide.

That is what Jesus did for me. My hope is in Christ, but I deal with the fallen world.

In other words,(…) I overcome by keeping my eyes on the things above,(…) knowing that though I am in the world, I am not of this world. There’s a big difference in that. And I can only do that if I am filled with the Holy Spirit.

I can’t do that by knowing the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, every word, every dot and dittle in different versions and different languages.

That’s useless, cannot help me. I’m not saying it’s bad, but I can only do what the Lord has told me to do for my calling. The salvation be complete when I am filled with the Holy Spirit.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

He is often misunderstood,(…) even by those who love Jesus. What is his role in the plan of God?(…) And that is what I’m going to teach about starting today. And his role becomes clear as we understand Jesus better.(…) Remember Jesus did what he did when he was on earth, not because he was God, but he was empowered by the same Holy Spirit whose temple you and I are. Hallelujah. You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.

Amen.

Jesus was a source of comfort for his disciples. Wherever he went, there was healing. Whatever problems you had, you could go to Jesus with it.(…) And he is still the source of comfort for us. But the role has changed after resurrection.

And this is what you and I must understand. Go to John 14, 16. Jesus is saying that in the King James worship, it says, I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever. Who are you the temple of the Holy Spirit? That is what Jesus is talking about. Go to John 14, 26. But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance. And whatsoever I have said unto you. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Remember, the Lord told me to encourage you. I said to the Lord, how can I do that? I know that you are Lord. I know that I have encouragement. But how do I impart that? How do I tell other people to trust in Jesus to hang in there? All I have is words to tell you.

So I looked in the Bible. Surely there must be something encouraging there. Yes.(…) I agree that the apostles loved Jesus. Yes. They and those who were taught by them all believed in the fullness of the gospel. Yes. We agree with that. Yes. That is the salvation of the soul, the healing of the body and the born again spirit. Yes.

We all agree with that. Yes. Go to Matthew 16, 18. And I also say unto you that you are Peter and on the rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against this.

It’s what against it against the church. Yes.

So this is what the apostles did. Yeah. They built his church yet out of all the apostles, one betrayed Jesus Christ. The rest were killed or martyred for the faith in Jesus Christ. All except one. That was John. He died at an old age. The word for martyr, which I’ll continue teaching not today, not the session, maybe next or the one after it’s called witness.(…) It’s not a bad word. Like I said, John died of old age, but he was imprisoned for his faith in Christ. He wrote the book of Revelation when he was in jail, not in jail as we know it, when he was cast away into an island called Patmos. Yes. He was betrayed. But in Psalm 127 one, it says, unless the Lord builds a house, the labor in vain who build it, unless the Lord got to city, the watchman stay awake in vain. So Lord has to build the house. So you all agree. We all agree that the apostles were given a mandate from the Lord to build his house and the Lord had to build the house. Yes.

But here’s what happened to them.

So what gives?

So when you go to Acts chapter six,(…) you find that there were seven deacons.

They were called by the Holy Spirit to serve all except one were martyred. How do I encourage people this day with that?

And that one who survived betrayed the church.

Was he not picked by the Holy Spirit?

Tradition says that he became heretic.(…) You have Stephen who was a martyr, then Prochorus is mentioned. He became a scribe and he was exiled with John and he’s the one who wrote down according to tradition, the book of Revelation. John dictated Prochorus wrote down. Yes. Today’s language, he was John’s secretary.(…) But Jesus warns about Nicholas and his teaching according to tradition.

Who’s Nicholas?

One of the seven. Niccolations.

We have deep, taken deeper meanings of that while studying.(…) But according to tradition,(…) Nicholas was one of the seven.

How do I encourage believers with that?

The challenge of showing people who love God that the Bible is not some relic,(…) some object set apart in a bygone era with no connection with reality, with no connection with who we are today.

How do I do that?

I said, Lord, it’s easy for you to say to encourage the people, but how do I do that?

You were chased half-truth in the inner being. But how do I do that?

We all love Jesus, but that doesn’t guarantee disagreements at all. For that to happen, there must be a change in our world view.

I spoke about that last week when there is no change.

There will be disagreements. You take Paul and Barnabas.

Both are men of God.

Barnabas wanted to give Mark, John Mark, a second chance. Paul disagreed with that. But later in life,(…) Paul said,(…) bring Mark.

There’s a change in you.

And the same Apostle Paul instructs you and me, the believers in Christ, to renew our mind to change our worldview.

Because this world doesn’t give you the view that you need.(…) You need that worldview from God.

If you don’t do that,(…) you are going to have a lot of heartache. Not only that, you’re going to cause a lot of heartache.

And if you are fulfilling the Lord’s mandate and you’re walking according to his calling, you will cause splits in the church.

When you don’t renew your mind, when that doesn’t happen, if humans don’t repent and if they’re mindful of things of men, then the church, Jesus’s body will split.

You take the church, for example.

I was putting this up to God when he told me to encourage people.(…) 500 years after Jesus died and rose again, there was a split.

Not on a small thing,(…) because they had a meeting to discuss the divinity of Christ. It was called the Chalcedonian meeting or whatever. Then what happened to some people said, we don’t agree with that. And they became the non-Chalcedonian churches.

I wrote it down here because I don’t want to offend anybody. This is not what I’m going to talk about. Yes.(…) We have the Malangara church in Kerala.(…) They’re the traditional Orthodox Church.

This is the Orangal Orthodox Church. It’s split from the main branch 500 years after church, after Jesus rose again.

This is before the Bishop of Rome.

And then 500 years later, there was another split and that was called the Great Schism, if I’m right.

Where the church again split into Eastern and Western.

And the Western branch had its headquarters in Rome, headed by the Pope.

We all know that and the Eastern branch was became known as the Orthodox Church.

The Western branch headed by the Pope had its pitfalls and whatnot.

And then you had the Reformation, which was not complete.

And because it was not complete right now in 2023,

Christanities divided into a multitude of splinters and groups, all calling each other denominations.

And all believing their right,(…) including you and me.

So what is authentic Christianity?

How do I encourage people?(…) You take the branch that was in the East,(…) they became the Orthodox Church. I’m talking in the Great Schism, not of the Malangara Church. For the most part,(…) they remain faithful to whatever traditions they had. For the most part,(…) the Orthodox Church remained faithful to the tradition. But that’s what happened. They became all about tradition.

You think Catholic churches are bad? These are super Catholics.

Do you understand? Yes. So but what happened is if you speak Russian, you had Russian Orthodox, if you speak another language, you had that language Orthodox, but they split based on language. But whichever church you go to, the traditions were the same.(…) I mean, you could you felt at home,(…) but they were not filled with the Holy Spirit, rather the traditions of men. That was true before, but not anymore. It’s changing also.

But when you look at the other branch that started as the Roman Catholic Church, which split into what is known as people protest or protestants.

We are counted as protestants. I don’t know what we are protesting.

Are we protesting Roman Catholic Church?

How can we protest that when that is not even part of our history?

We weren’t Kerala.

I’m sure St. Thomas did not think of the Roman Catholic Church when he came here.

The church was not split.

Back to this, how do I encourage? I told the Lord, it’s easy for you to say this, but how do I as a pastor,(…) genuinely be a man after your heart and encourage the people? Which denomination?

Where do I follow? Who do I follow? What if I say I am following the true gospel? Then what about the neighbor? What about the other pastor? He says he’s following the true gospel. This is the dilemma that I faced.(…) When I went deeper into the word, I had to find an answer for this because I know that I will not find it in a Bible scholar, Joe. Anywhere.(…) I know that I won’t find this answer from another pastor because all he will say is he’s right. The others are wrong.

That’s the basic crux of the matter, yes?

Or his denominations, right?

What gives?

Where’s the truth in this?

It’s not easy.

So I had to find out how Jesus in the midst of all this, because he had to deal with the Pharisees, the sadducees,

whoever, and they called him Jesus of Nastrit, they called him bastard.

You don’t read that in the scripture because scripture is diplomatic.

We know our father, but who is your father?

How did Jesus deal with that?

And how do I make Jesus real?

And this is what I’m going to be teaching you about. I’m not saying I’m 100% right or I got it all, but this is what I found to be true in my life and according to the word.

How do I let Jesus build his church?

How do I do that?

And I remember one person said,(…) “People stayed away in rows.” How do you do that?

Simple, and I told you this.

Jesus did what he did because he was empowered by the same Holy Spirit whose temple we are.(…) The Holy Spirit was the bridge.

Ever since the formation of the church, there has been splits because too often men see themselves bigger than God’s church.

Go to 2 Corinthians 5, 16.

Therefore,(…) who is saying this?

Paul,(…) the apostle. And he’s saying, “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.

Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we know him thus no longer.”

My question to you is, do you know him thus no longer?(…) Or do you know him as just the flesh being that lived and walked the earth 2,000 years ago? Like I said,(…) David strengthened himself in the Lord.

All this encouragement is only applicable, is only valid, only if we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

We do not regard anyone according to the flesh. That means what?

Ignore the person who says hi to me.

Because I don’t acknowledge him in the flesh. But no, that’s not what it says. I see the Spirit behind that. Do you understand?

That means you and I are capable of that.

And the Word of God, in what is in the Bible, can only be encouraging if we are spiritual.

The Bible talks about how no eye can see, no ear has heard what the Lord can do. Oh yes, people harp on that. But it continues. One quandians 2, you can read the whole chapter later, but I’m reading from 10 to 14. It says in verse 10, “But God has revealed them.”

That means what you know and I know to us through his Spirit.

That means we know what God is thinking through the Holy Spirit. We have the mind of Christ. It answers with that, yes?

I started this year with that.

“For the Spirit searches all things, yet he has the deep things of God.”

Verse 11, “For what man knows the things of man except the Spirit of man which is in him?”

Even so, no one knows things of God except the Spirit of God.

Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

These things we also speak not in words which man’s wisdom teaches,

but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.

I’ll say this again, only if you are filled with the Holy Spirit,(…) will you be able to walk with God.

Will you find only that the Bible is encouraging only if you are filled with the Holy Spirit?

Otherwise, it’s pointless. You will burn out.(…) You will cause harm.

God has revealed what he thinks to us through spirit. For the Spirit searches all things. Yes, the deep things of God. That means what? Spend time with God to find out what he’s thinking about this city,(…) what he’s thinking about you. No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

The Spirit who is from God that we might know the things which have been freely given to us by God.

What do I mean by all this? He’s comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

If I tell you something spiritual, what do I hear?

Oh, naturally, this is not good, pastor. That is not good. It’s not going to work because the market survey says this. Who cares what the market service is? When God says this, follow that. That is faith.(…) Put away that foolishness. How can you walk into boats and not fall?

This is real.

How can any truth in the Bible encourage the natural man?

How can it encourage the flesh?

Check your life.

See if you’re guided by emotions

or offense like the person I shared that thing with.(…) If they’re really your God instead of the true God,

you don’t have to tell me because I’ll know based on your actions.

And if this a plan God,(…) are we not doing as Eve did when she sinned?

Do we trust God or our circumstances?

See, from the beginning,

even before man fell,

it’s been about the loyalty of our heart.

God wanted our heart to be his.

Nothing else.

And when you’re born again,

most people call it the honeymoon period.

You want to give everything to God.

There’s zeal that’s often without knowledge.

But then Paul has something to say about that. Go to Galatians 3.3. Are you so foolish?

Having begun in the spirit,

are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

Check your life.

Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you go to Mark 9, it says, “Every sacrifice must be seasoned with salt.”

Jesus said that.

You can say sacrifices are done and away with.

But the Bible tells you in the New Testament to offer your life as a living sacrifice. And not only that, you are the salt of the earth. Jesus said that, “Yes, and every sacrifice must be seasoned with salt.”

Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

But who is the Holy Spirit?

Are you going to study about that?

Go to 1 Thessalonians 4.18.

Therefore,(…) comfort one another with these words.

What words?

Who is the comforter?

The Holy Spirit.(…) So what kind of comfort can these words bring? We’re going to study about that next week. What are these words?

These words will apply only to you as comfort if you keep your eye on things above, if you’re filled with the Holy Spirit.(…) Hallelujah.

Is that clear? Yes, let’s all stand up and worship Him.

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