Mentoring Men for the Master

MAY I HELP YOU?

 These are the four wonderful words we hear the salesmen utter as we are fumbling in a pile of goods in a department store.  And what a relief these words bring in our frustrations in knowing what we need to purchase.  But had you ever stopped to realize that these are the very words God is speaking on the inside of us as we face the overwhelming problems of modern living – MAY I HELP YOU?  Illus:  My oldest sister had a growth on her head and my parents applied all the medial remedies they could secure.  One day as my mother rushed out of our home to go to her mother for help when she saw my sister was dying, a voice spoke to her on the doorsteps, “Why don’t you call on someone who can help you?”  My mother fell down to her knees, and said, “Yes, Lord, please help us- please heal Lou Nell.  And He did.

There is an old saying, “God help those who help themselves.”  Wrong.  God helps those who can’t help themselves.”  Prov. teaches, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”    You and I need that Friend every day of our lives.  And who exactly is that Friend – the Holy Spirit.  When the disciples felt helpless and hopeless since Jesus would soon be departing, Jesus said, “I will pray to the Father and He will send you another HELPER and He will abide with you forever.” (John 14:16).  The word translated “Helper” is the Greek word, PARAKLETOS, meaning “One to come alongside of you and One just like Me,”  the Blessed Holy Spirit.  And today the Holy Spirit is continually speaking if we hunger to hear, “May I help you?” and is waiting for us to trust Him to give that help which no one else can give, much less ourselves.

Exactly what is our need for when we need help?

  1. We need to know that we are lost sinners, and only the Holy Spirit convicts of this truth (John 16:7).
  2. We need to know that Jesus is the Only Savior from our sins, and the Holy Spirit shows us that (John 14:6).
  3. We need to know that we must repent and trust Jesus in order to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
  4. We need to know that we need to become new creations in Christ, and only the Holy Spirit through the new birth can accomplish this miracle (2 Cor. 5:17).
  5. We need to know we need the character of Jesus in our lives, and only the Holy Spirit can impart this to us (Gal. 5:22-23).
  6. We need to know that  we need power in prayer and only the Holy Spirit can give this (Romans 8:26).
  7. We need to know we are to worship God in spirit and in truth and we can do this only through the Holy Spirit (John 4:24).
  8. We need to know the Bible is a closed book to us without the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and we need Him to teach us the truth of the Bible (1 Cor 2:9-10).
  9. We need to know we are truly saved and in order to know this we must have the witness of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16).
  10. We need to know we cannot overcome temptations, including sexual lust, without walking in the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16).
  11. We need to know that we cannot minister spiritual matters thorough our natural talents but must have charismatic (Grace-Given, the Charismata) gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:5ff; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 4:10).
  12. We need to know that we cannot within our own strength crucify the flesh (our Adamic rebellion against God’s will and authority) except in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:13).
  13. We need to know that we cannot crown Jesus as Lord of our lives except through the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).
  14. We need to know that we can never be an effective soul-winner at home or a missionary abroad without the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
  15. We need to know that Jesus in His humanity never healed anyone, never preached, performed a miracle, never won a soul until after His “anointing of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 10:38).  If Jesus the Son of God required the Holy Spirit, God forbid that we would be so prideful and foolish to think we can live the Christian life or witness without His help.
  16. We need to know that the life of the true believer is often tough, even a persecuted life (2 Tim. 3:12), and the only one who can comfort us in these tribulations is the Holy Spirit, often called, “The Comforter.” ( John 14:16, KJV).
  17. We need to know that there are three great summits of truth in Christianity:  The Incarnation of the Son of God in flesh (His virgin birth), His vicarious death for our sins on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead, but we have no access to these truths without the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

These 17 monumental truths being true, we need to know that we must not just be born again of the Holy Spirit, but we must be filled and controlled by His power.  For four chapters in Ephesians the Apostle Paul confirms that the Ephesians have the Holy Spirit, His sealing, His presence.  But some of these Ephesians, most I believe, were not “filled,” or controlled by the Holy Spirit.  So in his final appeal to them he commands them, “Be not drunk with wine wherein there is debauchery, but be you all being filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

Illus:  B. Graham told the story of a church that had dismissed three deacons.  When he asked the church leaders why, they explained that all three had been consuming alcohol.  Brother Graham then asked the church leaders if they were dismissing members who were not filled with the Spirit.  They replied, “Of course not.”  Brother Graham said, “Why not, the same Scripture regarding alcohol also commands that “We be filled with the Spirit.”

Remember:

  1. the filling of the Holy Spirit is a truth to be believed,
  2. it is an experience to be had and
  3. it is a relationship to be continued.

Of course, you must be born of the Holy Spirit, and thus possess His Person in your body, if you would be filled.  But suppose you are born again and your life is not controlled, what does that mean?

  1. It means you are committing a deadly sin.  It is a greater sin for a Christian not to be filled than for one to be drunk on alcoholic beverages.
  2. It means you are grieving the Holy Spirit, which you are forbidden to do – Ephesians 4:30.  Visit Ephesians 4:25-32 for a list of sins which grieve Him.
  3. It means you must not quench or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19)
  4. It means you must surrender ALL TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, which would mean you will obey Jesus Christ in all He commands, willingly and lovingly for His glory alone (Isaiah 42:8).