Fresh Fire: Presence, Prayers & Power Series

Fresh Fire: Presence, Prayers & Power

Do you like gadgets? I love gadgets. I think it is safe to say that if you took away my Computers, iPod, iPad and iPhone for a day I would find it difficult to survive without going crazy.

The ability to communicate is important to me.

The other day our internet connection stopped working while I was trying to send an email to someone.

I tried switching my computer off and on.

I switched the broadband box off and on.

All I got was a little red flashing light that told me what I already knew - the internet connection was not working.

I phoned my internet service provider.

And they did some checking and told me that the problem was someone had switched off the power to a specific circuit at the exchange.

And that they would get it switched back on asap.

Broadband is a wonderful invention.

Built to do exactly what it was intended to do.

But broadband is useless without power.

Broadband needs external power to operate.

And its true to say that there are many occasions in our lives when our own power isn’t enough for us to operate.

There are occasions when we need to experience the power of God in our lives.

There are occasions when only the Supernatural Power of the Holy Spirit is able to make a real difference in our lives, in our families lives, in our community.

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When we trust in Jesus as our personal saviour, when we give our lives to Christ, the Bible says it is like we are born again.

God gives us a new mind, heart, and conscience. We have a whole new nature inside us.

And the Holy Spirit comes and takes up residence inside us.

Remember how the Duracell Bunny had a source of power that lasted longer than any other....

Well nothing lasts longer than the power of the eternal God.

And by the power of the Holy Spirit operating in us and through us, we are empowered to serve God, every moment of our lives.

Do you ever feel like you have been unplugged?

Does it sometimes feel like your Christian life is not working the way you think it should?

The problem is not with God but with us.

We were not recreated in Christ to run on our own power, but so often we try to do stuff in our own strength.

We need constant help from God.

We need to be willing to draw from the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to work and function properly.

In our homes we have different gadgets and electrical items and each one was designed differently to accomplish a different task.

Your fridge keeps stuff cold.

Your washing machine washes stuff.

Your iron makes your clothes lovely and smooth.

And your TV entertains you for hours with stuff that you wonder why you bother to watch it.

Each item is different, all run from the same power source.

Likewise in the church each of us is designed for a slightly different role.

God has given all of us talents, abilities, skills and gifts.

Each of us is different.

But every single one of us is designed to be empowered by The Holy Spirit

If you feel like your not operating properly, if you are always saying to yourself

“there must be more to the Christian life than this” than maybe the problem is you have not allowed yourself to be fully plugged into Holy Spirit Power.

This month our Fresh Fire theme is the Holy Spirit in Supernatural Power -

The Power that brings life and light to you and those around you.

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This morning to focus our attention I want us to look at a couple of verses from the old testament and 2 verses from the new testament

In Exodus Chapter 25, God gives Moses specific instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle. God also gives Moses specific plans for the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, the table, and the lampstand.

Exodus 25:31-32 says “Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand--three on one side and three on the other.

As you entered the tabernacle or Holy Place on the left side was a golden 7 branched candlestick. It was the only light that was shining in the tent.

Through the Bible we see that the number 7 means FULL or COMPLETE.

Maybe your thinking, what has the tabernacle and a 7 cupped candle stick got to do with the Holy Spirit.

The Bible in 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that if you are a believer your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?